Episode #60: Starting from Scratch…Again (with Special Guest Lauren “Scribe” Harris)

Hold on — Lauren “Scribe” Harris is back in studio?

Why, yes, yes, she is! With the Drakes out west, we need to fill the vacancy left behind; and Lauren is up for the challenge. Speaking of challenges, this week we’re facing that dreaded moment in a writer’s life when we look at a work-in-progress, realize that it is a ship sinking fast, and only one thing is left to do with it…

00:00 —  Introduction

• Yay! Lauren’s back!
• Tonight’s cocktail comes courtesy of MurLarkey’s Distilled Spirits, a Virginia Distillery and Bristow’s first!
  • Cinnamon Irish Coffee made with Cincerity
  • Tee prefers Smoke on the Mountain
  • This drink has a practical application, Lauren discovers
• What brings Lauren back to the studio…

03:54 — Starting from Scratch…Again (with Lauren “Scribe” Harris) 

• What happens when the story isn’t clicking?
  • For Pip, it was Hollywood Sentinels. A great idea…but just not a pleasant experience.
  • The story is broken, and Pip can’t discover the disconnect.
  • For Lauren, her own“Tackle & Grapple” happened not once but twice.
• And here’s a new writer’s term: Ol’ Yellering a Novel. (I am so, so sorry.)
• Lauren’s two Ol’ Yellers: The Mark of Flight and Hellhound
• Is Ol’ Yellering a novel worth it?
• If something feels wrong in a work-in-progress, chances are there is. Trust the instincts and start again.
• Happy Fourth of July from our subdivision!
• When two ideas struggle for attention, and one of the ideas isn’t falling into place, another idea might be worth pursuing.
• Do you scrap an idea when you’re under contract? Sadly, yes.
• How do you snap back psychologically from making the call of trashing a novel?
• Before investing the energy and time into a broken story, consider what you are putting into it and the return from that investment.
• What can be more crippling than scrapping a novel? Never finishing a novel.
• Tee faces all these demons with Blackstar Rising.
• This is the “Man Crush” moment of the show, featuring Chuck and Phil…
• No rapping! No rapping!
• Tee’s reboot of Morevi. Not. Happening.
• Lauren is a walking musical. You just randomly break out into song…
• Sometimes, it’s better to walk forward than look back.
• Scrapping an idea is not a reflection on you as a writer. It is a reflection on you as a professional.

31:42 — Writers Off the Clock

• Still a favorite of Pip’s.
• First stop for the weekend — Cobbler Mountain Cellars
  • We popped a “Bear Cherry” together.
  • Lauren’s favorite of the tasting: The Ginger Peach.
  • The Jeffersonian — Tastes Like Slavery
  • Cider Talk
• Next stop: MurLarkey Distillery
  • This distillery is far too close to us!
  • Tee recalls his Vodka Vault experience…and how terrible it was.
  • However, the Divine Clarity was amazing!
  • Another surprise—the Imagination.
  • What we brought back— Clemoncy and Cincerity.
  • And we’ve been mixing drinks…
  • The winner of the weekend: Smoke on the Mountain
  • Good times at MurLarkey!
• Clocking in time in the Man Cave with…
  • Tai Chi Zero and Tai Chi Hero — a steampunk martial arts throwdown!
  • Ex Machina — featuring a creepy Oscar Issacs
  • Check out this uber-cool video featuring Sonoya Mizuno (Kyoko) from Ex Machina…
    
  • What We Do in the Shadows — and Lauren has a new on-screen crush.
  • The zombie interview should have made the cut.
  • The Hunt for the Wilderpeople — heading out to see it (and we did and it was even better!)
• Escape Velocity, the first convention hosted by the Museum of Science Fiction
  • Where is everyone?
    
  • We looked good…but we were the only ones in costume.
    
  • Fantastic programming, and apparently that was where all the people were.
  • Steampunk in Anime, Film, and Print—the panel that almost wasn’t.
  • The convention crew was spot-on amazing!
  • Charles Dunbar and Doomtastic were on the panel…and we had a great time.
  • Then came The Big Score…and communication was proving a bit of a challenge.
  • Escape Velocity still came through, and I was able to give the presentation.
  • Always nice when you do a giveaway and your winners get excited over the free stuff!
  • Some advice to the con organizers for 2017…
  • We need folks like Pamela Gay, Stephen Grenade, John Cmar, and others on account of the STEM focus.
• Keep listening to see if Tee, Pip, and others return for Escape Velocity 2017…

58:34 — Wrapping up

• What do you know? We went long.
• Where Lauren will be?
  • 16 July — Congregate in High Point, North Carolina
  • Sometime in August — LaurenCon 2016 in Raleigh, North Carolina
• What’s coming up for us?
  • 22-24 July, Motor City Steam Con in Detroit, MI
  • 14-16 October, Steampunk unLimited in Strasburg, PA
  • 22 October, The Maryland Renaissance Festival in Annapolis, MD
  • …and we’re going to try and book signings all over the place this summer.
• Got thoughts or comments on this show or what we are rambling about at the end of the show?
  • We have voicemail — 703.791.1701
  • I have email — tee@teemorris.com
  • Pip’s got email — pip@pjballantine.com
  • …and on various corners of social media!
• Listen up — here’s where you can find all of us online!
• Whoops! Tee swiped Pip’s closing line.

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Find us on Twitter at either Tee’s or Pip’s account,
on Tee, or the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences on Periscope
leave us a voicemail or question for the show at 703.791.1701,
or leave us a comment here at the blog.

Enjoy the ride
and we’ll catch you later.