The challenge of finding the "right" artist for a job

Since November, I've literally spoken with over 100 artists of various styles looking for the perfect fit for my projects. Some are good, some are not so good, and some are so amazing it blows your mind. The problem is always finding the right one to match up with your (the writer's) vision of how things should look. The two that have been the biggest challenge so far are my detective / noir book (the late night cop show meets Daredevil/Batman)and my fantasy novel turned comic book. I don't know if it's that I'm being too specific on what I'm looking for or no one is going to "fit" for a while. Now, after some stumbling around, I did find the perfect artist for my detective book, Sachin, but I still haven't had any luck with the fantasy book. I've had a few artists I've spoken with, some who even tried to take a crack at it, but the "vision" of the book hasn't been met by any artists. Shoot! For me, the fantasy story is one that HAS to be told. It's a different approach to a fantasy tale and I also interpret some things in the genre a little differently. That's probably because I've read so many fantasy books since I was six that I need to do something different or I'll see myself that I'm being derivative.

To my point... finding "the one" for any project is something that I think some people don't put enough thought into. No disrespect intended, but it seems like a lot of artists have genres they fit a little better into so why force them into something that doesn't fit them perfectly? I'm not saying that writers should steer clear, I'm saying that if you find an artist you like but they don't fit the book you wanted them for, why not make something that does fit for them... collaborate on something that fits their style while still something you love, too. One recent example for me is Arnie (not trying to pick on you - ha ha). Arnie has an AMAZING style but he's into a certain kind of story, which is his right. I didn't have anything "on the pot" that really seemed like a great fit, but we both wanted to work together. The solution? We're creating an original superhero universe from scratch. It's taking a little bit more time since we're both starting from nothing on it, but that's part of the fun, we're going through the creative process together. When all is said and done, we'll have something original that we both poured ourselves into.

So... if you're looking for a specific style for a specific book, don't settle for anything less than what fits your vision. If you stumble upon an amazing artist and you two want to work together, find something for them or set them free. Don't stick them in something that they're not 100% into and you're not 100% sold on.

Another recommendation... don't put all of your eggs in one basket. We all have these ideas that are "the next big thing", right? What happens if you A) don't find the right artist, B) people don't see the vision as you do, or C) you do all that work to find out it's been done before? The solution, always have something else you're working on. I started with one idea, now I have almost two dozen. Why? Because once you get into that creative mode, things keep on coming, and that's a good thing. If you have an idea in the middle of the night, get up and write it down, get a notepad by your bed. If you have a particularly vivid dream, write it down and see if it's something you can use in a story. If you're driving with someone, ask them to write it down or text it to you... Don't let the ideas escape you! Faction, for example, was a brainstorm from November combined with a notebook from over a dozen years ago! I didn't know when I was going to use it, but when the time came, I was ready.

Ok, shutting up now... ramble done!

Insomnia, sleep deprivation, caffeine, sugar, and a clean pair of socks

Ok, I don't know how all of the title here fits in, but I'm going for it! It's about 9:49 pm right now and I've been up for 18 hours and 20 minutes. Wahoo! I'll be up again in about six hours, which actually isn't a bad amount of sleep... I know I need more but I seem to do ok with that much. I'm not an insomniac or anything, but it seems like I never get to sleep any earlier. Don't get nearly enough time together with my wife, so when I get home (or she gets home depending on who's working later), we make dinner, shoot the breeze, watch some tv, and go to sleep. Right now Amanda is cramming through a five page paper on some medical class she's taking. Not my cup of tea, but she's really good at it. Me, I'm taking Magic and Folk Religion (an Anthropology class) and the Philosophy of Human Nature. Now that's what I'm talking about!

Trying to get some of the cobwebs out of my head from Vegas this weekend. Great ideas are only great if you can get them on paper... Hard to do when you're sleep deprived, methinks... I'll get over it, though. I'm kind of wishing today like it was the old days when I was chugging regular Coca-Cola all the time with the blessed caffeine and sugar. When I could find it, I would pick up a six pack or two of Jolt. Oh my god, I loved that stuff... Many a late D&D sessions in high school were Jolt powered. There was this liquor store in Fallbrooks that sold it, so the guys and I would run to the store and stock up. It wasn't for everyone, but it really had me going high octane! We would end a long weekend with a massive pyramid of soda cans. Yum! Now, though, I'm usually only getting the caffeine side with Diet Dr. Pepper or something. Not that I've got a major aversion to sugar, just don't need to down such large amounts in a drink, you know? ;)

As for the cleain pair of socks comment? I work from home a couple of days per week and the first thing I do when I wake up is find a clean pair of socks, get a soda, and get my allergy medication. The routine is the same when I'm working in the office, but I usually wait until I get there to drink soda. ;)

Anywho, off to sleep! I've got a ton of things to write over the next couple of weeks, so I'm hoping some rambling will clear the cobwebs...

Small Press Idol, Vegas, and Writing like a Madman

My wife and I escaped for Vegas on the last day of Small Press Idol Round 2. It wasn't a statement, just timing. My wife had a couple of days off in a row, so off we went! My intent was to take some time over the weekend and get some writing done... I have several projects I need to get some pages written, but... well.... yeah, that didn't happen. As soon as we arrived at the Cal (the California off of Fremont St in the old strip - best place to be IMHO). We were there for maybe 15 minutes, hopped on our first machine and BAM, my wife won $400! Nice! So, we were able to do some more gambling over the weekend and some shopping. There was also an awesome Hawaiian festival in one of the parking lots by the Cal celebrating May Day.

Anywho, writing writing writing... With Small Press Idol, KT is hard at work on the art for Round 3... I, of course, am still trying to teach myself lettering with Cary on speed dial to ask questions. Ok, not speed dial, but you get what I mean. He knows what he's doing and he responds to emails which makes him #1 in my book. As for other things, I had a BRILLIANT idea for a new story while on the road heading to Vegas late at night. Everyone in the car was asleep around 8pm and the ideas started flowing. I had to nudge my wife awake and I had her text things to me so I wouldn't forget them. A few other ideas popped in my head over the weekend, too, but the one... dude, I wish I was the sharing type! Sorry about that! I did manage to brainstorm on some other projects, too, but nothing substantial.

I suppose this weekend was a much needed break for Faction fans (thanks for tolerating my posts), my wife, and I... People have asked me when I sleep and I started to wonder that myself over the last couple of weeks of the competition. Geez, it was definitely like Ian said, a marathon, not a sprint. In the end my lead managed to keep me on top as well as the dedication of my voters, but I'm expecting Round 3 to be a COMPLETELY different ballgame.

That's it for now! Expect some exciting things in the coming weeks and look forward to being impressed by our Round 3 submission on May 18th!