Yes, it’s that time of year again! This year the prize we’re offer is… well, hold that thought for a moment while I get the rules out of the way. First, this is a short story contest, so the word count CANNOT exceed 4000 words. I can’t stress that enough. Second, the genre is completely open. You can write anything. Third, we’re not confining you to any particular style or purpose. Our first contest had to be about a robot, and last year it was all about great openings, but this year we’re leaving all that up to you. Next, only one entry per person. And lastly, the contest will end at the stroke of midnight on October 31st Central Standard Time. And there you have it. Those are the rules, and they are IRONCLAD. One word over 4000 and one second past midnight into November, and you’re out. Now, on to the prize…

Well, we’re always going on about how good some audio podcasts are and how they can help you get your fiction out there, so… that’s it! The winner of our contest (and yes, there will be only ONE winner) will have their story adapted into an audio podcast which we, your benevolent hosts, will produce and run in our feed. To make sure the prize is really all it can be, it will feature a full voice cast, music, and sound effects. How’s that sound? Um, pardon the pun.

Anyway, that’s it! I hope everyone is as excited about this as we are. I’ve created several audio podcasts of my own work, and I can tell you that there’s nothing like hearing your work brought to life across a sweeping audio stage. It’s just… magic. Now, get cracking! You have a month, and 4000 words! Don’t waste any of them! Get those stories written and then send them to show@deadrobotssociety.com. Oh, please make sure to include the story in the body of the email, and NOT as an attachment. I can’t wait to see what you fine people come up with. I know you’ll make us proud!

Around the Dead Robots’ office we see a lot of blog posts and whatnot about writing, but sometimes one comes along that hits the nail so soundly on the head that I have to sing its praises far and wide. This is one such blog post. It is from author Steven Pressfield’s blog, and it offers a great deal of wisdom. Here is, for me, the central and most saliant portion of the post -

“Nobody wants to read your shit.

There’s a phenomenon in advertising called Client’s Disease. Every client is in love with his own product. The mistake he makes is believing that, because he loves it, everyone else will too.

They won’t. The market doesn’t know what you’re selling and doesn’t care. Your potential customers are so busy dealing with the rest of their lives, they haven’t got a spare second to give to your product/work of art/business, no matter how worthy or how much you love it.

What’s your answer to that?

1) Reduce your message to its simplest, clearest, easiest-to-understand form.

2) Make it fun. Or sexy or interesting or informative.

3) Apply that to all forms of writing or art or commerce.”

To read more, AND YOU SHOULD, go here.

Thanks, Steven. Thank you very much.

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This week the Dead Robots’ sit down with seasoned editor Juliet Ulman to learn all the things our writing teachers should have taught us but forgot. She is a treasure trove of info! Also learn the details of our 3rd Annual Writing Contest!

Juliet’s Website
Juliet’s Twitter

Here is the site Ryan mentioned in the opening of the show – Storyfix.com

Promo – The Dunesteef Audio Fiction Magazine

Well, it’s happened again. We lost another voice mail line. If you’ve called recently (and by recently I mean within the past week or so), we did not get your call. I’m really sorry about that. We’re looking into other (and hopefully better) options, but thus far everything I’ve found costs $10 a month, and I’m not ready to pay that for the one call a month we average. So, until we figure this thing out we will be without a voice line. Sorry about that…

I also wanted to say thank you to the fine people over at PodHoster.com, the company that hosts our show. Recently I had a problem that I thought would cause trouble for the podcast, but after speaking with their support people they went above and beyond the call of duty to resolve the issue. I was blown away by their professionalism and their understanding. In a day and age where companies seem like faceless monoliths, PodHoster.com treated me like a human being and worked hard to help us out. Thanks, guys. If any of you are looking to create a podcast of your own, please go check them out. I couldn’t have asked for better people to partner with.

When I first thought about doing a podcast, one of the areas that I thought I’d be able to cover well was geek culture. I mean, I’m a geek. Hardcore. Just ask around. But, I didn’t do a geek podcast because there were several great ones out there already, and for me the best of the bunch was Geekscape. Jonathan London, who created and hosts the show, is an even bigger geek than I am, and I mean that in the nicest possible way. His show, which you can get in either audio or video format, is a weekly podcast about comics, games, movies, TV shows, and everything else geek related. He always has knowledgeable guests on to help him delivery the latest news and reviews, and you never know what’s going to happen next. I actually had the pleasure of meeting Jonathan last year at Comic-Con, where he was kind enough to sit down with me to talk about being a young writer/director trying to make it in Hollywood. He was as nice in person as he seemed on his show.

Anyway, when I published my “Pirates of the Crimson Sand” chapbook and was looking for ways to promote it, I knew that Geekscape would be a great place to do that. When I contacted Jonathan about it he was incredibly gracious, and he said he’d feature it on his show. And, not only did he do it once, but after I sent him a copy of it he mentioned it again. I cannot thank him enough for that. Jonathan, you’re a gentleman and a scholar, and I sincerely hope that we meet again soon. Thank you so much.

To return the favor, allow me to mention a TV show he’s created called Singledom. It airs on Hulu.com, and I urge all of you to give it a try. You can also find Jonathan on Facebook and Twitter.

Thank you, again, Jonathan, and the best of luck to you and all you do.

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This week Ryan and Justin sit down with Terry to brainstorm his next novel idea. A lot of people have asked us about what brainstorming is like, and this session should go a long way toward illustrating just how valuable it can be. Enjoy!

Also, please remember that PG Holyfield is going to be doing a live broadcast of his Tales Of The Children podcast. The reading will be on 09/23/09 at 9:30 PM EST. Make sure you stop by!

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Hey, everyone, I am excited to announce the release of the audio version of my short story, “Pirates of the Crimson Sand.” I had a great cast of voice actors to help along the way, and they deserve a round of applause. They are:

Philippa Ballantine as Shana
J Daniel Sawyer as Braka
James Durham as Chim
Terry Mixon as The Skulper Captain
and Justin Macumber as the narrator and Swain

If you enjoy the story and would like a text version of it, you can go to my site and get it in a variety of formats, including PDF and a signed chapbook.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story, and if you feel up to it, please let me know what you thought of it. Thank you!

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This week the Dead Robots get their show podjacked by Tee Morris and Philippa Ballantine, and together they discuss the show’s past, present, and future. It’s a saucy chat, and a lengthy one, so we hope you enjoy it. Thanks for being with us!

Hey, everyone, Gabrielle Harbowy put up a great post about words and phrases to avoid while writing. READ IT!