Monday, January 19, 2009

365 Sketches

Well, I'm going to do it. Starting tonight.

It's such a huge undertaking, that I spent a lot of time talking to people about it. That's rather rare for me. Typically, I'll get a bug up my ass about something and just do it.

So, thank you everyone who endured me soliciting your opinion - Andrew, Fig, Mr. Hall, my Tuesday night goals group, my Writing 2 class. Especially everyone who commented on Friday's post - my brother Don, Chris Othis, MJ, Old Ned, Jill, Mr. B, Henri, Rob Beisenbach, Erica Reid, Greg Wendling and Alibear. I especially appreciated the folks playing devil's advocate. I'm not the kind of person to do something because people tell me not to. I try to consider all angles before committing. Everyone on both sides affirmed things I was thinking and made me think about a few things I wasn't.

At the end of the day, the discourse led me to the conclusion that for me to do this, I have to do it for myself. And so I am. As an artist, I love to paint myself into corners. I find I do some of my best work that way. This corner happens to be in a very large room with all the doors and windows on the other end of the room. (Actually, it's more like I'm painting the floor of some huge ballroom and I'm starting in a corner with a very small brush and a gallon can of paint that's only half full. I've got a year to paint my way to the to the door.) In taking this on, I hope to tap in to a flow of material that leads me to writing about things I have never written about in a style I have never written in. And I hope it to be entertaining and stage worthy, too.

THE PARAMETERS


1) I will post the first draft of one comedy sketch a night before going to bed. A sketch is anything you might see in a sketch revue, so that includes scenes, blackouts, songs and the occasional odd "bit."

2) Six nights a week will be original material generated specifically for this project. On Sundays, I will post a written piece that has never been produced on stage. Although, I suspect I'll eventually run out of those and will have to start writing original material for that, too.

3) I will also include my thoughts on the piece, how it was developed and internal and external updates on the project itself. This is the teacher in me. I want this to be a beneficial experience for other writers.

4) All material is copyrighted by me and may not be used in any form or media without express written permission by me or the baseball commission.

5) Feedback on material in the comment section is invited and encouraged.

6) These are to be considered first drafts. Works in progress. I am free to rewrite any or all material.

So, there you go. I think I covered all my bases. If you think of anything I should probably include or be clearer about, let me know.

This is a huge departure from Bite and Smile and I know some dedicated folks just aren't going to be interested in reading a sketch a day. Thanks for tuning in, BS will return, in its full form, 365 days from now.


MOUSTACHE-A-THON





Hey! You can donate to my and my soon-to-be moustache Zed's campaign for world domination. Actually, the money goes to 826, a non-profit educational organization, more subtly bent on conquering the civilized world. Click HERE to donate - seriously, any amount is welcome - and scroll down and look for my pretty face and then click on the PayPal link. If you want to make a contribution, but not through PayPal, shoot 826 an e-mail at info@826chi.org. They'll work something out with you.


THE BS NEWS QUIZ OF THE DAY

On Friday, I asked...

"Skolu Isieskojimo Biuras, a debt collecting bureau in Lithuania, is now going after delinquent creditors using what?"


81% said "Facebook"
- It's the answer to all our life's problems, isn't it? Except here.

10% said "bogus lotteries"
- Those gag scratch off tickets will finally be useful!

No one said "debt-sniffing dogs"

Only 9% got it right with "witchcraft"

According to The Associated Press, a Lithuanian debt collector is offering an unconventional service to retrieve arrears: witchcraft.

The Vilnius-based firm has hired Vilija Lobaciuviene, the Baltic nation's most famous self-styled witch, to hunt down companies and individuals who are failing to pay their debts amid the credit crunch.

"There are certain people, who are using this crisis situation and refuse to pay back banks or other companies," said Amantas Celkonas, director of the Skolu Isieskojimo Biuras, or debt collecting bureau.

"Our new employee will help them to understand the situation, reconsider what is right and wrong and act accordingly," he said.

So, if I get this right, what they're saying is that if someone isn't paying off their bills, a witch is going to cast a spell on them? Not so sure this is a good way to go. I have enough trouble paying down debts as a human. I can't imagine trying to find work as a frog. "No, seriously, if you kiss me, I'll turn into a temp worker who can do data entry."

6 comments:

idjar said...

It is a far, far better thing that YOU ARE ABOUT TO do, than I have ever done.

Don't forget to take an occasional five minute Facebook break, and you may want to take up snorting cocaine and chain-smoking cigarettes. Just a thought.

Old Ned said...

Awesome! I admire your creative drive and your courage, and am looking forward to reading your blog over the coming year. No matter what the outcome, I am sure it will be a great learning experience for you and for those of us who will be following your progress. Thanks for sharing it with us -- and all the best to you!

Mr. B said...

Master Janes,

Good Luck on your endeavor. I hope it produces work that you are proud of and is a rich and satisfying experience for you.

Respectfully,
Mr.B

Erica said...

WOOO!! Good luck! This is exciting!!

I hate that I only saw you for about 3 seconds the other night, but that 3 seconds was quality.

I am supporting you 100% on this project.

xo

Brett and Anthony said...

Dude. i can't wait. This is something that I will read every day. Thanks for posting them too. That's a huge help for others.

Lori said...

Well, alright then. You did it. You did not take the advice of the naysayers. Therefore, you will be subject to the most beneficially harsh criticism available.
I will try to help.
I am thinking about this now because I realize how long it takes to write something interesting every day. You are doing a fine job of this in your blog, but I just sent out an incredibly boring journal about my weekend in Fossil, OR. I felt kind of bad about it, but then, really, how exciting can that be?