Give Thanks...For People Making A Difference

 A friend of Mine started a project. She's a teacher and she wants to make a difference in her students's lives, and her goal is to dot this through literature. By doing this, she understands a couple of important things. One, she knows the power of the written word, and two, she sees the impact a book can have on a child. 

If you click: HERE, you can access her site to get more details of this project. She's asking for donations to fund the project. It is a worthy and noble cause.

With a million choices for entertainment, I feel many have pushed books to the side in favor of flashier, snappier, screen-based options. It's come at a cost, a cost of education, a cost of understanding other people and cultures, a cost society will have to pay beck for generations.

Imagine a world where all all electronic media no longer exists, a world without, TVs, computers, smartphones (or any phones...), a world where games are not of the video kind and imagination once again reclaims its place as the most powerful force known to man.

Books have that power, and they are even more powerful for a chid.

Check out the site and help if you can. I'm thankful people are creating art and helping others find it.

"Closing Time"...The Podcast Version--Such An Honor

 A friend contacted me a few weeks back and asked if she could create a podcast of a short story I wrote a year ago.

"Of course," I said.

What an honor.

Today the In The Telling podcast released my little story entitled, Closing Time, and it was so cool. She asked for the story--I told her where she could find it online, so when I listened to it this morning, I had honestly forgotten what happened or how it ended. This is not a long story, only twenty-six minutes. If you'd like to hear it yourself, just click: HERE for the link.

When I wrote this story, I was working at Lagoon's Frightmares and I wanted to write a story for the Halloween season. It took seven blog posts to finish it up. As I listened to Amanda Angerbauer narrate Closing Time (she did a great job, by the way...), I cringed a little. There's some glaring technical issues I could and should have fixed, but my blog posts are "down and dirty" since I write them every day. I'm lucky if I can find all the misspelled words (and sometimes I don't...).

It's a fun little story and I'm so happy my friend decided to turn it into an episode for her podcast. Thank you, Liz. If you'd like to do it again, and I'll come up with another story. Just let me know.

Who Says No One's Making Anything New Anymore...?

I've blogged about Liz before. She's been my choreographer, my director, my assistant my interviewer, and my friend. Look up "creative" in the dictionary and you may see a picture of her. Today I watched a short film she wrote and produced called, Go Assistant. 

Who says no one's making anything new anymore?

You can access the film's link by clicking: HERE. It's a short film, less than eight minutes long. What is the most impressive thing to me is that the entire production was done during this unusual pandemic time we're now in. She's assembled many talented friends to make the film possible.

Liz's film is not the best film ever made--that's not the intent, but it did make me think. I thought about technology, about relationships, about priorities, about taking another look at our modern world and is it everything it promises to be.

If you've got a minute or two (or eight...), check out Go Assistant. Proof that there are people out there creating...and that's a beautiful thing.

A Spooky...Good Time

A few weeks ago I blogged about a little project from the In The Telling Podcast. Liz Christensen asked for spooky stories to showcase on their platform. 

What a terrific idea!

And, to make it even more awesome, not only did I know most of the authors who submitted stories, but Liz had several people I know read the stories as well. It was a win-win situation for me.

Sometimes, it still amazes me that--ever since I began this writing journey--how many amazing people I've gotten to meet. And, not only have I gotten to know them, but I've been able to read and experience the incredible art they've created.

That's a win-win-win situation right there.

You can access the podcast episode by clicking: HERE. You can also get a list of the stories, the writers, and the narrators. Here's a rundown of the spooky stories you'll find:

“A Midnight Poe-etic” by Christine Haggerty and read by Jillian Joy, a hellishly delicious poem about a dark Queen.

Fans of the Billy Blacksmith series will particularly enjoy “Aesop’s First Halloween: A Blacksmith Legacy Story” by Ben Ireland, read by Liz Christensen.   (4:22)

“The Ghost of Clipper Bullion Mine” by Loren Mitchell Lambert, read by Richard Wilson, is a classic western ghost story for over a campfire.  (31:44)

“The Full Moon Festival” by Briana Bedore, read by Liam Neary, is a lovely fall-themed, sci-fi romance.  (44:50)

“The Burgle” by Candace J. Thomas, read by Kerstin Hallows, provides an frighteningly imaginative answer to what is under your child’s bed. (1:10:14)

“The Creature” by Luke Haueter, read by Liz Christensen, will keep you worried about what watches you from over your bed.  (1:21:29)

I listened to the episode earlier today. If this is your thing, you'll love it, too.

