What happened to my ideas in 2023 - part 2

 The good, the bad and the delayed (Part 2 of 3)

Last week I mentioned that I went through my journal of 2023 and found 44 ideas I had - to write, paint or draw, or generally improve my creative life. This week I want to tell you what happened to those ideas.

Some ideas happen when I am playing in a
sketchbook. I used gouache for this one.

I am sure that you are like me, hoping that every idea we have will be a great one, but reality tells a different story. Some ideas should be discarded, others tried out to see if they could lead somewhere, and then there are the ideas for which the time is simply not right. And this last group of ideas can sometimes make us impatient even though we know full well that bad timing can be as bad as a terrible decision.

From my list of ideas, the business ideas definitely fell into this last category. There are things I have to do first before I can implement these ideas, so they are on a future to-do list.

I also found an idea I wrote down without adding any details of what I had in mind. Why I did that escapes me, so that one is a bust. That will teach me. LOL!

As for the rest:

* Three ideas were not used. These were for art projects that I did finish, but I didn't use the idea I wrote down in my journal.

* Twenty-three ideas were implemented. These were a mix of art and writing. That makes it 52% of the list, and not bad I would say.

* The remaining 17 ideas ended up as follows: 

- For future implementation: 5

- Rethink (maybe not such good ideas?): 6

- On my todo list right now (for doing in the next 4 to 8 weeks): 6

In Part 3 I will expand more on how I handle future todo's and share a few thoughts for capturing those journal ideas in 2024.

Until next time!

💜🇿🇦 Linzé

What happened to my ideas in 2023 - part 1

There were more ideas than I thought (Part 1 of 3)

Over the years I have found that ideas for creative projects often happened while I was writing down my thoughts in my journal. If I didn't do something with the ideas, they were “lost” because I don't read past entries in my journals.

This year I had a plan: I would mark the idea in the text with a symbol (I chose a smiley face) and also record the page numbers in front of my journal so I could find them later on.

The inside cover pages of my 2023 journal

Most of the time ideas related to a book I was busy with were incorporated into the story within a few days because they were part of a story close to finishing. But they were not the only ideas. Then I had a brainwave: maybe I should check out my list and see what happened to these ideas I had this year.

A few surprises popped up:

1. There were more smiley faces than I had page numbers on my list. This meant that I was so into the flow of writing down the idea that I forgot to add the page number to my list.

2. While working throught the list, I also found ideas where I didn't add a smily face. Since I mentioned that I don't reread my journals, how could I know there were more ideas? The names of characters caught my eye. Since I don't use the names of actual people I know in my stories, it wasn't hard to figure out that I was “thinking” about a scene in a book.

3. I even had a few ideas related to my business. The ideas themselves didn't surprise me, but that they came to me while I was writing about non-business things was the surprise.

I am not going to give away my ideas, but I thought to summarise the number and types of ideas I had.

1. Book ideas - ideas for a new story: 3

2. Book ideas - ideas for scenes in stories already in process: 14

3. Books - cover ideas: 3

4. Art ideas for new/finishing paintings: 9

5. Art ideas for experimenting: 3

6. Art practice ideas to learn/master a new skill or technique: 2

7. Writing/journal organising ideas: 3

8. Organising ideas - studio and home office: 1

9. Bookbinding and other book art/craft ideas: 1

10. Business ideas: 2

11. Other: 3

TOTAL: 44 😳

In Part 2 I will expand on what happened with these ideas.

Until next time!

💜🇿🇦Linzé

Book Feature: DEAD LETTERS: EPISODES OF EPISTOLARY HORROR edited by Jacob Steven Mohr

DEAD LETTERS: EPISODES OF EPISTOLARY HORROR features 21 all-original stories from authors like Ai Jiang, Gordon B. White, and Gemma Files, all in epistolary format. That means: stories told in emails, letters, texts, podcast transcripts, and the like.

BUY LINK

SYNOPSIS

A video game walkthrough harbors a sinister secret. A grieving sister’s letters cross the barrier between alive and dead (and alive again). A chain of frightening emails is the only evidence a young woman ever existed. And a series of journals follow a dwindling wagon train marching straight into Hell—or someplace worse.

Haunted podcast transcripts. Blood soaked police reports. Bewildering court findings.

Brace yourself for Dead Letters, an anthology that resurrects the chilling power of epistolary fiction—where ordinary documents become hidden records of our darkest fantasies and bleakest nightmares.

