A listener asks how we teach thesis/ antithesis/ synthesis and we tackle that from many angles, beginning with Elizabeth’s Marxist/ Stalinist grandmother, her one-time boyfriend John Howard Lawson, author of Theory and Technique of Playwrighting, and on through Laos Egri, Pilar Alessandra, Sarah Manguso and more. We discuss the difference between using these techniques for drafting and using them for revision, and touch briefly on the role of oppositional ideas in both politics and creativity, including the fight for gay marriage. From character through dialog and on to theme, we dig into thesis/ antithesis/ synthesis.

Little Man Tate

Black-ish

Sarah Manguso 300 Arguments

Columbine by Dave Cullen

Julia Cameron

Laos Egri

Pilar Alessandra

John Howard Lawson

Ted Olsen

Story Makers is a podcast that features in-depth conversations with accomplished writers, filmmakers and industry experts about story craft, technique, habit and survival--everything you need to know to stay inspired, connect to your creativity, find others’ wonderful stories and your own success.

The hosts:

Elizabeth Stark is a published, agented novelist and distributed filmmaker who teaches and mentors writers at BookWritingWorld.com.

Angie Powers is a distributed filmmaker and published short story writer with an MFA in creative writing and a certificate in screenwriting from UCLA who teaches story structure at BookWritingWorld.com.