Okay, ego aside this is the first time I’ve finished an art project of this depth and magnitude in years. So forgive me if I’m feeling a bit of pride. Clicking will take you to the watermarked copy in my dA gallery.

Been working on this for two days straight. One day drawing, and the second day coloring (from 2 pm till 4 am this morning).

To me she is a Chimera. A leopard child with her bunny buddy. The rabbit represents her innocence, her spots – though removable like PJs right now, could later represent things she might think later that she can’t change if the innocence is taken. The hand… well, I assume that’s obvious.

The flower is just because I was too impatient to draw her hand. I used various photos for reference.

1. Pencil sketch
2. Went over with pen
3. Uploaded via my camera

4. Opened Paint.Net
5. Did base colors and cleanup
6. Searched up various textures on Google and put them under the base colors
7. Shaded and added glow effect through several layers for a more burnt effect

It’s currently sitting on my desktop as a pretty wallpaper. If you’d like the same please msg me and I’ll send you a file without the watermark and even resize it to your resolution.

And this…

… is something I just did because I love flipping through the layers of the project to see just how far it’s come.

Lastly, to the cute photo below I give credit for inspiring this piece.

PS. I’ve decided to dedicate this piece to my Uncle Pat and Aunt Felicity. I think I finished it faster and to a greater quality because I knew they were keeping an eye on it on FB. Thank you.

This is by far the best place and after arriving here I’m sad I wasted any, most, of my time at Horizons. The beautiful bookstore was quiet like a library with just enough noise in parts to jar me through my headphones. It was fine but in a way it almost wasn’t lively enough. I felt restless and yet restricted against my energy.

Here in the Brew the air is filled with chatter. It is my white noise and I find I can focus much more clearly than I could behind my headphones or in sheer solitude.

Of course there is the matter that no matter where I sit I feel I need a booster seat and there isn’t an outlet in my spot of choice but with hardly an hour left I feel it worth the risk of battery drain to enjoy the sights.

I’m drinking what has to be by far the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had, I’m mind you I’m very particular when It comes to sweets. It’s warm and well priced for the taste, something else I can’t get at Horizons.

I’m sitting at a little private counter at the front of the café right now with a full and gorgeous view of down town. People are bustling about and I can feel the life around me. This is what I’ve been needing. This is what I’ve been lacking. I relish for warm weather when I can sit outside on the bench as cars and people pass me by, their busy lives almost mocked and revered as I sit quietly to absorb the senses they have unknowingly sacrificed to my attentions.

I love it here. Perhaps next week I’ll even indulge in a piece of key lime pie.

Oh, there goes a lady walking a dog. She’s wearing everything rainbow. And there goes an Asian man… or woman… I can’t tell but I’m attracted nevertheless. Story potential is breathing around me. I want to roll in it like catnip.

Another plus to writing outside the home, besides freshening up the experience of writing, is that the cats aren’t here to eat up my time by walking all over my papers or leave me itching my eyes.

Today I’m exploring the art of café writing. Here is my journey, word for word.

Too a bus to Traverse City, it’s about forty-five minutes from me on a normal trek but oh, so much more when public transit is involved. After arriving at the Beta station I wandered around lost for a little while trying to find this little omelet place I’d once spotted.

I’ve been dying to check it out ever since I quit my job (and thus have been breakfast noms that have a less than 70% chance of giving me food poisoning).

Alas, the food was a wee below sub par but the friendly service made up for it in spades. Thank you, Bobbi! If it weren’t for the dry hash browns that tasted like plastic and eggs that seemed to be made in the microwave I would have scarfed my meal down entirely. Logic and frequent car sickness dictate I not eat before stepping on foot on the bus, hence I was hungry!

After that I made my way to Horizons (bookstore and café), which is where I currently sit. It only took me fifteen minutes and a little extra help to locate an outlet for my purposes and if this spot doesn’t suit me in a few I have a back up.

Thinking of making my way to the Brew later for a little noise and the best hot cocoa I’ve ever had in a giant teacup for relatively little money. Seriously, it’s like three normal cups for me. Even Ree was all chocolated out by the time she’d finished hers and what was left in mine. It was kind of awesome, plus they have these gorgeous tables that make me feel half my pixie size and super comfy chairs.

