Where we discuss our thoughts on whatever books, movies, comics, TV shows, or other story we’ve come across.
It’s Christmastime, the time when families gather to celebrate the holidays, watch their favorite Christmas movies together, and read the Nativity story out loud to the kids. What better time to examine how we experience stories together! So that’s just w
Read MoreFor most of us, Friday comes after Thursday, college comes sometime after preschool, and death follows taxes. For those living in a story world, however, life is not necessarily so simple. Dinner might be interrupted by a memory of childhood before you re
Read MoreWords. Since you were knee-high to a grasshopper, you’ve been bombarded by them. Flash cards, spelling bees, Facebook comments from people who haven’t learned how to use gifs yet…they’re everywhere. Sometimes we take them for granted, and sometimes we t
Read MoreIt’s our 7th anniversary! In celebration, we opened up the mailbag, signed-in to the gmail, scoured Messenger, and kept our ears open. You had questions for us, your intrepid hosts, and we dedicate the first half of our 80th episode to answering your most
Read MoreIt’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
Read MoreWhether it’s through a portal, across the sea, among the stars, or deep into the earth, we all dream of going on an adventure. That’s why so many stories are concerned with adventures, and why Timothy and Nick tackle the genre–along with guest Greg Meyer
Read MoreTHE INTERNET – Podcasters Timothy Deal and Nicholas Hayden interviewed freelance newswriter Laura Finch for Episode 91 of the Derailed Trains of Thought podcast. Finch, who writes for World Magazine, explained how newswriting is like storytelling, how aud
Read MoreThe Hero’s Journey is essential to a good story, right? How about an epic climax? Five acts? Three? A witty sidekick? What does a story need and what do we modern Westerns think it needs? Many of our conventions of story telling are just that, conventions
Read MoreWhile the entertainment world gives tons of coverage to movies, video games, and books, what about the stage? (And not just musicals?) Well, in today’s Story School the play’s the thing we discuss with special guest Lauren Nichols, Artistic Director for a
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