I write, therefore I am

Do you have any idea how hard it is to write? I'm sure some of you do. The ideas are playing out like a movie in my head. I can see them very well. They're there, it's just so hard to abstract them into words and sentences in the right order.

So I write Christmas cards. I answer email.

I blog.

Wait. Blogging is like writing, huh. Something like writing. Yeah. So is answering email. And writing Christmas cards.

It's like it's hunting me down.

We've got a fire in the fireplace tonight, and I'm not in the room where it's blazing. I'm here, sitting at my computer, typing in more words.

That's it. Wall has been hit.

Pajamas await.

Blogging combo

I've been trying to keep way, way too many blogs in the air at the same time, and for all the right reasons I'm in the process of combining as many as I can. So my graphic design/editorial illustration/fine art blog posts from a different blog are now integrated into and between the posts in this blog.

And you probably didn't even notice.

I hope things don't get too mushy, but if you're feeling they are, please let me know. I'm going to keep the old graphic design blog in place while I wait on feedback, so I can always separate everything again in the future.

In the meantime, I'm trying to figure out what to call the blog and how to integrate my graphic design/fine art brands (somewhat serious) with my kid's illustration brand (not so much), which isn't the easiest thing to do. I might play around with a few ideas before something actually feels right for me so, you know, comments are always helpful.

#WPaSCBWI 2010 Fall Conference

One week from today—save the date.

The Western Pennsylvania chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators will be hosting their annual conference at the Greentree Radisson in Pittsburgh next weekend, and I'll be speaking about social networking.

First, the info:

Practical Solutions for Tough Times

Friday, November 12

Pre-Conference Event

(You must also attend the conference)

7pm–10pm

Reception and cash bar followed by informal round-table critiquing.

Bring a 5-page manuscript to read aloud.

Saturday, November 13

Conference

8am–5:30pm

Faculty include:

• Emma Dryden Dryden Books
• Rachel Abrams HarperCollin's Children's Books
• Deborah Vetter Cicada and Cricket magazines
• Quinlan Lee agent, Adams Literary

Second, the details:

I'll be leading two workshops titled Social Networking—I Don't Wanna! The first one (session B-2) from 11:30-12:15 will be geared toward a general audience, mostly writers. The second one (session C-4) is scheduled for 3:15-4:00 and will be geared toward illustrators, but I will also accommodate anyone who may have missed the first session.

I have the presentation set up to answer attendee-specific questions including:

1. Why do I have to social network?
2. Where do I start?
3. What do I say?
4. When am I supposed to do this?
5. How do I get it right?

I'll also include tips on how to use social media creatively along with listings of online tools and sites to get you started. I've started a new blog that I'll be using throughout the conference (technology permitting) with info and tips from the speakers. I'll also be tweeting images on twitter, with the search hashtag: #WPaSCBWI.

Once I get the presentation finished, I will upload it here:
http://www.nora-thompson.com/wpascbwi.html

TTFN

If you've read my last entry, you already know about the frustration yada yada.

After some soul searching and decision-making, I've decided to allow the kid's illustration part of my life to take a back burner. I'm finding it difficult to justify pouring money and time into a part of my career that has no intentions of going anywhere anytime soon.

I'm still working on books I've been writing and illustrating aimed toward kids, but creating more self-promotional illustrations feels like a waste of time right now. My next promo postcard and newsletter is scheduled for August, and I'll see how I feel about sending either when the time comes.

I'm not planning on more entries in this blog in the near future (although you never know what might come up), but you can still follow my other blogs:

The Rots
Hairy Eyeballs
Thompson Graphx/Fine art

So as Tigger says TTFN: Ta ta for now.

My illustrations on somebody else's blog!

Isn't it the coolest thing when you run across your work on the Internet in a place where you didn't put it?

I was doing some site submissions to Google when I ran across a blog from last September that shared some of my work, and the blog wasn't mine. It belongs to Jennifer Daniels, a Brooklyn-based graphic designer and illustrator. Take a look at some of her work. Looks like a very talented lady!

On the blog, she says she likes the way I show the sketch of an illustration right alongside the final version of the piece on my Web site. You can see what she's talking about on one of my online sketchbook pages. If you drag your cursor back and forth across the arrows, you can see before-after-before-after. Even I think it's still fun to do.