On novels and biscuits

Hello all! I realise it has been far too long since I last posted!
Yeah, I've been busy.
Writing a novel.
So for any of you that don't know National Novel Writing Month, go check it out RIGHT NOW, here --> NaNoWriMo :)
Thank me later.
So April and July are both Camp NaNoWriMo, where the goals are a little more customisable and you can be a rebel and do stuff like play scripts, old unfinished things... you get the idea.
And for anyone who hadn't realised...
...it's July.
I'm writing a novel, people.
And with bourbons, life is good.

Routines

As the title says. I have many routines and things I have to go through. They're really, really bizarre. For example:

• When I eat breakfast I chew on the left side of my mouth, when I eat lunch I chew on both sides and when I eat dinner I chew on the right side. I had this conversation earlier today so I thought I'd mention it.
• I count my steps everywhere I walk. (I remember two weeks ago it was exactly 3333 steps to my friend's house)
• Do you get the idea?

So yes, I am weirdly obsessive about routines and...I don't even know. Writing my story now :)

I don't even know...

Okay, so I've kind of abandoned this for a while now and resorted to twitter @tobeyisabel, but I'm posting again so it's not completely neglected :)

Some Things:

• Wrote a poem for Mother's Day...
• Doing very little with my life...
• I don't even know...

Bleh...see, this is why I haven't posted in a while...there is NOTHING to say. I feel so sad - my life isn't even worth talking about *wallows in self pity and then slaps self* Right, that's enough of that, my friend. Uh-oh. Here is a classic example of the first sign of craziness...Ah well, I knew it would catch up with me eventually.

So yes. My life is incredibly boring. Aside from that, I'm in a choir now, which is nice, and stuff like that. So...yeah... 

Some things...

Ack...I think I am actually drowning in work. I have so much to do, it makes me want to fall down and just forget...Maybe I should move to Brazil and work in a bar for the rest of my life...No.
So we got back from Devon, I finished my story in time and I'm happy to say it seems to have been thoroughly enjoyed. it was a lovely holiday and I was definitely happy to get away for a while (no laptop = no blog, no twitter, no email & also no mobile signal... incommunicado!)
That's all - I know it's a short post but I seem to have run out of things to say, which is surprising. Probably something to do with my depressingly large pile of papers waiting to be written. Hm.

Devon

On Friday we're setting off to Devon to stay in a time-share in Hope Barton and hopefully see some friends down there who - due to the distance - we don't often meet up with.
Other things:

• It was my Dad's birthday yesterday
• I haven't finished his present yet
• It's a top priority
• It's not finished
• IT'S NOT FINISHED!

So yeah...I'm trying to finish off something I've been writing for him, but I need a little longer and we leave tomorrow so I basically have this evening and then whatever time I can scrounge tomorrow to type furiously and then email it to my kindle (family rule is no laptops on holiday so you won't hear from me for another week or so).
Just thought I'd resurrect myself long enough to update and say I'm not dead, which is a point that could be argued. Done that, sinking back down to the grave of deadlines...

Art :)

 Just some random stuff, thought I'd upload it. Copyright: © 2013 Tobey Aitken

Newcastle weekend!

This weekend we went up to Newcastle to visit my aunt and cousin, which was lovely! Briana watched rather a lot of television (we don't have one at home) and I mostly ransacked the bookshelves and wore my phone battery down listening to music. We had a nice walk around Tynemouth and had lunch in a great pub! Nothing else to add, except to mention the enormous workload waiting for me when I get home!

Book Review - Furies of Calderon

Having a one-song phase - Paperthin Hymn by Anberlin. I thought today I would write a quick review of the first book of my favourite series, the Codex Alera by Jim Butcher.
*spoilers alert* Just so you know ;)
There are a lot of themes and characters in this book. But first, the world. It's very elaborate and original, especially the magic system. Furies are a common part of life in Alera, as everyone can summon and use different types - everyone except Tavi, the main character. There are water furies, fire furies, earth and air furies and also metal and wood furies. The beginning of the book explores the concept of the act of one single individual affecting everyone. The actual act is irrelevant, but Tavi ends up caught out in a furystorm with a Cursor (a spy for the Crown) posing as a slave.
The story continues, weaving politics, treachery and love into a seamless whole with beautifully developed characters. I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone looking for a brilliantly written fantasy book. Five stars without a thought. WARNING: if you buy this, be prepared to spend money on the others as well.   Jim Butcher, I salute you. These are some of the best books I've read since Garth Nix did the Abhorsen trilogy.

