Chris Baty's Blog, page 67

Walmart eBooks Presents: Lessons from the Kobo Writing Life Podcast

Every year, we’re lucky to have great sponsors for our nonprofit events. Walmart eBooks, a NaNoWriMo 2019 sponsor, has partnered with Kobo Writing Life to bring you some tips for writing and publishing. Here are some of their favorite excerpts from the Kobo Writing Life podcast:

Walmart partners with Kobo to offer Walmart eBooks services, and one of the best parts of working with Kobo’s self-publishing arm Kobo Writing Life is the opportunity to interview writers and publishing professionals on the KWL podcast. 

We’ve spoken to a wide variety of guests, from novice writers to seasoned professionals and everyone in between. Wherever you are in your writing journey, we’ve got something for you (hint: special offers included)! 

Pep Talks from NaNoWriMo’s very own Grant Faulkner!

Episode 96

In case you need extra motivation, Grant gives great tips from for keeping up the bootcamp attitude during NaNoWriMo and throughout the year!

Editor-turned-writer Signe Pike talks first drafts and historical research

Episode 130

Another great one for novice writers, Signe talks to us about her time as an acquisition editor, her top tips for writers struggling to write their first draft and the challenges of writing non-fiction versus fiction.

Damon Suede talks about creating memorable characters

Episode 139

This is another incredibly popular episode, and absolutely worth listening to if you want to up your characterization game! Damon Suede writes m/m romance and explains how his background in acting helps him approach writing well-developed characters in his novels. It’s a must-listen for anyone looking to write lovable, believable characters, in any genre!

Storytelling with Waubgeshig Rice

Episode 165

A fascinating interview with Waubgeshig Rice, who recently published his second novel with ECW Press. Moon of the Crusted Snow is a post-apocalyptic story told from an indigenous perspective. He spoke about how young writers – particularly indigenous writers – can find opportunities to write and publish.

Looking for more? You can find a great selection of audiobooks by visiting Walmart eBooks! Sign up now to get your first audiobook for free. 

And finally, you can also get 50% off The Writer’s Toolbox 2019 and The Successful Author Mindset audiobook by Joanna Penn. Use promo code KWLPODPENN to receive 50% off of your choice of either eBook or audiobook. 

Happy writing!

30 Covers 30 Days: Day 18

Every November, during National Novel Writing Month, thirty professional designers volunteer to create book cover art inspired by novels being written by aspiring authors from around the globe. Why? To encourage new, diverse voices, and help build a more creative world.  

30 Covers, 30 Days is presented in partnership with designer and author Debbie Millman.

Day 18 is here, so let’s check out the cover for…

Proton

Cover design by Joshua Ege, based on a novel by NaNoWriMo participant Martha Warren:

This circadian novel asks the question, how much can your life change in a single day? Our protagonist is unrecognizable by dinner time. Thrust into a world of money-laundering, murder, and particle physics, in a 24 hour period, she is forced to confront her own history and future.

Cover Design by Joshua Ege

Joshua Ege is an Associate Professor of Visual Communication at Texas A&M University-Commerce. Joshua has served on the board of directors of the Dallas Society of Visual Communications (DSVC) for 15 years and is the current the President of the DSVC Foundation. His affinity for visualization of concept is only overshadowed by his love of family, friends and his daily interactions with mankind. His work has been recognized by Print Magazine, HOW, GD USA, Graphis, DSVC, Logo Lounge, Communication Arts and Harper Collins publications among others. He can occasionally be found on twitter @joshege, and on his website. 

Come check out the discussion thread on the forums!

3 Guidelines for Character Creation

Character creation? In Week 3?! Yes, indeed! Whether you realize that you need a character to fill in a gap in a gang of international thieves, or whether your main character is coming off a little flat, it’s never to late to think about what makes characters tick.

In this post, Young Writers Program Participant Katherine Liu gives some tips, tricks, and helpful resources to write more interesting characters: 

Interesting and dynamic characters in a story are essential to keeping your readers interested. If a character is flat, clichéd and clone-like, then it keeps your readers from flipping the page (or scrolling down online!) Here are some ways to help you with creating riveting characters:

Get to know your characters

I find personality tests like 16 Personalities/Myers Briggs extremely helpful. 

