Head Trip
45 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 4 years ago - ★★★★★ - 15 ratingsHead Trip is a free audio podcast hosted by Jackson Tandy every week.
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Episodes
#44 Honing Your Writing Process and the Pantsers vs Plotters Dichotomy
May 14, 2020 00:30 - 46 minutes - 87 MBThis 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
#43 Emerson, Self-Reliance, and the Best Kind of Armor for Self-Doubt
April 29, 2020 06:10 - 44 minutes - 83.3 MBHow 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.
#42 Time as Narrative Device: Slaughterhouse Five, Name of the Wind, Scott Lynch and the Gentlemen Bastards Series
April 08, 2020 10:00 - 58 minutes - 110 MBI'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.
#41 First Three Chapters of Tomorrow City, Quarantine Updates, Self-publishing Wide vs. Amazon?
April 01, 2020 11:20 - 43 minutes - 80.7 MBHappy 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.
#40 How to Keep Writing Even When the Sky is Falling
March 04, 2020 23:20 - 43 minutes - 80.3 MBWhen 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.
#39 Tomorrow City Progress Report #1
February 26, 2020 10:05 - 28 minutes - 53.1 MBThis 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.
#38 "Oh The Places You'll Go" by Dr. Seuss and "The Shape of Stories" by Kurt Vonnegut
February 13, 2020 05:00 - 56 minutes - 105 MBTalking 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...
#37 Gary Tandy - Breaking Down "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle" by Haruki Murakami
February 05, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 178 MBThe 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?
#36 Phillip Pullman's Career: Golden Compass and the Book of Dust
January 30, 2020 10:00 - 57 minutes - 107 MBToday 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"?
#35 Parasite! Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? Breaking Bad - Truly Unique Stories. Plus Scene 4 of Tomorrow City
January 22, 2020 10:00 - 1 hour - 147 MBHave 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
#34 Banking Words is like Paying off Loans, Urban vs. Contemporary Fantasy, Going Wide vs. KDP
January 15, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 123 MBPart 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?
#33 Writing and Drinking, Setting Easy-to-Reach Goals, and How to Draft a Chapter 1 that Hooks Readers
January 09, 2020 10:45 - 49 minutes - 91.6 MBPart 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.
#32 Scene 1 of Tomorrow City! Plus a breakdown of "Theft of Swords" by Michael J. Sullivan
January 02, 2020 04:55 - 1 hour - 120 MBExciting 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."
#31 Big Changes in 2020, and John Truby's ideas on Narrative Drive
December 25, 2019 10:00 - 53 minutes - 98.8 MBNew 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.
#30 Jack London's "A Call of the Wild" - Case Study on How to Start an Adventure
December 18, 2019 10:00 - 49 minutes - 91.5 MBToday 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..."
#29 "The War of Art" and a 2020 Writing Resolution
December 11, 2019 10:45 - 45 minutes - 84 MB3 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.
#28 Gary Snyder Poetry and Writing Struggles Update
December 02, 2019 09:00 - 51 minutes - 96.7 MBFirst 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.
#27 Haruki Murakami - Cats, Dry Wells, Small Ears, and Staying on Brand
November 27, 2019 10:00 - 46 minutes - 86.3 MBToday 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."
#26 "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Robert Pirsig and "Desolation Angels" by Jack Kerouac
November 20, 2019 10:00 - 43 minutes - 81.7 MBReading 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.
#25 Finding the Story Inside the World
November 13, 2019 09:50 - 34 minutes - 63.5 MBI 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!)
#24 Nanowrimo, Building Habits, and Writers who've "Got their shit together"
November 06, 2019 11:00 - 40 minutes - 75.6 MBHappy 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."
#23 Chaos vs. Order, Interstellar, Mission Impossible, The Golden Practice of Setups and Payoffs
October 30, 2019 10:00 - 57 minutes - 107 MB1st 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.
