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I went to NY recently to go to court, and there was an adjournment until today. So, today I had a telephone appearance at court, only to find out it was a conference and not actually court, and the real court date was settled to be Nov 7. Yeah. Slow. But things are moving, which is good. The Rolling Stones said it best: you can't always get what you want.
So, the other things that I was working on? Sending stuff to the editor as well as waiting for word on the Hundred and Four?
The editor sent the one story on to his partners, who passed on it. Well, I can't really say passed. They'd probably look at it again in another incarnation. One of the comments made on it was spot on, though- the character doesn't learn anything in the end. I was noticing that as I continued to rework it. As I hammered and hammered at it, I noticed that the ending of the story in the pitch didn't have the punch I was going for. I honestly think the story I was trying to tell got sacrificed in the pitch, which is a document aimed at selling something. The story I "sold" wasn't the one I wanted to tell, and the final result showed. However, I do have another idea for the same story, thanks to the editor, and I'm just working out the logisitics of it.
He still wants to see the other pitch, and I'll be sending that off as soon as I finish writing this. That one hasn't changed much, even though I keep hammering away at it. It's solid in concept, and the execution has to be up to snuff as well. So there's that.
As for the Hundred and Four, let me tell you, I passed all the "hoop" tests, jumping through them without touching the sides (or even getting singed when they were flaming), and was told wonderful things about myself such as I'm very precise in following directions and that I'm smart and well read, but in the final analysis of my work, I wasn't ready.
Yep, a disappointment, but it also gives me time to get myself ready. I just have to work harder at what I want. (I was also told I have a great work ethic.) Yes, this was important to me- I not only wrote a lot of things beforehand in an effort to be prepared, but I also reworked and revised some other things to bring them up to snuff. Then I sweated my trip to NY a bit because it was falling near the date when he wanted the materials, and he didn't want to have them either before or after. So, yes, there was some sweating going on, and I'm not one that likes to make excuses. I either do it, or I don't. Responsibility.
He did say that my personal statement was pitch perfect, and I have to admit, I was a little proud of it. There were a couple of sentences I feel that could have transitioned better, but I still liked it.
Anyway.
Webcomics! I'm going to be starting up a webcomic with some writing friends. I have some things in mind that I want to do with it, and a story I want to tell, but things are still in the gathering/planning stage. It'll be great, as long as we have strong stories. We'll see what happens. More news on that as it develops. Like I said, I have a method to my madness, and most of the others are agreeing as well, I'm just trying to get one or two others to see eye to eye with the bigger plan.
And there's an artist I know who's interested in working with me on something. I just have to get with him to see what story he has. If it's better than mine, I'll do it. If it's not, then I'll see what he thinks about mine. I know it's hard to get excited about someone else's story, but I'm guessing we'll each give it a try.
Editing is still going pretty well. I had something strange happen to me a couple of days ago, actually. Someone sent me an e-mail asking about contract language to protect his son and his son's creations from the artists he was going to work with. It seems his son has written two children's books, with two superheroes and two supervillains, and he wanted the artists to be work-for-hire. The only problem?
His son is six.
Yeah. So I did the responsible thing, saying advise an entertainment lawyer, make sure the artists are adults, and since the lad couldn't enter into a contract himself, the parent/legal guardian would be doing so. However, the big thing was the entertainment lawyer. Then I pointed him at a work for hire contract, pointed out some terms and what they meant and what I wouldn't sign, and he seemed happy about it.
Yeah. Strange. Also strange in the fact that I had finished writing a column for Bolts & Nuts that spoke about contracts and money. Apropos, no?
But the editing thing is going well, like I said. If two of the stories get picked up by a certain publsihing house, then I'll be editor on those two books. Some back-end money, more than likely, but that's okay. It's more getting my name recognized than it is the money, back- or front-end. Although the money would help, don't get me wrong. It's just not as important.
I'm also going to be writing some more Warmageddon stories. I got an e-mail from Jamal yesterday asking for some. So, more things to keep me busy and writing. I love it!
As for life in general, well, that keeps getting better all the time!
I moved from Virginia to Tucson, right? But, I'm not native to Virginia, I'm originally from NY. That's got nothing to do with anything, except that one of my high-school friends found me on Facebook. And damn, she's still looking good, too. I was dating my now ex-wife then, and she was dating someone else also, but don't think I never looked at her with some lust in my eye. I'm male, after all. Anyway, it's just good to hear from her again, even if we weren't really close.
But that's got nothing to do with Virginia. I got an e-mail from a good friend of mine in Virginia Beach, totally out of the blue.
Cell phones are the Debbil! They make it so that you don't need to remember things like phone numbers anymore, and if your cellphone gets lost or stolen, then you're screwed. I guess I'll be investing in a paper phone book soon, but anyway, our original cellphone got lost, the second one was destroyed by my granddaughter, and so we lost all the numbers. I thought she was gone for good, but she managed to track me down through an old e-mail addy I barely use nowadays, and we're back in contact! We're also seeing about getting her to come out here in March. Just trying to get that to work. We'll see how it goes.
Let's see, I've talked about writing, editing, court, webcomics, and resurrecting friendships. I think that gets us caught up.
Okay, time to send out an e-mail, as well as get something to eat, and then maybe a nap before work. Short day today, which is good.
Go have some Mexican food today. Real Mexican, but I guess Taco Bell will do in a pince. You'll be glad you did.
-Steven
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