Tag Archives: GuardianCon

Episode #94: Writers Consuming Content

Remember The Shared Desk? That was a pretty cool podcast. Too bad it podfaded, right?

Well, no — we didn’t go anywhere! Well, hold on, actually, yeah, we did go somewhere. It was Clockwork Alchemy and it was a right blast!

The Shared Desk, now recorded LIVE on Twitch at Tee’s Twitch Channel, finally got behind the mics after the dust from a government furlough and a trip out west finally gave them a chance to catch their breaths and record. What are we talking about, you wonder? Well, we’re specifically talking about writers consuming media. Sometimes, writers need to relax. Thing is, that can be hard when we’re always critically looking at how other writers do things. Can writers effectively turn their brains off, relax and enjoy the show?

Let’s find out.

00:00 —  Introduction

  • Well yeah, there was another Episode #94, but Tee never got to the editing part of it…
  • the audio may sound a little weird. Wait until you find out why! (At the end of episode, of course.)
  • Adult beverages all around?
    • Kill All the Golfers for Tee
    • Pip has a drink, but she wants Tee’s drink instead.
  • When is Game of Thrones coming back? Oh yeah…
  • Tee is not hip, but he is old.
  • Addressing the stream and a changing of the guard.
  • A nod to Destiny and Happy Hour from the Tower
  • Sorry, Katie! Maybe we can do something special with that episode? Maybe drop it into Pip’s Patreon?
  • The original bell will not go quietly!

05:18 —  Episode #94: Writers Consuming Content 

  • So where did this all start?
    • As many ideas comes from, it started with a series of rants on Facebook…
    • Pip defines “turning your brain off” as a writer.
    • What inspired the show topic …
  • Tee and Pip have really been enjoying Star Trek: Discovery.
    • Is it worth the cost of CBS All Access?
    • This will be a spoiler-free episode, we promise!
  • Going back to Season One, we meet THIS CHARACTER…
    • We want to know MORE about THIS CHARACTER.
    • The, in Season Two, we get an episode dedicated to THIS CHARACTER…
    • …so we could watch THIS CHARACTER die.
  • Then we get Discovery’s next stop in the galaxy: Talos IV.
    • A bit of Star Trek history
    • Some nods throughout the series coping with canon
    • Where Tee is triggered in all this
  • The writing crew of Discovery handles canon with real reverence, but the new, original stuff is slightly clumsy.
  • Sprinkling seeds throughout chapters or episodes versus cramming it all into one moment
  • After a moment’s rant, Tee asked “Maybe I’m expecting too much from these writers?”
  • Pip thinks writers make terrible media consumers.
    • Pip’s current read is dickering around with time jumps, and she’s got issues.
    • Writing passages in time are not always easy.
    • Tee still believes he can relax and enjoy it, but Pip is struggling…
  • The dice-roll in reading another’s book for the purpose of blurbing it
  • Tee loves a slow burn, and it triggers him when shortcuts are taken.
  • A good example of new canon and a slow burn done right…
  • Massive shout-out to Ethan Peck who gives great Nimoy without doing an impersonation of Leonard Nimoy.
  • As a writer and an actor, Tee’s got a jelly on.
  • Want a glimpse at Lauren Harris‘ next cosplay?
Ensign Sylvia “Space Merida” Tilly
  • Where you can find them, watch “Short Treks” in between seasons.
  • No, not all writers are perfect. It’s when you show how good you are, but then take cheap or manipulative short cuts?
  • A spoiler from Season One that shows ridiculous, shoddy writing: grafting a personality to someone. (Beg your pardon?)
  • Yes, we get it. We suspend disbelief. But there are limits.
  • Can writers appreciate good writing better than their own? Oh yes!
    • True Detective, Season 3
    • The Marvel Cinematic Universe
    • Game of Thrones, Seasons 1 - 8
  • But really? Cat scratch fever? Really? (Okay, we can give that a pass.)
  • Good writing — no matter the media — should be inspirational to other writers.
  • Since we’re talking about good writing and bad writing in media, it’s time to re-open this old wound…

