Some upheavals. Nothing that was earth-shattering, but definitely made me not want to write more than I needed to. Call it “hermit mode.” I go into that from time to time.

Lessee. Comics.

Just got an e-mail from Jim Valentino of Shadowline comics. Shadowline is an imprint of Image. He passed on The Standard, which is a comic I’m working on with John Lees in an editorial capacity. It was a rejection, which always sucks, but them are the breaks. There are other things/feelers out there, though. We’re still waiting for all the contacts to come through. (I think one of them is a shoe-in, but I’m not happy about it. Whether or not John goes for it will definitely be his decision.)

I’m still working with a couple of writers on their scripts. Those gigs are great. We’re in something of a groove. The writers know what I expect, and I know what to expect from them. What I can and cannot pull out of them. It’s always interesting, and sometimes, the challenges surprise me.

Let’s take The Standard as the most recent example. John gave me a somewhat sprawling outline for 8 issues or so. I challenged him to cut it down to six and four, to see how the story would work. I also told him to play with the page counts. He did so, and we were able to come up with a nice 6 issue story.

We’re now on issue 3, and he was following the outline that I approved about a year ago. Well, his storytelling got stronger, and the story he was telling in issue 3 didn’t match up that well to what had happened in issue 2. I told him so, and advised him to go back to the plotting stage for that particular issue. Pull in some different things, make it line up more, and it would connect more with readers.

John thought I was off my rocker, and strongly disagreed with my assessment of the issue. However, he was game, and went back and rewrote the issue, incorporating a lot of my plotting and notes into the script. And what he came up with…was better than what he had. So much so that he even liked the new issue better than what he had.

No, this isn’t about me being “right” or “wrong.” Just a story about some of the challenges I face while editing. (And just to finish the story, yes, the issue still needed some work, but it works a LOT better than the original draft. Remember, folks: writing is re-writing.)

I’ve also partnered up with someone to create something that will fill a gap that we perceive in comics. If we’re able to get it off the ground, it’s something I’m REALLY looking forward to being a part of. And it came about a little strangely. I was looking around a website, and noticed a couple of features were gone, and that saddened me. I made me start seeing a real lack in an area of comics. I don’t mean to be cryptic.  I just don’t want someone to come along and try to beat us to this particular punch, so I’m not going to say too much more on it. But, there would be a couple of returns once we get it off the ground. Hopefully, we’re looking at the beginning of the year. We’ve already done a lot of research on it, and more is still to come.

No, I won’t keep you too posted on this. Don’t expect too many mentions until the doors open. But I’ll say this: it would be a VERY nice birthday present.

I’ve also been thinking of a few limited series/graphic novels to write. I’ve started outlining them, so that I know what I want to do when I’m ready to start scripting. (Actually, I should be writing the outline now, instead of writing this post, but it’s been a while, and I’m at work, expecting to change positions in about 30 minutes. I’ll work on it after I move.)

As for real life…

I’m FAT!!!

Just to give you an idea, I’m 5′9″. Through high school, I weighed about 135 soaking wet. Then I went into the Marine Corps, and when I came out of boot camp, I was 150 or so. Then I lost about 5-10 lbs until I got re-married. When Lenora and I got together, I weighed about 145, and my waist was 30″. Then, slowly, my pants started getting tight. My weight crept up. I was eating well. I put on 10 lbs. Bye-by 30″ waist, hello 32! And I was there for about 5 years or so.

My weight crept up again. Bye-bye 32’s, hello 34! I was about 160-165, and I felt good. I started P90X, and that was going well. Getting more muscle and definition, eating well, and just looking better. Then we moved a couple of times, and I stopped working out.

I noticed that I had to let my belt out a little bit more. I noticed that pants I had just bought were a little tight. I noticed that there was a different type of pressure when I bent over to tie my shoes. Just small things, here and there. Then I noticed that I was a LOT more winded than I should have been when I ran a small distance, and that my stomach moved in a totally different way than I was accustomed to.

Eventually, I jumped on a scale.

190. That’s pounds, fully dressed.

You’re damned skippy! I shucked all of my clothes, and just like in Vision Quest, I thought light. 183.

I was amazed. I thought I would NEVER reach 175, let alone 180+. And Lenora’s like, “I just give you the tools. What you do with it is up to you.”

So, I’m back to P90X. That’s right. Because I refuse to be this out of shape. I’m not as concerned about the weight as to its distribution. I think I look better with the weight on me, but I’m not going to let it settle in my stomach. The hell with that. So, I’m back to exercising. I haven’t lost any weight, but the distribution is making a visible difference. I’m able to tighten my belt again, I don’t jiggle when I run, and I’m just feeling better all around.

So, I’m feeling better physically. It’s been about a month, and I’m about to start the more intensive routines. I’m doing it with a friend, and she wants to do the lean program, rather than the classic. I live in an upstairs apartment. I don’t want to annoy my neighbors by doing a whole lot of jumping around, so I’m doing the lean with her. She also modifies it even more, so it’s really a 5 day workout instead of 7. On the 7th day, it’s either the stretch or a rest day, but she wants to stretch on the 6th day and totally rest on the 7th. Nope, not 100% pleased, but it’s not my show. I  understand where she’s coming from, though. Her day goes something like this: get up and work out with me. Then, she either has clients to work on (she’s a masseuse), or she’s outside in her backyard, doing projects. Right now, she’s creating a couple of gardens, and is doing it all out: she dug an irrigation ditch, got about a (literal) ton of cinderblock to enclose them; dirt and mulch and rebar and all this other stuff in order to make it conform to her vision. And she’s working out in the heat of the Tucson day. And she’s doing this either after working out with me, or after working on a client or two. And this is daily. So, yeah, a day of rest is definitely something she deserves.

And that’s really about it. Still watching the 150+ movies we bought. Wimbledon was great. The U.S. Open is next month. Good movies are coming on television. I could complain, but they’d be trivial.

And that’s really about it. I’m about to move, so I’m going to call it a day here.

Will someone tell me how good/bad Jonah Hex was? Thanks.

-Steven

Here’s what’s going on:

I’m finally connected (generally) to the internet while at work. It’s been a long time in coming. Now, to get a newer laptop while here…

One thing at a time. I know.

Okay. So, Jeff Coney, the inker for Bullet Time, has cleaned up the inked pages and resent them. I’m in the process of moving the letters around some on the new artwork. It’s going pretty fast. All of issue 2 is done by Jeff, except for P3, which I have to get to him. I’ll be working on that tomorrow. It’s going to be good. Once we get the first issue done, too, it’ll just be the first issue that needs to be done. I’m just about halfway done with the second issue, which is good, methinks. I hope to have another few pages done here before I have to move, and then finish it up tonight. At the very least, I’ll finish it up tomorrow night.

The only thing that kinda sucks about Bullet Time is the fact that Bob, the new artist for it, has to slow down somewhat because he’s got other, paying gigs that are coming in as well. And I can’t blame him. While he’s getting a cut of the sales from this (the lion’s share, actually), he’s still not earning a page rate from this by me. Just trying to make it, like everyone else.

The artist on Keys had to walk away, too, which is a little disheartening. I was wanting to work with him for a long time, and it seemed like we were going to be able to help one another. However, he’s also putting his own work on hold for a while, and I can’t blame him for that, either.

The upside is that I’m getting editing gigs still. If my laptop would connect to gmail while I was here, it would make my life simpler. I’d be able to send out this script I’m semi-sitting on. And I have one more that I need to finish tonight, and I’ll just send them both out when I get home. These are paid, which is always a good thing.

I’m looking forward to next month. Vacation. Not from the comic work, but from my regular job. I haven’t been on vacation since November, and that wasn’t really a vacation. Had other things that I needed to take care of. But it’s a wedding anniversary I’ll never forget.

Things are much better now, though.

The time off from here will be good. I’m feeling the pressure. Getting antsy. I walked out of the apartment this evening, and it was pretty warm out. I was highly tempted to call in and then go get in the pool with Lenora. Instead, I buckled down and went to work. But I was sorely tempted. It was terrible. Why not just call in? Because I’m sitting at seven absences right now, on a rolling year. As soon as I hit eight, they start looking at attendance. I’m not in the mood for the changes, so I buckle down instead of knuckling under. I can start calling in and taking a day here and there in July. Days start falling off, and it’ll be fine. Mental health days.

I should have a new desktop by the end of next week! I’m looking forward to that. Speed, sound, and nice graphics. Sveet. Yes, I said sveet. Why is it sveet? Because I have FEAR 2 to play. I played FEAR, and really liked it. Now to add FEAR 2 to the mix is great. When I eventually get a new laptop, I’m also going to put them both on that. Nice, right?

Oh. Yeah. I also have to get another external drive. Have one for just music, and one for just my comic stuff. I have to decide as to get 1TB or 500GB. Tough decision, right? (Just talked to one of my co-workers, who’s also building the desktop. He suggested I get a 2TB external drive, and then partition the drives–one for music, one for my work. I’m thinking about it. Makes sense, and less to carry around.) Anyway, that’ll be when I get the laptop. Looking at this summer sometime. No definite timeframe on it.

Okay. Time for me to get busy. I want to get to P11 on the lettering, and then I want to finish the editing I have, and then go back to the lettering. That’s my plan. And it’s looking like I might not have to change positions, which means less time lost. I’m all for that. We’ll see what happens.

Go listen to Heavy D and the Boyz, Peaceful Journey album. You can thank me later.

-Steven

Yeah, yeah, I know. It happens. Life intrudes, things get busy, and something has to give. Unfortunately, it’s this blog.

What have I been doing lately? Glad you asked! Let’s run it down!

One of the writers I’m working with had some publisher interest for a project I helped him with. That company then basically stopped returning e-mails, and after some pro’s and cons and soul searching, the writer has decided to continue on without the support of a company. Big and bold move, yes? Yeah, I thought so, too. But you don’t get far by being timid. I’m still onboard as editor, in a somewhat reduced capacity. I was managing the project, but now I’m just working on the script. I’ll give a look at the artwork as it comes in, though. I like working with this team.

I’m also still editing another writer, although we’re coming to the end of the things he has in the hopper at the moment. He has other ideas he wants me to look at, though, so whenever those things start to come in will be when I’ll see them.

There’s another writer I’m working with. Doing project management. This one is going a little slower, but the artist is damned good. Well worth the wait.

Then, there’s other editing work I’m doing. Things are moving. I won’t complain.

My own comics?

Well, I’ll be taking down the Bullet Time website soon. I have pages coming in for the third issue, and they’re beautiful. Going to have to re-letter the first couple of issues, but that’s fine. (Actually, I’ll just have to re-letter the first issue. The second issue can just have the art replaced. I didn’t letter the first issue, so that’s me starting from scratch there.)

My other projects? They’re coming along. I’ll be getting in touch with the artists today to see where they’re at. Short stories, folks. Either short stories, or stories that artists can really get into. If you can do both, you’re golden. I’m not golden, but some of my stories will link up eventually, just because I can do it.

About ten years ago, I had an idea for what I called One World. The basic premise was to take everything in fiction, and make it all into “one world.” It could have fit, too. Kinda like DC’s 52 (which I don’t think they’re really going to do all that much with), but with a larger scope. Yes, I was young and stupid. I still think about it, though.

Right now, however, I have several universes to tend to. Some superheroic–one even has a timeline that’s split into a before and after–and some that aren’t superheroes but could easily meet up with them. What I don’t want to do is a Wildstorm thing, though. Wildstorm has things like the Wildcats (however its being spelled now) and Planetary and Ex Machina, and while they’re supposed to be in the same universe, they’re really not ever referenced in each other, which I find kinda sad. I don’t want to do that with my universes–or if I do, then have a reasonable explanation as to why they’re carrying the same banner (Asshat) but are each self-contained in their own universes. Marvel and DC did it with their crossovers, and had a plausible explanation. I wonder what those crossovers would look like if written now…

Anyway, I was talking about short stories or stories that grab the artists. I have stories that grab in Bullet Time and Keys, and something that’s short in Manaday. However, Manaday is going to let me do all kinds of things with it. And I have an artist in Erik Roman whom I’ve wanted to work with for a long time, anyway. It’s going to be great. Looking forward to seeing the pages.

