• Organizing Chaos with Sophie Beal and Gary Dalkin
    Jan 16 2024
    Sophie Beal and Gary Dalkin return to discuss novelists' relationship with editors, whether freelance or at a publisher. All four of us have been on one side of that divide or another, and most of us more than one, and we have a grand old time discussing it.
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    59 min
  • Episode 45: Specific vs. Generic (Or is it Factual vs. Archetypal?)
    Dec 7 2023
    It's always good to load up your story with specifics, right? Not so fast! James talks about his decision to leave some information out of his new novel Bride of the Tornado, and Matt quibbles.
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    1 ora e 11 min
  • Episode 44: Putting the Secrets of Story Into Action with Torrey Maldonado
    Oct 19 2023
    Matt and James welcome acclaimed novelist Torrey Maldonado to talk about how he's put Matt's advice into action for his books for young people (much to James's chagrin)
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    1 ora e 25 min
  • Writing Every Day with Brock Swinson
    Jun 26 2023
    Matt and James are joined by author Brock Swinson and discuss his new book of writing advice Ink by the Barrel. All three of us agree that writers must write every day and then sheepishly admit that we don't actually do that.
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    1 ora e 7 min
  • Episode 43: Mackendrick's Rules, the Epic Conclusion
    Jun 19 2023
    Alexander Mackendrick summed up the wisdom that film schools (and MFA programs in general) hand down to writers. Is it helpful or poisonous? In this episode, Matt and James finish examining and questioning his 41 rules.
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    53 min
  • Mackendrick's Rules, Part 2
    Jun 12 2023
    Matt and James once again use the rules of Alexander Mackendrick as a springboard to talk about what makes for a good story. Bonus: Matt posits his theory of what's in the case in Pulp Fiction and completely convinces James!
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    1 ora
  • Mackendrick's Rules, Part 1
    Jun 6 2023
    The great filmmaker Alexander Mackendrick famously passed along 41 rules of writing advice and now Matt and James are going to evaluate them all in a three-part epic!
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    1 ora e 11 min
  • Episode 39: Agents
    Feb 2 2023
    James and Matt discuss their checkered history of getting agents/managers, failing to hold onto them, and getting new ones, with lots of tips for the unagented! Check out lots of supplemental materials on SecretsOfStory.com.
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    1 ora e 23 min