January Sweeps - Day 375

The other day, I was talking to Big about cover art, and how I hated having to come up with a cover for every one of my short stories, but what was I going to do, not publish them?  Heck, I did that for twenty-three years, and where did it get me?

I hoped, honestly, he would just say, "Tell me what you want and I'll make covers for them?  After all, I'm stuck in an editing bay for eight hours daily, and I do it so much better than you."  But he didn't.  

I did tell him Gino had found an excellent resource for free cover images on a website called Unsplash.*  I suggested I find an image of a girl covering her eyes for my story "Bad Trip" and wanted him to put the text on it.  He suggested I try it myself, so I spent several minutes trying to make the text look not-terrible, and the best I could come up with was this:

It's not bad, really.  Doesn't look professional, but it gets the point across, and for one I did myself, is on the higher end of effectiveness.  Right?

So, today, Big sent me his version.  It's essentially the same, but looks better (though it does look like a Horror story, which the tale only is if you squint).

Cool, no?

I think that I'm going to publish a bunch of short stories this year, even if they're short, even if they're not good.  Because somebody out there might like one of them, and then, hey, maybe I'll have made a new fan that will--

No, wait.  If the story's not good, I don't think I should publish it.  Those belong in the audio collections only.**

Sit-ups Today: 100
Sit-ups In February: 1173

Is Shailene Woodley still a thing?  I was listening to Marshal Latham talk about his goals for 2021 and he wants to do a bunch of Outfield Excursions podcast episodes.  I came close to suggesting we watch the DIVERGENT movies.  They have never appealed to me (even though I went to the panel for the first one at Comic-Con, never having read the books or anything), but part of me is morbidly curious, especially when there's a series that crashes so hard the film studios don't finish it.***

Push-ups Today: 133
Push-ups In February: 995

I sat down at the end of the night, meaning to record something.  I had re-recorded a bit for the end of "podcatcher," and when I went to edit it, I discovered I hadn't plugged in my microphone.  If I had a dollar for every time I've done that, I could buy you a burger (ham-, probably not cheese-).

So, I recorded that section again, discovering that it was awkwardly-phrased enough I couldn't get it out the way I'd (re)written it.  When I finally got it right and recorded, I discovered I had only added three words to the original document.  Three words, kids.  

After which, I rewarded myself with a "Modern Family" episode (one I watched with Big Anklevich when it was new.  Of course, I didn't cry when I saw it with him in 2009).

Words Today: 627
Words In February: 7119

*He used it to make me a cover for "Three-Time Visitor" which looked pretty solid, taking the image of a pretty lady on the beach and superimposing it over a hotel room, so she became a ghost.  I showed that on here, didn't I?

**I wrote this effed-up little treasure a while back called "Alarming" where a little Midwestern village has something called a rape alarm in the town square.  You'll know I've stopped caring what people think of me when I put that story out.

***Not to get off on a rant here, but with all the cable, video, and streaming options, not to mention the ancillary income, it has to be insanely rare for a film not to make a profit, at least not after two or three years.  If you think of what they make for making it available in Bangladesh, (which isn't a lot, mind you, but is definitely something), then think of how many Bangladeshes there are in the world, not to mention pay cable, basic cable, Netflix, network television, and a dozen copies [or more] in every Walmart in the U.S. and Canada.  Anyhow, I gotta say, even JOHN CARTER OF MARS has to have broken even by now.  Not CUTTHROAT ISLAND, though.