Author Topic: Pseudopod 002: Good Advice  (Read 6356 times)

Bdoomed

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on: September 08, 2009, 07:30:34 PM
Pseudopod 002: Good Advice

By Richard E. Dansky
Read by Matthew Wayne Selznick

“You got beaten up a lot as a kid, didn’t you?”

That’s what Jerry Brower asked me, and the entire Central Carolina Writers’ Workshop burst into nervous laughter.

I looked up from the short sketch I’d been reading from and turned to face my questioner. Jerry Brower sat at the end of the table, down past a gauntlet of laughing faces. He, at least, wasn’t laughing, and for that I was silently, desperately grateful. I nodded to him, slowly.

He nodded back. The laughter stopped.



Listen to this week's Pseudopod.

I'd like to hear my options, so I could weigh them, what do you say?
Five pounds?  Six pounds? Seven pounds?


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Reply #1 on: September 08, 2009, 08:19:52 PM
Throughout most of this, I was wondering "Where's the horror?" but it followed through in the end.

This isn't one of my favorites, but it probably is the one I relate to the most.  I think any writer has been through much of the emotional turmoil this protagonist has been through.  "My work is so much further along than these other people", suddenly turns to "Oh my God, my work is dung!" after a critique.  The first critique is always especially hard.

I did always think the advice "Write what you know" was a bit flawed.  Maybe it's because the majority of my writing is in SF, fantasy, or horror, but since I haven't experience space travel, time travel, or creatures from the deep then according to this advice I shouldn't be writing about them.  I guess I should go write stories about being a software engineer and listening/reading to fiction in my spare time.  But I'm not sure those would be very captivating stories!  :P

I did get a little frustrated with him when he was taking the critique so badly, but I won't say it's unrealistic.  If this guy's ever going to be a writer though, he's got to develop a thicker skin than that.  Actually, he sounded kind of familiar.  I think I gave him a critique just today.  Oh, there he is now.  I wonder why he's carrying a hammer?  I'd better go.  I'll finish this post lat;lakjp;-=*%#&*(DFASJKhklasdf



DKT

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Reply #2 on: September 10, 2009, 10:59:48 PM
One thing I appreciate about this episode (and some of the earlier ones that came after it) was just how diverse Pseudopod was is. Bagman fit pretty well into my concept of horror. This one seemed quieter for the most part, at least until the end. Later on we got (one of my personal favorites) a zombie comedy.

Also: it was kind of fascinating listening to this story on a personal level, because I heard it a couple days after attending a writing workshop myself.
« Last Edit: September 11, 2009, 05:25:09 AM by DKT »



Sgarre1

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Reply #3 on: September 11, 2009, 03:03:09 AM
Was?



DKT

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Reply #4 on: September 11, 2009, 05:24:36 AM
Eh, blasted typo. Should've been "Is"


kibitzer

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Reply #5 on: September 18, 2009, 06:24:46 AM
Umm. Are writers really that obsessive? Is it required to act out everything you describe? Coz if so, the PP authors scare the sh*t out of me.


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Reply #6 on: September 18, 2009, 07:00:03 AM
Umm. Are writers really that obsessive? Is it required to act out everything you describe? Coz if so, the PP authors scare the sh*t out of me.

Be afraid.  Be very afraid



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Reply #7 on: September 18, 2009, 09:50:26 PM
Umm. Are writers really that obsessive? Is it required to act out everything you describe? Coz if so, the PP authors scare the sh*t out of me.

What. Did. You. Say?  >:(