It's a beautiful day here in Atlanta. The sun is shining, the spring graduation is over, and now it's time to look upon the summer quarter! I'm excited to get started on a new project entitled "Artistic Differences", which centers around a homosexual footman in 1890's England solving a ghost mystery. Writing about ghosts is always a pleasure for me, and what is more this story will give me a chance to redeem our favorite Downton Abbey grump, Thomas Barrow. I've always wanted to write a well rounded gay Edwardian domestic servant, and now is my chance! I won't reveal much more (although I will publish small excerpts from time to time) but I will say that this story is a SPOOPY one.
And speaking of Spoopy...
I've been working on a podcast, entitled Spoopy, which documents paranormal investigations in the south east (particularly in Georgia). Hopefully this Saturday will find me able to go on an investigation with the Georgia Paranormal Society. It's still up in the air because it's a family issue involving two small children (both under ten), but I'm excited to be given a chance. Either way, I plan on putting more episodes together. Each episode will be around 30 minutes, and hopefully when I put together about ten episodes I'll start showing them online.
(Edit: twenty minutes into writing this, I received word that I will be going. Exciting!!)
The Ivy Hall Young Writer's Workshop is also going on this week. We're hosting 7 high school aged students, and heavens do they make me feel old! All bright eyed and bushy tailed, none of them burdened with student debt or rent payments... I wish them nothing but good fortune and good health.
I'm excited to put forward four different workshops, which I have already compiled through Powerpoint. I've already made blog posts regarding World Building and Character Building, but I haven't touched on my other two topics, that being Non-Linear Fiction and (what would you know) Podcasting.
Dr. Ramsdell, the head of my department, often tells me that we are living in the golden age of Podcasting, and I tend to think she's right on the money (this is hardly an anomaly). Podcasting has that unique ability to mold with its listeners in a way that only radio has done. Technology blasts and pop culture phenomena have aided podcasting into becoming the new commute craze. The average daily commute is about thirty minutes, so podcasts have developed to be around the same length.
If you really think about it, the entire breadth of podcasts is so immense they can't be classified. They can center around one topic or hundreds, be a continuing line or a series of one shots. Two of the most prominent, in my mind, are S-Town and The Moth.
What's great about podcasts is that literally anyone can do them. All you need is something to record and edit your voice on. Your laptop can do it. Macs have Garageband built in, and PC's can download free software like Audacity
Of course, the real challenge is writing for the ear, as compared to writing for the eye. Take a look at the transcript for one of S-Town's episodes. Then go back and listen to the actual episode. What do you gain or lose?
I encourage all my readers to think about the idea of starting their own podcast. It's a unique add to your resume, and honestly it's fun!
Will talk more soon. Until then, enjoy my twitter feed, and WRITE WRITE WRITE!