
Dialogue
Start With This
06/14/19
•36m
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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 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 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 in mind as you write. If you’re feeling ambitious, try it again with a different reason for the dialogue.
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Credits: Jeffrey Cranor (host) & Joseph Fink (host), Julia Melfi (producer), Grant Stewart (editor), Vincent Cacchione (mixer). Rob Wilson (logo). Produced by Night Vale Presents.
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Previous Episode

Playing Games
May 31, 2019
•53m
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 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 the moon following the convention, “The moon is a [adjective] [noun].” The adjectives and nouns can’t come from you. Flip through a book, use a random word generator, or use some other source. Then use those statements as the first sentence of three different paragraphs that tell a story.
Join the SWT Membership community to see what other listeners are making: https://www.patreon.com/startwiththis
Logo shirts now available on our online store:
https://topatoco.com/collections/startwiththis
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
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.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Next Episode

Art is Disposable
June 28, 2019
•33m
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 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-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.
Join the SWT Membership community to see what other listeners are making: https://www.patreon.com/startwiththis
Not sure what t-shirt to wear today? Start With This:
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Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
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.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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