Shows
Start With ThisPerceiving the Audience w/Sarah Maria GriffinAuthor and poet Sarah Griffin joins us to talk about how the awareness of an audience affects our writing.
Guest: Sarah Maria Griffin, https://twitter.com/griffski
CONSUME: “AACK Cast!” a podcast about the comic strip Cathy by Jamie Loftus
CREATE: Write a 200-400 word monologue for a live audience. Interact with your audience in some way.
Help spread the word about our show by wearing our logo: https://topatoco.com/collections/startwiththis
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Credits: Jeffrey Cranor (host) & Joseph Fink (host), Jeffrey Cran...2021-09-1458 min
Binary System Podcast ArchiveBinary System Podcast #182 - "Start With This" Episode 1Original broadcast date July 4, 2019. The original podcast post is here: https://pixelatedgeek.com/2019/07/binary-system-podcast-182-start-with-this-episode-1/
Happy 4th of July! (Or, if you're somewhere that doesn't celebrate the 4th, happy Thursday!) We recorded this on Monday and forgot it'd drop on the 4th, so this podcast makes no mention of holidays or politics and instead is a last-minute recap of the Start With This podcast because we didn't know there wouldn't be a Welcome To Night Vale episode to recap.
...did everyone else know they were on hiatus this month? It's just this month, right?
2021-08-1418 min
Start With ThisThe Burnout Cycle w/Janina MatthewsonBurnout is real and it comes around on the regular.
Guest: Janina Matthewson, https://twitter.com/j9andif
CONSUME: Keep Your Hands off Eizouken! (anime series)
CREATE: Think of a story or project you’ve let sit idle. Write a letter from the point of view of someone who has just bought, or commissioned, or earned the distribution rights for this work.
Join the SWT Membership community to share your work, give feedback, and connect with other artists: https://www.patreon.com/startwiththis
Help spread the word about our sh...2021-08-1350 min
Start With ThisMinimal w/Brie WilliamsWriting more with less.
Guest: Brie Williams, https://twitter.com/briezillionaire
CONSUME: Getting on with James Urbaniak (podcast), specifically episode 22 “Status”
CREATE: Write a 200-400 word short story, It can be a monologue. Or it can be a dialogue. But every sentence must be short. Make them 6 words or fewer.
Join the SWT Membership community to share your work, give feedback, and connect with other artists: https://www.patreon.com/startwiththis
Help spread the word about our show by wearing our logo: https://topatoco.com/collections/startwiththisFollow us on Face...2021-07-0937 min
NAMTAO New ReleasesEssay: So you want to write a fiction podcast?I started this podcast exactly a year ago, and I have now published four, ten-episode seasons, 4 patreon-exclusive special episodes, and shipped dozens of shirts and posters to you lovely people. This episode contains everything I can think of to help you do the same.
Transcript/post: https://www.0atman.com/articles/21/make-fiction-podcast
# Links
Welcome to Night Vale
https://www.welcometonightvale.com
Within the Wires
https://www.nightvalepresents.com/withinthewires
Moonbase Theta, Out
https://monkeymanproductions.com/moonbase-theta-out/
Namtao - Want You Gone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvLGFe_8yWU
Kurt Vonnegut on the Shapes of Stories
https://www.youtube.com...2021-06-2812 min
Lost TerminalEssay: So you want to write a fiction podcast?I started this podcast exactly a year ago, and I have now published four, ten-episode seasons, 4 patreon-exclusive special episodes, and shipped dozens of shirts and posters to you lovely people. This episode contains everything I can think of to help you do the same.Transcript/post: https://www.0atman.com/articles/21/make-fiction-podcast# LinksWelcome to Night Valehttps://www.welcometonightvale.comWithin the Wireshttps://www.nightvalepresents.com/withinthewiresMoonbase Theta, Outhttps://monkeymanproductions.com/moonbase-theta-out/Namtao - Want You Gonehttps://www.youtube.com...2021-06-2812 min
Start With ThisBut How Does It End?How do you land the ending?
CONSUME: Three options: 1)The last three pages of Inherent Vice, starting where the character gets on the freeway. 2) The last four minutes of Six Feet Under. Easily found on youtube by searching “Six Feet Under ending”. 3) Pick one of your favorite ending. Could be a podcast, movie, tv show, book, whatever. Reexamine it carefully. What kind of ending is it? Is it mirroring the opening? Is it following the characters to the end? Is it a tangent? Or is it doing something else? Does it have a button? Most importantly, what spec...2021-06-1148 min
Start With ThisLike This But BetterElevating basic language to something special. (This episode is available exclusively on Patreon. Hear the rest at http://patreon.com/startwiththis)Join the SWT Membership community to share your work, give feedback, and connect with other artists: https://www.patreon.com/startwiththisHelp spread the word about our show by wearing our logo: https://topatoco.com/collections/startwiththisFollow us on Facebook and Twitter.Credits: Jeffrey Cranor (host) & Joseph Fink (host), Jeffrey Cranor (producer), Grant Stewart (editor), Vincent Cacchione (mixer). Rob Wilson (logo).Theme written and performed by Joseph Fink. If you'd...2021-06-1104 min
Start With ThisHow to LikeThere’s no such thing as a guilty pleasure.
CONSUME: Podcast ¡Uy Que Horror! particularly the episode “2012: Kurse a di Xtabai (Belize)”
CREATE: Think of your least favorite film or book or show. Not one you hate or one that is offensive and irredeemable in your mind. Just a story you found lacking. Now write a 200-400 review of that film, book, or show. But make it a rave review. No need for superlatives like masterpiece or perfection. Focus your review on all the things that this story got right.
Join the SWT Members...2021-05-1448 min
Start With ThisLow Barrier to Entry?They say that podcasting has a low barrier to entry. Wtf does that even mean? (This episode is available exclusively on Patreon. Hear the rest at http://patreon.com/startwiththis)
Join the SWT Membership community to share your work, give feedback, and connect with other artists: https://www.patreon.com/startwiththis
Help spread the word about our show by wearing our logo: https://topatoco.com/collections/startwiththisFollow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Credits: Jeffrey Cranor (host) & Joseph Fink (host), Jeffrey Cranor (producer), Grant Stewart (editor), Vincent Cacchione (mixer). Rob Wilson (logo).
