NaNoWrImO

Tags

dirk manning, editing, on writing, videos, write or wrong, youtube

November is novel writing month and I’m torn.   I think I want to go back and finish a story I wrote a long time ago.  It’s a cool idea, but the novel is definitely broken.  I did it myself.  This was before I knew what my habits as a writer were, as such, I decimated the manuscript in its many, many rewrites.  I’m in love with the the idea.  I understand nihilism a lot more now than I did when I wrote the book, so that definitely will be incorporated into the next draft.  This time I’ll be much more careful and try not to make the same mistakes I made in the past.  It seems like a good project for this november.  I may insert a word bar every day.  We’ll see how it goes.

Rewrites are in many ways harder than writing the first draft.  There is an excitement when you first put an idea down to paper.  The real work comes when you have to look at this manuscript with the eyes of an editor and realize just how bad you sucked the first time and do your best to correct it.  You repeat this process until you are satisfied with the draft and then you send it to someone you trust.  You let them tear the whole thing to pieces, then you listen to them gently explain why this needed to happen.  For the most part, they are right.  Once in while a more paranoid thought enters that maybe the editors are just out to get me right?  I mean, it’s not like I’ve made mistakes on this blog which I don’t cringe at while reading late at night?

Well?

*reads stuff

*shudders

Never mind.

All kidding aside, I’m looking to finish off another video this weekend.  The sound should improve by a very drastic measure compared to the last couple.  I may have to reformat the Rob Osborne interview at some point to do it proper justice.

Finally, if you can look up Dirk Manning’s Write or Wrong book at your local comic shop if you get the chance.  While comics are the main focus of Dirk’s writing advice, there are some great must reads for anyone wanting to get into writing period.  One of my favorite pieces of his is entitled “Killing the Buddha” (this is from memory.)  In it, is the simple lesson everyone going after their passion should always remember:

Dream big.

I think this is a good note to wrap up this blog on.  Look for the book, and keep following your dreams.

Big Honors and some new pretty things to look at.

Tags

all pulp, health, kmax media, rob osborne, videos, writing

First thing’s first:   I wrote a review of Peter Cannon Thunderbolt for all pulp.  Click on the link  here for more.  Am trying to get an interview with the creative team for the series.   As is, last night I got an idea for my own pulp style series.

That’s for another time.  I want to take a moment to talk about Kaleem Maxwell.  Kaleem Maxwell and I go back to our college days.  He was doing media coverage involving bodybuilding and anime and a few other things along the way.  He’s one of my biggest fans and I’m one of his.  I worked on him covering a number of different projects.  He made me a better interviewer as I was forced to learn how to adjust on the fly.  Some of those early interviews played a key role into how I approach the art of talking to complete strangers.  I owe a huge debt of gratitude to him.

Now, that debt expands greater. Check out Kaleem’s latest efforts on youtube.  You’ll see a familiar name on it.

thanks Kaleem.  I owe you another one.

It’s been a while since I posted a video isn’t it?  I’ve been tinkering with audio.  Rob Osborne Part II has been my guinea pig for a while.  I think I’m working on the sound.  At least it’s clearer.   The next few videos should see marked improvements.

More to come soon.

Enjoy.

Now On Deviant Art

Tags

arts, comics, deviant art, intro

I’m now on Deviant Art.  As posted there, here is my short little intro from there to here.  More will come soon.  My next project is nearing completion and I hope to have news with more things coming.

JP

 

This is just a quick heads up.  I’m here to admire primarily, and won’t be posting original art pieces.   I may write the odd recommendation on the site but that’s it.  My name is Joshua Pantalleresco.  I have a blog at jpantalleresco.wordpress.com, my twitter handle is @jpantalleresco, I’m on facecrack, and I have a youtube channel called michaelthroughtime1 which I will update sometime real soon.

I’ve published a book of poetry entitled I Am… and have worked on a comic called Veritas.  Soon my first manga story will be posted.  In addition I’ve done interviews and reviews for places like comic bloc, all pulp, and have worked on short stories, articles in magazines and even in a collection of essays.

I’m chasing my dreams and will continue to do so.

Nice to meet you all.  Hope we become acquainted.

