Nate Philbrick's Blog, page 9

The Fantastic Five Dialog Tag

Guys. Guys. Guess what? I’m doing something I’ve never done before. I’m starting a blog tag. At least I think I am. Odds are this has been done before, but frankly, I don’t care. I’ll call it…the Fabulous Five Dialog tag. Super catchy, am I right?

But Mr. Nate, sir, what is this superb new concept you’ve brought to life? 

*Friendly pat on the head* Excellent question, little writerling. The Fantastic Five Dialog tag simply means I’m going to share five of my favorite out-of-context dialog lines from my work-in-progress novel and then tag some friends to share some of their own! Simple stuff, but I think it’s gonna be fun.

So here are five of my favorite out-of-context lines from Where The Woods Grow Wild (coming soon to Amazon near you!)…

“Why, you clod-brained, gimpy hog-moggins, I’m not evil!”
“A girl has to be resourceful. Besides, it’s a very noble kitchen knife.”
“Willows don’t like me, so naturally they start yelling at me the moment I fly by, and they forget they’re yelling when they go back to talking about things they intended to keep secret.”
“Fine, then, be that way. Yes, I found it when I was cleaning out one of his old desk drawers, and I took it because he has enough brass rings to fill a bean jar.”
“Take him away! Chop off his feet and light them on fire! Or throw quails at him!”

As it turns out, choosing just five bits of dialog was hard, but those are some of my favorites. I’ll go ahead and tag some people now (participation is voluntary, so if you’re not tagged and want to, go for it!):

Hannah Heath 

C.E.L. Stefani

Raychel Rose from That Bright Young Thing

Hope Ann from Writing in the Light

Kel Giese from A Teen’s Life 

Now it’s your turn! Have a favorite dialog line in mind? Share it in the comments below!

 

24 Little Things To Make A Writer Smile

In terms of the writing side of my life, the past month has been disappointing. Since finishing my first draft in March, I haven’t had time to roll up my sleeves and get a big chunk of editing done. I’ve been tied up with other editing projects that don’t seem to end, work, and other assorted distractions. You know how it is.

But it’s not always the glamorous achievements that make being a writer feel worthwhile. I can’t finish a draft, or complete a manuscript edit, or reveal a new cover every day. Sometimes it’s the little things that make writers smile.

Little things like…

Coffee early in the morning
Rainy days
Exciting ideas
The smell of paper
Days of good handwriting
New pens and pencils
Finding a new tea flavor
Comfortable chairs
Working under an open window
An organized desk
Fun bits of research
Words like disgruntled or plump
Five minutes of daydreaming
The tap-tap of the keyboard
Sticky notes and bookmarks and index cards
Quiet rooms
Ink-stained fingers
Motivational snacks
Quotations you don’t understand but share anyways
Coffee shops
Successful outlines
Funny snippets of dialogue
Pajama workdays
Knowing you can do it all again tomorrow

What are the little things about being a writer that you enjoy the most?

 

Your Story’s Closing Line: 7 Practical Tips

I’m a firm advocate of the line of thought that your story’s final sentence is the most powerful line of the whole book. That one line has the power of thousands and thousands of words behind it, and it can and should pack a punch. Here are seven practical ways to write a solid closing line, compiled from my own reading and writing experience.

#1 Make it unique to your story

If your closing line could be used in any other story, change it so that it only works for yours. Don’t settle for the generic “And they lived happily ever after.”

#2 Make it meaningful

Your closing line shouldn’t be random or empty. It carries a lot of weight, and it should reflect the drive behind your whole novel.

#3 Reflect the tone of your novel

If the overarching tone of your novel is cheerful, a sad last sentence will seem awkward and out of place.

#4 Make it emotional

This is very important! Your readers have just spent hours, days, and weeks suffering alongside your cast of characters. They deserve a last sentence that appeals to their emotions and leaves them wanting more.

Note: by emotional, I don’t necessarily mean sad. Simply engage your reader’s various emotions. (Sad works, though.)

#5 Keep it short

Short sentences are more impacting, and your last sentence needs to be as impacting as possible.

#6 Relate it to the story

Avoid last sentences that have nothing to do with the story. Readers should be able to say “Oh, I get it! It ended like that because…”

#7 Circularity is your friend

You get bonus points from your reader if the last sentence strikes a familiar chord. An extreme example would be having the last sentence and the first sentence be the same, or very similar. Or, you could have the last sentence be something that was repeated throughout the novel and now carries extra meaning. It’s up to you!

The bottom line is this: the last sentence in your novel is the final chance you have to connect with the reader. Make it emotionally satisfying, unique to your story, put time and effort into it, and make your readers want to come back for more. Don’t settle!

What do you do to choose the last line in your novel? What are some of your favorite closing lines from books you’ve read or written? I’d love to hear from you in the comment section!

Book Cover Reveal!

Today’s post is one I’ve been looking forward to for a long time. I’m revealing the (just about) finished cover for my next fantasy novel, Where The Woods Grow Wild!

I hired a fantastic graphic designer to work on the cover, and I’m truly happy with the results. The fact that she happens to be my sister is also mildly awesome. You guys should definitely check out her website/work at Orca Creative Studios.

You’ll notice a few things about the cover. First, the blurb is missing. I haven’t actually written one yet, so that’ll get slapped on eventually. Second, the ISBN is a fake. It’s just there to look shiny. Third, there’s still plenty of time to make tweaks, so your feedback is welcome! This is, however, basically the final product. So if you say ew yuck start over I’ll just throw a kumquat at you.

Anyway, here it is! Let me know what you think.

If you’ve been keeping track, you’ll know that Where The Woods Grow Wild was originally scheduled for a late April release. That’s not going to happen anymore, but I hope to have it ready for June. Thanks again for your support, feedback, and encouragement!

Have a great day, everyone.

Siblinghood of the World Blog Tag

Siblinghood of the World Blogger Award is a thing, apparently. I was nominated by Sarah Mitchell-Jackson (thanks again!) Check out her post here.

The idea of the blog tag is to answer the ten proposed questions and come up with ten new questions for ten other bloggers. Well, let’s crack on!

#1 What is your favorite breakfast?

Normally I just have coffee. I’m not a huge breakfast person. But I do quite enjoy a dark or white chocolate croissant with said coffee.

#2 What is the shortest piece you have written?

I entered a flash-fiction challenge with my 100-word story, Swim. I believe that’s my shortest work.

#3 What made you decide to start blogging?

Honest answer: I can’t remember. I’ve been blogging on various sites for four or five years now. I think I just enjoy the general process.

#4 What is your desk like?

Clear. I don’t like working at a cluttered desk, so I’ve got a lamp, a candle, and plenty of space.

#5 Who or what inspires you to write?

I try not to rely on inspiration to write. That being said, a bit of fresh air and a good view never hurt.

#6 If it weren’t for social media, how many other writers would you know?

A couple of my close college friends are writers, but other than them, I don’t think I personally know any outside of social media.

#7 What do you read?

Fantasy novels almost exclusively. Occasionally I’ll pick up a dystopian or a thriller, but…yeah. Fantasy is the best!

#8 If you didn’t write, what would you do instead with your time?

I like the idea of starting up a serious Youtube channel. Perhaps an LPer or something. Or something else that allows me to vent creativity.

#9 What do you tell your family about your writing while you’re working on something.

Absolutely nothing.

#10 What is your favorite word and why?

My two favorite words are plethora and disgruntled. I don’t know why. They’re just great words.

Alright, those are my answers! As far as tagging people, let’s do this: if you read this and want to participate, consider yourself tagged. I’ve been doing a good number of blog tags in recent months, and I don’t want to be annoying!

Have a great day, everyone.

The Writer’s Life According to Winnie the Pooh

Oh, bother. Here we go again! As usual, none of these gifs belong to me. All of them can be found on giphy.com.

When you run out of motivational snacks.
That first 5-star review.
What you spend 90% of your time doing.
When formatting time rolls around…
Self-publishing in a nutshell.
When people ask what it’s like to be a writer.
New books and your bank account.
When minor characters try steal all the attention.
“Can I be a character in your next book?”
Those pesky buy-my-book messages on social media.

If you’re just joining the series, check out the previous installations of The Writer’s Life According To… here:

…Jack Sparrow

…Sheldon Cooper

…Minions

…Gollum

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

Header image from https://www.flickr.com/photos/bibliod...

Starting Back Up, Book Title Help, Etc.

Hey all. I’ve been away from wordpress for a few weeks, for a variety of reasons. I plan to get the ball rolling again this week with the regular sort of posts, but I thought I’d give a quick update to those who follow regularly.

While I’ve been gone, the cover art for my upcoming fantasy novel has been in the works and I’m excited to say it’s almost done. I’ll be posting a reveal in the next few weeks, hopefully .

