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Start With This

Night Vale Presents

A show designed to get you thinking about, talking about, and, most importantly, making art. Normally, creators of Welcome to Night Vale Jeffrey Cranor and Joseph Fink are the ones turning their ideas into stories. But for this podcast, it’s you who will do the writing, one short and simple assignment at a time. Because the best way to start writing is to start writing.

A show designed to get you thinking about, talking about, and, most importantly, making art. Normally, creators of Welcome to Night Vale Jeffrey Cranor and Joseph Fink are the ones turning their ideas into stories. But for this podcast, it’s you who will do the writing, one short and simple assignment at a time. Because the best way to start writing is to start writing.

32hr 49min
Thumbnail for "Perceiving the Audience w/Sarah Maria Griffin".
Author and poet Sarah Griffin joins us to talk about how the awareness of an audience affects our writing.
Thumbnail for "The Burnout Cycle w/Janina Matthewson".
Burnout is real and it comes around on the regular.
Thumbnail for "Minimal w/Brie Williams".
Writing more with less
Thumbnail for "But How Does It End?".
How do you land the ending?
Thumbnail for "Like This But Better".
Elevating basic language to something special.
Thumbnail for "How to Like".
There’s no such thing as a guilty pleasure.
Thumbnail for "Low Barrier to Entry?".
They say that podcasting has a low barrier to entry. Wtf does that even mean?
Thumbnail for "The Tease".
What makes a good tease? Listen and find out.
Thumbnail for "How to Dislike".
It's easy to dislike something, but much harder to do it well.
Thumbnail for "Five Easy Rules to Become a Great Writer!".
Just follow these simple rules and something something...
Thumbnail for "Keep It Weird".
What makes something weird, and is that a good thing?
Thumbnail for "Melodrama".
Mightly push your powerful writing to the top of the highest of literary peaks! Or… work on your craft.
Thumbnail for "Borrow or Steal".
Good artists borrow; great artists steal. What? Let's break this down.
Thumbnail for "Journey Vs. Destination".
Getting there is 1/x the fun!
Thumbnail for "Imposter Syndrome".
You’re a writer, because you write. Don’t tell yourself otherwise.
Thumbnail for "As It Happens".
Celebrating the act of daily creation with Jonathan Mann.
Thumbnail for "Hooptedoodle".
Stop and describe the roses.
Thumbnail for "Non-Lovecraftian Horror".
There's so much more to horror, we couldn't stop at Lovecraft.
Thumbnail for "Lovecraftian Horror".
Lovecraft was a racist and a bad writer, yet his ideas and his stories live on. So what do we do with them?
Thumbnail for "Agency".
A character has a problem. As a result of that problem, they make a decision. As a result of that decision, they change.
Thumbnail for "Exaggeration".
Fiction is a lie. Hopefully a good, fun lie.
Thumbnail for "Exposition".
What do you need to set the scene
Thumbnail for "Perfection Is for Assholes".
It's all in the title.
Thumbnail for "Five Senses".
Other than sight, how are you describing your world?
Thumbnail for "Writer's Voice".
What do you sound like, as a writer?
Thumbnail for "Present Tense".
You write in the here and now.
Thumbnail for "Second Person".
You are intrigued by second person narratives.
Thumbnail for "Negative Space".
What's there that's not there?
Thumbnail for "Narrative Structure".
What is the shape of your narrative?
Thumbnail for "To Write in a Plague".
How are you doing?
Thumbnail for "Satire".
How strong is your satire?
Thumbnail for "Absurdity".
Writing what's absurd.
Thumbnail for "Stage Directions".
When do you use stage directions, and how descriptive do you get?
Thumbnail for "The Possibility of Failure".
It's okay - and sometimes exciting - to fail.
Thumbnail for "Monologue".
Writing for a single voice
Thumbnail for "Writer's Block".
Is writer's block real?
Thumbnail for "Honesty".
What does it mean to tell your story honestly?
Thumbnail for "Don't Forget Your Story".
Amid all your fine prose, don't forget you need to tell a story.
Thumbnail for "Writing for Performance (Live from Boston)".
Writing for a live audience presents new challenges.
Thumbnail for "Outlining".
Outlining your story is like a puzzle for plot.
Thumbnail for "Slowness".
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.
Thumbnail for "Repetition".
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.
Thumbnail for "Word Count".
In writing, words are you 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.
Thumbnail for "Speed".
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.
Thumbnail for "Stereo".
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.
Thumbnail for "Punching it Up".
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.
Thumbnail for "Anxiety".
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.
Thumbnail for "I Have an Idea for a Podcast".
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.
Thumbnail for "BONUS: Q&A #2 Preview".
Here’s a short preview of our second members-only bonus Q&A episode.
Thumbnail for "Rhythm & Rhyme".
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.
Thumbnail for "Getting Intimate".
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.
Thumbnail for "Silence".
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.
Thumbnail for "Art is Disposable ".
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.
Thumbnail for "Dialogue".
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.
Thumbnail for "Playing Games".
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.
Thumbnail for "Towards a Poor Podcast".
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.
Thumbnail for "Collaboration".
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 potential collaborators, and the value they’ve found in working together.
Thumbnail for "BONUS: Q&A Preview".
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 ask your own questions, and see what other listeners are making.
Thumbnail for "Feedback".
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.” They outline four steps to help get and give useful responses: give permission, set specific parameters, have a limit, and evaluate what was helpful.
Thumbnail for "Know Your Limitations".
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 jumpstart a new creative path.
Thumbnail for "Idea to Execution".
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.
Thumbnail for "Start With This: Trailer".
Normally, creators of Welcome to Night Vale Jeffrey Cranor and Joseph Fink are the ones turning their ideas into stories. But for this podcast, it’s you who will do the writing, one short and simple assignment at a time.
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