July writing wrap-up.

If this were any other year, I’d say that with July in the can we’re officially on the downhill slide of things. But, this is 2020 so….you know.

Life goes on in most respects, at least in some fashion. As we have been for the past few months, we continue to observe COVID-19 recommendations and protocols when going out. Yes, we’ve cut back on all sorts of things, either by choice or because the venues we might normally frequent have been closed. I’ve resumed a more or less normal volunteer schedule at the National World War I Museum and Memorial, which is open while following all the county and city guidelines for doing so under the current circumstances.

Meanwhile, the work marches merrily on.

June writing wrap-up.

Congratulations, adventure seeker! You have survived June 2020.

WELCOME TO LEVEL 7 OF JUMANJI.

June was a lot like May so far as the home life situation. We continue to observe COVID-19 recommendations and protocols when going out…curtailed as such activities may be. I did take a couple of volunteer shifts at the National World War I Museum and Memorial, my first since early March, as the museum reopened to guests in early June. Our neighborhood pools are open – while following social distancing and occupancy guidelines, of course – which allows my kids to get out of the house and into some sun and exercise. We continue to see close friends, all of whom like us have been doing our best to “behave” with the current situation.

Oh yeah. And there was work, too.

Wearing my consulting hat means attracting more things to my desk. As this tends to be Star Trek in one form or another, I can’t really complain. My dreams are getting a little weird as the different Trek iterations start to blend together into this massive uber crossover event going on in my subconscious. There’s a lot happening within the Star Trek universe, with even more waiting in the wings.

There were a few writing things on the docket, as well.

May writing wrap-up.

So, after the weirdness that was April, May took us right off the rails. We’ve watched with anger, sadness, and disbelief as the events of the past week have unfolded. It’s heartwrenching, all the more so because we as a nation seem to be so utterly rudderless, but it wasn’t unexpected. I don’t intend this to be a soapbox post (and I’m not looking for anyone to stake a claim to that sort of thing here, either), but I will say anyone who thinks this is a single action occurring in vacuum hasn’t been paying attention. To those people, I sincerely hope you’re paying attention now.

On the home front, Clan Ward continued to observe COVID-19 protocols so far as being out in public. Closer to home, we were able to spend time with friends while still observing social distancing. The people in our social circle were doing the same things we were, so we all felt comfortable enough to enjoy each other’s company. School’s out for the year, and both kids finished strong. This was the only year where I had wildly divergent bus schedules for each child; they’ll both be getting on and off the bus within minutes of each other from here on out.

“Until they start driving, Dayton.”

SHUT UP. THEY WERE JUST BORN LIKE FIVE MINUTES AGO.

:: Ahem. ::

In and around all of that, the work marched merrily on.

On the consulting side of things, I got to poke my nose into a fair bit of Star Trek stuff on different fronts, and it appears I’ll be doing even more of that in the months ahead. They’re keeping me busy but it’s a good kinda busy. It’d be easy to describe what I do as a fan’s dream job, but I truly do see it as quite a bit more than that. In the year or so I’ve been doing this, I’ve drawn upon not just Star Trek knowledge or even my writing background but also skills and expertise gleaned from my past corporate and even military life. It’s been an interesting year to say the least, and yes…there’s even more coming.

Oh, and there was writing stuff during May, too.

April writing wrap-up.

So, how about that April, huh?

Yeah.

It was pretty much an extended version of the last half of March, in which I and the rest of Clan Ward stuck close to the house aside from occasional ventures to the grocery store and to pick up food from various locally owned and operated restaurants. Several of those places are family businesses and we’re trying to do our part to keep them going at least at some percentage of the traffic (and money) they’d ordinarily be pulling in. We definitely want them to still be around when this is over.

The kids are continuing to attend school via virtual means, and as my wife and I were already working at home that part of our lives hasn’t been disrupted too much. A few more conventions I’d planned to attend have either been postponed or cancelled for the year. While I miss the opportunity to catch up with friends I only see at conventions and such, we obviously understand the desire to keep safe everyone involved with putting on such events. We continue to do our small part to hopefully see this put behind us sooner rather than later.

Meanwhile, the pushing of the words continues unabated.

For those who still care about such things, my work as a consultant to CBS Global Franchise Management also continued, mostly in the vein of reading and commenting on various things. As I said last month, even with most everyone working at home there’s still bunches of Star Trek stuff happening in various corners of the sandbox. As I also said and will continue to say: It’s definitely a fun time to be a fan. Stay tuned for updates as The Powers That Be decide such things can be talked about.

