#gotten into the recent bad (good…?) habit of drawing a bunch of one character on a giant canvas

[cccotard]

lily dump 📣📣📣

[cheri-translates]

Headcanon - Fights with the guys

[ this Ask was wheelbarrowed over from @cheri-cheri​ ]

Hello~ Angst is inevitable with such a prompt, but I hope the fluffiness at the end makes up for it! (´･ᴗ･ ` ) Lucien isn’t here because I’m not familiar with his character :<

[ Gavin - spending too much time apart ]

It begins with a pang of disappointment when a date she’s been looking forward to for weeks gets interrupted halfway by a phone call

With that, Gavin gets whisked away abruptly for a month-long mission

During the first week, she cheers herself up with a reminder that Gavin is doing something noble - keeping the streets of Loveland City safe.

During the second week, she consoles herself with the knowledge that this isn't the first time Gavin has been uncontactable for a long period of time. Shouldn’t she have gotten used to it by now?

During the third week, doubt creeps in. Despite him telling her in advance that the mission site could lack a proper signal, the heaviness in MC’s chest gets weightier with each unread message and unanswered call.

She doesn’t know if her boyfriend is dead or alive.

She doesn’t even know where he is.

During the fourth week, she’s frustrated. She's frustrated at the STF, at Gavin, and at herself.

She’s frustrated that this isn’t the first time the STF has deployed Gavin on missions at short notice, as though he’s simply a tool ready to be wielded at any moment.

The frequency of missions over the past few months suddenly skyrocketed. It’s the main reason why she was looking forward to the date before he left - she wanted him to get a proper rest.

She’s frustrated that there doesn't seem to be anything she can do about the situation.

She's frustrated that the days without him pass by so painfully slowly.

She’s frustrated that-

“MC, I’m back.”

The fight is a quiet affair.

It might not even be considered one, since MC is the one doing most of the talking. She pours out everything in her heart, and how she’s very, very tired.

She doesn’t know if she can continue being in this relationship if she's going to be the only party in it.

Gavin listens quietly.

Then, he takes out two plane tickets from his pocket

The reason why he was deployed on so many missions recently was because he actively volunteered for them. That way, he would be able to clock in enough hours to take her on a long, undisrupted vacation

He intended for it to be a surprise, but didn’t expect that his actions would make MC upset instead

Aside from this, they also try to make future time apart more bearable:

When Gavin knows that he’d be embarking on a mission where remaining contactable is an issue, he would write a bunch of letters beforehand and entrust them to Minor, who would secretly place one on her office desk every morning

The letters vary in length. They could be entire pages filled with a somewhat clumsy yet heartwarming documentation of what went through his mind on certain dates they had together... 

Or a simple: I love you. I’ll be safe. I can’t wait to come home.

MC finds out very easily who Gavin’s “messenger pigeon” is, and she forces Minor to hand over the entire box just in case he loses it or decides to take a peek out of curiosity (which he already did)

Meanwhile, MC leaves tons of voice messages in Gavin’s phone for him whenever he needs a pick-me-up.

They could range from her reading works from Byron’s Poetry Collection, or a clip of her playing the piano...

Or a simple: I love you. Be safe. I’m waiting for you to come home. 

[ KIRO - the fatigue of a secret relationship ]

Initially, MC thought that having a secret relationship with a world renowned celebrity would be as thrilling as what’s typically depicted in TV dramas

Whenever they go on dates outside the studio or their homes, Kiro has to disguise himself with various props

e.g. wearing an ugly wig, donning oversized sunglasses, peppering his face with fake freckles, and even changing the tone of his voice

While it was funny the first few times, it gets exhausting after a while.

It’s mentally exhausting to always be on the look out for paparazzi and discerning fans at the expense of enjoying the date and each other’s company

It’s emotionally exhausting to see gossip magazines speculating about Kiro’s relationships with gorgeous women in the entertainment industry

It’s exhausting when her mind wanders afar off, leading her to ask:

“Are you... ashamed of me?”

The fight is one akin to daggers to his heart.

“Of course not! Miss Chips, why would that even cross your mind?” 

Kiro explains that he’s more than capable of renting entire restaurants, and even the entire amusement park so he can remove all his stuffy props and be with her without worrying about the fans

But at the same time, he wants their relationship to be as normal as possible.

Because when he’s with her, he doesn’t feel like Kiro the celebrity. He’s simply a boy in love who wants to go on normal dates like any normal couple would

He doesn’t want MC to get tied down by having every social media post and every move scrutinised by the public.

But MC has considered all of this. And she's ready to shoulder the relationship with him - both the good and bad.

Eventually, when the time is right, and after much discussion with Savin and the PR department, MC and Kiro go public with their relationship

He starts doing livestreams more often where he does cute couple activities with MC, in the hopes that his fans are won over by her just as much as he is

It turns out that MC wins his fans over a little too much

Sometimes, they even ask Kiro to step aside and let MC take over his livestream instead QAQ

[ SHAW - good intentions gone wrong ]

“I’m grabbing dinner with Minor and Gavin. Want to join us?”

“Eli and Gavin were telling me about the new dishes in Lynn’s Kitchen. We should drop by sometime.”

“That tin of biscuits? Gavin gave it to me. Help yourself to them!”

...

For some unfathomable reason, MC has been bringing up his brother in their conversations every day over the past two weeks

When he sees MC putting on Gavin’s ginkgo bracelet before heading out, he finally snaps.

“Since you’re always going on and on about Gavin, why not date him instead?!”

The fight is one he wishes he could take back.

“I’m not... You’ve got it all wrong! Gavin’s been wanting to meet you, and I-”

“You don’t know anything about me.”

MC flinches at Shaw’s harsh tone.

Then, she averts her eyes, hoping her tears wouldn’t spill out

“Yeah, I clearly don’t.”

And she runs out of the apartment, and into the storm.

After chugging down a can of iced Cola, Shaw more or less cools down

In the process, it dawns on him that MC does know many things about him that he’s never shared with anyone else

She’s caught the nostalgic gaze in his eyes when he talked about the little guardian who held his hand from the moment he first started walking

The little guardian who had fathomless patience for his endless ‘why’s

His very first best friend, and someone he could rely on.

And how the little plane from so many years ago wasn’t the only important thing he left behind that day.

And right now, he’s close to losing another important person.

Ignoring the dampness on his face, he grabs his phone and calls MC, before realising that she left her phone in the apartment

So, he sends his first text to Gavin.

Together, they manage to locate MC, who’s drying herself off in the rehearsal room of Live House.

“I’m sorry.”

Shaw’s apology is soft, but it reaches the hearts of two people.

Before Gavin turns to leave, Shaw calls after him.

“Thanks. Your bracelet was of some use.”

Of course, Gavin will never tell him that he doesn’t actually need it to find MC

“Cough, no problem.”

Although the estranged relationship between the brothers requires much more than a stormy night to mend, having dinner together is a promising start.

-

Just want to put it out there that it isn’t confirmed if Shaw and Gavin are brothers. It’s a very sensitive topic within the CN community where a sizeable portion of the players believe they aren’t, and the players aren’t afraid to tear you down if you believe otherwise LOL

But for me personally, I love the idea of them being brothers!

[ VICTOR ]

I couldn’t think of any major things they could fight about aside from his sharp tongue. But that’s painfully cliché so I shall just leave you with two petty reasons why they would argue instead:

Whenever MC visits Souvenir, she doodles on the serviette while waiting for the food. She eventually makes it a habit to draw really awful caricatures of Victor and laughs over them with Mr Mills. Victor gets all pouty because he can hear their laughter from the kitchen but is missing out on the fun :<

Victor decides to test MC one day, and gives her a pudding from a convenience store instead of his. MC does taste the difference but doesn’t say anything because she thinks Victor is just having a bad day. On the other hand, he gets irritated because HOW DARE SHE mistake this low-grade jiggly thing for his perfect pudding??

[facets-and-rainbows]

Blue Exorcist 10th anniversary book Q&A session

The 10th anniversary book has a section where Katoh answers 100 questions submitted by fans on Twitter, so here they are translated/paraphrased! May contain manga spoilers up to the recent flashback arc, so be warned.

(Note that I’m playing it very fast and loose here because there are A HUNDRED OF THEM, so not exact wordings, but it should capture the gist. Lemme know if there are any you want elaborated on)

1. Katoh likes the feel of traditional drawing more than digital but is impressed with how far digital has come

2. Meph THOROUGHLY ABUSES spacetime to watch all his shows and ensure that he gets all the merch he wants

3. Did the girls take all of Yukio’s school uniform buttons in middle school? Yes, they did (apparently it’s like A Thing for girls to ask for a button from their crush at middle school graduation, based on some sad movie from the 60s where a guy who got drafted as a kamikaze pilot gave a girl one of his uniform buttons to remember him by)

4. Rin's tail is about a meter long

5. There are tons of servants working at Mephisto's mansion. Belial is in charge of them

6. Katoh borrows from all sorts of neat real locations when making settings

7. Katoh identifies with pretty much all the characters the most! Except Lucifer.

8. Demon designs she's proud of include the impure king and hachirou, pretty much anything that was the main one in an arc

9. Katoh lists a bunch of her favorite musical artists/music she’s listening to recently: King Gnu, Official Hige Dandism, Kenshi Yonezu, BAD HOP, Sakanaction, Keyakizaka 46, Hypnosis Mic, Aimer, B’Z, Queen Bee.

10. Awww the rabbit manga that characters are often reading isn't just Robo to Usakichi, it's an even older one that she drew as a little kid

11. She likes industrial style interior designs

12. Rin and Yukio alternated who got the top bunk growing up, because they couldn't agree on it lol

13. Katoh cares a whole lot about panel layouts and speech bubble positions, might even be her favorite part of the process (it shows!)

