Back on track...

So, I would like to say I have a very good excuse for not blogging on Friday. The story I would tell you would inspire you. You would laugh and cry, sometimes at the same time, and at the end of it all, your life would gain a new perspective. It wouldn't be life altering, but it would supplement you, not necessarily making you better than before, but somehow more. You would have no recourse but to understand and forgive.

The truth is, I am lazy and had a big day of playing around on Friday and decided I would duck all responsibility. This included the blog. So, to those of you who actually were looking forward to it for some strange reason, all I can say is sorry. I am a schmuck. Chances are good that you already know this.

Let's start off with a Coraline review. Simple enough. You must see this movie, and you must see it in 3-D. Henry Selick has woven a visual masterpiece around the bare bones of Neil Gaiman's slightly askew young adult novel of the same name, and the result is a genre-bending, contemporary, artistic film. Selick has cemented himself as the modern master of stop-motion animation and, more importantly, has proven once again that there is a place in present-day film for the antiquated technique. It was almost a clinic in the form, like a more accessable, mainstream Brothers Quay film. It managed to be legitimately terrifying at places while retaining the chram and adventure that marks it as a children's story. In short, the movie captured all the neccessary emotions to truthfully depict a girl growing up and discovering the world around her. While there are significant differences to Gaiman's novel, I think the fact that it encompasses this last aspect so fully, there can be no doubt that the heart of the story shines through in the film adaptation. I would love to go into more detail, but I want to leave it to you to see and discover, so no spoilers here as of yet. Maybe we can discuss specifics after it has been out a couple weeks. Suffice it to say, I will definitely see it again. Let me know if you want to go.

I may leave this as a larger topic for Friday's blog, but I want to briefly mention that the Doctor Who Series 4 finale was broadcast on BBC America last night. Wow. I am obsessed with the Doctor and was not disappointed by the end of Tennant's regular series run. He has taken the Doctor in a very Sherlock Holmesian, manic, cocky, darkly troubled direction, and (I think) will be remembered as the essential Doctor when (if) the series is finally laid to rest. This final episode once again strips the happy-go-lucky facade of the rouge time-lord away to reveal a man (Gallifreyan or otherwise) haunted by the decsions he has had to make. The Doctor is often seen as difficult to relate to (which is the reason companions like Donna or Sarah Jane Smith are so neccessary), but it is at the moments when he is rendered absolutely alone that we see the very human vulnerability in his character peek its ugly head out. We are reminded why we care for him. This last episode did that as well as I have ever seen it done. Hopefully Matt Smith is as stellar as the reports of his readings suggest. He has some big red trainers to fill.

In my own news, I have recieved a couple of last minute critiques from some very trusted people on Ranchero. In light of some of the advice given, I have decided that an additional edit is going to be neccessary before submissions can begin. I still want to have 12 submissions out by the end of this month and will thusly be dedicating a lot of time in the next week to revising and adding to the current manuscript. I remain terrified by the proccess and I can only hope to learn enough from this first time round that next time, it is a little less daunting. We shall see. Wish me luck.

I have succomb to the pressure of my geekery and picked up the Batman: Last Rites arc in preperation for the upcoming What Ever Happened to the Caped Crusader arc. Wil Wheaton has already read it, and as such both holds a place of reverence and contempt in the temple of my fanboydom. I also picked up the first volume of the Scott Pilgrim series, so all my nerdy friends can stop feeling sorry for me and welcome me with open arms back into the fold of those who know what's up.

My coffee is gone and I have a hot girl waiting to take me out to a tapas bar, so I think I will cut it off here. See you all on Friday. Leave me a comment with something good to talk about. I could use the direction.

Sometimes I struggle with Titles

Happy Monday, all. I have to say, it's going to be a busy week here in my little corner of the world. Granted, this is a relative sort of busyness. It is busy, i suppose, when you consider that six months ago, I was unemployed and would have likely spent a normal day walking around Hollywood for 5 or 6 hours, popping in and out of cafes/bars, only to be followed by a nap, and then a trip to the Valley to sit on Stephen Cross's couch for an indeterminate amount of time till I went home and prayed for an interview the next day. Rinse and Repeat. So, given that I am coming from that place, it is busy. ::armswideopenforsympathyhug::

::armsstillopen::

::armsgettingtired::

So, let's hop to it. I am feeling link-y today, so the first thing you should check is the continuing adventures of Ms. Eve Ning over at Octopus Pie. I love this little webcomic, and there are definitely similarities between it and LFM (soon to be riding your way on the waves of the intertubes). The current story arc is brutally familiar, and today's joke is one of my top 5 all time favorite webcomic punchlines. Oh yes, there is a list. Go ahead and judge.

Speaking of webcomics, GarfieldminusGarfield is awesome today too.

I enjoyed the Super Bowl yesterday. I thought the game was well played, although the officiating was suspect for a bit. I also have to say that I was a little disappointed in the Steelers. Listen, I get it. You are paid millions of dollars to be brutal and strong. The game is physical. You get worked up. Sure, I get it. Having said that, the personal fouls and unsportsman-like conduct during the game last night were far and beyond the normal aggression inherent in the game. It showed poor quality of character. I know, I am just some schmoe sitting on a chair munching on carne asada and passing judgement, but I don't watch football to see some roided out dickhead knock a dude down and hold him there, lording over his conquest. I have seen more friendly, respectful UFC fights. More punishing, maybe, but certainly less brutal. Just an observation.

This is still the best part of the game. Possibly any game.

I have selected the 5 most prestigious literary magazines from my list and will have Ranchero out to them by Friday. I hope it is ready to be seen, but I think the most important thing I can do right now is just keep moving forward. Not to manifest negative energy or whatever, but I am very realistic in my expectations from this first encounter. How cool would it be to get a really competitive paying mag on my first cast though? We can dream.

