The Juice: Worth the Squeeze?

Hello there!

With the recent launch of my second novel, Attrition, I've since turned my eyes to the penultimate end of the Tomes of Pirudus series. This forward motion, while similar to how I managed the second novel, seems to have incurred some unusual side effects in my creative processes. In this post we'll dive into one of those side-endeavors and try to suss out whether or not it's worth the effort!

Now that the storylines found within the Tomes of Pirudus have been weaving and characters have found more of their personalities revealed to the reader, I have this unusual need to create artwork revolving around them. As a reader myself, I've always loved the dichotomy of my imagination against how the author intended to portray their stories. In light of this, I think some character studies are in order! This particular point is one that I struggle with, as it poses many questions. Is the time required to generate these art prints and playful sketches worth it in the long run? Will the readers appreciate or enjoy the content as I traditionally do in their position, or are they indifferent to such things? Will I regret the time spent away from writing the third novel in favor of generating art? Should I do a comic series?

As you can see, the questions easily pile up and start to become overwhelming! But the more I think about it, the more I like the idea of taking a step back from advancing the series and focusing on the generation of some additional context. The concept of a comic series or a few panels from some of my favorite scenes really sticks with me, so that may be something I dig into once I get some initial pieces out the door. Giving my narrative brain some peace and quiet for a few months may pay off in the long run as well; all the more reason to invest in a little art time for further fleshing out descriptions and overall appearances of the characters and locales found within my novels.

While the majority of this was just me babbling to myself about the choice of writing vs art generation, I think it truly has helped me dial into some of the underlying reasons why I had considered the pursuit in the first place. Taking a break from the creative writing process and recharging the proverbial batteries sounds amazing, as does taking some time to delve into another branch of the creative arts. Honestly, I can't wait to get some pieces out and have some eyes on them - I love how different people imagine things in different ways. That's the best part about being a creative: Seeing the world through the viewpoints of others, through their opinions and feedback!

Thanks for tagging along on this journey!