Podcast #093: Secrets of Storytelling (with Shane Wood)
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When you hear the word “storyteller,” what do you think? Maybe the first image that comes to mind is a group of people sitting around a campfire, with a wise old sage telling an ancient tale. Maybe you think of a novelist, screenwriter, movie director, or someone giving a TED talk.
My guest today is a gifted storyteller, but he’s also a theologian, college professor, writer, and speaker. His name is Shane Wood, and I’m excited to share this conversation where he reveals some of his secrets for storytelling and engaging audiences through writing, speaking, and teaching.
Dr. Shane Wood is the Professor of New Testament Studies and the Associate Academic Dean at Ozark Christian College in Joplin, Missouri. He completed his Ph.D. from the University of Edinburgh (UK) and his dissertation is entitled: The Alter-Imperial Paradigm: Empire Studies & the Book of Revelation.
Earlier this year, Shane published the amazing book Between Two Trees: Our Transformation from Death to Life. He was also a featured scholar in The Armageddon Code: One Journalist’s Quest for End-Times Answers by Billy Hallowell. Shane’s other publications include: Dragons, John, and Every Grain of Sand: Essays on the Book of Revelation and “God’s Triumphal Procession: Re-examining the Release of Satan in the Light of Roman Imperial Imagery (Revelation 20:7-10)” in Currents in British Research on the Apocalypse. Shane is also a widely-recognized expert on the Book of Revelation.
When you hear academic credentials like that, you might imagine that I’m talking about someone who is a dry, dusty scholar … but you’d be wrong. Shane is one of the most engaging, energetic, and creative speakers and teachers I’ve ever heard.
In our conversation, Shane gives us some behind the scene peeks into the making of his new book, Between Two Trees, which masterfully blends storytelling, biography and theology into a compelling journey. Shane talks about his writing and book marketing process, his unique approach to speaking, and much more.
Even if you’re not a teacher or pastor, or perhaps not a person of faith, there is a lot to learn from Shane’s wisdom.
Key Takeaways
- Education is not just the transferring of information, it’s the transferring of an identity.
- The writing process is filled with tensions … and that is what keeps things interesting.
- We are story-based creatures.
Resources Mentioned
- ShaneJWood.com
- Connect with Shane on Facebook
- Connect with Shane on LinkedIn
- Follow Shane on Instagram
- Follow Shane on Twitter
- Shane’s YouTube channel
- Your First 1,000 Copies by Tim Grahl
- The Homiletical Plot by Eugene Lowry
- The Doors of the Sea by David Bentley Hart
- Lillith by George MacDonald
Ask Kent
Craig Harmann asks, “How do I build (or rebuild) habits that keep me consistent in being creative?”
Check out the episode to hear my response!
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