Huh! Time management strategies actually help with productivity. Who'd've thought?

My boss is still wimpy, but I'm taking matters into my own hands and trying to do some time management, and what do you know, I've been much more productive. But that means I'm not blogging so much. I'm on the fence with how much blogs help, from a productivity standpoint, anyway. I've always blogged for myself mostly. I know there are highly motivated people whose blogs bring in new readers/listeners, but I'm doubtful I could ever be one of them. So I blog sporadically. Thanks to the few who stick with me, despite the lack of regular entries.

Anyway, I wanted to dash off a quick entry before getting back to writing and audio editing. Why the head in the jar? Aside from the fact that I didn't know which picture to post, I think it's a good example of all of the fun/timewasting options there are out there in the world now. This was made using the "head in a jar" ipod/iphone app. So if you've ever wanted to make a Futurama head in a jar avatar of yourself, now you can! I am trying not to do too much of that kind of thing, however. I'm trying to be productive and efficient. A couple of weeks ago I watched this amazing lecture on Youtube on time management given by Randy Pausch before he died. You should check it out if you haven't already. It inspired me to make todo lists and commit to using my time more wisely (or should that be using my time wiser? hmm....). I hate todo lists but I found this ipod app that I'm using and somehow that's making it all more tolerable.

So really fast, before I get back to work, here are a couple of other links you might want to check out:

Catastrophe Baker and the Cold Equations by the great Mike Resnick is the latest Dunesteef story that I produced. I had a lot of fun with it. There was threat of castration and operatic sex. What's not to like? Plus it's really funny!

Then I had a role in a fullcast podcast of an incredible short story called "The Machine Stops" by E.M. Forster. It was written back in 1909 but is amazingly accurate in some of its predictions for the future. Give it a listen.

Finally, Dreaming of Deliverance was reviewed by The Self-Publishing Review. I was worried about what she might say about it, because she has high standards and doesn't finish 90% of the books she's sent, but she read all of DoD in one day and said she missed the characters when it was over. Of course she also had areas she thought could be improved. I want to blog more about that, but for now I'm just going to give you the link: The Self-Publishing Review

Okay! I will try not to let too much more time pass before I post another entry. If I get it on my todo list next week sometime, I should be all set!

Writing Mind Games, Cowry Catchers, Dunesteef, and Website Woes

I've been a blogging slacker lately. Sorry! But on a much more positive note, I've been writing like the wind! Unfortunately, I need to play mind games with myself to get myself to write and I've had to adjust those strategies over the years as my circumstances change. So when I first started writing fiction, I wrote during nap time. Then my kids stopped taking naps and I had to adapt. That's when the 4:30 AM approach began. Lately, however, it's been tougher to get up that early. My kids are staying up later making 4:30 seem even earlier than it used to seem. So instead, I'm not letting myself log onto the internet until I've met the day's writing goal. It's working out really well so far.

In other news, I'm going to redo my website. For some reason I can't update it and since I've never really liked the way it looks, I've decided to stop struggling with it as is, and redo it using WordPress. That could take a while, unfortunately.



However, I can still update you here about a couple of new voice work projects. First, six episodes of Book 3 of the Guild of the Cowry Catchers, by Abigail Hilton are now available. If you've read this blog post from November, you know how much I love this story. I am thrilled to be a part of its podcast! Listen to Books 1 and 2 first, so you'll be up to speed, but then you can start Book 3 and hear me play Dakar, a girl that Abbie describes as both creepy and sweet. Listen to Dakar hum in episode 4 and you'll see why!









Then I produced another Dunesteef story: "Sides", by Clay Dugger. I had a lot of fun with this one. My character is creepy and not so sweet, and there are zombies, a scary lab, and lots of humor.

So although I haven't been blogging much lately, I've been busy as usual. And remember, even if I haven't posted here in awhile, you can usually find me on Facebook and Twitter, but not before I've completed my writing for the day!

My biggest narration challenge to date: The High Priest, by C. Deskin Rink

The toughest story I've ever narrated is now live at the horror podcast Cast Macabre.

Why was it so difficult?

The language.

"The High Priest", by C. Deskin Rink is gorgeously, lyrically written but wow, were there a lot of words there that I had never said before.

