Tag Archives: writing tips

Writing Tips: Setting: Picking a Location

23 May

Before I begin today’s post topic, I have two things to address: 

First: Special thanks to Nicole Lee at ”Ennlee’s Reading Corner” for reviewing Minutes Before Sunset:  “…The book alternates between the point of view of each of the main characters without a set pattern, and Ms. Thompson should be commended for her ability to create two characters that are similar enough to keep these sections from being disjointed, but different enough that the reader can tell in an instant who is speaking…”

Click here to read the rest.

As of now, Minutes Before Sunset is rated 4.5 stars on Amazon, 4 stars on Barnes & Noble, and 4.7 stars on Goodreads. Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed! An author always appreciates the dedicated and honest support. 

This picture means a lot to me. These are two great friends of mine that I met at the University of Kansas, William and Brooke Jones, and you might notice what William is holding: my first novel, November Snow. Support (and friendship) like this is priceless.

This picture means a lot to me. These are two great friends of mine that I met at the University of Kansas, William and Brooke Jones, and you might notice what William is holding: my first novel, November Snow. Support (and friendship) like this is priceless.

Second: As many of you know, I held another contest where the winners receive a free account at Happify, a website dedicated to bringing happiness to social media within a great community of encouraging peers. The winners are:

whiteravensoars: Random Acts of Writing (invitation sent)

Ky Grabowski: Welcome to the inner workings of my mind (invitation sent)

willowysp: Freefall (I need an email)

Nicole Lee: Ennlee’s Reading Corner (invitation sent)

Amber Skye Forbes: Writing Words with the Tips of my Toes (I need an email)

Based on status, you’ll receive a confirmation. (If you don’t fell comfortable sharing your email on my comments, please send an email to ShannonAThompson@aol.com identifying yourself, so I can send the invite) Follow me here, so I can find you, and I’ll  be sure to follow back!

Now, onto today’s post:

I wanted to discuss “setting” in a novel, but I specifically wanted to share websites where you can find more information on your place (or perhaps browse the world for inspiration, even if your setting is in another world entirely.)

I think your background is a great place to start. Everyone has heard “write what you know,” and there is truth in it. Placing your novel in a place your extremely familiar with is the easiest route (not necessarily the right route), and this can make descriptions easier. For instance, Minutes Before Sunset takes place in Hayworth, Kansas. This is not a real town. It’s actually a play on Hays and Ellsworth, both towns in Kansas. I haven’t lived in these locations, but I have been to them, and I currently live in Kansas, so I am very familiar with the culture, layout, and how the weather works. Plus, I wanted an ironic name. Since the novel is about a dark fate, it only seemed appropriate (and humorous) to have a name that suggested the town was worthy.

In regards to familiarity, another thing to think about is your basic settings. By this, I am referencing your rooms. I’ve discussed interior maps before, and every house in Minutes Before Sunset is based off of a real house I’ve lived in (aside from Eric’s. That’s my dream home.) And the maps are available on the Minutes Before Sunset extra’s page.

Back to location:

If you’re looking for a place you’re not entirely familiar with, I wanted to give a great website out there for beginning, especially if you’re not positive on what you’re looking for.

Earth Album Alpha: This is a slick flicker collection of photos, virtually capable in regards to clicking anywhere on the map just to see an arrangement of pictures from the specific country. This can be very broad, but it can also help narrow down what you’re looking for. As an example, the picture below is of Serbia. (I clicked randomly.) You’ll see a collection of tiny pictures at the top, which you can enlarge, that will show the region. In particular, this country has a lot of beautiful fields, so you may not be interested in Serbia, but you might realize you want an open space, and you can go from there.

Earth Album Alpha

Earth Album Alpha

Do you like these tips? Join my Facebook page for more!

Do you like these tips? Join my Facebook page for more!

Weather Base: This website helps summarize what happens in regards to weather in the average year based on the location you choose. This is actually a traveling website, meant for tourists to figure out ideal weather to travel in, but you can learn whatever you want all over the world. I really recommend checking these things, because fallacies can happen in location, if you’re not familiar with how citizens live beneath the weather clouds. A good example of this is the famous young-adult novel, Twilight. Although Meyer set it in a rain-prone state, the amount of rain she used was very unrealistic to the location. In an interview, she even admitted that she visited for weeks without rain and was quite disappointed with her lack of research. However, she was delighted to bring tourism to the city that wasn’t known before. So there are pros and cons to everything.

American Culture: If you want to stay in the states, this blog is full of information about history, culture, language, education, and more. It even includes family arrangements, death rituals, and relationships to other countries where these things may have taken place originally. This won’t only help your setting; it can help your characters round out as they’ll have a family background stabilized within reality. For instance, it may remind you of the variation in language used across certain areas. An exact quote: “Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Tagalog due to immigration from the countries where those languages are spoken, and to a certain extent French, primarily in far north New England, due to the Acadian-Canadian influence, and in Louisiana (Cajun).”

…

My hopes is that sites like this will help the initial process of choosing a location you (as much as your readers) feel connected to as much as your characters will be grounded in it. 

If you have any other sites, comment below! And, as usual, if you have a topic you want to hear about, let me know, and I’ll credit your blog for asking the question on that post.

I hope everyone is having a great time! (Paperback news is coming soon!)

Goodreads Quote of the day: “I was falling in love with her, and she was falling in love with me. It was fated, decided before any of us were born, and I hated it as much as I loved it. I could barely stand it.” (Eric, Minutes Before Sunset)

~SAT

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Writing Tips: Picture Book

16 May

Many writers use pictures as inspiration and/or reminders as they write their novels, but what pictures should writers try to find?

Since I’ve come across many who use pictures, I thought I’d expand by showing many different kinds of pictures artists can use throughout the writing process. I’m even going to use my personal picture book that I began in 2007 when I originally wrote Minutes Before Sunset. So you’ll not only get ideas, but you’ll also see an extra from behind-the-scenes of my recently published novel! (Which, by the way, is now available directly on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Diesel, Sony, and Apple.)

The original Minutes Before Sunset picture book, 2007

The original Minutes Before Sunset picture book, 2007

When I was creating Minutes Before Sunset, as many of you know, I already had a novel published. I also had two others written. As much I can keep my characters straight, I often need to go back, because of the abundance of information. I find this completely normal, and pictures can help more than you think! On top of that, it’s actually quite fun to create a picture book.

As you might notice, my book is titled “Characters,” but it contains much more than just people. At first, I thought I’d only need people, but then I realized that I could also use pictures representing scenes, objects, and more. Before I start, however, I’d recommend using Stumbleupon, Pinterest, and model websites to find the perfect picture (or as close as you can get) to certainties within your novel. These websites are also good just to find inspiration. Maybe you have character you aren’t sure of. On a lot of model websites, you can literally type in a description to find portfolios of genders, ethnicities, and even height or weight. Granted, models are models, so the pictures of characters may be much more perfect than they actually are in the novel. Simply keep in mind that you’re using these pictures as a map, not a definite rule. And here are my three types of pictures:

Characters: 

This example page includes Mindy and Noah (originally named "Colton")

This example page includes Mindy and Noah (originally named “Colton”)

This is one of my many character pages. I show this one first, because characters are often the most important to start with when making a picture book, mainly because a lot of novels revolve around the characters more than the scene. However, this can be very different, and it depends on your writing style.

I normally have a page or more per character (for clothes, hair, eyes, etc.) But I included this simplistic version, because it’s two side characters. Mindy is Eric’s stepmother; Colton is Eric’s stepbrother. Fun fact: his name was changed to Noah during the publication process.

However, in terms of character, you can add much more information on these pages than just pasting pictures into a notebook. (In fact, I keep a character list on my computer on top of these notebooks.) But I add basic information next to their pictures. As an example:

MINDY: married to Jim Welborn 2 years, curly red hair in her face, cheerful, brown eyes, comes across as perfect housewife, oblivious.

COLTON: Mindy’s ten-year-old, annoying, pries, brown hair with pudgy face, brown eyes.

In this case, for instance, Mindy’s picture is of a very young woman compared to her age in the book, but I used it, because it had the type of hair, skin, smile, and eyes that I wanted. Those were the most important features, for me, to find.

Objects: 

An example of an object's page.

An example of an object’s page.

This is an example of an object’s page from my picture book. When I was younger, I didn’t expect this to be too important, but it is, because there are so many scenes where these things can become symbolic and/or useful. For instance, throughout Minutes Before Sunset, Eric wears a vital necklace to the plot. I have pictures of it, but the words had a lot of spoilers, so I’m adding this one of dresses instead. Objects can includes clothes, furniture, cars, and possessions like phones or gifts like flowers. I’d recommend not stressing too much about objects unless they are very important, but, at the same time, keeping repetitive information straight. This example is a dress that my character, Crystal Hutchins, wears towards the end of the novel:

DRESSES: silver party dress, seen as rebelling against the fancy aspect of prom, but it really flatters her. Hair will be down, for once, very girly for Crystal.

An interesting fact to keep in mind is this is simply the dress, not how she looks in it or what it would look like in the light of a dim dance floor. As great as these pictures can be, they can get confusing if you don’t keep these scene aspects in mind. That’s why I added another category.

Scenes:

This is an example of scenes given through pictures.

This is an example of scenes given through pictures.

This is an example of my last category. (Thanks for sticking with me through this long post!) I struggled with adding scenes into my picture book, mainly because I believed I couldn’t find the perfect pictures (or even something close) that I needed to make notes. But I was wrong.

I found a lot of pictures, and I kept most of them. The only thing I’d recommend is keeping in mind, much like the characters and objects, that these are maps, not definite rules. In this case, the first photo is a railing at night, and that’s accurate, but the second photo is simply a tree in snow, and it isn’t the correct tree. It’s only a photo I can use for inspiration during a snowy scene I write later in the series. Here’s the example:

SCENES: First, railing by river where Eric (Shoman) first meets nameless shade. Second, lamppost and road used mainly in second book.

…

I hope this picture book with the examples helps inspire you to try out a picture collection for your novels, while also having fun exploring the internet for inspiration! 

Goodreads quote of the day: “Fate was a reality, but it wasn’t a beautiful or angelic thing. It was a heart-wrenching nightmare. And we’d fallen blindly into it. We had no escape. It was happening, and it was up to me to guarantee our survival of it. (Eric)” ― Shannon A. Thompson, Minutes Before Sunset

~SAT

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Publishing Tips from Bogart, my cat

3 May

So you want to be published?

That’s purrfect! And, unlike Shannon, I can find time between my catnip and cuddling to write this blog post. So I’m doing her a favor. (She owes me an extra bowl of cat food now.) For the equivalent of a sparkly cat toy, you can buy Minutes Before Sunset on Amazon and Smashwords for $6.99, and I’ll post a picture of me playing with my new toys next time! (I almost furrgot: Shannon wanted to share this–her novel was featured in Book Mavern’s Picks, and her website hit over 7,000 followers!)

Publishing Tip #1

Create your piece. If you have hundreds of pieces, don’t forget you can get them together, but it will take time. Have fun with it, and take breaks when you need to. The whole picture will come together when it’s supposed to. 

This was the beginning of my masterpiece. I even lost some pieces. But at least I could fill them in with my own creativity.

This was the beginning of my masterpiece. I even lost some pieces. But at least I could fill them in with my own creativity.

Publishing Tip #2

When you have your pieces together, begin editing (recreating and finalizing) your product. And don’t get mad at that loud machine that your papers magically shoot out of.  It’s only trying to help.

I originally thought this machine was my mortal enemy. But now I know it gives me free paper to rip up and roll around on.

I originally thought this machine was my mortal enemy. But now I know it gives me free paper to rip up and roll around on.

 Publishing Tip #3

Now that you’re sending your finalized product out, don’t get scared of rejections or critiques. These things happen. Humans don’t always understand what you’re trying to write. That’s why they talk so much. 

Even I get scared somethings (mainly by my neighbor's dog, but that's not the point.)

Even I get scared sometimes (mainly by my neighbor’s dog, but that’s not the point.)

Publishing Tip #4

I mean it. Don’t get scared and don’t give up. Be willing to change within the realm of being yourself, but always press forward. Even when all seems hopeless.

See? I tried moving away, but I had a problem lifting all of my bags by myself. So I stayed.

See? I tried moving away, but I had a problem lifting all of my bags by myself. So I stayed.

 Publishing Tip #5

Since you haven’t given up (because I know you took my advice–I need my own cat blog) you have succeeded! And you can relax on top of your hard work. Literally.

I particularly like sleeping on top of other's work, but sleeping on top of my own is probably the right thing to do.

I particularly like sleeping on top of other’s work, but sleeping on top of my own is probably the right thing to do.

Publishing Tips #6

Don’t forget to celebrate. You’ve done all of this hard work, and you deserve some family and friend time. Cuddle that cat nip, snuggle up to the window, and watch the birds. Have a great time!

This was my book release party.

This was my book release party.

I hope you enjoyed my purrpespective on publishing. Shannon should be returning for next time, but, in the meantime, I’ll be playing with all of those toys you guys are sending me. 

~Bogart

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Writing Tips: Naming Your Characters

29 Apr

2 days until the Minutes Before Sunset release! I’m feeling pretty supercalifragilisticexpialidocious about it all :D [And definitely not sleeping due to excitement] And I have one more announcement!

Minutes Before Sunset will be available as an e-book through Barnes & Noble and Amazon for $6.99 on May 1st! Please help spread the word :] The first day of sales is often the most important, and I really appreciate everyone who’s helped (and encouraged) me on here, Facebook, and Twitter. 

I’ve also received an author review for Minutes Before Sunset: “An exciting mixture of paranormal, romance, and page-turning action. Can’t wait to see book 2.” – Raymond Vogel, author of Matter of Resistance, a YA Science Fiction novel.

And the first chapter was published in The Corner Club Press yesterday! You can open an online version of it by clicking here. And congrats to the founder, Amber Forbes, who has signed her novel, “When Stars Die.” (I’ll be doing a piece on her soon, so look out for this emerging young author!)

But onto the writing tips !

Characters names are really important, and choosing them can take hours if you’re not sure why you can’t pick one out. So I’ve made a list of things to consider when naming your characters, along with websites to look things up in.

1. Time & Culture

This is the basic rule: Is it believable that your character’s parents would name them something within the setting’s restrictions? Of course, there are exceptions (especially within nicknames, which is another thing completely.) But consider the year. 1880 is going to be VERY different from 2030. If you want, you can actually look up popular names through the years at SSA, [Social Security Association.]

This is what my life has been like the past few weeks. Never ending. But minus the summer. [No complaints] I love being able to do what I love every day.

This is what my life has been like the past few weeks. Never ending. But minus the summer. [No complaints] I love being able to do what I love every day.

2. Unique and Memorable

You don’t want repetitive names or sounds. Of course everyone knows not to use names already used in very famous novels, but what about within your own book? You probably don’t want to name everyone with a “J” name. It’d be hard to follow Jack, John, Jared, and Jill around. Or even if all the names are very strange. I’d also consider the rhythm of couples (or protagonists in general.) Try to make them sound good together. The exception happens within relationships. If you have two brothers, having their names be similar is easier for the reader to follow.

3. Mixing Names (Sci-Fi)

I really believe science-fiction needs to have interesting names (along with most genres), but names that the eyes won’t struggle with. Unique names need to be considered very carefully, because you don’t want a reader unable to converse about your novel because they can’t say what they read.

As a personal example, Minutes Before Sunset is a paranormal romance. My characters have two names, one when they’re humans, one when they’re in their shade form. So their human names are very simple, while their shade names are more complicated and/or exotic. That way, it’s easily distinguishable:

Eric Welborn – Shoman

Jonathon Stone – Pierce

James Welborn – Bracke

George Stone – Urte

4. Names and Last Names

Remember most parents use iambic pentameter for names. The rhythm should work. On top of that, you can consider naming a character after another character. (A son may be named after his father or grandfather.) An example: In Minutes Before Sunset, Eric’s middle name is his father’s first name.

I also considered their last names very carefully. My protagonist, Eric Welborn, is born into a prophecy he cannot understand nor agree with, yet his last name insinuates he is “well born.” That is how it was created. (And it’s a real last name!) Jonathon Stone is Eric’s best friend. His last name is Stone, because he changes personalities the most when he transitions from human to shade. Stone, again, is used more for irony or, perhaps, a reality they have yet to see.

5. Where you can find them

There are many places you can go to inspire names.

  • Pick up an old yearbook. You’ll be surprised how many different first and last names (along with rhythms) you can find. However, I suggest not using a person’s exact name, but rather use it as a reference. Maybe a first or a last.
  • Babynames.com provides thousands of names within cultures, meanings, genders, and more. You can even save your favorite names as you skip around. (Although don’t be surprised if people ask you why you’re looking up baby names in public. ha.)
  •  Last Name Meanings provides a list of last names and where they derived from, along with the meaning behind them.

