Remember Venture?

I do, and this morning I came across this, the unfinished cover page for the fourth issue. One thing about the comic is that you can never fault me for being on the cutting edge of comics - this was cheesy and slow, and less well-considered than I thought it was at the time.  Granted, it was 11 or 12 years ago and I hadn't done that much writing, but I also haven't taken classes or read many writing books since then, so it's not like I'm better now.

That's a lesson to take forward as I work on the sci-fi script over the next few weeks - I suck way more than I think I do in the moment.  Remembering that will help me go back and edit, change, cut and morph the first draft.  Do most writers have a more objective take on their work?  Maybe, but objectivity is rare.  Maybe some of the better re-writers just assume that they suck regardless, making it easier to go back and re-write their way out of suckiness.

It's also interesting (to me) to go back and look at the superhero-style worlds I've created over the years.  The one through-line that I can find is that they're all worlds where people with super powers are known about and accepted, at least to some extent.  Like, my main characters have normal lives as super heroes (penthouse apartments, whatever), and then have a fall from grace.  Rodric, for example, had a fall from grace where he lost his powers and pulled out of the spotlight entirely - affecting a perfect disappearance.  My script character beat the last super-villain, which dropped him out of the limelight.

Anyway, enjoy Krol's work here - it's pretty rad.  Larger version of the cover image and a copy of a sketch that I also have in the V4 folder follow the break.

But I'm leaving again on Sunday, probably.

Vegas was pretty good, if entirely too long, and not quite productive enough for me.  I worked too little and drank too much.  Fortunately, I'll have the opportunity to remedy that problem starting next week when I go to Seattle to work with Bon Jovi.  The details are still settling, so there will be more news as it comes, but it's pretty exciting even though the timing is not the greatest

What else?

I'm trying to use Outlook Lists for the first time, which is cool, I guess.  I'm hoping it'll give a boost to things that I need to do if I can glance at a running list whenever I'm at a loss.  The trick is going to be to keep the list from getting full of multi-step things (like "get rich" or whatever) and stay focused on single-action things like errands and individual work action-items.

This is the lamest post in the history of posts - I know, because I'm making (and reading) it.  I'll spice it up by telling you that Vegas showgirls aren't at all the glamorous creatures they seem to be from afar - they're just regular chicks in their 20s who tend to move their limbs and bend in unexpected ways.  I'll also tell you that UNLV doesn't have a huge campus, but it does have a nice Coffee Bean.

Okay, I'm off to bang out a proposal and get some computer work done.  Fuckin' fun times.

I'm just about finished with page 38 from my screenplay.  I was supposed to be through 50 pages by then end of the day, but yesterday I did almost nothing, and today I had to stop (although I did write 10 pages) because I was emotionally drained.  How lame is that?  Anyway, it's coming along fine.  There's a 3 year old in it that doesn't read like a 3 year old yet, so there's that.  Also, there are plenty of places where I would like to make it better already. That's natural, I guess.

Also, I really wish celtx didn't quit when I hit CTRL-Z.  That pisses me off.

I think that's it for now.  Maybe I'll write more in a little while - I'm tired now because I couldn't sleep past 6am again.  So fucking dumb.