This week the Dead Robots discuss the topic of brainstorming a story. You can do it on your own, or you can do it with a friend (insert your own innuendo here), but either way you have to start thinking about your story somewhere, and brainstorming is where it happens. So settle in, relax, and enjoy!

To all of our American listeners, let me wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you take this opportunity to remind yourself what you’re thankful for, and that you share your love with those around you. Eat well, love well, and live well.

Also, continue to keep Tobias Buckell in your thoughts. He recently had to go back into the hospital, and I know he needs all of our best wishes and kind thoughts. Please get well soon, Tobias.

And, on a more personal note, pray for a Cowboy victory!

In this episode the Dead Robots talk with friend of the show and author of “Murder At Avedon Hill” PG Holyfield about the genre of fantasy. Originally we were going to do this topic about a month ago, during the week of Halloween, but then we switched it that week’s topic to the horror genre to take advantage of the season. Along with that change we asked PG if we would postpone his appearance on the show so that we could have Scott Sigler come on and talk about horror. He was kind enough to understand say yes. Unfortunately, Scott’s schedule got changed at the last minute, so we ended up without any guest hosts. But, that is the past, this is the new, and PG is back on the air with us. Were it not for him, this discussion on the fantasy genre would have sucked. Send him your praises and your kind reviews. He deserves it.

Thank you, PG!

PG’s website is at www.pgholyfield.com.

Also, make sure to visit http://www.tobiasbuckell.comto see how Tobias is doing. He’s a new friend to the show, and one we want to keep around for a very long while. Get better, Tobias!

Hey everybody, it’s Justin. This weekend I’ve been working to improve the website (I think they’re improvements, anyway). I’d been meaning to do this for awhile, but I had a few extra hours yesterday and today, so I sat down and got to work. If I had more skill with WordPress I’m sure it would look even better, but my coding skills are as far from l33t as you can get and still know what a keyboard and mouse are for. Anyway, let me tell you what I’ve done.

First, on the top bar I’ve added links labeled “The Dead Robots’ Book Store” and “Dead Robot Swag.” The book store is an Amazon site where we’ve listed all of the books, games, and DVDs that people we’ve interviewed have available. If you like someone we’ve talked to, like Tracy Hickman or Tobias Buckell, why not support them by purchasing one of their books? And, while you’re doing that, you’re also supporting us since we get a few pennies from the purchase. I’ve also put up some books and other items that I love and think you might like as well, so have a look. The swag store is where you can DRS t-shirts, mugs, buttons, and that sort of thing. I have a couple of shirts myself, and I think they look darn nice.

Now, off to the right you might notice a new “Donate” button. This is a PayPal button that you can use to donate to the show if you have a spare dollar or two floating around (or, tens and twenties, we don’t discriminate). I love this podcast, and it has allowed me to meet an extraordinary number of interesting people, but sadly it is NOT a paying venture. Just the opposite, in fact. So, not to sound too NPR here, if you listen to the show and think you get some value from it, we’d sure love it if you sent a buck or two our way to help pay for it. I doubt the show will ever become self-sufficient, but there’s always hope.

Below that you might notice that the number of shows listed in the RSS feed widget is shorter. I shrunk it to five to keep things easier. It was previously set to ten, and that just made it too long and unwieldy. Below that I’ve changed the Blogroll. It used to be a hodgepodge of links to various places, but now I’ve made it a “Friends Of The Show” list, which means that it’s strictly there to show links to people who have been on the show and/or helped us along the way. If you pay them a visit, please let them know we sent ya.

There is also an Amazon link at the bottom of the page, but I think I’ll be replacing it with a Google AdSense banner in the coming days since I think we’re in danger of Amazon overkill. I don’t want to load the site down with ads, but I have to do something in an effort to defray some of the cost of the podcast. Times are hard for everyone, especially struggling writers who host a free podcast.

Anyway, that’s it. If I knew more about WordPress, like I said, I’d do more, and perhaps in time I will, but for now this should help make the site more usable. I hope that some of you likes what I’ve done with it, and I hope a few of you are able to help out, either by buying a great book or by donation. Either way, and even if you can’t, thanks for coming, and I hope you continue to listen and enjoy.

