Chris's Idea Engine Podcast: Recent Episodes
Chris
A podcast about creativity, persistence, and personal growth, from the life experience of a long-time writer and new author.
Mentally, seeking beauty (and being open to whatever form it takes) helps you as a writer.
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Besides exercise being good for your body, walking in particular is great for the writing brain.
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What's the difference between the two? Handwriting works great for drafting ideas, and typing is great for developing the story.
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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 someone else did. Just don't pass it off as your own.
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Final thoughts on turning your idea into a written project. Write down everything, pick it what's important later. Practice much. Good luck.
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When you try to turn an image in your head into a story, what are some things to consider?
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Thinking of your story like a video game (sometimes) can solve a lot of writer's block issues.
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When your world is too big for one story, how do you explore it without losing focus? You make "side quests."
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How are video games a way to tell stories? What makes them different from movies and books?
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A few tips for turning audio stories into written stories, mostly limitations.
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Even longer than people have written stories, they have told stories. What are some of the unspoken features of the world of audio stories?
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If I'm a visual imaginer, and my stories are visual when I first conceive them, how do I turn that into words?
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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.
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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 because you are literally changing it's format.
Let's take some time to thing of different media, how they compare to the written word, and how that can help use write the first draft of the story.
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The trope isn't a lost cause. There t ick is to give the dream meaning.
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Why make a feature suddenly weaker, or a smart character suddenly rather dumb? It's a problem that should be fixed in the second draft, but often isn't.
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When I have trouble writing, why does reading help? And what should I read?
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If I explain every aspect of my world and backstory, my book gets bloated. How do I decide what to explain, and what to leave alone?
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It won't necessarily make you money, but it will teach you how to be an author, which is a business, which takes a little more intentional work.
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Believe it or not, men and women write very different kinds of fanfiction. Is either one correct?
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Or, in business terms, who is already reading the sorts of stories you are writing?
Thoughts for the business side of things.
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What's the least content you should use for your fanfiction? The answer is... Just enough, and maybe a little more.
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If you're writing a story that isn't as big as it's source material, do you have to use all of it?
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Why do I clarify the Lord of the Ring movies as fan fiction? Only for good reasons, I promise.
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When you like the world, but you have something different in mind for us, why use the same world? Why not just write your own original world?
There are a few good reasons, actually.
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If you want to write the story form of a video game, or the video form of a story, here are some things to think about.
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Who do you write about if the main character completed their arc in the original story? Maybe find a nother character, or an unanswered question, or an answer you didn't like, and follow that.
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What are the types and traits of common fanfics? I'll examine one of the big three today: the Sequel. Specifically, the Charger Sequel.
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But he uses avatars, in a way, so it isn't that there are no antagonists.
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Given the same prompt, two people will still write two very different stories. A little illustration from my life may prove the point.
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I enjoy finding solutions to plot holes. That's usually because I can find the pieces I need already in my story world.
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I'm still trying to nail down why done characters only work will in certain settings. Or, why they work best in their native setting.
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Why do some characters not work well in certain stories?
I am trying to figure that out.
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Eh, ship listening to this one. I rambled a bit.
When you design your characters to make their choices, or you lose track of what characters should do, that's when to make them do what the theme demands. You either reinforce or your challenge the theme with every major decision.
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One way I fit more writing time into my day is... Probably gonna get me in trouble.
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Realism aside, there is one your if writing that I can't stand:
Hero bashing.
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What I intend for a scene, and what I actually write, don't often match. How do I adapt to that?
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After an evening typing, I finished one section and began looking at another. Here's what I had to consider.
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Not quite yet. I wrote a section that was in the pan, but that didn't work out as I intended. Here's why I didn't delete it.
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How do some themes develop themselves? How complex should a story be? Let the topic decide... And maybe let Sherlock Holmes advise you on that.
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This one is less about above, more about how I can't get a break to actually write these days.
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Somewhat. We want real characters, but those aren't just in adult books.
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I studied what a line editor does. And now I can't stop.
But I think it is helping improve my writing.
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I don't like easy happy endings. Or, now that I think about it, being emotionally manipulated.
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I don't have any good answers to toss one, just a little perspective on my experience with this.