Uploaded digital attempt

Okay, so I finished it, as I mentioned a few posts ago :)
It's too...soft. I don't know... or something...The shading isn't realistic, and even close up where you can see the proper textures it doesn't look right. Of course, it isn't really supposed to, but I hoped I'd learn how to do that along the way. Unfortunately, I'm none the wiser.
Ah well. For my very first proper try, I'm actually pretty happy with it so woo! (*whispers* it looks a bit like a raccoon...)
Anyway, nothing new here really, just drawing dragons and being insane :] Still playing Alanis Morissette on guitar, shopping at Morrison's and running around till point of collapse, so life is normal!

Snow

Snow! Yay! Not that I particularly like the stuff (cold, wet, uncomfortable, potential missile etc.) but it's an excuse not to do anything or go anywhere for at least a few days, so yeah. Gone crazy on Alanis Morissette, and I'm playing a couple of my favourites on guitar - namely, Simple Together, You Owe Me Nothing In Return, and Thank You.
It makes my fingers hurt. Lots.
Anyway, as a conclusion, life is good! I haven't been exactly regular  on here, but I haven't had a gap longer than a fortnight so far, and I've been going over a full month (not a huge amount, but...)
Trying to be positive and optimistic, which is out of character, and constantly amazed at human ingenuity (holographic universe, anyone? what is that anyway?)
Smiles and rainbows, everyone!

New Music 'n' stuff

Yay! I'm listening to Imagine Dragons (which Grace, Shadow and Wanda highly appreciate) and loving it! I haven't had much time for art recently as I've been insanely busy - however I have at last finished my most recent digital art attempt, which is telling me I need to learn how to shade properly :] But...it's actually okay! I plonked it on top of an old forest scene speedpaint and it works quite well so I'm happy.
Tired... and kinda running on fumes rather than fuel if you get what I mean, but there you have it! I need more sleep. You kinda go through everything like nothing's happening and you don't hear when people talk to you or you don't have the energy to come up with an insulting comment (which in my case is really worrying).
And you stress when you break a nail, and then feel really clichéd...I did that today...
Ah well! I'm going to bed now so I can wake up all rested and better. :-D

New Lodger

No more Christmas holidays! We have a new lodger coming to stay with us, Annette Wessman. She is visiting us today and moving her things into the room, and moving in fully in March, when she comes back from her holiday in Germany.
To be honest, life's pretty quiet at the moment - but that's to be enjoyed as much as anything. I listened ot the dawn chorus this morning and found it beautiful that all the creatures in the world, although man thinks of himself as the dominant species, consider us a minor factor in their lives.
I have got my hands on the Codex Alera series by Jim Butcher and love them! I'm awaiting the fourth one (Amazon delivery, but I got the first 3 on Kindle) with eager anticipation. The way he weaves his story is amazing, and because of all the characters who have different viewpoints, the sub-plots are both intricate and fascinating. The characters are well-developed and the reader understands their motivations, decisions and feelings.
Oh, I love getting new books. (sigh)

Art

So this is the WIP (work in progress) of my latest attempt at digital art. Sorry for the watermark but it's necessary! I'll probably enlarge the canvas I'm working on and add a background but for now I'm just trying to flesh out the detail. I scanned in a basic line-art sketch and added colour over a few different layers. It started out red but then I remembered that I have some weird problem with shading in red, so I changed it. Being critical, I really don't like most of the shading but it's very experimental at the moment so if I remember to post the finished product it'll probably look totally different. I'm more used to working with traditional media so I don't really know what I'm doing, but I love my Undo button, seriously. I like the freedom of digital art - being able to do tiny details by zooming in, and seeing it all in full. I don't want to let go of traditional art either but I think both can produce equally beautiful results.