32:04 — Writers off the Clock

  • This is a beautiful theme, but it’s not ready for The Big Score (coming soon to AwesomeCon this weekend)
  • How about this for an unexpected surprise?
  • You’re going to want to see this. Seriously.
  • Why Shazam! works
    • Giving Shazam’s suit a makeover
    • Really coherent, cohesive writing by keeping it simple but not stupid
    • Billy Batson is a teenager, so Shazam acts like a teenager. And it works!
  • This was a fun ride, but it does go dark when it needs to. Billy Batson’s story, for example…
  • Zachary Levi delivers as the Big Red Cheese.
  • This is DC’s Guardians of the Galaxy.
  • Tee and Pip wonder why Dwayne Johnson is an Executive Producer? Well, rumor has it…

39:57 — The Wrap-Up

  • How long until Game of Thrones?!
  • Wrapping up the podcast, but when you follow or subscribe to the stream, you get the extra content!
  • Got some appearances lined up…
    • THIS WEEKEND, April 26-27 in Washington D.C. — AwesomeCon
    • May 21-24 in Baltimore, MD — Balticon
    • Tee weighs in on attending GuardianCon in 2019. Instead, Tee is aiming for TwitchCon in September.
    • Tee & Pip are coming to Key City Steampunk Festival.
    • And there’s a return to Richmond for the James River Writing Festival planned for this year!
  • Twitch for Dummies, now in bookstores everywhere!
  • Time to get to Westeros!
  • If you have an event and want The Shared Desk to appear there, or if you just want to share an opinion about the show, here’s where to find us…

45:32 — Behind-the-Scenes Blooper

Find us on Twitter at either Tee’s or Pip’s account,
leave us a voicemail or questions for the show at 703.791.1701,
or leave us a comment here at the blog.
We’ll talk about it!
And remember, you can find the show on iTunes or Stitcher!
Subscribe, listen, and review.

Enjoy the ride
and we’ll catch you later.

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Episode #89: New Projects & Balticon

Adjusting to new schedules is hard.

Hard to believe that May got by us so quickly but there you have it. This June, we are working to get back on track with things because, let’s be honest — we’re not podcasting as much because we are launching new projects. So you might want to take notes as we have a LOT to talk about.

00:00 — Introduction

  • Closing in to that 100th episode…
  • Calling you out, Nobilis!
  • Playing an old favorite plug-in
  • It’s been some time, not that we are light on content…

01:39 — Episode #89: What We’re Up to and Back to Balticon

  • Feels good to be back!
  • First free weekend in June as May was booked SOLID.
  • Tee’s new day job
    • His new title. #CodeOn, mai peeps.
    • Join Tee here, on Fridays, for #RoofTalks
    • Welcome to Code.gov where #AmericasCode is our mantra.
    • And here’s my boss.
    • Who is Alvin Salehi? He’s freakin’ Iron Man, yo!
    • Yeah, he loves it for a lot of reasons.
    • Shout-out to K.C. Alexander.
  • And now here is Pip and her new project.
    • Six women, six mermaids.
    • An epic collection of awesomeness
    • How similar The Sea King’s Daughters is to another project of Pip and Tee’s…
    • Available in all formats
  • We do have shows recorded…
  • Looking ahead to our 100th show
  • A side note on collaborations and some of its challenges
  • Other things we’re getting done
    • DOPE is coming along
    • The fiftieth story of Tales from the Archives is in production.
    • Life and Death, people.
  • Returning to Balticon
  • Working the Dealers Room with The Chain Nerd
  • Panels, panels, panels…
  • …and a podcast with Gus and crew!
  • Balticon is fun, but this is a job.
  • A quick review of the hotel. The Renaissance was touch-and-go in some aspects.
  • A surprised highlight of the weekend: Jason Gregory Banks’ delicious butt.
  • BIG shout-out to Nutty!!!
  • Some problems with being on the Literary Track: SMOF’s
  • A really refreshing change to Balticon this year: Diversity.
  • Another big shout-out to Starla Huchton!
  • NERDS: The Next Generation
  • Back to Balticon in 2019? YOU BET!!!

