#it’s giving indie novel cover HAHA

[doctorsiren]

Day 7 of Sirentober / Doctober

Fading / Noir

Okay I know the first image isn’t fitting the prompts but I have more versions (and an art explanation) under the cut that actually fit them :))

Okay I wanna talk about this piece bc I’m really happy with it. It’s not at all the original concept I had for today’s prompts, but I really like how it turned out.

Notable things in no particular order:

The dahlia is blue (a reference to a noir film titled “The Blue Dahlia)

Both “Fall of the Cards” and “Sevens Rule” are poker terms. I chose the first term because it sounded like a noir film title, and I added the second title because of how significant the number 7 is to Ace Attorney 4. Also!! It was coincidentally for day 7!!

The shape of the tie knot lining up with Beanix and Feenie’s respective necklaces 💥

The 4 versions share colour palettes. The blue from Beanix’s beanie is the blue of the glass bottle, the dahlia, and DDnix’s vest. The two attorney Phoenixes share the same colour suit jacket, which is also the colour of their eyes, and same colour tie (which is the colour of Edgeworth’s suit). Phoenix’s hair is the same colour as Beanix’s hoodie and the center of the sunflower. The gold of the attorney’s badge, the hat pin, the sunflower, the glass necklace, and both locket chains are the same. The pink of Feenie’s sweater is the same colour as the “papa” on Beanix’s hat. Finally, the red of Feenie’s scarf and the heart on his sweater matches the red of the background.

The lighting on the left side is blue, corresponding with it being the past (OG Trilogy Phoenix + Feenie) and also the blue dahlia on that side. The lighting on the right side is orange, corresponding with it being the present (Beanix + DDnix) and also the golden sunflower on that side. These both correspond with the MASON system from AA4, with the past being blue and being to the left, and the present being orange and being to the right.

If you couldn’t tell I absolutely LOVE symbolism and stuff like that in art. I have an upcoming prompt drawing that is SUPER symbol heavy and has symbols in common with this one!

Here are the other versions of the piece (added are B/W and vintage effects to get it to actually fit the prompt lmao)

[the-travelling-witch]

guess who's alive? exactly, me!! :D *slumps down and never gets up* (sorry in advance this will be quite the long ask >_<)

i get the feeling of fried brain, my session just finished ;-; #neveragain (wish i could say it for real tho) it's not a problem if you can't add much ahah, really, so don't worry :3

i feel you, my rbf isn't of any help but luckily those who receive my love know it and about the rest i don't care °v° and as i said (i think) as long as you're genuine i don't think that's a problem, honestly is what matters ^u^

yeah i noticed the game and noticed only now i forgot to ask you a question but now head is empty so whatever 🫠 if you say so then brb gonna go buy pencils for xiao and you so you can fill each other's skin with drawings and writings eheh~

me too honestly, i just need to relax, eat good food and sleep for hours trapping the indigo menace in a cuddling hug >:3 for movies i'm down bad for pixar but indie and artsy sounds good too 👀 and slow dancing at night is just something sooo cute and sosksiskdjsjskwj i'm down bad pt2

we can agree that villainous fictional men >>>>>>>>> goody two-shoes hero, but morally grey characters deserve a mention of honor, a whole hall just for them @^@

NOW, ONTO THE NEW MODERN SERIES FIC FUCK I'M SO EIDJWKSNDKWJWOSJSIHS

childe you cocky little menace with that shit-eating grin 🤺 i love this type of grin it sends me on cloud nine but also actives my fighting spirit lmao

i loved every word and the implicit mention of scara's partner and childe's being colleagues, what a chaos putting those two in the same room because of their lovers (saw the other asks, died of laughter)

it had me going 👀 when reader went "one coffee for the mystery man" LIKE MAN THE AUDACITY i would have prayed the universe to swallow me especially after ginger's reply folsdoodsj so good really

also, a curiosity: since you mentioned yanqing (my son <3) does this mean that gi and hsr men will interact more often, being in the same universe? tbh knowing some characters either they will get along well or a big fight would start the moment they see each other pfft-

anyway, i think that i covered everything so that's all! as always, take care, drink water and coffee, eat healthy and sleep well at night, you can do this! and good luck with uni :3

bye bye~

— ❄️

hii great to see you back and good job on surviving!! i’ll put the answer under a cut for brevity’s sake haha

well i hope i sound and look genuine bc sometimes i feel like i don’t and if i try to sound more excited, people would probably think i’m faking it; but yeah my friends probably know by now how i act so i think i should be good :>

don’t force yourself to participate if you can’t come up with something, i promise i still have enough material to go through (me, typing a novel for a moot’s entry /aff); whenever i doodle on my arm i normally just use ball point pens or eyeliners but i also saw people using like actual colours for painting/body paint and i really want to try that; having someone drag a brush and paint over your back must be such a funny feeling <3

i’m not watching a lot of films right now, so i can’t say what my favourite genre is but i do love a good animation (i still need to see the new spiderman aaahhh); speaking of going to the cinema: there’s sth so special about going there during daytime and coming back out when it’s dark outside; imagine walking home after the film with your fave, he gives you his jacket against the chill of the evening and you laugh and joke as you discuss the film you just saw until he gently grabs your hand and starts twirling you around under the light of a street lamp… *sigh* what a dream (frantically scribbles into my notes for the modern au hshsh)

i just think villains and morally grey characters just are much more fun to explore; would i want hazbin hotel’s alastor to be real or would i like him if i met him? no because he is/was a serial killer, but in fiction? fascinating, intriguing, fun to explore; fiction just gives us the means to explore these morally not so cool actions and mindsets without most of the consequences, and i love that (also it really is sexy if a bad guy drops everything for their love; who wouldn’t want to be their partner’s priority; also also, villains with their own set of moral code, like ‘sure i’ll burn down a city but hit a woman? i would never’)

childe activates my fighting spirit in general, like come over here and let’s bicker, you gorgeous idiot, and maybe i’ll kiss you afterwards <3 and also yes that grin… it might be here bc of the writer’s bias…

i just had to make them colleagues!! please just imagine them gossiping about their bfs after work or during the double date the readers are just talking the night away whereas childe and scara just have this icy atmosphere around them, but the second their partners look over they melt bc they’re just so in love dorks, all of them

and omg yes, thank you for mentioning it, i’ve been dying for someone to point it out: it’s official, it’s a genshin/honkai shared au!! it’ll be mostly genshin with some hsr characters but yes!! they’re sharing the same universe, they will be interacting (now we wait for someone to mention the company vizion is signed under… i wonder who works there… /silly)

thank you, make sure to take care of yourself as well!! <3

[itsanidiom]

Hello hello!!! Hope your having a wonderful day!! I have a very serious question, I'm thinking about writing things that like aren't just fanfictions, I've been thinking about it For a LONG while!! I just don't know WHAT the hell to do, how to do it, and figured I could maaaybe ask you!! since you are the only other writer I'm following who published books besides Neil Gaimen... I just thought you could give some tips and basic things, like do I need to go to school for this? Can I open the gates and zoom right into it?? Can I make illustrated novels? How do or would I publish?? Overall everything?? Also again hope your having a nice day! Hope the weathers good in your area!!!

Hello! Thank you! Yes! Writing advice! That I can offer!

Wow! Me and Neil Gaiman, huh? That’s a really honoured place to be 🤣👌 Honestly his advice has always been my fave: Just write.

If you have a good idea just write it out. Hell, it doesn’t even need to be a good idea. You can edit it later! Just write! Get it out of your head and you’re already most of the way there!

If you’ve only written fan fiction and you’re nervous about the transition to original work, I recommend thinking of original stories as AU fic with renamed character as a starting point. Almost all the biggest writers today basically started in fanfic (ever heard of 50 Shades 🙈 worst example but HEY it’s true)

So yeah you’re in a good place when it comes to practicing the craft since you’ve been writing fanfic!

I never went to school for writing. I studied linguistics and German in uni 😂 So you definitely don’t need to go to school for writing. From what I’ve seen you can gain good connections in writing programs, but the academic programs at universities tend to focus on more “lit” genres. So if you’re writing like Murakami/Kafka or planning to be the next Atwood/Hemingway, writing programs can be good.

I’m published with an LGBT+ indie publisher, NineStar Press. They’re not one of the big conglomerate of publishing houses obviously, but they offer wider distribution than self publishing AND they do all the work, apart from making the suggested edits obviously. The process of submission to publishing with them takes about 9 months. With traditional publishing it can take years.

I found I learned a lot working with my editor so that was an important part of my development process. I definitely recommend finding an editor once your story/manuscript is nearing a final draft stage. If you publish traditional or indie your lit agent or editor will help with that. If you self-publish you’d have to pay an editor usually.

