The Nuts and Bolts of Writing

Art_of_Yan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/art_of_yan/

Fortunus Games' Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/fortunusgames

PODCAST TWITTER: https://twitter.com/nuts_writing

PODCAST INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/nutsboltswriting.podcast/

Today, we talk about the Yiddish Theatre and the role it plays in Fortunus Games' graphic novel (on Webtoon, Tapas and Patreon), "Sam in New York." We go through a brief history of Yiddish Theatre - how it first developed in Europe and how it went to America, and how it influenced Hollywood, Broadway, and much more. Finally, we explore how Sam in "Sam in New York" is affected by the Yiddish Theatre and what draws him specifically to it.

PODCAST TWITTER: https://twitter.com/nuts_writing

PODCAST INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/nutsboltswriting.podcast/

Today, Tete and I discuss her character Andrei (from her Kindle novel, "70 Fierce Years") and his views on romance, both in canon with his wife Dasha and in the alternative timeline (the crossover series, "What Comes First Will Follow" that's coming soon to Tapas) with my character, Katya.

PODCAST TWITTER: https://twitter.com/nuts_writing

PODCAST INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/nutsboltswriting.podcast/

SAM IN NEW YORK ON WEBTOON: https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/sam-in-new-york/list?title_no=501948

TAPAS: https://tapas.io/episode/1873517

In this episode, we learn more about Raisa Rifkina (later Abramova), Sam's mother. We learn about when and where she was born, the kind of life she led in Odessa, Ukraine, how she met her husband Lev, what kind of mother she is towards Sam, and how immigration changed her personality and her relationship with her husband. We also talk about what kind of role Raisa played in Sam's burgeoning interest in Yiddish theatre.

PODCAST TWITTER: https://twitter.com/nuts_writing

PODCAST INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/nutsboltswriting.podcast/

In this episode, Tete and Fortunus Games talk about their upcoming project, "What Comes First Will Follow," which is a crossover work in the form of a play/dialogue they will eventually post on Tapas (later this year or early 2021). 

"What Comes First Will Follow" takes place in an alternative reality where Andrei from Tete's novel, "70 Fierce Years" (now on Kindle!) lives on after his betrothed, Dasha, dies due to the Russian Civil War. He later meets Katya (from Fortunus' work, "Sam in New York", but a version of her who stayed in Russia and didn't immigrate to the US) and the two find themselves falling for each other as they struggle to survive in a rapidly changing society. Meanwhile, Evseii, the vengeful brother of a man Andrei thought he had long left behind for good in his past, starts making his presence known to Katya and Andrei...

You can find out more about "70 Fierce Years" and Evseii's brother, Lukyan, in this previous episode: https://youtu.be/Nv4QSKAwyvA

Find out more about Katya (from the "Sam in New York" continuity) here: https://youtu.be/M-B0tFHrx_M

SAM IN NEW YORK ON WEBTOON: https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/sam-in-new-york/list?title_no=501948

TAPAS: https://tapas.io/episode/1873517

PODCAST TWITTER: https://twitter.com/nuts_writing

PODCAST INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/nutsboltswriting.podcast/

In this episode, we learn more about Lev Abramov, Sam's strict and demanding "tiger father." We learn about what kind of community he grew up in and how and when he went to Odessa, and what pushed him to go to America. We also talk about the political movements he was involved in while in Odessa, and how they've shaped his strong sense of justice.  We also introduce a new project that we're working on, about Andrei and Katya, and discuss the return of older characters (by Fortunus) like Ardalion. Learn more about these characters in future episodes!

PODCAST TWITTER: https://twitter.com/nuts_writing

PODCAST INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/nutsboltswriting.podcast/

Today, we have a guest speaker on our show - Claudia C, who, like the host is an immigrant, and has faced similar issues as those unpacked and explored in my graphic novel and soon-to-be-visual novel, "Sam in New York." 

Claudia immigrated from Honduras to the US in 1991. As a long-time fan of "Sam in New York," she identifies with many of the themes covered in the work. She shares with us many of the struggles she had to face in America - not only language struggles, but also having to get used to a different communication style and dealing with isolation, racism, xenophobia and other issues. She also talks about how she always felt pressured to assimilate in America and how the media is always pushing immigrants and minorities in general to "be white" and be ashamed of themselves. 

In this episode, Tete.Depunk (https://www.instagram.com/tete.depunk on Instagram and https://www.deviantart.com/tete-depunk) talks about her experiences writing her novel, "70 Fierce Years," a part of which has just been released as a Kindle E-Book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B08GZWJR89/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=70+fierce+years&qid=1598831307&sr=8-1

Her novel is about Andrei, who hails from the early 20th century. In this episode, we talk about how the Soviet policies of De-Cossackification affected Andrei and his family and how Andrei was forced to hide his own culture from his children to protect them. How would this kind of forced cultural assimilation affect their family in the long run?

SAM IN NEW YORK ON WEBTOON: https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/sam-in-new-york/list?title_no=501948

TAPAS: https://tapas.io/episode/1873517

PODCAST TWITTER: https://twitter.com/nuts_writing

PODCAST INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/nutsboltswriting.podcast/

We also compare and contrast Sam (from my work, "Sam in New York")'s experiences with assimilation in America with Andrei's experiences with assimilation in Russia.

SAM IN NEW YORK ON WEBTOON: https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/sam-in-new-york/list?title_no=501948

TAPAS: https://tapas.io/episode/1873517

PODCAST TWITTER: https://twitter.com/nuts_writing

PODCAST INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/nutsboltswriting.podcast/

This episode, we learn about one of Sam's love interests, Tom Melbourne, who is a small town boy from Alaska, captain of the football team at Ambrose Law School, and one of the first people to befriend Sam at law school!

PODCAST TWITTER: https://twitter.com/nuts_writing

PODCAST INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/nutsboltswriting.podcast/

In this episode, Tete.Depunk (https://www.instagram.com/tete.depunk on Instagram and https://www.deviantart.com/tete-depunk) talks about her experiences writing her novel, "70 Fierce Years," a part of which has just been released on Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B08GZWJR89/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=70+fierce+years&qid=1598831307&sr=8-1

Her novel is about Andrei, who hails from the early 20th century. 

We talk about Lukyan, Andrei's wife's father, who was abusive to Dasha and her mother. We talk in the later part of the video about how writers can approach controversial topics such as domestic abuse, violence against women, etc., particularly in historical fiction.

Thumbnail features Fortunus Games' quick sketch of Lukyan. 

Tete.Depunk's Main Sources Used:

O'Rourke, Shane. The Cossacks. Manchester University Press, 2007.

Sholokhov, Mikhail. And Quiet Flows the Don. Reissue, Vintage, 1989.

Mawdsley, Evan. The Russian Civil War. Pegasus Books, 2009.

SAM IN NEW YORK ON WEBTOON: https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/sam-in-new-york/list?title_no=501948 

TAPAS: https://tapas.io/episode/1873517  

Twitter/Instagram: @fortunusgames  

Podcast's Twitter: https://twitter.com/nuts_writing 

Podcast's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nutsboltswriting.podcast/