EarlyWords's recent activity
-
Comment on Authors of Tildes: How well do you know your own book when you publish? in ~creative
-
Comment on Authors of Tildes: How well do you know your own book when you publish? in ~creative
EarlyWords LinkAs an author, I’ve learned over the years to make the story flawless before showing it to others. But that doesn’t mean that I commit every detail to long term memory. I think it’s because of my...As an author, I’ve learned over the years to make the story flawless before showing it to others. But that doesn’t mean that I commit every detail to long term memory. I think it’s because of my actor training that I am fully taken by a project as it happens but then I don’t store my lines in perpetuity. I move on. That means when I go back to my former fixations I’m often surprised by things I’d forgotten I’d added.
What I’ve noticed as a narrator though is how very many “authors” hardly ever get past the first rewrite of their text before pushing it out the door. I’ve had to learn not to be an editor to hasty writers, and I’ve had to stop my involvement with certain audiobooks after it was clear I was more interested in the accuracy of the writing than the author. Names would change halfway through. Basic grammar and spelling mistakes would be rampant.
I couldn’t imagine presuming on someone’s time and attention with such lazy efforts. Audiences are precious and need to be treated as such.
-
Comment on What creative projects have you been working on? in ~creative
EarlyWords Link ParentI like your writing! Very kinetic. And you grab the reader pretty quickly. I also like the idea of providing accompanying music. It sets the tone and setting as well as whole paragraphs of text....I like your writing! Very kinetic. And you grab the reader pretty quickly. I also like the idea of providing accompanying music. It sets the tone and setting as well as whole paragraphs of text.
Are these pre-written stories or exercises in automatic writing? I find that when I go for the quantity over quality goals myself, I happily fill up blank pages with no idea where I’m headed.
For years I had an automatic writing project I would work on when I was between actual major projects. I knew nothing about it and let every sentence surprise me. It soon grew into a novel about a dark fantasy lord who was the personification of chaos. I’ve probably never had so much fun at the keyboard.
Daily production and posting is definitely hard unless your schedule is very stable. Good luck! Looks like you’re having fun.
-
Comment on Self published authors, how do you market your books? Nothing I've tried has had any success. in ~creative
EarlyWords Link ParentFor Lisica, I decided to purchase my own website (https://dwdraff.in/) and post the weekly episodes there. I had done the same in the past with a free podcast service called Anchor but they were...For Lisica, I decided to purchase my own website (https://dwdraff.in/) and post the weekly episodes there. I had done the same in the past with a free podcast service called Anchor but they were bought by Spotify and I no longer trust that they have my long term interests at heart.
No ads, no money paywall. especially for this project, which is my description of utopia and a years-long escape from the increasing terrors of the 2020s. This project was initially conceived of as a TV series and the only path forward I’m interested in is the one that makes it an unlikely hit that comes to Hollywood’s notice.
-
Comment on Self published authors, how do you market your books? Nothing I've tried has had any success. in ~creative
EarlyWords Link ParentI keep my workflow as simple as possible, with a condenser mic in a small studio and a VO-specific DAW called Twisted Wave that is perfect for longform audio tracks. There was someone on Tildes...I keep my workflow as simple as possible, with a condenser mic in a small studio and a VO-specific DAW called Twisted Wave that is perfect for longform audio tracks.
There was someone on Tildes here a couple months ago who had invented a combined text/audio process that sounds like what you describe. I’m always eager for new tech assistance because the production process is so intensive.
-
Comment on Self published authors, how do you market your books? Nothing I've tried has had any success. in ~creative
EarlyWords Link ParentYeah I started a literary podcast few years ago and the convenience of it, having hundreds of hours of my stories and novels that I’ve narrated as a simple link I can send to anyone anywhere in...Yeah I started a literary podcast few years ago and the convenience of it, having hundreds of hours of my stories and novels that I’ve narrated as a simple link I can send to anyone anywhere in the world, is just a dream come true. I don’t add advertising or anything. Just the pure stories.
What I’ve learned is that the best way I navigate the entertainment industry myself is to generally keep money out of it and focus on the ideas. Every once in a while something pops and I have a hit on YouTube or I sell a script to Hollywood. But I’ve never found myself able to chase those goals for their own sake. It remains about the story.
-
Comment on Self published authors, how do you market your books? Nothing I've tried has had any success. in ~creative
EarlyWords Link ParentAlthough the audiobook market has many of the same problems of self promotion and over saturation as the print market, it is a much more enthusiastic and engaged audience, which continues to grow....Although the audiobook market has many of the same problems of self promotion and over saturation as the print market, it is a much more enthusiastic and engaged audience, which continues to grow.