30:10 — Writers Off the Clock

  • Tee is on Twitch, if you didn’t know. He mainly streams Destiny
    • …which he podcasts about…
    • …with these guys!
    • Tee will have been streaming for a year, coming this September.
    • On his channel, Tee does themed days.
  • On a whim, Tee purchased a new game for his #ThrillerThursday content…
  • How do you describe Detroit: Become Human?
    • Pip and Tee agree on the mash-up between Blade Runner and Choose Your Own Adventure….
    • …but add in CSI and This Is Us, and you got this video game.
    • A PERFECT addition to #ThrillerThursday
      (The following clip is NSFW, due to salty language….)
  • From a writer’s perspective, this is an incredible experience, starting with the Flowchart.
  • Well done, Quantic Dream.
  • The game mechanics are smooth!
  • Stand-out performance in this video game? Clancy Brown, ladies and gentlemen….
    You can’t miss him!
  • That Chloe is a guilt-dealing bee-atch!!!
  • This is why you can’t stop talking about this game…

40:29 — The Loot Crate Lookie-Loo

  • Tee and Pip thought this was May’s Loot Crate. Turns out it is April’s: ARTIFACTS.
  • What is in the April Loot Crate?
    • A tee-shirt of Thanos and the Infinity Gauntlet from The Avengers: Infinity War.
      • Nope. Too soon.
      • On looking back at Thanos’ plan…
      • And Pip’s got mad comic book knowledge.
      • Thanos, bond villains, and mad dictators
      • Back to your box, Morris…
    • Dark Crystal notecards
    • A Legend of Zelda map
    • The pin…that looks like the cup of a carpenter.
    • What do you mean you have never seen The Court Jester?!
    • Finally, it’s FRODO!
  • AND TEE’S DESTINY CRATE IS ON THE WAY!!! (Going to open that up here…)

48:56 — The Wrap-Up

  • Where will Pip and Tee be, you might wonder?
    • 13-14 July — GuardianCon in Tampa Bay, FL (just Tee with the Kelly family)
    • 12 June — Siren’s Tide: Book One of the Sea King’s Daughters will be available, but you can pre-order it now! And there will be shenanigans!
    • Pip’s Patreon is offering free audio to her subscribers!
    • Coming the Summer — the Writer’s Digest Online Science Fiction Convention
      • Tee will be going about Dialogue and character Development
      • Pip will be delving into Character Agency
    • Looking ahead to Fall and Winter events.
    • Shout-out to Ellicott City, MD
    • And two items in the works…
  • Pip silences Tee on his new project. Keep listening to find out more!
  • If you have an event and want The Shared Desk to appear there, or if you just want to share an opinion about the show, here’s where to find us…

[display_podcast]

Find us on Twitter at either Tee’s or Pip’s account,
leave us a voicemail or questions for the show at 703.791.1701,
or leave us a comment here at the blog.
We’ll talk about it!
And remember, you can find the show on iTunes or Stitcher!
Subscribe, listen, and review.

Enjoy the ride
and we’ll catch you later.

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Episode #84: What’s Going On at Goodreads?

We are horrendously late getting this episode out (but don’t sweat it as we’re going to be recording another one next week!) but let’s call it like it is: November was a cray-cray month! After a wild ride between the end of October and the beginning of November, The Shared Desk is reflecting on their week of solid creativity, and also share their thoughts about a creative Kiwi and his recent motion picture that you may have heard of.

So, yeah, it took us a few weeks to getting around to posting this episode. We blame jetlag, the holidays, and smoking meats…

00:00 — Introduction

  • Pip kind of punches up the Kiwi in the introduction, and she blames Taika Waititi for that.
  • This episode’s “Writers Off the Clock” segment isn’t happening, but let’s spend a few minutes talking about Marvel’s The Punisher.
  • What have we been working on?
    • Pip has got stuff happening on her Patreon!
    • A new Christmas story is taking shape for Tales from the Archives.
    • Both Pip and Tee are working on the edits for Operation: Endgame. Order your copy now!!!
    • Tee’s also got two projects happening at Happy Hour from the Tower
      • A new challenge: The Dog Days of Advent, in association with the Aventword.org
      • Tee’s giving “Fiction Friday” a go.
    • So, lots to do….around Christmas.

08:05 — Episode #84: What’s Going On at Goodreads?

