Okay, so I’ve been pretty quiet since I announced the release date for This Time. For those who didn’t actually mark their calendars when I told them to, episode one was supposedly going o release June 17th. Obviously, that didn’t happen. Why?
It turns out, I need to learn a few very basic things about digital art before proceeding. I don’t want to spend the whole time wrestling with things that have simple answers just because I was too impatient to get a tiny bit of training. I’m going to have to get some things figured out, if want to actually enjoy the process of this first webcomic. Enjoying the process is really important when you’re doing any kind of creative project. Looking over the thumbnails and script for This Time, it’s actually quite beautiful as is. I want the comic itself to live up to the thumbnails. But in order to be as expressive as they are, I have to have a certain level of confidence. Please be patient. It’s going to be worth it.
So, what else? Avoiding the fact that This Time is postponed has made me postpone a lot of other progress that I want to move forward on. This is dumb. Don’t try it at home. Don’t let a setback on one project make you put all your other projects on hold. I’m not going to keep doing that. I’ve got some work to do.
I’ll give you a quick update on where all my projects stand as of now.
Dronefall Five: The Dronefall series is two-thirds done. That’s amazing. I’m taking this milestone and going back to read through the whole series myself, taking notes. Guys, you know it’s complicated. I’ve got to make sure I didn’t forget anything or drop any threads before I try to tie it all up in the final two books. So, Five is in the plotting phase. I hope to outline the last two books all in one shot. I want to make sure it builds exactly how I want it to. Once I start writing, I have a feeling the finale will go fast. I’m excited about it.
This Time Webcomic: You heard me. The whole thing is scripted and thumbnailed and the whole first episode, plus some, has been sketched, digitally. I’ve got some stuff to learn about coloring, which is important. This is going to be a color comic. It wouldn’t be the same in black and white or screen-tones. I promise it’s still coming. I’ll give you the release date as soon as I’m confident.
Stardrift Nights Blog: I’m about to do a major overhaul on my online presence. This whole blog is going to be edited, rebranded and moved to WordPress. It’s time for me to get serious, I’ve decided. I’m going to start focusing on building my email list—something that basically doesn’t exist, even though I started this blog way back in 2014. I want to become a lot more useful to my readers. You guys deserve better content, and I’m ready to step it up.
Instagram and Pinterest: For anybody who doesn’t know (and I’m surprised if you don’t, because most of you probably came from there) I have an Instagram. Actually, I have two. My author account is @albuehrerauthor and I also have an art account now, @thewhisperingsketchbook. I’m hoping to make some improvements to both soon, rebranding slightly and incorporating better video content. Like my blog, I want to use my Instagram to provide more value to my followers, not just talk about myself. I really don’t like to talk about myself that much.
I’ve also got a Pinterest account that I definitely need to learn to leverage better. I’ve noticed probably 95% of the blog posts I read are ones I find while browsing Pinterest. I really need to start using it to better help people find Stardrift Nights. So, I’ve got work to do there, too.
The Boy Who Called The Foxes Standalone Novel: I’m so excited to get back into this one. Some of you might remember I finished the first draft of this novel early this spring. I’m going to start editing it, probably before the month is out, prepping for—my favorite season ever—when I’ll release it. That’s on the agenda for October. I’m so excited. I know I keep saying TBWCTF is going to be a pumpkin-spice latte in book form, but I mean it.
Secret Project: Yep, I’ve got another secret project underway. It’s actually going to be pretty easy for me, and something I think probably a lot of my friends and followers will appreciate. I’m not going to say much about it just yet, but it’s going to be out soon, and I think you’ll enjoy it.
So, what is that? Six projects I’m working on to varying degrees right now? That’s how I like it. It’s very stimulating. I hope you’re excited for at least one of these things, and I hope you’re doing well on your own projects.