4. Katoh does NOT have a mashou, lol

15. Rin has probably been practicing in secret so he can learn to carry stuff with his tail

16. Izumo probably got into shojo manga around 1st grade, her mom had some around the house

17. Specialty dishes: Rin - lots of stuff but especially nabe Yuri - stuff you can throw together quickly Shiro - stuff he learned from Yuri and/or cookbooks, alongside teaching Rin Yukio - Does. Not. Cook.

18. Can't pick a favorite place she's been on research, but there's no place like Japan

19. Kinzou's band isn't currently meeting because demons, but he's probably still thinking of new songs

20. Hardest characters to draw: anyone with detailed flowing hair. Hardest to write for: Lightning and Gedouin. She had to go read books about serial killers specifically for material for Gedouin, lol 

21. Suguro actually gets a dorm room to himself, though allegedly Yukio is technically assigned as his roommate, lol. Didn't end up that way what with Yukio being a teacher and also Rin’s whole...situation

22. Shiemi makes some of her own hair accessories! Cute

23. Katoh doesn't mind if you include stuff with fan letters but check with the editor first

24. Time for making each chapter: Planning/storyboarding: 1-5 days. Sketching: 3-5 days. Drawing/inking: the rest. Just...the rest of the time

25. Neither Suguro nor Izumo have dated before and neither is currently dating. But that's probably just because things were hectic for them! It could happen

26. Yukio breaks 5 or 6 pairs of glasses a year, someone get this kid a strap or something

27. How many spare glasses does Yukio have? Check the fanbook lol it's in there (dang it Katoh)

28. The demon she wants us to pay the most attention to is Lucifer. Because plot.

29. What's under the Order's big meeting table? It's a BOTTOMLESS PIT and if you fall in it you DIE that's what makes it COOL (laughs)

30. What are the job requirements for the angelic legion? Literally just Arthur liking you and inviting you to join

31. She WANTS to do more character profiles but just hasn't gotten to it

32. Rin's tail feels like a cat tail, texture wise

33. The "red Assiah fire" is literally just actual fire nothing special

34. Rin's current hair color is light blue fading to white at the ends

35. Thoughts on Rin's growth: she likes that he stays positive in awful situations and she also thinks it's very main character of him to face the past instead of avoiding it

36. Mephisto didn't purposely surround Rin with stuffed animals when he woke up after going crispy. Mephisto's bed is just Like That

37. Kurikara was based on a cool sword she found in a sword book, but that one was technically just a ceremonial sword. The symbol on it us a Sanskrit letter kaan (sp?) associated with Fudou Myouou

38. Kuro can communicate with normal cats and hangs out with them often

39. Sometimes Shiemi's skirt is extra fancy around the hem what's up with that? Apparently it's an optional accessory that comes with the skirts help I haven't noticed this and don't know any fashion terms in any language

40. When coloring, Katoh always tries to have an overall theme in mind ("emphasis on blue" etc) so it comes together in the end

41. Yes the twins are genetically related to Shiro because of Goro (she says they're like his nephews but I say GENETICALLY at least they'd be indistinguishable from his children)

42. Strongest mom of all the strong moms around here? Yuri! Did you SEE her give birth??

43. Are you careful about your own health Katoh-sensei? Not particularly! Her mom has had to bring her food at work sometimes! Don't do this at home kids

44. At the dating events Shura goes to, does she drink cocktails in moderation? Yeah, she probably downplays her normal drinking habits at these things. But normally she's down for just about any kind of drink

45. Lucifer just really likes oysters okay

46. How many pages of manga does Katoh draw in a day? If she's being good about self-care: three. Maximum number ever: TEN

47. Mephisto is one of those folks who can eat like a garbage compactor and never gain weight. Possibly because his body resists that sort of change the same way it resists aging etc

48. First food Rin cooked: fish burger type patty. Yukio's favorite things Rin cooks: fish simmered in soy sauce, yellowtail with daikon radish. It's fish all the way down

49: Did Rin ever get more monthly allowance from Mephisto? It doubled! He gets TWO 2000 yen bills now (rip) [T/N: That's uh, that's USD $37.26 a month or 33.10 euro]

50. Why isn't Rin more popular with the girls? He gets nervous talking to them, plus he's too oblivious to notice even if he DID have some fans

51. Why change Suguro's hair? She gets bored with keeping everything the same, and she wanted a visual representation that he was getting serious and going into kind of a training arc

52. Things Katoh pays extra attention to when drawing: trying to capture the feel of whatever she's drawing (like "that looks warm and soft" or "I bet that guy stinks" cough Lightning cough)

53: Does Rin take after Yuri more? (He's got her eyes!) Katoh tried to draw Yuri so she looks like both twins. Personality, too - Yukio has her smarts and Rin has her optimism

54: Do you ever wanna be like Mephisto? Well she'd like to be able to get away with just ANYTHING EVER, but no, let's not be like Mephisto

55. Konekomaru not only carries around a cat toy in case he meets any cats, he MAKES cat toys to carry around based on what he thinks the cats would like

56. How'd you come up with Shima? Go read the fan book!

57. Do the kids have Twitter/Instagram accounts? Rin - probably not. Konekomaru might be on some social media. Paku and Izumo are totally on instagram

58. Is there something Rin makes that you wish you could try? All of it! That's the whole idea! He's good at cooking!

59. Will we ever have a (G-rated) reveal of what ALL of Mamushi and her family's tattoos look like? Maybe! She'll think about it

60. Does Arthur have a repertoire of different hairstyles? Not really, he just puts some of it up on the top. Heck he might even have people to do that for him

61. If you wrote a shojo manga what would it be about? She'd have to do a lot of research before even coming up with a story, since there are so many style differences between the genres aside from just the subject

62. The other two of Mephisto's top 3 favorite foods: Cup ramen and....f-fried bubblegum?? Is that a THING???

63. Where do you start when drawing a character? Usually the outline of their face but if it's a complex pose/composition she'll start with whatever's in the foreground (like hands)

64. If Katoh could have a familiar, what demon would she choose? Mephisto. As the all-powerful author, she might actually be able to command him as a familiar!

66. If you swapped Yukio and Rin's relationship around what would change? not much, you'd pretty much have Rin going to the Illuminati and Yukio going to the past

67. Top 3 foods/souvenirs to try in Kyushu? Well she doesn't know what’s good CURRENTLY but when she was there she always used to like burdock tempura udon, hakata torimon (a kind of manju with white bean paste inside), and Chikae style cod roe. today I learned Katoh went to high school in Kyushu

68. Katoh listens to music a lot while she's storyboarding, then when she and the assistants are all drawing and inking they put various videos/movies and stuff on in the background

69. For all his hitting on girls, is Shima actually popular with the ladies at all? He's got enough girls in his life that he probably COULD find a girlfriend if he really wanted, but the double agent thing tends to get in the way. He still wouldn't be as popular as Yukio though (side thought/translator’s note: Shima would be proud of being number 69.)

70. Katoh has the ending planned out in a big-picture way, but there are still a few details here and there that she's fretting over

71. It's cute when the boys put their ties over their shoulders when they're working on something! Where'd that come from? She just figured a tie might get in the way and that seemed like a realistic way to get it out of the way

72. Looks like Yukio is getting some facial hair! What about Rin? They're both about the age for it, but maybe Rin can't grow a beard yet. Maybe a little peach fuzz here and there

73. Katoh's favorite blue exorcist merch? There were some exorcist licenses a while back, and the exorcist pins. Basically it's really cool that these little accessories she drew ACTUALLY EXIST NOW, LIKE YOU CAN HOLD THEM IN YOUR HANDS

74. Okay realtalk how long do we have left, I don't want the series to end yet? We're solidly in the second half by now but it's not, like, ABOUT to end yet

75. Katoh would be a Knight meister, based on what characters she likes to play in games and such

76. How many people in the whole exorcism cram school? More than you think! She doesn't give a number but apparently licensed exorcists also attend classes for new meisters, etc, so there's a wide age range attending

77. How's Arthur feel about, like, studying Taming on the way to becoming Paladin? He's at least mostly accepted that you have to use demons to fight demons effectively

78. Konekomaru started wearing glasses in his first year of middle school, so like 7th grade (more recent than I thought!) He has one spare pair, in contrast to Yukio lol

79. Katoh's current obsessions? Ghost/scary stories! She's even been going to live readings of them recently

80. Media Katoh consumes for inspiration? A wide range of foreign teen drama, horror/suspense, shojo manga, light novels, anime, etc. Special focus on things where two boys are in conflict or there are brothers involved

81. If they weren't exorcists what jobs would they have? Rin - chef. Yukio - doctor. Shiemi - uh, florist?

82. Inspiration for the design of True Cross Town? Katoh and her assistants gathered up a bunch of references, picked out stuff they felt matched the tone, and mashed them all up together

83. Did you use any references etc for the school/exorcist uniforms? She says she probably should have but she just kind of made them up before publication

84. Favorite part of drawing? For color pages, picking out a color scheme. For black and white, drawing in all the little details (though she doesn't always get time to lately)

85. Once again confirms the demon kings' weird hair is a representation of their horns. ADDS THAT PEOPLE WHO CAN'T SEE DEMONS CAN'T SEE THE WEIRD HAIR

86. Now that Yukio's at the Illuminati, where's he gonna get his Jump SQ and spare glasses? Well he probably never planned to stay for long, but hey it's a big ship and they might have an optometrist and/or newsstand there

87. Do you base the demon characters on any references etc? Not really, she just gets a general idea of popular demon designs and then makes up her own in her own style

