Chris Baty's Blog, page 248

30 Covers, 30 Days: Day 24

To all who celebrate today, happy Thanksgiving! Today's cover was designed in 24 hours by Henry Steadman, a force to be reckoned with. He was able to do several variations on the cover:

Papyrus by Miss K

Siobhan Connelly, freelance graphic designer, loathes the typeface Papyrus. And yet, the Museum of Ancient History and Antiquities has specially requested it for a brochure promoting their new display on Ancient Nineveh. 

Before Siobhan can even get the pictures she needs to fill in the empty spaces on the brochure, strange things begin happening at the museum. As she tries to piece together where this string of bad luck is coming from, she meets Seamus Delaney, a young man with a story about an ancient curse. Before long she is caught up in a web of intrigue and mystery. What really happened in Ancient Nineveh? Why is there a fish motif running through the new display? How much does Seamus know? And just exactly what typeface does one pair with Papyrus?

Henry Steadman has worked in publishing design for 25 years after having mistakenly wandered in looking for a purpose. After serving an apprenticeship in the art departments of various large UK publishing houses, he has been freelance for the past 10 years. He is now hoping that good behaviour and a genuine display of remorse will lead successfully in an appeal for early release.

A sampling of larger images under the cut:

Words and Music

You guys, I'm going crazy. Partially because of my novel, but also because of this disgustingly catchy electro-pop song, the lyrics to which are stuck in my head: "You don't float like a butterfly, or fight like Ali, Dress like Prince, but to the lowest degree." The lines aren't anything extraordinary. They're sort of funny, maybe, but only when you consider how ineffective they are as insults. And yet, somehow, these lyrics sparked the idea for my entire novel. Consequently, I have recently listened to the song a number of times far exceeding 'acceptable.'

Have any of you had this happen? Have you ever heard lyrics and thought, "Oh, I can use that!" I run our @NaNoWordSprints Twitter account occasionally, and my very favourite prompt to give is a challenge to incorporate lyrics from whatever the sprinters are listening to . Lyrics are a funny thing, you know. I've come to realize that the ones I appreciate most are witty, or play with language. I think we have a tendency to separate "writing" and "music" into two entirely different categories of "thing" — but lyrics are words too! And they can be a great source of inspiration for dialogue and plot, in particular.

I also think music can be one of a writer's greatest tools, in ways that don't involve lyrics. For myself, I find it almost impossible to write without listening to something. Music is an emotional stimulant, and it keeps me focused, energized, and passionate. It can help me get into the right mood for writing a scene. Evidence would suggest that many of you Wrimos feel the same way. We have a huge, vibrant forum just to talk about noveling music, and only a few days ago GalleyCat posted a list of five Spotify playlists for NaNoWriMo.

My personal preference for noveling music is a smorgasbord of various electronic genres, with a fair smattering of indie-rock as well. (If pressed, I would say Pretty Lights, Ratatat, Beats Antique, The Glitch Mob, and Imogen Heap are my top suggestions, in case you're looking for something new.) Usually something up-tempo enough to keep me excited, but also calm enough that I don't get up and start dancing. (Dancing is, sadly, a major impediment to noveling progress.)

So, folks - tell me what you listen to! Do you use 8tracks, Pandora, Spotify, or just stick to your own collection? Do lyrics make their way into your novels? Do you have certain songs for certain scenes, or genres of music that you write best to? Hit me up with some suggestions — I love exploring new music!

— Paige

Photo by Flickr user Taylor Burnes.

30 Covers, 30 Days 2011: Day 23

Keep those word counts humming through this homestretch! Today's inspirational cover was created in 24 hours by the one-woman powerhouse, Ingrid Paulson:

Nevermore. by articzombie

When wizard Charlie created the Nevermore Agency back in his ninth grade year, he expected the worst. De-ghosting every day, killer spiders from Mars, the usual the police cared too little to mess with. But now in college, he really does miss those days he used to worry over. Because the weirdest things in his life now are his girlfriend, a nearly blind selkie hipster, and her fabulous vampire boss at Dante's Parlor of Theatrics.

However, when the witch Priscil Stone arrives in his apartment to ask him to track down a dangerous prankster, it would seem he was asking for a bit too much.

Ingrid Paulson runs her own one-woman studio, Ingrid Paulson Design, and has been designing books (in pretty much every category) longer than she'd like to admit. Prior to freelance, she was Art Director of Raincoast Books in Vancouver, and designer at McClelland & Stewart. She lives in Toronto.

