S.L. Viehl's Blog, page 100

Doodle Zen

I've been a dedicated doodler practically since the first time I picked up a pencil. Throughout my childhood I would draw blocks, shapes and patterns in small spaces; usually in the margins of my notebook paper while in class at school. The process for me was soothing and curiously satisfying, but the results were always something I concealed or tucked away out of sight -- I suppose I didn't want anyone laughing at me. In fact until Zentangles became popular I had no idea there were other people who doodled as small or as obsessively as I did.

Doodling, which I think practically everyone does at one time or another in life, can be viewed as the art of the subconscious, and it was certainly that for me. I'd never once planned a doodle except for choosing the space in which to draw it. This changed when I learned of Zentangles; the popularity meant I didn't have to hide my strange doodles anymore and there was even a logic and discipline I could now apply to them.

For months I happily Zentangled away on countless squares drawn in my sketchbooks, until one day I began doodling around the square's edges, and beyond them, until I was filling the entire page around my Zentangle with more doodles. Once I crossed the boundaries I suspected I was committing some form of doodling heresy, but it felt right to grow in that direction (I've never been content to color inside the lines for long anyway.)

When I saw Zen Doodle ~ Tons of Tangles , this lovely doodling art book edited by Tonia Jenny and Amy Jones, I thought it would be more of the same squares and fill-in-the-spaces. Once I began thumbing through it I was pleasantly startled to find a collection of gorgeous works by artists who regularly step outside the square to explore the universe of doodling possibility. Some are inspired by nature, online challenges, and even mehndi (the custom of using henna to stain designs onto skin.)



There are four sections in the book that cover abstract designs, shapes & objects, animals & beasts, and friendship & love, but other than those themes each artist brings their own vision to doodling. Along with detailed instructions on how to create some of the patterns and linework, and pictured example doodles in various stages of completion, the contributors also talk about their process, what influenced a particular doodle and other aspects of their creativity. Going through this book is a bit like taking a doodling workshop with forty-two different instructors from around the world. I think it's already had a very positive impact on my Zen doodling:



I know to many doodling may seem like a complete waste of time and paper, but you're probably not aware of the benefits. The next time you're on hold with your doctor's office I bet many of you will be drawing tiny 3D boxes on your message pad, or looping a continuous line like a Slinky from one side of an old envelope to the other. You may think you're killing time, but what you're really doing is a form of meditation through the simple beauty of no-stress no-expectation creation -- something I think all of us can use on a regular basis.

Get Lost

This gorgeous video by Günther Gheeraert makes me want to run away to the Canary Islands (has background music, for those of you at work):

Frames of Life from Günther Gheeraert on Vimeo.

Technical Difficulties

When you live in the country bad weather creates chaos with the power and broadband, which is keeping me offline. Once I can get a connection for longer than two minutes I'll be back to catch up. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

Kit Arrives (in Print)

Today is the release day for Disenchanted & Co., the print edition bindup of my Her Ladyship's Curse and His Lordship Possessed e-books, aka the first novel in my Disenchanted & Co. steampunk urban fantasy series for Pocket Star.

This is also when I usually natter on about how my published novels are my only source of income, and buying a copy shows your support for me, and that keeps PBW funded and ad-free etc. etc. This is still true, but let's skip all that so I can tell you a story.

This past weekend I took a box of author copies of Disenchanted & Co. to a steampunk show, where I handed them out for free to people at random. Everyone was surprised to be offered a book for nothing (a few were suspicious that by doing so I was somehow trying to dupe them) and most were quite willing to talk a bit with me.

While doing so I chatted with these folks about the series and my work, and asked them if they enjoyed the story to let other readers know about it. I didn't just talk book, either; I discussed steampunk art and Lovecraft with an older gentlemen, jewelry-making with a wonderful artist, and the glories of vintage clothing with a trio of seamstresses. One of the vendors talked about a friend who is self-publishing; another offered to vote for my book at WorldCon (I advised him of my doubts at being nominated -- with a straight face!)

I had to go back and forth to the truck four times to refill my tote and made a circuit of the entire show twice in three hours, but I handed out every single book I'd brought with me. It was a lot of fun and while I probably wasn't perfect -- I need to practice pitching faster -- I think I did okay.

Before the show, on the other hand, I was a mess. I didn't sleep a minute the night before, and then I nearly blinded myself trying to put on mascara that morning. I've decided that hair straightener irons are evil and I'm never again borrowing my daughter's; people will just have to put up with my waves. I also forgot that no matter how carefully you plan something like this you will always leave something (!my business cards!) behind on the kitchen table.

And why was I such a mess, you ask? Because handing out books at this show was the first time I've made a public appearance as an author since 2003. I'm pretty sure the people at the show didn't pick up on how nervous I was (or that while I was talking to them I could barely see out of my right eye.)

Yes, after eleven years I finally left the BatCave; that is how much I love this series.

So: I hope you'll help me keep writing it by investing today in a copy of Disenchanted & Co. or (if you've already read the e-books) buying a copy for a loved one or friend. I'll sweeten the deal, too: if sales of this book are brisk, I promise to make another public appearance -- one I'll actually announce ahead of time -- at the Disenchanted & Co. booth at MegaCon Orlando in March.

Not enough? Okay. If Disenchanted & Co. debuts on the New York Times mass market bestseller list in February, I'll make a public appearance at one of the big/national writer or reader cons in 2014 (something I haven't done in 12 years.)

Online places where you can buy my book:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

As always, thanks for your support of my books, PBW and me.

