Sonitotum – Matthew Wayne Selznick

Yes, it’s been a while, but I couldn’t let October 15th go by without observing my fifteen-year anniversary as a podcaster with… a podcast!

This episode is part personal update… part retrospective on the early days of podcasting and, to a degree, indie publishing… part memoir… part rant… and mostly, an expression of gratitude and perspective and hope.

Since I cover fifteen years of creative history in this episode, there are a lot of links. Let’s get to ’em.

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

This is a solo episode — very much a “part two” of the previous episode — in which I explore why my creative production has been so sporadic over the last couple months, and what that lack of initiative and focus might be telling me… and what actions I should take moving forward. Related: the trap of doing things you think people want rather than things that actually matter to you and to others.

More manuscript words; scenes; pages! Not as many as I should… but what does should mean, anyway? That’s part of what this episode is about…

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

This episode of Sonitotum is the result of a good bit of self-assessment and re-calibration, which was in turn the result of a good bit of slippage in my routines, progress, and well-being (both creatively and otherwise).  Also included: an Autumn Project (2018) update, and announcements regarding changes in both the Autumn Project (2018) and my Patreon patron program.

In this period, I started writing actual manuscript draft pages of Light of the Outsider. However, I fell out of the habit hard, with no writing at all on nine days in the period. That’s rough. I talk a little about that in the podcast episode, and what I’m doing to prevent such slippage through the rest of the year.

What are your thoughts on being nimble to avoid procrastination, false obligation, and progress traps in your creative life and work?  Let’s hear from you in the comments!

Earlier in September, 2018, I introduced the Autumn Project (2018). You can read all about it, but in brief: between September and the end of December, 2018, I’m planning, plotting, and completing the first draft of my next novel, Light of the Outsider, in public.

It’s an exercise in accountability, transparency, beginner’s mind, and teaching what I learn. In that spirit, I’ve promised to share my progress on a regular basis through “minisodes” of Sonitotum with Matthew Wayne Selznick.

This is the second update!

Listen to the episode for all the details… meanwhile, here are some significant statistics and other stuff:

This ten-day period was all about wrapping up the character background notes, then “breaking” the novel, and then finally preparing all that material for the day when I begin writing actual manuscript pages of the first draft… which began on September 27, 2018… so that stuff, we’ll talk about in the next update!

This is a term borrowed from screenwriting and from television series writer rooms. It’s not the same as when a journalist “breaks a story” — that’s when a reporter is the first to report on something.

In this context, to break a story means to break the sequence of events down to individual “beats,” or scenes, and put them in order according to their place in the arc of the larger tale and each character’s arc.

Typically, there are three acts (or four, if you count the first and second half of the second act as two acts) in a longer work, with several scenes per act.

In the episode, I talk about how my last novel, Pilgrimage, stayed very close to the traditional three act structure, and how Light of the Outsider, while still broken into three acts, doesn’t necessarily follow all the usual rules.

The value of writing all those words in character background (see the last update) really proved valuable again and again during the plotting / breaking phase as new connections popped up in my mind. I was reminded of something the author Maggie Bonham (and maybe others have) said: “Outlining is where brainstorming happens.”

That’s because brainstorming is almost always more fruitful if it’s done within some kind of structure… like, for instance, three well-defined acts..!

Also, I had an important epiphany involving a key (as in, what you use to open a lock) that eliminated one of the more hand-waving story points early in the first act.  This was an intuitive thing that, nonetheless, has evaded me for a very, very long time when it comes to this novel.

In the episode, I mentioned the software that’s gone into the pre-draft, planning / plotting stage.  Here they are, with links;

Remember, you can support the Autumn Project (2018), the Sonitotum podcast, and watch the live video feed of every writing session for Light of the Outsider when you become my patron for just $3.00 per month. Every session lets you see exactly what I’m seeing on my computer monitor while I work, so you can literally see every spoiler-filled detail and behind the scenes moment as I write this book.

Pledge just $5.00 per month and you’ll get all the benefits of the $3.00 pledge plus the ability to watch the writing session videos any time you want via the archive library, plus more patron-only benefits!

Every episode of Sonitotum takes considerable time to record, edit, and produce, including writing these show notes and creating the graphics and social media assets.

For those who are interested (folks sometimes ask), here’s what I used (and use) to make this episode. I have affiliate arrangements with some of these products and services. If you make a purchase when you click through using my links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It’s a great way to help support the podcast… so thank you!

I’ll continue to stay accountable throughout the rest of 2018 with these quick weekly minisodes updating my progress on Light of the Outsider.

Stay tuned for more full-length episodes of Sonitotum with Matthew Wayne Selznick, too, including upcoming shows on the the necessity of responsible self-promotion, and more! I’ve got thoughts I want to think at you!

