OK. So remember how the other week I said that I'd be writing more- both on scripts and here on the blog? Regular installments and all that jazz? Well... Yeah... Best laid plains and so.
Well the GOOD news is that I have at least being keeping up with the script stuff. A bit. LEGACY #5 is almost done- last week (I think) I hammered out six really good pages in one night, and now we're pretty much at the end of that book. Four pages left- the last one a splash-style page, so that will be very easy to write. Essentially I'm telling the artist what's happening (very basic stuff) and to make it LOOK COOL. With the super talented individuals I work with, I have no doubt that it will.
That's pretty much where we're at, at the moment, but if you follow the Facebook page ( https://www.facebook.com/September17Productions ) or the Twitter ( @AndrewLorenz17 ) you'll have seen that I've decided to expand the S17verse a bit.
Welcome Canada's very own superhuman team, Canada Corps! Comprised of seven individuals from a variety of backgrounds and reasons for being part of this squad of heroes, The Corps will protect not only the Great White North, but the world as well. This isn't some token team, these guys can give any villain or hero a run for their money. And, in typical Canadian fashion (except maybe me) they do it without the need to be as flashy and media-seeking as their global counterparts (what can I say, I LIKE the attention).
As I finish fleshing out the details (this weekend most likely as they are 90% done) I will be posting more about them on here, and maybe even highlighting the process behind their creation. That's assuming you folks want to risk peering inside my head. It's an often confusing place but it's filled with shiny things and chocolate, so there's that, at least.
LEGACY #1, despite still being in the printing process, has already managed to sell, through an informal pre-order, 1/3 of the Collector's Edition and about 1/6 of the regular edition. Not bad, considering that the book won't be released until June 28th.
New Guard #1 is coming along, and we're on a brief hiatus for work on LEGACY- #3 linework is completed but, due to bills (man, I hate those), we've pushed back the start on that until the beginning of July. Artists like getting paid for the work they do, apparently. And rightfully so. When you see some of the stuff that Andre's come up with... Well if I had the cash, I'd be giving him a huge raise. Fan-freaking-tastic stuff. Hands-down better than half the stuff on the stands. I buy about three dozen titles a month, so I KNOW what I'm talking about.
Tomorrow night, as far as I can tell, I'm going to have some free time, so if I manage to stay away from the PS3 and other distractions, I'm going to finish of LEGACY #5 and maybe do up another of these. There's a few fellow creative-type people- written word, drawn picture, as well as musical sorta stuff who I really think you should take a glance at or listen to. Not only are they talented, they're good people too- at least in my opinion. Good people, good art. Good times!
Catch you wonderful folks later!
Andrew
Tuesday, 28 May 2013
Saturday, 11 May 2013
It's May 5, 2013. To date, I have written zero blogs, one chapter of my novel Formerly Known As the Invincible Kid, and have yet to complete a full comic book script since this year began. For a guy who is trying to establish himself as a writer, self-published or not, this is unacceptable.
I could offer dozens of reasons as to why I've had such low production: my boys on the weekends take up a lot of time, still adjusting to a new job that I started not that long before the new year started, I've started a (fairly) steady work-out program that I wasn't doing before, I've made time to catch up with friends that I haven't seen in months, and spent a fair bit of time coordinating the art for my various comic books in production. Also, the dog ate my homework. Yeah...that excuse never flew in school (plus I don't have a dog) and it sure doesn't now.
There IS no excuse for not writing. If you want to write, you make the time. Five minutes less of playing DCU Online wouldn't kill me, and really my artists are such great people to deal with that there's no way I could even jokingly call it WORK. Genuine pleasure to collaborate with and just talk to.
I'm not saying I haven't written ANYTHING- in fact I rewrote (twice, in fact) the script for LEGACY #5. Both rewrites were not to my liking and I scrapped both and started over again. First time that I've done a third draft, which, by the way, is turning out to be my best yet. You folks are going to love it when the book comes out in the first quarter of next year. Or is that second quarter...? Either way, it'll be a great comic and well worth the wait!
