Thursday, November 27, 2014

Happy Thanksgiving!

Pies. And there was still one more that didn't get put on the table. An embarrassment of riches, but now, of course, I'm sick to my stomach. Sugar overload.

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Counterproductive

Been reading the Joss Whedon biography by Amy Pascale, and it makes me feel completely inadequate as a storyteller. It's not supposed to work that way. I should be inspired to be like him, not encouraged to feel like he is a God that instinctively knows how to make a perfect story.

Monday, November 24, 2014

That Gets My Goat 149: Rowling in the Deep

New That Gets My Goat up!

Once, Rish and I both read J.K. Rowling's non-Potter books at the same time. And once, they talked about it. And talked. And talked.

The end.

Find the episode on the TGMG feed or right click HERE to download the episode. Additionally, you could click the play button below and listen right now. Enjoy!

Saturday, November 22, 2014

Please, Hurry

It's been three and a half hours now, and my car is still not done. On the bright side, I managed to write my entire Christmas story since I've been here. On the dark side, a family with three crying kids just arrived in the waiting room. They better finish my car soon.

Waiting Room

Getting my tires replaced, and the TV is tuned to friggin' Pokemon. I forgot my headphones in the car, dammit!

Finished!

2,218 today, and I arrived at the end of the story. The final product is 26,740 words. The longest thing I've ever written. I don't know how good it is, but at least I am done with "Do Over." Now I need to write my Christmas story for this year's Dunesteef spectacular. I'd better hurry if we're going to make it before February or March.

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

I'm All About This Bass

I'm sure you've all heard enough with the parodies and covers of "All About That Bass", but if you haven't heard this one, then you must. It's freaking awesome. I've barely heard the original, because I tend to avoid the radio stations that would play it. This version hits just where it should. I'm already a big fan of old time swing and jazz music, so they didn't have to work hard to get me to like it, but Kate Davis's voice is absolutely gorgeous. If she could make enough music that I never had to listen to another singer, I think I'd be happy.

Monday, November 17, 2014

Inadequate

I share a word count spread sheet with a bunch of folks in a writers group. So far this month, I have written 9,218 words. That's not too bad for me. If I pick it up a bit, I should be able to trounce my goal of 15,000 for the month. Although that seems to mean a little bit less when I look at some of the other writers on the spread sheet and see that some of them have written word counts like 14,368 IN ONE DAY!!! Is it just NaNo? Or do these people do this kind of stuff all the time, I wonder? Makes me feel pretty inadequate in comparison.

Dunesteef Episode 166: TWSC – Clean Up by Josh Roseman

New Dunesteef Episode up!

The Chromatic Knights are out destroying vampires, which means that the clean up crew will have some work to do. The Blue Knight does a lot of good, but he really ought to give a thought or two to the little guy.

I’m a trombone, you’re a clarinet. Afterward, Rish and I talk janitor work, Little Caesars, and wait…why is that light blinking? What does that blinking light mean?

Special thanks to Justin Charles for producing today’s story as well as providing the episode art, and to Renee Chambliss and Julie Hoverson for lending their voices to the tale.

Head over to the Dunesteef website  (EDIT: Now that the feed is gone, the only way to hear the show is over on the Dunesteef Podcast YouTube page, which I am embedding below).

Existential

Saw this article and have been feeling hopeless dread ever since. Can human beings reverse the collapse of everything that seems to be looming? 2048 could easily be within my lifetime. Is there any hope? Or should I just kill myself now...or maybe around 2035 or so anyway.

Sunday, November 16, 2014

Getting Out Of Hand

Jeez, the story that I'm working on—it's called "Do Over"—is now 24,271 words. It's already the longest thing I've ever written. It's probably still got another 2,000 words left in it before it's done too. It kind of freaks me out, and, of course, I'm sure it's terrible. But long is good, right? Novellas are good, right?

Friday, November 14, 2014

Prophet Of Doom

I'm reading Stephen King's Mr. Mercedes right now. At the end of a recent chapter he did the thing that he does in his novels that I love more than anything else that he does. He ended a chapter saying, "He thought, I'll have to do that when I get home tonight, never having any premonition that he wouldn't be coming back."

Now, while that was true, it wasn't the dire prediction that it sounded like it might be. I have always loved when King does this, and I find myself doing it in my own writing too. In fact, I did that today during the 582 words I wrote on my story. Anybody else love this? Or hate it? Should I keep it up or does it make my writing less enjoyable, less good?

No Zero Falls Apart

My Goal this month was No Zero Word Days. There was a few times where I wrote only 100 words, and even once I wrote only 24 words, one sentence. But until yesterday I had managed to keep it NZWD. But circumstances beyond my control made writing completely impossible yesterday, and my goal is now officially blown. I can still reach word count goals though. I'll try to keep plugging away. Now that Rish finished his most recent story, he keeps taunting me, which will keep me going, I suppose.

Thursday, November 13, 2014

TGMG 148: Agents of STEEF (Season Two)

New TGMG Folks!

So, I recently caught up with ABC/Disney/Marvel's "Agents of SHIELD" series, and was keen to talk to Rish about it, who had watched them when they aired. We discuss (and spoil) the first season (and a couple season two episodes) of the show.

Skye in the red dress.

Find the episode on the TGMG feed or right-click HERE to download it. Also, you can just hit the play button below and listen right now.

Ugh!

Snowing today for the first time this season. And it's cold. Can I already be hating winter this much? Shouldn't it take a little while longer than the first snowfall?

Saturday, November 8, 2014

Goal Progress

To make my word count goal for this month (which is not 50,000 words mind you. I'm not NaNoing) I have to be at 27%. I stayed up late tonight, and kept on a-writin' and I just passed 29%. Yeah, baby!

Friday, November 7, 2014

This One Might Not Be For Me

Started listening to a new audiobook, but instead I actually found a sleep aid that could make me a millionaire if I can figure out how to bottle it.

Slow Jam

Can't help but chuckle at this rendition of the Transformers theme song.

Postmodern Jukebox is always fun.

Too Many Cooks

Have you seen this? This was so awesome and effed up. I loved it!

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Vote Of No Confidence

18,970 words in, and I'm starting to worry that my story isn't any good after all. Crap.

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Literary Superpower?

So, I have been frequenting a writers group recently. Lurking there is the best description. Although I'm not trying it this year, they are all excited right now about NaNoWriMo. To keep them animated, somebody posed this question: "As a writer, what are you really good at? What is your literary superpower, your writer bad-assery?"

I looked at that and had no idea how to answer. I know they don't want me to say that I'm not good at anything, but that's how I feel. So, I'm going to ask y'all. If you've read anything (or listened to) that I've written, what is it that I do well? I suppose this could go really wrong for me, but I'm going to ask anyway.

Anklecast 20


So, how did everything go this month with the goals I'd set for myself? How is my five year plan coming along? Listen in and find out.

Music was "Crossing The Divide" courtesy of Kevin MacLeod of Incompetech.com.


Right click HERE to download the episode, select Save Link As, and save the file to your hard drive.

Subscribe to the Anklecast in iTunes

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