That being said, there’s been a setback. My plan was to release the novel on April 23rd to coincide with a book fair in my city. Several factors have led me to postpone the release, chiefly among them being the simple element of time. I really want to hone this story as much as I can, and I simply haven’t had the time to devote to it this month. I’ll keep you all up to date!

I’m also trying to find the right title for the book. I’ve cycled through several ideas by now, and the current option is Where The Woods Grow Wild. What do you guys think of that? Is it too similar to Where The Wild Things Are? (The stories are quite different both in audience and plot, don’t worry!) Independently, does it grab your attention? Or does it suck? I need to know!

In the meantime, the support and excitement you guys share with me is super encouraging!

I’ve also been decently quiet on Twitter. I’ll be back, no worries. I just haven’t had as much to say lately.

Looking forward to revving up the blog engine again, folks!

4 Worst Book-To-Movie Adaptations According To Me

Books are almost always better than any movie based on them. Granted, there are exceptions, but the vast majority of movies simply fall short of the mark of a good book. I don’t blame them. They’re limited by time-space, budget, technology, and a hundred other factors.

That being said, there are certain movie adaptations of books that are, simply put, abominations. Here is a list of what I consider to be some of the worst book-to-movie adaptations.

Note: I can only evaluate an adaptation if I’ve read the book AND seen the movie. Therefore, there will be a lot of adaptations missing from this list. 

Note 2: ranting ahead. 

#4 The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader

Every time a movie tries to add content to a story already told in a book, I cry a little. Disney is no exception. The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe was actually a good film, in my opinion. Prince Caspian was…acceptable. But 2010’s The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader completely ruined the beautiful story with that stupid green mist garbage and those stupid magic swords, which were never a part of the book and reduced the plot to unimaginative fantasy cliches. Disney, for the love of literature, please don’t make up your own junk to add to movies!

#3 The Black Cauldron

Not a lot of people seem to know that Disney’s 1985 film The Black Cauldron was based on a fantasy series of five books written by Lloyd Alexander. On its own, the film is decent (although very dark, for a Disney animated film). However, it fails to accurately represent the books. The movie mixes plot points from different books and completely changes certain characters. Given how phenomenal the books are as a children’s or middle grade fantasy series, it’s really too bad Disney didn’t bother to do a better job.

#2 The Hobbit

Peter Jackson…what happened?? The Lord Of The Rings movies were gorgeous. Why did you stoop so low for The Hobbit? P.J. took a beloved children’s fantasy story (barely a novel by word count) and turned it into nine (nine?) hours of dwarvish action-men fighting CGI…things. He shoe-horned in characters that either never appeared in the book (Legolas) or simply never existed at all (Tauriel). Not to mention the abhorrent ‘love story’, the ridiculously cheesy villains and dialogue…ugh. It was awful. The only redeeming factors, if you ask me, were Martin Freeman’s brilliant portrayal of Bilbo and Andy Serkis’s return as Gollum.

#1 Eragon

Not only was this movie the worst book adaptation I’ve ever seen, it ranks among the worst movies ever made, period. I don’t even understand how someone can take such a great book and absolutely murder it. Steven Fangmeier (the director; I had to google it) completely removed a handful of essential characters (Orik, the Twins, etc.), he made the Urgals look like fat, sun-deprived pirates, he disrespected the book’s character descriptions, he ruined Durza and Murtagh forever, and he had the brainless audacity to give Saphira feathers. The action was atrocious (Jeremy Irons excepted), the movie’s version of the plot was bland, and….and…well, you get the picture.  The Inheritance Cycle deserves good movies based on it. Can we just wipe the archives of this filth and start over?

Rant over. If you disagree with me about this list, that’s fine. If you haven’t read the books, do yourself a favor and get them. If you haven’t seen these movies, spare yourself the agony. What are some of your least favorite book-to-movie adaptations?

30 Book/Reading Facts About Me

Here are some random facts about books, reading, and yours truly! Just for us to get to know each other a bit more. Also, they’re in no particular order.

#1 Eldest (Paolini) is the first book I remember buying (as opposed to borrowing or receiving as a gift).

#2 I’m not a huge fan of audiobooks.

#3 Fantasy is by far my favorite fiction genre, though I can’t seem to get into urban fantasy.

#4 Having to wait for the next book in a series to be released doesn’t really bother me. If it’s good enough, I can be patient.

