Step 15: Keep Busy

It goes without saying that the literary industry moves at a glacial pace.

Here's hoping for an avalanche.

It's understandable, of course; agents are regularly inundated with queries, and it takes time to read through a full manuscript (doubly so if said agent has a slush pile from hell). Most writers move on to their next novel to keep themselves occupied, and continue to query agents even if they have a full manuscript out for review. Until I can get some constructive criticism on my query letter (since my track record at this point falls firmly into "meh" territory), I'm withholding from mailing out more because I do what I want.

Googled "Living Dangerously"; was not disappointed.

Instead of directing my energies into my next literary project, I've set about drawing some illustrations related to Defining Lines. I mentioned in my query letters that I have a background in art and would be interested in incorporating graphics into my novel ala Harry Potter's chapter breaks, and while most agents haven't showed any interest in my artistic offerings, the agent who recently requested my full asked me to include some sample sketches along with my manuscript. I sent what I had, which admittedly wasn't much, but it inspired me to sit down and hash out some character models.

Meet Cliché Bad Girl #1.

The above character is one of the three main protagonists in my novel, although you could argue that she antagonizes the other two characters more than anything else. She comes into the story about halfway through, which is pretty late for a main character to appear, but she plays a crucial role in spring-boarding the action forward. She doesn't actually have a mohawk or piercings in the book, but I feel like those elements combined visually go a long way in presenting her as someone you do not want to mess with.

Like a female John Bender, complete with combat boots and cigarettes.

I tried drawing the other two characters, but it's been a long time since I've done any stylized illustrations and I'm struggling to pin down the designs. I'll try and post them in the next couple of days as soon as I can shake off the rust in my drawing hand.

This may take longer than I thought.