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Episode 85 - The State of the Podcast · Saved as Draft

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, Fintan, don't worry.
• 0:02
  SPEAKER_02: I've got it this time.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_02: Arnold,
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_03: are you sure?
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_03: If you drop this one, we don't have any more backups.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_03: I won't drop it.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_03: Just light the candles.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, but I'm trusting you here.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_03: Hurry.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_03: The hobbitses are coming.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_03: Alright, alright.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_03: Three, two, one.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_03: Happy birthday
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_01: to you.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_01: Happy birthday to you.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_01: Happy birthday dear Bradley.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_01: Happy birthday to you.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_02: Stinky little hobbitses.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_02: Guys, thank you.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_02: You didn't have to do all this.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_02: Also, why is there cake all over the floor?
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_02: Don't worry about that, Bradley.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_02: Our cleaning crews are already on it.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_02: We has a cleaning crew?
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, Schmeagol.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_02: It's you.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_02: Now, get to eating.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_01: We loves this
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_03: cake.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_03: Here, Bradley.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_03: A slice for you on your day of birth.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, and by the way, Jay the Solar Demiurge also asked me to wish you a happy solar anniversary.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, wow, tell him I said thank you.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_02: Aren't you and him supposed to be hanging out soon, by the way?
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_02: I feel like we could all use a vacation.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, yes,
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_02: I'm hoping to spend some time in the Imaginings universe while I wait for you
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_02: to get back to Devine.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, Fintan, did you just resist the urge to give me crap for writing too slow?
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_02: Well, I mean, it is your birthday week.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_02: I'm just trying to be nice.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_02: Well, thank you, my friend.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_02: That's very kind of you.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, don't mention it.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_03: I'm going to get more cake.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_02: Hey, Bradley, what's the plan for this week's podcast?
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, wow.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_02: Now you mention it, Arnold.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_02: I don't know.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, the smogest challenge is in the final sprint.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_02: I'm going to resume our usual subscriber chat threads next week.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_02: So I guess we're kind of in between things right now.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_02: Ah, sounds like a perfect time to make like a mirror and reflect.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, you should think about what you want to do with the show in the next year.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_02: You know what, that's a really good idea, actually.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, it's no secret that downloads have been down lately.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_02: Maybe we should think about, I don't know, shaking things up.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, perhaps a new host.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_03: I am open
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_02: for work.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, thanks, David, but I've got the hosting covered.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_02: A co-host, on the other hand, would be cool, though.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, wait, no, I'm getting ahead of myself.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_02: Let me get into the office and figure something out for this week.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_02: Thanks again for the cake, everybody.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_02: Hey, Bradley, do you think I could do karaoke soon with Stefan Pasek?
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_02: I feel like I nailed happy birthday.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_02: I'll have to ask him, Arnold, but I like that idea.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, great.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_02: Have fun recording dream drafts.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_02: It's saved as draft.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_02: This is saved as draft, but you know what?
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_02: Hello everyone, and welcome to episode 85 of the Saved as Draft podcast.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_02: This week is unique for a couple of different reasons.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_02: For starters,
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_02: we just wrapped up the Smogus Story Horde challenge,
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_02: and we're in the final sprint before I announce the winners next week.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_02: On top of that,
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_02: the 1st of September is my birthday,
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_02: and I wanted to say thank you again for the avalanche of wonderful messages,
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_02: birthday toasts, new art, and memes.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_02: You all are seriously the best community that I've ever been a part of,
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_02: and I appreciate you all so very much.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_02: And of course,
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_02: it's tradition here on Substack for me to reflect on my birthday,
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_02: to think about what's happened in the last year and what I hope to accomplish in
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_02: the next one.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_02: We're gonna do a bit of that today on the show,
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_02: so I hope you'll join me for that later in the episode.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_02: Outside of that, I'm gonna use my birthday privileges to handpick the shoutouts this week.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_02: We'll look at five stories total, and I'll read an excerpt from each one.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_02: I'll do a mix of stories from the recent challenge,
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_02: and a few others that I came across in the past week.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_02: Next week,
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_02: we'll go back to normal,
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_02: where I post a thread in my subscriber chat on Tuesday,
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_02: and you can all drop links for me to select at random.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_02: I'll also bring back our writing discussion thread next Wednesday to feature on the show here.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_02: But again, Thank you all for the wonderful birthday wishes this week.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_02: It truly, truly means the world to me.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_02: I even did an article like last year.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_02: This year I called it Level 37 that you can check out if you'd like to see some of
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_02: the awesome stuff people wrote and created.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_02: I'll drop a link to that in the show notes.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_02: All right, that's housekeeping out of the way.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_02: Next up, we'll take a look at this week's Community Spotlight.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_02: This week, the spotlight is on my friend Brood Boyer, aka Whimsy and Woe, here on Substack.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_02: Brood is the author of Grumble and Grasp,
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_02: a dark fantasy book with humor,
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_02: horror, and an alarming number of carnivorous snails.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_02: Truth be told, I feel like any number of carnivorous snails would be alarming.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_02: Earlier this week,
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_02: Brood announced an open call for submissions on their inaugural anthology of
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_02: the Whimsy and Woe publishing branch.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_02: The theme for this first anthology is adorable abominations.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_02: And there's a pretty generous word count here too for those who like
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_02: to write substantial short stories.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_02: I myself am planning on submitting something, and you should too.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_02: I'll drop a link in the show notes,
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_02: and of course, I'll tag Whimsy and Woe as well, so you can head over and subscribe.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_02: A huge shout out to my friend here,
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_02: thank you for all of your support as always,
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_02: and I cannot wait to see what you do with this new publishing branch.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_02: Next up,
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_02: we'll take a look at some handpicked shoutouts from this past week,
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_02: but first, a quick word from our sponsor.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_02: Today's episode of the Saved as Draft podcast is sponsored by the Society for
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_02: the Prevention of Cruelty to Writers, or SPCW.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_03: Every year,
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_03: countless writers post their work online,
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_03: only for it to get minimal views or comments.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_03: They fight the algorithm.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_03: They suffer in the query trenches.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_03: And far too many succumb to burnout before they finish their masterpiece.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_03: With just five minutes of your time each day, you can help a writer in need.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_03: Here at the SPCW, we care about writers.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_03: The ones drowning in coffee.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_03: The ones navigating brain fog.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_03: The ones shouting into the void day in and day out.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_03: We see you.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_03: We can't hear you because the void is infinite.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_03: But our eyes do not need light to see.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_03: Join us.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_03: Embrace us.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_03: Eat your berries.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_03: And feed your creativity.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_03: Bow down to our berry god.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_03: Consume the seeds.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_03: Free your mind.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_03: Sorry about that.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_03: Ignore that last part.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_03: We're here to help.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_03: So please...
