Podcasting
It turns out that I actually have everything I need to start recording and editing my own podcast! I have a decent mic that I’m happy with and access to audio recording and editing software via Audacity.
Thanks to my recent experiences with StarQuest Media, I’ve gotten the opportunity to host several shows and I’m much more confident now in my abilities as an audio presenter.
My biggest obstacle is deciding what kind of my podcast I ought to create. A cursory glance at podcast advice online seems to suggest that for a show to be successful it needs to have a narrow focus. But I’ve always had a scanner personality — that is, I have so many interests, passions, and hobbies, that I don’t like to be forced to choose between them.
One of my favorite podcasters is Father Roderick Vonhögen. His flagship series, The Break, is more along the lines of what I want to do. It’s sort of a variety show, with different segments featuring the wide range Fr. Roderick’s interests. When I do premiere my own podcast, you can probably expect it to be something more along those lines.
Fiction
Not much to report on this front. My problem is that I have way too many ideas — more, in fact, than I know what to do with!
I know that I’m good at writing science fiction. I used to write guest stories for my friend Gary Bloom’s Antares Ascended space opera setting and I’m itching to get back into writing sci-fi. I don’t have a handle yet on what the story would be, just that it would be space opera heavily inspired by Star Wars and (to a lesser extent) Dune.
At the same time, I’ve been worldbuilding for an epic fantasy novel. I’ve had a desire to write this story for some time. I like the protagonist and I really need to get his story out of my head and into the world! Crafting the plot has been a struggle and a source of anxiety. I’ve almost given up in frustration several times. I want to eventually hammer out a proper outline using the SMO (Summary, Motivations, Outline) technique that my friend Brannon Hollingsworth of Brainy Pixel Productions introduced me to.
Next week I may have an announcement detailing my future plans for these projects. Stay tuned!
The road to 100 subscribers!!!
My goal is for The Perilous Realms to hit 100 subscribers by the end of the year. I think this is certainly doable (as I write, my stats show there are 77 subscribers). Please share the newsletter with anyone you think might be interested, and be sure to let them know that it’s FREE to sign up!
Finally, a few more updates…
My essay collection has been on the back burner this week as I’ve been busy preparing for some upcoming podcast recordings with SQPN. I hope to have some progress on the book to report to you by next week.
In the meantime, here are a few links to my latest articles and podcasts across the web:
My article for the October 2022 issue of the Empty Tomb Project magazine: “When All Other Lights Go Out: Hope Amid Darkness from J.R.R. Tolkien.”
My first article for the lifestyle website Amendo: “From Fossils to Freelancing: How Paleontology Taught Me To Be a Better Writer.”
My latest for the Catholic blog Aleteia: “Prayer for the USA from its first bishop.”
My recent appearance on SQPN’s Secrets of Movies and TV Shows podcast: “The Secrets of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.”
Thanks for reading! Until we meet again, “The Road goes ever on. . . .”