Ever wonder what happens when love goes off the rails? Join Tim and LeeAnna as they break down the Four Horsemen of relationships: Criticism, Contempt, Defensiveness, and Stonewalling. Spoiler: It’s not pretty. From jabs of criticism to emotional retreat, we’ve got your guide to the worst relationship habits - and how to write them without setting your characters on fire (well, not immediately). Get ready for some brutal truth and a one very angry (fictional) couple. Don’t miss it. You’ll laugh, you’ll cringe, you’ll never look at a “Facebook couple” the same way again.

As usual, Alchemy is ad-free... but this episode has been sponsored by Good Relationships Riding Stables! Want to trot through your relationship issues? Get in the saddle and take a lesson in communication, courtesy of the fine folks at Stable Relationships - where we teach you how to avoid riding straight into criticism, contempt, defensiveness, and stonewalling. Come for the riding lessons, stay for the relationship survival tips. Because if you can handle a horse, you can probably handle your partner’s worst behaviors... right? Well, maybe!

Read The Snark’s review of this podcast here. Writers’ prompts for this podcast are here. Submission page for Effigy Press here. Effigy Press here.

Intro music: brighter days by Oliver Massa - License code: S4QNBRVN0S5MTNW4 https://uppbeat.io/t/oliver-massa/brighter-days Outro music: nightdrive by mood-maze - License code: OGGKCMVJLUMOBW5P https://uppbeat.io/t/mood-maze/nightdrive. Or, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NZsJWoGZ9A