The studio space is still in the future, just not April. Don’t worry, I will be sure to tell you when it all happens. I continue to add to my mailing list daily so if you are interested in getting a snail mail notice from me please give me an email and ask to be added to my mailing list. Be sure to include all your info so I can get the information to you as quick and easy as possible.
On another note, I have been keeping quite busy in all aspects of my life. Unfortunately I have not been creating as much as I would like to. It is quite difficult to create for long periods of time with my back the way it is and as most of you know, having pre-teens make it difficult as well. None-the-less I am working my way through it all or better yet, writing my way through it all.
Hopefully by the weekend I will have new art to post.
I am very excited to announce that I will be moving my art supplies, drawing board, painting table, and all of the stuff I use to create my books and illustrations to a public studio. My plan is to work there daily and I encourage everyone to come and visit me while I produce my next two books with illustrations. I will also be selling books from the studio along with prints of the illustrations. My paintings in progress can be viewed and prints will be for sale on those as well. I am so excited to be able to do this. I will post further details as the time nears and send out invitations to my entire mailing list. I am planning on having some activities and classes for children as well as planned school visits to the author’s studio. Please pass this information along to anyone you may know that would be interested in seeing what I have to offer. I will put out more information as the time nears.
As far as my novel goes, I am getting good reviews from my writer’s group. I haven’t any new drawings to post at this time because I have been getting ready for the studio. Please comment and leave any thoughts on me opening a public studio. I would love to hear your opinions.
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!
A piece of the puppet of Charlie made by the RingmasterEvil Ringmaster Works Charlie through his puppet
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.
Next Thursday my writer’s group officially meets! I am very excited to hand a couple of chapters over to my peers for critique. It has been a long haul alone and I am eager to have some fresh eyes look into the world I have been working so hard to create. On another note I have found a GREAT book that every author should own. It’s called Guerrilla Marketing for Writers. It is full of tips (100 exactly) for authors to utilize to market their books. Most of these are free or lost cost ways to gain publicity for your work. I encourage all of my writer friends to grab a copy of it and get started on your marketing right away! Good stuff!!!
The deeper I travel into this novel the more I love it! I am sitting upstairs in what I call my ‘writing nest’ and tapping away at the keyboard. Although my back is hurting me badly I am managing to type lying down on my daughters bean bag. Pain pill helps as well. Cross your fingers for me and perhaps you will have this very book in hand by the spring!
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.
My Disabled Office
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.
Today was absolutely perfect. Sure I was exhausted from staying up all night with my little girl and her earache. Sure I was exhausted from having to run her to the doctor’s office on Sunday all while cooking a chicken. However, I find exhaustion is best tolerated when shared with loved ones. As a matter of fact, I believe that through tired eyes and a slowed brain that has lacked a bit of sleep, everything around you tends to go in slow motion. It is not until then that you realize how special your family and loved ones are. Did you ever notice when you are extremely tired it almost feels like you are watching a movie instead of watching actual people around you? I did that today. I sat around a table and listened to my family joke back and forth and chatter endlessly but because it looked as though I was watching a movie i could really pick up on how much everyone really cared about each other. I guess you could say I was living in the moment. Why am I telling you this? Well, I am telling you this because I learned something today – something that applies to writing.
Slow down and be in the moment. When you do this you will catch all of people’s true mannerisms, dialogue, quirks, and quite frankly, the truth that is sitting right behind their shiny eyes.
With this Sunday dinner in the back of mind, I look forward to watching my characters in my mind tomorrow while putting some more words down on my computer. I don’t want to just rush to get to the end of my novel and publish it, I want to sit with my characters and enjoy them like I did with my family today. As a matter of fact, I am going to be quite sad when all the words have been written and bound into pages. It will be then that I have to say goodbye and seek out my new cast of characters to sit and eat with but until then, I will enjoy the characters I am with and savor every moment of it!
Erin T. Whalen 