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:

The way late September writing wrap-up.

Previously, on The Fog of Ward:

Yes, I have neglected this space for quite some time if my calendar is to be believed. After knocking down a bunch of cobwebs and blowing dust off a few of the shelves, I’m getting back to business around here.

Which means I have to yammer a bit about September and the kinda sorta writing stuff I did last month.

We’re now in the final quarter-mile lap of 2019.

I’m still learning the art of balancing my consulting duties with CBS with my freelance writing work. Compared to August, September was a bit less hectic and yet still a whole helluva lot of fun. There are days when I seriously can’t believe I’m getting paid to do something I enjoy so very much. I’m pretty sure I’m forever ruined for regular corporate office work. You know, like…forever.

So, what was up to last month? Here’s the September (and maybe the first part of October) rundown:

August writing wrap-up.

Holy crap! We’re already into the “–ber” months of 2019? How the HELL did that happen?

That means August’s in the can. Wow.

Looking back at the month’s blog stuff, I realize I’ve been fairly neglectful of this space. The first half of August was devoted to wrapping up the latest novel project as well as few other things (see below), along with my always interesting activities as I continue my consulting work with CBS. Indeed, things associated with that role have dominated my Labor Day weekend. Maybe I can talk about those, one of these days.

Meanwhile, here’s a look at August’s writing run rundown:

July writing wrap-up.

And before I knew it, July’s in the rearview mirror.

So, yeah. That was a busy month.

The biggest thing I got to reveal was why I’ve been somewhat busier than normal the past few months. At the recent Shore Leave convention, I was able to announce that since April I’ve been working as a contracted consultant to CBS Global Franchise Management. Much of my “portfolio” involves being something of a conduit between them and certain licensing partners for matters pertaining to Star Trek tie-in projects that involve story/narrative in its various forms. So, consulting on novels as well as the occasional comic or game project, along with whatever else I’m asked to do as appropriate. For example, I got the very cool opportunity to write most of the copy for the recent exhibit Jean-Luc Picard: The First Duty which was shown at Comic-Con International in San Diego as well as the recently concluded Star Trek convention in Las Vegas.

But in and around all of that? Writing, yo. Still doing the writing thing on multiple fronts. Here’s a look at the July rundown: