Doc Coleman's Blog, page 27

The Wayback Machine: Every Photo Tells…: Episode 51 – The Price of Surrender

It is Wednesday, and time for another trip with the Wayback Machine. For a change, this time we are NOT going to be revisiting an episode of The Galley Table. This time we're going to January 30th, 2011 when the Every Photo Tells… podcast released their performance of my short story The Price of Surrender. This story was nominated for a Parsec Award in the category of Best Speculative Fiction Story (Short Form), but unfortunately did not make it to the finals because of the amazingly fierce competition in that category.

The prompt for this story was a picture of a stream with clear water running over rounded stones. And a duck sitting on the end of a plank. So looking at this, it was obvious to me that magic was involved…

This was the first time I wrote a story for a particular performance. While I had written stories for the Every Photo Tells… podcast before, this was the first time I'd written specifically for Mick and Katarina's voices. And I think it came out very well. They both did an excellent job with the accents of the multiple characters, making them distinct despite only the two of them reading. I was very happy with their performance.

I hope you enjoy listening to the podcast. I hope to have the text version of this story up on Smashwords before the end of the month, but life often does interfere. I will make the text available soon. It is just a question of when.

If you like this story, please go to the Every Photo Tells… site and sample some of the other stories. Or better yet, go to Podiobooks.com and subscribe to the Book 1, Book 2, or Book 3 collection of stories from the podcast.

The Wayback Machine: Galley Table Episode Nineteen – Support

Time to start off the week with another trip through the Wayback Machine! Today's jaunt into the past takes us to January 21st, 2011 and Episode Nineteen of The Galley Table. In this episode we are joined by Starla Huchton of The Dreamer's Thread fame. We are also joined by Flying Island press crew JP Losier, the ninja of podcasting, as we examine supporting Podiobooks and your favorite artists. We also discuss getting paid for writing, and some ways that social media can be used to spread the word. And, of course, silliness ensues.

So sit back, relax and listen along as we discuss:

Podiobooks.com
Making fun of Evo Terra.
Nathan Lowell brings Podiobooks to its knees by releasing a new book.
Bravery or guilt?
The power of Mother's Guilt.
Goodbye Clean tag.
The economic hit.
Audible vs. Podiobooks (Cage match!)
Doesn't the author deserve to be paid for their work.
Pennies add up.
Which do you prefer? Lots of small donations, or a few big payoffs?
Touching the larger community.
Rich stalkers.
Podcast fiction: a different animal?
Cliffhangering bastardy.
Serial Fiction vs. Novels.
The Venn diagram of audio fiction.
"Maximizing the potential of the media"
Keeping the reader engaged.
Where do the hits come from?
Go where your audience is.
Like getting slash dotted or boing-boinged.
Serendipity.
The humor of awkward pauses.
Don't make me pull this podcast over!
Finding and building communities.
Participate, don't just spam.
Better groundswell than Oprah.
The Minion Effect.
A small percentage of obsessive fans.
Influencers.
Minion Pride.
Minions are good to have.
Controversy for popularity.
Pimping stuff.
Full of win.
A mime is a terrible thing.
The Uwe Boll effect.
Goodnight serenade.

I hope you've enjoyed this episode and will be back on Wednesday for the next trip via the Wayback Machine!

The Wayback Machine: Galley Table Episode Eighteen – Potpourri

Today we are letting the Wayback Machine take us back to January 15th, 2011. We didn't have any guests, so this one is just me, Scott Roche, Zach Ricks, and Jeff Hite. Join us as we send up Star Trek captains, self publishing, and author love. And somewhere along the way we actually managed to have a semi-serious discussion about the craft of writing. Give it a listen!

