Charles Dickens

Episode 30 – The Droids You’re Looking For

C-3PO. Short Round. Dr. Watson. That funny guy from National Treasure. Just because a character isn’t the focus of a story, it doesn’t mean he can’t make an impression. So, Timothy Deal, with sidekick Nick (or is it Nick Hayden, with sidekick Tim?) take a

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Episode 33 – How to be Timeless

We’re alive! Tim and Nick emerge from their summer hiatus with an instant classic! It’s a modern masterpiece! A genre-setting podcast! The best audio entertainment since “War of the Worlds”! … Or, at least, we discuss what makes a work of fiction “class

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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

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Episode 84 – Keep It Simple, Stupid?

It’s 2018, and we’re back with Episode 84 of Derailed Trains of Thought, your premiere podcast on storytelling! The facts: Story School, simple vs. complex plots; Our Take on Tales, our 2017 reads In other words: Your hosts, Timothy Deal and Nicholas Hayd

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Episode 95 – Tempted at Story’s Altar

Story is good. We’ve said that before. But story can also take an out-sized and even, shall we say, idolatrous place in our media-soaked lives. Nick and Tim discuss the dangers of story for the creator and consuming in this episode’s Story School. Then it

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Episode 106 – ONE THEORY to RULE THEM ALL!!

What if I told you everything you knew was a lie? The Island is actually purgatory and all the Pixar films are connected and Aladdin actually takes place in a future post-apocalyptic wasteland and Captain Planet and the Magic Schoolbus are actually the sa

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Episode 115 – What Was That Title Again?

Remember your favorite episode of Derailed Trains of Thought? Yeah–that one. It was about…I mean, there was a funny What If? and…yeah, a great discussion about books…or something. Have you ever found yourself forgetting the details of your favorite

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