Making Improvements · 4:35am Aug 13th, 2013
Well, it's official: I have less than a week until school starts again for me (woo, I guess). On one hand, it's nice that I only have one more semester to finish before graduating; after a few more months of studying, exams and whatever else is thrown at me, I'll be able to get my degree and have my Bachelor's in Broadcast Journalism (and Theater minor). On the other hand, that also means that I only have a few more months until I really have to face the real world, being forced to keep a steady job to keep a roof over my head, pay bills and try to conquer my huge mountain of student debt. I can already see that I'm going to face a rather slippery slope; however, after everything that's happened over this summer (getting a good job, getting my own place, writing a huge-ass M/M story in less than a whole summer), I know that I'll find a way to get by.
Also, since my last blog post, I've been able to talk with someone about an issue I was having with my cover art. Since my current artwork is definitely less-than-stellar, I asked for assistance from a good friend of mine who was able to help me out. Zeikier, a good buddy of mine (and former roommate), was kind enough to help me out by making his own interpretation of my cover. So far, he only has a few rough drafts done which he sent me over Skype; fortunately, I honestly think they already look better than what I tried to do myself.
This was the first image he showed me, showing the basic framework he made of the main characters. To be honest, I was surprised he was able to do something this impressive since he doesn't watch MLP at all. 
Seriously, considering how sub-par my own art was, seeing these basic lines already had me excited.
And I just got this updated version earlier tonight, making me especially happy when I saw how it's coming along:
Since school starts up for the both of us next week, I'm hoping that he can get a completed version of my cover art done before the weekend begins. And hopefully soon, I can get used to the new schedules thrust upon me, as I try to balance classes with work. I'm not sure when I'm going to start writing again, but I know it'll happen soon. My mind has been tinkering with how the sequel to Brushed Away will play out, and I can't wait to get my fingers back behind my keyboard so I can start. I just need a little more rest before I can start again.
Combining work with studies is difficult. I had tried it for a while, but in the end fell short on my studies and decided to cut back the hours of the job at that moment to go back to studying full time, quitting the job the last two months to finish the graduation project on time. I hope you'll manage to do better, I have complete faith in that. You've been writing 5000 words on an almost daily basis at some point, a dissertation will be a breeze for you ^^.
The real world feels or seems a lot scarier than it really is in the end in the end. Especially if you can keep this job next to your studies, you may be able to continue it full time afterwards whilst looking for employment better suited your Bachelor's in Broadcast Journalism.
I am curious to see how the renewed coverart will end up looking when completed. The sketches so far are showing promise.
I'll be looking forward to the sequel, having greatly enjoyed brushed away. I cannot wait ^^