balganwall: It's my face! (Default)
 I haven't used this thing for months. But rather let it lie fallow or delete it, I think I'll put it to good use.

I completed my NaNoWriMo project. I used NNWM as a means to flesh out some random ideas for a project that branched off from another project. Now that I'm getting braver with sharing my art and comics online, I think I'll share part of my brainstorming process.

Be prepared for lots of bits about Seattle, the Peninsula of Washington State, and magical folk.
balganwall: It's my face! (Default)
The changing of the seasons. That can only mean one thing: allergies.

I get some bad congestion for a few weeks; once my lungs have adjusted to the cooler air, I can breathe easy. But now I'm finding some new developments. Such as my nasal passages narrowing and some difficulty drawing in deeper breathes. I'm also yawning more, which at first I attributed to not getting enough rest, but I'm starting to wonder if it's something else.

I hope I'm not developing adult asthma

In any case, I scheduled an appointment with my doctor.
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Part of my problem with projects is that I feel guilty for taking a break from them. I'm always worried that I'm going to get used to not drawing or not writing, and then I'll lapse into not doing anything. It happened a lot when I was younger, and now that I'm older and very well aware of my mortality, I'm eager to keep working.

Unfortunately, that leads to burnout. Burnout leads to reluctance. Reluctance leads to hate.

I was heading into reluctance when I got the idea to renovate part of the bedroom, where I do all my work. Renovate might be the wrong word; it's more like "buying new furniture and rearranging current furniture." I got excited. I was drawing up plans to build a new bedside desk, taking measurements of all those cramped spaces, figuring out how long it would take to buy everything I needed...

And then I found out that I couldn't accomplish everything I wanted. Some spaces were too cramped to fit furniture. Building the items I wanted would take too long and probably cost more than buying something already made.

Three days spent obsessing over all of this. I was so disappointed in myself. I could have been working on projects all that time.

But when I returned to my projects, I found that I was happy to work on them again. The three wasted days were really a mini-vacation that I needed to recharge my batteries.

In fact, I came up with a new idea of working on my main project: instead of doing everything on the iPad and Mac, sketch and ink on paper, then scan everything for coloring. I enjoy working on paper more than on a screen for several hours at a stretch.

I need to take more mini-vacations.

balganwall: It's my face! (Default)
 Camp NaNoWriMo was the best stretch of writing I've done in a long time. There were more "ugh" passages than those that made me think, "I like what I've written." But the point here is that I've written more of this story, I have a much better idea of how to edit it, and I feel a lot better about the future paths my characters will take.

I'll print it out (130+, double-sided) and store it in a binder. I could edit it on the laptop, but I catch errors better when I see words on actual paper.

When I was younger, I used to dread editing my own work. I was so afraid of seeing what I'd gotten wrong the first time around. But now I'm really looking forward to making this story better.

balganwall: It's my face! (Default)
I have to admit it. I really want to start another blog.

Read more... )
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I kind of disappointed myself with posting three webcomics hours past their due dates (I'm still working on the last one now). But after today, I'll be starting a new updating schedule. Sketch all the pages, then ink and add dialogue, then color and finalize. Then schedule the posts for three days a week.

It's my main project, but the others I've taken on are also important. I've given myself too much; too many irons in the fire, somebody once said to me. On top of that, I want to start MORE projects. Because every minute of free time must be consumed with creativity. Or maybe I'm looking for that one project that's finally going to launch my career and make me feel like I'm doing something worthwhile with my life.

Is it this webcomic? Maybe this other webcomic? How about this novel I'll have to rewrite? What about this podcast I've yet to record?

*rubs eyes* I just hope that the rest of this month runs smoother. 
balganwall: It's my face! (Default)
I kind of like Camp NaNoWriMo better than the regular NaNoWriMo. With the regular NaNo, you have to meet the goal of 50K words within a month to "win." With Camp, you set your daily limit. It's more manageable in a busy schedule.

I'm revisiting an old project that I'd started over ten years ago and finally got around to writing during last year's NaNo. NaNo novels are never meant to be polished drafts, but they serve the crucial need to simply write a story. Skimming over the draft, I can already tell that the story needs a heavy rewrite. But you know what? I got started on it and I have a better idea of how it needs to be rewritten.

But I never finished that draft. I don't think I was even near the midway mark when I reached 50K words. (Yes, it's going to be one of those novels. Maybe not thick enough to be used as a weapon, but a big enough to move into for a couple of weeks. Or months, depending on your dedication or reading speed.)

But now that I'm revisiting the project, others want to pop up again. New stories are vying for attention. And it sure is tempting to write something else, especially if it's shiny and new and unexplored.

Besides, I already have two webcomics that take up most of my free time. These bickering children will have to wait.
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I love the Weird Things podcast. I don't often look up the news items they talk about, but this caught my interest.

