Matthew Wayne Selznick Creates

Matthew Wayne Selznick Creates

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Matthew Wayne Selznick Creates episodes

  • 032: Who Cares About Your Work?

    This episode of Sonitotum with Matthew Wayne Selznick is a big one! Lots to talk about, including…

    • an update on my creative endeavors and my upcoming novelette “The Perfumed Air at Kwaanantag Bay.”
    • the results of my requests for feedback from Sonitotum 031.
    • an exploration on the topic of creative service providers like editors and cover designers, and how invested in our work we should expect them to be
    • some thoughts on just who does care about our work, and how, and why
    • a little bit about non-fungible tokens and those rare times when people assign a creator’s work with much, much more value than anyone ever expected.

      • Opinions, dead ahead!

      Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode
      • “The Perfumed Air at Kwaanantag Bay” is my next work of fiction: a novelette set in my Shaper’s World storyworld. Click here to pre-order the novelette from Amazon and receive it automatically on April 6, 2021! Why pre-order? When you do, you won’t be charged until April 6, but those sales will count toward the e-book’s ranking in its various categories on Amazon. Help “The Perfumed Air at Kwaanantag Bay” make a splash right out of the gate! Thanks!
      •  Because of timing and stuff, folks in my mailing list community of friends and fans heard all about my limited-time direct pre-order offer (different from, and preceding, the Amazon pre-order that just became available)  for “The Perfumed Air at Kwaanantag Bay,” and my podcast listeners didn’t. So don’t forget to join the community, dear listener! It’s free!
      • My last creative work came out last summer: the novel Light of the Outsider. You should read it or listen to it; it’s awesome and different from probably any fantasy novel you’ve ever read.
      • The next creative work after “The Perfumed Air at Kwaanantag Bay” will be the Shaper’s World novel Shadow of the Outsider. Make sure you’re part of the community so you have first dibs later this year!
      • Last episode, I asked you for some help deciding on directions I should go regarding new content and distribution channels. The excellent author, steadfast listener, and stalwart pal J. C. Hutchins is the only one who responded, so he gets link love. That’s how we roll around here. Oh, and the result of his feedback? Listen to the episode!
      • My free weekly fiction serial Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights: “How It All Got Started” came up in the episode. Wait, how can you get free weekly fiction from me? Oh yeah — it happens automatically when you join the community. Hashtag overdoingit.
      • (UPDATE: Your Commonplace from Matthew Wayne Selznick is indefinitely delayed) Okay, this is kind of a spoiler if you haven’t listened to the episode: Soon, I’ll be launching a weekly newsletter: Your Commonplace from Matthew Wayne Selznick. It’s “…snippets, ephemera, resources, heart-expanders and mind-blowers from around the web to tickle your creative fancy…” and, for now, at least, it’s absolutely free. If you were already part of my community of friends and fans before you read this post, you’re already subscribed (and yes, you can unsubscribe at any time). If not, and you’d like to be there when the first issue launches, by all means, subscribe for free to Your Commonplace from Matthew Wayne Selznick!
      • What the heck is RSS? Only the thing that makes blogs and podcasts possible. This explains it pretty well.
      • Have I talked about Dynalist before, and what an amazing, versatile tool it is for writers?
      • Speaking of tools for writers… you can see everything I use (or nearly!) on my Resources page. You might find something handy there for your own creative endeavors!
      • It wouldn’t be a podcast episode if I didn’t mention The Big Plan.
      • 20BooksTo50K is a Facebook (I know, I know…) Group full of knowledgeable, friendly folks actually, yes, actually making a living writing fiction. It’s worth your time.
      • I talk a lot about creative services providers for authors in this episode. I know what I’m talking about.
      • The DIY Ethic is an approach to creative work that doesn’t wait for gatekeepers to give their approval. It’s putting on your own show, publishing your own books, releasing your own music. It’s been my modus operandi for over thirty five years. One thing I’ve learned is: doing it yourself doesn’t have to mean going it alone.
      • Nothing beats an actual human editor, but if times are touch, Grammarly can get your close to done.
      • Some love to my cover artists! Hire these folks if you dig their work: Neal Von Flue (Brave Men Run; Pilgrimage), Jeffrey Himmelman (The Sovereign Era: Year One), and Tim Shepherd (Light of the Outsider).
      • Who is Beeple? Is his digital work The First 5,000 Days really worth it?
      • What are non-fungible tokens?
      • What is the blockchain?
      • The awesome artist Bob Eggleton hosted an… inspiring… discussion of NFTs recently. This episode, in part, springs from that.
      • As a creator, how would you utilize NFTs (non-fungible tokens) to monetize your creative endeavors? Let me know… in the comments!
        • What Did You Think About This Episode?

