Showing posts with label chris smith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chris smith. Show all posts
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Hiatus
This will be the official status of Gibberish after tomorrow.
I need a break. I have too many projects, with more coming up, and I can't see myself keeping up with--or needing the stress of worrying about--the comic. For something that started out as an experiment, Gibberish became something I never expected. It continued to surprise me. It allowed me to play around with color, different techniques; it even helped hone my writing--even if the comic didn't reflect that sharpening.
I hope to do a comic here or there, perhaps keep it afloat, but the Tuesday/Thursday schedule will no longer be in effect. The archive will remain on the interweb for your enjoyment, but new comics won't be happening on a regular basis.
My plan is to recharge, get a few more of these other projects buttoned up, and perhaps I can devote some more time to an actual comic, full pages, a real story, recurring characters. Perhaps not. Regardless, I hope to jump back into the comic scene soon enough, but I realize that it is rather unrealistic given everything I have going on next year.
Thank you, to my faithful few readers. I appreciate the comments and support, and I hope to still put together a collection of the last year and a half of comics.
The blog will continue to update on MWF, and TR will be replaced by my aforementioned idea of "Beautiful Writing." I'm not sure if/when it will be audible readings, but I will at least post the text.
Thanks again for the support, and I look forward to seeing you all with whatever I happen to do next.
I need a break. I have too many projects, with more coming up, and I can't see myself keeping up with--or needing the stress of worrying about--the comic. For something that started out as an experiment, Gibberish became something I never expected. It continued to surprise me. It allowed me to play around with color, different techniques; it even helped hone my writing--even if the comic didn't reflect that sharpening.
I hope to do a comic here or there, perhaps keep it afloat, but the Tuesday/Thursday schedule will no longer be in effect. The archive will remain on the interweb for your enjoyment, but new comics won't be happening on a regular basis.
My plan is to recharge, get a few more of these other projects buttoned up, and perhaps I can devote some more time to an actual comic, full pages, a real story, recurring characters. Perhaps not. Regardless, I hope to jump back into the comic scene soon enough, but I realize that it is rather unrealistic given everything I have going on next year.
Thank you, to my faithful few readers. I appreciate the comments and support, and I hope to still put together a collection of the last year and a half of comics.
The blog will continue to update on MWF, and TR will be replaced by my aforementioned idea of "Beautiful Writing." I'm not sure if/when it will be audible readings, but I will at least post the text.
Thanks again for the support, and I look forward to seeing you all with whatever I happen to do next.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
The Process: Remembering
You've neglected your story/novel/writing in general long enough. Then what?
I plant myself into a chair of some sort, open up the last bit of writing I've done, and start reading over snippets here and there. Well, it's not really reading, but scraping, seeing which bits come off with my eyes, the ones that stick to my fingers, help me remember what it was that I was doing with this whole project in the first place. I might make a few fixes here and there--nothing I would call revision--but enough to get me back into the groove of things, remind me what it was/is that my character wants in that moment, what's pissing them off, what's breaking their heart. Once that's done, I can often slip back into a rhythm, start chipping away at that negligence block and add to my story once again.
Usually, I don't work with an outline and I'm forced to simply follow my characters around and wait for something to happen. This makes for lots of cutting/rewriting later, but it's time well spent, as I get to see how they get from here to there, what they linger over, what catches their eye. Also, having something to cut is better than an empty page. Empty pages give you nothing. NOTHING. Hopefully though, something happens in this character stalking process, something unexpected or worth hanging around to witness. Once this occurs, I'm fired up and ready to roll. Other times, when nothing shows up, I've just written a bunch of boring nothing.
When this boring nothing occurs--and I'm sure it will--I take a break, play some video games, drink some Dr. Pepper or Chai, talk to my wife for a few minutes, hassle my cats, something to let my mind focus on other things. There are times I forget to go back to my writing and fall right back into negligence, but going back is always, always the best. The times I remember to go back, I sit, start scraping again, a little harder this time, and I see what comes off in my hands. Inevitably there will be a piece of a paragraph, a few words, a sentence that sparks an ides and helps me to see what this moment/scene needs--even if that means taking a cue from Monty Python and going to something completely different.
(A piece of advice that I've learned: WHEN IN DOUBT ABOUT WHERE YOUR STORY IS GOING, LOOK TO WHAT HAS COME BEFORE IT. THE ANSWER IS ALWAYS IN THE PAST.)
After that, it is simply a matter of keeping myself in my chair and letting my fingers do the work. For me, a set word count is a great way of not only keeping track of how much I write on a daily basis, but it gives a goal, a tangible number that I can attain. I shoot for 1,000 words a day. Sometimes, I overshoot--if you're really in the groove, why stop? Other times, I come up short--WAY short. Regardless, it gives me the grounding I need to "feel" like I've written and been productive for the day. A chunk of time would work too. Say, a half an hour every day that you DEVOTE--no email, internet, news reading, wall staring, nothing--to writing. This might even be better, as you won't feel let down by not meeting your word count. You burned the keyboard for your set time and wrote what you could.
The importance of this step in my writing process is simply for my brain and heart and fingers to remember what it is that they've been missing: their purpose, their joy, their horrendous witch of a lover that is writing. Once they have, it's much harder to fall back into neglecting such an exquisite beast.
I plant myself into a chair of some sort, open up the last bit of writing I've done, and start reading over snippets here and there. Well, it's not really reading, but scraping, seeing which bits come off with my eyes, the ones that stick to my fingers, help me remember what it was that I was doing with this whole project in the first place. I might make a few fixes here and there--nothing I would call revision--but enough to get me back into the groove of things, remind me what it was/is that my character wants in that moment, what's pissing them off, what's breaking their heart. Once that's done, I can often slip back into a rhythm, start chipping away at that negligence block and add to my story once again.