Across 21 all-original tales from talents like Gemma Files, Ai Jiang, Gordon B. White, J.A.W. McCarthy, and Red Lagoe, and curated with precision by Jacob Steven Mohr, Dead Letters: Episodes of Epistolary Horror serves up a prolonged sojourn into the macabre—and promises to haunt your sleepless nights.

EXCERPT (from "The Parthas UFO Incident" by T.T. Madden")

Dear scientists,

At first we thought it to be nothing more than a prank. Children from around town would mention something in the sky, a dark shape moving through the night. There have been strange things out in the desert, and even so, we thought little of it. 
 
And then they started mentioning the men. Some people may think we’re hicks, living out here in the desert, but there’s no place in the world where parents won’t pay attention when their children say a strange man tried to talk to them.

The paper has pictures of all of them, what they arrived in and the men themselves. It looks like a pyramid hovering in the sky. Like an invisible hand lifting one of those Ancient Egyptian structures, except this one is all black. Black as the night. 

The pictures of the men are different. There’s always two of them, and they’re always together. People say they see them out in the desert think they’re lost hikers, a duo who always disappear when people get close. At first, some of us were starting to think a new urban legend was happening right before our eyes. Like the ghost girl who leaves her sweater in your car.

But then something turned.

For the past several weeks, this presence around Parthas has menaced us. I do not know what caused their attitudes to change. Perhaps it was the fireworks. Perhaps they interpreted them as an attack. Since the Fourth of July, the number of car crashes and abandoned vehicles on the highway has gone up exponentially. People driving along the highway say the shapes in the sky follow them. Not engaging, just following. Watching. They say they pass the two men over and over again, standing on the shoulder, eternal hitchhikers begging for a ride that’s never coming.

I know what you must think, that I’m just repeating stories I’ve heard. That people out here in the middle of the desert have nothing better to do than spin tales. No. I’ve seen these things myself, the pyramids and the men, lurking in the sky, in the desert, just outside the trailer park. Always at night. Like they’re waiting for something. Some signal for them to finally come in.

This is the Nevada desert. There is so, so much open sky. There’s no place they can’t see us.

Please. Please send someone.

EDITOR BIO

Jacob Steven Mohr does not believe in human consciousness; his works emerge as though from the ether, fully formed and fully ominous.

Selections of these can be observed in Cosmic Horror Monthly, Shortwave Magazine, Chthonic Matter Quarterly, Weird Horror Magazine, and The Best Horror of the Year Vol. 15.

He exists in Columbus OH.

Follow him everywhere @jacobstevenmohr

Book Feature: PRIME PREY - The Protectors by Linzé Brandon (Book 6 in the Nations of Peace series)

Buy link

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Click the cover!

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EXCERPT (from Chapter 3)

If you become pregnant, will you allow me to provide for the child?

She felt her eyes widen. The tone of his voice, even in her mind, was pleading. She tilted her head sideways as she thought about this. Did he want a baby? In her experience with friends and family, human or otherwise, the males were not usually the ones who wanted children.

Are you serious?

He nodded. In any way you need. Money included.

She frowned slightly as they got out of the cooling water. She wasn’t exactly poor, but babies had more needs than she might be prepared for. She rubbed her forehead for a moment. Was she considering having this man’s baby?

She lifted her eyes back to his. He was deadly serious. Not only did she see it in his eyes, but she also felt it in his mind. He was promised to another woman, but he would not relinquish his responsibilities. On some level, she was sure he wanted her to have his baby. It made no sense. They had barely been introduced, to say nothing of knowing each other. How could he know what kind of mother she would be? To his child, no less. Shivering from a sudden chill, she felt him take the towel and wrap it securely around her before carrying her back to bed.

If it wasn’t that her thoughts were otherwise occupied, she would have protested; she did have a perfectly working pair of legs, after all.

“If there is a baby,” she started quietly as he lay beside her, holding her close, “I will tell you, and then we can decide what to do.”

“Thank you,” he replied.

He watched her drift to sleep and looked at his timepiece. He had to leave. It was not how he had planned to spend the first day with his soul-mate, but he had no choice. Prince Wolfgang was scheduled to travel to Zo’en today on family business, and he had to accompany him, being his chief bodyguard and his oldest cousin. Wolfe, as he preferred to be called, trusted very few people with his security, and Jarod was the only one he allowed to travel with him on family business.

Loathe to wake her, but he would feel like a jerk to just leave without at least saying goodbye. He got dressed and then gently shook her awake.

“It’s time,” he said when she opened her eyes and looked at him.

“I have a solar address, so you can reach me anywhere, anytime. I saved it in your contact list on your handheld.” He held up the tiny hand-sized computer he had found on her bedside table.

