Podcast

The Character Arc Podcast is a place for exploring how our deepest human interests often collide with the world of stories and fiction. If you’ve ever felt moved by a movie, this is the place to explore that feeling, and what it could mean for your forward progression in life.

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My father is one of the most interesting people I know.
Among other things, he’s a Vietnam War veteran, helicopter pilot, sailboat captain, non-fiction book author, artist, designer, boat builder… the list goes on.
During his recent visit to Lisbon, I had the chance to ask him some questions about life, career, and some eventful moments in his 76 year (and counting) run on the planet.
Have you noticed the “leap of faith” trope in fiction? You’ve certainly encountered it.
Why don’t we bat an eyelash at the fact that something akin to “leap before you look” seems to be great advice for characters in fiction? Why do we buy into this idea, so often encountered in stories?
In this episode we explore the critical role this motif plays, both in stories and in how we make progress in reality.
Also: Get Your Story Straight – a poem
You may not have noticed, but magic has played a major role in most of the biggest pop culture stories of the last 60 years. What does magic represent? Why are we so obsessed with it? And is there some reality behind the myth?
In this episode we explore the use of magic in fiction, and discuss how it might be saying more than we realize.
Today’s closing story: The Outsider
How do you know who the villain is before the big reveal in a movie? If we can always recognize the villain in movies, can we do the same in real life? How do we know if it’s US??
In this episode we explore villains and villainous speech to see what we may not be noticing about how we talk in everyday life.
Today’s closing story: The Goddess
How do we see the trees through the forest during this revolution in on-demand access to fiction? Never in human history have people had as much access to what most resonates with them as this exact moment. What are the consequences of that? What are the opportunities?
Today’s closing story: The Branch
how do you transcend knowledge to attain wisdom?
What even is the difference between the two concepts? What does that have to do with AI? What does it have to do with Isaac Asimov, Star Trek, and other great stories and storytellers? Explore all those questions with us in this episode!
Even if you’re not a Godzilla fan, you’ll want to check out this episode about the themes in Japanese history that underlie the longest running of all film franchises! Bet it’s not what you’re thinking of!
Stay tuned after the episode for today’s story: The Forever Stone.
What the heck is Smart Streaming? For one thing, it’s something that makes watching shows like Game of Thrones even more interesting!
It’s much more than that though. After finding out the what/why/how, stay tuned at the end for short story #2 in our series!
What do the 2 alternate human conceptions of the afterlife imply about reality? Can artists see the future?
Check out this episode for more questions & answers, AND our very first story segment. All in under 15 minutes!
Why is ‘life coaching’ so trendy now? What do the biggest film franchises of the last 30 years all have in common? Why is it a curse to see into the future?
And how do all of those things relate to “the mythological crisis??” Answers to these questions and more in this episode.