So, chapter one is done and off with the very nice man who said he'd have a look over it for me.
Chapter two, while planned, is waiting on comments made on chapter one before I put anything down.
I am in the middle of two Future Shocks, one of which I have been thinking of for a few years, but only recently decided to make it a comic instead of a short story.
I have lost my job, there was just no money to pay me, and, it turns out, there may not be the money to pay me for what I have already done, due to some crossed wires. Huzzah!
However I am on the lookout for work, and have seen something I can talk to my advisor about on Wednesday, unless I want to live in Barcalona for a year and teach English. It is something I have considered from time to time, but I don't think I'm ready to go do that just yet.
Had it been in Japan though, well...
Still heard nothing back on the two scripts I sent to 2000ad 2 1/2 weeks ago, so I have no idea if that's good/bad or means nothing.
Updates as we get them folks, remember, green oranges are bad for you!
Friday, March 31, 2006
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Hunting the very rare Editorialis Freelancita
So last night I decide I'm going to email someone I've never met, never spoken to on the phone and the only connection to them I have is that I've commented in their blog a couple of times. And I emailed him to ask if he would be amenable to a touch of freelance editing.
And I was drunk at the time.
It's not the best set of circumstances, but let me tell you where I was coming from.
With work on Quinn well under way and Chapter 1 done, I began to think about it. I want people to pay money to read this, as such I want to make it the best I can.
Alan Moore has said his writing suffered because people got too scared to edit him, and I'm no Alan Moore (yet), so for this work to be the best it can be, I will need editorial help.
Finding an editor for prose wouldn't be too hard, yet still would provide a bit of a challenge.
But where the hell do you find a freelance comic editor?
The guy I emailed, he's not even an editor any more, he's a writer of many things, some of which I own, though they weren't bought based on his name, more the property he was writing. I mean the 2000ad audio plays, I don't even know how many are his.
My point is, he's the only one I could think of, and he doesn't do it any more.
I know that the art will have to grab people, but that's Emma's job. Mine is to turn out the best script I can, and for that it will need someone to give it the once over who isn't me.
Where the hell do I find one?
And I was drunk at the time.
It's not the best set of circumstances, but let me tell you where I was coming from.
With work on Quinn well under way and Chapter 1 done, I began to think about it. I want people to pay money to read this, as such I want to make it the best I can.
Alan Moore has said his writing suffered because people got too scared to edit him, and I'm no Alan Moore (yet), so for this work to be the best it can be, I will need editorial help.
Finding an editor for prose wouldn't be too hard, yet still would provide a bit of a challenge.
But where the hell do you find a freelance comic editor?
The guy I emailed, he's not even an editor any more, he's a writer of many things, some of which I own, though they weren't bought based on his name, more the property he was writing. I mean the 2000ad audio plays, I don't even know how many are his.
My point is, he's the only one I could think of, and he doesn't do it any more.
I know that the art will have to grab people, but that's Emma's job. Mine is to turn out the best script I can, and for that it will need someone to give it the once over who isn't me.
Where the hell do I find one?
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Quinn - Back to fight crime, and punch people
It may not be the catchiest tag line, but it will do for now.
Yes, rejoice you three people who may have read The Courier and visit this blog. For I have begun the mighty follow up, to be known as Quinn until further notice or a better title presents itself.
I had started to forget how much fun it is just to write, so I am doubly glad that Quinn is so much fun.
Some of you may know I am writing this for Emma (artist on The Courier) to draw, and then put it out as a graphic novel. It's nice, because for the first time I am writing something that doesn't have to be condensed into 5 pages. Which means I can plot out more characters and, more importantly, more entertaining fight and action sequences. I am 9 pages in so far and already I have a sequence I am very pleased with down. Whether I am trying to cram too much in and will get shot down by Emma, I don't know, but for now I can add camera swoops and explosion noises to my hearts content.
I think I need to be careful though, originally planned as 9, 10 page chapters, I am 8 pages done and haven't got to the meat of the chapter yet. I may need to find myself an editor after all. Either that or carry on like this which means exposition will necessarily be kept to a minimum.
Discussion needs to be had with Emma, because I am of the mind that we should only put up completed chapters, rather than individual pages as they are done. This would mean longer between updates online, but anyone coming in would have a complete section to read from the start.
Maybe even give it it's own webpage, seperate from Emma's site - which you should check out for her latest work Split Silver, not usually my kind of thing, but I keep reading it.
So yeah, stuff done, no reply from 2000ad, no Heroclix for me I guess, no rejection of the Furture Shocks yet either. To be honest, I think my favourite of the two I sent is better than the one in this weeks 2000ad, which seemed quite old fashioned and obvious. But hey, I'm always going to like my own stuff I guess.
Yes, rejoice you three people who may have read The Courier and visit this blog. For I have begun the mighty follow up, to be known as Quinn until further notice or a better title presents itself.
I had started to forget how much fun it is just to write, so I am doubly glad that Quinn is so much fun.
Some of you may know I am writing this for Emma (artist on The Courier) to draw, and then put it out as a graphic novel. It's nice, because for the first time I am writing something that doesn't have to be condensed into 5 pages. Which means I can plot out more characters and, more importantly, more entertaining fight and action sequences. I am 9 pages in so far and already I have a sequence I am very pleased with down. Whether I am trying to cram too much in and will get shot down by Emma, I don't know, but for now I can add camera swoops and explosion noises to my hearts content.
I think I need to be careful though, originally planned as 9, 10 page chapters, I am 8 pages done and haven't got to the meat of the chapter yet. I may need to find myself an editor after all. Either that or carry on like this which means exposition will necessarily be kept to a minimum.
Discussion needs to be had with Emma, because I am of the mind that we should only put up completed chapters, rather than individual pages as they are done. This would mean longer between updates online, but anyone coming in would have a complete section to read from the start.
Maybe even give it it's own webpage, seperate from Emma's site - which you should check out for her latest work Split Silver, not usually my kind of thing, but I keep reading it.
So yeah, stuff done, no reply from 2000ad, no Heroclix for me I guess, no rejection of the Furture Shocks yet either. To be honest, I think my favourite of the two I sent is better than the one in this weeks 2000ad, which seemed quite old fashioned and obvious. But hey, I'm always going to like my own stuff I guess.
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Comedy in Reading (the town, not the verb)
Going up to my old haunts to see Omid Djalili tonight, I may have mentioned this before.
Due to a lack of planning and checking on my part, I am surprised to find I will have to crash there tonight, as there are no trains home late night.
However, a bonus piece of news, Futurequake has been named SFX's fanzine of the month. Now, it's not the issue I'm in, but it is a mag I have been accepted by, so I will take the reflected glory.
That's not a bad thing.
Due to a lack of planning and checking on my part, I am surprised to find I will have to crash there tonight, as there are no trains home late night.
However, a bonus piece of news, Futurequake has been named SFX's fanzine of the month. Now, it's not the issue I'm in, but it is a mag I have been accepted by, so I will take the reflected glory.
That's not a bad thing.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Assault on Tharg's Mighty Organ (heh).
Yes, today I stepped up my campaign to get my name, in print, in the mighty publication, otherwise known as 2000ad.
So, I have emailed the letters page and hope to get my Heroclix figure, a bonus Graphic Novel would be good, but the letter wasn't that deserving.
However, I now have 2 Future Shocks completed and ready to go, maybe a bit of dialogue polishing, but I'm very happy with one and a little puzzled with another. I know I've got a decent story, but for some reasons I can't quite suss why it doesn't seem right, I may have just spent too much time thinking on it to be honest.
Tomorrow I go to Reading to see Omid Djalili on stage. While there I will be droppping off a few of the printed copies of The Courier with Jon, who has offered to pass them around the 2000ad office. With rumours that the Megazine will start printing small press strips to bring cost down and fill pages, there is a chance that will prove more useful than had I given them to him to hand around a couple of months ago like I meant to.
Meanwhile I've managed to start a couple of long threads on the 2000ad message board, not to do with me, but I like the fact I've got people talking.
Anyway, that's two more Future Shocks I need to do this week, at the very least. May even get 3 done.
In other news check out the BBC's Open Earth Archive, where you can cut together your own little movies of nature, or download more clips and make a longer one.
Anyway, fare thee well, traveller on the virtual seas, pass back this way again, maybe there will be news that you care about. But probably not.
So, I have emailed the letters page and hope to get my Heroclix figure, a bonus Graphic Novel would be good, but the letter wasn't that deserving.
However, I now have 2 Future Shocks completed and ready to go, maybe a bit of dialogue polishing, but I'm very happy with one and a little puzzled with another. I know I've got a decent story, but for some reasons I can't quite suss why it doesn't seem right, I may have just spent too much time thinking on it to be honest.
Tomorrow I go to Reading to see Omid Djalili on stage. While there I will be droppping off a few of the printed copies of The Courier with Jon, who has offered to pass them around the 2000ad office. With rumours that the Megazine will start printing small press strips to bring cost down and fill pages, there is a chance that will prove more useful than had I given them to him to hand around a couple of months ago like I meant to.
Meanwhile I've managed to start a couple of long threads on the 2000ad message board, not to do with me, but I like the fact I've got people talking.
Anyway, that's two more Future Shocks I need to do this week, at the very least. May even get 3 done.
In other news check out the BBC's Open Earth Archive, where you can cut together your own little movies of nature, or download more clips and make a longer one.
Anyway, fare thee well, traveller on the virtual seas, pass back this way again, maybe there will be news that you care about. But probably not.
Sunday, March 12, 2006
Nuff Said
| Rob Spalding -- [noun]: An immortal 'How" will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com |
Saturday, March 11, 2006
Such a slacker!
So I had last week off work while the company tries to find the money to continually employ me.
"Perfect!" you cry, "now you have plenty of time and no distractions to get in the way of your writing."
Ah, so true. Six Future Shocks mostly planned out in my head. More chapters needing to be done for The Carpenter's Apprentice, perhaps even get to work on the action-Cthulu story.
So I watched Firefly from start to finish, then read the Serenity comic and watched Serenity. I need more stories in the Verse!
Yup, I wasted the week, yay me! I did get on FS done, but I am not happy with the ending. And now I also have this week off, which doesn't give the best bodings (is bodings a word?).
But I will get stuff done this week! If only because I have watched everything, read al my comics, including Bone which you should all get because it's brilliant.
So, this week the plan is to get at least 4 Shocks done, and as a reward I won't panic over how much it's going to cost to get to see Omid Djalili on Wednesday.
Yeah, because I won't waste this week either, I despair of myself.
"Perfect!" you cry, "now you have plenty of time and no distractions to get in the way of your writing."
Ah, so true. Six Future Shocks mostly planned out in my head. More chapters needing to be done for The Carpenter's Apprentice, perhaps even get to work on the action-Cthulu story.
So I watched Firefly from start to finish, then read the Serenity comic and watched Serenity. I need more stories in the Verse!
Yup, I wasted the week, yay me! I did get on FS done, but I am not happy with the ending. And now I also have this week off, which doesn't give the best bodings (is bodings a word?).
But I will get stuff done this week! If only because I have watched everything, read al my comics, including Bone which you should all get because it's brilliant.
So, this week the plan is to get at least 4 Shocks done, and as a reward I won't panic over how much it's going to cost to get to see Omid Djalili on Wednesday.
Yeah, because I won't waste this week either, I despair of myself.
Friday, March 03, 2006
Getting there.
Yup, so website bought. Images begged for and got a couple. First two chapters re-written and just about ready for first public consumption.
Joomla installed and struggling with.
Yes, that's right, it can't be too much longer before I actually get the site up for people to view. I will however need techie help from my mate, who I (shamefully) only ever seem yto see these days when I need tech help. That's partly because he's so busy and partly because I'm so lazy.
After agonising over trying to come up with Future Shock ideas for a few years, last week was inspiration central, I came up with 4 new stories and resolved how to fit another 2 into the framework after being stuck for about 6 months on them.
The follow up to The Courier, provisionally titled Quinn, carries on apace in my mind. And I will be heading to the Bristol ComicExpo because Jon has crashing space, which is cool. So I may be pimping the (unwritten and barely planned) book there. In a related bonus my local comic shop said they would take some on a sale or return when it's done, even let me do a promotional day where I can sit in there and sign copies. Which will be nice.
Anyway, movement, movement, forward the Year of Rob!
Joomla installed and struggling with.
Yes, that's right, it can't be too much longer before I actually get the site up for people to view. I will however need techie help from my mate, who I (shamefully) only ever seem yto see these days when I need tech help. That's partly because he's so busy and partly because I'm so lazy.
After agonising over trying to come up with Future Shock ideas for a few years, last week was inspiration central, I came up with 4 new stories and resolved how to fit another 2 into the framework after being stuck for about 6 months on them.
The follow up to The Courier, provisionally titled Quinn, carries on apace in my mind. And I will be heading to the Bristol ComicExpo because Jon has crashing space, which is cool. So I may be pimping the (unwritten and barely planned) book there. In a related bonus my local comic shop said they would take some on a sale or return when it's done, even let me do a promotional day where I can sit in there and sign copies. Which will be nice.
Anyway, movement, movement, forward the Year of Rob!
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