Podcasts by Start With This

Perceiving the Audience w/Sarah Maria Griffin from 2021-09-14T18:34:03

Author and poet Sarah Griffin joins us to talk about how the awareness of an audience affects our writing.

Guest: Sarah Maria Griffin, Listen

The Burnout Cycle w/Janina Matthewson from 2021-08-13T14:42:06

Burnout is real and it comes around on the regular.

Guest: Janina Matthewson, https://twitter.com/j9andif

Minimal w/Brie Williams from 2021-07-09T16:23:48

Writing more with less.

Guest: Brie Williams, https://twitter.com/briezillionaire

CONSUME: Gettin...

But How Does It End? from 2021-06-11T17:12:19

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....

Like This But Better from 2021-06-11T17:05:17

Elevating basic language to something special. (This episode is available exclusively on Patreon. Hear the rest at http:...

How to Like from 2021-05-14T13:00

There’s no such thing as a guilty pleasure.

CONSUME: Podcast ¡Uy Que Horror! particularly the episode “Listen

Low Barrier to Entry? from 2021-05-13T16:15:10

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 Listen

The Tease from 2021-04-09T15:37:03

What 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 ...

How to Dislike from 2021-03-30T14:00

It's easy to dislike something, but much harder to do it well. (This episode is available exclusively on Patreon. Hear the rest at Listen

Five Easy Rules to Become a Great Writer! from 2021-03-12T15:00

Just follow these simple rules and something something...

CONSUME: Elmore Leonard’s famous rules of writing Listen

Keep It Weird from 2021-03-10T15:00

What 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 communi...

Melodrama from 2021-02-12T05:00

Mightly 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...

Borrow or Steal from 2021-02-10T05:00

Good 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 M...

Journey Vs. Destination from 2021-01-08T15:20:15

Getting 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 murd...

Imposter Syndrome from 2020-12-25T05:00

You’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. Wr...

As It Happens from 2020-12-11T05:00

Celebrating 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 Jonath...

Hooptedoodle from 2020-11-27T16:51:11

Stop 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 ...

Non-Lovecraftian Horror from 2020-11-13T20:53:53

There'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: Listen

Lovecraftian Horror from 2020-10-30T14:55:29

Lovecraft 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 Cou...

Agency from 2020-10-16T23:00:56

A 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-...

Exaggeration from 2020-10-02T15:39:47

Fiction 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 (mad...

Exposition from 2020-09-18T15:40:16

What 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. So...

Perfection Is for Assholes from 2020-09-04T16:13:07

Perfection 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 som...

Five Senses from 2020-08-21T15:51:11

We experience more than what we see.

CONSUME: “How to Meet and Dance with Your Death” by Larissa Shmailo (Listen

Writer's Voice from 2020-08-09T02:19:14

What do you sound like, as a writer?

CONSUME: “Exercises in Style” by Raymond Queneau (excerpt: Listen

Present Tense from 2020-07-24T14:37:58

You write in the here and now.

CONSUME: “Girls, at Play” by Celeste Ng https://blr....

Second Person from 2020-07-10T13:18:28

You 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, b...

Negative Space from 2020-06-26T15:38:39

What'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. ...

Narrative Structure from 2020-06-12T14:13:22

What is the shape of your narrative?

CONSUME: “17776 Football” by Jon Bois https://www.sbnation.com/a/...

To Write in a Plague from 2020-05-29T15:14:29

How are you doing?

CONSUME: The podcast Our Plague Year https://ourplagueyear.libsyn.com/

and the w...

Satire from 2020-05-15T04:00

How 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 t...

Absurdity from 2020-05-01T04:00

Writing what's absurd.

CONSUME: Clip from You, the Living. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W...

Stage Directions from 2020-04-17T13:43:07

When do you use stage directions, and how descriptive do you get?

CONSUME: "How to use stage directions" by Sam Graber
Listen

The Possibility of Failure from 2020-04-03T12:19:03

Failure 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 Po...

Monologue from 2020-03-20T04:00

Sometimes our writing flow doesn’t flow. What’s causing this and how do we get it moving again?

Consume: Listen

Writer's Block from 2020-03-06T13:05:34

Sometimes our writing flow doesn’t flow. What’s causing this and how do we get it moving again?

Consume: Have You ...

Honesty from 2020-02-21T05:24:17

What does it mean to tell your story honestly?

Consume: Moonface by James Kim

Don't Forget Your Story from 2020-02-07T05:00

A lot of writing is fine-tuning your writing, or creating clever structure, but the most important thing is the story itself.

Consume: Read “Listen

Writing for Performance (Live from Boston) from 2020-01-24T05:00

We’re live from Boston with special guest Bilal Dardai, alum of the Neo-Futurist theater company and writer for the podcast “Listen

Outlining from 2020-01-10T05:00

Outlining 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...

Slowness from 2019-11-29T05:00

We 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 outcom...

Repetition from 2019-11-15T05:00

Your 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 o...

Word Count from 2019-11-01T04:00

In 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 f...

Speed from 2019-10-18T04:00

Working 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 ...

Stereo from 2019-10-04T04:00

Stereo 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 imagin...

Punching it Up from 2019-09-20T12:00:05

There 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 ...

Anxiety from 2019-09-06T04:00

Have 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 thi...

I Have an Idea for a Podcast from 2019-08-23T04:00

The 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, ...

BONUS: Q&A #2 Preview from 2019-08-16T04:00

Here’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: Listen

Rhythm&Rhyme from 2019-08-09T04:00

Poetry 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...

Getting Intimate from 2019-07-26T04:00

We 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 ...

Silence from 2019-07-12T04:08:44

Silence 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 don...

Art is Disposable from 2019-06-28T04:00

When 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 s...

Dialogue from 2019-06-14T04:00

Writing 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 li...

Playing Games from 2019-05-31T04:00

At 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 a...

Towards a Poor Podcast from 2019-05-17T04:00

How 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 na...

Collaboration from 2019-05-03T04:00

Jeffrey 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 potentia...

BONUS: Q&A Preview from 2019-04-26T18:59:49

Jeffrey 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 as...

Feedback from 2019-04-19T04:00

Our 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.” ...

Know Your Limitations from 2019-04-05T04:00

How 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 jumpstar...

Idea to Execution from 2019-03-22T04:00

There’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....

Start With This: Trailer from 2019-03-08T05:00

The creators of Welcome to Night Vale Jeffrey Cranor and Joseph Fink believe the only bad writing is not writing. Start With This is a podcast gone creativity playground designed to put...