But that’s later. That’s my reward for the writing I’ve promised myself I would do here… obviously I haven’t started yet. This is either a warm up or a procrastination… perhaps a bit of both? That and I’m testing out this new writing app I downloaded last night.

As far as writing apps go I used to look for what was pretty – that clearly has a downside. Then I started to look for function, there were a lot of things I thought I needed it to do. Then, in time, I learned to combine function with simplicity to avoid distraction. That worked best and I thought I’d found the perfect little bit of codeware to suit my needs…

Until I discovered a need I hadn’t anticipated: Back up potential.

Now I’m using something that autosaves (the search phrase I chose to find it) directly to my memory case as well as on the device PLUS I can have it upload the file directly to my Drop Box which will sync with my computer at home as soon as I hit internet.

The only problem I’ve yet encountered is that while it can read many dozens of codecs, and I’m certain from my initial look around that I can tweak this, it reads all my Microsoft Docs as some sort of Mac format which, while unharming the original file, leaves me with nothing but garble and diamonds on my scree. So I had to go back to Market and locate a converter. I found an awesome one easily enough and sure, it’s probably a good thing to have it on hand anyway, it just always seems silly to me to need an extra tool.

Ooo, and there are keyboard shortcuts in this writing app! That’s something else I’ve found to be invaluable when adding my physical keyboard onto my tablet. Sure, I can/could type well enough on my beautiful ten inch screen but until I’ve had a bit more practice my favorite wireless keyboard will stay nearby. That and… my screen is currently damaged.

I can still see everything, the display itself is fine minus the huge spider web in the corner, but when I poke it with my finger nothing happens. Still, I refuse to see my device rendered useless so early into it’s adoption simply because I tripped over a chair and wasn’t wise enough to invest in a bullet proof case. Sooo, I’ve paired it with a USB hub that allows me to run my wi mouse and keyboard at the same time.

The upside – my screen stays nice and shiny. The downside – if I don’t plus the tablet into a wall the hub quickly noms all the power.

It’s a little like having a multipart laptop that I’ve completely customized to suit my needs. Cool sort of, not.

Now I just need to start procrastinating.

The answer is: You should be writing.

My coffee cup tells me so and oh how right/write it is.

They are:

Why Not
Just Do It

and Organic (writing)

Let’s start with the first.

Why Not – Don’t be fooled. This isn’t a question (← see, no question mark!). This is a statement, something I think we all need to ask ourselves when standing on the precipice of creativity (or anything really). You get a new idea, you think it’s stupid. No one will like it, nothing will ever come of it, blah, blah, bladdi-dah!

Obviously you can think up a million and three reasons not to go for something. It’s human nature to cave to caution and avoid any possible pain that may rain down on us. It was a good survival trait when we were hominids foraging on the Serengeti, just learning to walk upright and work past the grunt to give that giant golden kitty cat a name before it killed us was adventure enough. Why Not is perfectly understandable self-advice when faced with dangerous situations like that.

What I don’t get though is why Why Not applies so heavily and so harshly in non-life and death situations. It’s silly. Why don’t you go to the dance? Maybe no one will dance with you? So what! Why don’t you give that passionate speech about something you care about? It’s scary? You might really suck? So! Why don’t you write that weird beyond genre novel? It might never get published? It’ll suck? You’re wasting your time? So, so, so!!

Who knows, it might rock. You might make a point or dance like a rock star and if not – is it going to kill you? Is a little social scorn enough to hold you back from having even the tiniest chance at having the time of your life? If it is, I’m sorry but in the end please don’t let it be a question. Let it be a reminder.

It’s not going to kill you to try but it’s hard to live if you don’t.

Just Do It – If memory serves me right this has something to do with Nike commercials but as I’m proud to say I haven’t yet turned on the blasted television today it’s not likely to have anything to do with shoes…

Everything else on the other hand, yes. Writing most especially.

Once you get past Why Not all that’s left is to do it – to just do it. Sitting there thinking/complaining/worrying/whining and other notorious ing words aren’t going to get anything done. They don’t write page one and without page one you have no page one hundred and ten in your future unless you slipped on that banana peel and fell into a dyslexic time paradox (also known as a concussion).

