It was a good week all around -- productive both in my creative life and in my other work. It was capped off last night with watching a wonderful performance by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir, and the Indianapolis Children's Choir of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana. I've loved the piece ever since I first played it back in college, yet I still get goosebumps every time that first chord gets played. They just don't make chords like that any more ...
Music -- I spent most of the week finishing up the rough draft of a commission for three simultaneous bell/chime choirs with timpani, cymbal, wind chimes, and (yes, I kid you not) vibraslap. It's an exciting, energetic piece, and way too infectious -- it's been driving me crazy all week as it's been playing non-stop in my head. Most pieces don't burrow in this deep, thankfully, or else I'd be insane by now.
I also pulled out some of my old piano pieces and started tweaking them to get them ready to send out into the great wide world. I hope to also arrange a couple of Christmas tunes for piano and get those sent out, as well.
Writing -- I did talk briefly this week with Paula, my illustrator, about some rough ideas for illustrations for Fealty and Fire. I tend to leave up to her what she chooses to illustrate, though I did ask for ink drawings this time around (the ones in The Coming of the Heroes she did in pencil, and they just didn't scan well enough to truly do the pictures justice). I've also had some readers asking me when that second book will come out. That's always a nice feeling, and I tell them that it's December. Now, I just need to get everything ready to make that happen...
I'm also trying to get myself going on jotting down some ideas for my novel for National Novel Writing Month. Yes, in addition to everything else I'll be doing in November (composing, school, church, editing Fealty and Fire), I'm going to attempt to write another novel. It won't be one of The Sadonian Chronicles -- I just flat-out refuse to write one of those in November -- but it will likely be a complete re-attempt of a novel I wrote a couple of years back. More details to come ... maybe.
Publishing -- I've wracked my brain, but I don't think I've had any movement on this front this week. I'd better get myself in gear and get writing some more ....
That's about it from here. On a personal note (and I assume I'm okay to tell this here -- we've told everyone else under the sun and posted it on FaceBook), my wife and I are expecting our first child this coming March. Needless to say, this is quite a transition for both of us, as well as a big change to pretty much everything in our lives. Many of the posts coming up on The Creative will focus on this forthcoming event and its potential impacts (like creative ways to keep a child asleep so his/her composer father can get some work done). Stay tuned, and by all means, if you have any advice you think will help, don't hesitate to share it.
Oh, and if you'd like to help send our future child to college, you're always free to buy a copy of The Coming of the Heroes (print, kindle, ebook).
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