Closed for retooling + Is this video funny?
This post is an update about my audio+video projects. It also contains a nearly amusing video...
tctpod-season1-05: Before I was an African-American artist
In this podcast episode, I talk to Harold Johnson — poet, novelist, musician, artist, teacher, editor, and more. Harold is an African-American man who was born in 1930s Yakima, Washington and I really wanted to listen to him talk about growing up in this time and place. It is only one piece to the story of who he is, but a piece I definitely wanted to hear. So I hope you'll join me on this journey into 1930s & 1940s rural Washington...
What's a podcast app and why should I give a shit?
There's an enormous disparity between my geek friends and my literary friends when it comes to how they listen to podcasts. While my geek friends argue over the subtle quirks between their seven favorite podcast apps (aka podcatcher, aka podcast client), quite a few of my literary friends don't know what the hell a podcast app is. And when they do listen to a podcast episode, they do it by going to a website from a browser on their computer and clicking play. I want to change this. Not the part about us geeks arguing over trivial features – no one can stop that, it’s a force of nature – but I want stop this method of playing podcast episodes from the browser...
vid004: The index card treatment
In this video, I get to focus on Kate's perspective on the index card treatment, which is how she lays out index cards to outline her novel. It not only can help with plotting a story, but with detecting patterns in your book. Kate also came up with a fabulous metaphor about a risk with the index card treatment — a metaphor that required all of my bad animation skills. She says many more things that I didn't get a chance to animate, so check out the full one-hour audio conversation for more of her insights. Enjoy!
tctpod-season1-04: The podcast based on the book based on the movie (with Kate Maruyama)
In this podcast episode, I talk to Kate Maruyama. She is the author of the novel Harrowgate, which just came out in September and hit #3 on the Kindle horror bestseller list. Kate and I usually check-in using an ancient telephone contraption, but I tricked her into Skyping so I could record some of the cool things she says about the writing process. Two things we focus on: Kate's background in screenwriting, and her keen editing abilities...
vid003: From start to end
In this video, I dig into Kristen Forbes' process for writing a story or essay. And I vent about my dislike of the pantser/plotter stereotype. (For those who don't know what the hell I'm talking about, watch the video for a quick explanation.) But most importantly, I animate a great story Kristen told about her obsession with Chad Simpson's writing -- a story that I hope you find as wonderful as I did...
tctpod-season1-03: Writing in the raw (with Kristen Forbes)
In this podcast episode, I get to talk to my good friend Kristen Forbes about writing well-crafted pieces that cover emotionally raw material. I really enjoyed speaking with her, and other than the number of times I stupidly say, “Wow!”, I’m pretty pleased with how this conversation turned out. Check out the first two links below to read the two main essays that we reference in the discussion…
Not exactly a village, but it takes quite a few bad asses
[blog post] I'm doing this Creative Turn thing as a solo project. It's an exhausting racket. A labor of love that often feels like it has an emphasis on the labor part. (Don't worry… this isn't going to turn into a request for $$$!) I spend hours and hours in my attic working through the edits of the audio and the video. I'm the one learning how to stumble my way through tools like Final Cut Pro X at night when my family is asleep. I'm the one paying for the site and servers and services to make this thing work. I'm the one who can't sleep, worrying about whether spending all this time on these projects is going to feel meaningful in the end, or if it will kill me. I'm on this sinking ship alone... But that's a dishonest story...
vid002: From head to heart
In this video, I fixate on one particular topic: Scott's quest to turn his second book (a novel in progress) into a deeper story. And more generally: can you turn something formulaic (and in your head) into something deeper (and in your heart)? ...
tctpod-season1-02: The second big thing (with Scott Sparling)
In this podcast episode, I talk with Scott Sparling about the challenges of writing the second book. We talk about bringing a work-in-progress into your heart when it wasn't born in the heart. We talk about the egomaniacalness of comparing your work to the Beatles. We discuss the pros and cons of having a deadline for your writing project. We discuss bad book sales, writing in tree houses, stones on the beach, delusions of grandeur, depression, tenacity, stubbornness, and masturbating while writing. Enjoy! ...
17.5% less sucky
[blog post] The week that John Gruber and Merlin Mann linked to my video tribute of their SXSW conversation, I started (temporarily) getting 8,000 hits a day on my website. As opposed to the previous 50 hits a day. I don’t count these things too closely, but it was a shocking change. Why am I telling you this? Well, because numbers are tricky...
vid001: Marinating with Joan Didion and Telaina Eriksen
In this video, I fixate on two cool topics that came up during my conversation with Telaina Eriksen: 1. Writing in the moment vs. letting things marinate; 2. Putting your thoughts within the context of a particular scene. I take an under-educated stance on why Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking worked so well. I also find a way to stick my kid’s precious stuffed animal (Shaggy the Jaguar) into the video...
tctpod-season1-01: The depressing episode (with Telaina Eriksen)
In this podcast episode, I get to talk to my friend Telaina Eriksen about how she is able to write about grief and death in her essays. I first met Telaina in 2008 when we both were in the Antioch University low-residency MFA program. I’ve been wanting to ask her about how she gets to these difficult places in her writing for a few years now, and this so-called podcast thingy gave me the chance. Join us for this delightful romp through grief and loss and death.
It's Complicated
So I originally decided to do this podcast thing because I thought it would be an easier way to share more things with y'all while pursuing my little video-making obsession. Figured that I might as well share the original audio from the conversation that inspired the video. Two products from one process. Brilliant. Right? Well, that's bullshit...
vid000: Introduction to The Creative Turn
The video introduction to my new series. At the very least, you'll find out the meaning behind the zany, poorly-drawn, mad scientist... I hope you (somewhat) enjoy it.
Shit. Did I just mistakenly start a podcast and a video series?
tctpod-season1-00: Introduction to The Creative Turn
In the zeroth episode of this new audio podcast, Yuvi attempts to figure out (with the help of Michael Schechter) what the hell his podcast thing is going to be all about...
My Hilarious Depression
video: Too Hip for the Room: George Carlin
So I'm still experimenting with different themes and styles and formats for my videos. Here is a posthumous interview with the great George Carlin. I've always wanted to know how he evolved into the great comedian that he became. So I asked him...