With all these podcasts coming through this feed (and yes, welcome to the Dog Days of Podcasting, ya’ll!), would you believe we lost track of when we needed to post a Shared Desk?

My bad.

With inspiration from Germany, Tee and Pip are talking about writing in the zone, those wonderful times when the ideas and words show no signs of stopping. How do you manage — you know — the outside world? Well, here are  a few tips for you to consider.

00:00 —  Introduction

• Mmmmm…Blue Apron.
• How about those drop-in’s from The Defenders?
• Kreg Steppe, this is all your fault!
  • Closing in on the end of Dog Days of Podcasting…
  • Pip liked Tee’s theme so much, she stole it for her Patreon podcast!
  • Shout out to Corbin J Drake, the four-legged addition to Piper J and Matthew J Drake, for being the face of Tee’s DDOP 2017.
  • Tee got so into this that he lost track of The Shared Desk posting’s schedule.
  • What a ride this challenge has been!
• Tucking in with Operation: Endgame…finally.
• Pip’s been having a long week along with Jessica Jones.
  • Also working on Operation: Endgame…
  • Also working on Immortal Sisters…
  • AND ALSO…working on a BRAND NEW novel!

05:45 —  Episode #79: Writing in the Zone

• Got a note from a friend and fellow Guardian from Germany asking a question that inspired this show topic.
• What happens when writers find themselves in “The Zone” and Real Life is still happening?
• A quick look at The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers
• Pip feels less impulsive, more disciplined into her writing,
• Multitasking happens with adulting, apparently.
• When it comes to non-fiction, Tee does need to take a break. Fiction? Tee can still lose himself.
• “The Smoky Effect”
• It sucks when Habitica reminds Tee and Pip of what needs to be done.
• A truly Kiwi Approach to Writing
• It’s tough to stop when you get on a roll, but there’s an advantage to leaving words in the tank.
• Quick shout-out’s to…
  • Jirani Coffeehouse, here in Manassas.
  • Headshots, here on teh Interwebz
• Tee’s a little obsessive about having a clean kitchen.
• What about the opposite of the Zone — what happens when the desire is there but the focus and the energy is not.
• Good times in Mechanicsburg, PA and the Mystery As You Like It Conference!
• A tease of what our next episode may be…
• Pip calls it meditation. Tee calls it a nap.
• The pros and cons of slipping deep into “The Smoky Effect” in the real world.
• Cats are great listeners, but lousy conversationalists. This is why it can be tough for Tee when he gets home.

23:47 —  Writers Off the Clock

• Pip had to get in the last word.
• Taking the scenic route home from Mechanicsburg, PA…
• The other world along Blue Ridge Mountain Drive
• So, Pip wanted to watch the highway fight scene from Episode 3 of The Defenders on the flat screen…
  • Five episodes later, we were done.
  • We’re big enough to go back to Marvel’s Iron Fist and say, after our original review, “Well done, Finn Jones.”
• Luke Cage said everything we wanted to say to Danny Rand,
• Iron Fist needed more crossovers with the headliners the way Jessica Jones and Luke Cage did.
• In light of Jones’ ill-chosen words, he makes up for with this performance.
• Evil Sigourney Weaver.
  • Awesome.
  • You had me at Sigourney Weaver.
• Marvel Studios, rocking diversity
• Again, The Defenders shows how rushed Iron Fist was.
• Final thoughts.
• Props to Mike Coulter and Finn Jones for creating some serious chemistry.

41:27 — The Wrap-Up

• How are we ending of the summer?
  • Tee’s challenge of The Dog Days of Podcasting is still happening. AND WE’RE ALMOST DONE! 
  • 1-4 September, Escape Velocity in Washington, D.C.
  • October, The Maryland Renaissance Festival’s “Day of Wrong” is coming. Stay tuned for details.
  • 28 October, Tee will be alongside Chuck Tomasi, hosting the P.I.Y. Workshop, a launch event for Podcasting for Dummies, 3rd Edition
  • If you have an event and want The Shared Desk to appear there, here’s where to find us…
    • 703.791.1701
    • [email protected]
    • [email protected]
    • …and social media, of course.
• And did you know that Pip has a Patreon? SHE DOES, YOU KNOW!!!
• It would be great if Pip knew where our newsletter is. It’s here, by the way, and you get a free book when you sign up!
• Announcements coming up concerning Operation: Endgame

Find us on Twitter at either Tee’s or Pip’s account,
leave us a voicemail or questions for the show at 703.791.1701,
or leave us a comment here at the blog.
We’ll talk about it!
And remember, you can find the show on iTunes or Stitcher!
Subscribe, listen, and review.

Enjoy the ride
and we’ll catch you later.