I asked Barry J. Northern, the force behind Cast Macabre for some help with the pronunciations of the names and he connected me with C. Deskin Rink. I love it when I can interact with the writers of the pieces I voice, because I know all of the energy and thought that goes into writing and I want to do what I can to help bring their vision to the listeners.

Well, C. Deskin Rink had a lot of ideas about how "The High Priest" should sound. He sent me a link to another story that was read in the style he envisioned for "The High Priest", as well as a link to "Ankor Sabbat" a story of his podcast on Pseudopod that was set in the same world. I listened to both, and also went through the manuscript and looked up the pronunciations for every word I was unsure of how to say, then wrote them phonetically in the text. That took some time because there were a lot of words I was unsure of how to say!  It was the most preparation I've ever done before reading a story.

As is typical for me, I then went through a low period. It's great to have so much input from the writer, but then I worried: Can I pull it off? He obviously cares a lot about how this story should sound and what if I fall short? Also, I write in a fairly uncomplicated style. I don't typically use unusual vocabulary. Would I be able to do his writing justice, as well as make it accessible to the listener?

But when I started recording, all of those doubts went away. True the reading wasn't as smooth as it could have been. I ran out of breath a few times, and stumbled more than I usually do. "Cartilaginous" gave me some trouble, for example! But for the most part, I loved saying all of those gorgeous words. And Barry was able to edit it together so that I sound like the whole thing just flowed off my tongue!

I've always thought of myself as someone who puts story first. Both as a writer and a reader, I want the story to be captivating. The writing hasn't been as important to me. I don't have much patience with weak writing, but usually I prefer the writing to be clear and invisible so that the story can shine through. In the case of "The High Priest", however, the language used and the elaborate style in which it was written, were a thrill to read. I loved doing it. The fact that the story is also intense and awful (this is horror, you understand, so that's a compliment) just made the whole experience all the better.

"The High Priest" is a fullcast production. Abigail Hilton, author/creator of the Guild of the Cowry Catchers (you all know how much I love that story!) voiced Bethany, the protagonist, and Bob Eccles played the part of Arden, the wolfish warrior who helps her.

This story is dark; it's poetic; it was a huge challenge for me to narrate, but I'm so glad I had the opportunity to give it a voice!

New Dunesteef Story: Check out this promo!

Not too long ago Bryan Lincoln of the Fullcast Podcast asked me to do some lines for a Dunesteef story he was producing called "Plague Birds", by Jason Sanford. It's now live at The Dunesteef Audio Fiction Magazine, and wow, what a cool story. The production was amazing. I was really impressed. And the vomit discussion afterwards, was hilarious (albeit, kind of gross) but my favorite part of the after-story commentary was Abbie giving Rish dating advice!

Here's the Plague Birds promo. Check it out!

New from AudioLark.com: Letters from Home, written by Jo Barrett, narrated by me!

Did I mention I'm now a pro? Yup! I've been doing some narrating for AudioLark.com, which publishes romantic audio fiction. Jennifer Feddersen, the owner and editor of AudioLark, has been terrific to work with and has given me lots of opportunities to narrate some lovely stories. Letters from Home, by romance novelist Jo Barrett is one of them.

In Letters from Home, the two main characters Phoebe and John are separated first by distance—he's a soldier stationed in Iraq when they begin corresponding with each other—then by a misunderstanding, and also by their own mistaken beliefs about themselves. They are good people who belong together, they just don't know it...yet! The story takes place in a Mayberry-like small town in North Carolina, and I really enjoyed getting to know Phoebe and John, as well as all of the other characters.

Being a writer myself, I always feel a big responsibility when it comes to narrating other writers' stories. I know all of the time, and energy, and love that is involved in shaping one's vision into words. When I'm reading a story aloud, I try to immerse myself in the world of the story, and not think about how it sounds, but instead tell the story in a way that rings true for me. I hope I was able to do that with Letters from Home.

My recording tent was attacked!

You know, a lot of people have teased me about my recording tent. Some have praised the clean sound in enables me to produce, but most have mocked it.

That's okay. I accept that not everyone's ideal recording set-up includes crawling into an old Spiderman children's play tent covered with a lavender, sheep-festooned flannel sheet, and a worn duvet cover—all held together with binder clips and duct tape.

Really, I don't mind. Chuckle all you want. It looks stupid. I know!

However, the other day I came across the following disturbing sight. And this is where I draw the line, people. Make fun of it all you want, but I will not allow my goofy-looking recording tent to be assaulted!

