Transcend Human Podcast

This week we discuss two new tools I found. Natalie Sea proposes use of The Story Circle and a 4 Act Structure using a modified list of story beats based on Save the Cat. See how these come together nicely in helping us plot out compelling stories.

This week we discuss going in a whole new direction. Stepping away from the Trilogy in order to focus on a Standalone - though one with strong ties back to the Big Idea.

This week we discuss my continued work on Act I of my WIP. But then things take a strange turn as I wrestle with my progress, and the idea of writing a separate book first.

This week we discuss a live master class I attended and the existential crisis it created for me regarding my Big Idea.

This week we discuss Story Grid Resources, the Harry Potter Masterwork Analysis Guide, and recent progress on my WIP.

This week we discuss editing existing content vs. creating new content. I identify some problems along the way. And we discuss some new resources I found since our last time together.

This week I talk about my writing style, where it came from, and how I use the HemingwayApp in order to keep myself in check. We also talk through the first Sequence, and discuss a World Building snag I ran into.

This week I make it official. I start writing again. Not planning, not plotting, not outlining - just straight up writing. Yes, there will be ongoing research, and outlining in order to ensure the story heads in the right direction. But this week I wrote my first scene - and I can't tell you how good it feels to be back at it.

This week we stop short - to explore a new concept that is challenging my original plotting style. The idea that it is better to develop an Internal Storyline first - then add the External Storyline ONLY to ensure that the internal change happens correctly in your Protagonist. It's a different way of looking at things - but it also sounds right to me.

This week we move into world building - something I completely forgot about until I realized my story takes place 100 years in the future. So yes - world building is going to be a prerequisite...

This week we continue to plan - or plot - whatever works for you. We discuss how planning can make a mess and that you can get lost in the process. But with every mess comes new possibilities - new opportunities for growth and progress toward your goal.

This week we look at the Big Idea itself. We start high level with Genre and Story Structure - then discuss a few categories the story falls into - and eventually we talk turkey - on what the story looks like.

This week we look a bit closer at some of the novel plotting methodologies. Then I discuss the strategy I've chosen - and round things out by talking through the spreadsheet I'm going to use to plan out the entire trilogy.

This week we look at two high level writing styles. I bet you can't tell which camp I'm in. Yes - I'm a plotter - and in this episode I discuss the rationale behind my plan for book outlining.

This week we look at the writing process. How many people successfully write a novel? And how much harder would it be to write a trilogy? We wrap things up by talking about math - and the Math of Storytelling.

Here we go! Our first official episode documenting my journey writing a fiction novel. This week we kick things off with the Back Story. How drinking isn't always a bad thing, how I made progress without much effort and how I stalled out early on.

Welcome to Season 5! This year we embark on an entirely new journey. Transcend Human has been going strong for 4 years - but this year it gets a makeover. Join me this week as I cast vision for that change and together we'll dive into the abyss - and see where it takes us.

This week is the last episode of Season 4. Together we talk about where we've been, where we are and where we're going in the future. That goes for each of us - and the Transcend Human Podcast as well.

This week we discuss what it means to be created in the Image of God. We're definitely not Omnipotent, Omnipresent or Omniscient. But how are we like God? And could it be that our relational nature, and our creativity are part of that list?

This week we look at money. Where it came from, how it has grown, and how it impacts each and every one of us. We talk capitalism, and we discuss how moving from traditional to digital currency allows the government a level of control that makes the whole Mark of the Beast thing possible.

Do you struggle with needing things to be perfect? Today we discuss the Human Condition, the Sin Virus, temptation and how these play a role in our mental health - specifically a tendency toward perfectionism.

Do you ever feel like you're being dragged down? Like someone or something is stealing your joy? And it's getting harder and harder to make it through the day? This week we talk about ways we are pulled out of our sweet spot. And how to reengage once we recognize the problem.

This week we look at the final chapters in Revelation. The climactic events, Jesus coming back and the way it all plays out.

This week we look at the 7 Last Plagues, and the One World Religio-Political System that will dominate on the world stage. This movement will be global, and will require people to worship their way in order to be in good standing in the world economy.

This week we reach a pivotal moment in Revelation. Chapter 13 lays out the players who will come together to cause the global end-times crisis. And we hear three final warnings from some pretty important angels.