Match Game Ten

For this Monday's ten things list let's play a game. See if you can match the writer to the fact:

The Facts:

1. Wrote with a goose quill pen and blue ink on blue-gray slips of paper measuring 8-3/4" by 7-1/4".

2. Never revised. If something didn't work this writer trashed the entire manuscript and started over again at the beginning.

3. Burned a first/unpublished novel after a friend said he didn't like it.

4. Died at forty but wrote fifty novels.

5. Wrote a 60K book and designed its cover art for the publisher in seventeen days.

6. Invented a glass harmonica.

7. After going blind, composed what is considered the greatest epic in the English language.

8. Once wrote in a letter that the world will end in the year 2060.

9. Had only 500 copies of the first edition of their debut novel printed because the publisher was afraid it wouldn't sell.

10. After graduating Harvard this writer didn't think the diploma fee of $5.00 was worth it, and so left without the diploma.

The Writers:

A. Jack London

B. J.K. Rowling

C. Evelyn Waugh

D. Benjamin Franklin

E. John Milton

F. Sir Isaac Newton

G. Henry David Thoreau

H. PBW

I. D.H. Lawrence

J. Charles Dickens

(The correct answers will be posted in comments at the end of the day.)

You Like Me, You Really Like Me! For £50

As always I reserve the right to make fun of anyone who SPAMs me. Especially someone trying to sell me friends:

My name is [Kindness Duct Tape] and I am the manager of [Kindness Duct Tape]. I hope it's okme sending you an email out of the blue.

Sorry, but okme is not an adjective. Or a word.

I hope 2014 is treating you well!

Right, because if I was depressed, destitute and/or semi-suicidal you would actually care, and those dreadful feelings would keep you up nights walking the floor and worrying about what harm I might do to myself. *Yawn* Can we get on with it?

We now have a database with around 750,000 people who have joined in our online lifestyle survey. These individuals are all looking for companies like yours to interact with through your Facebook or Twitter pages.

Alas, I'm not a company, and I have no Facebook or Twitter page. But hey, do you think they want something to read? I mean, other than your fascinating online lifestyle survey?

We can categorise these individuals dependant on their interests and direct them to your page once an order is placed.

Okay. So buy 750,000 copies of my book and I'll make a Facebook page (no, I won't, but this is because I know you won't buy 750,000 copies. This is me toying with you.)

Geographics plays a part in this, and will also let you specify particular locales.

Oh, cool. Okay, Antarctica. I want everyone in Antarctica to fake-like my non-existant Facebook and Twitter pages. Can you do that? It's only like, what -- three lonely scientists, a couple dozen walruses and nine million penguins, right?

We now have a countless number of prospective clients unique to your business so please get in touch if you think this may benefit you.

What? I'm not the only one you're SPAMming, am I? And here I was going to create a Facebook page for you, you heartless bastard.

Prices from :-

£50 or $82 for 2,000 Facebook Likes

£50 or $82 for 6,000 Instagram followers

£45 or $74 for 7,000 Twitter followers

£50 or $82 for 30,000 YouTube Views

And this would be why I'm not on Facebook or Twitter or Instagram (okay, I have a YouTube account, somewhere, but I'm really more of a Vimeo gal.) You do understand that paying people to fake-like you is the definition of online stupidity, yes?

If a new customer logs on to your Facebook page and can see that you have 7000 likes compared to your rivals with just 350 likes, they tend to side with you even without considering price differences.

Sure, every customer thinks "I'm going to pay more for something because more people have fake-liked you." Dude, that is so not okme.

A free trial is available for genuine buyers.

Now you're implying I could be fake? Just like all the likes and followers and views you're peddling? Does that mean I can charge you for me? That will be a thousand dollars. I take checks and Paypal.

Assuming your company is looking to target new clients we also sell emails lists of individuals interested in what you are offering. Please message back for further details.

Assuming I'm on one of those lists now. Thanks for nothing. Where's my check?

I hope you don’t mind me shooting you--

Okay, keep the thousand bucks. I'm not that destitute.

--this email and I look forward to being able to help you at some point in the future.

Got an aspirin?

Living with Elves

I took Buzzfeed.com's Which Fictional City Should You Live In? quiz, and turns out I'd be at home with the elves:



In which fictional city would you live? Post your results in comments.

(Quiz link nicked from Gerard at The Presurfer, who would be my neighbor in Rivendell.)

Elsewhere

Today I'm over at the Toriana blog with maybe the neatest girliest calendar find ever. Stop in if you get a chance, enter in comments and you might win this hatbox giveaway:

Off to Deal

I'll be offline today getting some author stuff and other things ready for a promo event this weekend. So that your stop here was not entirely wasted, here's an interesting open call for a humorous SF/F antho I spotted over at AbsoluteWrite.com:

"Unidentified Funny Objects is an annual anthology of humorous SF/F. Headliners include Piers Anthony, Robert Silverberg, Mike Resnick, Karen Haber, Esther Friesner, Tim Pratt, Jody Lynn Nye, Jim C. Hines, Gini Koch, David Farland. Length "500-6000 words"; Payment: "$0.05 per word + contributor copy. Payment will be made upon acceptance. Our preferred method of payment is via PayPal, but you may request a check." Reading Period: March 1 – March 31, 2014. See open call post for more details.

PBW notes: The post very clearly states that all submissions sent in before March 1st will be deleted unread, so definitely hold your horses until the reading period begins on March 1st. Also, while they have some dazzling headliners listed evidently this is like a Kickstarter-funded project, so you might want to check on how that's going before you agree to or sign anything.

Perfection

I'm posting this pic because it's very likely that I will never again take a closer or more perfect photograph of a bird (actual size and distance, no zoom, no retouching):



It's also the reason I will keep taking photos of birds whenever I can. Because I could be wrong.