If you take the test in your character’s point of view, then you can learn a lot more about him/her by simply answering the questions. After the test, you can read about the strengths and weaknesses of that personality type, in addition to finding information about their friendship and romantic relationships. I also find the NaNoWriMo Character Questionnaire as something great that you can do in addition. 

Think about their greatest ambitions

Every character, whether they are major or minor, should have an aim in their life. For example, a henchman of the villain who makes an appearance during the climax shouldn’t just be working for the villain because he/she is simply evil. If the henchman is desperate to be paid money to feed his family, then his goal/aim would be “To support my family”.

If the henchman is being forced to work because the villain is threatening his family’s life, then his goal/aim would be “To save my family”. There can be many more reasons than the two possibilities that I have listed. “Want for absolute power” had been a commonly used goal in villains.

If it helps, you can think about what you want most in your life and incorporate it as your main character’s goal, e.g. An amazing adventure. It might not work for some plots but you can always choose to build the plot around the character or the other way around.

Avoid Character Clichés

Character clichés just makes me want to tear out my hair! They make your characters lack individuality. Here are some clichés that you can try to avoid:

No More Fiery Redheads: Not every redheaded character has to be feisty and outspoken to match their hair color, they can be shy and quiet too.No More Broody Men: Haven’t we had enough of surly, handsome men who show a soft side to their lover? What about a man who is bright and optimistic, and shows their soft side to everyone?No More Chosen Ones: The ~*prophecies*~ show that they will be the one to [insert plot thing here]… but that means they don’t have any real motivation. It’s much better if they want to do it themselves instead of having a prophecy telling them to.

This article by Now Novel can help you change your character cliché.

Good luck with creating your characters!

Apart from writing, Katherine enjoys sketching and painting with watercolors, especially if she’s drawing a scene/character from her own story. Often she can be found with her nose in a book, usually a romantic fantasy. Sometimes she attempts to write poems, though they turn up not so well.

30 Covers 30 Days: Day 17

Every November, during National Novel Writing Month, thirty professional designers volunteer to create book cover art inspired by novels being written by aspiring authors from around the globe. Why? To encourage new, diverse voices, and help build a more creative world.  

30 Covers, 30 Days is presented in partnership with designer and author Debbie Millman

Day 17′s fantabulous cover:

Lest They Forget

Cover design by Maddy Angstreich based on a novel by NaNoWriMo participant Pemberly Kate:

Once upon a time, history was not something that could be remembered. Once upon a time, a mechanical man sought to change that. A genius called Beatrice Hollbroke is saved by this man when a “pre-destined” century-long cycle had death set for her path. Learning the situation, she accepts her mission of riding the cycle off the tracks in the hopes that history can be remembered and the cycle won’t repeat. But when the mechanical man disappears from her life, she has all but direction, and in an odd series of events, she partners with a grumpy old man to change the future. The question is whether they’ll be able to put their differences aside and heads together for long enough that they can make a difference… before they’re out of time.

Cover Design by Maddy Angstreich

Maddy Angstreich is a fourth-year design student at Washington University in St. Louis pursuing a BFA in Communication Design. In her work she focuses on typography, editorial layout design, and brand identity. She is excited about incorporating generative art, illustration, and research into her practice. She has previously worked as an Art Direction Intern at VIRTUE Worldwide in LA, and as a Design Intern at Partner & Partners in NYC.

Check out her portfolio to see more of her work!

Head on over to the forums to discuss the cover!

30 Covers 30 Days: Day 16

Every November, during National Novel Writing Month, thirty professional designers volunteer to create book cover art inspired by novels being written by aspiring authors from around the globe. Why? To encourage new, diverse voices, and help build a more creative world.  

30 Covers, 30 Days is presented in partnership with designer and author Debbie Millman.

Here’s day 16:

The Forgotten ChildrenCover design by Roshanak Keyghobadi based on a novel by Young Writers Program participant Athena Conners:

Clarissa knows nothing. She had washed up on New York Harbor about a year ago. It’s now 1898. When they had found her, they named her Clarissa, and Clarissa she stayed.

Living on the streets of New York wasn’t easy. You have to scavenge, buy, and steal to survive. But one day when Clarissa is accused of stealing somebody’s money, she is thrown headfirst into a thrilling adventure. Two boys raised in a Broadway theater. A strange future-foretelling girl. A gold star. The police hot on their trail. A dark secret. What could possibly go wrong?

