Time, sand and the gaps between my fingers

Where to start... Hmm...

Well, some of you may have began to think that I had fallen off the face of the earth, and in some ways I guess I had, so I thought it best to write something just in case you'd figured that I'd given up, ran away to Alaska to live in a bus or turned into jam. (That's UK-jam, not US-jelly.)

Luckily, none of the above have yet to happen. Which is good. Jam wouldn't be at all welcome in my current trying-not-to-eat-sugar-apart-from-cheesecake way of life.

The truth is, a few months ago (well, actually it was back in April 2011 which is a loooong time ago by now - especially if you're reading this in 2016) I started on a slow but steady downward spiral of depression. Not "started" like it was on purpose, like consciously being on a diet or anything, but that it started happening to me (I guess that's a better way to describe it) and like a slow-motion bull in a china shop, there was no stopping it and a lot of glass had to break before it finally reared its head and exited.

I won't go into the ins and outs of what caused it all, (you can't be *that* interested) but suffice to say that after many, many months of treatment (both mentally and physically through rest, relaxation, diet and acupuncture) I am now free of the proverbial black dog and back on my feet cleaning up the glass.

So what?

Good question. Well, some of you may have already put two and two together and figured out that there have been no updates to Movie Draft since March, that the website wasn't released as planned, and I didn't make $500,000 by selling a script to Warner Bros... Or did I? Dun dun duuuuuuun. No, no I didn't. But it'd be a good rumour to spread all the same.

So?: Yes, I am still here. Yes, I am back in the saddle developing Movie Draft. Yes, the website is actually nearly finished. Yes, it will be released in the new year. Yes, you will then be able to download a new beta and contribute to Movie Draft's development. (Finally.) Yes, I did also lose my job during my depression and yes that was the best thing that could ever have happened to me and Movie Draft's development. (Although yes, at the time it stank like a skunk full of bees.)

I'm sorry if you felt that I let you down in any way, but I am now completely developing Movie Draft full-time with no other job / time constraints to worry about and it feels like I'm finally breathing again.

I can't wait to show you all what I've been working on, what ideas I've got planned and for you to be able to share you ideas for what *you'd* like planned for Movie Draft's development through the website's community and bug tracking tool.

As is always the case when you feel you're taking your first steps into unknown lands, these are exciting times indeed.

Thanks for sticking with me. I appreciate it.

Keep writing.

Mark.
www.moviedraft.com