An Introduction

Today, I sent what I believe will be the final draft of my first novel, Stuff of Legends, to my editor. Six months from now, I will be published. The reality of this is still sinking in -- characters I first created as sketchy doodles and a story I jotted down in three paragraphs one lunch hour will be sharing shelf space with Tolkien's hobbits, Terry Pratchett's wizards, and George R.R. Martin's sellswords. I will be able to open a crisp, trade paperback copy of Stuff of Legends and breathe in that new book smell.

This blog will be about that experience, and the path that has brought Stuff of Legends -- and me -- from idea to publication. I'll be writing about the technical aspects when those are at the forefront of my thoughts, and about the creative process and the wild ideas that tumble over the waterwheel of my brain during the long stretches where I'm not actively needed in the publication process. I'll try to answer questions, if this blog draws an inquiring audience. I may even post some of the sketches, doodles, and pseudo-strips I used as writing tools during my first drafts, though those will be back at the original home of Stuff of Legends: the webcomic, back at Comic Genesis.

I'll end with a Publication Process Quote of the Day, this one from my editor: "I think that's it."

Sincerely, your scribe,

~Ian Gibson