RESTING
Recently I took a few days off from work to rest and relax. My body had sort of been telling that I was pushing myself too far. A lot of it wasn’t comics related, but just a combination of personal things that needed my attention and had taken a toll on me. It was something I thought would be worth mentioning.
In our pursuit to work hard, you also need to realize that your health is ultimate. That’s not to say there aren’t many ways where you have to make a sacrifice, lose sleep or play less video games (I will not sacrifice my personal time after work to make this book over my family. My daughters and wife come first and often I work long after my wife goes to bed). But sometimes you have to listen to that voice in your head that’s saying, you’re about to crash if you dont slow down. And that’s where I was headed.
So I took the weekend and rested, watched movies, read books, took naps and went to bed early. I also finished up a fun little story with my daughter, that you can read here: http://www.michaeleregina.com/blog/?p=994
But be wise in your activity, work hard, but remember, rest is also very important. It’s OK to take a day for yourself here and there.
BOOK 2, HELP FROM OTHERS AND ANOTHER PROJECT
Another big thing that has happened is that now that I’m done penciling the book, it’s opened up my day time hours considerably. I actually penciled this entire book during my day hours up at work on breaks and lunches and all. Now that that is done I’ve been in the beginning stages of writing book 2. The first step for me is to open up a document in my writing program of choice (celtx.com). In this document I just regurgitate everything on to the page that I think I want to be in book 2. It’s very broad strokes at this level. I really have no idea how it will all come back together, but I’m beginning to see movements. Then from there it will be time to write a one page synopsis so that I can actually put a structure around the madness. That’s still a bit off.
I am also working on a children’s book with my wife that will be my immediate focus once Adamsville bk 1 is over before beginning production on bk 2. It’s actually really working well. Because I figure all in all, this will take me about 6 months to bring everything to a head on bk 2 from a script perspective and finishing bk 1 as well as the children’s book. It’s all shaking out really well time wise. Not to mention pitching the series to publishers once book 1 is done.
Lastly, thank you all so much to everyone who has offered their help on flatting pages of Adamsville. The response has been great and we powered right through the scene I just finished. Lots of work left so we’ll see how quickly we can bring this book to a close. Hold on tight! I’m having blast working with my friends on the book together now and making new friends in the process!
Here’s a quick panel from an earlier scene for your enjoyment.
