Summer Break
I feel the need to step back and let things ride for a bit. I will keep writing, but like I said, I have a backlog of unpublished manuscripts, and traction is waning on the published ones. The need to let it all go for a bit is strong. It is time for a summer break.
In my last blog, I mentioned a second serialized project. My idea was to adapt the Timber Tantrum screenplay I wrote long ago with Lee Webster into a new format. One problem is that my friend passed away in 2008, and I am not sure how to proceed with his estate on a DIY project.
Deep in the woods, the trees are stirring to life on Arbor Day. The Vixens: Angelic Angie, Rachel Rage, Nurse Candy Stripes, Dirty Dixie, Pretty Black Panther, and Mistress Melon-EE, are undefeated on the backwoods wrestling circuit. That is, until their Winnebago crashes and they come face-to-face with Tree Thing, an aberration of the forest. Their salvation lies in Ranger Rick, a one-eyed German Shepherd, and their wrestling skills. Who will survive the smackdown?
As Lloyd Kaufman responed to the submitted (to Troma Entertainment) screenplay, “Good luck with that.”
The idea of a Timber Tantrum serial is killer, but I need to figure out permission, so I am going to put it on ice.
Sessions will continue in fits and starts as inspiration strikes, or I may ice it too.
JACK LEE WEBSTER passed away on June 1st, 2008, leaving behind a wife and son. Born August 31st, 1971, in Baytown, Texas, he was a design draftsman contracted to NASA and worked on components of the ISS (International Space Station). He was also a bassist in the metal band Infernal Butchery, a lover of movies, especially of the horror genre, a collector of knowledge, and an aspiring movie producer.
I do miss having a co-conspirator in writing horror and exploitation. We had discussed a Timber Tantrum sequel set in El Paso with roller girls and killer Christmas trees, adapting Lee’s story, Mailbox Baseball (an old man gets grisly revenge on the kids who prank him), and even a musical version of Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS. Who knows what projects we would have created together or how far we would have pushed the boundaries?
This is the first time I have actively shelved some projects in years. After finishing Anarchy: Strange Tales of Outsiders, I considered a sequel of sorts and collected some short stories to go in it, but it lacked cohesiveness, so it was abandoned. One of the stories evolved into Trouble with Furries; another, Kyle’s Way (survival horror in a cabin), faded; and a third, The Loner (my H.P. Lovecraft homage), ended up in a later edition of Anarchy. I know it is not uncommon for writers to move on, but it does feel weird to do so.
I have enjoyed my journey as a writer so far and have experienced many highs and lows that come with the trek. Now, I am at an inflection point. The truth is that things have slowed down with the self-publishing of Punk Fiction, and the time, money, and energy to keep pushing are taking a toll on me. I will keep my back catalog in print on Amazon, but I am saving the rest for the future. Some stories come fast and dirty; others take years to write, but all have a drive, a compulsion to be finished. I need to recharge that drive, so this is the end…for now.
DS