He touched her cheek one more time, running his thumb over her lips. “Will you be all right?”

She tried to smile but gave up. This was all they had or were going to be. Slowly sitting up, clutching the towel as a shield to her chest, she nodded. “I will be just fine.”

The sudden wariness in her eyes told him that lingering would not make it better. “Remember. Any time. Anything,” he said, with a last tender kiss on her cheek. He got to his feet and left the room. A few moments later, she heard the front door close quietly. He had obviously walked here since she didn’t hear a vehicle.

Lying back against her pillows, she wondered if they had been insane to do this when they both knew there could never be any future for them.

Lying in bed all day would not solve or change anything, so she got up and went to her closet to pick something to wear. The inside of the door had a full-length mirror, and a slight shimmer on her chest caught her eye.

Turning to fully face the mirror, she dropped the towel. She ran her hand quickly over her skin, removing the magic glamour hiding her body markings. Born from a Hunter and a Life-Giver, her body markings reflected both bloodlines. Then she frowned.

“Oh, shit.”

-----------------

About Linzé Brandon

Linzé Brandon is the pen name of Lizette de Vries-Venter. She is a self-employed consultant and specialist engineer, author and artist. Living a creative life is what makes her happy and she loves to share her knowledge in both art and engineering.

She does, however, leave the teaching of story writing to others.

Linzé is the author of fiction and non-fiction books.

Painting with a limited palette - a review of Roman Szmal watercolour paints

Hello creative friend!

If you are taking part in Inktober2023, then you are doing something fun and creative and I hope you enjoy every moment. My Inktober drawings this year are not as detailed as you might have seen in the past, because I have a full plate and my time is particularly limited this October. And one of those tasks is the following review. If you have used this brand of watercolours,nlet me know what you think about these paints in the comments.

I couldn't afford a large number of colours, so I limited my purchase to the following colours: Gamboge (hue), Green gold, Magenta, and Payne's Grey.

The swatches and more info I wrote in pencil

I swatched them on Royal & Langnickel 300gsm CP watercolour postcards, then did a painting from one of my own photographs on Pontentate 100% 300gsm cotton paper, also CP.

I mixed the colours to see what would
happen - there were a a few surprises :)

I did the painting with only these four colours, and then added white and black ink to finish the painting.

Painting with only 4 colours

My impressions:

1. The Payne's Grey was sticky when I removed the pans from their packaging. The other colours were solid, so I thought to give it a day or so. It is now dry like the others. Perhaps it was still not dry before it was shipped.

2. The colours are intense, especially the Payne's Grey. It is do dark that it obscured the black line I drew for the swatches to see their translucency. It is a cool grey, but it is hard to see the blue tone even when highly diluted. But once mixed with the Gamboge, the resulting green left no doubt on that score.

3. I like the paints, and found them easy to activate, mix, and paint with. Once my budget allow it, I will definitely get some more colours.

PS: I put the Roman Szmal colours into the same palette I made for the tube watercolours I own from three other brands.

Final result

If you live in South Africa, you can buy them from Artsavingsclub, as I did.

Until next time!

🇿🇦💜 Linzé

The CreativeLife in review - keep learning, and creative projects

 Hello creative friend!

  Like most of you I'm sure, it is sometimes tough to find a moment to write a blog post, or just find time for yourself. I still have to do my planning for the coming week, but here I am checking in. And it's been a while, ouch!

  Recent times for me included being hit by a nasty cold, and I am still struggling to completely shake it off. I don't get sick, but when that one bug kicks my butt, trust me it does a good job to take me down. But I am recovering, so there is hope! LOL!

  I have just finished the Find Your Joy Taster course, presented by Louise Fletcher. Maybe one day I will be able to afford the full 12-week course.

My ink and wash painting for the Artkula
September Photo Challenge

  There was a bit of overlap with the Art Soul course as well. The presenters use mostly watercolours, whereas Louise's course use acrylics. I love ink and watercolours so I did a few of the lessons too. But there was one lesson where I skipped the class, and rather watched the artist's website course. I am still learning oil painting, and she used cold wax medium which I am unfamiliar with. I've ordered some, and will soon have something new to play with.

  Of course, one of my favourite online artists will soon have her taster Lifebook course starting a bit later this month. Since I am a fan of Tamara Laporte, it was a no brainer to enrol in that. I own her book, and have been doing my own Lifebook since 2021. But there is always something new to learn or experiment with, when it comes to art.

