#underwhelming honesty

[rqbossman]

Out-of-pocket crossover

I'm just going to kick the hornets nest and say it: A Grace, Rocky, Jon, Martin road trip would eat with no crumbs.

[rqbossman]

What makes a story a story?

I have been mulling something over for a while and have decided to share. As part of my job, I read a lot of fiction that's still in development. After a while, you start to see the same errors, misunderstandings and shortcuts crop up repeatedly with different creators and it gets me thinking what is the most elegant way possible I could explain the issues to someone wanting to improve? The one that comes up the most often and is the hardest to explain is: "Why don't people care about my characters and/or story". It's always a thorny problem and I think I have a workable answer that applies in most cases: A story is a series of revelations regarding compounding, unintentional consequences to character decisions. The further you stray from this, the less people care. It translates to: 1) characters have to make decisions otherwise there is no drama 2) Those decisions have to matter otherwise there are no stakes 2) The consequences have to interact with one another. A affects or causes B affects or causes C etc. otherwise there is no progression 3) There must be some unintended consequences otherwise there is no conflict 4) The consequences have to be revealed (even at least implied) otherwise there is no conclusion This works at the micro scale in terms of dialogue: The specific word/tone/movement a character uses affects how another character reacts in an unexpected or interesting way which in turn causes another reaction and these layer onto one another until a decision is reached and a consequence implied thereby completing the scene. It also works at the macro scale in terms of plot: The decisions characters made in a scene prompts/affects the characters and context of the scene that follows (even if we don't know it at first) and by the end those layered interactions have been revealed to us and we see the unexpected or interesting result.

In my anecdotal experience, most times people don't care about a work of fiction is not because of a technical issue with the execution but because the writer has subtly misunderstood what makes a story a story. Their main character doesn't make any decisions, the decisions don't seem to matter, it feels disjointed because consequences aren't layering, there's no conflict because there are no misunderstandings etc. There countless technical aspects which affect the quality of a piece of fiction but most times when someone asks me to help them make people care about their story they first need to realise they have misunderstood what actually makes a story at a fundamental level and they need to recognise that before things can improve. I dunno if this helps anyone. I hope it does. Sorry if it doesn't. If anyone wants to use this to assess their own work let me know what you discover, I'm genuinely curious.

[rqbossman]

I have an itch to relistening TMA in its entirety, and I wonder what platform I should go to to make it the most profitable for you guys? I'm using Spotify now, but I've heard they are pretty bad about paying the creators.

Hey this is a kind question but strap in, the answer is more complicated than you might think. So in terms of where to listen, as always first port of call is our membership platforms like Patreon etc. you get all the episodes ad-free and a bunch of bonus content and in exchange we get more reliable income that lets us plan better etc. We try to keep our prices lower than average but I totally get that some people can't afford stuff right now so then the next best port of call is a dedicated podcatcher app. There's not much difference between them: Pocket Casts , Podcast Addict etc. all work the same way so ads served will work as normal and we still get a kickback that pays for production. I will exclude AI driven tools that do things like clone episodes, summarise them into soundbites or strip ads entirely. Those are actively harmful to us and are often acting illegally. After that things get a bit more confusing. Spotify is... an odd platform for Podcasts. To massively oversimplify: Podcasts do not get a per-play payment like music tracks do on the platform unless they are hosted by Spotify directly. Instead we have to provide the podcast with ads attached. They then take that copy and add their own ads on top of the existing ads. We keep our money from the ads we attached originally and they keep the money from those extra ads. That means we don't have a say in how many extra ads there are or what they are advertising and we don't get any extra money even if they attach loads of extra ads. We do however, indirectly benefit from being seen as popular on an app with such a large market share (because that lets us convince people to spend more advertising with us directly) so it's a bit of a mixed bag at the moment. It's a better system than it used to be but there are multiple reasons that historically we have chosen not to be hosted by Spotfy and I won't get into that here. (not throwing shade, just businesses doing business things) Another confusing one is Youtube. On the one hand, listening via Youtube is good for us as it boosts our visibility on the platform meaning the algorithm is more likely to encourage people to listen. On the flip side though the monetary value on ads is far, far lower than for the other podcast platforms etc. so again it's a mixed bag. And all of that is before factoring in a push for Video-first driven by major corporate entities which messes with that balance. This is actually a huge topic with tons of nuance and ongoing changes. Our marketing lead Callum gives presentations to major players in the space on just this question, explaining how it all works and interrelates etc. ( I am NOT the expert in that regard so I could be mistaken on some points without realising.) If I had to summarise it all into something simple though: The most profitable way to listen is on our membership platforms. If you cant do that then dedicated podcast apps that serve ads are a good choice. That said, by far the most helpful way to listen is with as many of your uninitiated friends as possible so that you can pollute their minds with our horrific nonsense and turn them into fans.