30 Covers, 30 Days 2011: Day 22

Happy Tuesday of the last full week to write your novel! Today's cover was created in 24 hours by the well-traveled, deeply-talented Jennifer Heuer:

The Philosopher Project by Taylor_Clogston

Unknown to the world, a group of individuals set up a long-term experiment to observe human nature. In this experiment, generations of humans live in an enclosed community called Second Eden, separated from the outside world. They are given a code of ethics to live by and then left alone, observed without their knowledge.

For years the humans in the experiment live in blissful naivete, without knowing real pain or fear, and thus, not knowing the real triumph or courage that results from that.

When the experimenters decide the time is right they release several of the experiment's subjects into the real world, which at first glance seems the same as their community.

However, the more the subjects are exposed to the real world the more they realize what it really is to live with emotions like sorrow, joy, and love rather than as a subject in an experiment.

Mankind's greatest wish is to return to Eden. But what happens when history repeats itself?

Jennifer Heuer is a full-time freelance designer out of Brooklyn, NY. She's just returned from a year's adventure in beautiful Portland, OR topped off by an 8,400 mile road trip across the country. Jennifer has recently designed for Simon & Schuster; HarperCollins; Little,Brown; Scribner; W.W. Norton & Co; Egmont; Freepress; Grand Central; Random House; and Faceout Studios. She's happy to be home again!

30 Covers, 30 Days: Day 21

Today's Young Writers Program cover (a bit late, apologies!) was designed in 24 hours by the incredible, superhero-of-a-designer, Roberto de Vicq:

Peace, Love, and BFFs by meg613

Four girls, who are best friends, find their way through sixth grade while battling broken hearts, evil teachers, and sinister lunch ladies.

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.

There are more covers for the students who are participating with us over at the Young Writers Program coming next Monday, with a bonus! Roberto put on his superhero cape and busted out two, that's right, two covers. The second one will be posted soon!

Meet Our Team: Emily Bristow, Captain of Capital Ideas

Emily has long been a key player in the OLL-iverse as both a long-time ML and a remote staff member. You may know her in the forums as lazym. And now you can get to know her even better! I am proud to present the brilliant Emily Bristow.

Emily, how long have you been participating in NaNoWriMo?

I've participated (and won!) every year since 2002. This is, incredibly, my 10th  NaNo. I was a Municipal Liaison (ML) for the Austin, Texas region—go Penguins!—from 2004 through 2010.

When did you come on as the Captain of Capital Ideas? And, what is that exactly?

I became the ML Captain of Capital Ideas in 2008. NaNo was growing fantastically from year to year, and to support that growth we needed to get more serious about fundraising. Chris Baty asked me to lead a group of MLs to brainstorm ideas, hence the "Captain." I thought it would be fun to compare regional donations the same way we compare word-count totals, so with the help of the amazing, multi-talented Lousy Writer 13, we launched the Donation Derby contest in 2009.

I'm also a moderator for the Municipal Liaison Forums and created the ML Mentor program. That's a group of super-experienced (and just plain super) MLs who provide advice and assistance to our new MLs (over 250 this year!). I also assist the Community Liaison by updating documents and developing systems for handling the multitude of behind-the-scenes details we shuffle during the year.

Are you traditionally a plotter or a pantser? Is there a genre you tend to write in every year?

Ah! I always think I'm going to be completely organized by the time NaNo comes around, but there were only two years when I did much planning. One year, I spent about six weeks with my characters, settings, and plot. Another year, I stole a plot from Shakespeare's King Lear and wrote an outline based on that. That's the only novel I've outlined. Three of my novels are roughly based on short stories I wrote during May or September story-a-day challenges, and one grew out of the pictures in an art book I opened on November 1st.

I don't write in the same genre every year—or even in the same novel. They often include magical realism or sci-fi elements, including one with a major magnetic pole shift and one with competing parallel universes.

Fugitive Colors, a farce, is set in Germany in 1914, and The Ghosts of Pere Lachaise is set in France between the middle ages and the 1970s. (It's my longest novel.) A couple of novels are set in the late-1800s Wild West, and there's a lit-fic set in San Francisco in the '60s. It's called The One About the Sixties. This year's novel is a full-out space-travel-world-building sci-fi-dystopian-adventure. I don't know much about science. Which keeps things interesting.

