Loring's September "Words and Wood" Newsletter
Words and Wood
Newsletter #2
Dryss trees, Encyclopedias, and Woodburning Classes, oh my!
(Sorry, no lions, tigers, or bears were available today.)
by Loring Slivinski, September 2026
Above, Spanish Moss hangs like hair on Live Oak trees on Sapelo Island, GA.
These magnificent trees inspired me to create the Dryss character.
(photo by Loring Slivinski)
Howdy friends!
Summer is winding down, and I have mixed feelings. On the downside, after my fall planting and cleanup, time in my happy place (my garden) will be shorter. On the other hand, the extra time to write and burn pretty pictures is certainly an acceptable swap. And it's been stupid humid this summer, so I'm ready to stop complaining about the heat and start complaining about the cold...
Writing Update
I'm happy to report I finished my Encyclopedia Iliena. It's a compendium on the people, magic, governments, and everything else that goes into creating one's own world. What's the importance of a piece like this? The Encyclopedia will ensure that my world-building is consistent across all 4-5 books that will eventually comprise this series.
Not only will it be an important tool moving forward, creating it also gave me ideas for a few shorter books I might write after the series is done. One of these stories could be a prequel -- the Dragon Wars 100 years prior to The Lost Isle of Ilien series sets the current conflict in motion. Also, since the Lost Isle series takes place in an Archipelago that's part of a larger world, there are plenty of stories about the Lesser Isles and the far-away land of Rónemun. l Now I just need to win the lottery so I can quit my day job and get all this writing done!
I have also made significant progress on the next step, which is to plot the rest of the series. I revised the outline for Books 1 and 2 and worked out the plot holes that were nagging at me. Today I get to tackle the fun of creating a brand new outline for books 3 and 4, both of which I have only had vague plot ideas about up until now.
In writing, there are plotters and "pantsers" (those who write by the seat of their pants, aka let the muse carry them away). I guess for anyone who knows me it won't be a surprise I'm def NOT a pantser!
Art
I was down and out with a bad summer cold for a couple of weeks so my progress on my Frog Pond piece has stalled a bit, but I hope to finish that piece up next weekend. I'll be sure to share it with you in my next newsletter. It will be the first in my "Critters" series, with all sorts of animals, real and imagined.
There's still time to sign up for my Sept 19th Beginner Woodburning class - registration closes on 9/12, so be sure to sign up today if you'd like to take the class! Just click on the link below to reserve your spot.
Woodburning Classes at Wheaton Arts, Millville, NJ
Festivals and Appearances
Nothing scheduled yet, but one of my winter projects is to research the different festivals locally to find some good ones. I'm open to suggestions - are there any South Jersey or nearby festivals that you love?
Critter of the month: The Dryss is an ancient, intelligent, and sentient tree that resides on Dryss island in the Lethian Archipelago. They are essentially one living organism, similar to the tree in Utah called Pando — the world’s single largest organism. The Dryss communicates through an underground mycelial network. They often feel a bit lonely, since this network cannot cross oceans, leaving them unable to communicate with their sibling trees on other islands.
(In the sections below, click on the underlined text to visit the relevant websites)
Book of the Month: Black Wings Beating by C. Alexander London: I read this series a few years back, and was quickly drawn in by the unique world-building. What kept me hungry for the next page was the heartrending struggles of the main character, Brysen, as he struggles to balance his personal life and relationships with his journey to catch the Ghost Eagle that killed his father. I also love any story about an LGBTQ+ character who is just themselves, and not some silly stereotype. And any story that has animals as a central theme is always a fun read in my book (pun intended)!
Art of the Month: We were in New Hope, PA last year, and when in a new town I always have to check out the art galleries. The paintings by Sang H. Han at Gallery Piquel took my breath away. He is self-described impressionist and luminist. Han's landscape paintings are stunning enough online, but in person, the depth and emotion in his images is breathtaking.
That's all for now - stay creative, my friends!
Loring Slivinski
wordsandwood26@gmail.com
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