We had a far-ranging conversation with the multi-talented author of the trilogy The Wolf Chronicles, professional developmental and acquisitions editor and now, first-time screenplay writer Dorothy Hearst. She shared how her ideas and inspirations arrive and develop, how science can thicken a plot, negative self-talk (the downfall of many writers), and so much more. From human-animal-plant co-evolution to character building to revision, myth and symbol, and the shape of story, we delved and discussed concerns of the writer. Then we turned to Dorothy’s expertise as an editor and crafter of compelling jacket copy and talked about the art of proposals and platforms and what the editor can tell us about how to succeed. She gives us her take-aways from being a hands-on editor of books already agented or purchased by publishers, as well as tips for writing a proposal that will sell--and tells us why even the best book can’t be purchased by every editor. And did I mention we cover a brief history of storytelling technologies, and where to find inspiration for audacity and fearless writing?

LINKS:

Spirit of the Wolves

The Science of the Magical

The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World

The Truth about Dogs

The Hero's Journey

Grass

The Family Tree

When They Severed Earth From Sky

The International Wolf Conference

Avatar

A River Runs Through It 

A Bit of Fry and Laurie

http://DorothyHearst.com

Story Makers is a podcast that features in-depth conversations with accomplished writers, filmmakers and industry experts about story craft, technique, habit and survival--everything you need to know to stay inspired, connect to your creativity, find others’ wonderful stories and your own success.

The hosts:

Elizabeth Stark is a published, agented novelist and distributed filmmaker who teaches and mentors writers at BookWritingWorld.com.

Angie Powers is a distributed filmmaker and published short story writer with an MFA in creative writing and a certificate in screenwriting from UCLA who teaches story structure at BookWritingWorld.com.

Problems with sound? Extras don’t show up? In this far-ranging conversation with filmmaker Juan Davis,  a writer/ director with experience in sound, editing and just about every other area of film, we learn just how projects morph and problems can shape a stronger film in the end. From giving voice to the voiceless and showing a film about terrorism in troubled times to the art of transitions, arc and ambiguity, this conversation will inspire story makers of all stripes.

Juan is the writer/ director of a documentary, horror shorts, and a powerful new short film about a young middle eastern boy who witnesses war and is forever changed. He’s also just finished a feature script. We get the low down on the differences between documentary and narrative, and on Juan’s drafting and revision techniques, including reading the draft out loud to yourself, acting it out, the importance of taking notes as you go, and the depth of research he does. (You won’t want to miss the hilarious story of how Juan came to make a documentary.) Short film v. long? Juan talks about differences in set-up, hitting key points as fast as possible, starting with the most important part of the story right away, and getting your point across in a short time. We discuss the dearth of African-American horror filmmakers and why he's drawn to the genre and how he’s doing something different with horror, including reversing character expectations. We also speculate about the reasons behind the reemergence of exposition in written narrative, and the practice of stealing shots from admired films.

Links:

Juan-Davis.com

Twitter: @the1juandavis

Facebook: director.juan.davis

A Hero's Journey

On Directing Film

Story Logic and the Craft of Fiction

Laurie Broadnaux

Thaddeus Dickens

Thaddeus Dickens Jr.

Steven King

The Adventures of Tintin

Cinema Paradiso

Story Makers is a podcast that features in-depth conversations with accomplished writers, filmmakers and industry experts about story craft, technique, habit and survival--everything you need to know to stay inspired, connect to your creativity, find others’ wonderful stories and your own success.

The hosts:

Elizabeth Stark is a published, agented novelist and distributed filmmaker who teaches and mentors writers at BookWritingWorld.com.

Angie Powers is a distributed filmmaker and published short story writer with an MFA in creative writing and a certificate in screenwriting from UCLA who teaches story structure at BookWritingWorld.com.

This was such a helpful and inspiring conversation with new literary agent Jennifer Soloway, who went to grad school with Angie and who shares her journey to becoming an agent, how she fell in love with the work, her process for selecting clients, how to pitch your work, what she looks for, how she edits, and so much more. This is a must-listen show for anyone looking for an agent and also for anyone writing children’s through YA literature (though lots of what she talked about applies to all stories). She tells you how to grab the attention of a reader and goes step by step through the query process--from your end and from hers. We talk about why you can’t chase the trends but must write the story you’re compelled to write, but we also look at what she’d love to see in her inbox and opportunities for YA. We dig into the differences between the various age levels of books, from the writer’s perspective, in terms of point of view, length, levels of violence and romance and so on. Plus creativity and craft tips, including: finding and identifying your inner youthful mindset, and what builds voice and how voice makes us love a character. Jennifer also talks about how to approach every negative as a positive in editorial work--what she calls the magic of revision. She’s a dynamite, uplifting guide to the business side of books.

Links

Memento Mori

The Catcher in the Rye

Planet Tad

Wonder

Make It Stick

Andrea Brown Literary Agency

Big Sur Writing Workshops

SF Writers Conference

Ethel Rohan

SCBWI

Elizabeth George

Great post about length

Surrogates with Bruce Willis

So Much Synth by Brenda Shaughnessy

Story Makers is a podcast that features in-depth conversations with accomplished writers, filmmakers and industry experts about story craft, technique, habit and survival--everything you need to know to stay inspired, connect to your creativity, find others’ wonderful stories and your own success.

The hosts:

Elizabeth Stark is a published, agented novelist and distributed filmmaker who teaches and mentors writers at BookWritingWorld.com.

Angie Powers is a distributed filmmaker and published short story writer with an MFA in creative writing and a certificate in screenwriting from UCLA who teaches story structure at BookWritingWorld.com.

Nicholas P. Taylor has an alias. The acclaimed author of two historical novels, Nick took up with mysteries under the name T.T. Monday. The second, Double Switch, was recently released, and we tracked him down to talk genre switching, research, the two plots you have to know, the art of the quick and dirty timeline, and the differences between a thriller and a mystery. We touched on the psychology of hyper-masculinity, character development and wish fulfillment, and of course, because we pride ourselves on our craft-focused but far-ranging conversations, sentient animals and communicative fungi. You’ll learn how fiction differs from life and why it should, the process of plotting a detective novel, and its difference from writing literary fiction, some rules for writing series, the necessity of throwing away pages and drafts, following character v following story, the importance of voice, and who was the first published author in California. Plus more, much more. Links Discussed:

The Confessions of Nat Turner

How to Write Killer Fiction

The Portable Veblen

Midnight Cowboy (Film)

A.S. Byatt

Travis McGee novels by John D. MacDonald 

Batman

Lauren Groff

I Am Trying to Break Your Heart A Film About Wilco by Sam Jones

Story Makers is a podcast that features in-depth conversations with accomplished writers, filmmakers and industry experts about story craft, technique, habit and survival--everything you need to know to stay inspired, connect to your creativity, find others’ wonderful stories and your own success.

The hosts:

Elizabeth Stark is a published, agented novelist and distributed filmmaker who teaches and mentors writers at BookWritingWorld.com.

Angie Powers is a distributed filmmaker and published short story writer with an MFA in creative writing and a certificate in screenwriting from UCLA who teaches story structure at BookWritingWorld.com.