Speculate

Welcome to Episode 178 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode, we launch our third joint production of Speculate and Greg’s Twitch channel (under the moniker Arvan Eleron) as we discuss the world of Portal, Valve‘s groundbreaking puzzle game with a whole lot of story both implicit and explicit.  We talk about how the appearance of the otherwise silent protagonist allows the player to experience the story more immersively, the way game mechanics and increasing difficulty help to further the sense of increasing dread, and how the cake must clearly be a lie (it will make sense after you play the game for yourself).  Greg has never played Portal before, and having Mike comment on the story elements as Greg was discovering them for himself was a great experience–and one which the Twitch chat apparently enjoyed as well.  We hope you find it similarly interesting in helping think of narrative in new and different ways.  If you’d like to see the video version of this, head to Greg’s YouTube channel, and if you liked what you saw and heard, don’t forget to check back soon as we start a new triptych of shows.  Thanks for supporting us here and via the Patreon, and thanks as always for listening to and spreading the word about the show!

Welcome to Episode 176 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers, and Fans.  In this episode we continue our triptych of shows on the work of Malka Older, looking at her novel Infomocracy.  We chat about dystopia (and whether it’s an overused term), idea-driven fiction, narrative disorder, and more–and how all of it is tied together in this fascinating book.  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week for our final show of the triptych as we look at some of the writing techniques used in the novel–and if you’d like access to that show, please head to our Patreon page (the Patreon now moving back to live status) and support us at the $5 or higher level.  Thanks for supporting us here and via our Patreon, and thanks as always for listening to and spreading the word about the show!

Welcome to Episode 176 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers, and Fans.  In this episode we continue our triptych of shows on the work of Malka Older, looking at her novel Infomocracy.  We chat about dystopia (and whether it’s an overused term), idea-driven fiction, narrative disorder, and more–and how all of it is tied together in this fascinating book.  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week for our final show of the triptych as we look at some of the writing techniques used in the novel–and if you’d like access to that show, please head to our Patreon page (the Patreon now moving back to live status) and support us at the $5 or higher level.  Thanks for supporting us here and via our Patreon, and thanks as always for listening to and spreading the word about the show!

Welcome to Episode 175 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers, and Fans.  In this episode we welcome everyone back and thank everyone for their understanding during our hiatus before beginning our next triptych, this one on Malka Older‘s Infomocracy.  This book, which envisions a near future environment where “microdemocracy” has become the dominant political system in the world, created a major buzz when it came out last year, and as we go through things here we can see why–we talk about the book’s idea-driven dynamic, the optimism of its premise (and how realistic that optimism might or might not be), and the intoxicating nature of its presentation, among other things.  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll chat with Malka Older about the book.  And now that we’re back, please check out our Patreon and consider becoming a patron so you can get access to even more content as our show continues to grow and develop.  Thanks for supporting us here and via our Patreon page, and thanks as always for listening to and spreading the word about the show!

Welcome to Episode 175 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers, and Fans.  In this episode we welcome everyone back and thank everyone for their understanding during our hiatus before beginning our next triptych, this one on Malka Older‘s Infomocracy.  This book, which envisions a near future environment where “microdemocracy” has become the dominant political system in the world, created a major buzz when it came out last year, and as we go through things here we can see why–we talk about the book’s idea-driven dynamic, the optimism of its premise (and how realistic that optimism might or might not be), and the intoxicating nature of its presentation, among other things.  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll chat with Malka Older about the book.  And now that we’re back, please check out our Patreon and consider becoming a patron so you can get access to even more content as our show continues to grow and develop.  Thanks for supporting us here and via our Patreon page, and thanks as always for listening to and spreading the word about the show!

Welcome to Episode 174 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we start by explaining a bit of what’s been going on with our schedule, and what’s on tap for the future, before moving on to our chat with author Jason M. Hough.  Jason has been on the show before, but in this episode we focus on his (and co-author K.C. Alexander‘s) Mass Effect: Andromeda–Nexus Uprising novel, looking at the difference between original and tie-in work, working in the Mass Effect world, collaboration, and why Thane is obviously the best companion character in the ME series (okay, this might have been Greg’s suggestion, but still).  If you like what you hear, remember to check back soon for our next show, and please head to our Patreon page and support us at the $5 or higher level to get access to even more content.  Thanks for supporting us here and via our Patreon, and thanks as always for listening to and spreading the word about the show!

Welcome to Episode 174 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we start by explaining a bit of what’s been going on with our schedule, and what’s on tap for the future, before moving on to our chat with author Jason M. Hough.  Jason has been on the show before, but in this episode we focus on his (and co-author K.C. Alexander‘s) Mass Effect: Andromeda–Nexus Uprising novel, looking at the difference between original and tie-in work, working in the Mass Effect world, collaboration, and why Thane is obviously the best companion character in the ME series (okay, this might have been Greg’s suggestion, but still).  If you like what you hear, remember to check back soon for our next show, and please head to our Patreon page and support us at the $5 or higher level to get access to even more content.  Thanks for supporting us here and via our Patreon, and thanks as always for listening to and spreading the word about the show!

Welcome to Episode 173 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode, we venture into the world of healthcare and politics–and yes, they’re related!–as they relate to the speculative fiction community, as we discuss what happens next with authors Gwenda Bond and Kameron Hurley.  Both have talked extensively, on and offline, about these issues, and during our conversation we cover a lot of ground, drawing upon Kameron’s history of advocacy relating to medical rights and Gwenda’s extensive government experience in healthcare and policy.  Surprisingly, the conversation is much more upbeat than you might expect, and a lot of real suggestions for coping with current circumstances and working to create change come out of this discussion.  If you like what you hear, remember to check back soon for our next show, and please head to our Patreon page and support us at the $5 or higher level to get access to even more content. Thanks for supporting us here and via our Patreon, and thanks as always for listening to and spreading the word about the show!

Welcome to Episode 173 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode, we venture into the world of healthcare and politics–and yes, they’re related!–as they relate to the speculative fiction community, as we discuss what happens next with authors Gwenda Bond and Kameron Hurley.  Both have talked extensively, on and offline, about these issues, and during our conversation we cover a lot of ground, drawing upon Kameron’s history of advocacy relating to medical rights and Gwenda’s extensive government experience in healthcare and policy.  Surprisingly, the conversation is much more upbeat than you might expect, and a lot of real suggestions for coping with current circumstances and working to create change come out of this discussion.  If you like what you hear, remember to check back soon for our next show, and please head to our Patreon page and support us at the $5 or higher level to get access to even more content. Thanks for supporting us here and via our Patreon, and thanks as always for listening to and spreading the word about the show!

Welcome to Episode 172 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. In this State of the Field episode we chat with former editor and current agent DongWon Song of the Howard Morhaim Literary Agency about the current publishing environment for speculative fiction, how the line between agent and editor has become increasingly blurred, what authors need to know in the new hybrid/traditional market, and even what he enjoys most about teaching book editing…and many other things.  If you like what you hear, remember to check back soon for our next show, and please head to our Patreon page and support us at the $5 or higher level to get access to even more content. Thanks for supporting us here and via our Patreon, and thanks as always for listening to and spreading the word about the show…and best wishes for a happy holiday season and a wonderful 2017!