What Went into That Cover?

I thought I'd share the design process for one of my latest and most complex book cover designs.

Before:

After:

After Natalie D. Wilson and I had a great, informative chat on the phone, I felt I had a pretty good grasp on her book, Rohan's Choice (available in paperback and ebook).

We needed a vineyard setting...

...with a larger villa...

I also turned the sky pink and added a couple more trees.

Then we needed a big, buff, Rohan character looking off at the villa.

So I found a man who was already looking somewhat the way we needed...

Then I "turned him around" by darkening and blurring. Now he was a semi-buff silhouette that could be facing either toward or away from you. I painted a new hairdo for him, and bulked up his shoulders and arms.

The picture ended too soon, though, so I borrowed this guy's pants...

...and added a sword...

Then all I had to do was work with the title and other text. That was a piece of cake, comparatively.

I had so, so much fun with this cover! 

Want to see more? Check out my design portfolio here: http://perryelisabethdesign.blogspot.com and my gallery of premade covers here: www.selfpubbookcovers.com/perryelisabeth

How To Write on (Almost) Everything

Awhile back when we were going on a road trip to visit my in-laws, I figured out a marvelous system for having access to my current writing projects no matter where I am. (Obviously if your WIP is in a notebook, you just have to grab it and go.)

I thought I'd share the system I've worked out. It involves these two components...

and

Writebox

And of course whatever technology I could forsee myself using to write. For me that would be my computer online or offline, my Android tablet online or offline, and someone else's computer--hubby's, my parents', my inlaws'--whoever. (You might use your phone instead of a tablet; I haven't done this because my phone is currently having a bad attitude.)

So... how does this work?

Basically, my writing projects are all saved as .txt files--a very "vanilla" file type allowing them to be easily created, viewed, and edited by any of my available technology options.

My Computer - Online

So, if I am sitting at my computer at home when I begin a new document, all I have to do is use my text editor (You'll have Notepad or Wordpad if you're on Windows, or--what is the Mac equivalent?). I create my document, and save it as a .txt file in the Dropbox folder on my computer.

There it is! The one with the handy little check mark telling me it's synced!

I can type some more, and whenever I hit "Save," it will sync those changes to my Dropbox account.

My Computer - Offline

Now... what if I'm not connected to the internet? Say my connection is down but I have work to do. Not a problem. I can still access the file here on my computer. I can work on it and save it, and then--tada! Whenever my connection is re-established, the changes will automatically be synced!

My Tablet - Online

(This option would totally work for a smartphone that doesn't have attitude problems like mine does.) I've downloaded Dropbox's free app from the Google Play store. I can access the latest, synced version of my WIP, work on it with Dropbox's built-in editor, save it/sync it, and the changes will instantly be reflected everywhere--even on the file stored on my computer back at home! 

My Tablet - Offline

Since my tablet is wi-fi only, there are plenty of times (like during road trips) when I don't have an internet connection. That's okay, because before I leave for my trip I can, from within the app, "star" the documents I will need offline access to and--voila! I will be able to work on them even without a connection. Again, next time I have a connection, changes I made while offline will automatically sync across the board! WOW!

(A quick note: If you're like me and you hate typing on a touchscreen for large amounts of text, you have a couple options. There are all sorts of cool Bluetooth keyboards out there: tiny ones, roll-up ones, fold-up ones... the important thing is to find one that is comfortable to type on. Otherwise, it's no more convenient than the touchscreen. The other thing that works well is handwriting recognition input. Some phones and tablets come with this feature. If your device does not, you can buy a handwriting recognition app called 7notes with Mazec, allowing you to write on the screen with your finger or a stylus. It will convert your handwriting to typed text. There's a little bit of a learning curve, but it's a great input method.)

Someone Else's Computer - Online only

Let's say I want to work on my WIP and the only device available to me is someone else's computer. Not a problem. All I have to do is go to http://write-box.appspot.com/ and sign in/link my Dropbox account. There are all my files and a handy online editor! Hitting Ctrl-S will sync the document as will clicking the "Sync" button at the top of the page. When I'm done, I can click the menu button (looks like three bars stacked), go to "Account," and Unlink so the next person to use the computer isn't able to access my Dropbox account. (It's like signing out.)

