Not About Lumberjacks

Christopher Gronlund
Not About Lumberjacks

A monthly fiction podcast by Christopher Gronlund, a writer whose stories contain truths, but are mostly made up. Sometimes the stories are funny -- other times they're serious. Occasionally, the stories are odd. But you have Christopher's word about one thing: he will never -- EVER -- share a story about lumberjacks.

  1. 9 FEB

    Not About Lumberjacks Q&A 2

    Four years ago, I did a Q&A for the Behind the Cut episode for “Geocached.” No idea why I’ve not done another, but with this being the long time between episodes (after back-to-back stories last November and December), it seemed like a good time to do another. I asked members of the Not About Lumberjacks Patreon for questions — as well as some questions from social media. These were the results: * Are there any limitations that frustrate you about stories you would like to tell? Whether it’s your technical skills or the medium itself (obviously it’s audio, so you can’t use visual effects etc that sort of thing where you find yourself thinking “if only I could ___, I would be able to tell this story the way I want to”). * Are there styles or types of stories you wish you were able to write? * At what point did you realize you had found your voice/style, and how much of it stays solidly “you” as you go from serious to goofy stories. * What’s the longest you sat on a story for Not About Lumberjacks? * Any stories you refuse to abandon because there’s got to be some kind of conclusion to it somewhere, and the plot is too cool to walk away? * Might be a bit personal, but is Not About Lumberjacks breaking even? Losing money, Because I never did a podcast, I don’t know the finances of having one. * Did you know Dave Pettitt before reaching out to him about narrating? Did he know (or know of) you and Not About Lumberjacks? * What is the favorite thing you’ve written that is the least liked by other people and why do you think that disconnect happened? * Which story surprised you the most that became a fan favorite – why do you think it was so popular with your listeners? * Between seminars, writing courses, writing groups, etc., what do you think has helped you improve the most as a writer? * How do ideas for stories come to you? Do you randomly say something like, “I want to write about this kind of guy who lives in this kind of setting and has this unusual thing about him,” and then fill in? Or does some small thought catch you and you turn it into a story? Or what other ways? Links to people and things mentioned in the Q&A: * Dave Pettitt * William J. Meyer * Rick Coste * Clarke Jaxton Motorbike * The Sula Society * The Not About Lumberjacks Patreon

    35 min
  2. 08/12/2024

    Christmas Miscellany 8

    Ho Ho Ho! It’s that time once again…time for the annual Not About Lumberjacks Christmas episode. If you’re new, here, eight years ago I gathered up all my shorter short stories (like stocking stuffers) and released them for the holidays. Since then, the effort has grown, but no matter how random the tales are, the last one is always a Christmas story of some sort. This year’s stories: * “Crispas Echo” – We travel back to 1985 for a tale of summer school friendship and…Taco Bell! * “A Very Strange Day (On Our Neighboring Red Planet)” – The first human mission to Mars runs into a very surprising discovery… * “Dick is Dead” – Two accountants end up unlucky and are forced to attend the funeral of a weird coworker on behalf of their department. * “Christmas Spirits” – Three famous Christmas ghosts have had enough, and set a pharmaceutical CEO straight. Disclaimer About “Christmas Spirits”: This story was written well before this week’s murder of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO. I am in no way capitalizing on timely news. Unfortunately, when one writes enough, they are bound to run into releasing a story that carries more weight because of a real-life event. (Example: When Stranger Things released an episode showing murdered children the week of [yet another] U.S. school shooting and began with a disclaimer.) Spoiler Alert: The CEO in this story lives. But…the last story of this year’s Christmas episode is bound to still evoke emotions in some, so I wanted to mention all this up front. And now, the usual content advisory… Content Advisory: Spread throughout the four stories making up this year’s Christmas episode are teen drug use, violence (humorous in places, but a couple rough moments in “Christmas Spirits”), teasing, a funeral, corporate greed, and–of course–swearing! No matter what you celebrate this season (or not), I wish you and yours all the best as we face down the end of another year. * * * Credits: Music: Theme – Ergo Phizmiz. Story – Various, all licensed through Epidemic Sound. Stories and Narration: Christopher Gronlund. Episode Transcript >> (Coming Soon)

    54 min

About

A monthly fiction podcast by Christopher Gronlund, a writer whose stories contain truths, but are mostly made up. Sometimes the stories are funny -- other times they're serious. Occasionally, the stories are odd. But you have Christopher's word about one thing: he will never -- EVER -- share a story about lumberjacks.

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