Jul 08 2011

New Story Begun!

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Tonight I finally started working on another short story to submit to the next ROAR anthology. I got ~880 words in, not a bad night’s work, although there’s definitely quite a bit still to go. I’m not sure yet how long this one will be, although it’ll definitely be shorter than “Blackbird Singing In the Dead of Night,” probably in the 3,500-6,000 word range. This one stars Suburban Jungle‘s Louis T. Tiger, who’s off to college and has to cope with the side-effects of his sister’s fame.

The submission deadline is the end of July, so there are only four weeks to go. I’m confident I can be done in time, but if there are other writers out there who are looking at submitting for ROAR and haven’t gotten started yet, you might want to shake a leg!

-The Gneech

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Jun 14 2011

New Short Story Geeks Podcast

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Episode five is up! We respond to listener e-mail, take on the subjects of authorial focus and what it actually means to “kill your darlings,” and check out some stories ranging from the faintly-silly to poetically sublime.

Unfortunately, there are some issues with the sound; I was trying out a new headset, and the results were not all I’d hoped for. I tried to even it out as much as I could, but even with Levelator the gain was just all over the place. Back to my old headset next time!

The good news is, the show is much shorter this week. ;)

-The Gneech

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Apr 19 2011

The Short Story Geeks Podcast is On the Air!

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Episode 001

Come on over, give it a listen, tell your friends! :D Hear Graveyard Greg lose it over the opening stinger for the Bloody Pen of the Ranting Editor!

-The Gneech

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Mar 31 2011

In Which I Tease, With Teasey Teasers

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This week has been a productive one: I have secured a pair of excellent Podcasting Partners and we’ve had our first brainstorming session. Who are they, you ask? Well I ain’t gonna tell you! This post is a teaser, after all. They may or may not choose to talk about it in their own bloggy spheres, in which case it’ll be up to your amazing detective skills to find the clues. I will say that I’m very pleased that both of my first choices were not only available but eager to sign up. :)

The podcast, in case you’re curious, will be a literary one concentrating on short fiction — news, reviews, and how-to’s. Digital formats have really started a short fiction renaissance, and as I’ve always loved the form, a podcast about it is just a natural fit. :) I’m still casting around for things like a title, but I’m sure that stuff will firm up in the next few weeks. The actual podcast will probably launch after I get back from Confuzzled, but I’m sure there will be more details to share between now and then. We’re still in the planning stages now, so any input is welcome and desired!

The other big production news for this week is that Attack of the War-Cats, the second NeverNever collection, is off to the printer! I’m expecting to receive a proof back tomorrow, and assuming it’s all good, the actual books should show up sometime in mid-April. Look for preorders to become available soon!

That’s it for now. Catcha later!

-The Gneech

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Mar 23 2011

Short Fiction, the Long Tail, and Existential Angst

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There’s a lot to cover today! Starting at the top, I am looking with interest at the idea of doing a podcast on various fiction-related topics. Right now I’m trying to secure a pod-partner or two and work out the details, with an eye towards launching sometime this summer or fall. If there’s anything you’d be particularly interested in, or if you’d like to participate, let me know in the comments or via e-mail.

Next item: supernatural erotica, I freely admit, is not my cup of tea. However! If it is your cuppa, please check out The Arcane, by Mur Rathbun, an old pal of mine. I expect it’s quite lurid. ;)

Speaking of checking out fiction, thanks to Jim van Pelt I have recently found out about Every Day Fiction, a website that provides a daily short story via e-mail or RSS feed. Very cool!

And if you want something longer than the average short story, check out The Economics of Niche Programming on the Overthinking It blog. Ostensibly about why good TV shows die young, it also has some interesting points about “the long tail” and how companies that thrive on it (Amazon, Netflix) operate.

So why did BSG succeed when Firefly failed? Why is It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia entering its seventh season when Arrested Development struggled for three? What’s the element that those successful shows had in common?

When blogging for OTI, I try to avoid talking about the economic factors that go into the production of art. Economics can seem simplistic — like a “just-so story” — or reductionist. Why does The Walking Dead spend so much time at the campsite? Because they had a limited budget and could only shoot on a few sets. Done! Hit “Publish” and kick back until next week. When all you have is a bachelor’s degree in economics, everything looks like a widget factory.

But when talking about the overall logic of why one show succeeds and another largely identical show fails, economics can’t be avoided. You have to talk about what the market looks like, who the biggest producers and consumers are, and how the incentives line up.

And finally, because it suits the day somehow, let’s have a bit of brilliance from XKCD:
Socrates could've saved himself a lot of trouble if he'd just brought a flashlight, tranquilizer gun, and a bunch of rescue harnesses.

Catcha later!

-The Gneech

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