Coraline comes out Friday. Or Thursday at midnight, if you are as obsessed as I am. I am begging everyone I know to go out on the first day to see it. If my plea is not enough, perhaps these words from the author will sway your hearts.

My buddy Brandon is writing a sports blog, and is applying to work for mlb.com. Hit up his page and check it out. Even if you don't like sports, he is a good writer and every little hit helps (buh-dum-bum).

Finally, I promised a surprise. I was thinking about posting a snippet of the short story or maybe a poem or somesuch. Then, I started working on Looking For More again a little, and I got myself reinspired. In case you don't know, Looking For More (LFM) is a webcomic that I am writing with my friend and longtime collaborator Darrell Claunch. Darrell is a really brilliant artist. He is very versatile and works in a lot of different media. You can see some of his film work here. He is an artist for an very clever independent video game house called Black Lantern Studios. I realize that I am probably more than a little biased, but I think he is really hitting his artistic stride as a cartoonist. So, he is drawing our little comic. I will talk about it quite a bit on here as the weeks go by, and hopefully the launch will happen sometime in Spring.But, as a little treat for ya'll, and as a little catalyst for me, I figured I would post a couple early character designs. So, without further ado, meet some of our friends from LFM.

This is a profile of Kirk, our intrepid hero. He has since changed a bit (a little longer in the face.), but this is definitely a good idea of his look.



This is a very rough frontal from earlier in the conception phase, but you get a great look at his remarkably marketable pong shirt...

This is his buddy Neal. Neal is equal parts Jack Black and Matthew McConaughey (with a dash of Stephen Cross thrown in, if you know him). His blond faux-hawk, though still a work in progress, may be the most beautiful thing ever beheld by the human eye.

There is a lot more where those came from, and more yet to come, but I don't want to give away the farm here, so that should do for a taste. Stay tuned for updates and maybe more little blog exclusive give-aways. Even more importantly, tell everyone you know about this great little comic you heard about and help build readership. so I can get money. And buy you coffee. Cause I will. Desperate? Yes. Pathetic? Yes. Pointless, as the website isn't even functional yet? Yes.

I think that about covers it for today. See you on Friday.

Blog #2, in which we discover uncomfortable things about ourselves and link some junk.

So, I am turning into one of those people. I will try to keep the self referential "what have I become" posts to a minimum here, but I cannot escape the fact that I am sitting in a Hollywood coffee shop, next to a guy carrying around a stand-up bass and a skateboard, a 50 year old woman with a yoga mat and a yogurt cup, and copiously tattooed barristas who could not try harder to remind you that they DO NOT like boys. I am sitting with this tragically chic ensemble, and I am blogging. The film of self loathing will eventually wear off, but one wonders if that is a good thing...

I could not be happier that I see Coraline stuff everywhere. I am a bit nervous, as Stardust ads also dominated the cityscape when it was coming out. The difference here, I think, is that the Coraline ads actually seem to represent the story very well, whereas if you went solely off the Stardust billboards, you probably were expecting a story about a girl, a witch, and a Robert DeNiro in some sort of sky-drama that unfolded to reveal a young, dashing hero coming in to save the day. Which, you know, may have been an interesting story but had very little to do with either the book or the movie. It was almost its own permutation, this odd little movie in posters and 30 second clips. At any rate, they are doing a much better job with Coraline. Here's a great trailer, and another fun little thingummy to whet the appetite, should you not be excited enough.

I have set next week as my first submission week. I will be taking the first short story, Ranchero, and packing into little envelopes with little cover letters and sending it off to various publications, hoping that they will in turn ask to pay me to be the only people allowed to show it off. Chances are slim on this first run, and I am terrified. I am currently reading everything I can about how to get things published and how to navigate that world. I have no idea what I am doing and can only hope that it isn't nearly as complicated as I am making it out to be. I have, by accident, become one of those people who is trying to do something completely outside the realm of their expertise. I equate it to people who decide they want to become actors without going through any of the proper channels of learning technique, business sense, or skill building exercises. I am ignorant in this new world and, as such, feel like I should educate myself as quickly and thoroughly as possible. So, if you know of a good "Idiot's Guide to Creative Writing and Being a Legitimate Contributor to the World of Literature" book, let me know about it. I can't afford go back to school yet, so self education will have to suffice. A workshop would possibly do, but I think one needs to build a little body of work before they allow admission into one of those. At any rate, fun times. Scary. Let me know if you would like to read it. I am always looking for criticism.

I have also decided to keep most of my personal life stuff out of the blog. This is not because I am uncomfortable sharing, nor is it for fear of saying something that will later be referenced in the most inopportune moment to say , "Ha! See? This was said here and so you are now beholden to your idiotic admission." (Although the latter is a bone-chilling thought). I think the truth of it is, some of you reading the blog know what is going on anyway, which would then be redundant and boring, and some of you may be involved with said personal life stuff, and reading about yourself on a blog can be cruel and impersonal. Blech. No, not somewhere I wish to tread. So, unless there are major developments, don't expect to see a lot of that stuff.

So then, goals for next week:

Finally, FINALLY finish the business plan for LFM and get back to being excited about it.

Continue to blog Mon. and Fri., despite overwhelming urge to feel ridiculous about it.

Send out 5 submissions to Short Story publications.

Sleep like a regular person.

More on that last bit later, I think. I have rambled on here enough for one day. Maybe I will do a little sharing next week. I have to talk to another involved party, but it may be fun to show off a bit, and it may rekindle a little fire I had going. In fact, let's go ahead and say that one way or another, there will be a surprise on Monday's blog. So, point your friends this way. Unless your friends are my friends, in which case they may already be here. Either way, it'll be nice to see you.