70,000 Words!

Well, it's about time! After hovering right at about 68,000 for awhile, I've finally gotten Bodacious Creed to 70,000 words. I have no excuse for the delays.

Actually, I do, and it's called stress. Rather than get into the details though, I'm happy to say that the book is rolling along again. Sometimes, a story gets to a point where a lot changes in one swoop, and the writer has to figure out how the story world is going to adjust. That's where this story is, but I press forward.

In any case, I estimate that the book will be about 120,000 words long, so at 70,000, I'm just 50,000 away! My life is busy, but I'm going to put in the effort to write at least 1,000 words per day. (This will likely speed up once I really get into the swing of it.)

Bust of Creed

My pal John has a 3D printer, and printed this bust of Bodacious Creed.

Though the model he used is little more than a base mesh, which gets modified to look high-rez in my Bodacious Creed Demo Reel using a displacement map and normal map, the print still came out looking pretty good!

Status Update

Howdy folks! Every once in awhile I like to do a status update in which I over share so that those of you interested in my various projects know what's up.

When you think of writers and artists, it's probably easy to imagine us in some idyllic world where we just get to write and create art all day. That would be nice, but the truth is that like most, we have day jobs, loved ones, and a lot of other obligations. As for me, I now have a fun full-time job, and I'm back in grad school full time. (Fortunately, my classes are online, and work is a two minute drive away.) I'm also working on a new demo reel (you can see my current reel on either my personal website or the Bodacious Creed site). Most importantly, I'm a single dad with an awesome son.

I also created some steampunk iPhone cases recently for the iPhone 6 and for the Samsung Galaxy S5, which you can find in my Bodacious 3D shop on Shapeways. (The site recently lowered the price of plastic, so they're quite affordable!)

So yes, busy!

I am getting two weeks off school during the Christmas holiday season, and am going to put o9ut the effort to write more of Bodacious Creed, my forthcoming novel.

A buddy of mine with a 3D printer also set aside about half a spool of plastic to print things for me, so I hope to get a certain Bodacious Creed model done, and then to figure out what else I'd like him to print.

I realize I also haven't been updating this blog with new general steampunk posts, and I hope to do more of that soon as well. I  keep seeing interesting things, but I just have to get to them.

And that's my update. I hope this finds the rest of you enjoying some free time!

Roundtable Revival - Lindsey Stirling

Do you all get the impression that the guy writing Bodacious Creed might be into Wild West Steampunk? That obvious, huh?

And then, I saw a post about a video by Lindsey Sterling called "Roundtable Revival." Sterling is an excellent violinist who does something most violinists don't: she dances while she plays. And she's mastered this art form. Sterling has played with exceptional vocal acts like Peter Hollins and Pentatonix.

The video for "Roundtable Revival" has a western steampunk setting, electric violin, electric guitar, and Sterling's trademark dancing. It's a lot of fun, so check it out here:

November 7, 2014 Update

Here we go with a general update about my various projects!

First, I have a feeling a lot of you are wondering what's happening with Bodacious Creed. Currently, I'm outlining the next few chapters before I write them. I have the general outline, but whenever I get into the details, I realize there were things I didn't consider. This has been true for all my books, but Bodacious Creed has so many characters that there is a lot to think about.

When I started getting into the nitty-gritty of the current chapter, I realized that certain important characters would need to get involved, which led me to figure out that the plot needs to go in a slightly different direction.

Somehow, quest stories, where the characters are traveling the entire story, are easier. They leave other characters behind and go to the next setting. In a story where everything happens in one town, the motivations of a lot of characters need to be considered every scene.

Hopefully I'll be able to add a few thousand words to the word count soon.

In other steampunk related news, I was finally able to put an actual iPhone 6 into one of the cases I designed! Thanks, Costco, for having an iPhone I could do that with. Here's how it looks:

That case is available in my Shapeways store, Bodacious 3D.

I've also been working on a new demo reel for a particular job application, and looking for a full time job. It'll take awhile to finish the reel. Once I do have a job though, I'll be able to prioritize my art and writing better, and hope to get a lot more done on the book!

Bodacious Creed Bust

Recently, my friend John got a 3D printer. He's been printing all sorts of things and experimenting with different materials.

I sent him a model of Bodacious Creed to show him how the low resolution model worked. He went ahead and printed the bust! Again, the resolution is low with little detail, but this is still pretty fun.

A Few Updates for Late October

Howdy, Everyone.

First update: I took my iPhone cases on Shapeways out of beta. The Steampunk Clock case printed well at the Shapeways shop, and based on that, I know that the Violin case will also print well. However, they are still selling for beta prices! If you need a good iPhone 6 case that shows some serious style, you can't beat these.

My Shapeways shop is Bodacious 3D.

Second update: I'm currently looking for a full time job outside the house. I simply can't find any great jobs online. Much of my focus for now must, by necessity, be diverted from my writing and art. However, I did plan out the basics of the next three or so scenes for Bodacious Creed, and am eager to write them. One in particular I've been eager to write since I started the book. Bodacious Creed is never far from my mind!

I will continue to keep everyone updated on interesting steampunk happenings and more, as time permits!