If you don’t Just Do It you never actual take the chance. Nothing (aside from the aforementioned and hence banished Why Not) is standing in your way except that first step and then the one after that. You just have to Do It. Open your wings, jump the fire, collect your bonus points and +1 life  and then write!

Nothing is accomplished by waiting for it to happen.

Organic – A simple word followed by a concept that isn’t always so. I often connect it to one of my other favorite words, raw, and an assortment of prosey concepts like untempered metal fresh from the kiln, sun spotted flesh and laugh wrinkles, vines of lightning splitting the sky with elemental energy. Broken molds. Grainy breads and hard cheese. Smells and sights, fragrance and pigment. Chipped paint on China dolls and torn lace under stained teacups.

Obviously I find organic to be a bit on the beautiful side. I also find it very helpful.

If you’ve ever done the NaNoWriMo then you’re familiar with writing by the seat of your pants. You sit down, grab a pen or keyboard and just go, go, go! Some of us just skip the sitting down part. The goal of NaNo is to write 50,000 words within thirty days, the idea is that if you Just Do It and keep doing it that you can write at least a standard sized novel in a money (1,667 words a day).

The often less focused on part of NaNo (because 50,000 sounds so horrifying at first that you can’t possibly push anything else into your brain) is the write without looking back part. You don’t edit and you seldom plot save for some ideas on the back of a box of Tampax. That’s what I’m talking about when I say Organic.

Have you ever just written? Just laid down a paper and let your brain hit the surface with a great big splat of ink? Have you ever painted without worrying about the lines and colors and does a person really need all ten fingers? What if Picasso ha been a perfectionist?

What I’m saying is – yes, while eventually you’re going to have to make sure your main character has the same name you gave her 300 pages later and run more than just a simple spell check – don’t get hung up on all that jazz. Writing is writing. Painting is painting. Doing is doing and fine tuning… is better left for when you have something to tune. In the mean time, have fun with your work. Explore your characters and your canvas. Don’t be afraid to be stupid and silly or passionate about something scary. Don’t worry about being good or great, just be.

Perhaps I’ve rambled and I’ll be honest I’m not sure I’ve made the point I was aiming for because I’m so easily sidetracked but either way…

Don’t ask Why Not, understand it and Just Do It. Most importantly Do It Your Way.

But first, we must resume the position.

Back supported, feet resting, fingers ready to fly. Now it’s his turn.

As I am the willow you are the tank. Elbows tucked, hips drawn forward, shoulders rounding over my knees. Head up and watching or head down and watching more slyly. Paws always politely tucked and tail bookmarking your place in my next. I pet you and you purr, content to wait with senses open and ready to swat any of the younger muses who might come and distract me away from my work.

Good kitty. I am certain you control gravity, if not always grace. This I know for sure for it is you who decides when I rise and when I write. A meticulous feline prowess that I will never fight unless my bladder tells me to.

Now if only you could keep me off Facebook.

[Pictured: Muse Mowgli, king of all muses with his ferocious albeit teeny meow.]

Music thrumming in my ears. Muse-cats within reach. Honey dulling the bitterness of tea and keyboard at the ready.

The words are waiting for me to pluck them from the air, like buttered butterflies I dip them in starlight before savoring on my tongue. An abundant treat with a rare taste.

I’m longing.

Tonight, like every night, is a night to begin.

[Edit #2: Elpis is back on the map (what a busy week for Adam!) as of a surge of users and reviews. Don't forget to show your support!]

Finally!

I know this might seem kind of pointless but as a blogger when I feel compelled to share… well, here it is.

Dear Fellow Writers,

I know you have attention-span issues. I know against your better judgment you find yourself on the internet far more often than the next chapter of your novel. I know you try to fight this urge using a variety of different means.

I also know a lot of you, like me, need music to concentrate and, also like me, if you’re not careful this attempt at concentration can become distraction waiting to lure you down the path of procrastination.

Especially if you’re listening to Pandora.

(ooo,… I make it sound so devious, no?)

