Friday I spent the day working on inserting images into a manuscript. This sounds like a simple thing but it isn’t. The image has to be the right size. Some of the images had to be cleaned up which meant pulling it into paint to use the eraser to get rid of smudges.
As I was working on these images zoomed in to like 400% their actual size, I realized there was a fine line between touching up and changing the art. TJ Jahns created the images and scanned them to me so I could use them. She did a phenomenal job with creating the images. I love them more every time I see them and every time I work with them.
She worked hard and long on these pictures and I want to make sure that the images are kept true to her work. At the same time I had to adjust the images to fit the manuscript. This meant erasing some smudges, resizing, and so on.
It is easiest to work with them when they are quite large – 400% mostly. It is tedious and time consuming work but well worth the effort. As I’m staring at the image and trying to decide if this pixel or that one are necessary or integral to the picture, I thought a lot about how a change of perspective can change your opinion or beliefs.
Maybe a step back or a step closer will make me (or you) see whatever I’m struggling with in a different way. A friend brought in a hard copy of my book. I haven’t ordered any yet so it was my first time seeing my name on an actual book. I would like to say I relished the moment but I was at work and busy. However, it made me realize how much this means to me to be published, to know that people are reading my words (hopefully liking them) and to know there is something lasting that will continue on.
Perspective changes as we change how we view things. It makes me wonder what I can do to change my perspective on other things in my life.
This philosophical moment brought on by overwork on the computer and image editing.
Secret Past is available here:
Barnes and Nobles:
Smashwords:
Amazon: