Chris's Idea Engine Podcast
Episodes
145 episodes
Keeping Your Enemies Closer?
Over become quite fond of the "enemies to unwilling allies" trope lately.
Intentions and Road Maps (and, yes, more Malfoid)
How does the intention of a study modification change the direction the story can go?
Malfoid and "Reverse Rhymes"
What do I think of the practice of gender-swapping characters? As always, I ask what it does to the story, and sometimes it fixes more than it breaks.Like reversing a rhyme someone fixes the poem or song, reversing a character can fix or...
The Lady-like Queen in "Brave"
Some scenes do so much work to establish a character you think you already know... But it's about establishing that character better to the other characters that makes this scene jump out at me.
Agent Colson, Side Character
Why do I like the guy so much? From the Avengers saga's long list of likeable folks, Colson his me a certain way... But how could I express it in writing?
First Story, First Kiss
I chase the feeling I get the first time it worked out for me. But like a first kiss is not the same as a relationship, writing a story is not like being an author.
What's the Best Use for an Outline?
Sure, you can use it to prepare your story, but I've got a different use for it that may be more helpful.
The Novice Writer: Finding Beauty
Mentally, seeking beauty (and being open to whatever form it takes) helps you as a writer.
The Novice Writer: Go For a Walk
Besides exercise being good for your body, walking in particular is great for the writing brain.
The Novice Writer: Handwriting or Typing?
What's the difference between the two? Handwriting works great for drafting ideas, and typing is great for developing the story.
The Novice Writer: Copying Stories
Copying Stories should be like copying the artwork of a master. It isn't copying to claim the work, but to follow the master in their results. Like handwriting, or "do what I do" for writers.So don't be ashamed to copy what som...
The First Draft: On Writing From the Mind
Final thoughts on turning your idea into a written project. Write down everything, pick it what's important later. Practice much. Good luck.
The First Draft: From Picture to 1000 Words
When you try to turn an image in your head into a story, what are some things to consider?
The First Draft: Drawn Stories
How's are graphic novels different from written stories?
The First Draft: Video Games, Options, and Writing
Thinking of your story like a video game (sometimes) can solve a lot of writer's block issues.
The First Draft: Video Games and Side Quest Stories?
When your world is too big for one story, how do you explore it without losing focus? You make "side quests."
The First Draft: Video Game Stories
How are video games a way to tell stories? What makes them different from movies and books?
The First Draft: Audio to Book
A few tips for turning audio stories into written stories, mostly limitations.
The First Draft: Audio Stories
Even longer than people have written stories, they have told stories. What are some of the unspoken features of the world of audio stories?
The First Draft: Movies vs. Books? Pictures vs. Words?
If I'm a visual imaginer, and my stories are visual when I first conceive them, how do I turn that into words?
The First Draft: Movie as a Medium of Art
When a picture is with a thousand words, that saves a thousand words of work. Plus you can do things visually that you can't on paper.
The First Draft: Writing as a Form of Storytelling
What are the features, strengths, and weaknesses of the written word?
The First Draft: Why Your Story Never Turns Out How You Imagine It
Hint: you aren't writing it down, you are changing it from one media form to another. Like a book turned into a movie, or vice versa, taking your story from how you imagine it to how you express it... Well, it won't be the danger b...