In other news, we bought a car, but we were stupid about it. We now don’t want this car, and want our money back, plus the money we put into it. The guy doesn’t want to give it back. We’re going to have to sue. We’ll see what the court says. (What’s wrong with the car? It won’t pass emissions, and we’ve already put $500 into it for repairs, and in order to get it running the way its supposed to be will cost another eight. No. That’s basically half again for the car–a car that was supposed to be ready to go. It was ready, all right. My mechanic knows what he did to try to get it ready, and she has no problem coming with us as a witness for what’s wrong with the car. I’m expecting a win. Either that, or it’s more money out of our pockets. We’ll see how it works out.)

I’m trying to cultivate a more sophisticated palette when it comes to drinking. I bought a bottle of blended scotch, and am working my way through it. A pretty large bottle (got it at Costco), and a website I visited suggested a drinking method that I’m following as I can.

For blended scotch: take a small glass and fill it with ice. Pour in a thumbwidth of scotch, and then fill the rest with water. Now, have one every day, and keep lowering the water content. Eventually, call it a month, you should just be able to drink it over the rocks (over ice, for the one person who didn’t know what “rocks” meant). Right now, I’m drinking it with a thumb of scotch and two thumbs of water. Why no ice? Because we don’t have any in the apartment. We don’t use a lot of ice, and our trays are in storage somewhere. (Shows you how much we use ice in the house.) No, I’m not an ice user. Whenever I go out to eat, I order my drinks with no ice. I don’t care how hot it is–I don’t use ice. Why?

Take a place like McDonalds or Burger King. They’ll take the cup and fill it with ice, and then pour in the soda or lemonade or whatever around it. You’re now having a watered down beverage, and are basically paying for a cup of ice. I want my money’s worth, and I don’t like to have my drinks diluted. No ice for me.

So, once I’m done with the cheap scotch (and yes, folks, there’s a difference between scotch and whiskey), I’m going to try a single malt scotch. More expensive, but there are times when you get what you pay for.

And remember this: scotch ages in the barrel/cask. It no longer matures in the bottle.

After the scotch, I might try American whiskey. Might. Or maybe whine. Yes, I spelled it correctly. Whine. Fine, wine. Happy now? Now, I’m less of a w(h)ine drinker than I am liquor, but more of a wine drinker than I am a beer drinker. No, I don’t drink beer. It’s an acquired taste, and it’s a taste I don’t want to acquire. Oh, I’ve had a beer here and there, but haven’t enjoyed them.

Remember Zima? Just thought of that. Anyway…

I don’t even know why they call wine coolers alcoholic. There’s barely anything in them! If you’re drinking a wine cooler for anything other than to quench a thirst, then you’re either an extreme lightweight, or you’re doing it wrong. In either case, you probably shouldn’t be drinking to begin with. If you’re a lightweight, then you can’t handle your liquor; if you’re doing it wrong, I’d hate to see you when you’ve got a full head on.

Oh, remember that thing I was going to get a friend? It went over VERY well.

I turned one of my coworkers onto XKCD.com, and he absolutely loves it. Absolutely. Checks it every day. So, I got him the first volume of their collected work, which he was very appreciative of.

I had also turned him onto a book called Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson. I can’t even begin to tell you what this thousand page book is about. Two different timelines, cryptography, treasure hunting, high stakes finance, and some history. The two timelines? WWII and today. And really, that’s only about half of what the book’s about. But it’s a HARD read. You cannot force him to tell the story. It literally takes about 200 pages to really get into the book. You make it that far, and he’s got you. And there isn’t anything that’s uninteresting, it just takes a while for the story to take shape. And no, that isn’t an editing problem, either. It’s by design. It’s by turns funny and heartwrenching, uplifting, and somewhat militant. Get the book. If you dare.

Anyway, my friend got me the next book in that “series” (read the book and then you’ll know why I wrote it that way). It’s called Quicksilver, and if you decide to get that book first, make sure you buy the larger, more expensive one. Why? Because Quicksilver by itself is only part one of a three “book” set. (Get the book and you’ll see why I wrote it that way.) The larger book has all three books in it. I just bought a copy with all three books, and will be getting into that as soon as I either finish the new book I’m about to start, or the Stephen King book I have in the bathroom. Whichever comes first. (Stephen King’s Insomnia, for those that’re interested. And the other book I’m about to start is The Book of the Damned, which is a collecting of Charles Fort’s four books. You’re on the internet! Look him up!)

And I’m about to move positions, so I’m going to end this here. I was getting boring anyway.

Go listen to Kool Moe Dee. Knowledge is King. I am. You’ll thank me later.

-Steven

I’m getting pages in for the third issue of Bullet Time. As a matter of fact, I also just got in the fully executed contracts from Markosia. So it’s more than official. It’s full steam ahead! Once we get the third issue in the can, I’ll be taking down the first two issues of BT from the site, and just waiting for the digital releases. There’s the possibility it could be released physically, as well. I’ll have to talk to Harry about it.

I’ve also teamed up with an artist to get into Digital Webbing Presents 2.0.  We’re kicking around some ideas, seeing what we can do together. It’s going to be fun!

And I’m working with another artist to bring my story Keys to life. He’s done some character sketches, which have been approved. I should be seeing some pages pretty soon here. It’s three issues, and when he read the script, he was blown away by what I had to say. He’s excited to work on the script, and I’m excited to have him. I wanted to work with this artist on something, anyway, and imagine my surprise when he contacted me about doing some editing work for him. Yeah. Serendipity? (Twice the pity of serene-ness? Seren could be short for serene, di means two, and we all know what pity means… Or is it serene pity, times two? I dunno.)

There’s a fourth artist I could be working with soon on another story. Just have to get some details hammered out.

So, I should be pretty busy here soon. Writing scripts, lettering comics (I only letter my own stuff, folks. It keeps the costs down, and then I have no one to blame but myself for lettering mistakes and script length), and some editing work. Should keep me busy well into the summer.