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_03: Come find other writers, read their work, like, comment, and restack.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_03: Make another writer's day today.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_03: Together, we can save writers everywhere.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_03: Together, we can succeed.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_03: Join the SPCW today.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_03: Don't worry, we're not a cult.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_03: We promise.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_02: All right, and we're back.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_02: This week's shoutouts are a special version before we resume our usual thread next week.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_02: This time around,
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_02: I picked five stories or poems that I've come across this week and wanted to talk
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_02: about.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_02: I'll give you my thoughts on each one, and then I'll read an excerpt.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_02: This coming Tuesday,
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_02: keep an eye out in my subscriber chat for the weekly podcast thread
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_02: where you can share your own links for a chance to be featured right here on
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_02: the show.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_02: All right, let's dive in and see what we got.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_02: First up this week is Word Carrier by AM.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_02: This is a wild one for a number of reasons.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_02: For starters,
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_02: this author doesn't primarily write horror,
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_02: but yet here he's shown he can do it extremely well.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_02: Not the first time I've seen that happen.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_02: Secondly,
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_02: this piece is going to be submitted somewhere so he's only leaving it And now,
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_02: for my thoughts on the story itself.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_02: As I said in my initial restack of it,
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_02: this piece is vivid, it's gripping, it's insanely atmospheric.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_02: The concept alone is brilliant,
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_02: and I don't want to spoil it,
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_02: but it stars a character who can contain the grief and pain of lost loved ones
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_02: in his body through the use
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_03: of dark magic and tattoos on his skin.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_02: Now the metaphors here are obviously apparent and very strong right off the bat.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_02: The story gives us a vision of what happens when grief carries physical weight
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_02: beyond the emotional tax that it takes from us.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_02: It's a very interesting premise and a powerful one at that.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_02: This is an intense horror story for a lot of reasons,
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_02: but the way that it stares unflinching
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_02: into its chosen subject matter is truly commendable.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_02: I truly hope that my friend here gets all due credit, praise,
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_02: and publication for this story because,
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_02: I gotta say,
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_02: without exaggeration,
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_02: this is one of the best horror stories that I've read in a long time.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_02: Let's check out an excerpt.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_02: I rise, and a priest applies a paste to seal the words.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_02: Fifteen lines for the fifteen children who succumb to the pox.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_02: Though my soul struggles with the loss I now bear,
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_02: I leave thankful that I can carry the burden for the sake of my own son.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_02: He fought mightily to witness the ritual.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_02: It was his right, he claimed, to see what his future will hold.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_02: But, as my father did for me, I spared him pain now so that he can bear what is to come.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_02: The sky burns orange upon my departure,
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_02: and an acrid haze descends, marking destruction on the horizon.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_02: Blades clash in the distance.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_02: Dust clouds rise above the canopy.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_02: And warriors appear in the courtyard, followed by a line of villagers.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_02: The man at the fore drops to his knees before me,
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_02: bloodied jars clutched to his chest, and his mouth works wordlessly.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_02: My chest tightens as survivors drag loved ones into the courtyard.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_02: Their blood turning the pale sand glutinous and rust red.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_02: The tattooist with his apprentices arrive as priests flit from body to body
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_02: to capture the words of the dying.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_02: I swallow bile as we ascend and push through the press into the chamber.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_02: At the center of a milling crowd a priest writhes as the words of many pour
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_02: from his throat in a chorus of screams,
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_02: piercing the practiced indifference that guards my mind.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_02: Heart pounding,
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_02: I lay upon the stone,
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_02: and pain erupts as the tattooists work feverishly to record the words
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_02: before they fade and are forgotten.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_02: Agony, anger, and despair inundate my mind, threatening my sanity.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_02: I fight to remain conscious.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_02: How many?
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_02: I ask, as more jars are opened and my head swims from blood loss.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_02: How many more?
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_02: I ask again, but the priest collapses under the torrent unleashed upon his spirit.
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_02: Wow.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_02: Hello.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_02: What a, what a, what an excerpt.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_02: Wow.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_02: Gosh, I got chills reading that.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_02: Fantastic work.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_02: Make sure to check it out, the link in the show notes.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_02: But again, only a few more days to read this one.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_02: So if the link's no longer working,
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_02: I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait till it gets published elsewhere.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_02: And it better get published, let me tell you.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_02: Our second shoutout this week is a story from
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_02: the Smogus Story Horde Challenge entitled A Dud of Kittens and Hammers by J.E.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_02: Vance.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_02: This was for the art prompt on August 28th which depicted a dwarf and
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_02: a dragon running from an angry mob.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_02: What's amazing about this piece is that J.E.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_02: Vance leans heavily into the comedy here, and the result is sidesplittingly funny.
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_02: The dialogue uses capitalized words
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_02: to emphasize just how intense this conversation gets,
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_02: and as a result,
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_02: you can practically feel the panic in some of the characters' voices.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_02: The situation here as the story begins is that our dragon Arlon has eaten the Duchess's cat.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_02: And don't worry,
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_02: if you're an animal lover like me,
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_02: I'm not going to spoil it,
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_02: but I think people will read this if they know that the cat is fine by the end.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_02: I won't say how, but things do work out for the feline here.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_02: And finding out how that happens is one of the funniest parts of the story.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_02: And the reason this story works so well beyond the hilarious premise is
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_02: that Jonathan has exceptional control of pacing and dialogue here.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_02: The banter is sharp, it's quick, it's very witty.
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_02: Pair that with a breakneck pace and you've got a story
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_02: that my friend Hallie Jules would absolutely approve of.
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_02: It's a comedic masterpiece.
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_02: And, best part, there's already a sequel.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_02: I'll put links to both in the show notes.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_02: And now, let's read an excerpt from this first one.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_02: They know what, Arlen?
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_03: Ye be precise with me now, boy, or-
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_02: All of it!
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_02: Arlen winced,
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_02: knowing full well that his companion was about to be the sort
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_02: of angry you'd pay special attention to if dying was to be avoided.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_02: He slithered his reptilian body against the walls of the Wagon Forge,
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_02: which was much too small already for anyone of man height.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_02: Say nothing for a seven-foot dragon.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_02: How?
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_02: !
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_02: Gormer roared, rearing his hammer high as he could in such a confined space.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_00: Well, you see, I was talking to the Lady Safina and- The Duchess?
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_00: Ye told the Duchess were after her oar?
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_00: No!
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I suppose I did, but that's only after I ate her cat and- You ate her cat?
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_00: A cat!
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_00: And only a small one.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_00: Probably not the Duchess's cat.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_00: Sigh.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_00: A kitten then, yes.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_00: Mighty fine difference there, Arlen.
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_00: Ye do know that makes this infinitely worse.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_00: It was an accident.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_00: It's not like I'm used to being a predator, alright?
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_00: This body has needs.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_00: Oh god, so many needs.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_00: And I don't want to explore any of them, Gormy.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_00: Not a one.
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_02: Shit.
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_02: They'll be heading for us now, I suppose.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_00: Move over so I can get to the front.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_00: Do try to keep your needs contained from here out.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_02: I'm sorry.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_02: That was so good.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_02: It's such a good story.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_02: Be sure to read the story at the link in the show notes.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_02: Check out the sequel, too.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_02: Like I said, I'll include both.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_02: But man, when Jonathan does comedy, he just nails it.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_02: That was so much fun.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_02: Huh.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_02: All right.
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_02: Next in our shout outs this week is a new entry for August 26th Smogus prompt called
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_02: The Battle of Gingivitis Cave by Jennifer Jorgensen.
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_02: So this one caught my eye based on the title alone.
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_02: And as someone who thoroughly enjoys Jennifer's work, I had to find out what was going on here.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_02: So the art piece here was the one that Circus Dragon did showing an elven warrior
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_02: with a scar on their arm defending a dragon with its teeth bared.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_02: Jennifer saw all those teeth and immediately thought about a dragon going to
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_02: the fantasy equivalent of a dentist.
• 15:43
  SPEAKER_02: I genuinely love how her mind works.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_02: And that's the concept with the story here.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_02: A dragon asks an elf to help them with their dental hygiene.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_02: Things take a quick turn though when sentient plaque monsters emerge from
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_02: the dragon's mouth and begin attacking.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_02: We soon learn that the plaque monsters are trying to protect the dragon's mouth
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_02: that they inhabit.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_02: And this misunderstanding leads to a hilarious conversation about threats big
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_02: and small and how everything is not always a threat at first glance.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_02: And once again, Jennifer has taken this idea to its full narrative conclusion.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_02: The result is something fun, unique, and heartwarming.
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_02: Let's check out an excerpt.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_02: Kaylee's shoulders began to shake,
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_02: but she swallowed the laughter when she caught Drago's meaningful look.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_02: I had asked Sir Kaylee Three Ears to help clean a spot on my teeth.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_02: He informed his would-be protectors.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_02: Perry slumped in on himself.
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, we didn't realize.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_02: We didn't know.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_02: Clearly horrified by his mistake, the little beast continued.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_02: We apologize, most humbly, Sir Drago.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_02: And to you as well, Sir Three Ears.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_02: We thought we were doing our job.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_02: The dragon nodded regally, drawing an amused eye roll from the elf.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_02: Of course, you are forgiven.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_02: I am sorry for the unnecessary loss of your companions, Sir Perry.
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_02: Perry and his few remaining friends glanced at the still piles
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_02: of black sludge scattered around the cave floor.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_02: He sighed deeply.
• 17:09
  SPEAKER_02: They gave their lives doing their duty.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_02: It is all any of us can ask, he finally answered.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_02: The dragon snorted soft agreement,
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_02: then asked curiously, So, have you protected me from anything else?
