As a winning participant in NaNoWriMo, we are offered the opportunity of creating proof copies of our November novel. Part of this process is of course deciding on a cover for the book. I created one for my latest narrative, The Giving Thief. I liked the basic design and inserted a photo of a forest cabin. It will give me a good starting point when I design the final cover as I would like more texture in the final image. Once the narrative has been edited and revised I will be able to create a cover to intrigue my readers.
How did you decide on your proof copy cover?
Was it a generic one or did you design your own?
I found these links, which are really cool. Can you pick one or two?
Quote – probably the most famous of all when it comes to a book cover:
Never judge a book by its cover
The external appearance is not a reliable guide to the quality of what lies within. So today’s prompt is: Find a cover you enjoy and then describe it.
No matter where you live low temperatures are unpleasant, however ‘low’ is relative. Low in a normally tropical location maybe a summer’s day heat in others or a dry cold can be ‘warmer’ than a ‘damp’ cold. I spent the majority of my life living in England – the green and pleasant land. However, the ‘green’ was derived from a great deal of rain. I was used to it and never took much notice of the overcast days – it was normal. When I came to live in Canada, however my first ‘surprise’ was the almost constant sunshine. I was not used to it but really loved it. Such a simple change impacted on how I saw the weather as a whole. Now we can have -30 (and yes its cold) but we also have bright blue sky and sunshine at the same time. So the perception is a glorious day until you step outside!
This is our current 10 day trend:
As the global weather patterns change more of us are experiencing unusual weather. This can be warmer winters, colder summers and everything in between. So how do we reflect this kind of change when we are writing a story set in a particular location, where the ‘normal’ view is tropical, arctic or temperate? Do we continue to use the stereo-type perceptions of the location or utilize other ‘clues’ to the region with flora and fauna, style of buildings and accents?
It is a ‘new’ problem for writers, for sure, but with creativity we can overcome.
Have you come across this particular problem in a recent narrative you are writing?
Quotes:
Give me books, fruit, french wine and fine weather and a little music out of doors, played by somebody I do not know.
John Keats
We welcome all enquiries about the UK climate after all, we have more weather available in this country than anywhere else.
Sir Sydney Samuelson
Prompt
Set your scene in a preconceived location then change it up…
I came across this article today and it resonated with me. We all aspire to become an excellent writer and hold famed authors up in our esteem as the ‘perfect’ writer or writers. However, not every work they produce is ‘perfect’. This not only shocks us but also gives us solace in the knowledge, even our heroes can fail. I have found a decrease in quality to be most prevalent in long sagas or series. Does the author become disillusioned or bored with the stories? A seven book deal may sound wonderful at the inception but by book five, is it still enjoyable?
Have you found one of your favored author’s work to be disappointing?
Which novel was it?
Why did it fall short?
Quotes:
Desire is the key to motivation, but it’s determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal – a commitment to excellence – that will enable you to attain the success. Mario Andretti
Excellence is not a skill. It is an attitude. Ralph Marston
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. Aristotle
Today’s prompt – if you choose to take up the challenge – is to find a sentence from one of your a favored authors that you feel you can improve upon.
Memoirs of the rich and famous populate the bookstore shelves and our curiosity ensures we pick them up, enabling us to get a glimpse into their lives.(Well, the part they are willing to expose, anyway!) Some change our persepctive of that person, while others confirm our suspicions. However, what about the stories of ‘ordinary’ people? The ones that work, play, nurture, explore, and live out of the spot light?
Everyone’s story is unique and important not just for their families but the population at large. These glimpses into how life was lived in the past are so much more important than the dry facts in history books. I am currently watching ‘Call The Midwife” – it is set in post-war London and is superbly done. The TV series is actually based on the memoirs of Jennifer Worth, who worked as a midwife in the East End of London in the 1950’s. Even though it is recent history, the changes in our lives since then are remarkable – this is the exact reason we should consider writing our story.
After many years of pleading with my Mother, she wrote a beautiful story about how she met my father and their lives together. Many facts were unknown to my siblings and I – they may be small, incidental snippets to many but to us they are precious. I am in the process of transcribing the story and will compile a book, which will include photographs, poems, and letters and have copies made for the family to keep as a legacy to future generations. A true gift for the family.
I collaborated in writing a memoir workbook, which focusing on how to gather the ‘materials’ of your life to assist you in compiling your memoir. With helpful tips and exercises to ignite your memories, it is a superb book to get you started. http://www.dreamwritepublishing.ca/retail/books/your-lifetime-stories
Have you written; or are you considering, writing your memoir?
What was your experience?
How are you compiling it?
Quotes:
A memoir is an invitation into another’s person’s privacy. – Isabel Allende
A memoir should have some uplifting quality, inspiring or illuminating, and that’s what separates a life story that can influence other people. – Mitch Albom
If you write a memoir, it can’t be about blame or hurt; it has to be creative. – Dani Shapiro
Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it. It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become. C. S Lewis
Literature is my Utopia. Here I am not disenfranchised. No barrier of the senses shuts me out from the sweet, gracious discourses of my book freinds. They talk to me without embarrassment or awkwrdness. Helen Keller
Sadly Sue Townsend has passed away. For those not acquainted with this author, she wrote a series of books centered around a character called Adrian Mole. It is always sad when we loose an author, their words carry on though for future generations.
Today’s prompt inspired by Adrian…what is your recollection of being 13 years old?
So today’s prompt is: Find a cover you enjoy and then describe it.
Mandy Eve-Barnett's Blog for Readers & Writers 