I return to my discussion of The Culture setting and explore the Culture’s economic systems. This leads to a discussion of our current day economics systems and government corruption. How do we move to our current corrupt systems to one like The Culture’s where there is true democracy and equality?

I return to my discussion of The Culture setting and explore the Culture’s origins and its structure of government, such as it is. I also touch on why galactic empires are impractical, unlikely, and probably a silly idea. We’ll also explore why rebellion against controlling powers is much easier in a space-living civilization than one limited to a single planet.

This week I share an amazing lecture Martha Wells gave on AI characters in science fiction stories. Quite often these stories involve the enslavement of sentient beings. She gives us a lot of food for thought and shares a little about the origins of her beloved character, Murderbot. I also talk (very) briefly about the heroine’s journey.

This week I talk a bit about the Foundation and Murderbot TV adaptations. I give a quick update on my novel, Critical Balance, which is coming out. I also explain why I haven’t been able to share the beautiful cover art for Critical Balance until the book is released. I talk a bit about the upcoming Worldcon in Seattle. Then I begin my multi-episode series on exploring the setting of The Culture series by Iain M. Banks. Topics include how 9,000 years is a really long time and convergent human evolution across the galaxy. How “alien” will alien life really be? If you love sci-fi, worldbuilding, and/or The Culture, you won’t want to miss this series!

Today I discuss why I decided to publish my book on Amazon through Kindle Direct Publishing. I share how the whole process works and what I’ve learned so far. I also talk about why I finally decided to do a paperback and e-book, and why I’ve decided to enroll my novel in Kindle Unlimited.

Today I discuss some of how independently publishing works and compare and contrast to the discussion on traditional publishing from the last episode. I share why I think independently publishing these days is almost a no-brainer.

I’ve started a few different novels, and I’ve hit some snags. I’ve had a couple new novel ideas as well. I share the ideas with you, my progress, and my thoughts about which of these books I’m going to write next. I also share some musings on the future trajectory of our society and how it’s affecting my worldbuilding. Finally I consider whether courier ships in space make sense.

I’ve started a few different novels, and I’ve hit some snags. I’ve had a couple new novel ideas as well. I share the ideas with you, my progress, and my thoughts about which of these books I’m going to write next. I also share some musings on the future trajectory of our society and how it’s affecting my worldbuilding. Finally I consider whether courier ships in space make sense.

Today I return to the show after being completely demoralized by my experience hiring a “professional” editor for my novel Critical Balance. It was a terrible experience. I got conned, lost a lot of money, and have nothing to show for it except hard lessons learned. I share the red flags I ignored or overlooked and the mistakes I made in the hopes you can avoid having to go through an experience like this yourself.

This week I talk about a science-fiction writing club I’m starting in my home town. I also talk a bit about the ongoing revision process for Critical Balance and a couple story ideas I’m working on for my next novel.

This week I share a method I’ve come up with to help me write every day that I’m calling a story sketch. It’s also a great way to practice as a writer, experiment, and try out new techniques. I also talk a bit about how writing longhand is very different than typing when writing and some distinct advantages it has. Even though it’s not how I would want to write most stories, it’s perfect for the story sketch. Finally, I share how the story sketch will help with improvisation in writing and why that’s important no matter what kind of writer you are.

This week I discuss the differences between writing and storytelling. If you’re like me, you may have spent a lot of time and energy focusing on your writing while giving little thought to the art of telling a good story. I illustrate how point-of-view violations are anathema to good storytelling. Finally I explain how whichever path you’re taking—traditional publishing or independent publishing—good storytelling is far more important to your success than good writing.

This week I catch you up to what I’ve been doing writing-wise. I discuss protagonist flaws and problems. I also explore the limitations I’ve found in the misbelief concept. I think these limitations are overcome by realizing a misbelief is just a type of flaw.

This week I share some of what I learned at a local writing conference I attended recently. I also share some decent writing craft books I’ve discovered that I’ll likely be talking some more about in future episodes.

This week I share some of what I’ve learned about independent publishing compared to traditional publishing. I also give some of my thoughts on The Wheel of Time TV show thus far.

I discuss my thoughts on Starlink, Starship, and the colonization of Mars. Will we really use chemical rockets to get to Mars? Will we ever have cities on the surface of Mars?

I discuss what I’ve learned about how the creative process works in the human brain and how I’ve used this to revise and improve my daily writing goal. I also talk a bit about the nested cylinders of Union City and growing trees in space.

This week I talk about why I’ve decided to put my space Odyssey idea on the backburner and return to writing a sequel to Critical Balance.

This week I explain why the novel I’m writing is allowed to suck. I also talk a bit about why it's best to focus on a genre & subgenre in the beginning of your writing career.

This week I share an example of how not to receive a critique.