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We hear and tell stories every day. It's an integral part of the human experience. And what's more, we are living out our own unique stories too. The Writer's Lens is hosted by author, Josh "J.C.L." Faltot and discusses the importance of storytelling, publishing, passion and failure, and what it's like to view the world through the guise of a writer.
Episodes

Wednesday Nov 15, 2023
”The Croods” and the Burden of Parenting
Wednesday Nov 15, 2023
Wednesday Nov 15, 2023
Parenting is an easy task, isn't it? I mean, even a caveman could do it.
Dreamworks' "The Croods" features a family of cavemen struggling to survive in a world that is drastically changing. And in order to survive, the family's patriarch - and leader - must adapt to the changing world around them.
It might seem a stretch to use cartoon cavemen as a proper medium to discuss parenting, but this is The Writer's Lens, and by gosh, we're gonna do it. This episode is all about parenting and the many thoughts, techniques, and teachings on how to do it.

Saturday Nov 04, 2023
”Super Mario” and From Man to Myth to Icon
Saturday Nov 04, 2023
Saturday Nov 04, 2023
The Super Mario Bros. franchise is beloved from the east to the west. Its longstanding run in the video game industry has spanned nearly four decades and as of 2023, appears to have never been stronger.
Today's episode takes a brief dive into what I think helped to make Mario a household name in our culture. And it all started with jumping over barrels to save a princess.

Monday Sep 12, 2022
Stories I Like, Love, and Hate - ”Dystopian Edition”
Monday Sep 12, 2022
Monday Sep 12, 2022
The dystopian genre has grown exponentially in the Western world over the years. Book series like "The Hunger Gams" and "Divergent" have made people reconsider if the power structures in play are there for the betterment of all mankind - or to keep the masses in line.
Today's episode looks at dystopian storytelling - one of my favorites. Reason being how it pings the West's spirit of rebellion and its desire to be "free" from restrictive human governments. We'll talk some of the heavy hitters in this genre before talking culture towards the end as always.

Sunday Aug 21, 2022
Stories I Like, Love, and Hate - ”Futurism Edition”
Sunday Aug 21, 2022
Sunday Aug 21, 2022
"The best way to predict the future is to create it." - Abraham Lincoln.
Writers have been trying their best to predict the future for generations. Hundreds upon hundreds of imagined worlds await within the pages of acclimated sci-fi and fiction authors around the globe. But of those who take a stab at humanity's future, who has been right? Who has been wrong? But more importantly, who has the most troubled outlook?
Today's episode is all about the future. The good, the bad, the ugly and everything in between.

Sunday Aug 14, 2022
Stories I Like, Love, and Hate - ”Aliens Edition”
Sunday Aug 14, 2022
Sunday Aug 14, 2022
Aliens.
You hear the term and you instantly get an image of something otherworldly. Be it little green or gray men with giant eyes or terrifying insect-like beasts with acid for blood, the "alien" in most of the stories we know is exactly that: a creature we cannot define because we are unfamiliar with what - or who - it is.
This edition of "Stories I Like, Love, and Hate" features the little green men from Mars and what I am always sad to see missing from a good alien story.

Saturday Aug 06, 2022
End of Summer Comeback
Saturday Aug 06, 2022
Saturday Aug 06, 2022
Miss me? Well, even if you didn't, I have returned for this end-of-summer-return-to-podcasting episode. In short, my creative sabbatical has ended.
Within this podcast, I'll give you some updates on what's been going on with The Writer's Lens, what's happening now, and what's happening going forward.
- J.C.L.

Sunday Mar 06, 2022
Stories I Like, Love, and Hate - ”Dinosaurs”
Sunday Mar 06, 2022
Sunday Mar 06, 2022
As part of a short series I'll be doing this spring, here's the first "Stories I Like, I Love, and I Hate" - DINOSAURS edition.
Ever since I was a kid, dinosaurs have piqued my interest. And it's evident that these long extinct creatures are still pinging the imaginations of young people around the world.
With that in mind, I'd like to weigh in on some of my favorites and also one of the prominent franchises that nearly ruined it all for me.

Saturday Feb 12, 2022
Why We Relate to Villains More Than Heroes
Saturday Feb 12, 2022
Saturday Feb 12, 2022
A livestream follow up to my 2021 episode about the Heroes and Villains of our own stories. In this live episode, I look at why we might have more in common with the villains of our favorite stories than the heroes we admire.

Sunday Jan 30, 2022
It’s 2022 - Time for a Kick-Off Episode
Sunday Jan 30, 2022
Sunday Jan 30, 2022
Like the title implies, it's almost the end of January and I realized I needed an episode to kick things off. Get ready for some updates, looking ahead, and what to expect in 2022.

Thursday Dec 16, 2021
EP83: The Heroes and Villains Of Our Own Lives
Thursday Dec 16, 2021
Thursday Dec 16, 2021
We all want to be the heroes of our own stories. So how do we deal with those who come against us? Is it right that we make them into the villains of our own tales? Or are there other ways to deal with them?
This episode deals with that idea head on and is as much a challenge for me as it is for any listener.