Since Mary Robinette Kowal, Jay Lake and John Scalzi did it, I thought, why not. My life may not have been as interesting, but we'll see.
1. Served as on set assistant to Kenny Rogers for a day
2. Rode an elevator with Carl Reiner and told a joke that made him laugh
3. Sat in a traditional African mud hut right out of National Geographic and had a snack
4. Written a theme song for a high school summer church camp
5. Had a national single on Christian radio. (I know of a couple of my friends who can say this, but there it is)
6. Bought the same used book three times while forgetting I already had it and never read it yet.
7. Petted a live shark.
8. Worked full time and went to graduate school full time and still pulled a B average.
9. Been engaged to women from two different continents (not at the same time I swear)
10. Walked unescorted around a maximum security prison amphitheatre full of inmates and survived. (I was not an inmate, I was a performer)
There they are. What are yours?
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Friday, December 31, 2010
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Links Of The Week Issue 2
http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/t5/Explorations-The-BN-SciFi-and/The-Best-Science-Fiction-Releases-of-2010/ba-p/778696 - Paul Goat Allen's ongoing series in best of Science Fiction books for 2010.
http://www.redgage.com/blogs/darkbow/four-indie-fantasy-authors-youve-probably-never-heard-of.html - Fantasy authors you haven't heard of but should look for, includes my World Fantasy Con roomie Moses Siregar.
http://www.atfmb.com/2010/12/30/conversations-with-my-cat-51/ -- Funny post about a conversation Patrick Hester had with his cat which all cat owners can relate to.
http://ht.ly/3dkvp -- 100 Questions to Ask Yourself About Your Plot (good writing stimulation)
http://io9.com/5719944/ -- I09's Power People in Science Fiction & Fantasy for 2010
http://www.redgage.com/blogs/darkbow/four-indie-fantasy-authors-youve-probably-never-heard-of.html - Fantasy authors you haven't heard of but should look for, includes my World Fantasy Con roomie Moses Siregar.
http://www.atfmb.com/2010/12/30/conversations-with-my-cat-51/ -- Funny post about a conversation Patrick Hester had with his cat which all cat owners can relate to.
http://ht.ly/3dkvp -- 100 Questions to Ask Yourself About Your Plot (good writing stimulation)
http://io9.com/5719944/ -- I09's Power People in Science Fiction & Fantasy for 2010
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Transcript: Science Fiction Fantasy Writer's Chat with the Functional Nerds, 12/29/2010
sffwrtcht SFF Writer Chat
Welcome to Science Fiction Fantasy Writer’s Chat w/ writers, editors, & more abt the craft of writing speculative fiction #sffwrtcht
Tonight come follow #sffwrtcht where @johnanealio & I will be answering questions about podcasting :)
Our format is round table discussion but please restrict questions to writing craft, business of writing & the work of the guest #sffwrtcht
Tonight, our guests are Patrick Hester @atfmb and @JohnAnealioof Functional Nerds, SF Signal and more. To talk about podcasting#sffwrtcht
Please wait until your question gets answered to ask another & use the hashtag #sffwrtcht for all questions and comments.
Right now! #sffwrtcht with the Funcational Nerds -- a round table discussion on podcasting: how it works, how it can benefit you
Welcome John & Patrick. Thanks for joining us. Pls tell us a little abt how Functional nerds came about. You were bloggers first?#sffwrtcht
I was doing a blog & a podcast called 'all things from my brain'. I thought I needed a 2nd voice. John was listening & doing his-#sffwrtcht
-his own podcast & thought he needed a 2nd voice too. He contacted me & we started chatting. Thus was born The Functional Nerds #sffwrtcht
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When @JohnAnealio contacted me about partnering up, he said it needed to be called 'Functional Nerds' based on something i'd-#sffwrtcht
-mentioned once or twice. I had a boss tell me that I was a nerd, but 'functional'-as in, I function in society. #sffwrtcht
That's cool. Okay, so podcasting is still new to a lot of us. Can you tell us how you go about putting a show together? Briefly. #sffwrtcht
@atfmb @JohnAnealio lol I like the name. makes you sound like normall joes, well with rocket science brains #sffwrtcht
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@JohnAnealio #sffwrtcht I was wondering if combining forces caused any change to the topics you'd cover. Great answer.
