Hey! Wha' Happened?!

Hi, everyone.  I have a few minutes to spare this morning (it's a little too quiet at the office), so I thought I'd deliver on that long-promised update on what's been going on lately.

Writing-wise, a lot's been going on.

I just finished my TV writing class at UCLA and it's already having a positive impact on how productive I've been, especially with my new desire to submit a short story weekly.  It's a four-week process.  The idea being that I develop an idea during Week 1, write up the first draft in Week 2, let it simmer in Week 4, and then revise and submit in Week 4.  And because different stories are expected to be in different stages at any given time, it should allow me to make weekly submissions.  For example, if I'm writing the first draft of Story A, that same week, I'm outlining Story B to be written the following week, and then start the process for Story C the week after.

Originally, I thought about doing two stories per week, but with internship, job hunting, and other projects, that's just not possible.  Still, a story a week adds to 52 annually, and that doesn't sound too lame.  You know what I mean?

I'm still writing for Carpe Nocturne as well.  The last issue was a quiet one for me because it was steampunk-themed and none of the reviews I had fit it.  But I have a few reviews lined up to write for the next issue.  I'd also like to branch out a bit and try submitting an essay on the horror genre at least once a year.  I'm actually not originally a horror guy.  I converted only several years ago, so I figure these essays would give readers an interesting look at the genre from the perspective of a late-bloomer.

I'm also working on my first screenplay, but I'm not ready to go into detail on it yet.  It was an invitation from my boss at the entertainment company I work at, a chance to build up my writing portfolio.  He was pretty encouraging after reading a rough synopsis, so I'm plugging away at it when I can and we'll see what becomes of it.