Thursday, 3 September 2015

Podcast Love - Untitled Patrick Rothfuss

I'm a huge fan of Patrick Rothfuss' Kingkiller Chronicle books, so I was excited to find out that he'd been working on a podcast. The episodes of 'Untitled' are basically weekly chats between author Patrick Rothfuss and his friend Max Temkin, creator of the awesome (but NSFW!) Cards Against Humanity game. I think the idea was for the audience to suggest names to replace 'Untitled', but at time of writing I've listened all the way up to the seventh (latest) episode and they still haven't picked anything!

Taking place over the ten weeks leading up to this year's Pax convention, the podcast episodes cover everything from discussion of the creative process to the merits of bacon. This sounds a bit random, but Rothfuss and Temkin are both such clever, imaginative and funny people that it makes a really interesting podcast and gives you a great insight into their respective industries. You also get a deeper understanding of their characters as both parties are really open and sometimes painfully honest.

I had always thought that being an author would be such an amazing job (if I had the imagination to think of something to write about), but this 'peek behind the curtain' has shown me a new perspective. It's often easy to forget, when you're complaining that the latest book in your favourite series isn't finished, that behind the story is a real person with a family and feelings trying hard to hold things together. At times while listening I found myself feeling unexpectedly sorry for these super-successful people. It seems so unfair that you can work so hard to get everything you want and yet still struggle to be happy.

I'm making the podcast sound gloomy here, I realise, but it's really not! It can be very funny, and there's a positive, productive feel to every episode. Each week the pair set a challenge for themselves with the aim of making their lives a little bit happier and more fulfilled, from delegation of work to making more family time.

There's also talk of how Rothfuss is handling the film and television rights for his books. His opinions on the money and creative process involved are really interesting, and the prospect of filming the story hadn't really crossed my mind until that point, so now I'm really excited!

Check out the podcast at www.untitledrothfuss.com and let me know what you think.

Untitled Patrick Rothfuss podcast