nightvalepresentsverse | Entries tagged with start with this: creations

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

CONSUME: "How to use stage directions" by Sam Graber
https://samgraber.com/2017/02/21/how-to-use-stage-directions/

CREATE: Write a 200-400 word scene for two characters that includes the stage direction “[They/He/She Flies].”

Listen, discuss.

(Note: If you want to share your work feel free to comment here OR post it as a new post! Please use the tag start with this: creations and tag proper trigger/content warnings in accordance with the rules.)

dreamwriteremmy

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 Poetry” by Leonard Cohen: https://acephalous.typepad.com/acephalous/leonard-cohen-how-to-spea.html

Create: Set a timer for 10 minutes, and write a murder mystery. Title that “1”. Then repeat the process with an entirely new murder mystery. Title that “2”. Repeat it a third time, again with an entirely new mystery. Title that “3”. Come back the next day and give yourself 30 minutes to edit these mysteries as best as you can. Put them in one document and title the document “Three Attempts to Tell a Murder Mystery”. You have now, in one hour, created a complete piece in which the point was the possibility of failure.

Listen, discuss.

(Note: If you want to share your work feel free to comment here OR post it as a new post! Please use the tag start with this: creations and tag proper trigger/content warnings in accordance with the rules.)

dreamwriteremmy

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

Consume: Have You Heard George’s Podcast by George the Poet

Create: Open up a file you're stuck on. Go to the Random Classical Painting Generator. In 200 words describe the painting, but describe it in context of whatever your working on.

Listen, discuss.

(Note: If you want to share your work feel free to comment here OR post it as a new post! Please use the tag start with this: creations and tag proper trigger/content warnings in accordance with the rules.)

dreamwriteremmy

What does it mean to tell your story honestly?

Consume: Moonface by James Kim

Create: Take a moment in your life in which you remember exactly how you felt. Think through all the details of your feelings. How did the feelings start? How did they develop? What happened to those feelings? Tell that story. Except: change every other factual detail. Create a fictional story about someone who is not you, doing something you weren’t doing. It could be a member of a biker gang in the 50s or an alien in some distant future world. But keep the honest details of your feelings there. See how the honesty of your feeling affects the otherwise fictional story.

Listen, discuss.

(Note: If you want to share your work feel free to comment here OR post it as a new post! Please use the tag start with this: creations and tag proper trigger/content warnings in accordance with the rules.)

dreamwriteremmy

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

Consume: Read “Husband Stitch” by Carmen Maria Machado.

Create: Write a 200-400 word story with the following outline:
- A is with B.
- A loses B.
- A makes a choice that brings B back.
- A and B are back together, but different as a result of that choice.

Listen, discuss.

(Note: If you want to share your work feel free to comment here OR post it as a new post! Please use the tag start with this: creations and tag proper trigger/content warnings in accordance with the rules.)

dreamwriteremmy

We’re live from Boston with special guest Bilal Dardai, alum of the Neo-Futurist theater company and writer for the podcast “Unwell.” In this episode we talk about writing specifically for performance.

Consume: Gnome Sane by Joey Rizzolo, New York Neo-Futurists

Create: Write a 100-word story, 3rd person, someone confessing a crime. Then, write it again in 1st person by the person confessing. Then write it one more time for live performance. Think about what the performer should do with their body. How is the audience involved?

Listen, discuss.

(Note: If you want to share your work feel free to comment here OR post it as a new post! Please use the tag start with this: creations and tag proper trigger/content warnings in accordance with the rules.)

dreamwriteremmy

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. This way, you can land a satisfying ending and give focus to your process to free your brain up for new discoveries.

Consume: Listen to The Shadows, a six-episode podcast series by Kaitlin Prest.

Create: Write a six section outline with a max word count of 60 words for each section. Give your project a beginning, middle, and end. Have the character’s growth matches the plot, and that the ending is set up by the structure. The goal is to figure out what happens within each section.

