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Fall Updates!
Posted 9 years agoI just realized I'd made a journal and uploaded some guest art to the gallery....right around what I'm thinking was when FA went down and lost that week's worth of data. D: I know I uploaded some of the things I'm about to share already, so that sucks that I lost the time and effort I put in to uploading that stuff, as well as the lovely +favs and comments from you guys! LAME.
Sorry about the reupload, but it should have come sooner, haha.
New chapter is almost done and I am SO excited to share it with you guys! Feels good to be back in my groove. Cooler weather tends to have that effect on me! I hope you guys enjoy the new work from some very talented artists in the mean time. <3
Sorry about the reupload, but it should have come sooner, haha.
New chapter is almost done and I am SO excited to share it with you guys! Feels good to be back in my groove. Cooler weather tends to have that effect on me! I hope you guys enjoy the new work from some very talented artists in the mean time. <3
Still Alive + Updates!
Posted 9 years agoI'm still kickin' over here and so is my story! Honestly, I'm involuntarily getting old and losing track of time. I had no idea it'd been so long since the last chapter, and for that, I apologize! It seriously feels like I just uploaded Chapter 22 a couple months ago. D:
Anyway, I'm also behind on sharing Guest Art with you guys, so while I finish Chapter 23, I'll be uploading things off and on. I have pieces from last Summer/Fall that haven't even been shared, so I'm definitely behind!
Thanks as always for being so patient. Seventh Ring is still my baby and always on my mind. Due to that involuntary aging problem I mentioned before, it's just hard to find the time to completely focus on it when Life's Other Priorities creep into my day. I'll get there, though! The story is well past the halfway point so it's all down hill from here. :D
Anyway, I'm also behind on sharing Guest Art with you guys, so while I finish Chapter 23, I'll be uploading things off and on. I have pieces from last Summer/Fall that haven't even been shared, so I'm definitely behind!
Thanks as always for being so patient. Seventh Ring is still my baby and always on my mind. Due to that involuntary aging problem I mentioned before, it's just hard to find the time to completely focus on it when Life's Other Priorities creep into my day. I'll get there, though! The story is well past the halfway point so it's all down hill from here. :D
Seventh Ring: Chapter 22 Teaser!
Posted 10 years agoYou guys remember what it means when I upload new Seventh Ring guest art, right? Yep, that's my way of gearing you up for the posting of a new chapter and putting you guys back "in the mood." XD I know it's been a while!
With some other obligations out of the way for now, I'm going to spend some time uploading some Guest Art and possibly trying to make new "general" chapter art. I noticed the preview/thumbnail image I used for those first few chapters is horrendous, so I think I need to remake it.
So tomorrow/Wednesday night is the night, folks! Chapter 22 is edited and ready for sharing, just putting final touches on the illustration right now. Which (because I'm a mean and terrible person) you can see a li'l sneak peek of here: http://sta.sh/01msdkxu2q74
Wtf is going on, you ask? I guess you'll have to wait and see. c:<
With some other obligations out of the way for now, I'm going to spend some time uploading some Guest Art and possibly trying to make new "general" chapter art. I noticed the preview/thumbnail image I used for those first few chapters is horrendous, so I think I need to remake it.
So tomorrow/Wednesday night is the night, folks! Chapter 22 is edited and ready for sharing, just putting final touches on the illustration right now. Which (because I'm a mean and terrible person) you can see a li'l sneak peek of here: http://sta.sh/01msdkxu2q74
Wtf is going on, you ask? I guess you'll have to wait and see. c:<
Seventh Ring: Chapter 22 is....
Posted 10 years ago....done.
Finally, finally done. I figured everything out and forced myself to focus, sit down, and write it out the past few days. I know it's been forever since Chapter 21, but I think I needed the break and time to work things out. I know I mentioned some story issues and such that needed work and serious thought before I moved forward, and I THINK I have them sorted now. OTL
At this point, Chapter 22 just needs to be edited a bit and fleshed out. It's super raw right now. I'm aiming to have it posted this week if possible. I'll be working on the art for the chapter this week as well while it is being edited and reviewed! It's a good one and once I wrote beyond the part that was giving me issues, it all just flowed out and I really enjoyed it and had fun. This chapter is a doozy, let me tell you. D:
Thanks for being patient, guys, as always! With as much as I want Seventh Ring to be a novel, I refuse to "force" the story to be finished before it's ready. I'll have another update soon!
Finally, finally done. I figured everything out and forced myself to focus, sit down, and write it out the past few days. I know it's been forever since Chapter 21, but I think I needed the break and time to work things out. I know I mentioned some story issues and such that needed work and serious thought before I moved forward, and I THINK I have them sorted now. OTL
At this point, Chapter 22 just needs to be edited a bit and fleshed out. It's super raw right now. I'm aiming to have it posted this week if possible. I'll be working on the art for the chapter this week as well while it is being edited and reviewed! It's a good one and once I wrote beyond the part that was giving me issues, it all just flowed out and I really enjoyed it and had fun. This chapter is a doozy, let me tell you. D:
Thanks for being patient, guys, as always! With as much as I want Seventh Ring to be a novel, I refuse to "force" the story to be finished before it's ready. I'll have another update soon!
Seventh Ring Readers: Important Announcement - Please Read
Posted 10 years agoThis journal is very, very important and I highly recommend you read it entirely if you're a fan of Seventh Ring.
I've pretty much sat on this decision (and journal) for a week and debated on how I wanted to handle announcing it and all. I discussed it with my peers and IRL fans of the story, and basically, I've decided that if I want other people to take the Seventh Ring project seriously, I need to take it seriously as well.
I realize where I want to go with Seventh Ring and what I ultimately want to do with it. You guys may recall that I posted a poll several months back asking if you guys could only have ONE thing, what would you choose? Seventh Ring as a novel, or a graphic novel? Surprisingly (to me), the poll was nearly 50/50, with a novel version having only one more vote than the graphic novel.
Personally, I voted for a graphic novel, as I'm a visual person. I majored in Animation in college, for crying out loud, and I see the story playing out very cinematically in my head while I'm writing. So I thought that was the direction I would go -- finish writing out the bare bones of the story just to have it finalized in my head and ready for creation in a visual format.
But I've changed my mind.
If I am completely honest with myself, I do not think I am capable of making Seventh Ring into a graphic novel. It would take YEARS to do, and I doubt it would ever ultimately be finished. I wrote the first chapter of the story in August 2011, so almost 4 years ago, and it STILL inspires me to finish it and I have not lost interest. But it's been 4 years and I'm not even finished with the written version yet, so how long would a drawn version take me? The longer the project drags on, the sooner I may begin losing interest and wanting to explore other stories. I have them, but have kept them hidden in the back of my mind because Seventh Ring was first and deserves my attention. I worry that eventually, I could come to resent it for stifling my other ideas. It's difficult for me, as a storyteller, to stay focused on one story for so very long, and I don't want to push my luck.
I also considered the fact that I will be 30 in August. I'm fortunate to have developed a career that allows me to work normal hours and have weekends and evenings off (and also offers me job security). But as I get older, life will happen. In the next few years, we would like to potentially have a kid. That could change my evenings a bit and make working on a graphic novel somewhat more difficult, haha.
So the story must be written as a novel and published, ideally within a year (meaning I want to be finished writing it in a year). I feel it is the only realistic way for me to tell it, as writing takes far less energy and ability for me (personally) than trying to draw comic panels. I'm not experienced enough in comics and have, admittedly, allowed my art to stagnate over the years. I feel I've fallen behind, and the idea of drawing a space ship or robot or anything technical or extremely complex intimidates me too much to even try. It might sound cowardly, but again, I'm trying to be realistic with my own expectations. I know my limits, and most importantly, I know myself. I've lived with myself for 30 years and honestly told myself (and my husband) last Friday that a graphic novel will never happen of Seventh Ring. Not by my hand. But the story MUST be told and the project MUST be finished. I refuse to let it die. A novel. I can do that. It will be hard and will require almost a complete rewrite of probably all the chapters, but the story itself is finished in my mind (meaning all the dots connect).
Here is where I feel you guys may not be entirely happy with me. I gave myself the entire week to think about this. At first, I was going to tell you all that I was planning on no longer uploading the story online, as I worried about copyright issues and someone trying to steal my work. Slim chance, but even the chance scared me. Then I talked it out and decided I will continue to provide the "bare bones" chapters, as I always have, where there's not a lot of meat, just the story (I need to write them out anyway). You guys may have noticed I never went into much detail about what the characters looked like or their environments, because I was relying on people to look at the artwork for reference. So for now, I will continue to write the chapters out like that, then go back and rework each chapter and add the meat to the bones. I will continue to share the story with you all via those bare bones chapters, but...I will stop sharing the chapters online once I reach a certain point (maybe around chapter 35 or so. There will be at least 40 chapters, I think).
