Time is a peculiar thing. On one hand, it flies so fast that before you blink, you cross the midpoint of the year. On the other, when you look back at all that happened, it feels like it’s been ages since 2020 started. Of course, it doesn’t help that the year itself seems to be a story of a mad writer or a random plot generator… Yet, as we say in Polish, “one has to go on living” even if things didn’t exactly get back to normal during the second quarter of 2020.
Writing
I had an ambitious plan of finishing book 3 of my epic fantasy by the end of May. But mid-April my laptop broke down and I found myself waiting for a replacement in the midst of a worldwide lockdown and affected supply chain. Thrown out of my routine and writing groove, I quickly adjusted my plan, but it turned out that even the end of June stopped being realistic. I’ve been having a bit of trouble with book 3, which I wrote about in a separate post. Now things are starting to get back to normal (though another plot twist ensured some upcoming life changes), so I’m hoping to finally finish it.
Regardless of the hiccups with that novel, I kept writing regularly, working on various articles (if you’re interested in the craft side of writing, you can check them on Medium) and side projects that I hope to go back to once book 3 is done. Nearly 87,000 words might not be an impressive amount when divided between three months, but it does speak about progress despite everything that is going on.
Art
While I continued my freelance work on a borrowed laptop, I wasn’t keen on setting my fiction writing on it just to transfer it again several of weeks later, so I had more time for art.
My short story collection, Scourges, Spells, and Serenades got a new cover which I’m quite happy with.
I also finished two pieces of art. The first was a slogan for which I enjoyed playing around with layout and typography. In the end, I prepared two versions of it, one more suitable for light backgrounds, and the other—for darker ones.
The second art piece was redrawing and coloring a very old sketch of mine. I kept looking at it and really wanted to bring to life, so it was one of those unexpected passion projects.
All three images are available on Society6 and Redbubble, if you’d like a print or a t-shirt, or even a face mask.
There were also some dragonflies, and even though they appeared irregularly, I manage to draw quite a few. If you want to see them as they appear, check my social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram or search for them through the #DragonflyDay hashtag.
Life
In the beginning of the year, I made sightseeing plans that got postponed when the pandemic hit. With the situation still uncertain and the restrictions and directives constantly changing, these will have to wait at least until the fall—or possibly longer, because not only we plan moving apartments during the summer, but I also have some other exciting things scheduled for the fall. But shhh! It’s still a secret!
You are so creative – able to write as well as draw and create art. That’s great, that you’ve been writing regularly. I am trying to establish that daily habit.
Thank you, Susan, for stopping by and for your kind words.
I suppose “art” became my hobby since I treat writing more like a job. And building a daily habit was a life-changer for me. Even if it’s as little as 100-500 words, it keeps me pushing forward. I hope you’ll manage to form one that will work for you!
I love your robot kitten!
Oops – I see it is a dog. Anyway – very cute!
Thank you! And you aren’t the only person who sees it as a cat. I guess it can work both ways, I’m just more of a dog person myself. 😀
As ever, awed and just a tad daunted by those art projects – given that I have the drawing ability of a doorknob… And yes – I think 87,000 words over 3 months is MOTORING. Continue like that through the year and you’ve written in the region of 350,000 words! And that’s impressive!
I’m pretty sure that if you put as much time into drawing as you put into writing, you would have surpassed me already :). But we only have limited time, and I think it’s great you’re focusing your efforts instead of spreading yourself thin across too many hobbies. 🙂
It’s July you say? I thought we were still in Junetember XD
Nice progress! And I love the dog kitten thing, it really does work both ways. Could this become the next gold and white dress?
I hate to break it to you, but we’re still in Junetember. ;/