Outlaw Scumfuc

It has been asked a lot of me lately. What the hell is up with Film Threat and my pieces? The short answer is: I don't know.

I've been sending reviews and interviews. I've worked hard on these, as anyone who has talked to me about it knows. Very little, however, is making its way onto the site. I have theories on this, but nothing I can prove. I'm supposed to be watching a movie now, but I don't want to wake my daughter. And yes, I'm wondering if my role there is coming to an end.

I've made a lot of good contacts through the site and have seen lots of great movies. It has gotten my name out there, and has led to some business opportunities. I would miss it if it ended, but it would also free up some time.

My "web presence" is almost nil these days, which is pushing me to get another manuscript published. I sent out the cannibal story to one publisher who found the ending too depressing, which kind of bugged me. It wasn't supposed to be happy. I'm hoping it can find a home, but I have my doubts. I had some people do a reading of it to get feedback (first time I've done that, but it won't be the last because I got some great critiques), and it was described as "disturbing" and one reader even said it reminded her of those '70s and '80s movies where you know everyone is going to have bad things happen to them. That was exactly what I was shooting for. Some readers couldn't make it very far because it upset them so much. That was an okay reaction, too. I don't think I'll change the ending, though.

My problem, which may have led to problems with various publishers, is that I have a vision for my work. I don't mind making changes that make sense. If I want a mood to be depressing, though, I won't change that. It is part of the story. Any editor worth being paid knows that mood is part of the story. I won't apologize for giving a story about a family being attacked by cannibals a depressing ending. I didn't set out to make it depressing. I set out to make it real. No apologies. No changes.

I'll push ahead with it. I figure some publisher has got to love it at some point. I'll fine tune it more, but that ending will most likely stay unless I can think of even better one (and it did change from my original vision). One thing is certain, though: It won't change because it's too depressing.

What's really depressing is that an editor would ask a writer to do something like that.