The Dotted Logline

April 7th was my birthday. Unfortunately, it was also the one year anniversary of the brutal “honor killing” of Du’a Khalil Aswad. An anthology entitled Nothing But Red has been published in her memory, with all proceeds (approximately $4 for each book or download sold) going to Equality Now. The charity is a favorite of Joss Whedon, who wrote a very stirring essay that was the inspiration for this project. The essay is included in the book as the opening piece.

I’m very proud that I was able to contribute to this collection and am honored that my poem was chosen to close the book. I only hope that the proceeds and awareness raised can help prevent such horrific acts from happening in the future. For more information on the anthology, please take a look at the press release. Buy a copy and spread the word.

Purchase Nothing But Red
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Through a somewhat random series of events, I applied for and was accepted as the Firefox News series reviewer for Avatar: The Last Airbender.  My review for “The Day of Black Sun” two part episode has already been posted (it does contain spoilers if you haven’t seen the episodes.)  This seems like it will be a really fun gig.  Unfortunately, the show is on hiatus now for who knows how long.

For those not familiar with the series,  Avatar: The Last Airbender is an animated fantasy airing on Nickelodeon.  It’s a surprisingly complex and beautifully crafted show that has garnered a sizable (and well deserved) fanbase.  Season 1 and Season 2 (referred to as “books”) are available on DVD. I highly recommend checking them out.

I’m debating on whether I should start querying literary agents again now or hold off for a bit. Unfortunately, I waited until after My Super Ex-Girlfriend came out and bombed. Since my screenplay Struck is in a similar genre, I’ll most likely be completely ignored at the moment. Not that querying agents isn’t almost always a total waste of time and money in the first place. But maybe I’ll have better non-luck if I wait a few months for it to blow over.

I was looking at going to Lobster Alice, a play starring Nicholas Brendon (Xander from BtVS) and Noah Wyle at The Blank theater down the street. It turns out the theater accepts play submissions, and I decided to submit Goodbye Dolly. I’ve been waiting almost two years to hear from the publisher and I’m sick of just sitting on one of the best/most successful things I’ve written to date. Besides, the play I’m currently working on is most likely going to be catered towards the improv group I’m in, so I won’t really be looking to shop that one around at first.

Writing Project Status

Brickgirl & Oscar: Plugging along well. Four strips posted, ten completed, and I don’t even know how many more scripted. Readership is still fairly low, but then again, I haven’t done a lot of promotion. I have gotten a very positive response from readers thus far. I considered increasing to two new strips a week, but going to hold off on that for now, as I don’t want to neglect all my other projects…

Chimera (TV pilot spec): First draft done, working on revisions.

Goodbye Dolly (Feature spec adaptation): First draft done. It’s craptastic, but it’s done.

Untitled Stage Play Project: Minimal progress since I started about 18 months ago, but stuff is still a brewin’ in the ole noggin.

Other writing news: Spoke with Baker’s Plays about Goodbye Dolly (the stage play version) which they’ve had for 19 months now. Seems that last year, they replaced the entire editorial staff, and the consideration for publication process had to be restarted for everything. My play has been cleared by at least one reader, though, and I should hear something back by late summer.

Had a bit of an incident with a literary manager about a month ago, but unfortunatly, it was not really legit.

Job Status

Starting next Wednesday, I’ll be working as a content writer for a search engine optimization firm. It’s not creative, persay, but it is writing. More important, it isn’t taking photos of faucets in a dingy warehouse with no windows in downtown LA where the temperature has been hitting 90 degrees in the afternoons even with two AC units running.

Other Creative Stuff

I will be performing with an as of yet unnamed, possibly all-female improv group in coming months. I’ve always loved improv, but never considered myself to be exceptional at it. Better learn fast… we’re looking at six rehearsals before the first performance.

I have a favorite prose piece that I wrote a number of years ago. In a way, it’s one of the most personal pieces I’ve written, drawing loosely on what was probably my most unpleasant year of high school. An unpleasant but very formative year, as that was the year I first became interested in theatre, an interest that in many ways led me to where I am today.

Of all the short stories I’ve written, I’ve always felt this one to be the closest to publication quality. However, it’s a highly experimental story, which made it difficult to find suitable markets to submit to. Although to be honest, I never put a huge amount of effort into the search.

I just found out that the person reflected in that story, the person who inadvertently drew me into theater, someone I had first met back in second grade, passed away almost two years ago. Unfortunately, I can’t say he was a friend. Probably more of a symbol in my life than anything. I doubt he had any idea what an impact he had on me. Quite frankly, he probably wouldn’t have cared very much.

But I think I’m going to start looking for a market for that story again. And this time, I’m REALLY going to look.

So I submitted my play Goodbye Dolly to Baker’s Plays about the middle of October. Up to a six to eight month wait, so I was hopping to hear something in the next month or so.

Well, I heard from them. Apparently it will take ANOTHER six to eight months for them to complete their “extensive reading process.”

…

I suspect what happened is this:

The Baker’s website said that they would send a postcard notifying the writer when they receive the play. So apparently they just GOT to my play in the mass of submissions. Hopefully they skimmed it/read the first ten pages/whatever to see if it was worth considering, and shot me a postcard to notify me they were going to consider it. Because I’m hoping they actually have some interest and aren’t just sticking it in another pile to get a glance and a quick no many months down the road.

So no big sales or publications before I turn 25, I guess.

The second issue of Graphic Novel Review is out. I’m very excited to have my first In Depth Review published. It is on a little book called Egg Story, which I hope will garner some well-deserved readers from the review. A lot of other great reading in GNR as well, so be sure to check it out!

The final revision of my stage play, Goodbye Dolly, is now complete and will be submitted to Baker’s Plays for publication on my next trip to the post office. It’s a little unnerving, because it is both the largest and the most deserving project I have submitted for publication to date. And I have to wait six to eight months to hear back.

I’ve finally gotten word from my thesis director that my screenplay, while well-written and already good enough to qualify me for graduation, is currently not a marketable sample of my work. I knew that to a certain extent, and was expecting to do a number of rewrites, but it still depresses me that I sat on it for over two months while I was waiting for feedback and wasn’t able to see what the problem was myself. It is currently too “tepid”, which is apparently going to be the word/comment that I get hung up on. Unless it’s “oatmeal”, which is my own choice for describing its current status.

The premiere issue of Graphic Novel Review, a new online journal for casual graphic novel readers, has launched. It is edited by my friend and fellow Emersonion Alexander Danner. I also contributed a review-in-brief (my first paid publication), but it is one of the less interesting things to read. Be sure to check it out!