So, what's the point of this blog, you may ask? Well, for one, it's an apology to anyone who's supported this dream of being a writer, that I have, because, I haven't been lately. A writer, writes. It doubles as a public declaration that I'm going to get my act together, ass in gear and all that other stuff- I WILL be posting regular, weekly, blog posts. If nothing else, at least THAT will ensure I am doing SOME type of regular writing. You can expect topics to range all over the place- some will be about my on-going writing journey, some will be random rants (possibly spiced rum induced) and others will profile various writers, artists, musicians, movies, tv shows, comic books and other goodness that I believe that you, my loyal followers (and you other poor saps who somehow found your way on here), would benefit from learning about. If I think it's cool, then it MUST be. Right?
Catch you next week!
Andrew Lorenz
(aka Captain Awesome)
I could offer dozens of reasons as to why I've had such low production: my boys on the weekends take up a lot of time, still adjusting to a new job that I started not that long before the new year started, I've started a (fairly) steady work-out program that I wasn't doing before, I've made time to catch up with friends that I haven't seen in months, and spent a fair bit of time coordinating the art for my various comic books in production. Also, the dog ate my homework. Yeah...that excuse never flew in school (plus I don't have a dog) and it sure doesn't now.
There IS no excuse for not writing. If you want to write, you make the time. Five minutes less of playing DCU Online wouldn't kill me, and really my artists are such great people to deal with that there's no way I could even jokingly call it WORK. Genuine pleasure to collaborate with and just talk to.
I'm not saying I haven't written ANYTHING- in fact I rewrote (twice, in fact) the script for LEGACY #5. Both rewrites were not to my liking and I scrapped both and started over again. First time that I've done a third draft, which, by the way, is turning out to be my best yet. You folks are going to love it when the book comes out in the first quarter of next year. Or is that second quarter...? Either way, it'll be a great comic and well worth the wait!
So, what's the point of this blog, you may ask? Well, for one, it's an apology to anyone who's supported this dream of being a writer, that I have, because, I haven't been lately. A writer, writes. It doubles as a public declaration that I'm going to get my act together, ass in gear and all that other stuff- I WILL be posting regular, weekly, blog posts. If nothing else, at least THAT will ensure I am doing SOME type of regular writing. You can expect topics to range all over the place- some will be about my on-going writing journey, some will be random rants (possibly spiced rum induced) and others will profile various writers, artists, musicians, movies, tv shows, comic books and other goodness that I believe that you, my loyal followers (and you other poor saps who somehow found your way on here), would benefit from learning about. If I think it's cool, then it MUST be. Right?
Catch you next week!
Andrew Lorenz
(aka Captain Awesome)
Wednesday, 10 October 2012
New Day Job aka Thing That Pays For What I Really WANT To Be Doing
So here we are, on week number two at my new job. New jobs, to me, are both exciting and terrifying. I absolutely HATE not knowing what the hell I'm doing (though really you'd think I'd be used to that by now) but at the same time there's something quite...relaxing in being able to shrug and say "Hm. I dunno, I'm the new guy." And then go find some other poor bastard to do whatever crazy job it is that needs to be done. Luckily so far it hasn't been too terribly difficult, a lot of similarities to the old job; including many of the same people- an advantage to staying within the industry. Good teachers help a great deal too (thanks, Matt!). The new place is quite a bit more PROfessional though. Meetings with charts and stuff? Pro. The old place was more fly by the seat of your pants- which always made it quite exciting. Miss that to a degree. Hoping that I can bring some of that professionalism into my fun job, aka writing and publishing, but still bring the enthusiasm and excitement of not knowing what's going to happen next that I learned from the old job.
Legacy is moving along, Mike is hard at work on page 15 for Legacy #1 and it's looking great so far, really hoping that my writing does it justice. Very excited as we're coming to the last few pages of the book- I cut it back down to a 20 page story but I plan on having it be 24 pages- 4 pages of extras! What kind of extras? Well I can't reveal EVERYTHING just yet, gotta save SOMETHING for down the road, but expect to see some sweet bonus art from both Legacy artist Mike Campeau as well as a gentleman by the name of Darren Calvert. If you've been following the September17 Productions Facebook page you'll have seen his name mentioned before. If you haven't, seriously, get to it! Darren has been working on some character designs for both Legacy and future projects which will be coming to light as we roll into 2013. These two guys do some seriously great work, and are both fantastic people to work with. And Canadian! That's right, it's an all Canadian project, so far! It'd be really cool if I could keep it that way, nothing against anyone else, but it'd be neat, I think, to highlight some Canadian talent. I'm sure the They Stand On Guard blog would agree with me on that. Another great Canadian dude runs that, make sure to check it out! theystandonguard.blogspot.com/
In writing news, I kind of slacked off, ok I completely slacked off, in the last few weeks leading into the job change, but the script for Legacy #4 will be in to the lovely Shannon, Editor Supreme, by this week's due date and #5 will be done in a MUCH more timely fashion. Or else. So I have been told. When a pregnant redhead says that to you- make sure you do it. You do NOT want to find out what the "or else" is. Trust me on this.
