Writing, illustrating, music and creative procrastination

Happy birthday to Andrea today!

The photos above and below were taken at the cottage yesterday morning, when I woke up before the morning mist had burned off the lake:



A massive thunderstorm earlier in the week knocked out the power for about a day and a half. The upside was that it also seemed to clear up much of the oppressive humidity. I spent much of the past week in the lake at the cottage, going swimming at least 2-3 times a day (once in the rain). Whenever the tendons in my arms tired, I'd turn over and float on my back for a few minutes, watching the clouds drift by.

I came back to find two cheques waiting for me (one for a writing job, the other for illustration). Cheques are good. Also received a Paypal payment for an illustration job yesterday, yay!

One of the cheques accompanied an issue of The Country Connection magazine containing an article I wrote a couple of years ago. My article was postponed an issue or two, then the magazine skipped an issue; I'd actually half-forgotten this piece was still waiting for publication until the editor called a couple weeks ago (before our phones went out) to confirm that I was still living at the same address. Hurray for astute editors!



Thanks for the feedback for the webzine question I posted in Livejournal a week or so ago in prep for my Writer's Digest article as well as in e-mail to specific people. I've finished a very rough draft of another novel (banged out in two weeks), but am going to let it "settle" while I work on another novel; I'm about two-thirds of the way through the first draft.



Finished an illustration job yesterday and got another one within a few hours. Remarkable timing, that. So far each of these jobs has been fun to work on; I've been pretty lucky. This latest involves designing a new header for a multi-author writers' blog that I was already enjoying reading.

I was also asked last week for the URL of my online illustration portfolio. Unfortunately I don't have an official online illustration portfolio yet, just my rather jumbled Flickr Sketchbook. Once we get regular high-speed access back, I have vowed that I am going to put one online that includes samples like the one to the left (recently completed for a client). I've been procrastinating for three reasons:

1. I've been getting enough illustration work without an online portfolio. In a way, Blatherings and Inkygirl already showcase my work. On the other hand, it would be handy to have one place which highlights my favourite pieces as well as work for past clients.

2. Putting together an online illustration portfolio forces me to also put together a proper freelance writing portfolio as well and therefore involves a greater investment of time, something I'm lacking these days.

3. I haven't decided where to put it. The logical place for a writing/illustration portfolio would be debbieohi.com, but I already have a comic strip there. I've been thinking about going ahead with this anyway, and having a link to the strip instead.

Hey, I'm up to Lesson 4 of my Garageband tutorial book! I've learned how to do multipass recording as well as add music to a video, record using software instruments, and do basic edits to a multi-track recording. I've also invested in the newest version of Finale since I'd like to do a music theory book as well as put together a second Urban Tapestry songbook. So now I'm happily poring over the user manuals and going through tutorials and exercises. I'm such a user manual addict....






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Snakes, phone woes, and Will Write For Chocolate

Above: A garter snake lounging near the deck this morning.

Jeff and I are having home phone problems these days, and it looks like the problem won't be able to be fixed for a couple of weeks. If you need to reach us, please use e-mail or (if urgent) Jeff's cellphone.

Will Write For Chocolate has been updated! Topic of this week's column: writing spaces. As in ideal writing conditions rather than how to inscribe blanks in text. Do you have any particular writing space quirks? Do you have a favourite chair? Music or no music? If music, any type preference? Do you prefer a private quiet space, or people all around? Please post your replies here.

I have limited online access right now with a dial-up connection, so please don't send me any big files right now, thanks.

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Hot

I am SO not a hot weather person, especially if it's really humid. Like how it is now, in Toronto.

I would far rather be walking around in a blizzard than in a heat wave. My reasoning: I can always add on more layers if I'm too cold. If I'm too hot, I can only take off so many.

I've never enjoyed lying on a hot beach in the hot sun for more than, oh, say ten minutes before I get bored and/or too hot. I'd rather stay in the water until I'm wrinkled or get eaten by sharks or leeches, depending on the body of water.

I'm already yearning for autumn.

Survey: What about the rest of you? Favourite season? Hot or cold preference? Blizzard or heatwave?



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Will Write For Chocolate updated

Will Write For Chocolate has been updated. My column topic this week: "Clearing Up Copyright Confusion." The cartoon above was also created to help illustrate the importance of understanding copyright issues when selling one's work.




Many thanks to my sweetie-pie husband for spending several hours yesterday helping me sort out my digital recording issues: finding needed cords, connecting up my keyboard to my laptop, figuring out how to connect my pre-amps, installing needed drivers. Sadly, it looks like I'm unable to use my microphone to record until M-Audio updates its driver for the Duo USB Microphone Preamp so it runs on Intel machines.

:-(

Supposedly they have promised to have one ready within 6-8 weeks. Fingers crossed.

I can use the built-in microphone in my laptop for scratch recordings, so I can still pass recordings to Allison & Jodi to show them my new songs, but it doesn't look like I'll be able to do anything resembling commercial recordings yet.

My magnetic wall survived the air conditioner installation, yay!

Sent off my edited manuscript to my agent, who is going to start sending it out into the world. Thanks again to Jeff, Allison, Ruth, Dave C. and Parki for taking the time to read through my mss.



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Inkygirl comics and Tom Swifties

I've been gradually accumulated my writing-related comics (not including Will Write For Chocolate), posted to Inkygirl. Here's a thumbnail summary, for those interested:













































































I've also been getting more inquiries about using these cartoons, either on sites or newsletters, so finally decided to put together a policy on re-posting and other use of my images. These are specific to my Inkygirl comics, but I'll be coming up with similar pages for my other illustrations and comics. Most people seem to be careful about copyright use, but I've noticed a growing number of people re-posting copyrighted comics in their blogs and I suspect that not all were posted with permission of the artist or publisher.

Of course, there's a marked difference between occasionally posting someone's else comic without permission in your personal blog and posting it on a for-profit site. When someone asks me for permission to use one of my Inkygirl cartoons, I very rarely say no unless it's for something commercial or if they plan to do this frequently (in which we work out a licensing fee). Still, I appreciate being asked in advance.

In my last post, I asked you about your favourite childhood book series. Wow, thanks for all your replies! I was reminded of many series I'd forgotten about and now am going to have seek out again, like Danny Dunn, Homer Price, Anne of Green Gables, The Bobbsey Twins, Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazon series, Little House books, Five Little Peppers, Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain, Narnia books, The Borrowers, Beverly Cleary's Ramona series, Encylopedia Brown, Paddington Bear, among others. Bill Roper reminded me of The Enormous Egg, which I just unpacked. I found out about all kinds of other series which I'm now curious about.

Like Tom Swift! Never did read a Tom Swift, and I was shocked to discover from Walter that "Tom Swifties" weren't actually used in the Tom Swift books. Also found out from W. that the TASER, a hand-held projectile electroshock stun gun used by police, is an abbreviation of Tom A. Swift Electric Rifle. Apparently Jack Cover, who developed the original TASER, was a Tom Swift fan. Go figure.

And Alan T. and Phil P. helpfully volunteered some Tom Swifties. My favourites:

"The prisoner escaped by climbing down a rope ladder," said Tom, condescendingly. (Alan T.)

"I dropped the toothpaste!" said Tom, crestfallen. (Alan T.)

"I've created a variable X whose value is preserved from one invocation of the procedure to the next!" Tom declared ecstatically. (Phil P.)

:-D


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