Today was a good work day.

I got to do my own work. I’m still working on the outline for that manuscript with all the dead people. I’m getting to where I can actually see a book, instead of just hypoglycemic scribblings.

It’s also the kind of day where a lot of time goes by really fast. I wrote a blog post… for the upcoming holiday. And I wrote another blog post (which isn’t quite finished.) And now, I’m settling in to write today‘s blog post.

I had one of those conversations, the other day. The kind in which the boy who told me he wants to be an animator told someone else he wants to be a cop. Gee. Which one of these ambitions do I believe?

The woman he told the cop story to has a very rigid, and massively judgemental personality. A little bit of a bully. Did I mention her kid just got done with cop school?

She thinks the other kid’s too damn lazy to be a cop.

I think he just doesn’t wanna be a cop.

He’s so young. It’s taken me half a lifetime to get to the point that I’ll look at somebody I don’t particularly like, and who I’m quite certain isn’t going to be a fan of creativity in general, and inform them that I want to be a writer.

I have my share of memories where I tell someone whatever I think the “right” answer is.

The problem is… I don’t know how to help the kid be an animator. Illustrator is more up my path, and that’s mostly incidental knowledge. I can’t say “Go take a course in criminal justice, and do volunteer work, and poof! You’re a cop.”

So, now it’s… uhm… Didn’t what’s his name go to art school? Uhm… in Denver or San Francisco or someplace? Maybe that would be a good connection.

So far, I have spelled what’s his name’s name three different ways, and two of them are definitely wrong. #3 might be right, but I’m still not sure.

So, what about you? Any thoughts on how to become an animator without spending the family farm?