Monday, March 16, 2015

Arts, Stars, and Horseshoes

Approximation of @hownowgobbycow
for #BlackOut
Over on Twitter, I've been intermittently posting drawings since completing the hourly comics' challenge.

During Boskone, I met Jenna Kass who suggested trying to draw an hour a day for six months. I don't succeed in setting aside time every day, but I try to make it up when I don't.  I'm feeling a lot more confident about my sketches.  I'd say they're "pretty far from where I want them to be," but from years of following art blogs, I've confirmed this is a fairly common anxiety.  Regardless of experience, it seems like every other artist is embarrassed about their "lack" of drawing ability.

Also, Hugo-winner Ursula Vernon posted this adorable certificate that gives the bearer permission to "make as much really terrible BAD ART as they need to make and it'll be OKAY" because that's how you get better.

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Want to help me raise money for 826 Boston, a non-profit tutoring writing center? Their 2015 Write-a-Thon is currently underway.  The team I'm on is called The Eternal Footmen (because yay literary references!) which has some pretty nifty people.  If you have some cash to give, please do!

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I had my first poem of the year accepted for publication.  I'll say more later when stuff is signed/confirmed/etc.  I'm so happy!  It's in a market I've been wanting to get into for a long time.

For all those querying, sending out submissions, or just putting your writing out there, keep going.  It's a grim, slushy time of year.  Keep the hope strong and enjoy a gif.

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Boskone 52  was pretty neat.  While there, I met and talked to a lot of writers who had braved the dire weather forecasts.  Then Boston's record-making snows happened.

And it was still pretty neat.

But wow, yes, February was hard.  Hope everyone has taken care of themselves.

Now that it's clearing up, I'm poking my head out once more to attend Vericon.  I'll be another attendee thumping around the halls of Harvard if you want to say hi or grab a drink at one of the many bars near campus!