Pandora is an online music service, streaming, blah, blah, blah. Normally I use Last.FM on my computer but as I’ve embraced the mobile age and LFM charges (a very tiny) monthly fee for mobile users I’ve been forced out of my natural habitat.

Not to say Pandora is bad or anything, I’m just picky, hate commercials, loath ads in general, like the word scrobble and all the many services it can be connected to. That said, as I have been using Pandora lately with my writing and I’m a creature of habit I’ve been tuning in at home too which also happens to be where I get my most important writing done.

The problem?

Let’s start with the continuously open FireFox page with blinking and winking shinies that flirt with me whenever I go to like, dislike or quickly kill a track before it can putrify my ears… when it starts playing rap on a station you’ve cultivated toward softer tones… you know what I’m talking about. It just has to be done sometimes.

Ads are distracting (commercials are unavoidable on free Pandora so I’ll ignore that). A browser being open at all is dangerous to the attention-span even if you leave it minimized 90% of the time. You see your toolbar and go, ‘well, while I have this up I might as well check my email.’ Or Facebook or whatever and you know each one of those leads to a whole new set of distractions.

Each one which kills valuable writing time.

My point and solution?

Just as I have a desktop client for Last.FM I now have one for Pandora.

Why is this worth sharing with the rest of the blogosphere?

Because I had to go through three sets of software before finding one that works.

Starting from the beginning:

• Googled Pandora and desktop.
• Went directly to the official Pandora website.
• Discovered they have a beautiful application… and that I’d have to pay in order to use it.
• Went back to Google.
• Amended my search, Pandora desktop free.

Found a lovely post naming off seven decent sounding softwares and tried out the first one that met my needs according to the summary. OpenPandora.

Alas, I’d discovered from the home site that OpenPandora hadn’t been updated since 2009’ish. Well the post I was reading ‘about’ OP in was fairly recent so I ‘assumed’ they must have tried it out first, right? Well if they did they must have had an ancient (by contemporary standards) computer because when I installed that beast it did nothing so I went back to the home site where it tells me if beta # whatever doesn’t work try an earlier one.

Don’t eat my soul for trying out betaware. I do know better but c’mon. I was desperate.

So I tried the earlier version. Didn’t do shit and I had to manually uninstall it. Manual as in it doesn’t show up in control panel and you can’t simply type any fragment into your search bar. I have an awesome computer, stuff like that should nada happen!

Next I tried the second software that seemed it would meet my needs. Screenshots showed it was browser based but cut out a lot of jarble-garble-distractions and didn’t provide access to all the other browser based junk that might lead you astray. It was called Pandora’s Box.

Now what do we learn in school, children? Nothing good comes out of that damn box!

It worked if working is what you’d call it. Opened, glitched every time I clicked like or dislike, setting, just about anything. I clicked to view the boasted about lyrics window- nada. Bunch of error messages alerting me to a scripting error before IE of all things pops up with a lyric search sight. Just awesome and to top it off none of the controls worked from the launch bar so you had to have the little unresizeable browser square open at all times.

Well, shit.

Uninstalled, closed out the post without wasting my time on their ‘lesser’ recommended blargles and went back to Google.

Found Elpis.

Immediately wary I go to the home site instead of wasting my time reading the review. It’s sparse but recent.

• Updated, check.
• Free, check.
• Pretty, check.
• Simple, check.

My only worry was that it happens to be betaware BUT… so far so good. I’ve been listening to it for the past two hours compared to the nine and a half minutes I tried to put up with Pandora’s Box out of sheer desperation.

I could give you a review about how simplistically awesome and totally not distracting it is while remaining perfectly functional or you could reread the above and decide you don’t want to waste your precious writing time trying other things.

My only regret is that it doesn’t scrobble.

Elpis – http://www.adamhaile.net/projects/elpis/

Android users, if you’re using Natural Notes (free) upgrade it or say goodbye to your backups. Even if it claims to have created an export file it. Is. Lying.

No wonder the pro version backs up in .txt files instead.

I haven’t purchased pro, I might seeing as aside from this I do like the app and it’s only two bucks but in the mean time I’m using another program to store and SAVE my more important writing.