Launch Day! Run of the House (a new cartoon strip)

April 22, 2019April 23, 2019Scott William Carter

What’s that up there? A cartoon strip? Yep, that’s right, today’s launch day for a new project of mine, a (not quite) daily cartoon strip called Run of the House. It’s basically about what a quirky group of pets do when their people aren’t around. And if they could talk, of course!

That’s the first strip up there, but from here on out I’ll be posting it at Runofthehouse.net, where I’ll be releasing the comic three times a week, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I’ve got over a month of comics built up as a buffer to ensure I stick to my publishing schedule. Click the comic itself and it will take you there.

I teased a little about this last month here on my main site, as well as in a note to my email subscribers, but this is something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time. My first dream, as a kid, was to be a cartoonist, and I grew up loving Peanuts, Calvin and Hobbes, Garfield, Boom County, The Far Side, and to this day still love great strips like Get Fuzzy, Stone Soup, and Luann. Up until high school, when I started to get a lot more serious about writing, I was still focused on art and drawing. It wasn’t until the 2016 election came along, and all its assorted craziness (trying not to get too political on y’all), when I decided I needed to focus some of that energy on something more productive, that I got back into drawing again as a pleasant diversion (while still maintaining my primary focus on my writing). That’s when the old dream of doing a comic strip came roaring back. And I thought, why not now?

So in a way, this comic strip has been thirty years in the making . . .

Rather than trying to go the syndication route in an industry that’s really struggling, I decided to take the indie approach to publishing it. That’s where you come in. If you enjoy the comic, consider supporting me via Patreon for as little as $1-$3/month, where in return I offer lots of extras: early access to the strip, commenting and interacting with me and other readers, a backstage blog, “silent extra” bonus strips, etc. I’ll be doing a bit more of a “pledge drive” down the road, when I’ve got at least a modest backlog of comics up, but early backers really are appreciated and will always have a special place in my heart.

There’s a bit more on the runofthehouse.site about the strip, but I’ve already got the first Backstage Blog up on Patreon, including more Q&A about the strip, so if you want a bit more of a behind-the-scenes look into my creative life, that’s where I’ll be posting in more detail. For people who want the hanging backstage with the band feel (behind the easel with the cartoonist?), I hope to make it worth your while to subscribe with a couple bucks a month. I’ll be talking about all kinds of things, from maintaining a balance with the day job and family, marketing and promotion, motivation and discipline, and a whole bunch more. I’ll have pictures, even the occasional video.

Man, I’ve got a lot to learn. It’s a completely different kind of creative pursuit. But I’m really looking forward to the challenge.

For those of you here just for the words, don’t worry, I’m still plugging away on the latest Garrison Gage book. Shouldn’t be too long. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the funny pictures.

New Book Published: The Castle on the Hill at the Edge of the World (plus an update)

March 14, 2019December 31, 2019Scott William Carter

Continuing my tradition of writing books and stories with really long titles, as well as taking occasional right-angle turns in my choice of projects, I’m pleased to announce that my latest book is available for sale site in paperback and ebook: The Castle on the Hill at the Edge of the World.

While full details about the book are listed below, as well as links to various retailers, let me just say in short that while this middle grade book is aimed at younger readers, I hope adults might give it a shot, too. For me, after I had to temporarily put aside a very ambitious epic I’d been working on for the better part of a year, just to get some perspective on it, I wanted to take on a shorter, more intimate story as a change of pace. I’m hoping some of my adult fans might find it to be a pleasant change of pace, too. I think of it as a mix of Bridge to Terabithia and Coraline, so if you like either of those books, you might like this one, too. If you enjoy it, please say so on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or wherever you bought it. Those online reviews really make a huge difference and are the best way you can show an author you appreciate their work (other than buying their books, that is!).

As for what’s next on tap? Well, you Garrison Gage fans hopefully won’t have to wait too much longer, because I’m closing in on the end of the sixth Gage book now. Nope, can’t tell you exactly when it will be out, but soon. After that? Well, as far as books are concerned, we’ll have to see (that Big Epic is starting to call me back to take another crack at the idea), but speaking of right angle turns, I have another very different kind of project I plan to launch next month:

I’m starting a comic strip.

What? Huh? Come again?

I imagine that’s the reaction of almost everyone except those who’ve known me a very long time. It’s something I’ve wanted to do since I was old enough to hold a pencil. I grew up loving Peanuts, Calvin and Hobbes, Garfield, Bloom County, The Far Side, and many others, and continue to love strips like Stone Soup, Get Fuzzy, Dilbert, and Luann. One of my first dreams, around the age of eight or nine, was to be a cartoonist. As I got older, I focused more and more on fiction, letting my drawing skills go a bit dormant, but as I started to get back into drawing the past few years (partly as a way to focus on something other than the Nonsense Factory taking over Washington D.C.), the old dream to create a cartoon strip came roaring back.

And I thought, why not now? Sure, my drawing skills may always need more practice and improvement, but I figure I might as well practice in public. Otherwise, I may never quite get over the hump of getting this project off the ground, and I’m fine with people seeing me get better (hopefully) as I go.

No, I’m not going to say anything more about the comic strip at this point except that I’m publishing it independently online, and that the start date will be April 22, 2019. So check back here for more information next month. I’ll have a lot more to say about my plans. Other than that, I’ll just tease you with the little cat named Lily pictured on the right, who will be one of the stars of the show. No, I’m not stopping writing fiction. I’m not exactly sure how I’ll fit it all in, especially with the day job at the university and the family, but I’ll find a way. In fact, lately, as I’ve worked on both the writing and the cartoon strip, I’ve found that switching back and forth has actually energized me and made me more productive overall. Strange, eh? It never ceases to amaze me how you can always find time to do the work you love (even when you don’t always love it — especially then) as long as you really commit to doing the daily work and let the rest sort itself out.

