THE DAY
So I jerked awake around 2 a.m. with an idea for one of the characters–a direction to take him–that I hadn’t thought of before. Will it change much? No, not too terrifically much, though it would mean adding a bit to the front end of this character’s portion to set this up. When the alarm finally went off–WAAAYYYY too early for my taste–I thought that, you know, I should let this sit for a day. Do nothing; let the idea simmer. And, truthfully, Fridays are always a bit weird for me. I’ve always had trouble on Fridays (and Sundays), largely because it’s supposed to be the end of the week; you should knock off work early . . . that kind of thing.
But I honestly think that my circumspection this time had more to do with not wanting to waste time and muck around with an idea I hadn’t fleshed out first. So I decided to give the brain a rest from words-words-words and focus on my cover assignments for the week.
The assignment revolved around “branding”–not only an author brand but also genre branding. We were supposed to make three covers and brand them appropriately. So I chose three stories I’d like to bring out anyway–so it wasn’t just silly busywork–and focused on trying for a horror vibe.
I can say that it’s tough. What’s harder is to come up with images that are appropriate, too. There was this particular font I wanted to use, too, but it cost bucks to buy (and you pay for each license–so for ebooks, for web, that kind of thing, and if you’re doing self-pub, then you probably want something that can be a concrete product–a true book-book–as well as ebook format. Anyway, I ended up not buying the font because I wasn’t convinced about the covers and, besides, this is a classroom exercise.
Anyway, here are the covers. Not too bad. Worked on them all day and then let them percolate while I went to the gym.
WRITING OUT LOUD
GHOST IN THE MACHINE
Day 1: 4326 Day 11: 2500 Day 21: 1800 Day 31: 745
Day 2: 2085 Day 12: 500 Day 22: 0 Day 32: 0
Day 3: 3011 Day 13: 1000 Day 23: 2700 Day 33: 4000
Day 4: 2652. Day 14: 3700 Day 24: 3500 Day 34: 2800
Day 5: 3210 Day 15: 5630 Day 25: 1500 Day 35: 4500
Day 6: 3450 Day 16: 1060 Day 26: 0 Day 36: 4800
Day 7: 0 Day 17: 130 Day 27: 0 Day 37: 0
Day 8: 2756 Day 18: 0 Day 28: 380
Day 9: 4580 Day 19: 3000 Day 29: 390
Day 10: 2670 Day 20: 2600 Day 30: 380
Blog Post: 590
***
What I’m Watching:
Making of a Murderer: Okay, so now I’m on the fourth episode, I think, or the fifth…and I’m bored. Like…get on with it already; I get it; you think they were set up; this is a miscarriage of justice. At a certain level, you got to imagine that the filmmakers had decided Avery was innocent a while back. Else, why follow the family around with cameras for ten years? I also think, though, that this series highlights what happens to the vast majority of people, accused of crimes, who don’t have the intellectual capacity or the resources to mount a decent defense.
Still. I’m bored. May chuck it. We’ll see.
***
What I’m Reading:
Started Pet Semetary again. Not a bad book, but I’m not into it far enough yet to know for sure.
***
What I’m Listening To:
Finally chucked Handling the Undead. Sorry; just boring and not my cuppa. Started 14 by Peter Cline, and only in the first twenty minutes or so. So, again, we see.
And, of course, it was Friday night and time for a cocktail: Smoked Honey Rye Sour (Templeton and Bittermilk mixer). Not half bad. Needs a touch more rye next time (like 1.5:1).
