Saturday, April 15, 2017

I'm not sure if it's flying, or just a respite before the controlled crashing.

I remember hearing a story, somewhere...it may have been a story on a television show, it may have been one of the late night bar-ramblings...or it may have been at one of the many airports I've found myself in, from time to time.

The story is about pilots who are new to flying on instruments alone; and how, when they fly into the clouds, they have to rely upon that one instrument that will tell him/her that they are flying level.  And they make an adjustment.  And another adjustment.  Just a tweak here.  And a tweak there.

The number of pilots that come out the clouds completely upside down is astonishing, apparently.

I know how they feel.

I've written things in the past...I mean, besides here.  Little sketches, here and there.  The occasional radio script.  Usually adaptations of some other medium, which is like getting a push as you begin to roll.

This was different. 

Of course, the character is well established.  But putting that character into a new situation, and using all of the original material in that new situation...it seemed difficult.  It felt like I was juggling cats; you need to keep them all in the air, not hurt them, and not get hurt yourself.  Or, keep the story straight, do not destroy the integrity of the original character, and don't beat your head against the table so as to cause concussion.

At any rate, I finished a rough draft on the first of April.

And now, I feel a little like that first-time pilot on instruments.

Tweaking.

And upside down.

I gotta get this thing outta my hands for a while.

But in the midst of all the crap in the last four months....there's a victory in actually finishing it.  Good or bad, it's done.

I will rest for a bit, and start the DB Cooper thing.

And by the way, my admiration of the friends who have made a living doing this just exponentially grows.

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