Jonathan Auxier returns again with his best idea yet: Everything you write should have an Author Draft, an Artifact Draft, and an Audience Draft.

Episode 29: Author Draft, Artifact Draft, Audience Draft with Jonathan Auxier

Matt and James discuss 14 types of Irony and use Casablanca, Blazing Saddles and Mulan as examples.

Episode 31: Irony

Matt and James have a contentious history of giving (or not giving) feedback to each other, and they reveal some big philosophical differences on the fraught topic of how to give and receive notes.

Episode 32: Notes

James and Matt discuss Metaphor Families, Default Personality Traits, and Default Argument Tactics.  James quotes great wisdom forgetting that he's quoting Matt, and Matt heaps praise on James's new book-- It's a kumbaya love fest!

Episode 34: Building Character Voice

Special guests Sophie Beal and Gary Dalkin join us to debate the merits of the most infamous writing guide of all, Blake Snyder's Save the Cat

Episode 36: Save the Cat with Sophie Beal and Gary Dalkin

The long-awaited return!  James and Matt reunite to discuss Matthew Salesses' book Craft in the Real World.  Matt is worried about offending anyone and James is less so!

Episode 37: Craft in the Real World

Can a computer do our jobs?  Matt puts it to the test and James scoffs, as is his wont.

Episode 38: AI

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.

Episode 39: Agents

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!

Episode 40: Mackendrick's Rules, Part 1

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!

Episode 41: Mackendrick's Rules, Part 2

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.

Episode 42: Mackendrick's Rules, the Epic Conclusion

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.  Download Brock's book for free at BrockSwinson.com and check out his podcast Creative Principles!

Episode 43: Writing Every Day with Brock Swinson

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)

Episode 44: Putting the Secrets of Story Into Action with Torrey Maldonado

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.

Episode 45: Specific vs. Generic (Or is it Factual vs. Archetypal?)

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.

Episode 46: Organizing Chaos with Sophie Beal and Gary Dalkin

Matt and James welcome author Douglas A. Burton to discuss his new book The Heroine's Labyrinth!  Matt blurbed it and said "The Heroine's Labyrinth is filled with profound and unique observations on the topic of story structure, no matter what the gender of your protagonist. Burton closely analyzes a wide breadth of stories and proves his thesis that Joseph Campbell missed half the story."  James agrees and we dive into some of Douglas's many interesting new archetypes!

Episode 47: The Heroine's Labyrinth with Douglas A. Burton

Recorded Live at The Book Stall in Winnetka, IL, hosted by the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, James and Matt welcome the legendary Betsy Bird to tackle a topic all three know something about: Capturing the Voices of Children in Your Writing.  Matt argues that novels that feature truly authentic kids are by definition not children's books, and James and Betsy debate him on that.

Live Show: Capturing the Nature of Children with Betsy Bird

It's a special preview of the first episode of Matt's new podcast with Jonathan Auxier: A Good Story Well Told.  Search for and subscribe to the new podcast to get a second episode now!

Introducing a new podcast: A Good Story Well Told with Jonathan Auxier

It's another episode of Matt's new podcast, "A Good Story Well Told" with Jonathan Auxier, this time discussing "The Giver", but from now on, to get new content, you'll have to subscribe to the "A Good Story Well Told" feed.  Meanwhile, this feed will remain active so you can enjoy the wonderful archives of Matt and James's content.  

The Final Episode in this Feed: Another preview of "A Good Story Well Told"!

A podcast about story from Matt Bird and James Kennedy

Episode 1: Channel Master Thespian

Matt Bird (author of "The Secrets of Story: Innovative Tools for Perfecting Your Fiction and Captivating Readers") and James Kennedy (author of "The Order of Odd Fish") debate about the best ways to write.  In this episode: Should heroes try the easy way in the second quarter of a story?

Episode 2: The Easy Way

Matt and James look at James's script for Matt's Laika idea.  WARNING: This episode is over two hours long!

Episode 3: Laika Notes (the super-size episode)

Matt Bird and James Kennedy debate the dialogue advice in Matt's book "The Secrets of Story: Innovative Tools for Perfecting Your Fiction and Captivating Readers"  In this episode: Should all dialogue be disputatious?

Episode 4: Disputatious Dialogue

Acclaimed novelist Jonathan Auxier joins Matt Bird and James Kennedy to talk about POV in prose!

Episode 5: POV with Jonathan Auxier

Matt Bird and James Kennedy discuss story structure and apply Dan Harmon's Story Circle to Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Episode 6: Raiders of the Story Circle

Matt Bird, author of "Secrets of Story: Innovative Tips for Perfecting Your Fiction and Captivating Readers", and James Kennedy, author of "The Order of Odd Fish", return for a long-awaited seventh episode, covering audience expectations, shifting tactics, OODA loops, and much more.  And James pitches an adaptation of "The Screwtape Letters"!

Episode 7: Expectations and OODA Loops

Matt and James discuss the power and peril of Hollywoodizing various examples of sci-fi short fiction.  Long but fun!

Episode 12: Hollywoodization

James gives Matt some good advice on a Free Story Idea, so Matt turns it onto a beatsheet and submits it to James' judgment.  Lots of Yes-Anding!

Episode 14: Involuntary Notes

James still wants to add to Believe Care Invest.  He pitches Isolation (appropriately enough) and then five tricks all starting with E.  Can he convince Matt?

Episode 16: Neat Tricks for Creating Compelling Characters

James has two more E's for us, and the long-awaited return of Free Story Ideas ...sort of.

Episode 17: Two More Character Tricks

James and Matt discuss endings and a video by Michael Arndt (https://vimeo.com/238637906), plus a bonus pun!

Episode 18: Michael Arndt and Insanely Great Endings

James has advice for writing opening scenes and Matt basically agrees with him for once.  Plus, James almost gets hit by a meteor and Matt sings the praises of Minneapolis Community and Technical College.

Episode 22: The Holy Moment

We’re back!  Matt and James have a rousing discussion of Head, Heart and Gut (And Spleen, and Groin, and Spirit, and a zillion other permutations…)  Read more about and see neat charts here: http://www.secretsofstory.com/2017/05/head-heart-gut-aka-how-to-create.html

The Secrets of Story Podcast

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