...2021-05-1304 min
Start With ThisThe TeaseWhat makes a good tease? Listen and find out.
CONSUME: “Lupin” French Crime/Adventure Drama on Netflix
CREATE: Write a 200-600 story that follows the line: “I found them/her/him waiting for me when I got home, but they/she/he had been dead for 10 years.”
Join the SWT Membership community to share your work, give feedback, and connect with other artists: https://www.patreon.com/startwiththis
Help spread the word about our show by wearing our logo: https://topatoco.com/collections/startwiththisFollow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Credits...2021-04-0939 min
Start With ThisHow to DislikeIt's easy to dislike something, but much harder to do it well. (This episode is available exclusively on Patreon. Hear the rest at http://patreon.com/startwiththis)
Join the SWT Membership community to share your work, give feedback, and connect with other artists: https://www.patreon.com/startwiththis
Help spread the word about our show by wearing our logo: https://topatoco.com/collections/startwiththisFollow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Credits: Jeffrey Cranor (host) & Joseph Fink (host), Jeffrey Cranor (producer), Grant Stewart (editor), Vincent Cacchione (mixer). Rob Wilson (logo).
Theme written and...2021-03-3003 min
Start With ThisFive Easy Rules to Become a Great Writer!Just follow these simple rules and something something...
CONSUME: Elmore Leonard’s famous rules of writing https://www.writingclasses.com/toolbox/tips-masters/elmore-leonard-10-rules-for-good-writing
CREATE: Write a 200-500 word story about a ship at sea during a bad storm, and the attempts at the crew to keep it afloat. Now write a 200-500 word story with the same premise, but try to follow Elmore Leonard’s rules exactly. Keep strictly to the letter and the spirit of it.
Join the SWT Membership community to share your work, give feedback, and connect with other arti...2021-03-1247 min
Start With ThisKeep It WeirdWhat makes something weird, and is that a good thing? (This episode is available exclusively on Patreon. Hear the rest at http: patreon.com/startwiththis)
Join the SWT Membership community to share your work, give feedback, and connect with other artists: https://www.patreon.com/startwiththis
Help spread the word about our show by wearing our logo: https://topatoco.com/collections/startwiththisFollow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Credits: Jeffrey Cranor (host) & Joseph Fink (host), Jeffrey Cranor (producer), Grant Stewart (editor), Vincent Cacchione (mixer). Rob Wilson (logo).
Theme written and performed by...2021-03-1002 min
Start With ThisMelodramaMightly push your powerful writing to the top of the highest literary peaks! Or… work on your craft.
CONSUME: The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett or its sequel, World Without End. Or, for a less committal and free option, the BBC fiction podcast "Home Front"
CREATE: Think about an obscure subject you know a great deal about. Now write a 200-600 word story that has the following plot: Person A, who is evil, kidnaps Person B, who is good. Person C, who is also good, rescues Person B, goodly, and in the process, Pe...2021-02-1229 min
Start With ThisBorrow or StealGood artists borrow; great artists steal. What? Let's break this down. (This episode is available exclusively on Patreon. Hear the rest at http: patreon.com/startwiththis)
Join the SWT Membership community to share your work, give feedback, and connect with other artists: https://www.patreon.com/startwiththis
Help spread the word about our show by wearing our logo: https://topatoco.com/collections/startwiththisFollow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Credits: Jeffrey Cranor (host) & Joseph Fink (host), Jeffrey Cranor (producer), Grant Stewart (editor), Vincent Cacchione (mixer). Rob Wilson (logo).
Theme written and performed...2021-02-1002 min
Start With ThisJourney Vs. DestinationGetting there is 1/x the fun!
CONSUME: “The Sink” a 6-episode podcast by Natasha Hodgson, produced by the BBC
CREATE: Write a 200 word murder “mystery” that explains who the murder is, how they did it and why. Don’t worry about building tension or detailed descriptions. Just give the spoilers. Now write 200-400 words describing the birth of a child. This child will eventually become the murderer in your first story, but don’t address that here. Just describe the birth of a child.
Join the SWT Membership community to share your work, give feedbac...2021-01-0846 min
Start With ThisImposter SyndromeYou’re a writer, because you write. Don’t tell yourself otherwise.
CONSUME: “Dead Eyes” a podcast by Connor Ratliff
CREATE: Pick a creative idea that you haven’t executed yet. Write a 200-400 word review of the finished work. Imagine, of course, that it’s already done, even though it’s not. Write as a critic. Find the positives of your work. And offer some critiques too, but don’t make this a negative review. Every masterpiece has its shortcomings.
Join the SWT Membership community to share your work, give feedback, and connect with oth...2020-12-2539 min
Start With ThisAs It HappensCelebrating the act of daily creation with Jonathan Mann.
CONSUME: Go listen to more of Jonathan Mann’s podcast “As It Happens”
CREATE: Start with the same basic image as Jonathan: the growing cloud of space debris around earth. Write a 100-200 word piece about the space debris. But more important than the final product, think through your creative decisions. Notice yourself deciding on tone (angry? Sad? Playful?). Notice what images interest you. Notice the metaphors you use, and why you chose those ones. Try in writing this very short piece, to be aware of the ch...2020-12-1125 min
It Started With ThisHere's an IdeaThe inspiration for this show: http://www.nightvalepresents.com/startwiththisConsume: Listen to The Worst Idea of All Time and think about how it’s specific, novel, practical, and repeatable. I listened to the 11/28/2020 episode Emmanuelle in SpaceCreate: Take a podcast (or any artistic idea) idea you have and walk through the four litmus tests.Specificity: Write the one sentence elevator pitch for your podcast.Novelty: Write one sentence about what makes your podcast different.Repeatability: Write one to two sentences to describe what Episode 40 would sound like, or...2020-12-0602 min
Start With ThisHooptedoodleStop and describe the roses.
