Writing a Novel

Here is a snap of one of my Grandparents letters. I have been re-reading them for ideas for the story I am writing.  If you look close you'll see how they will write over lettering, they were always running out of space and had more to say.  I am up to 1909 now and there are 100 letters left to read. I know there are a lot of missing letters and many holes in the story so I get to make the rest up. It sounds easy but really it isn't.  I have been writing scenes I want to include but haven't really come up with the tone or voice of the story.  That may come in the second draft or third. I find doing Nanowrimo is just the beginning, it becomes more like an extended outline rather than the final story. There is a lot of telling which I will turn into showing in subsequent drafts.  The one thing that most people do not realize is that a novel just doesn't come out of you perfectly done.  There is a lot of rewriting and revising over and over before its really ready to be read by someone.

My daughter Sarah is working on one of her novels she wrote in 2008.  It took one month to do it initially, she rewrote it in six months and now is editing and revising and she has been working several months on it already.  Its all a process you get it to a point and then you have critique partners to help you see the flaws and then go work on it some more and repeat till you have gotten it as perfect as it can be.  Then you set out and start on the road to publishing which can even be longer.  Sounds like a lot of work doesn't it.  I think it is so worth it if you have a story you want to tell. I know someone who is on the 19th revision of their novel. Can you imagine the celebration she will have when its finally published.

So now that you know all that I am sure you will really appreciate the next book you read. Your realize it really was years in the making.

No art to share today, not even a journal page but perhaps I'll feel the need later in the week.

An Art Video or Two

First a shoutout to all the Veterans out there. Thank you so much for your service. We are so grateful.


 


 A friend posted this and it was so fun to watch I had to show you.




Then I watched this one because it was in the sidebar and its very good.

Todays collage which of course was made several days ago but anyways you get the idea. I am finding doing some art is an avoidance tactic on one hand and a release on another. So whatever it is I am finding it helpful. This background was made with pan pastels at first but I don't have a lot of colors so I wanted a deeper blue so I switched to Portfolio water soluble oil pastels.  I love how you can blend and smear them. I loved the stormy look of the image and it seemed to fit in with the background. A few additional papers and tape finish the piece off.

It's funny that here I am doing Nano and I am managing to blog too. You know when you give up TV and cleaning the house you have so much more time.  Just for fun I decided to post this at 11-11-11 at 11:00.  Have a weekend everyone.

Nice Surprises

I really love how this page evolved. The background had a scrap of paper and then watercolor crayons and gesso. Then I added the image which is a clipping from a dick blick catalog.  I added the skirt and toned down the colors a little with a china marker.  Outlined in pen and charcoal and then I added the  ships and the words.  I must have been thinking of my grandmother and all the trips across the atlantic that she took.  She might not have been dancing but this lady sure can.

Taking a Break With Collage

I find even when I am deep into a creative project if I step away and do something else creative it breaks the pressure. I have been a little tired from writing so I did a little collage on Sunday. It really felt great to be playing with paper and glue again.

This is a page I did with a note that was left on my windshield by some friends. really easy. The cupcake is a tag from a local bakery. Pink paper is embellished with oil pastels.

These 2 pages had a green background from some excess paint from another project.

  I worked on them together but kept the pages separate. There is not much of the original green showing but the combination of colors seemed to please me.


 

















I like using found things sometimes, I kept this tea bag package to use in a collage. Its fun doing that since when you look at the page in the future you will remember what you were doing when you had that cup of tea.

I bought myself this bracelet to use as a talisman for writing.  Its made out of old typewriter keys and has 3 charms that hang from it.  A typewriter, bottle of ink and a quill pen. Oh and the words spell manuscript. I was planning on making something but this fit the bill perfectly.  I was so glad I found it.

I hope you are having a good week.

Oh ps. I have had virtually no time to comment on blogs or even look at them.  I promise to start coming around again December.  I am missing all your wonderful posts,  but this month its just impossible to look and comment on blogs. I barely get around to making my own posts. I know you all understand but still wanted to let you know I am not ignoring you.

This is so fun, you are going to love it. When you get to the woman in Idaho that is Anne my laughter yoga teacher. She is awesome.

I still will be a doing a little art stuff in November, mostly simple pages that will not take too much time. This page was made with an oil pastel background and a picture I took in Sedona a few years ago.  We stopped in this place where there were vortexes and these rock cairns were everywhere.  It was such an amazing thing to see.

Nanowrimo started yesterday, so we are off an running now.  I put a word widget in my sidebar that you can view to see my progress.

Día de los Muertos or Day of the Dead

Well granted it is not really Día de los Muertos or The Day of the Dead until tomorrow but I am posting today anyways. My church always celebrates and this year I took part in creating the altar decorations. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. It is particularly celebrated in Mexico, where it attains the quality of a National Holiday.

Here you can see bread left out and the skulls my daughter made.

We have members put out pictures of their loved ones who have passed.

We added a stuffed animal pet to represent those pets we have lived with and who have died. You can also see the picture of my grandmother that I have placed on the table.

Dishes and food are left for our ancestors in case they are hungry when they come back.

These are the 2 shrines I made for my parents. They were made out of old altoid tins.
















Here is a close up of the skulls that my daughter made. First they were crocheted and then deorated with embroidery floss. Aren't they just the cutest?

November 1


In addition to being The Day of the Dead, November 1st is also the beginning of the National Novel Writing Month.  Since I will be participating again blogging will be taking a slide. I promise to blog at least once a week during the month.




 Oh I just saw this video and loved it. Don't you love watching other artists work, I know I get inspired watching videos like this.

Happy Halloween, Samhain and Day of the Dead to all of you.

Sunday Sketches

Here is my sketch for today. I was trying to do Frida in honor of The Day of the Dead coming up, but had no pics with me but at least I got the unibrow look. I had fun writing right into her hair. Someday I will do another when I have a pic for reference.

To see what other sketchers are doing go here  Have a great Sunday.