Derailed Trains of Thought

Derailed Trains of Thought is a podcast dedicated to understanding the art of storytelling in all its forms. Hosted by a filmmaker and a writer, each episode examines a different aspect of the creative process and its products. Aimed at anyone with a creative spirit, Derailed Trains of Thought is part analysis and part discovery, with a healthy dose of fun, zaniness, and sci-fi/fantasy geekery.

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Created by: Timothy Deal

Created on: 06 Feb 2012
Language: English


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Add this to another station	Episode 38 - If Not I, Nor He, Then You? (62.23MB; download) -- In the words of the famous (read: unknown) poem from Alice in Wonderland: "He sent them word I had not gone (We know it to be true): If she should push the matter on, What would become of you?" And what does this mean? No idea. But, it introduces an important point--understanding the perspective from which a story is told is vital to understanding the story. So, is first person perspective best or third person? Why would you use second person? How can tweaking the narrator's perspective change the entire warp and woof of the story? Believe it or not, Nick and Tim manage to discuss such things for half an hour. And it's interesting! Then, just so you don't think our random Wonderland quote is too random (is anything too random for Wonderland?), we spend the second half of the episode discussing fall TV, including one show involving a white rabbit.So buckle up. It's that time once again. You know he said it (and I mean it, too): "It's time to listen in on the 38th episode of Derailed Trains of Thought!" Source: Derailed Trains of Thought episodes Selected by: Timothy Deal [ stations ], Wed, 05 Feb 2014 20:10:14 UTC
Add this to another station	Episode 37 - DEEEEEEP Hurting (47.96MB; download) -- Ever had one of those days when you wake up late, spill hot coffee on yourself, accidentally sever your hand in the car door, and then witness the utter destruction of everything you know and love by a trans-dimensional blitzkrieg? Me, either. But if you're a fictional character, it's not outside the realm of possibility. So why do creators put their characters through such torture? Does a character ever suffer too much? And why are we attracted to suffering in TV and books we would be happy to avoid in real life? If those questions are too much for you, skip to the second half to hear Tim and Nick talk about perfume. So enjoy the always surprising, possibly fascinating, 37th episode of Derailed Trains of Thought. (No sandstorms were used in the recording of this episode.) Source: Derailed Trains of Thought episodes Selected by: Timothy Deal [ stations ], Wed, 05 Feb 2014 20:08:58 UTC
Add this to another station	Episode 36 - Real "Steel"? (76.22MB; download) -- We're back! Again! After an extended hiatus to reflect and retool the podcast, Nick and Tim return with a new, live format for Derailed Trains of Thought! This episode was originally streamed live last week at mixlr.com, which allowed us to interact with our listener while recording as well as drastically reduce our editing time. We had a few technical snafus (early on, you'll hear music playing before we intended it to), but overall it was a fun and mostly successful first broadcast! But what, pray tell, did we talk about? Realism in fantasy, a topic inspired by the end of the summer movie season and controversy over Man of Steel in particular. How do storytellers help audiences suspend disbelief? And how does one make a story believable while maintaining the essence of the fantastic? Tim and Nick wrestle with these questions, review some of this summer's movies, babble about their current projects, and more in the long-awaited return of Derailed Trains of Thought! Source: Derailed Trains of Thought episodes Selected by: Timothy Deal [ stations ], Wed, 05 Feb 2014 20:07:43 UTC
Add this to another station	Episode 35 - Now The Page Was Formless and Void (55.95MB; download) -- A new year brings new beginnings...like a new podcast about beginnings! That's right, after starting with endings way back in Episode 1, Nick and Tim come full circle to the beginning of things. Whether it's how best to start a story or why audiences like origins so much, your premiere storytelling podcast has you covered. And don't miss as Tim and Nick give their obligatory two cents about who should direct Star Wars in What IF? and share a very important Project Update. So, hang up your new cat calendar, sign up for that gym membership, and listen in to the latest episode of Derailed Trains of Thought. After two years, we're just getting started. Source: Derailed Trains of Thought episodes Selected by: Timothy Deal [ stations ], Wed, 05 Feb 2014 20:06:44 UTC
