I’ve been doing a lot of staring at the blank page lately, and it’s been apparent in this blog perhaps more than anywhere. I’ve been under an unprecedented amount of stress in both my personal and professional lives lately, and it’s definitely taking a toll on my productivity. This has led to such soul-soothing activities as media bingeing (lately that’s been NANA in all forms) and creating pointless blog pages with photographs of each of our pets (oldest-to-youngest): Dorrie, Lucy, and of course, Kino. I feel a lot of guilt, however, towards those of you who keep clicking over here in search of real content.
I may not be writing, but I have been reading a lot recently. I’ve started using Google Reader, which has made keeping up with my blogroll a lot easier. A few links to share:
Johanna Draper Carlson reviewed Writing for Comics with Peter David which I have decided I must own ASAP. It looks like a great resource for those of us who write but do not draw.
Wil Wheaton made me laugh this morning (as he often does), with this entry. Quote: “McCain’s the kinda guy who would sell you an Orc Barbarian sword, and tell you it’s a Giant Ninja sword, my friends.”
Brian Cronin is profiling political cartoonists this month at Comics Should Be Good. Here‘s an archive of the profiles he has written so far. I’m really enjoying these.
Lastly, Brigid Alverson linked to an article at the Yaoi Press blog, discussing the difficulties of publishing OEL manga, how Yaoi Press has achieved their successes there, and painting a pretty bleak picture of the immediate future of the industry. I stared at the article on and off yesterday, becoming increasingly depressed, especially after the high I felt coming out of NYAF based on very optimistic comments made there by both Ali Kokmen and Kurt Hassler. I have so much personal stake in this, and not just because I hope to be part of it as a writer someday, but because I’m really excited about the potential I see for really incredible storytelling in OEL manga. More on this when I’m able to better put my thoughts down in writing, which is apparently not this week.
Meanwhile, if anyone wants to babble about NANA, I’m your girl.