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Life conspires against building good habits. It just does. But good habits are still worth building.
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"Only put it in if it serves the story." But what if it doesn't serve the story, but it serves the writer?
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Common advice says, "No, you don't have to write your story in any order." Here's my experience.
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We all miss a day or two here or there. How do I personally deal with it?
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Why would you try to make a full-time career of it if you can't enjoy it? Let's examine a case study.
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Why am I giving myself only ten weeks to write this project? Because psychology (citation somewhere around here...)
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Starting my story in the middle of the action is helpful... Some of the time. But is it always the best idea?
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Musings on whether it's it worth writing when so much has already been written.
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How do I avoid misusing characters from other stories when I write fanfiction? I try to make their decisions out of their original character traits.
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I rant about how evilness in women in fiction is often clothed in very little.
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I don't always have time or opportunity or inspiration, but I always have a method.
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When live happens, how do I keep up my writing goals? With a little forgiveness and persistence.
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A good character? Interesting. A good character constantly fighting their own bad nature? I think that's more realistic, and it can be done without making the character's goodness into something bad.
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What study real life if I'm going to make up my world's history anyways? Well, first off, history is wild. Second, I understand my world better when I understand how the real world works.
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When something affects the creative brain, how do I deal with it responsibly?
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When I have the time, I still... Can't. Here's how I deal with my limited writing energy.
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The Skull King explains what his heaviest decoration is, and what makes a king powerful.
My audiobook is out! Click the link here!
Mather's Odds Audiobook
My story blog:
gestalticocean.wordpress.com
My business blog:
Unclehatswritingresources.wordpress.com
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Check out my book Mather's Odds on Amazon!
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How does this fighter win, even when he isn't as fast as his opponent?
My audiobook is out! Click the link here!
Mather's Odds Audiobook
My story blog:
gestalticocean.wordpress.com
My business blog:
Unclehatswritingresources.wordpress.com
Support me on Ko-Fi
Ko-Fi
Check out my book Mather's Odds on Amazon!
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How does a joke prevent a rebellion?
My audiobook is out! Click the link here!
Mather's Odds Audiobook
My story blog:
gestalticocean.wordpress.com
My business blog:
Unclehatswritingresources.wordpress.com
Support me on Ko-Fi
Ko-Fi
Check out my book Mather's Odds on Amazon!
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The Skull King explains why a common courtier is in the generals' presence during a pivotal battle.
My audiobook is out! Click the link here!
Mather's Odds Audiobook
My story blog:
gestalticocean.wordpress.com
My business blog:
Unclehatswritingresources.wordpress.com
Support me on Ko-Fi
Ko-Fi
Check out my book Mather's Odds on Amazon!
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Has this diplomat turned honesty into a weapon?
My audiobook is out! Click the link here!
Mather's Odds Audiobook
My story blog:
gestalticocean.wordpress.com
My business blog:
Unclehatswritingresources.wordpress.com
Support me on Ko-Fi
Ko-Fi
Check out my book Mather's Odds on Amazon!
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An old king recounts the most terrifying man he ever knew: a captive with evil advice.
This is a world-building scrap from an upcoming world, "The Highlands."
If you liked this, be sure to subscribe!
My audiobook is out! Click the link here!
Mather's Odds Audiobook
My story blog:
gestalticocean.wordpress.com
My business blog:
Unclehatswritingresources.wordpress.com
Support me on Ko-Fi
Ko-Fi
Check out my book Mather's Odds on Amazon!
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Mini-fiction about a spirit that guards me. Do I know it from somewhere before?
My audiobook is out! Click the link here!
Mather's Odds Audiobook
My story blog:
gestalticocean.wordpress.com
My business blog:
chrisschallertideaengine.squarespace.com
Support me on Patreon and Ko-Fi
Ko-Fi
Patreon
Check out my book Mather's Odds on Amazon!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/ChrisSchallertIdeaEngine)
Mini-fiction about a spirit that guards me. Am I the only person with these?
My audiobook is out! Click the link here!