88. Merchandise Katoh personally wants to have made: stuff that an adult could just use in their day to day life. Also, it's not gonna happen, but if her favorite figure brand made AoEx figures she could die happy

89. If Beelzebub's host body was a beautiful woman, how would Shima react? Would the womanizing win out over the bug phobia? Katoh replies that Shima would probably just faint from being near a girl that pretty, before the bugs even got involved

90. Will the twins ever get to smile and eat dinner together again?? We'll just have to wait and see!

91. What do you check at a "scenario check"? what's a scenario check man I dunno They check for people being out of character or the setting feeling off. They had a lot of these checks for the anime, but they also do them for the drama CD, games, and all that other stuff where multiple authors are involved

92. Why does Shura use baldy as an insult for people who are clearly not bald? She feels like they have some kind of metaphorical, mental kind of "baldness" and she's calling them out on it. Whatever that means

93. After Blue Exorcist ends, what do you want to draw next? She has SO MANY IDEAS, SO MANY

94. Did Katoh make up the Shinto chants that, for example, Izumo used against Gedouin? They're assembled from bits of actual Shinto prayers according to what feels right in the scene

95. Yukio reads the Jump SQ, right, and, just hear me out here, he likes gag manga, right? Does this mean he reads Salaryman Yukio? It's something he would read, but let's say that in the AoEx universe there's just a very similar manga that he finds oddly relatable

96. What do Yukio and Shima do in their free time on the Dominus Liminus? oh my god you guys this ship has so many amenities.  Yukio probably spends time reading in the library, which they totally have. There's also, like, a gym, and a movie theater, and a THEATER theater, all of which are free. Shima probably hangs out at the pool (!) and goes to the movies, and hits on illuminati girls, lol

97. Easiest character to draw? The ones with boring simple hair, lol. Lightning gets an honorable mention for ALSO not having eyes in most shots, but Rin wins--he was specifically designed to be easy for Katoh to draw because that's what you want in your main character

98. How do demons understand gender? They just possess whatever feels like the best match to how they feel in Gehenna, whether that's a man, or a woman, or a rat, or whatever

99. Where do you start when you're coming up with a story? She starts with character design and how the characters relate to each other. Currently she's just continuing an existing story, so she works on splitting up the overall plot into episodes and fleshing it out with scenes and information about characters

100. When do you feel most happy? She honestly feels like she lives a very happy life overall. Mentions noticing a lot of little things, like how nice her cats' heads smell when she cuddles them or taking a nice cold refreshing drink of water. There's happiness in everything. aww.

[thevindicativevordan]

Mongul

Wanted to chat about another Superman Rogue who has been around a while: Mongul.

Background

Now this guy enjoys something of a mixed reputation. On one hand he, unlike many other Superman classic Rogues, has actually been in some good stories. There’s the iconic For The Man Who Has Everything by Alan Moore which is the perfect encapsulation of his core character traits. There he’s a hulking brute, with enough raw power to go toe to toe with Superman and actually hurt him with physical force alone. He’s crude, making misogynistic comments to Wonder Woman, and gleefully reveling in the conquest he plans. Yet he’s also clever, using the Black Mercy to incapacitate his foe, and has an air of faux affability to him that only adds to his menace. 

It should come as no surprise that an Alan Moore story is still Mongul’s best showing, but there are other stories worth mentioning as well. There’s Superman: Exile, the first meeting between the Post-Crisis Superman and Mongul and personally one of my favorite Post-Crisis Superman stories. There’s Mongul’s debut Pre-Crisis issue where he and Warworld first appear. There’s his attempt to hijack the Sinestro Corps during the Johns era of Green Lantern. Finally there’s his usage in Bendis Superman, which has been the first time in ages he’s been treated as a serious threat, and given an interesting way to serve as a contrast as Superman.

So why does he suffer from a mixed reputation? Well...

He sure does look familiar doesn’t he? He was created by Len Wein and Jim Starlin, and Starlin you might recall was the creator of Thanos, who was a ripoff of Darkseid. So Mongul is a copy of a copy, lacking the grandeur of Darkseid and the ambition of Thanos. He and Apocalypse are both cast in Darkseid’s mold, and have both gotten one really great and iconic storyline that guarantees they’ll stick around, but have also not traditionally fared well outside that one story. Also like Apocalypse:

He has a really bad habit of jobbing and being used by writers to prop up their characters. Jurgens used him to prop up Hank Henshaw in Reign of the Supermen and Henshaw again along with Zod in the Rebirth arc Revenge!, giving him a reputation as a joke. He also got killed by Sinestro pretty easily during his coup attempt.

Besides that he’s also unfortunately been treated as a generic tyrant for Superman to beat up, lacking much in the way of characterization, or in being a meaningful contrast to Superman beyond “Superman uses his strength to serve others, Mongul uses his to oppress them”. For a while I kind of wrote him off as a lost cause, someone that really didn’t offer anything as a Superman opponent beyond that one Alan Moore story. But recently I’ve changed my opinion; I’ve come to believe Mongul does in fact serve an important purpose and should be treated as an essential part of the Superman Rogues Gallery. Part of this turnabout was caused by really enjoying his usage in Bendis’ Superman run, which caused me to do a reread of Mongul stories, and got me thinking about who Mongul is, what he’s about, and what role he plays.

What Role Mongul Plays

A crucial realization hit me while I was rereading Mongul stories: Mongul is The Bully of the Supermythos.

He’s the guy who doesn’t delude himself into thinking he’s the hero like Lex does. He doesn’t consider himself above petty emotions or notions of right and wrong like Brainiac. He doesn’t have a sympathetic background like General Zod does. He’s the guy who enjoys pounding people into the dirt, who doesn’t mask his desire to lord over the populace behind pretenses of noble intentions. He’s gleeful as he crushes his enemies beneath his heel, he’s petty in that he enjoys forcing people to fight for his amusement, he’s dangerous in that while Darkseid can be bargained with, Mongul is always going to prefer to take what he wants via force and is powerful enough to do just that. In other words, he’s the exact kind of guy Superman started out wanting to take down, just living in the cosmic space where Superman can actually kick his ass without it feeling like punching down. 

That core ethos, beautifully summed up in All-Star Superman, is in direct opposition to Mongul’s entire lifestyle. When the United Planets starts to form in Bendis’ Superman, Mongul is outraged, not just because it may pose a threat to him, but because the very idea of the “weak” uniting into a stronger whole downright offends him. He runs Warworld to cull the “weak and unfit” of the universe for his own amusement and entertainment, the petty schoolyard bully who has turned a planet-sized Death Star into his own playground, and he climbed to the top via crushing anyone that stood against him with his own two hands or outwitting them with his brain. He’s got no time for others who think they can rise above their station in life without the physical/mental power to back that desire up. If Superman believes that everyone is capable of greatness, Mongul is a firm believer that greatness is the sole purview of the very few (and really only himself). 

This core conflict allows writers to bring back the bully hunter of the Golden Age and early New 52 t-shirt and jeans Supermen. Here’s a guy, a foreign ruler no less, who is actively oppressing people. We get to enjoy seeing Superman taking on a foreign dictator because he’s off in space instead of doing so here on Earth where thorny parallels to American interventionism abroad would be raised. Superman can be the Champion of the Oppressed again, and that’s always something I enjoy seeing.

I’d also like to bring up why Mongul was originally created. Len Wein wanted a foe for Superman who could match him physically. In other words, Mongul is like Doomsday if Doomsday actually had a personality. Mongul offers the opportunity for deeper exploration of Superman that Doomsday can’t. We know this literally because Mongul’s best story isn’t just a slugfest between the two the way Doomsday’s is. For The Man Who Has Everything is one of the best explorations of just how damn lonely being the Last Son of Krypton is for Kal. Exile explores the ethics of Superman’s no kill rule, his belief in the sanctity of life, his struggles to hold onto that belief in the face of the cruelty of others. His usage in Bendis’ run is to illustrate just how fragile the United Planets is, how easily it can break apart, and how hard Superman is going to have to strive to make it work. PKJ used Mongul in his Future State Superman: Worlds of War stories to show the lengths Superman will go to liberate others, his defiance in the face of Mongul’s attempts to break him. There’s an opportunity for psychological evaluation of Superman when Mongul shows up that just isn’t there with Doomsday. That alone is reason to keep him around, but he also brings a bunch of cool shit in addition.

Cool Aspects Mongul Brings to the Supermythos

He’s got a Death Star that doubles as a gladiator coliseum, where we get to see Superman compete with other gladiators from across the cosmos. Mongul lets Superman channel that Conan brutality in a very entertaining way, putting Superman in a setting where he’s facing lots of foes who can go up against him with raw strength and numbers alone. 

It’s a place that channels that pulp science fiction that Superman was borne from in a very entertaining way in my opinion. Also they should set a Superman video game there (but that’s another blog post). The gladiators are also useful, either as oppressed prisoners for Superman to liberate, and showcase directly how he makes life better, or as bloodthirsty mooks that can actually challenge Superman without dimishing him.

The Black Mercy is an awesome science fiction concept. While it’s been overused in relation to Mongul, it’s also the embodiment of the unknown wonders and threats of DC Cosmic. In the right hands it’s a great tool for exploring characters’ psychology. 

Bendis and Fraction reestablished that the name “Mongul” is a legacy one. The current Mongul is from a long line of Monguls, the sons killing their fathers when their fathers show weakness. Given how Rebirth has established the importance of legacy to Superman with Jon, something continued by Bendis, this may be a very crucial aspect to play off of. The way “Mongul” as a mantle is assumed is a dark contrast to the way the “Superman” mantle is taken up by others after Clark. Exploring the Mongul father-son relationship in contrast to the Clark-Jon relationship may be in the cards for the PKJ run given Mongul will be the first classic Superman Rogue appearing in PKJ Action. If not I hope some other writer will take a chance to explore the way the two contrast and compare with one another because it could be very interesting.