• 17:25
  SPEAKER_02: Sir Perry shrugged.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_02: Just one other time, sir, but nothing so fearsome as Sir Three is.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_02: It was a worm, sir,
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_02: even smaller than the smallest of us,
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_02: but black as pitch, and it had fearsome teeth and
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_00: great antennae.
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_02: Kaylee's head snapped up even as Drago's eyes shot wide.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_02: Mindworm?
• 17:47
  SPEAKER_02: Kaylee hissed.
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_02: You killed one of these?
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_02: The dragon thundered.
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_02: Recently?
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_02: Sir Perry nodded.
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_02: Indeed, not two nights ago as you slept, sir.
• 17:58
  SPEAKER_02: It crawled toward your ear, and our sentries spotted it
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_03: and attacked.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_03: The battle was fierce, though nothing like today.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_03: We lost two of our best to its jagged teeth.
• 18:11
  SPEAKER_02: And I mean, again,
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_02: it's a dragon going to a dentist,
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_02: and Jennifer somehow still makes this story so immersive and gripping,
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_02: and it just makes total sense, even though I've never seen anything like it.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_02: I love that about her work, so fantastic stuff there.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_02: Next up in our shout-outs this week is a piece called An Ode to Yearning
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_02: to Know Someone by Hiyori Onigiri.
• 18:31
  SPEAKER_02: You may recognize this person's name from one of the final Smogus proms.
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_02: The art piece for August 31st was dedicated to them by Circus Dragon herself.
• 18:39
  SPEAKER_02: A very sweet and heartfelt gesture,
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_02: and it got me thinking, I should check out this person's work.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_02: As I said elsewhere, any friend of Circus Dragon is a friend of mine.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_02: So, let's check out this piece that Hiyori wrote.
• 18:51
  SPEAKER_02: This is a very,
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_02: very sweet poem,
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_02: and it highlights one of the things about the modern world that's amazing
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_02: and frustrating in equal measure.
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_02: Thanks to the internet and our shared platform on Substack here,
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_02: we can connect with all kinds of writers and creatives around the world
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_02: that we never would have met otherwise in a million years
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_02: if we could only communicate in person.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_02: And that is amazing.
• 19:13
  SPEAKER_02: I don't want to downplay that, but it does come with downsides.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_02: In this piece,
• 19:17
  SPEAKER_02: it's the problem of time zones,
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_02: of differing schedules,
• 19:20
  SPEAKER_02: and the fact that this connection means we're constantly being bombarded
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_02: by notifications both big and small from every direction imaginable.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_02: In essence, we can forge a ton of new connections.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_02: But it becomes difficult to maintain or grow them when you factor
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_02: in everything else going on in our chaotic lives.
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_02: It's something that I struggle with too because as you can imagine,
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_02: I get a lot of DMs,
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_02: messages, tags,
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_02: and other forms of communication not only on Substack but on every other platform
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_02: that I'm on as well.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_02: And I do my best to carve out time each day to really stop and read and appreciate
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_02: and respond to these messages,
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_02: but honestly it takes me longer than I'd like in some cases.
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_02: And I really do appreciate all the amazing friends I've made here,
• 20:01
  SPEAKER_02: so I hope that you all know that.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_02: It's also why I also genuinely cherish the interviews that I get to do here on
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_02: the show,
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_02: because let's be honest,
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_02: those require a ton of effort from both sides to not only coordinate,
• 20:13
  SPEAKER_02: but to record as well.
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_02: I've been able to have conversations with writers from around the world.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_02: Let's check out an excerpt from the piece here.
• 20:19
  SPEAKER_02: But I still love them, and think of them.
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_02: And hope their days go well.
• 20:49
  SPEAKER_02: And that nothing is pushing too hard on their mental state.
• 20:53
  SPEAKER_02: Whether they see this or not, they'll still be in my thoughts.
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_02: To the ones I asked,
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_02: and to the ones I didn't,
• 21:00
  SPEAKER_02: unsure if I'd get a reply soon enough,
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_02: but understanding why I wouldn't, I think I still have a friend crush on all of you.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_02: So to the ones that replied, Hazel,
• 21:11
  SPEAKER_02: Eliana, I hope you know that you're still in my thoughts, even when we don't talk.
• 21:17
  SPEAKER_02: And I hope that we'll be able to talk more.
• 21:20
  SPEAKER_02: Friend crushes are a special type of yearning.
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_02: For it's not anything romantic, just a genuine connection and curiosity.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_02: Beautiful piece and a beautiful sentiment there as well.
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_02: Amazing, amazing work from this author.
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_02: I will be checking out more of Hiyori's work absolutely going forward.
• 21:39
  SPEAKER_02: All right, and our final shout out this week is Lights Off by Rebe.
• 21:43
  SPEAKER_02: Anyone who's been listening to the show for a while now knows that I'm a huge fan
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_02: of this author's work, especially her poetry.
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_02: It's always genuine, often introspective, and powerfully emotional as well.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_02: This one combines all of those things,
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_02: and then some, into a piece that is relatable and heartbreaking.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_02: The core concept here is someone who's constantly changing or minimizing themselves
• 22:05
  SPEAKER_02: to fit into spaces where they don't feel welcome.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_02: And there's a contrast here where she talks about how she's not asking for princess treatment.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_02: She just wants to be seen and appreciated for who she is without the need
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_02: to make herself smaller or different just to fit in.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_02: This one hits twice as hard for me this week because my Dream Drafts episode,
• 22:22
  SPEAKER_02: my other podcast earlier this week, was all about showing up as yourself.
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_02: And of course I did that because I had a few personal stories to share about what
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_02: that looks like and why it's so hard to do in our world.
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_02: You really have to read this one to truly appreciate the nuances here,
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_02: but I think the highest compliment I can give this piece specifically is
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_02: that my heart felt physically heavier after reading it.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_02: Those final lines made me feel like I had a rock sitting in my stomach,
• 22:49
  SPEAKER_02: and in this case that's 1000% a compliment.
• 22:52
  SPEAKER_02: This poem...
• 22:53
  SPEAKER_02: Isn't meant to make you feel good, and that's kind of the point.
• 22:57
  SPEAKER_02: It's meant to share something vulnerable with you and to call attention to a problem
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_02: that many of us face.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_02: And I gotta say, Rebecca's done it again.
• 23:06
  SPEAKER_02: Let's check out an excerpt.
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_02: I just want the quiet things to be allowed to exist.
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_02: The little proof.
• 23:13
  SPEAKER_02: The casual mention.
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_02: The hand that stays.
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_02: The look that doesn't disappear when someone else enters the room.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_02: Because there is something strange about being loved and still feeling hidden.
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_02: Like being a beautiful house with every window covered.
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_02: Like being a secret that has started wondering if secrecy was ever the point.
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, I'm laughing.
• 23:43
  SPEAKER_02: Of course I'm laughing.
• 23:45
  SPEAKER_02: What else do you do when you've noticed the lock, but nobody has admitted there's a door?
• 23:52
  SPEAKER_02: So I'll make another joke.
• 23:54
  SPEAKER_02: I'll pretend I didn't see the shadows.
• 23:57
  SPEAKER_02: I'll smile like I don't know what the dark is for.
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_02: But I noticed.
• 24:03
  SPEAKER_02: I always notice.
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, pardon my French, but god damn.
• 24:10
  SPEAKER_02: Please check out the full piece in the show notes here.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_02: Another example of why Rebe's work is some of the best on Substack, honestly.
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_02: And again, a huge thank you to all the authors featured this week.
• 24:19
  SPEAKER_02: I'm so happy that I crossed paths with each of your work.
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_02: I had a great time reading these,
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_02: and I'm excited to get back into the shoutouts as a regular part of
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_02: the show next week.
• 24:27
  SPEAKER_02: And remember,
• 24:28
  SPEAKER_02: next week we'll start the thread up on Tuesday,
• 24:30
  SPEAKER_02: so you can submit links to be featured in the shoutouts section.
• 24:33
  SPEAKER_02: And then of course Wednesday I'll be posting the writing discussion thread as well,
• 24:36
  SPEAKER_02: so we'll bring that back too.