Don’t forget to subscribe to Sonitotum wherever and however you get your podcasts, and if you have a moment, please rate and review the show in your podcast app, too! Thanks!

Living poetically, or, as I also call it, embracing metaphor, is a kind of “mind hack” to adjust how you see the world around you, and how you interpret events, large and small, in your everyday life. Put it into practice, and you’ll find your creative eye is always activated, your artistic senses, enhanced. In anthropological and psychological circles, this is a variety of magical thinking… but there’s nothing magical about it. Jungians might think I’m talking about synchronicity… but not quite.

In this solo Sonitotum with Matthew Wayne Selznick, I sit down with you late on a Friday night and explain what the heck I mean by living poetically, with personal examples from my own life and recent history, and a necessary spoiler of series five, episode five of the television show Episodes.

What are your thoughts about living poetically, embracing metaphor, and the positive effect on a vibrant creative life?  Let’s hear from you in the comments!

Last week, I introduced the Autumn Project (2018). You can read all about it, but in brief: between September and the end of December, 2018, I’m planning, plotting, and completing the first draft of my next novel, Light of the Outsider, in public.

It’s an exercise in accountability, transparency, beginner’s mind, and teaching what I learn. In that spirit, I’ve promised to share my progress on a weekly basis through “minisodes” of Sonitotum with Matthew Wayne Selznick.

This is the first update!

Listen to the episode for all the details… meanwhile, here are some significant statistics and other stuff:

The focus of this week was on writing background for the major and point-of-view characters, plus a little housekeeping, notes, and research / reading as necessary.

I got through nearly all the major characters, with just two minor but pivotal characters left to finish on Sunday. I also compiled a timeline of those characters’ lives up to the events of the novel.

In writing these background notes on each character, I’m having a conversation with myself.

It’s a way to ask questions, and uncover questions I might not have thought to ask in the process.

By thinking through things like how old someone was when a critical moment occurred in their life, or what motivated them to take one action instead of another, I’m forced to consider their personalities, which will ultimately inform how I write that character in the actual book.

Additionally, when I’ve written something about the history of a character and it’s staring back at me, I can quickly spot shortcuts I’ve taken and cheats I’ve committed in my own thought process. It’s an odd thing, noticing when an element is just not right, or is too simplistic, or doesn’t make sense when set against other elements… it’s like not being able to walk past a crooked picture frame hanging on a wall. You have to fix it, or you’re just lazy.

Perhaps the niftiest bi-product of writing these free-form, stream-of-consciousness essays is that each one, I’ve discovered, contains synopses for at least one short story.  I could write a prequel collection, or a serial, presenting the origin tales (and other tales) from all of the principle characters in Light of the Outsider.  Or I could have someone else do it… and this is how the seeds of a personal creative franchise are planted!

I surrendered Wednesday. I have a standing familial obligation on that day, and there just isn’t enough energy or time left over to dedicate to a couple hours of creative thought.

Also, I’m still working out the best time of day to tackle the two to three hours an Autumn Project (2018) session usually consumes. Mid-afternoon is nice, but on weekdays, that cuts right in the middle of my client work. I’ve been starting at six o’clock in the evening, and that’s not bad, but I’ve run into a little bit of fatigue around then, too. I’m sure food, water, exercise, and sleep all factor in. I’m working it out.

Finally… and you’d think I’d know this by now: everything takes longer. More often than not, I’m scrambling to get into Autumn Project mode and can barely get the webcam turned on when it’s time. I need to stop whatever I’m doing at least forty five minutes before the scheduled writing session, not twenty to thirty minutes before.

I’ll continue to stay accountable throughout the rest of 2018 with these quick weekly minisodes updating my progress on Light of the Outsider.

Stay tuned for more full-length episodes of Sonitotum with Matthew Wayne Selznick, too, including upcoming shows on the value of living poetically, the necessity of responsible self-promotion, and more! I’ve got thoughts I want to think at you!

Don’t forget to subscribe to Sonitotum wherever and however you get your podcasts, and if you have a moment, please rate and review the show in your podcast app, too! Thanks!

This episode of Sonitotum is also a Scribtotum article. This is the first time I’m “crossing the streams” between my podcast and my blog… combining the streams, really… but just like those big annual comic book crossovers where Nothing Will Ever Be The Same, This Is Not A Dream. Not An Imaginary Story.

It’s an Event.

Was that all a little overboard with the comic book references?

Did I really need to use emphasis capitalization?

Are ya with me?

I’m trying something out.

I need your help to make it work.

September through December, 2018, I’m going to plan and draft my next novel.

Thing is, on my own, I’m terrible at building and maintaining a consistent writing practice. Just awful.

