A general update regarding a farewell and stress

It seems I’m always writing “it’s been a while since my last post” but unfortunately my life has been in a fair bit of turmoil since mid-April. The result has been less writing of comic scripts, short fiction, reviews and blog entries.

The two biggest disturbances were the illness and recent death of a good friend, and increased stresses at work. I don’t want to discuss either in detail here. This blog isn’t intended to be a personal, public diary. Its dual purpose is to be a chronicle of my adventures in writing and a portfolio for my writing. I only mention these two life events here because they have impacted my writing.

I often hear of writers channeling stress and sadness (and other turbulent emotions) into creative projects but I’m not wired that way. Stress and sadness, in particular, knock the creativity right out of me. I focus my efforts on dealing with those emotions, and dealing, for me, doesn’t include writing. I’ve been busy with this sort of emotional wrangling since the end of April. I have recently, however, said good-bye to my dear, departed friend at her memorial service, and stresses at work have lightened due to some positive changes. As such, I can feel my vigor for writing increasing. I have two short fiction projects on hold and a couple comics related items on the go so now it is just a matter of picking a project to finish and attacking it.

More things I like

- Observing people going about their business, especially in cities in which I am a stranger.

- Compliments.

- Staying up late and writing, especially when the rest of the family is sleeping. I don’t quite get the same pleasurable feeling if I’m up late writing in an empty house.

- A big breakfast consisting of any combination of eggs, toast, hash browns, bacon, quality sausage like kielbasa, coffee, pancakes, and french toast. An enjoyable big breakfast is even more enjoyable if it occurs over casual, friendly conversation and if it either precedes the beginning of a work day or takes place after 9am.

- The delectable combination of beer and barbecued animal flesh. Extra points are scored if consumption occurs outdoors on a hot summer day.

- Homemade bread made by hand. Screw those breadmakers.

Do you want to know what else I like?

Things I like

In addition to obvious things like family, friends, beer, sex, peanut butter, movies, writing and reading, here’s a list of things I enjoy:

- Rainy days, specifically walking in the rain when getting wet isn’t an inconvenience, and reading an engrossing book or comic to the soundtrack of heavy raindrops hitting the windows and roof of the house.

- Saying “Bamboo Steamer”, but I should note that not only is it a great pairing of words but also a fantastic cooking apparatus.

- Sweating due to arduous manual labor or intense yet non-competitive games of racquetball and badminton.

- Revisiting music I listened to in my past and picking through the memories each song invokes.

- Sudden bursts of creative cussing that punctuate a moment so excellently.

- My cool shoes. I am utterly hopeless when it comes to picking out shoes. I have rarely been happy with my choices, and that goes for work and casual footwear regardless of the season. I am, however, quite fond and proud of a particular pair of casual shoes given to me by my wife. They are tan in color, and are crafted from some sort of heavy canvas, the edges of which are fashionably tattered. The sole is flat and non-descript but reminiscent of Chucks from the 80s. These shoes are the only shoes of mine that people have commented positively about since my junior high days when I sported a pair of bright red Air Max. 

- Ritz crackers

For the New Year

The office closed at 3pm today. Today was my first day back since December 24 and while I’ll admit I wasn’t looking forward to going back because my time off was so enjoyable I will also admit that once I sat down at my desk and fired up the computer I was ready to go. There weren’t a lot of people working today so I was productive and as such I feel I will be even more prepared when it’s time to enter the regular work day routine come January 2.

I got home around 3:30 and now find myself in a limbo. The time between when work ended and when the New Year’s Eve party begins is too short to watch a movie and too long to have a nap. It’s too early to get ready, and it’s too late in the day to go anywhere because a lot of the city is shutting down. I have to do something though or I’ll go stir crazy. I don’t do well in these limbo periods. I get restless. To keep my mind and body occupied, I find myself speculating on what 2008 might hold for me in terms of my writing and collaborative projects.

Speculations for 2008:

1. I will sell a copy of Psychosis. To date, the only issue I’ve sold is the “preview” copy I purchased. Releasing Psychosis for sale online around the holiday season probably wasn’t the best sense of timing since friends, family and acquaintances will have already shelled out considerable dough on Christmas gifts. Oh well, what can I say? I was excited and anxious to get it out there.I will further divide this into the following:
   1. I will sell a copy online to a complete stranger.
   2. I will sell print copies to friends, family and strangers. I’d love to sell 100 copies, but I am pessimistically hoping for 25.
   3. I will see Psychosis on the racks at ComicReaders.
2. Special Edition will be published online. 3′LL plans to release the first Special Edition stories (including the pirate story I wrote) online in 2008. I believe this is definitely going to happen because so much has been completed in 2007 in terms of artwork. I also strongly believe the response to Special Edition will be strong. 3′LL’s artwork is fantastic, and I’ve got my fingers crossed for some positive feedback on the comedy in my pirate script.
3. 3′LL and I will collaborate on a project of my making. I’ve shared some ideas with 3′LL and he likes them and wants to collaborate, but it’s up to me to make those ideas into scripts he can develop into kick ass pages.
4. I will pitch a story idea to Tony Casperite. He did the awesome covers for Psychosis, and I’ve been keeping in touch with him and keeping an eye on his online portfolios. His work is stellar. I’ve got an idea I think would be perfect for his style of art. It’s a one-shot. It’s plotted and I think it’s solid, but I’ve got to develop the balls to sit down, write the script and pitch it to Tony. I’d love for this to happen. If we actually did it and it was successful, it could lead into a series of stand alone one-shots that are all a part of a larger mythos.
5. I will publish some short fiction. The main reason I switched from writing short fiction to comic scripts is because I thought it would an easier form of writing. Man, was I ever wrong. The good news is that I’ve enjoyed and have fallen in love with the challenge of writing comic scripts and the bigger challenge of creating comics. With that said, I need to fatten up and diversify my portfolio and to do so I’d like to do more short fiction writing in 2008, with the intent to get some works published. I think the skills I’ve learned in writing comic scripts will help me achieve this.
6. I will branch out. This is related to some of the preceding items, but basically in 2008 I want to expand my writing horizons. I want more diversity in my portfolio in terms of the people I collaborate with and the publications for which I write. I also want to achieve more diversity in the writing I do for myself– for example, keep more active on this here blog and my recently created facebook.com account.

All in all, I don’t think these are lofty aspirations. These aren’t pipe dreams. I think they are attainable. This is easy to say as 2007 is poised to come to an end, and perhaps when 2008 is well underway I’ll look back at this post and chastise myself for my dreamy optimism, but for now I’m content and comfortable to aspire to such things.

Jello Man

Coffee morning. Head hanging low, staring into brown water. Steam rising, crossing the threshold of nostrils and tickling the brain that refuses to wake. Exhale and steam scatters. Peering up from the coffee surface is a reflection– eyes, nose, a bit of forehead and little bit of cheek. A quick exhale, the coffee stirs and the reflection ripples. I do it again and think, “That’s what I would look like if I were made of jello.”

Quiet giggle, a shake of the head and then another small, savouring sip.