What else is going on? Well, I’m finishing up teaching WR 464: Writing for Publication again. While I enjoy teaching, and do plenty of short term training and presenting in both my university and creative life, I find teaching a four-credit college course like this one both rewarding and exhausting. I always come away glad I did it but also glad I don’t teach college courses full-time.

More soon.

———-

The Castle on the Hill at the Edge of the World

If everybody would just leave Sam alone, she’d be perfectly happy hanging out in The Land Between, the undeveloped forest at the end of the street where she can pretend, at least for a little while, that life is much better than it really is. Then a strange boy moves in next door and all her problems get a lot worse.

Rob (or does he go by Bobby?) insists that his parents are prisoners in a mysterious castle in another world. Others claim the truth of his past is far more tragic. When her new friend vows to rescue his parents or die trying, Sam must make a fateful choice that will change both their lives forever — and reveal just how thin the line between imagination and hope can really be.

(Links to other retailers available soon. Check here for updated information.)

Evening Writing Course in Salem this January, Writing Update, Misc.

November 19, 2018January 8, 2020Scott William Carter

It’s been a few months, hasn’t it? When I start getting emails from readers wondering what I’ve been up to and whether something new will be coming out anytime soon, often with a note of concern for my welfare, I realize I should probably give a little update. And just because we’re nearing Thanksgiving, that’s a picture of my cat, Paisley, enjoying the comfort of the fire on a chilly November evening. See, we’re all fine and cozy here.

Nothing new on the publishing front, alas, though when the dust settles in December this should end up being a very productive writing year. How can that be? It’s been a year and half since I’ve published something, the longest stretch in years. Well, it may be obvious, but it’s still worth pointing out that there’s a big difference between writing and publishing. I very much see writing as a discipline. I get up early and write my daily words. I keep striving to get better. That’s it. That’s all there is. Everything after that — the publishing side of the equation — is just details. Those details can be important, but they tend to sort themselves out as long as I just do my best and keep my primary focus on meeting my daily quota. Some projects take longer than others, some have to be put aside for a while, and some have to put aside for good. It happens. It’s all just part of the discipline.

So that’s a long-winded way of saying yes, I’m writing, quite a bit, actually, but no, there’s nothing new coming out at this time. For you Garrison Gage fans, that’s the book I’m working on now. When will it be done? Who knows. It’s done when it’s done. I realize that’s not exactly helpful to my readers, but having a very Zen-like approach to the craft keeps me sane, especially since I balance the writing and other creative work with a university career and raising two kids. I just don’t want anyone to think that just because nothing has been published lately that nothing has been written.

On another note, I’m teaching WR 464: Writing for Publication again this January for Western Oregon University. A little twist this time: It’s part of a new offering of courses in my hometown (twenty-five minutes away from WOU itself) as the university starts ramping up a Salem, Oregon presence. It’s also offered in a hybrid format, meeting for two hours on Wednesday nights from 7:30-9:30 while the rest of the content is online. For me, I’m focusing on the business aspects of publishing in the face-to-face component, so there’s plenty of opportunity for questions, with the craft part of the class online. (Otherwise the content is much the same as previous times, which you can read more about here.) I’ll be back to post a bit more info soon, but the first session will be Wednesday, January 9, 2019.

If you have a serious interest in writing and selling fiction and creative nonfiction, and you want to learn the nuts and bolts of professional writing, both the traditional and self-publishing routes, I promise you that you will get a lot out of this course. My goal is to clear away the myths and set my students on the right path. If you want to get on that path, take the course. The rest will be up to you, but I will do my best to get you on the path. Use the contact form on this site if you have questions. And no, it’s not going to be offered fully online anytime soon. Perhaps someday, but the hybrid online/evening course approach is what the university is focusing on for the Salem courses for right now. It’s a great opportunity to get upper division college credit as well, if you’re working on finishing your degree.

Back soon. If not, though, remember, I’m still writing . . .

Port Orford, Oregon – July 2018

July 27, 2018July 27, 2018Scott William Carter

That’s a picture from our recent week-long stay in Port Orford, Oregon. We rented a beautiful house nestled in the hills near Port Orford Heads State Park, and just forty-seven steps down to what was practically our own private beach. Heidi took this photo when we walked down the grass-covered steps that first night at dusk. It was such a magical moment that I actually said, “It’s like something out of a fairy tale.” The southern Oregon coast is so far from the major areas of Oregon that it’s not nearly as touristy, which isn’t a bad thing at all in my book. We had fun hiking the South Slough Estuary, visiting the Cape Blanco Lighthouse, and just hanging out as a family, as we often do when we make our frequent forays to the coast.

Alas, no publishing news to report. It’s been a lot longer than I’d prefer between books, but sometimes it can’t helped. I do appreciate your emails, even the hectoring ones, because a hectoring reader is still better than no reader at all, I think. Yet in the end I just have to write my daily words and trust in the process. While I truly appreciate every reader I have, I can’t do it any other way. The books come when they come. Sometimes they come out fine the first time, sometimes they go sideways and need a bit more work, but I’ve learned the hard way (oh boy, have I) to just keep the focus on the work.

If you want a good book on the subject, check out Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel. It’s one of my favorites. When Herrigel himself was learning archery from a Zen Master in Japan, he was scolded for fixating too much on the goal itself:

“Put the thought of hitting right out of your mind! You can be a Master even if every shot does not hit. The hits on the target is only an outward proof and confirmation of your purposelessness at its highest, of your egolessness, your self-abandonment, or whatever you like to call this state. There are different grades of mastery, and only when you have made the last grade will you be sure of not missing the goal.”