Cover Design by Roshanak Keyghobadi

Roshanak Keyghobadi is an assistant professor of visual communications at SUNY Farmingdale. She holds a doctoral degree in Art and Art Education from Columbia University and her MFA and BFA are both in graphic design. She has written regularly on contemporary art and design for publications such as Neshan, Design Observer and Voice and her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally in museums and galleries. Roshanak’s recent art practice and teaching is focused on mixed media collage. Follow her on Instagram @roshanakkeyghobadi

As always, here’s a forums thread!

30 Covers 30 Days: Day 15

Every November, during National Novel Writing Month, thirty professional designers volunteer to create book cover art inspired by novels being written by aspiring authors from around the globe. Why? To encourage new, diverse voices, and help build a more creative world.  

30 Covers, 30 Days is presented in partnership with designer and author Debbie Millman.

Day 15 begins our third week, which is packed with more great art and more great stories. Halfway through, everyone!

Sawtooth Gap

Cover design by Kimberly Weiner, based on a novel by NaNoWriMo Participant Cathleen Anthony:

“Haunted is actually a pretty offensive term,” Theo said. “It’s more like the land of Sawtooth is ‘continuously occupied by those with a previous claim.’”

Being a park ranger at Sawtooth Gap takes all the wit, skill, and stamina you can muster, and if Theo doesn’t retire soon, he’s going to die on the job. His search for replacements has produced two new mentees: Samantha, one of the first female army rangers freshly returned from combat in the middle east; and Jeremias, a gentle former day care provider on the hunt for meaning in his own life.

But Sawtooth Gap isn’t like any other park. There’s Lester, the werewolf who helps with patrols on the border, Father John, who functions more like a weapons expert than a priest, and Agatha, Theo’s former partner who died, but hasn’t moved on just yet.

Theo’s not sure if it’s his age, but the entities residing in Sawtooth feel like they’re growing more restless and aggressive by the day. And if his new team can’t get to the bottom of it soon, no one’s even going to make it to retirement.

Cover Design by Kimberly Weiner

Kim is an animator, illustrator, and art director living in New York City. Her work includes motion design at a number of ad agencies, including Mother, as well as animation for the TV show Superjail at Titmouse. Find more of her work on her website, and follow her on Instagram @kim_makes.

And head on over to the forums to join the discussion!

30 Covers 30 Days: day 15

Every November, during National Novel Writing Month, thirty professional designers volunteer to create book cover art inspired by novels being written by aspiring authors from around the globe. Why? To encourage new, diverse voices, and help build a more creative world.  

30 Covers, 30 Days is presented in partnership with designer and author Debbie Millman.

Day 15 begins our third week, which is packed with more great art and more great stories. Halfway through, everyone!

Sawtooth Gap

Cover design by Kimberly Weiner, based on a novel by NaNoWriMo Participant Cathleen Anthony:

“Haunted is actually a pretty offensive term,” Theo said. “It’s more like the land of Sawtooth is ‘continuously occupied by those with a previous claim.’”

Being a park ranger at Sawtooth Gap takes all the wit, skill, and stamina you can muster, and if Theo doesn’t retire soon, he’s going to die on the job. His search for replacements has produced two new mentees: Samantha, one of the first female army rangers freshly returned from combat in the middle east; and Jeremias, a gentle former day care provider on the hunt for meaning in his own life.

But Sawtooth Gap isn’t like any other park. There’s Lester, the werewolf who helps with patrols on the border, Father John, who functions more like a weapons expert than a priest, and Agatha, Theo’s former partner who died, but hasn’t moved on just yet.

Theo’s not sure if it’s his age, but the entities residing in Sawtooth feel like they’re growing more restless and aggressive by the day. And if his new team can’t get to the bottom of it soon, no one’s even going to make it to retirement.

Cover Design by Kimberly Weiner

Kim is an animator, illustrator, and art director living in New York City. Her work includes motion design at a number of ad agencies, including Mother, as well as animation for the TV show Superjail at Titmouse. Find more of her work on her website, and follow her on Instagram @kim_makes.

And head on over to the forums to join the discussion!

It’s a Trap (But It Doesn’t Have to Be): Having Fun with NaNoWriMo

We’re halfway through the month, and it’s easy to forget one of the key aspects of NaNoWriMo. Yes, we’re writing a ton of words, yes we’re toiling in pursuit of abstract and extrinsic goals, yes we’re spending a month pouring our blood, sweat, and tears into a piece of creative work… But we’re also supposed to be having fun!

