As I have already stated here … and in my illustration blog, I am writing (and illustrating) a children’s book. The working title is “Persistence Merriweather tries again.” I can’t tell you how much fun it has been getting this started. It has been a challenge as well, of course. But I feel like I am finally making headway into the deep waters of actually crossing the ocean of work that is involved in completing this task.

I am not known for following through on things in my life. Unless it is work or something associated with a deadline, I tend to let things linger in a slow agonizing death by neglect. It is like watching fruit dry. Not rot, which would be a quiet mercy compared to what I do. No, I desiccate projects until they are hard, weatherworn, time twisted reflections of what they once were. Somebody once called this kind of action a “self defeating behavior.” Which is like comparing a pair of barber’s shears with a guillotine. An understatement that falls sodden and heavy. “Just a little off the top, my good man.”

Regardless of the SDB implied by this confession, I have steeled myself for the journey and I am going to finish the course.

It is a book of verse in associated vignettes that follows through Persistence’ day. I am trying to write this in rhyme, but without a structured form. I do not know if this will be successful or not, but so far it reads well, and has a fun if somewhat unpredictable rhythm. It is deliberately set to keep the reader off balance but hopefully not uncomfortably so.

A sample:

Persistence’ not lucky, she’s not apt to win.
But one thing’s for certain. She will try again.

Best two out of three, three times is a charm,
Four is not bad and can do you no harm,
The one that can stop you
In the end if you let it,
Is to finish the first time,
If you really don’t get it.

Another sample:

She walks and she dreams, her head in the air.
She watches the birds and the sun unaware
That her feet take a course contrary and rare
And trips on a root in the way.
Her arms turn to oars to steady her course, they swing in great circles about.
Her feet follow left, her body pulls right, she is twisted and listed and spun out of site.
She lands on her back and exclaims
“That aint right!”

She stands and straightens, reverses the frown.
She closes her eyes and calms herself down.
Both feet planted firm, she stares at the ground, a foot moves forward in gait
The school within sight, she steps towards her goal
Persistence has set her path straight.

Yes, there are a world of edits to punch my way through, but I have decided to just get it out of my head first, and then when it is “done” to go back for rounds of sanding and polishing. Otherwise I am faced with my tendency to edit to death (see desiccation description above.) It will then turn into the best children’s book that never was — a library of dreams shared by millions, but read by nobody.