Go to acx.com and look at the side of the site for rights holders. This is the pipeline that Amazon, Audible, and Apple put together. You will notice that there are opportunities to work with narrators with no money upfront under a royalty share agreement.
Most of the narrators who work for those rates are just starting out or not having much success. But I don’t mind, if I believe in the project.
One of the best parts of having a narrator record your work is that nobody will ever know that book, almost as well as you. They will find the ideas and themes that are most important to the author and bring those elements to life. It can be a really wonderful collaboration.
-
Comment on Self published authors, how do you market your books? Nothing I've tried has had any success. in ~creative
EarlyWords LinkI’ve been self publishing for 20 years now, before there were even platforms to do so. I’ve made very little money and found only small audiences, but I’m quite happy with it. I really only need a...I’ve been self publishing for 20 years now, before there were even platforms to do so. I’ve made very little money and found only small audiences, but I’m quite happy with it. I really only need a handful of people to be touched or moved or changed by each of my projects. Anything else is an abstraction.
My latest project is a series of four books. I am releasing them one chapter at a time every week in both text and audio formats. I am as much an actor and narrator as I am a writer so the audio version is an essential component for me. Last week, on chapter 17, I got five new subscribers for the first time. What others have said about consistency is exactly right in regards to building a community.
If you would like an audiobook version of your work, let’s talk. I can help you figure out if that is a good move for you next and if I’m the right person for the job or not. Good luck!
-
Comment on Startups want to geoengineer a cooler planet. With few rules, experts see big risks. in ~enviro
EarlyWords LinkI am not in favor of a wild west approach to geoengineering. I don't think anyone but startup founders are. But one project that I think is really important is Project Vesta, which is designed to...I am not in favor of a wild west approach to geoengineering. I don't think anyone but startup founders are. But one project that I think is really important is Project Vesta, which is designed to not only capture marine carbon dioxide in olivine rock, but to use tidal forces to keep the olivine from sealing itself with an oxidized rind, which means it can absorb and process CO2 in perpetuity. According to their calculations, only 2% of global (mostly tropical) beaches would need to be turned green (olivine is green) for the current excess amount of CO2 in the world's oceans to be treated.
Geoengineering is definitely scary, but there are a number of processes like this that can be implemented incrementally. For too many people, they believe it's a single giant engineering initiative like a million square kilometer sun shield in space. We don't need to do that. We can slowly add albedo to cloud cover and ice fields in small amounts and continually study the interactions of the larger systems. Yes, we will certainly make mistakes, but as we are currently sprinting toward hell in a handbasket, I believe many more geoengineering strategies will be crucial to the continued livability of the planet.
-
Comment on Where are you on the spectrum of vacation planning? Detailed to the hour or floating like a leaf in the wind? in ~talk
EarlyWords LinkI was always the freest of spirits on my travels, throwing myself at the world to see what would happen. But since the pandemic, I’ve found that is far less possible. The people who used to kindly...I was always the freest of spirits on my travels, throwing myself at the world to see what would happen. But since the pandemic, I’ve found that is far less possible. The people who used to kindly help me on my way are much less patient and welcoming now. And there is much less play in the system, with airlines and transportation infrastructure one of the least dependable systems now. On a flight last month from SFO to San Antonio we were rescheduled for the next day and then we spent five hours in the Dallas airport and then three hours on the tarmac and suddenly our vacation was nearly over before it began.
Also, I travel now to get footage of ancient history and archaeology sites and these trips require far more planning and the prioritizing of video capture instead of relaxation or exploration.
The exception to all that is that I can still hike out my front door in San Francisco and walk for several days into nature without any kind of plan. No reservations needed.
-
Comment on Strategies for coping with writers block in ~creative
EarlyWords LinkI have found for myself that my writing doesn’t get blocked as much as the well sometimes runs dry. Either I am in input or output mode, and if I have been in output mode too long then I run out...I have found for myself that my writing doesn’t get blocked as much as the well sometimes runs dry. Either I am in input or output mode, and if I have been in output mode too long then I run out of things to say. That’s when I force myself to switch to input mode.
I believe that many writers don’t live fully enough to continually produce writing worth reading. They have their handful of things they like to say and a limited number of ways of saying it. And after a while they run out of ways to combine those few things.
I was a young Hollywood writer. I’d only staged three of my own plays when CAA found me and started my career as a screenwriter. But I was filled with misgivings at 26. It was too easy. The privileged position I’d been given was too important for me to waste it on merely clever or facile stories.
So I stepped back for a few years, convinced that I needed to live before I could offer writing that was worth reading or seeing onscreen. In short, I had no wisdom and nothing worth saying.