Writebox online app. New blank document ready to go. Simple, isn't it!

(A quick note: I even like to use Writebox when I'm on my own computer because of the distraction-free, clean look. If you hit F11--or whatever the equivalent is for your computer--the window will go completely full-screen, hiding from view all the other distracting things on your browser. It's pretty handy!)

(Another quick note: Writebox has apps for iPad and iPhone as well as Chrome. I don't have experience with any of these, but they might work great for you!)

With this set up, no matter where I am, what I'm doing, or how many miles are left of our road trip, I can keep writing!

(This has been cross-posted on Word Painters.)

An Introductory Post

So, I'm one of the writers for Word Painters, a new writing encouragement blog. (Go check it out and follow/subscribe!!) Even though most of you have been reading my blog for awhile now, I thought it would be fun to share my Word Painters introductory post...


Howdy!

I'm Perry Elisabeth Kirkpatrick, wife to my best friend, Tyler, and mommy to sweet 10-month-old Kellen and another "in the oven" as they say. I'm 21 years old, the oldest of 8 homeschooled kids.

I'm an insecure, second-guessing writer who publishes a book whenever I gather the courage to plow--and pray--my way to the finish line. And then I freak out every time I crack open the finished book, worried that it's all a piece of silly junk! But at the same time, I love every minute of it. (Is that weird?)



I love developing a book idea, making a plan, pounding it out line by line. I love getting feedback from my family (the best part is making my parents cry with a poignant ending!!). I love getting the book polished to the best of my abilities. I love designing the cover, making the layout stylish and professional, and finally uploading those files to the publisher. I especially love feeling the glossy finished product in my hands.

 

(By the way, I my first two books are getting a makeover with improved covers! )

When I'm not in one of those phases of book-birthing, I enjoy sewing and knitting, playing piano and a handful of other instruments, doing freelance book design, playing with my hubby and our munchkin, absolutely DEVOURING books, and rambling about theology, politics, and social issues while doing housework. (Usually the baby is the only one listening. Makes me wonder if one day he'll wake up talking about the sufficiency of Scripture or something...)

Anyhow! I always have a terrible time introducing myself, but hopefully that gives you an idea of who I am. I can't wait to begin sharing writing and self-publishing encouragement here on Word Painters every other Friday. And I'm definitely looking forward to meeting you; I love hearing from fellow authors--aspiring and published! Drop me a line any time!



God bless!

Perry

http://perryelisabeth.blogspot.com

www.yourstorycentral.com

Writerly Wednesday

...a roundup of free resources and excellent articles of interest to writers.

1. "Crafting Unforgettable Characters" by K.M. Weiland Just by signing up for her mailing list, K.M. Weiland will send you a PDF of this nifty handbook for crafting and troubleshooting your book characters. Anything character related gets my attention, and this gal always has excellent writing advice. (I love her blog!) Other fabulous free stuff can be found on the same page--like a cool "Writer's Manifesto" as a printable and as wallpaper, book samples, and a video tutorial of...
2. yWriter computer program for authors This is an awesomely cool software I think I've mentioned before. It's like Scrivener, but free. Can't beat that!
   
3. The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. A concise classic I found hugely helpful when I was in school. In many people's minds it is the definitive work on grammar usage and composition.  I wish I owned a copy of it now that I have my own home, so it's a good thing it's freely available (and searchable!) online. If you have never heard of this book, I recommend you check it out. It's short, interesting, easy to understand, and even amusing!
   

Have a suggestion? Please drop me a line with a link to the resource and I may include it in another Writerly Wednesday!

Writerly Wednesday

...a roundup of free resources and excellent articles of interest to writers.

1.  "Finding the Core of Your Story" by Jordan Smith (free sample) I've heard good things about this book, but have not read it myself. What I can say is, the free sample I just read is marvelous. And I expect the rest of the book is the same, and someday I shall read it. "When I get a little money I buy books..." (Erasmus of Rotterdam)
2. FocusWriter (free writing software) Hammy from "Over the Hedge" is the inspiration for the term my family coined for distraction: "Hammy-brained." If you're Hammy-brained, you should scamper over and check out this free software for keeping focused while writing. It completely fills your computer screen so you can't see that you just got a new e-mail, and you can set custom color/font schemes and photo backgrounds to keep you inspired. (And--in case this matters to anyone besides me--it also runs on Ubuntu.)
3. Book Review Contest and Giveaway from J. Grace Pennington If you write reviews for her titles, you'll be entered in a giveaway for four books. I can personally recommend "Red Rain" and "Supervillain of the Day," I've already mentioned my thoughts on "Finding the Core of Your Story," and I expect "Sixteen, So in Love with You" is lovely, as well. Read the details on her blog.

