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Episode 105: Exit Your Comfort Zone

Episode 105: Exit Your Comfort Zone

by | Jun 25, 2019 | Show

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This week, Elizabeth is working on what it means to wait and Angie is getting out of her comfort zone. They discuss how it’s harder to be successful if you’re focused on the product instead of the process. Going between a focused view on a project and then a more diffuse view tends to lead to greater productivity and overall growth. Taking smaller forays outside of the comfort zone highlights how a moderate amount of discomfort is proof of growth (embrace the “un-comfort” zone). Like working out your body, it’s the little tears that make the bigger gains over the long term.

Elizabeth Gilbert

Keep Going by Austin Kleon

Super Mario

Peak by Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool

Pavarotti Documentary Trailer

Henri Matisse

Philip Roth

Sigrid Nunez

The Blackhouse by Peter May

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 105: Exit Your Comfort Zone

Episode 104: Can Fiction Save Your Life?

by | Jun 18, 2019 | Show

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In this week’s episode, Angie and Elizabeth discuss the question, can fiction save your life? Elizabeth rapidly fires off a few examples of fiction that served as sign posts for her as she grew up. They once again discuss whether or not we are wired for story, and Angie muses about what purpose story serves. Representation? Teaching us how to live? Saving a life? Perhaps not. Changing lives however… perhaps.

Anne Patchett

Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Brené Brown

Later The Same Day by Grace Paley

Jesus’ Son by Denis Johnson

Alice Walker

Oz Series by Frank Baum

David Bowie

Nightwood by Djuna Barnes and Jeanette Winterson

East of Eden by John Steinbeck

Herman Hesse

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

The Passion by Jeanette Winterson

Wired for Story by Lisa Cron

The L Word

Keep Going by Austin Kleon

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 105: Exit Your Comfort Zone

Episode 103: 3-7 Tips and Tricks for Summer Writing

by | Jun 11, 2019 | Show

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In today’s episode, Angie and Elizabeth share 3 (or is it 7?) tips and tricks for using this summer (or any time you are in between routines) to be a productive writer. They discuss Elizabeth’s continued revisions and how to look at beginnings, as well as some finer details on Angie’s summer project of an improvised 24-hour feature film.

Lauren Goff

Thich Nhat Hanh

The Biggest Little Farm

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Educated by Tara Westover

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 105: Exit Your Comfort Zone

Episode 102: Improv and First Drafts

by | Jun 4, 2019 | Show

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In this week’s episode, while Elizabeth finishes up this latest round of edits, while Angie turns her attention to her summer project. She’ll be creating the scaffolding of a short film and, with a small number of actors, will work on improvising a film. Improv is a tool, be it short form improv like Who’s Line Is It Anyway, or even Harold, a more long form improv game. Improv with actors and a director and film however, will be an interesting balancing act of not squashing opportunities while letting moments happen naturally.

Hmong Language

Shoot and Direct an Improved Film in 24 Hours - Udemy Class

Richard Linklater Interview by Same Jones

Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff

A Mind for Numbers by Barbara Oakley

Chemistry by Weike Wang

I Know Why the Caged Bird Laughs - Maya Rudolph SNL Sketch

Who’s Line Is It Anyway?

Harold

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