CONSUME: Chapter 1 of John Steinbeck’s East of Eden
CREATE: Write a 200 or so word description of your neighborhood. Give us a texture of the sights and the smells and the sounds. Remember that what you’re going for here is more poetry and language than storytelling. Write something real pretty. Now go to the Random Mood Generator (https://perchance.org/mood). Get a random mood. And write another 200 or so word description of your neighborhood, that in some way reflects that mood.
Join the SWT Membership community to s...2020-11-2731 min
It Started With ThisA Call Back TrackThe inspiration for this show: http://www.nightvalepresents.com/startwiththisConsume: Read Ballad in A by Cathy Park Hong. Try to read it aloud if you can!Then check out this short feature article on Cathy Park Hong and her use of the univocalic.Create: Write a 4-line, rhyming, univocalic poem. That means you pick a vowel and use only that vowel when you write. Episode Cover image by https://pixabay.com/users/cromaconceptovisual-4595909/Background Music by https://www.fesliyanstudios.com/Itstartedwiththispodcast@gmail.com2020-11-2302 min
It Started With ThisThe Intimate DetailsThe inspiration for this show: http://www.nightvalepresents.com/startwiththisConsume: Listen to an episode of Sleep With Me Create: Write and record a 2-minute piece about your listener. Itstartedwiththispodcast@gmail.comhttps://linktr.ee/itstartedwiththis See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.2020-11-1502 min
Start With ThisNon-Lovecraftian HorrorThere's so much more to horror, we couldn’t stop at Lovecraft.
CONSUME: Watch any of the movies on Joseph’s horror movie recommendation list: https://twitter.com/PlanetofFinks/status/1311695218505379841?s=20
CREATE: Think about an irrational fear you have of something real. This should not be a fear that is reasonable, but something like: fear of flying, fear of wasps, fear of the dark (these are all just fears Joseph has, I’m sure you have your own). Now instead of thinking about the source of that fear, think about your own feelings. What kinds of fea...2020-11-1338 min
It Started With ThisStillnessThe inspiration for this show: http://www.nightvalepresents.com/startwiththisConsume: Night Vale Live Ghost StoriesCreate: Record a 1-2 min piece that is at least 25% silent. Use silence in a way that would change the meaning of the piece if it were removed.Itstartedwiththispodcast@gmail.comhttps://linktr.ee/itstartedwiththis See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.2020-11-0804 min
It Started With ThisThis is Not TrashThe inspiration for this show: http://www.nightvalepresents.com/startwiththisConsume: Listen to 20 short episodes from 20 different poets from IndieFeed: Performance Poetry.Create: Write a 2-minute, 250-word story about a wedding reception. Refine it a bit. Now, completely delete it! Then, write a 2-minute story about a bird. Record and/or share this one.Itstartedwiththispodcast@gmail.com https://linktr.ee/itstartedwiththis See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.2020-11-0204 min
Start With ThisLovecraftian HorrorLovecraft was a racist and a bad writer, yet his ideas and his stories live on. So what do we do with them?
CONSUME: “The Ballad of Black Tom” (novella) by Victor Lavalle, “Lovecraft Country” (tv series) on HBO, “The City We Became” (novel) by NK Jemisin
CREATE: 1) Write 100-200 words about a hole that appears in the sky. Use this to explore fear of the unknown. When did the hole appear? What is it doing from our perspective? Don’t describe what’s in the hole or how it formed. Just describe how people react to its app...2020-10-3040 min
It Started With ThisThe Things We SayThe show that fuels this show: http://www.nightvalepresents.com/startwiththisConsume: Listen to Episode 1 of Steal The Stars, a podcast by Mac Rogers. Pay close attention to each line of dialogue and what it does for the story.Create: Write a 200-word, two-character dialogue. If you’re writing for audio, the recorded piece should come out to about 2 minutes.The first line of your piece must be, “Put the milk on the table” and the last line must be, “We are really only at the beginning.” Keep the purpose of the dialogue i...2020-10-2503 min
Start With ThisAgencyA character has a problem. As a result of that problem, they make a decision. As a result of that decision, they change.
CONSUME: “Schitt’s Creek” on Netflix
CREATE: Write a 200-word story about a super spy who has been incapacitated by a super villain. He’s chained to a conveyor belt on his way into an incinerator. Or locked inside a cage being lowered into the ocean. Then they make a decision based on their experience. Maybe it’s action, strength, wit, or intelligence. But they make a decision, and that decision has a conseque...2020-10-1738 min
Start With ThisExaggerationFiction is a lie. Hopefully a good, fun lie.
CONSUME: “Small Triumph Big Speech” podcast by Dylan Marron
CREATE: Write a 200-word story about something mundane you did today (made toast, brushed your teeth, exercised for 30 minutes). But exaggerate the details. How did your toast change your day, your life, the world even? Put dramatic significance on your workout. What were you training for? Raise the stakes beyond just making a breakfast snack or personal health.
Join the SWT Membership community to share your work, give feedback, and connect with other artists: https://www...2020-10-0238 min
Start With ThisExpositionWhat do you need to set the scene?
CONSUME: "Anthropocene Reviewed" podcast by John Green
CREATE: Write a 200 word story about a child. Give it a beginning, middle and an end. Something happened to this child. Maybe it was good. Maybe it was bad. But whatever it is clearly changes the child in the end of your story. Now write a 200-word story about that child as an adult. This adult is involved in a bank robbery. Maybe they’re the robber, or the cops, or a witness, or a get away driver, or a ba...2020-09-1841 min
It Started With ThisExecution of My IdeaThe First episode of my first stand alone podcast. I'm leaving my audio edits a little rough for now. Its been a while since I've needed to edit audio, gotta get back into the swing of things.Links for this Episode:Jonathan Mann's Youtube Chanel: https://www.youtube.com/user/therockcookiebottomStart With This: http://www.nightvalepresents.com/startwiththis See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.2020-09-0603 min
Start With ThisPerfection Is for AssholesPerfection is a target, not a goal.
