The Write Mind

For this episode, 2025 Balcones Prize in Nonfiction Winner Ben Miller joins ACC Creative Writing Professor Ysella Fulton-Slavin for a conversation about the winning book, the importance of spaces like ACC that protect creative energy, writing as possibility, and writing when nothing else feels useful. Chapters (00:00:04) - The Right Mind(00:01:52) - Ben Miller at Creative Writing Class(00:08:27) - The Pratt University campus(00:14:31) - Writing for Pleasure(00:19:52) - How to Get Your Book Published(00:25:11) - Writing on the Marathon(00:26:12) - Talking About The Pandemonium(00:29:23) - The Infection Pandemic(00:36:29) - How to Write About the AIDS Crisis(00:42:56) - Pillville: The Weird Jobs(00:44:17) - In the Book: White Space and Hybrid Work(00:46:34) - ""(00:49:44) - A Reading with a Challenge(00:50:03) - 5 Things I Learned From Working As a Clerk

For this episode, Screenwriting Professor Luke Garza welcomes filmmaker Andrew Bujalski to an in-class conversation. Andrew Bujalksi has written and directed seven feature films. He types 89 words per minute. His brief bio doesn't begin to cover the breadth of his experience. Andrew talks about a little known film program at Harvard, being the Godfather of Mumblecore, screenwriting structure, and the monster we feed. we hope you enjoy the conversation! Chapters (00:00:04) - The Right Mind(00:01:51) - Andrew Forsyth's Introduction(00:03:29) - Andrew Spielberg's Directing(00:04:11) - Andrew's Computer Chess Clip(00:06:42) - Andrew Bujalski(00:09:28) - As a teenager, you were writing fiction(00:10:53) - Was Your Family Supportive of Your Film Projects?(00:11:37) - Getting In at Harvard Film School(00:14:05) - Andrew Bird on Mumblecore(00:20:04) - How I Met The Hatcher Sisters(00:25:26) - In the Elevator With Computer Chess(00:30:08) - Return to Sequel(00:32:32) - Have budgets and keeping things contained affected your film choices?(00:33:50) - The Structure of Your Work(00:39:48) - Andrew Doesn't 'Mumble Core'(00:42:30) - What Improvisation Techniques Did You Use On 'Bulletproof(00:45:43) - Cinema Chat: Time in the Film(00:47:21) - Yen on Working As a Director and an Editor(00:52:10) - The Film Industry's Latest Trends(00:54:29) - Tom Clancy on Character Archetypes(00:58:10) - What's Fueling Your Creative Fire?(01:00:07) - George Clooney on Writing Outside The Drama/Comedy Genre(01:02:37) - In the Elevator With Steven Spielberg(01:04:22) - How To Write a Movie. Andrew Bulski

For this episode we were joined in class and online by Lauren D. Woods, a writer whose collection The Great Grown-up Game of Make Believe is tearing up the awards circuit. We were very fortunate to have her. Lauren talks to us about evolving definitions of success, writing groups and community, her own writing habits and rituals, and how to talk about the hard things through fiction. Please enjoy this episode with Lauren D. Woods. Chapters (00:00:04) - The Right Mind(00:02:07) - What Draws You to Writing?(00:05:00) - The Need for Literary Community(00:06:37) - How to Get Out of Trap of Success(00:08:56) - Rituals for Writing(00:13:22) - How to Write a Short Story(00:15:41) - How To Write and Get Published(00:18:43) - The Search for the Home for ""(00:21:48) - How To Write a Collection of Stories(00:24:55) - Best and Worst Writing Advice(00:27:00) - What Do You Wish You Knew Before Starting Your Career?(00:28:25) - What should early-career and early-education writers know(00:29:19) - Questions for the Q&A(00:29:30) - Writing on a Full Time Job(00:31:42) - WSJD Live: Indie and Traditional Publishing(00:33:29) - How To Get Out Of Negative Feedback(00:35:25) - Literary Fiction(00:37:12) - MFA Programs or Just Grad School?(00:38:43) - Talking About Writing With a Short Story(00:39:43) - Short Story Review: The Slow Burn

We are joined by Stephen Graham Jones and Paul Tremblay, two top-tier voices in horror. We discuss the ways horror transforms characters and readers, how horror sits in literary conversations, balancing writing with the obligations of our lives, and early-career writing advice Chapters (00:00:04) - The Right Mind(00:03:30) - Stephen King on His Horror Films(00:07:50) - Where Does Identity Come From in Horror?(00:08:58) - The Separation Between Horror and Literary Writing(00:14:10) - Stephen King on Trying to Explain the Science of Horror(00:19:15) - In the Elevation of Literary Fiction(00:21:25) - How to Make Time for Writing(00:26:42) - Stephen King on Writing While Busy(00:28:21) - What's a Writing Ritual?(00:31:12) - "Writing To Music"(00:31:52) - Stephen King on Starting a Novel(00:34:23) - Pushing the Writing Flowchart(00:36:54) - How to Get Your Book Published(00:41:29) - Stephen King on The Long Halloween(00:42:54) - Writing Prompts(00:44:02) - Stephen on Drinking Coffee To Have A Vomit(00:45:17) - How Do You Turn An Idea Into a Story?(00:47:51) - What Are Your Favorite Character Names?(00:49:12) - Stephen King on The Buffalo Hunter(00:50:04) - How to Write With a Long Attention Span(00:51:41) - Nikki and Imogen on Writing(00:52:17) - Top 3 Literary Influences of All Time(00:54:45) - Paul on Criticism of Horror(00:57:58) - Gloomy Sunday in Head Full of Ghosts(00:58:56) - Steven Talk: Writing Stupid Stories(01:01:17) - Stephen King on His First Book(01:04:22) - Cabin at the End of the World or Knock at the Cabin(01:05:22) - Stephen and Paul On Imposter Syndrome(01:07:54) - Right Mind