Episode 166 From Aristotle to Hollywood with Susan Isaacs

Episode 166 October 30, 2021 00:46:21
Episode 166 From Aristotle to Hollywood with Susan Isaacs
The Creative Writer's Toolbelt
Episode 166 From Aristotle to Hollywood with Susan Isaacs

Oct 30 2021 | 00:46:21

/

Show Notes

 

Welcome to episode 166 of the creative writer’s toolbelt podcast. My guest for this episode is the actor and writer and Lutheran Susan Isaacs. 

Susan has worked in TV, and got a Masters degree in screen writing. She moved to New York, and worked in comedy there before moving back to California to be close to her mother, who had dementia. She turned some of the most difficult times of her life into a one-woman stage show and that led to a publishing deal. She is now Professor of Screenwriting at Dodge College of Film and Media Arts.

In our conversation we talk about the fact that successful stories need a compelling character, who is relatable but also wounded, and who has a desire or goal. We discuss how story structure goes back to Aristotle, and has been worked out by great storytellers have worked with and worked out this structure since then, from Shakespeare to Tolkien, from St Augustine to Margaret Mitchell.

We discuss the fact that great stories have an internal and an external journey for the main characters and how this works within the three-act structure, and how stories live in specificity.

We talk about how script writing is the same as the novel but also different in terms of structure, we discuss active verbs, and reflect on how our stories are never going to be as horrible, or wonderful, as we think they are. 

I learnt a lot from my conversation with Susan, I hope you find it an enjoyable and informative listen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other Episodes

Episode

January 07, 2017 00:18:43
Episode Cover

Episode 89 - Power up your prose! Making sentences paragraphs and scenes work for you

In this episode we look at the way in which the building blocks of prose: the sentence, the paragraph, and the scene, work. We...

Listen

Episode

December 22, 2017 01:07:56
Episode Cover

Episode 109 Conversation with Juliet Mushens of CaskieMushens Literary Agency

Want to know how to query an agent? I do, so I decided to talk to talk to one of the best agents in...

Listen

Episode

July 09, 2018 01:01:58
Episode Cover

Episode 123 Face the fear and finish the job. A conversation with creative professional Sarah Rhea Werner

This episode is a conversation with Sarah Rhea Werner, a creative professional who combines a portfolio of work including writing, web design, mentoring, podcasting...

Listen