I'm warning you guys in advance because I want you to be prepared and know what to expect (and why). Like I said in the beginning of this journal -- if I want people to take this story seriously, I also need to start taking it seriously. Ideally, I would like the following/fans of Seventh Ring to grow as I work on it and produce more art and things on the side. Because I would eventually like to sell copies of the printed book, if I tell the entire story online for free, there's not much incentive to buy it, you know? The book itself will NOT be the same as what I share online, so even long-time readers may enjoy owning a copy and seeing it in a more "professional," well-rounded format. What I share are raw bones -- no editing, meat, fur, etc. The book will be much more descriptive and ideally, detail-rich. My writing has improved over the last couple of years, so I will apply that skill to older chapters, too, and give them a facelift (and have my personal editor help me out, too).
Speaking of "building up followers and hype," I realized what I can do. I will create character sheets, full biographies, character line-ups, illustrations of scenes, and, yes, comics of scenes that happen. The comics, however, will be short and only a few pages, max. I still like the idea of Seventh Ring in a visual format, but not ENTIRELY. I will still share short stories that will act as "bonus material" and not actually be covered in the book. Things like that to keep the art and information flowing without revealing the story itself and to ideally keep people interested in one day owning the book and seeing how all these pieces fall into place.
So. I'm sorry if this is at all disappointing and what I'm hoping is you guys will continue to support and cheer me on as you always have. I'm hoping this compromise is somewhat reasonable, as I really did try and take you guys into consideration with this decision and whether or not I should stop posting chapters all together until the book was done. That just didn't seem right or fair, especially since it could take a year to do, you know? So I'll share up until the "last season" of the story, then focus entirely on finishing it and adding in the meat. Once the book is ready for potential publishing, I will put all the bare bones chapters I've shared over the years into storage and possibly share the first revised chapter as a "teaser" so you guys can see how the rewrite sounds (and hopefully, you approve). Then I announce how you can buy a copy of the final book in all its final glory!
I'm not pretending like this will be a short or easy process, of course. But I like to plan and know what needs to be done next. And this seems like the next step in Seventh Ring's life as a project. I'm still excited about it and plugging away at Chapter 22. I'm going to try and bust them out as quickly as I can, though I may not be able to totally focus on it until mid-April or so. I'm looking forward to this though and am happy I've finally decided on a path I can take with this project. Something realistic and finite instead of this story just dragging out for years and years with no end in sight. I think that was starting to overwhelm me, so this realization happening couldn't have come at a better time.
If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to share. c: - goes back to working on the outline-
I've pretty much sat on this decision (and journal) for a week and debated on how I wanted to handle announcing it and all. I discussed it with my peers and IRL fans of the story, and basically, I've decided that if I want other people to take the Seventh Ring project seriously, I need to take it seriously as well.
I realize where I want to go with Seventh Ring and what I ultimately want to do with it. You guys may recall that I posted a poll several months back asking if you guys could only have ONE thing, what would you choose? Seventh Ring as a novel, or a graphic novel? Surprisingly (to me), the poll was nearly 50/50, with a novel version having only one more vote than the graphic novel.
Personally, I voted for a graphic novel, as I'm a visual person. I majored in Animation in college, for crying out loud, and I see the story playing out very cinematically in my head while I'm writing. So I thought that was the direction I would go -- finish writing out the bare bones of the story just to have it finalized in my head and ready for creation in a visual format.
But I've changed my mind.
If I am completely honest with myself, I do not think I am capable of making Seventh Ring into a graphic novel. It would take YEARS to do, and I doubt it would ever ultimately be finished. I wrote the first chapter of the story in August 2011, so almost 4 years ago, and it STILL inspires me to finish it and I have not lost interest. But it's been 4 years and I'm not even finished with the written version yet, so how long would a drawn version take me? The longer the project drags on, the sooner I may begin losing interest and wanting to explore other stories. I have them, but have kept them hidden in the back of my mind because Seventh Ring was first and deserves my attention. I worry that eventually, I could come to resent it for stifling my other ideas. It's difficult for me, as a storyteller, to stay focused on one story for so very long, and I don't want to push my luck.
I also considered the fact that I will be 30 in August. I'm fortunate to have developed a career that allows me to work normal hours and have weekends and evenings off (and also offers me job security). But as I get older, life will happen. In the next few years, we would like to potentially have a kid. That could change my evenings a bit and make working on a graphic novel somewhat more difficult, haha.
So the story must be written as a novel and published, ideally within a year (meaning I want to be finished writing it in a year). I feel it is the only realistic way for me to tell it, as writing takes far less energy and ability for me (personally) than trying to draw comic panels. I'm not experienced enough in comics and have, admittedly, allowed my art to stagnate over the years. I feel I've fallen behind, and the idea of drawing a space ship or robot or anything technical or extremely complex intimidates me too much to even try. It might sound cowardly, but again, I'm trying to be realistic with my own expectations. I know my limits, and most importantly, I know myself. I've lived with myself for 30 years and honestly told myself (and my husband) last Friday that a graphic novel will never happen of Seventh Ring. Not by my hand. But the story MUST be told and the project MUST be finished. I refuse to let it die. A novel. I can do that. It will be hard and will require almost a complete rewrite of probably all the chapters, but the story itself is finished in my mind (meaning all the dots connect).
Here is where I feel you guys may not be entirely happy with me. I gave myself the entire week to think about this. At first, I was going to tell you all that I was planning on no longer uploading the story online, as I worried about copyright issues and someone trying to steal my work. Slim chance, but even the chance scared me. Then I talked it out and decided I will continue to provide the "bare bones" chapters, as I always have, where there's not a lot of meat, just the story (I need to write them out anyway). You guys may have noticed I never went into much detail about what the characters looked like or their environments, because I was relying on people to look at the artwork for reference. So for now, I will continue to write the chapters out like that, then go back and rework each chapter and add the meat to the bones. I will continue to share the story with you all via those bare bones chapters, but...I will stop sharing the chapters online once I reach a certain point (maybe around chapter 35 or so. There will be at least 40 chapters, I think).
I'm warning you guys in advance because I want you to be prepared and know what to expect (and why). Like I said in the beginning of this journal -- if I want people to take this story seriously, I also need to start taking it seriously. Ideally, I would like the following/fans of Seventh Ring to grow as I work on it and produce more art and things on the side. Because I would eventually like to sell copies of the printed book, if I tell the entire story online for free, there's not much incentive to buy it, you know? The book itself will NOT be the same as what I share online, so even long-time readers may enjoy owning a copy and seeing it in a more "professional," well-rounded format. What I share are raw bones -- no editing, meat, fur, etc. The book will be much more descriptive and ideally, detail-rich. My writing has improved over the last couple of years, so I will apply that skill to older chapters, too, and give them a facelift (and have my personal editor help me out, too).
Speaking of "building up followers and hype," I realized what I can do. I will create character sheets, full biographies, character line-ups, illustrations of scenes, and, yes, comics of scenes that happen. The comics, however, will be short and only a few pages, max. I still like the idea of Seventh Ring in a visual format, but not ENTIRELY. I will still share short stories that will act as "bonus material" and not actually be covered in the book. Things like that to keep the art and information flowing without revealing the story itself and to ideally keep people interested in one day owning the book and seeing how all these pieces fall into place.
So. I'm sorry if this is at all disappointing and what I'm hoping is you guys will continue to support and cheer me on as you always have. I'm hoping this compromise is somewhat reasonable, as I really did try and take you guys into consideration with this decision and whether or not I should stop posting chapters all together until the book was done. That just didn't seem right or fair, especially since it could take a year to do, you know? So I'll share up until the "last season" of the story, then focus entirely on finishing it and adding in the meat. Once the book is ready for potential publishing, I will put all the bare bones chapters I've shared over the years into storage and possibly share the first revised chapter as a "teaser" so you guys can see how the rewrite sounds (and hopefully, you approve). Then I announce how you can buy a copy of the final book in all its final glory!
I'm not pretending like this will be a short or easy process, of course. But I like to plan and know what needs to be done next. And this seems like the next step in Seventh Ring's life as a project. I'm still excited about it and plugging away at Chapter 22. I'm going to try and bust them out as quickly as I can, though I may not be able to totally focus on it until mid-April or so. I'm looking forward to this though and am happy I've finally decided on a path I can take with this project. Something realistic and finite instead of this story just dragging out for years and years with no end in sight. I think that was starting to overwhelm me, so this realization happening couldn't have come at a better time.
If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to share. c: - goes back to working on the outline-
Seventh Ring Updates
Posted 10 years agoBelieve it or not, work on Seventh Ring has actually been happening, but I've hit a bit of a wall regarding a piece of the story that is really the tip of a rather large plot point iceberg. D: It's really important that I nail down this concept in its entirety before I finish writing the next chapter, as what happens within it and in the future of the story depends on this piece. And unfortunately, it deals with a lot of things I'm not familiar with -- like military, politics, and even government.
I have some artistic liberties since the story takes place in the future, which means I can make things up and you guys will just smile and nod when you read it, lol. It's not important to me that every single piece makes sense and is logical, as I told myself from the beginning that I wouldn't take this story TOO seriously. I love it, it's my baby, but if I try and "logic it to death," I'll truly kill it and lose interest. I'm treading very carefully now while I work this all out.
