Last Things First...

Lenora and I went to see The Dark Knight last night. It was a GREAT movie. Easily as good as Iron Man, and better than Batman Begins. That's my idea of a good time.

What's better? There's a Coldstone Creamery on the south side of Tucson! A five minute trip (well, ten), and I'll have great ice cream. It doesn't get much better than that.

Well, that's not true. It does. The getting better just takes more time, is all. Tomorrow I have a phone meeting with an editor about the stories I've been pitching him. Doesn't that sound misleading? Like he wants to buy one? Nah, nothing that great. He's just trying to get me to pitch him stories that are more in line with his place in the sandbox. I'm very excited about that, to tell the truth. I have a lot more stories to pitch, and if they're more in line with what he's looking for, then I have a better shot of getting a story picked up.

What else? You want more? Sheesh. Demanding.

Okay. I've been in touch with Hannibal Tabu of the 104. He said that it was too early to begin looking for more apprentices, but he'd treat this like a sports recruitment, and gave me some marching orders. He also gave me a deadline to get him some writing I've done. September 8. Gives me time to do some writing and refining.

Hmm. I don't seem to be as garrolous today. Wonder what that's all about.

Anything else, working backwards? I don't think so. So, forward again.

I'm on vacation. Have been for a while. It's my first real vacation in years, to tell the truth. Actually, come to think of it, it's my first real vacation ever. Sure, I've taken vacations before, but I always considered them to be working vacations. When I was in Virginia Beach, I'd head up to NY or something because I had to, or went to San Diego for a few days (which is when I met my wife in person). There was even a trip to the San Diego Comic-Con, and I had a blast.

That was the entire reason I took this vacation, to tell the truth. When I first started working for the city of Tucson, I had to sign up for some vacation. I didn't want to, but was almost forced to. Anyway, I signed up for the vacation over the SDCC weekend, and then promptly forgot about it. It was damn near a year away, so why worry about it. It was a nice surprise when they asked me for my vacation signup that I found out I had vacation time coming, and then remembered signing up for this time. I was able to work it so that I had ten whole days off, but only taking three days of vacation and one floating holiday. That's my idea of a good time.

But then, I became financially embarrased. We moved twice, and other things were happening that I'm now in the process of taking care of. So instead of going to San Diego, I'm here at home. The only bad part about it is that I've only spent a little more time with my wife. She has things to do, too, and of course, does them.

So what have I been doing with all my time? Some of it was spent cleaning, some reading, some writing. Speaking of which, I just thought of something else I've done. Great news, actually. I've found an artist for another title of mine, and am in the process of converting a lot of my characters into snapshots using City of Heroes so the artist knows what direction to take it. I've also written a document that will keep me in a particular direction. We're hoping to start work in September or October, and I have some other things I want to get done, as well. Looking forward to that. The City of Heroes character creation just takes a while, is all, and it doesn't do everything I want it to do. It couldn't, and I understand that. Far be it from me to blame the program for not being able to do a manifestation of the Phoenix Force, for example. I'll just have to be pretty descriptive when I do the character designs. I have plans. I have plans.

I've also been thinking about a couple of stories. They've been burning a hole in my mind, but I have to rework the pitch for one, and write the pitch for the other, but that'll happen after my conversation tomorrow. I may send him four pitches, where I usually send him three. I have to either expand or undercut the genre I'm writing in, and that's easier said than done. One of the stories- okay, two of the stories- would possibly be doing just that, but that's for him to decide.

Actually, I have three pitches already written and ready to go, but want to send them after I talk to him. That's really not asking too much, especially when it could lead to a lot of other things. One of the stories is Ministry, a tale about government; the other is a story about a private detective. I'm actually going to be rewriting that pitch, incorporating some of the recent thoughts I've been having lately. Then there's the story he wants to see again, but more as a comedy. Not something I really want to do, but I'm trying to make it work. I'm just not seeing it come together.

The good news is that there's another story he wants to see again, as well. The Confessional. He wants a complete rethink of it, and I'm going to give it to him. This one I can do. I want to give that one some time to simmer in my head, though. See how else I can say it- push the story into other areas to really get across what I want it to do.

Then there's Her Voice, which is new. I haven't written a word of it yet. Well, that's not true. It started out as something else, and morphed into this. A sadly triumphant story of loss and love. It has me excited, too. I just have to find the best way to tell the story. I have two ways to go, and now that I think about it, it may be best if I use them both in the separate stories. The first way for the first story I was writing, and the second way for this story. It works. Now I just have to find the rest of the story for each of them.

Ever have more stories than you know what to do with? That's me. Not all of them will get done, but I have faith that a good portion of them will. Hell, Spawn was years in the making, as was Wanted. I have time, but I'm actively working to make it happen.

That's really about it. I have to pick up Lenora in a little bit, and that's going to be my day. Get some writing done later, if not tomorrow.

Okay, I'm gone. Have a great one. I have to make a list of questions to ask the editor tomorrow, as well as some writing.

You be good. Listen to some Bootsy.

-Steven