Last Saturday Volume 3 of The Sovereigncy was put on hold while we posted up our fan suggested Sov strip. Well, this Saturday we’re right back on track! With a bit of a flash back. Ok more than a bit.
But The Sovereigncy will be fresh and new Saturday!
Last week we announced the beginning of NMM Print, our print division of The Mill, as well as the release date of our very first novel Seed! Throughout the month you’ll be hearing more about Cross’ YA dystopian book as well as get a look at the cover. We also put up our Fan suggested strips, both a Tweener and a Sov.
This week it’s back to business as usual, the Sovereigncy resumes right where it left off so be sure to check back Saturday for that
This Week:
Wednesday, Mint Tea: NEW
Saturday, The Sovereigncy: NEW
In lieu of our normally scheduled Sovereigncy this Saturday, we’ve got something special for you!
Last month we asked you all for ideas for a Sov strip, and we told you we’d make it. Well we done did it! Yup, this Saturday you get our Fifth Anniversary special Sov strip, based on Dune’s Litany of Fear!
There’s what I need to write, want to write and what inspiration wants me to write. The problem arises when inspiration is lacking or inspiration does not line up with one of the other two.
Mondays I typically need to provide Cross with the next Sov scene. Procrastination, much to the frustration of others, is a defining characteristic of my being. So I typically wait until she asks me if it’s done before I bang it out.
Every second Tuesday I need to write one of these. As the above problem, coupled with an inability to think of what to write until the deadline is here means it does not get done well ahead of time. Yet when the time comes I can focus enough that it does not take that long to get something I deem halfway decent to post and get positive comments for how good it is by others. Personal expectations versus reality, because as I’ve stated previously, I hate everything I write.
Each day of the week, on top of the above, I have to do my own personal writing. If I was on top of my tasks and not victim to the self induced problem of extreme stalling, I could probably bang these out pretty quickly each morning. But that is never something I want to write, just want my brain thought was cute to wake up too. So I’ll go about my day doing anything else but thinking about what to write until I’m too tired to function and just want to go to bed.
That’s where help comes in. Cross tries to have me write about whatever couple or person she is wanting to read, but that never pans out for her well. That’s because the internet provides me with the occasional flash of inspiration. AskReddit answers, funny gifs, memes you name it I will most likely be able to link it to someone and if it really makes me chuckle I’ll write it out.
Now if I am a truly lucky Uncle I will facetime or hear a story of my niece and/or nephew. They are both still young enough that for ninety percent of the time they are adorable. As my brain jumps through time and space in the Sov I can always find that one family that embodies my niece and nephew’s latest adventure perfectly. It also helps me write kids better since I don’t have any myself.
Real life is definitely the best form of inspiration. You are better able to relate to what your writing because you understand the emotions behind it. The image or in my case ‘mini movie’ in my head is much more defined.
The trick with the internet or consuming other forms of media is to not consume so much that depression sets in. There are rabbit holes that you can go down that will be detrimental to your health. Specifically the social media ones if you start comparing your life to others. This is not to be your life versus theirs, but the lives of your characters and those can be as fanciful as they need to be.
We use our worlds, our characters to escape, as a coping mechanism to work through things that happen to us in reality. There is a balance needed to attain the necessary inspiration to write without losing yourself down those rabbit holes.
That sweet spot exists but more often than not, I am stuck in that lack of enough inspiration to write anything state. So today was all about inspiration because it is the ficklest of mistresses. And we only get to wish for those at christmas.
Go out get inspired and create!
It’s a monday AND the 5th! And boy do we have news for you! Fifth of the month means Fifth Anniversary news, and this month, well, we can’t just contain it into one teeny little four week period. No, this month’s Fifth announcement spans BOTH August and September!
Just what its it that can take up two months you ask? Well were happy to tell you!
Today marks the beginning of a new wing of Near Mint Mill. NMM Print! Oh yes, that does mean what you think it means. PHYSICAL BOOKS! We are currently well underway in the production of a special long standingly waiting book of which well announce before October. HOWEVER! Were not just announcing the new wing of The Mill today, oh no. Were also happy to finally be able to announce NMM Prints first foray into the world of publishing with SEED!
Were not just pretty comics and funny strips anymore. Storytelling is in our blood and now our fingers as were branching out with our first novel! SEED, written by Cross, is a Young Adult (YA) Dystopian trilogy. The first of which will be available for purchase through Barnes and Noble Press, where you can buy your own physical copy to enjoy! And when will this be available? Well that’s where the two month long announcement comes in, because….
SEPTEMBER 5th!
Is when Seed will go up for sale! But don’t worry we’ll be talking it up and letting you know more and more about the novel throughout August. It’s not that far away!