When all of THAT is done, approved, and published… I’m going to re-start on the Bolts & Nuts book. I just have to clean up the articles (make them all uniform), and add in the art from the books I’m doing: either writing or editing. So, if we’ve worked together, creators, look for me to be coming to you later this year.

My initial plan is to submit it to Image. See what they have to say about it. A couple of chapters, printed up, and see if they want to publish it. If they pass, I’ll try Titan and Impact. If THEY pass, then I’ll do it myself. I have some thoughts on it. Why not do it myself in the first place? Money is always an issue. I understand what I’d be giving up by going with a traditional publisher. However, I believe it would be worth it.

Maybe I’ll also give Random House a ring…

Random House took me to my iPhone, in order to remind myself to contact them about it. My phone reminded me I needed to order a book for a friend. I just did that. He’s going to be pretty surprised when he gets it. I’ll tell you about it later, on the remote off-chance he reads this thing.

I need to replace my copy of Dune. A couple of years ago, my car was broken into, and the book was in a bag that was stolen. I’ve now been hankering to read it lately. I went to Borders recently, and they only had it in hardcover. No. Not paying $30 for a book I’ve already read. I paid about that for The Great Book of Amber, and that has ten complete novels in it! No, I wanted it in paperback, and they had everything EXCEPT the book that started it all. So, I’ll see if I can find it in Bookman’s. Barring that, Abebooks.com. Should be good, either place. Found a copy for just over three bucks with free shipping. Will see if Bookmans has it for about the same price.

Spent more money on cats. Today was Xavier’s turn. His initial checkup with the vet. Storme (the e is silent, people!) has worms, so we have to give them both medicine to clear that up. Xavier also has to have his anal glands cleared out. That’s more doctor visits. That’s REGULAR visits to the vet. It’s not something we can do well at home. Do I mind? Yes, but only peripherally. Even though he seems to have chosen me and I enjoy having him around, the cats are really for Lenora, and if she’s happy with it, I’m not going to complain. Right now, they’re making her happy, so I can deal with it. I like seeing her smile.

As for my day (night) job… It’s going. No complaints there. Some things have been changed up in order to try to be more efficient around the room, but nothing that makes me stand up and shout “injustice!” We’ve started the new bid, and I’m still working nights, but my days off are now Tue, Wed, and Thu. In preparation of going to work tonight, I woke up at 2am today, and plan to stay up until at least 2pm. Why is that significant? Because I went to sleep at around 11pm. I wonder what time I’m going to start to feel it. It should be fine, though. I only have one thing that I must do today, and after that, I’m good.

There are some other changes my job could be undergoing within the near future. I’m talking about this year and into early next. It could get easier, but at the same time, more interesting. Possible lay-offs. Luckily, I’m above the cut-off point. They’re not hiring any more classes, and we have some retirees for the year that aren’t being replaced. How would that make my job easier? Because we wouldn’t have to dispatch for the county anymore. Just the city. The layoffs would be bad, though. I generally like the people I work with. True, some of the new hires are NOT bright, but they do their job for the most part, without the need for prompting. It’s only the more unusual cases where help could be needed.

The supervisors are also not being replaced. Well, not yet, at least. At one point in time, I wanted to be a supervisor there. I wanted to be a trainer, and you can only be a trainer if you’re a supervisor. However, I see the job they do, the work they put in, the sacrifices they make, and its not worth it to me. Not for the amount of money they make. I could work four hours of overtime in a single week and make more than the supervisors for the pay period. Pretty sad, no? Now, let’s see: I could give up my extracurricular activities, which allows me to do everything I need to do while at work and gives me more free-time while at home, pile up responsibilities and stress in trying to make everyone happy; or I could stay where I’m at, keep doing what I’m doing, work four hours of OT in a pay period, and make as much if not more than the supervisors. Where’s the incentive? Especially since there’s been a pay freeze almost since I’ve started. Besides personal satisfaction, there’s little reason to do anything other than the bare minimums, because there are no raises.

Wait. No. Don’t take this as me complaining. I’m not. I have a DAMNED good, STABLE  job in a screwed up economy. This will be my third year there, and while no job is perfect, this is a very good one. I work with pretty likable people, doing a job that I know a LOT of people could not do. YOU try to stay calm while giving instructions to a panicked mother who’s trying to do CPR on their infant. YOU try not to be affected by the person who calls in, crying, hysterical, that they woke up in the middle of the night and found their spouse cold and stiff. No, it doesn’t happen often, but it happens often enough, and you have to be prepared for that eventuality whenever the phone rings. High stress job, and not everyone can do it. So, I know that I’m extremely lucky to have a job that I can do well, can handle, and allows me to do extra things as long as they don’t interfere with the job.

I had my job at GEICO for five years, and while I didn’t come to hate it, there was a point where I wasn’t looking forward to going in and being on the phones, having to argue and explain to people how their coverages work. “I’m the person you insure, and I’m TELLING YOU that you are NOT going to pay this claim! This person stopped in front of me, causing me to hit them!”

“Well, sir, I understand how you feel, but the police report and the witness state that the person in front of you stopped for someone in the street. You weren’t following the rules of the road, because you were following too closely, which caused you to hit them. GEICO’s role is to protect you, and we’ll be doing that by paying this claim. If we didn’t, then you would be personally responsible for the damages caused, and any possible injuries. This could mean the loss of your wages, up to the loss of your possessions, including your home. So, we are taking responsibility and paying the claim.”

“So what does that mean?”

“This means, Mr. Smith, that GEICO considers this an at-fault loss, and will be taking the responsibility of paying for the damages.”

“This means this is my fault?!”

“Yes, sir.”

“NOOOO!!!! He stopped in front of me….!”

And so the logic circle goes. (Well, actually, those were the fun ones. The willfully ignorant can be very entertaining.) But to go in and just know that there were always calls on hold, just waiting to be answered, half of which were new claims, the other half of which were claims where my coworkers needed something done one (and a good portion of those were totally jacked up, which meant more work for me, or at least explaining the process in a manner where the person understood what was going on. Notice, I didn’t use jargon in the preceding paragraphs. I could have used terms like claimant, tort-feasor, fiduciary responsibility, or any other of a slew of words that would have had a layperson’s head spinning. Simple, easily understood language. That’s the way to do it.). There were no real breaks between calls, and it got old. It took a while, but it got there. At least I had the satisfaction of being able to help on a bad day, or of helping someone understand the process.