Just a heads up in case you guys were wondering what the HELL is going on, haha. I'm trying to work things out as quickly as I can while researching the feasibility of some of my ideas. D: It's been a process, but I'm working through it.
In the mean time, I may type up a few (short) back stories for some of the cast and include some illustrations to go with them. Just little things I've been thinking about that wouldn't be covered in the story itself, so they're sort of like "bonus material" to get to know the characters and the world they live in a bit better. :3c
I have some artistic liberties since the story takes place in the future, which means I can make things up and you guys will just smile and nod when you read it, lol. It's not important to me that every single piece makes sense and is logical, as I told myself from the beginning that I wouldn't take this story TOO seriously. I love it, it's my baby, but if I try and "logic it to death," I'll truly kill it and lose interest. I'm treading very carefully now while I work this all out.
Just a heads up in case you guys were wondering what the HELL is going on, haha. I'm trying to work things out as quickly as I can while researching the feasibility of some of my ideas. D: It's been a process, but I'm working through it.
In the mean time, I may type up a few (short) back stories for some of the cast and include some illustrations to go with them. Just little things I've been thinking about that wouldn't be covered in the story itself, so they're sort of like "bonus material" to get to know the characters and the world they live in a bit better. :3c
Seventh Ring Readers: What Do You Love/Hate? Need Feedback!
Posted 11 years agoI got to thinking about something recently and I have a request for my Seventh Ring readers and fans of the story. Especially those who have gone and marathoned through the chapters in the last few weeks (you still have my sincere thanks and I feel so honored that you dedicated so much time to reading my work <3).
What do you like about Seventh Ring and what makes you keep reading it or wanting to continue reading it?
Before anyone scoffs and assumes I'm looking for an asspat-session, fear not. I'll take both good AND "bad"/constructive feedback, with one caveat: I'm not looking for critique on my writing style, as I am certainly no pro writer by any means and I have nothing but a couple of creative writing classes under my belt from high school and college. I'm asking specifically about the story, characters, flow of the story itself, things that may have confused you while you were reading, things you felt made no sense, etc.
The reason I'm asking (especially my newer readers) is that I have been writing the story for just over three years now. I go through periods of writing like a maniac and pumping out chapters, to periods of inactivity due to either IRL things or temporary lack of interest in writing. Some of you guys may not know this, but my creativity is extremely eclectic. I constantly bounce between drawing, making costumes, sewing plush, AND writing. So I'm always all over the place but have consistently returned to writing and working on Seventh Ring throughout the years. I apologize for not being able to control my artistic-ADD, but I've always been this way. Just know, I DO finish all my projects eventually.
With all that said -- I realized that when I go to write a new chapter, I don't read through every chapter before it. So sometimes, I have things happen or situations arise that I don't remember happened already in an earlier chapter. I caught myself in that situation with this most recent chapter, which made me go back and verify something similar had already been mentioned.
So I will need extra eyes to catch things I may not have realized or noticed. I never claimed this story would be perfect, but if I'm ever going to transform it into a graphic novel, I need to secure the story and work out the kinks now. Ideally, I'd like to go chapter by chapter when it comes time to make this into a visual story. And before then, it must be as perfect as I can get it in my eyes.
Any feedback, however long or short, is appreciated! If you have nothing but good things to say (what you love about it), that's fine. If you have nothing but bad to say (what you hate about it), that's fine too. Be civil and respectful, of course. c: Thanks guys!
PS: Yes, you can "hate" that the updates on the story are infrequent and chapters need to come out more often. That one I know already and agree with! D:
What do you like about Seventh Ring and what makes you keep reading it or wanting to continue reading it?
Before anyone scoffs and assumes I'm looking for an asspat-session, fear not. I'll take both good AND "bad"/constructive feedback, with one caveat: I'm not looking for critique on my writing style, as I am certainly no pro writer by any means and I have nothing but a couple of creative writing classes under my belt from high school and college. I'm asking specifically about the story, characters, flow of the story itself, things that may have confused you while you were reading, things you felt made no sense, etc.
The reason I'm asking (especially my newer readers) is that I have been writing the story for just over three years now. I go through periods of writing like a maniac and pumping out chapters, to periods of inactivity due to either IRL things or temporary lack of interest in writing. Some of you guys may not know this, but my creativity is extremely eclectic. I constantly bounce between drawing, making costumes, sewing plush, AND writing. So I'm always all over the place but have consistently returned to writing and working on Seventh Ring throughout the years. I apologize for not being able to control my artistic-ADD, but I've always been this way. Just know, I DO finish all my projects eventually.
With all that said -- I realized that when I go to write a new chapter, I don't read through every chapter before it. So sometimes, I have things happen or situations arise that I don't remember happened already in an earlier chapter. I caught myself in that situation with this most recent chapter, which made me go back and verify something similar had already been mentioned.
So I will need extra eyes to catch things I may not have realized or noticed. I never claimed this story would be perfect, but if I'm ever going to transform it into a graphic novel, I need to secure the story and work out the kinks now. Ideally, I'd like to go chapter by chapter when it comes time to make this into a visual story. And before then, it must be as perfect as I can get it in my eyes.
Any feedback, however long or short, is appreciated! If you have nothing but good things to say (what you love about it), that's fine. If you have nothing but bad to say (what you hate about it), that's fine too. Be civil and respectful, of course. c: Thanks guys!
PS: Yes, you can "hate" that the updates on the story are infrequent and chapters need to come out more often. That one I know already and agree with! D:
Hint...
Posted 11 years agoIn case no one noticed or made this connection in the past...typically, before I upload a new chapter of Seventh Ring, I precede it by uploading some recent Guest Art. You know, just to get you guys excited again and back in the mood for more story. ;P
I'm a little backed up in sharing my recent commissions, so...guess I should get caught up. Just in case I need to get another chapter posted soon.
You know. Just in case one is coming. Soon.
mwahahahaha
I'm a little backed up in sharing my recent commissions, so...guess I should get caught up. Just in case I need to get another chapter posted soon.
You know. Just in case one is coming. Soon.
mwahahahaha
Guest Art Dump Ahead!
Posted 11 years agoI have a TON of art I will be uploading over the course of the next couple of days for Seventh Ring. All created by other artists via commissions, trades, and gifts. I'm quite a bit behind in sharing them with you guys, as I sort of forgot to post them. :B I know, I'm awful. But there are some real gems in this batch that I'm excited to share with you all! I love showcasing the art others have done for me that they may not have the time to share themselves. These pieces deserve to be seen by more eyes than just my own.
Of course, this is also my way of giving you all a dose of Seventh Ring without doing the work myself. -cough- It may also be a way for me to distract you all while I try and finish Chapter 20....D:
I'll have more art to share tomorrow!
Of course, this is also my way of giving you all a dose of Seventh Ring without doing the work myself. -cough- It may also be a way for me to distract you all while I try and finish Chapter 20....D:
I'll have more art to share tomorrow!
Updates!
Posted 11 years agoSorry for being so quiet over here! If you know anything about me, it's that even when I'm quiet, there's likely still something creative in the works. I'm pretty much always doing something unless I'm sick. XD
So! I don't think I mentioned this on this account, but this year, jakejynx and I are planning to buy a house. Everything is moving into position now, as we are nearing our down payment goal and will soon begin the pre-approval process in April. After we know how much we can afford, we will start looking! We're both very excited about this, as we've lived in the same crappy neighborhoods in the same crappy city for over ten years. We're ready to move up and move out! That, and we're tired of paying rent and throwing our money down the toilet.
What this means is, I will be active and trying to find ways to bring in as much money as possible over the course of the next few months. Anything that will help us pay for moving expenses, inspections, and all that other good stuff that comes with moving to a new place is what I'm trying to secure. I think we're doing well and should be ready for April, but you never know.
I will be updating Seventh Ring as soon as I can, but it has definitely taken a backseat to everything else. The new project I have in the works is something fun and easy for me to do on the side. It allows me to relax and hang out with jakejynx while he works on costumes.
Also, I am in the process of preparing for our first convention of the year next month! So this new project will mainly be debuting there and will hopefully help pull in some decent sales which again, can go towards the house (see the theme here? lol).
I have Chapter 20 in the works, as well as some awesome Seventh Ring-related commissions and things I'd like to share that I've received lately, so I will upload that stuff as soon as I have some spare time. I'm always around, just busy! This should be an exciting year for us and I hope you guys will continue to be awesomely patient with me regarding my writing updates. I very much appreciate it and apologize for the delay!
So! I don't think I mentioned this on this account, but this year, jakejynx and I are planning to buy a house. Everything is moving into position now, as we are nearing our down payment goal and will soon begin the pre-approval process in April. After we know how much we can afford, we will start looking! We're both very excited about this, as we've lived in the same crappy neighborhoods in the same crappy city for over ten years. We're ready to move up and move out! That, and we're tired of paying rent and throwing our money down the toilet.
