I created this Journal to write about the progress of my novel for NaNoWriMo 2007. I made it Friends-only as I intended to post novel extracts and wanted to protect them. Now that NaNoWriMo is over, I decided to use this blog to share writing tips, thoughts about writing and literature and other fun stuff. I thought it would be a shame to keep these tips and thought to a Friends list, so I have made it public.

However, the posts with the novel extracts are still Friends-only. So, if you are interested in reading my story, leave a comment here and I will add you to this LJ's Friends' list.

You can read my main LJ here : http://larystienli.livejournal.com

Thank you :)

At last, I finished and uploaded a work for Vandal that was commissioned in... July 2008 ! About a year ago !!
It was my first attempt at proper fantasy art and it took me so long to finish it, not only because of school and work but also because I wanted this to be better than anything I've ever done and thus, I raised my standard too high.

I hated to make Van any longer and let down the experimenting - and it ended up in this :



Van liked it and I hope to make more commissions in the future. Now that classes are over, it should no longer take me a year to finish them.

How about him as Mad Hatter in the next Burton movie Alice in Wonderland ?


Too bad we had to wait for March 2010 to see Johnny drinking tea in a ginger wig...

(X-posted in deviantart )

The series of drawings I made for the 2D collection are online at last - and available as prints !


I also posted an older work a few weeks ago and forgot to advertise it. Here it is :

2D was really great ! This thing is becoming huger with each year. I actually went to the panel at Sandino's last year and it was already pretty full. This year, the three stories of the Verbal Arts Centre were packed with kids queuing to get sketches from their favourite artists and shop for comics. Among said artists were people like Glenn Fabry (Preacher), David Lloyd (V for Vendetta), Rufus Dayglo (Tank Girl), Bryan Talbot, Mike Collins, Liam Sharp... Actually, I knew some of these people only for one story ot character or just by name but here, given the massive turn-up, they seemed to be great names. I got 5 sketches - one from Mike Collins, one from Rufus Dayglo and a very quick one from Glenn Fabry who was in a rush. I also had David Lloyd signed my copy of V for Vendetta, and Bryan Talbot and D'Israeli made a wee sketch of Dream/Morpheus on two of my Sandman books (one for each).

( Sketches here for the curious )

I also bought a lot of comics - 4 issues of Hellblazer, 1 of Sin City and volume 2 of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and am looking forward to Grandville, the new Bryan Talbot steampunk comic. He described it as "Sherlock Holmes filmed by Quentin Tarantino... with animals". Or imagine Miyazaki's Sherlock Holmes trasmported into a turn-of-the-century Sin City. Anyway, it looks really good. You can check the homepage here : http://www.bryan-talbot.com/grandville/index.html


The only low point was not to see my illustrations in the 2D anthology about fear. DC was aware of this and apologized - he said the issues were printed in a rush and it was impossible to fit everything. However, the books need to be reprinted as they were quickly sold out and he promised that my drawings will be printed. In the meantime, I'll post them on DeviantArt for you to see.

I enjoyed the panels too and the heated discussions about today's comic industry, the necessity of sound effects and the best and worst Hollywood movie adaptations of comics. I didn't stay for the party though as I wanted to have an early night.

Another low point was I made myself a beautiful portfolio and didn't get an opportunity to show it. Well, anyway I didn't expect any employment opportunity but it'd have been nice to have a pro's opinion on my work.

... ME - NOT !

Aye, I didn't get a Skillset Academy award :( I ended up at the second place in the FE category - which is not bad after all ! At least, I have been nominated and my work has been(and recognized) by people in the industry. There were even people from the BBC ! The guy who presented the candidates called my video a "visual feast" and the short extract they played raised a few laughs - and that made me smile :)

Unfortunately, I was late for the drinks before the ceremony. I spent ages trying to find my hostel and the taxi driver that was supposed to get me to the University campus (where the event was taking place) made big unnecessary detours. I was right on time for the ceremony though, but that was way too fast. Then I went to Starbucks to have a light dinner and a coffee and in town for some late shopping. I decided to go to my hostel walking, tired to waste money on taxis, but with my infallible sense of direction, I ended up in West Belfast while my hostel was not far from Sandy Row in the East ! The quiet empty streets bathing in twilight, the full moon shining bright in the steel blue - it all added something eerie and magical in the atmosphere. I also caught some magnificent views of the city and some murals I've never spotted before. It was really too bad I didn't have a camera with me...