Usually, I don't work with an outline and I'm forced to simply follow my characters around and wait for something to happen. This makes for lots of cutting/rewriting later, but it's time well spent, as I get to see how they get from here to there, what they linger over, what catches their eye. Also, having something to cut is better than an empty page. Empty pages give you nothing. NOTHING. Hopefully though, something happens in this character stalking process, something unexpected or worth hanging around to witness. Once this occurs, I'm fired up and ready to roll. Other times, when nothing shows up, I've just written a bunch of boring nothing.
When this boring nothing occurs--and I'm sure it will--I take a break, play some video games, drink some Dr. Pepper or Chai, talk to my wife for a few minutes, hassle my cats, something to let my mind focus on other things. There are times I forget to go back to my writing and fall right back into negligence, but going back is always, always the best. The times I remember to go back, I sit, start scraping again, a little harder this time, and I see what comes off in my hands. Inevitably there will be a piece of a paragraph, a few words, a sentence that sparks an ides and helps me to see what this moment/scene needs--even if that means taking a cue from Monty Python and going to something completely different.
(A piece of advice that I've learned: WHEN IN DOUBT ABOUT WHERE YOUR STORY IS GOING, LOOK TO WHAT HAS COME BEFORE IT. THE ANSWER IS ALWAYS IN THE PAST.)
After that, it is simply a matter of keeping myself in my chair and letting my fingers do the work. For me, a set word count is a great way of not only keeping track of how much I write on a daily basis, but it gives a goal, a tangible number that I can attain. I shoot for 1,000 words a day. Sometimes, I overshoot--if you're really in the groove, why stop? Other times, I come up short--WAY short. Regardless, it gives me the grounding I need to "feel" like I've written and been productive for the day. A chunk of time would work too. Say, a half an hour every day that you DEVOTE--no email, internet, news reading, wall staring, nothing--to writing. This might even be better, as you won't feel let down by not meeting your word count. You burned the keyboard for your set time and wrote what you could.
The importance of this step in my writing process is simply for my brain and heart and fingers to remember what it is that they've been missing: their purpose, their joy, their horrendous witch of a lover that is writing. Once they have, it's much harder to fall back into neglecting such an exquisite beast.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
+Best Parts of the Cold Months+
It really is a toss up.
p.s. For a larger, complete, and without the writing version of today's Gibberish, click here.
p.s. For a larger, complete, and without the writing version of today's Gibberish, click here.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Egg Cooking Adventures
This past week, I've now tried two experiments, and they were both huge successes.
First, I started the week off by cooking up a batch of breakfast burritos, wrapping them in tin foil, and saving them to use for breakfast. All I have to do is pop them into the toaster oven, set the timer, and by the time I'm showered, dressed, and ready for work, I have tasty warm burritos waiting for me. I wasn't sure how they would turn out--and I really wish we had some salsa--but they were simple enough, just a little time consuming. The only thing that might "distinguish" these from other peeps burritos is that I made the eggs with some hot and spicy taco meat seasoning. Although I should have used more, I would suggest doing such a thing in the making of your own.
The other was last night. For some reason or another, I've been craving quiche. I don't exactly know why. Eggs aren't my favorite things in the world, yet I keep thinking that quiche sounded awesome.
Luckily, my wife had some leftover pie crust from Thanksgiving, so I simply took some of that, mashed it down into a tiny, personal-sized bowl, and mixed up some eggs, milk, flour, cheese, and spices. It turned out surprisingly well, though I kept having to squish it down: It kept rising like the leviathan from its murky depths. It was a rather exquisite leviathan though, and good eats to boot.
I may not be a master chef--or ever even amount to an apprentice--but I'm starting to feel rather comfortable in the kitchen, being able to throw random ingredients together and producing something not only edible but downright wonderful.
And now for something completely different:
I tried my hand at a 50 word or less story. This place decided they liked it. Check it out. It takes 30 seconds to read. If that.
First, I started the week off by cooking up a batch of breakfast burritos, wrapping them in tin foil, and saving them to use for breakfast. All I have to do is pop them into the toaster oven, set the timer, and by the time I'm showered, dressed, and ready for work, I have tasty warm burritos waiting for me. I wasn't sure how they would turn out--and I really wish we had some salsa--but they were simple enough, just a little time consuming. The only thing that might "distinguish" these from other peeps burritos is that I made the eggs with some hot and spicy taco meat seasoning. Although I should have used more, I would suggest doing such a thing in the making of your own.
The other was last night. For some reason or another, I've been craving quiche. I don't exactly know why. Eggs aren't my favorite things in the world, yet I keep thinking that quiche sounded awesome.
Luckily, my wife had some leftover pie crust from Thanksgiving, so I simply took some of that, mashed it down into a tiny, personal-sized bowl, and mixed up some eggs, milk, flour, cheese, and spices. It turned out surprisingly well, though I kept having to squish it down: It kept rising like the leviathan from its murky depths. It was a rather exquisite leviathan though, and good eats to boot.
I may not be a master chef--or ever even amount to an apprentice--but I'm starting to feel rather comfortable in the kitchen, being able to throw random ingredients together and producing something not only edible but downright wonderful.
And now for something completely different:
I tried my hand at a 50 word or less story. This place decided they liked it. Check it out. It takes 30 seconds to read. If that.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
+Turkey Day+
Have you seen those slow-motion shots of them sharks popping out of the water? We should feast on seal while watching and join in their celebration of life. Or death. Or whatever.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
No-Shave November: Week 2
As promised, here is my feeble growings for the past two weeks. Click on it to get the full beard experience.
See you Monday.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
+Shifting Worlds+
He forgot that she did not have magnetic feet like he did. This is why human/robot relationships can never be.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
