Go West, Young Man...

As I said in my last post, Dan and I are working on a new side project; It's a project that, for lack of a better word, is going to be a Western.

It doesn't really have cowboys in it. Or horses. Or native Americans. Or, for that matter, alot of the cliche Western moments.

How is it a Western then?

How does a monkey ride the rodeo?

It's one of those things you'll have to see to understand...

I'm Down with the King

Daniel and I are continuing to work on Enlightenment, but sometimes it seems that when you HAVE to do something creatively, you get a mental block. Personally I love working on Green and her adventures and doing all the research to get the details spot on... but sometimes, I just daydream about crazy crap that has no basis in anything when I'm supposed to be working. Dan's had the same issues, and he has some free time too to draw something a little more wacky and fun.

I can't give you all the details yet, but I can say that I'm cranking some RUN/DMC and bustin' out some wild scripts in the late nite lab for Dan that 720 degrees away from Enlightenment: the devil you know... But I think that you'll dig it.

Don't fear the reaper...

I have been thinking alot about death lately; Not that I'm contemplating my own mortality or the loss of a love one... I've been thinking about the absolute importance of death in a Horror story.

Fear is what every author or director or artist of a Horror tale is looking to induce within their audience. But one asks the next question- Fear of what?

The answer HAS to be... the fear of death.

It's the basis of why we jump during a movie, break out into a cold sweat around a campfire or can't sleep after a particularly scary tale. Me identify with a character, and realize that we TOO will one day die.... So if there is no real chance a character will die in a Horror story, it loses it's impact.

How that's going to shake down into Enlightenment, I can't say just yet. Oh, I COULD tell you... but I'd have to kill you...

(Today's picture is by Daniel- he's cool like that)

What I did on my Summer Vacation

It's crazy how experiences shape and mold us more than we often give them credit for doing. Some times, a little moment in time will make such an impact on a person that he or she always goes back in their thoughts to that event at a reference point for all of their choices. For good or ill, those moments are hard to shake.

In a way, that's what Enlightenment: the devil you know is all about; Capturing the moment when everything changes.

As we get closer to the release date, I often wonder how it's all going to be received and if the journey Nadia takes will be as satisfying as the journey we had making the book.

Time will tell, I guess. It's alot like summer vacation; The ones that get the most out of it are the ones who came along for the ride.

I hope you join us in February- it's going to be quite a ride indeed...

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I got an e-mail today with a bunch of new, B&W pages from Enlightenment: the devil you know. It's amazing to me how strong Daniel's work is, and how well his storytelling is from panel to panel and page to page. There is a ferocious energy in it, and it's perfectly suited to the subject matter... I can't believe how lucky I am to be working with him.

It's inspiring to see that kind of work. Looking at the latest stuff gave me some great ideas for a new scene for book 2... I can't wait to see what he'll do with it.

Mischef Night

Yesterday, Dan and I had a nice, long talk about where we are at working on Enlightenment; Dan is putting the finishing touches on another chapter of the devil you know and I am hard at work on the script for the next graphic novel. We chatted, kicked around some new ideas and generally worked out everything we needed to for the night. It's good to work with someone you have a good friendship with, and who pushes you to do your best work.

Our conversation showed me once again why we work together so well. Both of us are always restless in our Art. Even now, when both of us should be focused on plowing through and turning our book in, we are still both looking for ways to make the book better. And it's not just a matter of addition, either; Sometimes, the best idea is to go minimal and cut back a bit...

Working with Dan is like being a kid on Mischef Night and roaming around with your best friend; Both of you are looking to see who can go the farthest without blowing it, and every new dare is countered with another...

Something this fun should always be a little wrong, you know? Otherwise... why bother?

"I will choose Freewill..."

In every culture, in every society and era of time, it seems that there are some ideas which become a running Human theme in the literature and stories we tell. One of those themes is the idea a free will vs. destiny.

How free AM I to act?

If I have a Destiny, does that absolve me of my actions?

Who's running things anyway?

If God can plan events, can the devil do the same?
It's a complex issue. It is, however, an issue that can only have one answer... a potentially complex answer, but only one answer all the same.

Find that answer, and the key to all of reality is at your fingertips.

Why bring this up? This issue- the issue of Freedom- is one of the core issues of Enlightenment. Does anyone "make us do it?" I won't spill all the goodies now, but it opens up a big ol' can of worms, doesn't it?

On with the Show

One of the hardest parts about writing stories with existing characters is knowing where to go next. If you make stories too much like the ones which came before, you have the potential of boring people. If you move into waters that are too unfamiliar, you run the risk of killing what made your earlier stories good... assuming that they WERE good.

I'm in a weird position right now with Enlightenment; in order to keep things flowing, I have to get a jump on the script for the next installment even though our first book is still in progress and won't be out until February. I know what Dan and I like about the book, and I know where we intended to take the stories all along... but I don't know how any of it will be recieved.

On the other hand, not having that feedback means we won't be influenced to turn in a Matrix : Reloaded when we could actually stick to our guns and put out something that doesn't suck.

At least, that's my hope.

Progress is killing me

Technology can be a wonderful thing; Without things like e-mail and the internet, Dan and I would never have met and Enlightenment would have never been born. The other side of the coin, however, is that technology can become leaned on too much and when it doesn't work, it messes up your whole outlook...

In other words- my computer wasn't working and I wanted to drop-kick it through a wall.

All is well in my virtual world now, however.

For the time being, anyway...