writing

Suddenly I’ve Discovered Podcasts

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(This column is posted at www.StevenSavage.com and Steve’s Tumblr.  Find out more at my newsletter.)

For a long time I really didn’t get into podcasts. Sure, I did a few, but that was about it. I’m not sure why – I guess I figured I had enough media to consume or that it’d be distracting, since many people I know listened to them while doing something else.

However, a friend turned me on to some interesting political and cultural podcasts. That made me realize I should also take a look at writer’s podcasts. Then game design podcasts (a side interest of mine).

And now, I’m listening to them all the time. They’re great for when I’m working out, or taking a walk, or doing things like stat-crunching that don’t always engage my language center.

What’s stunning to me, as a sudden podcast-arriver, is just how much really good stuff is out there. Really, I’ve been too far behind the curve.

This is a good reminder to keep trying new things, keep exploring, and keep asking.  New tools, new books, new technology are all out there, and some of it is probably damned good.  A little curiosity goes a long way, and takes you even further.

It’s also a reminder that, sometimes, you can’t try new things.

I had a lot going on.  My media consumption habits didn’t always fit podcasts.  I had other priorities.  Maybe I needed to try podcasts earlier, but simply I selected my priorities.

So keep an open mind, but also pace yourself.  Don’t let yourself get overwhelmed.  You can’t be on top of everything.

Now as for writing podcasts I’d recommend?

Self-Publishing Journeys – With author Paul Teague.  He shares his plans and experience self-publishing weekly.  It’s fun, human, intimate, and provides real knowledge.

Write Minded – A nice varied podcast on writing that ranges on many subjects.  Even if one doesn’t fit you, the next one may!  Plus they get some surprising guests!

Give them a shot!

Steven Savage

Steve’s Update 10/6/2019

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(This column is posted at www.StevenSavage.com.  Find out more at my newsletter.)

This update is a bit chaotic – lots of people I know going through stuff, from surgeries to family challenges. So I’m not quite where I wanted to be.

But first, I am in a TON of giveaways. Check them out for some free books and samples:

So what have I done since last time?

  • Way With Worlds: I didn’t outline the next book yet, as I was selecting subject – and folks on my newsletter gave me some feedback. Right now it’s probably going to be either Gods and Deities or Economics.
  • Chance’s Muse: I didn’t get a chance to edit this for obvious reasons.
  • A School Of Many Futures: Had a few bumpy spots, and I realized I’d “over outlined” it – on top of trying to write while busy. I’m rewriting the first two chapters to get a feel. So the book is probably out September next year instead of August.
  • Seventh Sanctum: Started looking into the Python prototypes again, and I’m tackling the most difficult generator.

What’s next?

  • Way With Worlds: Ok, NOW I plan to outline the next one and start it. Really.
  • Chance’s Muse: I’m going to try to sit down and edit in one giant go. I want it done end of October so I can publish it.
  • A School Of Many Futures: Finish my chapter rewrite then tear into it.
  • Seventh Sanctum: Keep going! Gods, this has been interrupted so much.
  • General: Recover from all the chaos of course.

Steven Savage

Writer’s Lean Coffee

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(This column is posted at www.StevenSavage.com and Steve’s Tumblr.  Find out more at my newsletter.)

At one of my writer’s groups I tried something out you may want to try – a Lean Coffee. Here’s a quick rundown and what happens. You can read up on it above, but I’ll sum up my experiences here.

At its heart, Lean Coffees are self-organizing ways for teams of people to pool knowledge, get advice, and discuss important subjects. It comes from lean business practices, but you can re-purpose it for just about anything.

First, how you run a Lean Coffee (for writers, but you can do it for all sorts of things)

  1. Get a group of people interested in the same subject.
  2. Give them notecards or some other equivalent (or even an online spreadsheet). Have them write down 1-3 things they want to discuss.
  3. Once the questions to discuss are done, everyone gets three votes and votes on what they want to discuss. In my experience, people don’t vote for just their questions, because people bring up topics they hadn’t thought of.
  4. Rank the subjects in order of votes and pick the top one. If there’s more than one top subject by votes, pick one randomly.
  5. Discuss the subject as a group for five minutes. At the end, vote if people want to go on another five minutes. I usually go by majority vote unless it’s close.
  6. Take the next subject by vote count and continue.

Encourage people to take notes or have a designated note-taker if the group is part of a larger team.

I’ve run this a number of times for Agile groups, and it’s always been successful – though sometimes you have to do it two or three times in a row for a team to gel. So how did it go for a random group of writers?

Really good.

First, we had a number of good subjects of discussion. I think that’s because the group had a history of good discussions, often focused on specific subjects-of-the-month. We were primed for this.

Secondly, because we had a diverse group of people, the discussions covered a lot of ground. Different viewpoints created more valuable results – and more valuable questions.

Third, it really got people talking. The Lean Coffee encourages people to talk, and the “bite-sized” discussions made it easy to prompt people who might go silent, and if someone had nothing to say one subject they may the next.

Fourth, the Lean Coffee method encourages solid discussions. People bring up things that matter to them, then vote as a team on what’s important to everyone, and discussion follows. Real quickly you focus on high-value issues, while having a bit of surprise to shake you up and keep you from getting into a rut.

Fifth, it created real team bonding. We shared our concerns and our insights, we got to know each other, we figured solutions to shared problems. I felt like we all left as more of a team.

I am going to repeat this with my writers group, probably every few moths, and may try it in other groups. I also wonder if it’ll work at conventions . . .

So give it a try, and let me know what you find!

Steven Savage