Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Alas poor images, I cannot find you!

By Michelle Lee
BWL Art Director

So how many of you, when trying to visualize the ways you want a cover to look, quickly get frustrated trying to find images?

(Waiting a moment as people start jumping up and down, madly waving their arms, screaming ME!  That's ME she's talking about).

I should have mentioned, make sure not to scare your pets with your answer.

(Waiting longer while poor Fluffy and Fido are coaxed out from behind the fridge and Tweets snagged off of the curtain rod in the shower; don't worry - Slither will come out of the sewer somewhere in the neighborhood - so just wait for screams to clue you in to his location.).

As you can imagine, many authors find themselves in the same ... exact ... boat when it comes to finding images.

So here are some tricks to image searches (from my own personal frustrated experiences).

* First off ... do some sample searches and see what comes up.  Go to images sites like 123rf.com and use their search function and search for random things, so that you can familiarize yourself with the site.  Like any skill, practice is going to work to your advantage.

* Don't get discouraged; sometimes cover artists have problems finding images.

* All too often, when it comes to something like finding the perfect image authors have to come to terms with the fact that they don't exist.  Going to wait a moment, and let that sink in.  The perfect images do not and will not ever exist.  We work with what is available, and within the bounds of what models are willing to pose for certain genres of images.  So sometimes, close-enough is what we work with.

* Now, if you're not finding images, not because of looking for the perfect one, but rather because nothing is showing up as a result of your search, just try new terms, and things that are close.  For example, I have found Regency era styled images by search for Medieval and Renaissance.  The terms Baroque, Vintage, etc also have worked when trying to find historical images.  So expand a little with the search terms.

* Generally one and two word searches work best.  This is by far the best advise I can possibly give.  ONE or TWO word searches.  For example: "Sexy Couple" is going to yield much better results that "Couple Sexy Embrace Bed Red Silk Lingerie Lace England Castle Curtains Blond Man Redhead Woman".  Yes, there will be more images to look through, but you are more likely to find what you need.  Many photographers put really good search terms to their images, but that can't think of everything.  So simple is going to yield better results.

* Also, keep in mind if Sexy Couple didn't work, maybe Attractive Couple, Nude Couple, Lingerie Couple, Embracing Couple, Couple Kiss, Couple Love, etc might yield better results so try alternative search terms.

* If I find a search term set that yields great results, and I know I might need to use it again, I will save the terms in a word doc.  I put what I am trying to find, and what terms I ended up using.

* * *

Now, I know that many authors feel they are not a good judge of images, and what would make a cover.  And that is fine.  That is the role of the cover artist.  But cover artists are not fluent in all fields.  So some genres are more difficult for an artist to find images for without author suggestions.  To that end - consider finding images that fit your characters, and suggest them.  Keep in mind however, the cover artist might not use them.  Because some images lend themselves to covers better than others, the cover artist and publisher is always going to reserve the right to opt for a different image.  But by suggesting possible images, you are more likely to get something closer to what you want than not.

For example, I am a biologist by training.  Specifically an ecologist.  So, someone saying to me 'I want a nice snowy owl on the fore-cover, and a timber wolf in the background, with a couple in between'.  As a result, I am able to fit those requirements without much effort, because I am familiar with both, and if not - I have easy access to field guides that will make me familiar with them.

But saying to me, 'This is set in Edwardian England, and I want the hero to have period clothing, and the background needs to be a period house, and so on', um I am going to space out at Edwardian, and my eyes will be completely glazed over by hero ...  So for that cover, I am so going to need every suggestion I can get.

So keep in mind that cover artists are not fluent in all fields, and thus not fluent in all genres terms and specifics.  We do the best we can, with what resources we have available - so make sure YOU are one of those resources.

* * *

Oh and one last, tiny little suggestion.  As you are searching, if you come across an image that screams at you - but for a book you aren't working on filling out the information for - SAVE THE URL, image number and site, whatever!!!! 

