Monday, January 30, 2012

January Recap

Okay, for some reason the wheels came off my writing this month. I cranked out the first book in the Queen of Cinders trilogy in less than 30 days. In that same amount of time, I've written one-third as much on book two. Lame! At this rate, I'll be wrapping this book up around April. No way. I've got to speed this puppy up!

If only there were a way to get two extra hours in a day...

I did three speed paintings this month, which isn't quite on schedule, but they're quick, so no worries there. The thing about painting fast in digital is that the medium's shortcomings and strengths become all the more apparent when working quickly. The program's quirks, too, loom larger when time is critical. For example, if something is a problem that can be fixed by fiddling with the tool settings, I'd normally stop working and do a quick "sharpen the saw" session, and adjust the tool. During a speed painting, though, I don't do that. I just let it go. Why? I'm not sure. It's not like I can't pause my timer. But I don't.

Strange.

I'm also looking into e-pubbing one of my novels, and have been reading other people's notes on how it's going for them, the pitfalls, and so on. It's a lot to take in, but the more I look at it, the more viable it sounds. For the first time ever, going the traditional route (agent, publisher, etc.) seems antiquated. I haven't made any decisions, yet, but there seems to be little to lose, really. Except two novels, of course, if the experiment goes terribly wrong.

And that's it, work-wise. No game news, no new publishing.

Funny, I'm looking forward to beginning the editing I've got slated for February. This will be the first time I've read through my first draft of Queen of Cinders, Book One. I'm not a big fan of editing, so that must say something about what a grind January was. And, the only way I'm going to start editing Book One is by finishing Book Two.

Monday, January 9, 2012

Here We Go Again

2012 is here, and I’m in full swing to start my shiny new year.

First off: Goals
2 novels
Sure, they’re books 2 and 3 in a trilogy, but I’m hoping to knock them out the way I did the first.

12 short stories
And I do mean short. One or two days to write a first draft, max.

Speedpaintings
1-hour paintings to keep me in the groove and all limber, art-wise. No getting bogged down with these. Just one a week.

App Development
I’ve grown tired of beating my head against the physical market, and have decided to move Bradford Design games and puzzles onto mobile platforms, where appropriate. I have two projects on the starting blocks, and hope they can see daylight before the end of the year.

Look into E-Pubbing
While I’m going to give all of my novels a chance to go the traditional route, I think that testing the e-pubbing option is something worth exploring, even though every fiber of my being protests. It just feels too much like vanity publishing, but maybe I’d better get with the 21st century.

New Web Site (or sites)
Yeah, my presence on the web has really gone nowhere, but that should turn around this year.

Resume contact with the rest of the world
My habit is to work in the evenings, in the two hours I’ve got free, but I need to get back in touch with my friends, too.

And there you have it. 2012’s biggest goals.