Now, take that responsibility, and turn it up from 2 or 3 all the way to 10, and turn down the call frequency from 10 down to about 3-4 (or about 5 on some nights), and you’ll come to approach what I’m working with. It works out.

I’m rambling, so I’m going to go. E-mails to go through, I have to clean out my inboxes, and I have to shower and shave my head and face. Breakfast, in a little while. I should be ready to eat by then.

I haven’t recommended Prince in a while. Go listen to 3121. The entire album. You can thank me later.

-Steven

After 14 years of service, my wife was fired from her job this past Tuesday. No, I’m not going to go into it here. We’re seeing what can be done about it, and I’ll leave it at that.

I also resigned from Lionman today.

Now, I’m good at what I do. I edit. That’s what I do. I also know that I know what I’m talking about. I also know that I’m fairly direct in my language and assessment. I see what’s wrong, I ask the hard questions, I point the finger, and I make the recommendations to get ‘er done. I call ‘em as I see ‘em. I’m hard, but I’m fair.

He wanted to change that. More of a “kumbaya” than a “this is messed up–fix it.” I’m not a kumbaya person. Anyone that I’ve ever edited saw the changes, and understood what needed to be done by the time I was through. I wasn’t even nearly as harsh as I could have been in my assessment of editing the book. When I was running The Proving Grounds, Icould be harsh. Amusing, but harsh. But everyone who came in knew what they were getting into, and learned something in the process. Some have sought me out afterwards to hire me for their projects. For those that get funneled my way through other means, I tell them that I’m harsh but fair. They get it, and we move on.

It was my directness, as a matter of fact, that got his attention in the first place. What made him think I was going to change?

He sent me a contract to engage my services, after a couple months of pussyfooting around. It was a single page document that wouldn’t have protected him in the least. I told him I wouldn’t sign it because I’d end up owning his property, and showed him a contract sample and what it could/should look like. Get this: he tells me to write my own contract, which he would then sign and send back to me. He bugs me for it, and I send it back the next day. He then sends it to his board of directors, telling me I shouldn’t have written it down, because then he’d have to send it to his board, and they didn’t want him to sign it because they didn’t/don’t understand what a royalty is. (That’s a simplified version of what happened.)

Lots of verbal agreements that either got modified or changed, with none of them coming to fruition.

Here are the facts as I know them:

He has a bad book.

Companies are looking at the pictures but not reading the book, and want to climb onboard because he’s a good talker. (Yes, a good talker, not a smooth speaker. Notice the difference.)

He has control issues, and is so busy that correct follow-through is a small problem. (Reminds me of something else I should have billed him for.)

I’m not going to change myself to fit someone else’s mold. Could it make me more effective in dealing with people? Would I eat liver instead of cereal if I wanted a hot meal and had no money to get something else? Anything’s possible is the correct answer to that. I changed myself once before, and I chafed at it the entire time. I don’t like feeling like a puppet, and I don’t like being told I have to do something one way or another when all I get is the promise of payment in return.

That’s right, there was no upfront payment. It was going to be part ownership of ideas and this and that–things that would make money IF others did this and once others did that. I got a token payment against future payments, but it’s been nearly a year, he wanted more and more of my time, and I don’t have anything really to show for it.

He told me to invoice him for the things I did for him, and I went through and did that last night. It was only a little frustrating. I knew the ballpark worth of the work I did, and when I finished the invoices, I was right there. It should have been a little more, but I won’t charge for the books I bought and an out of pocket expense for a character design. He rejected it, so I’ll use the character myself. No biggie.

This does mean, however, no SDCC for me this year. I’m pretty disappointed about that, but that’s okay. Next year, I’m going as a professional. I already know what I have to do, and what I have to do to get an extra badge for my wife. She’ll be my guest. I’m going to do my best to sit on the invoice money,and pay for the trip wholly out of that. Stay in a hotel instead of staying with friends or whomever (it’s just more comfortable that way), drive the car, and things will be fine. I have a number in my head as to what the round trip should cost, to include food for my wife and I, and there will be plenty left over to go buy a decent amount of things–and have it totally transparent to the household money. But that’s next year. There’s no SDCC for me this year.

Anyway, enough of Lionman. I wish him luck with it.

Work on Bullet Time is progressing! I’m getting new pages in for issue 3, and they’re beautiful! I’m looking forward to Jeff slinging some ink on them, and then slapping some letters on the pages. It’s going to be great!

I’ve also partnered with a couple of artists for various projects (which reminds me, I have to e-mail one of them as soon as I’ve finished with this). One is doing up Keys for me. Another has partnered with me for Digital Webbing Presents, which has been resurrected. We’re either going to work on one of my superhero characters, or my private detective. We’re going to hash it out and see what we can come up with.

I might have another artist for another story. Don’t know yet. Will have to see how it plays out. Hm! Maybe I can get him to do a story for DWP. Something to think about. And since it’s only 8 pages or so… It just might work, rabbit.

(Name the reference!)

Except for this new e-mail I have to send out, I’m all caught up.

Wait. No I’m not. Just thought of something. But I’m tired, and so I’ll send those e-mails out tomorrow. Or later today if I’ve woken up and have enough time. But I have to shave my head, so that may be out. Will just have to play it by ear. But I made a note to remind myself to do it.

Enough. I’m gone. My bed is calling me.

Go see Iron Man 2! WELL worth the money! You can thank me later.

-Steven

Notice, I said “seems.” This is a word that is often overlooked, or used incorrectly. I did not say “will be,” “have been,” or “are.” Right now, things look like they will be picking up. Some things depend on other things, and it is those other things that may finally be coming to fruition.

I know, it’s damnably vague. Sorry about that. However, until things are signed and considerations exchanged, vague is what I’ll have to be. However, when I start to unleash the full fury of this thing, you’re going to look at me in wonder.