Sorry to give a complex answer to a simple answer but... well... that's life I suppose.

[rqbossman]

have you ever had someone recognize you by voice and not face?

People almost never recognise my face and only sometimes clock my voice meaning I have been around so many fans wearing RQ merch who never even realised it was me because I didn't speak. I once even crashed a cosplay meetup and not only did no-one notice, when I spoke to them, one person said my Martin impression was "pretty good." I have observed that fans of Martin Blackwood tend to say I am smaller than they thought whereas fans of my other work say I am taller than they thought. Other than that mostly everyone agrees I am just more generic looking than they expected. :) I often toyed with going around in costume then revealing myself but I couldn't face unmasking myself and going "look its me!" only to have everyone look at me blank and say "who?"

[rqbossman]

How do you cope with the fact that theres so many films to see books to read music to listen people to befriend and things to see and do and only so much time man I need time to go on pause for a bit

I don't. No seriously, this has previously been a huge ongoing issue for me. My advice? Give up. I don't mean this in a harsh way, I just mean that its literally impossible in the current attention economy. The broadening of mainstream Media beyond the limitations of 20th Century forms (novels, newspapers, cinemas, Broadcast TV etc.) means there is too much for you to meaningfully consume, especially when you are being manipulated into believing every new release is "must watch" and the internet means you are hugely overexposed to people, places, things and activities that demand your attention. Try flipping the script. Instead of saying "I'll read 20 books this year" or "I'll paint 50 mini figs this month" or whatever, aim to give up on as many things as possible. Ignore what you "should" be doing with your free time (excluding important stuff like work, paying bills, exercising, looking after family etc.) and instead try each thing for 20 minutes and it hasn't actively hooked you then just ditch it and move on and if you can't do the thing without spending more money, bounce it to the bottom of the list. Pretty soon you'll have a roster of things that interest you without costing you and the rate you quit stuff will slow. Sustain this for a year or so and you will have culled your "should" list massively, spent less money, accrued less crappy possessions and re-trained yourself to treat all this stuff as needing to earn your attention rather than an obligation to be met. Don't get me wrong, there are many things that we should try that are not pleasant but if something you skipped really is a "must do" that is going to improve your life, it will still be around at the end of this period for you to return to. There's nothing wrong with prioritising your own enjoyment now and then if you are on top of the essential stuff. TLDR: Cut yourself some slack, stop trying to "keep up" and instead make your attention something to be earned. (Disclaimer: I AM NOT A QUALIFIED THERAPIST, PROFFESIONAL LIFE COACH OR FUNCTIONAL HUMAN BEING. I am a slightly odd stranger on the internet so make sure you treat this advice as accordingly disposable. Or don't. You decide, that's the point!)

[rqbossman]

Did you ever catalog the statements? To keep track of which fears belonged to which episodes?

Yes. Jonny did not enjoy his quarterly fear audits.

[rqbossman]

are you aware of the rather large roleplay community TMA has on tumblr? if so, do you interact with it at all/look at people's TMA OCs?

I am aware of the roleplay community but I have never interacted with it in any way including OCs. It's a totally valid form of self expression and I compulsively daydream and insert OCs into IPs I like, but I do so in the privacy of my own head and never with an IP I have developed myself. Being honest I think its due to internalised ableism from my youth where engaging in such activities was seen very much as cringe or shameful by the people I was around and would get you bullied relentlessly so I supressed the impulse. So, as I often say these days, more power to y'all as long as you are being nice to one another but I think the ship sailed for me on that one.

[rqbossman]

Hi, firstly thank you for all the Rusty Quill things, and for making diversity and inclusivity normal in media. I am a voice coach, teaching ages 8-18, and have entirely accidentally fallen into the role of being the go to teacher in my area for pupils with various neurodivergences, which I love but also frequently have huge imposter syndrome about. Many of my pupils want to go into performing arts in the future, so my question (if it is not too personal) is what do you wish the relevant adults in your life had said or done at that age, or what did they do, to make things easier for you when you were starting out? What do you wish you had known? What would you say to your younger self?

Firstly good on you for being an educator and you should be proud of being a "go to" teacher that speaks to the quality of your character.