I do the recording, editing, I put the post up, @JohnAnealio books all the guests & handles the scheduling #sffwrtcht
Well, on the technical side, I know he does. But you do music and interviewing. Who books guests? #sffwrtcht
RT @charlesatan: @atfmb @johnAnealio do you have a pre-show chat with the guest? what happens there? #sffwrtcht
LOL Great minds. Do you coordinate a prepared list of questions in advance? #sffwrtcht
I used to do all this show prep, I'd write out scripts for us (you can tell in the early shows), but we don't do that now. #sffwrtcht
I think that @JohnAnealio prepares cogent questions & then I mess him all up by going all over the place #sffwrtcht
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@JohnAnealio I assume you research that guest, their various projects, background, etc. before hand tho #sffwrtcht
I'm curious about which podcasts you listen to on a regular basis (besides the ones you work on or produce). #sffwrtcht
we used to do a lot of chatting with the guests before and after but we're much tighter now that we have the hang of things. #sffwrtcht
Has it been a challenge to book guests? #sffwrtcht
And relatedly, how do you get in touch with people? #sffwrtcht
@aftmb @johnanealio how do you decide which guests to book? how can authors be part of the show? #sffwrtcht
@JohnAnealio @atfmb Do you do phone interviews or do you always want them in person? Which is better for your show?#sffwrtcht
you know, @JohnAnealio listens to way more podcasts than I do (I think). #sffwrtcht gimme a sec to do something clever...
podcasts I listen to: Slice of scifi, Beware the Hairy Mango, I should be Writing, Seattle Geekly, Geek dads #sffwrtcht
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For the @sfsignal podcast, I have a list of contacts from SF Signal, plus I troll websites for contact info (I book that show). #sffwrtcht
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what other programs beside skype do you use for the podcasts?#sffwrtcht
I recently have had publicists contact me to get their people on @sfsignal, which is different and welcomed (sometimes) #sffwrtcht
.@BryanThomasS I book the @sfsignal podcast a little over a month out. John is better about the nerds. #sffwrtcht
#scriptchat friends interested in the craft of writing speculative fiction might want 2 pop in to #sffwrtcht or connect w/ @BryanThomasS
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@JohnAnealio How long did it take for that to start happening? How long have you been doing the show? #sffwrtcht
quick app list for podcasting: skype, wiretap, garageband, amadeus pro, levelator #sffwrtcht
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@atfmb Ok, so you get the guest on skype and record a show, how much editing will then be involved? #sffwrtcht
er - 38 weeks. #sffwrtcht
I can also call any number in the US via Skype if the person doesn't want to mess with computers. I pay extra for that. #sffwrtcht
I assume you've seen your audience grow a lot over those 38 weeks. #sffwrtcht
In the beginning, there was a lot of editing involved. Today, very little. I timestamp everything so it's maybe 30 mins tops. #sffwrtcht
Where do you guys see Functional Nerds going in the next year?#sffwrtcht
I try to spend some time getting links to all the authors stuff for the post, that way they have maximum chance for clickage. #sffwrtcht
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@atfmb That touches on another question, I assume this enterprise is entirely self-funded? #sffwrtcht
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*waves* RT @marissamutascio: #scriptchat interested in writing speculative fiction might want 2 pop in #sffwrtcht or connect w @BryanThomasS
yes, this thing is self funded. there is a donation button on the website, functionalnerds.com, that no one has ever clicked :)#sffwrtcht
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@atfmb Is podcasting expensive? Beyond equipment and software, is the only expense occasional phone time & your time itself?#sffwrtcht
RT @atfmb: yes, this is self funded.there is a donation button on functionalnerds.com, that no one has ever clicked :) #sffwrtcht
"Where do you see it going?" Easy - with the subliminal messages hidden in @JohnAnealio's music, we intend to rule the world...#sffwrtcht
"Is it expensive?" It can be, sure. You have web hosting for the site, your time involved, software & bandwidth. #sffwrtcht
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a thing to keep in mind is that your regular old cheap webhosting that most people use will collapse under large traffic #sffwrtcht
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you pay for only so much bandwidth per month - one massive download like, oh, say, George R R Martin is not your bitch, will-#sffwrtcht
