Seeking Stories

Kristen and I are thrilled to re-launch the Seeking Stories Podcast today, and moving forward we're filming the podcast for YouTube (the episodes will still be available for streaming on podcast platforms)! As part of the re-launch, we're starting a series where we break-down Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone one chapter at at a time, and compare it to the corresponding scene(s) from the movie. Today, we're examining Chapter One: The Boy Who Lived

We've recently recommended Into the Spider-Verse more than any other film, and do so for two reasons: it's brilliantly funny and it's deep. Join us, as we break open why Into the Spider-Verse works, and discover tips for applying similar techniques to your on writing and creative projects.

Ryan and Kristen are joined by David and Madison as we discuss Fahrenheit 451, written by Ray Bradbury in the early 1950's. We discuss: How the themes are even more pertinent today than they were more than 60 years ago. Why the ending does not quite meet the standard of the rest of the book. The style, language, intentional word choices, and thematic elements that Ray Bradbury includes.

The historical narrative (think the opening to The Fellowship of the Ring) is one of the most popular prologues for modern writers. Today we break open its uses, pitfalls, and most importantly how and when to use one for your own stories.

The Action Prologue thrusts your audience into the heart of your story. Here are 7 keys for writing an epic and engaging action prologue.https://seekingstories.com/7-keys-for-writing-an-action-prologue/ Your Action Prologue should be the best way to open your story. Your Action Prologue should hook the audience. Your Action Prologue should provide information in a dynamic way that the rest of the story couldn’t do better. Your Action Prologue should emotionally connect the audience to your story. Your Action Prologue should introduce the hero/protagonist. Your Action Prologue should: establish a major plot point or two. Your Action Prologue should set the tone for the rest of your story.

Protagonists are often hidden in the shadows of stories. Here, we uncover 6 truths about protagonists, and reveal Sleeping Beauty's true protagonist. www.seekingstories.com

Can you rate movies? Should you rate movies? Can you make consistent sense of a 10-star movie rating system? These are important questions that Ryan and Kristen explore en-route to breaking down the traditional 10-star rating system for analyzing your favorite (or not) movies and other stories. 

How do you write a story? Can storytelling be broken into a series of steps? The short answer: yes! While stories have a multitude of moving parts, most well crafted stories have a series of elements that can be found throughout any genre, and our goal today is to provide you with ten key steps that will help you look improve your storytelling. We discuss the original Star Wars (1977), Toy Story (1995), and the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (2005) to discover these important elements that you can use to craft your story.

Batman (1989). The film that introduced a generation to the cinematic world of the Caped Crusader. In this episode, Ryan, Dom, and Adam discuss Tim Burton's take on the most famous of all superheroes, and, naturally, uncover what you can learn about storytelling in Gotham City.

Iron Man 2: Donald and Ryan investigate why Tony Stark's second big screen adventure failed to offer an emotional and cohesive story, and offer suggestions for how to fix the story's narrative.

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. In this week's episode, Kristen and examine the surprising depth of the spy-comedy, "The Man from U.N.C.L.E."

October Sky. In this week's episode, Adam and I discuss the oft-forgotten classic, October Sky.

Downton Abbey - Episode 1. In this week's episode, Kristen and I discuss the story elements and world building techniques of the pilot episode of the award winning show, Downton Abbey.

Midnight in Paris. In the first Seeking Stories podcast, Kristen and I discuss the 2011 film, Midnight in Paris.