Stories turn songs into symphonies, events into memories, and lives into legends. In our crowded world, “knowing your story” cuts through the noise so you can make your mark — whether you want to sell more books, increase profits, or just make a difference. At Sterling & Stone, Story is our business. The Story Studio Podcast is where we explore ways we can all tell our stories better.
State of the Industry with Michael Anderle
State of the Industry with Michael Anderle The Guys first met Michael Anderle right at the start of his journey in Self-Publishing. He had the (dubious) pleasure of riding in […]
10/14/2020 • 1 hour, 13 minutes, 46 seconds
SSP131 Big Changes Coming
In today’s episode, the guys, along with Bonnie and Niamh, talk about the big changes coming to the Story Studio Podcast in the coming weeks. This episode is the last […]
9/23/2020 • 46 minutes, 15 seconds
SSP130 How To Write Anything with Sean
Out of everyone in the story studio, Sean is probably the most versatile author who can dexterously turn his hand from one genre and form to another quickly and with […]
9/16/2020 • 56 minutes, 19 seconds
SSP129 Pantsing Complex Plots with Johnny
Johnny B Truant writes complex stories. Stories with plots that tend to branch out and get more complex by the chapter and book throughout a series. If you’ve read Invasion, […]
9/9/2020 • 48 minutes, 15 seconds
SSP128 Raising Tension with Dave
If you’ve ever read a David Wright story, you’ve experienced narrative tension. But how does Dave do it so well? And how does he crank it up a notch higher […]
9/2/2020 • 32 minutes, 58 seconds
SSP127 Creating Culture with Vered
Worldbuilding is about building both the hardware and software that supports a story. Culture is the software. How we interact with the hardware, how we view it and use it, […]
8/26/2020 • 51 minutes, 58 seconds
SSP126 Commercialism and Trends with Niamh
When the critics can’t stop talking about something, and people can’t stop talking about it too, you hit that sweet spot we all look for in terms of finding ways […]
8/19/2020 • 1 hour, 5 minutes, 52 seconds
SSP125 Evolving Writing Process with Ninie
Ninie Hammon wrote in the newspaper world for 25 years before she started writing novels. When she started writing novels, 12-13 years ago, she never thought about the process. She […]
8/12/2020 • 58 minutes, 11 seconds
SSP124 Making a Living as an Artist with Eileen
In today’s episode of The Story Studio Podcast, the guys talk with Eileen Rose who is a member of the Sterling and Stone Story Studio. Before Eileen joined the Story […]
8/5/2020 • 54 minutes, 22 seconds
SSP123 Idea Parkour with Joel
Different people come up with ideas and brainstorm in different ways. In the Sterling & Stone Story Studio, all of the authors bring stories to the table to brainstorm at […]
7/22/2020 • 55 minutes, 59 seconds
SSP122 The Guys Watch: Doctor Sleep
On today’s episode, the guys talk about watching the movie Doctor Sleep and the Shining franchise. They have a lot to say about movie adaptations from books, about one book […]
7/15/2020 • 1 hour, 25 seconds
SSP121 The Guys Discuss: Darlings We’ve Murdered
We’ve all heard from writing classes and craft books that we need to murder our darlings. In today’s episode, the guys discuss the darlings they’ve murdered both for themselves and […]
7/8/2020 • 52 minutes, 4 seconds
SSP 120 The Guys Discuss: What We’ve Learned So Far in 2020
We are living in a Black Mirror episode. Dave always was living in a Black Mirror episode, but 2020 is the year the rest of the world joined him there. […]
7/1/2020 • 42 minutes, 48 seconds
SSP119 The Guys Discuss: How To Watch and Read Like A Writer
In today’s episode, Johnny and Dave switch roles. Dave is excitedly working on his new project in the Yesterday’s Gone universe, and Johnny wishes an asteroid would hit the earth […]
6/24/2020 • 49 minutes, 31 seconds
SSP118 The Guys Discuss: Collaboration with J. Thorn
In today’s episode, Dave reveals his plans for any physical fights he may or may not have in the future and how he will make sure that whoever he battles […]
