Oops, my short story Dinner Date is a novella now. 17,000 words, babyyyyyyy! This is the longest short form piece of original fiction I’ve ever written. Taking steps towards better care for my mental health did wonders for my productivity and keeping on top of the project (though in the end it did take three days straight of intense work on Easter weekend to get it done).
The header image is miscellaneous doodles of some of the appearances I had in mind for Diederick, one of the main characters. The full page spreads are below. His “true” form doodles are mostly hidden in the back and are appropriately messy. He doesn’t enjoy his literal slimy self being revealed to humans. Dee is lowkey one of the most self-serving, morally bankrupt characters I’ve ever written. He’s manipulative, cruel, and, despite being a literal shapeshifter, not inclined to change.
I have a few friends who have volunteered to beta read the second draft, including my friend Lydia Moody who is a fantastic writer and artist and whose blog you should definitely check out.
It has some issues I’m already anticipating fixing in the next draft, but that’s to be expected. For now, I’m going to let it breathe and shift my attention to working on nailing down the designs for the vampire boys in my visual novel. I’ve got all of the broad strokes of their designs worked out already, I just need to commit to making reference sheets so that things like their clothes, color schemes, proportions, and small quirks like accessories are consistent. Here’s to seeing more of these bitey boys in the near future!
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