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_02: And speaking of the constantly shifting nature of this show,
• 24:42
  SPEAKER_02: next up I'd like to have a new segment here,
• 24:44
  SPEAKER_02: something just for this episode that I'm calling The State of the Podcast.
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_02: Alright, welcome everybody.
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_02: Come on in.
• 25:54
  SPEAKER_02: Find a seat in the virtual auditorium here.
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_02: I know the arrangement's a little weird.
• 25:58
  SPEAKER_02: That's what happens when you ask the other members of the show to set everything up.
• 26:01
  SPEAKER_02: Why are you looking at me?
• 26:03
  SPEAKER_02: I wasn't in charge of the chairs.
• 26:05
  SPEAKER_02: You were in charge of the people who were in charge of them though, Fintan.
• 26:08
  SPEAKER_02: I put you in charge.
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, you did.
• 26:11
  SPEAKER_02: And I delegated like a good leader does.
• 26:15
  SPEAKER_02: Huh.
• 26:15
  SPEAKER_02: Spoken like a true manager.
• 26:17
  SPEAKER_02: Well, in any case, is everyone ready to start?
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_02: I'm ready.
• 26:21
  SPEAKER_02: I was born ready.
• 26:22
  SPEAKER_02: We need to pump up the downloads.
• 26:25
  SPEAKER_02: I agree, Arnold.
• 26:26
  SPEAKER_02: That's the goal here.
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_02: Your podcast needs to work out, Bradley.
• 26:31
  SPEAKER_02: You know what?
• 26:31
  SPEAKER_02: I'll write that down.
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you.
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 26:34
  SPEAKER_02: Time to start.
• 26:37
  SPEAKER_02: Hello, everyone.
• 26:38
  SPEAKER_02: And welcome to a fully unscripted look at the Saved His Draft podcast in terms of
• 26:43
  SPEAKER_02: the past, the present, and the future.
• 26:46
  SPEAKER_02: I'm, of course,
• 26:47
  SPEAKER_02: Bradley Ramsey,
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_02: creator of the Saved His Draft podcast and creator of The Writer's Journey
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_02: on Substack and a writer and creative my entire life.
• 26:55
  SPEAKER_02: So...
• 26:57
  SPEAKER_02: I got into podcasts probably about, I'd say about six years ago at this point.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_02: Right around COVID, I started listening to podcasts a lot.
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_02: It was something where I had listened to podcasts before,
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_02: but I started picking them up around then.
• 27:09
  SPEAKER_02: I just had more free time.
• 27:11
  SPEAKER_02: And I work from home and have for over 10 years now,
• 27:14
  SPEAKER_02: so I'm always listening to music or having something going on because
• 27:18
  SPEAKER_02: the silence is truly deafening.
• 27:19
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 27:22
  SPEAKER_02: And yeah, so I started getting into podcasts.
• 27:23
  SPEAKER_02: And then when I had a pretty tumultuous couple of years there,
• 27:27
  SPEAKER_02: all kinds of terrible things happened in my life.
• 27:31
  SPEAKER_02: I used the opportunity to start finding podcasts that could teach me stuff, right?
• 27:35
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 27:36
  SPEAKER_02: At the time,
• 27:37
  SPEAKER_02: I was listening to podcasts about mindfulness,
• 27:39
  SPEAKER_02: about meditation,
• 27:41
  SPEAKER_02: about trying to control my anxiety,
• 27:43
  SPEAKER_02: my depression,
• 27:44
  SPEAKER_02: things that I've struggled with my entire life but got a lot worse
• 27:47
  SPEAKER_02: during this time period.
• 27:50
  SPEAKER_02: Then I listened to podcasts about how to be a better person,
• 27:53
  SPEAKER_02: how to be a better partner, how to be a better writer.
• 27:56
  SPEAKER_02: I really discovered the value of podcasts and what they can bring to the table
• 28:01
  SPEAKER_02: and how You can have them,
• 28:03
  SPEAKER_02: you know,
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_02: a lot of people listen to them while they're doing the dishes,
• 28:05
  SPEAKER_02: while they're doing laundry.
• 28:07
  SPEAKER_02: Some listen to them before they go to sleep.
• 28:09
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, you can listen to podcasts anywhere, right?
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_02: Like driving, the list goes on and on, right?
• 28:15
  SPEAKER_02: And even if you're not directly paying attention to it,
• 28:17
  SPEAKER_02: my experience is that podcasts can really,
• 28:20
  SPEAKER_02: even subconsciously, just make you, you know, a better person.
• 28:25
  SPEAKER_02: They can help you grow.
• 28:26
  SPEAKER_02: They can help you learn.
• 28:27
  SPEAKER_02: They can teach you things.
• 28:29
  SPEAKER_02: It's a powerful medium.
• 28:30
  SPEAKER_02: And...
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_02: After many years of listening to podcasts,
• 28:34
  SPEAKER_02: I always had this thought in the back of my head that's like, you know what?
• 28:37
  SPEAKER_02: I should just start a podcast of my own, you know?
• 28:40
  SPEAKER_02: But I was like, what would it even be about?
• 28:42
  SPEAKER_02: Like, obviously I'm a writer and a gamer.
• 28:44
  SPEAKER_02: So pick one, right?
• 28:46
  SPEAKER_02: And there's already a ton of gaming podcasts.
• 28:48
  SPEAKER_02: To be fair, there's plenty of writing ones too.
• 28:51
  SPEAKER_02: But anyway,
• 28:52
  SPEAKER_02: after I joined Substack back in January of 2025 and things kind
• 28:55
  SPEAKER_02: of quickly took off there in those first couple of months,
• 28:58
  SPEAKER_02: I saw it as an opportunity.
• 28:59
  SPEAKER_02: I was like, okay, let's do it.
• 29:01
  SPEAKER_02: Let's make a podcast.
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_02: Because Substack, to be fair, does make it easy to launch a podcast.
• 29:05
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, all the tools are there.
• 29:07
  SPEAKER_02: You know,
• 29:08
  SPEAKER_02: being able to hook up everything to other platforms like Apple Podcasts,
• 29:11
  SPEAKER_02: Spotify, YouTube.
• 29:12
  SPEAKER_02: It's all there.
• 29:13
  SPEAKER_02: And it's nice, honestly.
• 29:14
  SPEAKER_02: It's pretty user friendly.
• 29:16
  SPEAKER_02: And so, yeah, I was like, all right, let's do it.
• 29:19
  SPEAKER_02: And so I don't remember exactly how I came up with the name Saved as Draft.
• 29:22
  SPEAKER_02: So when I started the podcast...
• 29:44
  SPEAKER_02: I had more of a focus on talking about my personal thoughts on writing,
• 29:50
  SPEAKER_02: my projects that I was working on.
• 29:52
  SPEAKER_02: But something that I knew that I wanted to do very early on when
• 29:56
  SPEAKER_02: the show started is I also wanted to make it a point to feature other authors,
• 30:00
  SPEAKER_02: whether it's through interviews or talking about their work and so on and so forth.
• 30:05
  SPEAKER_02: And it's funny, I'm going to go on a bit of a tangent here, but...
• 30:09
  SPEAKER_02: One of the reasons why I wanted to do that is because prior to being
• 30:14
  SPEAKER_02: a full-time professional writer, earlier in my career, I worked in retail.
• 30:19
  SPEAKER_02: I started at Target, and then I worked almost 10 years at GameStop.
• 30:23
  SPEAKER_02: And at one point, I was up to assistant store manager, ASM.
• 30:28
  SPEAKER_02: And yeah, it was a fun time.
• 30:31
  SPEAKER_02: Obviously, you know, things changed a lot as it went on, but I met some really good people.
• 30:34
  SPEAKER_02: And as a gamer, I mean, you really can't ask for a better job conceptually.
• 30:38
  SPEAKER_02: Like I said, there's a lot more to it than that.
• 30:41
  SPEAKER_02: And retail, of course, is its own hell, as many of you probably know.
• 30:46
  SPEAKER_02: But anyway, when I worked at GameStop, I actually had a newsletter, if you can believe it.
• 30:50
  SPEAKER_02: I think I've told this story maybe elsewhere before, but never widely like this.
• 30:55
  SPEAKER_02: I had a newsletter.
• 30:56
  SPEAKER_02: It was just called the Bradley Newsletter, like that very simple, right?