  On top of all the courses, and challenges, I have decided to take part in a national art competition. The deadline is the end of October, and the theme is to interpret and redo a painting from one of the old masters. Not a simple thing for sure. It took me about 4 days to properly plan the painting, and so far I have done most of the preparation work. I painted the first layer of colour on the background, so it is now simply a case of getting it done. Not as easy as it sounds though, but definitely a challenge and fun, I have to say. I am not going to say more, but I will share when I am allowed to do so according to the rules.

  Prime Prey's (Book 6 in the Nations of Peace series) cover is done, and I am happy with the editing. The prelaunch information is already on Smashwords, but the cover and the final manuscript will only be published in November.

  When I have a few moments, I am working on a small series of contemporary novels revolving around two paintings with supernatural abilities. The first draft of the first novel is done, and the second is a few pages long. They will only see the light of day next year, or even maybe 2025. I will have to check my planning for the next books in the Nations of Peace series.

  My dogs are telling me it's time for dinner, so I will love and leave you for now.

  Wishing you a creative week, until next time!

🇿🇦💜  Linzé

Book Feature: NEVER WAKE: An Anthology of Dream Horror

Where do we go when we dream?

  Since the beginning of time, people have argued the meaning of dreams. Are they symbolic visions that hold great meaning and personal significance? Are they portals into other worlds? Or are they just a series of random events our mind shows us when we fall asleep? Whatever the case, this much is true—the mind can be a scary place to venture, even for a few hours.

  NEVER WAKE is an anthology of dream horror, bringing you several mind-bending tales of nightmares, hallucinations, and phantasmagoria from some of the hottest talent in horror fiction. But don’t worry—when you (wake up screaming) flip the last page, just remember to tell yourself, “It was only just a story…”

  Unless it wasn’t.

  Featuring an introduction from Sadie “Mother Horror” Hartmann and stories from: Cynthia Pelayo, Philip Fracassi, Gwendolyn Kiste, Eric LaRocca, Lee Murray, Todd Keisling, Laurel Hightower, and many more!

Buy link: https://getbook.at/NeverWake

An excerpt from the anthology, from Philip Fracassi's story, "Specter."

  The book is large, almost like a dictionary. The cover is black leather, and there’s no title. No words at all. There are designs, however, carved into the leather. Intricate, beautiful designs: a pair of large hands holding sand that spills between cupped fingers; a snake eating its own tail; a large, closed eye in the center; stars, moons, planets…

  Jenna lifts the cover to reveal a neat inscription written in the center of the first, blank, page.

For Jenna,

When you dream, dream of me.

Nana

  “It’s beautiful,” Jenna says, part of her wanting to leaf through the book then and there, feel the thick pages within, read the different meanings of dream symbols…
  But her friends are already standing, antsy and ready for the cake and ice cream portion of the event. The final meal before the party is officially over and they can go home to daydream about their own childhood birthday parties, the wonderful gifts they’ll hope to receive.
  Jenna carefully sets the book back into the sturdy black box, her eyes unable to leave the cover.
  “Jenna?” her mother says. “Come on, let’s blow out the candles.”
  “Okay,” she replies, and begins to fold the thin tissue paper back over the book’s cover, when she pauses. 
  The embossed eye in the center—the one she would have sworn was closed only a moment ago—is now open wide. As if watching her.
  As if seeing her for the very first time.
  Realizing she must have seen it wrong the first time, Jenna dismisses the chill that climbs up her spine at the sight of the open eye. She dutifully covers it with the paper, replaces the cardboard lid, then heads for the kitchen to have cake and ice cream with her friends.
  She doesn’t notice Nana watching her as she passes by the table, a rare smile curling the old woman’s lips.

Buy link: https://getbook.at/NeverWake

EDITOR BIOS:

 

Kenneth W. Cain is an author of horror and dark fiction, and a Splatterpunk Award nominated freelance editor. To date, he has had over one hundred short stories and thirteen novels/novellas, as well as a handful each of nonfiction pieces, books for children, and poems released by many great publishers such as Crystal Lake Publishing, JournalStone, and Cemetery Gates Media.

He has also edited eight anthologies, with two more coming in 2023. He lives in Chester County PA with his family and two furbabies, Butterbean and Bodhi. His full publishing history is available on his website at kennethwcain.com

 

Tim Meyer dwells in a dark cave near the Jersey Shore. He’s the author of more than fifteen novels, including Malignant Summer, The Switch House, Dead Daughters, Limbs, and many other titles. When he's not working on the next book, he's usually hanging out with his wife and son, shooting around on the basketball court, playing video games, or messing with a new screenplay.

He bleeds coffee and IPAs. You can learn more about his books at timmeyerwrites.com