The Staten Island Ferry Disaster with tentacles a-plenty.

I'm surprised that someone put so much effort into a real sculpture dedicated to a fake event. I'll have to remember it if I ever visit New York City (after prostrating myself in front of the real life Ghostbusters firehouse).
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It's not every week that I stay up past 10 and get some project work done. Because of my daytime job, my body has been trained to feel sleepy around 7:30. Of course, that doesn't guarantee that I'll get to sleep after 8pm. Worse yet, my body keeps this up even during my weekends, when I can spare a couple more hours to doing my "real job."

But I did it. I had a webcomic that needed to be posted on Wednesday, and I got that page done with 15 minutes to spare. I like to have the pages scheduled to post 15 minutes after midnight. But I've been remiss in keeping up with the buffer, so every week I have to rush to get the pages done.

I'm hoping that the upcoming intermission/hiatus will allow me to organize all my projects. I'd like a schedule that allows me to focus on the important projects and real life without losing my mind.

Here's the plan so far:
  1. Finish this current chapter, draw intermission comics and material to post on the Tumblr; keep this up for the time it takes to finish the next chapter.
  2. Thumbnail and sketch the next chapter of Stincorp.
  3. Install the new Grawlix webcomic CMS because I'm tired of bloated Wordpress.
  4. Upload the next chapter once it's completed.
  5. Repeat the whole thing, using the 1 1/2 or 2 months to draw the next chapter, take a little more time to draw an plan Broken Like Me.

I need to finish this page for Friday. Now to look up references for a Zippo lighter.
balganwall: It's my face! (Default)
I enjoy going to bookstores. I also hate going to bookstores.

The reason wasn't too clear to me until a few days ago. I'd gone to Barnes & Noble to check out the writing reference section. But I enjoy browsing other sections: romance, graphic novels, general fiction, and children's to name a few. If a cover or name interests me, I'll slide the book off the shelf and turn it around in my hands. Of course, I'll read the synopses to find out what the stories are about, but sometimes feeling a book in my hands helps me imagine actually reading the book and the mindsets or moods I'll have then.

But lately, I've been avoiding doing too much of that. I'll pick up a book, feel uneasy, then replace it. My head feels foggy, I get anxious, and I have to wander around until I inevitably find myself near the writing reference section. Only then will the feelings fade.

I finally figured it out. It's because the other books are finished stories. The kinds of stories I want to write and publish. I'm holding other peoples' successes in my hands, and it's intimidating and depressing.

The reference books would help me achieve success. They're comforting; they're teachers; they know that my works are still in progress, and they're not going to judge.

I know the other books don't judge, but when I hold a fiction book, there's an inner voice saying, "So, what have you done to finish a project?"

It would probably help if my current projects were actual books instead of webcomics, but those were the stories that stood out the most to me. The written stories have been put into brain storage, impatiently waiting for the day I'll drag them out.

I wish I could have had only one project to fret over.
balganwall: It's my face! (Default)
I made my last post on Imzy. I'm still not ready to say good-bye to that place. But I must.

It feels weird knowing that when I get up in the morning, I'll only be able to read the site. I might open my HTML saver and go through a few threads or communities, just to preserve a few memories.

I need to get to bed. I want to dream of Imzysauruses tonight.
balganwall: It's my face! (Default)
Me: Finally, my weekend has arrived. I do have an appointment tomorrow, but the alarm isn't until 7. I have plenty of time. I'll just relax and settle in...

Brain: oh god we might miss the alarm we have to be aware of it i'll keep waking us up every half hour so we don't miss it

Themes 2!

Jun. 13th, 2017 03:39 pm
balganwall: It's my face! (Default)
Okay, the stars were cute, but now they're obnoxious. I have to try another theme. Something a little more tame.

Themes!

Jun. 6th, 2017 07:34 pm
balganwall: It's my face! (Default)
Oh, wow, I looked at the themes again and saw the Starry one. It's so gaudy and cute. I just had to apply it.

Checked out the Discord chats for Imzynauts and Campire. Well, the Campfire development. I'm not much of a back end developer; I know more HTML and CSS than anything. Maybe I can help with the graphics? Or just cheer on the team, provide moral support?

I did get an invitation to the Sapien.me community. Let's see how the beta stage works out. Let's see how any of these work out. I hope something permanent with the Imzy spirit comes along... and stays.
balganwall: It's my face! (Default)
I'm really here for the displaced Imzy community, but I guess I can use this thing for fun. Maybe a little spot for fellow Imzyites to check out the stuff that I haven't posted (or won't post) on my public blog, Tumblrs, or DeviantArt accounts.

But right now, I need to be getting to bed. It's a work night, after all.

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