Inspiration

It's funny how a little thing can spark off a bit in your brain that makes you want to do things. I met up with Grum, Yaz, and some hobo for a coffee last night. It was just a quick thing, but lovely nevertheless, although for me at least the evening was dominated by Grum shoving his doodle book into my face (not literally, that would've been rude). A few years back we were so determined to try to get something published in a graphic novel vein, and for some reason it's just petered out a bit over the last couple of years. I blame myself, because he can't draw something if I haven't written it, and I haven't written, well, much of anything in the last year or so.

So what happened to the mighty book I was writing? Well, I wrote loads of it in February, then gave myself a bit of time off, partly as a treat, partly to compose myself before launching back into it a month or so later. Tragically, I didn't launch myself anywhere; I think I've unwittingly allowed myself to stray into 'lost weekend' territory. Most people who do this usually go on massive drink 'n drug benders; how rock and roll is it that I just stopped writing a book? I say: 'very.'

Anyway, Grum's doodle book, while not literally shoved in my face nevertheless had the unexpected and not altogether undesirable effect of subliminally slapping me in said face. It was like a wake-up call. Because while he's been waiting for me to crack my knuckles and get back to writing, he's returned to my old horror story The Nightlies - y'know, the one that Skillz* kindly put online for me. This time around he's given it more of a stylised, less of a comic-book look - a bit like old etchings - and it looks fantastic. And these were only thumbnails - lord knows what the finished ones will look like.  I'd love to show them to you, but blogger won't let me link to a doodle pad. This, of course, made me feel a little bit guilty, because I've not written anything since October, which is lame, especially as I have two new ideas I'd like to work up and an awesome new computer to write them on. 

So, here's the plan: writing February is back for 2008 - bigger and more badass than ever. I'm going to finish the long awaited book (hell, I've even thought of a proper title for it now!), and then I'm going to crack on with the new ideas. 

I might even get a new writing pad to jot notes in!

*Where is Skillz?