The Nuts and Bolts of Writing

Hi, everyone! Today, we’re airing an extra episode, which is also on YouTube: https://youtu.be/HrxnePtKegI

This episode is not about writing, but about fundamentalist Christian homeschooling, which we’ve previously talked about in Episode 183: The Dark Side of Religious Homeschool in the United States - With Tete DePunk. You can watch that Episode 183 on YouTube: https://youtu.be/l7IEQHiUq74

In this episode, I interview Tete DePunk (@tete.depunk on IG) and Wren (@wrenby_m on IG), another homeschool graduate. Tete and Wren rip into the horrors of Christian fundamentalist homeschool and how the Christian propaganda and lack of coverage of real-life subjects affect their lives to this day.

Originally, this video was meant to be part of Tete's podcast, "The Real Stuff." However, she didn't think it was a good fit, so she has given the video to me.

Read the transcript here: https://www.fortunusgames.com/post/ep-184-5-tarot-analysis-two-of-swords-minor-arcana-balance-and-partnership

This week's tarot card from my Fortunus Games tarot deck  is the Two of Swords, featuring Sam's mother, Raisa Abramova, from my @tapascommunity #graphicnovel, Sam in New York.

The Two of Swords shows a blindfolded Raisa holding two crossed swords. The blindfold suggests that she's confused about where she is and she can't see the problem or solution clearly. But the swords are in perfect balance, which suggests that she is thinking clearly despite her lack of knowledge and thinking about both sides of the situation to find the best solution.

Behind Raisa is an ocean with islands. The water represents emotions and the islands symbolize obstacles in her path. This suggests that Raisa will have to use her emotional intelligence to navigate various obstacles. The crescent moon also suggests that Raisa will need to rely on her intuition.

Fortunus Games talks about the new direction of the podcast starting this week. 

Season two will cover the following and more:

Stay tuned by subbing to my Instagram @nutsboltswriting.podcast and my Twitter @nuts_writing. You can also find me on YouTube under the username, Fortunus Games. Links to all of these can be found in my LinkTree, which is also in the description.

Thank you so much for supporting us since 2020! I can’t believe the podcast will be turning three this year. We wouldn’t have lasted this long without you guys supporting us!

Links:

The Unconventional Courier zine website.

My LinkTree.

Watch on YouTube.

Read the transcript: https://www.fortunusgames.com/post/ep-183-5-tarot-analysis-ace-of-swords-minor-arcana-success-new-ideas-and-breakthroughs

Watch on YouTube.

My LinkeTree: https://www.linktr.ee/fortunusgames 

Check out this podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvd4C7fSOawTalthFUirt-iRNtxKPANfW 

On Anchor.fm: https://anchor.fm/fortunus-games 

Tete.Depunk's social media:  @Tete - DePunk  on YouTube, @tete.depunk on Instagram, and @punk_tete on Twitter  

R.N. Roveleh's social media:  @R. N. Roveleh  on YouTube,  @Dr. Metalhead  on YouTube, @helevorn_bor on Instagram, and @NRoveleh on Twitter

Read the transcript here.

Watch on YouTube.

At last, we've come to the last card of the Fortunus Games tarot deck’s Suit of Coins/Pentacles - the King of Pentacles featuring Lev Abramov, Sam's father, from my graphic novel, "Sam in New York.”

Watch on YouTube (with PowerPoint slides).

Read the transcript of this video here.  

In this episode of "The Nuts and Bolts of Writing," R.N. Roveleh (a.k.a. Helevorn) and I, Fortunus Games, review and analyze Joseph Conrad's 1899 novella, "Heart of Darkness."  

R.N. Roveleh is the author of "Lucky Wolf," a  psychological historical novel about the tumultuous relationship between a magic practitioner and a warrior. You can buy it here:  https://play.google.com/store/books/details/R_N_Roveleh_Lucky_Wolf?id=dnI4EAAAQBAJ&pli=1   

She is also the author of "Sons of Disobedience," the sequel to "Lucky Wolf." Yngvar, whom we compared to Kurtz in this review, is a major character in both stories. Aidan is the protagonist of "Sons of Disobedience," and we get to see Yngvar through his lens.

In Episode 181 of The Nuts and Bolts of Writing podcast,  @Tete - DePunk  and I talk about how she stopped using writing as escapism. She talks about how the 2022 Yale playwriting contest changed her approach to writing her novel-in-progress, "70 Fierce Years."  

You can read a preview of  @Tete - DePunk 's "70 Fierce Years": https://tapas.io/series/70-Fierce-Years/info 

Read more about the 2022 Yale Playwriting Contest here: https://yalebooks.yale.edu/yale-drama-series-rules-and-submission-guidelines/ 

Watch the rest of the Nuts and Bolts of Writing podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvd4C7fSOawTalthFUirt-iRNtxKPANfW 

Listen to it on Anchor.fm (includes links to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more): https://anchor.fm/fortunus-games

Watch on YouTube (with PowerPoint).

Helevorn (Instagram: @helevorn_bor) and I review Simon Sebag Montefiore's historical novel, "Red Sky at Noon."  We explore the following and more:   

This week's tarot card from the Fortunus Games tarot deck is the Queen of Pentacles. It features Sam’s mother, Raisa Abramova, from my graphic novel, "Sam in New York.”

As the Queen of Pentacles, Raisa is sitting on a stone throne with carvings of vines, goats, and other representations of success and pleasure. She's holding a coin with both hands and she's looking at it as if she wants to nurture it. Like the goats and other carvings on the throne, the coin represents success and wealth.

Raisa is also surrounded by flowers, trees, and plants, representing her connection to nature and fertility.

In short, this card stands for nurture and financial success. This is a perfect fit for Raisa, who nurtures her family by working at the family printshop.