Either create a word document that you put all of them into, with the Genre/WIP Title etc with them, or bookmark them, something.  

So many times, authors lament that they had found the perfect image, but forgot to save it since they were looking for a different book's suggestions.  So don't let that be you.  Find some way to keep track of the images that stand out to you - because you never know when you will need to find it again.

Monday, July 14, 2014

What makes a writer?

What makes a writer? There must be a thousand answers to that but in my case it’s because other people fascinate me, and on my recent journey to Russia that fascination got the better of me despite the glory of my surroundings.
The Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg is almost beyond description. The 3 million people who visit each year cannot begin to view even a fraction of the millions of artifacts on display or stored in its ten buildings, seven of which are monuments of 18th and 19th-century Russian culture, so when I was taken to the banks of the River Neva to admire one of the most iconic views of the city, I should have been concentrating.  Instead something else caught my eye.
Sitting close together on the edge of the cobbled walkway were a young couple. Next to them were discarded takeaway coffee cups. She was holding a camera. Why was I more interested in two strangers than in the magnificent view opening up before me? Why did I stop looking in the direction of the tour guide’s pointing finger, and what made my ears deaf to the history all around me?
The answer is simple. I am a writer. So while my companions listened to the guide’s potted history of the city and how, once upon a time, it had been a great trading port, I was more fascinated by the couple in front of me who appeared to be completely oblivious to the rest of the world.
Why were they here? It was eight thirty in the morning, which explained the coffee but nothing else, so while everyone else in my tour group learned about the construction of The Great Hermitage (1771-87), the Russian Revolution (1917), and how more than a million items were evacuated from the museum to the Urals during World War II, I began to create a story about the here and now.
Were they illicit lovers who were stealing a few moments together on their way to their respective jobs, or were they new lovers who couldn’t bear the thought of having to spend a whole day apart? On the other hand, maybe the camera was the clue and they were just tourists like us who had set out to enjoy the view and been sidetracked.
I was intrigued by their body language too. The woman was slightly hunched against the early morning chill, one hand in her pocket, so had it all started when he’d put his arm around her to keep her warm? Was that her clever ploy? Was this their first kiss? Or maybe they were they saying goodbye, knowing they wouldn’t see one another again for a long time, if ever. No! They looked too happy for that. One thing was for sure, they were in love…hopelessly and ecstatically... and for a Romantic fiction  writer like me it was a joy to see.
I’ll never know their story of course, and nor should I. I will use that short glimpse into their lives though. One day, in one of my books, there will be a young couple sitting beside a river and they will be so locked into their own world that they will be completely oblivious to the people passing by. She might even be wearing a green coat…but the story will be mine. Whether The Great Hermitage will also feature remains to be seen!
IMG_1219
Visit my website at sheilaclaydon.com where I often use things I have learned on my travels and where readers are promised a ticket to romance when they read one of my books.

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Writng, Directing, and Producing a Stage Play by Joan Donaldson-Yarmey

Last winter I took my writing in a totally new direction. I attended a two day, play writing course. By the end of it I had adapted a short story of mine, which had won first prize in a flash fiction writing contest in Ascent Aspirations Magazine, into a half hour stage play. Last spring, I entered my play in the Port Alberni Fringe. This summer I produced and directed my play on stage in front of a audience. During those months, I discovered this whole process is not easy.

I needed a male and a female lead actor and I asked two people who had been in plays in our local theatre. They both agreed and I sent them copies of the play. We met for a first run through with each of us discussing how we saw the characters. Their interpretations of their characters attitude and actions were sometimes different from mine but other than a few places where I thought a certain delivery was needed, I let them play the part as they wanted. Through our many rehearsals with the props, which my husband, Mike was in charge of, the characters evolved and took shape as we discovered better ways for them to move, react, and relate.

