The image you
see is a embossed journal cover created by Furry Neko. This cured leather cover (outsides) is overlaid with the uncured version and finally overlaid with the artist’s sketch of what she would emboss into the leather. It’s amazing to watch artists in different media move through their refinement process. With the visual artists I’ve watched, they start with the little circles, then the guidelines, and then the outlines of the figures start to take shape. After the outlines have been penciled in, they are inked. After inking, comes coloring – layer after layer, process after process. It’s a means of managing raw creativity into a refined product – something everyone can enjoy.
With sites such as Tigerdile and Picarto, you can actually watch these processes happen in real time – it’s amazing! I have to hand it to the artists who create while people are watching; it has to be stressful. However, it is such an enormous gift because it opens up their world and allows you to see each step and each process.
For writers, it’s a similar deal, but it doesn’t translate as well into the “streaming” world. That is what I find myself doing with Trials and with Beyond 2. The first book has been edited many times before, and this is the final edit – the final refinements before publishing. At this point, there shouldn’t be any major plot holes that need to be filled, no words that are missing, and no awkward phrases. Beyond 2, however, is still in that “rough sketch” phase, and listening to it using a “Text-to-speech” program is pointing out the major issues which need to be fixed. That initial check has to be done sooner rather than later, so … this is a long way of saying that Trials is going to be released after the start of the New Year.
My personal thanks go out to Furry Neko who is making this journal for me. There will be one final phase (painting) that occurs before she binds it together and ships it off to me. It is the Christmas present I am looking forward to the most this year. On the left, you see Sahni, and on the right is Van. Hopefully, this journal will serve as a place to keep ideas that one day might turn into other books. Nevertheless, I’m truly enjoying watching this process happen.
Merry Christmas and may God always bless you,
JTL