Mather's Odds Audiobook
My story blog:
gestalticocean.wordpress.com
My business blog:
chrisschallertideaengine.squarespace.com
Support me on Patreon and Ko-Fi
Ko-Fi
Patreon
Check out my book Mather's Odds on Amazon!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/ChrisSchallertIdeaEngine)
Mini-fiction about a spirit that guards me. Guards me through the night.
My audiobook is out! Click the link here!
Mather's Odds Audiobook
My story blog:
gestalticocean.wordpress.com
My business blog:
chrisschallertideaengine.squarespace.com
Support me on Patreon and Ko-Fi
Ko-Fi
Patreon
Check out my book Mather's Odds on Amazon!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/ChrisSchallertIdeaEngine)
Mini-fiction about a spirit that guards me. And maybe I guard him, too?
My audiobook is out! Click the link here!
Mather's Odds Audiobook
My story blog:
gestalticocean.wordpress.com
My business blog:
chrisschallertideaengine.squarespace.com
Support me on Patreon and Ko-Fi
Ko-Fi
Patreon
Check out my book Mather's Odds on Amazon!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/ChrisSchallertIdeaEngine)
Mini-fiction about a spirit that guards me. And not just me, I think.
My audiobook is out! Click the link here!
Mather's Odds Audiobook
My story blog:
gestalticocean.wordpress.com
My business blog:
chrisschallertideaengine.squarespace.com
Support me on Patreon and Ko-Fi
Ko-Fi
Patreon
Check out my book Mather's Odds on Amazon!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/ChrisSchallertIdeaEngine)
Mini-fiction about a spirit that guards me. What does it believe?
My audiobook is out! Click the link here!
Mather's Odds Audiobook
My story blog:
gestalticocean.wordpress.com
My business blog:
chrisschallertideaengine.squarespace.com
Support me on Patreon and Ko-Fi
Ko-Fi
Patreon
Check out my book Mather's Odds on Amazon!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/ChrisSchallertIdeaEngine)
Mini-fiction about a spirit that guards me. He's good at finding safe climbing paths, too.
My audiobook is out! Click the link here!
Mather's Odds Audiobook
My story blog:
gestalticocean.wordpress.com
My business blog:
chrisschallertideaengine.squarespace.com
Support me on Patreon and Ko-Fi
Ko-Fi
Patreon
Check out my book Mather's Odds on Amazon!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/ChrisSchallertIdeaEngine)
Mini-fiction about a spirit that guards me. And gets rid of ducks.
My audiobook is out! Click the link here!
Mather's Odds Audiobook
My story blog:
gestalticocean.wordpress.com
My business blog:
chrisschallertideaengine.squarespace.com
Support me on Patreon and Ko-Fi
Ko-Fi
Patreon
Check out my book Mather's Odds on Amazon!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/ChrisSchallertIdeaEngine)
Mini-fiction about a spirit that guards me. What other kinds of spirits are out there?
My audiobook is out! Click the link here!
Mather's Odds Audiobook
My story blog:
gestalticocean.wordpress.com
My business blog:
chrisschallertideaengine.squarespace.com
Support me on Patreon and Ko-Fi
Ko-Fi
Patreon
Check out my book Mather's Odds on Amazon!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/ChrisSchallertIdeaEngine)
We need side characters in our stories, but what is the best way to write them? I share a few videos and my own thoughts about one of the main side character types: The Lancer.
Referenced videos:
OSP: 5-Man Band
OSP: Trope Talk "the Lancer"
My audiobook is out! Click the link here!
Mather's Odds Audiobook
My story blog:
gestalticocean.wordpress.com
My business blog:
chrisschallertideaengine.squarespace.com
Support me on Patreon and Ko-Fi
Ko-Fi
Patreon
Check out my book Mather's Odds on Amazon!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/ChrisSchallertIdeaEngine)
Mini-fiction about a spirit that guards me. What is he?
My audiobook is out! Click the link here!
Mather's Odds Audiobook
My story blog:
gestalticocean.wordpress.com
My business blog:
chrisschallertideaengine.squarespace.com
Support me on Patreon and Ko-Fi
Ko-Fi
Patreon
Check out my book Mather's Odds on Amazon!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/ChrisSchallertIdeaEngine)
How do we go from 'knocking into the new kid' to 'killing animals and worse'? Well, let's look at how evil develops in the most generic evil character: The Bully.
