So I'd like to take a moment and say that this blog is more than reviews of podcast novels. From time to time, I'll review a short story podcast like Escape Pod (next week maybe), and even some non-fiction podcasts. This will at least give me time to catch up on my listening, and be able to provide better reviews.
That said, the past week and a half or so, I've been listening to Mur Lafferty's podcast "I Should Be Writing". I started at the beginning of the 'cast, at which time she had not yet published her novel, or even finished it for that matter. (A side note, "Playing for Keeps" did wonderfully on the amazon charts, being released this past Monday.) In Mur's own words, ISBW is a "podcast for wannabe writer, by a wannabe writer." In the 'cast, Mur lays it down, and tells it like it is. Almost harsh at times, she removes excuses, provides helpful tips, and tells the listener to just start writing. There are no secrets, no magic potion that "great" writers have found (aside from maybe coffee?). All it takes to write, is to write. The episodes are rather short, on the order of 15-20 minutes, but it's long enough for Mur to cover one small topic in the process of getting started in writing. Instead of feeling like a writing seminar or workshop, it's got the feeling of sitting down over a warm beverage, and just talking about writing with a soon-to-be new friend. Casual, easy to listen to, and as such hits you smack in the face with the truth, "Just do it."
In my listening, I'm moving forward into the processes, and Mur's experiences, with trying to get published. The rejections, the rewrites, the re-rewrites, etc. and I might give updates on how the 'cast progresses. Each episode, Mur also gives updates on her own personal writing projects and progress. The 'cast has been running since late 2005, so it might take me a while to catch up, but it has been fun listening to the contrast between her talk about her hard work then, and hear her podcast novel, "Playing for Keeps", just recently published.
Moving on to my own projects, at some point, about 4 years ago, I fancied myself a Sci-Fi writer. I had written about 6 short stories, none of which were published, before finding my time for writing had run off somewhere to hide for a while. In listening to ISBW, I have regained my desire to write, and will be searching for the runaway time. I'll keep everyone updated here on what projects I'm working on, and how far along they might be.
You also may have noticed the new picture on the right. Yes, I have joined NANOWRIMO. The National Novel Writing Month, which is a frenzied outpouring of words in the month of November. The goal is 50,000 words from November 1 to November 31. No edits or rewrites, just writing as much and as fast as possible. I don't have any ideas for it yet, but will be working on it, outlining it, and possibly give some character interviews here and on the NANOWRIMO forums. If interested, my UN is CDspace, and my profile page is here.
I suppose that's all for now. Next week, nothing planned, but I'll find something to talk about.
A small update, I've got the internet at home now, although it's not exactly reliable. So, totally unrelated to the blog, my Zune card at the top will be updating now. It's been stuck for about a month. Also, due to my frelance programming work, I've got myself a 22" LCD monitor. I'll be getting another LCD monitor, and then a high quality headset/microphone. At that point, I'll begin looking into making this an actual podcast. Also at that point, project Cast-A-Line will begin taking shape. So things are rolling people. Slowly, but at least moving.
I Should Be Writing
NANOWRIMO
Escape Pod
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
I'm Back!
Okay, so the move is complete, and I have internet at home all hooked up now. I'm still in the process of unpacking, but the majority of it is done. Now I think I can have the time, or make the time, to start this blog back up. I know it's been longer than I said it would be, and I apologize for that, but I'm here again now. I'll post some pictures of the new apartment later, I'm really loving it. And the neighbors at the new place are the coolest people I've met in a long time.
But enough about me, let's get the the podcasts! Currently, I'm listening to "Playing for Keeps", by Mur Lafferty, and I'm still listening to "Ancestor" by Scott Sigler. Those are all I've had time for lately, and both have already been reviewed here before.
