Myths About Writers

Whenever you mention the fact that you're a writer, a million stereotypes are bound to come into people's heads. Some of these are true, and some are myths. Here are some common myths about writers, disproved.

• Writers are addicted to coffee. No, not necessarily. Writers are addicted to whatever will keep them going long enough to finish that next chapter. Sometimes it's coffee, sometimes it's something else. Hopefully not drugs.
• Writers are antisocial. It's not that we don't enjoy your company. We simply come off this way sometimes. The average human would be bored to tears sitting in front of a keyboard, typing all day. They don't see this as a "normal" pastime. Writers, on the other hand, love every day where they can do nothing but put words on the screen. Social activities can get forgotten in the process.
• Writers listen to my conversations at Starbucks. No, not just your conversations. We listen to the everyone else's conversations, too. Not you exclusively. Sorry.
• Writers talk to themselves. We talk to our characters. We talk directly to our story. We talk to the computer screen, to the blank notebook. Why talk to ourselves when we have so many other available options to talk to?
• If you say something bad about a writer's work, they will hate you. No, they'll just write a character remarkably like you into their books. Said character will die.
• Writers have no friends. Writers actually have more friends than the average person. We have our normal, real-life friends, and then we have our characters. That's more than the average human can say.
• Writers admire J. K. Rowling like she's something more than human. Well, some of us might. But some of us don't. Personally, I very much enjoy her books, but there are many better things out there to read.
• Writers suffer from insanity. Actually, we enjoy every second of it.

And there you have it. It's like Mythbusters, but less awesome. And with less explosives.

Originally posted in a fiery chasm deep in the heart of Mordor, also known as The Epic, The Awesome, and The Random.

The Short History of Book Covers and Some Tips

Sorry, I meant to post this yesterday, but I was very busy. This counts for last week's post not this weeks. This post was taken reposted from Birds of a Writer.


One of the things I love the most about modern books are the covers. Especially the really pretty ones. Most of the books at my school are really old and don't have covers or pictures on them. Few do. And then its only a small picture. I also love designing them myself. As do many people.

The Short History of Book Covers
Books covers do in fact have a short history. Before the 19th century, books were hand-bound and were covered using gold, silver, or probably leather.

Before the 1820s, books were generally sold without a cover-- just a stack of printed pages. To have one put on was very expensive although well worth it since it would help preserve the book. But by the 1820s, many publishers were selling books pre-bound with covers that were stiffened with a board of some type and covered with cloth or paper. The title and sometimes a block picture could be stamped on the cover.

Because the illustrations were rather basic, they weren't very detailed or useful in deciding what books were about. But then lithographic printing became used and multi-color book covers were available. Then half-tone illustration made it even easier.

In the 1830s, dust jackets were added to protect covers. And these ones were wrapped all the way around and then sealed in place with wax. But during the second half of the century, the current design was adopted.  But because these were mostly thrown away, they are very valuable today.

After 1900, the production of book covers became more practical, economical, and marketing became important. Some of the first modern cover designs were made in the 1920s. People such as  Alexandr Rodchenko, El Lissitzky, and  Aubrey Beardsley were highly influential regarding early book cover designs.
Although dust jackets also became more decorative, it wasn't until the 1950s that people began to keep them as an important part of books.

Today, book covers are one of the most important parts of a book. They can help give hints as to the style, genre, and subject of the book. But it also differs from country to country as people's tastes in different places changes.

*Tips on designing your own cover. 

1. Look at covers you love and decide what they did that caught your attention. What about the book cover do you love? Can you use those same things in your cover?
2. Decide the main point of the story. Then find or capture a picture that best captures that main point or the idea you want to convey. 
3. Choose a good font for the title and author name. Slight variations in different fonts, shapes, and sizes can help with the over all cover. If you're having trouble seeing a font, use a border or a background for it. Remember that where you place titles and fonts is important. 
1. Also note that you're looking for something that not only conveys what you want, but something that is easy to read. Don't use to small or too big sizes. 
2. I've heard that using fonts where the letters are either all capitals or are all the same size looks professional. 
4. Play around with colors and color themes. Remember that your colors of your titles and your picture should be different. You want something that will stand out. But also remember that the colors should look good together as well as conveying whatever you want. 
5. Don't be afraid to play around with effects or something of the sort. Making a picture black or white can be cool. They don't always have to be full color. 

