It's Dragon Book Day.
No spoilers.
Behind the Page
Onyx Storm (the Third Fourth Wing book) came out today. I was originally planning on starting the book at midnight on my kindle. Then, realized it wasn’t going to be delivered at 12:01am, stayed up talking to my cousin for a little bit, then decided to get into bed and wake up early to get started.
Just as I pulled on my sleep mask (it’s such a great sleep mask), Jeff darted into the room and let me know that the book was out, and I could start reading it right now. So, I got back up, put on my two pairs of socks (thanks Meg), and went back out onto the couch. I put on a fireplace YouTube for a little bit of sound and light—and dove into the book.
I made it until 3:05am, then I realized I was writing notes to myself—specifically so I would remember what was happening in the plot after I woke up—and decided that it was time to take a break for the night. I woke up early this morning, grabbed my book, and went back out onto the couch.
I got about 60% done before I needed to create my page for today, little more about that process below, and I’m so happy with how it turned out. I really like relying on simple, but intricate things when I’ve got something big taking up a majority of my brain space.
After Daily Pages, I left the house in this insanely frigid weather for a doctors appointment, and I was able to slip in a few more pages in the waiting room.
I got home, settled myself in on the couch, and finished up the last 25% of the book before even touching an internet connected device. But now, since I’m finished with the book, and writing this email—I’m gonna get something to eat and get to bed early tonight (not without starting the audiobook haha). I’m so in love with this series, and if anyone wants to chat with me, shoot me a DM and we can talk all about Violence and her friends.
Technique of the Day
I’ve got a stack of different colors of tissue paper on sticker backing, making it super easy to turn it into handcut stickers. One of my favorite ways to do this is with old-school stencils. I used a permanent marker to trace the letters onto the backside of the tissue paper sticker sheet. Then I used my favorite tiny scissors to cut out all the letters. The tiny scissors make it so much easier to get these letters looking good.
Underneath the letters, I added some more tissue paper in red and orange (dragon fire color, obviously), and messed up the edges to give it more of a flame look. I’m super happy with how the page came out, and it was really fun to think about all the things from the book while I was concentrating on cutting out those tiny letters.
How It’s Made
Supply List
Stencils — Westcott
Tissue Paper — Blick
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Tips & Creative Wisdom
Use Simple, Repetitive Tasks to Stay Grounded
When your mind is occupied with something big—like the entire plot of a new book—turning to simple but detailed creative tasks can be a great way to stay engaged without feeling overwhelmed. Activities like cutting out shapes, tracing stencils, or layering paper let your hands stay busy while your brain processes everything else.
Pro Tip: Keep a go-to stash of easy, repetitive techniques (like hand-cut lettering or stenciling) for days when focus is elsewhere.
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