If you’ve been part of my community for a while, you know the last time I published a novel was over five years ago, and it’s been four years since I released any kind of fiction at all.

I’m the Prince of Procrastination. The Fauntleroy of False Starts. If a creative life was an obstacle course, I’d have mud all over me and be tangled in barbed wire… which is among the reasons I declared a creative reset at the end of April of this year.

Since then, I’ve managed to meet and exceed my goal of putting out (on average) two episodes of Sonitotum per month. And since July, I’ve been writing new installments of Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights: “How It All Got Started” for my Patreon patrons. I’ve composed and recorded some music. And I’ve written over twenty five thousand words of Scribtotum articles and Sonitotum show notes.

I think I’ve warmed up. The training wheels are getting wobbly. I can see farther down the road.

It’s time to tackle another novel.

For all the reasons I wrote above, I don’t think I can do it alone.

I need some accountability.

So I’m opening the doors, pulling up the blinds, and turning on all the lights.

In the interest of transparency and vulnerability, in the spirit of teaching as I learn, and with a beginner’s mind, I’ll share every step of planning and writing this novel with Sonitotum listeners and my Patreon patrons.

Every week, beginning the week ending September 15, 2018, I’ll record a brief episode of Sonitotum reviewing my progress across the preceding seven days. My Patreon patrons, as they do with every episode of the podcast, will get the uncut and unexpurgated editions of those shows a few days before an edited version goes out to the general public.

In the show notes, I’ll share resources and tools I’m using, as well as limited work-in-progress screenshots and sneak peeks.

For my Patreon patrons pledging $3.00 per month or more, I’ll provide a live stream during each writing session (usually daily).

When I say “fly on the wall,” I mean it.

You will see what I see on my computer screen, and you’ll see me in a smaller picture-in-picture.

To be perfectly clear: you will be able to witness every moment of the actual creation of the novel, from working with software, to outlining and brainstorming, through writing the first draft.

With the added bonus of  watching me run the gamut of various versions of my scrunched up and often befuddled Creator FaceTM.

Additionally, you can chat with other viewers during the live stream! I’ll chime in a bit here and there, too, but remember, I’m supposed to be writing!

Can’t make it to watch as it happens? My Patreon patrons who pledge $5.00 per month will have access to an archive of the Autumn Project (2018) live video sessions they can watch after the fact!

The book I’ll be writing is Light of the Outsider. It’s part of my Shaper’s World storyworld, a wholly original fantasy setting where three different hominid species struggle to coexist while arcane powers from Outside threaten everything.

In Light of the Outsider, a group of desperate people are thrown together to rescue an infant prince before ethnic, international, and magickal pressures can threaten the stability of the entire continent and millions of lives.

If George R. R. Martin and James Ellroy had a grubby back alley love child and lovingly fed him rusty typewriter keys and candy soot, that stunted sport might write something like Light of the Outsider.

I’m gonna do it instead.

Light of the Outsider is the first of six planned Shaper’s World novels… if this one gets done, and folks want more.

It’s a long time simmering, this book. It’s time to get cooking.

You don’t have to be a patron to support my efforts in the Autumn Project (2018).

You can subscribe to the podcast and get weekly, albeit edited, reports of my progress, and your comments and feedback will certainly be appreciated.

You can follow my progress in the broadest sense via progress bars on my site.

You can become a patron at the $1.00 per month pledge level and get the unedited episodes of Sonitotum, but you won’t get access to the real-time streaming video writing sessions.

Your $3.00 per month pledge gets you in… your $5.00 per month pledge gets you everything... but I welcome any and all support at any level. The most important thing to me is that you’re there with me, keeping me accountable.

If you want the full experience of total access so you can witness the birth of a novel in real time, you should…

Help me keep my butt in the chair through the end of 2018.

Help make sure I get writing, and keep writing.

In return, you’ll get to see everything involved in planning, plotting, and writing a novel, from start to finish.

Become my patron for only $3.00 per month and you’ll get

If you’re already a patron but you’re not pledging at the $3.00 per month level, be sure to upgrade your pledge so you get access to the live streaming video feed!

Want to watch pre-recorded video streams? Upgrade to the $5.00 per month pledge level!

I need you. Will you come along with me on the Autumn Project (2018)?

Thanks!

In this episode, I have an in-depth conversation with the songwriter, composer, and independent music entrepreneur Emma Wallace.

Emma Wallace has a dozen albums, EPs, and singles to her credit, including her latest, Immortal (available August 31, 2018).

With over a decade of hard-fought experience building a career that supports a family of four through her music, Emma’s got a lot to share about how to be a committed, steadfast, positivity-focused independent creator in the face of professional, personal, and financial challenges.

No matter your creative endeavor, you’ll find a lot of inspiration in her story.

