8 Months Ago

When I looked back in on my blog, I discovered that my most recent post was last year, in June … 8 months! I had kept a much better schedule before that, since starting this blog in January 2010.

But I chose to keep my blog quiet for a while to work on other stuff. I’ve been keeping busy with various activities: family time, client work (I’m a freelance graphic designer), reading, writing, and a little bit of drawing.

A lot of time was also invested in researching indie publishing and how to put together an ebook. A goal of mine has been to publish my writing beyond this blog, and I decided that self publishing an ebook would be a good way to go. Since my book would include flash fiction and poetry, I figured this was the easier way, instead of collect a stack of rejection letters from traditional publishing companies.

I’ve learned a lot, thanks to the many writers out there who share their experiences on their own blogs. I’m grateful for their sharing — in particular Guido Henkel for his advice and “Take pride in your eBook formatting” series, David Gaughran for his blog about the publishing market and his book Let’s Get Digital, and Joanna Penn for her posts on crafting a book and becoming a creative entrepreneur, not just a writer. But these are just a few of the loads of writers out there offering their lessons learned.

The book that resulted out of my work of writing and researching is 50 Stories + 50 Poems = 1 Book, and I’m delighted to have it out there for people to hopefully discover and read. There’s the question of why someone would buy it, when they can read the flash-fiction stories and poems for free right here on my blog. I really don’t know the answer to that — I suppose time will tell.

With my ebook published, I’ll be working on other stories that will eventually be self published, too. Those will be longer stories, which won’t be published here — just in excerpts.

These ebooks will be pieces of my work out there for view, along with the many posts here on my blog, and my designs for sale on T-shirts and other merch. Ideas for various pieces keep popping up, and I try to wrangle them into life in a story, poem, drawing, etc.

I’m going to go back to posting more stuff here. Given my 8-month absence, I think it’s not a great idea to commit to a posting schedule, like I did in other years. But I can guarantee that I’ll post something before another 8 months comes to pass. 🙂

Polite notice

Not-so-silent spring

I feel tremendously lucky
to wake up and hear the
intricate chattering of
multitudes of birds, as if
they’re telling each other
of their dreams dreamt last night
and their plans for the day.

Fortunately, spring is not silent
here in Silver Spring,
where Rachel Carson lived for
many years (while summering in Maine).
This spring, my daughter and I
heard Linda Lear give a talk about
her biography of Ms. Carson
(after the talk was postponed due
to a snowstorm), and the room
was packed with eager listeners.

So Ms. Carson still talks on, with warnings
for those ears who still pay attention,
to our eyes thankful to see bald eagles
in their full-winged reality and not just
in a Google image search,
to our wishes and plans and work
for infinite springs
filled with chattering birds.

Reflection of the shine down

(photo taken in Washington, DC)

Accursed alley

(photo taken in Annapolis, Maryland)

Still kicking

No, no—I haven’t fallen off the face of the Earth. I am, thankfully, still around!

It’s been quite a while since my last post, as I’ve been busy in the Great Race for Money. Yeah, it eats up a lot of my time—but I feel grateful that I have clients who are willing to pay me money for work (I’m a freelance graphic designer). There are instances when the work is a deluge, and that doesn’t leave me with much energy for the personal projects I do with the love of creating. When that old salt “It’s feast or famine” rings true for client work, you’ve got to be thankful for the feasts to carry you through the famines (storing up those acorns here and there). Yep, there have been slow times in my work, and while they allow more time for my personal projects, they’re not the greatest for bringing in cash flow.

Work’s going to be relatively slower until June, and I’m looking to get back into posting more stuff. I’ve certainly missed posting! I’ve been still scrawling down my thoughts and images in my sketchbook, and I’m also grateful for those relaxing creative breaks to relish in letting my imagination go, making mistakes, and doing stuff not for a client’s or an editor’s approval. Just simply making my own odd drawings and poems and very short stories. It’s good, serious fun.

So, I’ll be getting back into posting here. I’m not going to go all crazy and push for a schedule like I’ve done before—since responsibilities outside of this blog will still need to be juggled. But I’m really looking forward to getting back into being more active here.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog! Hopefully, you’ll like the new stuff I come up with… 🙂

Mischievous leprechaun

Fishing talk: Stylish

Stuck in the parking garage

Fishing talk: Kraken

It’s been a few weeks since my last post about these two guys fishing, so it’s about time to offer up a new one. For those who are new to this little project, I took this photo last year, and have wondered about various things these guys talked about during that chilly winter day as they fished in the stream. Previous versions include Dr. Seuss and Downton Abbey.