Wednesday, February 4, 2009 | by nathan

We’re Gonna Have Us A Pitch Meeting Up In Here

I’m all about collaboration these days, and the creativity is flowing like nuts here. I believe you have to take advantage of these times because they don’t last, and soon enough I’m sure I’ll find myself in the creative desert once more, writing on this blog about what Sam had for lunch the other day and how I think Sargento string cheese is so, so much better than the Kraft kind and totally worth the price difference.*

So I mentioned last week that I’ve got a lot of stuff in the hopper creatively, probably too much – novel, screenplay, series of Oklahoma travel articles loosely based on the Great Oklahoma Road Trip we undertook last year, and some exciting changes that are coming soon to this website.**

And then the other day a whole bunch more stuff hit me. It seemed overwhelming and the temptation was to put it all on the back-back-back burner (read: an index card sitting somewhere on my writing desk that I’ll likely never, ever look at again), but I sort of think of creative projects like children. I think that if they’re meant to happen that your life will open up for them and you’ll find yourself with more than enough of what you need to nurture them – time, energy, and commitment. There usually won’t be surplus of these things, but they will be there.

So with that in mind, I’m working on a couple freelance article pitches for semi-large media outlets, the kind of places that writers dream of seeing their bylines. I may have another series of essays for GCN in me as well, but the most exciting new thing I’ve got hopping around in my brain is a comic book/graphic novel. I had a friend who wanted to do one with me last year but I slacked off and it never happened. Now I’ve got a fantastic idea and need an artist – please let me know if you know anyone, because like I said, the iron is hot and I’m ready to strike.

The other idea I had recently came during a Twitter conversation with Neil Kramer, with whom I was direct messaging (talking?) about how women have formed these amazing blogging communities online, and nothing of the sort exists for men. I’m very proud and happy to be a part of the BlogHer ad network (can I have my money now?) but I wonder if something like BlogHer or Kirtsy would be possible if created, managed and marketed toward men. After all, men are certainly the minority in the blogging (well, personal blogging) community, and anyway, what products could we advertise specifically to men on the internet without running ads for porn? 

Anyway, my idea is to create a webshow in a format like Momversation, but instead of moms/women it’s geared toward men, with manly men topics like – well, shit, I dunno because that’s as far as I’ve gotten. Sports? Dads – both being and having? Help me out here, fellas.

I know and read and admire several male bloggers who are hilarious and smart and whose perspective I relish, and I think if we put our heads together we could create something that would be, frankly, the shit. I mean, think about it this way – the only other attempt at anything like this that has ever been made was The Other Half, and I could crap something better than that. At any rate, it’s not something I could do alone, so come on, guys – help me out here. Who’d be interested?

I don’t know what’s going to come of any of this stuff but I’m excited about all of it. I feel like I spent the first 28 years of my life struggling to have the confidence to believe I could put these ideas of mine into the world. Now that they’re coming to me like this I feel like I can’t get them out fast enough. It feels scary and frenzied and incredible.

*And it totally is, too, and you can shut the hell up about it.

**Remember: you have three more days to vote in the Okie Blogger Awards. If you live in Oklahoma and have a blog, you should vote. Do it now; don’t delay. Vote Okay City for Best Looking Blog! Look how big I’m making this link! IT’S IMPOSSIBLE NOT TO CLICK IT.

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