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The Kid Christmas Sketchbook Part 1
A peek inside the development of my newest book 'Kid Christmas: Of The Claus Brothers Toyshop'
Hi all. Not too long until ‘The Big Day’. To celebrate I thought that I would give you all a peek into my sketchbook and maybe offer a little insight into how the idea for my latest book ‘Kid Christmas: Of The Claus Brothers Toyshop’ developed.
Scruffy Beginnings
From what I can remember the idea began with the title. I had one of those strange, day-dreaming type questions, what was Father Christmas called when he was younger? ‘Boy Christmas’? ‘Child Christmas?’ ‘Son Christmas?’
‘Kid Christmas’.
It just sounded perfect, it sounded like a Superhero’s name. I really liked it.
So, as usual when the first spark of an idea strikes I started doodling in my sketchbook. This is a very exciting point in a project where the possibilities are absolutely endless. The story can go anywhere. Its exciting, but these quick little sketches- which I always assume will never be seen by anyone but me (and here I am showing you all)- are always, incredibly, outrageously scruffy. But thats kind of the point I think, those first drawings are quick and urgent (and look like they were possibly drawn by my dog).
And here they are….
Concept Art
The idea sat brewing in my mind for a while. And even though it was nowhere near formed I decided to tell Katie-my editor at Frances Lincoln Children’s Books- all about it. She was also excited by this first little nugget of an idea and asked if I could mock up some artwork. This is the kind of thing that you have to do to get the powers that be at publishing companies on board with a project, especially as all I had at that moment was the aforementioned scruffy sketches.
The image that I created was this one:
I really liked the idea of the story being set in a Victorian era. When I think of the perfect looking Christmas I see the snow capped rooftops of a Dickensian London. Like a lot of people ‘A Christmas Carol’ is one of my favourite books, and the image of Christmas that story presents was definitely the look I was hoping to capture. Also, the recognisable character of Santa that we all know and love- the big beard, big red coat, etc was first depicted in the mid 1800’s so it just felt like the right time period to set this story in. I wanted this first piece of concept art to very much capture that Victoriana feel, and I think that it does.
Thankfully, Katie and the other kind folk at Frances Lincoln Children’s Books agreed that it was an exciting idea and based on this first initial visualisation and a handful of possible story idea notes the the project was remarkably given the go ahead.
Which was amazing! And please note, it doesn’t usually happen this way. I would recommend having at least an outline of a narrative to go along with your concept art and sketches, before pitching your idea to a publisher.
But yes, the story.
Chiselling Out A Story.
I had a main character, a concept of sorts, a setting and a great deal of support from my incredible publisher. Now I just needed the most important thing. An actual story.
Again, I went back to my Sketchbook. I started to think about the sub-characters. Who would Santa have in his life at this point? How would he be able to get hold of so many toys? Why did he decide to dedicate his life to delivering all of those toys to children every single year?
The idea of Santa’s uncles being toymakers and owning the Claus Brothers Toyshop quickly developed and, through more scruffy sketching, I started to slowly chisel the narrative out.
Thumbnails
Once I had the basic outline of the story in my head and in note form, I started to piece the pages together through-once again- very, very scruffy ‘thumbnail’ sketches.
Again, this stage is really exciting as the story really starts to form and some big decisions about structure, plotting and pacing start to take place. The thumbnails give me a good idea of how the story could flow and what information to include in each spread. Despite the fact that so much of it will still change in time, this step is the first true visualised version of the whole book. It’s an opportunity to see it on page, not just in my head.
Here are a few of the thumbnails. If you have the finished book you might be able to see the pages that these little doodles eventually became.
So, as we have deciphered the key word for all of these stages seems to be ‘scruffy’.
For me being very scruffy and quick and loose with my drawing during this stage helps me bring the ideas out. Theres an urgency and a freedom to it where there are no creative barriers. At this stage everything is scribbled down with no inhibitions. No one is going to be looking at the quality of the drawings, their sole purpose is to be the first building block of a bigger-hopefully slightly tidier- project.