Tomorrow's Halloween, a perfect time to take out your phone, download the tales, and hear some great writers and great readers present alternate worlds, amazing characters, and creepy situations.

Happy Halloween, everyone!

If You're Looking To Write A Fun Halloween Story...Check This Out!

I can't remember where I saw it, but I sold my first story after seeing a post for submissions. It was for a steampunk anthology. I wrote a story, submitted it, and it was accepted. That simple act started me on an incredible journey. I admit, I'm not the most prolific writer, nor have I sold dozens of stories or written numerous novels, and I am working to continue that journey, but it was my start, and I'm so glad I took a chance.

A friend of mine began a podcast earlier this year. I've written about it and encouraged those who would find it interesting to give it a chance. It's called, In The Telling podcast, created by Liz Christensen. The other day, Liz posted a request for stories and poetry. Here's what she put out there:

Be part of the "In the Telling" Halloween special! Submit your own original seasonal/holiday poems and short stories to be read by professional actors in a festive podcast episode! Family friendly poetry of any length, type and format will be considered. Family friendly short stories must have less than 5,000 word count. Multiple submissions encouraged.

Submit to: inthetellingpodcast@gmail.com by October 24th.

Subject line: Submission for Halloween Special

Be sure to include title and authorship credit with the submission.

I've said many times that we live in the most amazing time in the history of all publishing. I can write a book, publish it myself, and put it on the internet where billions of people can read it. That ability has never been possible for anyone ever before. And we don't give it a second thought. If I googled writing opportunities, literally thousands of responses would pop up. Liz's is yet another chance to allow yourself to be creative. 

So, if you're thinking about it, take a chance and give it a shot! You've got until 10/24/19, and if chosen, your creation will be brought to life by professional actors. How cool is that? You never know--it may be the start of an incredible journey of your own.

Photo by Valiphotos from Pexels

"The In The Telling" Podcast...Understanding The Art Of Creativity

I found out a few months ago a new podcast was in the works, a podcast about how we communicate stories. Of course, it's more than that. The creator of the podcast is Liz Christensen. If you know her, you know why she would want to create such a thing. She's fascinated the art of storytelling. It's easy to imagine her wanting to, not only learn new things herself, but create a way for as many people as possible to learn them, too.

On her website, Liz explains why the In The Telling podcast exists:

Why I started a podcast

I am ravenous for stories. I love books, films, TV shows, opera, ballet, theatre, poetry, campfires and asking personal questions. I’ve also made my career in the performing arts and witnessed the power storytelling has to unite, transform, heal, teach and entertain. I am surrounded by talented storytellers across many industries all hustling to get their narratives heard.

Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt said, “storytelling in general is a communal act. Throughout human history, people would gather around, whether by the fire or at a tavern, and tell stories. One person would chime in, then another, maybe someone would repeat a story they heard already but with a different spin. It’s a collective process.” With “In the Telling,” I collect the storytellers of our community, hoping to share and to amplify their voices. We will geek out over the art and craft of their expertise and experience. This podcast isn’t about critiques, or reviews. It’s about process, technique, philosophy, approach, conceptualization, and the mechanics and diligence of hard work. It’s about How and Why and Who.

I hope you’ll listen to these interviews. I hope you’ll participate in an interview. I hope you’ll engage with the stories in film, theatre, and literature in deeper and more meaningful ways. And most of all, I hope that when you seek a story, you’ll look local first. You’ll recognize and appreciate the talent within your neighborhood, city, county and region. Sharing our stories, and the process by which they became works of art, brings people together. So, join in. Come be part of your storytelling community.

“In the Telling” podcast explores the art and craft of storytelling along the Wasatch front with filmmakers, theatre artists, writers and more. It is produced and hosted by me, Liz Christensen The first three episodes will launch together in April 2019.

It only launched officially last week, but there's over twenty episodes, some longer than others. It's amazing how much work Liz has already put into the project. Once again, if you know Liz, this isn't surprising. She jumps into projects with both feet--all the way or not at all.

I've listened to most of the episodes already and I plan to listen to more when I have the time next week. If you want to know more about novel writing, live theater (including opera), singing, doing stand-up, film festivals, stage management, how to make a feature film, and much more, please check out In The Telling. You can access Liz's website: HERE, or her Patreon site: HERE. I can't wait to find out what other amazing things Liz has in store for us all. Please check out In The Telling podcast. If you like all things creative, you'll love it.