The Modern Storyteller with Surya T

This episode is interesting as it talks about the seriousness of writing. Writing to a lot of us starts as a hobby and the moment you realize you want to take it seriously, it doesn't automatically happen. It takes a lot of time and there are certain...

When you start writing, you realize that you are lost. This is a feeling that I had a lot of times and even today, when I start a new story, I have this feeling. However, this is not something that stops me. In this episode, I want to talk about writers...

In this episode, I want to talk about drugs and its influence on creatives. I want to break the myth and I want to share my own personal experience when it comes to drugs and various creative pursuits.Become a patron with less than 1$ per episode for...

COntinuation of the Stephen King series of advice,  I want to talk about somehting that Stephen King advises - Tell people stories about what people actually do.In this episode, I want to talk about this. One thing that this talks about is that people...

A a writer, you are supposed to paint a picture. "She was deeply hurt" v/s "She was hurt" has a lot of difference. While the statement itself gives a picture, you as a writer has the responsibility of ensuring that it is important you manage the...

As a writer, it is important to focus on the language. Language is the medium of communication of your story. But often writers get caught up between language and storytelling and forget which one is most important.In this episode, I talk about what is...

Writing is boring and so boring that even a text from a person you don't want to and hate to talk to can stop the momentum. This is why writers have a system as to how they go about writing. Steven Pressfield in his book, War of Art, talks about the...

Think of 1984. Think of Animal Farm. Think of Mayada. All of these books have written something that people were not comfortable talking about. These are the real issues plaguing society and these were the issues that the authors cared about. This...

Writing is hard. Even more when you write for someone else. When you start writing, you write a story that resembles a little of what is the usual format and what happened in your own life. You try to write in such a way that eventually, you'll figure...

Once you get a validation boost from one person, you end up craving the same high from everyone you meet. This causes a serious problem as that is not what you are intending fo your writing. So, stop wasting time trying to please other people and write...

When you write and show it to someone, it always doesn't come back with compliments. Things often come back in a negative way and that may affect you. It's important to understand a key part of what your art means and in this episode, I talk about the...

Read as much as you can. Not watch TV series but read as much as you can. This is the advice Stephen King gives to a budding writer. In this episode, I want to talk about my journey and my struggle with it. I also give a way I use to ensure I read as...

rEmotion drives a person. But discipline keeps consistency. A few years ago, I did not believe this. I believed that emotion is all that is needed for a person to go on with a habit. In this episode, I want to talk about my struggle between emotion and...

When I wanted to watch Season 9 of "Two and a half men", I was shocked to see that Charlie Harper is not part of the show anymore. This was a huge shock to me, considering I do not follow the news about the actors and the TV series. What was a bigger...

Narrators aren't always reliable. You can't believe them entirely. That's not because they want to deceive you. It is often because they do not know things in their entirety. That is not the case sometimes. The narrator can be the friend you trust so...

2020 was not kind to us and it disrupted our lives in ways we didn't imagine. Now that 2021 is here, maybe we can hope this year is kinder to us than 2020 was. In the hope of being kind and making things happen, I want you to take up a challenge. A...

In this episode, I want to talk about Third person narrative in the analogy of Poker. Become a patron with less than 1$ per episode for early access to episodes, additional tips, and bonus episodes. There are also a ton of other benefits you can get...

A first-person narrative is narrow while a third person narrative is wide. A first-person narrative is personal while a third person narrative is impersonal as it gives a bird's eye view of the world.In this episode, Surya T talks about various...

In this episode, Surya T talks about the First person narrative in terms of Poker. Do listen to the episode to listen to the analogy and understand it better.Become a patron with less than 1$ per episode for early access to episodes, additional tips,...

How you tell a story is very important. The narrative is really important and in this case, Surya T talks about the first-person narrative in this episode.First-person narrative gives a PoV to the world from one person's view. Listen to the episode to...

As part of the 50th episode special, I want to talk of one important barrier for a writer. Procrastination. In this episode, I want to talk about how to beat procrastination as a writer and what various techniques are used by various writers to beat...

Good and bad are two sides of the spectrum but no character can exist on one side at all times. They can try to be on one side but the perception of their actions may not always be on the same side.In this episode, Surya T talks about the moral spectrum...

We are writing fiction, so what is the necessity of non-fiction. This is an important question that is often asked when writers are told to read non-fiction.In this episode, Surya T talks about his goals and how non-fiction plays a role in fiction...

While I talked about how to get ideas, I did leave out some bits which are particularly how I get ideas. In this episode, I answer your questions on that topic. How my idea generation process works.If you have any questions - drop a mail to...

LImited creativity is when you be creative by putting a limit on yourself. This enables idea generation while not getting paralyzed by too many ideas.Become a patron with less than 1$ per episode for early access to episodes, additional tips, and bonus...