Which brings me on to the subject of Part 2’s post, which will look at the first, official ‘Rough Draft’ of the book and the all important cover sketches. This stage is were other people- including my editor and art director at Frances Lincoln- will actually need to see what I am doing and offer feedback on the sketches that I do. So the pressure builds a bit here.
Gulp. What a cliffhanger :)
Keep an eye out for Part 2 coming in a few days.
Thanks for reading all x
Kid Christmas Sketchbook Part 2 Coming Soon.
#kid christmas#kidchristmas#illustratot#sketchbook#process#illustrator process#book process#writing process#kid lit art
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Writing Advice:
1. Write what's in your heart
2. Wait, hold up
3. THIS is what's in your heart?
4. Dear god
5. Your poor characters.
6. Why is there so much blood and death?
#writing advice#books#writing#writersnetwork#writers#writers on tumblr#writing community#author#writerscommunity#writers life#tumblr writing community#writer problems#writer things#writers of tumblr#writer#writing process
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Day 12: Core
#art#my art#artists on tumblr#jorm scribs#inktober#wei wuxian#wwx#wen ning#wen qing#mo dao zu shi#mdzs#mdzs fanart#I know the butterflies are vibes from a different book but it felt empty without something#This is supposed to be when they excise his golden core to give to Jiang Cheng#wen ning and wen qing just kinda like. You good buddy. Do you need some water#I imagine the process wasn't clean. Post-op care I guess.#didn't get to finish this yesterday so it's a day late#grandmaster of demonic cultivation
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Oh yeah his brain finally kick started processing his emotions! Against his will!!!
Bill at therapy part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
#my art#bill cipher fanart#bill cipher#book of bill spoilers#book of bill#gravity falls#digital art#digital fanart#every good break up has tension filled dreams of your ex!#he’s a nerd too btw liking math and chess#fanart#Stanford pines#is this billford?#you can see how my energy was slowly dwindling away#i do these in one sitting btw#its late and im tired#my notes app is filled with bill comic ideas bruhv#anyways yay to processing your emotions?#guys im tired of ford being at bills mercy! time to give ford the power over bill!! give me more bill on his knees for sixer!!! ruaaa#static ford#bill in therapy
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How to introduce your character in 3 steps
A friend of mine was the source of this very pertinent question. So I decided to write a blog entry about it. Because how do you introduce your character without sounding fake ?
Remember that, in real life situation, no one calls you by your name. Have you noticed that none of your friends is adressing you by your name, unless they're trying to get your attention or that something serious is happening ? That should be the same in your story : find a situation where it is relevant to use names. Or stick to nicknames, which is a more common way to address your friends.
Use another character. If you can’t come up with a situation, you can always rely on a side character to introduce your MC. It’s also the perfect way to describe your character rather than simply using mirror, which is convenient yet very cliché. But the fun thing to do is to make several characters talk about your MC : their opinion might go in different directions due to their relationships, their own sensibility and attention to details. It’s also a good way to breath life into your side characters so please consider that option seriously.
The reader doesn’t need to know everything, especially on the very first page. Unless the info is relevant to the plot, there is no need for the reader to know MC’s favourite food or eye’s color. If you’re on character-sheet-side (which I’m not btw), you should be careful about wether the reader the story will progress or not. Try to be balanced !
What I really want to stress in this article is the importance of action when introducing your character. You want the reader to know your character is courageous ? Put them directly into a situation where they can show courage. You want to describe their hair color ? What about that moment when the light is flickering in a way that gives their hair a peculiar effect that catches the eye of another character ?