What I Would Change About Mongul

I think there’s already a pretty damn solid base to build off of with Mongul, but some aspects that I would play up to better establish him as separate from both Clark and Darkseid:

Making him more of a hedonist. This is a guy who eat, drinks, and fucks, and enjoys himself while doing so. He loves being a bad guy and isn’t “weighed down by his sins” or any such nonsense

Showcase his knowledge more. Mongul is smart, he’s been all over the cosmos, he learned about Warworld and the Black Mercy, show that he knows other dangerous secrets as well. Weapons, planets, florua, fauna, Mongul knows stuff not even the Guardians do

Establish some underlings. Instead of having Mongul job, use some of his gladiators, elite ones raised above the riffraff who can pose a threat and hold off Superman while Mongul accomplishes his goals

Appearance wise I’d like to make him look more different from Darkseid. I’d want to draw on dinosaurs for his look. If you need to justify it, just have another son replace the current Mongul and become the new Mongul, or have Mongul modify himself with enhancements in order to beat Superman

Mongul is cool and brings a lot to the table, DC just needs to stop treating him as a jobber and more as a legitimate threat. I was happy with how Bendis used him, and I am hopeful that PKJ will continue to treat him well. He’s a villain who actually has stories that showcase why he rocks, and not just cool ideas that have never come together like other Superman Rogues. Hopefully he’ll get more opportunities to showcase that.

[set-phasers-to-whump]

strychnine

X=done

Prompt: poison/venom

Whumpee: Neal Caffrey

Fandom: White Collar

For: anon

you would think getting to pick any character i wanted for this would have made it easier to write but my stupidass brain took forever anyway lol. sorry this took me awhile, but i hope it’s ok!!

As far as white collar crimes went, embezzlement was by no means the most interesting one. Especially not this particular embezzlement case, Neal thought. One of the board members of a nonprofit charity dedicated to the arts in schools had been suspected of the crime-several employees had accused him of funnelling thousands of dollars in donations into his own personal accounts. So far, however, no one had been able to prove it. 

This was, of course, where the FBI, and Neal by extension, came in. He’d been sent to work at the nonprofit and instructed to use his knowledge and skills in art as a way to get close to the suspect and hopefully learn his secrets.

At first glance, this had seemed fairly exciting-getting to show off his artistic prowess was always a good time-but the reality of the situation was, he was stuck behind a desk taking calls for most of the day, except on the rare occasions that he was invited to speak with a member of the board. 

Still, little by little, he’d made progress with the suspect, and now, in his third week on the job, he was having lunch with their suspect, Jason Reynolds, nearly every day, discussing things that began with favorite artists and slowly moved toward Mike’s-Neal’s alias’-openness to a little crime. He was so close to drawing Reynolds out into the open-he’d confessed to a few small things already, nothing big enough to land him in serious trouble, but Neal was sure he’d reveal his guilt in the embezzlement case before the end of the week.

He wasn’t wrong with this assumption-though if he knew exactly how Reynolds’ guilt would come to light, he might’ve gone about things a little differently.

The day had started off like every other one for the past few weeks-he arrived at work at eight in the morning, was debriefed by Peter, swapped his tracking anklet for a watch, put in his earpiece, grabbed some breakfast, and made his way to ‘work.’

He’d just gotten settled at his desk when the secretary for the board of directors, Catherine, walked up to him, a cup of coffee in each hand. She set one cup on his desk and told him that Reynolds had sent it for him-apparently, he had something important to talk to Neal about, and would be calling on him within the hour. 

There was a bit of excited chatter in his ear as this information was received by Peter and his team. This had to be it, Reynolds was going to be taken down today!

Neal drummed his fingers on his desk as he worked, answering phone calls with perhaps a little less professionalism than he usually afforded the task-today was his last day, after all. He absentmindedly sipped at his coffee, which, somehow, had been made exactly the way he liked it, though it was a little bitter.

After perhaps ten minutes, Neal's coffee and work were entirely forgotten-he knew he should have been working, keeping his cover until the last second, but he was so excited that he found it impossible to keep still. He bounced his leg, continued tapping on the desk, fiddled with his pens, his watch…

Another few minutes went by, and Neal began to wonder if something was wrong with him. The muscles in his arms and legs were getting sore, but he hadn’t done anything to strain them recently. He decided to get up and stretch them out, maybe take a quick walk around the room, but the second he stood up, his heart began to pound and his breathing quickened and he realized that he was afraid-but of what? His mind refused to give him that information, insisting only that something, somewhere, was scary. Which made no sense, some rational pet of his mind told him, but there he was, at his desk surrounded by nothing but other workers, terrified. Something had to be wrong…

He was just working out how to convey this thought to Peter and his team when he was startled out of his thinking by a tap on his shoulder from the secretary, and once again jumped out of his chair. 

“Sorry, Mike,” she said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Didn’t mean to startle you.”

He took a second to get himself under control-it was just a tap to the shoulder, no reason to be so startled. “It’s alright, Catherine. The boss wants to see me now, I take it?”

She nodded. “He says it’s something that’s really going to pique your interest.”

Neal nodded back, and gave her what he hoped passed as a friendly smile-not only were his arms and legs sore, but now, his jaw had decided to tighten up, and he could barely tell if it moved at all. Yeah, something was really wrong. But he was so close to getting the information they needed...whatever this was could wait a few minutes. 

He made it to Reynolds’ office somehow, and had scarcely closed the door behind him when his legs went stiff and he collapsed to the floor. There was a quick, “What was that?” in his ear, which he ignored in favor of attempting to stand up. He didn’t get very far before he was pushed back to the ground by a sharp arching in his back that wouldn’t stop, and he groaned weakly and muttered, “wha’s happening?”

There was a rush of questions through this earpiece, which his brain processed only as garbled words which were entirely too loud. He tried to ignore the voices and focus on Reynolds instead. 

He looked up, as much as his body would allow, and saw Reynolds standing over him, without any sort of concern on his face and-oh god, Reynolds had poisoned him. 

As if to confirm this thought, Reynolds smiled, a sharp and dangerous smile, and said, “you thought you were so clever, didn’t you, Mike? Thought you could waltz in here and get all buddy-buddy with me, like you deserved to get in on my payoff?”

No, no, no, this was bad, this was very bad. He had to do something...but his mind was blank. The voices in his ear were fairly shouting now, and he felt his body begin to spasm painfully and realized he could barely breathe and he needed...he needed…

“Peter…”

If anyone could help him, Peter could. Peter could save him. 

He didn’t hear Peter. Or maybe he did. The voices coming through his earpiece had long since melted into one thing. But Peter had to come, right? Peter could help him, Peter could always help him, and he was so scared and everything hurt so much and he couldn’t control anything and Peter, please...

He wasn’t aware of much else for quite some time. He heard Reynolds laugh, and then there was a crash, and a bunch of people surrounding him, and someone had a soft hand on his face and was telling him he was going to be okay, and then some people picked him up, and then everything really started to blur together, and the next thing he knew, he was slowly opening his eyes to the sound of steady beeping and something mildly scratchy covering him. 

The hospital. 

He looked around, not expecting much. A couple machines, maybe. 

There were a few machines in the room, but there was also a chair, with a plasticky and uncomfortable looking cushion, and seated in it, a book open across his lap, eyes closed and snoring softly, was Peter. 

Peter had come for him. Peter had saved him. He smiled at that thought, and quietly whispered Peter's name to wake him up.

Peter jerked out of his doze and looked around confusedly for a second until his eyes landed on Neal. 

“How you feeling?”

Neal experimentally moved an arm. “Better.” Vaguely sore, but his mind was clear and his body felt more or less like it should have. “He poisoned me. Reynolds.”

“Yeah,” Peter said, worry still etched into his face. “Strychnine.”

Neal was far less concerned with the means of his poisoning than the outcome of the case. “Did we get him?”

“We sure did,” Peter said, smiling a bit at his CI’s focus on the case rather than on what had happened to him. “Embezzlement and attempted manslaughter.”

“Oh.” He had almost died, hadn’t he? This wasn’t the first time he’d almost died, of course. And nor was it the first time Peter had been the one to stop him dying. 

“Thank you. For saving me, I mean.”

Peter, whose thoughts had evidently been in the same direction, said, “wouldn’t be the first time.” But he smiled when he said it, and patted Neal on the arm. “I’d say don’t make a habit of it, but I think we’re past that point.”

Neal nodded absentmindedly. He was tired. But there was still work to be done, right? “How was the arrest? What...what happened?”

“You can go back to sleep, Neal. I’ll fill you in on the details of the arrest later.” 

He nodded again, gratefully. “Thanks, Peter.”

Peter clapped him on the shoulder in a poor but kind and almost fatherly attempt at affection. “Of course.”

Neal slept. 

hope you liked this!!!! i did a lot of research on this particular poison so hopefully the symptoms are as they should be! thank you for reading!!