They said there was going to rain heavily today - well, I haven't seen a single drop fall. The sky was cloudy but the weather was still really nice.

I'll catch an early bus tomorrow so I'll be back in Derry by eleven for the 2D Festival.

(X-posted in my DeviantArt journal)

The news came by e-mail this afternoon : the Halloween video I submitted for the Northern Ireland Skillset Academy Awards has been shortlisted for the best FE* content category - in other words, I'm nominated for an award !! :D Woo-hoo !

Plus, I'm invited to the ceremony in Belfast next week :) Thing is, it collides with the 2D Comics Festival in Derry, which I have been invited to as well and looking forward to. Gee, it's like Sophie's choice... :\

But in the meantime, *goes bouncing around squeaking like an overexcited schoolgirl*

By the way, I finished colouring a comic for two guys of the comic class and it looks really good - I've never been so proud of myself :) - and another illustration, all for the 2D anthology. Can't wait for it to be printed ! :D


(* Please, don't ask me what FE stands for - I don't remember ^^; )

Most mails I receive from studio-ni finish in the bin but once in a while, there comes something really useful - like these two links from Strange Horizons, a speculative fiction webzine. Apparently, you can submit texts to them - good to know if I kick my butt once the course is over and set to work on my stories. It's high time I sent them out there.

Well, on condition I avoid these pitfalls :

Stories We've Seen Too Often

( In case the link doesn't work )

Horror Stories We've Seen Too Often

( In case the link doesn't work )


I've just noticed (and added to may watchlist) notemeetsletter , an interesting writing challenge in which the community posts a music video every week as a writing prompt. That suits perfectly the music freak that I am :)

A wee musical treat for Neil Gaiman's fans, which I found totally by chance on Last.fm. Excellent songs based on the Master's Neil's works by Rasputina, Deine Lakaien, Joachim Witt, Voltaire, The Crüxshadows and many others - not to forget Neil's great friend Tori Amos. And all the tracks can be listened to in full (instead of the stupid 30s previews). As you may have guessed, I'm already an addict. Enjoy !

(X-posted on my DeviantArt journal)

For those who haven't followed me on Facebook - I submitted today two pieces for the Northern Ireland Skillset Media Academy Awards - a website (screenshot below) and a video (below too). I primarily made them for college assignments but lecturers thought they were good to be make it for the biggest media event in NI. The first prize is £180 - good extra money, so fingers crossed !





The video is a new version of Halloween in Derry. And there is one more version here.

At last! The comic art classes have resumed and... I've got the results for my first comic pages!
And I got a Distinction! - the best mark :O I was amazed, but at the same time, I didn't feel like I deserved it. There were other guys in this group who were way better than me. That mark's still encouraging though - and also, it feel really great to see your comic pages printed on high-quality A3 sheets :D

Since they have been officially assessed and marked, I could publish these two babies on DeviantArt for you to see and read:

I finally decided not to join the Frenzy this year. I'm not chickening out, but I just forgot something important. The Frenzy would take place during my Easter college break (between the 3rd and the 18th april) and I had thought of travelling to places in Ireland I hadn't explored yet or want to see again.
I know I could take my laptop with me while travelling and type like a page each day before going to bed but I need some time away from the computers and that is mostly why I wanted to travel during my break. However, I can still take a notebook and my sketchbook with me to work on Red Hot Moon when inspiration strikes me.
So... next year maybe ?

OK, to class now !

Once again I find myself hesitating about joining the Script Frenzy - the Nanowrimo for scriptwriters. Once again, the things that hold me back are my lack of experience in scriptwriting and the studies. As I wrote in Shots in the Dark, I have a lot of assignments to hand in for May. Plus, I wanted to start looking for a job and I haven't applied for anything yet.