Don’t worry, your creativity will always find a way ~
#creative writing#novel writing#writer blog#writing#writing process#writing help#writing resources#about books and writing#writing advice#writing tips#writeblr#writing a book#fiction writing#resources for writers#writing resource#writer of tumblr#writer problems#writiers on tumblr#writerscommunity#essay
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He's crying everywhere good heavens
#hsr leaks#this is what happens when you don't let children process their trauma gopher wood#on the bright side HIS ULT IS SO PRETTY#i NEED to know what that book is. is it the hsr bible- he keeps robin's feather in there??????#harmony simps#sunday#sunday hsr#hsr
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the mortifying ordeal of being Jack Seward. God, can you imagine- you get rejected by a girl. Fine. You're a bit emo about it but you're holding up. She accepts a proposal from your close pal. Ok, that stings, but you do love Arthur and at least you have your work to focus on. You get cc'd on a message from your second close pal and it says you WILL be attending a celebratory dinner. Yeah, to celebrate your dream girl saying yes to Close Pal #1. Ok, whatever, you're a man of honor. You go. Girl falls ill. Close Pal #1 says hey man, please go medically examine my fiancee - yeah, the one that rejected you. I know it'll be weird but I insist. Please man, you're my Close Pal. Ok. Fine. This girl is still important to you. You do it. You're sitting by said Ill Girl's bedside, trying not to think about that embarrassing time when you sat on your hat, asked her out, and then got rejected, and then her MOTHER walks in and goes wow, dude, why don't you have a wife yet? You and the girl Do Not Look at Each Other Dear God Lucy Do Not Make Eye Contact With Me Right Now I Swear to God. Girl gets sicker. You phone a friend. Your friend comes and promptly breaks the ice with your Mortally Ill Dream Girl (who rejected you after watching you sit on your hat) by being like Well, You Know Jack. He Doesn't Know Anything about Women. Probably Why He Sat on His Hat and then You Rejected Him. Christ. Mortally Ill Dream Girl dies and you find yourself enmeshed in Horrors Beyond Your Comprehension and you think, well, ok, at least if I'm focused on the Horrors Beyond My Comprehension I won't be thinking about my tragic and thus far very embarrassing love story. Let me just focus on picking up this nice lady from the train station because she and her husband have some important information for us. And then the FIRST THING OUT OF THE NICE LADY'S MOUTH is Oh Yeah I Know You Lucy Told Me How You Sat on Your Hat and Then She Rejected You. Ohhhhhhh my god
#i just think that the difference between Quincey's experience of getting rejected by Lucy and Jack's is hysterical#Quincey is like damn ok best of luck ily!! godspeed!! have fun with Art!!#and he remains mostly unbothered by it for the rest of the book but Jack??#everyone in the book is conspiring to make the process of getting rejected by Lucy AS embarrassing as possible for jack#dracula#dracula daily#re dracula#jack seward
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Busy crows. Caw caw; or, the chronicle of crows. 1848.
Internet Archive
#crow#crows#graphic design#bird#birds#children's book illustration#nemfrog#1848#19th century#processed image#1k
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wretched beast
[Image Description: The first drawing is captioned, in bold letters, "What the fuck is this thing." This thing referring to the three drawings of baby Bill Cipher underneath. The thing is yellow and has a albeit bulbous eye in the middle of its body, but he looks pudgy and loosely looks like a triangle. It's like if you took a piece of play-doh and then tried to make it look like a triangle in five seconds. He's also wearing baby tennis shoes. One of the drawing has him standing up, looking at the described text above him with a delighted lift in his eye. The drawing besides him is another Bill Cipher except he's lying down on his front, little hands before him, as he curiously observes the first drawing in a way. The third Bill Cipher is more tearful and is turned away from a hand holding a baby bottle off-screen filled with supposedly his medicine prescribed from his optometrist.]
[The second drawing is a interpretation of a slightly older yet still very young Bill Cipher. His shape more closely resembles a triangle, still yet to lose his baby fat, and he is very grumpy despite the fact that the cup of medicine he's got in his hand has a blue silly straw in it. End image description.]
#gravity falls#bill cipher#the book of bill#the book of bill spoilers#sorry. head in hands . i still need to process this dumbass.
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MASTERPOST (PT. 2)
If you like my blog, buy me a coffee☕ and find me on instagram! 📸
For romance writing prompts, plotting tips & more, check out: MASTERPOST PT. 1
⭐Dialogue
Writing Dialogue 101
Crying-Yelling Dialogue Prompts
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⛰️Words to Use Instead Of...