I also needed actors for a party scene and I approached friends and co-workers. Even though I told them that they would only be on stage a few minutes, that all they had to do was listen to the main male character beak off about what a great writer he was, and that they had no lines, most of them declined saying there was no way they would ever get up on stage in front of an audience. Some agreed so I gave them the times of our next two rehearsals; most never showed up. I kept asking people: my cats' vet, the owner of a new store in town, the man who donated some of the props with no success. We ended up with two who came regularly and one who showed up once. It looked like Mike and I would be making our acting debut. I was beginning to worry. Maybe I would have to drag up some of the audience members.

On the evening of the first presentation, two of the three who had attended the rehearsals, two actors from another play, and I made up the party attendees. For the Saturday matinee, one of the three, two actors from another play, two members of my dragon boat team, a theatre volunteer, and myself were the partiers.

One thing I did learn was that for the Fringe, where plays are being presented one after the other, having a lot of props is not a good idea. Because I was showing a story instead of telling it, we had over forty props, some large ones being a fridge, stove, desk, computer, sewing machine, two chairs and table, and smaller ones being duster, broom, envelope, pen, paper, material, boxes, wine bottle and glasses, and many more. The play after mine had only two chairs, two tables  a desk, a laundry basket and some beer bottles. Another play I watched had tea cups and teddy bears.

The first evening there were four plays, mine being the first. That was perfect because it gave us time to set up the scene. However, at the end we had get our props off the stage so that the next play could get their props on for their showing. Our actors became stage hands and everything disappeared backstage quickly. The same thing happened on Saturday afternoon.

One thing I did learn was that while I had written the words, I was at the mercy of the actors to show up for rehearsals, learn the lines and deliver those lines on stage. My female lead was off book (I got to know some of the terms) quickly but my male lead had trouble remembering his lines and missed some rehearsals.

Putting on a stage play is not like making a movie, you can't go back and redo a scene. When asked, the way I put it is 'opening night did not go as rehearsed'. To be honest, it wasn't even close. The male actor kept forgetting his lines or changing them which threw off the female actor, as well as, the lighting guy and Mike, who had to operate a smoke machine.

The Saturday afternoon presentation was much better. He still missed many of his lines but the audience laughed where they were supposed to and understood, and laughed and clapped at, the twisted ending. I was elated and hearing that laughter made the whole process worthwhile. I would like to write another play for next year, however, I will keep the props to a minimum and have the actors tell the story rather than show the story.

While there were problems and mishaps on getting my play to the stage the most memorable one is about the wine bottle. We needed a wine bottle for our opening scene so I rinsed one out and filled it with water. We used it for our first on stage rehearsal and then put it with the rest of the props. For our dress rehearsal the next evening, it was not where I had left it. I looked everywhere and then had to substitute a beer bottle. We joked that hopefully the person who took it wasn't using it as a hostess gift at a fancy dinner. I found another bottle for opening night. At the end of the evening, I discovered the first bottle by a door, empty. If that person drank it he must have thought it was the weakest, worst tasting wine ever made.
Joan Donaldson-Yarmey

The Books of The Travelling Detective Series, now available in a boxed set
Illegally Dead
The Only Shadow In The House
Whistler's Murder

http://thetravellingdetectiveseries.blogspot.com/

Saturday, July 12, 2014

JUMPSTART AND GET WRITING BY RITA KARNOPP

“So you have such a positive attitude, how do you give yourself a jumpstart to get writing?”  The other day I was asked this question, and I decided would be a great blogging subject.  How do we push ourselves into our offices to write?  Heaven forbid there are enough distractions and other things you could be doing – besides sitting in your quiet office, all alone, with your thoughts and a white screen staring back at you.  Exactly how do we give ourselves the strength to say it’s time to write?

I truly believe us writers are special people.  Yep we truly are!  I think the hardest things for us are our other responsibilities.  We have family, friends, housework, the JOB, yard, cooking, shopping, and of course church (in my case) and the hubby.  The list goes on and on.  In between all those responsibilities and distractions we must ‘make’ the time to write. 

I don’t know if you’re like me – BUT – the other ‘stuff’ must  be done in order for me to concentrate on what I really want to do, write.  It’s not a hobby or what I do for fun.  Let’s face it, we love to write – but it is work.

So I need the house clean, the dishes done, the bills paid, and even my office must be clean before I can sit in front of my computer.  Now that’s a bit easier these days since my kids are out of the nest.  J   But I started writing when my kids were three and five+ so there you have it, I understand it both ways.

I don’t recommend three cups of coffee so you feel awake – that will just give you the jitters and make you feel unsettled.  A nice glass of ice water (or flavored – no calorie water) is what I recommend.  Get it right away so you don’t have an excuse to ‘leave’ your office and get side-tracked.  Yep, I know all the tricks … or mistakes.  You might even fix yourself a plate of celery sticks, carrot sticks, or even pea pods so you don’t get the chocolate cravings.

If you tell yourself you ‘should’ be writing, yet you’re sitting on the couch trying to muster up the energy and drive to go write – ask yourself one thing – “What is my deadline date?”  What?  You don’t have a deadline date?  That is not good!  You MUST have goals and deadline dates or you’ll never accomplish what you want in life.  That doesn’t just apply to writing, but in this case it does.

You need to sit down and look at your work in progress and answer these questions:

·       What genre are you writing?
·       World count for this work?
·       How many chapters will you have?
·       Now- how long does it take you to write a chapter?
·       Add a month in for unexpected distractions/responsibilities.
·       What is your writing schedule?
·       Finally – what is the deadline date to finish your book?

You do this one thing and I guarantee you’ll get more books written than you’ve ever done before.  I always correlate it to this.  If you were planning to go on a trip to Montana, you know you’d get maps and plot it out, you’d look at places to stop along the way to enjoy, there are hotels, costs to estimate, car to get in shape for the trip, etc.  If you just jumped in your car you might end up in Alaska!   Well, planning to write your next book is pretty much the same thing. 

Don’t treat your writing like a ‘hobby.’  I hate it when people say, “that is such a nice hobby.” I stop them and say, “This isn’t a hobby - it’s too much work for that.  Writing is my passion and I do it because it’s something I love and it gives me a feeling of accomplishment.  Don’t accept negativity – it will start making you feel negative – and you’ll start treating your writing like a hobby.  Once you start doing that, you won’t have the drive and excitement to go to your office and write.

Think about your story while making breakfast, working at the office, going for your daily walks (or like me up Sander’s Hill twice a day during my breaks – it’s a humdinger).  Work out ideas, plots, and twists before you even get to your office.  By the time your ‘scheduled’ writing time approaches – you will be raring to go and you’ll be itching to sit down and start typing.

Get your background music going and you're READY!  One thing I always do, to get myself back into my story, is to read the last two pages.  This helps me get into the characters; where are they, who are they talking to, and what is their current situation?  That way I can continue without missing a beat from where I left off.  

Next thing you know – two hours have passed and you’re shocked how many pages you just finished.   When you push away from the computer you’ll have a feeling of satisfaction and pride.  You are suddenly anxious and excited to write again tomorrow!  You can do this . . . day after day.  Oh – and book after book!  J

You can find Rita Karnopp at:  http://ritakarnopp.com

RITA KARNOPP, Author ~ Writing Montana History - Past ~ Present ~ Future
(email)      
ritakarnopp@bresnan.net
(publisher)
http://bookswelove.net
(blog)       
http://mizging.blogspot.com



Watch for Rita Karnopp’s next book ~ Whispering Spirits

   Summer Timber Wolf, Nii’ówa Ómahkapi'si, is disenchanted with life in general.  Ashamed of being Blackfeet, yet broke and alone, she goes to Browning, the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana she swore she’d never return to or call home.    

   Angry with her decision to quit college, her parents give her the task of caring for her eighty-year-old grandmother, Kimi’Aki, Secret Woman.  It sounds like an easy alternative to getting a job. 