Some episode highlights:

Weebles Wobble.
"Hold my head underwater, I speak French fluidly."
Copyright infringement.
Picard was a wuss.
Being a professional writer.
Politicians and Prostitutes.
What are our stories really worth?
Smashwords love!
Dan Sawyer, Man of many talents.
"Nothing sells a back catalog like a back catalog."
The Trunked Novel.
You've got to maintain quality.
Shape-shifting, Vampire-killing, biker chicks!
Can you write a novel that someone will buy?
The editorial process.
Hiring an editor.
The Microsoft Grammar Mangler.
"There is no excuse for not doing a final read through or listen through."
Criticizing the Future Dark Overlord. Or at least his editing minions.
It's a great time to be creative!
Thank you, listeners!
Moose curling.
There are no short cuts.
How do you practice and rehearse writing?
Work your way up to Old Man and the Sea , and then kill yourself.
Geek rumble!
Put in the time.
First and foremost, you need to write.
Second you need to finish what you write.
Third, you need to show it to someone else.
Heinlein's Rules
To be successful, you need a cheerleader, a critic, and an honest opinion.
Brutal honesty.
You have to separate yourself from the work.
Manage your expectations.
Know what you're doing and why.
There is work involved.
Wacky, madcap, in depth writing analysis.
Pragmatic violence.
To boldly go near… and far… near… and far!
To seek out new worlds and new breakfast cereals.
The dread star fleet captain.
Captain Dresden.
Around the universe in 80 days.

I hope you enjoyed the episode. We'll have something new from the Wayback Machine on Monday!

The Wayback Machine: Galley Table Episode Seventeen – New Media Forecast

This time the Wayback Machine is set for January 6th, 2011, and we've got another episode of The Galley Table! This was a fantastic episode with guests Podcasting's Rich Sigfrit and Mike Plested. As a way of celebrating the New Year, we were supposed to be discussing where we thought new media would go in 2011, but with a guest like Podcasting's Rich Sigrit, the conversation moved around a bit more than usual.

A few of the many topics touched upon during the conversation:

A coup.
Christina Hendricks as Wonder Woman.
Christina Hendricks.
Defining new media.
Something is funny in the podiosphere… It's comedians.
Adam Curry and Shakespearian insults.
The low cost of entry to New Media.
There is nothing wrong with doing things out of your basement!
Throwing off the "made in the basement" stigma.
Podcast backlogs.
Zack's thoughts on the floor.
Cats with coherent thoughts.
Getting outside the fishbowl.
Podcasts on your TV.
Podcasts on your phone.
Hookers and Blow.
What is your business?
We'll fix it in post.
You should be supporting NPR financially.
Hookers and Blow.
There is a mute button.
I am Sparticus. I am the Fishbowl. I am the Eggman. Koo coo katcho!
Christina Hendricks as Wonder Woman.
The invisible costume.
Cash donations.
Who isn't using a bell?
The plight of Canadian Podcasters.
Zack Ricks as Wonder Woman. (twitch, twitch)
Laura Nicole as Wonder Woman.
Tighter controls on the Canadian border.
Another coup.
The inhumanity of Pokemon.
Choking the Poke.
Redecorating the canteen.
OCD in the military.
Another stake in the heart of the clean rating.
Scott hits on Evo Terra.
Look at the show nuts.

Dear god, this show was hilarious.  Here, listen for yourself.

Ok, folks, that is it for today. See you on Friday when we warm up the Wayback Machine again!

The Wayback Machine: Galley Table Episode Fifteen – Group Rants

Once again the Wayback Machine provides us with another Galley Table episode. This one was released into the wild on December 25th, 2010. This Christmas present contains special guests Val Ford and David Sobkowiak. Join them and the rest of the panel as we rant about reality tv, passive protagonists, vampires, and fanfic. This is also the episode where Scott decided that I'd done so many episodes of Galley Table that I no longer counted as a guest.

Some highlights from the show:

"I am the Paul Lynde of Galley Table."

"Are you willing to be the hot babe eye candy of the group?"

"Why does it take more than 12 hours to edit 2 hours of audio?"

"You know what would make Survivor better? Velociraptors!"

"That's why he's not here. You took his shoes!"

"I think Alfalfa would make a great werewolf."

"Succubi always swallow."

"And the subscriber base just shot up!"