Next month is NaNoWriMo, aka National Novel Writing Month. The goal, in case the name didn't give it away, is to write a novel in a month. Yep, that's right, 50,000 words or more in 30 days or less. I participated in my first one last year and made it pretty much halfway. Not too shabby considering I was working two jobs at the time and it was my first shot at it. It really showed me how much discipline is required to set aside the time to write on a regular basis and, with a couple recent exceptions, I've managed to carry on the lessons I learned from it. Innocents Lost, the first Steven Kincaid mystery novel, was last year's project and for this year I may revisit that character in a different story. Or not. I've narrowed it down to four ideas and by the end of next week I hope to have it down to one or two. A backup plan never hurts. Although at a 1700 word per day pace you REALLY don't want to scrap something and try to play catch up. Perhaps I'll write a brief synopsis for each and have people vote on the S17 Facebook page? That's be pretty cool, I think. I'll be keeping everyone appraised as I pick away at it.
Well that's pretty much it for now, catch you all next time!
Andrew
Legacy is moving along, Mike is hard at work on page 15 for Legacy #1 and it's looking great so far, really hoping that my writing does it justice. Very excited as we're coming to the last few pages of the book- I cut it back down to a 20 page story but I plan on having it be 24 pages- 4 pages of extras! What kind of extras? Well I can't reveal EVERYTHING just yet, gotta save SOMETHING for down the road, but expect to see some sweet bonus art from both Legacy artist Mike Campeau as well as a gentleman by the name of Darren Calvert. If you've been following the September17 Productions Facebook page you'll have seen his name mentioned before. If you haven't, seriously, get to it! Darren has been working on some character designs for both Legacy and future projects which will be coming to light as we roll into 2013. These two guys do some seriously great work, and are both fantastic people to work with. And Canadian! That's right, it's an all Canadian project, so far! It'd be really cool if I could keep it that way, nothing against anyone else, but it'd be neat, I think, to highlight some Canadian talent. I'm sure the They Stand On Guard blog would agree with me on that. Another great Canadian dude runs that, make sure to check it out! theystandonguard.blogspot.com/
In writing news, I kind of slacked off, ok I completely slacked off, in the last few weeks leading into the job change, but the script for Legacy #4 will be in to the lovely Shannon, Editor Supreme, by this week's due date and #5 will be done in a MUCH more timely fashion. Or else. So I have been told. When a pregnant redhead says that to you- make sure you do it. You do NOT want to find out what the "or else" is. Trust me on this.
Next month is NaNoWriMo, aka National Novel Writing Month. The goal, in case the name didn't give it away, is to write a novel in a month. Yep, that's right, 50,000 words or more in 30 days or less. I participated in my first one last year and made it pretty much halfway. Not too shabby considering I was working two jobs at the time and it was my first shot at it. It really showed me how much discipline is required to set aside the time to write on a regular basis and, with a couple recent exceptions, I've managed to carry on the lessons I learned from it. Innocents Lost, the first Steven Kincaid mystery novel, was last year's project and for this year I may revisit that character in a different story. Or not. I've narrowed it down to four ideas and by the end of next week I hope to have it down to one or two. A backup plan never hurts. Although at a 1700 word per day pace you REALLY don't want to scrap something and try to play catch up. Perhaps I'll write a brief synopsis for each and have people vote on the S17 Facebook page? That's be pretty cool, I think. I'll be keeping everyone appraised as I pick away at it.
Well that's pretty much it for now, catch you all next time!
Andrew
Saturday, 25 August 2012
Reboots, Rewrites, Returns, Remixes and Other Words That Start With "R"
Hey there! Long time no see! Unless of course you saw the Twitter link that redirected (look! another word starting with "Re"!) you here to see a sneak peak of some character design art. Which means you are not only lucky enough to get an exclusive glimpse of things to come in Legacy, but that you are COOL because you follow me on Twitter (@AndrewLorenz17, just in case you aren't, though I can't imagine why you wouldn't be). Either way, welcome back to the blog...of awesomeness! Or mediocreness. Is that a word? If not, it should be. So...where shall we start? When in doubt...follow the title!