Which brings us to the open the gates and jump right in part: Self publishing! It’s fun. It’s easy. Its instant. It’s free! You can put it out there for free or make a few bucks, a lot if you’re lucky and your book goes viral! You can do ebook and or print and illustration as well as far as I know! My favourite thing about self publishing is that it really closely mimics fan fiction. You can basically self publish anything on KDP as long as it doesn’t go against their guidelines.

I’ve really enjoy self publishing for my shorter (smuttier) work, but I probably wouldn’t have jumped into it without a friend showing me the ropes and the experience of having published with NineStar first because I learned a lot through that process. The nice thing about self pub is you can publish any length so it’s great for things that are shorter and don’t fit regular publishers’ criteria. For example two of my self-pub stories (Whisky and Pearls / His General’s Gambit) are only around 10-20k words. That’s barely novella size. Most publishers want 50k at least.

Last but most important: publishing should NOT cost you anything. It might not make you rich, but it definitely shouldn’t cost a penny. If you’re self-pub you might choose to pay for marketing or an editor or a cover (I make my own covers and trade off editing projects with a friend so that saves money haha). But if you’re working with someone and they offer to publish you for a fee…RUN. That’s not legit. Publishers need writers, writers don’t need publishers.

My bestie @inaseaofmidnightblue went to school for writing and is publishing her first book traditionally next year so when she’s less busy (she’s VERY busy getting married right now 😂) she might be able to add more context around the traditional publishing perspective.

But yeah that’s what I’ve got! Happy to follow up if you have any other questions! Happy writing!

[dreaming-of-assclass]

3-E Bedroom Aesthetic Headcanons Part 1

I’m simply bored rn so why not?

Fuwa

It’s very obvious she’s into mangas/anime’s lmao

Has a lot of merch and posters all around, as well as cute plushies

Likes to keep it dark most of the time so she can watch/play on her TV. If she wants to read or write, she can just turn on her lamp.

Bed is a standard size, but filled with a ton of pillows and blankets so she’s comfy while doing whatever. It’s also perfect for building blanket forts or starting pillow fights with friends

Looks like this but maybe less intense haha

Nakamura

Has a fairly spacious room that she loves

Prefers sunlight so she keeps her curtain open for as long as she can

Has a few posters of singers that she really likes

Her room overall has a pretty indie vibe. It’s super chill though

Literally never makes her bed. Ever.

Has a desk but she likes to do homework on the floor for some reason

Looks like this but a lot messier

Isogai

He has the smallest bedroom in his house, and he completely offered to take it.

It’s very cramped :( He only fits his bed, desk, and dresser inside there.

Doesn’t spend a lot of time in his room though because of his very busy schedule

Cant fit a bookshelf so he keeps his textbooks and such under his desk.

His room is tidy for the most part but it’s probably just because he’s barely there

The lighting is pretty awful. He once saved up some of his money to buy a proper lamp that would be better for studying

Sugaya

I know y’all weren’t expecting him to be a plant mom lmao, but listen: his parents are into artisan crafts, his sister travels, they are an artsy family ok?

So his room has a lot of greenery inside, and he takes care of all his plants UwU

His room is very much a reflection of himself and all his rebellious energy. So he’s painted his walls, put up posters or quotes he resonates with, etc.

His bed is minimalistic because he’s barely in it tbh. Whenever he wants to chill or draw, he has a mini sofa. It’s also seating for whenever he brings friends over.

Room’s kinda cramped but he prefers it that way

Looks like this

Okuda

Her room is very minimalistic but has a sweet vibe to it

Likes open-lighting but has a habit of leaving the curtains closed even after finishing her experiments

Has a view plants that she takes care of very responsibly

Doesn’t like having a boring white room, so she’s put up flower images and art around, just to give it more life.

Her desk area is kind of a mess filled with papers and such haha. Despite that, she still makes room for when she wants to carry out another spontaneous experiment

Her lab equipment is all in a spare room in the house, solely for her use. So there’s not much in her room but you might see a vial of poison randomly somewhere lol

Looks like this

Muramatsu

Has one of the smaller rooms in his family’s apartment above the restaurant and it annoys him sometimes

At least he doesn’t have to share with his brother anymore though....

Anyways yeah. It’s pretty minimalistic. He doesn’t use a desk, and instead works on the floor or in the living room. Usually studies with his friends.

His clothes take up most of the room lmao, boy cares about his wardrobe a lot

Bed is always messy but he tries not to leave piles of clothing around, or leaving any dirty dishes.

Full-length mirror so he can check out his outfits every morning and take selfies

Leaves tissues, a few graphic novels, cookbooks by his bed, as well as some other things on his lil makeshift nightstand

Sleeps with a fox plushie. Will deny that its his vehemently, even if it’s right there in front of you.

Hara

Gets the best room bc she’s the eldest and the only girl hehehe

Her room is honestly the definition of cozy

A very soft rug covers most of the floor, and it’s great to just lay on tbh

Always has very warm lighting because she prefers that vibe. Sometimes lights up candles if she’s feeling it

Has a lot of storage space so her room is never really cramped or full. Also keeps it very tidy all the time.

Hides her private stuff away from her little brothers, who snoop around a lot

If no one else is home, sometimes she clears her floor and tries out wrestling moves or fitness stuff on her rug.

Mimura

HE HAS A FILM PROJECTOR!!!

Keeps a very huge extensive collection of all his fav movies in a corner of the room, stored in a box

His room is medium-sized but he has so much shit that he hasn’t organized yet, it’s a bit tight

His desk is near his bookshelf, and he prefers to study during the day. Then at night, he can chill with some movies and snacks

He has a lava lamp and he loves it. It was a gift from Fuwa for his birthday actually

Tries to be tidy but he just doesn’t have the energy to go through all his stuff and organize it

Doesn’t have a rug and he really wants one bc it’s hell every morning, to step onto the freezing wooden floor and yelp loudly at 6am

Bonus:

Kanzaki’s gaming corner

[ericbrandonrp]

//(For the Bibliophile Ask) 1, 3, 4, 11, 12, 13, 16, 18, 19, 25

Questions for bibliophiles!

@youngprofessorx

1 - What’s your favourite book(s)?

// Night Train to Lisbon! Took me a while to finish but it always kept dragging me in.

3 - Name one of your favourite book characters and the reason why they’re your favourite!

// Harry Hole. I don't even know why lol I guess I'm just drawn to broken characters? And god, is Harry broken! Never before have I feared about a fictional book character's life so much salkfasdf (also Francis Dolarhyde but ssshhh)

4 - Do you have a favourite quote from a book? Which one?

// Not one that I'd recall right now, sorry! Though...do poems count? Cause then I'd quote Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe ^^

11 - Do you have a goal set on how many books you want to read each year?

// Yes! This year it's 20, and I've actually already read 11 lol

12 - How many books do you own?

// I guess around 400, but I'm not sure, they are all over the place (in boxes, under the bed, in the attic...you know, once I get my little library, I might actually count them).

13 - Do you give them away after you’ve finished them, or do you keep them?

// Hell no! I can't give books away, they're my babies...though if it's one that really really sucks, I might give it away. That has happened like twice in my life so far lol

16 - What is selling a book to you instantly? Cover, story, author, …?

// Often the author; if I know it's a good one, I will buy almost anything from them. The cover lures me in, of course, but if the story sounds boring, I will put it back down. I often search for books online and read the first few pages to see if I like the book - and then try to find one with a nice cover.

18 - What do you use as bookmarks?

// I used to put anything in the books that I could find, but now I have so many bookmarks...I have these cute plastic sharks (*wink wink*), some Harry Potter ones...but currently I use Instax photos as bookmarks haha I also often make bookmarks specifically for the books myself.

19 - Talk about a book you are currently reading!

// I finished an Austrian crime novel today which was...well, I had expected more. Right now I'm reading another Indiana Jones adventure (something about an unicorn) because those books are actually quite light and easy to read without having to pay much attention lol Indy is in his 20s in that book, I think, and so far he hasn't done much in the book haha

25 - What book would you love to be made into a movie? Who would you cast?