What this means is, I will be active and trying to find ways to bring in as much money as possible over the course of the next few months. Anything that will help us pay for moving expenses, inspections, and all that other good stuff that comes with moving to a new place is what I'm trying to secure. I think we're doing well and should be ready for April, but you never know.
I will be updating Seventh Ring as soon as I can, but it has definitely taken a backseat to everything else. The new project I have in the works is something fun and easy for me to do on the side. It allows me to relax and hang out with jakejynx while he works on costumes.
Also, I am in the process of preparing for our first convention of the year next month! So this new project will mainly be debuting there and will hopefully help pull in some decent sales which again, can go towards the house (see the theme here? lol).
I have Chapter 20 in the works, as well as some awesome Seventh Ring-related commissions and things I'd like to share that I've received lately, so I will upload that stuff as soon as I have some spare time. I'm always around, just busy! This should be an exciting year for us and I hope you guys will continue to be awesomely patient with me regarding my writing updates. I very much appreciate it and apologize for the delay!
Seventh Ring Milestone
Posted 12 years agoSo with the completion of Chapter 19 (whew), I decided to condense all of the chapters into one giant Word document. I was honestly curious to know just how much writing I've actually done for the story so far over the last few years. And, I wanted to compare that to average manuscript sizes (counting both pages and word counts) for potential publishing purposes. Again, just curious.
Well, it turns out that the end of Chapter 19 lands the current story at 101 pages and 61,000 words! Normal fonts and all that, no double-spacing (when double-spaced, it's 197 pages). Typical novel sizes are between 240-480 double-spaced pages and 80,000-150,000 words.
This is cool to me because by the time I finish the story, I'm positive it will be at least 200 pages and 120,000 words. We're a little more than halfway through the story, folks, and there's a lot of story left to tell. It's strange, though-- part of me is panicking at the idea of getting this far into the story and actually sharing what I never thought I'd be able to share (meaning, I thought I'd give up by this point). It's almost more pressure when I think about it. I'm a pro at starting projects and then buggering off or losing interest. Thus far, Seventh Ring has been my longest on-going personal project ever. D: Whoa.
Anyway, just a cool little factoid I wanted to share with you guys. c: Thanks as always for your kind comments, support, and encouragement! I'm glad you all are enjoying the ride and I hope you stick around 'til the end. I'll try not to take as long in getting there as I've already spent getting to where I am now, haha.
Well, it turns out that the end of Chapter 19 lands the current story at 101 pages and 61,000 words! Normal fonts and all that, no double-spacing (when double-spaced, it's 197 pages). Typical novel sizes are between 240-480 double-spaced pages and 80,000-150,000 words.
This is cool to me because by the time I finish the story, I'm positive it will be at least 200 pages and 120,000 words. We're a little more than halfway through the story, folks, and there's a lot of story left to tell. It's strange, though-- part of me is panicking at the idea of getting this far into the story and actually sharing what I never thought I'd be able to share (meaning, I thought I'd give up by this point). It's almost more pressure when I think about it. I'm a pro at starting projects and then buggering off or losing interest. Thus far, Seventh Ring has been my longest on-going personal project ever. D: Whoa.
Anyway, just a cool little factoid I wanted to share with you guys. c: Thanks as always for your kind comments, support, and encouragement! I'm glad you all are enjoying the ride and I hope you stick around 'til the end. I'll try not to take as long in getting there as I've already spent getting to where I am now, haha.
Chapter 19...
Posted 12 years ago...you are completely kicking the shit out of me. It took me HOURS to write you, then edit you, then change you because you made no sense. Then I spent an hour just writing four tiny paragraphs to help you make more sense. And now, after you have finally beaten me to the point of never wanting to read you again, your chapter art is killing me.
Why did I choose to have some perspective? How did you manage to persuade me into drawing something so much more complicated than I could have done? Don't you know these nice people want to read you, and read you sooner rather than later? How can you do this to them, Chapter 19?
You are cruel and cunning and I admit defeat to you tonight. You have won and earned your bragging rights. I am done arguing with you and dealing with your complicated perspectives and mechanical bits that I am not accustomed to drawing.
Until we meet again. Tomorrow night. I WILL conquer you then. Mark me.
(in case this is not clear, all of chapter 19 is written and the chapter art is...drawn, I guess. I just need to finish the illustration, which I unfortunately could not do tonight because I am completely exhausted. I'll post it up tomorrow/Wednesday night for sure, though! The wait won't be much longer. :c )
Why did I choose to have some perspective? How did you manage to persuade me into drawing something so much more complicated than I could have done? Don't you know these nice people want to read you, and read you sooner rather than later? How can you do this to them, Chapter 19?
You are cruel and cunning and I admit defeat to you tonight. You have won and earned your bragging rights. I am done arguing with you and dealing with your complicated perspectives and mechanical bits that I am not accustomed to drawing.
Until we meet again. Tomorrow night. I WILL conquer you then. Mark me.
(in case this is not clear, all of chapter 19 is written and the chapter art is...drawn, I guess. I just need to finish the illustration, which I unfortunately could not do tonight because I am completely exhausted. I'll post it up tomorrow/Wednesday night for sure, though! The wait won't be much longer. :c )
SevRinWriMo + Seventh Ring's Future
Posted 12 years agoIt's that time of year again, folks! NaNoWriMo SevRinWriMo is this month, and while I cannot participate in the official writing challenge, I do like to dedicate the month to doing a lot of writing, just like I did last year.
Right now, the plan is for me to post one chapter every week this month. And that means yes, another chapter is due by tomorrow evening (and it will be done, though it will be a bit shorter than Chapter 16 which was freakishly long anyway and set the bar a bit too high, lol). So ideally, new chapters should be posted between Monday and Tuesday each week until December, which will take us right up to Chapter 19.
At the moment and just looking at a very loose timeline of events that need to happen in order to tell the story, it appears there will be between 30-35 chapters total. As I said in a previous journal, yes, Seventh Ring DOES have an ending (it's already planned and decided), I just don't know how many chapters it will take to get there. But I am aiming to get the written story finished within the next six months or so, but preferably less. Reason being is that I have plans to make this story into a graphic novel, but I would like to have the entire thing written and finished so I can begin the storyboarding process and finalize character designs, layouts, a couple of head maquettes, etc. before I begin the actual comic panels. There's a ton of pre-production work that needs to be finished, all of which I hope to share with you guys as time goes on.
Which leads me to December! While I will not be able to dedicate myself to completing one chapter every week, I would like to try and keep up with two chapters a month, or biweekly updates again. I couldn't keep to that schedule this year due to the amount of travel and IRL stress I had going on, but my focus is on getting all the writing done ASAP. And on that note, I do need to mention that while I am pretty picky about my writing normally, I've come to the conclusion that I need to put my perfectionism aside and just get the story out there, which means the quality of the writing may not be up to snuff with my writing style from when I first started (and intended this to be a quick short story, haha). I don't have a high opinion of my writing anyway, but in my mind, I will be lowering my standards for the sake of working through the story and not stopping to nitpick every single thing and rereading each chapter a million times before I share it. Rereading a chapter from start to finish over and over is part of what takes me so long.
So I am taking what I learned from writing for NaNoWriMo a few years ago (and totally pwning it) and applying it to Seventh Ring. I'm not going to constantly stop and reread, I'm going to just power through and clean it up later. I need to be more efficient if I'm ever going to finish what I've started. So I apologize in advance if you guys notice the change, but I'm hoping I will be the only one who really sees it.
I also have a two week vacation in December that I'm planning to use to do a lot of that pre-production work that I mentioned. I've already started working on some concept art and revamping Ari's reference sheet. I'm hoping to get a reference sheet done for each character that's been introduced in the story (that will help when it comes time to draw them in the comic). It'll be a lot of work, but I'll have a lot of time for once! You guys will see more next month.
All in all, exciting stuff is happening and I'm thrilled to see things moving along now that my biggest stressors of the year have passed. It feels good to flex my creative muscles again and get more of this story told. And of course, I have you guys to thank for all of your wonderful comments and encouragement you keep giving me. I doubt I could do it without you all, so I hope you enjoy the ride. ;)
Right now, the plan is for me to post one chapter every week this month. And that means yes, another chapter is due by tomorrow evening (and it will be done, though it will be a bit shorter than Chapter 16 which was freakishly long anyway and set the bar a bit too high, lol). So ideally, new chapters should be posted between Monday and Tuesday each week until December, which will take us right up to Chapter 19.
At the moment and just looking at a very loose timeline of events that need to happen in order to tell the story, it appears there will be between 30-35 chapters total. As I said in a previous journal, yes, Seventh Ring DOES have an ending (it's already planned and decided), I just don't know how many chapters it will take to get there. But I am aiming to get the written story finished within the next six months or so, but preferably less. Reason being is that I have plans to make this story into a graphic novel, but I would like to have the entire thing written and finished so I can begin the storyboarding process and finalize character designs, layouts, a couple of head maquettes, etc. before I begin the actual comic panels. There's a ton of pre-production work that needs to be finished, all of which I hope to share with you guys as time goes on.