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-crash your webhost or max out your bandwidth quota in a heartbeat. #sffwrtcht
What response do you get from guests about how the podcasts impacts them? Does it bring readers? #sffwrtcht
I originally used podbean for bandwidth but after a series of horrible experience, I flipped em the bird and moved on. #sffwrtcht
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"so how much larger should the bandwidth be?" you need to be aware of your hosting agreement - most people aren't. #sffwrtcht
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as for guest responses - I think they are genuinely happy. They refer us to others & love to come back. #sffwrtcht
.@charlesatan It's always cool to connect with someone face to face, but manoman do I hate editing the background noise of live!#sffwrtcht
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on length - we have done really long episodes & really short ones. for 2011, we're shooting for tighter episodes around 30 min#sffwrtcht
I know that @JohnAnealio does the music. I am assuming he wrote a theme you recycle each week and not for each show? #sffwrtcht
we were a little nervous about live interviews. "Hey, will you come back to our room?" could sound creepy... #sffwrtcht
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You guys mention nothing but positives. Are they any negatives to doing these types of shows then? #sffwrtcht
oh - the music, yeah - that's John's instrumental song 'sundog' on Functional Nerds. I made him write something new for @sfsignal#sffwrtcht
Or shall I say, any that you'd admit? #sffwrtcht
Uh-it can get rough doing a podcast every week. Luckily John & I get along well & we can say, "Let's take a break!" or something.#sffwrtcht
Hi everyone. I am late to the chat, but I wanted to thank @atfmb & @JohnAnealio for Functional Nerds. It's very enjoyable! @sffwrtcht
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Skype on Mac needs more love from the developer. It doe NOT like being on a wifi connection. I ran 50 ft of cat 5 to make it work#sffwrtcht
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My goal is to make @JohnAnealio laugh. I spend hours thinking about how to crack him up... #sffwrtcht
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"Why haven't you been published yet, Patrick?" "Because I spend all my free time dreaming up one liners for @JohnAnealio ..."#sffwrtcht
If you guys have @jasonsanford on, you can just talk about his Interzone which was a great issue. #sffwrtcht
do you guys do written transcripts of the shows? #sffwrtcht
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@atfmb Well, u did tell me you guys have a regular night to make the show. What about posting? Is it a regularly schedule?#sffwrtcht
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we don't do transcripts-I take notes & write 'key words' from of the chat with whoever we're interviewing. that becomes the post#sffwrtcht
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we record on Tuesday nights (wed for @sfsignal), I edit everything sunday (including I should be writing) for the following week#sffwrtcht
You're very welcome, @atfmb! I echo @shadowflame1974's query, mostly 'cause I would LOVE a transcript of the Charlton/Enge show!#sffwrtcht
So @sfsignal hits every monday, functional nerds on tuesday, and Mur chooses when the 2 ISBW eps hit each week #sffwrtcht
Speaking of which, Patrick @atfmb has to go record SFSignal right after so get your questions in. We have 15 minutes left. #sffwrtcht
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@eruditeogre @shadowflame1974 too much time to make a transcript; for me 1 min. = 10 min. of transcribing #sffwrtcht
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@JohnAnealio Definitely. I love to hear about creative processes. As anyone who's read my blog would see #sffwrtcht
@eruditeogre @shadowflame1974 I know of exactly one podcast that does transcripts, & they're funded & come out 2 weeks later#sffwrtcht
Dream Guests: L.E. Modesitt was one of mine - had him on :) Uh, Jim Butcher would be nice, Brandon Sanderson, Tad Williams#sffwrtcht
Here^2! [RT @BryanThomasS] If you guys have @jasonsanford on, you can just talk about his Interzone which was a great issue.#sffwrtcht #fb
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@charlesatan I used to transcribe for a living for History Channel TV shows. Have to have a fast typist & a good dict machine #sffwrtcht
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@charlesatan Got it. Yeah, several hundred minutes of transcription does not sound like fun. Help us, technology! #sffwrtcht
