Archive for Podcasts

Podcasts, Projects

ISBW #519: Protagonists and Antagonists

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 46:13 — 43.1MB)

Subscribe: Email | TuneIn | RSS

I’m not a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes stories, but Doyle did one thing Christie didn’t: he made a brilliant sleuth and then gave him an antagonist just as smart.

Other things:

Twitch Schedule (All times Eastern Daylight Time):

  • M- Lunch AMA, 12:30
  • T- Live ISBW, 12:30
  • Th- Live ISBW, 12:30, Live gaming, 8:00
  • Su- Live gaming, 2:00
Podcasts, Projects

Ditch Diggers #105: Career Changes with Gail Carriger

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:06:22 — 41.4MB)

Subscribe: Email | TuneIn | RSS

We welcome the godmother of our podcast, Gail Carriger, back to talk about her new book, The Heroine’s Journey, venturing into nonfiction, and the path from traditional publishing to self-pub. 

Podcasts, Projects

ISBW #518: Why Create During a Pandemic?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 15:09 — 17.5MB)

Subscribe: Email | TuneIn | RSS

A reasonable question came up in the Discord this week. Why create right now when everything is terrible and even creators have existential (or very tangible) dread?

Other things:

Twitch Schedule (All times Eastern Daylight Time):

  • M- Lunch AMA, 12:30
  • T- Live ISBW, 12:30
  • Th- Live ISBW, 12:30, Live gaming, 8:00
  • Su- Live gaming, 2:00
Podcasts, Projects

Ditch Diggers #104: Kickstarter with Shawn Pryor

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:17:29 — 54.5MB)

Subscribe: Email | TuneIn | RSS

Comics creator Shawn Pryor returns to Ditch Diggers! We talk to him about Kickstarter, career transitions, and Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers.
  • Matt and Mur come to you live from the Ditch Diggers Weeping Closet where Mur is lamenting the departure of her daughter to college, with special return guest, author and comics creator, Shawn Pryor!
  • A lot has changed since the last time Shawn was on the show. Most of it is bad because the world, but some of it is good.
  • Matt and Mur reminisce with Shawn about meeting him for the first time over a game of Bang! (the rules of which are loosely explained).
  • What’s going on in our hosts’ and their guest’s professional lives? Mur talks about the daughter-sized hole in her life and how it is affecting her work, and Shawn talks about signing with his first agent after 13 years in the business without professional representation.
  • How, despite our acclimation to it culturally, many creators are still intimidated by the thought of launching a Kickstarter, and Shawn’s thoughts on the basics of KS, having created and run several successful campaigns.
  • The unique relationship between Kickstarter backers and Kickstarter creators, how crowdfunding differs from traditional selling in that way, and how to function in that dynamic as a KS creator.
  • Shawn talks about the pressure creators put on themselves to achieve career goals and benchmarks by a certain age, how to overcome that arbitrary measurement of success, and his new five-year plan.
  • The environments of comics as opposed to other creative mediums/industries, and the assholes you meet along the way (also the kind people, like Matt and Mur, at least according to Shawn).
  • The patented end-of-episode-shilling commences! Shawn has so much cool content to shill, including Power Rangers and Flintstones fan works!
Mentioned in This Episode…
Podcasts, Projects

Ditch Diggers #103: Feedback

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 59:53 — 40.6MB)

Subscribe: Email | TuneIn | RSS

Matt and Mur come to you live from their separate but equally teddy bear and unicorn-filled bedrooms in the Ditch Diggers Mansion.

  • Pan-corns versus unicorns, and popular usage in podcasting terminology.
  • Matt and Mur are starting their own line of lumberjack body pillows (according to Matt, anyway).
  • Matt finished a new draft of a book (not to be confused with finishing a new book, again according to him), and Mur is still experimenting with her burgeoning career as a streaming star.
  • Patreon and Kickstarter culture, what creators “owe” their audiences, the associated guilt, and how being a freelance creator means running a small corporation in which you are every department.
  • How writers and their writing change over time.
  • It is the patented, storied, practically legendary Ditch Diggers Feedback Episode! In which Matt and Mur catch up on their mail and @’s!
  • Gay romcom recommendations for Mur (and everyone else).
  • How to expand your platforms beyond writer networking and industry-facing to be more reader/consumer-facing.
  • Transitioning from a full-time job (in this case back) to full-time freelancing. Spoiler Alert: Probably not right now in 2020.
  • Unplugging and focusing on your projects. Also, structure and timed lock boxes (Mur is very smart and says very smart things).
  • Selling novellas, from self-pub to “traditional” publishers, and ability to pivot and adapt.
  • The traditional end-of-episode shilling commences! Lameece Issaq, narrator of the audiobook version of Matt’s epic fantasy SAVAGE LEGION (out now from Simon Audio), gets some love.

Mentioned in this episode…

Podcasts, Projects

ISBW #514: Goals for long-term career

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 37:50 — 39.7MB)

Subscribe: Email | TuneIn | RSS

So I tried hard to get a better format, and screw it up immediately by saying it’s episode 513. Sigh.

We talk about the music of Devo Spice, who gives permission for my before- and after- stream music, and I very clumsily recommend his song Spider Verses. See the video below!

Speaking of music, I also talk about Loser by Garfunkel & Oates. This version edits the F-bombs.

About goals- remember that you want to make goals you can keep under your control. “Want to write the next Star Wars novel,” not under your control. “Want to write a book by end of year,” yes. “Sign with dream agent,” can’t control, but “research and query many agents,” yes. I bring up 24 Hour Plays, where I queried to see if they’d like a writer (under my control), and never heard anything back (not under my control.) I did everything I could, so I’m happy with that.

I’m supporting Duke Children’s Hospital through Extra Life! If you want to help support, check out that graphic below!

My Twitch schedule:
Mondays: 12:30 AMA
Tuesdays: 12:30 Live ISBW
Thursdays: 12:30 Live ISBW*
8:00 pm Gaming*
Sundays: 2pm Gaming

*out of town August 27-29, no streaming.

Podcasts, Projects

ISBW #513: Emotions vs Reality

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 32:25 — 33.7MB)

Subscribe: Email | TuneIn | RSS

Sometimes the strong emotion you feel, like depression over rejections or imposter syndrome, can be overwhelming, but do your emotions actually reflect the world’s reality?
This episode originally ran on I Should Be Writing’s fifteenth birthday! Whoo hoo!
I continue to be live on Twitch.tv, Tuesdays and Thursdays! 12:30pm EDT. 

Privacy Policy - Terms and Conditions