Category: Podcast

Podcast logo for Originality which has a 7 pointed star in pink and yellow with a dark pink and black background and the words Originality exploring the roots of creative genius

Originality 9: Investing in Art

By:  TempestPodcast

In this episode Aleen and I talk about how artists go about getting support for their endeavors. Not just selling their stuff, but getting people to invest in them via crowdfunding, patronage, and the like. This is a topic near and dear to my heart, obviously, as I’m currently supported in part by folks on Patreon. However, I put off doing that for almost a year because I was afraid to ask for that support and didn’t feel I deserved it. We talk about that and more.

Click here to listen or click here to subscribe!

And I’d love to hear from other writers, artists, musicians, and creatives about how you put yourself out there for investiture.

S J Tucker

Originality episodes 7 & 8 with S. J. Tucker

By:  TempestORIGINality

Our first two-part episode! I interviewed musician S. J. Tucker and the conversation was so rich and full of awesome that we split the discussion of it in two.

Episode 7, Will the Universe Take Care of Me?, is about how Sooj came to be a vagabond musician who made her living almost exclusively from her artistic talents. Episode 8, A Song-Shaped Butterfly Net, is all about collaboration. Both episodes feature snippets of her songs, which you will love, and the show notes have many links to where you can hear more and buy her stuff.

You can click the links above to download the individual episodes or you can click here and subscribe and get all the episodes!

Podcast logo for Originality which has a 7 pointed star in pink and yellow with a dark pink and black background and the words Originality exploring the roots of creative genius

ORIGINality #6 – Engage the Hashtagery!

By:  TempestPodcast

In this episode we talk to author Dan Moren, a tech journalist turned SF novel writer. …waitaminit…

It’s funny because I don'[t think Dan and I have ever met even though we really should have, given how much of our careers cross the streams. We’ll both be at WorldCon in Helsinki, though, where we will see each other across a room, go WAIT WE HAVE MET OMG and spend the rest of the con going around like we’ve been buds since forever.

Until then, you can enjoy the conversation Aleen and I have about him, his autographing skills, and other important creativity-related issues.

As always, you can listen to the episode below, or go to the show page to listen, download, or subscribe. You can also become a RelayFM member there and support the show!

Listen

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ORIGINality #5 – 73 Million Blank Notebooks

By:  TempestPodcast

It’s the Bullet Journal episode! Yep, we’re all about the BuJo here, except I try not to use the word “bujo” because… well… bujo.

I’ve had kind of a rocky relationship with the whole concept of bullet journaling, but, as I talk about in this episode, once I found an article that explained them in a way that made me feel like I could use and benefit from the system, I got into it. And it helped me find a use for the 73 million blank notebooks I have lying around. Hopefully this episode will do the same for those of you who’ve considered a bullet journal but get intimidated out of trying it by Instagram.

You can listen to or download the episode here, or you can listen below. But if you subscribe you’ll get each new episode in your podcatcher automatically. And if you become a RelayFM member you get extra cool stuff.

Listen

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ORIGINality #4 and Writing Exercises

By:  TempestPodcast

Another episode of ORIGINality is out! This one is just Aleen and myself, and we talk about the role of practice in creative endeavors. I talk in depth about how I have not seen practice emphasized in creative writing the way it was when I learned music and the way I see it valued in other arts like drawing or dance. And yet, I come across students in every class who lament that they aren’t that good at describing setting or dialogue or writing action. To that I say: if you know you’re not good at it, then why don’t you practice?

To that end, I started a new thing on my Patreon: writing exercises. All patrons get a new writing exercise each week that’s meant to be done every day. Each will be about developing some particular skill. I encourage patrons to share the exercises with each other, but you don’t have to.

Patrons who want feedback from me on their exercises can get it if they are contributing on the Learn You Some level. All patrons can ask the other folks in the community for feedback if they want.

The idea is to have a 10 – 20 minute chunk of your day devoted to writing that is just about building a skill and not contributing to your wordcount. Not all words need to be designed to be read. You can create things just for the purpose of trying out new stuff.

Listen to me go on about this in the podcast below, or subscribe so you can listen in your favorite podcatcher.

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ORIGINality podcast episodes 2 and 3

By:  TempestPodcast

I’m behind on alerting you to the new episodes of my new podcast, ORIGINality. Please forgive me for such tardiness.

In episode 2, A Couch Not Possessed by Cats or Satan, Aleen interviews Mikah Sargent and she and I talk about what writers need in order to produce words. Be it time, money, good health, someone to help with responsibilities, or a couch that isn’t possessed by cats or Satan.

You can listen below, or subscribe via iTunes, Overcast, Pocket Casts, RSS feed, or Google Play.

In episode 3, Unicorn Sidekick, Aleen interviews Kathy Campbell, who currently holds that title. She and I then talk about the role organization plays in the creative process and I get deep in my feels about bullet journals.

You can listen below, or subscribe via iTunes, Overcast, Pocket Casts, RSS feed, or Google Play.

If you like this show, you can also support it by becoming a RelayFM member. The money goes directly to Aleen and myself if you support our show specifically. We also get a cut if you decide to support all the shows on the network (and there are some fantastic ones).

Podcast logo for Originality which has a 7 pointed star in pink and yellow with a dark pink and black background and the words Originality exploring the roots of creative genius

New Podcast: ORIGINality

By:  TempestPodcast

Today is launch day for the new podcast project1 I’m involved in: ORIGINality, where we explore the roots of creative genius. I’m doing this podcast with Aleen Simms, who you may recognize from the JEMcast (oh man, I really miss it) or her amazing podcast Less Than Or Equal. Aleen came up with the idea for ORIGINality and asked me to join her, and I said yes.

Each episode we’ll explore some aspect of creativity, and not just writerly creatives or even those most folks would put in the category of Artist. Most episodes will feature an interview with a creative genius that sparks our conversation, like episode 1: Steampunk Mermaids with Nisi Shawl. In this I asked Nisi about the reason she wrote Everfair — ahem, excuse me, that is Nebula and Locus award nominated Everfair — and Aleen and I talk about how annoyance with what you see in art can inspire you to create better versions of said art. Go listen!

ORIGINality will have a new episode every other week. If you subscribe it’ll show up in your podcast player automagically. And if you become a member of Relay/the show, you’ll get access to members only Episode 0 and other members only episodes in the future. Plus, you support the hosts (me! Aleen!) directly.

I’m very excited about where this podcast is gonna take us and I hope you love it, too :)

Footnotes

  1. Hey Tempest, I hear you saying, what about your OTHER podcast? The Write Gear? Well, dear listener, I am very much hoping to get back to that, but I am in need of someone to help me edit the show. That’s the big sticking point. Know anyone who wants to edit a podcast for free? [⇧]
Write Gear laptop Buying Guide

The Write Gear Laptop Buying Guide For Writers

By:  TempestPodcast

Episodes 10, 11 and 131 of The Write Gear podcast are all about laptops — the best laptop overall, great laptops for if you want something small and light, laptops for small budgets, etc. These episodes, plus the extensive links in the show notes, constitute my Laptop Buying Guide for folks who write.

As I say in the intro to episode 10, “Which laptop should I buy?” the #1 query from writers asking me for tech advice. My answer depends on a lot of factors, but I often end up recommending one of the laptops mentioned in the two podcasts.

Listen to TWG #10: The Best Laptop for Writers right here or subscribe in iTunes

      The Write Gear: Episode 10

Episode 10 Show Notes

Episode 11 is partly about recommending small, inexpensive laptops, though mainly a conversation with Brad Linder about the history of netbooks and the current state of things. We do talk about what you should look for in these netbook-like machines if you go out on the hunt for one.

Listen to TWG #11: Small And Light Laptops for Writers

      The Write Gear: Episode 11

Episode 11 Show Notes

Writers often ask me about Chromebooks because they’re inexpensive and seem like a good idea. My general advice is that you’re better off with an inexpensive PC or even an AlphaSmart over a Chromebook most of the time, though they do have uses as a secondary laptop.

Listen to TWG #13: Are Chromebooks Good For Writers?

      The Write Gear: Episode 13

Episode 13 Show Notes

Keep in mind, my anti-recommendation of Chromebooks is based solely on a writer’s needs. They are great machines for other folks and other purposes. So don’t come banging don my door in anger, Google. I just got it fixed from the last time!

Footnotes

  1. Post updated April 22nd [⇧]
From Farscape to Fountain Pens

The Write Gear #9: From Farscape to Fountain Pens

By:  TempestPodcast

When I was a wee Tempest, I read in some book by a fancy author that all real writers write with fountain pens. And being a dutiful person who wanted to be a real writer, I took this to heart and went out and bought a fountain pen. And for a few days it was The Best, and then it got ink everywhere and became The Worst.

Does this experience feel familiar to any of you? I bet it does. Fountain pens do seem a proper tool for those of us who still write by hand (more thoughts on that on an earlier post). They may also seem daunting. Are inexpensive fountain pens even any good? If you want something that will last, where do you even go to figure it out? Is dealing with ink as fraught as it seems?

I decided to put these and other newbie questions to Richard Manning, screenwriter, producer, and fountain pen geek. Richard was a producer on Farscape, and started down the long, twisty path to fountain pen love thanks to seeing a certain actor’s fancy Montblanc. Which actor? You’ll just have to listen to our nerdy pen conversation to find out.

Listen to TWG #9: From Farscape to Fountain Pens – A Conversation with Richard Manning right here or subscribe in iTunes

      The Write Gear: Episode 9

There are links to all the pens and inks and websites Richard mentions in the show notes.

So, where my fountain pen geeks at? Fly your flag in the comments or over on Twitter with the hashtag #FountainPenLove.

JEMcast Alone Again

New JEMcast: Alone Again

By:  TempestPodcast

JEMcast Alone Again

On this week’s JEMcast we talk about a bunch of people’s favorite episode: Alone Again. Season 2 seems packed with PSA-type shows. We had two on literacy and now this one about drug use. What I find fascinating is that the main character, Laura, goes through the entire drug addiction arc in the space of 22 episode minutes and 6 days of in-show time.

Feeling depressed/worthless –> falling prey to slick drug dealer with free product –> getting hooked immediately and can’t live without the drugs –> Can’t afford to pay for drugs, so steals from loved ones –> Discovers that drug dealer is the worst ever –> Told they must go to therapy/AA/rehab –> Won’t admit they have a problem –> Finally admits they have a problem. In 6 days.

This episode also provides more evidence that Jerrica is a terrible foster mom as well as the world’s worst CEO.

Listen and let me know what you think! Also, just a reminder: the JEMcast is eligible for the Best Fancast Hugo Award!

Subscribe to the JEMcast on iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn, via RSS, or listen below.

      JEMcast: Alone Again