The ISA Podcast

SYS 142

Alecky Blythe

Episode #141

Tom Nunan

Halloween Special!

"The Walking Dead" keeps killing it as it enters its seventh season.

For those who are obsessed with "The Walking Dead", and it appears that most of its viewers are, the seventh season premiere delivered on its cliffhanger from last spring. All summer long, fans were teased with the possibility of two shocking deaths at the hands of new villain Negan. And the brutality wielded by his barbed-wired bat was harrowing for the audience's stomachs and hearts.

Still, despite such violence, the show kept its focus on character. The script focused on lead Rick Grimes' arc from cocky leader to morally defeated mortal. And the episode opened the door to lots of potential new directions: different leaders, unique threats, and even the possibility of hope for mankind. Negan may be one mean S.O.B., but for the writers to keep the show fresh and unexpected this long into their zombie apocalypse tale, well, that's no mean feat.

We’re more than just curious about screenwriting in this episode, because I had the pleasure of bringing on two-time Oscar winner and one of my favorite writers, Paul Haggis. In terms of introducing him, it doesn’t need much. But what I love about this interview is that even though we know his name, discovering how Paul started his career, the bumps and hiccups he experienced along the way, and how he worked up through the ranks is illuminating. What I have been preaching about in my solo podcast, The Craft, is basically confirmed here – our job as a writer is to simply write. We can’t concern ourselves with every single facet of the entertainment industry, and Paul reminds us of this by having an innate ability to focus on what he loves – telling a great story. And more than that, he wants to tell the story that he personally loves whether the industry will accept it or not. It’s a scary thing to risk everything, as he so eloquently offers as his final words and advice, but it’s necessary where the creative arts are concerned. Looking down deep, digging in to what you know to be personally true for you, and listening to your own intuition – it’s absolutely imperative, and everything Paul and I discuss in this conversation centers on the writer’s need to follow his/her own personal path. As I’ve said before, there isn’t one path for a writer to take in order to create a career in this town, so find your own path and stick to it. It will serve you in the end.

Mark is an author and Director of Self-Publishing & Author Relations for Kobo. Mark Lefebvre was hired by Kobo in 2011 to develop an easy way for indie authors and small publishers to publish their work to Kobo's global catalog in 190 countries. Using his more than two decades worth of book industry experience (not to mention the fact that he is also a writer and self-published his first book in 2004), Mark led the creation of Kobo Writing Life in July 2012. In the four years since its launch, Kobo Writing Life has grown to represent between 15 to 20% of the company's weekly unit sales and a market share larger than the world's largest publishers.To connect with Mark, you can go to www.kobowritinglife.com and www.kobo.com/writinglife or follow on twitter @KoboWritingLife and facebook: www.facebook.com/kobowritinglife. You can connect at www.laurapowers.net. You can also find her on facebook via Write Hot and follow her on twitter @thatlaurapowers.

Steve has over twenty years' experience as a Television Executive having championed The X-Files, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, The Simpsons and Battlestar Galactica. He blogs on All Things Entertainment via www.SurfingHollywood.com. We discussed trends in television and tips for getting your writing career going in the television industry. You can connect with and follow Steve on twitter @SteveLaRue2. You can connect at www.laurapowers.net. You can also find her on facebook via Write Hot and follow her on twitter @thatlaurapowers. Today's podcast is brought to you by audible.com - get a FREE audiobook download and 30 day free trial atwww.audibletrial.com/writehot. Over 180,000 titles to choose from for your iPhone, Android, Kindle or mp3 player.

Joanna Penn is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of thrillers under J.F.Penn. She also writes inspirational non-fiction for authors and is an award-winning creative entrepreneur and international professional speaker. Her site, TheCreativePenn.com is regularly voted one of the top 10 sites for writers and self-publishers. Joanna has successfully grown her business from a side hustle to making over 100k a year writing full time so we talked about her process. We spoke about planning and making goal in Olympic year cycles (every 4 years) and talked about tips on how to grow your writing business and stay inspired. To connect with Joanna Penn and find out information on her podcast, you can go to www.thecreativepenn.com. You can connect at www.laurapowers.net. You can also find her on facebook via Write Hot and follow her on twitter @thatlaurapowers.

"Supergirl" flies with fan boys and girls alike.

What did the TV series "Supergirl" get right in its transfer from comic book to small screen? Plenty. It faithfully honors the 1959 source material. The sincerity and sass Warner Bros. incorporated into the character when they animated her in the 1990's is still present. And there are even bits of feminist icons like Wonder Woman and Ally McBeal baked into the present day character. In Melissa Benoist they have found the perfect ingénue to play both the superhero who soars, as well as her more down-to-earth alter ego Kara Danvers. Greg Berlanti, Ali Adler and Andrew Kreisberg created the ebullient show for CBS in 2015, but it's even better after moving to the CW for season two. "Supergirl" satisfies fan boys and fan girls alike, with an earnest approach that today's dark and dour big screen DC adaptations could learn a lot from.

In this recording of a live teleconference with Emmanuel Oberg and the ISA's Max Timm, you'll get an introduction to the Story-Type Method®, as Max and Emmanuel discuss:

1. Structure is everything, but what is structure? A good story is a metaphor for a problem-solving process. Identifying where the main problem lies - outside the protagonist (in other characters or nature); within the protagonist; in society - leads to the Story-Type Method®, which defines three main story-types: plot-led, character-led and theme-led. This innovative way of looking at story structure can help writers to develop any story: action movie, character driven piece, even hybrids and exceptions.

2. The Fractal Aspect of Story structure. The three-act structure can be used to design not only the whole film but also its parts: acts, sequences, scenes, subplots, strands... This is one of the many differences between the dramatic three-act structure and the more well-known logistical three-act structure, based on page numbers or minutes, such as the 30-60-30 paradigm. The dramatic three-act structure is more flexible, more powerful and is even optional, at least when it comes to designing the story as a whole.

3. How various tools can be used to manage information, which is another part of story structure. Tools like dramatic irony, surprise, mystery and suspense. Many films such as Tootsie, Avatar, The Lives of Others, Sleuth, Infernal Affairs and its remake The Departed have a structure based on managing information rather than simply managing conflict. The logistical 30-60-30 paradigm on its own can't explain how these stories are designed.

In this podcast, Laura speaks with freelance writer Kate Kordsmeier on how to be a successful freelancer. She is an Atlanta-based freelance food and travel writer and recipe developer for more than 100 publications, including USA Today, EatingWell, Travel + Leisure, Cooking Light, The Washington Post, Clean Eating, Conde Nast Traveler, FITNESS, Delta Sky, Women's Health, American Way, Shape, Wine Enthusiast, Vegetarian Times, The Travel Channel, SELF, Rachael Ray Every Day, Real Simple, Esquire, Modern Luxury and DRAFT. She is also the Atlanta Editor for About.com, the author of the cookbook Atlanta Chef's Table: Extraordinary Recipes from the Big Peach and the founder of Root + Revel, a food and wellness site devoted to natural living. television writer and producer.

You can connect with Kate www.katekordsmeier.com, www.rootandrevel.com or on twitter at @kpkords, @rootandrevel. You can connect at www.laurapowers.net. You can also find her on facebook via Write Hot and follow her on twitter @thatlaurapowers.