Have a great day.

* click HERE to listen! *

This week the Dead Robots are delighted to sit down and talk with Tobias Buckell, a young and talented writer who has worked in both his own universes, and now in the world of Halo. So please, sit down, relax, and enjoy. Tobias was a real treat to talk to, and I think all of you will learn something from him. I know we did.

Here is his personal website where you can learn more about him and read free samples of his work.

Also, here is the link for Duotrope.com, a site we mentioned in the show that allows you to keep track of the stories you’ve submitted, as well as giving you a great listing of publications you can submit to.

* click HERE to listen! *

We all have our dark periods, when we think our writing sucks and that we’re worthless. No matter who you are, you will suffer times of doubt and sadness. Such is the lot of the artist. Join us as we discuss these times and how you can get through them.

Justin wrote:

Today I received a letter in the mail letting me know that my submission for 2008 4th quarter Writers Of The Future contest was awarded Honorable Mention. While it isn’t a top place finish, I’m still pretty proud considering the VAST number of people who submit for it. So, all in all, I’m happy, and [...]

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Justin wrote:

I am very pleased right now.
That is all.
 
Off to bed.

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You know what? I just realized I completely forgot to finish out this list here on the main site! Yikes! Mea culpa, everyone. Mea culpa. Let me get back to it…

Today’s entry – Joe Staten.

Joe works for Bungie, and Bungie makes what I consider to be one of the finest video games of all time: the Halo series. Let me see if I can break it down simply…

Halo takes place several hundred years from now. When Halo opens, humanity is engaged in a war with a group of alien races known as the Covenant. The Covenant believe humans to be despoilers of religious artifacts left by beings they call the Forerunners. so their war with us is – for them – a crusade. We learn in the opening cinematic that the Covenant have just destroyed a human military base called Reach, and only one human ship, the Pillar Of Autumnrent a car bulgaria, was able to escape the destruction. Onboard that ship is the last of a group of super-soldiers called Spartans. The Spartans are enhanced humans. raised from childhood to be warriors. There used to be a bunch of Spartans, but Reach saw the end of almost all of them (not really, but you only learn that through the novels), and Master Chief is the only one left. Now, to escape Reach, the Pillar of Autumn‘s IA controller, Cortana, performs a blind jump into hyperspace, but that is what they’re supposed to do. It’s called the Cole Protocal, and they do it so as to not accidentally lead the Covenant to Earth, which they have thus far not found (you also learn in the books that Cortana’s “blind” jump wasn’t so blind). Anyway, once the ship exits its jump, they find that they’ve entered a system filled with Covenant ships. The reason all those ships are there is because the system is home to a giant ring shaped spacestation that the Covenant call Halo. The Covenant believe it to be a very holy relic of the Forerunners, and something that will lead them to paradise, but the humans land on it to find out what it really is. The game that follows is all about Master Chief and Cortana searching through Halo and discovering its true purpose. To find out more about that, play the three games.

Now, I wrote all that to say that I love Halo. I really do love the games. They have a story that is incredibly rich and textured and thought-out, and they’ve certainly influenced my writing. In fact, I make a direct homage to them in my Sovereign Stars novels (I named the royal bodyguards the Amber Clads after a ship that appeared in the second Halo game called In Amber Clad). There are elements of all sorts of other genre movies and stories in it, but what it does with all those is amazing if you dig into it. It’s very much a space opera, and that goes right to my heart. Joe Staten is one of the creators of Halo, and he served as its chief story writer. Later he went on to pen a Halo novel titled “Contact Harvest” that served as a bit of a prequel to the games. “Contact Harvest” was also very well written. I enjoyed damn near every word put on the page. He is able to tell a very military tale, but without making it too hardcore or unemotional. I highly recommend it.

Anyway, that’s it for today. Go out, pick up Halo 1 – 3, and then get the novels. I think you’ll be in for a real treat.

Amanda wrote:

Three days into National Novel Writing Month and I’m at 5,000 words and counting. Last night I attended my region’s kickoff party, and had a total blast. It’s so nice to meet people my own age who are just as crazy as I am about things like Doctor Who, tea, Alton Brown, and (of course) [...]

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