Pic of the Week . . .

This week, Iyall mostly be publishing Luis Royo (I'm such a fan)

This piece - the name escapes me - is one of my all-time favourite pieces. I love it. To me it portrays a connection between good and evil, light and dark, living and breathing v's machinery . . . or to an extent.

Regardless of what it portrays, I still love it and decided it deserves a mention this week.

http://www.luisroyo.com/

Novel Update . . .

It's finally finished! Well, from my perspective. The edited version of my novel is now about 70 words under the 131,000 count, and boy has it been a journey for me. I started it, got writers block in the middle and didn't want to continue, got passed that, didn't like the ending, recalculated . . .

All in all it's taken me about 2 years to write, give or take a few, but that isn't including the 5 - 6 month period between editing stages where I didn't touch it. I just left it to gather dust so that I could go back to it with a fresh eye. It's amazing how different your masterpiece reads after you've left it for so long. I actually quite enjoyed it.

So anyway, it has now seen it's 4th / 5th editing. I know there are still mistakes and plot holes, but I've now reached the stage where I can no longer see them. I've gone over it so many times that I can't see the forest for the trees, so they say. All that is left now is for my trusted colleagues to read through it and pin point my errors. They're good at critiquing, which is what it needs.

After that, and once any new errors have been corrected, it's off on the hunt for an agent . . . and then many more editing stages . . . lol

Pic of the Week . . .

Since publishing `Pic of the Week` on this blog, it came to light that a good friend of mine shares the same taste in art. She is a fellow writer and has written some pretty dark, fantastic pieces herself. During a conversation we had this week, she pointed out that most artwork of this genre consist of women, and she is after a fantasy picture of a man.

Easier said than done.

But while I was scouting I came across a picture that I rather liked. I was looking up the artist `Linda Bergkvist` at the time, and would have presumed it was one of her pieces, but on closer inspection the signature at the bottom doesn't resemble that of the artist. I decided it had to be this week's pic, but unfortunately I cannot tell you anything about the artist. In this, I have failed . . .

Novel Going's On . . .

Those of you who know me are in knowledge of this already, but for those few who don't I'm going to share with you now.

I finished my novel a little while ago and am now in editing process.

I've made all the big changes that I feel it needs and am now going through it again just to make sure that everything flows nicely before handing it over to my trusted friends for a good critique. I've given myself a deadline of January (sometime within), and by this time I want it as ready as it can be before I take up the challenge of finding an agent. I already have a list of hopefuls.

I have managed to cut my word count to 130,000 now, which I think is a reasonable amount for a novel - if not still a little too long. It's a fantasy tale titled `The Calming of Gorthian,` and I'm sure it will earn me a hundred rejection slips that I can use to decorate my walls (and it's a large wall, so I will be persistent).

I'll keep you informed . . .

Pic of the Week . . .

Another great artist on my list is Jessica Galbreth. To me, her work still harbours raw beauty. Many artists nowadays are turning to digital - and don't get me wrong, there is some fantastic digitally mastered artwork out there. They have flawless tones and detailed backgrounds - perfect - but it takes away that pen and ink feel.

It may just be her particular style, but one thing that captured me about most of Jessica Galbreth's work is that it appears untouched and unaltered after the last paint stroke has been placed. Raw beauty . . .

Mask of Autumn

http://www.enchanted-art.com/

Exercise: A Play with Words . . .

Our last session introduced most of us to a fantastic little book by Ursula K Le Guin, titled `Steering the Craft`. It's one of many good books on writing, and also provides little writing exercises for you to do. We put one to the test.

It was said that we can all tell a story. We can all work on our characters well, bringing them to life, and we can create scenes with no problems at all . . . but we never really think that much about descriptive style. When was the last time you just sat down, put pen to paper, and just let the words flow. They could be meaningless words, just bobbing on the tide, but when spoken aloud and listened to, can create such a beautiful sound that flows together perfectly . . .

Exercise: A play with words to listen to how they flow . . .

Contradiction: The violent crushing sounds breaths a feeling of tranquility whirling softly within. The warmth that churns creates a relaxation that never tires, that never grows old, that never expires. Eyes sit and gaze for hours, hypnotised by the natural forces that drives the world. Each wave crashes on the shore, vicious and unrepentant, yet soft and majestic. Beyond linger mysteries and depths unexplored. Creatures lurk and stir in abysses deeper than any mountain, promising terror and death to any stranger. The crushing confines hold an unwelcome darkness that blinds, a place that wants to be uninhabitable, that wants to be terrifying, and that wants to be feared. But still eyes gaze for hours, hypnotised by it's natural beauty and tranquility. The ocean - such contradiction.