The Creative Writing Life

Chris Mancini is a Writer, Director, Comedian, Podcaster, and Father. He's written comedy, horror, soap operas, comics, and parenting books. They are all more closely related than you think. In addition to film and TV work, Chris' published works include Pacify Me: A Handbook for the Freaked Out New Dad from Simon and Schuster and Long Ago and Far Away from Starburns Press. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0541449/

Justin and Paul talk with M.D. Presley about worldbuilding in movies and books. Enjoy!  --- https://www.amazon.com/M.D.-Presley/e/B01IAX3M4Y Never passing up the opportunity to speak about himself in the third person, M.D. Presley is not nearly as clever as he thinks he is. Born and raised in Texas, he spent several years on the East Coast and now waits for the West Coast to shake him loose. His favorite words include defenestrate, callipygian, and Algonquin. The fact that monosyllabic is such a long word keeps him up at night. M.D. Presley is a proud member of Sigil Independent, a guild for self-published fantasy authors including Dyrk Ashton, Ben Galley, Rob Hayes, Alec Hutson, Michael McClung, D.E. Olesen, Benedict Patrick, M.L. Spencer, Phil Tucker, and Timandra Whitecastle.

Justin and Paul speak with Ryan Estabrooks about writing and directing and making webseries. https://www.ryanestabrooks.com/ https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4712536/ Ryan Estabrooks was born and raised in Midwest City, Oklahoma and as a child, became fascinated with writing. They started out using comic books as inspiration to create their own during preschool using markers, lots of paper, and whatever else they could find. Around age 12, they were given a small camcorder and experimented with it, creating shorts and skits with anyone from the neighborhood who would help out. They didn't realize at the time that this was the start of their filmmaking career. They started writing screenplays as a teenager and went to several film chapters at local colleges, trying to get it read by anyone who would give them the time. At the same time, their obsession with music led to them making their own songs on a cheap computer with a $10 mic from Radioshack. From there, they learned electronic production, piano and guitar - before heading out to Nashville to study audio engineering. After graduating from college, they studied acting with the Street Theatre Company and appeared in several plays throughout Nashville. They also plunged headfirst into photography as an extension of their love for film and the visual arts. All of these creative interests are poured into their films, which tend to be colorful, energetic, and a little off-kilter. They've worked on projects for Nickelodeon, PBS, WarnerMedia, SYFY, Sony and more. Their influences include Jean-Luc Godard, Vera Chytilova, John Cassavetes, Agnes Varda, Stanley Kubrick, Spike Lee, Dennis Hopper, and Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Enjoy!

The team discusses genre writing, and then we play an old episode of CREATIVE WRITING CAREER episode: Bob Goodman discusses superhero writing. 

Paul and Justin discuss screenplay contests and visual novels.  Screenplay contests include:   Nicholl Austin Film Festival Page  Others?

Justin and Paul share updates on their screenwriting, books, and Kickstarter!

Justin and Paul discuss what's up with their writing, as well as why HBO Max and Disney Plus are great for writers (and fun!). 

Steven Konkoly joins the guys to discuss writing thrillers that connect with readers, researching your stories, and writing for Thomas and Mercer. Find Steven at: https://stevenkonkoly.com/ Paul's Blog: https://maximumz.blog/ Justin's Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/Justin-Sloan/e/B00OJPAM0K/ PT's Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/P.T.-Hylton/e/B00J8K7KWY/ Get the Creative Writing Life book: https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Writing-Life-Justin-Sloan-ebook/dp/B07YR2FMYK/

Jeremy Flagg talks about his writing origins, dystopian worlds, and what defines a great superhero story. Find Jeremy at: https://remyflagg.com/ Paul's Blog: https://maximumz.blog/ Justin's Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/Justin-Sloan/e/B00OJPAM0K/ PT's Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/P.T.-Hylton/e/B00J8K7KWY/ Get the Creative Writing Life book: https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Writing-Life-Justin-Sloan-ebook/dp/B07YR2FMYK/

Karen Inglis is the author of numerous Children’s and Middle Grade books. She joins the guys to talk about reading as a writer, marketing, getting reviews on Children’s Books, and where she finds inspiration. Find Karen at: https://kareninglisauthor.com/ Paul's Blog: https://maximumz.blog/ Justin's Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/Justin-Sloan/e/B00OJPAM0K/ PT's Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/P.T.-Hylton/e/B00J8K7KWY/ Get the Creative Writing Life book: https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Writing-Life-Justin-Sloan-ebook/dp/B07YR2FMYK/