Chris Baty's Blog, page 247

30 Covers, 30 Days 2011: Day 30

Man alive! It is the very last day of 30 Covers, 30 Days, if you can believe it. It's been an incredible month, full of gripping synopses, evocative covers, and some spirited discussion, both here and in our forums. Thank you so much to all of our Wrimos, our designers, and, of course, the magnanimous, magnificent John Gall. Today's final cover was created in 24 hours by the impressive Laurie Rosenwald:

The Sandwich Technique by knittingkneedle

Above a Burger King in South London, The Lewisham School of Language welcomes a new class of students wishing to learn English as a second language.

Meet Raj Puri, a twenty nine year old Pakistani-born, and proud first generation British citizen. He loves fish and chips, football, and Princess Diana; his dream is to meet Ian Beale from EastEnders. On the plus side, the class he teaches is dirt-cheap but apparently, when it comes to basic conversational English, you really do get what you pay for.

The students, including a Korean divorcee, a cantankerous seventy-five-year-old Polish builder, an African refugee and a glamorous mail order bride, all have their different reasons for studying English, and indeed, vastly different reasons for leaving their homeland but they are all the same in their isolation from the country they inhabit — hindered and hidden behind that very large barrier of language. 

Raj's methods are unorthodox, his pronunciation and grasp of basic grammar is poor, but over ten weeks, through terribly written essays and an overdose of British soap operas, both the students and Raj learn something — if not how to pass their end of year exams — about struggles that transcend language, about prejudice, friendship and what it means to be a citizen of the world.

A designer, animator and illustrator, Laurie Rosenwald also does humor writing, as well as writing which is only marginally funny.

Her design studio, rosenworld, doesn't exist. In spite of this, rosenworld.com was launched in 1995.

She's done many drawings for the New Yorker, the New York Times and other fine publications, taught graphic design at the School of Visual Arts, Parsons School of Design, and NYU, and has held her iconoclastic creativity workshop, 'How to Make Mistakes on Purpose' (or 'What to Do when it's too Late to get Burrs on your Pants and Invent Velcro All Over Again') for corporations, conferences and schools all over the world, from Stockholm to Starbucks Creative Camp.

She's very proud of 'David's Diary,' an animated application created for the iPhone, iPad and Android, made in collaboration with the brilliant writer David Sedaris, who had this to say about her work: "I have to say I was completely blown away. Let me add that I NEVER use that phrase." Laurie appeared in the pivotal role of 'Woman' on The Sopranos. Really. Season Five, Episode One. She claims to have won all the usual awards.

Research Fractals

All this noveling reminds me of what has always been my favorite and most time-consuming aspect of writing: research.

Ever click on a Wikipedia page and find yourself clicking and clicking on the related links until each new page spirals in its own direction? That's what research is for me. The same goes with library books, newspapers, and database articles. There are problems with researching like this. For one thing, you may never get your novel done. Because, let's face it—it would take forever to learn everything about everything, and you could end up a perpetual scholar as opposed to a novelist.

However, even then, there's still hope. One of my writing professors did research for ten straight years before publishing her magnum opus, which ended up winning the California Book Award (her editor measures her books by the pound, I guess).

If you saw my awkward NaNoVideo (which I hope you didn't, but hey, I can't stop you), then you know that my novel is about deep-sea exploration. One thing about researching for this novel is that it has renewed my once-dormant fascination for the world's oceans and all the ecosystems within it, and I have run into the other problem that habitual researchers run into: I have more facts than I know what to do with (especially about abyssal gigantism and hydrothermal vent systems). Did you know that lobsters don't really age? Or that there are hooked teeth on the tentacles of colossal squids? As an aside, I recommend steeling yourself before image-searching that last one.