In this post, NaNoWriMo Participant Matisse Mozer reminds us of that important fact:

NaNoWriMo is fun. 

Say it again. 

Not ‘NaNoWriMo is supposed to be fun.’ 

Not ‘NaNoWriMo should be fun.’

NaNoWriMo. Is. Fun. 

Even if writing itself isn’t all fun and games, NaNoWriMo is a chance to take so many of the humdrum parts of the craft and toss them aside. The pressure to make something presentable? That pesky internal editor? That pile of laundry that you just now want to put away? Shut ‘em all up. 

See all of your artist buddies doing Inktober, furiously scribbling away like there’s no tomorrow? Well, November is our turn, fellow writers. 

Time to have some fun as you get words down, no strings attached. 

We all know that week one is the long, awkward first date with your book. It’s fun learning about all these new heroes and villains as they’re birthed into your Scrivener document. Even if they don’t all make sense at first. (They won’t.) 

Somewhere around week two, you’ll hit your stride. Your cast of characters will gel as they bounce off the page. You might even find that Character A and Character B don’t belong together, and that Character A should be dating Character D. 

But wait, the people you were basing Character D and E off of in real life? (Because be honest, writers. Those are real people you’re putting into prose.) They’re having a real-life family drama that you can totally put in your book! 

You might even go to a write-in after work, just to cheer on other writers!

It’s a pretty good time, am I right? 

…But then, if you’re anything like me, you get one thought that poisons the word well that is NaNoWriMo. 

The poison apple. 

The mole in the INF. 

You think, “This is coming out pretty good. Maybe I should take this draft seriously.” 

Say it with me, writers and one-time Admiral Ackbar impersonators: IT’S A TRAP. 

This is the trappiest trap to have ever trapped, and I will tell you why. 

Look back at the first two weeks of writing that you’ve gotten down. When you were having fun with your screaming bundle of words, did you care that you introduced an entire sub-species of aliens that will never appear again? Of course not. When you threw in Character D during a booze-fueled write-in, did you even notice that the character is literally Ian Somerhalder from The Vampire Diaries, just with a different name? No way, jose. 

But now that you’ve decided to take your draft seriously…oof.

That sub-species of aliens has to come back in the third act, because otherwise you have to revise them out of the first. Mr. Somerhalder has been one-note this entire manuscript…maybe you can make him into an alien? But that means all of his dialogue needs to be re-done to foreshadow this and…Hey, who invited Internal Editor back in the room? 

While Internal Editor is screaming at the manuscript, maybe it’d be a good time to fold that laundry pile…

This, dear writer, is how your NaNoWriMo project dies a painful, drawn-out death. 

The fun is gone.

R.I.P. NaNoWriMo project 2019. Maybe you’ll have better luck next year.

Or? 

Or, you can prevent this horrible fate right here and now. 

It doesn’t matter if your NaNoWriMo project turns out to be good, just like it doesn’t matter if the project turns out badly. That’s a question for January, when you come back and look at your work with fresh eyes. 

You might find that your project, while fun to write, was nearly incomprehensible. Bootleg Ian Somerhalder was really, actually the protagonist all along! Meaning, you need to re-write the book. 

Or, you might find that everything was great! It just needs some fine-tuning. Time to re-write the book. 

No matter what, you’ll be re-writing this manuscript. 

But that’s the prize for NaNoWriMo: having a manuscript to revise. 

Consider the alternative: you got stuck in week three because now there’s pressure to write a real, workable draft…and you didn’t finish. 

That sounds like a writer without a manuscript to re-write. 

Even worse, that sounds like a writer who’s not having fun. 

And if we’re not having fun, fellow writers…why are we here?

Matisse Mozer is a writer and librarian living in lovely Los Angeles, California. When he’s not writing, posing his imported action figures, or reading comics, he’s on Twitter and Instagram as @doodletisse.

Top image licensed under creative commons from Reiterlied on Flickr.