I answer at length a question posted on a page about how to write a bully's actions. With a little psychology and more than a little personal experience, I share how bullying actually works, how to portray it in your writing, and (a little bit) how to defeat it in your own life.
My audiobook is out! Click the link here!
Mather's Odds Audiobook
My story blog:
gestalticocean.wordpress.com
My business blog:
chrisschallertideaengine.squarespace.com
Support me on Patreon and Ko-Fi
Ko-Fi
Patreon
Check out my book Mather's Odds on Amazon!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/ChrisSchallertIdeaEngine)
Modern writing insists that all heroes have flaws. Some writers choose from the 7 Deadly Sins, but are there other options? Can the flaws do more to the story than just flavor the protagonist? Can they actually influence the story? And how much- or how little- would it take?
I give some examples of how you can use flaws some other way that increases the drama, without making your characters seem like scumbags.
My audiobook is out! Click the link here!
Mather's Odds Audiobook
My story blog:
gestalticocean.wordpress.com
My business blog:
chrisschallertideaengine.squarespace.com
Support me on Patreon and Ko-Fi
Ko-Fi
Patreon
Check out my book Mather's Odds on Amazon!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/ChrisSchallertIdeaEngine)
A special episode! I read one of the most popular posts on my blog here! Check out the written article in the link below! I hope you enjoy it!
An Early Death
My story blog:
gestalticocean.wordpress.com
My business blog:
chrisschallertideaengine.squarespace.com
Support me on Patreon and Ko-Fi
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Patreon
Want to sign up to win a free copy of my upcoming audiobook? Go here!
Sign Me Up!
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I drop the acting voice for this episode to talk about using different voices, and the benefits and dangers it has.
My story blog:
gestalticocean.wordpress.com
My business blog:
chrisschallertideaengine.squarespace.com
Support me on Patreon and Ko-Fi
Ko-Fi
Patreon
Want to sign up to win a free copy of my upcoming audiobook? Go here!
Sign Me Up!
Check out my book Mather's Odds on Amazon!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/ChrisSchallertIdeaEngine)
How can you keep your story going if you don't have the time to sit down and write it? Here's my advice:
Engage with it, any little bit.
My story blog:
gestalticocean.wordpress.com
My business blog:
chrisschallertideaengine.squarespace.com
Support me on Patreon and Ko-Fi
Ko-Fi
Patreon
Want to sign up to win a free copy of my upcoming audiobook? Go here!
Sign Me Up!
Check out my book Mather's Odds on Amazon!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/ChrisSchallertIdeaEngine)
Do you feel pressured to publish just because you're writing? Here's a dirty secret: You don't have to if you don't want to.
My story blog:
gestalticocean.wordpress.com
My business blog:
chrisschallertideaengine.squarespace.com
Want to sign up to win a free copy of my upcoming audiobook? Go here!
Sign Me Up!
Check out my book Mather's Odds on Amazon!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/ChrisSchallertIdeaEngine)
The world is divisive right now. Writers need to tell stories and not push agendas because we have enough people pushing agendas and not enough telling stories.
My story blog:
gestalticocean.wordpress.com
My business blog:
chrisschallertideaengine.squarespace.com
Want to sign up to win a free copy of my upcoming audiobook? Go here!
Sign Me Up!
Check out my book Mather's Odds on Amazon!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/ChrisSchallertIdeaEngine)
How do you go from zero subscribers to enthusiastic readers? Start free, and always be enthusiastic!
My story blog (also my first blog):
gestalticocean.wordpress.com
My audiobook link:
https://winning-teacher-6976.ck.page/b87b43b507
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/ChrisSchallertIdeaEngine)
Want to avoid the tropes, cliches, and everything else that makes everyone sound like everyone else? Might want to rethink that for a minute, because tropes have uses, but shouldn't define your book.
My story blog:
gestalticocean.wordpress.com
Audiobook Link:
https://winning-teacher-6976.ck.page/b87b43b507
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/ChrisSchallertIdeaEngine)
Are you afraid of the question, "What's your story about?" Let's face that fear head-on and develop an answer for when people ask this rather inappropriate question.