6/17/2020 • 55 minutes, 17 seconds
SSP117 Making a Living Writing with Rachael Herron
Being a writer requires doing the seriously hard work of writing. But making a living writing requires more. In today’s episode, Rachael Herron talks about all the different income streams […]
6/10/2020 • 54 minutes, 29 seconds
SSP116 The Guys Watch: The Godfather
In today’s episode of The Story Studio Podcast Sean and Johnny rewatched The Godfather and Dave watched it for the first time and asked some great questions of each other. […]
6/3/2020 • 53 minutes, 46 seconds
SSP115 The Guys Discuss: Avoiding Burnout
Getting to do what you love for a living is pretty incredible. But when you are building your author career through writing and releasing books in series, there is a […]
5/27/2020 • 55 minutes, 20 seconds
SSP114 The Guys Discuss: When a Story Gets Stuck
Ever have a story get stuck? There are a few different ways in which this can happen. Sometimes a story gets mechanically stuck where you’ve written your way into some […]
5/20/2020 • 1 hour, 2 minutes, 23 seconds
SSP113 The Guys Discuss: Building Worlds Together
Have you ever wanted to collaborate with another author or multiple authors to build a fictional world where you can come together to create extraordinary stories? More inputs mean more […]
5/13/2020 • 52 minutes, 49 seconds
SSP112 Characterization Hacks with Bonnie Part 2
In today’s episode, Sean and Johnny continue the conversation with Bonnie about Characterization Hacks. They talk about commercial characters, over-the-top superman characters, supermen with relatable flaws, everyman characters, and more. […]
5/6/2020 • 1 hour, 1 minute, 32 seconds
SSP111 The Guys Discuss: Balancing Structure & Creativity
Creating outlines and beats can keep you moving by always knowing what’s next when a pure pantser might have to stop and figure out what happens. But sometimes too much […]
4/29/2020 • 52 minutes, 56 seconds
SSP110 Characterization Hacks with Bonnie
People don’t fall in love with plots, devices, and settings. At least most people don’t. When someone falls in love with a book or a story, most often they are […]
4/22/2020 • 1 hour, 1 minute, 12 seconds
SSP109 The Guys Watch: The Watchmen Part 2
In last week’s episode, The Guys Watch: The Watchmen Part 1, the guys and the Story Studio discussed The Watchmen. They went into all kinds of detail about what worked […]
4/15/2020 • 56 minutes, 42 seconds
SSP108 The Guys Watch: The Watchmen Part 1
On today’s episode, most of the Sterling & Stone Story Studio appears along with the guys to discuss The Watchmen. The whole studio watched it together and in this, part […]
4/8/2020 • 1 hour, 17 minutes, 12 seconds
SSP107 The Guys Discuss: Battling Resistance
In The War of Art, Steven Pressfield personifies Resistance as an almost corporeal being of sorts, something that must be faced, battled, and defeated and a daily basis in order […]
4/1/2020 • 58 minutes, 40 seconds
SSP106 The Guys Discuss: Our Favorite Tools
What are the tools you love and use every day to help you do all the things you need to get done? The guys share a few of their favorites […]
3/25/2020 • 43 minutes, 20 seconds
SSP105 The Guys Discuss: If We New Then…
If we only knew then what we know now. The guys insist that they don’t legitimately have regrets, but if they had a time machine and could go back to […]
3/18/2020 • 43 minutes, 3 seconds
SSP104 The Guys Talk: Writing and Marketing with Jeff Haskell
In today’s episode, the guys talk with Jeff Haskell, an author they met at S3, the Story Shop Summit in Austin, Tx. Jeff writes Superhero science fiction, a little bit […]
3/11/2020 • 1 hour, 1 minute, 33 seconds
SSP103 The Guys Answer: Anthologies and Serials
On today’s episode, the guys answer listener questions about anthologies and serials. Anthologies are collections of works (stories, poems, or episodes) that each stand on their own but may sometimes […]
3/4/2020 • 40 minutes, 49 seconds
SSP102 The Guys Watch Being John Malkovich (SPOILERS!)