Now in my 50s, the experiences and losses I’ve lived through give me far more fuel for my fires and I haven’t had writers block in like 20 years.
-
Comment on As I get older, I get more and more disillusioned with "activism", and I'm fine with this in ~talk
EarlyWords LinkMy wife and I met 30 years ago and part of the reason we fell in love was because of our activism and anger at the ways of the world. Together we have tried endless ways of joining the fight...My wife and I met 30 years ago and part of the reason we fell in love was because of our activism and anger at the ways of the world. Together we have tried endless ways of joining the fight against ignorance and self interest and all the ways they manifest.
What we realized is that protests and standard forms of activism have long ago been solved by the powers that be. So we just kept doing more and more to try to reach people more deeply. She became a teacher, trying to reach younger and younger kids, knowing that the earlier she could communicate certain values to them, the more strongly they would hold them. I’m a writer. I try to show people new ways of looking at things and get them excited about aspects of a better world, while warning them about the dangers and pitfalls of the one we live in.
Then this global information war happened and now we find ourselves again on this kind of abstract nebulous front line, fighting against the demons of social media and the forces trying to destroy the institution of education.
I don’t like fighting and confrontation but just trying to live a decent life somehow gets me in trouble again and again.
-
Comment on Help me re-learn how to write, understand the nuances of writing, be a good writer in ~creative
EarlyWords (edited )Link ParentI’d like to chime in on how writing provides meaning and helps order one’s thoughts. Very often I will learn a subject by writing about it or use the process to help me decide how I feel about a...I’d like to chime in on how writing provides meaning and helps order one’s thoughts. Very often I will learn a subject by writing about it or use the process to help me decide how I feel about a divisive subject.
As a playwright I will often have characters embody opposing viewpoints about which I haven’t resolved my own opinions and then I will have them hash it out on stage in front of an audience. For example, I was always unsure whether I believed the path forward for humanity was through an Apollonian or Dionysian approach. So, in a hospital drama that is otherwise about childhood leukemia, I had two patients in the ward not only arguing these positions but acting out their beliefs and seeing what the consequences of those actions were.
It was only in that way I learned that as much as I admire the discipline and self-restraint of Apollonian disciplines, I remain at heart an emotional biological follower of Dionysis.
I do the same with essays, screenplays, poetry, and novels. Each medium is appropriate for different ideas. When our daughter was little we wrote children’s books together as well, using the narrative structure to learn life lessons and do some early homeschooling.
This is why I am not worried about AI doing all the writing in the future. Only a small fraction of it is for a wider audience.
-
Comment on Is climate change driving the global rise in populism? If so ... how? If not ... what is? in ~enviro
EarlyWords Link ParentIndeed. It was in 2010 on a holiday in Switzerland that I met one of the leading Russian oligarchs. His stepson was an old friend who had escaped to the States in the 90s to kick a drug habit. The...Indeed. It was in 2010 on a holiday in Switzerland that I met one of the leading Russian oligarchs. His stepson was an old friend who had escaped to the States in the 90s to kick a drug habit.
The family was always indebted to us for how we had taken care of their son. In Geneva, they invited us to their mansion for a day and our daughter got to play in their pool. The stepfather was a Putin confidant and one of the top commodities traders in the world. He warned me then Russia was preparing to attack the west. He said we had lost our way and grown too soft with peace and the wolves of the steppe were coming for us.
I wholeheartedly believed him. And in the years since, I have certainly seen his prediction play itself out.
-
Comment on Is climate change driving the global rise in populism? If so ... how? If not ... what is? in ~enviro
EarlyWords Link ParentI’ll take your “conspiracy” one step further: we have been engaged in a full-blown information war between state/non-state actors and the populaces of the world since at least 2016, when Russia...I’ll take your “conspiracy” one step further: we have been engaged in a full-blown information war between state/non-state actors and the populaces of the world since at least 2016, when Russia and their political/economic allies such as the Kochs, Mercers, Murdochs, and Le Pens finally overcame the integrity of the Western world’s institutions enough to steal the presidency of the US.
That was a major act of war. Brexit soon followed, another campaign so insidious that people in the UK still refuse to believe it was intentional. For years it was considered a tragic coincidence that most overall polling put pro and anti Brexit positions both at 49.7%. Bolsonaro is another example out of the same playbook.
The thing is, it isn’t a simple global conspiracy run by Putin. There are a host of players working together and also at cross-purposes, including China, Israel, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and North Korea. Then there are the efforts of the West’s own intelligence services and political institutions which also often work against their own interests and at cross-purposes.
I have been saying for eight years now that first we have to acknowledge we are at war before we can do anything about this. But the curious thing about the information war is that it apparently benefits no one in power to admit it.
