Tag Archives: rock bottom

Hey there, remember us?

Yeah, we know. We thought we were done with the hiccups in the schedule, but this thing called February happened. Things didn’t get better in March. And April was not shaping up to be any kind of improvement. Sure, we had content in the hopper, we had stuff we wanted to talk about, and we wanted to talk to you all. Problem is, we had a full plate of ADULTING to cope with, and that is what this comeback episode of The Shared Desk is all about — when Life refuses to cut you a break.

We have some thoughts on what to do about it.

00:00 —  Introduction

• Remember us?
• So that’s why Tee is so interesting to people…
• Are you feeling defeatist? BETTER NOT!
• It’s been some time, not that we are light on content…

01:04 —  Episode #88: Writing in the Midst of Bad News, Bad Luck, and Grief

• We’ve got some really cool stuff in the backlog…
  • Chatting with K.T. Bryski about the 2018 Smoky Writers
  • An interview with Chris Lester
  • A reunion of Verena & Christina on the show
• …but we were sidetracked. Or maybe we were derailed.
• A bit of a bomb was dropped in Tee’s lap two weeks after the last show.
  • Sure, Tee would love to go full time with his writing. But there’s this thing called health insurance.
  • Attention was dedicated to finding Tee a job.
  • Not all bad news. Despite our efforts, our daughter is taking first steps into a writer’s life.
• Coming off of Smoky, Tee was riding a wave. This is probably why Tee’s “short story” for Tales from the Archives is…not so short.
• Tried accessing TeeMorris.com or HappyHourFromTheTower.com last month? Well, yeah, black (ass)hat hackers made that a little difficult.
• So…job is in trouble, the hunt is on for a new gig, two of Tee’s sites get hacked. Could things get any worse?
  • Whenever your mom calls you at 6 a.m., it cannot be good.
  • Tee’s mom, Tee’s brother, and Tee sat down…and decisions were made.
  • Saturday, March 24.
• Nope. Life is still not done with Tee as he returns to his Day Job to discover…
• How do you get back on your feet?
• Hold up, Fam —Tee’s good.
  • My Twitch streams have been helping him cope. It’s like the early days of podcasting, but with video games.
  • Tee kept the Day Job situation close to the vest for a reason.
  • The new Day Job coming has got Tee grooving to this song…
    
  • How having the new job already lined up helped Tee through his Dad’s Memorial.
• There may be good intentions behind “Get back on the horse…” but sometimes, you need to keep your pie-hole shut. Tee knows this. Sadly. Concerning his friend, Kim Headlee.
• Writers react to death, grief, and stress differently. That is a truth.
• To the people who think Tee and Pip should be full time in writing by now…
• Interviewing for Day Jobs — especially ones that are just for show — are exhausting.
• There are different ways to cope with death, grief, and stress. It’s okay to ask for help.
• What writers need to do: set a date for a return.
• Escapes are good. Escapes are essential.
•  Tee’s Dad may never appear in a novel of his, but there will be influences and reflections a-plenty.
  • The Case of the Pitcher’s Pendant will always be that story for his father.
  • Too bad his dad liked the first one more.
• Allow yourself to grieve.
• And remember, you are not alone in the world. You are not.
  • Tee shares his breaking point.
  • Cheesy as it may sound, there is something good about hitting rock bottom.
  • Through all this, Pip discovers a super power.
  • Embrace your Tribe.
• When you are ready, turn your grief, your darkness, your pain, into characters that resonate with readers. When you are ready.

29:02 —  Writers Off the Clock

• Holy shit, this soundtrack is AWESOME!!!
• Spoilers, Will Robinson! We are going to riff a bit about…
  
• To really understand this reboot, you have to travel back in time to the original Lost in Space…
  …which doesn’t quite age well. At all. Let’s discuss.
• Decades later, Hollywood decided to take Lost in Space into a darker corner…
  …and no, things didn’t really fall apart with Matt LeBlanc. It started with the script.
• “But early Doctor Who is pretty chintzy,” you say? About that…
• GENERAL FANDOM: Lost in Space is a sacred cow. No need to remake it, reboot it, or retool it for a modern audience.
  NETFLIX: Hold my beer.
  
• What Tee and Pip did not like about Lost in Space…
• What did Tee and Pip like about Netflix’s Lost in Space? Where do we begin?
  • Acting — on point and incredible
  • Women were taking the lead without emasculating the men,
  • The management of huge cast — everyone had their moment!
  • Everyone felt real.
• Let’s talk about Parker Posey, Dr. Smith, and how she polished this turd-of-a-character and redefines this science fiction villain.
• The creative crew of this new Lost in Space slip in a lot of nods to both the original television and film.
• Opinions on the Robot
• Already planning a re-watch.
• Kid-Friendly…but there are some tense moments…

54:19 — The Wrap-Up

• Tee and Pip had a lot to share with the class.
• What will Tee do on his off-week before the new day job?
  • Play video games.
  • Mulch the garden…if weather permits.
  • Read up on Open Source.
  • Write. Write. Write.
• Where will Pip and Tee be, you might wonder?
  • 20-22 April — RavenCon in Williamsburg, VA
  • Shout out to the Steampunk Symposium…which, if you were wondering why they were not there, now you know.
  • 25-28 May — Balticon 52 in Baltimore, MD
  • 13-14 July — GuardianCon in Tampa Bay, FL (just Tee with the Kelly family)
• Other news you should know about…
  • Operation: Endgame coming to print in February. Audio soon to follow. (Do leave us a review!)
  • Other irons in the fire for Pip and Tee…
    • Tales from the Archives, Season V is underway.
    • Happy Hour from the Tower is still going strong, including new fiction from Tee!
    • Pip’s Patreon is still rocking and rolling!
      • Yep, she’s got a website for that new podcast of hers, We Don’t Talk About That 
      • And you can hear it first….if you become a subscriber.
• If you have an event and want The Shared Desk to appear there, or if you just want to share an opinion about the show, here’s where to find us…
  • 703.791.1701
  • pip@pjballantine.com
  • tee@teemorris.com
  • …and social media, of course.
• Watch for those shows from our audio vault! They are en route!

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Find us on Twitter at either Tee’s or Pip’s account,
leave us a voicemail or questions for the show at 703.791.1701,
or leave us a comment here at the blog.
We’ll talk about it!
And remember, you can find the show on iTunes or Stitcher!
Subscribe, listen, and review.

Enjoy the ride
and we’ll catch you later.