In today’s episode, the guys talk about watching Being John Malkovich. Spoiler Alert: Be warned, if you haven’t seen it yet, this episode may very well spoil it for you. […]
2/26/2020 • 56 minutes, 18 seconds
SSP101 The Guys Discuss When Life Gets In The Way
It’s difficult to create great work when your confidence gets rocked or when your emotional self is in turmoil. There are so many things that can put a kink in […]
2/19/2020 • 49 minutes, 55 seconds
SSP100 The Guys Discuss: What We’ve Stopped Doing
Episode 100! A milestone indeed. The guys have hit it several times on past podcasts like The Self-Publishing Podcast and others and joke that they often end up changing the […]
2/12/2020 • 49 minutes, 15 seconds
SSP099 The Guys Discuss: Serial Fiction
Dave always loved Green Mile by Stephen King and really wanted to do something serial-based. In 2008 Available Darkness was the first thing Dave and Sean serialized on their website. […]
2/5/2020 • 56 minutes, 46 seconds
SSP098 The Guys Try: Productivity Techniques
What productivity systems and techniques work best for creatives and specifically writers? The Story Studio Podcast wanted to find out. On today’s episode Dave, Sean, and Johnny try out three […]
1/29/2020 • 57 minutes, 38 seconds
SSP097 Writing For Television with Jono Matt
Jono Matt is a writer in LA and the scrappiest MF Johnny has ever met. Recently, Jessie Cole came on the show to talk about Savana Bananas, the sitcom that […]
1/22/2020 • 1 hour, 16 minutes, 34 seconds
SSP096 The Guys Discuss: Binge Culture for Storytellers
Once upon a time, if you wanted to binge-watch your favorite show, you had to record each episode from TV and wait to save up all the episodes so you […]
1/15/2020 • 55 minutes, 2 seconds
SSP095 Sterling and Stone 2019 Year-in-Review
It’s our final podcast of 2019, and we’re feeling a lot of gratitude as we wrap up the year to spend time with our families. This year has been a […]
12/25/2019 • 57 minutes, 22 seconds
SSP094 Savannah Bananas pt. 2 with Jesse Cole
In the first Savannah Bananas episode, we had the pleasure of explaining what the Savannah Bananas is and how we got involved with the team. Today, we’re joined by Jesse […]
12/18/2019 • 56 minutes, 28 seconds
SSP093 The Fiction Formula Launch Party
Stop us if you’ve heard this one: we finally released the sequel to Write. Publish. Repeat. It’s called The Fiction Formula! Some of you are probably scratching your heads and […]
12/11/2019 • 54 minutes, 44 seconds
SSP092 Our First Stories
No matter how successful you are as a storyteller, you have to start somewhere. There’s always a story number one. Today, we talk about our very explorations into storytelling, what […]
12/4/2019 • 36 minutes, 8 seconds
SSP091 Analyzing You Were Never Really Here (SPOILERS!)
SPOILER ALERT! Today, we’re discussing You Were Never Really Here directed by Lynne Ramsay, starring Joaquin Phoenix, and based on a novella by Jonathan Ames. We discuss the story’s premise, […]
11/27/2019 • 59 minutes, 44 seconds
SSP090 Savannah Bananas
Because of the Great Amazon Algorithm War, we often have to self-sensor ourselves, and not talk about the fiction projects we’re developing publically. It’s not because we’re precious with our […]
11/20/2019 • 53 minutes, 56 seconds
SSP089 Analyzing Living With Yourself (SPOILERS!)
SPOILER ALERT! In today’s episode, we about the Netflix show Living With Yourself (https://www.netflix.com/title/80178724). We discuss the story’s premise, its ending, and our thoughts on the character arc and theme. […]
11/13/2019 • 45 minutes, 38 seconds
SSP088 Steal This with Bonnie and Joel
Out of the madness of our story studio emerged an idea that we think those of you who take part in NaNoWriMo will appreciate: a universal outline we’re calling the […]
11/6/2019 • 59 minutes, 2 seconds
SSP087 Idea Generation with Neeve
Ideas are spooky. Where do they even come from? And what happens if they disappear forever? These questions have plagued creatives for years and has created a culture of self-limitation […]
10/30/2019 • 58 minutes, 26 seconds
SSP086 Who’s The Main Character?
A few weeks ago, we had an interesting discussion in the company when we tried to identify a movie with a true dual-protagonist setup. We came up with one (maybe […]
10/23/2019 • 39 minutes, 28 seconds
SSP085 The Matrix Story Breakdown
There’s one film that we (and most of you will too) agree is one of the most important to SciFi storytelling and the film industry: The Matrix. On today’s podcast, […]
10/16/2019 • 34 minutes, 58 seconds
SSP084 The Author Hustle with Shaunta Grimes
We’ve been around the indie publishing block a time or two and we’re not going to sugarcoat it. It’s hard. You’ll probably want to quit, and you might not see […]
10/9/2019 • 44 minutes, 52 seconds
SSP083 Continuous Evolution
Indie publishing changes fast. Even after a decade, there are weekly changes in the market, forcing you to pivot or crash into the next algorithmic wall. But there’s a line […]
10/2/2019 • 41 minutes, 10 seconds
SSP082 Writing While Old(er) with Ninie
We’ve heard dozens of different stories (lies, usually) that authors tell themselves as reasons they can’t start their writing journey. One of the most common is “I’m too old now.” […]
9/25/2019 • 56 minutes, 6 seconds
SSP081 Writing Routines
Our creative routines cover the gamut in our studio, proving there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to how to be a productive storyteller. But there are general guidelines to becoming a productive […]
9/18/2019 • 1 hour, 1 minute, 32 seconds
SSP080 Joel F*cks the Details
Joel was one of the first authors that Sterling and Stone brought into the fold after we decided to open up the studio to other authors outside of our trio, […]
9/11/2019 • 55 minutes, 34 seconds
SSP079 Celebrating Your Accomplishments
In indie publishing, there’s a tendency to rapid churn. Once one book is out to the races, the next one immediately begins. This is a pace that Sterling and Stone […]
9/4/2019 • 54 minutes, 14 seconds
SSP078 Planning and Thinking Ahead
Scheduling can be a logistical nightmare, especially when planning for a creative endeavor. And it’s no different in our story studio. For years, we’ve struggled with creating a schedule that […]
8/21/2019 • 35 minutes, 4 seconds
SSP077 The Stone Tablets and a Return to Non-Fiction
We owe a lot of our growth to our community (that’s you!), and we’re eternally grateful for your support and enthusiasm. In return, we spent several years building The Smarter […]
8/14/2019 • 47 minutes, 54 seconds
SSP076 Join The Story with Austin from StoryShop
*TRIGGER WARNING: This episode refers to recent mass shootings. If you’re still in mourning, you may want to skip this one.* There’s a lot of pain and division in the […]
8/7/2019 • 50 minutes, 48 seconds
SSP075 Story Inspiration
“Where do you get your ideas?” It’s a question that every author gets asked at least once in their career. And the true answer is never satisfying to the untrained […]
7/31/2019 • 31 minutes, 44 seconds
SSP074 Story Research
Almost literally, Sterling and Stone is a house built on research… or the lack thereof. In part, our collaboration started because of a research roadblock, a dare, and putting a […]
7/24/2019 • 46 minutes, 52 seconds
SSP073 Vacations for Creatives
Vacations are an opportunity to rest and refresh. But when you’re a storyteller with certain habits, a vacation can throw off your entire groove. In today’s episode, we talk about […]
7/17/2019 • 41 minutes, 8 seconds
SSP072 The Story Solution
We just released The Story Solution. It’s our first new non-fiction book in a long time and marks a new generation of non-fiction under the Stone Table imprint. In The […]
7/10/2019 • 58 minutes, 34 seconds
SSP071 Reboots
Like them or not, reboots happen. Whether it’s an excellent remake of a Stephen King story or an excuse to cast Will Smith as a friendly genie, Hollywood loves re-imagining […]
7/3/2019 • 53 minutes, 44 seconds
SSP070 Listening to Your Instincts with Vered Ehsani
Vered Ehsani radiates passion and energy. From the time we met her, we knew she was special. She traveled from Nairobi, Kenya to our events multiple times to learn how […]
6/26/2019 • 47 minutes, 54 seconds
SSP069 2019 Q2 Story Studio Check-in
It’s been six months since our last big check in with the state of affairs at our Story Studio. Since last October, we’ve hit publish again and again, ramping up […]
6/19/2019 • 48 minutes, 34 seconds
SSP068 Doing the Work with Jamie Davis
One of our favorite and hardest working author friends is Jamie Davis. Throughout the time we’ve known him, he’s always held true to the work ethic of the 21st century […]
6/12/2019 • 56 minutes, 34 seconds
SSP067 Rebuilding StoryShop pt. 2 with David Brown
