More on Grass Wheels

I have been writing and revising the story called Grass Wheels for the past year, struggling with various aspects of the manuscript: wondering if the characters were right, concerned about whether it should be in verse or prose, tormented by the old desire to 'please' a traditional publisher, sometimes forgetting that I have determined to self-publish. I tried to rewrite it as prose and, though it might have worked, I felt that the charm of the story suffered, so it is back to the poetic style in which it emerged from my mind.

Now that the manuscript is finished, the next struggle is in the form of illustration. Illustrating a story is (for me) just as hard as writing the manuscript. Questions abound:

• What color palette should I use?
• In what setting should it take place?
• What composition would be best?
• What should the characters look like?
• At what angle should the pictures be?
• How can I make the art as important as the text?
• How can I make the art lively and funny at the same time?

As I have sketched for days on end I have been assailed by frustration over my artistic skills, and that I can't 'just do it' like Nike™. Just doing it requires skill and practice, both of which are in short supply here, but not impossible to gain eventually by the said action. So, I'll keep you posted and post some of my art so you can see it, like the picture next door to this post. Never give up!

GRASS WHEELS

Free image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I have a new idea for a book. It's working title is "Grass Wheels." It is about a boy who goes on a road trip with his family, and on that trip he is so bored that his imagination begins to take over. Every time he sees a 'grass wheel' on the side of the road it turns into an animal of some kind. His imagination is sometimes surprising, sometimes humorous. And just wait for the fun surprise ending! 
My inspiration for the story is the actual hay bales here in North Dakota. They are almost all round, not rectangular. While living in California, all of the hay bales I had ever seen were rectangular. The 'grass wheels' here are intriguing because of their different shape. You can see them on the side of the road or in a field. They are wonderful in the fields during the golden light that casts their shadows at the end of the day. After living here for over 15 years, I still love to see them.
cw