“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,
Read MoreOnce upon a time, a young man found a story in the woods. He fed it and raised it and, when it had grown, he let it out into the wild. Later, a band of merchants tamed the story and took it with them on their tour of the world. Boys and girls everywhere l
Read MoreIt’s that time of year, the time we’ve been waiting for for months. Yep, that’s right, it’s finally Christmas! (Also: Star Wars opening!) As you settle down to watch your favorite Christmas movie (also: space opera), one thing you’ll notice right away–th
Read MoreIf you’ve ever listened to Derailed Trains of Thought, you know that Tim and Nick mention Star Wars almost every episode. If you’re not living in a cave, you know that a new Star Wars movie just came out. I’ll give you three guesses what this Side Track d
Read MoreBooks and movies are not merely entertainment. At their best (and too rarely), they draw us out of ourselves and touch us in deep places, sometimes in a way almost spiritual. Your faithful hosts, Tim and Nick, have decided to take some time to examine thi
Read More“You probably thought you saw something up in the sky other than Venus, but I assure you, it was Venus.” -“Jose Chung’s From Outer Space,” The X-Files Perhaps you aren’t a true believer like Mulder, but even you must admit that aliens of all shapes and si
Read MoreSneaking in at the end of 2016, here’s a two-part Side Track. The first half consists of a discussion on some of our favorite stories of the year, cut from Episode 72, after we discussed “Five Strangers in Search of an Exit” with the Children of the Wells
Read MoreYou may have noticed that political discussions are a thing on the Internet. This is not one of those. However, politics show up in stories as well. Why? Do we really want to spend an hour watching people debate each other? Is this another tale of trade r
Read MoreThere are many different types of logic in the world. Logic states that 1+1=2. It also states that your ability to survive a cataclysmic disaster exponentially increases if you are a well-loved furry animal. In other words, some logic is, well, logical, w
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