In SSP057, we talked about rebuilding StoryShop and why it became a necessary step in order for it to become the app we envision. StoryShop is continuing to iterate forward […]
6/5/2019 • 59 minutes, 42 seconds
SSP066 Elements of a Successful Sitcom
When we first began writing adaptations for our novels, we had to learn a whole new set of rules that govern the visual medium. Since then, we’ve also transitioned into […]
5/29/2019 • 53 minutes, 30 seconds
SSP065 How We've Evolved as Writers This Year
Last year, we had a problem. Well, we had multiple problems. Johnny was suffering from burnout. Sean wasn’t drafting as much as he wanted. And Dave had just emerged from […]
5/22/2019 • 59 minutes, 28 seconds
SSP064 Meaningful Connections with Chris Plough
When we met Chris Plough, we knew we had to get him on the show to talk with us, and now that the show is live again, we thought it […]
5/15/2019 • 1 hour, 2 minutes, 34 seconds
SSP063 Writing As Therapy
We tell stories as our full-time job, and while we have a responsibility to the company and our family to produce words that sell, there are reasons for us to […]
5/8/2019 • 1 hour, 2 minutes, 44 seconds
SSP062 The Stone Table: Phase 2 with Neeve Silver
“We change the world with story” is a phrase we’ve used over and over, and while we believed that this was our trajectory as a company, we’ve struggled to actualize […]
5/1/2019 • 32 minutes, 16 seconds
SSP061 The Stone Table: Reimagined with Neeve Silver
Closing down the Smarter Artist part of Sterling and Stone was bittersweet for us. We have a desire to teach, but the transactional nature of the Smarter Artist brand leeched […]
4/24/2019 • 52 minutes, 36 seconds
SSP060 Sean Goes to Prison
The creative mind is mysterious. As storytellers, we build entire worlds and shape unforgettable characters. But when asked where we get our ideas, it’s often difficult to pin down one […]
4/17/2019 • 45 minutes, 40 seconds
SSP059 Mystery Box Storytelling
During one of our recent company meetings, Sean asked the team “how many people know what Mystery Box Storytelling is?” To our surprise, not every hand went up. If several […]
4/10/2019 • 37 minutes, 24 seconds
SSP058 Teaching an Old Dave New Tricks
As we prepare our novels for new storytelling mediums, it has forced us to revisit stories that are years old. And if you’ve ever gone back to read your older […]
4/3/2019 • 38 minutes, 10 seconds
SSP057 Rebuilding StoryShop
A few years ago, we had the vision to build a tool that would become the ultimate collaborative storytelling workspace. We created a kickstarter that got fully funded, partnered with […]
3/27/2019 • 36 minutes, 20 seconds
SSP056 SAS 2019 Recap
The Smarter Artist Summit has been our “new year” for a long time now. It has been an opportunity for us to connect with creators in our community and learn […]
3/20/2019 • 37 minutes, 4 seconds
SSP055 Turning Pro (SAS2019 Live Podcast)
At our final Smarter Artist Summit, we focused on the idea of “turning pro,” and how authors today can build a sustainable career. We share how Dave has evolved since […]
3/13/2019 • 40 minutes, 50 seconds
SSP054 Habit Hacking
The most important part of achieving a goal is not at all sexy. It’s the process—the system you follow day in and day out that results in success. The best […]
3/6/2019 • 40 minutes, 42 seconds
SSP053 The Art of the Pitch
A year ago, we met Derek Frederickson & Fat Vampire got optioned. Since then, we’ve visited LA three times now and have made some serious steps into film & TV. […]
2/27/2019 • 46 minutes, 14 seconds
SSP052 The Forgotten Gems
There are more movies and TV shows then there have ever been, and it’s so easy to miss great content. Sometimes it’s because the timing was poor, or the world […]
2/20/2019 • 36 minutes, 46 seconds
SSP051 Opening the Door to the Story Studio
Today’s intro-absent podcast is the beginning of a brand new look for the show. For too long, we’ve been struggling to fit into a business suit that’s too small and […]
2/13/2019 • 34 minutes, 24 seconds
SSP050 Know Your Genre (Part 2)
The genre you write in matters. A lot. It can be the difference between years of frustration and artistic fulfillment. To save you from the anguish of writing the wrong […]
2/6/2019 • 43 minutes, 18 seconds
SSP049 Know Your Genre (Part 1)
We’ve talked before about Genre Therapy and how we use it to help our writers identify the best genre of fiction to write. But we realized that we could do […]
1/30/2019 • 44 minutes, 20 seconds
SSP048 What We're Excited for in 2019
For a long time, we’ve said that 2018 was “our year.” But now that 2018 has come and gone, it was simultaneously our year and not our year. Instead, 2018 […]
1/23/2019 • 35 minutes, 56 seconds
SSP047 Analyzing Bird Box (SPOILERS!)