  • A development over at the social network for authors and readers worldwide: Goodreads
    • This is how Goodreads describes this new and exciting direction.
    • This is how writers describe it.
  • Tee thinks this Goodreads situation is actually a good thing, making authors stop and look at the value of a “giveaway” be it on Good Reads or book blogs.
  • What is the real R.O.I. on working with book bloggers and blog tours?
  • So now, what are independent publishers expected to do?
  • Publishers, from our own experience, do not throw money at authors and rarely throw money into promotion.
  • With the free giveaway gone, why stick around with Goodreads?
  • Disagree with us? Then sound off…
    • …on the voicemail at 703-791-1701
    • tee (at) teemorris (dot) com
    • pip (at) pjballantine (dot) com
  • What are the options remaining for authors?
    • Your email list is your email list. Always.
    • Social media platforms like Goodreads, Facebook, and the like? No, they are not there for you.
    • A content creator’s relationship with Facebook
    • Instagram and advertising — nice idea, but…
    • Speaking of Instagram, here’s the new schtick…
  • Tee has been returning to Twitter, thanks to Twitch.
  • Cover Reveals: Pro’s and Con’s
  • The great debate on writers blogging
  • Pip and Tee start planning for 2018…

29:08 — The Loot Crate Lookie-Loo

  • Pip is cutting the show short in order to get to this month’s Loot Crate!
  • Neither Tee nor Pip can remember this month’s theme. Tee guesses…and gets it wrong.
  • November’s Loot Crate: UNIFY
    • From Funko Pop, a Loot Crate exclusive of Overwatch’s Widowmaker
    • The mini Q-Fig celebrates the Power Rangers. (And if you blink, you might miss a Red Ranger sighting in Stranger Things 2)
    • The Tee-Shirt: Voltron…in elegant 8-bit renderings! (Maybe Serena could wear it as a nightshirt.)
    • Wait a minute, Loot Crate, you think your cat is looking rough-and-tumble in the Punisher hat? Hold on…from 2016, thank you……
    • Pin: Superheroes assembled!
    • Comic Book Reprint: Justice League of America (their first appearance), presented by Brave and the Bold
  • Divvying up the Loot
  • Pip sometimes misses those details that matter.
  • Tee is counting down to December’s Loot Crate: EXPLORE.
    • Star Wars
    • Destiny 2
    • Guardians of the Galaxy
    • ….and a mystery franchise.
  • Since we mentioned Guardians of the Galaxy, how about DAT TRAILER!

    • Total nerdgasm at the Morris household!
    • Mantis: “Hey, Hemsworth!”

36:25 — The Wrap-Up

  • A few thoughts on Star Wars Day in Woodbridge, VA. You might want to not compare the U.S. Boy Scouts with…
  • Quick shout-out to TD-0013, the only Imperial Stormtrooper I love!
  • December 16, 10a - 7p — Jirani’s Christmas Con in Manassas, VA
    • Thanks, Nick Kelly!
    • Come on out! Details on Facebook!
    • Good coffee and even better geekery!
  • Sadly, no MAGFest this year, but…
  • Happy Hour from the Tower is heading to GuardianCon 2018 in July!!!
  • Other events confirmed for 2018:
    • RavenCon (April)
    • Steampunk Symposium (April)
    • Steampunk World’s Fair (May)
  • Eyeing up Balticon for 2018.
  • Two weeks of Shared Desk, I know, right?
  • When did Old town Manassas get cool?
  • Pip’s Patreon will feature the first episode of her ALL-NEW PODCAST!
    • Yep, she’s got a website (with a teaser) — We Don’t Talk About That
    • And you can hear it first….if you become a subscriber.
  • If you have an event and want The Shared Desk to appear there, or if you just want to share an opinion about the show, here’s where to find us…
  • See you in two weeks!

[display_podcast]

Find us on Twitter at either Tee’s or Pip’s account,
leave us a voicemail or questions for the show at 703.791.1701,
or leave us a comment here at the blog.
We’ll talk about it!
And remember, you can find the show on iTunes or Stitcher!
Subscribe, listen, and review.

Enjoy the ride
and we’ll catch you later.

Comments Off on Episode #84: What’s Going On at Goodreads?

Filed under Uncategorized