3.13.2018

artist's proof

Casein Fine Art Painting (artist's proof) - cover

Casein Fine Art Painting (artist's proof) - last two pages

It arrived today - Casein Fine Art Painting - 7 steps to express your vision.

As in printing, I'm calling this my artist's proof.  It's something I needed to physically see in order to assess my progress and to continue writing.  I've already learned so much having it in my hands.  The font seems far too large and page numbers would be helpful as would a table of contents.  This was an important step, however - and will now lead the way for others. 

We have an amazing resource in Minneapolis called The Loft.  It's a haven for writers and where I hope to find someone who can do a manuscript critique for me.  I may also take one of their many classes on writing. 

An encouraging day - feeling hopeful.

4 comments:

Olga Norris said...

I am so glad that you are encouraged rather than put off by your first proof. There is nothing quite like having an actual example of the physical book in your hand to understand what is involved in the design. The screen is a seductive medium which is more difficult to read, and hence it is so easy to choose text sizes which are out of whack for a book.

I'm sure you will enjoy learning about book design, writing, and editing. One basic rule to bear in mind is that it is one of the most difficult things for a writer to edit their own work. You should always give it to someone else to read as well because you are anticipating what you are reading before you have actually read it.

Lots of luck!

Mary Klein said...

Thank you for your encouragement and wisdom, Olga.

I've written to The Loft Literary Center here in Minneapolis and am looking forward to hearing back from them. I'm hoping they'll be the perfect resource for the help I'm seeking. You are so right - having someone else read and critique a manuscript is invaluable. I'm not the most patient person - however, with a project like this, it's important to take the time to do it right. It may be a year - or even two - before I'm ready to list CFAP for sale. Blurb makes it so easy for me to rush ahead - they really do provide an amazing service. But slow and steady wins the race - thank you for reminding me!

Jan said...

Yay! It arrived and it's really encouraging that you're looking critically at it & moving forward to make it even better!

Mary Klein said...

Thanks, Jan!

I got in touch with The Loft Literary Center. That helped a lot - gave me a better sense of how to proceed.

The good news is I have a fantastic resource at my disposal. The other news is this is going to take a great deal of time - and will need to be budgeted for. Actually, it's all good :)