Head Trip

This episode of more of a kite than a jet plane. I'm giving updates on Tomorrow City, talking about the Myth of the Rockstar Creative, How to Develop Your Process as Writer, and Breaking Down the Pantser vs. Plotter Dichotomy

How to deal with self-doubt when creating? There's only two ways to do it, either you become the greatest in the world, above all possible reproach, OR you lean into your uniqueness. As Emerson says, you till the plot of land that only you can till.

I'm calling this "Part 2" of my "Ultimate Badass Story Theory". Part 1 was back on episode 12 where I talked about "self-aware stories", and today I'm talking about stories that use TIME as a narrative device. Breaking Bad. Name of the Wind. The Lies of Locke Lamora. And greatest time-hopper of them all, Billy Pilgrim from Slaughterhouse Five.

Happy Wednesday! I'm not talking about talking about the virus today - I'm taking around it. Quarantine has been good to me in terms of writing, and I'm happy to share that 15,000 words of my novel are finished and available to read on patreon. I'm also giving some life updates and sharing my most recent thoughts on the ever-important wide vs amazon debate.

When your computer breaks down and a virus threatens to grow into a global pandemic, how are you supposed to clear your head and focus on that fantasy story that you're writing? Is it responsible or even reasonable to waste energy on your hobbies during times like these? In this episode I'm giving advice to myself, and talking through the struggle of being creative during stressful times.

This is an inbetweener episode, a good one for the new listener, or for those of you who are interested in Tomorrow City. This is the first of many "progress updates" that I'm going to do as I write and publish the Tomorrow City series.

Talking Dr. Seuss today! I'm braking down "Oh the Places You'll Go" by using the shape of stories technique as outlined by Kurt Vonnegut. Spoiler alert: This Dr. Seuss classic is actually just a traditional "boy falls in a pit" story, EXCEPT there are two pits! Also, Lion King, Aladdin, Cinderella and more...

The powerful Gary Tandy joins us this week! If you love Murakami, or you just want to hear how a professor goes about analyzing an amazing literary classic, then this episode is for you. What is the Wind-up bird? Why is the cat missing? Is Murakami a lonely guy? How can the protagonist of a novel be so passive? And have you ever heard the story of the shitty monkeys on the shitty island?

Today I make some outrageous comparisons between Phillip Pullman, C.S. Lewis and George R.R. Martin. And I share my theory that Phillip Pullman wrote the Book of Dust series as a prequel (instead of as a sequel) because of his love for Lyra. And really, who doesn't love "His Dark Materials"?

Have you seen the movie Parasite yet? I won't spoil anything. I'll just get you even more excited. Today I'm talking about truly original stories, the ones that really blow your mind, from the Odyssey to Coen Brothers' Movies, from Slaughterhouse 5 to Catch-22. Then at the end I'm breaking down my latest rough draft scene - Scene 4 of Ch1 of the Tomorrow City Rough Draft

Part 1 - How to automate your writing, How to tackle the overwhelming prospect of a novel, Genre expectations and the rabbit hole of niche genres, and the self-publishing debate of Wide vs. KDP. Part 2 - Scene 3 of Tomorrow City, Hero meets the Villain, and How long should a scene be?

Part 1 - New Year's Goals, Health and Writing, Writing and Drinking, Getting your shit together enough to write consistently. Part 2 - Discussing the arc of my first chapter, what I've learned about scenes and hooks, and how I'm trying to hit all the right frequencies with my first chapter.

Exciting news for 2020! The new Patreon page, the First 1,000 words of my novel's rough draft, and a breakdown of Michael J. Sullivan's "Theft of Swords."

New chapters every week, Patreon, Websites, and a new format for the show... Big Changes coming in 2020! I talk about my ideas for revamping the podcast, and John Truby's golden nuggets of wisdom regarding Narrative Drive, and how to write a fantasy series that readers will love.

Today I'm doing a detailed breakdown of the first chapter of "The Call of the Wild." If you're trying to start your story with a bang, then this episode is for you. Here is the brilliant line that kicks off the adventure: "Buck did not read the newspapers, or he would have known that trouble was brewing..."

3 Amazing Author Quotes, "The War of Art" by Steven Pressfield, Hunter S. Thompson and Gonzo Journalism, Meta-Weirdness (when authors insert themselves as a character in their own book), and my 2020 New Year's Resolution to write my novel online, sharing the rough draft on my blog, one chapter per week.

First I'm reading and breaking down two poems from Gary Snyder's collection "Riprap." And later I'm confessing my writing struggles and my plans to get more productive.

Today I'm reading a bit from "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle" by Haruki Murakami, then I'm breaking down his strengths and weaknesses, and how even a literary genius like Murakami does a good marketing job of "staying on brand."

Reading from two of my favorites today, "Desolation Angels" and "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance." It's Wednesday morning. I've got coffee. I've got books. I've got musings.

I had to turn inward to find inspiration to jumpstart my novel again. Today I'm talking about my messy writing process and how to find the story that you really want to tell. (Which is actually the only story that you CAN tell!)

Happy Wednesday! Now that November is here, I'm reminiscing on what Nanorwrimo taught me, and the contrast between the "romantic artist" vs. the "artist who lives a balanced life."

1st half of the episode is Chaos/Order and how characters move between the two worlds. 2nd half of the episode is my obsession with Foreshadowing and the Beautiful Art of Setups and Payoffs, where I use Interstellar as an example of a satisfying story.

Comparing a few fantasy novels today: "Theft of Swords" by Michael J. Sullivan, "The Shadow of What Was Lost" by James Islington, and "Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin. Then giving personal updates on how Tomorrow City is progressing, thoughts on the outlining and first drafting process.

Are you a sexy tortured rock star writer or more of a necktie-wearing, haircut-getting, accountant-style writer? Today I compare the lives of Jack Kerouac, Gary Snyder, Hugh Howey, and Haruki Murakami in search of inspiration for how to live the writer's life.

How to be unique in the Fantasy Genre? Brandon Sanderson teaches us to lean into the details of what we know, and to feel bold when we go where no author has gone before.

Today I trace the thread of the Hero's Journey through three very different stories: Dark Phoenix, Elf the Christmas Movie, and the most badass episode from Stranger Things, Season 2.

Mountains Float, Plums Deify, and I Procrastinate. Today I talk about that all too elusive topic: the mental block that plagues artists and creatives. Not everyone talks about it - but everybody knows how it feels.

We're talkin' bad guys, villains, crooks and thieves, the real ANTAGONIZERS, the ones who really drive the story, who really get shit cookin', who really provide the hero with all kinds of interesting hurdles that he/she gets to overcome. I go back to my childhood with Redwall from Brian Jacques, but also find time to hit on Harry Potter, Stranger Things, Lord of the Rings and Star Wars. Happy Wednesday everyone!

Today, with help from King and Hemingway, I'm re-learning the fact that writing is simple. I also rant about "getting to the point" and the terrible tragic transformation that happens when books are made into movies. 1st draft of Tomorrow City is going well, and at the end of the episode I read from Chapter 1. Happy Wednesday everyone!

Today I'm talking all things Adventure! I start with Joseph Campbell and the Hero's Journey, and then I go all over the map: from Bilbo and Huck Finn, from Ned Stark and Neo and the Matrix, from Mario and the Princess to Will Ferrell movies like Elf and Step Brothers... adventures are everywhere. Even, it turns out, in our own lives......

I'm unboxing 3 new books this week! "The Ocean at the End of the Lane" by Neil Gaiman, "Theft of Swords" by Michael J. Sullivan and "The Hazel Wood" by Melissa Albert.

Updates on Tomorrow City, Outlining, World-building, and a dose of Inspiration for the Creative Process. Happy Wednesday everyone!

I'm excited about this episode. I tried my best to lay out my theory about self-aware stories - why I love them so much, why they're so powerful, why they hit harder than regular stories. I'm sure I'm the first person to ever compare/contrast Vonnegut and Rothfuss. Enjoy!

(1:10) Escapism of Fantasy worlds (7:23) #1 Sample Reading from Tomorrow City (11:03) #2 Sample Reading from Tomorrow City (18:00) #3 Sample Reading from Tomorrow City (24:55) Hello from the Magic Tavern - new favorite podcast (30:00) Michael J. Sullivan and the Riyria Chronicles and how I love fantasy worlds presented in podcast form

Jackson (0:00) Sings a Bob Dylan song because he feels like it (2:30) Breaks down "Art of Travel" by Alain De Botton (8:20) talks Vincent Van Gogh's artistic perspective and artistic habits (12:59) Telling the Truth. How to be creative when you feel like you're not original (18:40) How the creative process is linked to Self-worth and Insecurity (22:50) Upcoming Summer Vacation (25:50) Bob Dylan and the bootleg albums (31:40) How to be a true artist without selling out (35:50) John Muir and Yosemite (41:50) Charles Bukowski and the problem of poets (46:50) looking forward to sharing a few paragraphs of Tomorrow City!

Jackson talks about (0:00) The Metaphysical nature of Wednesdays, Creativity and Innocence (16:07) Story Talk - My struggle flip-flopping between epic fantasy and urban fantasy (17:05) Jim Butcher's Dresden Files and and Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe stories (22:20) Epic Fantasy, Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones (25:55) Harry Potter and the Epic Fantasy arc of hero vs villain (29:45) Fantastic Beasts, spinoffs and sequels (32:28) The solution I came up, marrying epic fantasy and urban fantasy (34:55) My two favorite TV series, "Mad Dogs" and "Life" and how they have both inspired my Tomorrow City story.

Jackson talks about (3:40) Reading from Steven Pressfield's "War of Art", (10:15) Letting the market narrow your options (16:00) Michael La Ronn and the Top Ten Fantasy Tropes! (21:22) Covers, Genre, Reader Expectations (23:20) Evaluating MT own novel idea based on these UF tropes (37:00) My story takes place in Korea, how "on the nose" should I be about this?

This week, Jackson is talking (0:00) Learning your flaws as a creative artist (6:30) Character-driven stories and how to have an active protagonist (13:20) "Breaking Bad" case study (24:00) Chris Fox and the Write to Market principles (31:00) Browsing amazon, Urban and Paranormal Fantasy (33:00) First Impressions: Praise for "A Discovery of Witches" and the All Souls Trilogy (39:40) First Impression: Critique of Harley Merlin and the Secret Coven by Bella Forrest.

Jackson is talking (0:00) Crutching with Coffee (8:35) Goodbyes to family and orange sunsets (10:40) Protecting your golden hour of art (15:20) Trying to take a big world building project and zoom into the specifics (17:10) How JK Rowling used Harry to introduce us to the wizarding world (20:50) Shawn Coyne and Tim Grahl and documenting the process (24:25) K.M. Weiland on Setups and Payoffs and Foreshadowing (30:00) 1st impressions of Neil Gaiman and American Gods (33:33) the Ending is always hidden in the Beginning (35:20) Workshopping the first Tomorrow City story - details of the current project.

(0:00) My brother Garrison joins the show for a very special episode! We talk (3:55) Finding your tribe on the internet (10:45) The "lost podcast" conundrum and the loss of time (12:42) My deep down ego-driven reasons for creating things - AKA, the pursuit of immortality! (24:37) Game of Thrones talk, Stannis and Melisandre! (31:25) Garrison's gateway drug, Harry Potter (33:45) The amazing Lyra and her Golden Compass, and finally (44:40) Garrison gives me an idea for my next novel. Enjoy!

Jackson talks about (2:07) Murder mysteries and the promise of a dead body(10:50) a unique structuring of the first - and most important - chapter (20:22) How Craig Johnson wrote an all-star supporting cast of characters (28:55) Creating a fictional world that mirrors your own world + Ideas for my new series, "Tomorrow City" (43:17) Finding your unique voice as a writer, going from imitator to unique creator.

Jackson talks about (0:00) Lessons learned from Game of Thrones: power scenes and lovable characters (19:54) Answering the Hero's call to adventure (25:26) Personal Update -> bum leg, bum mind (35:35) Resuming the Failure Story: Novel #2 Jamie Rhae Daemon Hunter (40:00) Discovering your own writing process (47:30) Scribophile (50:00) Writing all alone in a cave (1:00:30) No more excuses, time to move forward.

Jackson talks about (0:05) how his writing dreams started, (10:05) meditations on the good and the bad of sharing your failures, (16:45) attempting to write an Epic Fantasy Trilogy, (20:58) hiring a professional editor for the first time, and finally (30:15) the terrible choice: At what point do you just give up on a novel?

Jackson reads from Kerouac's "On the Road" (2:40), talks about his reasons for starting a podcast (7:22), the story of his first Kindle (15:47), thoughts about Stephen King's "On Writing" (18:20), the Hugh Howey self-publishing story (22:30), writing advice from Ray Bradbury (35:05), Nanowrimo and bad first novels (38:40), and the danger of setting goals and making yourself vulnerable (41:35).