The last couple of posts I've been talking about voice, whether it's in writing or in art. It's a subject that's been in front of me big time as the novel I'm working on contains artwork by two different characters - and neither one of them are me. And that means, I have to imagine myself as them when I'm creating those pieces of art.

You know, it's kind of nice to be someone else for a change.

I'm written different characters before, of course, but this feels different, as if the wall separating the writer and the character, that wall that enables that writer to observe that character objectively, has dissolved.

I can't decide whether this is a good thing or not. When my adult writing students want to write a story based on something that happened to them, I caution them that this can be difficult. Stories that are very close to a real occurrence can sometimes have that "you had to be there" feeling. If the theme of that story doesn't transcend the original event, then it might not be all that relate-able to a reader.

But what happens if as a writer, you have to imagine that you completely ARE that character in order not just to talk or think like them, but to create like them? Does that still risk that "you had to be there" pitfall? I guess that's where theme becomes the go-to point.

My subconscious is a busy bee and I'm grateful for that. It provides me with sudden insight at the times I think all might be lost with a story, when I've lost my way as far as theme. But with this project, I feel I need to help out my subconscious a bit.

I've made a list.

My studio is a rat's nest. Even on its neatest day, empty coffee cups loiter amid rubber bands, paper clips, cds that I have no idea what's on them - there are books, more books, mountains of oil pastels and a death maze of dog toys covering the floor. But the mess that also includes a myriad of scraps of paper, makes for handy scrawling places. Hmm. I like that. Scrawl space. I'm staking claim to it.

Scrawls include: love, loss, despair, elation, libido, terror, excitement (see libido), enthusiasm, denial, anger, rage, disappointment, want, need, atonement, acceptance, transformation.

These are just some of the words on my theme list - of what we all share in common as human beings. By staying connected to that connection I feel like I can become those characters enough to draw as them and still make them enough of "not me" to still be relate-able to someone else. And that givs me enough confidence to keep on keeping on.

But here's the funny thing...

I've also been illustrating a new picture book. My many prior books all shared a certain look - they contained my art voice. But suddenly -

that voice seems to have changed.

More on that later.

Still drawing and writing in two voices - a very time consuming activity.

Back to work.

While working on novels it's common to write in many characters' "voices". I mean, your MC has to interact with someone(s), right? And those other characters can range from a trolley car operator to (these days) a hybrid vampire/zombie/werewolf to a 2nd grade bully on the school playground. Even though you as the writer still maintains your own writing style, your own voice, these new ones you're channeling need to go over the top of it like icing on a cake.

Oooh, cake...

All these characters are not YOU, but because you're the one making them up, then they ARE you. Oh, my head. It can feel a little confusing at times.

I am a born eavesdropper. And that got me into trouble when I was a kid. I often heard the phrase "Little pitchers have big ears" before all that interesting adult conversation went silent and I was sent to my room - again. But now that I'm all grown up and stuff, that eavesdropping super power is a big help when creating voices in my writing.

It's amazing how differently different people speak. And I'm not even talking about the use of different languages or even strong accents in the English language. Some people speak in clear, full sentences. Some people jump around in their speech, using lots of sentence fragments. Some people are "hesitators", using an "uh" or "um" here and there. And that's just the style of their speaking, not the content which can range from dated to wildly profane. People, you gotta love 'em.

But lately I'm dealing with a different way of portraying different voices. For the project I'm working on now I'm DRAWING in two voices. And this has been a challenge. Way back in the olden days when I started out as a fine artist I was recognized pretty quickly because I had such a distinctive style (or drawing voice). My work, whether I was using my signature oil pastels, or pen and ink, or paint all still looked like I did it. But now, I have to coat my artistic voice with a big old shovel full of icing.

And eavesdropping in the real world doesn't really help me here. I can't skulk around the mall or the post office or the grocery store or downtown spying on what different people are drawing.
So I'm left with eavesdropping on the characters I've created for this particular story. I have use what I imagine I know about these people to try to draw like they would. And it doesn't help that they're from different decades or that they're different genders either. Oh, my head...

I've posted a few of my first sketches at the top of the page. They're still in my voice. But hopefully they're NOT too.

Happy eavesdropping!

I was feeling pretty good about myself. The color proofs for my new picture book coming out next year (illustrated by the wildly talented Scott Nash) arrived and look fabulous, I got my sketches in for the next picture book (that I'm illustrating) in a week under deadline, and my novel in progress is flowing - I mean REALLY flowing. So that means I'm doing absolutely everything right, right?

Nope.

These days that's just a part of a writer's and artist's job. Take a gander at Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, the whole world of social media out there that's not only used for keeping in touch and spouting banal updates - it's also being used for promoting work - big time.

Have I been promoting my work big time?

Letmethinkaboutthatno.

I'm on Facebook - Linkedin too, but mostly I go there to feel bad about myself. I see authors and artists talking up new books and projects and OMG, that just isn't in my DNA. It looks good when they do it, though and the better they are at it the more I wallow in that - a good old adolescent style wallow. I figure it's better than eating a ton of ice cream.

Like every other cool person on the face of the Earth, I'm a fan of Mad Men. I do NOT watch that show to wallow at all. I'm there to drool. And in the first episode of this season a couple of quotes stood out for me because they spoke to my lurking about watching these promotion tools. Don Draper (drool) had been interviewed by a magazine and he completely dropped the ball. He said nothing about himself which clearly frustrated the interviewer. Mr. Draper saw very little sense (and if you watch the show you'll know that he also saw very little wisdom) in divulging much personal info.

Mistake.

When called on the carpet by his firm's partners after the not so flattering article came out, Don Draper looked astounded - and then a little whiny. "My work speaks for itself!" he cries in protest.

And here's where he gets the big smack-down by Bert Cooper. "Turning creative success into business IS your work! And you failed!"

This day and age, that's true for us writers and artists. And lucky us we have the tools to do it. Those sites, blogs, book trailers, virtual launch parties...

But it seems so exhausting. I think I'd rather live in that Don Draper land where all that matters is that you work hard, do good work - and look pretty. But since I don't, I guess I'm off to visit Facebook and try to leave a non-banal update.

Happy promoting.