Shaping a Project

I've decided to give podcasting a try. I'm accepting that although I have strong communication skills, my verbal ability just may outweigh my written ability. I think there's more flexibility within conversation, and as a result, more topics and more ideas are touched.

I work with two guys whose fathers are in the military. Justin's father was in the Marines, a special-ops guy who was constantly away on some mission in a dark corner of the globe. Danny's father was in the Army and served two tours in Iraq; he came home and started drinking. Both fathers were negatively affected by things that happened while they served, although I wouldn't hesitate to say that both were proud of their time in the military.

Speaking with both Justin and Danny, I discovered that both wanted to join the military. Justin couldn't get in because he was diagnosed with asthma and bi-polar disorder. Danny's father wouldn't let him join. The thing that interests me the most is that both said enthusiastically that they would fight in Iraq, despite their fathers' negative experiences in the military.

The conversation was lively, and I thought there was a lot to work with. My problem now is taking that raw idea, that "hm" factor that hung over the conversation, and turn it into a digestable, packaged story. Maybe it won't be cleanly produced, but I want a connecting idea, some central point around which the conversation will revolve. And that central point should have some common quality, something to which many people will relate.

This happens to me a lot: I'll have a conversation with someone and discover something interesting about them...it could be something from their childhood, something about how they just handled a recent breakup, any number of things. I feel like they tell me these details in a natural, engaging way, and I want to capture that natural, honest expression. But I've got to do more than just that. I've got to frame their narrative in a way that means something more than just an interesting conversation.

I'm not sure how I'll frame Justin and Danny's story. I'm hoping for now, recording their feelings will lead to something else. I'm on to something, I just don't know what.