So we spill oceans of ink trying to define what went wrong with the world, culturally and economically and politically, all the while suffering even more attacks from our enemies who know very well that they are fighting to the death.
-
Comment on What's the best way to avoid scams when being paid by strangers on the internet? in ~finance
EarlyWords LinkI have hired graphic designers and artists from various countries and once we have established that we are going to work together I have us both go through guru.com. They have a step-by-step...I have hired graphic designers and artists from various countries and once we have established that we are going to work together I have us both go through guru.com. They have a step-by-step process that protects both parties with a contract, escrow of payments that only allows the contract to move ahead to the next step when the financial and contractual goals have been met, and lots of support and conflict resolution.
Just sign up for that service. They’ve been around forever. If your client won’t do it, drop them.
-
Comment on What AI tools are you actually using? in ~tech
EarlyWords Link ParentThe most fun we have had with AI is our Tomb of Horrors campaign. The paladin is played by a video game designer who uses AI chatbots in his work. In our game he generates prayers for his god Helm...The most fun we have had with AI is our Tomb of Horrors campaign. The paladin is played by a video game designer who uses AI chatbots in his work. In our game he generates prayers for his god Helm which grant us blessings upon hearing them and woeful speeches by his pet Triceratops that are incredibly detailed and hilarious. Thunderfoot has both an Irish and 1920's Brooklyn Italian accent, is a coward who comments brilliantly on his predicaments, and speaks with pathos about his suffering.
I have also been using ecosia's AI chat to answer specific detailed questions I have such as "Please tell me about personal genomics companies that have strong data privacy protections." and "Help me design a walking route from my house in San Francisco to Bear Valley visitor station in Point Reyes."
For the first, it led me to a number of companies I'd never heard of, including Nebula Genomics--founded by Harvard's renowned George Church, with assurances that the data remains the property of the client forever. And with the second, I know my route but I wanted to test how detailed it might be. It gave a good reply but also reminded me to practice Leave No Trace principles which I liked very much.
-
Comment on Apple opens the App Store to retro game emulators in ~games
EarlyWords LinkI doubt any of the emulators are available yet, since the rule change was just announced yesterday, but I would like access to a number of old games. Hoping that when these emulators appear in the...I doubt any of the emulators are available yet, since the rule change was just announced yesterday, but I would like access to a number of old games.
Hoping that when these emulators appear in the App Store someone might provide a follow up with links to them.
-
Comment on Why do negative topics dominate social media sites, even here? in ~tech
EarlyWords Link ParentThe first children's book my daughter and I wrote together when she was seven had no conflict. She hated all forms of it in stories, books, and media at that age. As soon as two or more characters...The first children's book my daughter and I wrote together when she was seven had no conflict. She hated all forms of it in stories, books, and media at that age. As soon as two or more characters were in opposition, even to their environment, she would shut it off.
So we wrote the book Yesif. It is set six hundred years in the future, when a girl wakes up and tells her family who live in a sea cave deep under the Pacific Ocean that she is going to go visit her friend. So she rises up, riding the back of a sperm whale, making friends on land and in the clouds, before she is launched into space on a lightning bolt and sent to an orbital around Saturn.
The characters she meets along the way are so interesting in their own right and the journey is so grand that there is never the need for conflict to hold the reader's attention or move the story along. Writing stories without conflict can easily be more than just 'a list of facts.' It's just how we've been conditioned to think about stories, especially in modern times.
-
Comment on Insular India - A video on the archaeological legacies of the Indian subcontinent in ~humanities.history
EarlyWords LinkAs a producer of ancient history videos, I choose subjects I've always wanted to know more about, and through the research and production autodidactically teach myself about it. The context of...As a producer of ancient history videos, I choose subjects I've always wanted to know more about, and through the research and production autodidactically teach myself about it. The context of India's origins has always fascinated me, and the fields of prehistory and archaeology are currently booming there, with regular discoveries and new models appearing all the time!
Also, the growing trend of Hindu Nationalist revisions glorifying India's past infuriates people like me who are interested in an accurate historical record divorced from the prejudices of self-interested ideologues. Human history is for all of us.
As a narrator you just can’t be the editor. For a couple friends I’d do some adjustments to keep things consistent but for a few books I just had to stop trying and read only what’s on the page. But we’re the ones who often get blamed for these mistakes and that can affect your reputation. So that’s when I tell the author I can’t work with them. Most are shocked and insist their work is in better shape than it is.
That’s when I tell them the story of the teen spy movie I once sold to New Line. We had to do 54 page-one rewrites before they actually bought it. That number usually convinces them they haven’t done enough work.