Bird Box is Netflix’s most successful (by measure of viewership) film to date, and it started as a novel. The success Josh Malerman experienced with his debut novel can happen […]
1/16/2019 • 36 minutes, 18 seconds
SSP046 On Mastery and 10000 Hours
The “10,000 hour rule” has become a staple of the practicing artist. When applied with intention, the consistent daily effort of putting in your hours can produce results that appear […]
12/26/2018 • 43 minutes, 20 seconds
SSP045 Performance Under Pressure
For the first time, everyone in the whole company is working in the same story world, and because we need to produce on a schedule with high-pressure deadlines, the kitchen […]
12/19/2018 • 34 minutes, 2 seconds
SSP044 Making a Bad Premise Awesome
“If you give a good idea to a mediocre team, they will screw it up. If you give a mediocre idea to a brilliant team, they will either fix it […]
12/12/2018 • 37 minutes, 52 seconds
SSP043 Analyzing The Haunting of Hill House (SPOILERS!)
SPOILER ALERT! In this episode, we spoil the fuck out of the Netflix adaptation of The Haunting of Hill House (https://www.netflix.com/title/80189221) and discuss why it resonated so much for us […]
12/5/2018 • 42 minutes, 58 seconds
SSP042 Adapting a Story for Film and TV pt. 2
Several episodes ago, we talked about film and TV adaptation and how we’re approaching the process as we work to move into new formats of storytelling. Today, we continue the […]
11/21/2018 • 33 minutes, 50 seconds
SSP041 Characters: What Doesn't Work
If you read enough books or watch enough films, you’ll eventually find a character or cast of characters that “doesn’t work.” When characters fail to meet their true potential, the […]
11/14/2018 • 33 minutes, 4 seconds
SSP040 How Our Childhoods Informed Our Storytelling
Being aware of who you are is important if you want optimal results in your life and storytelling. Hardship has shaped our worldview and the kinds of stories we yearn […]
11/7/2018 • 41 minutes, 28 seconds
SSP039 Creative Expression
We recently held a small genre therapy event where we talked to authors that were motivated by a wide range of forces. During our meet-up, we asked: “how many of […]
10/31/2018 • 30 minutes, 14 seconds
SSP038 2018 Q4 Story Studio Check-in
We’ve all taken on new adventures and challenges in our writing, and we’ve learned a lot over the past year. Committing to the vision of the Story Studio has meant […]
10/24/2018 • 39 minutes, 30 seconds
SSP037 The Real-Life Stories That Inform Our Fiction pt. 2
The seeds of stories are all around us. It’s our job as storytellers to acknowledge and nurture these seeds so that our novels and screenplays have life—a three-dimensionality that binds […]
10/17/2018 • 35 minutes, 14 seconds
SSP036 The Real-Life Stories That Inform Our Fiction pt. 1
The Story Studio Podcast is phoning it in for a couple episodes. But really, we’re expanding the scope of the show. The seeds of stories are all around us. It’s […]
10/10/2018 • 38 minutes, 52 seconds
SSP035 Newsletter Ninjitsu with Tammi Labrecque
No one knows author newsletters like Tammi Labrecque. She literally wrote the book on it. Lucky for us, she agreed to talk to us about what authors get wrong about […]
10/3/2018 • 45 minutes, 48 seconds
SSP034 Persuasion with Dave Lakhani
Dave Lakhani is a persuasion ninja. Driven by his need to understand why people believe what they believe, he’s built businesses using story to sell his ideas. Dave will be speaking […]
9/26/2018 • 55 minutes, 8 seconds
SSP033 Storytelling in Video Games
Over the past forty years, the video game industry has grown in ways most of us couldn’t predict. Video games have shifted from the idled-away time of children to one […]
9/19/2018 • 38 minutes, 18 seconds
SSP032 Great Villains
A hero is only as great as the villains that oppose them. A great villain frames your hero, bringing life to your conflicts and depth to your themes. Stories like […]
9/12/2018 • 35 minutes
SSP031 Relearning Mindset and Craft Lessons
We want to take a moment to talk about our writer’s journey. It’s been a long seven years with many trials and individual trajectories. That said, this isn’t a review […]
9/5/2018 • 35 minutes, 42 seconds
SSP030 Bending the Rules of Story Structure
Now that we’re pulling back on author events with the Smarter Artist, we’re able to use our time on what we refer to as a “No ROI event.” These are […]
8/29/2018 • 53 minutes, 12 seconds
SSP029 Adapting a Story for Film and TV
It’s the dream of many authors to see their work translated into a movie or TV. But there are several considerations an author must make when deciding whether their work […]
8/22/2018 • 40 minutes, 8 seconds
SSP028 Great Storytelling in Modern Film and TV
We love film and Television. We’re lucky to be creators in an era when the visual medium has never been more instructive on storytelling via modern TV, and our ability […]
8/15/2018 • 39 minutes, 10 seconds
SSP027 Johnny Battles Creative Burnout
For a while now, Johnny has been feeling the malaise of low creative energy after the heavy demands on his time over the past few weeks. Now that he’s back […]
8/8/2018 • 42 minutes, 10 seconds
SSP026 The StoryJacket Process
We like to make up fun names for each step of our process at Sterling and Stone. Since we introduced the idea of StoryJackets, we’ve gotten many requests for us […]
8/1/2018 • 44 minutes, 22 seconds
SSP025 Plotting a Story
While we’ve always engaged in some level of story preproduction, Sterling and Stone has made plotting an integral part of our production cycle. We all differ in how much we […]
7/25/2018 • 42 minutes, 4 seconds
SSP024 Forging Character Arcs
Now, more than ever, character arc is a foundational concept at Sterling and Stone. When Bonnie joined us, she took our story development process and transformed it with her deep […]
7/18/2018 • 46 minutes
SSP023 Setting as Character
Setting is often a throwaway idea for a lot of storytellers. Stories sometimes set in a particular place because “why not?” There’s no rhyme or reason. The story just needs […]
7/11/2018 • 33 minutes, 18 seconds
SSP022 Crafting Compelling Characters
Here at Sterling & Stone, character is king. Great characters stick with us long after we close the book or walk out of the movie theater, and great characters will […]
7/4/2018 • 55 minutes, 46 seconds
SSP021 Developing a Story Premise
A story’s premise is more than just a “what if” question. It’s the lifeblood of crafting a compelling plot, engaging character development, and an enthralling theme. At Sterling & Stone, […]
6/27/2018 • 39 minutes, 42 seconds
SSP020 The Foundations of Story
Today we’re starting a new arc of podcasts that are all about story. And there’s no one better to do this with than our resident wizard: Bonnie. And, really, wizard […]
6/20/2018 • 45 minutes, 36 seconds
SSP019 What Our Future Holds
Now that we’ve caught you up on what Sterling and Stone is, we want to tell you what we’re becoming. We’re an ambitious company with a dream to make stories […]
6/13/2018 • 48 minutes, 50 seconds
SSP018 StoryShop and Twisted Stone
Today we get to talk about StoryShop and our new venture: Twisted Stone. We’re not afraid of working hard, but it’s important that we also work smarter so that we […]
6/6/2018 • 32 minutes, 26 seconds
SSP017 Planning for the Long Haul
It took us years to find our footing at Sterling & Stone, and once we decided to go all in on our story studio vision, our trajectory solidified. But narrowing […]
5/30/2018 • 33 minutes, 48 seconds
SSP016 Getting Our Shit Together
It’s taken us forever, but we’re finally getting our shit together. We did so much so fast over the past few years, and last year it caught up to us. […]
5/23/2018 • 43 minutes, 28 seconds
SSP015 Focus Is Power
We’d gotten our hedgehog concept wrong for a while, but we want to perform our best for each other and for our audience. By establishing fences, we’ve really crystalized what […]
5/16/2018 • 43 minutes, 42 seconds
SSP014 What It Means to Be a Story Studio
Sterling & Stone as we know it has existed for about seven years, but we’ve been on this journey together for ten years. We all started within months of each […]
5/9/2018 • 33 minutes, 56 seconds
SSP013 Lessons Learned and a Small Pivot
Sterling and Stone has only been doing The Story Studio Podcast for twelve episodes, and they’ve already learned a lot about the best direction for the show. In this episode, […]
5/2/2018 • 37 minutes, 48 seconds
SSP012 What Makes a Story Sell
Contrary to popular belief, there is no vault in Hollywood holding the secret that turns a story into a commercial success. In this episode, Johnny, Sean, and Dave share how […]
4/25/2018 • 43 minutes, 28 seconds
SSP011 How to Know When to Give Up on a Story
If you spend a significant amount of time storytelling, you’ll eventually face a project that you’ll either need to shelve or scrap. There are times when it comes as a […]
4/18/2018 • 36 minutes, 22 seconds
SSP010 Why You Can't Always Be the Hero of Your Own Story
A good piece of writing advice for a character is to understand that a character is the center of his own world. Often even your worst characters are doing what […]
4/11/2018 • 45 minutes, 2 seconds
SSP009 Dissecting 3 of our Successes and Failures
After writing millions of words together, Johnny, Sean, and Dave share their greatest successes and failures, and how they used those lessons to build their vision of a story studio. […]
4/4/2018 • 40 minutes, 4 seconds
SSP008 Story Structure
Whether the story you’re telling is about yourself, a novel you’re writing, or the journey of your business, understanding the way stories work is a sure-fire way to resonating with […]
3/28/2018 • 48 minutes, 12 seconds
SSP007 Getting live feedback to tell a better story, with Dr. Matt Champagne
Dr. Matt Champagne originally appeared on the Self Publishing Podcast to share what he’d learned about gathering customer opinions and experiences. In this episode, he’s back to talk to Johnny, […]
3/21/2018 • 41 minutes, 36 seconds
SSP006 The Story Your Community Tells About You
What is the story that your community tells about you? Whether the stories you tell are about a ragtag group of space smugglers or about the pathway to financial freedom, […]
3/14/2018 • 42 minutes, 22 seconds
SSP005 The Story of Your Business
Story goes far beyond books and film. It’s a fundamental way we make sense of the world around us. One man down, Johnny and Sean share how they’ve learned to […]
3/7/2018 • 41 minutes, 24 seconds
SSP004 Breaking Down Breaking Bad
Breaking Bad is a masterwork in storytelling. In this episode, Johnny, Sean, and Dave talk about the importance of story structure. They break down how the first episode Breaking Bad: […]
2/28/2018 • 57 minutes, 6 seconds
SSP003 What We Learned Publishing Over 100 Books
After writing millions of words in the trenches of the self-publishing landscape, Johnny, Sean, and Dave have emerged with many lessons learned from publishing more than one hundred titles. In […]
2/21/2018 • 50 minutes, 52 seconds
SSP002 Where Story Is Going
In a fast-paced, ever-changing media environment, it’s important for artists to understand the role of story in our lives and businesses, and how story will shape our future. In this […]
2/14/2018 • 44 minutes, 50 seconds
SSP001 Why Story Matters
Welcome to the Story Studio Podcast with Sterling & Stone! After retiring the Self Publishing Podcast, Johnny, Sean, and Dave are back for chapter two. In this inaugural episode, the […]
