I said some time ago (some long, long time ago) that I wanted to use the podcast for random thoughts on media, philosophy, politics, religion, and any of the other esoteric trains of thought my mind boards from time to time. My blog would be set aside for news about my writing (updates, external factors that hold influence over my progress, thoughts, ideas, and trials I have and through which I'm going, generally a tool for me to use to keep myself accountable to someone -- ANYone -- even if it's just updates being sent out into the ether, never seen by anyone) and any randomness that I couldn't put into the podcast, such as the previous entry. Unfortunately, this hasn't been the case. I've kinda flipped them both, putting my random thoughts into a blog post because I'm too lazy to record and edit them for the podcast, or talking incessantly about what I'm doing in the world of my writing.
Well, not anymore! I think I really have finally figured out a way to successfully record and release a podcast in a reasonable amount of time -- unless I have to re-record it, then I just get depressed, like what's happening to my current WIP: a rant about Diablo 3. STUPID F-ING CROSSBOWS!! -- and the ones that will benefit the most will be YOU! the listeners (readers, currently? SHUT UP!)
Keeping that in mind, this blog entry will be nearly entirely Bounds of Freedom related. For those of you not aware, Bounds of Freedom is the project on which I'm currently working. I started it last November as my first real attempt at NaNoWriMo but only got about 20,000 words before my time was monopolized by other things (school, work, etc). Since then, I've written about another 15,000 words, and I was thinking about maybe continuing it for NaNoWriMo this year, but decided better of it. See, I'm in a play right now, and it's difficult enough just to get all my homework done ("difficult enough" = don't get it done) without adding an extra 1600+ words to my daily list of tasks. BUT! that is no excuse. I have a responsibility to you -- the readers -- to work for a reasonable amount of time in a reasonable fashion until I release the reasonably-finished product.
In order to do that, I propose to make June my own personal NaNoWriMo. Well, not really NaNoWriMo, but I want to make it a goal to write 50k words between the first of June to the thirtieth. I don't think I have anything serious going on in June. My wife's going to Europe -- hopefully -- for an opera workshop, so it'll just be me and the kittens ("kittens" is a euphemism; don't ask) which should leave me plenty of time each day to pump out 1,600 words.
If you thought that was all, then you'd be mistaken. Because today only, as a part of this one-time offer, I am also promising to write 10,000 words a month until then! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!? And the price of this amazing offer? You can get it all for just the low, low price of one email. That's it! The price I'm asking is so low and I'm practically GIVING it away! Act now, before the IRS shuts me down forever!
But wait! There's more!! Not only do you get 50,000 words in June plus 10,000 words/month until then, but I promise weekly updates to the blog to let you -- the readers -- know how well I'm doing in my goal. *Wait for applause...* Thank you, thank you. What does this cost again? It's just the low, low price of one email. That's only the price of one cup of coffee...drank while emailing someone.
Now, you might be thinking that all of this -- the commitment to write 50,000 words in June 2011, PLUS the commitment to write 10,000 words a month each month from November until June, PLUS the commitment to weekly status updates on the blog -- is all you get. Normally, you'd be right. But this year, our associates at Thoughts from a Car, the podcast companion to Inspiration's Corner, have given us permission to extend the offer to you -- the listeners, this time -- to send them your own ideas for rants. This offer comes paired with the promise that such ideas will be recorded AND released within two weeks!
So, for the price one cup of coffee drank while emailing someone, you get 50,000 words in June 2011, the commitment to write 10,000 words each month until then, a WEEKLY status update -- either in the "Update" section on the front page of LeavingNormality.com, or on the blog, Inspiration's Corner, PLUS the commitment from our friends at Thoughts from a Car to accept and act on suggestions sent through email. And, finally, by 1 January 2011 (that's "twenty-eleven" not "two-thousand-eleven"; we're in the future, dammit! SPEAK LIKE IT!!), I will begin monthly posts of the chapters of Bounds of Freedom to The Writings on the Wall. Of course, it goes without saying -- but I'll say it anyway -- that every email received from you -- the readers OR the listeners -- will receive a swift, succinct response.
Operators are standing by...
Seriously, though, this is what I want to do. My goal has ever been to use my blog and podcast as a way to motivate/inspire my writing, and to use the website both as a repository for the things I've written as well as gallery for public consumption. I don't expect to ever be a "professional" writer (i.e. I don't expect to make an income -- either major or minor -- from it), but I do want to actually FINISH things I start, so that's a plus.
Like I said (over and over and over again), email me and let me know what you -- the readers -- think. Thank you for your time, and we now return you to your regularly scheduled program, already in progress...
*A man gets hit in the face with a pie. The canned laughter erupts from the television's tinny speakers as the light fades and the curtain closes.*