[secondscratch17]

weird asks that say a lot

1. coffee mugs, teacups, wine glasses, water bottles, or soda cans? All of them. I drink tea in coffee mugs and teacups. I love drinking wine. I like that I can recycle soda cans

2. chocolate bars or lollipops? chocolate

3. bubblegum or cotton candy? bubblegum if the flavor lasts long

4. how did your elementary school teachers describe you? the stereotypical quiet, obedient, smart, goody-two-shoes kid

5. do you prefer to drink soda from soda cans, soda bottles, plastic cups or glass cups? somehow I like the aesthetic from soda bottles

6. pastel, boho, tomboy, preppy, goth, grunge, formal or sportswear? hONESTLY I can dO ALL OF THE ABOVE in the span of days. Went to work one day wearing beach-y clothes for spirit day. Returned to pick up a friend to go see a metal concert in VERY metal concert attire. I own short, sweet summery floral dresses and gothic dresses, too

7. earbuds or headphones? Earbuds, they allow me to be more mobile

8. movies or tv shows? movies

9. favorite smell in the summer? Fresh cut grass. The smell of the ocean. Churros at the fair

10. game you were best at in p.e.? Soccer, obvs. Somehow would always last until the end of the game in dodgeball tho because I was small and no one could hit me

11. what you have for breakfast on an average day? Cereal

12. name of your favorite playlist? Don’t have one. 

13. lanyard or key ring?  Key ring

14. favorite non-chocolate candy? Smarties!

15. favorite book you read as a school assignment? I remember re-reading Holes over and over just to make my book reports easier since I knew the boo so well. The Kite Runner was phenomenal and unforgettable

16. most comfortable position to sit in? idk?? I really can’t sit still in one position for too long

17. most frequently worn pair of shoes? Currently my hiking/outdoorsy shoes. Also my black Nikes that I play pickup in and wear to the gym

18. ideal weather? Sunny and 65. Maybe one or two clouds. The tiniest of faint breezes to cool me down. 

19. sleeping position? Any I can get into and fall asleep in quickly

20. preferred place to write (i.e., in a note book, on your laptop, sketchpad, post-it notes, etc.)? Laptop. I can edit easier.

21. obsession from childhood? Probably any cheesy show on Animal Planet. The Most Extreme, Meerkat Manor, Big Cat Diary, etc

22. role model? I have a lot of different ones. Role models for athletics, role models for career and ambition choices, artistic role models...can’t pick just one

23. strange habits? Spelling words with the tips of my fingers

24. favorite crystal? Aquamarine

25. first song you remember hearing? how in the FUCK am I supposed to remember that. I do remember my parents playing The Beatles for me when I was a toddler

26. favorite activity to do in warm weather? Soccer! (futbol) 

27. favorite activity to do in cold weather? Sledding, making hot chocolate, or playing indoor soccer haha

28. five songs to describe you? Who I am Hates Who I’ve Been by Relient K, Proud by the Icarus Account, Land of the Dead by Voltaire, Always Leaving by Mayday Parade, Wavin’ Flag by K’naan

29. best way to bond with you? Listening to my favorite music with me or watching the US Women’s national soccer team with me

30. places that you find sacred? Belfast, Maine. Gold Camp Road. Newport Beach

31. what outfit do you wear to kick ass and take names? Tight jeans with holes in them, fishnets, and a crop top

32. top five favorite vines? Vines still exist?

33. most used phrase in your phone? “tbh”

34. advertisements you have stuck in your head? O O O O REILLYYYYYY’S autoparts

35. average time you fall asleep? around 9

36. what is the first meme you remember ever seeing? I don’t remember

37. suitcase or duffel bag? suitcase

38. lemonade or tea? Is it warm outside? Lemonade. Is it cold outside? tea

39. lemon cake or lemon meringue pie? PIE!

40. weirdest thing to ever happen at your school? Zombie hunting or my professor cutting lab a half an hour short to go look at some Cedar waxwings

41. last person you texted? I think it was Robert

42. jacket pockets or pants pockets? Pants pockets

43. hoodie, leather jacket, cardigan, jean jacket or bomber jacket? Jean jacket

44. favorite scent for soap? Anything fruity

45. which genre: sci-fi, fantasy or superhero? Fantasy. It depends on how good the sci-fi movie is

46. most comfortable outfit to sleep in? as little as possible lmao

47. favorite type of cheese? Parmesan

48. if you were a fruit, what kind would you be? A raspberry

49. what saying or quote do you live by? A great amount of good is always evened out by a great amount of bad

50. what made you laugh the hardest you ever have? Honestly Daniel knew how to make me laugh better than anyone. There are a couple of memories with him that I don’t remember entirely but I know that I ended up cry-laughing so hard that my head hurt. There was a time during my orientation camping trip when a bunch of us were playing ultimate Frisbee, and Jesse went to catch the frisbee in the most perfectly lateral horizontal position and the expression of focus just frozen on his face had me laughing so hard that I couldn’t see

51. current stresses? Sam. Jobs that I can apply for starting in May of 2020. Sam. STUDENT LOANS. Bills. Car payments. Wondering how fucked up my car has gotten since I’ve lived here on this ranch. Sam. 

52. favorite font? Anything that looks fancy and sarcastic

53. what is the current state of your hands? Need to be washed. 

54. what did you learn from your first job? The world is cruel and bad things happen without warning

55. favorite fairy tale? Uh....the Pied Piper?

56. favorite tradition? when my family visits for Christmas, eating lots of traditional Chinese food with them

57. the three biggest struggles you’ve overcome? Heartbreak. Staggering rejection from the field I majored in. Probably a lot of body image struggles in there as well

58. four talents you’re proud of having? Writing, futbol, adaptability, flexibility. I think the last two are just traits but I don’t have a lot of talents I can invest in

59. if you were a video game character, what would your catchphrase be? Let’s make like a baby and head out

60. if you were a character in an anime, what kind of anime would you want it to be? No idea

61. favorite line you heard from a book/movie/tv show/etc.? Though we are far apart, our spirits share the same earth and the same sky

62. seven characters you relate to? Bilbo Baggins from The Hobbit, Data from The Goonies, Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter, Eliza Thornberry from The Wild Thornberries, Raven from Teen Titans, Isaac from Teen Wolf

63. five songs that would play in your club? ANYTHING by Within Temptation. I wouldn’t be a good club owner. The catchy and pump-up songs from Hamilton.

64. favorite website from your childhood? Wasn’t allowed much computer time. I was allowed to visit educational sites and occasionally the Disney site

65. any permanent scars? some self-harm scars. Probably the one on my right leg that I got from CO parks and wildlife. I stepped on a barbed wire fence that had been plastered to the ground, but the metal sprang up when I stepped on it and ripped through my skin

66. favorite flower(s)? Plumerias

67. good luck charms? I’m not sure if I have any. 

68. worst flavor of any food or drink you’ve ever tried? earthworm flavor from Bertie Bott’s every flavor beans

69. a fun fact that you don’t know how you learned? uh...Something about not being able to spray silly string on Halloween in Hollywood

70. left or right handed? Right handed

71. least favorite pattern? wtf

72. worst subject? anything math related, I really struggled in GIS.

73. favorite weird flavor combo? I...have no idea

74. at what pain level out of ten (1 through 10) do you have to be at before you take an advil or ibuprofen? 2. I’m a baby

75. when did you lose your first tooth? I was 6

76. what’s your favorite potato food (i.e. tater tots, baked potatoes, fries, chips, etc.)? chips and fries

77. best plant to grow on a windowsill? a succulent

78. coffee from a gas station or sushi from a grocery store? sushi from a grocery store, the quality can surprise you

79. which looks better, your school id photo or your driver’s license photo? Both are terrible

80. earth tones or jewel tones? Jewel tones

81. fireflies or lightning bugs? I hate bugs

82. pc or console? PC

83. writing or drawing? Writing, I’m terrible at drawing

84. podcasts or talk radio? Not into either

84. barbie or polly pocket? I had both

85. fairy tales or mythology? God!!!! Like hearing about both but mythology I guess

86. cookies or cupcakes? Cookies

87. your greatest fear? Being forgotten. I also have a terrible, horrible fear of drowning

88. your greatest wish? In the times I’ve struggled I often find myself wishing for peace. Not only for myself, but for others to easily feel peace with everyone else

89. who would you put before everyone else? Sierra

90. luckiest mistake? Mistake? There’s been lucky accidents but I don’t think any of my mistakes have been lucky

91. boxes or bags? It depends on what I’m packing and where I’m going

92. lamps, overhead lights, sunlight or fairy lights? Sunlight

93. nicknames? T, Tear, Tear-tear, T-Dog, Miss T..a few of my recent favorites from soccer: Ronaldinha and Thierry Chun

94. favorite season? Fall! Shit, especially in New England

95. favorite app on your phone? I don’t know

96. desktop background? A picture of a simple dock leading out to sea

97. how many phone numbers do you have memorized? My parents’ and brother’s

98. favorite historical era? Victorian era, for sure

[oliverphisher]

Josh Donellan

J.M. DONELLAN is a writer, musician, poet, and teacher. He was almost devoured by a tiger in the jungles of Malaysia, nearly died of a lung collapse in the Nepalese Himalayas and fended off a pack of rabid dogs with a guitar in the mountains of India.

A Beginner's Guide to Dying in India By Josh Donellan

His debut novel A Beginner’s Guide to Dying in India was released in 2009. Josh was a state finalist in the 2012 and 2014 Australian Poetry Slams and a national finalist in 2015. His play, We Are All Ghosts, was performed as part of the Anywhere Theatre Festival in 2014. He also co-wrote the Theory of Everything, which completely sold out its entire season at the 2015 Brisbane Festival. Josh has spoken and performed at numerous festivals around Australia including Sydney Writers’ Festival, TEDxBrisbane (twice), the Wonderland Festival, and various not-entirely-legal warehouse parties in an array of secret locales.