// Ooooh there are so many...but right now I'd love to see Night Boat to Tangier? The book was quite good, even though not much is happening. But gosh. So many dialogues and it's based around two guys and I NEED THOSE TWO GUYS TO BE PLAYED BY MICHAEL FASSBENDER AND RALPH FIENNES PLEASE AND THANK YOU *sobs*

[binickmiller-archive]

tagged by @benoitblanc (thank you arwen ilysm !!) to answer the following questions about music, books, films, & tv, then tag nine people!

answers will be under the cut and i am tagging @kazbrakkar @rii-chann @bvckybvnes @impractical-matters @jckeperalta @wespers @danielsousa @eddiesdiaz @emmaswcns 

MUSIC

favourite genres? i like all genres but my main ones are rock and pop

favourite artists? dodie, hands like houses, bring me the horizon, avicii, troye sivan, fall out boy, hozier, marina, måneskin, paramore, porter robinson, sam smith, olivia rodrigo (just to name a few)

favourite songs? currently jealousy, jealousy by olivia rodrigo, special girl by dodie, venus fly trap by marina and zitti e buoni by måneskin

most listened song recently? misery business by paramore (i am back in my emo hours haha)

song currently stuck in your head? i wanna be your slave by måneskin (it is such a sexc song)

favourite lyrics? “she means everything to me” (she by dodie), “whatever you give life, you’re gonna get back” (venus fly trap by marina), “imagine being loved by me” (talk by hozier) 

radio or your own playlist | solo artists or and bands | pop or indie | loud or silent volume I slow or fast songs | music video or lyrics video | speakers or headset | riding a bus in silence or while listening to music | driving in silence or with radio on (usually my music)

BOOKS

favourite book genre? romance but also fantasy or mystery or sci-fi 

favourite writers? jane austen, suzanne collins, john green, agatha christie

favourite book? emma by jane austen 

favourite book series? the hunger games by suzanne collins

comfort book? simon vs. the homo sapiens agenda by becky albertalli

perfect book to read on a rainy day? pride and prejudice by jane austen

favourite characters? finnick odair, elizabeth bennet, george knightley, simon spier, bram greenfeld 

five quotes from your favourite book that you know by heart? i don’t read enough to give you five quotes i know by heart but i will put a few quotes i love: “you must allow me to tell you how ardently i admire and love you.” (pride and prejudice by jane austen), “you love me. real or not real? i tell him, real.” (mockingjay by suzanne collins)

hardcover or paperback | buy or and library | standalone novels or and book series | ebook or physical copy | reading at night or and during the day | reading at home or and in nature | listening to music while reading or reading in silence | reading in order or reading the ending first | reliable or and unreliable narrator | realism or fantasy | one or and multiple POVS | judging by the covers or by the summary | rereading or reading just once

TV AND FILMS

favourite tv/film genre? comedy, drama and horror/thriller

favourite film? knives out (2019) 

comfort film? pride and prejudice (2005)

film you watch every year? knives out (2019) every october and usually home alone (1990) and elf (2003) at christmas 

favourite tv show? new girl (2011-2018)

comfort tv show? new girl (2011-2018), sense8 (2015-2018), derry girls (2018-), brooklyn nine-nine (2013-2021), sex education (2019-) 

most rewatched tv show? definitely new girl, i watch it whenever i need comfort which is often haha

ultimate otp? all three of the new girl ships !!

five favourite characters? nick miller, maeve wiley, jake peralta, chandler bing, ella lopez (i hated picking just five then because my favourite characters constantly change)

tv shows or and films | short seasons (8-13 episodes) or and full seasons (22 episodes or more) | one episode a week or binging | one season or multiple seasons | one part or saga | half hour or one hour long episodes | subtitles on or and off (it depends on what i am watching) | rewatching or watching just once | downloads or watches online

[thosefookinavacados]

Thanks for the tag @avocadolouis28 @farawaytatmybeloved and @tanktop-lou !! This took a while haha

MUSIC

Fav genre? Indie-Pop, Indie-Folk, Indie-alternative, Alternative-rock, Pop-Rock and Filmi (That is, 60s', 70s', 80s' bollywood)

Fav artist? Taylor Swift & One Direction (most of their solo stuff too)

Most listened song recently? The 1, Taylor Swift

Song currently stuck in your head? Always, Ashe

5 fav lyrics? Okay this is so hard I've got pages of my fav lyrics but here goes nothing: "Take the words for what they are, a dwindling mercurial high, a drug that only worked the first few hundred times." - illicit affairs, Taylor Swift "क्यों मैं तूफाँ से डरूँ मेरा साहिल आप हैं // कोई तूफानों से कह दे मिल गया साहिल मुझे" - आपकी नज़रों ने समझा, Lata Mangeshkar (Lyrics by Raja Mehdi Ali Khan) (Translation: Why should I fear the storms when you are my shore? Someone tell the storms that I've found my anchor.) "All the lonely shadow dances from the cradle to the grave, it's a solo song, and it's only for the brave." - Only The Brave, Louis Tomlinson "We can't control all the outcomes, let go of the reins, ride the rhythm." - River Road, ZAYN "Do you miss the rogue who coaxed you into paradise and left you there?" - Coney Island, Taylor Swift ft. The National

Radio or your own playlist | solo artists or bands | pop or indie | loud or silent volume I slow or fast songs | music video or lyrics video | speakers or headset | riding a bus in silence or while listening to music | driving in silence or with radio on

BOOKS

Fav book genre? Romance/Mythology/Mystery

Fav writer? Agatha Christie, Jane Austen, Sudha Murthy and Oscar Wilde

Fav book? Murder on the Orient Express

Fav book series? The Shiva Triology by Amish

Comfort book? The mother I never had by Sudha Murthy (And Escapade, if fanfiction counts)

Perfect book to read on a rainy day? I like reading plays on rainy days. A Midsummer Night's Dream or Romeo and Juliet!

Fav characters? I dunno

5 quotes from your fav book that you know by heart? I know a dialogue from Romeo and Juliet which I absolutely ADORE: "My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love as deep; The more I give thee, the more I have, for both are infinite." It basically means her for him is as deep as the sea and the more love she gives him the more she gets backs because their love is limitless. I cri.

hardcover or paperback | buy or rent | standalone novels or book series | ebook or physical copy | reading at night or during the day | reading at home or in nature | listening to music while reading or reading in silence | reading in order or reading the ending first | reliable or unreliable narrator  | realism or fantasy | one or multiple POVS | judging by the covers or by the summary | rereading or reading just once

TV AND MOVIES

fav tv/movie genre? I'm not picky when it comes to movies but Rom-coms/Action/Coming of age/Anything gay

fav movie? The half of it

comfort movie? PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani and Love Simon

movie you watch every year? Tangled and Love Simon

fav tv show? Ooh Nver Have I Ever and Young Royals

comfort tv show? Love, Victor

most rewatched tv show? Don't have one

ultimate otp? Simon and Wilhelm

5 fav characters? Fabiola (Never Have I Ever) Sara (Young Royals) Felice (Young Royals) Felix (Love Victor) Mobius (Loki)

Tv shows or movies | short seasons (8-13 episodes) or full seasons(22 episodes or more) | one episode a week or binging |one season or multiple seasons | one part or saga | half hour or one hour long episodes | subtitles on (I'm not neurotypical your honour) or off | rewatching or watching just once | downloads or watches online|

This was fun!! Tagging @herefortommo @saintqueer @dyingstars-x @starburns @stylinsuns & @louisnewera !!

[frithams]

Tag 9 people to learn about their interests!

I was tagged by: @nr-studies

MUSIC

Fav genre? Probably alternative or indie I guess

Fave artist? The Vaccines

Fave song? It changes like every day but right now it’s Panic Attack by The Vaccines

Most listened song recently? No Children by The Mountain Goats

Song currently stuck in your head? It’s like always Tequila or Do the Hustle 

5 fave lyrics?

It's a chapter that you're stuck on

And you'd rather read alone

I'm a not inspiring ending

But the best you've ever known

OR

Well, I'm livin' in a foreign country but I'm bound to cross the line

Beauty walks a razor's edge, someday I'll make it mine

If I could only turn back the clock to when God and her were born

Come in, she said

I'll give ya shelter from the storm

radio or your own playlist | solo artists or bands | pop or indie | loud or silent volume I slow or fast songs | music video or lyrics video | speakers or headset | riding a bus in silence or while listening to music | driving in silence or with radio on

BOOKS

Fav book genre? Oh prob non fiction/autobiography because I’m boring haha

Fave writer? Can I pick my bestie? (K 👀)

Fave book? Oh fuck like my url is actually from a book so points if you know what book it’s from haha

Fave book series? I loved the Terry Pratchett Wintersmith book series

Comfort book? The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Rainy day book? Probably a new book

Fave characters? Too many to list here

5 quotes from your fave books? These are the ones I have noted down recently, although there are so many others. 

1. "Think of how much more time and energy we would have to focus on other things that matter if we weren’t so busy surviving."(Men Explain Things to Me, Rebecca Solnit)

2.”and billions of women must be out there on this seven-billion-person planet being told that they are not reliable witnesses to their own lives, that the truth is not their property, now or ever."(Men Explain Things to Me, Rebecca Solnit)

3. Most men and women lead lives, if not of quiet desperation, at least of desperate quietness..."(On Writing Well, William Zinsser)

hardcover or paperback | buy or rent | standalone novels or book series | ebook or physical copy | reading at night or during the day | reading at home or in nature | listening to music while reading or reading in silence | reading in order or reading the ending first | reliable or unreliable narrator | realism or fantasy | one or multiple POVS | judging by the covers or by the summary | rereading or reading just once

TV AND MOVIES

Fave tv/movie genre? Sci-fi and fantasy 

Fave movie? There are too many. How am I supposed to chose! 

Comfort movie? Stardust, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Mummy and Paddington 1&2

Movie you watch every year? Back to the Future

Fave tv show? Doctor Who 

Comfort tv show? Doctor Who or Whose Line is it Anyway

Most rewatched tv show? House or Hustle or Life on Mars 

5 fave characters? Again, too many to list here 

tv shows or movie | short seasons (8-13 episodes) or full seasons (22 episodes or more) | one episode a week or bingeing | one season or multiple seasons | one part or saga | half hour or one hour long episodes | subtitles on or off | rewatching or watching just once | downloads or watches online

Tagging: @kolwyntjie, @booksnscience, @squisshystudy, @justanotherstudyblrinthecrowd, @peregrination-studies, @study--frog , @studium-stardust , @studyingpearl @rebelintherain (sorry if you've already been tagged and have already done it!) (also no pressure) 

[larrysballetslippers]

Thank you @justalarryblog for tagging me!!

✨ Tag 9 people to learn more about their interests!

I'm tagging: @bluewinnerangel @isleoflewis @idontknowwhatitshouldbecalled @zouaylorgf @louismylouve @chaoticbutvanilla @larry-hiatus @acaricatureofcontentment @theyareloudandproud

Music

Fav genre? Rock/Pop, Singer-songwriter(is that a genre?)

Fav artist? Louis Tomlinson

Fav song? I can never choose, but today it's Too Young by Louis Tomlinson

Most listened song recently? Too Young by Louis Tomlinson

Song currently stuck in your head? Caroline by Måneskin

5 fav lyrics?

"My eyes want you more than a melody." Sunflower vol.6 by Harry Styles

"Stars don't disappear, they keep blazing, even when the night is over, that's how I find the light." Stargazing by Kygo

"To learn to forgive all my sins, because even the angels, at times, are afraid of death." Torna A Casa by Måneskin

"My mind whispers into nighttime, voices always keeping me up, telling me that I should give up." Sad Forever by Lauv

"I'm not asking for much, just wanna be loved by you." Defenceless by Louis Tomlinson

radio or your own playlist | solo artists or bands | pop or indie | loud or silent volume I slow or fast songs | music video or lyrics video | speakers or headset | riding a bus in silence or while listening to music | driving in silence or with radio on

Books

Fav book genre? I haven't read a lot of physical books for a long time. I guess romance, I also like detectives and historical books.

Fav writer? Jane Austin

Fav book? Pride and Prejudice

Fav book series? I don't really read series. Geronimo Stilton, I guess. That was a long time ago, hehe.

Comfort book? All my books are really comforting for me. Idk, maybe so slice of life webtoons, haha.

Fav book to read on a rainy day? A nice detective, haven't read those in a long time.

Fav character? Watson from Sherlock Holmes

5 quotes from your favorite book that you know from heart? I really don't know. I used to read many books, but stops when I went on the internet. I read many light novels and comics(manga) and now a lot of fan fiction. So the book category is a little empty.

hardcover or paperback | buy or rent | standalone novels or book series | ebook or physical copy | reading at night or during the day | reading at home or in nature | listening to music while reading or reading in silence | reading in order or reading the ending first | reliable or unreliable narrator | realism or fantasy | one or multiple POVS | judging by the covers or by the summary | rereading or reading just once

Tv and Movies

Fav tv/movie genre? Romcoms, detectives. Same as books basically. Also Musicals.

Fav movie? Notting Hill

Comfort movie? Notting Hill (did I mention I like Notting Hill, I watched it like twenty times)

Movie you watch every year? The greatest showman

Fav tv show? Victoria

Comfort tv show? Gilmore Girls, but only the first season.

Most rewatched tv show? Does anime count? Haikyuu!

Ultimate otp? KageHina, my babies.

5 fav characters?

Pote from Queen of the south

Kei Thukishima from Haikyuu!

Prince Ernst from Victoria

Lord Alfred from Victoria (his syoty is so so sad)

Christina Yang from Grey's Anatomy

Just just realized Inonly did tv show, whatever, haha.

tv shows or movies | short seasons (8-13 episodes) or full seasons (22 episodes or more) | one episode a week or binging | one season or multiple seasons | one part or saga | half hour or one hour long episodes | subtitles on or off | rewatching!!!! or watching just once | downloads or watches online

[itsjustaboathome]

✨ Tag 9 people to learn more about their interests!

tysm @holyshit for tagging me, ily kay!! ✨💞

MUSIC

fav genre? i can really hear little bit of everything, but i usually hear more pop, pop-rock and rock

fav artist? apart from the boys I also like Gorillaz and Red Hot Chili Peppers

fav song? I always change my favorite song then ... idk haha ​​but right now I would say another love by Tom Odell

most listened song recently? Kill My Mind by Louis Tomlinson and It Takes a Fool to Remain Sane by Omar Rudberg

song currently stuck in your head? also It Takes a Fool to Remain Sane and I Wanna Be Your Slave by Måneskin

5 fav lyrics?

I know which place I'm from, i know my home, when I'm in doubt and struggling, that's where I go, an old friend can give advice, when new friends only know a half story, that's why I'm always keep them tight, and why I'm okay, i said I'm okay, you know what my mama said?, you know what she told me?, my mama said that it was okay - mama said by lukas graham.

He said: "One day you'll leave this world behind, so live a life you will remember", my father told me when I was just a child, "these are the nights that never die" - the nights by avicii.

I'm just like you, even though my problems look nothing like yours do, yeah, i get sad too, and when I'm down I need somebody to talk to, yeah, I feel the same as you do, same stress, same shit to go through, i'm just like you, if you only knew - just like you by louis tomlinson.

Quiero volar contigo, muy alto en algún lugar, quisiera estar contigo viendo las estrellas sobre el mar, quiero encontrar otro, camino ponerme mi vestido y salir a caminar contigo, quiero decirle al mundo que no somos amigos, decirle a la tristeza, que no se cruce en mi camino - bajo el agua by manuel medrano

Maybe we can, find a place to feel good, and we can treat people with kindness, find a place to feel good - tpwk by harry styles

radio or your own playlist | solo artists or bands | pop or indie | loud or silent volume I slow or fast songs | music video or lyrics video | speakers or headset | riding a bus in silence or while listening to music | driving in silence or with radio on

BOOKS

fav book genre? I don't really have a book genre as such, so to speak, but if I don't get bored it's perfect for me.

fav writer? i don't have

fav book? diary of a wimpy kid

fav book series? also, diary of a wimpy kid

comfort book? the four agreements

perfect book to read on a rainy day? any fic is fine :))

fav characters? if it makes me laugh that's my favorite

5 quotes from your fav book that you know by heart? idk I don't remember haha

hardcover or paperback | buy or rent | standalone novels or book series | ebook or physical copy | reading at night or during the day | reading at home or in nature | listening to music while reading or reading in silence | reading in order or reading the ending first | reliable or unreliable narrator | realism or fantasy | one or multiple POVS | judging by the covers or by the summary | rereading or reading just once

TV AND MOVIES

fav tv/movie genre? maybe a little bit of everything, i hardly ever watch horror movies

fav movie? uff i have many haha but I'll say back to the future, the nightmare before christmas, aladdin, guardians of the galaxy and the greatest showman

comfort movie? coco and corpse bride

movie you watch every year? on halloween i always watch hocus pocus

fav tv show? gravity falls, himym, sense 8, young royals and good doctor

comfort tv show? friends and malcolm in the middle

most rewatched tv show? i think the simpsons haha

ultimate otp? wilhelm / simon c:

5 fav characters? Luis (ant-man), janis ian (mean girls), tony stark (iron man), emma stone (in all her movies), simon and wilhelm (young royals)

tv shows or movies | short seasons (8-13 episodes) or full seasons (22 episodes or more) | one episode a week or binging | one season or multiple seasons | one part or saga | half hour or one hour long episodes | subtitles on or off | rewatching or watching just once | downloads or watches online

im tagging @goldenmemories @rainblou @bravelylarrie @onlyforthekings @nico-cab @ozziiee @habithlarry @skyyneverlookedsoblue @hearyouhowling and anyone who wants to do this!! <3

[whatiwillsay]

DA2

DA2: love’s literature

hold my hand

driving ticket

indie record (the books beside our bed)

jail

kurt vonnegut

tattoos

lesbian chemicals (ft. Jack Antonoff)

unicorn

—

The title of this album is based off the fact Dianna is a snobby literature gay. It is a lyric of “kurt vonnegut,” and the motif of literature being an important element of love is repeated in “indie record (the books beside our bed)” and “tattoos.” The title is thematically appropriate as well, as its songs chronicle grand love stories fit for romantic literature.