Which leads me to December! While I will not be able to dedicate myself to completing one chapter every week, I would like to try and keep up with two chapters a month, or biweekly updates again. I couldn't keep to that schedule this year due to the amount of travel and IRL stress I had going on, but my focus is on getting all the writing done ASAP. And on that note, I do need to mention that while I am pretty picky about my writing normally, I've come to the conclusion that I need to put my perfectionism aside and just get the story out there, which means the quality of the writing may not be up to snuff with my writing style from when I first started (and intended this to be a quick short story, haha). I don't have a high opinion of my writing anyway, but in my mind, I will be lowering my standards for the sake of working through the story and not stopping to nitpick every single thing and rereading each chapter a million times before I share it. Rereading a chapter from start to finish over and over is part of what takes me so long.
So I am taking what I learned from writing for NaNoWriMo a few years ago (and totally pwning it) and applying it to Seventh Ring. I'm not going to constantly stop and reread, I'm going to just power through and clean it up later. I need to be more efficient if I'm ever going to finish what I've started. So I apologize in advance if you guys notice the change, but I'm hoping I will be the only one who really sees it.
I also have a two week vacation in December that I'm planning to use to do a lot of that pre-production work that I mentioned. I've already started working on some concept art and revamping Ari's reference sheet. I'm hoping to get a reference sheet done for each character that's been introduced in the story (that will help when it comes time to draw them in the comic). It'll be a lot of work, but I'll have a lot of time for once! You guys will see more next month.
All in all, exciting stuff is happening and I'm thrilled to see things moving along now that my biggest stressors of the year have passed. It feels good to flex my creative muscles again and get more of this story told. And of course, I have you guys to thank for all of your wonderful comments and encouragement you keep giving me. I doubt I could do it without you all, so I hope you enjoy the ride. ;)
And the Winner Is...
Posted 12 years ago........number 33, 
dreamtaker!
CONGRATULATIONS! :D
Just to show proof of the random generator's results, here's a screen shot of the page.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to read and enter my contest! It was fun seeing peoples' responses and I look forward to doing another one of these in the future. c: It means a lot that you guys have stuck with me over the years and I hope to reward you all again soon!
As a consolation prize, I just uploaded Chapter 16 for you all to enjoy. Just so everyone gets a little somethin', haha. <3
dreamtaker! CONGRATULATIONS! :D
Just to show proof of the random generator's results, here's a screen shot of the page.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to read and enter my contest! It was fun seeing peoples' responses and I look forward to doing another one of these in the future. c: It means a lot that you guys have stuck with me over the years and I hope to reward you all again soon!
As a consolation prize, I just uploaded Chapter 16 for you all to enjoy. Just so everyone gets a little somethin', haha. <3
Seventh Ring Contest Ends TOMORROW!
Posted 12 years agoEDIT: And just so you guys know... you don't technically have to answer every single question or read every chapter to enter. The only criteria to be entered is for you to answer at least 5 correctly. I'm actually surprised that everyone is trying to read through them all before they enter, as I find that really flattering and surprising! It means you guys really do care, hahaha.
Yup, just a reminder that my Seventh Ring fan appreciation contest ends tomorrow/Tuesday night, so if you want to enter, now is your chance! c:
Not many folks have entered which means your chances at winning are pretty good. I won't be holding another one of these contests until I probably hit chapter 30, so if you'd like a chance at free art from me, check out this page!
I will most likely post the winner shortly after midnight tomorrow night, so check back then if you've entered to see if you won. GOOD LUCK! :D
Yup, just a reminder that my Seventh Ring fan appreciation contest ends tomorrow/Tuesday night, so if you want to enter, now is your chance! c:
Not many folks have entered which means your chances at winning are pretty good. I won't be holding another one of these contests until I probably hit chapter 30, so if you'd like a chance at free art from me, check out this page!
I will most likely post the winner shortly after midnight tomorrow night, so check back then if you've entered to see if you won. GOOD LUCK! :D
Seventh Ring Fan Appreciation Contest (CLOSED)!
Posted 12 years agoTHIS CONTEST IS NOW OVER! Thanks for Participating. :D
CONTEST DESCRIPTION: Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to read all 15 chapters of my story Seventh Ring and answer 20 questions (all 15 chapters are linked in the profile of this account). This contest is open to anyone! You do NOT have to repost a link to this journal anywhere or be watching me, but you are eligible for extra "Points" if you do either of those things. c: But they are not a requirement to enter.
HOW TO ENTER: You read my story, copy/paste the questions below, answer them, then send both the questions AND your answers together to me via a note/PM. I will grade your questions and each question answered correctly earns you one "Point." Each Point earns you an entry in the contest. Be sure to tell me in your note if you are watching the account or if you posted a journal with a link to the contest so I can include those Points!
The list of eligible contestants will be made available to the public in this journal so you can see what numbers you are and verify your Points total.
RULES: I am the judge of this contest and the person who "grades" the answers. I will write out my answer key and compare the two while I grade, and if your answer does not match my answer, it will be marked incorrect. You MUST spell everything correctly, otherwise it will be marked as incorrect. None of the questions should have multiple answers or be open to interpretation, but on the off-chance that there is some question as to whether or not your answer is acceptable, I will consult with a secondary judge for their opinion. However, PLEASE respect my "grading" and do not get upset if something is marked wrong! This is meant to be a fun little contest, and unless you answer less than five questions correctly, you will still have a chance at the prize.
DRAWING: The winner will be selected via a random number generator and contacted privately (but the winner will be announced to everyone, of course!).
DEADLINE: You must note me with your answers by 11:59pm EST on November 5th, 2013!
PRIZE: One full-body, full-color digital drawing of one character done by yours truly! Something like this is a good idea of what I'd like to offer. The content/character can be whatever you want, and a minimal BG may be discussed. I reserve the right to refuse to draw anything I am not personally comfortable with, just FYI. But I'm pretty open to just about anything, so we can work it out!
GRADING:
20 out of 20 Questions Correct = 5 Points
17-19 Correct = 4 Points
11-16 Correct = 3 Points
6-10 Correct = 2 Points
5 Correct = 1 Points
1-4 Correct = 0 Points
*BONUS* = 2 Points if you get 5+ questions correct and repost a link to this contest in your journal!
*BONUS* = 1 Point if you get 5+ questions correct and are watching this account!
Questions? Concerns? Feel free to contact me or comment below! You are now dismissed, so get reading! c:
QUESTION LIST
SPOILER ALERT: If you have not read all the chapters yet, but plan to, then do NOT read the question list below! Yes, there are some spoiler questions, just FYI.
1.) What is served at Seven's first meal in William's house?
2.) Who is stung by a Cerasaur barb in the forest?
3.) Who is the last character that Seven interacts with before he tries to escape the farm?
4.) What is the name of the space station that Ari used to live on before her parents moved to Earth?
5.) Who is the "missing number" in William's Drudge collection? Who hasn't been introduced yet in the story?
6.) What is the last name of the auctioneer that sells Seven?
7.) What does William require Seven to wear after his escape attempt that he puts Ari in charge of controlling?
8.) Who is Lucas's crush?
9.) What does Seven throw at the Drudge owners during his first fight in the Ring?
10.) What is the symbol on the screen of the locked door that William leads Seven through to enter the Ring?
11.) How did Seven lose his arm?
12.) What is the name of the farmer's market down the road from William's house?
13.) Where did Seven's mother die?
14.) Who first tells Seven that the Cerasaur has returned to the farm?
15.) What is the name of William's horse?
16.) In Seven's dream sequence, what hits him in the back of the neck that wakes him up?
17.) What is on the ceiling of Seven's stable room?
18.) What is Five's race?
19.) Who brings food and medicine to Seven while he is in the Hole?
20.) What does Two give to Seven to help heal his wounds more quickly and reduce the appearance of scars during the healing process?
CONTESTANT LIST:
1.) loveisfreefall
2.) loveisfreefall
3.) loveisfreefall
4.) loveisfreefall
5.) loveisfreefall
6.) loveisfreefall
7.) jadamfox
8.) jadamfox
9.) jadamfox
10.) jadamfox
11.) jadamfox
12.) jadamfox
13.) labyrinthfreak
14.) labyrinthfreak
15.) labyrinthfreak
16.) labyrinthfreak
17.) labyrinthfreak
18.) labyrinthfreak
19.) kalitz
20.) kalitz
21.) kalitz
22.) kalitz
23.) kalitz
24.) kalitz
25.) kalitz
26.) kalitz
27.) stellaluna
28.) stellaluna
29.) stellaluna
30.) stellaluna
31.) stellaluna
32.) stellaluna
33.) dreamtaker
34.) dreamtaker
35.) dreamtaker
36.) dreamtaker
37.) dreamtaker
38.) dreamtaker
HOW TO ENTER: You read my story, copy/paste the questions below, answer them, then send both the questions AND your answers together to me via a note/PM. I will grade your questions and each question answered correctly earns you one "Point." Each Point earns you an entry in the contest. Be sure to tell me in your note if you are watching the account or if you posted a journal with a link to the contest so I can include those Points!