* I am in no way, an expert. Yes, I make my own covers, and these are some simple ideas. I am planning to be a graphic designer and I hope to one day make my own covers professionally. 

** Make sure that whatever picture you're using isn't copyrighted. Its best to use a picture that you took. (Although many covers I've seen are copyrighted, but the people who "designed" the cover makes sure that you know that they didn't take that picture themselves. Or you could use one of those non-copyrighted/stock photos. I think those work too. In any case: give the photographer or whoever's picture it is, credit. 

What I think about covers...
I don't know about you, but I'm getting bored of covers where the girl is in a dress. Its so lame these days! I'm  not saying they don't look good- they do- but its getting boring.

For me, I hate covers that that only one basic color to it. Like Legacies in which the whole cover has this weird blue tint to it. And it makes the girl look like she's sick or something. Other covers with a whole blue theme is the Darkness Rising series by Kelley Armstrong. Those don't look too bad, but its still annoying.

Another thing. The covers where its just one person's face or half of their face. That bugs me too.

Now I love covers where it has cool fonts or something. Like the XVI series by Julia Karr. Those are cool covers cause the covers is the titles. One of my favorite covers of all time is Eona by Allison Goodman. It just looks so epic. Plus, the girl isn't in a dress!

I could go on, but I'll leave you with that.

So, what do you love or not love about covers? Do covers ever sway your choice in buying books? What are some of your favorites? Why? What aren't and why?

Because I feel like I could add so much more about covers, what are some things that you would like to see me add to this discussion about covers? I'll add your ideas into a second post about it Saturday or next Thursday. Thanks!

Resources
Ehow- History of book covers 
Basic Book Cover Guide & Basic Book Cover Guide 2
Ehow- Designing book covers.
Guardian- The history and more in depth review of book covers
Quezi- History of Book Covers
Wikipedia- Book Cover 

Sincerely,

Sareh

Where to Go After Inkpop

Many, if not all, of you were Inkies.  Well, you still are an Inkie.  Just because Inkpop.com itself no longer exists doesn't mean you aren't an Inkie. 

But since Inkpop is gone, you might be looking for some new writing sites to turn to.  You've probably heard of these, but I'm going to highlight the pros and cons of each, to help you decide which, if any, are right for you.

Wattpad
Pros: Seemingly active forums. Copy-and-paste disabled.  Lots of projects to read.  Many Inkies are over there.  There is a mobile app.

Cons:  I've seen very little in the way of in-depth reviews.  No publication opportunities.

Figment 
Pros: Active forums.  Lots of projects.  Many, many users.  Many Inkies can be found.  There are writing contests and opportunities to win prizes.

Cons: Copy-and-paste not disabled (but the disabling is in the works, apparently).  No publication opportunities.  Again, I've seen very few Inkpop-quality reviews.  The forums are incredibly full of angst, and have more trolls than I ever saw on Inkpop.  No mobile app or site.

Teen Ink
Pros: Lots of projects to read.  Focus on short stories, short nonfiction, and poetry.  Publication opportunities.  Visual art also accepted.

Cons: Seemingly inactive forums.  Not as much focus on novel-length work (though this could also be a pro, depending on what you're into).  No in-depth reviews.  Copy-and-paste not disabled.

Literati Sedition
Pros: In-depth reviews.  Constructive criticism galore.  They refer to themselves as "literary bootcamp".
Cons: Users are required to critique.  Application required.  No publication opportunities. 

The cons are not reasons to avoid the site.  They are not necessarily bad things.  They are just a way to compare writing sites to help you find a match. 

If you didn't know already, there is a Facebook group for Inkies.  It's right here.

What do you think?  Are you getting involved in other writing sites?  Anything else that we should look into?

Meet FallenBunnyBubu!

Hey guys, due to Inkpop shutting down, this might be our last Inkie interview. Sad I know. We might be able to interview more people in the future but in case, I'm letting you guys know. In the meantime, lets give a warm welcome to Chanelle! 


Hiyas :D I'm Chanelle(: I'm a fourteen year old girl and a Freshman in high school:D I'm Christian:D I like writing [obviously], drawing [though I'm not good at it], singing [though I get real shy] and acting [eh]. I believe in standing up for what you believe in, even if you're alone. I absolutely cannot stand bullies [cybers, physics, emotional....ANY KIND.] at all. -squishes- I love people who aren't afraid to be themselves. And....yeah(: Hha.