I'm not one who enjoys getting my hands dirty, but reading about the ocean makes me want to become one of those fleece-wearing marine biologists, wading out in the water to collect red-algae samples. And I think that's what noveling research is supposed to do. It's supposed to get you excited about something totally unrelated to your own life or your primary interests. I have to give credit to the NaNoWriMo community here. Lots of people came through when it came to helping me with my novel. In fact, the very picture above is an image sent to me by a fellow novelist who had some experience diving around shipwrecks.

About halfway through the month, something happened that made my research dreams come true. Another fellow Wrimo mentioned that he could get me in touch with Don Walsh, one of two men who were in the only manned expedition to ever reach the bottom of the Mariana Trench. I had become a huge fan of Walsh when I started my novel. It was recommended that I do a little more probing into the subject of the expedition before sending this great man an email—an enthralling idea (hooray, more research!) that also filled me with some trepidation (what if I still don't know enough and ask something silly?). Needless to say, I have yet to send Walsh an email, but I know that I will, if only because I must interview him!

Research Wrimos, what new things have you been discovering?

– Ari

30 Covers, 30 Days 2011: Day 29

It's the second-to-last day of November! Good luck to all of you who are sprinting towards the finish line, and a huge congratulations to everyone who's already won. Today's cover was created in 24 hours by the first-class Charlotte Strick:

By Example by Puella Hilare

Gayle Cord never thought that super powers were real— until she survived an insane accident and found herself with powers that boggled her mind, among them (and her favorite) the ability to fly! 

Fortunately, her father had been a big comic book fan (as well as a cop) before he died, and had passed that love on to her. They'd had long, rambling talks about the things in comics that would never work in the real world, so when Gayle decided to put on a costume and play superhero, she did things in a smart, thought-out fashion. 

She hadn't realized, though, how her heroics would affect the world around her— and how that would affect her. A secret identity turned out to be a pain in the neck— but worse was her growing conviction that she couldn't possibly be the only person with super-powers for very long. Surely someone else would get powers— and then things would be very different. 

In fact, things were different already— and as she struggled with how much of the truth to give the public that wanted to know as much as possible about the masked heroine Gayle Cord had become, she realized something very, very important: 

When you are the first of anything, you have to lead…By Example.

Charlotte Strick is the Art Director of Faber & Faber, Inc. and the Trade Paperback division at Farrar, Straus and Giroux. She's the an award-winning designer known for creating the jackets for books by Roberto Bolaño, Lydia Davis, and Jonathan Franzen, among many others. She is also the Art Editor and designer of The Paris Review, and the mother to twin boys who turned one just yesterday. Until she finally gets around to designing her very own website, you can view some of her work here: http://designrelated.com/profile/pickupstrick

Unexpected Inspiration

Thanksgiving can be a tough speed bump in the November noveling process.

I've found that any momentum I may have worked up over the first three weeks gets slowed—or completely halted—by the festival of turkey and family time. I'd like to blame the tryptophan, but I think I am just an easily distracted person. Especially when I am being distracted by food and loved ones.

Compound this will my questionable decision to take my parents, in town from Atlanta, north to wine country this past weekend. It had the very real potential to sink my already sagging word count. I brought my AlphaSmart in the car with me, hoping that the two-hour drive there and back, plus evenings by the fireside would afford me the time I needed to work on my novel.

I was surprised to find that, instead of being too distracted by the wonders of wine country to write, I was totally inspired by random and delightful things I saw and experienced on our three-day getaway. We witnessed a small-town Christmas parade where the town fire engine and locals' pick-up trucks were bedecked in lights; I learned what a statuary is and integrated it into my love-interest's family history; I met a dog that only chased rocks, which he would then swallow. The fog over the vineyards, the fireplace in the main house, the orange-spice pancakes at breakfast: all of these things and more made their way into my novel.

To my great relief and surprise, this weekend proved to be more of a writers retreat than a word-count killer. Sure, I am still behind. But I am also reinvigorated by what I wrote while I was away.

Where is the most unexpected place—or time—you've found writerly mojo in November?