The list of eligible contestants will be made available to the public in this journal so you can see what numbers you are and verify your Points total.
RULES: I am the judge of this contest and the person who "grades" the answers. I will write out my answer key and compare the two while I grade, and if your answer does not match my answer, it will be marked incorrect. You MUST spell everything correctly, otherwise it will be marked as incorrect. None of the questions should have multiple answers or be open to interpretation, but on the off-chance that there is some question as to whether or not your answer is acceptable, I will consult with a secondary judge for their opinion. However, PLEASE respect my "grading" and do not get upset if something is marked wrong! This is meant to be a fun little contest, and unless you answer less than five questions correctly, you will still have a chance at the prize.
DRAWING: The winner will be selected via a random number generator and contacted privately (but the winner will be announced to everyone, of course!).
DEADLINE: You must note me with your answers by 11:59pm EST on November 5th, 2013!
PRIZE: One full-body, full-color digital drawing of one character done by yours truly! Something like this is a good idea of what I'd like to offer. The content/character can be whatever you want, and a minimal BG may be discussed. I reserve the right to refuse to draw anything I am not personally comfortable with, just FYI. But I'm pretty open to just about anything, so we can work it out!
GRADING:
20 out of 20 Questions Correct = 5 Points
17-19 Correct = 4 Points
11-16 Correct = 3 Points
6-10 Correct = 2 Points
5 Correct = 1 Points
1-4 Correct = 0 Points
*BONUS* = 2 Points if you get 5+ questions correct and repost a link to this contest in your journal!
*BONUS* = 1 Point if you get 5+ questions correct and are watching this account!
Questions? Concerns? Feel free to contact me or comment below! You are now dismissed, so get reading! c:
QUESTION LIST
SPOILER ALERT: If you have not read all the chapters yet, but plan to, then do NOT read the question list below! Yes, there are some spoiler questions, just FYI.
1.) What is served at Seven's first meal in William's house?
2.) Who is stung by a Cerasaur barb in the forest?
3.) Who is the last character that Seven interacts with before he tries to escape the farm?
4.) What is the name of the space station that Ari used to live on before her parents moved to Earth?
5.) Who is the "missing number" in William's Drudge collection? Who hasn't been introduced yet in the story?
6.) What is the last name of the auctioneer that sells Seven?
7.) What does William require Seven to wear after his escape attempt that he puts Ari in charge of controlling?
8.) Who is Lucas's crush?
9.) What does Seven throw at the Drudge owners during his first fight in the Ring?
10.) What is the symbol on the screen of the locked door that William leads Seven through to enter the Ring?
11.) How did Seven lose his arm?
12.) What is the name of the farmer's market down the road from William's house?
13.) Where did Seven's mother die?
14.) Who first tells Seven that the Cerasaur has returned to the farm?
15.) What is the name of William's horse?
16.) In Seven's dream sequence, what hits him in the back of the neck that wakes him up?
17.) What is on the ceiling of Seven's stable room?
18.) What is Five's race?
19.) Who brings food and medicine to Seven while he is in the Hole?
20.) What does Two give to Seven to help heal his wounds more quickly and reduce the appearance of scars during the healing process?
CONTESTANT LIST:
1.) loveisfreefall
2.) loveisfreefall
3.) loveisfreefall
4.) loveisfreefall
5.) loveisfreefall
6.) loveisfreefall
7.) jadamfox
8.) jadamfox
9.) jadamfox
10.) jadamfox
11.) jadamfox
12.) jadamfox
13.) labyrinthfreak
14.) labyrinthfreak
15.) labyrinthfreak
16.) labyrinthfreak
17.) labyrinthfreak
18.) labyrinthfreak
19.) kalitz
20.) kalitz
21.) kalitz
22.) kalitz
23.) kalitz
24.) kalitz
25.) kalitz
26.) kalitz
27.) stellaluna
28.) stellaluna
29.) stellaluna
30.) stellaluna
31.) stellaluna
32.) stellaluna
33.) dreamtaker
34.) dreamtaker
35.) dreamtaker
36.) dreamtaker
37.) dreamtaker
38.) dreamtaker
It's Done...
Posted 12 years agoUgh.
Finally.
I can't tell you guys how happy I am to FINALLY have the next chapter/part of Seventh Ring completed. It's been nearly five months since part 14 came out, and that just goes to show how incredibly busy and hectic my summer was. But it is DONE. All I need to do is read over it once more for editing purposes and do the art that goes along with the chapter. So. Close.
I'm certain everyone will enjoy this next chapter, as this is the point where the story really starts to pick up and the pieces start to fall into place. I've almost introduced all of the characters and once that is done, it will be fun intertwining their stories and exploring them a bit more. Things have been a little slow to start, but I promise they will pick up and we'll be seeing more action, kickass tech, Seven X Ari lovin', brutally awesome fights, etc. I'm excited! c:
I think it is important to mention that Seventh Ring DOES have an ending. As I write, the details sort of fill in themselves, so I don't technically have it ALL planned out. I do have the major plot points and ending mapped out, though, so there will be a conclusion to this story and it is NOT never-ending. Just FYI that I don't plan to drag it out for years and years as long as I am able to write.
So, with that said and as promised, I WILL be holding my "Seventh Ring Reader Appreciation" contest shortly after posting chapter 15. I'm almost done with the quiz questions and will write a separate journal entry with details soon. It'll be fun and you get to win free art from me! c: So if you need to catch up on your chapters or refresh the story in your mind, now is a great time to do so. The contest will cover chapters 1-15. STUDY TIME KIDS! :3c
Finally.
I can't tell you guys how happy I am to FINALLY have the next chapter/part of Seventh Ring completed. It's been nearly five months since part 14 came out, and that just goes to show how incredibly busy and hectic my summer was. But it is DONE. All I need to do is read over it once more for editing purposes and do the art that goes along with the chapter. So. Close.
I'm certain everyone will enjoy this next chapter, as this is the point where the story really starts to pick up and the pieces start to fall into place. I've almost introduced all of the characters and once that is done, it will be fun intertwining their stories and exploring them a bit more. Things have been a little slow to start, but I promise they will pick up and we'll be seeing more action, kickass tech, Seven X Ari lovin', brutally awesome fights, etc. I'm excited! c:
I think it is important to mention that Seventh Ring DOES have an ending. As I write, the details sort of fill in themselves, so I don't technically have it ALL planned out. I do have the major plot points and ending mapped out, though, so there will be a conclusion to this story and it is NOT never-ending. Just FYI that I don't plan to drag it out for years and years as long as I am able to write.
So, with that said and as promised, I WILL be holding my "Seventh Ring Reader Appreciation" contest shortly after posting chapter 15. I'm almost done with the quiz questions and will write a separate journal entry with details soon. It'll be fun and you get to win free art from me! c: So if you need to catch up on your chapters or refresh the story in your mind, now is a great time to do so. The contest will cover chapters 1-15. STUDY TIME KIDS! :3c
SeventhRing: Chapter 15 Sneak Peek...
Posted 12 years agoThe day had come and gone and the sun was already beginning to set by the time Seven finally stirred. A dry, stiff tongue was what finally woke him, as it had been ages since he had anything to drink other than dirty water that collected at his feet at the bottom of the Hole. Slowly, his eyes opened, but he could not make out the strange shapes of the objects stacked on the floor in front of him. He blinked to clear the sleep and dirt from his eyes, all the while trying to summon the strength to sit up. His body ached from the beating he had received from Reece before his descent into the Hole. Sleeping on a hard dirt floor that was dusted with only hay did not help.
With a labored groan, he forced himself up. His hands found his face as his palms massaged the flesh of his cheeks and brow. Everything hurt, especially the long, raw burns that collected around his collar. His prolonged sleep had helped to rest his mind, but his body would need a few additional days to recover. As his arms fell to his sides, he noticed the objects he had first seen upon his awakening were actually things that would help him. A pail of water, a towel, and large chunks of stale bread all sat untouched on a tray. Someone had been in his stable room while he was asleep, and he had never known it. He must have been very tired.
Reaching forward, he grabbed the pail of water and drank deeply. Liquid streamed out of the corners of his mouth and down his dirty chest as his eyes closed. The water was old, but it was clean and refreshing. By the time he had finished, he realized the water was most likely meant for washing himself off rather than quenching his aged thirst. He dipped the towel in the pail and soaked up what was left and began to pat his chest, arms, and throat with great care.
A sudden stabbing pain raged through his neck, making him drop the towel and flinch backwards as if he had been slapped across the face by some invisible entity standing in front of him. His eyes closed tightly when the memory of his near-death experience ran quickly through his mind. The unimaginable pain, the inability to control his body or its bodily functions, the blinding light and choking sensation of his lungs being rendered useless, the darkness that followed as his heart and brain struggled to remain alive. His chest rose and fell rapidly as he hugged his knees close. Did he really survive what William had meant to be an execution? Part of him wished it would have killed him, as the humiliation, defeat, and hopelessness he now felt was nearly unbearable.
