Wednesday, March 30, 2005

As I type this, I’m sitting in my back yard, digesting a plate of chocolate chip cookies and a glass of lemonade (all home-made, no less), looking out at the jumbled mulch that now hides the fifty or so daffodil bulbs I planted earlier this afternoon. I feel almost ashamed that I’m ever sorry for myself.

Now that I’ve had some time to think about last night’s incredible dinner with T, I can actually write something coherent about it. It was wonderful, and not just because I had a good time. T was personally encouraging to me about my writing and my chances.

And fortunately I agree with his views. He said that I should expect to (A) fail, and (B) endure the harshest criticism. And that that really doesn’t matter, and doesn’t affect your chances of ultimately succeeding. People have ripped T to pieces over some of his creative choices, despite his obviously amazing writing skills.

He was also reassuring. I expressed concern over my relative inexperience with comics; as I put it, “I haven’t been reading Green Lantern since I was eight.” He replied that that’s not really all that much of a handicap, and might be more of a strength, really. Too many comic readers are too invested in the tropes of the genre.

Meanwhile, a few links: Brad Bird talks about his career, from Disney to The Iron Giant to The Incredibles (and makes me slightly more sympathetic towards WB Film Animation). I really like what I see of Patrick Smith‘s animations.