Tag Archives: storytelling

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All the Podcasts I’ve Appeared On

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I’m keeping today’s blog simple and helpful, especially for those who want a quick reference for all the places I’ve appeared online. Or, at the very least, the podcasts I’ve been on. So, here’s an index of the shows and episodes I’ve appeared in. I discuss everything from storytelling to video games to Godzilla (no surprise, right? 😛 ).

Admittedly, there are few not listed here. I recorded a podcast with Zachery Oliver for “Theology Gaming” that was lost when he had computer problems. The same thing happened with “The Bestselling Fiction Podcast” hosted by Dan Dynneson last summer. I’ve subsequently recorded two more episodes with him that he has yet to post. I also appeared on GigaGeek Magazine’s podcast to talked about Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but I don’t have a link for that yet since it was broadcast live.

Regardless, happy listening!

Derailed Trains of Thought
A show on storytelling and creativity hosted by my friends Nick Hayden and Tim Deal

–Episode 3: From Boredom to Book – They interview me when I published by first book, Pandora’s Box.
–Sidetrack 2: Peeking Inside the Box – I’m not in this, but an excerpt of my novel is read by Nick’s wife, Natasha.
–Episode 17: Magic, Muggles, and Morals – I read an excerpt from Destroyer.
–Episode 20: Everything But the Kitchen Sink – I’m one of multiple guests who returns briefly for the show’s first anniversary. I announce I’m writing new books.
–Sidetrack 6: Children of the Wells Round Table – I and my collaborators talk about working on our ongoing post-apocalyptic contemporary fantasy series Children of the Wells.
–Episode 50: Guest Starring…Everybody! – In this anniversary episode, I’m one of several returning guests who “audition” in multiple segments to be a third co-host.
–Episode 61: Shut Up and Buy My Book – I return to DToT to discuss how writers can promote their books. In this day and age, writers must also do their own PR.

Strangers and Aliens
A show about faith, fantasy, and science fiction co-hosted by my buddy Ben Avery, who’s a comic writer

–Episode 127: GODZILLA (Summer Movie Series) – I review the new Godzilla film with host Ben Avery.

Theology Gaming University
A show about Christianity and video games

–Podcast #58 – Video Games Inspiring Other Media – Theology Gaming – My friend Eric Anderson and I discuss video game adaptations to other media with host Zachery Oliver.
–Podcast #62 – I discuss why gamers replay video games they’ve already played with host Zachery Oliver and TGU regular Bryan Hall.
–TG Sessions #9 – Cheapness (I.e., You’re Not Special) – Zachery Oliver and I discuss what makes certain things “cheap” in both single-player and multiplayer video games.
–TG Sessions #10 – Batman’s Fifty Shades of White Privilege – Remember when this video made me a troll magnet? I also incurred the wrath of trolls about an essay I wrote for TGU. Zachery Oliver and I discuss all of this.
–Podcast #72 – One in a Mijinion – I join Zachery Oliver and Roberto Iraheta 20 minutes in, and in our ramblings we set out to solve a very important mystery: What the heck is an Infinity Mijinion? (In case you don’t know, that’s a Mega Man boss).

The Weekly Hijack
A “spin-off” podcast from “Derailed Trains of Thought” that discusses TV shows

-Episode 27: Doctor Who – The Magician’s Apprentice – I discuss the season nine premiere of Doctor Who with Nick Hayden, Tim Deal, and several others. (Scroll through the episode listing to find it).

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Ever Feel Like You’re in a Bad Story?

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(Just because cat pictures and videos are the only thing more popular than porn on the internet). 😛

A concept that’s being lost in this postmodern (or is it post-postmodern?) world is the idea of the metanarrative: the idea that meaning is conveyed through the anticipated completion of a currently unrealized master plan. This is ironic because many modern stories still make heavy use of destiny. I think that shows there’s a longing for a metanarrative.

But I digress (I like I do on my YouTube show)…

People, especially writers, use book and/or story metaphors to describe their lives. “I’m starting the next chapter of my life,” they might say. Bob Seger’s famous song “Turn the Page” arguably implies life is a book. The best stories are ones with structure and purpose, so that means our lives also have structure and purpose. If our lives are stories, there must be a storyteller. Some call him God while others call him fate or destiny, among other names. There is comfort in that, assuming you believe the storyteller is a good one.

But thanks to cynicism, many people see life as either a pointless meandering or something to which they must add their meaning (if I wasn’t a Christian, the latter would be my philosophy). In other words, proponents of the latter write their stories. They grab life by the horns and wrestle it into submission. I’d argue that even then they still believe in some sort of metanarrative; just one they’re writing one themselves, supposedly.

