New Year's Resolutions

Another year down in the books, and it's been a great one for me. I was nominated for a Venarium Award, I got to Cross Plains, I've announced my long-running book, the blog's been going strong. I'm hoping to ride that wave of momentum all the way into 2011 before the 2012 conspiracy theorists decide to destroy the world at the end of the year just to say they told us so.

So, my New Year's Resolutions, which will hopefully be dealt with before 31st December:

The Newcomer's Guide to REH
Between this and the Encyclopaedia, I might be in danger of becoming thin, sort of stretched... like butter that has been scraped over too much bread. However, I believe both are entirely necessary, and so I shall be working on both.

The Encyclopaedia Hyboriana
I still have to figure out where and with whom I'm going to try publishing it, as well as get everything tidied up, but now that it's been announced, I kinda have to get the thing finished, now don't I?

Continue the series started on The Cimmerian
I haven't done any "Hyborian Age Gazetteer," "Barbarians of Middle-earth," "Dark Worlds Unguessed by Man," or "The Art of Frank Frazetta and Robert E. Howard" articles since The Cimmerian closed its doors.  While the Guide and Encyclopaedia will undoubtedly take up most of my free time, I'll endeavour to do at least some of these this year.

More illustrations
I keep lamenting about the lack of illustrations for Howard characters on the internet, especially since most of the excellent stuff is in fanzines. Well, why shouldn't I do some more? I have a whole bunch of ideas.  For instance, everybody and their dog draws Conan in a few select poses: atop a pile of bodies, leaping into action, struggling with a giant snake/ape/beastie, posing with a girl.  Yet nobody seems to draw Conan with his sensitive side: when he takes Natala's hand at the end of "Xuthal of the Dusk," or when he listens in on Zamorian philosophers debating existentialism, or when he shows Prospero the map he made with childish glee.  Similarly, plenty of pictures of Red Sonja, Valeria and Belit, but not so many of Dark Agnes and Red Sonya.  I don't know if I've even seen Tarala, Conchita or Helen Tavrel on the internet.  I'll endeavour to do more unusual Howardian illustrations this year.

Read more authors
I'm giving Fritz Leiber another go of it, naturally, but I've also decided I should re-read and expand my reading of Poul Anderson, Jack Vance, Gene Wolfe, C.J. Cherryh and Keith Taylor too.  I've read some of their work, but not nearly enough.

Get back to Cross Plains
It's the big 25th-50th-75th-100th Anniversary celebration this year, not to mention the 1st Anniversary of the Scottish Invasion.  I've been saving up since coming back from CP this year, so hopefully round 2 will be just as fun.

Here's hoping, and Happy New Year to all!