• 30:59
  SPEAKER_02: And I sent it from a Yahoo email account that I still have.
• 31:03
  SPEAKER_02: And it was exclusive to GameStop employees.
• 31:05
  SPEAKER_02: But basically what I did, I had a lot of free time back then.
• 31:08
  SPEAKER_02: What I did was every Thursday I would send out this email newsletter
• 31:11
  SPEAKER_02: to other GameStop employees who had given me their email addresses, of course.
• 31:16
  SPEAKER_02: And it was like a very grassroots.
• 31:17
  SPEAKER_02: And then there would be different segments similar to how the podcast here works.
• 31:32
  SPEAKER_02: I did borrow that name for this current Devine series.
• 31:47
  SPEAKER_02: I still have that Yahoo account.
• 31:49
  SPEAKER_02: But anyway, I say that because I thought back to that newsletter when I started Saved as Draft.
• 32:17
  SPEAKER_02: I was like, okay, how do I bring that energy to writing, to the writing community?
• 32:22
  SPEAKER_02: How do I do that, right?
• 32:23
  SPEAKER_02: And so, as long-time listeners of the show know, I just kind of went for it.
• 32:30
  SPEAKER_02: I didn't really have a plan.
• 32:31
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 32:47
  SPEAKER_02: So that I can sound polished and professional, right?
• 32:50
  SPEAKER_02: But this was before AI became really big.
• 32:52
  SPEAKER_02: And now I would argue that people want to hear those human elements because
• 32:57
  SPEAKER_02: that tells them, hey, I'm listening to a real person, right?
• 33:00
  SPEAKER_02: I think leaning too far.
• 33:02
  SPEAKER_02: And I think having these unscripted segments like the one
• 33:04
  SPEAKER_02: that I'm doing right now is more valuable than I realized in today's day and age.
• 33:17
  SPEAKER_02: This is the real raw me.
• 33:19
  SPEAKER_02: This is Bradley Ramsey, unscripted, right?
• 33:21
  SPEAKER_02: And I, you know, being the kind of person that I am, I was like, nobody wants to hear that.
• 33:27
  SPEAKER_02: But then funny enough,
• 33:27
  SPEAKER_02: this week,
• 33:28
  SPEAKER_02: you know,
• 33:28
  SPEAKER_02: I put out a call for my birthday week here,
• 33:31
  SPEAKER_02: you know, doing some reflection like I often do.
• 33:34
  SPEAKER_02: And I said, okay, tell me about what you think of the podcast.
• 33:38
  SPEAKER_02: What do you want from it?
• 33:38
  SPEAKER_02: What's going to make it more valuable?
• 33:40
  SPEAKER_02: Because the very simple,
• 33:42
  SPEAKER_02: long and short I'm not worried about only having big authors or big accounts
• 33:45
  SPEAKER_02: the show.
• 33:46
  SPEAKER_02: I want to talk to everybody.
• 33:47
  SPEAKER_02: That's the whole idea.
• 33:49
  SPEAKER_02: Everyone is welcome.
• 33:50
  SPEAKER_02: It's inclusive.
• 34:10
  SPEAKER_02: But yeah, I had episodes that would cross a thousand downloads, no problem.
• 34:14
  SPEAKER_02: And that hasn't happened for a very long time.
• 34:17
  SPEAKER_02: And despite that,
• 34:19
  SPEAKER_02: the amount of hours and time that I put into this show continues to stay the same
• 34:23
  SPEAKER_02: or go up.
• 34:24
  SPEAKER_02: As I said, Substack, Substack.
• 34:53
  SPEAKER_02: That I want you to keep going.
• 34:55
  SPEAKER_02: I want you to push through when things get tough because what happens is
• 35:00
  SPEAKER_02: if you stop,
• 35:00
  SPEAKER_02: then there's a 100% chance that you won't succeed because you've stopped, right?
• 35:05
  SPEAKER_02: But if you keep going, who knows, right?
• 35:08
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, I'm only getting 100 to 200 downloads per episode.
• 35:12
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, that's nowhere near enough to monetize this thing or get sponsors or any
• 35:17
  SPEAKER_02: the stuff that I want to do with it.
• 35:18
  SPEAKER_02: But that doesn't matter, right?
• 35:20
  SPEAKER_02: Like it matters obviously and it does matter in the long term and it's something
• 35:23
  SPEAKER_02: that I have to think about as a creator.
• 35:25
  SPEAKER_02: But I want you all to hear this when I say that I started this show
• 35:30
  SPEAKER_02: and I do everything that I do in this community because I care about you all.
• 35:35
  SPEAKER_02: I care about your work.
• 35:36
  SPEAKER_02: I want to shout it from the digital mountaintops and I want people to discover it
• 35:42
  SPEAKER_02: because you all are amazing.
• 35:44
  SPEAKER_02: You are so talented.
• 35:46
  SPEAKER_02: And I want to create a platform where people like that can be featured, right?
• 35:51
  SPEAKER_02: And so that was the goal with Save to Straft.
• 35:53
  SPEAKER_02: And as time has gone on, you know, like I said, the show's become more scripted.
• 35:58
  SPEAKER_02: I've always enjoyed the comedy aspects of it.
• 36:00
  SPEAKER_02: I think those do have a place in there.
• 36:02
  SPEAKER_02: But if I'm being honest,
• 36:04
  SPEAKER_02: looking at the feedback,
• 36:05
  SPEAKER_02: thinking on things and reflecting,
• 36:06
  SPEAKER_02: I think what's happened is the show has become a little too polished.
• 36:09
  SPEAKER_02: It's become a little too rigid, a little too scripted, right?
• 36:13
  SPEAKER_02: And, you know,
• 36:14
  SPEAKER_02: When I'm not doing writing challenges,
• 36:16
  SPEAKER_02: a single episode will include not only five big shoutouts with narrated excerpts,
• 36:20
  SPEAKER_02: but I'll do 10, 15, 20 mini shoutouts for all the power-up prompt stories as well.
• 36:27
  SPEAKER_02: And again, you can see how this adds up.
• 36:29
  SPEAKER_02: And I do that because I love it and I want to feature your work, right?
• 36:32
  SPEAKER_02: But if I'm being honest with myself,
• 36:34
  SPEAKER_02: I'm not seeing the growth in the show that I want to see or that I need to see
• 36:40
  SPEAKER_02: for this thing to work years and years from now, right?
• 36:43
  SPEAKER_02: I'm not giving up.
• 36:44
  SPEAKER_02: I'm going to keep going.
• 36:45
  SPEAKER_02: But let's be honest.
• 36:46
  SPEAKER_02: Another two, three years goes by of just doing episodes every single week for 100 downloads.
• 36:52
  SPEAKER_02: That's going to We're going to hit a point, right?
• 36:55
  SPEAKER_02: I like to be optimistic, but I don't want it to get there.
• 36:58
  SPEAKER_02: I want it to go up.
• 36:59
  SPEAKER_02: I want it to grow.
• 37:00
  SPEAKER_02: I want more writers to be included.
• 37:01
  SPEAKER_02: I want it to feel...
• 37:03
  SPEAKER_02: I think one of my fears is that I worry that Saved as Draft feels like one
• 37:07
  SPEAKER_02: of these things where it's like...
• 37:08
  SPEAKER_02: I have tried to get people to give me links to their work on Blue Sky,
• 37:11
  SPEAKER_02: on Instagram, on Threads, on TikTok.
• 37:23
  SPEAKER_02: And it's, I mean, I haven't had any luck, if I'm being honest.
• 37:28
  SPEAKER_02: And that's kind of the problem I've run into with other writing communities
• 37:32
  SPEAKER_02: in general,
• 37:32
  SPEAKER_02: is that for one reason or another,
• 37:34
  SPEAKER_02: I just can't seem to click with them or connect with people on a meaningful level
• 37:37
  SPEAKER_02: the way that I have here,
• 37:38
  SPEAKER_02: which is why so many things on Saved as Draft come from Substack,
• 37:42
  SPEAKER_02: because they're there,
• 37:43
  SPEAKER_02: they're available,
• 37:44
  SPEAKER_02: there's people that want to be featured and shared,
• 37:47
  SPEAKER_02: and they in turn will share the show, and it's a win-win for everybody, right?