Synonyms for "Walk"
Synonyms for “feeling like”
Words To Use Instead of "Look"
Words to Use Instead Of...(beautiful, interesting, good, awesome, cute, shy)
Said is dead
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🔠Vocab Lists
Nervous Tension Vocab
Kiss Scene Vocab
Fight Scene Vocab
Haunted House Inspo & Vocab
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👁️🗨️Setting & Description
Common Scenery Description Tips
2012 School Setting Vibes - follower question
Describing Food in Writing
Describing Cuts, Bruises and Scrapes
Using Description and Setting Meaningfully
How Different Types of Death Feel
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🗡️Weapons & Fighting Series:
Writing Swords
Writing knives and daggers
Writing Weapons (3): Staffs, Spears and Polearms
Writing Weapons (4): Clubs, Maces, Axes, Slings and Arrows
Writing Weapons (5): Improvised Weapons
Writing Weapons (6): Magical Weapons and Warfare
Writing Weapons (7): Unarmed Combat
Writing Female Fighters
Writing Male Fighters
Writing Armour
Writing Group Fights
Writing Battles At Sea
Erotic Tension in Fight Scenes
Pacing for Fight Scenes
Writing a Siege Warfare
Different Genres, Different Fight Scenes.
Making Fight Scenes Sound Nicer
Fight Scenes For Disabled Characters
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🌎Worldbuilding
Constructing a Fictional Economy
Homosexuality in Historical Fiction
Writing Nine Circles of Hell
Writing Seven Levels of Heaven
Master List of Superpowers
Magic System Ideas
A Guide to Writing Cozy Fantasy
Dark Fantasy How-To
Dark Fantasy Writing Prompts
Dark, Twisted Fairytale Prompts
Fantasy World Cultural Quirks
Fantasy Nobel Ranks: A List
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🌠Symbolism in Writing
Plant Symbolisms
Weather Symbolisms
Symbols of Death
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🪄Writing Magic
Writing Magicians - the basics
Writing Magic Systems
Magical Training Options for Your Characters
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📋Other!
List of Fantasy Subgenres
Beauty is Terror: A List
The Pirate's Glossary
Storyediting Questions to Ask
Writing Multiple WIPs Simultaneously
Idea Generation Exercises for the Writer
Book Title Ideas
Picking the Right Story For You
What If God Dies in Your Story
International Slang, Slang, Slang!
10 Great Love Opening Lines
How to Insult Like Shakespeare
Serial Killer Escape Manual
Best Picrew Character Generators for Your Characters!
How to Write Faster
#writing#writers on tumblr#creative writing#let's write#helping writers#writeblr#poets and writers#writers and poets#creative writers#resources for writers#masterlist#masterpost#writing process#on writing#writer#writerscommunity#writer stuff#writing advice#writing asks#writing a book#writing about writing#writing a novel#writers life#writers block#writers community
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I finished the Doctrine Book-bag for my Lamb cosplay! I think jt turned out pretty well, I used black foam clay for the edges and was going to carve them when dried, but I actaully?? Really like the goopy unclean look so I might keep it
I might still carve it idk, and maybe replace the strap with a chain for the whole theme
I know the Doctrine is a book in game and usually as a prop but I need something to hold my phone and wallet in easy access for when we scour the artist alley, so this idea came to be. Now it can hold my stuff AND it's in character!
I also recycled a cardboard box to put my cosplay in, made it look COTL specific:
#cult of the lamb#cosplay stuff#lamb cosplay#doodles#<< creation tag#i reused a book bag i got off a second hand store and streamed the process#shoutout to people in stream watching me go nuts looking for glue for an hour
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'good things take time'
from a little drawing in my sketchbook, to the cover of my own art book… I still can’t believe it 🥹😭
The Art of Kelogsloops: from Sketch to Finish May 21st, 12PM (PT)
#brbchasingdreams
#brbchasingdreams#art#artists#artists on tumblr#art process#time#childhood#dream#art book#illustration#art style#my art#original art#drawing#artist#sketch#traditional art#watercolor#painting#design
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Why it takes me so long to write a novel:
- before I start each day, I must scroll at least all of the internet
- snack breaks can take anywhere from 10 minutes to 10 hours
- when I'm finally in the zone, something inevitably interrupts me
- scheduled pauses for self doubt
#writing#books#writers on tumblr#writersnetwork#writers#writing community#writerscommunity#author#writers life#authors of tumblr#tumblr writing community#writer problems#writer things#writers of tumblr#writing process
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gonna post this here too actually
uhhhhhh my process how i make the roomie cipher drawings ig
also bill
#ooc roomie cipher#sorta tut#my process er smth#bill cipher#gravity falls#the book of bill#gravity falls au#squidflavoredsoup
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no, but pinecones is really beautiful isn't it ?
