[My Leap Year is a 12-month life project (begun 11/01/07) at the end of which I intend to be writing full-time. 365 small steps = 1 giant leap.]

Warren Ellis mentioned Sleepbot in a twitter last week and I checked it out because I didn’t know what it was.

So here I am, a week later, totally addicted to writing to the sounds of Sleepbot. Totally.

[My Leap Year is a 12-month life project (begun 11/01/07) at the end of which I intend to be writing full-time. 365 small steps = 1 giant leap.]

INTERVIEWS!

First I published a new Making Good column today over at ScrypticStudios.com, in which I interview comics writer Vito Delsante. Here’s a quick excerpt:

What’s the best advice you could give on the craft of writing?

Other than what I just said, I always give three pieces of advice:

1. Write what you know. Learn what you don’t.
2. If you’re given the opportunity to write a big name/franchise character, you have to treat it like your neighbor’s toy; you have to give it back the same way you got it.
3. Write every day. Because the writer you want to be? He’s writing right now.

Vito’s issue of Superman comes out tomorrow. Please join us in his “Help Sell Out SUPERMAN #676″ campaign.

Also, yesterday the Parable website posted an interview with yours truly. It delves into some of my personal beliefs, which you’ll generally find absent from this site because I’m more interested in contributing as an equal to the general dialogue taking place in entertainment and culture than I am in proselytizing. But I’m reminded of this observation about Grant Morrison by Warren Ellis, from the same interview I pointed you to last week:

[Grant's] a long-time practising magician who makes his art his magic; magic is a thing that demands a lot of your life, and Grant solves that by making the act of writing an act of magic.

It’s 100% true. One’s faith demands the same of any writer: it must be part of the work. Check out this interview if you want to see a little of how that works for me personally.

[My Leap Year is a 12-month life project (begun 11/01/07) at the end of which I intend to be writing full-time. 365 small steps = 1 giant leap.]

Here’s a sneak peek at the design process for WAITING, a new story with artist Simon Smith for Parable 2.

And now, today’s Meditation for the Comic Creator:

I’ll aim…comics at a wide, media-literate mainstream audience and slowly but surely help generate that audience, just like you. I’ll continue to learn from stuff I think breaks new ground. If at the moment I think comics aren’t being sexy enough or FuturePop enough or incendiary enough, I’ll attempt to fill the gap with the sort of thing I want to read.

Grant Morrison, interviewed by Warren Ellis.

Watch this, it’s only 15 minutes:

Where will you find your time? What will you do with your cognitive surplus? I have definite plans for mine. Big plans.

[My Leap Year is a 12-month life project (begun 11/01/07) at the end of which I intend to be writing full-time. 365 small steps = 1 giant leap.]

I had insomnia a couple nights ago. It’s a doubled-edged sword for me, and can be both a blessing and a curse.

The blessing: good time for creativity. This time I worked out the entire premise for my Zuda entry. Last time–a couple months ago–I was hit with the concept for an entire line of nonfiction books which I have since begun work on.

The curse: no sleep. I’m too tired the next day, or sometimes the next couple days, to immediately geto to work on whatever creative inspiration I had that night.

[My Leap Year is a 12-month life project (begun 11/01/07) at the end of which I intend to be writing full-time. 365 small steps = 1 giant leap.]

Well, it was a little over a week ago, but NYCC was fun. Friend Mark Sable’s own con report has put my lack of posting to shame with its thoroughness. It might have been my favorite con I’ve attended to date. The combination of all the publishers, almost none of the Hollywood, the still-manageable size, catching up with old friends, meeting new friends, planting seeds, perhaps seeing a few seeds sprout and being back in NY for a little while was a good one.

Conventions are a lot of walking. I always know this in my head, but my body seems to forget the actuality of it until I’m there. I’ve decided that this summer at SDCC I’m going to do a pedometer experiment. I’m going to wear a pedometer the entire weekend and see just how much walking I do. From stepping off the train and walking to the hotel to getting back on the train again. I think the numbers will be surprising.

But like I said, a good convention. After a bit of a lull, I’m starting to feel like this whole Leap Year project is truly going to pay off.

Oh yes, and I’m now on Twitter.

A collection of modern parables from some of the world’s best independent animators, web artists and comic creators. From personal introspectives to fantastic fictions, each short tale provides its own unique glimpse of the elusive (and eternal) truths of life. The result is a rich volume full of faith, love, grace and beautiful sequential art. Features my story UNCOMMON with artist Caroline Parkinson.

There is also an interview with artist Caroline up on the Parable website, wherein she talks a bit about our collaboration. You can also get a peek at a page from the story.

In stores November 2008 from Viper Comics.

More work in the Eagle, Eisner and Harvey Award nominated anthology!

This time it’s the PLUMMET flash comic with artist Daniel LaFrance, which you saw first on this very site, as well as the 8-page FILLING IN THE GAPS with artist Carlos de Anda. The latter was completed years ago (maybe as many as five, now that I think of it), but this is the first time it will ever see print anywhere. It has been edited since then, but was only the second comic script I had ever written.

Again, no specific release date yet. May or June.

Reprints my story PAPER CUTS, a 16-page “autobiographantasy” with artist Noel Tuazon exploring the strange relationship between man and advertising.

I do not have an exact release date, but probably early next month. I will update you when I know more.

Incidentally, the solicitation art above is by Michael Peters, another friend and collaborator. He’s hard at work on his creator-owned book Crescent City Magick, but hopefully when that’s finished you’ll get to see our short story PERSPECTIVE.