This week we continue in our series on Eschatology - or the study of End Time events. We move from the 7 Churches to the 7 Seals and then into the 7 Trumpets. Are we tired of the number 7 yet?!

This week we continue in our series on Eschatology - or the study of End Time events. We jump into the Right Bookend - the Book of Revelation and have a conversation about the 7 Churches.

This week we continue in our series on Eschatology - or the study of End Time events. We're wrapping up the Book of Daniel - working through his final vision and the two new time periods dropped in chapter 12.

This week we continue in our series on Eschatology - or the study of End Time events. We're in the Book of Daniel, and we're discussing the 70 Weeks Prophecy given to Daniel by Gabriel. What it is and how it is interpreted.

This week we continue in our series on Eschatology - or the study of End Time events. We're in the Book of Daniel, and we're discussing his second and third dream. We also spend some time talking about prophetic math.

This week we continue in our series on Eschatology - or the study of End Time events. We dive into the Book of Daniel. Seven stories on worship. And our first few steps into Apocalyptic Prophecy.

This week we continue in our series on Eschatology - or the study of End Time events. We dive into plain language used in the Bible to describe the fact that the End of Time is a very real thing.

This week we continue in our series on Eschatology - or the study of End Time events. We dive into Christian Eschatology and the different ways people Interpret Prophecy, understand the Millennium and when they believe the Rapture takes place.

This week we continue in our series on Eschatology - or the study of End Time events. We discuss how truth has been passed down since the dawn of time. How the Bible talks about the end times in varying levels of complexity and why understanding prophecy is important.

This week we continue in our series on Eschatology - or the study of End Time events. We discuss the religious or spiritual side of the coin. Large groups of people who come together because they have supernatural beliefs about death and what happens at the end of time.

This week we start a new series on Eschatology - or the study of End Time events. We discuss the Doomsday Clock, and the difference between Scientific Eschatology and Religious or Spiritual Eschatology.

Did you grow up being taught that the Bible is the "Inerrant Word of God?" I did. But a few years ago I had my Enlightenment moment - when I had to question what I was taught, and determine how I was going to view the Bible in the future.

This week we talk Artificial Intelligence - or AI for short. What is it? How is it being implemented? And how will our world change because of it?

This week we dive into Uncertainty. A thought process that often leads to worry, anxiety and fear. It keeps us stuck and makes it difficult to make changes in our lives. But that doesn't have to be the end of the story - we can push through Uncertainty in order to change, grow, mature and succeed in life.

This week we discuss tunnel vision. When we narrow our focus - and get too caught up in something - at the expense of everything else. Politics, religion, social media and even a focus on the End of Time. So how do we exit these tunnels in order to get living again?

This week we discuss competing values. Things like a love for food and a desire to remain in shape. How do we navigate these dueling behaviors? And how can we bump, set and spike our way to a more balanced life.

Join us this week for our next "Transcendent Rant." This week we address being lost and tossed around in the craziness and chaos we're experiencing in the world today. And we look at two ways we can avoid getting caught up in it.

This week we discuss disappointment. And how the speed of life, aiming at the wrong target and living a life of excess can play roles in just how disappointed we are.

This week we jump back into our series on fostering. We pick up the story in a strange place - after an unexpected event during the holidays.

This week we dive into the idea of brainwashing - and whether or not we experienced it growing up. Can we differentiate between that and basic parenting? And what does the future hold when we believe we were brainwashed?

What does it look like to be part of a cult? What is authoritarian control? And how can we recognize the dangers - and live differently?

Here we go! Season 4 is officially underway. Today we talk about "The Good Old Days" and our desire to go back to the way things were. Nothing wrong with being nostalgic - but obsessing over it can lead to resentment, selfish behavior and often polarization.

In this BONUS episode I address listener questions about the mechanics of podcasting. We discuss the 5 Laws of Podcasting and how that played out for the Transcend Human Podcast.

Have you ever got stuck on the fact that everything on earth dies? Everything has a beginning, and everything has an end? That's where I got stuck a few weeks ago - and I wanted to flesh it out with you.

When you hear the word passion - what comes to mind? This week as we discuss the things we're passionate about, the shadow careers most of us find ourselves in and how to determine if our passions are healthy or not.

Join us this week for a special holiday episode. Thanksgiving is more than thanks, and it's more than giving. It's a lifestyle we can live all year long.