Need to kick box something...

SherryTex · Aug 4, 2008

Okay. Today has been or was supposed to be a great day. I was published.

Then my brother emails me asking for a 10K narrative. I don't know what he means. I figure, he's stuck for ideas --he's taking classes on animation and wants a story line, so I shoot him five or six starter ideas to help out...and I get back...

no, what he wanted was a narrative...and that this was a test...of my writing abilities. Never mind getting published in the post today...his test...and I apparently for not being able to wip out 50 pages of narrative for him, failed....going to hit something....tried to put this in TIO but it kept bouncing out.

annoyed annoyed annoyed annoyed... thanks for letting me rant.

KTC · Aug 4, 2008

OMG. Do we share a brother?!!!! I'm annoyed now too. ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!! Tell him to stop wasting your precious time and to stop being a goddamn boob!

Is his name DAVE?!

astonwest · Aug 4, 2008

I would have asked for payment up front first...

KTC · Aug 4, 2008

astonwest said:
I would have asked for payment up front first...

CLASSIC answer! LOCK THREAD!

kct webber · Aug 4, 2008

I had a friend who tried to put me through an interrogation to "test" my plotting ability. It pissed me off, needless to say. Had he done it a different way, we may have been able to work together, but he went all clandestine/patronizing devil's advocate on me. I saw through it and didn't bite, but still... Grrr!

Bmwhtly · Aug 4, 2008

SherryTex said:
....going to hit something....

Might I suggest... your brother?
For assuming that, being a writist, you can just crank out an acre of pages in a day.

Cranky · Aug 4, 2008

Forgive me for saying so, Sherry, but wow, what a really weird request. *insert confused smiley here*

And congrats on the pub, by the way. Washington Post?? I'm agog.

Silver King · Aug 4, 2008

Family members have a way of taking advantage of us unlike other people. They know exactly which strings to pull to get what they want and have a nasty habit of making us feel guilty if we don't succumb to their wishes

The hardest word I've ever learned to say is, "No." It took nearly thirty years, but I've perfected that single syllable in such a way that I can say it even before a request is made.

The phone rings. It's my brother.

He says, "Hey, Bro. You busy this weekend?"

"No."

Good! I could use a hand--"

"No."

"What do you mean, 'no?' I haven't even asked you anything yet."

What I'd really like to ask him is, "How come you only call me when you need something? Huh? Why is that?"

Instead, I don't say anything. I know what's coming.

He says, "So you don't even want to hear what my plans are?"

"No."

He becomes angry. "You're an asshole. Did you know that?"

"No."

Click.

rhymegirl · Aug 4, 2008

Poor Silver King being called an asshole.

I, on the other hand, have a hard time saying no.

alleycat · Aug 4, 2008

E-mail him back asking for a thirty-minute animated short to see if he's any good at animation.

By tomorrow will be fine.

Perks · Aug 4, 2008

Wow. You people's relatives are assbuckets. My family is simply kooky.

Danger Jane · Aug 4, 2008

alleycat said:
E-mail him back asking for a thirty-minute animated short to see if he's any good at animation.

By tomorrow will be fine.

FTW!

Bmwhtly · Aug 4, 2008

Danger Jane said:
FTW!

Silver King · Aug 4, 2008

rhymegirl said:
Poor Silver King being called an asshole.

It happens a lot. Even on AW. Wanna see a sampling of some of the rep comments people have left?

I, on the other hand, have a hard time saying no.

I still do at times. I want to be helpful, only not to the point where I feel like I've been used.

I usually consider a few simple criteria before I lend myself out:

Does this person only contact me when he or she needs something?

Has this person ever, even once, helped me in the past?

Will I be taking on more work than I am free to give? In other words, will this "little favor" turn into a huge production that will take up entirely too much of my time?

And lastly, why me? Why not ask someone else? Is it because they think I'm a patsy who doesn't have the heart to say no?

I could list a few others, but that covers the gist of my thinking.

rhymegirl · Aug 4, 2008

Silver King said:
Wanna see a sampling of some of the rep comments people have left?

Why not.

rhymegirl · Aug 4, 2008

Silver King said:
I still do at times. I want to be helpful, only not to the point where I feel like I've been used.

My youngest sister is famous for asking for favors. She never calls, except to ask for a favor. Obviously, we usually know what's coming. I've gotten better at saying no to her.

I have a harder time saying no to my kids. They don't ask for "things"; they want me to do errands for them.

Susie · Aug 4, 2008

I'm annoyed for you, Sherry. I don't have brothers, but if I did, I'd be annoyed too!

Danger Jane · Aug 4, 2008

Bmwhtly said:

For the win!

astonwest · Aug 4, 2008

Silver King said:
Family members have a way of taking advantage of us unlike other people. They know exactly which strings to pull to get what they want and have a nasty habit of making us feel guilty if we don't succumb to their wishes

Sounds like how my SILs (both of them) handle my wife, to a T.

Unique · Aug 5, 2008

Wow.

You've gotten some genteel answers, SherryTex. I won't say what ran through my mind.

It seriously wasn't polite. Kinda a cross between WTF&FTW.

"I have to prove something to you? Since when?" I'd feel like I fell into bizarro world. Are you still dizzy from it?

Jcomp · Aug 5, 2008

Perks said:
Wow. You people's relatives are assbuckets. My family is simply kooky.

What she said...

tjwriter · Aug 5, 2008

I would have verbally smacked him upside the head.

My husband's family is very much of the only calling when needing something vein. It's really starting to get on my last nerve. He's always fixing someone's car or serving as the personal storage unit for his mother's boyfriend. Or his cousin and her husband had dinner at our house every night until she had her baby.

What's really annoying is that the whole time I was out of commission with this hip thing, we didn't hear from anyone. Nobody asked if they could help, nobody called or came over, which is way different from the norm. His cousin asked me to front her some money and she'd come over and clean to earn, but then did one of the three things I asked for and never even apologized for it.

I've been a little grumpy lately. Wonder if is shows?

Pagey's_Girl · Aug 5, 2008

Me being me, I would have dashed off a fifty-page narrative about smacking my brother upside the head for being a nincompoop. (I don't have siblings. BTW - just some really annoying cousins.)

Shadow_Ferret · Aug 5, 2008

SherryTex said:
and that this was a test... failed....

Was it a joke on his part that you failed to grasp?

Williebee · Aug 5, 2008

I like the 30 minute animation idea.

Tell him you've told a media shop in Las Colinas that he'd have it for them before Friday.

They wanted to "test" him. Oh, and it's on "spec".

Need to kick box something...

Working on 2nd WIP

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