“hold my hand” is an Achele song. The title is based on the fact that they always held hands suring “Someone to Love” during the Glee Tour. The song starts out with the dramatic ascending “Can” that is the opening note of “Someone to Love,” but the sound comes crashing down into a cacophony (think sort of like the beginning of “closure,” but with more chaos and more Freddie Mercury vibes). It turns into a Avril Lavigne-style petty break up song about Lea.

“driving ticket” is an Achele song. It uses driving tickets as an extended metaphor for relationship issues. One of the lryics is “And you always made fun of me because gays can’t drive / Guess I was too happy for you.” (After the release of the album, Dianna tweets that the “gays” in this lyric refers to happy people, not fruitcakes.) There’s also the lyric saying that in another life, Dianna would have crashed her car just to stop her pronoun-less love interest’s wedding; this is a reference to how Quinn got in a car crash and it stopped Rachel’s wedding in Glee. I chose the title for this song based on that Glee car crash and based on the fact that Dianna gets so many driver’s tickets in real life, haha.

“indie record (the books beside our bed)” is a Taylor song. It’s a bubblegum pop song with a somewhat ironic tone (think WANGBT meets “Stay Stay Stay”), but the bridge is intensely dramatic (sort of like the bridge of “Driver’s License” by Olivia Rodrigo). At one point in the bridge, she sings “You sung me a party / You wrote me a warm sweater.” This line confirms that 1989 (party) and “cardigan” (warm sweater) are about Dianna. The song is reminiscing on their relationship in a way that could be read as petty but is actually more so mournful (as Dianna believes that the greatness of that relationship was only possible because of their youthful infatuation, so is such a great relationship ever possible again? so like she’s sort of mourning the loss of her youth—to both time and closeting—as well). The title is a reference to WANGBT (even though I think it’s about Liz), and the part of the title that is in parenthesis is a reference to “Paper Rings” (even though I think it’s about Joe).

“jail” is an anti-Karlie song. I have this headcanon that Taylor wrote most of YAIL about Dianna but ended up gifting the song to Karlie with that Instagram post (like how she gifted “Dress”—a Karlie song—to Joe with that bridge). Because of this, we can think of YAIL as a song that Karlie stole. Dianna sings about Karlie with that Other Woman trope, except throughout the song, who the other woman is (whether she’s Karlie or Dianna herself) becomes less and less clear. In the chorus, Dianna refers to the other woman as “the crook,” which calls back to “it’s time to go.” She follows up that moniker with the statement that the crook must go to jail—but Dianna pronounces the J in “jail” very weirdly, so it almost sounds like she’s singing the word “YAIL.” In the bridge of the song, Dianna belts “143 / Remember those days,” which is what she tweeted after the Kaylor road trip Vogue cover. The bridge feels a bit like “Getaway Car” in that it has a lot of driving references, like Karlie is stealing Taylor by whisking her away in a car.

“kurt vonnegut” is a jazzy/indie song, in the style of “Do You Want a Man” by The Vaccines. In the song, Dianna quotes a lot of classic literature in order to paint a picture of a grand, dramatic, failed love (Swiftgron). The chorus includes the phrase “love’s literature” in an almost “New Year’s Day”-like reference to how their love is as grand as literature’s great love stories, but also somehow better, so don’t read the last page (aka, don’t let the story come to an end). That one line cautioning about the story coming to an end gives the song a little bit of a foreboding mood if you listen carefully, and that’s how we know that it’s a break up song and not a love song for Filippo. Notably, Dianna sings the lyric “so it goes,” which is based on a Kurt Vonnegut novel. What’s interesting about this is that out of all the authors whose work Dianna referenced in the song, she chose Kurt Vonnegut’s name as the title for this song. Tumblr sapphics take this to mean that “so it goes” has a special significance—specifically, that Taylor’s song “So It Goes…” is about Dianna.

“tattoos” is a Taylor song. It wants to be a petty break up song, but there’s too much emotion behind it to stay petty; as a result, it’s raw and full of hurt. Dianna wants this to just be about the tattoos, wants to just cuss Taylor out for putting her tattoo as a lyric in “Wonderland,” but she can’t help but pour so much more into this song—because her resentment for what happened to Swiftgron is so much stronger than just resenting that she had to contact a tattoo removal service. This fact becomes clear in a lyric in which Dianna refers to Taylor’s love as a tattoo, permanently seared onto her skin like a scar or a scarlet letter. (This The Scarlet Letter reference is another reason why I chose love’s literature as the title of this album.)

“lesbian chemicals (ft. Jack Antonoff)” is the most unhinged song on the album. The story behind this title is that Jack is a bit weird and has this almost obsession with lesbians. In one interview, he referred to himself as a straight man with lesbian chemicals because he loves like a lesbian loves. Anyways, the song starts off with the sounds of a piano being runed (because of that one time when we thought Dianna posted an Instagram story of Jack tuning her piano, lol). The song is a bit slower but still has that definite Jack Antonoff feel to it. Dianna sings about how she loves the pronoun-less subject like a lesbian would: she treasures them, admires how soft and perfect and lovable they are, etc. It’s almost like “Dress” in that it’s so undeniably gay in its lyrical content. Jack has backup vocals. After the album’s release, Dianna tweets that this song was Jack’s idea. It’s a clear no-homo-ing. She states that she feels similarly to how Jack felt when he gave that quote—that she’s a straight woman who just so happens to have lesbian chemicals and love like a lesbian would.

“unicorn” is an ode to the Blondterage. The title is a reference to Molly’s birthday post for Dianna (which is actually the cover of the album) in which she references riding Dianna, calls Dianna a unicorn (which has obvious sexual implications), etc. The song is a targeted attack on all Dolly shippers because it’s like “22” in that Dianna tries to pass it off as a I Love My Gal Pals song, but in reality, it’s secretly a song about longing. Sonically, “unicorn” is reminiscent of “Make Me Feel” by Janelle Monáe.

submission⬆️⬆️⬆️

truly incredible!!!

[sundaynightnovels]

10 Questions Tag

I’ve been tagged by @apollonkondric​ (have i been gone for a while that i didn’t realise your name change??)! anyway! it’s as usual for my wip like all things out of season, so here it goes: 1) How did you come up with your WIP’s title? What does it mean in relation to the story? i actually gave a pretty long answer to this here! feel free to give it a read (or yknow, take it as if it’s just to be poetic) 2. Do you title your chapters? If so, what’s your favorite? yes i do chapter titles! i remember making a post quite a while back about some of my chapter titles, and i remember some people commenting on how they sounded like fall out boy songs HAHA which is actually. very true. they can be quite long and unlike @apollonkondric​ ‘s, very rarely straightforward, if ever. but they kinda do make sense if you think about it, and lets you know as a whole what the chapter is going to revolve around (which, yknow, is the point of chapter titles tbh) ANYWAY. hm. i think my favourite is still, the world is a different place when you know what the world is. makes sense, doesn’t it? (also i just realised how massively long my chapters are oops) 3. What’s a recent line you really like? hmm.

it’s not particularly recent, but idk. i like it.

4. Are there any writing-related quotes you really like?

hm. not that i can think of right now, no.