The other night I got myself up to date on Stranger Things. Right now, they're taking a short hiatus, as they gear up for even bigger events. Before we get to those, first my thoughts on this 'cast. After the first few episodes I thought the directing and acting could use some work. Perhaps the ST crew thought so too, because each episode just kept getting better. both in terms of the acting and directing, but also the stories they were presenting. Aside from the premier and the most recent episode, "Latchkeepers", they've been pretty short. (Aside, "Latchkeepers" is actually a long episode, but it was broken up into three parts, about 10 minutes each. It seemed rather strange to do that {no pun intended} but the breaks were chosen well, and kept my interest until the next episode. The entire presentation was release as one afterwards, for those who want the entire cake at once.) Despite their brevity, each one leave me with the feeling of "Hmm, that was interesting.... I've never thought about it that way." As with most good stories, Stranger Things likes to give a seemingly predictable story, and then throw in a twist at the end which can sometimes take the brain for a ride. All in all, this is definately a podcast worth checking out.
Now, originally Stranger Things was an internet only 'cast, albeit the first video podcast shot and released in HD. They have gained popularity lately, and have a deal in progress with Illusion On-Demand. Yes, Stranger Things will be on TV. The internet podcast will still be around, but being on TV will increase their audience dramatically. This increased audience will hopefully catch the attention of advertisers, which will lead to more money for the show. This in turn leads to a bigger budget, and a bigger budget means better production, and ultimately, better episodes. The hiatus I mentioned above is needed for them to organize the start on TV, but they will be back up and running again soon. Another possibility is a DVD of Season One. All of which is big news, and Stranger things had over 1500 subscribers before they even premiered. Once these things start going down, who knows how big they could get.
That's all for today, and again, I'm sorry for taking so long to get back to this. Below are some links to the 'casts mentioned. I'm also going to keep the links from the most recent post in the sidebar, for a quick overview of what was covered last.
Next time, a non-fiction podcast, "I Should Be Writing", by Mur Lafferty, updates on my own projects, and some plans for the future.
Playing for Keeps
Ancestor
Stranger Things
Illusion On-Demand
But enough about me, let's get the the podcasts! Currently, I'm listening to "Playing for Keeps", by Mur Lafferty, and I'm still listening to "Ancestor" by Scott Sigler. Those are all I've had time for lately, and both have already been reviewed here before.
The other night I got myself up to date on Stranger Things. Right now, they're taking a short hiatus, as they gear up for even bigger events. Before we get to those, first my thoughts on this 'cast. After the first few episodes I thought the directing and acting could use some work. Perhaps the ST crew thought so too, because each episode just kept getting better. both in terms of the acting and directing, but also the stories they were presenting. Aside from the premier and the most recent episode, "Latchkeepers", they've been pretty short. (Aside, "Latchkeepers" is actually a long episode, but it was broken up into three parts, about 10 minutes each. It seemed rather strange to do that {no pun intended} but the breaks were chosen well, and kept my interest until the next episode. The entire presentation was release as one afterwards, for those who want the entire cake at once.) Despite their brevity, each one leave me with the feeling of "Hmm, that was interesting.... I've never thought about it that way." As with most good stories, Stranger Things likes to give a seemingly predictable story, and then throw in a twist at the end which can sometimes take the brain for a ride. All in all, this is definately a podcast worth checking out.
Now, originally Stranger Things was an internet only 'cast, albeit the first video podcast shot and released in HD. They have gained popularity lately, and have a deal in progress with Illusion On-Demand. Yes, Stranger Things will be on TV. The internet podcast will still be around, but being on TV will increase their audience dramatically. This increased audience will hopefully catch the attention of advertisers, which will lead to more money for the show. This in turn leads to a bigger budget, and a bigger budget means better production, and ultimately, better episodes. The hiatus I mentioned above is needed for them to organize the start on TV, but they will be back up and running again soon. Another possibility is a DVD of Season One. All of which is big news, and Stranger things had over 1500 subscribers before they even premiered. Once these things start going down, who knows how big they could get.
That's all for today, and again, I'm sorry for taking so long to get back to this. Below are some links to the 'casts mentioned. I'm also going to keep the links from the most recent post in the sidebar, for a quick overview of what was covered last.
Next time, a non-fiction podcast, "I Should Be Writing", by Mur Lafferty, updates on my own projects, and some plans for the future.
Playing for Keeps
Ancestor
Stranger Things
Illusion On-Demand
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