This is a very exciting time for me.
This character, Gray Locke, was developed a year ago this month. His first story was the web-serial "Lonely Satellite." It was an amalgamation of fact with fiction. A story categorized in the Science-Fiction genre.
Not too far along in the story, I felt I really had something here. So I went with the flow of the story as far as I had planned to for the blog. Then I moved on to other projects.
Future plans for that particular story was to re-write what was presented all in third-person, then add the second half of the story to it. Then self-publish the book under the title "Satellite 2."
In the meantime, I had work to follow-up on another project. One of the side projects was a children's musical. I was adapting a lovely children's story to a musical. First, I had to block the story...break it down into numbers. Then I was to write one song based on one of the scenes. After I felt I could do something with this, I contacted the author's lawyers and estate to acquire permission to do this. Well...it was already opted out to a movie company.
So...what to do? I put it aside and continued with another project.
One of the long-term projects I started at that time was a full-blown musical. The story-line based on "Lonely Satellite." I was adapting the story and writing the lyrics. My good friend, Marco Spatuzzi, (who I have worked with on another project), was writing the music.
I really wanted to write a children's musical. With the theatres in my area, someone would certainly perform it. I felt it best to start out small scale with Marco, regarding our musical ambitions. So, one day a thought came to mind. In the story "Lonely Satellite," I flash back to Gray's childhood. THAT was the spawn of it all.
So, I started writing a story straight away! It was an excellent story, full of young love, aliens, zombies, and ghosts.
Then, a quarter of the way through it, it dawned on me. We can't produce this! The set is huge! So I put the story aside.
Keeping the stage set in mind, I started another story. THAT was better. Not that the stage set design is the job of the writers, but keep in mind...this was going to be a community-based theatre putting this on. If I could have set design options available to present with the musical, that would make it an easier sell.
L-O-N-G story short...that musical got put aside too.
After one of the projects I was working on (a music CD) fell through, due to studio closing, I had to quickly reorganize my plan. "Lonely Satellite" was started in November 2008. Most of the writing for it took place between April and July 2009. After the first music CD got canned (It's currently on a hiatus. I hope to return to it), I started work on my own solo CD. I wrote five songs. One song I was able to finish the lyrics to. The others...not the case. I could not come up with satisfactory lyrics. And time was ticking away.
By August (2009) I had to do something else. Writing, without producing anything, doesn't pay the bills. Then, I went back to something I wanted to do a long time ago but didn't have the material. That was a children's book. Using Gray Locke, I would once again start at the beginning.
I sat in the back hall,(it's the playroom), and in a little under two hours the story was outlined. "The Mystery of the Weeping Rocks." I would spend the remaining months, up to now, re-writing the story DAILY...fine tuning, researching and rewording.
After I was satisfied that I had a good story, I tried approaching a local artist. But the timing was not on our side. I searched the internet for an illustrator. Again, another L-O-N-G story short...I ended up doing THAT myself.
So...in between learning how to use some new computer software, and how to start a business, apply for licenses, PCN's, ISBN and so forth, I was creating the illustrations for the story, and continuing to correct or reword or rephrase a sentence or two, almost daily.
It's down to the wire, folks! I'm waiting on word (or print) from the Library of Congress. Once I have their information, it's off to print!
Oh...then there's the promoting. Bookmarkers and props,( for book readings). Yes! I've been working on the websites and now this blog.
These are exciting times indeed!
Thrive!
~ Craig