How long have you been writing and have you always wanted to be a writer?

Well, I've been writing since age 10, so four years. And no, I'd wanted to be a singer but then when I was 12, I decided on writing.

On your profile you say that you write novels in verse. What exactly are novels in verse? Is it like epic poetry in a way?

I guess a novel in verse can be called or refereed to as an "epic poem" but I really don't see it as that. To me, it's a way of expressing the novelist inside you and putting it into beautiful, poetic words.

On Inkpop, you have three projects up, Tagged (which I was was in the top 5. Congratulations!), Stutter, and Falling. Explain shortly what they are about.

Thanks:] Well, Tagged is basically about six teens with normal high school problems like not fitting in, sexuality, gender issues, cutting, weight, etc. Stutter is a poem I wrote for an LGBTQ contest in the transgender side based off of one of my characters [Blake] from Tagged. And last but not least, Falling is about a teenage boy dealing with the harsh reality of killing his girlfriend. He deals with it through drugs and ends up in rehab.

Being a Christian, does that affect your writing at all? [b]

It does. It really does. When I'm writing, I have to limit my swearing and limit a lot of things so it's right with my heart.

[b]Do enjoy writing in one certain genre (like fantasy or something) or do you explore other types of writing and genres?

No. I novels in verse but I also write dystopian and everything else. Just not fantasy. Not that.

Do you enjoy reading the same kinds of books you write? If so, has any one book or author impacted your writing the most?

Yes. I read a lot like I write. I love reading the Burn Journals by Brent Runyon and all Ellen Hopkins books. They affect me greatly.

Do you like to listen to music when you write, and if so, does a certain type of music affect your writing?

Lol no. I don't listen to music when writing. It distracts me.

Do you outline your books or do you write them as you go?

I outline a little and write as I go, my heart leading the way.

If you could visit any time period (past or futuristic) what time period would that be and why?

I would go back to the very early 1900s because then, life was so gorgeous and all the pieces were falling into place.

How do you defeat writer's block?

I don't. I usually cry and cry and cry until it goes away. I'm a wimp lawls.

If there was one thing people had to take away from your books, what would that be?

Like, when they read it, what do they feel? Well, I guess it's the reality between the books and how what happens there is happening right now. In front of us.

Think quick!
slippers or socks? Socks.

Water or land? Water.
Favorite subject in school? Hm...Health.
Leopards or lions? Neither. They scare me.
Pink or orange? Pink:}

Thanks Chanelle for agreeing to an interview! We're so happy to have talked to you. 


YOU'RE WELCOME;]

The Shiny New Idea

Writers have an addiction to shiny things. Specifically, the Shiny New Idea. If you're anything like me, the Shiny New Idea process goes a little bit like this:

 

Some of us get Shiny New Ideas a lot. We're just walking down the street, minding our own business, then--BAM! As Gru put it, "Light bulb!"

But, more often than not, this Shiny New Idea appears to us while we have another work in progress going. And all we want to do is stop and work on this SNI. It's so much cooler and better than your current WIP. We should drop everything to work on it, right?

No.

This is the literary equivalent of cheating on your spouse for a one-night stand. You've worked so hard on your WIP. Why should you stop now, just because something that looks shiny right now came along? It's not fair to your current characters.

You can't just stop working on your WIP every time a SNI comes along. You'll never finish anything, which will lead to you feeling discouraged, which isn't good. All you'll end up with is a large pile of unfinished manuscripts that'll never go anywhere and never see the light of day again.

If a SNI happens to come along, great. Having lots of ideas is never a bad thing. Start a special notebook or computer file to write them down. Hide them under a bushel basket (Yes, a bushel basket. Yep.) and don't let them come out. Leave them alone.

Did you catch that? Leave them alone.

But, Annie, if I don't start writing this amazing SNI right now, I'll forget all the wonderfulness and I'll have missed my million-dollar publishing contract opportunity and bla bla bla.

No. Don't do it. Fight the irresistible urge, my friends. Resist the urge to write it. So what if you forget it? If you can't remember it, it was never a good idea to start with. If you're afraid you'll forget it, then it's not worth the trouble of even thinking about.