His children’s fantasy novel Zeb and the Great Ruckus was described by one child as ‘the best book ever, but it should have had Dr. Who in it.’ His most recent novel, Killing Adonis has received rave reviews from numerous magazines and newspapers, both here and in the USA, including a Kirkus starred review. His poetry collection Stendhal Syndrome was released in 2016 and will soon be followed by his forthcoming collection of poems for kids entitled 19 ½ Secret Spells Disguised As Poems, which is definitely not a book of spells (unless you are a kid reading this in which case it is definitely a book of spells). In 2018 he collaborated with choreographer Liesel Zink to create the spoken word/dance performance Inter. Josh also writes and directs the podcast fiction series Six Cold Feet. He’s done a bunch of other stuff as well but honestly this bio is long enough already and no one likes a braggart.

What are one to three books that have greatly influenced your life? 

1.    I read the Lord of the Rings trilogy as kid and I have a distinct memory of thinking ‘Well, that’s it for me. I want to be a writer. Why the hell would you do anything else?’

The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings: Deluxe Pocket Boxed Set By J.R.R. Tolkien

2.    I read Murakami’s Sputnik Sweetheart at university and I loved the way it completely obliterated my previous notions of how a story should work and reinforced the very important idea that a book really can be whatever the hell you want it to be.

Sputnik Sweetheart: A Novel By Haruki Murakami

3.    More recently, I read Jennifer Egan’s ‘Look At Me’ and it felt like stepping into another world. I think about that novel at least once a week. It exists on a whole other plain of reality for me.

Look at Me: A Novel By Jennifer Egan

What purchase of $100 or less has most positively impacted your life in the last six months (or in recent memory)?      

I bought one of those armbands to put your phone in while exercising and recently got back into running for the first time in years. I forgot how happy it makes me, for someone who sits on their butt staring at the screen a good chunk of the day exercise is hugely important, not just for the body but for creativity and mental health. I think of depression as a physical nemesis I have to fight to keep at bay, and running feels like wielding a magical sword at the great black dog. 

How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? 

I think the first time you really crash on stage is such an important learning experience. Once you’ve lived through that you know what it looks like and you realise that while it’s not fun, it’s also nowhere near as bad as your anxiety was promising it would be. Even better if you have a truly catastrophic public appearance early on, because then all subsequent failures aren’t as bad in comparison.

Are there any quotes you think of often or live your life by?

A long time ago my friend and I went to see a local play where the audience was forcibly pulled on stage and made to feel really uncomfortable. I love immersive theatre, but this was a very unpleasant and unwelcome experience. Afterwards she said to me ‘I don’t think that director loves his audience. You have to love your audience.’ I think about that every time I sit down to write. Bear in mind, love doesn’t always mean doing the easiest or most immediately satisfying thing, it means ultimately doing what you believe is best for someone, even if it’s difficult in the short term.

What is one of the best investment in a writing resource you’ve ever made? 

Scrivener. I am weirdly evangelical about that program. I swear I’m not getting paid endorsement money or anything, even if I do occasionally grab a megaphone and run around writers’ festivals yelling “Oi! Are you lot using Scrivener? It’s the BEST!”

What is an unusual habit or an absurd thing that you love? 

My favourite animal is the mantis shrimp, the most absurd and beautiful creature to ever walk the earth. It looks like a technicolour hellbeast and it has the most complex eyes of any living organism. It’s weird how much I love that animal.

In the last five years, what new belief, behaviour, or habit has most improved your life? 

I used to think that the ultimate form of writing was a novel, and that everything else was just auxiliary formats. These days I’m writing across theatre, podcasts, video games etc. and I’ve really learned to love the nuances and possibilities of each medium. The novel is ideal for exploring a character’s inner world; the podcast is perfect for drawing the listener in with subtle, non-verbal sound cues; theatre has an incredible capacity to tell the same story in a whole new way with each performance. I’ve really enjoyed learning to embrace that.

What advice would you give to a smart, driven aspiring author? What advice should they ignore? 

I think the main thing is to realise that figure out what your process is going to be is a good chunk of the job. So many writers make the mistake of trying to study the process of their idols and replicate it verbatim, but it’s really about finding your own path. Maybe that means going on a vision quest, maybe it means drinking six cups of coffee and listening to Mogwai on repeat, maybe it means writing in your underwear while the sweat cascades down your fingers and hoping it doesn’t fry the battery in your laptop (that one might be Queensland specific, it’s very warm here).

What are bad recommendations you hear in your profession often? 

There’s a weird idea in the writing community that if you don’t study creative writing at university you’re not taking it seriously, which is not only a heinously privileged perspective but also one that seems anomalous compared to other art forms. So many directors, actors, musicians, painters etc. are self-taught or learn from a mentor or take private courses and I think for many writers this can work as well. If you want to study creative writing at university, that’s fine and it might be great for you,but I definitely don’t think it’s a necessity. In fact, David Foster Wallace (himself a creative writing teacher) once pointed out that some MFA programs churn out students whose writing is impossibly pristine, complex, and elegant, while also being utterly indistinguishable and thoroughly forgettable. 

In the last five years, what have you become better at saying no to (distractions, invitations, etc.)? 

I’m still not great at saying no, in general. I think being a curious person is an important quality for a writer, or any human. However, I have gotten better at saying, “I’m really interested, but maybe give me a month to wrap up this other project I’m working on,” and that’s been a really helpful improvement. Doesn’t always work out though. The other week I went straight from a conference in Melbourne to the launch party for Six Cold Feet season 2 on a Thursday, then the theatre premiere of a dance show I wrote some poetry for the following night. I am now actually dead from exhaustion and it is my ghost writing this.

What marketing tactics should authors avoid?

Branding should apply to two things; products and cattle, but apparently people can now have ‘personal brands’ and corporations can have the same legal rights as a person. You’re a writer, you’re telling stories, not making bespoke booties for chihuahuas. Make art, not book-shaped pre-landfill.

What new realizations and/or approaches have helped you achieve your goals? 

I try and have at least two projects going at any one time, I work intensively on one and then when I start to get bored and/or overwhelmed, I flick straight to the other. The grass always looks greener on the other side, and this way I’m jumping from one patch of very green grass to another. Instead of moving between writing and procrastination, I move between two types of writing.

When you feel overwhelmed or have lost your focus temporarily, what do you do? 

There’s a little reservoir up in the mountains about fifteen minutes drive from my house. I like to go out there and stare at the water until one of our famously bloodthirsty Australian birds attempts to swoop me and peck out my eyeballs. The transition from serenity to extreme adrenaline is very stimulating.

Any other tips?

Be part of your community. Writing can be a very hermetic practice, which is fine at times, but it’s important to go to people’s readings, buy their books, write reviews, share recommendations, and just be nice to people. I know that it sounds obvious to remind people just be generally friendly and kind to each other, but you’d be surprised how many writers can’t manage this basic benchmark of human interaction and end up burning bridges before they’ve even been built.

________

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source https://www.thecommunitywriter.com/blog/josh-donellan

[oliverphisher]

James Foley

Brobot (S. Tinker Inc) By James Foley

James Foley is a children’s author and illustrator. He makes picture books, junior fiction and graphic novels. He is in high demand for talks and workshops in schools and libraries across Australia. He comes from a long line of queuing enthusiasts. He lives in Perth with his wife, son and labrador.

James Foley makes picture books, middle grade novels and comics for kids. He’s the author/illustrator of the S.Tinker Inc graphic novel series for middle primary: Brobot (2016), Dungzilla (2017) and Gastronauts (2018) star Sally Tinker, the world’s foremost inventor under the age of twelve, and Joe Tinker, her stinky baby brother. James also illustrated Toffle Towers (2019), written by Tim Harris, and Total Quack Up (2018), an anthology of funny short stories with proceeds going to charity. James’ earlier books My Dead Bunny (2015) In The Lion (2012), The Last Viking (2011) and The Last Viking Returns (2014) have all scored several honours, including children’s choice awards, shortlistings in the Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year awards, and selection to the International Youth Library’s White Raven list.

What are one to three books that have greatly influenced your life?

The Artists’ Way, by Julia Cameron

The Artist's Way: 25th Anniversary Edition By Julia Cameron

Roland Harvey’s Drawing Book, by Roland Harvey

Roland Harvey's Drawing Book (Young Designer Series) By Roland Harvey

The Eleventh Hour, by Graeme Base

The Eleventh Hour: A Curious Mystery By Graeme Base

What purchase of $100 or less has most positively impacted your life in the last six months (or in recent memory)?

It’s not related to writing or illustrating in any way ... my wife and I recently bought some reusable produce bags to replace the soft little plastic bags you use at the shops to put fruit or veggies in. They’re made from recycled plastic bottles too so they’re extra good for the environment. We also bought some bulk produce bags so we can go to our local whole food shop and buy bulk of rice, oats and other things we’d usually have to buy in little plastic bags at the supermarket. It’s reduced our plastic consumption A LOT and that’s making us feel a bit better about our impact on the environment.

How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success?

I first submitted illustration samples to publishers when I was around 20 years old. I didn’t get any invitations to illustrate books back then; my work wasn’t up to a professional standard yet, and I wasn’t ready mentally or emotionally either. But I did have one publisher who liked one of the images I’d pulled together, and they said they’d keep it on file. Nothing ever came of it, but that one little bit of encouragement was enough for me to keep going.

I was working on a picture book idea around that time too; I had character designs and a theme … but the story wasn’t working. 7 years later, I got my first publishing contract. The story had the same theme as the one I’d been working on way back when, and my old character design was definitely applicable. In fact a whole bunch of different little sketches that I’d just been doing for fun ended up finding their way into that first book. It was as if I had been working towards that first published book without knowing it.

Are there any quotes you think of often or live your life by?

There’s one that’s (supposedly) from Confucius that I’ve had written on a post-it on my computer for a long time: “Man on hill with mouth open wait long time for roast duck to drop in.”

What is one of the best investment in a writing resource you’ve ever made?