CONSUME: “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson
CREATE: Spend 58 minutes brainstorming and refining the title of your Perfect Work, the one you someday want to make. The title that you think will draw people in, maybe has a secret meaning or relates to the very core of the work. Now spend 2 minutes to come up with two more names. Make them as good as you can in two minutes. Share all three titles of your great masterpiece, but don’t indicate which one is the one you think is perfec...2020-09-0436 min
Start With ThisFive SensesWe experience more than what we see.
CONSUME: “How to Meet and Dance with Your Death” by Larissa Shmailo (http://larissashmailo.blogspot.com/2016/01/how-to-meet-and-dance-with-your-death.html)
CREATE: Write 200-400 words about a meal. It can be eating the meal, preparing the meal, talking about the meal, cleaning up after the meal. Use each sense: taste, texture, smell, sound and sight.
Join the SWT Membership community to share your work, give feedback, and connect with other artists: https://www.patreon.com/startwiththis
Help spread the word about our show by wearing our logo: http...2020-08-2138 min
Start With ThisWriter's VoiceWhat do you sound like, as a writer?
CONSUME: “Exercises in Style” by Raymond Queneau (excerpt: https://monoskop.org/images/4/49/Queneau_Raymond_Exercises_in_Style_pp_1-26.pdf)
CREATE: Find a piece of writing you like. Sit with that work and think about what grabs you. Find the DNA of that work and what it is that you identify with. Now write a 200-400 story in the style of that piece of writing.
Join the SWT Membership community to share your work, give feedback, and connect with other artists: https://www.patreon.com/star...2020-08-0937 min
Tails of the UnwoundTrying to anything while the world is falling apartPodcasts mentioned:
Our Plague Year - http://www.nightvalepresents.com/ourplagueyear
Start With This - http://www.nightvalepresents.com/startwiththis2020-07-2600 min
Start With ThisPresent TenseYou write in the here and now.
CONSUME: “Girls, at Play” by Celeste Ng https://blr.med.nyu.edu/content/archive/2010/fall/girlsatplay
CREATE: Write a 200-400 word story about a chase. Your last line is a cliffhanger, a tease for the next part of this chase. Use only active voice and present tense.
Join the SWT Membership community to share your work, give feedback, and connect with other artists: https://www.patreon.com/startwiththis
Help spread the word about our show by wearing our logo: https://topatoco.com/collections/startwiththisFollow us on...2020-07-2431 min
Start With ThisSecond PersonYou are intrigued by second person narratives.
CONSUME: GirlsArePretty.com
CREATE: Write a 200-400 word story in Second Person POV that begins with “You knew it was a bad idea, but you did it anyway.” And ends with “You still have 20 more to go.”
Join the SWT Membership community to share your work, give feedback, and connect with other artists: https://www.patreon.com/startwiththis
Help spread the word about our show by wearing our logo: https://topatoco.com/collections/startwiththisFollow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Credits: Jeffrey Cranor (host...2020-07-1028 min
Start With ThisNegative SpaceWhat's there that's not there?
CONSUME: “Dear Committee Members” by Julie Schumaker
CREATE: Set a timer for 15 minutes. Create a character (a person, a place or a thing, really. Doesn’t have to be a human being.) And write a list of everything they do not have, everything they do not want, everything they are not, everything they cannot or will not do. Ignore story structure and just focus on the things that your central character is not. Keep writing until time is up. Save your story and come back to it later.
Join t...2020-06-2627 min
Start With ThisNarrative StructureWhat is the shape of your narrative?
CONSUME: “17776 Football” by Jon Bois https://www.sbnation.com/a/17776-football
CREATE: Write a 100 word story with a beginning, middle and end. Write another 100 word story with completely different characters and completely different action. But take one character, place, or idea from the first story and incorporate it in here.Write one more 100 word story using an entirely different character and place and action. But bring that connective tissue from the first two stories into this one, something that connects all three together.
Join the SWT Memb...2020-06-1230 min
Start With ThisTo Write in a PlagueHow are you doing?
CONSUME: The podcast Our Plague Year https://ourplagueyear.libsyn.com/
and the webcomic Valley Ghouls https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/valley-ghouls/list?title_no=330059&page=1
CREATE: Think of a true story from your past. One that does not seem to have anything to do with the present moment. Tell that story, in as little or as many words as you need. But do so while thinking about it through the lens of this moment in your life.
Join the SWT Membership community to share your work...2020-05-2927 min
Start With ThisSatireHow strong is your satire?
CONSUME: Two podcasts: "A Very Fatal Murder" and "This Sounds Serious." Both podcasts are a riff on the true crime podcast format. Both use satire. Listen to the first episode of each of those shows, and think about what you learn from each satirical take on true crime.
https://radiopublic.com/this-sounds-serious-Wk2kMx/s1!127a3
https://radiopublic.com/a-very-fatal-murder-G2wNv0/s1!44a4f#t=2
CREATE: Choose a person you generally disagree with. Now write a 200-400 word opinion column in that person's voice. Make their argument...2020-05-1535 min
Start With ThisAbsurdityWriting what's absurd.
CONSUME: Clip from You, the Living. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOwpd2I_4mo
CREATE: Write a 200 word description of your home. Make it realistic and true. Now edit that piece. Change the logic of its layout. With each sentence, think about the logical and expected conclusion, and then twist it into something impossible or totally out of left field. Make sure your readers never know where it's going to go.
Join the SWT Membership community to share your work, give feedback, and connect with other artists: https://www.p...2020-05-0130 min
Start With ThisStage DirectionsWhen do you use stage directions, and how descriptive do you get?
CONSUME: "How to use stage directions" by Sam Graber
https://samgraber.com/2017/02/21/how-to-use-stage-directions/
CREATE: Write a 200-400 word scene for two characters that includes the stage direction “[They/He/She Flies].”