I was shocked! It was in shambles!

Was there an earthquake? Was it the kids? No. Soon the problem became clear...

And just in case there was any doubt:

Yeah, not a lot of remorse there. And sadly, it wasn't a one-time incident. She tears it down every chance she gets.

So now I have a new pre-recording task. In addition to turning off the heater and refrigerator, moving the ticking clock to the other room, applying lip balm, making sure I have hot tea and cool water at the ready, the microphone plugged in and the lap top fully charged, I also must put the kitten in the back room and close the door before I finish assembling the recording tent.

On a positive note, I've been podcasting for over a year, but now I feel I've truly arrived! Because one thing I've noticed when listening to other podcasters' outtakes, is that feline interference and podcasting seem to go hand in hand!

The Guild of the Cowry Catchers, by Abigail Hilton

As most of you know, I'm not the best at self-promotion, and I don't always put myself out there when I should. Thankfully, I have friends who give me self-promotion nudges from time to time. One of those nudges led me to a story that has become one of my all-time favorites.

The nudge? Craig Roberston told me a friend of his was looking for people to do Stories so Far for her podcast novel and that he thought I should offer to do one. If you're not familiar with Stories so Far (SSFs) they come at the beginning of each episode, and summarize what's come before.

So I wrote Craig's friend, Abbie, and she sent me the text of the SSF she needed. It contained lots of tricky to pronounce names, but I gave it a try. One I butchered so badly, despite the pronunciation guide, that she suggested I listen to an episode or two so I could hear it. I did and was hooked. Really hooked!  I've now listened to every episode that's available--most multiple times.

The Guild of the Cowry Catchers by Abigail Hilton is a full cast production that you can find for free on itunes. Book 1 is also at Podiobooks.com. It has terrific voice actors, beautiful background music, and absolutely stunning artwork that accompanies each episode. But to me story is always paramount and Cowry Catchers has an incredibly gripping story with characters who are complex and three-dimensional. There's beauty, and cruelty, and romance, and action. The premise and the plot are unique and original. It's impossible to predict what's going to happen next. Abbie also does something that I think is so difficult but makes for such great fiction when it's done well. She has a character who is basically amoral, but you like him and root for him and forgive him for the terrible things he does.

Why am I telling you about this? Well, two reasons. One is that I love this story and want to share it with you! The second is that I get to voice one of the upcoming characters! Her name is Dakar and she first appears in Book 3, which is in production right now. So start listening to Cowry Catchers and get caught up so when I start giddily blogging about Dakar, you'll know what I'm talking about!

The Guild of the Cowry Catchers is such a great story. I know you'll love it too!

Finally, I have some news!

Hello, my invisible friends!

It's been about a month since my second "I'm still around" post. Pathetic, huh? But there's just been no big news. Maybe I need to start blogging about writing progress, or favorite books or something. It might be better than the empty void that's been Pointed Squiggle for the last few months!

However, now I finally have some news! There is something coming out soon that I was lucky enough to be involved with.

Craig Robertson's next podiobook, The Prisoner of NaNoWriMo has a release date: August 20, 2010! From the Facebook announcement:



Piers Langland is a mild mannered paint salesman with one burning passion. He aspires to be a famous author. Each November he looks forward to entering The National Novel Writer Month competition. To be a winner in NaNoWriMo he must write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days, a tall order for any writer. Turns out, it is an especially tall order for our hero. Join Piers as he struggles to choose a topic for his novel before he can begin his epic task. Vampires or space opera, romance or pulp fiction, what should he choose? Unfortunately, the greatest object holding him back is Piers himself. Follow this hilarious tale as Piers blunders his way though one genre after another, leaving a trail of wackiness and comical disasters in his wake. Can Piers choose a topic? Can Piers finish his book? Can Piers get even one thing right without bungling it terribly? Read The Prisoner of NaNoWriMo and find out.

So a couple of months ago Craig asked me to do a role for this. And then he asked me to do another role for it. And then another. Soon I was doing (with one exception) all of the female parts.

I was an alien with an accent like we've never heard before, a doting housewife, a Romanian shot putter, a ball-busting judge, a lizard-like psychiatrist, and a seductive vampiress. Oh and I almost forgot: an emotionally fragile secretary. How could all of these characters fit into one story, you might wonder? Well, I've also been fortunate enough to hear Prisoner of NaNoWriMo in its entirety and they do! It's a hilarious story and it makes my writing difficulties seem very trivial and boring in comparison to what poor Piers has to endure. I hope you guys like it as much as I did!

