TWO FISTED HOMEOPAPE September/06 - I can only hope, and never complain.
Or, y’know, scratch that and reverse it.
♫ I applied for a rescue dog,
But if I get you dog,
You're rescuing me ♫
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2021 -- beyond.
There’s always something to do.
This is the thought that keeps me going, and thankfully doesn’t keep me up at night [I’m too exhausted, I sleep just fine].
I still don’t have the next project properly greenlit, so I’m not in a “rush” of things to wipe off my plate. Instead, I have things to push around my plate, noodle with, and see what happens.
Don’t get me wrong, there are still some things that require attention, and in good time: I’m prepping the EVERFROST trade materials; BLACK BEACON has 3 more single issues to release that require back matter and proofing consideration; and SHE Vol. 2 requires the final edit/polish. But beyond that, I’m floating around, to be honest.
When I’m in that state, I tend to wander, and usually stumble into something that’s right. This past week has been no different.
I’m got onto a burst and finished the script for the first issue of [THE SHARP INK PROJECT]. The pitch is still out with a publisher, but I wanted to better explore this world and the characters and sometimes if the iron is hot, I strike it repeatedly and see what shape it makes. I’m pretty happy with this first draft, to be honest. It hits some good scenes, it ends on a strong note, and it has a few attempts at some of those wonderful things you can only do in comics.
I looked at my 50 short pieces of “300 word flash fiction,” many of them over 300 words, and wondered what I could/should do with them. It’s over 30,000 words, and some of these things are my very best prose writing. Not to mention, I had fun writing them, so I’ve tinkered a little with some formatting and am considering the chance to whip it into an ebook. I’d also love to know the over/under on costs for printing up a dirty little pocket sized paperback edition, but I’ll take the steps as they come, and for now I’m considering :what to title the damn thing, if I can get a cover knocked together, and then putting it onto my Patreon first and foremost. Beyond that...I’ll continue to consider it.
An editor reached out to me about a one page script gig, and it was pretty intriguing, so I have a plan for that already knocked up.
Beyond that, for the week ahead, I’ll let that first issue script lay in the soil to ferment, and I’ll hopefully cast my eye towards SHE and wrap that up.
There is always something, and that’s the thing that keeps me moving, and hopefully not snowed under.
Not to mention: there’s every chance something big is about to happen in my life and that’ll mean I don’t want crazy deadlines hanging over me, so perhaps things are just fortuitous in their timing and release. I can only hope, and never complain.
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And I will grow my hair long for you..
There’s a comic adaptation of THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH on Kickstarter, and I’m all here for it!
I remember reading THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH at uni after it took me years to track down a copy. I wanted a copy because it was quoted at the start of Michael Ondaatje’s IN THE SKIN OF A LION and the quote stuck with me forevermore.
I’d read about the book, it’s the world’s oldest story, and I’d been fascinated to give it a whirl, so was stoked when one finally came up for the “affordable at uni” price of $4 on eBay. Nabbed it on sight and got stuck into it and it’s a cool old epic.
So to see someone adapting it into comics gave me a smile, and got them an instant back, and really, just look at this cover and you’ll see why. Back GILGAMESH: ETERNAL #1 now.
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ASD&D.
No playing this week, but I did find: ffproject.com
Did I link that last week? It’s a site where you can play Fighting Fantasy knock-off stories. The gameplay on the site isn’t too bad, so I set it for my school group. A bit of lockdown fun for those with time to kill.
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PERHAPS YOU'D CARE TO SAMPLE
THE LONELY GIANT on Kickstarter - in its last days, and gonna get a spot gloss treatment to the cover!
PIPE CREEPERS on Kickstarter - Mario Bros meets Eldritch Horrors. Frank Martin rides again!
OSRYNN WEST on Kickstarter - a D&D and Westerm flavoured collection of shorts. Looks crazy fun!
THREE, a digital fantasy anthology on Kickstarter - love the cover/logo design on this, stories look ace, too.
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GRIST FOR THE MILL
THE GUNSLINGER: THE DARK TOWER - just finished a reread on this, and it’s still damn fine prose. There are some really beautiful moments in it, and I forgot how it ends in the most Reefer Reflections way possible, but that completely works for me still. There’s a lot to dig into on this one because it’s a hero’s journey where elements could easily be looked at to mean anything.
Is the gunslinger’s quest one about absolute faith that will see you through to the end, or is it about unyielding dedication that’ll slowly grind you down to nothing? Is he chasing an afterlife, a reward of some kind, or just an answer to the hollow question we all carry inside ourselves? Does he represent the classic, stoic, and true hero we should aspire to be, or is he the image of masculinity from half a century ago who was easily duped by capitalism?
There are moments where he fucks over the people in his life, and the world fucks him over, and ultimately maybe he’s fucking himself over. He’s giving away everything for a quest, for a higher purpose, and we have to weigh if it’s honestly worth it. Do enough bodies on the side of the road justify the end of journey if it’s all because you simply “believe” it’s the right thing? Is ignorance bliss? Does faith cause us to see everything and everyone as a plot point on your way to something bigger?
Is the gunslinger a hero, or a sad indictment of how the world continues to fail us?
It’s a short book, 5 loooong chapters/novellas, and there’s a whole mess you could discuss out of it.
LABYRINTH - hadn’t watched this flick in about 25 years, maybe more. Sat down for a Father’s day treat to watch it with the kids and enjoyed the nostalgia hit. But, I also enjoyed thinking deeply about the story, and found a bunch of stuff that 10yo RKL clearly had no clue on.
I wrote a live-tweet thread about it - in short: this flick about a young girl delving into a fantasy labyrinth full of goblins and creatures in order to save her baby step-brother, is really all about the girl shedding her fear about life changing and being able to accept the current situation of her life/family, and process it all with a touch more logic than emotion, while also realising you still totally need to hold onto fears, doubts, a gruff exterior, a wild side, and a firm view of yourself [albeit, one that *can* change]. The only thing she needs to slough off is the desire to bury her head in the past and escape, because that’s completely unhealthy.
The flick calls its shot at the very start with hidden references to WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE and THE WIZARD OF OZ and then goes from there in a Bowie-Escher-Dali infused experience. I did not get one single piece of this as a child, but looking at it as an adult, I can see what an amazing lesson it provides for kids. If they’re smart enough to see it.
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Be one of the good guys, because there's way too many of the bad.
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POST CREDITS SEQUENCE
Registering honest levels of fear and excitement in my system is difficult to do. I control my emotions, I over analyse my thoughts, and sometimes I don’t know if my response is logical or emotional because I’ve overhandled it too much before I ever truly *feel* it.
But sometimes I have to try and trust my gut. If an opportunity is taken away, and the instant feeling is relief, well then I need to work on ignoring the part of my brain that says “Well, this is failure, you are a failure, hang your head low in shaaaaaaame.”
Maybe it is failure, but if it’s one I’m relieved about, then I shouldn’t be worrying about it, I should just be trying to achieve something else.
It takes a lot of self-questioning and reflection to get back to the place of initial reaction, and there I can often find my true feelings about things. Brains are like heavy machinery - you should really have a licence, and you probably shouldn’t after alcohol.
Another excellent update! The lost credit sequence really resonates this week, but also love the thoughts on the flash fiction.
I write a daily flash fiction as well, although due to personal contestants mine are usually under 200 words. I have been thinking lately about how I could put them together in a single bound piece. Ebook or novel/anthology or whatever. I'll be interested to see what direction you go with your work.
Have an awesome week dude. Keep being awesome! 🙌🍻🔥