innovation

Why Three Is NOT A Crowd!

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It’s common in the writing community to have more than one pair of eyes editing your work. Some editors catch certain details, whether it’s proofing, copy editing, structural editing, or developmental edits. But what if you haven’t gotten too far into your writing career and you don’t have a team behind you quite yet? We have another option and idea for you: A WRITING GROUP.

Sounds very old school, maybe something you thought only existed on TV or in slice-of-life movies, but they’re very real and sometimes very necessary in a writer’s career. You’ll get the similar appeal from an editing team towards your writing, but a tad bit nicer and less cut-dry. A group will provide the outside perspective you need to help tie up the loose ends you may have missed. If your group (or partner) chooses meet-up times, it’ll boost your accountability with your writing and improve your relationship with your ability to write. Last but not least, you’ll get unconditional support from your peers, which you might need on those days you aren’t feeling confident.

A step beyond that: you’ll find friends. Friends who will love and support you (and your writing career but let’s get back to the sentiments), to push you in the right direction.

A Different Hunt

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Instead of being a creature of malice, this week we are diving into a human-turned-keeper. Keep reading to find out some interesting facts!

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Herne the Hunter | England

“The antlered spirit of a hanged man that guards Windsor Forest.”

Basic Facts:

  • Truth be told…Herne was probably based off of a real keeper of the forest.
  • Story goes: the hunter made a pact with the Devil, forcing him to be doomed to hunt forever.
  • He rides at night, mostly but is found during storms.
  • Herne is said to wear horns, rattle chains, blast trees and cattle BUT…is not commonly seen by mortals.
  • Our beloved hunter had an oak tree, which is rumored to be where he haunted most of the time, was torn down…but Queen Victoria came to the rescue and replaced it with another oak.

Can’t Stress It Enough!

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We love sharing the milestones of our authors.

Yesterday, we saw one of our authors (Maggie Kirton) have an all-day Facebook interview discussing her nonfiction novel: My Firefly! You read that correct: all-day interview.

Today, we want to share the book trailer released for Joseph Malik‘s upcoming release in his series: The New Magic will be coming to you September 18, 2018! Get excited!

Tread Lightly

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Recently, we’ve been seeing the writing community discuss the anxieties pertaining to writing minority characters. A lot of authors and writers tread these waters lightly. At the end of the day, when one person writes a race that isn’t their own, it can easily be turned against them. We want to remind that: it is possible to write another race. You shouldn’t feel discouraged!

Don’t ever forget: people are diverse. Not only in skin color but in personal experience. Not one experience will ever be the same. Your character’s bio should have the “deep and complex” experience which helps them grow throughout the duration of the plot. This can easily be influenced by location, demographic, how their family dynamic is built…all those details. Every writer knows this but here’s a friendly reminder…do your research.

One of the biggest concerns is encouraging stereotypes. For anyone, stereotypes in books alter the reality of how we see other races. Take the jokes and heavily controversial bits that you’ve heard out of your writing. Instead, apply the research you’ve done to your racially-diverse characters.

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Keep in mind: you’re not going to please everyone. People will not like your character because it doesn’t reflect their exact life experience. People won’t like the textbook relation of your character to the audience. Your character is your character; they’re an extension of you and your work. At the end of the day, that’s all that matters.

 

The Three-Headed Hound

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Cerberus | Greece

“Multi-headed hellhound that guards the entrance to the underworld.”

Basic Facts:

  • Prevents the dead from leaving the Underworld.
  • We know the Cerberus as a three-headed dog, but most early depictions show the Cerberus as a regular-sized dog with one to two heads.
  • Described to have a serpent for a tail, snakes protruding from parts of its body, and mostly a hound.
  • Cerberus was rumored to have surfaced on Earth but returned by its own will to the Underworld to serve Hades.
  • Cerberus’ name derived from the Greek word “creoboros,” which translates to “flesh-devouring.“

Re-Format It

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Why is it important to format your book? If you’re new to the industry, maybe it’s time we revisit our publishing journey series we started awhile back.

If you’re sending your manuscript on its journey for representation, double check your submission. The basics?

