Life never sits still for me. There are always new challenges and new troubles. This is nothing profound. I am sure most people can say the same. In my case, it is high time to start a new business so that I can start to earn while working around my health limitations.
I have decided to start using the audio production skills that I learned recording audiobooks for Audible, coaching, writing, and as a UXD to offer my services as a producer, editor, and developer for podcasts.
- I have no worries about the technical process; I know my way around Audacity, Wordpress, BluBrry, and dHTML.
- Nor do I have much difficulty in developing content ideas, coming up with good descriptions and SEO.
- For the podcasts I hope to produce I can write and I can act. I have spent many years getting certifications from Toastmasters, I've hosted a television program before.
Where I am weak these days is understanding how to best devellop and optimize RSS feeds, on marketing podcasts, and the various options that Podcast 2.0 has to offer for monetization and publicity, etc. And so I have been diving deep into material like the Audacity to Pocast and every relevant book I could find in my public library.
And few things make me happer. There is something about ploughing headlong intto new ideas and skills that wakes me up and makes me come alive.
As I was contemplating what to do about my poor neglected blog this morning, I realized that the same reason I have been letting it slide for the past week is the same reason I have loved writing for you all over the last few years. I love sinking my teeth into a new system, a new setting, or a new world. I like learning how to build fun new experiences using the tools of TTRPGs.
And as I have had the opportunity over the last few years to play with a lot of people, especially the OSR crowd, I have come to realize that it is also what I love in a fellow player and in a GM:
If you like the challenge of digging into something new and complex, whether it is a creative obstacle in the dungeon, the next move in a sophisticated and sprawling campaign, or whether it is a new game entirely, you're the person I want to play with. Someone who enjoys learning and throwing themselves at it can be trusted to keep inventing new ways to keep the game and the hobby fresh.
I suspect that is one of the reason so many OSR gamers like hacking rules and collecting games even when they only have a few variations from the ones we already know. There is always at least a few exciting new things in every book.
It is why, although my life is very stormy at the moment, I have no intention of stopping. There is too much left to learn about my hobby, even if for now, my time is being consued by XML and RSS tools.
(and Palworld, if I'm perfelctly honest.)
And I suspect it is why many of you enjoy coming back here to. I thank you for it.
Right now I am looking for suggestions on new games to explore. I welcome suggestions!
You learn something new every day. Or you slowly die inside.
ReplyDeleteAgreed!
DeleteThe random level advancement of Shadowdark is interesting. It makes every character different, even though it only has the four base classes.
ReplyDeleteI still only have an old beta document from a couple of years ago; I really need to see the final creation.
DeleteI've been wanting to get into podcasting too, but it's daunting - both the amount of time required to record, edit and publish, and also the sheer number of podcasts that already exist on any given topic. But I'm curious to see what you produce!
ReplyDeleteUntil a couple of years ago, I did voice over acting and produced audiobooks on Audible. The level of editing and filtering required was pretty insane. Most books take me around 6 minutes per full page of text. Podcasts seem lightweight by comparison. It definitely puts a very steep learning curve right up front, though.
DeleteOne thing I have learned is that the audience is so choosy about who they listen to that there is no such thing as a saturated market. There is always a demand for new, different voices talking about the same thing from a different perspective. You might be surprised how many people want YOUR voice because it is different from everyone else's.
Mostly, I am hoping that once I have some good-sounding work with great content to show as a portfolio, I can turn this into a solid production business. In the meantime, I have some friends with great ideas I will be helping to share them clearly. And I want to create a podcast on taking care of your own mental health for men as a sort of reincarnation of my men's health blog from 2009-2017.
The temptation to do something D&D related, like a different, gonzo take on the Take of the Manticore style podcast is very, very high.