In this episode, Surya T is talking about Enola Holmes and what is his review for the same.Become a patron with less than 1$ per episode for early access to episodes, additional tips, and bonus episodes. There are also a ton of other benefits you can...

Stakes are important for a story. Why does a person choose to do something? What do they have to gain or what do they have to lose from making a choice? These are the questions you need to answer for your character when you write them.In this episode,...

Active reading vs. Passive reading - how you read defines the kind of style you'll learn and imbibe. Active reading is a study of style while Passive reading is a study of the narrative.In this episode, Surya T talks about how to start with Active...

A perfect first draft is an illusion. Anyone who thinks otherwise is fooling you, and themselves. But that doesn't mean you can't have a great story

If you want to be a serious writer, it is important to have a writing routine. In this episode, Surya T talks about how you can build your own routine.

Story prompts, as talked in the last episode - How to get ideas, are important tools for a writer. They give you inspiration but that's only one of the few things they do.In this episode, Surya T talks about word prompts and how they work for a...

Often writers talk about how difficult it is to start something. Lack of ideas is the primary reason among most others.  However, it is not that hard to get out of the rut of not being able to get ideas. There are some ways to get ideas when you are...

Understanding a character, the scene, and conflict is an important task on the writer's journey. Without proper understanding or improper information, the characters you write end up incomplete.In this episode, Surya T talks about how important research...

Why some blockbuster movies have no great story? A movies has something more than just a book or other movies.In this episode, Surya T talks about the reasons why sometimes story isn't the driving factor of success and why.Become a patron with less than...

How do you if Mr. Nice guy is actually nice? By making him do a bunch of nice things even though he goes out of his way to do so. How do you form an impression on a person or a character? This process is called Establishing a character.In this Episode,...

The COVID pandemic has accelerated digital transformation in every business. Zoom has replaced Skype as the commonly used method of video-conferencing and people are adjusting to the distance from their colleagues. This is one of the best examples of a...

On recommendation by a friend, Sakshi, I watched the Venom movie finally. Post the movie, I realized there's a lot of opportunity for the movie and in this episode, I will be doing a review of the movie from the story perspective. This is a segment...

Writing is hard. Genuinely and anyone who's ever written a substantial amount would tell you the same. So, what are the reasons for me choosing writing and sticking with it?In this episode, Surya T talks about what writing means to him and how important...

Culture keeps changing. What was today absurd was once normal to the people at the time. Cultures are human-made and that means we can change them. But changes in culture are not easy. They are hard to change.In this episode, Surya T talks about how...

Change is a constant. Our experiences change across time and the best way to understand this is to re-visit what we once visited. We can see this change and this helps us better understand how we write.In this episode, Surya T gives us a few examples...

What does Google mean to a person in the 1900s? What does Snapchat mean to a king in the 14th century? What does "Financial trade" mean to an early caveman?Language's evolution is contingent on our cultures and other important factors. In this episode,...

Stories serve a purpose beyond escaping reality and enjoying a fantasy world. One of the most important purposes is its survival, which means someone has to keep consuming the story. Open resolution is a way to do that. But that's not where it stops.In...

Happily ever after is an awesome ending but in the end, it's still not an illusion. In the end, what happily ever after sells is an expected ending and nothing more. On the other side of the "happy illusion" is the struggle of a lot of people who,...

Moving into the 3rd pillar of storytelling - resolution. No matter how interesting a story is, it has to end someday. So, how do you go about ending your stories?In this episode, Surya T talks about Positive resolution, or ending things in a happily...

At the end of each episode, I talk about a Patreon page where I talk about becoming a patron and getting access to additional benefits. So, why do I have a bonus track in the first place? This was a question that came up and I decided to answer it. The...

A common theme I see across podcasts is the usage of a personal anecdote or narrating a personal story that somehow leads to the topic at hand. This happens between a number of hosts and is a common practice across most podcasts. However, that is not...

In the last episode, we talked about the issues that make a story experience bad, from a conflict perspective. So, to have a change of pace - in this episode he talks about a story, Harry Potter, which has a conflict that is amazing and something he has...

When you see an ant kill an elephant, the first thought in your head - how is it possible? When someone who is very weak goes into a fist-fight and then they win against a trained fighter, it feels really weird when you read that story. These sort of...

Stakes are really important for a story. Without stakes, stories mean nothing. Stakes are what drives the story. Stakes are to be personal for your character. Each character has their own stakes - external and internal. While the general focus is on the...

Technology has been a defining aspect when we talk about generations and it has been rightly represented in stories as well. While we all talk about movies such as The Matrix Trilogy, Wall-E, 2001: A Space Odyssey - the conflict isn't just limited to...