   By the time Summer realizes this means she’ll be living in the mountains in the ways of the old ones, in a tipi, with no more modern support greater than a boiling pot, it’s too late to go back.

   In this primitive setting she realizes there’s more to being Blackfeet than just being called Indian.  Although she fights anything to do with her ancestry, she is quickly caught up in a world of whispering spirits and a journey that teaches we must understand and find pride in where we’ve come from . . . in order to know where we’re going. 



Friday, July 11, 2014

Words Perfect ie: the perfect words by Karla Stover


I’ve been thinking about words, lately. Many’s the time someone in my writers' critique group has said, “I don’t think the character would say that.”

For years the only thing I collected was words. I told people it was because I didn’t have to dust them. Of course, poverty played a part.Without using a thesaurus, my husband and I came up with nearly a dozen different names for freeways, and then we turned to other words and forgot freeways, autobahns, interstates, etc. No matter; it was the hunt that that was fun.

I listen to NPR every time I’m in the car as a way to study words and dialogue for my writing and am surprised how many educated people still use “like” and “you know.” (When I was in Toastmasters, we counted “ums” as a way to make the speaker aware of them). David Sedaris was talking last week and he peppered his conversation with “you know.” Very off-putting, I must say. I don’t buy his books and don’t know if I will, now, not that his sales will reflect my lack of purchases. When I got home, I tried researching these two conversation fillers but the best I came up with was the movies, Valleygirl and Clueless are the probable culprits. However, I wonder if they should be used in writing contemporary dialogue.

I write articles for a monthly magazine and was asked to do a profile on a local antiques store. They call themselves an antique store—no S. My editor said I was nit picking but honestly, the store isn’t that old.

I love words that create atmosphere: Whose woods these are, I think I know, his house is in the village, though, he will not see me stopping here to watch his woods fill up with snow. Though and snow and know, such long drawn out words and so effective in creating a somnolent scene. Or, Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary . . . Don’t you just love dreary and weary? My writing isn’t particular dependent on mood-creating words; what I need is snappy dialogue. That’s a tricky one. As T.S. Eliot said, “Last year’s words belong to last year’s language,” and as a writer, I don’t want my books dated by the expressions my characters use.

On the rare occasion I’m not listening to NPR, I listen to music and try correcting the grammar. I don’t get no satisfaction . . .” “If I was a rich man . . .” And yet, in their contexts, the words work. “Any satisfaction” sounds weird. Also, Mick Jagger can pull it off; I don’t think Michael Buble ′ could. Now, when I’m writing, I work hard to make my dialogue—grammar faux pas and all—fit the character.

And one last thought: I have been reading Acton Bell—Anne Bronte, that is—and nowhere does she use the expression: Ever so. I am guilty of using it in my own historical fiction and will not again. Or, to quote Poe again, I will use it Never more.

Thursday, July 10, 2014

For Us Oldies.... by Cheryl Wright

As they say, it's a bitch getting old.

But what can you do? For me it's learning to live with my limitations, while at the same time, trying to keep feeling young. (Yeah, right. With three teenagers living in the same house!)

It has recently dawned on me that I'm slowly nudging toward the big six oh. Not something I'm looking forward to, but at least its a couple of years off yet.

Still, I find more and more when I'm making cards that some of the images remind me of my lost youth.  So I was quite pleased to learn there's a stamp company whose images depict those of, shall we say, ahem, later years.

I was quite shocked to discover they've been around for almost 27 years, but I only learned of them just a few weeks ago. Yikes!

Immediately I ordered two of their fun sets, and below is my first attempt at the set I've received so far.








(For those inquisitive minds, the company is Art Impressions, and this particular set is called Party Girls - from the 'girlfriends' range.)

It's probably wishful thinking, but I like to think this will be me and some of my friends in a few years time.  Still having fun, still enjoying life to the full.

