When A Cover Finally Comes Together

Sometimes coming up with a concept for a cover just eludes you. Every idea seems to take you further away from what you thought was a good concept. Everything you try just doesn't seem to work. Frustration sets in and clouds your thinking.

Just like writing, sometimes you are pushing an idea to hard while everything is telling you it is the wrong idea. Yet, you keep pushing. 

I ran across this article:
Are You Pushing Away Ideas by LINDA FORMICHELLI

In the article she says:
"By that I mean, instead of focusing all your attention on one idea and using brute force to spin angles out of it, take in as much information as you can from varied sources and let your subconscious do the work. Again, it’s all about the input."

Later in the articles she adds:
"This is all about giving your mind permission to wander and play. It’s during these unstuck moments that inspiration tends to blossom."

It was finally when I let go of a concept that obviously was not working, and I let my mind wander off to play, that a new idea come to mind. I called one of the authors in this anthology, who happens to also be a painter, told her the concept and she came up with the painting that is now on the cover of Tales for a Lazy Afternoon. 

Once I let go of a wrong idea, it made way for the right idea. And, a cover was created.