Join the SWT Membership community to share your work, give feedback, and connect with other artists: https://www.patreon.com/startwiththis
Help spread the word about our show by wearing our logo: https://topatoco.com/collections/startwiththisFollow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Credits: Jeffrey Cranor (host...2020-04-1729 min
Four Shaggy Dog StoriesBonus - Shaggy Dog ExplainerThis bonus episode is all about why I am doing this particular podcast, the inspirations behind it, and the rules that I've set for myself in terms of creating this podcast and telling these stories. It also includes bite-size versions of the stories that I will keep telling, over and over, in case you've fallen asleep to any of them and missed the ending.References:http://www.zombiemathadventure.com/http://www.nightvalepresents.com/startwiththishttps://www.lenswork.com/lwpod.htmhttps://mst3k.com/https://maximumfun.org/podcasts/adventure-zone/https://blart...2020-04-1517 min
Start With ThisThe Possibility of FailureFailure is scary but it can also be interesting and even fruitful. (like when Jeffrey posts the wrong episode file to the podcast feed. here’s the correct one!)
Consume: “How to Speak Poetry” by Leonard Cohen: https://acephalous.typepad.com/acephalous/leonard-cohen-how-to-spea.html
Create: Set a timer for 10 minutes, and write a murder mystery. Title that “1”. Then repeat the process with an entirely new murder mystery. Title that “2”. Repeat it a third time, again with an entirely new mystery. Title that “3”. Come back the next day and give yourself 30 minutes to edit these mysteries as best as you can...2020-04-0327 min
You're Gonna Love This PodcastThe Creative Writing Class You've Always Wanted To TakeThis week's podcast recommendations are podcasts all about creative writing! How to find inspiration, how to create a regular writing routine and how to start writing! ✨ 🎧Mentioned in This EpisodeStart with This: http://www.nightvalepresents.com/startwiththisMagic Lessons: https://www.elizabethgilbert.com/magic-lessons/10 Minute Writers Workshop: https://www.npr.org/podcasts/497562871/10-minute-writer-s-workshopWeekly episodes introducing you to your new favourite podcast ✨ 🎧 @lovethispodcast--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/youregonnalovethispodcast/message2020-03-3009 min
Start With ThisMonologueSometimes our writing flow doesn’t flow. What’s causing this and how do we get it moving again?
Consume: Magnus Archives podcast
Create: Pick a job. Write a 200-400 word monologue for someone in that job, directed to their customers or constituency. Use your writing to set the tone for that relationship. Give it a beginning, middle and end, and make sure it reveals something about that character: they make a choice with consequences, they expose a secret, etc.
Join the SWT Membership community to share your work, give feedback, and connect with...2020-03-2030 min
Start With ThisWriter's BlockSometimes our writing flow doesn’t flow. What’s causing this and how do we get it moving again?
Consume: Have You Heard George’s Podcast by George the Poet
Create: Open up a file you're stuck on. Go to the Random Classical Painting Generator. In 200 words describe the painting, but describe it in context of whatever your working on.
Join the SWT Membership community to share your work, give feedback, and connect with other artists:
https://www.patreon.com/startwiththis
Help spread the word about our show by wearing our lo...2020-03-0627 min
Start With ThisHonestyWhat does it mean to tell your story honestly?
Consume: Moonface by James Kim
Create: Take a moment in your life in which you remember exactly how you felt. Think through all the details of your feelings. How did the feelings start? How did they develop? What happened to those feelings? Tell that story. Except: change every other factual detail. Create a fictional story about someone who is not you, doing something you weren’t doing. It could be a member of a biker gang in the 50s or an alien in some distant future wo...2020-02-2129 min
Start With ThisDon't Forget Your StoryA lot of writing is fine-tuning your writing, or creating clever structure, but the most important thing is the story itself.
Consume: Read “Husband Stitch” by Carmen Maria Machado.
Create: Write a 200-400 word story with the following outline:
- A is with B.
- A loses B.
- A makes a choice that brings B back.
- A and B are back together, but different as a result of that choice.
Join the SWT Membership community to share your work, give feedback, and connect with other artists:
http...2020-02-0729 min
Start With ThisWriting for Performance (Live from Boston)We’re live from Boston with special guest Bilal Dardai, alum of the Neo-Futurist theater company and writer for the podcast “Unwell.” In this episode we talk about writing specifically for performance.
Consume: Gnome Sane by Joey Rizzolo, New York Neo-Futurists
Create: Write a 100-word story, 3rd person, someone confessing a crime. Then, write it again in 1st person by the person confessing. Then write it one more time for live performance. Think about what the performer should do with their body. How is the audience involved?
Join the SWT Membership community to share...2020-01-241h 24
Start With ThisOutliningOutlining your story is like a puzzle for plot. In this episode, we talk about how mapping out what will happen before you start writing gives your story shape, and makes it much easier to write. This way, you can land a satisfying ending and give focus to your process to free your brain up for new discoveries.
Consume: Listen to The Shadows, a six-episode podcast series by Kaitlin Prest.
Create: Write a six section outline with a max word count of 60 words for each section. Give your project a beginning, middle, and end. Have...2020-01-1027 min
Start With ThisSlownessWe talk a lot about creating with enough speed to turn writing into habit, but working slowly puts the finish line so far out of sight that you can focus on something other than the final outcome. Slowness is a way to make something big by allowing you to break your writing down into manageable parts, and gives you enough space to enjoy the process. It also means you can work a little bit on something everyday, even if you don’t know what it is yet.
**
**Consume: The Taxonomy of Air, a visual art piece by...2019-11-2929 min
Start With ThisRepetitionYour writing needs a message. The way you deliver this message is up to you. Repetition is one way to get this message across. There’s almost a magic power in centering on a message, spiraling outward, and circling back to the message again and again. In this episode, we talk about using repetition to review an idea, create rhythm, reinforce comprehension, drive emphasis, and to disorient.
Consume: Song Exploder Episode 28: The Long Winters - The Commander Thinks Aloud
Create: Come up with a 3-10 word phrase. Now write a 200-word story and use your ex...2019-11-1528 min
Wet Hot American Moon Juice: A NaNoWriMo PodcastErin & Tracy: Live from the Ravenclaw Common RoomThe beacons have been lit! And by beacons, we mean candles. And by candles, we mean important writing juice sticks. Join Erin and Tracy as they talk about word count ass kicking or lack thereof, hot men on Pinterest (this is relevant, we swear), a NaNoWriMo copy & paste hack, and an important comic sans critique. The pair respond to the first ever WHAM Juice voicemail. Tracy has a big, totally unrelated announcement!
