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Keyboard smash for the win.

A little news:

I'm obviously not uploading sketches for a bit. I gotta go to work soon, so no time to scan everything. In retrospect, I haven't done much sketching in general. I'll upload what little studies I have done here soon (if I can remember, it'll be tonight. If not, tomorrow morning.)

I have, however, been reading at every break I get at work, I read when waiting to clock in or waiting for the car to thaw out so I can drive home. In all this "in between time" reading, I've nearly finished Stephen King's On Writing. What do I have to say for it?

The best. Book. On writing. Ever.

Ever.

Besides that book, I'm almost done with The Outstretched Shadow, Brisingr, and The Plea of Apollisian, respectively. The first book I started reading in 2005. Yes. Five years. And even though the story is good, the characters likable, it fails to keep me "gripped to the end." And I know why. It's too damned descriptive. Stephen King put it best. "When there's too much description, you know the writer got too fascinated with his power of vision." Or something like that. Basically, these writers are good, but it's hard to read through all the description, inner dialogue (that could be condensed without losing the story), that the book feels like it's draaaagging. Even during the battle scenes.

As for Brisingr, I've been working my way through that book for a year and a half now. I'm not proud, as an Inheritance fan since I was 14, I'm ashamed it's taken me so long. The only reason I have for not finishing it is that, although interesting and well written, the pacing is so long that I don't feel like there's any tension build up. I'm less than 150 pages from finishing it. Why don't I make the last jump in a few hours? Because I'm disinclined. I feel that if there was a climax, I should be feeling the tension climbing up and making me WANT to keep reading.

But I don't.

I got a spoiler recently and so I know something big DOES happen. But I totally have no indication that anything different is gonna happen. :XD:

Good book, just not keeping my interest. D:

The last one has been pretty good, but I think it's just not paced the way I like it. I think the reason I don't feel more inclined to read it is a biased one; it's not too descriptive nor under descriptive and the characters and story are sound. I don't like the idea of another prophecy child, but I've talked to the author and he's given hints that it's darker than it sounds. Because I do like the characters, I want to finish it, but I guess it's not as gripping to me as The Death Gate Cycle was.

Right now, in the Plea of Apollisian, I'm at a scene where there's a battle with dwarves going on. From previous battles covered, I've learned that these dwarves mean business. Mean, horrible, filthy son of guns. And there's a lot at stake. Yet I closed the book to save it to read later. xD;; Not sure if that's a good sign, or maybe my attention span wavers too much.

All in all, I can't wait to finish these three and On Writing. The next books after those are either the Darksword Trilogy or the Raistlin Chronicles. After those two, I'll hopefully have gotten my hands on the very first trilogy in the Drizzt legacy. I'm excited to read R.A. Salvatore's work. I've never read his stuff, but have heard a lot of praise, so we'll see. :)

So, I have over thirty books to read next year and I have a lot of plans concerning art. School is going great and I'm looking forward to some of the classes. Work has been difficult, but during this break it's easier - at least I have a job! For that I'm endlessly grateful.

I have other plans, but I'll cover them when I've put more thought into 'em. :)

Hopefully the next update will be sketches, not just talking about them. ;P