But this year, I feel a bit more motivated to join because I have already written a few pages of script for the Comic Art class last year and I have been thinking of reworking on Red Hot Moon - not as a novel, but as a graphic novel. More and more I believe this is a better format for this story. It's very visual and I express myself better with images than with words. And also, I love drawing the characters.

Furthermore, the Comic Art class is resuming very soon, which means I can find people who could be interested in joining the frenzy and create opportunities to meet them outside the class. That makes it all more tempting...

And if I don't make the 100 pages, that doesn't matter. I failed Nanowrimo in 2007 but that didn't keep me from having a good time and coming back the year after :)

... To be continued...

Remember the logo I posted in that entry ? Well, I finally posted it on DeviantArt as well as some applications - a flyer and a business card. As I explained in the descriptions, they have been made for an college exercise and I am not advertising an actual business.

On a completely unrelated matter : I've just come across this article about the last Harry Potter movie, which is already reviewed as 'disappointing'. It says it's got too much emphasis on the Harry-Ginny romance at the expense of all the major plot lines (the half-blood prince, Voldemort's story and Dumbledore's death). As if we hadn't enough of supernatural romances after Twilight... *sighs*

One more submission for the 100 Theme Challenge - aye, I've been very inspired. 'tis for theme #35 (Walk).

OK, I started this on a day I was very depressed. I'll always be amazed at what I can get out of depression, but that shouldn't keep me from taking my medicine (says the one who's forgotten to take it for three days and is now suffering from the consequences >.<).

In the meantime, Heaven got 7 favourites in one week ! That's not a lot compared to other (more successful) deviants but still I'm grateful and that cheered me up for a while :)

That and the cat returning to my room, and reading Watchmen - I know, it'snot really funny but it's freakin' brilliant and it's got enough to take my mind off that darn job.

Enough ranting - I'm gonna have a walk and try to capture a moonlight while the moon is full.

I’m trying to design a logo for myself as part of a college assignment. I came up with this a couple of months ago but the teacher says it would not be appropriate to promote myself as a web designer. Not corporate enough, maybe ?

The thing is just below. I took my inspiration from Tolkien’s brand and based the design on my initials (MJYM) – figure them out ! ;)

 

Any constructive feedback and suggestions would be really really appreciated !

Also, for the same unit, I must pick the three best of my works - drawing and photographs included. I know for sure 2 Guns will get the gold medal, but who will get silver and bronze ? I can't make up my mind and need external opinion. All my works are in my DeviantArt gallery.

I thank you all in advance for your help :)

A very quick update (hardly one week after the two webpage screenshots) and a new submission for the 100 Theme Challenge.

Actually, I took this photo and enhanced it with Photoshop a long time ago but I kept putting off uploading it to my gallery. Plus, I didn't intend it  for the 100 challenge originally until found it could fit perfectly for Entry #7 (Heaven).


I'm working currently on more submissions. Enjoy this one in the meantime :)

This would also be the first entry of the year 2009 for this LJ - with an unforgivable 2-month-delay. All just to say I posted some new stuff on Deviantart - and more specifically 2 screenshots of pages from the two websites that have kept me busy this winter.


Also I realize I forgot to advertise an older deviation here  - poor Rory was giving me the evil eye for the lack of attention:


And also on my dA page, a devious journal entry, in which I wonder whether I shall go on Facebook or not...

(X-posted in La vie, l'Irlande et tout le reste)

The first video I ever made is about the Halloween festival in Derry, Northern Ireland. All shot with a small Kodak camera, hence the shaky images, and edited with Apple Final Cut Pro. Background music : "Halloween" by Misfits.

Enjoy !

(View my full list of goals for 2008)

The final update !! I stroke some more goals as achieved, although there is still some more work needed in spite of the improvements. Sadly, I lost the challenge and won't get another beautiful certificate to hang on the walls. Still, I'm pretty much happy with what I have done.
And more, I won't let thing rest here and go on with the goals I put on hiatus and even add some new ones - I'll type a wee list later on the day.

( The last update for 2008 ! )