And that thing will open me up for The Plan. And when that happens…let’s just say that I hope not to make the same mistakes others did. (I had a name in there, and while I doubt most of you would have immediately gotten it, some of you might have looked it up, and then the cat would be partially out of the bag. That would have been a no-no.)

I’m also getting along pretty well with the Gangrene gang. I made a couple of changes to things that needed to happen in order to smooth things out, and they’re working smashingly. I have no complaints. Really, nothing but good things to say. Everyone is onboard, and things look REALLY good.

I went out recently. Basically, the first time I went out with someone who wasn’t a co-worker. It was a good time. Going to do it again soon. Maybe on Monday. We’ll see.

I also went to the movies. Saw Kick Ass. Know what? It wasn’t the best best movie–not going to win any awards or anything–but it was damned fun! If you can’t handle vulgar language (”fuck” is no longer vulgar, but “cock” is), then don’t see the movie. If you can’t handle vulgar language coming from a little girl (pre-teen), then don’t see this movie. It’s also hyper-violent. And funny. Nic Cage is over the top as Big Daddy. But really, Hit Girl stole this show. I can easily see a sequel starring her, named after her. Easily. Just sit back, turn off your head, and watch. Not good, but easily enjoyable. Truly, a movie made for the superhero fanboy. Moreso than the X-Men films, the Spider-Man films, the Superman movies… Just some pretty dirty fun. And it’s mainly dirty because of the language. Go see it. Enjoy!

Also looking forward to seeing The Losers. If it wasn’t for the damned mirroring scam, I’d be going to see it today. Or definitely during my weekend coming up. Ah, well. Payday.

OH! Yeah. During Kick Ass, they played the Iron Man 2 trailer. Nope. I have no idea what it looks like. I closed my eyes and plugged my ears as much as possible in order to avoid it. I also thought about other things. No, I don’t really recall what was said. It was good to miss it. I want to see it with no other preconceptions, other than I know that I’m going to like it.

The cats! The cats are getting along pretty well. We let Xavier out of my office, and Storme didn’t attack him. Much. After a few days of “getting to know you” through the door, we finally let them get together, and they’re doing smashingly. Lenora got what she wanted: two cats that get together in order to play.

And I’ve got some busy-ness to attend to. That stuff I was talking about? Yep. That.

More later. Right now, go listen to some Credence Clearwater Revival. CCR is always good. You’ll thank me later.

-Steven

I was at work, and an artist for a project that I manage sent over a page. I was able to view the page in all of its glory on my phone, and reply to it, accepting the page.

Another team I manage uses Dropbox. And guess what? There’s an app for that!

I had to look at thumbnails and match them against the pages of the script, and while I could have done it on my phone, it would have taken a LONG time. So there was no go on that. But the pages that come in from here? I can view on my phone if I’m at work, and either accept them or call for changes from there. Very, VERY nice.

I also lost my work calendar somewhere in the house. (At least, I believe its in the house.) But you know what? It was almost ridiculously simple to put my work schedule on my phone. Why do I even need to keep my schedule handy? Because my schedule can change. I may need to work twelve hours some days, or I may switch with someone who needs it, or I may have a furlough day (like I do this week). So it really all depends. But I’m getting more use out of the phone, and like I said, setting it up was ridiculously easy. And since it’s mostly recurring stuff, I just have to keep an eye out for the changes, and that’s done with a simple alarm. So, my work world is coming into view with a simple glance. Nice.

What else did I do last night/early this morning? Well, I rewrote a three page synopsis of an ongoing series into a page of summary. Sell, not tell. It wasn’t the easiest thing to do. I had to find the angle that would be interesting, and start from there. It was a good exercise, though. I sent it back to the artist, who runs his own webcomic. He’s doing it all, and is loving it. We’re bartering services. I edit for him, and because I wanted to work with him on something, he’s drawing a book for me. It’s a three issue book, and it should do decently well with his style. And I’ve got a lead on a digital distributor, so we’ll see what they say when the time comes. I just have to do some work on the script before I send it to him. I’m exhausted, though, and will do that work tomorrow. I’ve got plans for today.

I also just found out that we’ve been the victim of a “mirroring” scam. Someone got ahold of my wife’s debit card information, and has been making purchases with it. She found this out today. We’re supposed to have a pretty nice cushion of money now. Instead, we’re flat broke. Extremely pissed off, let me tell you.

She’s getting a new card, and isn’t lending it out to the kids anymore. They’ll either have to wait to get cash, or do without. I’m extremely tired of not having the amount of money I should, and having to dip into my editing money to pay for things that should come out of the house money. I understand about doing what we have to do, but if the money wasn’t there, then what? Exactly.

I’m tired. Going to bed. I’ve already sent out the e-mails I needed to send, I’ve replied to what I needed to, looked at artwork, had the car cleaned out, and discovered I’m generally broke. I’ve got plans for tonight and tomorrow that I’m going to go through with, and then I’m going to take the other two days off from going out. I have other work to do.

Tomorrow, if things go the way I want them to, I’ll be going to see Kick-Ass. We’ll see how that works out.

Go listen to the Twin Peaks soundtrack. You’ll be soothed. That’s what I’m going to do, as I drift off to sleep.

-Steven

I quit on a writer. A paid editing job.

One of my writing friends sent some work my way. He writes a column, and one of the readers of his column was interested in being edited. My friend sent him over to me, and we did a little dance of introduction. Finally, he says that he wants me to edit him, but doesn’t want to work without a contract. I saw whatever, and draw up a contract. He doesn’t like some of the wording of the contract, and redoes it. He reveals that he’s a lawyer, and kinda like saying “doctor,” you conjure an image of a person who knows what he’s doing. Or is at least intelligent. Gotta be smart in order to pass the bar, right?

So we hash out the contract, and he sends over the first script. It wasn’t good. It wasn’t even close to good. I’ve seen bad scripts, and while it wasn’t horrible, it still makes my top ten for the dialogue alone. What made it so bad? Panel descriptions that were lacking in basic information while being overly wordy with information that the artist isn’t going to need or use; actions that didn’t make sense; logic holes; characters with no true motivation; dialogue that was truly wretched in places. There were also some formatting issues that had to be taken care of, as well.

I might have written more about his script than he did.