My story blog:
gestalticocean.wordpress.com
Audiobook Link:
https://winning-teacher-6976.ck.page/b87b43b507
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/ChrisSchallertIdeaEngine)
Someone said you should write a book. Does that mean you have to get it edited, published, marketed, and turn it into the rest of your life? Not necessarily.
My story blog:
gestalticocean.wordpress.com
Audiobook Link:
https://winning-teacher-6976.ck.page/b87b43b507
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/ChrisSchallertIdeaEngine)
"What's it about?"
No sooner do I answer them than I lose a potential reader. Is there a better way to answer this seemingly-innocent question?
Of course there is. But involves saying much, much less.
I refer to this video. Go and watch it. It's amazing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xlg8zdSVjgg&t=922s
For my book:
https://www.amazon.com/Mathers-Odds-Chris-Schallert/dp/1640856560
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/ChrisSchallertIdeaEngine)
Do you want your book to start people talking, asking, and arguing? Well, there's no easy way to write timeless literature, but there is an easier way to write unique literature.
For "The Last of Us," a video game I reference here, go to this link on Youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvoVZcXCeX0
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Everyone says it, but it still hurts when I can't write a good sentence for my first draft. What's going on? How can I look at it a different way?
Just remember. You and your story are growing together, and growing means you start out weak.
Check out my story blog:
gestalticocean.wordpress.com
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chrisschallertideaengine.squarespace.com
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Outlines? Arcs? Hero's Journey? There are too many voices saying you need this or that sort of help, but for your first draft there's just one piece you need to follow.
Everything else serves a different purpose (hint: it isn't to help you write your book)
Check out my writing blog at:
gestalticocean.wordpress.com
Come visit my business blog at:
chrisschallertideaengine.squarespace.com
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/ChrisSchallertIdeaEngine)
Why am I so dissatisfied with my job? Isn't it enough to just pay the bills and do my time? Well... No.
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Rather than tell you what to do, I'll spend this season describing my own creative life. I can't vouch for anyone but myself, after all.
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(re-release episode) Reliability builds reputation, so you can't afford to slack off.
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(re-release episode) Don't lose heart if you seem stuck on a day job. It doesn't mean you only belong in day jobs.
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(re-release episode) A funny story of how one author did his own thing in the face of a copyright wall!
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(re-release episode) And here's why I mean EVERYTHING!
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(re-release episode) For you entrepreneurs, are your afraid of giving away your best stuff? No need to be. Here's why you should do it!
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(re-release episode) Can a story be too big for its own good? Yes. Here is what I mean.
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(re-release episode) Why, and how, less is more.
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(re-release episode) What is a useless plot point? And how can you avoid them?
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(re-release episode) How a video game changed my use of time.
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(re-release episode) You can change your life by changing how you introduce yourself.
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(re-release episode)
Isn't it plagiarism?
No.
Here's how I use the ideas other people have to inspire my own ideas.
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There is a point where you decide to close a chapter, start something new or start it anew. Here's a little review of my life while I've been doing this, and how I felt about this season of the podcast.
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What is the point of being open about your struggles and flaws and the disasters in your life?
There is more to seeing weakness as a voyeur. It may connect you in a world desperate for a personal touch.
But there are dangers.
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Everyone has a different voice. Every format works best with a different format, language, syntax, label of polish... Or voice.
Here's how I use different formats to publish my different materials.
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Do you have a good idea of what you can do with your time? Probably not
Here's something to think about as you set goals.
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We try to make something to appeal to everyone, but as close as we get, we're limited by our own inability to be someone else
This is a feature, not a flaw. But your still need to be aware of it.
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This one goes out to all the spouses of creators. You can lose them so easily, but keeping them can be so rewarding!
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If your significant other wants nothing to do with your creative life, you have to watch out for specific dangers.
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We all dream of a relationship where we are perfectly and creatively in-sync with our partner. But is it really such a good idea? Watch out for these hazards.
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When you want help with your creation, you want a critic. But is asking your loved ones really a good option? It can be, if you follow these guidelines
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If you want to show your creations to your loved ones, here's some tips on how to prepare you both for the scary process.
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