– Lindsey

Photo by Flickr user John Kratz

30 Covers, 30 Days 2011: Day 28

It's YWP Monday! We promised you another cover from the deeply talented Roberto de Vicq, and we are here to deliver. The second of the covers done in 24 hours by Roberto is below:

SS Incubo Films by Susie Miller

The movie studio Incubo Films has a groundbreaking documentary in the works: put a bunch of teenagers on a boat for a year, and watch what happens. 

The story follows Felicia and Derren, the most unlikely of friends, bound together by simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. They will have to work together to figure out just what is really happens below deck, and what Felicia's father has to do with it.

Is there something more going on, or do adults really just want to get to know "the brains of teenagers"?

Roberto de Vicq is a designer who is recognized for his sophisticated use of typography. Restaurants, publications, logos, hand lettering, his work is always a visual surprise. Please visit www.devicq.com.

30 Covers, 30 Days: Day 27

Today's cover was created in 24 hours by the dynamic duo known as Zut Alors!:

On the Breath of Rita by figsandthistles

29-year-old Rita has long admired Matthew, the bike messenger who picks up her envelopes at the office to courier them to downtown courthouses. But one day Matthew arrives solemn and concerned. She asks him a question that will carry her into the heart of his strange life, and in the days that follow, into a strange universe filled with muses and half-humans in the middle of a war, for which Matthew is of the utmost importance. 

Rita has to decide if she will stay with Matthew and risk becoming a part of this universe in which her human breath is valued for the power it contains to bring things to life, or turn away from the battle with the elements in this realm that are slowly taking over her mind.

Zut Alors! is: Creative Direction, Art Direction, Graphic Design, Copywriting, Illustration, Ideation, Print, Web, Exhibition, Motion, Tek Pack, Art, Architecture, Fashion, Culture, Industry, Bloomberg View, Christie's, Creative Time, Definitive Jux, Good Magazine, Morrison & Foerster, The New York Observer, The New York Photo Festival, The New York Times, Pratt Institute, Siegel + Gale, Socrates Sculpture Park, Yale University
Frank DeRose is: Skidmore College (BS); Pratt Institute (MS), Divorced, Ears, Right, Green, Clever, Gill, Yes, Catholic, tube8, Commes des Garçons, Newports, Village Yogurt, Neue 75, Illustrator, Vans, Aviators, 24", Douglaston, Nas, Track Bike, Agnostic, Jordan II Lo, Blackberry, Mirra, Ten, Light grey, English, Italian, Two, Knicks, Chuckles, #FFOOFF, No, Male, Levi's, Rocks, Rocco, CDG, Centre Pompidou, Radio, 33, Citibank, $9,000, Great White Shark, Apple, #6, Typesize + 2pt, Hand, Richter, Carver, Paris, Memphis, espn.com, Angst, Bone Folder, Banana Republic, Yes, Newton, Right lower leg, right knee, John, Mayo, Provolone, LaCie, Western Digital, Putin, Caesar, Jaws, Chaos, Inkjet, Esquire, Shruti, Not Yale, Alabama, Grant, Dresscode, F-sharp, Venus Flytrap, The injured boar in Princess Mononoke, Grosvenor, Ocean Sea, Inch, Bleed, Embossing, "How much can you afford?", 139, Franques, Artichoke