Have a suggestion? Please drop me a line with a link to the resource and I may include it in another Writerly Wednesday!

"Oh, Tyler! I Want!"

That's what I said to my husband in Costco the other day. He left me oozing my way through the book section while he ran and checked the price of something--milk was it? I think so. Like I said, I was oozing through books, so I wasn't paying terrifically close attention to eatables at the moment. When he returned I showed him this book: "642 Things to Write About."

 

One of these days, I will get myself a copy. (Just to note, Costco does have the best price on it. It's $10-something instead of $11.53 from Amazon.) This book so totally struck my writing fancy. Here's the description; read it and see if it doesn't strike yours...

 

This collection of 642 outrageous and witty writing prompts will get the creative juices flowing in no time. From crafting your own obituary to penning an ode to an onion, each page of this playful journal invites inspiration and provides plenty of space to write. Brimming with entertaining exercises from the literary minds of the San Francisco Writers' Grotto, this is the ultimate gift for scribes of every stripe.

 

Penning an ode to an onion! I love it! Anything to get me writing something!

 

Other examples from Amazon's "Look Inside" preview:

A houseplant is dying. Tell it why it needs to live.

Write a scene where the only spoken dialogue is "Uh-huh," "Um," "Errr," "Mm-mmm."

 

Splendid, simply splendid. Doubtless there are some suggestions that will need a Sharpie (there always are; don't ask me why), but hey--this is a book that's meant to be written in anyway!

Wordplay

Have you ever been to Wordplay? K.M. Weiland's posts are fantastically practical and seem to focus a lot on developing and writing strong characters. As an example, check out this post: Improve Your Character Instantly: Just Add a Ghost. Now, I don't believe in ghosts, therefore I don't write ghosts into my stories. But I read this post anyway and discovered, much to my delight, a helpful tip to aid in creating a more 3-dimensional character. Ms. Weiland isn't suggesting adding a literal see-through, hovering visitor, but rather explains in the brief article, "This is a term used by screenwriters to describe something in the character's past that is still haunting him." While I don't have any clue about the books she references as examples, I still completely understood her point: sometimes, characters could use some baggage. That's real life, and everybody wants their characters as realistic as possible!

 

 

This article is just one small example, but play around on Wordplay and see what you find! (Why not start with the related posts at the bottom of the aforementioned article Discover the Perfect Place to Insert Backstory, When Not to Tell Your Character’s Backstory, Plot vs. Character: Which Is More Important? Talk about practical!)

Oh, and did I mention she has a whole page of free resources? Yep! One of them is this e-book. To receive it, all you have to do is subscribe to her mailing list.

"Featuring some of my most popular tips on character crafting, this pdf offers a good starting place for understanding the basics of character building, as well as some tips for troubleshooting. You’ll also discover inspiring quotes from successful authors, writing prompts, and creativity exercises."

 

Looks pretty interesting, doesn't it? I can't wait to read my copy!

 

 

What a Character!

Characters and Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card

Vivid and memorable characters aren't born: they have to be made

This book is a set of tools: literary crowbars, chisels, mallets, pliers and tongs. Use them to pry, chip, yank and sift good characters out of the place where they live in your imagination.

Award-winning author Orson Scott Card explains in depth the techniques of inventing, developing and presenting characters, plus handling viewpoint in novels and short stories. With specific examples, he spells out your narrative options—the choices you'll make in creating fictional people so "real" that readers will feel they know them like members of their own families.

You'll learn how to:

• Draw characters from a variety of sources
• Make characters show who they are by the things they do and say, and by their individual "style"
• Develop characters readers will love—or love to hate
• Distinguish among major characters, minor characters and walk-ons, and develop each appropriately
• Choose the most effective viewpoint to reveal the characters and move the storytelling
• Decide how deeply you should explore your characters' thoughts, emotions, and attitudes

Wow. That's the first thing I have to say. The second would be... how quickly can I get it from Amazon?! I have to send this book back to the library tomorrow and I'm going to miss it.