And there’s a cat purring!
Thank you to our producers Mason Amadeus and Daniel Spencer.
We’re proud to be on the Scavengers Network. And maybe they’re pro...2019-11-1200 minWet Hot American Moon Juice: A NaNoWriMo PodcastMorgan & Tracy: Welcome to the Elizabeth Gilbert Fan ClubIn this episode, Tracy and Morgan discuss how the first few days of NaNoWriMo have gone for both of them. Some of us have started strong while others have a little catching up to do. But both Morgan and Tracy share some of their favorite lessons from Elizabeth Gilbert about creativity and the importance of a finished product. We’re on our way to becoming more productive artists and -gasp- authors, if we do say so ourselves. (We do.)
Thank you to our producers Mason Amadeus and Daniel Spencer.
We’re proud to be on the Scavengers Network. And maybe they...2019-11-0700 min
Start With ThisWord CountIn writing, words are your currency. So how can you maximize your spending on a budget? In this episode, we talk about how word counts can break up longer projects into achievable goals, are a form of accountability in your own process, and influence how your audience perceives your work. Plus, we discuss how knowing your own voice will help you decide how many words you want to dedicate to describing something in great detail or with great efficiency.
Consume: Geoff Ryman’s novel 253. Learn more about it on Wikipedia and access it on Archive.org
...2019-11-0129 min
Start With ThisSpeedWorking quickly means you can create faster than your doubt. In this episode, we talk about how using speed as a writing technique can be freeing and helpful. From setting timers to making word counts, writing without pausing allows you to simply get your ideas out now for you to shape later.
Consume: Listen to the album, “All Hail West Texas” by The Mountain Goats
Create: Set a timer for 7 minutes and write without stopping on the topic “Orange.” Then put your work aside for at least a day. After a day or two, set a timer...2019-10-1827 min
Start With ThisStereoStereo is a powerful, audio-specific tool that can fill out a sound in the same way that we experience sound in the world. We talk about how using stereo wisely can invite your listener’s imagination to get involved by differentiating speaking voices, putting them in a specific setting, and by creating weird or unexpected moments.
Consume: Listen Nickel Creek’s album, “A Dotted Line”
Create: Record a 1-minute audio piece that uses stereo in at least two different ways: to differentiate speaking voices, to put the listener in a specific space or setting, and to subver...2019-10-0424 min
Start With ThisPunching it UpThere will always be something to improve about your writing, but you can’t revise forever. We talk about developing processes so you know what to improve, how to improve it, and when to finish punching up your piece.
Consume: Read “The Lifespan of a Fact” by Jim Fingal and John D'Agata
Create: Write 100 words of a story, incorporating a randomly generated phrase into the first sentence. Use another random phrase in your next 100 words. Finally, use one last random phrase in the last sentence of your story. Now go through and punch up your 200 word st...2019-09-2030 min
Start With ThisAnxietyHave you ever had a big deadline and all of a sudden you have to listen to that new audiobook? In this episode, we talk about how anxiety about your writing can lead to moments like this. Then we discuss ways to motivate yourself from steering into the skid, to doing achievable tasks, as well as how taking care of your body and mind affects your creative work.
Consume: Listen to Mark Can’t Rap with British poet Mark Grist
Create: Set a calendar alert for 5 days in a row to spend 10 mins writing non-stop.
2019-09-0635 min
Super Nuclear PresentsSeries Break - Untitled Skeleton StoryHello everyone! As promised, here is Ben's reading of a story David and Mary wrote together! It was prompted by the "Collaboration" episode of the podcast Start With This by Night Vale Presents, which you can find on your podcast app or at this address: http://www.nightvalepresents.com/startwiththis The story was derived from @dril's Skeleton War tweet, which you can find here: https://twitter.com/dril/status/361282749086175234 Tune in later this week for The Ultimate Reprise's trailer! === Music from https://filmmusic.io "Oppressive Gloom" by Kevin MacLeod (https://in...2019-09-0305 min
Start With ThisI Have an Idea for a PodcastThe heart of a good podcast isn’t in expensive mics or a nice studio— it’s in the idea. We talk through four litmus tests to test the strength of your idea: specificity, novelty, practicality, and repeatability. Honing in on these elements will help you uncover what’s exciting about your idea, and what will make it successful. While this episode focuses on podcasting, these tests are good to consider for any artistic idea.
Consume: Listen to The Worst Idea of All Time and think about how it’s specific, novel, practical, and repeatable.
Create: Tak...2019-08-2337 min
Start With ThisQ&A #2 PreviewHere’s a short preview of our second members-only bonus Q&A episode. To hear the whole thing and to ask your own follow-up questions, join our community: http://patreon.com/startwiththis
Credits: Jeffrey Cranor (host) & Joseph Fink (host), Julia Melfi (producer), Grant Stewart (editor), Vincent Cacchione (mixer). Rob Wilson (logo). Produced by Night Vale Presents.
http://www.startwiththispodcast.com
http://www.nightvalepresents.com2019-08-1605 min
Start With ThisRhythm & RhymePoetry can be intimidating. It’s more technical than prose, and there’s an extensive world of theory and study behind it. But that doesn’t mean you can’t play around with it in your writing, and even be good at it! In this episode, Jeffrey and Joseph talk about how we naturally use poetic elements in our everyday speech, and how it can lend structure to get to the heart of what you’re describing.
Consume: Read Ballad in A by Cathy Park Hong. Try to read it aloud if you can!
Then check out...2019-08-0932 min
Start With ThisGetting IntimateWe think the joy of a podcast is the personal relationship you develop with the podcasters you listen to. It’s a unique medium that creates a listening experience just for you. This direct line of communication is a tool, a gift, and a responsibility. In this episode, we talk about how to create while being aware of the listener's presence.