5. Do you have an idea for cover design for your story? i’m not super sure yet, but... if you know how chinese novel covers look like (not those... wuxia novels or the romance novels but more contemporary ones), i feel like maybe something like that?? pretty minimalist and aesthetic and of course, a lot of nature-ish elements.  let me see if i can google something.

not exactly these but yknow, these sort of really minimalist, simple designs. yup! 6. What sort of AU can you imagine your story being? all sorts. college AU mainly. 7. Which OC would be the most angry with you as the writer? uhhh. i’m thinking yu(f) or jia, because i break down their walls and make them vulnerable and they don’t like that. 8. If you had to tell the story from a different POV, which character would you choose?

my story has multiple POV! though i’d love to imagine it in some sort of god-like, lemony-snicket-style voice. that’ll be fun. i actually do wanna write that sort of story some day. i think i could be a pretty funny narrator voice if i tried haha 9. What would be your OC’s taste in music if they lived in our world?

uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. this is a tough one. shou would like classical music tbh, though he’d somehow find beauty in all music forms eventually (after perhaps griping about some of them) zhen would... actually, as someone who loves to listen to music a lot, it’s kinda disappointing to me if one of my characters doesn’t really care that much about music, and that character would be zhen. really. lu would listen to those typical 2000s boys like girls-esque pop music. let him be! he’s a kid! and that music is fun . ren... hmm. hm. probs people like ed sheeran, and he does enjoy the new music that justin bieber puts out. teng likes taylor swift, beyonce, all the really addictive pop songs that you can dance and vibe to! he doesn’t listen to musicals because he’s not really exposed to them, but if he does, he’ll love them.  jun would listen to anything, but maybe something a little indie as well. that sorta vibes. yu(f) doesn’t listen either, or if she does, maybe something like studio ghibli soundtrack while she works. yu(m) hmm. soul. r&b.  jia would be something fun! anything fun tbh. reggaeton. electronic. clubbing music. 10. What’s one personal goal you want to achieve by the end of the story? same tbh. finish my second draft by end of march (not really sure if i can get it done by then tbh, but... there’s a chance) and yknow, edit it and all. just get a complete novel done! tagging @bahay-kubo​ @insearchof-solace​  @stardustscribes​ @kidsarentallwrite​ @cookiecutterwrites​ @tenacious-scripturient​

[project-pectin]

Day 46-51 - Yup. Still here!

3rd January 2019

Hellooo! My 2018 finale was what felt like the Golden Boy swimming scene... Dear diary, a retrospect and my current thoughts on the development! xux

During December I had to pause posting here because I shifted my focus on university related stuff. I could not spend a lot of time on the production of the game after the 10th of December. From my personal diary I counted 5 days on which I saw to the project in order to edit the music I already finished (but art is never finished, right?) and the script of the game. These were the 12th, 14th, 18th, 19th and 22th of December. Altogether that’s 51 days I spent hours working on the game since its beginning. I like positive numbers and documenting progress, so I didn’t want to stop counting haha. But I can only give a summary as such. The last weeks were intense considering my overall workload so I didn’t spend much time describing my life in my private diary. Except for pain. A lot of written pain. e-e

About the visual novel Mirrorboy though...At this point the first introductory chapter is almost complete. The most important parts are finished. There is polishing work left to do, to make it a beautiful game I’d be proud enough to release into the world. :3

HOWEVER. I had a little chat with a friend who told me that my initial plan on how to release the game might not be the best move in terms of finances. And to be honest, I wouldn’t care about profits if graduating wouldn’t leave me in ruins. :’> Germany’s financial support system for students is excellent but I barely survived by working part-time when the support money was cut...when I lay down my “student” status things will suddenly get more expensive. My part-time job wouldn’t be enough to cover rent, insurance, etc.. And I planned to make indie games for now instead of finding a full-time job, soooo, I have more than a right to say that I want to pay my living with the work I do, I guess.

For Mirrorboy, this means that I still have to figure out how exactly I want to bring it on the market and I need time to research methods, as well as figuring out what I can possibly realize with Ren’Py (you know, all the ugly monetization schemes of mobile games (งಠ_ಠ)ง)).

Anyhow, I hope to be able to show more in the future, as an indie dev and as an artist uwu

[garrettauthor]

Hello, Writer, and welcome back to my life.

It's Writer Wednesday, the day where I give you my tips and advice on the art and the business of writing, and tell you how I do what I do as an indie author.

Today's question comes to us from patron Kristen Stevens, who asks:

How do you find a cover artist that you like?

That's it. That's the question.

We've been answering a lot of questions like this recently—questions about people to work with. There's been questions about editors, review teams, and beta readers. I hope that means the Writer Wednesday community is growing up, and we're finding the people we need in order to actually take our books to a done. I hope that's the case with you. Feel free to let me know.

All right. How do you find a cover artist that you like?

This is, again, one of those important ones. Your cover is the number one thing that sells your book.

It's a hackneyed joke in the indie publishing community that "Everybody says you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but everybody does, haha."

It's 100% true. That's why people design book covers. If people didn't judge books by their cover, every single book would just be white paper.

Before you even begin the search for your cover artist, you need to make several important decisions about your cover. And first you have to decide: what KIND of cover is it going to be?

I've talked about how you need to write what's important to you. You need to write something, not because you think it's going to be the biggest moneymaker, not because you think it's the hot genre right now—that will lead you to a career of misery—but because you WANT to write it, because you are passionate about it.

And it has to be in a genre that you truly love, or a combination of genres, if you're mixing and matching things a bit. That's fine.

Either way, it needs to be something that is important to you—WHEN YOU'RE WRITING YOUR BOOK.

But when it comes to cover design, you need to throw that whole viewpoint away completely.

Every artist, every author, and particularly every indie author, has to be able to switch between the art and the business side of things. When you are working on your book, you wear your artist hat. You with your passion, your tools, and your creativity.

When it comes to your book cover, you need to take off your artist hat and put it far away, where it is not going to influence your decisions in the slightest. And then you need to pull on your business hat and strap it under your chin.

Because if you make cover design decisions based off of the whims of your heart, you just won't sell any books.

Cover design is the number one part of indie publishing where you must be absolutely 100% market-driven in order to get the best results.

Before anybody misunderstands, obviously you still have to be honest. Honesty IS market-driven. Dishonest people don't last long. Don't ever design a cover to "sell a lot of books," but which isn't REPRESENTATIVE of your book.

Theoretically, you could design a cover that looked just like a Jack Reacher novel. They're simple: a textured background with a target symbol.

Shoppers might assume it was a Jack Reacher cover and buy it for that reason. And then they would be very pissed off at you, because you're not Lee Child and it's not actually a Jack Reacher book.

Never do that. That's not being market-driven, that's being dishonest and criminal.

Designing a market-driven cover means finding out what sells well in your market and doing that in a way that is representative of your book.

I think of book cover designs in three broad categories.

THE GRAPHIC COVER

The graphic cover doesn't usually contain illustration. It rarely depicts characters. It's about symbolism.

This is the only one of my books that has a graphical cover. It's a simple symbol, designed to perfectly encapsulate what the reader will find in this literary book.

And graphic covers are primarily seen on literary books, including YA lit, such as John Green's The Fault in Our Stars:

Graphic cover. One of the best graphic covers out there.

And while we're talking about the Green brothers, the cover of Hank Green's new book was just released:

Another graphic cover. No real image, just a simple design communicating a lot of meaning.

In addition to literary and YA lit, nonfiction often features graphic covers.

THE PHOTOSHOPPED COVER

The next broad category is photoshopped covers. That's what I call them. There might be a better name, but you understand me.

Mark Dawson's books are perfect examples. A man on the run, usually with a gun, on a city background. I'd guess that two or three stock images are combined in each of these, in a very artistic way.

But photoshopped covers CAN get much more complicated.

This is the second edition cover of Nightblade, the one I had before my current cover. It's all Photoshop. About fifteen images from stock photo sites, combined to create this image.

Photoshop covers are also massively popular in romance. Two very attractive people, representative of the main characters of your story.

Photoshopped covers are also very popular in urban fantasy, and then there are some very good ones in military sci-fi and other sci-fi. You can definitely do photoshopped covers for genre, it's just more applicable to CERTAIN genres.

THE ILLUSTRATED COVER

The final broad category is the fully Illustrated cover, where every single pixel on the cover (except for the lettering) is hand-drawn by an artist.

These covers can be complex or simple. My individual books have one character on the front, and then for the bigger volumes, I have multiple characters from an iconic scene.

Illustrated covers are immensely popular in epic fantasy. They're the go-to standard. But illustrated covers are also very popular in sci-fi, particularly space opera—to the point that space opera covers can look a little bit samey.

Similar images of a planet in the background and a tiny little ship flying past it. They're great, but I do like some variation from that very common theme.

So the first big decision that you have to make is: what kind of cover are you going to get? And that is entirely dependent on your genre.

If you are writing epic fantasy, I firmly believe that you must do an illustrated cover. The one prominent exception that I can think of is George R.R. Martin and the Song of Ice and Fire books, which LOOK like photoshopped covers. And I'm not even sure about that. They're simple elements on a textured background. They could be illustrated, or they could just be heavily photoshopped.

If you're writing space opera, I think you should have an illustrated book cover, though I haven't done full market research on that. If the biggest space opera books of all time haven't had illustrated covers, don't feel obligated to do so.

