Creative dispatch Ella

Creative Dispatch – November 12, 2017

I’ve spent the past few days working on reorganizing my thoughts. They’ve been scattered as mentioned in my last mini post. Now that I’ve collated a few things and tidied up my studio enough so that it feels like a workspace again… I feel like progress is being made.

With that said, here’s where things are right now:

Active Projects:

Hack Job: Cyberpunk, action-adventure
Target Goal: Novella or Novel length (50-70k)
Present Word Count: 9,000

The Rise and Fall of R’yleh (Working Title): Cthulhu mythos, apocalyptic fiction
Target Goal: Novel Length (70k)
Present Word Count: 15,000

Backburner Projects

Lighthouses Podcast: Horror, podcast drama
Target Goal: Ten, 20-minute episodes
Delay Time: Three months. One episode written and ready for a pilot casting.

Projects In Final Edits

Now, Watch: Serial Killer, Horror Story
Target Goal: Short story (4-7K)

Awaiting Publication

Hoomins: – More details as they come! Not sure exactly how much I’m able to divulge here, but when word comes down, I will keep you all informed of my dog’s-eye view of a zombie apocalypse. Very exciting times!

Other Notes and Observations

Life has grown in complexity on many fronts. Events from the summer continue to have repercussions. I am living in… interesting times. Despite challenges and obstacles, I’m starting to feel a bit more like things are on track. It’s not perfect – but as I get older, I come to realize that perfection is a fool’s errand on many fronts (of which editing is not one – hard lessons learned). A perfect life where all breaks are caught, all opportunities are seized, and at which a productivity event horizon is attained… is a fantasy. All to which I can aspire is to push as hard as I can to get as close as possible. Any further and that singularity of the immaculate will crush anything like life out of me. I’m okay with imperfection – it’s what Grammarly is for.

I have also become a night creature again – at least on my weekends. Uber continues to be a good source of income while working towards something more sustainable. It also is coming to inform me in my craft. My most recent work in progress, Hack Job, focuses on a futuristic combat cabbie, plying his illicit trade on an off-world colony. I have little doubt that many of the places I encounter during the evenings (and probably some of the people) will show up in some fashion or another.

And then there’s the dog. She continues to melt hearts, chew sticks, and generally inject a little of that imperfection I mentioned earlier. Stray dog hairs, chunks of destroyed chew toys, and the occasional turd now grace my home. She’s messy and inconvenient and wonderful. Just like life.

Lastly, I find myself in such a position to read again. Waiting in the car for my next passenger from PHL means that I have anywhere from a half-hour to an hour simply waiting in queue (which is the worst). I’ve made the most of it and hit up many novels and graphic novels in the meantime.

But, for now, this dispatch is concluded. See you later this week when I’ll talk about… something. Be there.

About the author: Maurice

Maurice Hopkins is an author, illustrator, blogger and part-time columnist for HeyPoorPlayer.com. He is easily bribed with publishing offers, experience points, and diabetic-friendly cookies.