If poker doesn't work, what then...

Well, I haven’t given up completely on poker yet, but I realize now that when I play, it’s because I love the game. I just dabble. Maybe one day I can make some real money tossin’ the cards and chips around, but that is a distant cry.

So how can I make money in the meantime? Well, I do okay salary-wise now. But not much room for advancement and it’s too late in the game to entertain a career change. Well, maybe not, but I don’t want to submerse myself back into the wonderful world of banking. It seems like just yesterday when I stood outside the bank on my last day of work, basking in the setting sun, clipping the end of a Punch Gran Puro. I was standing in our President’s glorified parking space. He was a cross between a dictator and a cult leader. He understood that I knew exactly what he was about and he knew that I wasn’t having any of it. To say we butted heads would be an understatement. After ashing my cigar, I put it out in his parking space bidding him farewell. Man he was a freakin’... B-RAD! B-RAD! CONTROL YOURSELF!

Uh yeah... sorry about that. Anyway, poker is not bringing in the extra cabbage. So what about my 200 invention ideas earmarked in my Excel files? Nah, only about 30 of them are legit, and anyway, obtaining patents along with the R&D, can mount into a fortune. What about some of my other big ideas, that aren’t inventions? Yeah, some great ideas, but the old adage rings true... it takes money to make money. So, a year ago or so, as I scanned down my idea bank, I came across several movie pitches that I had jotted down. And at that moment, I was baptized into...

Screenwriting. Yeah, I can do this, I thought. There are not that many people trying to break into the business. Just every waiter, waitress, cook, and public servant in Hollywood and L.A., trying to mount this big horse... the movie industry. But hey, I enjoy writing. And it doesn’t cost me anything to develop a screenplay, except time (which until recently was consumed by poker).

This was it! This was my ticket! A good screenplay can fetch anywhere from $200K to $600K. I’ll churn one out and be on my way. I started about a year ago, but poker had me handcuffed in so many ways. Extra money... poker. Free time... poker. Mental energy... poker. And so on. A couple of months ago, on my poker hiatus, I buckled down and picked up the pen. I was only about a quarter of the way complete. But I persevered and wrote... and wrote... and wrote. Two weeks ago yesterday, the untitled masterpiece was finished. Now I have to get it picked up. But first, a lot of polishing. I am working with some local writers to assist in this area.

It is a mystery/suspense about a serial killer entangled in a cat and mouse game with his girlfriend. And it has a very surprising, original twist at the end that hopefully is the hook that pulls me in. However, it may be a little slow in the beginning, intentionally though, for character development. The action doesn’t really start until the middle. So I am prepared to trim the fat in the beginning and add more meat. I also began developing the sequel. So another option is to cut out the fluff, and shorten the sequel, merging the two. I’ll just have to see what my critics think. I’ll keep you posted.