Derailed Trains of Thought

Hosted ByNick Hayden & Timothy Deal

Derailed Trains of Thought is your premiere podcast on storytelling for the creator and the consumer. Hosted by Nick Hayden and Timothy Deal, Derailed Trains of Thought discusses a wide range of storytelling topics, from the practical to the philosophical, in a engaging, conversational manner. It also includes bouts of fiction, brainstorming, Internet weirdness, puns, and a general enjoyment of the intersection between the written word, film, story, and meaning.

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Episode 58 – The End of the World as You Know It

Everyone loves zombies. Why? Because they’re the disgusting, shuffling, brain-eating, undying corpses of your friends and family. Wait–what? Let’s start again. Everyone loves an apocalypse. Why? Because the foundations of society crumple and instead of w

Episode 57 – And the Moral of the Story Is…

Art communicates truth. That’s a given. But we all know stories *cough* FernGully *cough* that shove the meaning down our throats. They have an agenda–and you shall comply! Or at least feel angry and/or guilty when you leave the theater. But where is tha

Episode 56 – I Will Not Watch It, Sam-I-Am!

Can you believe people actually watch bonnet movies? You know, those semi-romantic historical dramas with female protagonists? Blech! Don’t they know their artistic sensibilities are morally inferior and seriously stunted? I mean, if you’re not watching O

Episode 55 – Why Don’t You Just Write Already?

Writer’s Block. You’ve had it. I’ve had it. Everyone’s had it, except possibly Isaac Asimov. The solution, of course, is to just start writing, but that’s like saying the best way to find patience is to wait for it. So, can podcast hosts Timothy Deal and

Episode 54 – The MetaCast

To: Timothy Deal From: Nick Hayden Subject: Regarding Episode 54’s Write-up Tim, we gotta get this podcast posted, but my knack for inventing a clever hook for the write-up is failing me. I just need that and we’re set to go. After the hook, I just mentio

Episode 53 – You Gotta Kiss the Girl

It doesn’t matter if you’re all bloody. It doesn’t matter if a mad scientist is about to complete his nefarious plot. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know if you really love her or if you love that girl back home instead. Tensions are high. Lives are at st

Episode 52 – “…And I’ll Tell You Exactly How He Did It!”

“Show, don’t tell.” It’s a rule pounded into storytellers…but are there times when telling is better? After all, you can’t show everything, can you? Exposition is an essential part of storytelling, and your hosts Tim and Nick examine the good, the bad,

Episode 51 – Wanted: Three Ghosts for One Night Job

“There goes Mr. Humbug. / There goes Mr. Grim. / If they gave a prize for bein’ mean, / The winner would be him.” Everyone knows it’s not Christmas without Ebenezer Scrooge, so we’re examining A Christmas Carol this December as we discuss the presentation

Episode 50 – Guest Starring…Everybody!

This is it, the show you’ve been waiting for–the 50th episode extravaganza! Join Tim and Nick and a boatload of guest stars as they lead you through a double-length whirlwind tour of the many segments, past and present, that make up the one, the only, th

Episode 49 – Write It Again, Sam

Writing is revision and a movie is discovered in the editing room. Or so “they” tell us. Isn’t vision enough? If not, how do we go about casting our re-vision anyway? Tim and Nick take up the topic with their usual flair in Episode 49 of Derailed Trains o