Here are some of the things I talk about with Emma Wallace in this episode, including a few links to sites with which I have an affiliate relationship. I’ll earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you purchase products through those links. It’s a lovely way to show your support for Sonitotum!

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

Here are some of the things I talk about in this episode, including a few links to sites with which I have an affiliate relationship. I’ll earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you purchase products through those links. It’s a lovely way to show your support for Sonitotum!

After listening to this episode, you know I have strong opinions regarding the artist’s responsibility. Do you agree? Do you have a different view? Speak up about it, or… you know what? I’m just going to assume you’re with me 100%!  Let’s hear from you in the comments!

It’s a bit different from, but kin to, James Baldwin’s interpretation. With all due respect, his version might even be a subset of mine. Listen and see what you think.

Before I get into the main topic, I give you a quick run down of what’s been happening in my life creatively and professionally, and how to find out more.

Here are some of the things I talk about in this episode, including a few links to sites with which I have an affiliate relationship. I’ll earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you purchase products through those links. It’s a lovely way to show your support for Sonitotum!

After listening to this episode, you know I have strong opinions regarding the artist’s responsibility. Do you agree? Do you have a different view? Speak up about it, or… you know what? I’m just going to assume you’re with me 100%!  Let’s hear from you in the comments!

I think about the artist’s responsibility a lot, and it’s on my mind every time a comedian or filmmaker comes under fire for the work they create. So in this episode, I lay it all out and define the artist’s responsibility.

It’s a bit different from, but kin to, James Baldwin’s interpretation. With all due respect, his version might even be a subset of mine. Listen and see what you think.

Before I get into the main topic, I give you a quick run down of what’s been happening in my life creatively and professionally, and how to find out more.

Here are some of the things I talk about in this episode, including a few links to sites with which I have an affiliate relationship. I’ll earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you purchase products through those links. It’s a lovely way to show your support for Sonitotum!

After listening to this episode, you know I have strong opinions regarding the artist’s responsibility. Do you agree? Do you have a different view? Speak up about it, or… you know what? I’m just going to assume you’re with me 100%!  Let’s hear from you in the comments!

Do you have any kind of responsibility for what you create? Do you have a certain, specific, responsibility as a creator?

I think about the artist’s responsibility a lot, and it’s on my mind every time a comedian or filmmaker comes under fire for the work they create. So in this episode, I lay it all out and define the artist’s responsibility.

It’s a bit different from, but kin to, James Baldwin’s interpretation. With all due respect, his version might even be a subset of mine. Listen and see what you think.

Before I get into the main topic, I give you a quick run down of what’s been happening in my life creatively and professionally, and how to find out more.

Here are some of the things I talk about in this episode, including a few links to sites with which I have an affiliate relationship. I’ll earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you purchase products through those links. It’s a lovely way to show your support for Sonitotum!

After listening to this episode, you know I have strong opinions regarding the artist’s responsibility. Do you agree? Do you have a different view? Speak up about it, or… you know what? I’m just going to assume you’re with me 100%!  Let’s hear from you in the comments!

Do you have any kind of responsibility for what you create? Do you have a certain, specific, responsibility as a creator?

I think about the artist’s responsibility a lot, and it’s on my mind every time a comedian or filmmaker comes under fire for the work they create. So in this episode, I lay it all out and define the artist’s responsibility.

It’s a bit different from, but kin to, James Baldwin’s interpretation. With all due respect, his version might even be a subset of mine. Listen and see what you think.

Before I get into the main topic, I give you a quick run down of what’s been happening in my life creatively and professionally, and how to find out more.

Here are some of the things I talk about in this episode, including a few links to sites with which I have an affiliate relationship. I’ll earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you purchase products through those links. It’s a lovely way to show your support for Sonitotum!

After listening to this episode, you know I have strong opinions regarding the artist’s responsibility. Do you agree? Do you have a different view? Speak up about it, or… you know what? I’m just going to assume you’re with me 100%!  Let’s hear from you in the comments!

Recently, on my birthday, I got to see the excellent documentary on the life, work, and yes, legacy of Fred Rogers, Won’t You Be My Neighbor.  It left me at once thoughtful and energized; moved and inspired.

See, I think about legacy a lot. Especially as a childless creator.

This episode is all about creating a creative legacy: what that means, how it’s done, and how much control we really have over it at all.

It’s one of those episodes where I get pretty excited. The feet are on the soapbox! But all in the spirit of sharing my own excitement and conviction.

Here are some of the things I talk about in this episode, including a few links to sites with which I have an affiliate relationship. I’ll earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you purchase products through those links. It’s a lovely way to show your support for Sonitotum!

What are your thoughts about creative legacy? Have you seen it in action as a result of your own work?  Let’s hear from you in the comments!