You may remember that a few weeks ago I posted, in the parlance of after school specials, a "very special blog entry" (see: "Pugs, and a Confession"). In this post, I lamented my writer's block as I was trying to re-work a dummy that I thought I had finished. Well, Hallelujah, I finally had my breakthrough, my Helen Keller moment. W-A-T-E-R! All of the pieces suddenly fit into place! I could see the light through the dark tangle of my story lines! Now I am possessed by a fever to get all of the new sketches done, so I can SEE what is going on in my head. I am also in a fever to pass this version on to my trusty friends & colleagues, to see if it really does make sense or if I have just been in solitary confinement with pigs for too long (too early for Swine Flu jokes?)
Here is a sneak peek at one of the sketches, one that doesn't reveal too much of the story:
There is an interesting blog discussion going on at Firebrand Literary about what motivates authors (and illustrators, I'm extrapolating) to keep working, when there's no guarantee that their work will see the light of day. For me, it's (party) this- the joy of struggling with a story and characters that you've had in mind for weeks (months? years?), and finally having a breakthrough moment, when everything seems clear and all is right in the world.
Until the next round of revisions comes in , of course.
3 comments:
Woooooo, congratulations on the breakthrough, Vicki! That must feel great!!!
I am in the midst of "trying" to get a 2nd story/dummy together too, but I haven't yet had my 'eureka' moment...hopefully that will eventually happen! I was just discussing with Paul how the 2nd book as author seems so much harder. We agree that it's the pressure to create a follow-up to #1, and for it to be just as appealing. I wonder if starting each new book will feel this way? My guess is probably~ Ahh, the joys of being a creative ;)
Anyhow, congratulations again-- Can't wait to hear more about the story!
Funny how that works! Glad you had a break through. Best of luck on your dummy book. I haven't been to your blog for a long time. I just browsed over all your latest blog entries. So fun to see what you've been up to! You're work looks fabulous! Glad you're having fun in Oregon. Cheers!
Shawna (Your BIFF in Salt Lake) :)
I'm glad I'm not the only one who struggles with dummies! It seems easy enough to come up with a fun illustration idea- but to string that idea along with a bunch more + a story = trouble! Good luck on your dummy- I hope the muses come your way soon!
Shawna- thanks for stopping by! Always nice to hear from a BIFF! :)
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