Happy Best-Two-Days-of-the-Year!

We survived Sandy safe and sound, and I've lived to see another birthday. I admit this one is a bit weird- good, but weird. I'm officially at that age- that age where things need to be moving. Like, sure, I've still got plenty of time, but I should have something to show for my time by now.
Good thing I'm almost finished with this script. My ideal day would involve getting off work and going home to find the kids pooped out from a great day, the house in moderate order, and to settle down an finish the story. Then, of course, to send it to one of my writing-savvy friends to read and tell me it's brilliant.
Tomorrow Jase and I are going as Death and Dream from The Sandman comic series. I think we'll take the kids to Beacon Hill. What are your plans for Halloween?

A Break to Say Where I've Been

As I'm sure you probably already knows by now, I went to New York the weekend of ComiCon, but there's a back story.

Soon after the last post I wrote, I had an epiphany of awesome proportions. I've had this little pet story line for a couple years, which I've picked at and played with, but never gotten to formulate into a full-on plot. While I was mulling over what to do with my webcomic side project, questioning ad nauseum if it was even a good enough story to put the effort to, I thought of my old story, "What a perfect graphic novel!" 

The flood gates opened. As soon as I considered the format, it was like the entire plot came spilling out and I had to write! I decided that it was the perfect excuse to run away to my favorite New York couch for an impromptu writing retreat. While I was there, it just so happened that Shane had an extra pass to ComiCon. It was a killer opportunity to get an idea for what I was getting into- to speak with other writers, illustrators, network, and maybe taste the industry a bit. It was overwhelming, but in a good way. I came away fully charged, and with a goal: I was going to have my own booth for ComiCon 2013.

It's lofty, I know, but still...

I've been writing like crazy ever since and I'm about three quarters of the way done with my first draft. There is a long way to go, and a lot still to figure out, but I'm feeling the progress and I'm pumped. Maybe I'll get lucky and finish before NaNoWriMo (November is National Novel Writing Month)- that would be fantastic!

Art Dilemma

    I've been all sorts of distracted for a few weeks. So many fun new disasters have come along that I almost forgot what I want the most!
    I was having the most fun in ages when I was regularly writing the comic collaboration with Jason, but the breaks got slammed when life happened to my artist and I was churning out pages faster than he could meet them with panels.
    I tried to compensate starting another comic project. This time I intended to draw it myself. Dusting off my art supplies, however, proved harder than I expected, and I haven't even tried Photoshop yet.
    So now I face a dilemma. Do I spend triple the time drawing for the end of a writing medium, or do I try to find another artist?

Teaser

Comics are for Everyone!

   My camera is broken, and I think that is what has been holding up my posts, for the most part. But this will be the last post without good photos. The game's afoot. For, you see, I received my first paycheck today, and I know exactly where it is going, after I set aside for fall tuition. 

   In the mean time, I've been eyeballs deep in this new writing project. I completely underestimated how fun it would be! I'm learning so much. I think the first thing I'm learning is to not be afraid. Instead of worrying about writing a stunning conglomerate of words- just telling the story exactly how I want the story to be told and letting the rest follow. Instead of stopping from inexperience of the style, just making it legible and fixing the format as I learn. Instead of molding a mediocre story around what I know, molding an awesome story around things that I'm researching the heck out of. 

   I have to say that something else that excites me, is that I'm excited about it. I haven't been this excited about a project in a long time, and it feels better than ever. 

   So then, here are a few of my favorite web comic, to give you a little taste of the kind of fun that is out there to be had. Web comics for people who don't really troll for web comics: 

• Dresden Codak: There are so many things I could say. 
• Questionable Content: Indie rock and your best-friends-kinda-humor, with artificial intelligence
• Johnny Wander: Indie rock and your best-friends-kinda-humor. 
•  Hark! A Vagrant: Best for classic literature fans, feminists, and anyone with a pulse. 

It's Better as a Comic

   Do you ever start with an idea for a project, then half way through the project realized that it would work so much better in a different format? A sewing project that just needs a different fabric, or a sketch drawing that would translate so well as a watercolor? I have a tendency to think of writing topics and, much more frequently than my actions justify, I realize "That would be so much better as a comic."  Take for example, a little conversation Jason and I had yesterday about recent developments in The Windowsill Experiment, Pt. 2:

It's no big deal, but it would've been untranslatable as prose. Blah. 

    A while back Jason planted the seed of a wonderful plot line in my head. It stewed and grew till this last weekend I decided to turn my time alone into a handmade writing retreat. I packed my laptop to The Trident Cafe, a tiny part of me hoping that Amanda Palmer and Neil Gaiman would stop by, and got my butt to work. Three hours later, what I had sucked. Everything sucks in the beginning, but this was really making me unhappy. And I knew exactly why. It just needed to be a comic. 

   Lucky for me, I'm married to a graphic designer who's constantly pursuing the art of the web comic. We've been talking about doing a collaboration for some time, and even made a couple attempts, but they hadn't gotten very far. Yet something about this idea gripped me and I was determined to see it through. 

   My biggest problem was that I had no idea how to write a comic. Que game-show-loser-music. Try to Google "How to write a web comic." The results are a lot of bad writing about nothing. I have to thank Jason again for being such a comic buff; he directed me to a guide by the writer for The Zombie Hunters, which, though still sparse on the topic of writing itself, was the most comprehensive guide I was able to find.

   So armed with a nickle's worth of knowledge on a writing format, I decided to go for it. I swallowed a big gulp and just started writing. And this time it work! It shocked me how much easier everything fit on the page. I got the whole first scene written. I started a collaborative storyboard with Jason on Pintrest.com and he began the first sketches of characters. So hopefully soon, we'll be seeing the first panels of a web comic by Heather Louise and Jason.

   I'm kind of excited. 

   

You Tell Me

Holy-Radio-Silence, Batman! It's been a busy two weeks and I've been wiped out. But that means I've got a lot to write about! Here's just a bit of the buzz:

•  Going to New York for Jason's Birthday party
• The tragic conclusion of The Windowsill Experiment, Pt. 1
• A whole week with the kids at cousins'
• 5 days of just Me, Myself, And I, for the first time Ever
• New adventures in writing...comics?

Now it's your turn- what do you want to hear about first? 

Keep Going.

A friend sent this too me the other day. Sometimes we need to remember to keep going.