Listen, discuss.

(Note: If you want to share your work feel free to comment here OR post it as a new post! Please use the tag start with this: creations and tag proper trigger/content warnings in accordance with the rules.)

dreamwriteremmy

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 outcome. Slowness is a way to make something big by allowing you to break your writing down into manageable parts, and gives you enough space to enjoy the process. It also means you can work a little bit on something everyday, even if you don’t know what it is yet.

Consume: The Taxonomy of Air, a visual art piece by Susan D’Amato

Create: Every day for one week, set aside the time to write three sentences. For the first four days, just get those sentences out and don't think about the bigger picture. On day five, start thinking about where the piece is going. For the last three days, bring the piece to an end.

Listen, discuss.

(Note: If you want to share your work feel free to comment here OR post it as a new post! Please use the tag start with this: creations and tag proper trigger/content warnings in accordance with the rules.)

dreamwriteremmy

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 outward, and circling back to the message again and again. In this episode, we talk about using repetition to review an idea, create rhythm, reinforce comprehension, drive emphasis, and to disorient.

Consume: Song Exploder Episode 28: The Long Winters - The Commander Thinks Aloud

Create: Come up with a 3-10 word phrase. Now write a 200-word story and use your exact phrase at least 5 times. Concentrate on each iteration’s meaning, and how the repetition of the phrase affects your story.

Listen, discuss.

(Note: If you want to share your work feel free to comment here OR post it as a new post! Please use the tag start with this: creations and tag proper trigger/content warnings in accordance with the rules.)

dreamwriteremmy

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 form of accountability in your own process, and influence how your audience perceives your work. Plus, we discuss how knowing your own voice will help you decide how many words you want to dedicate to describing something in great detail or with great efficiency.

Consume: Geoff Ryman’s novel 253. Learn more about it on Wikipedia and access it on Archive.org

Create: Use a random number generator to generate ten numbers between 1-100. These ten numbers are now your word counts for each section of a ten paragraph writing piece. Follow the counts exactly and pay attention to how the word counts impact the pacing and flow. For added difficulty, find a way to let the word count influence the content of the story.

Listen, discuss.

(Note: If you want to share your work feel free to comment here OR post it as a new post! Please use the tag start with this: creations and tag proper trigger/content warnings in accordance with the rules.)

dreamwriteremmy

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 counts, writing without pausing allows you to simply get your ideas out now for you to shape later.

Consume: Listen to the album, “All Hail West Texas” by The Mountain Goats

Create: Set a timer for 7 minutes and write without stopping on the topic “Orange.” Then put your work aside for at least a day. After a day or two, set a timer for 23 minutes to edit and refine your piece.

Listen, discuss.

(Note: If you want to share your work feel free to comment here OR post it as a new post! Please use the tag start with this: creations and tag proper trigger/content warnings in accordance with the rules.)

dreamwriteremmy

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 imagination to get involved by differentiating speaking voices, putting them in a specific setting, and by creating weird or unexpected moments.

Consume: Listen Nickel Creek’s album, “A Dotted Line”

Create: Record a 1-minute audio piece that uses stereo in at least two different ways: to differentiate speaking voices, to put the listener in a specific space or setting, and to subvert the listener’s expectations or play a game with the listener.

Listen, discuss.

(Note: If you want to share your work feel free to comment here OR post it as a new post! Please use the tag start with this: creations and tag proper trigger/content warnings in accordance with the rules.)

dreamwriteremmy

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 punching up your piece.

Consume: Read “The Lifespan of a Fact” by Jim Fingal and John D'Agata

Create: Write 100 words of a story, incorporating a randomly generated phrase into the first sentence. Use another random phrase in your next 100 words. Finally, use one last random phrase in the last sentence of your story. Now go through and punch up your 200 word story, deleting those generated phrases and replacing them with words of your own.

Listen, discuss.

