Chutes & Ladders

Did you ever play the game 'Chutes & Ladders' as a kid? If you're not familiar with it, you roll the dice, move forward that many spaces and, with any luck, land on a ladder which can propel you to the top. The only drawback is there are also slides (chutes) that can drag you all the way back down to the bottom.

I loved the game as a kid, but no one told me that life is like that, too.

I've had some professional success in my life. Currently, I hold a job that I enjoy very much. It allows me time to freelance and work on my zombies, and even put up images of them in my office. I enjoy my co-workers, and even garner a little respect. It's pretty cool.

There have also been a few times that I stood on the threshold of even bigger success ... only to land on a 'chute' and slide back to where I started.

A few years ago, one of my original screenplays was picked up by a California talent agency. That agency shopped my spec script around town for a few weeks before getting it in front of some eyes at New Line Cinema. BIG ladder, right? Well, after three months of "thinking about it", they passed - AND the talent agency folded and released all their writers from their contracts. MAJOR chute.

I hit on another ladder a short time later when a writer friend introduced me to a manager needing a script like mine for the SyFy channel. Unfortunately, because of a conflict of interest, she was unable to share it with them (everyone say it with me... chute), and I've had no luck with writing since.

I turned my attention to designing film posters, and managed to secure my first one for an independent producer putting on a zombie film (ladder!) - followed by months of no one willing to hire me (another chute).

I could go on with hits and misses in the design and writing field, but I'm afraid I'll start crying and watching Lifetime.

So, why the heck am I writing about this and bumming everyone out?!

Well, a few days ago, someone with nearly 100k followers on flickr 'favorited' one of my designs (ladder)! Did you know they could UNfavorite them? I didn't, and he did ... today (another F'n chute).

When I was a kid, if I hit the chutes too many times, I'd pick up the game board and throw it across the room. Since I can't do that, my only choice is to blog about it to my imaginary fans who wait with excitement for me to tell them about my day fighting off the undead.

Today, I feel like one of them.


Aim high and Run Fast ... or don't. Whatever.

Brett

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