  • Font
  • Margins
  • Space
  • Align
  • Page numbering
  • Page headers
  • Chapters
  • Italics
  • Single character space

Some extras people tend to forget?

    • Scene breaks: you have to indicate them with something.
    • Make the ending clear: use THE END or the # sign. Make it clear it’s over.
    • Don’t forget your title page with all of your information along with your agent’s information as well.formatting.gif

 

You can make your manuscript look as crazy as possible for your own pleasure but, for goodness sake, don’t send out your blue background and yellow letters make it into an agent’s lap.

You’re Watching The Morning News

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It’s important to find your muse and stick with it. Keeping the other creative stories at bay could be hard but worth shutting up until your current piece is complete. But what happens if your muse just so happens to be the news.

You know what I mean: writing a fictional story around a political mishap, or some celebrity scandal or even a cool invention that made its debut on the morning news but triggered your creative gears and now you can’t stop piecing together how it came to be.

Let’s talk about why it might be down your alley to talk about the trends in our society.

People read the news and are consumed by it. Good, bad, whatever it may be. This is what people will always turn to. If you’re in the writing gig and have a general interest in recreating the last scandal that popped up on your phone or TV, we say do it.

Some of the most recent best-sellers included work about politics, magical realism, plain ol’ literary realism/naturalism…but not a nonfiction story.

No, stay away from that unless you’re in a situation where you like the research your conducting.

To put it into perspective, when the Royal Wedding came around…twice…there was a huge influx in sales for stories about princesses and fictional retellings of how the couples came to be.

Think about that the next time you’re tuned into the six o’clock news.

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The Woman of the Fairy Mounds

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Not to be mixed up with the TV show Banshee…but today we’re diving into what a banshee is exactly and where did she come from?

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Banshee | Ireland

“Female spirit that screams as an omen of death.”

Basic Facts:

  • The name translates to ‘woman of the fairy mounds.’
  • What can she be seen or mistaken as? A beautiful, young woman or a frightening old woman or hag. Either can be very deceiving!
  • She cries at night when someone is about to give in to death. Not kill anyone. She has a ‘sister-like’ figure who lures their victim into their death using their charm so be careful of that one!
  • If you see a comb nearby, don’t pick it up! Banshees use combs to brush their own hair…it’s a sign of their anguish.
  • Banshees were said to only haunt families with the surnames starting with (Ó) or (Mac).

Writing On Mondays

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Every adventure tale needs a character to complement the main. It’s the best way to highlight the qualities of the other character (mainly the protagonist.)

Don’t mix this up with juxtaposing. We see that more of comparing or contrasting any two things. Today, we’re focusing on the art of foiling.

If you have a main character who is your pride and joy, one you have taken under your wing and have promised to protect at all costs, then you probably want your readers to think the same thing, no? Create a foil. A foil is meant to be a character who completes the main character, if used correctly. The foil could be that of the ‘ideal’ character, one who has great qualities your MC lacks. If this happens, you may want the foil to get kicked out for some reason, or killed off; everyone loves a good tragic death!

Your MC may need a foil to help further or thicken the plot. So, draft one up and see the endless possibilities of plots and subplots you could have! It could even help develop your MC’s character development.

Pick any door that has opened up! We promise it may help make your character even more lovable!

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We Cracked The Case

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We can officially say we cracked the case of the werewolves in London. The ‘American’ Werewolf in London existed and we have all of the information below. 😉

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Black Shuck | England

“Ghostly black dog whose direct gaze dooms you to death within a year.”

Basic Facts:

  • This dog could either have red or green eyes. Or a single eye in the middle of its forehead. It’s also been recorded the dog could be headless…but how would it gaze at you and curse you to death…?
  • It can vary in size: from a large dog to the size of a horse.
  • To make matters worse, the black shuck could float on a carpet of mist.
  • You’ll find this demon dog haunting East Anglia, in one of these areas: the coastline, graveyards, side roads, crossroads, bodies of water and dark forests.
  • Don’t worry though, unlike the other creatures on our list, this dog can also be very friendly and a protector to some.