Off it Goes...

The extended version of the secret project pitch is off to the company. I was fortunate that my friend Chris arrived here in Hawaii just in time to do a final read of the pitch document to make sure it made sense (and was entertaining).

Thanks Chris!

So, off it goes. Now, I need to wait for them to tell me what they think.

Have I ever said how much I hate waiting?

Update on the Secret Project

I am taking a break from Book 2 for the next few days in order to write an extended pitch for the secret project.

There are a number of reasons for this, but mostly its because I only wrote a really brief concept sketch the first time and, now that it is being taken seriously, the company wants as much information as I can give them. I also want to continue to be involved in the project (assuming it moves forward) so this is my chance to show I am both professional and responsive.

Wish me luck. I'd dearly love to give more details-- but until I know I am not deluding myself -- I am keeping my mouth shut.

Maybe by December I will know more.

Summer of Flight is Done!

Yes. I can finally say that Summer of Flight, my YA fantasy novel, is done. Done. Done. Done. The first draft clocked in at 74,340 words. Right on the button since I was aiming for 75k.

Next stop my Alpha reader -- who will no doubt find many glowing-in-the dark problems. I am trying not to think about those yet. I'd rather just celebrate.

::Happy dance::

The Missing Chapter...

Is no longer missing. After re-writing almost sixty pages -- of a 250 page book -- to make an event happen earlier, the missing chapter finally found its way out of my brain.

No doubt it will still need work, but it is there. There. There. There. I could dance right now.

I can't believe it took me almost five months to figure out why the chapter refused to be written. Fortunately, it only took me two weeks to rectify the problem once I figured it out.

I am not complaining mind you. I now have a book without any missing pieces. Tomorrow, I hope to read the last ninety pages -- mostly to weed out all the things that no longer make sense because I've moved one of the critical events earlier. After the finicky detail work of the past two weeks, this should be the easy part.

I know, famous last words. I can dream though.

Lest We Forget

In Flanders Fields -- by John MacRae

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

For the Fallen -- by Laurence Binyon

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.

Solemn the drums thrill: Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres.
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables at home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England's foam.

But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night;

As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain,
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.

Possibilities

I was asked to write a couple of pitches a few months ago. I didn't expect anything to come of them, but when you are asked to do something interesting, you say yes -- right? Once I provided them, I promptly forgot they even existed -- mostly because I figured they weren't ever going to go anywhere. I wrote them for fun more than anything.

I heard today that one of the concepts I came up with has received a tiny bit of interest. In reality, this doesn't mean much...well, except there wasn't a straight out "no" (a good thing in my mind).

To compare this to the consulting world, I see the concept as having made it passed the "Expression of Interest" step, with the company now needing to make a bid/no bid decision.

In this situation the company has to see if it can find an interested Project Manager willing to develop a full proposal. If it does, the company may make a decision to bid.

It will be interesting to see how this unfolds over the next few months. It is likely going to go nowhere, which is why I am being so cryptic. And yet, on the off chance it does go somewhere, I would want to remember every step on the journey.

So, this post is more for me than for you. Thanks for bearing with me.

Edited on Nov. 10th: I just saw the preliminary list of individuals who may be approached about this project -- wow, that was quick. From looking at their experience, all of them look like they would be a good fit -- although one stuck out for me personally.

Pictures

Here are a few pictures from Austin. I didn't take many since most of the events didn't allow pictures.

1. The Lobby of the Driskill Hotel

2. The Apoll0 13 Retrospective. Ron Howard is in the baseball cap. On the right is Jim Lovell, on the left are the two screenwriters (whose names are back in Toronto -- apologies).

3. Ron Howard at the Barbeque. Since I didn't want to ask for a picture directly.