How to Deal with NaNoNaysayers

An inevitable part of NaNoWriMo is the naysayers. The best thing to do is pretend they don’t exist, but we writers are sensitive souls, and sometimes it can get to us. In this post, NaNoWriMo participant Nicole Luttrell gives her thoughts on writing in spite of negativity:

You’re all ready to participate in Nanowrimo. Maybe it’s your first time, maybe you’re a veteran. Whichever point you’re at, you are stoked. You are so excited for a month of word nerd sister and brotherhood, of putting your writing first. Of getting your novel done! Or at least 50,000 words of it done. I mean, if you write fantasy or something else pretty long then you might still have some work to do.

But that’s not the point here.

The point is that, invariably, there will be people in your life who do not, cannot understand Nanowrimo.

And because they cannot understand it, you’re likely to get a lot of this.

“What are you doing?”

“Why are you letting someone else set these arbitrary deadlines?”

“You’re never going to finish it.”

“You’re wasting your time.”  

“You’re never going to do anything with it.”

“Do you know the odds of getting published? You’ve got a better chance of winning the lottery.”

I know that this is what you’ll hear because I’ve heard it all. Especially the first year I participated. Most people were super supportive. But there were a few who just couldn’t let me be. They pestered me, harassed me, and made me feel guilty for participating. And thank God, I didn’t listen.

It’s always the same sort of person, at least for me. It’s a well-meaning friend. It’s the intrusive relative that thinks you need to grow up and focus on the real world.

The worst offender, though, is the one who reminds you how full your plate is. You have classwork, kids, a full-time job, a house to keep in order, a relative who just had hip surgery. You’re already hustling, already tired, already doing so much! What are you doing adding more on top of things? This is particularly nefarious because it sounds uncomfortably like the little voice in your own head, the one telling you to forget it and catch up on Stranger Things instead.

Forget that. No one’s opinion is going to pay your bills. It sure isn’t going to help you reach your dreams either.

I want you to understand something, especially if you’re a brand new writer. Yes, writing a book is hard. It’s a long, long road. Whether you self publish or seek traditional publishing, it’s a lot of long nights, getting up early to write. And here’s the really bad part. You can be a great writer, and you can try your absolute best. And you still might not get published. But you have zero chance, absolutely none at all, if you don’t finish your novel. And yeah, the odds are against you, the competition is fierce.

But trying and failing beats never trying every time. So don’t listen to the people who tell you that you can’t do this, that you’re wasting your time. Look, I’m assuming that you’re here because you love to write. And if you love how you’re spending your time then it is never a waste.

Write on.

Nicole is a speculative fiction writer. That means she writes about dragons, ghosts and spaceships. Sometimes she writes about the ghosts of dragons and spaceships. She’s the author behind Station 86 and Woven. Follow along with her adventures and reviews of all things geeky at Paper Beats World.



Check out her books:

Broken Patterns on Amazon

Seeming on Smashwords

Top image licensed under Creative Commons from Adam on Flickr.

30 Covers 30 Days: Day 14

Every November, during National Novel Writing Month, thirty professional designers volunteer to create book cover art inspired by novels being written by aspiring authors from around the globe. Why? To encourage new, diverse voices, and help build a more creative world.  

30 Covers, 30 Days is presented in partnership with designer and author Debbie Millman.

Day 14 finds us with another cover:

Amberina Glass

Cover design by Marvin Forte based on a novel by NaNoWriMo Participant 

Shelley JoAnn Brown-Pruett:

Amberina Glass is a widowed school teacher with red hair, a heart of gold, and a Pinkerton badge pinned to her brassiere. Trying to survive on her own during the Great Depression has inspired her to take on extra work, and she is hired by the agency to infiltrate the lives of workers in the local auto plants and identify possible union organizers. When tensions rise around the city and the National Guard is called in to keep the peace, Amberina’s heart of gold is called into question as she finds herself (and her students) at the center of violence during the Flint Sit-Down Strike of 1936-7.

Cover Design by Marvin Forte

I’m Marvin Forte, the “why?” guy. I specialize in creative, intuitive design that’s simple and elegant. I’m a graphic and web designer living in the greater Portland, Oregon area. I’ve worked in print since 1988 and the web since 1998. My designs have bolstered projects for the Greater Columbus Sports Commission, Major League Baseball, the NCAA Final Four, and the San Francisco Giants. I’m a former president of AIGA Arizona, and served on the AIGA Chapter Advisory Council.

Check out more of his work here, or get in touch with him via his website!

Head on over the forums! There might be a fun surprise waiting over there.

(Hint: It’s a discussion thread).