Happy New Year!
December 31st, 2007 adminSo, 2008. Yeah. Time to get some work done, don’t you think?
Well, I do, and to that end I’m really hoping this production diary will <strike>guilt me into</strike> keep me accountable for finishing the graphic novel that will be “Wedding Tarot.”
The process, as I see it, will go something like this:
- Breakout the novel-in-progress into pages and panels.
- Format said breakouts in Celtx so it looks like an actual script.
- Finish the story in Celtx, in format, from where I stopped in Nov.04 after NaNoWriMo ended for the year.
- Actually create the Tarot deck that goes with the book (and will feature in the art for the gn).
- Draw the graphic novel.
So far I have the Prologue and original 1st Chapter broken out and somewhat edited. Since the Chapters are turning more into Scenes, I’m thinking that some reformatting is going to happen and the chapters I do have are going to be smooshed together to form larger Acts. But this is just a working theory based on the first 12 or so blocked pages. Regardless of the format, I’m serious about getting this project in the works. Likely as not (read as: unless I get lucky and find a publisher between now and then that loves the project and doesn’t ask me to change anything integral to the story) I’ll web-publish first and then go to print based on interest, but that’s a ways away. The goal for 2008 is just to get the script done and edited. If I actually complete that before the end of the year and can start on the art that’s awesome, but I’m willing to accept baby steps with this project. Also, the Tarot deck progress will probably be concurrent to the editing of the starter-novel, not exactly its own step, but I do have to decide on the card backs and the style of the card fronts–if not actually create them–before I can start on the art for the book. It’s going to be a messy process.
And, for the record, the reason I need this diary to keep me accountable is because I have a lot of other things on my plate. I’m not just writing this book. I work fulltime, have a twice-a-week webcomic and write several articles a month for a website. Two of those three currently make me money, which is why this is item number four on the jockeying for position front, or five if you consider the fact that I do have a somewhat active personal life as well. Somewhere I read that in order to handle a life like this, the thing that needs doing is to stop wondering ‘how am I going to manage all of this’ and just do it. So I’m just doing it, taking a teensy leap of faith (really more of a hop) and seeing where I land.
Here’s to a productive new year!