Playing Games
Start With This
05/31/19
•53m
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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
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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.
http://www.startwiththispodcast.com
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Previous Episode
Towards a Poor Podcast
May 17, 2019
•32m
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 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 figure out what noises you can make with them. Let that sound inspire you. Now write and record a 2 minute audio story (200-250 words) incorporating this sound. Or if you’re not a podcaster, use those items to inspire your written story (or visual art piece)
Join the SWT Membership community to see what other listeners are making: https://www.patreon.com/startwiththis
Get Rob Wilson’s excellent logo for the show on a t-shirt today:
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
Dialogue
June 14, 2019
•36m
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.
Join the SWT Membership community to see what other listeners are making: https://www.patreon.com/startwiththis
Help spread the word about the show by wearing our logo on your torso:
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
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