Go back to your WIP. Finish it. Revise it. Make it wonderful. Then start going through your notebook of all the SNIs you've accumulated while working on it. You'll notice that some of those ideas that seemed so awesome at the time are actually quite boring and unworkable. And then you'll be glad you didn't stop to work on them. You'll have saved yourself many long hours of typing away at a manuscript that'll end up in the trash anyway.

And that other idea, the one that you thought of five months ago and wrote down in that notebook, the one that still looks amazing, the one you can't stop thinking about? This is the book you will write. This is the SNI that stuck with you. This is an idea with promise, because it still looks shiny, even now. Write it.

To make a long blog post short, don't start a whole new book just because of a Shiny New Idea you had last night. Never, ever, ever. Save it for later, because, chances are, it wasn't really a good idea to start with.

Originally posted in the meadows of frolick and flowers, also known as The Epic, the Awesome, and the Random.

Inkie Interview! Meet MyCraft!

In this week's Inkie Interviews (where we interview REAL writers from Inkpop) we're meeting MyCraft or Hayley. So give her a warm welcome!


Hello to all! My name is Hayley and I am from a small town just outside Edinburgh, Scotland.
I've been on inkpop for almost a year now (which seems to have just flow in!) and have been surprised by the helpfulness and giving Inkies I've met there online.


I'm quite a late starter in writing, as some would say, although I did write as a youngster. I'll be 29 this year! O.O


I write mostly Fantasy and Paranormal but sometimes, if the mood strikes me, I tend to write a little poetry as well. On inkpop you'll find me mostly on the Royalty Shines thread or the daily Procrastinators thread also.


I've only finished one book (which I'm currently editting again) out of the four on my profile and I'll possibly be adding another 2 this year (the third book, The Hangman's Noose, of The Black Craft Series and a new series, The Quixwood Sisters.)


I'm the type of person to take a bad critique to heart so please, if you read my books, don't rip it to shreds! I love constructive criticism but loath rudeness. I find it intolerable. If I see someone treating a fellow Inkie the same way I tend to get upset about that too.


Well, I think I've blabbed on enough XD
I hope you enjoy my interview and if you'd like to read my projects please feel free! :) (Click here to see her full list of projects) 


Hayley also has a website diary of two girls in her Quixwood Series (found here). 


How long have you been writing and have you always wanted to be a writer?


I was writing when I was very young, just silly little things a little girl would like but it's always been something I was passionate about. English Literature was always my favourite class in Secondary/High School and often got good grades or praise from my teachers.


I sorta lost hope for a while and gave up on writing and tried to find myself another passion. I did find many other things but none made me feel quite as passionate as putting pen to paper.


Then I read Harry Potter XD
That changed everything for me. Since then I've been hit over and over again with ideas for books and, though I didn't read the (Harry Potter) books till recent years, I've come quite far I think.


Looking at your projects, I see that you have several up. What is your Black Craft series about and where did you get the idea?


The Black Craft has been with me a while. It had been festering up in my imagination for some time and (again) then I read Harry Potter, so I decided to do something about it.


The MC, Billie Black, is a normal girl whose led a fairly average life until the night before her 18th birthday. She learns her true lineage and that her family, and herself, are all in fact Witches. She's faced with many lessons and trials and soon has to over come a great evil in her small town Penn Gate, NY.


She's very fortunate to have such a large family, which seems to grow as I continue to write the Series. First her boyfriends family becomes hers, then a Were pack and other humans/Witches/Vampires/Creatures along the way.


But, of course, as her family grows so does the long list of enemies she must face throughout the Series until we reach the end of the 3rd book (The Hangmans' Noose) where Billie is left with a life shattering choice to make. (Which I shan't reveal here)


Two of your other books sound interesting, Going Under and Rebel, Rebel, like the last question, what are they about?


Rebel Rebel - this book is actually based upon 3 lovely inkies from the Royalty Shines thread. ShardsofGlass, Nikita S. and Strawberries. Three very different girls who live in Tennessee get caught up in a horrible meteor crash.


The after effects see the girls changing, growing stronger and becoming powerful. But unfortunately there is someone in the world who is very aware of said strengths and powers and takes advantage of the girls.


Soon, seperate from each other, they have become the super powered teenage assassins each with their own target to take care of only the targets seem to be chasing after them instead.


It's not long before one of the girls discovers they've been deceived and used.