Alright onto the news for this week, in June we asked you for ideas for custom strips. Well this week you get the special custom Sov strip! Along with a custom suggested C-Files Tweener!
This Week:
Wednesday, Mint Tea: NEW
Friday, The C-Files Tweener: NEW
Saturday, The Sovereigncy 5th Anniversary Special: NEW
While the battle on the bridge may have incorporated quite a few of The Sovereigncy’s characters, there are a few we definitely need to check in on. Which is exactly what we’re doing this Saturday with an all NEW Sovereigncy!
It’s the last week of our Guest Art month and if you missed it the amazing Claudia Vazquez’s Maddie pic is attached to this post. As well as you’ll be seeing more relevant links to her work during the week.
Last month we asked you all for ideas on a strip to be made, well they are in progress! Both strips have been written up, one in nearly done being drawn and the other will be worked on this week. So keep your eyes peeled, the fan suggested strips are coming!
Speaking of things coming, next week is August’s Fifth Anniversary announcement, and it’s a big one. BIG ONE. So big in fact that it’ll take up TWO whole months! So be sure to come back with eager eyes next week!
This Week:
Wednesday, Mint Tea: NOT NEW
Saturday, The Sovereigncy: NEW
Red took his gang of Fen’ra and scuttled off, leaving our group on the bridge to wrap up. But before they go there’s some introductions to be made!
The Sovereigncy is all NEW Saturday!
ALSO! We haven’t forgotten, Junes special pick a topic for a strip thingy, they have been written! production begins shortly.
Had an unexpected week off from the blog last week. It’s been a hellish last few months for me and am just getting back into the normal swing of things. It’s hard to come up with something coherent when you have nothing on the brain and yet also everything. So I’m thinking this one will be about progress.
Some people can set a goal and immediately start on achieving it. Others set a goal and go ‘now what?’ A lot of people would mark their progress by how many goals they achieve. For the rest, we need to break that down into little bite sized chunks so that the weight of the whole goal doesn’t destroy our drive.
Part of the way to achieve that breakdown into more manageable pieces is getting a schedule under control to help you out. Remember to make the schedule manageable. Don’t start big or immediately make it impossible for you to achieve.
Want to get in shape? Start by just walking around your place for five minutes every hour. Up and down a hall or if you can complete a small circle passing through rooms, even better! Once that becomes too easy you can go for short walks outside. Slowly escalating the time and distance until you reach that comfortable level.
You decided to write a book by the end of the year? Make sure you write something every day. There will be days where you can bang out a page, or even more! Don’t be discouraged when you get days where you can’t come up with anything. Those big days carry you through the bad ones. Just make sure that even on the bad ones you write something. A single sentence or line is something and works towards getting to that end goal.
Life smacked you sideways and you’re questioning your own health? Talk to someone. Let them know what’s going on. Get help if you need it. Whether it’s someone’s job or they care about you because they are a family, friend or coworker they will be willing help you, as long as you talk to them. By getting help you will work with others to get a plan figured out for your recovery and they will be keeping an eye on you to make sure you are progressing in your recovery.
Because! And here is the really important part, you live with yourself every minute of every day of course you aren’t going to see your progress. A watched pot never boils and all that. But! As long as you are making sure you do the bite sized chunks as per your schedule I can guarantee you that you are making progress. Even if you don’t see it sometimes, others around you do.
I had my first full week back and work last week. Come Saturday I was wiped, as in I didn’t want to get out of bed all day. The important thing here is that I made it through the work week. Even if I personally felt like I barely scraped through it, I made it. I had to be told how much of a significant progress that was considering I had been pretty much flat on my back for nearly the last four months. I felt terrible Saturday but I made it through the whole week. It wasn’t perfect but I did it.
What I’m getting at is that no matter how you feel about your progress you are making it as long as you are putting in some sort of effort. Start small, work your way up. Talk to family and friends and they will be your greatest cheerleaders in inspiring you to your goal. At least that’s been my experience these last few months, because even with everything I went through I stuck to the one thing I promised I would and that was to write something everyday. That kept me going even when I hit rock bottom. As I recovered I added more and more to my schedule of things to do each day and now I’m on my way back up. Not there yet but I have my cheerleaders and I will get there.
And yes it’s not lost on me that I’ve named this segment “Rayne: A Work in Progress” and this one is about viewing your own progress.
As it is with this month, last Friday got you a new Guest Art piece! The talented Amanda Ruth was gracious enough to handpaint a Sovereigncy piece for our Anniversary. Throughout this week we’ll be highlighting and sharing some of her work and the sites she’s on so you can get to know her a bit.
This Week:
Wednesday, Mint Tea: NOT NEW
Saturday, The Sovereigncy: NEW