Add this to another station	Episode 34 - Total Recall? (54.26MB; download) -- Just in time for the holidays, the celebratory 2nd Anniversary Derailed Trains of Thought podcast! So...instead of working ourselves to the bone (you know, as we usually do, trying to get out one episode every 9 weeks or so), we compiled a collection of our favorite segments from the last year. I mean, who can forget our discussion of feminism and story, or the history of punctuation, or our treatise on the theological meaning of Looney Tunes? But, if for some reason you have, that's what this clip show is all about. Sit back and bask in an hour's condensed glory of your premiere storytelling podcast. Also, listen to Nick and Tim nearly break into fisticuffs. Source: Derailed Trains of Thought episodes Selected by: Timothy Deal [ stations ], Wed, 05 Feb 2014 20:05:51 UTC
Add this to another station	Episode 33 - How to be Timeless (58.93MB; download) -- 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 "classic," and that has to be worth something, right? We follow up with A Bit of Story from the "so-unknown-it-must-be-classic" Story Project and finish with a mini Take on Tales. So, if you've been pining for some Derailed Trains of Thought, we've got you covered. It might not be Shakespeare, but who wants to read that ancient fuddy-duddy stuff anyway? Source: Derailed Trains of Thought episodes Selected by: Timothy Deal [ stations ], Wed, 05 Feb 2014 20:04:57 UTC
Add this to another station	Episode 32 - Another World Awaits You (51.78MB; download) -- Wardrobes, Deloreans, looking-glasses, ter'angreal, blue phone boxes, linking books...if you want to enter a new realm, there are ways. But, of course, someone has to make the world first. Hence, world-building. We start this episode with an interview with Dr. Pamela Jordan-Long, Chair of the Department of Professional Writing at Taylor University and Director of the Center for the Study of C.S. Lewis and Friends. (How's that for a title?) We talk secondary worlds, the act of creating a world beyond this one. In the second half, Tim and Nick have a go at impromptu worldbuilding. So, if you ever have a longing for Faerie-land or perhaps a world reached by stepping just left of this one, listen in! We're sure you'll come back refreshed. Source: Derailed Trains of Thought episodes Selected by: Timothy Deal [ stations ], Tue, 03 Jul 2012 19:52:42 UTC
Add this to another station	Episode 31 - You Kiss Your Mother With That Mouth? (50.52MB; download) -- This episode we discuss colorful language, and we're not talking purple prose. (And unless you're Sergeant Snorkel from "Beetle Bailey," @!&%#$! probably isn't going to cut it.) So, while Nick tries to avoid swearing like a sailor, we come to the question: when, if ever, is swearing appropriate in fiction and film? Afterward, join us for a Take on Tales where Tim discusses immortal alchemists living as 1930s gangsters (really!) and Nick actually finishes a video game. All this and more in episode 31 of Derailed Trains of Thought, your premiere storytelling podcast. Great Odin's Raven, what more could you ask for? Source: Derailed Trains of Thought episodes Selected by: Timothy Deal [ stations ], Wed, 27 Jun 2012 03:58:13 UTC
Add this to another station	Episode 30 - The Droids You're Looking For (58.85MB; download) -- 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 look at what makes good supporting characters and why they're so essential. Also with us is our own supporting character, Brian Scherschel, who presents Frank Capra's Lost Horizon, a movie that takes the viewer to Shangri-La and back. What more can you ask from the 30th(!) episode of your premiere storytelling podcast? We've been gone awhile, but one listen, and it'll be like we've never left. Like riding a bike. Or something. Source: Derailed Trains of Thought episodes Selected by: Timothy Deal [ stations ], Sun, 29 Apr 2012 18:07:55 UTC
Add this to another station	Episode 29 - Of Devils and Darkness (54.91MB; download) -- 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 something else? All the above? We also present a scene of Satan on trial in "A Bit of Story" and then venture into brighter territory in a whirlwind of other mini-segments. Tune in for philosophical pondering and nerdy silliness in the 29th episode of your premiere storytelling podcast, Derailed Trains of Thought! Source: Derailed Trains of Thought episodes Selected by: Timothy Deal [ stations ], Wed, 21 Mar 2012 22:33:57 UTC
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