(Note: If you want to share your work feel free to comment here OR post it as a new post! Please use the tag start with this: creations and tag proper trigger/content warnings in accordance with the rules.)

dreamwriteremmy

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 this. Then we discuss ways to motivate yourself from steering into the skid, to doing achievable tasks, as well as how taking care of your body and mind affects your creative work.

Consume: Listen to Mark Can’t Rap with British poet Mark Grist

Create: Set a calendar alert for 5 days in a row to spend 10 mins writing non-stop.

Each day, write about a different body part. At the end of the 5 days, put each of the sections together and look at the experimental novel you’ve created.

Listen, discuss.

(Note: If you want to share your work feel free to comment here OR post it as a new post! Please use the tag start with this: creations and tag proper trigger/content warnings in accordance with the rules.)

dreamwriteremmy

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, and repeatability. Honing in on these elements will help you uncover what’s exciting about your idea, and what will make it successful. While this episode focuses on podcasting, these tests are good to consider for any artistic idea.

Consume: Listen to The Worst Idea of All Time and think about how it’s specific, novel, practical, and repeatable.

Create: Take a podcast (or any artistic idea) idea you have and walk through the four litmus tests.
Specificity: Write the one sentence elevator pitch for your podcast.
Novelty: Write one sentence about what makes your podcast different.
Repeatability: Write one to two sentences to describe what Episode 40 would sound like, or what the arc of your limited series would be.
Practicality: Make a list of equipment, people, and how much time you’ll need for each episode

Listen, discuss.

(Note: If you want to share your work feel free to comment here OR post it as a new post! Please use the tag start with this: creations and tag proper trigger/content warnings in accordance with the rules.)

dreamwriteremmy

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 even be good at it! In this episode, Jeffrey and Joseph talk about how we naturally use poetic elements in our everyday speech, and how it can lend structure to get to the heart of what you’re describing.

Consume: Read Ballad in A by Cathy Park Hong. Try to read it aloud if you can!

Then check out this short feature article on Cathy Park Hong and her use of the univocalic.

Create: Write a 4-line, rhyming, univocalic poem. That means you pick a vowel and use only that vowel when you write. It doesn’t have to be good, just done!

Listen, discuss.

(Note: If you want to share your work feel free to comment here OR post it as a new post! Please use the tag start with this: creations and tag proper trigger/content warnings in accordance with the rules.)

dreamwriteremmy

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 of communication is a tool, a gift, and a responsibility. In this episode, we talk about how to create while being aware of the listener's presence.

Consume: Listen to an episode of Sleep With Me

Create: Write and record a 2-minute piece about your listener. In the process, keep the 5 W’s in mind as they relate to your listener: who, what, where, when, and why.

Listen, discuss.

(Note: If you want to share your work feel free to comment here OR post it as a new post! Please use the tag start with this: creations and tag proper trigger/content warnings in accordance with the rules.)

dreamwriteremmy

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 done right can be one of the most valuable tools in any artist’s arsenal. Jeffrey and Joseph talk about how, at its core, silence is a structural element of audio, and how using it adjusts your sense of time, tension, and lends rhythm to your work.

Consume: Night Vale Live Ghost Stories

Create: Record a 1-2 min piece that is at least 25% silent. Use silence in a way that would change the meaning of the piece if it were removed.

Listen, discuss.

(Note: If you want to share your work feel free to comment here OR post it as a new post! Please use the tag start with this: creations and tag proper trigger/content warnings in accordance with the rules.)

dreamwriteremmy

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.

Listen, discuss.

(Note: If you want to share your work feel free to comment here OR post it as a new post! Please use the tag start with this: creations and tag proper trigger/content warnings in accordance with the rules.)

dreamwriteremmy

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.

Listen, discuss.

(Note: If you want to share your work feel free to comment here OR post it as a new post! Please use the tag start with this: creations and tag proper trigger/content warnings in accordance with the rules.)