If you follow either of the "Big Two" in the comics industry, you're no doubt aware of DC's "New 52" reboot and Marvel's..."not reboot, but reLAUNCH". Because changing that last part of the word means that it's SO DIFFERENT from the other guys. It might be, but to me that's like saying it's very warm out versus it's hot out. Details, details. Either way, it's shorts and sandals weather. Alot of fans are up in arms about all the changes that are being made to characters- previously existing storylines or even characters that they invested countless hours and dollars in are, in their mind, thrown away on a whim. I get where they're coming from. It's not easy to see something that means alot to you twisted into something that you don't even recognize. Then again, sometimes things have a way of working themselves out. I mean growing up, I loved watching Adam West as Batman. Does that mean that I hated the animated cartoon or the live actions movies of later years? Or Scott Snyder's recent run? Nope! If anything thing it made me appreciate each incarnation of them that much more. Something that people tend to forget, even myself at times, is that stories END. Whether "happily ever after" or some other variation, all stories, including our own, have an ending. Sometimes our actions in life, as real or imaginary characters, live on after us, but the story is never the same at that point. It evolves, changes. Into something better or worse, only time can tell. I don't like all the changes that DC has made, and I'm sure to disagree with a few of the ones that Marvel is going to make but, I know, in time, things will change again, and maybe I'll find that it's for the better.
Speaking of DC's New 52... Rob Liefeld recently departed DC's employ in a rather abrupt manner, expressing a fair bit of...displeasure, with how things were being run. I'll freely admit to checking out what he had to say, beyond being curious as to how "sensational" it was, I love getting ANY insight into the inner workings of a successful comic book company. Why wouldn't I? Any kind of help I can get into making MY books work is well worth a quick read (or longer). Occassionally, I also learn a bit about life. Deep, huh? While I wholeheartedly agree with Mr.Liefeld's freedom and right to rant (I mean isn't that what I'M doing, right now?) I question how responsible it was. Don't get me wrong- I'm not saying he isn't correct in what he said or did, I just question it's possible influence on other creators- either amateur or professional. Some people enjoy having a target painted on them so that they can rise up and dive into battle (words or otherwise), while others are merely content to do their job and ignore the "greater issues". If you're wondering, I'm more of the former, despite my questioning of the responsibility of it. I just know that things like this often have a way of blowing up and affecting more than just the few folks initially involved. Collateral damage, I guess. The thing that makes me think about it is that I am currently on my way out of where I'm employed and although it's voluntary, there are issues that I have with how things are being done. Does this mean I'm going to rant and rave on here? Nope. I don't see a point to it. It doesn't mean that the problems are any less because of my lack of restraint, I just know that for every action there is a reaction and that what I do affects more than just me. The internet gives everyone the power to express themselves, which is one of the greatest things ever, but just remember, we also have a responsibility to use it wisely.
Returns... Hmm. I HAVE RETURNED! To the blog, that is. I want to be more active with this and much more REGULAR (another R!) with getting posts up. We'll see. A lot of things in transition since June so more than what should have, got put off. I'll make a last part of the year push to make up for it. Most likely. Possibly. Maybe. I'll try. Cut me some slack, will ya?? I kid.
I had something about remixes that I was going to say but, quite honestly, by this point I've forgotten. This post ended up being a lot different than what I had thought it was going to be and, as usual, I got distracted and off on some tangent and forgot to leave a trail of breadcrumbs to find my way back. Alas, c'est la vie.
A couple quick notes here to wrap things up:
1. If you have a buck you can spare, you should really really REALLY look into throwing it into this http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/watchguard/watchguard-teen-force-5
Charlie is a super awesome guy and I would take it as a personal favor if you were to send him some support- he's well deserving of it and the stuff he has lined up seems pretty wicked cool. Even if you don't have the cash to spare, take a look or, if you're able, pass it on for other people to read about.
2. Legacy #1 is progressing at a steady pace, we've moved back the release date, as of this time I don't have any specifics, but rest assured we're doing our best to make it worth the wait. Mike just sent me the roughs for page 14 and it looks AWESOME. Really excited about you guys getting to check it all out. When it does come out, I'll have both physical and digital copies available. The digital copy will be probably twice the page count of the physical copy as it will feature the entire script as well as some rough art. I'll have some bonus content in the print copy as well; don't want to leave anyone out!