• 37:52
  SPEAKER_02: So I know I'm rambling here,
• 37:53
  SPEAKER_02: but what I want to do with Saved as Draft is I want to think about how
• 37:58
  SPEAKER_02: to make it better.
• 37:59
  SPEAKER_02: I want to think about how to make it more valuable,
• 38:01
  SPEAKER_02: not only for all of you,
• 38:02
  SPEAKER_02: my longtime fans,
• 38:04
  SPEAKER_02: not only for the people who are featured each week,
• 38:06
  SPEAKER_02: but for someone who hopefully will stumble upon it,
• 38:09
  SPEAKER_02: you know, on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
• 38:12
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and I think a part of that is obviously I need to get better
• 38:16
  SPEAKER_02: about learning podcast SEO and sort of more of the technical marketing type stuff.
• 38:21
  SPEAKER_02: Um, for example, I, I originally had the show classified, I think is comedy and comedy.
• 38:29
  SPEAKER_02: And yes,
• 38:30
  SPEAKER_02: the downloads have gone down since I switched categories,
• 38:33
  SPEAKER_02: but those don't really feel like the right categories.
• 38:34
  SPEAKER_02: I think now what I have is,
• 38:37
  SPEAKER_02: I can't remember off the top of my head,
• 38:38
  SPEAKER_02: but it's something that's more in line with what the show actually is.
• 38:43
  SPEAKER_02: But I don't know.
• 38:43
  SPEAKER_02: Maybe that was part of the problem.
• 38:45
  SPEAKER_02: Again, I have to look into the SEO side of things.
• 38:47
  SPEAKER_02: But beyond that, I want to make the show feel more genuine, more authentic, more human, right?
• 38:55
  SPEAKER_02: Because that's what's most important to me.
• 38:58
  SPEAKER_02: And so a couple of things come to mind there.
• 39:00
  SPEAKER_02: Number one, the shoutouts aren't going anywhere.
• 39:03
  SPEAKER_02: I think that I may do less of them overall,
• 39:06
  SPEAKER_02: but I will put more effort into each one so that it feels special
• 39:10
  SPEAKER_02: when you do get featured, right?
• 39:12
  SPEAKER_02: So right now,
• 39:12
  SPEAKER_02: a shout out is me giving you like a mini review of your story as well as
• 39:16
  SPEAKER_02: a narrated excerpt.
• 39:17
  SPEAKER_02: I don't know.
• 39:46
  SPEAKER_02: The other thing beyond that that I'm thinking about is less scripting, right?
• 39:51
  SPEAKER_02: I want to show up more as just me,
• 39:53
  SPEAKER_02: unfiltered like this,
• 39:54
  SPEAKER_02: because it sounds like,
• 39:56
  SPEAKER_02: and please correct me if I'm wrong here,
• 39:57
  SPEAKER_02: but it sounds like you guys want that, right?
• 40:00
  SPEAKER_02: And then the other thing that I'm hearing too from fans of the show and
• 40:04
  SPEAKER_02: from feedback that I've gotten is that Saved as Draft needs to be
• 40:08
  SPEAKER_02: a writing podcast first and foremost,
• 40:10
  SPEAKER_02: meaning that it needs to have a focus on writing as a craft and how
• 40:14
  SPEAKER_02: to improve your writing.
• 40:16
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, I, I,
• 40:17
  SPEAKER_02: when I first joined Substack,
• 40:18
  SPEAKER_02: I used to joke about doing workshops and how everybody's got,
• 40:20
  SPEAKER_02: everybody's got a workshop, you know, kind of thing.
• 40:23
  SPEAKER_02: And, uh, I, I, I, I,
• 40:25
  SPEAKER_02: I joke about those,
• 40:26
  SPEAKER_02: but I think that there's value in them when the person hosting it is genuinely,
• 40:31
  SPEAKER_02: you know,
• 40:31
  SPEAKER_02: coming from a place of trying to help because let's be honest,
• 40:33
  SPEAKER_02: there's a lot of workshops out there, uh,
• 40:35
  SPEAKER_02: you know,
• 40:36
  SPEAKER_02: like courses and whatnot where all these entrepreneurs and stuff are selling them
• 40:39
  SPEAKER_02: and they're really just trying to make money.
• 40:41
  SPEAKER_02: Like that's all it is.
• 40:41
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 40:42
  SPEAKER_02: And obviously you want to make money from something like that,
• 40:44
  SPEAKER_02: but I would hope that if I were to do something like that,
• 40:47
  SPEAKER_02: where I had people pay to enter,
• 40:49
  SPEAKER_02: for example,
• 40:49
  SPEAKER_02: that I would be able to give you something truly valuable that you can take back
• 40:53
  SPEAKER_02: with you into your work, right?
• 40:57
  SPEAKER_02: And that's coming back next week.
• 40:59
  SPEAKER_02: And that's always really fun.
• 41:00
  SPEAKER_02: And we get a lot of engagement responses there.
• 41:01
  SPEAKER_02: And it's a great discussion.
• 41:03
  SPEAKER_02: I learn stuff.
• 41:03
  SPEAKER_02: I feel like you all learn stuff.
• 41:05
  SPEAKER_02: It's great.
• 41:17
  SPEAKER_02: But what if we expand that, right?
• 41:19
  SPEAKER_02: What if I have sort of a small segment prepared as well for the episode
• 41:24
  SPEAKER_02: where I give you my full kind of rundown and thoughts and tips and tricks about
• 41:28
  SPEAKER_02: the topic,
• 41:29
  SPEAKER_02: and then we talk about the actual discussion thread
• 41:32
  SPEAKER_02: where you all shared your answers.
• 41:34
  SPEAKER_02: And then it becomes more of a dialogue, right?
• 41:37
  SPEAKER_02: And speaking of dialogue, another thing that I want to try to do more often here is...
• 41:41
  SPEAKER_02: Obviously, author interviews.
• 41:42
  SPEAKER_02: And those are tough.
• 41:43
  SPEAKER_02: Those are tough because, again,
• 41:45
  SPEAKER_02: this is like sort of how the sausage is made behind the scenes kind of look here.
• 41:49
  SPEAKER_02: But, you know,
• 41:51
  SPEAKER_02: as I mentioned during Hiyori's shout out earlier on the episode here,
• 41:54
  SPEAKER_02: scheduling interviews is tough.
• 41:56
  SPEAKER_02: I, for a long time there, I think almost 50 interviews, I had one every single week.
• 42:02
  SPEAKER_02: And I look back and I go, how the heck did I do that?
• 42:05
  SPEAKER_02: I've since switched to a bi-weekly schedule,
• 42:08
  SPEAKER_02: and even then I haven't been able to maintain that due to factors beyond my control.
• 42:12
  SPEAKER_02: I know the interviews are valuable.
• 42:14
  SPEAKER_02: I love them.
• 42:15
  SPEAKER_02: You love them.
• 42:16
  SPEAKER_02: It's just difficult because,
• 42:17
  SPEAKER_02: you know, more often than not, I'm talking to people in different time zones.
• 42:21
  SPEAKER_02: Everyone has chaotic lives.
• 42:22
  SPEAKER_02: You know, some people, they prefer not to be on, you know, like a recording, right?
• 42:27
  SPEAKER_02: So in that case,
• 42:28
  SPEAKER_02: I of course offer and have offered text interviews where I just read the responses.
• 42:33
  SPEAKER_02: And that's something I'll be doing soon as well for my next guest.
• 42:36
  SPEAKER_02: And that's always an option.
• 42:37
  SPEAKER_02: Obviously, I love that.
• 42:39
  SPEAKER_02: The point is to get your story out there and your work out there.
• 42:42
  SPEAKER_02: So however that's comfortable for you works for me.
• 42:45
  SPEAKER_02: But yeah, so I don't even know how long this has been going on for.
• 42:48
  SPEAKER_02: If you're still here, thank you.
• 42:50
  SPEAKER_02: But yeah, so what I would like to do is, you know, we're on episode 85 of the show right now.
• 42:54
  SPEAKER_02: Between now and episode 100 I'm gonna start making some small changes
• 42:59
  SPEAKER_02: a little bit here a little bit there and I would love if you as a listener of
• 43:04
  SPEAKER_02: the show could just you know keep an ear out for it
• 43:06
  SPEAKER_02: and let me know be like hey I like that new thing or Hey, that's not working.
• 43:11
  SPEAKER_02: Maybe you should try this instead.
• 43:12
  SPEAKER_02: I want to know, right?
• 43:13
  SPEAKER_02: Because at the end of the day, this entire production is about all of you.
• 43:17
  SPEAKER_02: It's not about me.
• 43:18
  SPEAKER_02: And even though it makes me super happy that you all say you want to hear about me
• 43:22
  SPEAKER_02: and my work, I want that balance, right?
• 43:25
  SPEAKER_02: I don't want you to listen to an hour of me yapping about my own projects.
• 43:29
  SPEAKER_02: Maybe 10-15 minutes,
• 43:30
  SPEAKER_02: you know,
• 43:31
  SPEAKER_02: like my novel update segment and something else that I could throw in there
• 43:34
  SPEAKER_02: to give you guys, you know, some like behind the scenes looks at everything.
• 43:38
  SPEAKER_02: But I don't want it to be about me.
• 43:39
  SPEAKER_02: And even if you said,
• 43:41
  SPEAKER_02: Bradley,
• 43:41
  SPEAKER_02: the only way you're going to get sponsors and make this show crazy successful is
• 43:45
  SPEAKER_02: if you talk about yourself.
• 43:46
  SPEAKER_02: Then I'm going to say, you know...
• 43:48
  SPEAKER_02: Then I'll settle for half successful.
• 43:50
  SPEAKER_02: Because honestly, at the end of the day, I don't want to talk about myself.
• 43:53
  SPEAKER_02: I want to talk about all you.
• 43:54
  SPEAKER_02: And I do love talking about my work.
• 43:55
  SPEAKER_02: Don't get me wrong.
• 43:56
  SPEAKER_02: But I want that balance.
• 43:57
  SPEAKER_02: Right?
• 43:58
  SPEAKER_02: So anyway, between episode 85 here and 100, I'm going to experiment.
• 44:02
  SPEAKER_02: Try to shake things up a little bit.
• 44:04
  SPEAKER_02: Slowly but surely.
• 44:05
  SPEAKER_02: See what's working.
• 44:06
  SPEAKER_02: And then...
• 44:07
  SPEAKER_02: Episode 100 of the Saved as Draft podcast will be the start
• 44:12
  SPEAKER_02: of what I'm calling Season 2 of the show.
• 44:14
  SPEAKER_02: Right now,
• 44:15
  SPEAKER_02: I have a fun kind of rebrand in mind where the show will be called Saved as Draft,
• 44:21
  SPEAKER_02: the second revision.
• 44:21
  SPEAKER_02: Ha ha ha ha.
• 44:23
  SPEAKER_02: And this will be sort of a relaunch, again,
• 44:27
  SPEAKER_02: a rebrand,
• 44:28
  SPEAKER_02: a way to start the show off on a fresh foot,
• 44:31
  SPEAKER_02: starting with episode 100 and going onward.
• 44:34
  SPEAKER_02: Will that do anything?
• 44:36
  SPEAKER_02: Will anyone care?
• 44:37
  SPEAKER_02: I have no idea.
• 44:38
  SPEAKER_02: I know a few of you will get a laugh out of that, and that's worth it right there.
• 44:42
  SPEAKER_02: In any case, I wanted to just say thank you.
• 44:45
  SPEAKER_02: I got some great feedback from longtime listeners of the show like Wendy Russell,
• 44:49
  SPEAKER_02: Amina Howell, Asteria, J.M.
• 44:53
  SPEAKER_02: Gooding, E.H. Lau, Tamsin G., Jay Allen Winchester.
• 44:58
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, so many fans of the show that have been here supporting it.
• 45:01
  SPEAKER_02: Mary Ellen Brady.
• 45:02
  SPEAKER_02: Gotta shout her out as well.
• 45:04
  SPEAKER_02: And of course, Vernon Butterfly.
• 45:07
  SPEAKER_02: Lots of really, really great feedback from them and others.
• 45:10
  SPEAKER_02: And I really do appreciate it.
• 45:12
  SPEAKER_02: I really, really, really, really do.
• 45:14
  SPEAKER_02: Like I said, I am just insanely grateful to all of you.
• 45:20
  SPEAKER_02: And not even just the people listening to the podcast here.
• 45:23
  SPEAKER_02: Obviously,
• 45:23
  SPEAKER_02: I'm grateful for all of you,
• 45:24
  SPEAKER_02: but there's countless other people,
• 45:26
  SPEAKER_02: if the numbers are to be believed,
• 45:29
  SPEAKER_02: there's countless other people who may not listen to the podcast,
• 45:31
  SPEAKER_02: but they tune in for Dream Drafts or they...
• 45:35
  SPEAKER_02: We'll check out my stuff that I'm doing with Clenchport and that animated series
• 45:38
  SPEAKER_02: that I'm working on.
• 45:40
  SPEAKER_02: Or they will, you know, like and restack and comment on my stories.
• 45:46
  SPEAKER_02: Regardless of how you engage with my stuff,
• 45:48
  SPEAKER_02: I just hope you know how much I appreciate you because I really, really, really do.
• 45:51
  SPEAKER_02: And I hope that this look at the show and where it's at and where it might go in
• 45:56
  SPEAKER_02: the future, I hope it gets you excited because it gets me excited, right?
• 46:00
  SPEAKER_02: Like, I don't like coming on here and talking about downloads and numbers and money
• 46:04
  SPEAKER_02: and all that crap, but...
• 46:06
  SPEAKER_02: That's the world we live in.
• 46:07
  SPEAKER_02: And I think if I can find a way to make this successful without compromising
• 46:14
  SPEAKER_02: the soul of what I'm doing here, then that means that I can do this more.
• 46:20
  SPEAKER_02: I can do it faster.
• 46:21
  SPEAKER_02: I can do it on a bigger budget.
• 46:22
  SPEAKER_02: I can bring you more of what you already love and what I love to do.
• 46:26
  SPEAKER_02: And in my mind, that's a win-win.
• 46:29
  SPEAKER_02: But it's getting there.
• 46:30
  SPEAKER_02: Getting there is the hard part.
• 46:32
  SPEAKER_02: We're going to keep going though.
• 46:33
  SPEAKER_02: And that's the plan.
• 46:34
  SPEAKER_02: So thank you so much for listening.
• 46:36
  SPEAKER_02: Let's get back to the show here.
• 46:39
  SPEAKER_02: And yeah, we'll dive in next to my weekly novel update.
• 47:04
  SPEAKER_02: Alright,
• 47:05
  SPEAKER_02: and for this week's novel update,
• 47:06
  SPEAKER_02: I'd like to share some behind-the-scenes info on how I'm handling the body horror
• 47:11
  SPEAKER_02: in my cosmic horror novel that I'm currently writing.
• 47:13
  SPEAKER_02: Now, I won't say that the book itself is a body horror story on its own,
• 47:18
  SPEAKER_02: but it has those elements spread throughout.
• 47:20
  SPEAKER_02: So, for those unaware,
• 47:22
  SPEAKER_02: there's an alien parasite in the story that has the capacity
• 47:25
  SPEAKER_02: to rapidly rewrite our DNA in real time,
• 47:29
  SPEAKER_02: essentially mutating us and changing our bodies into something that can spread
• 47:33
  SPEAKER_02: the parasite to other hosts more effectively.
• 47:37
  SPEAKER_02: Think of it similar to like John Carpenter's The Thing,
• 47:40
  SPEAKER_02: but instead,
• 47:40
  SPEAKER_02: when you're infected,
• 47:41
  SPEAKER_02: you're on an invisible timer and you don't know when it's going to go off and
• 47:44
  SPEAKER_02: when you're going to turn.
• 47:45
  SPEAKER_02: That's the progression in the story.
• 47:47
  SPEAKER_02: People get infected and they don't know when they will turn.
• 47:50
  SPEAKER_02: When they do,
• 47:51
  SPEAKER_02: each instance of this in the book features a different type of transformation
• 47:55
  SPEAKER_02: to illustrate how this parasite is smart.
