Nothing Big Has to Happen | Katherine Quinn on Small Stakes, Stillness, and Writing What’s True

In this episode, Katherine Quinn and I explore what it means to tell stories that resist spectacle. We talk about choosing stillness over fuss, pacing that invites pause, and the creative rebellion of writing conflict-averse characters—on purpose.

Katherine is a New York-based writer and filmmaker whose work has screened at the Long Youth Film Festival, The New York Monthly Film Festival, and Cinema Arts Center’s Filmmaker Soirée. A magna cum laude graduate of Binghamton University, she sees filmmaking as the intersection of her passions—writing, acting, music, and fashion. In her words, her goal isn’t to change your life—it’s to help you realize you’re not alone in yours.

We talk about:
 → The tension of being conflict-avoidant in a medium obsessed with catharsis
 → Slice-of-life filmmaking and Linklater’s influence
 → When flat delivery is a stylistic choice
 → Critiquing your own work without hating it
 → The trap of mistaking volume for value

Learn more at her Website, on Instagram @katherine_mj_quinn and YouTube Katherine Quinn Films.

Listen to more episodes at mischiefpod.com and follow us on Instagram and TikTok at @mischiefpod. Produced by @ohhmaybemedia.