It was an illustrating resource, and it was my first graphics tablet: a Wacom intuos 3. I bought it back in 2006 and it served me well for a decade of making illustrations; I illustrated my first four books with it. It still works, too!

What is an unusual habit or an absurd thing that you love?

I’ve collected the ticket stub from every movie I’ve seen since 1994. The first in the pile is Independence Day, which I saw with some high school classmates after class one day.

In the last five years, what new belief, behaviour, or habit has most improved your life?

I had a near-death experience in 2016; I was in a major car accident. It could have gone really badly but somehow I emerged unscathed. That gave me a clear sense of my own mortality for the first time, and has changed the way I look at my life and work immensely. I recommend a non-injurious near-death experience to everyone! I also got married and had a son in the last three years, so that’s changed my outlook again.

What advice would you give to a smart, driven aspiring author? What advice should they ignore?

You don’t need to submit things straight away. You don’t need to get published straight away, and you shouldn’t expect to. It’s important that you get knocked back a few times. It’s extremely likely you’ll get knocked back a lot of times. The knockbacks and the constructive criticism will help you develop your craft and get your work up to a publishable standard. Take on the feedback that you truly feels rings true (because sometimes you will get positive constructive criticism from people who really get what you’re trying to do and see the potential in it); ignore the feedback that doesn’t really click or seems petty or mean (because sometimes you will get discouraging feedback from people who just don’t get what you’re trying to do). For this to work though, you need to be willing to take on feedback in the first place, and that’s absolutely vital. I see lots of people who are overconfident in their ability, and react very badly when given feedback that contradicts that belief. You need to be confident in your ability to put in the work of course, but also humble, as you have a lot to learn, and you will never stop learning.

What are bad recommendations you hear in your profession often?

Sometimes people say, submit your manuscript to one publisher at a time. That’s terrible advice! You will be waiting months and months to hear back from a publisher, if you ever hear back from them at all. The better thing to do is send to multiple publishers at once, and mention in your cover letter that this is what you've done. That way all the publishers know what the deal is, and they can contact you to check if the manuscript is still available before they start putting time and effort into reading it and considering it at their meetings in-house.

In the last five years, what have you become better at saying no to (distractions, invitations, etc.)?

Having a toddler means my wife and I have very little free time, so we’ve both had to become better at saying no to things; I think I still need to learn the lesson on a regular basis! It’s always a balancing act between work and home life; and within work, there’s a balance between spending time on the next book/s, spending time doing paid talks and workshops; getting admin done; and doing the other unpaid things that pop up (volunteer opportunities, media and promotional events, etc).

What marketing tactics should authors avoid?

On social media, don’t just talk about yourself all the time, and don’t just talk about your book all the time. You can share things that interest you, share reviews of what you’re reading, even just share a photo of your dog - social media is about being social, not just hammering people with advertisements and saying ME ME ME.

What new realizations and/or approaches have helped you achieve your goals?

I’ve gotten better at time management and networking, and I’m learning to draw quicker too; these are things that I guess anyone develops with practice. It’s meant I’ve been able to work on more projects at once, though I definitely bit off more than I could chew this year, so I’ve also realised that there’s a limit to how many goals one can realistically work towards at any one time. This year I’m illustrating three middle grade novels (the first is called Toffle Towers: Fully Booked, written by Tim Harris); I’ve also illustrated the follow-up picture book to My Dead Bunny, which will be out in 2020; I’m also working on a bunch of freelance jobs, and starting another graphic novel and developing some picture book ideas. So it’s all go at the moment.

I’m also finding that the sleep deprivation of having a toddler is really affecting everything in my life - my immune system, my energy levels, and of course my mental health and my work - EVERYTHING. So I’m becoming more health conscious, and realising I have to set aside time for naps, exercise, and just plain old downtime. If you don’t make time for rest and exercise then you’ll have to make time for ill health later.

When you feel overwhelmed or have lost your focus temporarily, what do you do?

Procrastinate. But I’m getting better at recognising when I’m in this state and I step away from the desk and do something else. That might be some deep breathing or some yoga stretches, or some mindless chores around the house.

Sometimes I’m overwhelmed because there’s too many things to do, so I’ll make a list. I’ll look at all the tasks and the time I have, and I’ll prioritise what needs to happen and when. Once I have a plan then I feel more in control and can calm down a bit - then I can get on with each task in turn.

Any other tips?

I’ve got a whole bunch of tips on my website at https://ift.tt/3dZDfr1

________

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source https://www.thecommunitywriter.com/blog/james-foley

[oliverphisher]

Josh Donellan

J.M. DONELLAN is a writer, musician, poet, and teacher. He was almost devoured by a tiger in the jungles of Malaysia, nearly died of a lung collapse in the Nepalese Himalayas and fended off a pack of rabid dogs with a guitar in the mountains of India.

His debut novel A Beginner’s Guide to Dying in India was released in 2009. Josh was a state finalist in the 2012 and 2014 Australian Poetry Slams and a national finalist in 2015. His play, We Are All Ghosts, was performed as part of the Anywhere Theatre Festival in 2014. He also co-wrote the Theory of Everything, which completely sold out its entire season at the 2015 Brisbane Festival. Josh has spoken and performed at numerous festivals around Australia including Sydney Writers’ Festival, TEDxBrisbane (twice), the Wonderland Festival, and various not-entirely-legal warehouse parties in an array of secret locales.

His children’s fantasy novel Zeb and the Great Ruckus was described by one child as ‘the best book ever, but it should have had Dr. Who in it.’ His most recent novel, Killing Adonis has received rave reviews from numerous magazines and newspapers, both here and in the USA, including a Kirkus starred review. His poetry collection Stendhal Syndrome was released in 2016 and will soon be followed by his forthcoming collection of poems for kids entitled 19 ½ Secret Spells Disguised As Poems, which is definitely not a book of spells (unless you are a kid reading this in which case it is definitely a book of spells). In 2018 he collaborated with choreographer Liesel Zink to create the spoken word/dance performance Inter. Josh also writes and directs the podcast fiction series Six Cold Feet. He’s done a bunch of other stuff as well but honestly this bio is long enough already and no one likes a braggart.

What are one to three books that have greatly influenced your life? 

1.    I read the Lord of the Rings trilogy as kid and I have a distinct memory of thinking ‘Well, that’s it for me. I want to be a writer. Why the hell would you do anything else?’

2.    I read Murakami’s Sputnik Sweetheart at university and I loved the way it completely obliterated my previous notions of how a story should work and reinforced the very important idea that a book really can be whatever the hell you want it to be.

3.    More recently, I read Jennifer Egan’s ‘Look At Me’ and it felt like stepping into another world. I think about that novel at least once a week. It exists on a whole other plain of reality for me.

What purchase of $100 or less has most positively impacted your life in the last six months (or in recent memory)?      

I bought one of those armbands to put your phone in while exercising and recently got back into running for the first time in years. I forgot how happy it makes me, for someone who sits on their butt staring at the screen a good chunk of the day exercise is hugely important, not just for the body but for creativity and mental health. I think of depression as a physical nemesis I have to fight to keep at bay, and running feels like wielding a magical sword at the great black dog. 

How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? 

I think the first time you really crash on stage is such an important learning experience. Once you’ve lived through that you know what it looks like and you realise that while it’s not fun, it’s also nowhere near as bad as your anxiety was promising it would be. Even better if you have a truly catastrophic public appearance early on, because then all subsequent failures aren’t as bad in comparison.

Are there any quotes you think of often or live your life by?

A long time ago my friend and I went to see a local play where the audience was forcibly pulled on stage and made to feel really uncomfortable. I love immersive theatre, but this was a very unpleasant and unwelcome experience. Afterwards she said to me ‘I don’t think that director loves his audience. You have to love your audience.’ I think about that every time I sit down to write. Bear in mind, love doesn’t always mean doing the easiest or most immediately satisfying thing, it means ultimately doing what you believe is best for someone, even if it’s difficult in the short term.

What is one of the best investment in a writing resource you’ve ever made? 

Scrivener. I am weirdly evangelical about that program. I swear I’m not getting paid endorsement money or anything, even if I do occasionally grab a megaphone and run around writers’ festivals yelling “Oi! Are you lot using Scrivener? It’s the BEST!”

What is an unusual habit or an absurd thing that you love? 

My favourite animal is the mantis shrimp, the most absurd and beautiful creature to ever walk the earth. It looks like a technicolour hellbeast and it has the most complex eyes of any living organism. It’s weird how much I love that animal.

In the last five years, what new belief, behaviour, or habit has most improved your life? 

I used to think that the ultimate form of writing was a novel, and that everything else was just auxiliary formats. These days I’m writing across theatre, podcasts, video games etc. and I’ve really learned to love the nuances and possibilities of each medium. The novel is ideal for exploring a character’s inner world; the podcast is perfect for drawing the listener in with subtle, non-verbal sound cues; theatre has an incredible capacity to tell the same story in a whole new way with each performance. I’ve really enjoyed learning to embrace that.

What advice would you give to a smart, driven aspiring author? What advice should they ignore? 

I think the main thing is to realise that figure out what your process is going to be is a good chunk of the job. So many writers make the mistake of trying to study the process of their idols and replicate it verbatim, but it’s really about finding your own path. Maybe that means going on a vision quest, maybe it means drinking six cups of coffee and listening to Mogwai on repeat, maybe it means writing in your underwear while the sweat cascades down your fingers and hoping it doesn’t fry the battery in your laptop (that one might be Queensland specific, it’s very warm here).

What are bad recommendations you hear in your profession often? 