#perfect kind of flowers for fae kind who probably feels that flowers die in 0.1 sec bcs of their long life#imagine making mal a pine cone flower wreath and he is so happy with it; that if yuu ever think of selling it king mal mal would order it#for every house in the valley; so everyone has one in their house as new kind of briar valley culture & tradition fhsdh#twst#twisted wonderland#sebek zigvolt#twst yuu#twst mc#twst grim#fanart#i wonder if sebek can see the pinecones as beautiful too#well sebek is weak at subjective thing like art; he might only be able to see things as it is#but he might take on some things from poet or romantic genre books; so i wonder what he sees#i know a fellow who absolutely can't see what i see; i feel like his brain is like a white digital sci fi cube that is clean#and looking so minimalistic it looks like it can only process logical things like numbers#it's so weird that some people don't actually process things by imagining a lot of other things visually in their mind
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How to improve your writing style : a 5-steps guide.
Intro : I love the 5-steps format, don’t mind me. Again, this essay is based on my personal experience.
Read in different genres. Ok, I know you’ve probably heard this advice more than you can count but did you ask yourself why it is so important ? You probably wonder ‘‘How reading some historical fiction will help me writing my sci-fi novel ?’’ For that simple reason my friend : they meet different purposes. You don’t know how to describe a castle ? It’s okay, historical fiction got your back. Because it aims at something more realistic and accurate, it would tend to be more specific and detailed when it comes to describing clothes, furniture, places and so on. Why ? Because, most of the time, THEY ACTUALLY EXISTED. Take a closer look at how it is done and draw your inspiration from it (but please avoid plagiarism it’s bad - and illegal)
Take notes and CLASSIFY them. To make reading somehow useful, you have to actually make it concious, which means you have to write things down to remember them. When I come across a description I like, I tend to takes notes of the figures of speech that are used and class them, so when I have to write a similar scene, I have an idea of what have been already used, and weither or not it achieved its goal. I am NOT talking about COPY another author’s style !!!! It’s about finding inspiration and new approaches. I also tend to take notes of the new words I wish to incoporate into my writing. The thesaurus is my new bestie.
Rewrite the same scene from different POVs. First of all, it’s fun. And it’s a really good way to spot quirky formulations. For instance, if you describe a ship, the captain’s POV should be different from that of a simple observer. The first one would be naming each part princisely whereas the other would only be admiring the surface without knowing anything. If the caption is the same for both POVs, maybe you should consider write your passage again (or have a good reason, like a strong amateurism for the mere observer). It’s go hand in hand with coherence - but it would be an essay for another time (maybe).
Read your text aloud. I put major emphasis on that one because it’s as underated as reading books for various genres. You have no idea how much we DON’T speak the way we write. Even dialogues are crafted in our stories - so make sure to give them proper attention. (i even read my email aloud but-). I KNOW how cringey it might be as I am doing it MYSELF but the benefits are worth the 35-minutes shame I endure from my own mess. Before you can shine, you have to polish (shout out to the one who said that first if it’s not me).
Take a step back. I strongly advice you to let some time pass before reading your text again and profreading it. It will cast a new light upon your work and with fresh eyes you’d be more likely able to spot what needs to be erased or rephrased.
That’s all for me today. Since I would be entering my proofreading phase for my writing contest, the next essay would probably about proofreading (with examples from my own novel ?). Unless someone wants me to write on a specific subject first.
Gentle reminder that I’m still French and not a native so please forgive my dubious grammar and outrageous mispellings.
#writing process#writing resources#creative writing#essays#writing a book#writing help#writing advice#writing tools#novel writing#fiction writing#writerscommunity#writer blog#writing style#books and literature#writing#resources for writers#writers on tumblr#writing resource#writing tips#writingblr#writeblr
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