If you're writing urban fantasy, paranormal romance, thriller, or regular romance, you almost certainly want a photoshopped cover. That's the standard. That's what your readers are looking for.

And if you're writing YA or literary fiction, consider a graphic cover.

But you have to make this decision first. It does no good to find an amazing Photoshop cover artist if you're writing epic fantasy. It doesn't matter how amazing they are. That's not what your genre demands.

While we're on the subject, because I can just see somebody bringing this up: The Name of the Wind has a photoshopped cover.

It's also an awful cover. It's one of the worst covers I've ever seen come out of traditional publishing.

I'm sorry. It's one of my favorite fantasy books. The cover is just not great. It is anti-great.

(And I can say that because it's not MY cover artist. Looking at you, Terry Goodkind.)

Moving on.

So you've determined what kind of cover that you need, based on your genre. Now comes an even harder part. Now you have to find the right person.

Not just the right person, but the right person who you can easily communicate and work with.

Not just the right person who you can easily communicate and work with, but the right person who you can easily communicate and work with, and who you can afford.

And I have no easy solution for you. I looked for a very, very, very long time before I found my current three cover artists, and I tried lots of covers before them that didn't work out, for one reason or another.

I have designed entire covers that were taken to full completion—and of course I paid for them—and I didn't use them, because the vision was not executed correctly. It was executed WELL, but that artist and I didn't jive on what we were going for.

That's the thing. It doesn't mean that that artist was bad. It just means that we aren't in sync enough to work together as author and cover artist.

I know they can turn out great work. I looked at their portfolio before I hired them.

But people can have compatibility issues, as I have discussed before. You can find a really good editor who YOU cannot work with. That doesn't mean they're a bad editor.

So you've got to do the grind, walk the beat. You have to look at art websites. Spend a lot of time on deviantart, if you need an illustrated cover. (There's good Photoshop work on deviantart as well.)

Talk to other authors. Find out who they used. Find covers from your contemporaries and ask where they got them.

Talk to a bunch of artists. Find out how their process works. Find out how much they charge.

You might go through five artists who you don't work well with—who would be perfect, and their art is very good, but something's off. You don't work well with them, or you can't afford them.

And then, finally, you'll find the person. You work well together, you're in sync, and you can afford them.

I can make a couple of recommendations. These are people I know and have worked with in one capacity or another over the years.

My three cover artists for illustrated covers for the Underrealm books are Sutthiwat Dechakamphu, Sarayu Ruangvesh, and Miguel Mercado. Their names are linked to their artist accounts.

If you're looking for illustrated covers, you should absolutely hire them. I don't generate enough work to keep them working full time, and they deserve stunning careers as artists.

If you're looking for Photoshop covers, Domi over at Inspired Cover Designs designs my text templates, and she does a lot of Photoshopped cover work for indie authors.

For more graphical covers, the best person I can think of is Risa Rodil. I've never commissioned a book cover from Risa, but she is an amazing graphical artist who has done lots of work with the vlogbrothers (and with me) for merch.

You've seen my "Have I Mentioned I Write Books?" t-shirt. That's a Risa piece of artwork. If I had a book named Have I Mentioned I Write Books? (maybe one day) I would totally take that piece of artwork and slap it on the cover.

Again, all these artists are amazing people. They're easy for me to work with, they're super flexible, and I have had a great experience with them every single time.

They might not work for YOU, because some people just don't work together. So if you do happen to reach out to one of these people, and it doesn't work out for whatever reason, it doesn't mean they're bad. It doesn't mean you're bad. It just means you need to keep searching until you find the people you click with.

That has been what I feel like was a very, very long answer. Thank you so much for the question, Kristen. I hope that you and others found the answer helpful.

A reminder to everybody else watching this video that my $5 patrons on Patreon, like Kristen, are the only people who get to ask questions for Writer Wednesday, and they get these videos two weeks ahead of everybody else. If that sounds interesting to you, check out my Patreon.

Thank you so much, and I will see you next Wednesday. Bye!

[someplace-that-is-else]

Diamonds in the Rough: Life as an Indie Author in Coronavirus U.S.

Zombie apocalypse.

 That was my name for the Coronavirus pandemic.

 It was not too far off. People were running around hoarding up on towel paper. People were let go from jobs. People were stuck at home. People wouldn’t wear masks even if it meant that they were saving people by doing it, foaming at the mouth in some cases. People thought this whole thing was a hoax. Wait…WHAT?!?

 Meanwhile…I went to work. Well, one of my jobs. It was nice to be an essential worker. Otherwise, honestly I might be out on the street. So for that I was grateful.

 The zombie apocalypse also had another unexpected side-effect. A lot of free time. One of two things could happen. All that free time could be a case for someone to get introspective. Or…it could be a case for a person to finish/work on something.

 I experienced both.

 Works and Finishes: How You can Tell You Like Your Writing Group

 I was so proud of our group.

 I had been a member of a writing group. Calling our group The Authors’ Table (https://www.facebook.com/groups/2502021803151042/), we were a group of indie authors who wanted to have a message board where we tried to be different from other writing groups. How? By interacting with our readers and fans by just showing off our personalities. While we did mention what we were working on and sales, for the most part, our page was a no sale zone. Teasers, samples, and the like. In fact, the only time we had sales was when we had events. Then there were games, prizes, freebies from gift cards to books to even a Kindle tablet.

 During the zombie apocalypse, I noticed something.

 Everybody was finishing something. Glacia Cronk just finished a new book in her Clockmaker series. Carlie Yates had a new book coming out and a sale on her previous books. Ashley Greathouse was super excited about her latest horror novel LILY. And James? James Fuller is always out and about talking about his books. A pirate series here. A thriller over there. Getting new covers for his first fantasy series over here. Busy, busy, busy.

  And to paraphrase Carrie Bradshaw, I couldn’t help but wonder…what was I doing?

 The pandemic had shut down my plans for DARKENED SOUL: THE BREAKING OF CIRCLES. The library still had not opened back up. They were not even taking back drop off books or cds. So there was no chance of me finishing my research over all the time periods that my short story collection involved. At least for now.

 So what was a boy to do? Well a boy decided to focus on one of his other books. And while part of me wanted to start on my forthcoming CROSSOVER series, I figured since I had a LOT of free time now, I could continue to work on DARKENED TABULA, the latest in my THE DARKENED series. While it was finished for the most part. It needed a loooooooooong editing/formatting process. My policy was to do three sweeps before I seriously thought about publishing it.

 Well…I did have time.

  Meanwhile, memberships had grown over at the Authors’ Table. So much so, we decided to do another one of our events. You know…games, prizes, free books!!! Did I say free books? Haha!! Since I had been sending out a lot of invites while I was keeping my Facebook pages active, of course I was going to add in some free signed copies of one of my books.

 I also did something else as well.

 I started to post free sample chapters from DARKENED TABULA.

 Are You or Aren’t You: The Pandemic and Perspective

 It started when I was going through my editing/formatting process. I was ahead enough in my process that they were final drafts of my chapters. I figured that I should give my likers a taste of my forthcoming novel.

 Boy was I nervous! The last book I released was DARKCHILDE. And that was back in 2016. I worried. Would anyone want to read chapters? Was it the right thing to do? How many chapters would I do? Should I do that? Would it take away from releasing DARKENED TABULA?

 On the other hand, I was a writer. It had always been said that a writer should always be sure that new materials was consistently brought out. Let the readers have their supply to devour. Never let them go too long without.

 I was also an indie author.  I’ve been doing it since 2013 seriously. The emphasis on seriously. And that was hard work. There was the writing. There was the networking. The promoting. And if there was anyone who understood that and knew what the concept of hard work (2 jobs mostly) encompassed, it would be me.

 Several of my friends had always had this saying. You are either working to live, or you are living to work? People who work to live were people who knew work was a means to an end, but knew also life was too short to not go after what you really wanted out of life. They never lost their focus. People who lived to work were people who did just that. They wouldn’t know what to do if they were not at work.

 I wished I could say that I was the former. But most of my friends would say that I was the latter. Even when I was on vacation…true vacation…it would usually take me a day and a half to relax. I worked hard over the last year to get rid of that feeling. New eyes. New perspective coming into 2020. And then this pandemic happened. This zombie apocalypse. All this free time. With the Authors’ Table event around the corner, I made a choice. I made it this far because no matter what was going on in life, I knew what was important to me.

 One thing the pandemic did for me was to remind me of that. When it hit, I found out that my sister and brother were both essential workers as well. So I immediately grouped us into a group text. While things had been a little less stressful since I did that, we were in regular contact in a way that we had not been since we were all young to be honest.

