Hi folks,

Settled back in here at Montauk (after a Grapes of Wrath-kinda road trip from Norcal, desks, chairs, and dog stuff teetering on the Ranger's roof), I could not be happier. No offense to you west coasters, but, for me, it's just better here, cold water and all.

Another thing is I walk out my back door to the sight of the commercial fishing boat fleet – many of  whose captains and crew are forever cronies – in the 'lake'.

Which reminds me, I'm into flat water standup paddling, for exercise and relaxation. A new thing. Haven't yet gotten into wave riding on it and may not. Dunno. I like my logs, but 12 feet by 28 inches, 40 pounds... we'll see. I'll keep you posted on that.

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I'm late with this message, which is as-per-usual; I simply have to get my act together, get regular and reliable with communicating with you, especially given the reaction to my last offering, in which I posted the first 7 minutes of Water Time.

But holy shit you guys were kind and encouraging! And the way the process was going at the time, I really needed that. Nothing seemed to go right. Muchas gracias. Muchas.

If you wrote me and did not receive a reply it was due to Mac crashing just before my road trip: when I got the thing back my website email system was all screwed up, leaving me unable to properly access the Bandito account. Then I had to move into my new place... blah blah, but... sorry if you didn't hear back. I really do try to reply to everyone.

I say 'try' to reply but of late that's not quite the case. I'm so consumed by editing Water Time that I actually have not even looked at my Bandito emails in a while.  (I will today!)

Most of the reactions to the start of Water Time included queries as to how the film is coming and/or when it will be done and released. To answer the second one, I'm hoping six months.

I'll briefly deal with the process – in my so doing you may gain some insight into it, which, by the way, is a completely new thing for me...

(Writing about the process – what I'm doing and why it's tough – may actually help me problem solve. When I know I'm writing to... to you... my thoughts tend to rattle and shake and then clarify somewhat. Sometimes...)

After the opening, the next shot begins the Hitting the Road sequence, during which I hope to give the feel of the road and also to lay in some backstory. See, I'm making this story for people who don't know anything about me, have not read my books, etc.; at the same time I don't want it to be ponderous for you all who 'know' me.

One of the backstories, a vital one, will be new to you all. Has to do with my best friend from childhood. Donnie. Donnie Turso. If you'll remember from Zero, I met my friend 'Christopher' (real name Patrick) when I was seventeen. My best friend at that time was Donnie; it was with Donnie that I saw Endless Summer and decided surfing was it.

It was Donnie and I who initially planned to 'go on the road' and 'be surfers.' (We'd read Kerouac's On the Road together.)

I won't go further on this throughline, except to say that, as with Zero, friendship is an important story element of Water Time.

In order to set up the meat of the story, I needed to not only 'lay the pipe' about Donnie, but also about growing up in the late 50s and then the decade of the 60s. A Challenge!

But my point being, having a big chunk rough cut I realized that we're 45 minutes into the film and I haven't yet crossed the border into Mexico yet. Holy shit!

Structure!

But didn't I see this coming? What about the script?

Here's a confession: I'm making this film without a screenplay.

Calls for another one: Holy shit!

You know what though? Rattling as it is, it's interesting to work like this. Winging it. It's just going to take longer.

The breakthrough that allows me to do this is that I'm now my own editor. At least with the rough cut...

Soooooo... As I write I'm in the midst of restructuring the first half of the film. Gotta get my ass (and Honey's) to Mexico sometime before about minute 20.

Enough. This is getting long, and some of you may not want to know about the process. Just finish the goddamn thing, right? Right. Back to work.

One last thing, a dangle: The Zero story, the essence of it, will be threaded through the narrative, not just because it fits, but because while I was in Mexico, my old buddy Captain Zero visited me. Yep, another reunion. He had not left Costa Rica, had not even been on an airplane, in almost 20 years. But his ass showed up at my campsite-on-the-point one day...

That's in there.

I'll be in touch.

Allan

I promised you another clip from the film. Next time. Meanwhile, if you haven't seen it yet, check out the first few minutes of Water Time at Banditobooks.com.

And hey, if you're so moved, and you want to help me finish this, maybe buy something from the BB store. If you haven't yet read my last book, please consider buying it. We beat Amazon's price on Can't You Get Along With Anyone; A Writer's Memoir and a Tale of a Lost Surfer's Paradise by five bucks! Click the book cover on the Bandito front page.

Same subject, bigger stakes: In order to properly finish the film - especially with licensing -- I'm going to need more money than I have right now. So I'm thinking of selling half my Costa Rican land holding. I've got a hectare near Playa Negra, about 500 meters from a good, always uncrowded reef break called 'Ranchero.' There is a semi-water view, a real one if you build an upside down house.

We'd split the parcel, upon which I'm planning on building my 'last house.' I'd divide it and you pick the half you want. If you're interested, let me know.

$100 grand. A little more than an acre, which means the price is $20 a sq meter. I believe it's a good deal. Check the prices in the area, but I believe $25 a sq mt is the going rate. It's 45 minutes south of Tamarindo. The name of the town is Paraiso. The proprietor of the 'development' is Jean Paradis, also known as Juan Paradis. You take the entrance in Hotel Iguanas and from there is about 2 or 3 km. The beach's name is Playa Blanca. There is electricity and water.

Pu-lease, I'm really busy. If you don't really intend to buy land in CR, don't ask!

A lose end:

Quite a while ago I recommended that you store away food and water, maybe stash a firearm (after learning how to use it), and put your money in precious metals (I've made 30% annually on my gold/silver). Those of you who wrote calling me a nutcase: Do you still feel that way?