Welcome to "Fiction Hack," where hosts Colin Munro and Ross Lawhead geek out about all things storytelling! We dive into movies like "Die Hard" and "Ready Player One," TV shows like "Star Trek" and "Doctor Who," and legendary writers like Charles Dickens and Stan Lee. From iconic moments like Jumping the Shark to creative concepts like Chekhov's Gun, we break down what makes your favorite stories tick. Tune in for fun, lively discussions that make you laugh and learn. If you love stories, yo ...
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NaNoWrimo Special 4: Character and Plot: Fiction Hack Episode 023
51:11
51:11
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As we come to the end of our series of NaNoWrimo special episodes, Ross admits, to Colin's horror, that he thinks this is a writing theory podcast! Then they go on to explore the difference between character and plot driven stories.
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NaNoWrimo interview with F. T. Kulpa and Wendell Mitchell Snow: Fiction Hack Episode 022
49:00
49:00
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F. T. Kulpa and Wendell Mitchell Snow are both writers and NaNoWriMo enthusiasts. They have taken part several times each. In this interview they share their experiences about the process, how it is helpful and how to get the most out of NaNoWriMo.
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Remebering Stan Lee. Fiction Hack: Episode 021
36:48
36:48
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Using Theme – NaNoWriMo Special 2. Fiction Hack: Episode 020
29:32
29:32
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Using theme and motif can be a great way to allow readers to enjoy your story on another level. It can also help focus your writing and add to that all-important NaNoWriMo word count! This week we discuss what we mean by using theme and motif.
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Act Structure – NaNoWriMo Special. Fiction Hack: Episode 019
54:20
54:20
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Act structure is something that everyone talks and has an opinion about, but is it actually helpful when you are writing your story? No. No, it’s not. But maybe sometimes it is. Allow me to unlock the doors of the prison called “Act Structure” for you. It’s up to you if you leave…
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Powers of Darkness: The Lost Version of Dracula – Episode 18
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Powers of Darkness is the recently rediscovered early draft of Dracula. Somehow, this early manuscript found its way into the hands of an Icelandic translator and was translated into Icelandic in 1900. For over a hundred years the Icelanders have been reading this book as Dracula, despite there being major, significant differences between the Engli…
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The First Shared Universe – Halloween Special II: Episode 17
46:45
46:45
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What was the first shared universe? The answer may be surprising (unless you listened to our last episode). Join us as we discuss the little-seen 1943 classic Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man, as well as the following Universal Monster movies, and Ross compares Halloween as a kid in the US and the UK.…
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Universal Horror Movies – Halloween Special I: Fiction Hack Episode 16
57:38
57:38
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Why are the Universal Horror Movies important and why should we still talk about them today? Because believe it or not, the Hollywood movie industry is still making billions upon billions using the storytelling models that this specific series of movies developed that were kicked off over 85 years ago. Come inside and listen… if you dare!…
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Why Are There So Many Spider-Man movies? Fiction-Hack: Episode 015
1:02:22
1:02:22
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Why are there so many Spider-Man Movies? I’ll tell you why there are so many Spider-Man movies! We do a box office and critical analysis of all of the Spider-Man movies up to the present day. Find out why the stories are recycled so much, why they keep recasting the character, and why he’s suddenly started showing up in the Avengers movies.…
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Who is Doctor Who? Part 2 – Fiction Hack: Episode 14
54:21
54:21
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Who is Doctor Who? We continue to answer this question, covering the Third and Fourth Doctors played by Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker, as well as Berry Letts.
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Truth and Story – Fiction Hack: Episode 013
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43:02
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Today we tackle and solve one of the eternal questions of humanity: what is truth? And what do we mean when we talk about truth and story? We have all the answers here for you guys. Seriously, we worked it out. You’re welcome.
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Who Is Doctor Who? Part One – Fiction Hack: Episode 012
51:53
51:53
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So who is Doctor Who, anyway? It’s a fair question, and one that we have to travel 50 years into the past in order to answer fully. This week we pick up with the very first Doctor, mention very briefly “Dr. Who”, and blow through the Second Doctor–essentially all the black and white (and missing)episodes. Join us on a journey through space and time…
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Ready Player One. Fiction Hack: Episode 011
1:05:41
1:05:41
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Are you ready player one? Ross has read the book, Colin has seen the movie–can one convince the other to do the other? It’s a roundabout discussion that drifts into deeper waters as we question the value of nostalgia in the pursuit of truth.
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Protagonists and Antagonists. Fiction Hack: Episode 010
42:38
42:38
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We all think we know what we mean when we talk about protagonists and antagonists, but do we actually? Let’s dive deeper into the words’ origins…First up, as I hope I made clear, I am not using these two words in their conventional meaning. The accepted usage of “protagonist” today is simply “main character”. I think that this loses an important nu…
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What is the problem with Die Hard? It’s just a fun movie right? I mean, Bruce Willis is really good in it, Alan Rickman gives a career-making performance, and there are a couple cool explosions. What’s not to like? What’s the problem with Die Hard? Well…Full show note available on our Website: Fiction Hack: Episode 009…
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Remembering Steve Ditko: Fiction Hack Episode 008
48:41
48:41
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This week we are remembering Steve Ditko, co-creator of Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, The Question, Rorshach, and much, much more. Just like the heroes he created and helped develop, Ditko was a mysterious, complex, and principled individual. Today we try to open a little of that up for you. Full Show notes available on our website: Fiction Hack: Epi…
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What’s this? Ross is the layman and Colin is the expert? Have we entered a mirrorverse? That would explain why both Colin and Ross are wearing dark goatees (Ross has a darker goatee on top of his beard–it’s weird). This week we talk Star Trek! Star Trek is massive. There have been 7 TV shows (including the Animated Series) totalling incorporating s…
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Ant-man and The Wasp: Fiction Hack Episode 006
52:29
52:29
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Marvel Studios is about to release its 20th movie, Ant-Man and The Wasp! As a long-time comic nerd, that blows my mind. Ant-Man is a very unlikely hero who has been around since the beginning and has a hard time keeping his own series. The Wasp has generally been a tag-along character to him. Along with Guardians of the Galaxy, he’s been one of the…
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Chekhov’s Gun and the Mystery box: Fiction Hack Episode 005
39:57
39:57
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As Russian playwright Anton Chekhov once said: “I’ve got a gun!” Why is this an important statement in the history of fictional narrative? And how does it relate to some sort of box that J. J. Abrams once got as a kid? (Hint: Alfred Hitchcock) The answers are inside… The Chekhov’s gun quotes are from Wikipedia: “Remove everything that has no releva…
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Charles Dickens sucks: Fiction Hack Episode 004
31:55
31:55
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This this episode Colin talks about why he does not have much time for Charles Dickens. Ross makes the case that while there is much to dislike about Dickens, there is also much to love.
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In episode 3 of the Fiction Hack Podcast, Ross and Colin talk about what it means to ‘jump the shark’.
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Star Wars is dead to me, and this is why: Fiction Hack Episode 002
35:43
35:43
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I this episode Ross Explains why he, a once die hard fan of Star Wars, couldn't care less.
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Let’s Start a Podcast: Fiction Hack Episode 001
31:22
31:22
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In 2018 Ross Lawhead and I started a podcast called Fiction Hack: Unlocking a Deeper Experience in Modern Story. In this first episode we defined what the podcast would be about, and decided on a name.
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