Birthday Wish

Tags

dreaming, writing

I’m thirty-one.

How did this happen?  Time snuck up on me like a bandit.  It and death are double teaming me it seems.  For the first time in a long time I can grasp that concept of my mortality.  However,  I think instead of a midlife crisis (which seems silly.  I could be dead tomorrow for all I know.)  I think I’m just going to keep plugging away doing what I’m doing and not worrying about tomorrow too much in terms of numbers.  Numbers are nice and beautiful and universal, but people’s interpretations of them?  Not so much.

I’ve done a lot.  Still have a long way to go.  If anything I’m writing this today to say to each and every one of you that anything worthwhile in life doesn’t come easy.  Instead of waiting for life to dictate to you how you are going to leave and be and dream, I suggest instead you just do something you want to do, without worry of fear or recrimination.  Life is too short to do anything else.

My vow this year is to kill this word called real – well rather it’s cynical cousin realistic.  I hate that word.  Maybe not the words – words are my lifeblood in what I do, but I just hate the concept and idea of it.  Because to this day I don’t have a clue what that is.  I have less a clue each year about that world to tell you the truth.

I think I’m going to take the agnostic view of things when it comes to that word – I have seen no evidence that the word exists.  Real, much like happy, love, or any idea we try to live by is metaphysics.  The metaphysical real as we like to go by is fluid.  It is one giant stream of consciousness with many interpretations.  If that’s the case, no one has a damn clue what is real.   Realistic is nothing more than fiction.  It’s safe fiction, it has boundaries mind you, complete with a white picket fence.  At the end of the day though, it’s still a make believe fence.  That can all change tomorrow.

If this is true, then it makes no sense to do anything but keep aiming big.  Don’t let anyone tell you differently.  Honestly, there is no master plan in the direction life can take you.  I’ve done some damn cool things and gone in many wild and zany directions doing it.  I wouldn’t have done it any other way.

And tomorrow?  I’ll keep going, wherever, whenever it takes me.

I think that’s my wish for each and every one of you as well.

Keep dreaming and more importantly, keep doing.

We All Got To Grow Up Sometime

Tags

cars, writing

I’ve been fighting this impulse for years.  It wasn’t a temptation to do it, but rather quietly looking for that inevitable escape from this chain, this money pit from hell that people embrace for convenience.

I don’t even find the damn machines attractive.  They are ugly hideous beasts that emanate a black hole of finances and despair.  I’ve seen them frustrate my family to the point of apoplexy and even during my stay in arizona wondered what exactly the big deal was.

Cars.  I hate these things.  Yet I got to grow up sometime.

Necessity forced this change.  This crazy idea came to me in a dream about what I need to do to expand my profile.  It involves a road trip and a working vacation.  It sounded exciting – I need change and can’t deny how bored I am in the constant mediocrity.   It’s comfortable but I feel the need to do some new and different things.  So this idea of going around and doing this convention by convention trip sounds like a lot of fun.  I need to do the following to make the trip viable. –

More material.  (Working on it.)

A car (!)

Uh.

A car.

No.

No.

No!

I can’t fight it anymore.  I’m going to need one.  I’ll have to suck it up, save some money, find something that I can deal with.  Maybe I’ll be truly rebellious and give my car a custom paint job that’s rebellious.  Maybe pink or fucia with black trim, creating that 1950s bubble gum diner feel.  It’d definitely grab some attention.  Considering the amount of driving I’m planning on, maybe I should refrain.  It might resolve in some interesting adventures I’d rather avoid.

Uh.

A car.

I’ll get over it.  I know I will.  It’s not the end of the world as I know it.  I may enjoy the ability to get away from it all for awhile.   Sounds
like I have a lot of adventures I want to do.  Now’s the time to get on it isn’t it?

Okay.  I’ve settled it.  I’m getting a car.  I am.    Even though they are money pits, whores and by and large an inconvenient falling apart piece of junk, I can evolve.  I need to evolve.  I can do this.  Yes.  Yes.  Yes!

I think I’ve worked out all the psychological stuff.  I’ve accepted it.  Now I have to work on the material.

I really think I’m growing up a little bit.  Who knew?