(I'll be the one with the blower, annoying the heck out of everyone else!)

I had a lot of fun coloring this image using Copic markers (which are a craft/artist product), despite it taking around forty minutes. I find the coloring process very relaxing, so it's totally worthwhile.

Hopefully, by the time I blog next month, my second set will have arrived. It has a lot more coloring to be done, but I'm certain the result will be worth the time spent.

Til next time,













p.s.  I have a giveaway running at the moment. Go here to check out the gorgeous custom-made keychain you could win. There's also a custom-made necklace up for grabs!

Links:

My website:  www.cheryl-wright.com 
Blog:  www.cheryl-wright.com/blog
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/cherylwrightauthor

Make sure you join my Facebook page as I run regular giveaways for followers!



Monday, July 7, 2014

Sharing the Dream – by Tia Dani


As part of the "Inside Books We Love" blog, we hope to create interesting information that isn't full of self-promo, but will give our readers a chance to know who we really are. They'll discover how we work and play, learn how we struggle with balancing our everyday lives, how we draw our stories out of our heads, then finish them into a well-loved published book. And we do it all without losing our precious friendship.

Who are we?

First and foremost we are a dedicated writing team who loves playing with words, creating "What Ifs", and are following a shared dream.

We are wives, moms, and grandmas.

We didn't start out to be a writing team, but the process evolved over time during our friendship. We met in 2002 at a local RWA chapter and after several years passed we wrote and submitted a short story together just to have some fun. To our delight the story sold. From then on we kicked our writing into high gear and found a way to stick to a writing schedule, plus stay motivated to complete and submit a full manuscript. Also we decided working together might be a fun way to learn all the technology of submitting and editing online. We don't know about you, but we find it more fun when you work with a buddy.

While having all this fun we discovered something else about ourselves. We have this unique quality of being more than friends sharing common interests. We understand each other. We think alike, and often finish each other's sentences without missing a beat. Yet, we still maintain our individuality. It's these differences which makes our writing strong. Beverly (who writes as Dani) has the uncanny ability to bring out the perfect "What If?" scenarios that can make a great story tick. Christine (Tia of our team) excels in arranging all those "What Ifs" into a semblance of order. Tia calls it stacking the dominoes, (Future workshop).

Writing stories together is more than just being co-authors for us. Team writing, as with any type of business partnership, takes a lot of trust in each other and a strong commitment to the partnership. It's hard work, but for us, we couldn't imagine doing it any other way.

Time's Enduring Love Our latest book, Time's Enduring Love, is a time travel published with BWL.

 Time's Enduring Love
By Tia Dani

Libby Strammon believed her life was on track. A young woman of the tumultuous 1960's, she worked hard to fulfill her dream of becoming a doctor so she could open a practice in the small Kansas farming community where she was raised. But when a perilous storm sweeps her back a hundred years into the past she is forced to rely on her instincts while navigating the changed world that a hundred years difference has wrought.

Kansas Volunteer, Lieutenant Matthew Dome's magnetic attraction to the slightly odd woman who appeared out of nowhere wars with past promises made—promises he'd failed to keep. He yearns to have the fascinating spitfire by his side, but can't let go of the past and his guilt long enough to convince himself she belongs in his life.

When circumstances send Libby and Matthew into danger, and a buried secret is revealed, Libby races against time to choose between returning to the 20th century she is familiar with or remain with Matthew who loves her but failed her once before?

"I was excited to read a novel from two authors I consider friends/mentor, both exceptional women in their own right have together created a novel worth the read! Quick paced, delightful banter, enjoyable characters, and an entertaining plot. Absolutely loved it. I couldn't stop reading it until I was done completely. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys romance with historical background settings. Can't wait to read their next novel." ~A.S. Johnson, author~ Amazon, 5 Stars

If you're interested in learning more about Tia Dani, please visit our website and friend us on Facebook.

Thanks for stopping by,

Tia Dani


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