A mixture of all these things creates a list of believable characters, and I really hope you’ll enjoy playing around with names more than before! Join me on Facebook and ask questions anytime you want!

~SAT

May 1: Minutes Before Sunset Release Party! (a.k.a Dancing around with Bogart)

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Writing Tips: Colors

27 Apr

4 days until Minutes Before Sunset is release! Don’t forget:

  • E-book will be available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble May 1st, but paperback will take a little longer. I will announce it when it is available. 
  • The first chapter can be previewed by clicking the PDF file: First Chapter Preview
  • Please Like Minutes Before Sunset on Facebook by clicking the link or the button below! It means a lot to me, because it helps spread the word about my novel. Send me a message, and I’ll like yours, too!

Please Like Minutes Before Sunset on Facebook by clicking here! It means a lot to me, because it helps spread the word about my novel. Send me a message, and I'll like yours, too!

I wanted to apologize for not posting every other day (like I usually do) but I’ve been crazy busy! Who knew being a college senior and publishing my second novel could take up so much time???? (If only my finals were done.)

See? I used Roiworld (Via CandyDoll Maker on my last post) to make myself :D I enjoy using these sites all the time.

See? I used Roiworld (Via CandyDoll Maker on my last post) to make myself :D I enjoy using these sites all the time.

However, I will be reading at the University of Kansas in the English Room May 8, 2013 from 11 a.m. to 12:15 a.m.. If you’re in Kansas, come by and check out some great poets! I will also have an author signing once the paperback comes out in Shawnee, Kansas. So look out for that announcement!

But onto the writing tips.

These are probably my favorite posts. I love them, because I love discussing them afterwards with all of you. (I will probably post another one on April 29th) And I hope you guys have fun with them as much I as I do sharing them (not to mention using them myself.)

Today’s topic is colors, because we, as writers, are artists, and artists generally LOVE colors. However, it seems in writing that the color spectrum (that is wonderfully magnificent and, not to mention, giant) is simply overlooked. Yes. We have all read emerald green, violet, or sea blue. But what about ash violet, orchid petal, and brinjal, not to mention merlot (the color of my bedroom in my first house), Dorian Gray, mouse’s back, or chilled chardonnay? I realize some of these colors may seem ridiculous in prose, but there are colors you can use or at least be inspired by.

Personally, I LOVE using Lowe’s Paint Color Fan Decks. Seriously. Go to Lowe’s, visit their paint section, and just read through some of their color descriptions. This is particularly wonderful to me, because I am a very physical person. The internet doesn’t really provide the vibrancy I want. But paint palates do. And their creative names may give you more ideas than you will think. Unfortunately, Lowe’s does not offer their paint names online, but they have hundreds of them in store (and who doesn’t like an excuse to get out of the house?) However, there are many house decorating sites that do offer unique paint names.

There’s also another site, and it’s in my top ten favorite websites: Color Name & Hue provides an interactive color wheel, and it’s also usable for people who are colorblind, because it provides descriptions. For instance, the picture below is of the website. I randomly clicked a space within the colors, and it provided the color “sherpa blue” beneath the hue “green.” The second picture shows the color after I shifted the bar on the right (opacity) which changed the color to “oracle” within the same shade “green” since the mouse never moved.

Photos taken by screenshots on http://www.color-blindness.com/color-name-hue/

Photos taken by screenshots on http://www.color-blindness.com/color-name-hue/

I recommend trying this out when thinking about colors within descriptions, whether it’s an area or your characters’ physical traits. Who knows? You may change your character’s eyes from emerald green to fruit salad (joke) or to amulet. 

Hope you enjoyed today’s post! And, as usual, I thank all of you for supporting me during my publication journey. There may be a surprise in the acknowledgements page for you all :D  

~SAT

April 29: More Writing Tips (Hopefully :D )

May 1: “Minutes Before Sunset” Release Party!!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Inspirational Meet: Robert Rebein

15 Apr

Website Update: 3:00 p.m.: My Twitter hit 2,000 followers today :D Thank You! 

16 days until Minutes Before Sunset release! 

One of my favorite parts about attending the University of Kansas is when I get the opportunity to meet authors, poets, and other writers in general. The English department (or creative writing) program here is pretty great that way. There’s always someone speaking on campus, but, even more so, authors sometimes come directly into our classroom.