He slowed his breathing and rested his chin on top of his knees as his ears listened to the world. The dawn of night brought on an eerie silence. He secretly wished for company; to hear a familiar, friendly voice. But none came. His eyes ran along the shadows cast by the bars over his window on the floor, which seemed to point directly to his locked stable room door. His mind knew that he was no longer in the Hole, but it was difficult for him to find comfort in knowing he was still caged.
At some point in the night, Seven had found his mattress and curled himself into a defensive ball against the wall. His sleep was restless this time as his mind began to recover the memories of his experience in the forest. Nightmares of being electrocuted startled him awake over and over throughout the night. The sun rising went unnoticed until the heat of the morning made him uncurl atop the mattress. With care, his legs stretched beyond the dirty fabric of his bed as he rolled over to look at the stable door. Still locked. Still silent outside. Where was everyone? Why had he not heard or seen Three or Six? Did William relocate them somewhere, or were they just avoiding him? His eyes drifted away from the door and lifted to the ceiling as he stretched his arms above him.
And that is when he saw it.
........................almost done! Hopefully by this weekend, as I'd like to have some art accompany it. :3c
With a labored groan, he forced himself up. His hands found his face as his palms massaged the flesh of his cheeks and brow. Everything hurt, especially the long, raw burns that collected around his collar. His prolonged sleep had helped to rest his mind, but his body would need a few additional days to recover. As his arms fell to his sides, he noticed the objects he had first seen upon his awakening were actually things that would help him. A pail of water, a towel, and large chunks of stale bread all sat untouched on a tray. Someone had been in his stable room while he was asleep, and he had never known it. He must have been very tired.
Reaching forward, he grabbed the pail of water and drank deeply. Liquid streamed out of the corners of his mouth and down his dirty chest as his eyes closed. The water was old, but it was clean and refreshing. By the time he had finished, he realized the water was most likely meant for washing himself off rather than quenching his aged thirst. He dipped the towel in the pail and soaked up what was left and began to pat his chest, arms, and throat with great care.
A sudden stabbing pain raged through his neck, making him drop the towel and flinch backwards as if he had been slapped across the face by some invisible entity standing in front of him. His eyes closed tightly when the memory of his near-death experience ran quickly through his mind. The unimaginable pain, the inability to control his body or its bodily functions, the blinding light and choking sensation of his lungs being rendered useless, the darkness that followed as his heart and brain struggled to remain alive. His chest rose and fell rapidly as he hugged his knees close. Did he really survive what William had meant to be an execution? Part of him wished it would have killed him, as the humiliation, defeat, and hopelessness he now felt was nearly unbearable.
He slowed his breathing and rested his chin on top of his knees as his ears listened to the world. The dawn of night brought on an eerie silence. He secretly wished for company; to hear a familiar, friendly voice. But none came. His eyes ran along the shadows cast by the bars over his window on the floor, which seemed to point directly to his locked stable room door. His mind knew that he was no longer in the Hole, but it was difficult for him to find comfort in knowing he was still caged.
At some point in the night, Seven had found his mattress and curled himself into a defensive ball against the wall. His sleep was restless this time as his mind began to recover the memories of his experience in the forest. Nightmares of being electrocuted startled him awake over and over throughout the night. The sun rising went unnoticed until the heat of the morning made him uncurl atop the mattress. With care, his legs stretched beyond the dirty fabric of his bed as he rolled over to look at the stable door. Still locked. Still silent outside. Where was everyone? Why had he not heard or seen Three or Six? Did William relocate them somewhere, or were they just avoiding him? His eyes drifted away from the door and lifted to the ceiling as he stretched his arms above him.
And that is when he saw it.
........................almost done! Hopefully by this weekend, as I'd like to have some art accompany it. :3c
Opinion: Seventh Ring Comic Page?
Posted 12 years agoSo I need my Seventh Ring readers' opinions.
If you could see one scene from Seventh Ring turned into a comic page, which would you choose?
I'm honestly having a tough time deciding myself, so I'm curious what the general consensus is or what you guys would like seeing in a visual format. I'm interested in trying my hand at doing a ONE PAGE comic using a scene from the story, but I make no promises when that will happen or even if it will happen. Right now, I'm in the planning stage and feel confident that I'd piss people off if I produced a comic before I finished Chapter 15, hahaha.
Thoughts? Don't be shy! :3c
If you could see one scene from Seventh Ring turned into a comic page, which would you choose?
I'm honestly having a tough time deciding myself, so I'm curious what the general consensus is or what you guys would like seeing in a visual format. I'm interested in trying my hand at doing a ONE PAGE comic using a scene from the story, but I make no promises when that will happen or even if it will happen. Right now, I'm in the planning stage and feel confident that I'd piss people off if I produced a comic before I finished Chapter 15, hahaha.
Thoughts? Don't be shy! :3c
Updates + Next Chapter + Contest
Posted 12 years agoYes, I will be making a comeback here shortly. Well, Seventh Ring will be coming back in full force shortly, I should say. My time dedicated to posting and replying to comments has been limited. Hopefully, I can remedy that and the posting of new commissioned art over the next few days, as I owe people responses and have cool new things to share from other artists!
Story-wise, to be honest, I did not realize that Chapter 14 was posted on May 18th. It did not click that that was so long ago. The fact that July is OVER right now really has me freaked out. I can't believe it is August. I can't believe we're more than halfway done with 2013. And I can't believeit's not butter my updates have been so far apart.
To give a little insight -- in May, I went to New York to co-host a bridal shower for a friend who is getting married next month (for which I am also the maid/matron of honor). A couple weeks later, I took off for a business trip to Europe, to which we stayed in London for five days (business) and Paris for four days (pleasure). The very next weekend after I got back, I went down to Florida to visit with my mom who I hadn't seen in a year, then the weekend after that, we celebrated the 4th of July. Inbetween all of that was my usual work stress, freelance/commission stress, and just a whole lot of tired, lol. So needless to say, I've been busy!
Aside from the wedding we have in NY at the end of September, my calendar is currently clear. I am just about completely traveled out at this point, haha. The good thing is, my favorite seasons are coming up, and I usually have a lot of energy/creative inspiration going on. So I'm excited about that.
So what's the plan for Seventh Ring? A lot, actually. But as far as what you wonderful folks will see, I think I've made a decision; I want to let you guys in to my "headworld" more. I always think to myself that if only I could plug my brain into a monitor, then people could see what I see. Well, technically, I AM able to show you guys what I see, but I have to DRAW IT first. So I want to start doing that more and share more of my ideas and concepts. Because I have a lot. lol
And the story will resume shortly, I just needed to get my creative writing mojo back. And once chapter 15 is posted...I'll be holding a reader appreciation/fan contest! Read the story, answer a list of questions, get entered into a raffle to win free art by me. Easy as that! More rules and info will be posted later. c:
Alright, time to upload some commissions by other wonderful artists. It's nice to be back!
Story-wise, to be honest, I did not realize that Chapter 14 was posted on May 18th. It did not click that that was so long ago. The fact that July is OVER right now really has me freaked out. I can't believe it is August. I can't believe we're more than halfway done with 2013. And I can't believe
To give a little insight -- in May, I went to New York to co-host a bridal shower for a friend who is getting married next month (for which I am also the maid/matron of honor). A couple weeks later, I took off for a business trip to Europe, to which we stayed in London for five days (business) and Paris for four days (pleasure). The very next weekend after I got back, I went down to Florida to visit with my mom who I hadn't seen in a year, then the weekend after that, we celebrated the 4th of July. Inbetween all of that was my usual work stress, freelance/commission stress, and just a whole lot of tired, lol. So needless to say, I've been busy!
Aside from the wedding we have in NY at the end of September, my calendar is currently clear. I am just about completely traveled out at this point, haha. The good thing is, my favorite seasons are coming up, and I usually have a lot of energy/creative inspiration going on. So I'm excited about that.
So what's the plan for Seventh Ring? A lot, actually. But as far as what you wonderful folks will see, I think I've made a decision; I want to let you guys in to my "headworld" more. I always think to myself that if only I could plug my brain into a monitor, then people could see what I see. Well, technically, I AM able to show you guys what I see, but I have to DRAW IT first. So I want to start doing that more and share more of my ideas and concepts. Because I have a lot. lol
And the story will resume shortly, I just needed to get my creative writing mojo back. And once chapter 15 is posted...I'll be holding a reader appreciation/fan contest! Read the story, answer a list of questions, get entered into a raffle to win free art by me. Easy as that! More rules and info will be posted later. c:
Alright, time to upload some commissions by other wonderful artists. It's nice to be back!
Amazing New Icon + Updates!
Posted 12 years agoThis account now has one of the coolest icons ever, haha. F5 to see it!
