IX.2 : Gilded
Welcome new and old!
Man, 34 of these, huh? I missed the 33rd! If only I decided to count them that day. Could've done something special. It was even my birthday.
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Anyway, it's been three months. Which means it's quarterly review time. Did I complete the goals I set back in July? Let's see!
[✓] Create rough drafts for at least the first Act.
Before checking my progress, I thought I didn't even have the first Act done, but it turns out I do. The first Act was even defined differently before I started working on it; took up about a third of the full story. And, well, I do have about a third of the story done!
Very nice, very cool.
[✓] Finalize a few pages for the epic (and maybe give it a name).
Because of the format change, I'll say I did indeed finalize a few "pages." Chances are I'm not going to seek to change some of the things I've already made, and so! I'm going to count it.
And I most certainly did give it a name: The Meridian Holy. I tend to be rather specific and fickle when it comes to naming something and, who knows, I might change it before I fully release it, but for now, it is acceptable!
[✓✓] Solidify the central themes and develop a value proposition for the work.
The themes and such are solid enough to break concrete. Or at least, I think so. No doubt I'll consider them even more as I continue working on it. Value propositions for fiction are very strange. The most you can do you make a promise as to what someone is going to experience and even that's a bit dubious. Who's to say they will experience those things? You can engineer it (and you should), but it's not going to land for everybody.
Anyway, the themes are eternity, transcendence, choice, and fate, all brought under tyranny (and its various kinds), and what it means to be free of it.
The promise? You'll feel a sense of what it means to embody those things.
Or at least, that's the goal.
[X] Make a Kickstarter page for the epic and start collecting followers for it.
There's a distinct lack of a Kickstarter page! Plans change. My rationale against it was that I'd effectively be running two separate newsletters and considered that a bit redundant.
I'm also unsure what the fundraising would be for. All the research I've done about and around Kickstarter and Kickstarter campaigns hasn't made it any more clear, either. At best, I'd collect funds for marketing it, but it seems better to me to just create where you want everyone to finally end up at and funnel everyone into it from the start. If the Kickstarter ultimately ends in, say, an email list, why not just start and end there and find ways to build it into something that can sustain itself?
I suppose what I've got going on doesn't need it!
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Running blank.
The past three months have been something of a whirlwind. I can't remember two-thirds of it. Makes me wish I started the project journal a little bit sooner!
This is usually where I detail an array of overarching themes I've noticed throughout the quarter, but I think I've explored too many conceptual avenues to keep it all straight and all I'm left with is a hum of mental static.
So instead, I'm going to share some sketches of The Meridian Holy. As alluded to in update 19, mapping out the composition of these will prove to make the drawing process for it all go much, much smoother when I get there.
Enjoy!
Switched up the brush size here; figured it would make the rendering process slightly less tedious. Thin lines don't work well with the process!
And that's that!
Quarterly Goals
Going to be rather light on the goals this quarter, but I'm not seeing much else to dedicate my energy to and it's wise to focus right now. Here they are!
Finish writing the script.
Implement working a social media strategy.
Add stuff to what I'm about to tell you about.
And what, pray tell, am I about to tell you about?
It's a reoccurring idea, much like The Meridian Holy that I need to just get out of me otherwise it's just going to keep springing back up until it is finally out.
What is it? A giant vault full of beauty and knowledge.
Here's what it includes:
108 hi-res illustrations from all projects across eight years of making things for The World of NINE, with more being added as new illustrations are finished.
A growing archive of articles answering questions about creativity, mindset, art theory, art business, game philosophy, and other topics for your own inspiration, reflection, and professional endeavors. These are the numbers right now, sitting at a total of 9000+ words.
16 mindset/creativity articles
4 art business articles
1 art theory article
One guaranteed, personalized, in-depth response every month to any question you have about your own personal work, the World of NINE, or topic of your choice.
And it's all for $5.33; the price will stay the same and the contents will grow over time. I want to give back to the people supporting the project and I think this is the best way I know how (no, I don't think my "preexisting creations" are enough).
Want to support the development of The World of NINE?
That's all I have for you today.
Next update on the 27th barring emergencies.
Thank you for your time and attention.
Until then,
👋