3. Even if there is an NHL lockout this year, rest assured the Boston Bruins still kick ass.
4. I'm attempting to cut back on junk food. So far, so good. Possibly because I have none available to me at the moment. Someone want to email me a donut? That'd be swell.
5. Skyrim has been my drug of choice lately, although, thankfully, I seem to be losing interest. I've managed to start making a dent in the massive pile of unread books I have. Currently reading one from Harlan Coben's Myron Bolitar series. Great books, highly suggest you check them out.
That's about all for today, catch you wonderful people next time!
Andrew aka Captain Awesome
P.S Refund, Reap, Realize, Register, Record, Reinforce, and Realize. Words that start with R.
If you follow either of the "Big Two" in the comics industry, you're no doubt aware of DC's "New 52" reboot and Marvel's..."not reboot, but reLAUNCH". Because changing that last part of the word means that it's SO DIFFERENT from the other guys. It might be, but to me that's like saying it's very warm out versus it's hot out. Details, details. Either way, it's shorts and sandals weather. Alot of fans are up in arms about all the changes that are being made to characters- previously existing storylines or even characters that they invested countless hours and dollars in are, in their mind, thrown away on a whim. I get where they're coming from. It's not easy to see something that means alot to you twisted into something that you don't even recognize. Then again, sometimes things have a way of working themselves out. I mean growing up, I loved watching Adam West as Batman. Does that mean that I hated the animated cartoon or the live actions movies of later years? Or Scott Snyder's recent run? Nope! If anything thing it made me appreciate each incarnation of them that much more. Something that people tend to forget, even myself at times, is that stories END. Whether "happily ever after" or some other variation, all stories, including our own, have an ending. Sometimes our actions in life, as real or imaginary characters, live on after us, but the story is never the same at that point. It evolves, changes. Into something better or worse, only time can tell. I don't like all the changes that DC has made, and I'm sure to disagree with a few of the ones that Marvel is going to make but, I know, in time, things will change again, and maybe I'll find that it's for the better.
Speaking of DC's New 52... Rob Liefeld recently departed DC's employ in a rather abrupt manner, expressing a fair bit of...displeasure, with how things were being run. I'll freely admit to checking out what he had to say, beyond being curious as to how "sensational" it was, I love getting ANY insight into the inner workings of a successful comic book company. Why wouldn't I? Any kind of help I can get into making MY books work is well worth a quick read (or longer). Occassionally, I also learn a bit about life. Deep, huh? While I wholeheartedly agree with Mr.Liefeld's freedom and right to rant (I mean isn't that what I'M doing, right now?) I question how responsible it was. Don't get me wrong- I'm not saying he isn't correct in what he said or did, I just question it's possible influence on other creators- either amateur or professional. Some people enjoy having a target painted on them so that they can rise up and dive into battle (words or otherwise), while others are merely content to do their job and ignore the "greater issues". If you're wondering, I'm more of the former, despite my questioning of the responsibility of it. I just know that things like this often have a way of blowing up and affecting more than just the few folks initially involved. Collateral damage, I guess. The thing that makes me think about it is that I am currently on my way out of where I'm employed and although it's voluntary, there are issues that I have with how things are being done. Does this mean I'm going to rant and rave on here? Nope. I don't see a point to it. It doesn't mean that the problems are any less because of my lack of restraint, I just know that for every action there is a reaction and that what I do affects more than just me. The internet gives everyone the power to express themselves, which is one of the greatest things ever, but just remember, we also have a responsibility to use it wisely.
Returns... Hmm. I HAVE RETURNED! To the blog, that is. I want to be more active with this and much more REGULAR (another R!) with getting posts up. We'll see. A lot of things in transition since June so more than what should have, got put off. I'll make a last part of the year push to make up for it. Most likely. Possibly. Maybe. I'll try. Cut me some slack, will ya?? I kid.
I had something about remixes that I was going to say but, quite honestly, by this point I've forgotten. This post ended up being a lot different than what I had thought it was going to be and, as usual, I got distracted and off on some tangent and forgot to leave a trail of breadcrumbs to find my way back. Alas, c'est la vie.
A couple quick notes here to wrap things up:
1. If you have a buck you can spare, you should really really REALLY look into throwing it into this http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/watchguard/watchguard-teen-force-5
Charlie is a super awesome guy and I would take it as a personal favor if you were to send him some support- he's well deserving of it and the stuff he has lined up seems pretty wicked cool. Even if you don't have the cash to spare, take a look or, if you're able, pass it on for other people to read about.
2. Legacy #1 is progressing at a steady pace, we've moved back the release date, as of this time I don't have any specifics, but rest assured we're doing our best to make it worth the wait. Mike just sent me the roughs for page 14 and it looks AWESOME. Really excited about you guys getting to check it all out. When it does come out, I'll have both physical and digital copies available. The digital copy will be probably twice the page count of the physical copy as it will feature the entire script as well as some rough art. I'll have some bonus content in the print copy as well; don't want to leave anyone out!
3. Even if there is an NHL lockout this year, rest assured the Boston Bruins still kick ass.
4. I'm attempting to cut back on junk food. So far, so good. Possibly because I have none available to me at the moment. Someone want to email me a donut? That'd be swell.
5. Skyrim has been my drug of choice lately, although, thankfully, I seem to be losing interest. I've managed to start making a dent in the massive pile of unread books I have. Currently reading one from Harlan Coben's Myron Bolitar series. Great books, highly suggest you check them out.
That's about all for today, catch you wonderful people next time!
Andrew aka Captain Awesome
P.S Refund, Reap, Realize, Register, Record, Reinforce, and Realize. Words that start with R.
Thursday, 23 August 2012
Saturday, 4 February 2012
Never Give Up, Never Surrender!
First off, Galaxy Quest rocks. GREAT movie, very funny. Go watch it and tell me I'm wrong. I dare you. But why would you want to look so foolish? Captain Awesome is always right. ALWAYS. Unless he wishes to be wrong, to give you the sense of how it feels to be as awesome as him. That's right, that time you thought that I was wrong? Oh I was RIGHT, I just decided to let you win. Taste the awesomeness, enjoy it. It won't last long, for Captain Awesome will be right again. And soon. Ok...well THAT sure diverged quickly from where I'd planned it to go. Though, as usual, it will end up there eventually. The best part of the journey is the voyage. Or voyage is the journey. Or trip. Whatever...
So! To the reason for this blog title! Yes, as always, I'm going to explain it. Not that I don't think you could figure it out for yourself, I just enjoy explaining things. Obviously if you choose to read this blog you are an intelligent, cultured, well-groomed and all around swell person. And if you aren't, well... Even dumb people should enjoy good things. Alas, I digress once again. I know I said I'd try to cut down on the writing about... well about my writing, but this is one of those things I like to brag about! I found myself doing the page breakdown for the latest issue of Legacy (#2 if you're keeping track, which by the way you should be) and I realized that I was short two pages. In the middle of the freaking book. Smooth, huh? After a (very) mild panic attack and thoughts about burning my notebook, I decided that, when in doubt, refer back to characters that you're already established. So now I have not one, but two mini-scenes that set up what comes after it. I hear they even have a fancy writer term for it...foreshadowing. Amazingly I think it turned out VERY well and in the span of the next 3 days I will be writing it out into the script. I'm quite excited and will post some of it on here next weekend for your enjoyment!
So the moral of this blog/story? Never give up, never surrender. I myself have never liked the idea of just giving up or giving in. Not really sure why, just how I'm built I guess. Not just in my writing either. If you look at many choices that I've made in my life, I've never given up on things, or people, easily. There may be several years of down time inbetween, but just up and walking away for good...that's just not the Captain's style. Don't get me wrong, kids, sometimes walking away could be the very best idea. It could save you alot of pain and hardship and heartache. But you'll never know unless you try. And not knowing is always a helluva lot worse. So go out there, give it your all, take the bumps and bruises and setbacks and just carry on and greet it with a grin. Because there's nothing sweeter than the little victories in life, even if they do sometimes fade away too quickly.
Going back to the grind,
Captain Awesome
Grin
If you're up against a bruiser and you're getting knocked about —
Grin.
If you're feeling pretty groggy, and you're licked beyond a doubt —
Grin.
Don't let him see you're funking, let him know with every clout,
Though your face is battered to a pulp, your blooming heart is stout;
Just stand upon your pins until the beggar knocks you out —
And grin.
This life's a bally battle, and the same advice holds true
Of grin.
If you're up against it badly, then it's only one on you,
So grin.
If the future's black as thunder, don't let people see you're blue;
Just cultivate a cast-iron smile of joy the whole day through;
If they call you "Little Sunshine",
wish that they'd no troubles, too —
You may — grin.
Rise up in the morning with the will that, smooth or rough,
You'll grin.
Sink to sleep at midnight, and although you're feeling tough,
Yet grin.
There's nothing gained by whining, and you're not that kind of stuff;
You're a fighter from away back, and you won't take a rebuff;
Your trouble is that you don't know when you have had enough —
Don't give in.
If Fate should down you, just get up and take another cuff;
You may bank on it that there is no philosophy like bluff,
And grin.
-Robert Service
So! To the reason for this blog title! Yes, as always, I'm going to explain it. Not that I don't think you could figure it out for yourself, I just enjoy explaining things. Obviously if you choose to read this blog you are an intelligent, cultured, well-groomed and all around swell person. And if you aren't, well... Even dumb people should enjoy good things. Alas, I digress once again. I know I said I'd try to cut down on the writing about... well about my writing, but this is one of those things I like to brag about! I found myself doing the page breakdown for the latest issue of Legacy (#2 if you're keeping track, which by the way you should be) and I realized that I was short two pages. In the middle of the freaking book. Smooth, huh? After a (very) mild panic attack and thoughts about burning my notebook, I decided that, when in doubt, refer back to characters that you're already established. So now I have not one, but two mini-scenes that set up what comes after it. I hear they even have a fancy writer term for it...foreshadowing. Amazingly I think it turned out VERY well and in the span of the next 3 days I will be writing it out into the script. I'm quite excited and will post some of it on here next weekend for your enjoyment!
So the moral of this blog/story? Never give up, never surrender. I myself have never liked the idea of just giving up or giving in. Not really sure why, just how I'm built I guess. Not just in my writing either. If you look at many choices that I've made in my life, I've never given up on things, or people, easily. There may be several years of down time inbetween, but just up and walking away for good...that's just not the Captain's style. Don't get me wrong, kids, sometimes walking away could be the very best idea. It could save you alot of pain and hardship and heartache. But you'll never know unless you try. And not knowing is always a helluva lot worse. So go out there, give it your all, take the bumps and bruises and setbacks and just carry on and greet it with a grin. Because there's nothing sweeter than the little victories in life, even if they do sometimes fade away too quickly.
Going back to the grind,
Captain Awesome
Grin
If you're up against a bruiser and you're getting knocked about —
Grin.
If you're feeling pretty groggy, and you're licked beyond a doubt —
Grin.
Don't let him see you're funking, let him know with every clout,
Though your face is battered to a pulp, your blooming heart is stout;
Just stand upon your pins until the beggar knocks you out —
And grin.
This life's a bally battle, and the same advice holds true
Of grin.
If you're up against it badly, then it's only one on you,
So grin.
If the future's black as thunder, don't let people see you're blue;
Just cultivate a cast-iron smile of joy the whole day through;
If they call you "Little Sunshine",
wish that they'd no troubles, too —
You may — grin.
Rise up in the morning with the will that, smooth or rough,
You'll grin.
Sink to sleep at midnight, and although you're feeling tough,
Yet grin.
There's nothing gained by whining, and you're not that kind of stuff;
You're a fighter from away back, and you won't take a rebuff;
Your trouble is that you don't know when you have had enough —
Don't give in.
If Fate should down you, just get up and take another cuff;
You may bank on it that there is no philosophy like bluff,
And grin.
-Robert Service
Thursday, 19 January 2012
Legacy #1 excerpt!
Page 3
Full splash page. Cops with lights and sirens in hot pursuit of a car full of criminals. Gunfire blazing from the car with the thugs, indiscriminately targeting the police and bystanders alike. This scene needs a real sense of energy and intensity- the cars should come RIPPING onto the panel. Maybe either an upward or downward side shot to give it more ZIP.
Page 4
5 panels on this page in a 2 standard, one wide, 2 standard layout.
Panel 1
Panel tight on police officer in passenger yelling into the car's radio for immediate backup. The cop is male, Caucasian, late 30s-early 40s, mustache. An experienced beat cop. Standard panel.
older cop
"Repeat, Unit 37 is in pursuit of suspect vehicle. Shots fired! We need backup! NOW!
"Repeat, Unit 37 is in pursuit of suspect vehicle. Shots fired! We need backup! NOW!
Panel 2
One of the thugs leaning out, his upper body almost completely out the window firing a handgun, shots ringing out in succession. Standard panel.
SFX
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Panel 3
Medium wide screen panel. Exterior of police car taking fire; bullets slamming into windshield, hood and one of the lights getting hit and shattering. View of the cops inside is somewhat obscured; shouldn't be able to see if they've been hit or not.
SFX
Crack! Crack!
Crack! Crack!
Panel 4
Standard panel. Interior of police car; as if looking through the driver's window. Bullets tear through the glass, hitting the seat, the older cop takes one high in the left shoulder, nothing serious but there's blood.
SFX
Thud! Thud! Crack!
Thud! Thud! Crack!
OLDER COP
(in pain)
"Arrghh!"
(in pain)
"Arrghh!"
Panel 5
Standard panel. Tight up-close shot of the older cop barking into the radio microphone. His hand, the mike and his face should be pretty much all you can see. Maybe a bit of blood spatter indicating his wound.
OLDER COP
"Where the HELL is our support, Central?"
"Where the HELL is our support, Central?"
Page 5
Panel 1
Close-up of passenger front tire on the police car getting hit by a bullet and blowing out. Thin wide screen panel.
SFX
(tire blow out)
Bang!
(tire blow out)
Bang!
Panel 2
Wide screen panel. Cop car veers off-course into a lamp post. Out of commission.
SFX
CRASH!
CRASH!
Panel 3
Inside the criminals car, they're high-fiving each other, laughing. Wide screen panel.
Criminal 1
"Hahaha! Woo! Take that pigs!"
"Hahaha! Woo! Take that pigs!"
Criminal 2
"Nice shootin' bro!"
"Nice shootin' bro!"
Panel 4
Large panel. This is the main shot for this page. Driver's P.O.V/maybe an over the shoulder shot. Looking through windshield as a man in a blue bodysuit/costume hurtles through the air at them as though he jumped from a building. Incoming! His face is partly hidden as the sun is behind him though the symbol on his chest, a white star, is quite apparent. The whole thing should give the effect on the thugs of holy shit!
CRIMINAL 3 (driver)
"What the hell is THAT?"
"What the hell is THAT?"
Page 6
Four wide screen panels.
Panel 1
Wide screen panel. Interior of the bad guys car again. Same P.O.V as the previous panel. Windshield spider-webs under the impact. Crunch! Maybe move the "camera" slightly to really make it feel like the guy landed on the car HARD. A colored shape is visible but that's about it.
SFX
CRUNCH!
CRUNCH!
Panel 2
Wide screen panel. The car comes to a halt, whether through the impact or the driver braking to a stop. Side view of the car, can't see the hood, just the people inside. They're recovering from what just happened, whatever it was, they can't believe someone would've been that crazy.
CRIMINAL 4
"Dude, what the HELL did you HIT??"
"Dude, what the HELL did you HIT??"
Panel 3
Wide screen panel. The roof is torn off! This could work either from the outside of car, tight in on roof tearing from the rest of car, or from in the car still as the criminals stare in shock as the car suddenly becomes a convertible.
SFX
EERRRRR!
EERRRRR!
Panel 4
Wide screen panel. The thugs stare up, completely awestruck and dumbfounded by what they're seeing here. All we can see is their faces and maybe a bit of a shoulder of whoever is now standing on the hood of their car. The main thing here is to convey their reactions to having the roof of a car TORN OFF and what they're seeing on the hood. Panic, fear, disbelief and awe.
Page 7
Full Splash Page. PARAGON stands on the hood of the car, a smile on his face, confident/wry, almost but not quite cocky. Mainly from the thugs' P.O.V, maybe just over the shoulder of them. PARAGON looks larger than life, intimidating and inspiring all at once. The star symbol on his chest draws the eyes to it, almost distracting you from his face (part of the reason he wears it). The sun shines above and behind him almost as if a halo or a spotlight. Have to remember no one of this generation has ever seen a costumed superhero before now. Not in person at least. He holds the remains of their getaway car's roof in his left hand.
PARAGON
"Good day, gentlemen."
"Good day, gentlemen."
And there we have it! Legacy #1! Well PART of it, anyhow. More stuff heading your way soon! Until then...
Captain Awesome
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