I've forgotten how to draw these guys.

Fescu, Darnda, Loknich, and Lars,

It's been a long time since I drew my Realms and Remedies characters. I got a new brush pen and decided to try it out on these guys. Ugh, they look so stiff, and Lars' beard is wrong. And even if Fescu didn't look stupid, I'd think he looked stupid anyway, because so far it's his fault that I can't seem to make this book marketable. He's an "unsympathetic" character, and then when I rewrite him to make him more sympathetic to the reader, then his character "isn't believable". Well, I wouldn't believe a prankster with no respect for authority would be all that sypmathetic of a person either.

So to those who ask me why my book isn't published after all these years, it's because Fescu isn't a marketable character. I've been told the twisty plot is great fun, the world is cool, and the writing is professional. BUT! Fescu fits the protagonist mold so poorly, which was my intention, that I don't think Realms and Remedies will ever get picked up by the mainstream publishing market. I've gone to conferences and talked to professional authors and agents, and the more I try to change Realms and Remedies to match their marketing requirements, the worse the story seems to get. It's been discouraging, to put it lightly.

But I'm not sensible enough to give up on such a lost cause. LOL, no way! I can wish all I want to shelve any of my favorite projects forever, but I ALWAYS return to them, because I have no self control, I guess.

So, now that I've been to all these writing conferences and learned a ton of stuff on how to write for the market to get on the New York Times Bestseller list, I'm going to say to heck with the market. I'm going to write Realms and Remedies for myself, for the reasons I wanted to write it in the first place. I NEED to write it for myself, because I love sincerity in writing, it would break my heart if my story didn't feel sincere. I have no idea how I'm going to sell it when it's done, but at least I'll know I'll be true to myself, instead of catering to the consumer's market. I hope to reach out to people like me who need characters who aren't the usual cookie cutter type I read in almost every mainstream story.

Oh, and I really like my new brush pen.