        What are your thoughts?  Let’s hear from you in the comments!

        This content is by Matthew Wayne Selznick and came from his website.
        44 min
      • 031: Remind You of Keats

        This episode of Sonitotum with Matthew Wayne Selznick is a ParkCast, recorded outdoors under the clear blue late winter skies at a park near the lush and lavish studios of MWS Media.

        What’s the occasion?

        I had just finished a somewhat difficult writing session on “The Perfumed Air at Kwaanantag Bay,”  and it brought up some stuff about mortality and drive and the weight of time. I felt like talking it out with you.

        You helped me by providing me this outlet. I think you’ll find some value in listening.

        Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode
        • “The Perfumed Air at Kwaanantag Bay” is my next work of fiction: a novella set in my Shaper’s World storyworld. I’m this close to offering a pre-order on this thing. Stay tuned.
        • This episode helps fulfill a promise I made to you in episode 029 of Sonitotum.
        • I used Easy Voice Recorder Pro, an Android app, to record this episode. It’s outdoors, so it sounds a little different!
        • I talked about my back injury in episode 030 of Sonitotum.
        • Mary Oliver was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet. In the episode, I mentioned that the day I was recording was the anniversary of her birth, but that was incorrect. February 24th was actually the 200th anniversary of the death of Keats, of whom Oliver wrote.
        • Maria Popova’s Instagram post about Oliver and Keats provided the prod to do this episode.
        • In the episode, I read a bit from Mary Oliver’s poem “The Fourth Sign of the Zodiac (Part Three),” which you can find in her collection Blue Horses. You can hear Oliver read it herself, too.
        • John Keats was a poet, a contemporary of Shelley and Byron. He died at the age of 25.
        • Here’s a link to that Bram Stoker / Dracula meme…
        • My podcast app of choice (you can find Sonitotum there, too!) is Podcast Addict.
        • Perhaps as a fitting bookend to the anniversary of Keats dying at 25… after I recorded this episode, I learned of the death of legendary poet and the founder of City Lights (the bookstore and the publishing house), Lawrence Ferlinghetti, who died on February 22, 2021… at the age of 101. Without City Lights, I might not have discovered Charles Bukowski, and though his work, John Fante… so I am grateful to Lawrence Ferlinghetti indeed.
          • What Did You Think About This Episode?

          What are your thoughts?  Let’s hear from you in the comments!