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@atfmb Come to Utah the end of May-Conduit sees LE Modesitt and Brandon Sanderson almost every year. #sffwrtcht
Since I am more or less home, am reading #sffwrtcht
That transcript issue is one reason I did twitter chat instead of podcast, though I'm considering both #sffwrtcht
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@Jaleta_Clegg I got to meet Modesitt here in Denver at a book singing & again at World Fantasy. Wonderful man. #sffwrtcht
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I've sent emails to cory doctorow, neil gaiman & john scalzi trying to get them on the podcasts - no go! #sffwrtcht
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@JohnAnealio @atfmb Have you guys had any TV type people on Functional Nerds? Is that something you'd like to do in 2011?#sffwrtcht
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@Jaleta_Clegg I just talked with Gail Carriger about Lee's vests! :D like a uniform for him! #sffwrtcht
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@atfmb His trademark. He says all authors need something to wear at cons as a trademark. Larry Niven wears weird sweaters.#sffwrtcht
.@Mjfrig we haven't had tv people on functional nerds, but we did get Joseph Mallozzi from Stargate on @sfsignal #sffwrtcht
We're having Javier Grillo-Marxuach creator of middleman, former writer for LOST and more on the chat in Feb. #sffwrtcht
RT @BryanThomasS: We're having Javier Grillo-Marxuach creator of middleman, former writer for LOST and more on the chat in Feb.#sffwrtcht
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Ok, so what do you guys see as the advantages of podcasting for both yourselves and your guests? #sffwrtcht
I think people like our podcast because @JohnAnealio & I have fun with it & we're fans of the folks we have on & that comes thru#sffwrtcht
advantages are the friendships we have formed, the connections we have made - the community that has embraced us #sffwrtcht
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Do you think podcasting reaches a different audience chunk than say blogging or other formats? #sffwrtcht
I used to go to scifi cons years ago, but haven't recently. World Fantasy 2010 was my 1st in a decade & it was fantastic #sffwrtcht
RT @atfmb: I used to go to scifi cons years ago... World Fantasy 2010 was my 1st in a decade & it was fantastic #sffwrtcht It was!
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I think there is something about an interview that helps people connect with the author in a different, good way. #sffwrtcht
oh - I hear constantly that both of our podcasts have the effect of ballooning out peoples to read lists. #sffwrtcht
That's really great. And you guys are not only good hosts but great guests. Any final questions for the guys? #sffwrtcht
@BryanThomasS @johnanealio @atfmb Also diff. experience (both interviewer/patron) hearing an interview vs. reading one #sffwrtcht
@JohnAnealio @atfmb Thanks! Great to meet you guys. I'm an author and I'd love to be on your show sometime. #sffwrtcht
In case anyone doesn't know, give us the link to where to find you guys. #sffwrtcht
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@atfmb Indeed! After I heard @BlakeCharlton on the podcast, & chatted with him a bit here on #sffwrtcht, I went & got SPELLWRIGHT right away
linkage: www.functionalnerds.com there's an iTunes link there where you can subscribe. also, sfsignal.com for the other#sffwrtcht
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And your blogs and John's music links? #sffwrtcht
linkage: also, I have a blog at www.atfmb.com where I talk about all things from my brain. #sffwrtcht
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linkage 3: facebookcom/atfmb - dont spend loads of time there, but you're welcome to friend me.#sffwrtcht
Thanks @atfmb and @JohnAnealio for joining us on #sffwrtcht. We appreciate it. Thanks to all the lurkers/participants as well! :)
@Jaleta_Clegg 's on next week to talk about her space opera novel, editing an anthology and more. #sffwrtcht
Great chat everyone! Have a great week! #sffwrtcht
Links are:
www.functionalnerds.com
www.atfmb.com
http://johnanealio.bandcamp.com/
www.sfsignal.com/
January on SFFWRTCHT
1/5 Author/Editor Jaleta Clegg
1/12 Publicist/Social Media Expert Marian Schembari
1/19 Mike Resnick, Author, editor, award winner
1/26 Editorial staff of Ray Gun Revival Ezine
January on SFFWRTCHT
1/5 Author/Editor Jaleta Clegg
1/12 Publicist/Social Media Expert Marian Schembari
1/19 Mike Resnick, Author, editor, award winner
1/26 Editorial staff of Ray Gun Revival Ezine
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