Brendan Griffiths is: University of Oregon (BFA); Yale University (MFA), Girlfriend, Freckles, Right, Purple, Just-in-time, Munari, More, Pinkberry, Narcolepsy, Altria Group, Poland Spring, Jigga, Five Guys, Nimbus Sans, InDesign, Converse, Wayfarers, 21.5", Eugene, Steve Jobs, G Train, D-Block, Dunk Hi, iPhone, Mirra, Fifty, Frank, English, Black Irish, One, Blazers, Snickers Dark, #000000, No, Male, A.P.C., Neat, Howard, LV, Metropolitan, YouTube, 31, Charles Schwab, $700 (in twenties), Mackerel, Banana, #6, Auto, Metrics, Newman, Salinger, Berlin, New Orleans, gmail.com, Optimism, Magic Mouse, H&M, No, Goldin, Right arm, George, Ketchup, Cheddar, Gaddafi, Alexander the Great, Pulp Fiction, Cat, Laser, The New Yorker, Travis, Yale, Texas, Kennedy, Carson, B-flat, Douglas Fir, Bart Simpson, Burnside, War & Peace, Centimeter, Rich Black, Belt Print, $1,000 (hourly), 298, Ezra Stiles, Carrot

Say hello:
http://zutalorsinc.com/z.php

30 Covers, 30 Days: Day 26

Today's cover was created in 24 hours by the very talented Mark Lazenby:

When Pink Hippo Fell by awesome speller

Lizzie returns to the small beachside town of Eastbourne, trying to put aside memories of her family's abrupt departure from there ten years earlier when she was a girl. But no sooner does she start working in her granny's rock candy shop than she comes across the stuffed pink hippo she left behind…and she finds that whatever it was trying to tell her as a child, it is trying much harder to tell her now. The more she becomes involved, the more Ryan, her ex-boyfriend's twin brother, does, too, despite her best attempts to keep him out of the increasing danger that threatens to take her life.

Mark Lazenby is an art director and collage artist, and is based in London. His work is all collage- and montage-based. He has been working as a collage artist and designer for over 15 years, exhibiting around the world, and has had work published by Penguin, Wired, Vogue, The New York Times, The Globe and Mail, Dazed & Confused, & Nylon. He has an M.A. in Communication Art & Design from the Royal College of Art.

From East Coast to West Coast

I'm hardly the newest employee of the Office of Letters and Light, but I am one of the farthest from the home office. I'm a remote staffer, and as such, I do most of my work in the comfort of my own home: Georgia, home also to peaches and boiled peanuts. I sit on my couch, with my keyboard in my lap, and a cat curled up behind my head. 

This week, though, I had the distinct pleasure of visiting my own office for the first time. Have you ever wondered what it's like to visit OLL? it's awesome. Many of you can attest to the fact that it's just plain cool; as a staffer, it's even cooler.

I get to hang out. Eat sandwiches. Good sandwiches. With Dan Duvall.

I get to sit at Chris Angotti's desk while he's out of town.

I can hug Blobby. And Tim Kim. And Chris Baty. More than once. I'm really excited about hugging Blobby though. (Sorry, Tim!) 

Visiting California has been the most amazing experience. I've never traveled out of the South, so this has been something truly different. I've eaten well, I've seen so much neat stuff. 

I haven't written a word. 

I take that back. I've written 33. Or maybe 34. It's just so hard! So much to do. Sarah blogged about distractions, but this isn't your average, day-to-day distraction. This is Alcatraz-level distraction.  

Working in the office is actually a bit like being at a write-in. People talk about word counts, the tippity-tap of fingers on keyboards is the most prevalent sound, and there's a whole lot of coffee-drinking going on. There should probably be an I.V. drip of the stuff running down the wall just so no one has to get up from their desks to imbibe. There are tons of nifty stickers, posters, and of course, Tom Selleck on the walls. He's a very commanding presence, you know. 

The best part of it, though, was meeting the people that we all know and love, but don't usually get to talk to. The toughest part of working from home is that you can't hang out around the water cooler talking to your coworkers about the minutiae of the day. 

So maybe my word count will suffer a bit (and now, our Ticket Master is officially beating the pants off me in word count) but I've gotten to do and see things I've never thought possible. 

Most importantly, though? 

I got to see the back door of the OLL. It's probably the most underrated door on the planet, but it's hardworking, secure, and a lovely shade of green. You should come see it. It's totally the highlight of my trip. 