I will answer your question honestly. That means it probably won't be inspirational. I would advise sanitising my response for younger ears:

What help did adults give me: 1) I got help with the mechanics of setting up and maintaining a business and my finances. It's arcane, obtuse and unfair. EVERYONE needs this help. 2) I was encouraged not to overspecialise too early. I wanted to go into acting and was pressured not to. At the time it felt like a lack of faith in me but In retrospect it was the right decision and I now have a very broad academic foundation I can build from that has served me well. 3) I was afforded opportunities disproportionate to my age which granted me a big leg up. I got to direct shows very young, I got to lead international expeditions etc. That stuff forges you. 4) I was required to undergo neurodivergence screening at my Masters as standard procedure. It revealed I had stuff going on which explained all my difficulties and instantly transformed my career for the better. Every institution should do this. 5) I had some "go to" teachers who supported me and actually gave a shit about what I had to say. That kept me going more than they will ever know. 6) I got to act as a PA to highly competent female tech CEO. She turned down a major opportunity after she saw decision makers mistreat me. I learnt a HUGE amount from that woman and I will always be grateful to her. There is room for ethics in business. 7) When young I was forced to read. Learning to read was awful. Being able to read was transcendent. 8) I had access to libraries and and was allowed to study as much as I wanted on any topic I wanted in my own time. There was always a new book waiting for me at home. 9) I was educated on my privileges at a young age. 10) My education was treated as a priority.

What help did I wish I had got: 1) I wish my neurodivergence had been recognised and assisted properly earlier. I suffered unnecessarily and learned a lot of bad coping strategies that plague me to this day. 2) I graduated from school into what was then the worst job market in modern times. Most older adults didn't recognise this and were still telling everyone it was a skill issue. I needed those who knew better to speak up against that toxic narrative more. 3) I needed support once I left education. It felt like being forced to walk off a cliff and then everyone saying "Why aren't you flying? Don't be lazy or you'll hit the ground and die." You'd ask for help and there was nothing, or worse, people would gloat: "not so easy in the real world is it kiddo?" If you see someone pulling that shit on a child, call them up on it. 4) I wish someone had spent some time formally teaching me how to deal with hostile/selfish people. As a kid, I honestly thought the quality of one's life is primarily determined by how hard you work and that is just not true. Lazy, stupid and horrible people prosper all the time. I was very naïve and I suffered a lot because of it. 5) Similarly, I wish I'd had formal help networking. Even now I find it incredibly difficult. Someone needed to sit me down and say "No-one actually cares about you. The goal is to make as many people who are more successful than you like you and believe they can profit from you as possible without overcommitting or being disingenuous." 6) I needed someone to sit me down and explain that I don't have to sprint every second of every day for fear of "falling behind". I never learned how to maintain proper boundaries and I was so desperate to be understood that I let people take advantage of me and wasted a lot of time and effort on underserving people/projects.

What do you wish you had known? 1) Media attracts specific toxic personality types more than other industries. You need to learn to recognise it and how to deal with it. 2) People say "its not what you know, its who you know" but its more than that. The system is actively built to keep you out. Talent and hard work don't hurt but really? You will only get opportunities if someone thinks they can profit from you. Make yourself profitable to them whilst ensuring you get something from it too. 3) Hard skills are still perceived as more valuable than soft skills, especially when starting out. Learn EVERYTHING technical, that way you can always justify your presence on set. 4) Opportunity cost is an essential concept you have to understand and recognise. You suffer more from things you are overcommitted to than things you chose not to do. 5) People mostly (myself included) make decisions irrationally and based on a biased emotions and it doesn't matter how right you are, how reasonable or eloquently you explain yourself, how much evidence you present or how benevolently you act, they are going to keep doing that. 6) Everyone (even me) has half-baked opinions without realising it and most people giving you advice either don't know what they are talking about or want something from you. If you find someone who has an educated opinion and is offering good advice that is actually helping then listen, keep them in your life and reward their effort because they are RARE.

What would you say to your younger self? 1) What you want will come at a far higher cost than you can imagine. 2) You have so much more time than you think. 3) Working harder solves urgent problems but not important problems. 4) The quality of the people you surround yourself with determines the quality of your life. 5) You are different. That's not good or bad. It just is. 6) Some people will resent you. Make sure they are wrong without expecting them to recognise it. 7) NOONE HAS THEIR SHIT TOGETHER. EVER. Some people just present better.

Reading all this back it seems like a MASSIVE DOWNER so I'm sorry about that. I just remember being told a lot of "work hard and chase your dreams!" when what I needed to hear was "mass media is, in part, a patriarchal driven, semi-nationalist, capitalist, distributed propaganda engine and if you want to engage in it in a creative capacity without sacrificing your ethics you need to learn to subvert or circumnavigate that status quo without being ostracised or consumed by it."

You may want to soften that message for the 8 year olds. I dunno, your call.