 There were a lot of times I’ve laid in bed. My job was over for the day. And I just sat there. Depressed. Worries, fears, and regrets consumed me. It let up some when I returned back to my second job but, I found that I could not stay in this constant state of worry. Before this zombie apocalypse, I had started on a path of self-discovery for myself. I wanted better. I needed better. I deserved better. And no matter how bad it was out here in the United States, there was only one way to do it. And that was through hard work. But…not so much that I allowed it to consume me. There had to be a balance between working to live, but I had to…LIVE. Do what made me happy.

 And what made me happy was writing.

 I had an idea something was up when I pulled out my old list of potential agents. That grew as I was going over the formatting for DARKENED TABULA and I made sure to keep my old submission packages handy. Granted I had some drama with my residence like most people due to the pandemic, but I decided it was a way to have a fresh start. And with that in mind, I placed all of these items somewhere where I could easily retrieve them.

 And…I started to work on them. All of a sudden, I was creating deadlines again. That formatting had to be done by here. This had to be a pdf there. I started writing short stories again. They were for the Book page (www.facebook.com/darkenverse). They dove deeper into things in my ‘Darkenverse.’ After doing nothing for a few years, here I was writing and planning when I would post them. And then there was the hunt for a cover. Rather than see my fellow authors working on things, I had joined them, my free time giving me a different perspective.

 No.

 Purpose. Direction.

 And just like that, I was back in the game.

   So You Got That Groove Back?

 I could not believe it.

 I had posted the sample chapters for DARKENED TABULA, and they were doing good. Better than I expected by the read count. My short story INTO THE WILDS (https://www.facebook.com/notes/darkened-soul/into-the-wilds-a-tale-of-the-forryn/3427837373902981/) was also doing well on the Book page. And it had all led beautifully into the Authors’ Table event…a Member Appreciation Event. It was perfect timing to a surprise of my own: I had the OFFICIAL cover to DARKENED TABULA. And it would be released July 31. Yes, it was a week after the event. But I had drummed up good buzz.

 My patience had paid off. I set deadlines. I was flexible as I could be. But…I met the deadlines. I worked hard on that formatting. And researching covers. And creating buzz through INTO THE WILDS and my sample chapters. And now I would be entering a new arena: active promoting of a new book!!! To think that months ago, I had nothing ready. All I was worried about was surviving in a zombie apocalypse. Now I was planning out my schedule for the foreseeable future which would include more editing of submission packages, a new Darkenverse short story timed with another surprise I was working on, and at least TWO novellas. That did not even include CROSSOVER which I was still itching to get back to. Not to mention DARKENED SOUL: THE BREAKING OF CIRCLES.

 While I did not at the moment feel I would be releasing anything else this year, life was full of surprise. And if the pandemic had done anything for me, it reminded me what was important to me and who I was.  And I should be going after it, following the path that I started at the start of the year.

 I am an author. And whether I was a rich one or just a modest one as long as I was doing what I wanted to do and it made me happy, it did not matter. And...I was happy when I was writing.

 So...let’s see how far this path went.

  DARKENED TABULA 

US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08DMP47MK/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1

 UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08DMP47MK/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_taft_p1_i3

    #diamondintherough #rough #diamond #indieauthor #coronavirus #us #theauthorstable #writinggroups #zombieapocalypse #essential #glaciacronk #carlieyates #ashleygreathouse #jamesfuller #lily #carriebradshaw #satc #pandemic #worthit #balance #followthepath #path #happiness

[misskaao]

Simone Snaith: Interview

Simone Snaith has a lot of books written and they are wonderful (I have written reviews on them all: Faireville Woods Series, The Indigo Stone, and Into the Drawing).

All of the books can be found at Amazon and I recommend buying them if you have not already.

**I was really happy and excited that Ms. Snaith had taken me up on answering a few questions for the blog. They are wonderful responses, and I want to thank her for taking time out to do so.

                                         Q & A

You have written a few books, one being a companion series (From the Ashes and Through the Eyes: Faireville Woods) and the rest standalones. Which are your favorites to do; series or one book a piece?

I prefer both writing and reading stand-alone books, most of the time. I like the idea of leaving the reader to imagine his/her own version of what else might happen in that particular fictional world. And I like having that freedom myself after finishing reading a book. There are some exceptions though; I eagerly read all of A Song of Ice and Fire and the Harry Potter books.

If I recall, there is not many/if any love triangles in your books. Do you hate them/love them or consider them unnecessary?

I absolutely hate love triangles! I think they are widely overused as a plot device and also, they’re not even very realistic. I’ve never been in love with two people at the same time, and neither has any of my close friends or family members...

Do you have a favorite book that you wrote?

I think my favorite is “The Indigo Stone.” I love a good, fish-out-of-water adventure story with a romantic subplot, and I feel like I achieved that with that novel. “In The Drawing” is the most personal, however; Genevieve is loosely based on a younger version of myself.

Do you have a favorite character from your books? What made you love that character?

It might be a tie between Eine from “The Indigo Stone” - because she is a tough survivor, but in a matter-of-fact, unshowy way – and Lundy from “From The Ashes,” for her kind heart, and her love of books and music.

How did you come up with the idea for your books?

They often spring from images that pop up in my head, or just scraps of ideas. “From The Ashes” was a very old story idea of mine, but one of the first images I had was of Harlan in Lundy’s window. I had a dream about the spinning contraption that Eine is strapped into by Indigo, and “In The Drawing” definitely started out as just the idea of vines growing over a building overnight.

Can you give us a hint to what we should be expecting in your next book?

“Between The Water & The Woods” is scheduled to be published by Holiday House in the spring! It’s a YA Fantasy that involves monsters, magic, and machines. 😉

Where do you like to write?

I usually write at my desk at home, but I also write on my Kindle Fire when I’m out and about.

Do you decide character traits before you sit down to write the book, or as you go along?

There are usually some that I know beforehand, but others that develop as I go. That’s one of the exciting parts for me.

If you could give a young writer any tip, what would it be?

Keep going until you finish the first draft, and THEN go back and edit. Don’t keep stopping and second-guessing things. A lot of the writers I know have trouble finishing even that first draft.

If you weren’t writing, what would you want to be doing for a living? What are some of your other passions in life?

My other passion is music, so I would be focusing more on that if I wasn’t also a writer. I currently sing and write songs in a band that plays locally in L.A.

What do you love about being an indie author?

I love the fact that many indie publishers accept unsolicited manuscripts! While literary agents are obviously amazing, they are also gatekeepers, in a sense. If you can’t find one who is excited about your current book, then you’re stuck, because the major publishers will only accept submissions through them. With my self-published books, I liked having control over the book cover and design, and also receiving the sales notifications directly in my inbox.  

What is the oddest thing you’ve found yourself researching for your books (if any)?

The most recent (unpublished) novel that I wrote is about a girl whose parents work in the space program, and who starts dreaming that aliens are contacting her. So I went on a tour of the Jet Propulsion Lab here in L.A., read about the Cassini spacecraft and Mars Rover online, and talked to a family friend who works for NASA! I had to figure out how my main character and her friend could do something technically minor that would alter her parents’ spacecraft mission.

Any tidbits you wish to share for inspiring or other indie authors?

If you truly love writing, then keep pursuing it forever and ever. There are many routes to publishing now and you can keep trying them all.

                                RANDOM Q & A

Which would you pick- (fame, money, happiness, or easy inspiration)?

Happiness, which would give me plenty of inspiration!

How many drafts from first to final?

For myself, usually only 2 or 3, but their have already been more than that for “Between The Water & The Woods.” I’m still in the editing stage with Holiday House.

Do you fit any author stereotypes (Cat owner? Coffee/tea Addict? Messy handwriting? Recluse? Late night writer? OCD spelling/grammer (i.e. hate others who don’t use it properly or even yourself)?

Haha, I fit all of those except for “recluse” and “late night writer!” I prefer to write in the morning, although I certainly don’t get up early, and I do like to get out often. I have a 21-year-old cat who is my true love, and I’m definitely a coffee addict and spelling/grammer Nazi. My handwriting only gets worse as I get older...

What is your biggest pet peeve?

Probably when people are unjustifiably rude. I work in retail, so I see this often, unfortunately. I’m a stickler for basic manners.

What is one thing you love and could not live without?

Rock ‘n roll. <3

****Those answers are wonderful, amazing and the tidbits for writers is a must read! Always helpful to add insight for others. I love the NASA information and I bet it was really cool to do. Manners are a must for me as well, sad to think we are losing some of that. I don't know about you readers, but I'm going to be checking out Ms. Snaith's music now and reviewing it up. Love that she writes music as well!