Think think think!

Much of my time and mind has been in think-mode. Several comic projects I've underway are all in that exciting initial stage of mapping and laying out... I ponder how to lay out the panels so they transition in an effective manner for action and pacing and emotional impact. I wonder how to squeeze in all the dialog, what can be snipped and what's important to content. I dream about the characters and how they behave, what do they wear, how do they react?

Being in a bit of a time crunch, I'm not wasting any time commuting to the office and have spent a couple mornings at Think Coffee. Not because they're oatmeal isn't too bad (I don't like oatmeal, but have resolved to eat it this year), most definitely because I support their business ethics and conduct, but it's abuzz with people which I find really energizing. Laptops whirring, coffee being sipped, brains all working! And should I need an extra boost of the mind and soul, I hop over to Ted Talks (discovered via the amazing Tina Eisenberg) and listen to Isabel Allende talking about tales of passion and real life and its translation to fiction.

Most of the Ted Talks are incredibly inspiring, but listening to Ms. Allende speaking about women overcoming incredibly harsh and seemingly futile struggles and odds... what I wouldn't give or do to adapt one of her books to graphic novel! Particularly Zorro, even if the comics world is pretty awash in Zorro fiction, and really, who can top Alex Toth? But, Allende's romantic version is world-spanning and rich with history and incredible characters... in her version, behind this great man is not just one woman but at least half a dozen extraordinary women.