Hot dang, it’s a great time to be a consumer!
As a writer and an in-the-works artist, inspiration is the unexpected fuel that gives rise to a boost of creativity and productivity.
While I’ve learned not to rely on it for motivation, it’s nice when it does hit as it provides a bonus flare to the imagination that can leave ye feeling invigorated and more curious than ever.
Of late, I’ve been fortunate enough to come across a wealth of great works of art that have colored me excited and thought I’d share in case you’re wondering where I’m spending my time/curious on my thoughts of where to direct your eyeballs on the seemingly unlimited amount...
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Hey there, Fellow Creatures!
What’s good in thy woods? Hard to believe it’s already August! The Summer is flying by like all those Canadian geese I constantly hear honking overhead outside my window.
Hope you’ve been enjoying some sun and shade and are getting into some mischief.
The Hall clan has been staying busy in Elsewhere. There have been many trips to local swim spots, some camps for the kiddos, long walks with Casco and trying to keep him cool, and even some amusement parks thrown into the mix (which has exposed my cowardice in my older age. I can’t even hang in the kiddy-coasters!)
It’s been a bit of a whirlwind thus far, but I’m excited...
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The quest continues, Fellow Creatures.
I’d like to say it’s been smooth sailing, but that would be far from the truth of late. Other priorities have taken the place of when I would be focusing on my art.
Mostly Summer activities, like sports and camp for the kids and a few vacations… which have all been a ton of fun. So, I wouldn’t say that I’m missing art at the time, but nevertheless, I’m still not getting as much drawing in as I’d hope for.
These times, when I do get some time to work on it, it’s usually in the evenings, after all my other responsibilities and goals are finished up for the day (like...
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Hey there, Fellow Creatures!
Hope all is good in the woods. As of writing this, I'm officially done with draft 1 of Stone of the Scarred.
The final word count is right around 117k. How can that be when I just wrote a blog about surpassing the 125k mark the other day?
Well, I ended up taking out a few chapters and switching some things around and cut it a little (or a lot if you think about the percentage of the story 8k is!), and I'm relatively happy where it ended up.
There's still plenty of editing that needs to happen to get it into tip-top shape, but first I'm switching gears a bit to concentrate...
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Gimme a break, gimme a break, gimme a little break after finishing book 2 (sung in my head to the Kit Kat commercial.)
The end is nigh for book 2. Despite me hitting the 125k mark, and seeing the finish line for this one, I’ve still two more chapters to go as of writing this.
But it’ll come up quickly. I’m hoping I’ll be done with them in 2 weeks. After that? I get more serious about my stand-alone novel, Under a God-Made Mountain, and then jump into book 3 of the Scarred World Saga.
Before that though, I’m going to take a small break prior to jumping back into it.
Like a quick nap to recoup...
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125k words done.
It feels good to write that sentence. While there are still a couple more thousand to go in Stone of the Scarred, book 2 of the Scarred World Saga, knowing I’m nearing the end does wonders for momentum.
If you subscribe to the Elsewhere emails then you already heard my update at 100k, which felt awesome, but now that I’m at 125k, It feels like quite a relief.
At the start of every project, it feels like you’ll never get to the end. There are so many moments of doubt on a daily basis that the end of a book seems like an impossible journey to make.
But each day you get a little...
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Trying to keep that pencil moving.
That’s the name of the game right now. Of all the various art teachers I’ve come across, that seems to be one of the most common pieces of advice.
Practice as much as you can.
As Art Quest continues, I try to do just that. A little bit of concentrated practice every day. Easier said than done for me. With a fam to hang with, a full-time job, trying to write novels, and other hobbies calling my name, it’s a struggle to find time to draw.
Yet, like so many of the other things on my to-do list, I find that if I prioritize it I can usually find an hour...
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Hey there, FCs!
Hope all is good in the wood.
Coming at you for a request. Do you wanna be my beta reader?
For those who may have been following along in Elsewhere, you’ve probably seen me post a little about my standalone novel that I have tentatively titled, Under a God-Made Mountain.
Well, it’s been sitting in draft for long enough and it’s time I start making some progress on getting it out into the world. But that doesn’t start without getting a few sets of eyes on it.
Those eyes can belong to you!
I need a few folks to read it and give me their honest opinion on what’s working for them and what’s not so...
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If you are in a bad mood go for a walk.If you are still in a bad mood go for another walk.
So sayeth the wise Hippocrates.
If I could add my own twist to it.
If you are stuck in a plot point go for a walk. If you are still stuck in a plot point go for another walk.
Over the past couple of months I’ve realized the power of getting out and getting some steps in, mostly thanks to the new pup. That little fur beast needs his exercise and because of welcoming him to our home, the mileage has increased. Significantly.
Usually about 3-4 miles a day. Some in the morning, pre-work, a mile...
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Art quest continues, albeit slower than I would like. In my dream work day, I would spend half the day writing and then the 2nd half of the day working on art, but alas, as it currently is, I’m doing both on the margins of most mornings and nights.
However, progress is still going and I’m excited about what I’ve been able to do.
Mostly my concentration has continued on figure and form still, trying to perfect gesture as much as I can before moving on to more complex topics.
I’ve done dozens and dozens of model studies from reference photos at this point (and even some of my family as they sit down on the...
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