46 - "Amped Emotions" - The Merchant

What if you could have the perfect day? Nothing went wrong, all you did was right, and in the end you come out on top in everyway. What kind of effort would be required to do that? It would take a culmination of all effort or very special circumstances. Or, maybe you could just relive the same day over and over again until it was just right. Timeloops are a story phenomenon that find themselves getting told again and again. Join Robbie and Sarah as they explore the inspiration behind timeloop stories.

Cold and dark days have come to The Creators Playbook here in episode "Soul Bleeding" where Robbie and Michael delve into the backdrop of dystopian societies. You, Great Author, have a choice before you in how your characters are going to live through an oppressive regime! Will they be triumphant and conquer in majesty? Or will your society crush them? Join us as we delve into this wonderfully awful business of making our characters' lives terrible as we create a dystopia, and place our characters in it to live, thrive, or die.

After-show-notes and further reading:

John Joseph Adams: https://www.tor.com/2011/04/15/dystopian-round-table-the-appeal-of-dystopian-fiction/

Freedom Economic Education Matrix: How Can You POSSIBLY Not Be Red-Pilled By Now?? https://youtu.be/7QZQ8FlTbb4

It's that time of the year. A time to go out and surprise others with gifts, treats, and service. It's a time of scrolling through online sellers and walking through isles trying to find the perfect thing. Sometimes all you need is just a little magic to make it all happen. Today join Robbie and Steven as they create a Magical Shop filled with wonder and mystery.

Twitter: @CreatorsPBPod
Facebook: Creator's Playbook
Episode Hashtag: #cppodcast086
Website: http://www.creatorsplaybook.com/

After-show notes - The Shop Keeper:
The shop keeper can be a friend or aid to the hero of the story. They play a sort of mentor or guide for the hero, leaving hints to encourage them on their path. When making this particular type of character, a good dose of mystery goes a long way.

Recognizable patterns with this character:

• Brief appearances with the hero.
• Cryptic guidance, unclear to the hero and ourselves until the end of the story.
• Appears when they're most needed.

“Wishes.  It's amazing how much of our lives are full of Wish routines.  Wishing on the first star in the sky or a shooting star.  Wishing on birthday candles.  Stories are also full of wishes as well.  What we wish for shows what we value, and in stories wishing can be a window into a characters soul.  Wishes can also serve as both a great blessing, but also trials and tests.  Remember, be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.”

Twitter: @CreatorsPBPod
Facebook: Creator's Playbook
Episode Hashtag: #cppodcast085
Website: http://www.creatorsplaybook.com/

If you were to look behind the curtain of the production of Creator's Playbook, there are several stages that would be very obvious. Research, writing, episode preparation, recording and scheduling, down to the editing, effects, and music selection. But one thing a lot of our listeners might not know is that we actually take the art of warming up before a recording very seriously.

As much research goes into our show, there is still a very real sense of improv. Because of that, we need to be in the state of mind to allow for that creative exchange to occur!

With the holidays coming up, we wanted to record a shorter episode today and show the process we use to get our creative juices flowing!

Here are several of the warm up games we've designed to get us in the creative mind-set:

"Key-Prompts" - One player give a key word or phrase, the other must develop a story around this concept using the key word as inspiration. That player then gives a key word to another player, who must use the inspiration to develop another part of the story. The only rule is that each player is adding to the same world or story, until a basic story comes together.

"Break and Tell" - A key word or phrase is given to start the prompt. The first player must begin telling a story until they trip over their own words or pause. The next player must immediately continue telling the story from where the last player left off. The story is traded back and forth if there are only two players, or in a direction if there are more.

"Pass Backs" - A player gives a basic phrase as a prompt. Player two takes the prompt and develops the idea a little further, typically adding a twist or a concept. Player one then begins to describe a scene from a would-be story that illustrates the prompt as a fleshed out idea. This scene it stand alone, and the next play is a new scene for a new would-be story.

"Not My McGuffin" - A player gives the name to an unknown item. Player two takes the name and describes what the item is, how it is used, and why it is essential to the plot of the story the item appears in.

Try these games out and let us know what we think by tagging Creator's Playbook on social media!

Twitter: @CreatorsPBPod
Facebook: Creator's Playbook
Episode Hashtag: #cppodcast084
Website: http://www.creatorsplaybook.com/

Every tale with a Ghost is a tale of history. The ghost is something left over from the past, a linger memory, and the haunted location is the canvas for its story. It's a Ghost Hunters job to uncover these mysteries, find the vapory clues, and reveal the ghost. These stories are exciting and spooky, and today we're going to tell our own tale.

Twitter: @CreatorsPBPod
Facebook: Creator's Playbook
Episode Hashtag: #cppodcast083
Website: http://www.creatorsplaybook.com/

Space invites the mind to all kinds of ideas and stories. Exploring it has been the staple of thousands of science fiction stories across all medium, causing to wonder what worlds, people, creatures, and things float around the distance specks of light that sprinkle across the sky every night. Join Robbie, Sarah, and Michael as we explore our very own piece of space and turn it into a story.

Twitter: @CreatorsPBPod
Facebook: Creator's Playbook
Episode Hashtag: #cppodcast082
Website: http://www.creatorsplaybook.com/

There come moments when we hear our own, calm voice reassure us that what we are doing is where we are meant to be. Sometimes it is hard to hear that with such clarity when the world is filled with the chaos of the going-ons of life, but we can still hear it when we take those gentle moments to listen.

What exactly is the concept of a life's work, and how do we find our purpose in what we do? These are questions I have been asking myself as of late. How do I know that the work I am creating leaves behind a legacy that I am proud of, and one that makes a difference for those who may need it.

Explore all of this and more on today's episode of Creator's Playbook.

Today also marks the beginning of NaNoWriMo. To learn more about the National Novel Writer's Month, please visit: https://nanowrimo.org/

Twitter: @CreatorsPBPod
Facebook: Creator's Playbook
Episode Hashtag: #cppodcast081
Website: http://www.creatorsplaybook.com/

It is Halloween! So obviously we are going to talk about Zombies. But the real question we want to ask is why do people like scary stories in the first place? Is there an actual benefit to getting scared? And most importantly, how do stories of the undead fit into all of this?

Join Michael and Robbie as we delve into horror and zombies with a time travel twist.

Episode References:

"Why Do So Many People Like Horror Movies? Six Reasons We Love Being Scared"
https://www.health.com/mind-body/why-people-like-horror-movies

Plants, they seem harmless, right?  Bouquets for Valentines and weddings.  Daisies to brighten someone’s day.  Fields of wildflowers to spark any lighthearted soul.  But plants in stories?  Oh, they be sinister.  Seymour fed a plant human flesh and blood in Little Shop of Horrors.  The villainess Poison Ivy uses plants to thwart her vigilante foes.  The Whomping Willow protected a young werewolf from his classmates, and later destroyed a Ford Anglia.  Plants can create many opportunities for plot points, plot devices, and characters in stories and art.  Follow Sarah and Robbie as they explore plants in fiction as they create a plant monster, perfect for the upcoming All Hallows’ Eve.

Twitter: @CreatorsPBPod
Facebook: Creator's Playbook
Episode Hashtag: #cppodcast079
Website: http://www.creatorsplaybook.com/