#5 I watched the Harry Potter movies before I read the books, and I loved both.

#6 It really, really bugs me when overrated authors make loads of money off mediocre (or just plain bad) storytelling.

#7 Every movie director that thinks they can add to a story already told in a book deserves a slap on the face.

#8 I’m more emotional than most would guess, but I don’t recall ever actually crying over a book.

#9 I really want to read the Percy Jackson series (even though I’m a decade behind schedule), but I’m saving up for a nice box set.

#10 I’m a sucker for fantastical creatures/races in books, except for elves and dwarves. They’re just not as interesting to me.

#11 In general, I prefer fantasy adventure plots over fantasy war plots.

#12 I have a hard time getting into books with more than a handful of main characters/plotlines.

#13 My attention span when reading is shorter than I’d like it to be. I need frequent breaks to move around.

#14 However, I can’t stop reading in the middle of a scene/page. I have to reach the next page break or chapter ending before putting the book down.

#15 I’m not afraid to skip over entire description/technical/jargon sections if they’re too complex for me to follow (which is probably why I avoid sci-fi novels).

#16 I’ve never purchased a book at a Barnes & Noble.

#17 Besides English as my native language, I also speak Spanish and Catalan 100% fluently, since I live in Barcelona. However, I don’t enjoy reading in those languages as much.

#18 Most of my reading takes place in the evening or at night.

#19 I haven’t been to a library for non-research purposes since I was a kid. Don’t judge me.

#20 Most of the time I don’t use bookmarks or other placeholders. I find it easiest just to remember the page number where I leave off.

#21 Bittersweet endings are, in my opinion, the best kind of ending.

#22 The book I’ve read the most times (I think) is Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code.

#23 I only read multiple books at a time if one of them is an ebook and the other is a hard copy. Don’t ask me why.

#24 I prefer cream-colored pages over white pages, and will change my Kindle settings to that end.

#25 I can read over conversation, but if the T.V. or radio are playing, I have a really hard time focusing.

#26 I absolutely love maps in books. I try to memorize as much of the map as possible before I start reading.

#27 I don’t like reading dialogue spelled out with a heavy accent. Sorry, Mark Twain. It just gets on my nerves. I draw the line at Hagrid.

#28 I’m frequently disappointed to see English-speaking authors try to incorporate foreign languages into their dialogue and fall short of the mark, especially with Spanish.

#29 I honestly don’t care if chapters have titles or not.

#30 Most of the time, 1st person present-tense narrative annoys me, which is why I enjoyed the Hunger Games movies more than the books. Sorry, guys. I’m a 3rd person reader.

What are some readerly facts about you? Do we share things in common, or are we totally different? Write your own post with 30 facts if you feel like it, or comment below!

6 False Assumptions About Readers

#1 Readers care about your characters by default

For a reader to invest in your protagonist takes time. Don’t expect much of an emotional response in the first chapters of your book. Establishing that connection between the reader and the character requires practice and effort.

#2 Readers actually read long description chunks

I’m a reader as well as a writer. I skip those pages of description, especially if it’s just linear location description (ehem, Tolkien). In all honesty, unless it’s super relevant to the story, I probably don’t care too much what colors the drapes are. Should you avoid all description? No, of course not. It can be relevant and it can be interesting. But don’t assume readers pay attention to all of it.

#3 Readers need constant reminders

Readers have better memory than we often give them credit for. If you slipped in hints about a plot twist, or foreshadowing, or anything of the sort, you probably don’t have to keep bringing it up to make sure readers haven’t forgotten.

#4 Readers won’t pick up on subtleties

Similar to #3. Readers are smart. They’ll catch nonverbals, hints, and between-the-lines suggestions. To state everything in an obvious way is to dumb down your story. Don’t give in to the I have to make this super-clear, otherwise they won’t catch on urge.

#5 Readers read at the same speed you write

Duh. It’s not hard to figure out, but I often forget. It’s important to not make this assumption without realizing it in terms of pacing. What feels like a super long chapter to you as the writer may only take a few minutes to read.

#6 Readers need attractive protagonists

I know I’ve talked about this before, but it still irks me. Authors and cover artists, I’m begging you to listen: if you rely on attractive bodies and front-cover models to sell your story, YOU’RE DOING IT WRONG. Please, please, please stop! Readers should invest in real, human characters regardless of physical appearance. Don’t assume hot protagonist = happy reader!