Going Under - this is actually a modern day take on two classic fairytales. Cinderella and the Little Mermaid.
Reese Rhodes moves to Damariscotta, Maine to live with her grandfather after the death of her Dad. There she meets new friends and a girl who sings in the water called Isla.


But there is an old friend of her grandfather's that is convinced that Reese is part Mermaid. In testing this theory he almosts drowns the poor girl and has to run from the Police so that he may return to try, try, try again. Reese and her friends begin to fear for Isla's safety too so they send her away until the man is caught and put behind bars.


Which do you enjoy writing more, books or poetry? Which is the easiest for you?


Books, for sure :)


I took a look at your website and it looks quite interesting and cool. Did you make it yourself or did you have someone else do it?
I'm hopeless at making sites so I had help from a fellow inkie. I did however manage just recently to create an In-Character Diary/Blog to help me plot out my latest idea.


If you weren't a writer, what would you be? Or how would you spend your time?


I'd be a Photographer probably or I'd be either owner of a small bakery (cupcakes and the likes) or a pet shop owner. I'm mad about my Dalmatian, Polly!


Although you seem to be busy working on several different stories, do you ever get Writer's block and how do you combat it?


I have a few times when I get this I just go read Harry Potter again and the inspiration comes back to me :)


Do you enjoy reading the same things as you write?


Absolutely! I love the likes of Harry Potter (of course!), Vampire Academy, House of Night series and True Blood.
So mostly Fantasy/Paranormal with a good dash or Romance and Adventure in each too :)


If you could meet your idol (or maybe you've already met them) and you could spend a day with them, who would it be and what would you do?


J.K. Rowling. I'd probably discuss her books and future plans for several hours first! And then, I'm not sure, do something neither of us would normally do like Sky diving. Nah, I wouldn't do that! XD I'd die of fear!


Verses outlining your book or writing it as you go, which would you say works better for you or do you do both?


I have tried to sit and plot out my ideas, but it tends not to work out the way I planned XD
I think, when I start to write, some other part of my brain decided to do things differently.


If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
Salem. I've never been and I've based the second book, The Salem Mystique, of The Black Craft series there.
Actually, there are several different places in my books, mostly in America, that I haven't been to yet so I would, if I could, do them all!


Quick Questions:
Cheetahs or lions? - Lions, I'm a Leo
Fiction or non-fiction? - Fiction
Apples or bananas? - Apples
The newspaper or news online? - The newspaper
Google or Yahoo! ? - Google


Thanks so much for joining us today,  Hayley! 

Something Worth Rereading

Last year, my speech coach gave me a piece of wisdom. It went something like this:

"When you read a book for the first time, you read to experience the story. The second time, you read to experience the plot again, even though some of the magic is gone. After that, you read simply because you love the characters and want to be with them. Good characters are what cause readers to return to your writing again and again."

That's not exactly how she said it, but it's the general idea.

Let's all meditate on this, shall we?

The first time you read a fantastic book, it's exciting. You get to experience a new plot full of new characters, and you don't know how any of it turns out. The second time, it's still exciting, but much less so. Much of the suspense is gone, because no matter how much you enjoyed the story, you know how it ends. And that takes a lot of excitement out of it.

But the third and fourth times...you know the plot by heart. You know almost exactly what is going to happen, what the people will say. And yet, you still read it. The plot may hold some interest to you still.

In reality, though, it's all about the characters.

You had to read that book again not because you missed the plot, but because you missed the characters. That first time around you grew to love them. You enjoyed experiencing the story with them. They became your friends.

And what good are friends you never hang out with? If you enjoy someone's presence, but you never hang out, never talk, never email, never be with each other, then you aren't really friends, are you?

Therefore, when you reread a book that you've read a few times before, you're simply keeping up with old friends. You're enjoying their presence. You're just "hanging out".

You want people to love your book so much that they keep returning to it, over and over and over. You want someone's copy of your book to be worn out, to be falling apart from use. You want that copy to have been read countless times. You want to make your book something worth rereading.

Doesn't this say something about the importance of character development?

This is how important character development is. This is why you cannot have a good story without first having well-developed characters. This is why agents sit at their computers and blog for hours about character development.

So, if you want your book to be worth rereading, then take this post to heart. Remember how the characters define the story. Remember how much you love the characters from your favorite book.

Let's write something worth rereading.

Originally posted at The Epic, the Awesome, and the Random.