"Because you're young, you have the stamina to outlast them. So when you go drinking with them… Oh, wait, you're a lightweight."

"I've seen pictures of Emma Watson. She's filled out nice."

"Better Rob Lowe than Danny Devito."

Check back on Wednesday when we'll fire up the Wayback Machine again.

The Gift now available at the Kindle Store!

For those of you who prefer the Kindle, or just like the flexibility of the Kindle app, my short story The Gift is now available from Amazon through the Kindle store for just $0.99.

Today, the Kindle! Tomorrow the Nook! Oh, wait, tomorrow is Saturday. Maybe we can work the Nook in next week.

The Wayback Machine: Galley Table Episode Fourteen – Balance Daniel-san

Time for another trip back on the Wayback Machine. This time we're heading for December 16th, 2010 and the release of the fourteenth episode of The Galley Table. This episode featured Val Ford and PG Holyfield as guests and marked one of Laura Nicole's first forays as the head of the panel. This episode also marked the first official announcement of my podcast The Shrinking Man Project.

The episode's discussion focused around how to balance work, life, writing, and other projects. Also mentioned:

plans for Bodices and Fedoras at Balticon 45
Laura is taking auditions for a Sugar Daddy (requirements are lots of money and lots of rum)
"Stolen time is the sweetest time of all."
"Writers are the best procrastinators in the world."
Laura reads in the bathtub. And the rest of us are inspired.
"Keep your hands above the table!"
"Petting P.G.'s ego."
"The DVR is my friend."
Guilty Pleasure movies.
A round-robin coup.
"I love big guns and I cannot lie!"


Check back next Monday for the next episode from The Wayback Machine!

The Gift now available from Smashwords!

Today I have published my first short story, The Gift, on Smashwords. The story in question was first released on the podcast Every Photo Tells… and was nominated for a Parsec Award in 2010. Now the text is available in print on Smashwords for just $0.99.

This is my first story on Smashwords, but it won't be my last. Keep your eyes out for more news on further writing and publishing adventures. If you'd like to see more of my writing, please buy a copy of The Giftand encourage your friends to do the same. The money I make will help fund future projects, and encourage me to make more time for writing.

The Wayback Machine: Galley Table Episode Twelve – Biblioterminophobia

Return with me to December 4th, 2010, when I joined with the Galley Table crew to welcome Alex "The Gearheart" White, and Nobilis Reed to The Galley Table. To celebrate the end of NaNoWriMo, we talked about endings. Writing them, reading them, how people relate to them, and what makes a good ending.

Along the way we also touch on why world-building is the enemy of storytelling and the relative unimportance of Story Bibles. Patchwork writing styles in contrast to Discovery and Outline writing.

Quotes along the way:

"The Snowflake Goes to Eleven."

"Next Week: Zombie Tolkien!"

"Tentacle Erotica."

And the episode rounds out with some music from Alex White's Maiden Flight of the Avenger Soundtrack. That is worth a listen as well.

Enjoy the episode, and keep your eyes peeled for more from The Wayback Machine.

The Wayback Machine: Galley Table Episode Eleven – Topic? We don't need no stinking topic.

Today we've set the Wayback Machine for November 24th and the release of another Galley Table. The guests for this episode are Brand Gamblin and SV Allie. In a massive fail of planning, we hadn't planned a topic for this particular episode, and just kind of let the conversation ramble aimlessly. Which, of course, led to an excellent episode.

Topics briefly touched upon:

Kermit the Frog
The Book that Brand spent a year on and cannot sell.
Copyright laws.
NaNoWriMo
Star Wars Opera!
Ghost Bears
Alien vs Pooh
Cinderella's Zombie Army
Battle Dresses

Really.  You can't write this stuff.  It just has to congeal. Sort of. Thingy.

Also in this episode, an insight into Brand Gamblin's The Hidden Institute from back when Brand was writing it. If you haven't heard it before, you should give this episode a listen!

Keep an eye on the feed for more from the Wayback Machine.