After a few “doom and gloom” episodes with the related drop-off in listenership, we announce the end of the podcast because we each discover a hill we will die on (kidding). But seriously, folks, we dive into the Language of Love and the culture of a relationship, and how we as writers bring all ofContinue reading “Love Language”
Category Archives: Movies
Divine
CC watched TED Talks by author Elizabeth Gilbert of “Eat, Pray, Love” fame as a means to break through her writer’s block, and her videos inspired us to talk about the source of a writer’s inspiration. We knocked down a series of dominos and ended up with the question: Are some writers divinely inspired byContinue reading “Divine”
Raiders
Episode 131 is more free form than usual since we start with Labor Day, muddle around Burning Man, and end up talking at length about the Indiana Jones franchise. Throughout this podcast was the sense and idea of nostalgia. The movie-going experience has changed much in our lifetimes, though we wouldn’t say it necessarily hasContinue reading “Raiders”
How We Feel
The endless saga of our flooded basement gives us fodder for this week’s podcast. Long story short: we’re sore. We talk about how the natural process of aging and Life takes a physical toll on our quality of life, and how we as writers can use these experiences to shape our characters. We also discussContinue reading “How We Feel”
Screenwriting
Episode 128 is about that great beast called “screenwriting” and how it is a different, yet similar craft to writing a book. There’s the external visual representation versus the internal written word, but there’s also the complex collaboration, visuals, and the outside influences (re: the studios) that change the original product into what you seeContinue reading “Screenwriting”
Lightning in a Bottle
Is George Lucas good or lucky? Episode 127 of our writers podcast is about writers who capture lightning in a bottle. They submit books and screenplays at just the right time which capture the imagination and take the country by storm. There’s lots of examples, starting with Mr. Lucas. Some folks would point to hisContinue reading “Lightning in a Bottle”
Yeah, We Went There, Too
Yeah, we joined mainstream and social media in debating Barbie in our podcast, but we went in a different direction with the history of gender-based books and roles. We start in the mass market publishing in the beginning of the 20th Century (“dime store novels”) through the “Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew” type books ofContinue reading “Yeah, We Went There, Too”
Shakespeare, Baby!
Episode 124 is about the writer’s derivative use of other published works in their own works in progress. Where is the gray area of originality when using William Shakespeare’s classic works, for example? Modern literature is full of examples of those who boldly took it upon themselves to “copy” the Bard’s great works or atContinue reading “Shakespeare, Baby!”
Dialogue and SM
Another polyglot of a podcast from the Worldwide Headquarters where “we like to help writers write.” We discussed writing comfort zones and how writers like to stick to familiar troupes and character because they over a rich source of inspiration. John Grisham and his love for the Deep South is specifically mentioned, as is myContinue reading “Dialogue and SM”
Surprise
We struggled this week with “the big reveal”: the completely out-of-the-blue plot twist. Does the shock take the reader out of the story? Does it improve the plot? Does it change a “routine” experience into a memorable one for all the right reasons? Thoroughly spoiled: “The Crying Game” and “Murder on the Orient Express.” WeContinue reading “Surprise”