Work in Progress

A Picture of the cover design I did, first sketched with pencil, then copied and traced with black ink, then scanned into the computer. It was a long process, but I think it turned out quite well!

Prospective book cover and title. A while in the making but I think it turned out pretty cool!

Why I decided to wait...

...until I was done writing my book to tell everyone.

Here’s the deal folks, in order to become a writer you have to do one thing above all: Write.
When I first started writing, I didn’t tell a SOUL what I was about to do. And in the end I think it helped me. It helped me to discover that writing could be a passion of mine, that I do it to tell stories, bring characters alive, to go on adventures. Even now only a select few know that I have written a novel. (And thank you guys for all your help and feedback!)

You see, it’s not so much that I didn’t want anyone to know, it’s just that I believe that if you start telling someone you are going to write a book, then writing itself becomes a chore. If you tell someone, then it becomes an expectation. It’s a trap I think many writers fall into. And if writing becomes a chore more than a passion, then they don’t write. And in order to become a writer, you have to write. In order to get good at writing, you have to write. Notice a pattern here?

Now I’m not saying that all of this is fact. It is just what I believe and it’s the realization that I’ve come to as to why I never told anyone. If writing becomes a chore, then you give up before it can become a passion.

The first book is hard. Believe me. If it was easy, then everyone would be doing it. If you want to write, then write. Write, write, write. Write until you find your voice. Write until you find your soul, your characters, their feelings. Write until it becomes good, and if it’s not, write some more.

For the longest time I was afraid to tell anyone. But now I think I can confidently say: I am a writer.

Weapons and Inspiration

 

Make this a dagger and I think I found the weapon(s) of one of my main characters.

Inspiration

It usually strikes at the worst times. Early in the morning when I can't sleep, or late at night before falling asleep. When I wake up and try to go back to sleep. (Notice a pattern here?) Now, late night writing sessions aren't unusual. It's when I get most of my writing done, even into the wee hours of the morning when all the world's asleep and there is no one to disturb me. But it's those times when I just want to switch off, that I just casually start to think about a scene, or a character, etc. that ideas come flooding in. Dialogue starts to form. Actions play out. Introspection is realized. I try to tell myself that I'll remember it tomorrow, or when the time comes for me to actually write the scene. However, I know that's not the case. I will forget.

This is why I keep a notebook and a pen next to me in bed. My sheets are filled with ink stains. (Finally got rid of that pen.) I now have several notebooks filled with scenes and ideas and late night scribble that I can't decipher.

Maybe this is why I am tired all the time. It's the price I have to pay for this madness. But I will pay it gladly.

I hate...

... when I read the same paragraph or sentence over and over again, and when I get to the end, I still don't know what I just read. Distracted reading is bad reading.

I like reading bad reviews

No, let me rephrase that, I love reading bad reviews. On anything. Books, movies, those toenail clippers for $.99 on Amazon… When given the option to filter reviews based on ratings, I go straight for the one-starred gems. I don’t know why, really. Maybe it’s because I am a cynical person. Maybe I just want to see what people really think of ‘Harry Potter’. Yea, sure, everyone likes it, but I wanna hear from someone who doesn’t. Or maybe, and this is probably the worst of all, I like to see things get knocked down a peg or two.

Does that make me mean? Yea, maybe.

But really, when I get down to the heart of the matter, I read bad reviews to learn. They say the squeaky wheel gets the grease for a reason. If you don’t learn what’s wrong with something, how will you know how to fix it? Or not to buy that particular wagon in the first place. Come to think of it, why are you even driving a wagon?

Back to my point, which is, I learn a lot from bad reviews. I love them, they make me laugh. Some of them do, anyways. Though I can’t help but get a feeling of dread as of late whenever I read them. More specifically, read the bad reviews on books.
Because, they make me nervous. They make me wonder if I have what it takes to actually write a good and compelling book. People, they are quite demanding when it comes to their fiction. Sometimes to the point where it’s a little scary…

Someday I will be reading my first bad review on one of my works, mostly with horror and a bottle of vodka at my side. It is inevitable. Everything gets a bad review sooner or later. But I will read it. (Even though I probably shouldn’t.) And probably agree with it and wonder why I wanted to get in this game called writing.
And hopefully my answer will be: Because I have to.

Writing is one of the last things in the world I thought I would want to do. I tried it in High School, thought I sucked. Tried it in college, thought I sucked. (Though one of my scripts did get picked…) But then I remembered why I wanted to become a filmmaker and I came to the conclusion: No, not filmmaker. Storyteller.

That’s what I signed up to do. No matter what the medium.

So, I started writing. A story that I had in mind for ages. And the kicker? I actually enjoyed this thing called writing. Am I any good at it? Who knows. Is my story any good. We’ll see. Will people enjoy my work?

Well, I’ll just have to wait for the bad reviews for that answer.

More St Louis!

It was so cold there! At least to a Floridian. And rainy, which as a Floridian I am used to...

But, that didn't dampen (Ha!) my picture taking spirit!

St Louis!

Oldie but Goodie

I think I drew this all the way back in 7th or 8th grade. It's from a book cover called Maia.