And what did he want to do? He wanted to fight me on a lot of the changes.

Now, when I edit, I ask a lot of questions. I have some snark, but I ask a LOT of questions if something doesn’t make sense. I ask the questions in order to get the writer thinking about what they’re doing. There shouldn’t be too many instances of “maybe” and “possibly” in a panel description. That tells me you don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. That you can’t see it in your head. Yeah. He wasn’t seeing it, but he was trying to put it down on paper.

So, like I said, he was resistant to the changes. Why? Because of things that Moore did back in the day. Or Gaiman. Or whomever. No original thoughts of his own. No understanding that the people he’s studying are doing things with panel descriptions in order to evoke a response from the reader.

He says he wants to create a beautiful, dense read for his comic. But then, after doing more thinking, he wants to lower the panel count to about four or five panels per page, and he steadfastly refuses to raise the word count on the pages. In order to be dense, you need to have either a lot of panels per page, or a lot of words per panel. He doesn’t want to do that.

I’m getting ahead of myself.

The first draft I read was entirely padded, with nothing of real import happening. The stuff that DID happen could have been done in seven pages. So, what did I do? I replotted the issue for him.I made sure something interesting on every page.

Yep. He resisted that, too. Reworked some of it, but not all of it.

I won’t go on with a play by play of what happened.  I will, however, go over some of the things he said.

This is basically his first story. He dreams of it being an ongoing. Before I accepted any money from him, I advised him to write other stories first, and to come back to this one. He would have a much better understanding of what is going on if he did that. No, he didn’t want to do it. He just wanted to tell this story. It’s his baby, and it was what he wanted to do. And why was he resistant to some of my changes? Because his instincts told him to do something differently. I scoffed at that. I admit it. This is basically the first time you’ve written anything, and all of a sudden you have instincts? Right.

But I backed off on it. Let the artist deal with it.

I told him that his character needed a better storyarc. She needed to change over the course of the issue, and the best way to do that is through narration, since she’s not on-screen all of the time. He picks up her internal monologue when she’s first seen, and then drops it until the end. Why? Because Moore did it to show such and such. That’s nice, but you’re not Alan Moore, and you’re introducing a character to the world. You want people to understand what she’s going through? Then she needs to talk. You need to show how she’s changing over the course of the issue.

No. He doesn’t want to do that.

I tell him that Stan Lee moved Spider-Man from selfish to selfless in the space of 11 pages. You saw and understood why he changed. You haven’t effectively changed your character in over double the amount of pages, and you need to. His response? No one wants to read stuff written in Stan’s style today.

I’m sorry, but what does Stan’s style of writing have to do with moving a character from A to B? I mean, is it me, or is it willful ignorance? I break it down Barney style for him, and he still either doesn’t get it, or refuses to get it. I can’t help that.

He also tells me that he doesn’t think visually. I’m sorry, but comic books is a visual medium. If you cannot think visually, then you’re in the wrong line of business. Yes, I told him this, because its true. What do the characters look like? What’s the setting? What’s that? You can’t be bothered to be bogged down with petty things like the looks of a character, and that is the job of the artist, anyway? Then you fail. Plain and simple. You fail, and until you learn to help yourself, there’s no one who can really help you. Because if you can’t understand terms such as storyarc and characterization, calling them “just catchphrases,” then I think your level of craft is nowhere near where it needs to be in order to tell an effective story.

However, since I obviously don’t know what the hell I’m talking about, I told him to forget about paying me the kill fee, and don’t send the script back to me, because I was done. I don’t need to argue with you on how to make your story better. If you knew better already, why hire me?

So why do I regret it?

Because I quit. I mean, yes, I feel that he wanted to argue more than he wanted to be helped, but still, I quit on him. He broke me down. I knew it was coming, but I thought I’d be able to make it through this first issue. I was wrong. I’m not happy about it, but I have peace of mind now. No, there isn’t anything he can do to make it up to me, or have me come back onboard. Well, maybe if he quadrupled my fee, in conjunction with a non-argument clause. That’s about it.

Anyway.

We have another cat.

Lenora wanted to get Storme a playmate. She’s a bit rambunctious, definitely a diva, and Lenora thought that a playmate would calm her down. There was a kitten in the complex that she wanted, but no one had seen it for the past couple of days when it was time for the appointment with the vet. So the kitten was out. She left for work early yesterday because she wanted to pay a bill, and then she comes home with another cat.

The cat’s name was Stumpy, because he was born without two rear paws. One rear leg is also longer than the other. No, I didn’t like the name. It wasn’t dignified. Being a cripple, I gave him the only name that fits. Xavier.

And Storme? She is an UNHAPPY kitty! Hisses at him, tried to attack him, and really, just doesn’t like him right now. So, the introductions have to be slow. Right now, Xavier is stuck in my office. Luckily, it’s decently spaced. He has a food bowl and a litter box in here for now. They’ll get to know each other through the door, and then through the carrier, and then, hopefully, they’ll be friends. At least, that’s the plan. We’ll see how it goes.

I just want them to get along. I don’t think that’s much to ask for.

And that’s really about it. I’m a damned dirty quitter, I’ve got work to do, and we have a new cat.

Go listen to Peaceful Journey by Heavy D. Then entire album. You’ll be happy you did.

-Steven

I’ve been giving some thought to starting up Bolts & Nuts again. Especially since I have my laptop back. However, I don’t want to sound repetitive, and there are people going over some of the information I’ve already covered, and there are people who are going in a totally different way, such as Lee Nordling and his Comic Pro Prep. I must admit to being remiss about even going to the Project Fanboy site as of late, but there are reasons. I’ve got a lot of my own writing to do while at home, and now that my laptop is back and working, I’ve got to prepare for my upcoming comic book, Bullet Time. I’ve got to re-letter it once I get the pages back from the inker, and I’ve also got to letter the rest of the book.

I’ve also got another editing gig for one of my friends. His book is also going through Markosia, and while he’s promising some back-end pay, I’m not really looking for it. I don’t charge my friends. Another friend sent over a script he wants to send in to Zuda. Something of a hot mess, but I think I was able to help him turn it around. That makes me feel good. I enjoy helping. And if it gets into the competition? More power to him.

Lionman. Things aren’t going so well for Grand Master O’Neil. His brother died last week, and his nephew was murdered a couple of days ago. That’s personal life, which is deep and painful. However, on the comic book side, he also lost a huge sum of money AND books when the printer he was using closed up shop and disappeared. The amount of money most of us dream about dropping on a full color book? Yeah. That’s what I’m talking about. When it rains, it pours. I’ll be talking to him later today about it.

I’m waiting to hear back from an artist about a possible book to put together for The Pack. I’ll give it until Sunday.

I’m going to need a calendar soon, in order to keep up with follow ups and such. And I’ll probably start having appointments soon. Face to face appointments! Even more of a reason to have business cards. I just need to update the phone number on it. I have a google voice number now that I direct all of my business associates to. It rings to both my cell phone and my home phone. So, if I’m home and someone calls for business, I don’t have to use up my minutes on my cell. If I’m out and about and someone calls for business, then I use my cell. But my cell and home number stay private.

The problem? I have just about 1k business cards with my cell number on it! I bought them in bulk, and really paid very little for them, but I’m not willing just as yet to pay to have them changed over. Not yet. A couple of things need to happen first. Basically, this has to do with The Plan.

As a creator, there is very little reason for you NOT to have a business card of your own. As soon as you’ve got one thing under your belt to show people, get a business card made. On it, have your name, an e-mail addy that will NEVER go away (I prefer gmail, because it is MUCH better than Yahoo or Hotmail, although it takes a little getting used to. However, once you get used to the threaded conversations, the ability to instant message, have multiple in-boxes, filters for incoming messages, labels, and other cool stuff, I highly doubt you’d use yahoo or hotmail again.), and a good phone number, as well as what it is you do. Put all of that on the front, on a regular sized card, on good card stock with a demi-gloss, and you’re ready to rock and roll. Leave the backside blank. Why? So that people can write notes on it! Know what happens when people write notes on the back of your card? THEY KEEP THEM! That means they keep YOU!

I haven’t been that active on Facebook lately. Or on Twitter. Hell, I’ve just about abandoned Twitter. Social networking is a full-time job, and I have things to do. It takes time to read and message people back. That’s time taken away from other projects, and I’m about to be damned busy.

I recently got an e-mail from a guy, thanking me for Bolts & Nuts. He said he gained a lot of insight from it. It reminds me of a conversation I had with one of my friends. He said that I will more than likely have no idea how much my writing of the articles has helped others. I believed him then, but didn’t really see it, you know? I believe him now, and I see some of it.

I’ve recently gone back to some of the earlier B&N articles, and read through them. You can watch the actual progression of my voice through it. A little shaky at first, and then becoming more and more “authoritative.” Some sarcasm, but (I hope) some really good and dense information in each post. The only thing it probably needs are pictures. And to be honest, I miss it. Fun times. Some good discussions.

I’m getting some ideas right now. Let’s see what happens when I put them to paper. I won’t submit them until I have at least 8 in the hopper. Let’s see what I can do.

In real life, we’re getting another cat. I believe I mentioned this. Well, today’s the day we see if the cat Lenora wants is healthy. A couple of hours for that, I figure. Then she’s off to work, I’m home with the cats, and doing my writing.

I have to go back to work tonight. This was a good few days off. It really FELT like I was off, you know? I didn’t feel like I was off for the past couple of weeks. This week, though, I felt it. And it felt good. I’m even looking forward to my furlough day. I don’t get paid for it, but it’ll be four days off in a row. Going into this week, I have my four work days, then three days off, then three work days, then four days off.

I just got a little homesick.

My last girlfriend while I was in NY lived a few towns over from me. Call it ten minutes on the parkway. Together, she showed me places where it was just nice to drive and look at the houses, or some walking trails, or family for her to visit that was way out on the island. (Long Island, folks. Out in Suffolk County. Not the Hamptons, but close enough for my tastes.) Just beautiful places to see. Lots of greens, construction that didn’t have the houses looking all the same, and the memories of them are pulling at my heartstrings.

I like Tucson, but I don’t love it. I definitely don’t hate it. But it’s not my home. I haven’t felt “at home” in a VERY long time. Just being in a place where you can’t get lost, you know where you’re going, you know what to expect. I miss that. When you go to your abode, you can be on your property, and know that it’s YOURS. Your grass, your garage, your house, and everything in it belongs to you. You can’t do that in an apartment, and you can’t do that when renting a house. But when you OWN it, there’s something magical about that.

I miss the place I grew up in, and I want to get back there.

Go watch Blood Orgy of the She-Devils. No, it’s not porn. B-movie greatness. Just enjoy it for its badness.

-Steven

I got my laptop back on Sunday night. It’s back in working condition, and is not giving me any problems at all. What happened to it? The backlight went out on it. I could turn it on, but I couldn’t see anything. Yep. Major suckitude. My co-worker thought it was the power inverter, and installed a new one. It seemed to be working, but when I got it back, it would turn on, but the screen wouldn’t light up. Finally he ordered a new backlight, and it’s working just fine now.

That’s right, folks! I’m back in business! Just in time, too! I’m expecting to have to re-letter the first issue of Bullet Time, as well as all the subsequent issues. Couple that with the editing work and the writing I want to do for myself, and you can see that Steven’s a busy guy. And you know what? I LIKE being able to work from my bedroom. The only thing that sucks about my office is that my chair isn’t comfortable. As soon as that is fixed, I should be in there much more often.

Anything else… Let’s see…

My wife is thinking about getting another cat. She already has her eye on a couple. Storme is fine (just has some roundworms that we’re going to take care of on Thursday), but she’s a bit rambunctious. Lenora wants to get another cat–kitten, really–to help calm her down. Someone to play with. There’s a neighborhood kitten that she likes, but needs to be tested for feline leukemia first. We’ll be doing that on Thursday, too. Yeah. Expensive.

That’s really about it. I have my laptop back, and we’re going to have another cat soon.

Now, back to work for me. Got a lot of stuff to do.

Go watch Plan 9 From Outer Space. Make it an Ed Wood day.

-Steven