          This content is by Matthew Wayne Selznick and came from his website.
          21 min
        • Sonitotum with Matthew Wayne Selznick 031: Remind You of Keats
          This episode of Sonitotum with Matthew Wayne Selznick is a ParkCast, recorded outdoors under the clear blue late winter skies at a park near the lush and lavish studios of MWS Media.
          What's the occasion?
          I had just finished a somewhat difficult writing session on "The Perfumed Air at Kwaanantag Bay,"  and it brought up some stuff about mortality and drive and the weight of time. I felt like talking it out with you.
          You helped me by providing me this outlet. I think you'll find some value in listening.
          Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode
          "The Perfumed Air at Kwaanantag Bay" is my next work of fiction: a novella set in my Shaper's World storyworld. I'm this close to offering a pre-order on this thing. Stay tuned.
          This episode helps fulfill a promise I made to you in episode 029 of Sonitotum.
          I used Easy Voice Recorder Pro, an Android app, to record this episode. It's outdoors, so it sounds a little different!
          I talked about my back injury in episode 030 of Sonitotum.
          Mary Oliver was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet. In the episode, I mentioned that the day I was recording was the anniversary of her birth, but that was incorrect. February 24th was actually the 200th anniversary of the death of Keats, of whom Oliver wrote.
          Maria Popova's Instagram post about Oliver and Keats provided the prod to do this episode.
          In the episode, I read a bit from Mary Oliver's poem "The Fourth Sign of the Zodiac (Part Three)," which you can find in her collection Blue Horses. You can hear Oliver read it herself, too.
          John Keats was a poet, a contemporary of Shelley and Byron. He died at the age of 25.
          Here's a link to that Bram Stoker / Dracula meme...
          My podcast app of choice (you can find Sonitotum there, too!) is Podcast Addict.
          Perhaps as a fitting bookend to the anniversary of Keats dying at 25... after I recorded this episode, I learned of the death of legendary poet and the founder of City Lights (the bookstore and the publishing house), Lawrence Ferlinghetti, who died on February 22, 2021... at the age of 101. Without City Lights, I might not have discovered Charles Bukowski, and though his work, John Fante... so I am grateful to Lawrence Ferlinghetti indeed.
          What Did You Think About This Episode?
          What are your thoughts?  Let's hear from you in the comments!
          21 min
        • 030: Choose Your Own Matt Venture

          In this episode of Sonitotum with Matthew Wayne Selznick, the aforementioned Matthew Wayne Selznick (that’s me… hey, do you think I’m gonna get in trouble for “keyword stuffing” my name like that? Also, Matt, the aughts called; they want their SEO tactics back..) provides an update on his (my) creative endeavors, details a physical setback, makes you an offer on his story coaching service, and looks for your feedback on some future stuff. Let’s dump the speaking-of-one’s-self-in-the-third-person and get into it!

          Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode
          • I mention The Big Plan. You can hear about it or read about it.
          • “The Perfumed Air at Kwaanantag Bay” is my next work of fiction: a novella set in my Shaper’s World storyworld. I’m this close to offering a pre-order on this thing. Stay tuned.
          • Light of the Outsider is the debut novel in my Shaper’s World Cycle, book one of the Outsider Trilogy, and a stand-alone character-driven gritty fantasy / thriller hybrid. It’s now on Audible.com (US | UK | FR | DE), too!
          • Here is a link to the Sonitotum episode dedicated to worldbuilding.
          • Did you know you can build an inter-linking story bible and repository for all your fiction stuff using the same software they use for Wikipedia? It’s called MediaWiki, and it’s free. You will need a web hosting service like my favorite, Dreamhost, though.
          • Your Story Buddy is my one-on-one writing coach service. Listen to the episode to find out how you can get 25% off your first hour-long session in the month of March!
          • I’m very strongly considering creating a newsletter on the SubStack platform, and I want you to weigh in on my idea for the subject matter / niche. Listen to learn more, then leave your thoughts in the comments!
          • It’s been a while since my last blog post. Should the next one be..
            • On creating a free serial fiction project distributed via email like my own Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights?
            • What goes into creating an audiobook?
            • Why MediaWiki is a good choice for your story bible?
            • You know the drill — listen to the episode for details, then leave your opinion in the comments!
            • Have you joined the mailing list community of friends and fans? When you do, you’ll get my aforementioned (second use of the word this post!) free weekly fiction serial delivered to your inbox as my gift to you.
            • I was on a podcast! Learn my best advice on building a community, developing personal brand, and marketing as an independent author on The Self-Publishing Queen Podcast! If you like, you can even watch it on YouTube.
              • This content is by Matthew Wayne Selznick and came from his website.
              25 min
            • Sonitotum with Matthew Wayne Selznick 030: Choose Your Own Matt Venture
              In this episode of Sonitotum with Matthew Wayne Selznick, the aforementioned Matthew Wayne Selznick (that's me... hey, do you think I'm gonna get in trouble for "keyword stuffing" my name like that? Also, Matt, the aughts called; they want their SEO tactics back..) provides an update on his (my) creative endeavors, details a physical setback, makes you an offer on his story coaching service, and looks for your feedback on some future stuff. Let's dump the speaking-of-one's-self-in-the-third-person and get into it!
              Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode
              I mention The Big Plan. You can hear about it or read about it.
              "The Perfumed Air at Kwaanantag Bay" is my next work of fiction: a novella set in my Shaper's World storyworld. I'm this close to offering a pre-order on this thing. Stay tuned.
              Light of the Outsider is the debut novel in my Shaper's World Cycle, book one of the Outsider Trilogy, and a stand-alone character-driven gritty fantasy / thriller hybrid. It's now on Audible.com (US | UK | FR | DE), too!
              Here is a link to the Sonitotum episode dedicated to worldbuilding.
              Did you know you can build an inter-linking story bible and repository for all your fiction stuff using the same software they use for Wikipedia? It's called MediaWiki, and it's free. You will need a web hosting service like my favorite, Dreamhost, though.
              Your Story Buddy is my one-on-one writing coach service. Listen to the episode to find out how you can get 25% off your first hour-long session in the month of March!
              I'm very strongly considering creating a newsletter on the SubStack platform, and I want you to weigh in on my idea for the subject matter / niche. Listen to learn more, then leave your thoughts in the comments!
              It's been a while since my last blog post. Should the next one be..
              On creating a free serial fiction project distributed via email like my own Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights?
              What goes into creating an audiobook?
              Why MediaWiki is a good choice for your story bible?
              You know the drill -- listen to the episode for details, then leave your opinion in the comments!
              Have you joined the mailing list community of friends and fans? When you do, you'll get my aforementioned (second use of the word this post!) free weekly fiction serial delivered to your inbox as my gift to you.
              I was on a podcast! Learn my best advice on building a community, developing personal brand, and marketing as an independent author on The Self-Publishing Queen Podcast! If you like, you can even watch it on YouTube.
              25 min
            • 029: New Year, New Focus

              Happy new year, dear listener! In this episode of Sonitotum with Matthew Wayne Selznick, I reaffirm the mission of the show: share my experiences as an independent author and, in the process, help you make stuff, find success as you define it, and build a healthy, sane creative writing life.

              I also commit to a release schedule going forward, and catch you up a bit on what’s going on with my creative endeavors, and mention a few things you might find useful. It’s a short one, but mighty.

              Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode
              • I mention The Big Plan. You can hear about it or read about it.
              • Light of the Outsider is the debut novel in my Shaper’s World Cycle, book one of the Outsider Trilogy, and a stand-alone character-driven gritty fantasy / thriller hybrid. It’s now on Audible.com (US | UK | FR | DE) !
              • Writers who worldbuild! There’s a Facebook group for you. I started it. See you there: Worldbuilding for Writers.
              • I talk about my new standing desk converter from Flexispot. It’s a game changer!
              • My favorite podcast client for Android is Podcast Addict.
              • I’ve collected most of the software, services, hardware and tools I use in my creative endeavors on my new Resources page.
              • Have you joined the mailing list community of friends and fans? When you do, you’ll get free weekly serial fiction delivered to your inbox as my gift to you.
                • What Did You Think About This Episode?

                What are your thoughts?  Let’s hear from you in the comments!