• 47:58
  SPEAKER_02: It adapts to the situation that the host is in and the context of the moment.
• 48:03
  SPEAKER_02: So one transformation won't be as effective as another
• 48:05
  SPEAKER_02: and therefore you'll see something different every time.
• 48:07
  SPEAKER_02: It's all about how it can spread most effectively.
• 48:11
  SPEAKER_02: And that's the balance I try to strike in the book.
• 48:14
  SPEAKER_02: How do I create something that's gut-wrenching,
• 48:17
  SPEAKER_02: but also something where it seems like,
• 48:18
  SPEAKER_02: yeah, this thing would be good at spreading a parasite?
• 48:21
  SPEAKER_02: I'll use the example from the latest chapter that I've been writing this week.
• 48:24
  SPEAKER_02: And in this particular scene, several infected people all begin mutating and adamantizing.
• 48:28
  SPEAKER_02: And in this moment we see that the parasite has chosen to combine all of the hosts together.
• 48:43
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it's wild.
• 49:07
  SPEAKER_02: And I apologize if that alone gives you nightmares.
• 49:10
  SPEAKER_02: But yeah, that's the kind of body horror that I'm having show up in my novel from time to time.
• 49:15
  SPEAKER_02: And it's an element, but not the focus.
• 49:17
  SPEAKER_02: I want you to be afraid of when it could show up, so I use it sparingly.
• 49:21
  SPEAKER_02: And also...
• 49:22
  SPEAKER_02: For anyone listening,
• 49:23
  SPEAKER_02: if you're a fan of body horror or you use it in your work,
• 49:26
  SPEAKER_02: I'd love it if you could share some tips or tricks about how you approach it in
• 49:29
  SPEAKER_02: the episode's comments here.
• 49:31
  SPEAKER_02: Because, again,
• 49:32
  SPEAKER_02: this book is still in drafting phase,
• 49:36
  SPEAKER_02: so I would love to have some advice here that I could use
• 49:39
  SPEAKER_02: to get even more terrifying and unique with my creature designs.
• 49:44
  SPEAKER_02: But in any case, that's our update for this week.
• 49:46
  SPEAKER_02: Let's take a look at next week on Substack.
• 49:49
  SPEAKER_02: So next week on Substack, I've got a few things going on.
• 49:51
  SPEAKER_02: For starters,
• 49:52
  SPEAKER_02: I'll be announcing the winners of the Smogus Story Hoard Challenge sometime
• 49:56
  SPEAKER_02: on September 8th is what I'm thinking.
• 49:58
  SPEAKER_02: I'll be back to work that day after the holiday weekend here in the US,
• 50:03
  SPEAKER_02: so I know it's going to be a chaos.
• 50:04
  SPEAKER_02: And remember,
• 50:04
  SPEAKER_02: any likes,
• 50:05
  SPEAKER_02: comments, or restacks that you give those posts will boost that author's score.
• 50:08
  SPEAKER_02: So don't forget to promote your own work as well if you participated.
• 50:27
  SPEAKER_02: And speaking of Devine...
• 50:41
  SPEAKER_02: There's the Order of the Pawn series of mine here on Substack to think about.
• 50:44
  SPEAKER_02: I really want to get that back on a consistent schedule, but the issue, as always, is time.
• 50:49
  SPEAKER_02: And I don't want to rush that one because it's just as important to me
• 50:52
  SPEAKER_02: as this novel I'm working on,
• 50:53
  SPEAKER_02: if not more so, and it'll be a similar length by the time it's done.
• 50:57
  SPEAKER_02: But yeah,
• 50:59
  SPEAKER_02: I'm also setting up a special written interview soon with my friend Gary L.
• 51:03
  SPEAKER_02: Taylor for the podcast here.
• 51:05
  SPEAKER_02: So keep an eye out for a thread this coming week in my subscriber chat
• 51:08
  SPEAKER_02: where you can submit your questions for him to answer.
• 51:10
  SPEAKER_02: Because Gary was, of course, the heavyweight winner of the Halls of Pandemonium Challenge.
• 51:14
  SPEAKER_02: So I will be passing along your questions to him so you can provide written answers
• 51:17
  SPEAKER_02: about him and his work.
• 51:20
  SPEAKER_02: And I will, of course, read his responses here on the show when the time is right.
• 51:23
  SPEAKER_02: And if you're a fan of the podcast, you won't miss out.
• 51:25
  SPEAKER_02: So just stay tuned right here for updates.
• 51:28
  SPEAKER_02: But that's all I've got for you this week.
• 51:29
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you, as always, for being here, my friends.
• 51:33
  SPEAKER_02: And shout out to everyone who shared ideas and feedback this week for me.
• 51:36
  SPEAKER_02: And of course, the birthday messages, too.
• 51:38
  SPEAKER_02: I really appreciate all of it.
• 51:40
  SPEAKER_02: I'm going to take all of your thoughts about the podcast here to heart,
• 51:43
  SPEAKER_02: and I'm going to really try to improve the show here, leading up to episode 100.
• 51:47
  SPEAKER_02: Like I said,
• 51:47
  SPEAKER_02: I think that's when I plan to do the relaunch,
• 51:49
  SPEAKER_02: or season 2, of the podcast, if you will.
• 51:53
  SPEAKER_02: And like I said,
• 51:53
  SPEAKER_02: we'll try a few things between now and then, so stay tuned, let's see what happens.
• 51:57
  SPEAKER_02: I think it's important for creators of all kinds to constantly evolve and grow,
• 52:01
  SPEAKER_02: and I want this podcast to reflect that too.
• 52:04
  SPEAKER_02: In the meantime, I'm wishing you all a safe and productive week of writing, my friends.
• 52:09
  SPEAKER_02: This is Bradley Ramsey, signing off.
• 52:29
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, Bradley, there you are.
• 52:31
  SPEAKER_02: How was your birthday?
• 52:32
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, hey, Fenton.
• 52:34
  SPEAKER_02: It was good, it was good.
• 52:34
  SPEAKER_02: I got more birthday toasts and messages than I've ever gotten in my entire life.
• 52:38
  SPEAKER_02: It was kind of crazy.
• 52:40
  SPEAKER_02: Ah, that's wonderful.
• 52:41
  SPEAKER_02: Well, I wanted to take a moment and give you this as well.
• 52:46
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, what?
• 52:47
  SPEAKER_02: You guys made me a card?
• 52:49
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, we did.
• 52:50
  SPEAKER_02: And everyone signed it.
• 52:51
  SPEAKER_02: No AI involved, of course.
• 52:53
  SPEAKER_02: Well, Arnold drew a chopper, but he did that himself too.
• 52:57
  SPEAKER_02: You get the idea.
• 52:58
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, I do.
• 52:59
  SPEAKER_02: I love it.
• 53:01
  SPEAKER_02: Listen, Bradley,
• 53:02
  SPEAKER_02: I know that I give you a lot of grief about
• 53:05
  SPEAKER_03: Devine and how long it takes
• 53:06
  SPEAKER_03: to write new chapters,
• 53:08
  SPEAKER_03: but I also know that you work very hard, so I just wanted to say
• 53:12
  SPEAKER_02: thank you.
• 53:13
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, Fintan, I don't know what to say.
• 53:17
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you.
• 53:19
  SPEAKER_02: I really appreciate it.
• 53:21
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, well, don't get used to it.
• 53:23
  SPEAKER_02: Mina Howell said she wants me on the podcast more,
• 53:26
  SPEAKER_02: so be sure to tie that into your big plans, Mr.
• 53:29
  SPEAKER_02: Writer.
• 53:31
  SPEAKER_02: Don't worry, my friend, I'll make sure you get a spot on the next season of the show.
• 53:35
  SPEAKER_02: I can promise you that.
• 53:37
  SPEAKER_02: Very good, then.
• 53:37
  SPEAKER_02: Well, I'll be off.
• 53:39
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, and Bradley, do try to get some rest this weekend, will you?
• 53:43
  SPEAKER_02: I would be more than a little sad if we lost you to that corporate rat race.
• 53:49
  SPEAKER_02: I hear that.
• 53:50
  SPEAKER_02: And don't worry.
• 53:51
  SPEAKER_02: That's the plan.