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.

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.

A Story of Mine Will Be Available for You to Read

Yesterday, I had another story picked up, this time by Pear Noir!. It will appear in their forthcoming, Issue #3 that comes out in January. You should pre-order it now, because it will make them happy for purchasing it, and it will make me happy because I know that you will at least have pretended to read it. Truly, it looks like it will be a mighty fine mag, as they have a nice list of rather notable folks appearing in it. I feel quite honored to be a part of such a publication. Plus, it has the added bonus of renewing my hope that I'm not just wasting my time pursuing a career in writing.

Also, I started NaNoWriMo again this year. Not exactly sure if I'll be able to keep up and hit the 50,000, but it will be a much needed push to write more everyday, and hopefully wrap up a few projects I'm in the midst of. If all goes well, I will indeed have a first draft of my new novel finished by the end of the month.

Other than that, the only news I have is my (re)iteration of moving the comics of Gibberish exclusively to the site. I realize less people will probably come here to read my ramblings, but it will drive that site's hits up, and that is a good thing. In place of Gibberish, I'm thinking of devoting Tuesdays and Thursdays to quoting particularly nice writing from stories and novels and poems and random words thrown about. I am a sucker for beautiful words that sound even more beautiful when read aloud. If you would like to point me to some of these, or send me your favorite passages from novels, I will try to feature them.

For now though, Gibberish will continue on its regular schedule, and that means tomorrow.

On to New Things

At least until I hear back from the agent, I'm devoting myself to new projects.

Currently, this means: doing arts for my friend's graphic novel, editing the latest edition of Bring the Ink, and writing a book proposal. Also, I want to get a bit of a backlog of Gibberish, so I can have a few weeks buffer--in case I get lazy. And, I have a new--I think--novel idea that's been buzzing around my brain for awhile, and it seems to be as good of time as any to start getting it out. Of course, I could always work on the stacks of short stories I wrote so long ago.... Oh man, I'm already starting to feel overwhelmed and I haven't even started on anything yet.

In other news, I purchased The Beatles Rockband, and it is a good time. While their music is wonderful, it's a bit of a bummer that most of their songs are so short. It didn't take too long at all to blaze through the Story mode. Not like it matters, the whole reason I bought the thing is because it will provide countless more hours of clicking and hitting and singing in front of a television with my friends. Though I am disappointed by the lack of "Hey, Jude," "Norwegian Wood," and "She's Got the Devil in Her Heart." I hope these will be available via Downloadable Content. (I will check after I post this.)

And sorry for the late posting of Gibberish yesterday. With my day of doing nothing, I almost forgot that I had yet to update the thing. I don't figure it ruffled too many feathers. Tomorrow's Gibberish should be on time and ready to rock... or something.

Novel Update: Pacing

On every earlier draft I had, I couldn't wait to be done, so much so, that I barreled through the last few chapters, turning them into thin bits of plot rather than good writing. With each draft, they have gotten a bit better, a bit more meat on those bones, but I inevitably race to the finish line. This time, I'm really trying to hold back, to keep myself going at a slow walk through the prose, find where it needs more emotion, more description, more sensory images.

It's getting harder and harder to do this though, as I'm nearing the completion of yet another draft. I can tell that it is better than the last, but I'm not sure by how much, or if it was even worth all the extra time. I honestly have no idea what I'm doing. I never have. Words come, and I put them on the paper. They do their own thing. I simply listen. I just hope I was tuned into the right frequency this time...

See you on Monday, with a completed novel, and less of an ulcer--I hope.

Novel Update: Puzzling

At this point, I feel like my novel has become one of those puzzles that is nothing but one color, or the same kind of texture (grass, hair, clouds, etc.) where there are so many possibilities for the pieces to fit together--sort of--but only one of them is the correct spot. I've moved a few more things around, and they feel even better in their new locations. Hopefully this is a good thing.

I've also been combining a few of the chapters, cutting out the boring parts and going for the throat instead. I'm really hoping this thing is much more emotionally engaging than the last draft, but really, who's to say if I've truly succeeded? It's going to be different for everyone. But I know that I feel drained after writing some of these things, like my emotions have sapped from my fingers and onto the page. Could be wishful thinking, but I suppose I'll find out soon enough.

As a side note: My cat has now been missing for a full 24 hours, and that is always disheartening. He's done this type of thing before and been gone for a little more than two days, so my wife and I are trying to keep the worries to a medium. Plus, this time around he has a collar with his name and my number, so I'm thinking SOMEONE would've called if something had gone wrong, right? Here's hoping...

Novel Update

As this thing has all but taken over my life, I'm simply going to do novel updates for the next two weeks when Gibberish isn't there to entertain. If I see/read/hear something good, I'll still pass it on, otherwise, the updates might be a bit boring for the next bit.

Basically, things are on track. I've got until Sept. 14 to send off my novel back to the agent. (I just heard back from her on a check in, and they are still interested in seeing what I've done with the thing.) I've got less than a hundred pages to go, and unlike previous drafts of the novel, I feel like I not only know where this thing should go, but I also know the HOW and WHY it's going where it is. Perhaps this means I finally know what I'm doing. Perhaps I've finally just ruined the whole thing. I suppose we'll find out by the end of the month.

So get your freaking out hats on, because I'm sure caught up in the midst of it.

p.s. I'll be sure to let you know when the aforementioned interview/article about me drops at Broken Frontier.

Gibberish News

Good Monday, everyone. I hope yours isn't nearly as busy as mine. Bleh. So many things to do...

In the meantime though, I just wanted to give you all a head's up and let you know that I am being interviewed by the good folks over at Broken Frontier. Not sure exactly when the article will drop--sometime soon, I think. But I wanted to let you all know for future reference. I'll keep you posted.

In the meantime, I'm off to my full, full, day.

Bring the Ink and Gibberish

Alright, literary peeps. Today is the drop-date for Bring the Ink Issue o, "The Taste of Ink." It will probably be later this afternoon before everything is available, but be sure to check back for an evening filled with prose, poetry, and comics. You won't be disappointed. (There's even an exclusive Gibberish.) Be SURE TO CHECK THIS PLACE OUT, and if you want to be a part of it, BE SURE TO SUBMIT.

In other news, Gibberish turns one year old next week. It's amazing to think that this side-project of mine has been going steady for a year now. Not too many readers still, but I believe that those of you that DO read, do so faithfully. Thank you for supporting me this past year.

And to celebrate in style, Gibberish will be updating EVERY DAY NEXT WEEK, starting on Sunday, July 26, and running until Friday, July 31. Nothing but guest artists, too. They've got some great work lined up for you, including: Aaron Stueve, writer of the on-going Blue Water Comic, The Legend of Isis; Gregg Paulson, a noted comic artist; Erik Jagger of the Agonizing Trifles fame; Matt Stout, who produces Big Sandy Gilmore; Byron Remple, who gives us the Daily Zombie; and guest comic alumni, Scott Aleric from Hell Has Found Me.

So yes, TUNE IN SUNDAY, not Monday, to kick off an awesome week of comics. I'm sure you'll love each of them as much as I did. Have yourself a good week, and I'll see you in August.

Trying to Be Professional

I'm in the midst of finishing up my upcoming lecture (which I hope to be able to chop up and YouTube in a few parts), and this is the type of slide that is going into my PowerPoint. Either I've been working on Gibberish for too long or, perhaps, there is simply something wrong with my brain that I think this is okay to not only be using in a lecture, but also in a lecture that my master's degree is hinged upon.

On the news side of things: Bring the Ink Issue 0 will be dropping on Friday. We've pulled together, on rather short notice actually, some very good prose, poetry, and even a comic or two. (If you happen to be a comic artist and have a short comic--from one panel to ten pages--send it our way, mayhap it'll make the cut into our trial issue. Please send submissions to: sardonakissrexakon@gmail.com, or visit our "Submissions" page on the site.) So, be sure to check it out and give us your thoughts. There'll also be an exclusive Gibberish.

Also, Gibberish will no longer be appearing on Webcomicsnation after this week. This probably doesn't affect most--or any--of you, but it's just a heads up. And there is going to be some big news about Gibberish's birthday coming up next week, so stay tuned.

Finally, there is a good chance I'll be getting a tattoo this week. Not quite 100 percent sure it will happen, but we're at about 80 percent right now. I'll be sure to post a pic if I do.

In the meantime, have a wonderful Monday. Gibberish tomorrow.

Fanboys, and I Sort of Lied

Last night, my wife, a friend of ours, and I watched Fanboys. It is a surprisingly amusing film with a collective cast of recognizable folks throughout. From as big of names as Seth Rogen and William Shatner, this film has cameos from Star Wars stars, Kevin Smith, Chris McDonald (aka Shooter McGavin), and many more.

While this might not be the comedy of the year, it is much better than expected. I feared that it might be a film for strictly the hardcore Star Wars fanboys, but director Kyle Newman, has made more of any everyman Star Wars nerd film, one for those of us that have seen the episodes 4-6 more times than we care to admit, but feel like George Lucas killed his own franchise with the newer films.

Check this one out if you have 90 minutes to spare, and you like a bit of nerd with your humor.

As for my sort-of lie, I'm referring to the cost of my Gibberish collection that I mentioned back on Monday. I thought it would be around eight bucks, but after some more searching. I found that what I had in mind would be closer to $15.00. SO, in light of this, I think I'm going to pull together both a cheaper collection--still probably around eight bucks--and have a Collector's edition that will run about $15.00. Either of these might be a bit cheaper, but I can't be sure until I really get down into the nitty gritty of it all. Basically the regular edition will probably just be a magazine/comic book style book that will simply collect the comics of this last year. The Collector's Edition will be a small trade paperback that will include commentary on each of the comics over the years, how it came to be, what I was thinking when I drew/wrote it, and--if possible--I'll collect the illustrated story I wrote back towards this blog's beginning. I'll keep you all posted as this develops.

Gearing Up

Things are starting to speed up as my final residency and impending graduation are mere days away. I've got my lecture to finish, a webzine to edit, and guest comics for Gibberish to pull together.

I feel like my days have shortened, and they only seem to be getting shorter. I suppose this will be for the better though, as I will have less time to be stressed out about everything--especially as the projects are backing up.

Once I officially have my master's degree in hand though, I'm hoping to get back into my novel, revise it up, and send it back to the agent that is interested in seeing a revision. Also, I'm hoping to start work on a collection of Gibberish. The comic is a mere two weeks from turning one year old--amazing, I know--and I think I now have enough for a collection. Would anyone be interested in owning such a thing? I figure it will probably run about eight bucks for Year One, should be in color, and probably be around 120 pages. Any interest in having such a thing would be invaluable info for me, so please, drop me a line, leave a comment, whatever, just let me know if you'd want such a thing.

In the meantime, I continue to plug away, work on my art, and stress over these final moments of schooling.

Gibberish tomorrow.

Should Probably Stop

Going to Half Price Books that is. I continue to spend more money than I should, then end up with stacks of books that I might never get to read. Oh well, I do love them booky books, and will continue to buy them regardless.

I did score a nice set of the Eddie Dickens trilogy, and that makes me smile as those books--kiddish as they are--are a good time. Also picked up The Scarlet Pimpernel, which is a book I've been wanting to read for some time.

In other news, I had someone take the time to review Gibberish the other day--and he gave me a fair review too. You can read it here. Then you can spend some more time perusing his other reviews, or take a trip over to his comic.

Finally...

What I Couldn't Have

I realize that it has taken almost half a year to get this done, but as everything kept falling through with my web design help, I finally took it upon myself to once again try to slog through code and figure out what I could do to Gibberish's official site. And this time, success.

It is a far cry from what I originally wanted, the pic above (which I'm thinking will probably become the cover for the first Gibberish collection), but I'm still happy with the overall result. It's nice and simple, but I think this fits in with the Gibberish aesthetic.

There are still a few things that I need to add/edit and polish up. For the moment, though, this is good. Much better than it was. Also, be aware that once that site is up and running the way I'd like it to be, I will probably quit uploading the new comics to this blog and just have them posted at their "home." I'll still update this, though, probably even go back to my five-day schedule, but I'm not positive on that last bit.

Please, go check out the redesigned site, tell me what you think, and be sure to bookmark or subscribe to the feed.

Thank you to all my faithful readers, Gibberish has been going for almost a year now, and even though I don't have many readers, I appreciate those of you that keep coming back.

Not Much

All things considered, it's been a very quiet week with naught much going on--so little in fact that I decided to write this sentence with an Irish flair.

Mostly I've stayed obsessed with the new IAMX album, which is quickly becoming one of my favorites. I worked on some new art for that graphic novel/novel for one of my friends (though, at this point, I can't really show any of it off).

The only, somewhat, big news, is that I should be doing a podcast later today with my friend Drew. Don't know when exactly it will post, but I'll be sure to provide a direct link on Monday. Also, because of his podcasts, they've inspired me to do the same. So, while I doubt I'll keep to a once a week schedule as he has, I'd like to do, at least, one a month. Figure I can talk about writing, things I've learned, the books I'm reading--or maybe I'll have some mini-film review rants. Whatever. Just expect to hear my actual voice in the next few days.

In the meantime, have a fantastic weeken, and I'll see you all later.

p.s. If you have anything you'd like me to discuss, I'm willing to draft questions or just give my opinion on certain things. Just leave a comment on any of my posts--the more recent the better--or write me at my ridiculously long email: chris(dot)smith(dot)mailliw(dot)williamt(at)gmail(dot)com.

End of the Week

If you haven't checked out the new site yet, you should do so. Go here. I still don't have the comics up yet, but I'm hoping that I can remedy this situation over the weekend. Also, I'm going to try and post next week's comics on there as well, so the site will actually be doing what it's supposed to. Imagine that. You aren't imagining, are you? Oh well...

I guess that if you don't want to imagine, that's cool. But I do command you go to this site and spend some time. I've never felt like someone tapped into my brain and created the things that would fill me with joy--even though I didn't know what these things would be. Seriously, go here. (This one is my favorite.) Because of this man, I've decided I need to add more movement to my characters. I suppose that is what I get for deciding on a single panel comic. Perhaps I'll have to break my own rules--or just have an occasional off-shoot like my friend suggested. We'll see.

And as you peruse the vast library of goodness that site has to offer, I hope you have an enjoyable weekend. We've got a movie-fest set up for this weekend. In the past it has been a 24-hour fest, but this year is a bit shorter as we made the mistake of planning it over Superbowl Sunday, and the interest is lower than last year. Will take pictures and post some of them, maybe. Either way, I'll see you back on Monday.

Mild Success

As angry as I've been with my Facebook updates recently, cursing anything having to do with computers, I got WordPress to upload and ACTUALLY come up when you type in the address.

I had to work it out in a roundabout way, something that will probably rear its ugly programming head at some point, but it works for now, and that is enough for me. You can check it out by typing: www.gibberishthecomic.com into your browser--or just clicking the link. And while I'd like to get this up and running ASAP, it will probably be a bit, as I'm still learning how to do things one at a time. So if you check back on a regular basis, a color might change here, an element might disappear, etc. In the meantime, keep coming back here for new comics, and I'll let you know when the site is up and running--even then, though, this will remain my "official" blog.

In other news, my wife and I bought Rock Band, and that was a bad idea. Sleep has been lost, and my ankle/leg is sore from the stupid drums. Holy crap, though, that game is fun.

More Gibberish tomorrow. Peace. And tacos.