I'm also writing more. The kids go back to school next week which is bittersweet because I do love having them around, but I also love having more time to write. DoD 2 continues to shape up into a very exciting and more complete form. I love this story!

And more voice work is coming soon, I'm pretty sure. But I don't have any other dates for it yet. I'll let you know as soon as I do!

No, really! I'm still around!

It's July 10, already?! Didn't I just post a blog entry? No? Crud!

The time is getting away from me. I'm writing some, recording lots, and have plans of course, but I haven't been blogging about anything, because nothing is available yet.

Soon, I'm pretty sure.

Anyway, as for the writing, I'm working on DoD 2, which probably won't be called DoD 2, but I don't have a title yet. That's not unusual since I didn't come up with "Dreaming of Deliverance" until the book was over 2/3 written. I have a hard time with titles. I like them to have multiple meanings, which Dreaming of Deliverance does, if you think about it. Anyway, I'm doing a lot of brainstorming, outlining even for this second book, which is very different from my usual process. The story of DoD was discovered as it was written, which was a ton of fun and worked well, I think, because Lindsay didn't know what was going on. She learned things as she went and so did we.

This book is different, however, because it's where we learn answers to all of the questions that came up for Lindsay. The story is going to end with this book and I don't want to spin my wheels writing without knowing where it's going. I do have a big chunk written already, but before I continue, I need to solve some problems. So I'm doing a lot of thinking and questioning and answering. I'm learning some incredible things about the whole situation. It's really cool! So don't worry. Progress is being made, even if I'm not sharing much about it right now.

As for the voice work, I think the story I narrated for the Dunesteef Audio Fiction Magazine should be live before too long. I can't wait to share it with you!

I'm also doing some voice work for Craig Robertson's next podiobook and that has been so much fun! You wouldn't believe the variety of characters in this one. As soon as that becomes available, I'll point you in that direction. You won't want to miss it.

Then there are three other voice work projects that should be underway before the year is out, that I will be starting soon, and should be available to you in the next few months. I'll keep you posted!

And I'm going to have a story in the Farrago Anthology! Something else that I'm thrilled about, but again, isn't quite ready. If you're curious what the Farrago Anthology could possibly be, check out this blog post by author/podcaster/editor powerhouse, Jennifer Hudock: The Power of Community I love being a part of this effort!

That's all for now, I think.

I will blog more soon.

Really!

I'm still around!

I miss you guys! I miss releasing new DoD episodes! Lucky me I still get to interact with the characters as I work on the sequel. I'm toying with the idea of releasing an excerpt from the still unnamed DoD 2. Is that something that might interest anyone? Email me or leave me a comment here, if you'd like.

I'm also thinking of starting a question and answer series about Dreaming of Deliverance or anything: writing, narrating, whatever. Craig had a question about the end of DoD, that I'd love to share with you all. And if anyone else had questions I'd be happy to answer what I can: as long as it doesn't spoil what's coming!

But if you'd like to hear me read something new, that's available right now, I recorded a story written by Kenn Crawford and his grandmother Hannah Crawford, that's now live at Kenn's site. It is beautifully written and very moving. The story behind this story is almost as touching as the story itself. So be sure to check out "Steven's Song".



And I was interviewed for Podioracket's Blog Talk Radio show! It was so much fun and there were lots of good questions. If you missed it and would like to hear it, here's a link to the archive. During the interview, someone told me they liked reading about the Africa trip. I still have lots of pictures, so here's a new one for you! A dung beetle! Not the most picturesque of the African animals, but really when you think about it, they are pretty impressive!

Finally, I'm supposed to mention that I was nominated for a Parsec award: Best New Speculative Fiction Podcaster/Team Apparently that's the kind of thing that one should blog about. I'm very humbled and thankful that someone thought of me for this category. So thanks to whomever put my name forward.

There's more coming, and I will try to be better about letting you all know about it. I'm going to be doing some voice work for the Dunesteef Audio Fiction Magazine, as well as for a couple of podcast novels. I will keep you posted on the progress there as the release dates for those projects get closer!

Take care, everyone! Thanks for sticking around. Even though DoD is over, there is more to come!