—Heather Dudley

30 Covers, 30 Days: Day 25

Today's cover was created in 24 hours by the ingenious Jamie Keenan:

Lancer's War by Tom Martin

No one can predict the future.

There was no apocalypse that ravaged the planet, no global disaster. The near collapse of humanity came from the apathy and depravity that has always defined us. The last megacorporations are now pivotal to humanity's survival, specializing in resource recycling, agriculture and energy, the secrets of which are highly coveted and incredibly well guarded. It would seem that war would be inevitable, but a new sort of global conflict has arisen.

Enter the Lancers, mercenaries that pilot massive cyborgs, sponsored by governments and private organizations. They fight for the access rights to the megacorporation's resources, dueling in gladiatorial-style combat, at once both a source of great entertainment for the masses and the only hope some countries have of re-emerging from this new age of poverty.

Ethan and Chloe are up-and-coming Lancers, orphaned twins that were raised and bred to be the best. All seems well in their world until they meet Rana, a secretive and anti-social girl that might just be the best Lancer anyone has ever seen, but whose true nature might tear them apart. And even as they struggle to consolidate their differences, the war of the Lancers will take its toll and cost them more than they could ever imagine.

Will they survive the true price of being a Lancer, or will it destroy them, like it has so many others before?

No one can predict the future.

Jamie Keenan lives in England and designs book covers.

Conquering the Middles: A NaNo College Essay

Every year, we have some young Wrimos who not only write their novels in November, but are preparing to take the leap into a new phase of their lives: university! We were lucky enough to have lightonwings share her college application essay with us:

Success doesn't come easily.  I have learned this lesson every November for the past three years.  November is National Novel Writing Month, a donation-funded literary challenge that entices thousands of people to write fifty thousand words in thirty days.  Since my freshman year, I have balanced thirty-day "noveling" with schoolwork and extracurriculars and succeeded every time, but never without an intense amount of struggle.

The big point, for me, of National Novel Writing Month is that success only comes if I drag close to two thousand words from my fingertips every day for thirty days. While the novel is new and fresh, this is a treat, but the middle of every novel is pure drudgery.  Plot holes become apparent.  Characters seem trite and irritating. Plenty of days, stuck in the middle, my inspiration was nonexistent and writing was torture.  But because I wanted a finished novel, I kept pushing, learning the huge lesson of November; if I continue to pursue, I will eventually succeed.  

Having conquered three such middles, it seems that virtually any project or goal can be compared to a novel.  Whether I am writing a college application essay or training for a half-marathon, there is a vast chasm of middle right past the first few exciting steps.  But the middle—the actual work of the task I have set to accomplish—is the difference between success and a long life of what-ifs.  There is no shortcut to success. I just have to haul myself forward. 

As I bushwhack through my novel's middle, life roars ahead.  I have managed rigorous schoolwork, jazz band practice, and more throughout my years of November noveling, quickly learning to organize my free time; noveling at the end of my classes, or on the volleyball bus to away games.  Even being pressed for time, my friends were still a priority.  With this juggling act, I feel confident that I have developed the essential doggedness to excel in college and the real world, able to manage my to-do lists and actively pursue my personal goals, no matter what the circumstances.

My incredible gains from National Novel Writing Month inspired me to recruit friends to take the challenge with me, starting immediately after freshman year.  I talked to everyone about it, stripping away the challenge's scary exterior and highlighting the amazing rush of accomplishment.  I managed to talk two of my friends into embarking on this dauntingly wordy task with me sophomore year, and the next year, three more (who then recruited another.)  Everyone has learned something new, and I've even talked my dad into writing a novel this year.  

After writing three novels, each when life was hardly accommodating, I gained a repeated knowledge of how to accomplish my goals.  At this point in my growth, I can see that novels, like all long-term goals, are mostly middles.  I have the guts to embrace the discomfort of these middles, knowing that each goal's end is a rich and ultimately invaluable experience.