Podcasts by Secrets of Story Podcast
Podcast by Matt Bird and James Kennedy
Further podcasts by Matt Bird and James Kennedy
Podcast on the topic Filminterviews
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Episode 45: Specific vs. Generic (Or is it Factual vs. Archetypal?) from 2023-12-07T14:08:27
It's always good to load up your story with specifics, right? Not so fast! James talks about his decision to leave some information out of his new novel Bride of the Tornado, and Matt quibbles.
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Episode 44: Putting the Secrets of Story Into Action with Torrey Maldonado from 2023-10-19T21:17:43
Matt and James welcome acclaimed novelist Torrey Maldonado to talk about how he's put Matt's advice into action for his books for young people (much to James's chagrin)
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Episode 43: Writing Every Day with Brock Swinson from 2023-06-26T19:21:55
Matt and James are joined by author Brock Swinson and discuss his new book of writing advice Ink by the Barrel. All three of us agree that writers must write every day and then sheepishly admit th...
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Episode 42: Mackendrick's Rules, the Epic Conclusion from 2023-06-19T16:05:33
Alexander Mackendrick summed up the wisdom that film schools (and MFA programs in general) hand down to writers. Is it helpful or poisonous? In this episode, Matt and James finish examining and q...
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Episode 41: Mackendrick's Rules, Part 2 from 2023-06-12T16:22:07
Matt and James once again use the rules of Alexander Mackendrick as a springboard to talk about what makes for a good story. Bonus: Matt posits his theory of what's in the case in Pulp Fiction and...
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Episode 40: Mackendrick's Rules, Part 1 from 2023-06-06T03:56:12
The great filmmaker Alexander Mackendrick famously passed along 41 rules of writing advice and now Matt and James are going to evaluate them all in a three-part epic!
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Episode 39: Agents from 2023-02-02T22:46:02
James and Matt discuss their checkered history of getting agents/managers, failing to hold onto them, and getting new ones, with lots of tips for the unagented! Check out lots of supplemental mate...
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Episode 38: AI from 2022-12-24T18:50:45
Can a computer do our jobs? Matt puts it to the test and James scoffs, as is his wont.
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Episode 37: Craft in the Real World from 2022-11-02T13:27:56
The long-awaited return! James and Matt reunite to discuss Matthew Salesses' book Craft in the Real World. Matt is worried about offending anyone and James is less so!
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Episode 36: Save the Cat with Sophie Beal and Gary Dalkin from 2022-04-04T21:09:22
Special guests Sophie Beal and Gary Dalkin join us to debate the merits of the most infamous writing guide of all, Blake Snyder's Save the Cat
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Episode 35: Co-Authoring and Transgression with Keir Graff and Linda Joffe Hull from 2021-12-20T14:45:35
A whopping two guests join us to discuss the feat of co-authoring three thrillers as"Linda Keir", including"The Swing of Things", which leads to a discussion of whether or not transgression need al...
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Episode 34: Building Character Voice from 2021-11-16T16:28:20
James and Matt discuss Metaphor Families, Default Personality Traits, and Default Argument Tactics. James quotes great wisdom forgetting that he's quoting Matt, and Matt heaps praise on James's ne...
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Episode 33: Niceness, Apologies and PTSD from 2021-10-29T18:48:40
James checks in on a prediction he made years ago (in Episode 4) that stories would start getting nicer. As it turns out, Ted Lasso proved him right!
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Episode 32: Notes from 2021-09-24T14:52:24
Matt and James have a contentious history of giving (or not giving) feedback to each other, and they reveal some big philosophical differences on the fraught topic of how to give and receive notes.
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Episode 31: Irony from 2021-08-27T16:02:22
Matt and James discuss 14 types of Irony and use Casablanca, Blazing Saddles and Mulan as examples.
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Episode 30: Genre, Burgers, and Alien with Jonathan Auxier from 2021-07-30T16:55:59
Jonathan Auxier returns for a record fifth time to discuss what he originally wanted to discuss last time: Genre, how it is like burgers, and what this all has to do with the movie Alien. James th...
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Episode 30: Genre, Burgers, and Alien with Jonathan Auxier from 2021-07-30T16:55:59
Jonathan Auxier returns for a record fifth time to discuss what he originally wanted to discuss last time: Genre, how it is like burgers, and what this all has to do with the movie Alien. James th...
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Episode 29: Author Draft, Artifact Draft, Audience Draft with Jonathan Auxier from 2021-07-15T20:27:51
Jonathan Auxier returns again with his best idea yet: Everything you write should have an Author Draft, an Artifact Draft, and an Audience Draft.
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Episode 29: Author Draft, Artifact Draft, Audience Draft with Jonathan Auxier from 2021-07-15T20:27:51
Jonathan Auxier returns again with his best idea yet: Everything you write should have an Author Draft, an Artifact Draft, and an Audience Draft.
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Episode 28: The Order of Odd-Fish from 2021-05-29T21:17:45
Matt and James examine James's first novel to see if it matches some of the writing rules we've discussed over the years.
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Episode 27: Orphan, Wanderer, Warrior, Martyr with Lou Anders from 2021-04-20T15:53:05
Last episode's guest Lou Anders returns with more storytelling tricks, including a way to break your story into four quarters: Orphan, Wanderer, Warrior, and Martyr.
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Episode 26: The Eight Character Wheel with Lou Anders from 2021-03-19T05:06:35
Matt and James welcome the delightful novelist Lou Anders who expands on Head Heart Gut with a list of eight archetypes hiding in many great stories.
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Episode 25: Cult Thinking from 2021-01-25T04:58:39
James has an elaborate theory about how writing is like cult indoctrination. Matt tries to keep up.
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Episode 24: Agency with Parker Peevyhouse from 2020-12-08T15:38:09
Parker Peevyhouse returns to ask about when a character should break their own rules, which results in discussion of The Mandalorian, Knives Out, and whether superhero movies suck. Check out this ...
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Episode 23: Head Heart Gut from 2020-11-17T21:55:13
We’re back! Matt and James have a rousing discussion of Head, Heart and Gut (And Spleen, and Groin, and Spirit, and a zillion other permutations…) Read more about and see neat charts here: http:/...
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Episode 22: The Holy Moment from 2020-10-16T15:56:48
James has advice for writing opening scenes and Matt basically agrees with him for once. Plus, James almost gets hit by a meteor and Matt sings the praises of Minneapolis Community and Technical C...
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Episode 21: Franchise Finales with Jonathan Auxier from 2020-10-01T23:17:42
Returning guest Jonathan Auxier stops by to discuss franchise finales, because he's about to write one himself. It's another long one!
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Episode 20: The Man Who Won the War from 2020-10-01T23:10:39
Do writers lose something when they actually learn to write? In this episode, James and Matt look at the script that got Matt signed and consider that question. If you want, you can download the ...
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Episode 19: Alienation and Identification from 2020-10-01T22:54:32
Matt and James discuss Matt's upcoming book and debate about lots of things. And, inevitably, James tosses off two more 'E's.
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Episode 18: Michael Arndt and Insanely Great Endings from 2020-07-14T18:52:59
James and Matt discuss endings and a video by Michael Arndt (https://vimeo.com/238637906), plus a bonus pun!
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Episode 17: Two More Character Tricks from 2020-06-30T22:04:58
James has two more E's for us, and the long-awaited return of Free Story Ideas ...sort of.
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Episode 16: Neat Tricks for Creating Compelling Characters from 2020-05-07T16:51:58
James still wants to add to Believe Care Invest. He pitches Isolation (appropriately enough) and then five tricks all starting with E. Can he convince Matt?
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Episode 15: Should Novelists Follow Screenwriting Advice, featuring Parker Peevyhouse from 2020-01-19T23:58:02
Acclaimed Novelist Parker Peevyhouse stops by and she's got a question: Should novelists follow screenwriting advice? Much debate is had!
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Episode 14: Involuntary Notes from 2019-12-15T19:15:45
James gives Matt some good advice on a Free Story Idea, so Matt turns it onto a beatsheet and submits it to James' judgment. Lots of Yes-Anding!
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Episode 13: The Moment of Grace from 2019-12-01T03:12:42
James tries to convince Matt that every great ending has a"Moment of Grace"where the hero submits to a higher power. Matt is skeptical.
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Episode 12: Hollywoodization from 2019-09-03T17:22:15
Matt and James discuss the power and peril of Hollywoodizing various examples of sci-fi short fiction. Long but fun!
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Episode 11: Heroic Self-Interest with Geoff Betts from 2019-06-12T22:49:24
Should heroes primarily pursue their own self interest? Matt and James debate the issue with special guest Geoff Betts, and James pitches a deranged update of"Annie"
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Episode 10: More Fun with Jonathan Auxier from 2019-05-20T05:01:08
Special guest Jonathan Auxier returns to the program to give us some pushback on our last three episodes (Listen to those first!) And after you've listened to this, check out this follow-up blog po...
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Episode 9: Positive Passivity from 2019-01-29T21:11:05
Must all protagonists be active? James says no! ...At least, not at first.
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Episode 8: The Jedi in Decline from 2018-11-18T16:31:03
We discuss the hidden back half of story structure, dealing with Decline and Fall, and James finally gets the Last Jedi discussion he wanted.
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Episode 7: Expectations and OODA Loops from 2018-10-28T20:24:08
Matt Bird, author of"Secrets of Story: Innovative Tips for Perfecting Your Fiction and Captivating Readers", and James Kennedy, author of"The Order of Odd Fish", return for a long-awaited seventh e...
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Episode 6: Raiders of the Story Circle from 2017-09-05T02:34:04
Matt Bird and James Kennedy discuss story structure and apply Dan Harmon's Story Circle to Raiders of the Lost Ark.
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Episode 5: POV with Jonathan Auxier from 2017-06-28T17:32
Acclaimed novelist Jonathan Auxier joins Matt Bird and James Kennedy to talk about POV in prose!
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Episode 4: Disputatious Dialogue from 2017-03-22T21:30:03
Matt Bird and James Kennedy debate the dialogue advice in Matt's book"The Secrets of Story: Innovative Tools for Perfecting Your Fiction and Captivating Readers"In this episode: Should all dialogue...
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Episode 3: Laika Notes (the super-size episode) from 2017-01-13T20:25:56
Matt and James look at James's script for Matt's Laika idea. WARNING: This episode is over two hours long!
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Episode 2: The Easy Way from 2016-12-06T19:20:44
Matt Bird (author of"The Secrets of Story: Innovative Tools for Perfecting Your Fiction and Captivating Readers") and James Kennedy (author of"The Order of Odd Fish") debate about the best ways to ...
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Episode 1: Channel Master Thespian from 2016-11-03T19:00:14
A podcast about story from Matt Bird and James Kennedy
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