incomplete work and renewed assignments

i didn't finish a project i was working on by deadline. or rather the project wasn't finished by deadline...

i was done 30 minutes after deadline, and had the printers standing by ready to receive the files.

earlier this summer i wasn't able to write it (mostly because i couldn't concentrate worth a shit) and my boss farmed out a bunch of the writing to the other guys - they were feeling their oats on it and were whooping and hollering on getting a chunk of the plum assignment (high profile in the organization and public). i was doing lay-up and production direction, but none of the base writing. it had all previously been my work - for about 5 years. others did research, but no writing or layout or production.

my boss had previously approved their work- their writing. i wasn't very thrilled, but i don't shoot down other people's work just because it doesn't match my style.

i finished lay-up. it had been proofed by all the proofers. it had passed a lay-out inspection.

this has been my daily slog for over two months, and has been a preliminary activity since early summer (a very big document - large magazine size).

but as i was about to send it for printing, my boss pulls into my office and says "Don't send it yet. Let's read it out loud. We can pay the printers to sit there waiting for us."

we read it out loud.

he says "This sucks. I don't know why I approved it. It sounded good in the individual pieces, but it blows chunks as a package. There is no magic. No song."

He thinks a bit... "Tell the printers to pull the plug. We'll pay any penalties."

He then tells me to rewrite the whole thing.

"Work your magic"

i finished rewriting several pages by end of work today. He was thrilled "Now that's what I'm talkin' about". The other guys are a little miffed, but it was the boss's decision, not mine.

I was actually kind of getting into the rewrite. I had more song and inspiration than since last year.

I'm a little torn in how i feel about this.

I really want this project off my plate. I'm pleased that he values my work enough to toss everyone else's stuff except as base research. But I really want it off my plate. But I can feel the passion and excitement for the project building in me - that hasn't been there all year.

Oh well. Don't really have any choice.

I still haven't figured out if this isn't some weird maneuver by my boss to snap me out of my slump.

Either way, I have a project to finish. Again.