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 29 – Of Devils and Darkness

This episode, we muck around in the filth of humanity, in the deep mires of wickedness, in vile dens of…well, you get the idea. Why do we hang around in these places? We examine evil in fiction–is it psychological, a mistake, a cultural reaction, or so

Episode 28 – Of God and Supermen

Greetings, faithful listeners! This episode, Tim and Nick examine how belief interacts with fiction. How does God appear in stories? How do you tell the Truth when you’re making things up? Also mentioned: aliens, superheroes, and, as always, the Doctor. W

Episode 27 – All You Need is Love?

Happy Valentine’s Day (or Singles Awareness Day)! Seeing as the calendar reads February 14, we finally give up our pride, and our prejudice, and examine the idea of romance in fiction. In Story School, author Dawn Crandall shares experiences gleaned from

Episode 26 – Capers, Chaos, and Pythons…Oh My!

KA-POW! In this episode of Derailed Trains of Thought, Tim and Nick–BAM!–fight their way through the–BANG!–dangerous question of what–RAT-TAT-TAT!–makes action awesome. TICK. And what makes it–SNICK! ARGHHH!–just a mess of dead bodies. TICK. Also,

Episode 25 – In Which We Techno-Babble

01001000 01100101…er, I mean, Hello! I write to you through the wonders of electricity, fiber optics, Pentium chips, and other things that work by magic AKA science. This episode, Nick and Tim examine how technology not only continues to change how stor

Side Track 5 – Interview with Donald Merriman

Hello, all! A brief, unexpected Side Track here. I had the pleasure to sit down with Donald Merriman for a short interview. If you’ve never heard of him, he’s a self-proclaimed “Christmas Crusader” and quite an interesting fellow. I’m sure you’ll enjoy wh

Episode 24 – Lest Other Old Stories Be Forgot

Merry Christmas! It’s that time of year again when Tim and Nick spend time looking back, this time at stories that affect us differently now than previously. Listen as we wax nostalgic and consider how time changes tastes. Then join us for discussion of a

Episode 23 – Lilliputian Plots

To be brief, this episode features Nick and Tim pondering the task of telling a short story. How do you break a story down to essentials? They also perform live brainstorming. Listen in. Show Notes

Episode 22 – Fear As a Fun Factor

Ah, Halloween. This is that festive time of year when such cuddly, creepy, heart-warming, bone-chilling creatures as evil witches, blood-slurping vampires, rotting zombies, and gory chainsaw-wielding psychopaths grace the forefront of our popular culture.

Episode 21 – The Art of Fog

Having recovered from their EPIC anniversary episode, Tim and Nick set out to discover new realms of exploration. Along the way they realize, “Hey, it’s pretty cool to keep finding new lands and creatures and characters and stuff.” So they decided to disc