#22 Character vs. Plot Driven Stories and Personal Update on Tomorrow City
October 23, 2019 10:00 - 48 minutes - 89.8 MBComparing 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.
#21 Which Author Lifestyle do you want the most?
October 16, 2019 10:00 - 43 minutes - 81.9 MBAre 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.
#20 Advice from Brandon Sanderson on World-Building
October 09, 2019 10:00 - 52 minutes - 98.6 MBHow 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.
#19 Dark Phoenix: X-men, Stranger Things (Season 2), Buddy the Elf, and the Hero's Journey
October 02, 2019 10:00 - 1 hour - 117 MBToday 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.
#18 Writer Injuries - The Body and the Mind
September 25, 2019 10:00 - 42 minutes - 79.9 MBMountains 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.
#17 Bad Guys, Villains, and Antagonists: a study of Redwall by Brian Jacques
September 11, 2019 14:30 - 53 minutes - 99.9 MBWe'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!
#16 Writing is Simple, King, Hemingway, and the 1st Drafting of Tomorrow City
September 04, 2019 10:00 - 41 minutes - 78.3 MBToday, 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!
#15 All things Adventure: Joseph Campbell and the Hero's Journey
August 28, 2019 10:00 - 46 minutes - 87.5 MBToday 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......
#14 The Magic of Books, Theft of Swords, The Hazel Wood, and the Ocean at the End of the Lane
August 21, 2019 10:00 - 1 hour - 112 MBI'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.
#13 Outlining, World-Building, and a Dose of Inspiration
August 14, 2019 10:00 - 36 minutes - 68.3 MBUpdates on Tomorrow City, Outlining, World-building, and a dose of Inspiration for the Creative Process. Happy Wednesday everyone!
#12 Stories that KNOW they are Stories, 1st and 3rd Person Narrators, King, Vonnegut, Rothfuss, C.S. Lewis, George R.R. Martin
August 07, 2019 12:00 - 1 hour - 112 MBI'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!
#11 Sample Readings from "Tomorrow City" - Work in Progress
July 31, 2019 10:00 - 37 minutes - 69.9 MB(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
#10 The Art of Travel with Alain De Botton, Van Gogh, John Muir and Charles Bukowski
July 24, 2019 10:00 - 51 minutes - 95.6 MBJackson (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 Yo...
#9 The Nature of Wednesdays, Hero Arcs, and Epic Fantasy vs. Urban Fantasy
July 17, 2019 10:00 - 54 minutes - 102 MBJackson 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 urba...
#8 Urban Fantasy vs. Paranormal Romance, The Importance of Genre and Writing to Market
July 10, 2019 10:00 - 45 minutes - 85.2 MBJackson 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?
#7 Breaking Bad, Writing to Market, Urban Fantasy, Deborah Harkness and Bella Forrest
July 03, 2019 10:00 - 59 minutes - 111 MBThis 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.
#6 K.M. Weiland, Neil Gaiman, JK Rowling - the Magic Power of Setups->Payoffs
June 26, 2019 10:00 - 42 minutes - 78.3 MBJackson 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...
#5 Special Guest - Garrison Tandy!
June 19, 2019 10:00 - 47 minutes - 88.9 MB(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!
#5 Garrison Tandy - Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, Golden Compass, and the Existential Fear of the Loss of Time
June 19, 2019 10:00 - 47 minutes - 88.9 MB(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!
#4 Craig Johnson's Longmire Series, World Building, and Finding Your Voice
June 12, 2019 10:00 - 52 minutes - 98.5 MBJackson 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.
#3 A Failure Story (part 3)
June 05, 2019 10:00 - 1 hour - 118 MBJackson 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.
#2 A Failure Story (Part 2)
May 29, 2019 10:00 - 39 minutes - 73.1 MBJackson 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?
#1 A Failure Story (Part 1)
May 18, 2019 06:00 - 48 minutes - 44.4 MBJackson 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).