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Episode 93: The Love and the Hate (of Writing)

Episode 93: The Love and the Hate (of Writing)

by | Feb 26, 2019 | Show

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Elizabeth and Angie discuss what we LOVE about writing. Because, why not? The conversation also touches on how much we retrain of what we hear v. what we teach, Ellen Sussman’s Rule of Three, thinking about what’s going to happen next in a story, the joy of learning, the pleasure of getting swept up in the story you are creating, entertaining yourself, aspects of pre-writing, the advantage of boredom and reveries, being a wierdo and not worrying about it, deep focus, paying attention, pruning (not prose but fruit trees), taking the train to Reno, nonsense writing, morning writing, editing, napping, and writing to get clarity about what you think. But there’s more! We also talk about what we hate about writing, about shame, about the beginning and end of writing, about being edited, about the critical voice and negotiating with sanbateurs and the benefits and life-saving aspects of having life coaches. Finally we touch on Kim Addanizio, Franz Kafka, and Oliva Coleman’s Oscar speech. It’s a rich half hour. Join us!

“It is not necessary that you leave the house. Remain at your table and listen. Do not even listen, only wait. Do not even wait, be wholly still and alone. The world will present itself to you for its unmasking, it can do no other, in ecstasy it will writhe at your feet.” --Franz Kafka

 

Links Discussed:

Kim Addonizio poem
Vivian Maier photos and documentary
Olivia Coleman’s Oscar Speech

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.

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Episode 92: The Rush and the Risk: Talking Novelistic Nonfiction with Christine O’Brien

Episode 92: The Rush and the Risk: Talking Novelistic Nonfiction with Christine O’Brien

by | Feb 19, 2019 | Show

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Today we talk with Christine O’Brien about her wonderful new memoir CRAVE. We tackle the challenges and techniques of shaping a memoir, applying formal structure to memory. Structure can also be a way to take risks and explore, if you can avoid perfectionism. What is it like to keep creating new work while juggling the promotion and publicity for your debut? What is it like to receive praise and notice in the literary world? Chris takes us on her journey into publication as she also discusses writing her next book. There can be a feeling of hubris about writing about yourself--and yet the adolescent female voice, for example, is not one that is overpowering the discourse about what it means to be human. And suspense--a page-turner--can be created by paying close attention. We think about what holds our attention, and about the power of letting the story unfold without trying to “hit a homerun” every time. Even--especially?--quiet, careful writing produces an exhilaration you can see on the face of a person who’s just written and risked.

Write to us a @questions@storymakersshow.com with your questions and comments!

 

Links Discussed:

BIAY(Book in a Year)

Craft Class

Free Solo (Documentary)

The Wife Between Us (audiobook)

Allen Kurzweil Whipping Boy: The Forty-Year Search for My Twelve-Year-Old Bully

Crave by Christine O’Brien

Christine OBrien

Christine O’Brien is the author of the critically acclaimed memoir Crave. The book has been praised as being “emotionally fraught,” “compelling,” and “thoroughly engaging,” while also earning praise from The New York Times for its ability to capture her father’s creative brilliance and her mother’s pioneering spirit with “loving generosity.” O’Brien earned a BA in English at UC Berkeley and holds a Double MFA in Nonfiction and Fiction. Her essay “Cul de Sac” received Honorable Mention in the Glimmer Train 2014 Short Story Award for New Writers, and her essays and short stories have appeared in The Seneca Review and The Slush Pile Magazine. This January she appeared on The Dr. Oz show, and she is the host of the upcoming podcast, Good Morning Writing!

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.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Episode 93: The Love and the Hate (of Writing)

Episode 91: The Revelations of Revision

by | Feb 14, 2019 | Show

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Today’s podcast is all about backstory and revision. Revision as the iterative process that helps you dig deeper into your story. Backstory as that which can be moved into the present action or withheld for revelation. Angie and Elizabeth talk about how to think about the information in your scenes as mobile, and how to find the best, most dramatic way to present it in the story. They also look at the use of a close POV it create secrets. The vintage and contemporary classics Rebecca and Room are two of the stories they investigate for use of backstory in revelation.

Send your questions, comments, etc. to  questions@storymakersshow.com. 

 

 

Links Discussed:

Rebecca
Room
Pilar Alessandra
Hyperfocus
Under My Skin by Lisa Unger
Rachel Howard Grottopod episode

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.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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Episode 90: Daniel Jokelson – Finding the Medicine

Episode 90: Daniel Jokelson – Finding the Medicine

by | Feb 5, 2019 | Show

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In this week’s episode, Angie and Elizabeth chat with one of Elizabeth’s high school classmates, Daniel Jokelson, about being a maggid—a kind of wandering storyteller. Storytelling has worked its way into every aspect of Daniel’s life, from being a singer-songwriter to acting with a company in Ashland Oregon even to teaching stories with the local Jewish youth group. And while the modes of story are incredibly different, Daniel finds a common thread in seeing the big picture of each art form, and connecting that to the audience who is hearing it. His work is all about finding the curiosity, bringing authenticity to preconstructed story, and most importantly, finding the medicine each tale has to offer.

Rogue World Music

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)

So I Married An Axe Murderer

Twelve Angry Men (1997)

Marathon Man

Article on Avoiding Cliches

Good and Mad by Rebecca Traister

Music & storytelling: reverbnation.com/danieljokelson

Blogging about sustainable agriculture: dannyfarmboy.blogspot.com

Current production: roguetheatercompany.com

Daniel Jokelson

Daniel Jokelson is a singer-songwriter, musician, actor, storyteller and improviser with a freelance residential garden biz keeping the lights on in Ashland, Oregon.  Daniel grew up in Berkeley, California in a Jewish family with an avid interest in the arts - his mother and brother are both visual artists, and the whole family were theater and movie fans.  Daniel studied acting at UMass Amherst and spent summers teaching theater at a day camp in Berkeley, which is where he also discovered guitar and writing songs. A wanderer and perpetual seeker, Daniel spent almost 2 years abroad, traveling and working in agricultural settings.  When he returned to the Bay Area, he continued working in agriculture and gardening while doing Soto Zen residential practice, absorbing the Buddhist approach and recording Ego Tofu, an album of original music. In 2008, he relocated to southern Oregon, where he lives happily with his partner Stephanie and has a life full of creative pursuits.  He completed a two-year Maggid training program in Ashland, learning both the craft of storytelling and the art of Torah interpretation (midrash).

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.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS