This has been a frenetic past twelve months, and with two days left in the year, I thought I'd take a moment to reflect before looking forward to 2023. As far as writing goes, the first half of the year was thrown into disarray by the chaos of life that happened between December 2021 and July 2022.
But, by August, I steadied the ship and emerged with a New Tale to tell. One that I otherwise would not have discovered had it not been for the chaotic first half of the year. New stories appear at different times, but great new stories don't emerge every day. So, I am treating this one with great care.
At the same time, I was beginning work on the release of House Fly. It had been a few years since I had done much with the story. There was a point a few years ago where I thought I would write the entire Animalz universe as a novel series. It turns out that I much prefer writing either the screenplay or the novel for a story. When you write both the screenplay and the novel for a story it loses a bit of that magic that makes writing fun.
While I am a bit of a plotter when it comes to my writing, I do like to let the story take me in ways that I had not expected. So I do enjoy writing by the seat of my pants. However, I enjoy completing stories more than anything. Because I like starting on something new.
Which is why I am looking forward to the New Year.
To wrap up 2022, I made great strides in solidifying four TV Series packages but had to push the Screenwriting "Pitch & Query" period to 2023 because life happened. Some of the tough parts of this year helped create a wonderful new world. This is the jewel of 2022 for me and I hope to polish it in 2023. Much of 2022 was about doing what I needed to do this year so that I could invest in myself in 2023. And with that investment be able to create a load of new material in the new year. And on top of that, I released a new book in the Kindle Vella format.
House Fly started as a short story add-on to the Animalz 4-hour screenplay that I first wrote way back in 2010. It tells a more personal tale than much of Animalz, which is an epic sci-fi story. I am thrilled to finally have a piece of that universe out in the world.
Heading into 2023, I have my head held high because I am proud of not only the writing work I accomplished this year but also all the other hard work I put in to have me in a great position to start the new year.
The "Pitch and Query" period in the spring is my top goal to start the year. The need to re-educate and re-immerse myself in all things Film and TV is priority one. Then I will blend in other writing work; this will be compiled of both screenplay and literary work.
Having spent much of the time since 2019 working on TV series, I am wanting to change focus to work more on Film and Books in 2023 and beyond. But not entirely. This all must sound like code to most people, though I assure you there is a purpose to the chaos.
By the end of next summer, my hope is to have sold a script, written this new amazing TV Series, prepare House Fly II (Harold and the House Fly) for release, complete a two-part novel series, begin work on another long-term omnibus of stories that make up the coolest story I've ever imagined, and write my first stand-alone novel.
It's a lot. Believe me, I am well aware of the work it would take to achieve all of this by September. The essentials are the "Pitch & Query" & research period between now and April. This will be my factory for the year where I will build the structure for what will take place. I want to release House Fly II at the same time I released House Fly this year, between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
After February and before September, I will need to prioritize the new TV Series, House Fly II, completing the novel series, and one more new story. By March I will be open to working on "any" new project, whether that be my own or a collaboration. I always try to make time during the year for collaboration. However, I have plenty of projects lined up to fly solo on as well. And, in truth, I need to knock out a few of them next year, if possible.
So, yeah, I anticipate mocking these plans by September. It always happens. I make big plans and things happen that muck it all up, then I am left scrambling to make good use of the time left in the year to complete things. The investment in myself will help but I anticipate being back here next year with a plan for 2024 that may have some of these same projects on the list.
2023 is an important year, as are they all, but it also marks a shift to the Third Stage of my writing career. The First Stage was when I was transitioning from being a filmmaker and actor to focusing solely on writing. This happened between 1999 and 2010. I wrote some of my favorite stories during that time.
In 2010, I wrote Michaelmas, House Fly, and Monarch. I was tired of writing films, largely because I wrote anthologies that were better suited for TV Series before streaming was a viable thing. It was a big year for me creatively. I was taking classes and made an investment in myself so that I could properly write books as well as screenplays.
While I found modest self-publishing success to start off with, I realized it would be very difficult to make substantial money by self-publishing. And I came to accept that I may not find huge success as a writer, regardless of my exhaustive efforts. I came to accept that the writing of a story sometimes may be the only reward, so I celebrate the completion of every story.
By 2013, I shifted my focus to TV Series because that format not only best reflects my writing style but also allows me to churn out several in the time it would take me to write one novel series. None of us are getting any younger and no one has paid me a million dollars for anything, so I needed to maximize the use of my time.
Standing on the breach of Stage Three in my writing career, I have a load of experience and work at my back. I have learned innumerable lessons along the way, some have even made me a better writer. My vision for stage three has me wanting to reach a larger audience and see my work on the screen.
Like Jon Snow, up until now, I have refused to bend the knee, having been largely satisfied to plod along with my work without desperately seeking validation. Don't get me wrong, I have attempted to sell scripts and books along the way, but it has never been my driving force. The work is what has always mattered most to me. It sounds corny and cliche but it's true.
As we were honoring my recently deceased father, my uncle once said in all seriousness in regard to attaining money and validation for my writing, "What are you waiting until you are dead?" His callous and inconsiderate words and myopic view of the world struck a nerve.
But family is family. And God love him. Why I have let his hateful words stick in my craw all these years I will never know? Maybe it is because deep down I know that I should be more concerned with making money and obtaining validation for my written work.
Until I sort that out, I guess I'll just keep on making writing plans and put forth maximum effort this Spring to try and make some kind of good impression on others.
Beyond a concerted and sustained effort to reach a broader audience with my stories, I also want to branch out a bit -- try new things creatively. I have now written and published three novellas since releasing the novel series Monarch. Novellas are fun to write as they tell a simple story with no muss or fuss. While I have House Fly II and a novel series to release over the next two years, I want to write an All-American novel. A simple story like the novellas but with a bit more substance, more for readers to sink their teeth into. A 300-500 page stand-alone story that will break your heart and also restore your faith in humanity, maybe even challenge you to think outside the box. I have two stories in mind to start down that path.
To be continued...