I hope you read the description carefully, because what it claims is absolutely true. All too often, books on writing are not practical enough. They make the art sound fantastically cool, but the science remains maddeningly mysterious. Not so with this book. Mr. Card must have thought long and hard about his subject matter; it is so well organized and articulated that his points really are like "crowbars, chisels, mallets, pliers, and tongs"! The tools and principles he sets forth are that tangible. He breaks down what normally seems nebulous and subjective into something measurable, objective, and understandable. That is an intensely practical writing book! For example...

     "It is a mistake to think that 'good characterization' is the same thing in every work of fiction. Different kinds of stories require different kinds of characters.

     "But what are the different kinds of stories? Forget about publishing genres for a moment... Instead we'll look at four basic factors that are present in every story, with varying degrees of emphasis..." (from Characters and Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card, page 62, emphasis added)

He then goes through these four factors--milieu, idea, character, and event--with great detail, explaining their differences and exploring applications. Do you see how practical that is?!

He points out important principles such as, "At the beginning of the story, all characters are equal--we don't know any of them at all... if the cabdriver is in fact supposed to be minor, you could not begin the story with this scene. If these were the first five paragraphs of the story, we would naturally expect that the story was going to be about Nora and the cabby, and when Nora goes on through the story without ever seeing or even thinking of the cabdriver again, at some point the readers are going to ask, 'What was that business with the cabdriver all about?'" (page 82)

No wonder I'm gobbling up this book as fast as I can...!*

*Notes on Characters and Viewpoint:

Most books on writing have the common, unfortunate malady of using rotten examples to illustrate points. This book does have some obnoxious examples. For this reason, I'd rate it PG or PG-13. In other words, you still have to buy this book, but before handing it to your young writer, do go through with a good ol' Sharpie. ;)

I also wanted to note that its writing style is not geared toward children like A Writer's Notebook is. Youngish writers will still benefit hugely from reading it, however, they will just need to be committed.

Happy Notebook Junky

I live near a library--mwa-ha-ha-ha!! Yes, I'm a little excited to have so many books so nearby. I especially appreciate the fabulous cooperative system; I can borrow books from 14 libraries! Recently, I requested a couple books on writing: A Writer's Notebook and Characters and Viewpoint. Too often I am disappointed by books on this topic, but these are a different story. Today and tomorrow, I'll tell you what I like about these two books...

A Writer's Notebook by Ralph Fletcher

Writers are like other people, except for at least one important difference. Other people have daily thoughts and feelings, notice this sky or that smell, but they don't do much about it.

Not writers. Writers react. And writers need a place to record those reactions. That's what a writer's notebook is for. It gives you a place to write down what makes you angry or sad or amazed, to write down what you noticed and don't want to forget...

Although written for elementary school children, this book is very inspiring to me. Part of the appeal is the very simplicity with which the writer's notebook is described. Simply put, keeping a notebook is not difficult, and it's very beneficial. 

Mr. Fletcher demonstrates, with many real-life examples from his own notebooks and those of students, how everyday thoughts and events can be painlessly recorded for future writing reference. According to him, there are no hard-and-fast rules for one's notebook.

If you know me well enough, you know I am a horrible notebook junky. So, yes, I now keep a Fletcher-ite writer's notebook. Mine is a brown Moleskine, thread bound and lined. Entries range from "Lean back and look at the sky," to musings on a recent tragedy. I just wrote, "I love Moleskine." Ahh... the creative freedom and the fun! And, according to Mr. Fletcher's experience, the random things jotted down in a writer's notebook can become very useful when referenced later.

Yep, I definitely recommend reading and applying this little book, A Writer's Notebook by Ralph Fletcher.*

*Notes on A Writer's Notebook:

I don't recall specifically, but there are a couple student examples that mention angst over things that some parents may not feel are suitable for their young writers. Like I said, I can't remember the exact topics, but it may be a good idea to have a peek through the book before letting your children at it since I can't possibly assess by everyone's standards. ;)