Meanwhile, here’s the writing run-down for April:

March writing wrap-up.

Despite the insanity into which March rapidly descended, we here at Ward Manor have done our level best to maintain a sense of normalcy to the maximum possible extent. There have been the challenges we’re all facing as we adapt to an existence that necessitates our staying inside or close to the house.

I received email after email notifying me that movies and other events for which I had tickets or just plans to attend were cancelled and refunded. Our desire to hang out with our friends is set aside out of concern for those very same friends. I still catch myself thinking I’ll take a quick jaunt to some store, only to remind myself the store is closed or – if it’s a business deemed essential – whether my need to visit is essential. The kids are home and “attending” school via virtual means, while my wife and I continue to work from home as we were doing long before the current situation made it a necessity. With all of that said, we’re in a pretty good place as these things go, so none of what I just wrote is a complaint.

And with all of that, life and work continues.

The end of March brought with it the end of my first year as a consultant to CBS Global Franchise Management. What a ride that’s been, and 2020 is already shaping up to be interesting even with the current reality we’re all facing. Despite the slowdowns on various fronts, creators are still creating from their home offices and studios and that translates into material I get to review. There’s still a lot of Star Trek storytelling being conjured out there on various fronts. It’s a fun time to be a fan of this stuff, let me tell you. Keep watching the skies, and all that.

Elsewhere within my little realm, writing or things that somewhat resemble writing continue to gestate in fits and starts. March was a bit of a transition month as things wind down, wind up, or move into position in preparation for my giving them a lot more attention in the months to come. Here’s the rundown:

The way late February writing wrap-up.

You’d think if you get an extra day during a month you could accomplish more.

Turns out? Not so much.

My consulting duties with CBS continue to keep me busy. Lots of review and commenting on various projects in their pipeline, including comics material from IDW Publishing, novels and such from Simon & Schuster, and a few very cool things beyond those platforms lurk on the horizon. There’s a lot of Star Trek storytelling going on (or it wants to be going on) out there. Pretty dang cool, if you ask me. Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, I still have illusions of being some kind of freelance writer, which means fussing about with this and that throughout the month. Here’s what happened in February:

January writing wrap-up.

So, January 2020.

That was a hell of a year, wasn’t it?

The new year has started off in the fast lane. Lots of stuff going on at Ward Manor, and as you’ve likely guessed a good bit of that involves Star Trek in some flavor or another. My consulting duties with CBS continue apace, and a good chunk of the month was devoted to reviewing or weighing in on assorted things in various stages of development. This primarily includes material from both Simon & Schuster and IDW Publishing but a couple of other things wormed their way into the mix. Lots of sausage being made, you know.

Meanwhile, on my own writing front, things are in a bit of a “moving things around the board” mode. Here’s what moved around in January:

December writing wrap-up.

And just like that, 2019 is in the books. No more “Year of Blade Runner.” No more “Year of Akira.” We’re on to 2020, fellow cyberpunks!

:: Ahem ::

As with previous months, I’m happy to report that my consulting duties with CBS continue to occupy a sizable chunk of my time. December’s reviews of “things in gestation” included material from both Simon & Schuster and IDW Publishing, as well as a few things outside these realms which are currently being considered by the Star Trek Brand Development arm of CBS Global Franchise Management. Lots of neat stuff in the offing, y’all.

In and around all of that, I still managed to tend to a few writing-related chores. Here’s the December rundown:

November writing wrap-up.

Anybody seen November? I could’ve sworn it was here a minute ago.

So, what’s been going on? As has been the case these past several months, a good portion of my time continues to be devoted to my various consulting duties with CBS. November included reviewing and weighing in on projects in various stages of gestation at Simon & Schuster and IDW Publishing, as well as helping with a few things currently underway at CBS Global Franchise Management. I even managed to write another couple of articles for StarTrek.com which will be posted in the coming weeks (see below).

And of course there are always a few other balls in the air. You know…the usual sorts of chaos.

So, here’s what was what during November:

October writing wrap-up.

Holy crap, 2019 is a blur.

A good portion of my month was devoted to various aspects of my consulting duties with CBS, which continues to be a source of much fun. A lot of reading, reviewing, commenting, and such is the usual order of things, but then every so often I get asked to actually write something from scratch or contribute to something already in motion. Such was the case during the latter half of the month. One of those you’ll read about below, whereas other things you’ll never even know I was there. 🙂

With all that said, here’s the October rundown: