So, the other day someone asked me about some of my “dream projects.” The basic assumption in the question was this: If you had the time to work on any one project that you haven’t had the time to work on, what would it be?

The problem with this question, though, is that makes an incorrect assumption. Time isn’t the limiting factor in my dream projects. The truth is this: I am extremely fortunate in that I can generally shuffle my time to my own dictates. 1 If I feel really, really passionately about something, I can figure out a way to work on it.

But my dream projects aren’t just a matter of time — they’re a matter of resources.

I love writing novels, but it’s pretty damn convenient that I don’t need anything to do so. All I need is my iMac or my iPad and my typing fingers. No massive capital investment. No partners. No skill set other than my vocabulary.

The following projects, though, would all require skills I don’t possess: Drawing, coding, design, etc. In other words, I would need other people to jump in and work on them. Which means I would need to be capitalized 2 in order to make them happen.

Here they are…

  1. Publish an anthology set in a common fantasy world, where individual authors tell their own stories, all interweaving into a final, climactic tale at the end of the book, jam-written by all of us together.
  2. Produce a videogame.
  3. Develop the very cool iOS app I’ve been thinking about for years.
  4. Do my own web comic.
  5. Publish the awesome ersatz Batman and Robin comic I’ve had on my hard drive for literally twenty years.
  6. Produce the sequel to Mangaman.
  7. Make a short film based on a comic strip I tried to draw back when I was a kid.
  8. Create and manage a website based on the premise of “open-source fiction.”

So, there you are — some dreams that will probably not come true. At least, not any time soon. Unless someone out there is a coder or an artist who would like to work for very, very cheap. 🙂

Fortunately, I have many, many dream projects that I can work on. And I’ll be getting up to speed on some more books soon.

  1. Leia notwithstanding. But even with a newborn in the house, my designated work time is still extremely flexible.
  2. As in money, not as in letters!