Consume: Listen to an episode of Sleep With Me
Create: Write and record a 2-minute piece about your listener. In the process, keep the 5 W’s in mind as they relate to your listener: who, wh...2019-07-2633 min
Start With ThisSilenceSilence can be terrifying— Any moment that you’re not creating sound can feel a moment when you’re not keeping your listener’s attention. But silence is incredibly attention grabbing, and if done right can be one of the most valuable tools in any artist’s arsenal. Jeffrey and Joseph talk about how, at its core, silence is a structural element of audio, and how using it adjusts your sense of time, tension, and lends rhythm to your work.
Consume: Night Vale Live Ghost Stories
Create: Record a 1-2 min piece that is at least 25...2019-07-1230 min
Start With ThisArt is DisposableWhen do you let a project go, and why might you want to move on in the first place? Jeffrey and Joseph discuss the fine line between knowing when to trash a project and when to recycle it into something new. The willingness to let go of the art you consume and create can be really freeing. Thinking of art as truly disposable might even encourage you to try a new medium that you may not be as familiar with.
Consume: Listen to 20 short episodes from 20 different poets from IndieFeed: Performance Poetry.
Create: Write a 2...2019-06-2831 min
Scoring MagicCreate Is Feels GoodEpisode Notes
CW: Discussions of burnout, vague discussions of mental health issues
There's a difference between business and creative work, no matter how fulfilled you feel without a creative endeavor. In our first episode, Wil starts an ambitious project . . . a while ago. Hear what drove her to stop, and what drove her to try again.
About Scoring Magic
Scoring Magic is presented by Hug House Productions. You can support us for behind-the-scenes details and early previews of upcoming projects on Patreon.
Support Scoring Magic by donating to the tip...2019-06-2217 min
Start With ThisDialogueWriting dialogue can be daunting because you can’t rely own your own narrative voice— the characters have to speak for themselves. Joseph and Jeffrey deconstruct the popular advice that every line of dialogue has to move the plot forward, to talk instead about how the best dialogue is the kind that serves your story.
Consume: Listen to Episode 1 of Steal The Stars, a podcast by Mac Rogers. Pay close attention to each line of dialogue and what it does for the story.
Create: Write a 200-word, two-character dialogue. If you’re writing for audio, the re...2019-06-1433 min
Start With ThisPlaying GamesAt its core, a game is a set of fun rules. From acrostic poems to following mathematical progressions, games can take the pressure off of creating and let you have fun making your art. Jeffrey and Joseph talk about the idea of games in creative work, how playing them can provide instant structure, and how watching someone attempt to succeed is instantly captivating.
Consume: Episode 49 “Re: The Moon” of the podcast, Imaginary Advice
Create: Play the game that Ross Sutherland sets up in this episode of Imaginary Advice, “Re: The Moon.” Create three different statements about th...2019-05-3151 min
Start With ThisTowards a Poor PodcastHow can you create something with only the most bare elements? There’s a lot you can do with just a story, a microphone, and a voice. Jeffrey and Joseph talk about the virtues of single-voice narrators, budgeting, and how to make a podcast or any kind of art in its most direct and affordable form.
Consume: Listen to the fiction podcast “Gone,” about a person who finds themself alone in the world after everyone else has vanished. It’s entirely written, narrated, and produced by Sunny Moraine.
Create: Find two items in your kitchen and figu...2019-05-1729 min
Start With ThisCollaborationJeffrey and Joseph talk the history of their collaboration, and how working together made them better writers in their own right. Then they discuss the qualities they’re attracted to in potential collaborators, and the value they’ve found in working together.
Consume: Listen to the podcast, Our Debut Album hosted by Dave Shumka and Graham Clark of Stop Podcasting Yourself. (Start with at least the first 2 episodes)
Create: Play “Handsome Cadaver” with a co-writer to generate a 500-word audio story. Alternate sentences. Be honest with your story. Then find a performer and record them reading...2019-05-0333 min
Start With ThisBONUS: Q&A PreviewJeffrey and Joseph answer listener questions for Episode 1 (Idea to Execution) and Episode 2 (Know Your Limitations). Join the SWT Membership community to gain access to this full episode, to ask your own questions, and see what other listeners are making.
https://www.patreon.com/startwiththis
Credits: Jeffrey Cranor (host) & Joseph Fink (host), Julia Melfi (producer), Grant Stewart (editor), Vincent Cacchione (mixer). Rob Wilson (logo). Produced by Night Vale Presents.
http://www.startwiththispodcast.com
http://www.nightvalepresents.com2019-04-2611 min
Start With ThisFeedbackOur art is personal so sometimes receiving feedback can feel overwhelming. In this episode, Jeffrey and Joseph talk about how to give and receive comments beyond “it was good,” or “it was bad.” They outline four steps to help get and give useful responses: give permission, set specific parameters, have a limit, and evaluate what was helpful.
Consume: Read up on Liz Lerman’s Critical Response Process
Create: Write (and record if you’re a podcaster) a 2-minute piece (that’s about 200-250 words) about a fight between two people. Don’t work it too much. When you p...2019-04-1932 min
Sleep With MeCase of the Hickory Hangout | Big Farm in the Sky P.I. S2 E8A sleepy pop up will be the place you walk in tonight's dreams.
(You can find all of our sponsors or become a patron on our new website http://www.sleepwithmepodcast.com story starts at about 18:00)
Check out “Start With This” in your podcast app or at http://www.nightvalepresents.com/startwiththis“Start With This” is a podcast gone creativity playground designed to put your ideas in motion, from the creators of “Welcome to Night Vale”, Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor.
Welcome our newest sponsor Wix! Create a stunning website via wix.com/sleep and get...2019-04-181h 08Sleep With MeGame of Drones - All Seasons Tale of the TapeHow many seasons have there been? Can Scoots remember? How many characters will get left out or names forgotten as he tried to recap the entire series in about fifty minutes. This will be a retrospective you can sleep right through.
You can find all of our sponsors or become a patron on our new website http://www.sleepwithmepodcast.com story starts at about 20:00)
Check out “Start With This” in your podcast app or at http://www.nightvalepresents.com/startwiththis “Start With This” is a podcast gone creativity playground designed to put your ideas in motion, fr...2019-04-111h 06Sleep With MeCoronation Lantern - Sleepin' With Doctor Who S2 E8You can find all of our sponsors or become a patron on our new website http://www.sleepwithmepodcast.com story starts at about 18:00)
Check out “Start With This” in your podcast app or at http://www.nightvalepresents.com/startwiththis“Start With This” is a podcast gone creativity playground designed to put your ideas in motion, from the creators of “Welcome to Night Vale”, Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor.
Tonight’s show is sponsored by Quip! The sensitive sonic toothbrush I have been using for over two years (not over and over! Changing out the brush heads every thre...2019-04-081h 07
Start With ThisKnow Your LimitationsHow do you deal with the limitation of an inherently audio-only medium? Jeffrey and Joseph discuss how artistic restrictions and resource limitations can become advantages that help you jumpstart a new creative path. ****
Consume: The graphic novel, Here by Richard McGuire
If you don’t have immediate access to this book, do a quick google search to get the idea and check out this Guardian review: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/dec/17/chris-ware-here-richard-mcguire-review-graphic-novel
Create: Use a random number generator to select one thing from each list. Then write and record a 2-minute monologue in...2019-04-0532 minSleep With MeMystery of the Silent Founder | Big Farm S2E7As soothing as a trip to the great gravy realm with the charismatic chuckler.
(You can find all of our sponsors or become a patron on our new website http://www.sleepwithmepodcast.com story starts at about 20:00)
Check out “Start With This” in your podcast app or at http://www.nightvalepresents.com/startwiththis“Start With This” is a podcast gone creativity playground designed to put your ideas in motion, from the creators of “Welcome to Night Vale”, Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor.
Tonight’s show is sponsored by Quip! The sensitive sonic toothbrush I have been usin...2019-04-041h 12Sleep With MeStart With This CrossoverGet started and breakdance your way out of the skeptic’s dilemma and into a dream.
Check out “Start With This” in your podcast app or at http://www.nightvalepresents.com/startwiththis“Start With This” is a podcast gone creativity playground designed to put your ideas in motion, from the creators of “Welcome to Night Vale”, Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor.
(You can find all of our sponsors or become a patron on our new website http://www.sleepwithmepodcast.com story starts at about 20:00)
Tonight’s episode is sponsored by Brooklinen, luxury bedding, at amazing prices...2019-04-011h 05Sleep With MeAge of Steel | Sleepin' With Doctor Who S2E7A sleepy boy band sigh will be the blimp that floats you off to dreamland.
(You can find all of our sponsors or become a patron on our new website http://www.sleepwithmepodcast.com story starts at about 18:00)
Check out “Start With This” in your podcast app or at http://www.nightvalepresents.com/startwiththis “Start With This” is a podcast gone creativity playground designed to put your ideas in motion, from the creators of “Welcome to Night Vale”, Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor.
Tonight’s show is sponsored by Quip! The sensitive sonic toothbrush I hav...2019-03-281h 06
Within the WiresStart With This: Idea to ExecutionA brand new podcast from Night Vale Presents, and the first podcast Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor have made together since Welcome to Night Vale: Start With This, a podcast gone creativity playground designed to put your ideas in motion. Each episode centers around a topic from world building, to opening lines, and even failure. Then they give listeners two short assignments: something to consume and something to create. The best way to start writing is to start writing. Not sure where to begin? Start With This.
To keep listening to Start With This, subscribe on Apple...2019-03-2734 min
Alice Isn't DeadStart With This: Idea to ExecutionA brand new podcast from Night Vale Presents co-founders Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor: Start With This, a podcast gone creativity playground designed to put your ideas in motion. Each episode centers around a topic from world building, to opening lines, and even failure. Then they give listeners two short assignments: something to consume and something to create. The best way to start writing is to start writing. Not sure where to begin? Start With This. To keep listening to Start With This, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. // There’s natural talent, and then there’s pr...2019-03-2534 min
Alice Isn't DeadStart With This: Idea to ExecutionA brand new podcast from Night Vale Presents co-founders Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor: Start With This, a podcast gone creativity playground designed to put your ideas in motion. Each episode centers around a topic from world building, to opening lines, and even failure. Then they give listeners two short assignments: something to consume and something to create. The best way to start writing is to start writing. Not sure where to begin? Start With This.
To keep listening to Start With This, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.
There’s na...2019-03-2534 min
Welcome to Night ValeStart With This: Idea to ExecutionA brand new podcast from Night Vale Presents, and the first podcast Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor have made together since Welcome to Night Vale: Start With This, a podcast gone creativity playground designed to put your ideas in motion. Each episode centers around a topic from world building, to opening lines, and even failure. Then they give listeners two short assignments: something to consume and something to create. The best way to start writing is to start writing. Not sure where to begin? Start With This.
To keep listening to Start With This, subscribe on Apple...2019-03-2535 minSleep With MeMagic Masquerade Mystery | Big Farm in the Sky P.I.A sleepy case of an amateur busker outside of a Design Your Own Crocs themed restaurant.
(You can find all of our sponsors or become a patron on our new website http://www.sleepwithmepodcast.com story starts at about 18:00)
Check out “Start With This” in your podcast app or at http://www.nightvalepresents.com/startwiththis. Start With This is a podcast gone creativity playground designed to put your ideas in motion, from the creators of Welcome to Night Vale, Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor.
Tonight’s show is sponsored by Quip! The sensitive sonic t...2019-03-251h 09
Start With ThisIdea to ExecutionThere’s natural talent, and then there’s practice. You can only control that last bit. Joseph and Jeffrey talk building habits of creation so that starting projects gets into your muscle memory.
Consume:
Check out Jonathan Mann’s Song A Day Youtube channel. Jonathan’s been writing and recording a song a day for over 3,000 days— it’s the ultimate example of flexing the habit of creation.
Create:
Pick an idea that you’ve had for a while. Take exactly 1 hour to work on it exclusively. This can be one continuous hou...2019-03-2234 min