As I write this it’s Saturday and we’re waiting to meet my mom for dinner. I see too many people online turning in things late or at the last minute, so I try to always get things done ahead of time. Which is why I’m writing my Tuesday column on a Saturday. I sure hope nothing important happens over the next couple of days that I need to write about…
Some of you have may have noticed there was no new Silly Acts video this past weekend. And some of you may have noticed that OSW podcast has been on hiatus a lot longer than a week or two. Then again, maybe some of you were too entertained by Rupert & Me to notice.
Well, the short explanation was my dad died so it kind of threw everything off.
The long explanation is this:
There was literally a pile of Silly Acts scripts written and ready to shoot. Don’t believe me? Ask my wife, she’ll tell you. A pile. And we actually filmed four of these episodes. However, we filmed them out of order. So I’ve got raw footage for Silly Acts episodes 9,10,13, and 17. Then, my dad died right in the middle of our shooting and our production came to a screeching halt. Cast members dispersed, as there was a limited window of opportunity for them, and all that were left with was four out-of-order episodes. There’s not exactly a strong sense of continuity between the Silly Acts episodes, but there’s enough for me to be bothered by it. So, I’ve got four episodes, episodes that I haven’t even looked at in the last couple of weeks and a pile of unproduced scripts. All that being said, I don’t think that Silly Acts is going to continue past these last four episodes, which will go up later in July. I’ll probably start editing them this week. It was a good idea, but the reception overall was kind of weak. The remaining scripts may be folded into future R&M stories. I still want to do something with video, but I’m not sure what. I might go back to the 101 Uses for Palm Tree Sap series. Those were fun and got a fairly decent response. I’m also considering doing a vlog. Nothing long, maybe 2-3 minutes. I don’t know, it’s an idea that’s been kicking around in my head.
The podcast. Oy, the podcast! I miss the podcast. I really do. It’s fun. It’s like doing your own radio show! The only thing that was missing was callers for me to hang up on. The fact of the matter is, my wife and I talk to each other all day long and when we get to doing a 30 minute podcast, we have nothing to talk about. Ideally, what I want is a roundtable discussion. Maybe, my wife, me and two others. The problem is we just don’t have anyone in the area that wants to do this with us. Yes, it’s true, we have no friends. Now, this could be done through Skype, maybe, but I haven’t learned how to record a skyepcast yet. And, really, there’s only so many new things I can learn in one month. I’m hoping that when we move I’ll be able to wrangle some of my wife’s family into joining the podcast on a regular basis. So, fingers crossed, maybe look for the podcast to return fulltime some time around September.
We’re about a month and half into Rupert & Me and it’s going strong. R&M, along with A Quick Word From the Bible, continue to be the biggest traffic draws on the website. I wonder if I could combine them? A Rupert written Quick Word From the Bible….? I think it’s safe to say R&M isn’t going anywhere.. It’s developing into a great hook for the ‘site and it amuses my wife. So, Rupert’s staying.
But what’s coming up, you ask? Well, that’s a very good question. When I originally started One Stray Word I used it to showcase my short stories. But, it turns out that no one wanted to read them. Bummer for me. All the stories are still here. You can find them under the Extra tab up top or just click here. I want to bring the shorts back. I’ve got a few that I never ran, plus a sequel to the serial, No Bones About It. I haven’t figured out the delivery system. Maybe something e-mail based? Any suggestions? I’ve already mentioned the vlog idea, although I need a name for it. Feel free to drop some suggestions in comments below.
Another idea I’m toying with is a second webcomic. I don’t think it’s going to happen any time soon, like before the end of the year, but I’ve got something percolating.
I may pop up some plays in the OSW Store. I’m going through them right now and deciding what might need to be rewritten..
Of course, the big project I’m eyeing is starting a new book. My wife wants me to finish the romance novel, The Spontaneous Proposal (Yes, it is a real book), but I’ve got an itch for a new Alex Cheradon Novel. Both Fruitbasket from Hell and A is for Amnesia, B is for Bullet are doing well on Amazon (LINK) and I think a third book would round things out quite nicely.
As I mentioned a week or so ago, we’ve got the t-shirt store up and running. Right now we have the two shirts and I’m thinking of putting up a third design before the year’s over. Those of you who follow my Twitter feed heard all about my drama last week with the OSW store. All I wanted to do was change a few prices and ended up deleting the entire store. Yeah, that was fun. But it’s back and running now. All five of my books are available and as things get built up around here t-shirt store and the OSW will be merged together..
I want to send a quick shout out to my sister-in-law and her husband, Donielle and Gary, thank you for your kind words in response to last week’s A Word From My Mind. Actually, a thanks in general to all of Donna’s family for the support offered and shown throughout the death of my father and starting up of OSW. It is much appreciated and has not gone unnoticed. Thanks also to Dave from, Brainbiter, again, and everyone else, for their nice words on last’s weeks Take It On Faith. You don’t know what a difference it makes to have comments that aren’t attacking you. And finally, thank you to everyone who continues to buy books. You people make it possible for OSW exist. Thanks.
So, that’s what’s going on.