                This content is by Matthew Wayne Selznick and came from his website.
                17 min
              • Sonitotum with Matthew Wayne Selznick 029: New Year, New Focus
                Happy new year, dear listener! In this episode of Sonitotum with Matthew Wayne Selznick, I reaffirm the mission of the show: share my experiences as an independent author and, in the process, help you make stuff, find success as you define it, and build a healthy, sane creative writing life.
                I also commit to a release schedule going forward, and catch you up a bit on what's going on with my creative endeavors, and mention a few things you might find useful. It's a short one, but mighty.
                Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode
                I mention The Big Plan. You can hear about it or read about it.
                Light of the Outsider is the debut novel in my Shaper's World Cycle, book one of the Outsider Trilogy, and a stand-alone character-driven gritty fantasy / thriller hybrid. It's now on Audible.com (US | UK | FR | DE) !
                Writers who worldbuild! There's a Facebook group for you. I started it. See you there: Worldbuilding for Writers.
                I talk about my new standing desk converter from Flexispot. It's a game changer!
                My favorite podcast client for Android is Podcast Addict.
                I've collected most of the software, services, hardware and tools I use in my creative endeavors on my new Resources page.
                Have you joined the mailing list community of friends and fans? When you do, you'll get free weekly serial fiction delivered to your inbox as my gift to you.
                What Did You Think About This Episode?
                What are your thoughts?  Let's hear from you in the comments!
                17 min
              • Sonitotum with Matthew Wayne Selznick 028: What Is Worldbuilding?
                This episode of Sonitotum With Matthew Wayne Selznick is all about worldbuilding: what it is, how all fiction writers worldbuild regardless of medium or genre, and the opportunities available to writers when they invest in deep, comprehensive worldbuilding as part of their creative process.
                Also, it's the last episode of the year, and what a year it has been. I get a little mushy with you.
                Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode
                Regarding making things in the pandemic era, I know a thing or two about creating things under stressful life circumstances. I last wrote about it in the middle of a personal crisis in 2015. Here's another, much more recent article from Deborah Fallows, and another from Karen Green and Jarrad Long.
                I mention The Big Plan. You can hear about it or read about it.
                Many folks know creator Stan Lee's famous frequent use of the word "Excelsior!" Let's not forget the understated authority of another of his go-to phrases, "'Nuff said."
                I list off a bunch of examples of works of fiction with deep worldbuilding. Wanna go deep? Check out these resources for Westeros, Middle Earth, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone universe, and the Genoa City of The Young and the Restless.
                Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons created the meta-fiction masterpiece Watchmen, which was also a great example of verisimilitude created through deep worldbuilding.
                 I mention the four storyworlds that feature in most of my own work. There's at least one work of fiction (so far) for each: The Sovereign Era, The Shaper's World, Daikaiju Universe, and the Protector Cycle.
                Light of the Outsider is the debut novel in my Shaper's World Cycle, book one of the Outsider Trilogy, and a stand-alone character-driven gritty fantasy / thriller hybrid.
                Budding is how coral do. You can bud your stories, too.
                Often you'll hear of worldbuilding in the context of tabletop role-playing games. Raymond E. Feist's Riftworld Saga started as a role-playing game session, as did George R. R. Martin and Melinda Snodgrass' Wildcards storyworld.
                Fantasy cartography is a thing, you better believe it. There are some incredibly talented practitioners out there creating in-depth storyworlds with their maps, like Nate Mangion or Tom Vogt, for example.
                Writers who worldbuild! There's a Facebook group for you. I started it. See you there: Worldbuilding for Writers.
                Have you joined the mailing list community of friends and fans? When you do, you'll get free weekly serial fiction delivered to your inbox as my gift to you.
                32 min
              • 028: What Is Worldbuilding?

                This episode of Sonitotum With Matthew Wayne Selznick is all about worldbuilding: what it is, how all fiction writers worldbuild regardless of medium or genre, and the opportunities available to writers when they invest in deep, comprehensive worldbuilding as part of their creative process.

                Also, it’s the last episode of the year, and what a year it has been. I get a little mushy with you.

                Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode
                • Regarding making things in the pandemic era, I know a thing or two about creating things under stressful life circumstances. I last wrote about it in the middle of a personal crisis in 2015. Here’s another, much more recent article from Deborah Fallows.
                • I mention The Big Plan. You can hear about it or read about it.
                • Many folks know creator Stan Lee’s famous frequent use of the word “Excelsior!” Let’s not forget the understated authority of another of his go-to phrases, “‘Nuff said.”
                • I list off a bunch of examples of works of fiction with deep worldbuilding. Wanna go deep? Check out these resources for Westeros, Middle Earth, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone universe, and the Genoa City of The Young and the Restless.
                • Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons created the meta-fiction masterpiece Watchmen, which was also a great example of verisimilitude created through deep worldbuilding.
                •  I mention the four storyworlds that feature in most of my own work. There’s at least one work of fiction (so far) for each: The Sovereign Era, The Shaper’s World, Daikaiju Universe, and the Protector Cycle.
                • Light of the Outsider is the debut novel in my Shaper’s World Cycle, book one of the Outsider Trilogy, and a stand-alone character-driven gritty fantasy / thriller hybrid.
                • Budding is how coral do. You can bud your stories, too.
                • Often you’ll hear of worldbuilding in the context of tabletop role-playing games. Raymond E. Feist’s Riftworld Saga started as a role-playing game session, as did George R. R. Martin and Melinda Snodgrass’ Wildcards storyworld.
                • Fantasy cartography is a thing, you better believe it. There are some incredibly talented practitioners out there creating in-depth storyworlds with their maps, like Nate Mangion or Tom Vogt, for example.
                • Writers who worldbuild! There’s a Facebook group for you. I started it. See you there: Worldbuilding for Writers.
                • Have you joined the mailing list community of friends and fans? When you do, you’ll get free weekly serial fiction delivered to your inbox as my gift to you.
                  • This content is by Matthew Wayne Selznick and came from his website.
                  32 min
                • Sonitotum with Matthew Wayne Selznick 027: (Mis)Adventures In Audiobooks
                  The underlying purpose of Sonitotum is to share my experiences as an experienced beginner making things, finding success, and staying healthy and sane, and hopefully, provide value through teachable moments.
                  That doesn't mean it's always easy to share the mistakes! Indeed, my ego and personal fragility almost convinced me to... under-represent... my most recent mis-steps.
                  Almost.
                  Instead, in this episode, I talk about the long road I stumbled down in completing the audiobook edition of my latest novel, Light of the Outsider, including some pretty massive last-mile fumbles... and how I know better, and what I'll do to avoid these errors in the future.
                  It's all stuff I hope you can learn from, and, heck, probably get a bit of a laugh out of in the process.
                  Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode
                  Light of the Outsider is the debut novel in my Shaper's World Cycle, book one of the Outsider Trilogy, and a stand-alone character-driven gritty fantasy / thriller hybrid.
                  Order the audiobook of Light of the Outsider, read by the author (that's me), directly from me via Gumroad.
                  ACX is Audible.com's self-publishing platform. They're very much behind on processing new submissions, so it's going to be a while before the Light of the Outsider audiobook is available there... order direct from me!
                  Audible's not the only game in town. I use Findaway Voices to distribute my audiobooks to all the other audiobook marketplaces in the world, plus libraries.
                  The Zoom recorder I used to record the Light of the Outsider audiobook is the H4. I bought mine eleven years ago... it's no longer available.
                  I mention The Big Plan. You can hear about it or read about it.
                  Have you joined the mailing list community of friends and fans? When you do, you'll get free weekly serial fiction delivered to your inbox as my gift to you.
                  What Did You Think About This Episode?
                  What are your thoughts?  Let's hear from you in the comments!
                  30 min

                About Matthew Wayne Selznick Creates

                From the publisher's feed

                Author and creator Matthew Wayne Selznick shares his creative life with you in periodic reflections, observations, expressions of experience, and attempts at understanding. An unfiltered, transparent,…