When you're not rocking NaNoWriMo's world, what do you like to do?

I make art in a variety of media. I enjoy fabric design and decoration and making collages with found objects. I spend as much time as possible in the mountains of New Mexico, where the light is indescribable and the sky goes on forever.

What would Wrimos be most surprised to learn about you?

I spend most of every November terrified that I won't reach 50K. I never feel ready enough or knowledgeable enough or good enough, but I love writing for speed. Great ideas blow in from nowhere and knock you over. I love being part of the international NaNo community and I can't imagine a November not writing alongside y'all.

A 30-Day Writing Retreat

As you read this, 19 teenagers and four staff members are in a cabin in Durango, CO working on their novels. They're part of Unschool Adventures' November writing retreat, and they're basically living, breathing, and eating NaNoWriMo for 30 days. We had to know more. Luckily, the participants were able to set aside their notebooks and laptops long enough to answer our questions in video form.

How about you? Have you ever attended a writing retreat—either for a few days or a whole month? Would you like to? Why or why not?

– Chris A.

30 Covers, 30 Days: Day 20

Happy Sunday! We're abuzz today with anticipation for tonight's Night of Writing Dangerously. We're so excited to meet Wrimos from all corners. Enjoy today's cover, designed, as always, in 24 hours, by the one, the only Abby Weintraub:

Strong Like You by Silverblown

Northside is your ordinary, self-contained suburb, located on the edge of West Brookshire, the capital of Andis. Its inhabitants are friendly and good-willed, blessed with kind hearts that openly welcomed Mr. Leighton, a timid and observant federal cryptanalyst for the government of Andis, to the neighbourhood when he moved in to the semi-old townhouse on Main Street.

Their lives are a huge contrast to his own: simple, relaxed, open and most of all, burden-free. Or so it seems. Mr. Leighton watches as Northside's secrets come to light and its residents deal with love, loss and life as much as the next person. A pinch of prejudice here, a dash of greed there; with a spoonful of death, a cup of espionage in the neighbourhood, and a sudden war with the neighbouring country mixed altogether, makes a horribly exciting time for Northside and a life-changing experience for Mr. Leighton.

Abby Weintraub is a graphic designer living in Los Angeles.

30 Covers, 30 Days: Day 19

Today's cover, put together in 24 hours, is brought to you by the deft and dexterous Jon Contino:

Switch by caropuig

In a world where body switching is not only possible but also highly illegal, Ann Porter is a federal agent in charge of pursuing rogue switchers — that is, when they survive. Ann and her partner, Jeffrey, are thrown into an investigation of a series of odd cases. Seemingly unrelated at first, they slowly begin to find small clues and similarities tying them together.

By pure luck and chance they find themselves after an underground ring of switchers. Their leader claims they only help people perform consensual and agreed upon switches, but a rebellious enemy group has decided to use the technology for their own means. Kidnappings and forced evictions (switching bodies without consent) are only a few of the things they are willing to do to get their plans in motion.

It is now up to Ann and Jeffrey to find the group and bring them to justice. But will they be able to find them in time? Or will they get sucked into the dangerous and almost lethal game of switching? 

New York native Jon Contino is known for his unique illustration style which combines old and new world aesthetics into a modern, minimalist style. His work reveals the influences of historical New York, contemporary street art, and the lost art of hand-drawn lettering. He serves as a designer and consultant for brands large and small, and as co-founder and creative director of CXXVI Clothing Co. Jon recently won the ADC Young Guns award.

The Life of a Winner's Shirt

The 2011 Winner's Shirt is now available in the online store!

I got to bring this shirt from design concept all the way to completed shirt, and I thought I'd take you through the journey.

Former Community Liaison and designer extraordinaire Nancy Smith created this wonderful art.

We passed this along to our fabulous screen printers at Babylon Burning, who ordered thousands upon thousands of the blank shirts we selected to print this shirt on.

I arrived early in the morning for a final proof of the shirt design. The shirts came out, in preparation of the massive amounts of screen printing about to take place! (This stack is only a fraction of the total shirts they had to print…)

When the art was perfectly centered, the layers aligned, and the colors deemed perfect, the first shirt was printed on Babylon's amazing multi-arm machine.

Then the shirt was placed into the heater to dry the ink.

Voila! Winner's shirts!

Whether you've hit 50K already, or you're still charging toward the win, claim your Winner's Shirt today!

-Lindsey