I commissioned it from enlus a while back and can absolutely appreciate the work that went into every frame of animation. It's beautiful and represents Seven well! c:
Okay, so updates. I apologize for the lack of story updates lately. I probably should have announced a temporary hiatus for June, but I honestly thought I'd have some time to get some writing in. My muse packed up and left after the last chapter, so it's been tough for me to decide what will happen next. Most of my writing is very improvised, as I only have a general idea of where I'm going and allow the story to sort of write itself as I go along. It keeps it interesting for me. Problem is, when I sit down to write and the words just...nope. That happened with Chapter 15. Despite being excited about moving on with the story, the motivation and inspiration to do so just hasn't been there recently. It will be back, as I'm almost positive a lot of the reason I've been writer's blocked is because of stress and a LOT of IRL stuff going on. I've been doing a lot of traveling and working a lot more, so by the time I get home, I'm beat.
Good news is, I'm starting to get my artistic muse back, so I'm sure my writing muse won't be far behind. However! Bad news is, I will be out of town all of next week and won't be back until June 24th. This means the next story update won't happen for another couple weeks, unfortunately. :c
In the mean time, I plan to upload a bit of the backlog of commissioned art I have hoarded away. There's so much, oh man. ;A; All of it is beautiful, though, and I very much look forward to sharing it with you all. And, you know, maybe some of my own art too, haha. <3
Hang in there a little while longer for me, folks. This year has been very surprisingly busy so far, but Seventh Ring will live on!
I commissioned it from enlus a while back and can absolutely appreciate the work that went into every frame of animation. It's beautiful and represents Seven well! c:
Okay, so updates. I apologize for the lack of story updates lately. I probably should have announced a temporary hiatus for June, but I honestly thought I'd have some time to get some writing in. My muse packed up and left after the last chapter, so it's been tough for me to decide what will happen next. Most of my writing is very improvised, as I only have a general idea of where I'm going and allow the story to sort of write itself as I go along. It keeps it interesting for me. Problem is, when I sit down to write and the words just...nope. That happened with Chapter 15. Despite being excited about moving on with the story, the motivation and inspiration to do so just hasn't been there recently. It will be back, as I'm almost positive a lot of the reason I've been writer's blocked is because of stress and a LOT of IRL stuff going on. I've been doing a lot of traveling and working a lot more, so by the time I get home, I'm beat.
Good news is, I'm starting to get my artistic muse back, so I'm sure my writing muse won't be far behind. However! Bad news is, I will be out of town all of next week and won't be back until June 24th. This means the next story update won't happen for another couple weeks, unfortunately. :c
In the mean time, I plan to upload a bit of the backlog of commissioned art I have hoarded away. There's so much, oh man. ;A; All of it is beautiful, though, and I very much look forward to sharing it with you all. And, you know, maybe some of my own art too, haha. <3
Hang in there a little while longer for me, folks. This year has been very surprisingly busy so far, but Seventh Ring will live on!
You Know A Chapter Is Tough To Write When...
Posted 12 years ago...I have to stop and do something else to avoid crying like a baby mid-chapter.
Yes, this chapter's been tough for me to write, and you all will soon know why. I'm sorry for the extended delay and will hopefully have it finished in the next day or so. It's good, but not like any other chapter so far, so I hope you all still enjoy it.
I also have some more Seventh Ring commissions to upload, so new art from other artists will be posted soon. You know, just to end this update on a slightly happier note, haha.
Thanks for your patience! <3
Yes, this chapter's been tough for me to write, and you all will soon know why. I'm sorry for the extended delay and will hopefully have it finished in the next day or so. It's good, but not like any other chapter so far, so I hope you all still enjoy it.
I also have some more Seventh Ring commissions to upload, so new art from other artists will be posted soon. You know, just to end this update on a slightly happier note, haha.
Thanks for your patience! <3
Good News and Bad News
Posted 12 years agoBad news first. I'm sorry to say guys, but Seventh Ring's chapter 14 is going to be slightly delayed this week. I've got some outstanding commissions left in my queue that I desperately want to finish above all else, as I would like peace of mind in knowing all of the work I've been needing to finish for other people is done and they are happy. I'm very close, but may need a day or two more to finish them, and the writing for Chapter 14 isn't complete and neither is the illustration. :c I will try and have the next chapter done by Thursday or so! Sorry about that.
The good news is, once these commissions are finished, I WILL be holding a "Readers Contest" as sort of a show of appreciation for those who have taken the time to read my story so far! It means a lot, as I know reading takes a lot more time out of our very busy days than just glancing at a picture or comic. Reading is a dying hobby, or so I've noticed.
Just to give you guys a bit of a heads up/preview, the contest will be for those who have read all of the chapters so far. I will ask a series of questions about certain parts of the story, the characters, dialogue, etc., then I will require each participant to send me a note with the correct answers. Those who answer 8 out of 10 (or however many I decide) questions correctly will be entered once into a random drawing. If you answer all of them correctly, you will be entered TWICE! So there is some incentive for getting an A+. c: I also may have an OPTIONAL "post a journal with a link to the contest" incentive where you get an extra raffle "ticket" for spreading the word. But that will NOT be required to enter! That's a bonus.
I've been waiting to hold the contest until after my commissions were cleared, as I didn't want to offer prizes and make people have to wait for them. So I've got fun stuff planned for my Seventh Ring fans! These contests will start to be held pretty often, too, so maybe every couple of chapters I will have a "test" ready for you guys, haha. It will be fun! c:
The good news is, once these commissions are finished, I WILL be holding a "Readers Contest" as sort of a show of appreciation for those who have taken the time to read my story so far! It means a lot, as I know reading takes a lot more time out of our very busy days than just glancing at a picture or comic. Reading is a dying hobby, or so I've noticed.
Just to give you guys a bit of a heads up/preview, the contest will be for those who have read all of the chapters so far. I will ask a series of questions about certain parts of the story, the characters, dialogue, etc., then I will require each participant to send me a note with the correct answers. Those who answer 8 out of 10 (or however many I decide) questions correctly will be entered once into a random drawing. If you answer all of them correctly, you will be entered TWICE! So there is some incentive for getting an A+. c: I also may have an OPTIONAL "post a journal with a link to the contest" incentive where you get an extra raffle "ticket" for spreading the word. But that will NOT be required to enter! That's a bonus.
I've been waiting to hold the contest until after my commissions were cleared, as I didn't want to offer prizes and make people have to wait for them. So I've got fun stuff planned for my Seventh Ring fans! These contests will start to be held pretty often, too, so maybe every couple of chapters I will have a "test" ready for you guys, haha. It will be fun! c:
Art Dumpage + Biweekly Story Updates!
Posted 12 years agoI know I warned you guys in my first journal entry that I would be reuploading a ton of stuff to this account to try and get it caught up. As I mentioned, I have a LOT of art and chapters to share, so...it'll be like this a little while longer. ;A; Sorry for so much dumpage, especially for those of you who have already seen this stuff posted on my personal account!
I'm trying to upload three story chapters at a time, then three pieces of my own work and studies (for no more than 6 pieces uploaded a day). I have four more chapters to go and a few more personal pieces to share, then I will start uploading the commissions, trades, and giftart I've received. At least that's all stuff you guys may not have seen if you don't follow me on DA or my favorites. I'm an art whore for Seventh Ring, what can I say, lol.
Oh! And I will be uploading a new chapter to the story every other Monday/biweekly. So the next chapter (12) will go up this coming Monday. I plan to continue this schedule for the foreseeable future! Just FYI for those who've enjoyed it so far and want a more regular upload schedule to look forward to. c:
I'm trying to upload three story chapters at a time, then three pieces of my own work and studies (for no more than 6 pieces uploaded a day). I have four more chapters to go and a few more personal pieces to share, then I will start uploading the commissions, trades, and giftart I've received. At least that's all stuff you guys may not have seen if you don't follow me on DA or my favorites. I'm an art whore for Seventh Ring, what can I say, lol.
Oh! And I will be uploading a new chapter to the story every other Monday/biweekly. So the next chapter (12) will go up this coming Monday. I plan to continue this schedule for the foreseeable future! Just FYI for those who've enjoyed it so far and want a more regular upload schedule to look forward to. c:
Making the Move and Getting Set Up Here!
Posted 12 years agoYup, I'm moving everything related to my sci fi story Seventh Ring to this account! It just didn't seem to fit in with my other gallery and all of my furry work. I feel better already knowing that Seventh Ring will have its own little space on FA.
So. I have a TON to upload over here! If you don't watch my DA account, then you have no idea how much stuff will be posted soon, lol.
All of this will be shared here very soon:
- all current chapters of Seventh Ring
- all artwork created by quaylak, including doodles, full drawings, ref sheets, etc.
- all guest art, including fan art/gifts, commissions, and trades (all pieces will have links to the originals and credit given to the original artists, of course)
I'm excited about this! Stay tuned, as I'll likely be uploading chunks of art and things over the next few days as time allows. <3
So. I have a TON to upload over here! If you don't watch my DA account, then you have no idea how much stuff will be posted soon, lol.
All of this will be shared here very soon:
- all current chapters of Seventh Ring
- all artwork created by quaylak, including doodles, full drawings, ref sheets, etc.
- all guest art, including fan art/gifts, commissions, and trades (all pieces will have links to the originals and credit given to the original artists, of course)
I'm excited about this! Stay tuned, as I'll likely be uploading chunks of art and things over the next few days as time allows. <3
