Update on THE BOTTOMLESS PIT

Okay…by now, those of you who were gracious enough to listen to the first three episodes of THE BOTTOMLESS PIT have noticed a couple things. And you have questions: one, where the hell is Episode 4?!? And two, why the hell isn’t Bill talking about what the hell is happening with THE BOTTOMLESS PIT?!?

So here’s the skinny.

When I set out to do TBP, my goal was to learn about podcasting (as opposed to creating a “hit” podcast that everyone would listen to). As an experiment, it was wildly successful. I learned a TON about podcasting. Mostly, I learned how difficult and time consuming it is, especially when you’re doing it all yourself.

Another thing I learned… TBP felt like a good story to start with because I felt like I already had months and months of episodes already prepped and ready to go because I had already written over a 120 pages of the original novel. I knew, of course, there were some problems with the story’s unfolding (remember this point), but how much work could it be to fix that as I go? Also, I’d let the story hibernate for so many years, I thought I wouldn’t feel quite so…invested in it. I could let it be what it would be and be okay with that. So I also learned that a novel isn’t a podcast, and adapting it into script form wasn’t the slam dunk I assumed it was. And I further learned that I still freaking loved this story. In fact, I found new love and excitement for it. I realized I wanted to fix it…to address the story problems that had plagued it from the get-go. And to get it right. And that would take time.

I also learned I didn’t want to quit making the TBP podcast.

At the same time, I had one of the busiest, most exhausting (all good, but still exhausting) summers of my adult life. And I quickly realized that I needed to step away from the podcast for a bit, get all my ducks in a row, and then keep going. I also needed to learn a little more about voice recording and editing because I have, so far, been less-than-thrilled about the production quality for the first three episodes. And though I really kinda loved the content of episode 3 (which was 80% new content), I was disappointed with how it all came out in the end. It sounded rushed at the very least.

The final thing I learned is that I don’t want to do this if I’m not committed to doing it right. To making it sound as good as possible and not planning and writing each new episode on-the-fly and in the cracks of the rest of my life.

So…I took time. I didn’t exactly know what to say about it, so I said nothing. I felt a little bad about that, except (per above) my crazy summer.

All that said, here is my plan from here. Episode 4 of THE BOTTOMLESS PIT will drop on Sunday, September 30. I’ve mapped out the remainder of season one, which I believe will consist of eight total episodes. Episodes 5 and 6 will drop at the end of October and November, respectively. I am gonna take December off, so 7 and 8 will drop at the end of January and February.

Season one will NOT be the end of the story. On the contrary, it will represent the point where the story REALLY gets started. I plan on keeping it up through subsequent seasons, and I think you’ll like where the story goes.

I haven’t worked out all the production stuff yet, so #4 will still sound a little rough. But I am trying to get some assistance/make an investment to improve production quality ongoing.

So that’s it. The plan. Wanted to let you all know. I am grateful for all the positive feedback I’ve received so far, and I am excited to share more. Bear with me. There’s more excitement coming from…THE BOTTOMLESS PIT!