There’s a weird idea in the writing community that if you don’t study creative writing at university you’re not taking it seriously, which is not only a heinously privileged perspective but also one that seems anomalous compared to other art forms. So many directors, actors, musicians, painters etc. are self-taught or learn from a mentor or take private courses and I think for many writers this can work as well. If you want to study creative writing at university, that’s fine and it might be great for you,but I definitely don’t think it’s a necessity. In fact, David Foster Wallace (himself a creative writing teacher) once pointed out that some MFA programs churn out students whose writing is impossibly pristine, complex, and elegant, while also being utterly indistinguishable and thoroughly forgettable. 

In the last five years, what have you become better at saying no to (distractions, invitations, etc.)? 

I’m still not great at saying no, in general. I think being a curious person is an important quality for a writer, or any human. However, I have gotten better at saying, “I’m really interested, but maybe give me a month to wrap up this other project I’m working on,” and that’s been a really helpful improvement. Doesn’t always work out though. The other week I went straight from a conference in Melbourne to the launch party for Six Cold Feet season 2 on a Thursday, then the theatre premiere of a dance show I wrote some poetry for the following night. I am now actually dead from exhaustion and it is my ghost writing this.

What marketing tactics should authors avoid?

Branding should apply to two things; products and cattle, but apparently people can now have ‘personal brands’ and corporations can have the same legal rights as a person. You’re a writer, you’re telling stories, not making bespoke booties for chihuahuas. Make art, not book-shaped pre-landfill.

What new realizations and/or approaches have helped you achieve your goals? 

I try and have at least two projects going at any one time, I work intensively on one and then when I start to get bored and/or overwhelmed, I flick straight to the other. The grass always looks greener on the other side, and this way I’m jumping from one patch of very green grass to another. Instead of moving between writing and procrastination, I move between two types of writing.

When you feel overwhelmed or have lost your focus temporarily, what do you do? 

There’s a little reservoir up in the mountains about fifteen minutes drive from my house. I like to go out there and stare at the water until one of our famously bloodthirsty Australian birds attempts to swoop me and peck out my eyeballs. The transition from serenity to extreme adrenaline is very stimulating.

Any other tips?

Be part of your community. Writing can be a very hermetic practice, which is fine at times, but it’s important to go to people’s readings, buy their books, write reviews, share recommendations, and just be nice to people. I know that it sounds obvious to remind people just be generally friendly and kind to each other, but you’d be surprised how many writers can’t manage this basic benchmark of human interaction and end up burning bridges before they’ve even been built.

________

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[oliverphisher]

James Foley

James Foley is a children’s author and illustrator. He makes picture books, junior fiction and graphic novels. He is in high demand for talks and workshops in schools and libraries across Australia. He comes from a long line of queuing enthusiasts. He lives in Perth with his wife, son and labrador.

James Foley makes picture books, middle grade novels and comics for kids. He’s the author/illustrator of the S.Tinker Inc graphic novel series for middle primary: Brobot (2016), Dungzilla (2017) and Gastronauts (2018) star Sally Tinker, the world’s foremost inventor under the age of twelve, and Joe Tinker, her stinky baby brother. James also illustrated Toffle Towers (2019), written by Tim Harris, and Total Quack Up (2018), an anthology of funny short stories with proceeds going to charity. James’ earlier books My Dead Bunny (2015) In The Lion (2012), The Last Viking (2011) and The Last Viking Returns (2014) have all scored several honours, including children’s choice awards, shortlistings in the Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year awards, and selection to the International Youth Library’s White Raven list.

What are one to three books that have greatly influenced your life?

The Artists’ Way, by Julia Cameron

Roland Harvey’s Drawing Book, by Roland Harvey

The Eleventh Hour, by Graeme Base

What purchase of $100 or less has most positively impacted your life in the last six months (or in recent memory)?

It’s not related to writing or illustrating in any way ... my wife and I recently bought some reusable produce bags to replace the soft little plastic bags you use at the shops to put fruit or veggies in. They’re made from recycled plastic bottles too so they’re extra good for the environment. We also bought some bulk produce bags so we can go to our local whole food shop and buy bulk of rice, oats and other things we’d usually have to buy in little plastic bags at the supermarket. It’s reduced our plastic consumption A LOT and that’s making us feel a bit better about our impact on the environment.

How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success?

I first submitted illustration samples to publishers when I was around 20 years old. I didn’t get any invitations to illustrate books back then; my work wasn’t up to a professional standard yet, and I wasn’t ready mentally or emotionally either. But I did have one publisher who liked one of the images I’d pulled together, and they said they’d keep it on file. Nothing ever came of it, but that one little bit of encouragement was enough for me to keep going.

I was working on a picture book idea around that time too; I had character designs and a theme … but the story wasn’t working. 7 years later, I got my first publishing contract. The story had the same theme as the one I’d been working on way back when, and my old character design was definitely applicable. In fact a whole bunch of different little sketches that I’d just been doing for fun ended up finding their way into that first book. It was as if I had been working towards that first published book without knowing it.

Are there any quotes you think of often or live your life by?

There’s one that’s (supposedly) from Confucius that I’ve had written on a post-it on my computer for a long time: “Man on hill with mouth open wait long time for roast duck to drop in.”

What is one of the best investment in a writing resource you’ve ever made?

It was an illustrating resource, and it was my first graphics tablet: a Wacom intuos 3. I bought it back in 2006 and it served me well for a decade of making illustrations; I illustrated my first four books with it. It still works, too!

What is an unusual habit or an absurd thing that you love?

I’ve collected the ticket stub from every movie I’ve seen since 1994. The first in the pile is Independence Day, which I saw with some high school classmates after class one day.

In the last five years, what new belief, behaviour, or habit has most improved your life?

I had a near-death experience in 2016; I was in a major car accident. It could have gone really badly but somehow I emerged unscathed. That gave me a clear sense of my own mortality for the first time, and has changed the way I look at my life and work immensely. I recommend a non-injurious near-death experience to everyone! I also got married and had a son in the last three years, so that’s changed my outlook again.

What advice would you give to a smart, driven aspiring author? What advice should they ignore?

You don’t need to submit things straight away. You don’t need to get published straight away, and you shouldn’t expect to. It’s important that you get knocked back a few times. It’s extremely likely you’ll get knocked back a lot of times. The knockbacks and the constructive criticism will help you develop your craft and get your work up to a publishable standard. Take on the feedback that you truly feels rings true (because sometimes you will get positive constructive criticism from people who really get what you’re trying to do and see the potential in it); ignore the feedback that doesn’t really click or seems petty or mean (because sometimes you will get discouraging feedback from people who just don’t get what you’re trying to do). For this to work though, you need to be willing to take on feedback in the first place, and that’s absolutely vital. I see lots of people who are overconfident in their ability, and react very badly when given feedback that contradicts that belief. You need to be confident in your ability to put in the work of course, but also humble, as you have a lot to learn, and you will never stop learning.

What are bad recommendations you hear in your profession often?

Sometimes people say, submit your manuscript to one publisher at a time. That’s terrible advice! You will be waiting months and months to hear back from a publisher, if you ever hear back from them at all. The better thing to do is send to multiple publishers at once, and mention in your cover letter that this is what you've done. That way all the publishers know what the deal is, and they can contact you to check if the manuscript is still available before they start putting time and effort into reading it and considering it at their meetings in-house.

In the last five years, what have you become better at saying no to (distractions, invitations, etc.)?

Having a toddler means my wife and I have very little free time, so we’ve both had to become better at saying no to things; I think I still need to learn the lesson on a regular basis! It’s always a balancing act between work and home life; and within work, there’s a balance between spending time on the next book/s, spending time doing paid talks and workshops; getting admin done; and doing the other unpaid things that pop up (volunteer opportunities, media and promotional events, etc).

What marketing tactics should authors avoid?

On social media, don’t just talk about yourself all the time, and don’t just talk about your book all the time. You can share things that interest you, share reviews of what you’re reading, even just share a photo of your dog - social media is about being social, not just hammering people with advertisements and saying ME ME ME.

What new realizations and/or approaches have helped you achieve your goals?

I’ve gotten better at time management and networking, and I’m learning to draw quicker too; these are things that I guess anyone develops with practice. It’s meant I’ve been able to work on more projects at once, though I definitely bit off more than I could chew this year, so I’ve also realised that there’s a limit to how many goals one can realistically work towards at any one time. This year I’m illustrating three middle grade novels (the first is called Toffle Towers: Fully Booked, written by Tim Harris); I’ve also illustrated the follow-up picture book to My Dead Bunny, which will be out in 2020; I’m also working on a bunch of freelance jobs, and starting another graphic novel and developing some picture book ideas. So it’s all go at the moment.

I’m also finding that the sleep deprivation of having a toddler is really affecting everything in my life - my immune system, my energy levels, and of course my mental health and my work - EVERYTHING. So I’m becoming more health conscious, and realising I have to set aside time for naps, exercise, and just plain old downtime. If you don’t make time for rest and exercise then you’ll have to make time for ill health later.

When you feel overwhelmed or have lost your focus temporarily, what do you do?

Procrastinate. But I’m getting better at recognising when I’m in this state and I step away from the desk and do something else. That might be some deep breathing or some yoga stretches, or some mindless chores around the house.

Sometimes I’m overwhelmed because there’s too many things to do, so I’ll make a list. I’ll look at all the tasks and the time I have, and I’ll prioritise what needs to happen and when. Once I have a plan then I feel more in control and can calm down a bit - then I can get on with each task in turn.

Any other tips?

I’ve got a whole bunch of tips on my website at www.jamesfoley.com.au/faq

________

Enjoyed this Q&A? Want to discuss in more depth? Join Community Writers. You'll get access to 100+ exclusive writing tips. Q&As with successful authors, an exclusive ebook on building an audience and much more. Sign-up for free as a community writer here