My 2018 Writing & Project Docket

I think I can say, with some confidence...that my non-blog non-freelance writing for 2018 is over. Much of it has been the sheer number of words I wrote (two novellas plus a short novel and two academic papers equal over 90,000 words, and that's not including a six-page comic story for a benefit book that's yet to be published), but much of it is that the muse seems to have left me...

...or more to the point, I'm just plain tired. (And yes, there are people I consider my "muses". They can contact me privately if they think they know who they are).

So as the holidays approach, I've decided to give myself a break from writing. After all, without the pressure of impending deadlines, I don't feel the need to crank out fiction. Plus, if I'm completely honest...I've compromised my own self-care. I need to be much gentler on myself and taking some time to catch my breath would not be a bad idea.

But looking forward to early 2018 here's what's on the fiction writing/personal project docket:

• Developing an animated bible and two scripts (one pilot/one episode) for animated adaptation of another's unpublished graphic novel; it's a contract position that I'm working on mostly to develop my portfolio and build skills;
• Finishing Big in the '90s (tentative title), a short story/possible novella focusing on a group of 1990s street-level superheroes reuniting to face one of their biggest challenges;
• Writing a speaker/presentation page and rewriting my professional services page for gordondymowski.com; 
• Developing and writing a graphic novel script tentatively titled The Reichenbach Notebook, which combines The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Leverage.
• Two sequels to already written stories (one published, the other yet-to-be); and 
  
• Potential work on panels for C2E2, Oak Lawn Fan Fest, and DePaul Pop Culture Celebration (as well as another, totally unrelated academic endeavor)

I know all that sounds rather daunting, but I'm more than willing to let it go for now. I'm a bit burned out and in a strange emotional place. (It's a tricky personal situation that isn't for public consumption...but it has meant that I'll be a lot more appreciative and open with my friends).  But for the last few weeks of 2018, a year that has been personally and professionally challenging, I'm chilling out.

Relatively speaking, of course. And you're always welcome to convince someone to hire me and/or buy one of my books in the interim. 

Windy City Pulp - The Verdict....

Me and Ron Fortier - the Intellectual
Powerhouses of Zone 4

To be honest, I entered this year's Windy City Pulp & Paper a bit underwhelmed - no, not by the convention itself, but because C2E2 was a bit wearing (yet not totally unenjoyable).

But thankfully, with fedora on head, I headed out to Lombard - normally, the home of Chicago TARDIS, but this year, the site of....well, the beginnings of my writing career.

It's unusual for me to head out on a Sunday - I'm used to visiting Windy City Pulp on Saturday, but thanks to Easter's placement on the calendar, C2E2 and Windy City were both on the same weekend. Thankfully, I headed out on New Pulp day, where Zone 4 cohost/Airship 27 "boss" (yes, I edit for Airship 27) Ron Fortier had me run a few panels....and it was fun.

Now, for some more important news - as many of you know (because I've said it on Facebook), I've written a story entitled "When Angels Fall" for Mark Bousquet's New World Navigation anthology. Currently, I'm giving it some last minute edits, and that should be out in the fall. My story is a heady mixture of hard boiled private detective, high fantasy, and a cartoon bear. Yes, you did read that correctly.

However, I am pleased to announce that throughout the latter half of 2014, I will have some short stories in various anthologies published by Pro Se Productions. They're a small outfit out of Arkansas and Tommy Hancock, the major domo of Pro Se, is a great guy with a singular taste in headgear. So if you like stories about alternate worlds, or corrupt mayors, or even former state legislators who become bounty hunters....I think you'll like what I'll be writing. (You also might want to check out many of their works, including Black Pulp , Fortune McCall, and Lazarus Gray). I'm also working on a story for Airship 27 - the subject matter will be familiar to blog readers as well....

Interesting postscript - as I headed back from Windy City, delighted to see my pulp-loving pals and acquire some reading materials (those Doc Savage reprints won't purchase themselves, you know), I was thinking of possibly doing an event with Chicago Nerd Social Club....but thought that they might think of pulp as too old fashioned. A member post in CNSC's Facebook group (which is members only) openly wondered why more people hadn't heard of it....and several others expressed pulpy interest.

If life in Chicago means being a pulp nerd and a Doctor Who nerd....then so be it.

How I'm Spending This Weekend

Hanging at Chicago TARDIS - not only will I be working their social media channels, and hanging with pals, but I'll also be a panelist. If you're there, please feel free to drop by any of the following panels, approach me, and say "hello" -

• I Knew The Doctor Before He Was Cool - Friday,  11:00 am to 12:00 pm - Cypress (Programming 3)
• The Medium and the Message - Friday, - 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm - Lilac A-C (Programming 2)
• Don't Be THAT Fan! - Friday, - 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm - Lilac A-C (Programming 2)
• Does The Classic Series Really Matter? - Saturday, - 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm - Lilac A-C (Programming 2)

Hope to see you there!

Not Just Another PRODUCT OF SOCIETY

So I'm at Vertcon last week - taking in a short comic-related respite before making it out for the more professionally-oriented Techweek. In a church hall of comic professionals, I stand out in my polo and khakis.

"Gordon! Hey, Gordon!" I hear in a slightly hoarse whisper.

Turning around, I see a gentleman nodding me towards him, and he introduces himself - he's Jon Michael Lennon, publisher of Product of Society, head of Cheeselord Comics, and fan of all things comic related.
We talk, exchange pleasantries, and I purchase issues 4 and 5 of Product of Society. He encourages me to post positively about them....or negatively, should I desire.

Thankfully, in the midst of today's heat, I've had the chance to read both issues, and quite honestly.....they're good in a delightfully sick and twisted way. If CR pal Decapitated Dan likes these books, then my reaction is a double okey-dokey.

These aren't to everyone's taste - issue 4 (written solely by Jon with a variety of artists) has a uniquely perverse mindset, and the tone of the writing may not be your cup of tea. (Since I have a very warped sensibility, I really enjoyed reading this book). You have to appreciate a story, for example, which involves radioactive beavers and the phrase, Does my destiny involve a grilled cheese sandwich? (Trust me, reading the story is infinitely better than my attempting to paraphrase it).

Issue 5 takes on a more general anthology approach with a variety of authors and artists....although it's not quite as warped, there is a really strong otherworldly vibe about it....as well as a nice, slanted take on reality. (And a pal wrote one of the stories in issue 5 - I'll let you guess who and which tale).

All in all, Product of Society is a pretty cool find - some solid tales with a slightly off-kilter perspective that make some pretty good reading.

Well worth seeking out.

Windy City Pulp and Paper - Why Pulp Matters

Spent a good chunk of Saturday hanging out at the Windy City Pulp and Paper con with Zone 4 pal Ron Fortier - granted, it didn't have the scope or the raw immediacy of C2E2, but what it did have, I think, is much more vital, vibrant, and for me, at least....important.

Scratch that - for me, it's critical.

At the expense of sounding rather curmudgeonly, we who appreciate more "geeky" or "nerdy" endeavors are spoiled. We have DVDs of old material that we can look over. We have web sites, forums, and other attempts to court us for our hard-earned discretionary spending cash. Every aspect of entertainment has us in our sights, and rather than use this as a way to launch further into a rich tapestry.....we either turn away, complain for what we lack (like, say, people complaining that they can't download Bar Tab of Rassilon, even though they can watch it in a browser 24/7), or engage in the kind of single-minded obnoxious thuggery usually reserved for fans of major sports. In turn, we also don't celebrate craft and literacy, and choose to focus more on the "cool" and hip. We turn away from a sense of history, and focus more on our immediate needs (consider recent conversations around creators' rights, with many who speak out being dismissed as "wanting attention" because they see a lack of creativity in major efforts). In short, we're doomed to repeat history because we're ignoring it.

Pulp literature reminds us of our common history - it's our first, most immediate link to how creators were thinking this stuff up on the spot. It's that immediacy, that sense of "now", that burns throughout. It's an unashamed willingness to go popular, rather than cater to some kind of "exclusive" club, that makes pulp literature so important - for comics fans, it's their way to embrace that past, and to actually find some valid excitement in the "cheap" entertainment of the past.

Oh, Gordon, you may be thinking, You're just telling us what we should like, you nostalgic twerp!

You're free to dismiss what I'm saying (although I haven't used the word twerp since I was nine years old), but consider this - you don't have to like pulp literature. There are things that you will hate....but have you ever considered broadening your tastes? The fact that there's an increasing presence for pulp literature (a whole frickin' movement) that's being driven not by old men wanting to relive the past....but younger writers embracing and creating new works that are geared solely for entertainment. Yes, it can be difficult for some to adjust to reading mostly words and not pictures....but it's worth it. It allows us to reconnect with a sense of literacy, a sense of knowing how language works, and really gives us insight into our cultural past.

(And I can say, without any sense of irony, that I end up spending more money at Windy City Pulp than I do at C2E2. I practice what I preach).

But pulp fiction - in all its varieties, from Victorian detective stories to the slam-bang prose of the 1930s, provides us insight into our goals and aspirations in the past.....which can only help drive our current goals and aspirations. The more we see ourselves as we were, the better we see ourselves as we are, and can better conceive ourselves as we should be. 


 

A Pulp-Flavored Weekend

As you may suspect, I will be spending most of my Saturday at Windy City Pulp and Paper Con, hanging out - and having good natured arguments - with Zone 4 co-conspirator Ron Fortier. (Followed by dinner with a St. Louis pal that evening). Yes, people, even though I have some freelance possibilities up in the air (my main one awaits funding; another awaits formal notification; comics work is still being performed), I'm still making my rounds out and about.

Speaking of "out and about", please be sure to check out this week's episode of Zone 4 - it's a great C2E2 recap, and quite honestly, it's always a lot of fun to record. Plus, you'll hear my professional jingle (which contains banjo - according to experts, banjo music makes any commercial impossible to ignore. I'll let you provide any further commentary or insight)

Sunday night, I will also be out and about, practicing some of the grooming tips I propose in this week's Job Stalker when I attend the fundraiser for egen.tv at Highball Lounge, located at 738 N. Clark. As many of you know, I co-host the impressively awesome Bar Tab of Rassilon (soon to be followed by the meetup imaginatively titled The Latte of Rassilon). But for those of you who are interested in attending (and/or making a donation on Indiegogo if you cannot make the Sunday night event), here's a great video explaining things in detail:





So please - feel free to share this post in your social networks, because getting me out of the house and socializing with others is always a good thing.

C2E2 - Some Final Thoughts

Granted, I normally do some photos per day focusing on C2E2 - however, this weekend was very busy, with me working the Comic Related booth, gearing up for another Bar Tab of Rassilon episode, attempting to find an artist to work on a seven page story for a Zone 4 comic....and trying to fit in enjoying the convention.

So what follows are a series of bullet points focusing on the good, the bad, and the whatever at C2E2:

• First, the location - this year, the convention was held in the "main hall" as you enter the building on the south end. In earlier years, the rooms where the convention was held required a bit of travel and coordination. Although this year's show was a bit more roomy and maneuverable, some attendees (including me) felt that it had too much of a "warehouse-esque" vibe like Wizard World. I can't point the finger at McCormick Place - that main hall has a lot of room - but something may have been lost.
• Also, a really brief note to McCormick Place - you might want to consider bolstering your wi-fi capacity, especially on a high traffic day like Saturday. My Comic Related pals had great difficulty connecting to the network, and livestreaming was a bit of a hassle. It sounds a little bit snarky, but it's probably better to go too high than too low. 
• No, I did not attend the John Barrowman panel. Yes, I regret that deeply.
• The only "why-the-heck-is-he-here" guest was a surprise Shia LaBoef, who showed up on Friday and hung out in the Artist's Alley section, signing autographs and talking to cameras. (His booth was across from Comic Related). I won't make snarky remarks about writing comics in crayon; however, it does seem like a sense of "celebrity-named-ghost-written-comics" gone slightly too far.
• The only major panel I attended was DC's Before Watchmen panel, if only to determine how much of a train wreck (creatively) this book is going to be. First and foremost: I might have taken Straczynski's criticism of Moore a little bit more seriously if he hadn't made them already earlier in the year, and simply repeated them word for word in the panel. Either he memorized these criticisms down pat....or DC has a really good PR department.
• Anyone who thinks that clouds being drawn in the form of Rorschach's face are impressive....really? (This was a big deal at the panel). Although some of the art looks good, this does have a slight whiff of desperation, seeking a nice momentary bump in sales over sustained creative efforts over time).
• Art's nice, and several black and white pages were previewed. I'm also liking how DC is engaging in a "viral campaign" to help promote the book. Part of it is that I'm always about ways in which to engage readers...but there's also a slight sense that the book will sell high, and then numbers will fall as time progresses.
• Personal highlight: Saturday night, getting to sit behind Mark Waid as he ate potato skins. I hear many a comics fan has done that. I neatly avoided taunting him that pal John W beat him in a trivia contest at a smaller con. After that, hung out with some other Comic Related pals.
• Best idea: having three different shuttle routes with the same frequency of stops (15 minutes in AM/30 minutes during bulk of convetion/15 minutes end of convention). I do think it might have been wiser to not have it as infrequently during the convention - after all, some of us had other plans during the day, and it might have been nice for a quick trip to one's hotel - but given some of the city's transit issues, this was a godsend.
• Spent most of Friday orienting two female pals to the world of comic fandom, with a stop to watch one of them get corseted. All I can say is....I've been single way too long.
• Greatest idea - the Chicago Science Fiction Outreach Project booth, which collected science fiction books and gave them away - free - for attendees. Because quite honestly, most comics fans need to be more literate, embracing a wider variety of works. This earns an A+ in my book.
• Again, I have to ask - why would anyone sell working swords at a comics convention? And please don't tell me cosplay - I would imagine that if you were cosplaying, you would not want to do anything that could possibly cause serious injury to a fellow human being.
• Best complaint from a pal - why were people working the Westwood College booth dressed in suits? He had a point - yes, they're looking for students and need to look professional, but there's a slight sense of "overkill" about that approach.

I'll be amending this post as I think of things, but all in all - I'm glad I live in a city where I can attend at least one major comic show. And no, I have no plans to attend Wizard World.