I have been doing so much character work as well as cleaning up my chapters and let me tell you this novel is shaping up better than I thought possible. I am so excited to be able to share the progress with you. I have taken this entire weekend to be by myself with my stories. I am popping back and forth from text to sketch then back again.
Any artist will tell you there is no better place to be than the ZONE. This weekend I worked all sorts of hours and it felt like no time at all. I have been in the zone before but never this deep. Once out of it, I was confused and dazed. It was almost a scary feeling and if that is one of the side effects of deep zoning than I am willing to have more of it. Here are some of the pieces I created while in that zone. Tomorrow I will be adding the finishing touches on it and this piece called “The Ringmaster and his Prey” will be finished and in line behind the “Evil Clown” waiting to be hung in my new studio… I will announce more on that in the springtime. So many great things I have in store for my young readers this year!
Ok, I went, I saw, and I LOVED!!! The Hope Artist Village is where I want to spend my days painting and weekends selling. The energy there is amazing. I am going to continue to create enough paintings to fill the walls in the studio so when I do move in, it will be beaming with all of my work. Please everyone send me good energy to obtain the perfect studio so that I can actually eat dinner on my kitchen table with my family instead of painting on it and have everyone eat in the living room … 🙂
Erin
Okay, the Ringmaster is stepping into the scene now. I spent last week painting this guy and I am finishing him up this week along with submitting some chapters to my writers group. What a wonderful group of women writers I got together this time. Writer’s groups are magical. You get different writers from different backgrounds all meeting up at a table two times a month and the energy and information fly!
My goal for this year is not only to finish my novel and get it in print for you but also to network and reach out to other artists – I mean really join the artist community by putting my work out there. I am going to put paintings out into the world as well as my books. As I near my 40th birthday I feel the need to expand my artistic world. As a matter of fact this Wednesday I am going to visit the Hope Artist Village to look at retail space for my work. I will let you know how that works out.
Erin
Okay, its ccc-old out there! Wild winds are pushing around snow that is supposed to get above a foot! Yippee! That’s what most of my friends are saying. Why? Well because we are New Englanders and that is what we look forward to. I am sitting here in my fluffy jammies with fingerless gloves typing on my laptop in my bed under the covers. The wind is howling so loud outside it is making my windows whistle. All this ambiance and I am having trouble getting words down on the page for my novel. Ugggghhh. Of course that doesn’t mean I am going to give up. After I read a few children’s author blogs I’ll get going – it always seems to get me going.
Happy Snow!!!
Erin
Sketching some of my characters – here is a sneak peek of the ringmaster. There are so many more but I don’t want to spoil the
surprise! Keep your eyes on the blog for more info …
Erin
Good morning –
Today I begin with my frustration. Let me begin by saying I am and always have been an optimist but since 2009 of May this wonderful characteristic of mine has declined greatly and unfortunately it still declines daily. I never mentioned this on my blog because I didn’t think it needed to be talked about or was relevant but since this is my blog about my writing and artistic struggles I think it does need to be mentioned.
I need you to know that I am writing from my bed.
I am doing this because I have a major spinal disorder that prevents me from sitting up for long. Not only does it prevent me from sitting up but it also prevents me from running, walking, swimming, driving, and basically anything under the sun with ease. It hurts to put it mildly. I have been writing and drawing from my bed since 2009 of May because that is when my inherited disorder showed itself.
I think its important to tell you this because it is the number one reason I have been struggling to finish my novel. Although the ideas are coming fast and furious and I can’t seem to get them down as good as I used to. When I write, I tend to pace and walk then sit to write then get up and do the same thing all over again. It’s a very physical process for me. I have even gone so far as to lay on my living room for and have my friend help me set up all of my artwork and inspiration materials around me. I have attached a photo below.
I want you to know I am by no means complaining. I am just giving you a glimpse into my daily life because that is what blogging is all about. Please know that I will never stop writing until my hands don’t work anymore and even then, I will probably talk – type. I love writing and all that is involved but also please know that I am struggling to do it.
Thank you so much to all of my readers who have purchased my work in the past. I hope my new work lives up to your expectations.
Erin T. Whalen
I have to say WOW, I just looked at my blog and saw the last time I wrote was August 28th and on that day I told you I would post a sketch the next day! So sorry. I can really get side tracked. I am writing like crazy this month and very happy about that. It seems I never want to go on the internet now because I am so into my writing which is a great thing because as any writer knows its usually the opposite. When it flows, it flows right? Gotta hold your hands under the faucet and catch every drop of creativity that is coming out! I have now put my bed in my art studio so I can absorb my project, it helps to see all of my sketches and notes posted everywhere before I go to bed and first thing when i wake up and its great, I don’t have to go far to get back to the drawing board! I just wake up, meander into the kitchen to grab my cup o’ coffee and head back to my lair. It’s wonderful when the writing flows. As a matter of fact, I don’t believe there is anything I can compare it too and only those that have experienced it can understand, all the rest just get to enjoy the literature that’s born from it.
~Erin~
Hello again. I am happy to say that I am BACK in the writing zone! Oh boy that was not a fun bout of ‘the block’. I am also happy to say that I am moving to a perfect apartment. It is over looking a pond. What a perfect way to get up and write and write every day, right? My writer’s dream has come true (and perhaps it removed my writer’s block as well.) I am so excited to set up my new writing studio near the window that overlooks the pond. I will post pictures as soon as I move into the new home!
I was working on putting up a sign on the outside of a building the other day and heard something in the bushes. This picture just goes to show you how important it is to stop and observe and DEFINITELY always have a camera on hand! Isn’t it sweet?
I have to admit, I am blocked. I haven’t been able to write a word in quite a while. It really hasn’t been that long but it seems like forever to me. You see, I have never believed in writer’s block (or at least never experienced it for myself) I am really experiencing it now. I’m not sure if it has anything to do with my oldest child getting married and leaving the nest – no pun intended 😉 I want to reassure my readers that I am working very hard to get through it. I am filling my non-writing time with photo taking, drawing, and capturing ideas in my writing idea notebook so when writing does come back to me, I will be armed and ready with lots of material.
Oh yes, and for all those writers out there who I never believed really had writer’s block, I DEEPLY apologize. It certainly is real.
Until next posting… Erin.
Erin T. Whalen 