I sometimes wonder how my characters would react to me, the author, since I ultimately control their fates. Yes, I like to say they “talk” to me (all authors are slightly insane), but in the end, I’m the one who decides what happens to them. I made s joke on my Facebook page that I stopped writing Hope’s War once this week with the villain being held at gunpoint, so must be annoyed with me. The thing is, if he knew what my (current) plans are for him, he might murder me, assuming he was real (he isn’t, is he?) 😛

All this to ask, Do you ever feel like you’re in a bad story?

We’ve seen/read/played plenty of terrible tales, from B-movies to dime store novels. We criticize them for their atrocious plots, disappointing endings, and obnoxious characters. But often I think we feel the same about our own lives. If the last decade has shown us anything, it’s that life doesn’t always go how we planned. We work hard but aren’t rewarded for it. The hero doesn’t always get the girl. If you’re like me, you’ve either feel like you’re in a bad story, a tragedy, or you’re an unimportant bit character. You can’t expect a happy ending because life isn’t a fairy tale.

But I’m here to say have faith in the Storyteller: He’s not done writing yet.

Someone giving up on life because they hate the script they’ve been handed would be like Luke Skywalker telling Obi-Wan Kenobi, “Screw you! I’m not cut out to be a Jedi!” Or Frodo succumbing to the One-Ring (okay, I know that kinda happened, but you get my drift). Their stories weren’t over yet. Whether they knew it or not, they were being guided by a storyteller to beautiful destiny.

There’s a joke among writers that says…well, I posted a meme of it. It might seem trite, but there’s truth in it. Did you lose your job? See it as a challenge to overcome. You have “readers” (Hebrews 12:1) who are pulling for you. Have you ever wanted to quit reading a book or watching a movie only for it to surprise you with how good the ending was? That could be any of our lives.

Your life’s a story. Go make it a great one!

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Writers are Sadists

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While I don't hate Steven Moffat, he certainly has a reputation for torturing characters (and audiences). (Image courtesy of Pinterest).
While I don’t hate Steven Moffat, he certainly has a reputation for torturing characters (and audiences). (Image courtesy of Pinterest).

I’ve missed a Thursday or three in my weekly posts the last few months. I should be flogged for that. I’ll probably have to find anorther writer to perform said flogging. Why?

Writers are sadists.

Well, most writers are sadists. Well, closet sadists. (Hear me saying that as the 10th Doctor?)

I’d define a sadist as someone who takes pleasure in the suffering of others. Now, generally speaking, I’d consider sadists to be terrible people (trust me, I’ve dealt with a few). But when you’re a writer—or even just a reader—you have to be one. Sorta.

The backbone of a plot is conflict (and there are nine of them). Without conflict, there is no story. What are essential ingredients for conflict? Trouble, misery, strife, and pain, to name a few. Characters must fight each other, overcome impossible odds, or battle forces (seemingly) beyond their control. As my friend Nick Hayden pointed out: “If a protagonist wakes up fully rested, eats breakfast, enjoys his day at work, comes home to his lovely wife and kids, fiddles on some project, and goes to bed, we might think one of two things: 1.) This is a terrible story. 2.) Uh-oh, everything’s going to hit the fan soon.”

When I attend writers’ meetings—particularly Children of the Wells creative meetings—I’m astonished at how much time writers spend figuring out how to make their characters miserable. Take my novel, Pandora’s Box, for example. I gave Pvt. Brewer the happiest life—career, family, fiancé—much of which she worked hard to get (there’s conflict), but then I took it all away in one fell swoop. If I hadn’t, the book would’ve ended in a few chapters or been terribly boring (like Pamela by Samuel Richardson, a 500-page book I had to slog through in a week during college). I rarely, if ever, wish such misery on people I know, yet I go out of my way to make my brainchildren borderline manic depressants. Yet that’s what makes their triumphs that much more satisfying. J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings, called this a eucatastrophe: “…the sudden happy turn in a story which pierces you with a joy that brings tears….”

This was one of my problems with modern Christian authors for a long time: they were afraid to make characters miserable or include true suffering in their works (at least when it wasn’t an attempt at proselytizing). That’s why their stories didn’t resound with people. I determined when I started writing that I wouldn’t do that. I’m the kind of writer who puts his characters through Hell so their victory at the end is sweeter. I love those “eucatastrophe” moments. It makes the journey all worthwhile.

Perhaps that means writers like me aren’t necessarily sadists. We want our characters to be happy—they just have to survive long enough to reach the ending. (Get it? “Happy ending”? Never mind).