On Wednesday, April 10, that is exactly what happened in my NonFiction Writing I class.

Rebein hasn't lost his Midwest chivalry either. When I walked up and told him how much I appreciated his time, he gave me a signed copy of his book. Couldn't be happier towards this experience.

Rebein hasn’t lost his Midwest chivalry either. When I walked up and told him how much I appreciated his time, he gave me a signed copy of his book. Couldn’t be happier towards this experience.

Robert Rebein, author of “Dragging Wyatt Earp: A Personal History of Dodge City,” came in, and, instead of taking the time marketing his own novel, guest taught us how he wrote nonfiction. He also answered our questions, elaborating on many aspects of writing we–as students–were wondering.

Specifically, other than truly enjoying his novel, he talked about how a writer should look at  nonfiction writing. He explained how he writes under the philosophy, “Everything is in service of theme.” As an example, he talked about an location-themed essay. He then said you write about that place, but you always stay under the umbrella of what the place means to you (rather than adding frivolous that may not have anything to do with why it means something.)

I really enjoyed his advice. He was very relatable, and he easily adapted to our class (he is a teacher) in the sense that many of our students generally write fiction, and he compared the elements of fiction and nonfiction. He even admitted that he learned fiction, decided to take elements from it, and then moved over to nonfiction. Like James Baldwin’s personal essay’s, Rebein creates a memoir-essay that responds to life honestly, using personal ethics to bring life to the life he lived so many years ago and the history of the Midwest that lived so many years before him.

Robert Rebein is a great author to check out. Just in the first few pages, I had one of my favorite quotes:

“If the Old West was about blood and money, the New West is about return” (6.)

I definitely recommend his work if you enjoy nonfiction. By clicking any of the links, you will be sent to his page for more information.

~SAT

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Publishing Tips: Introduce Extras

6 Apr

25 days until the Minutes Before Sunset release. 

When I posted Shannon Summary: Six Months In, I received a lot of inquiries about how to bring more readers to your blog and/or novels. I thought about this for a while, and I’ve come to a lot of conclusions, but one of them in particular kept repeating itself: connect with our readers.

I spend a lot of my free time reading other blogs (Twitters and Facebook pages too). In order to connect with readers, I never expect them to find me. I go to them, and I prove that I care. I think this is really important, because then there is a connection between the writer and the reader (especially if they are a writer too.)

So what can you do once you get passed that step?

Create opportunities.

Like my cover contest for Minutes Before Sunset, I try really hard to involve my readers with my writings (because, ultimately, it is for them.) But I understand if others aren’t comfortable with that. So I thought about other things, and I came up with this idea (mainly because a lot of published authors actually have pages like this themselves) and decided to do it myself.

My Facebook Author Page is over 150 likes too :]

My Facebook Author Page is over 150 likes too :]

Create an “Extras” page for your novels and/or writings. This allows reader to see Fan Art and/or anything you’ve created while writing. You can also add possible soundtracks, along with anything else you find enhancing towards the experience of your novel. I think it’s important to have pages like this, because it can be further entertainment for your readers while also giving the opportunity of teaching your writing methods.

I’ve added “Extras” pages for November Snow & Minutes Before Sunset. (Click the links to see them.)

These pages will include Interior/Exterior Maps, Soundtracks, and Fan Art (along with anything else I think will enhance the experience of the novel and writing tips.) Whenever I add something new, I’ll be sure to post an announcement on my blog and Facebook Author Page.

So check it out (and if you have anything you’d like to see, let me know, and I’ll add it!)

~SAT

April 8: Relax & Read: The Unmemntioable by Erin Moure

As an "extra" to my life: I have a collection of frogs. Don't ask me why, because I honestly have no clue. People seem to buy them for me, and this is my most recent one (of 6). He's from Puerto Rico.

As an “extra” to my life: I have a collection of frogs. Don’t ask me why, because I honestly have no clue. People seem to buy them for me, and this is my most recent one (of 6). He’s from Puerto Rico.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Writing Tips: Make Maps (Interior)

2 Apr

Website Update: April 3rd: I switched some posts around; sorry for the inconvenience if you were waiting for the publishing tips on April 4th. It will now be on April 6th.

So this is my 100th post, and there’s 29 days until the Minutes Before Sunset release. (Obviously, numbers excite me.) And I’m celebrating by posting two writing tips in a row :] Hope you enjoy!

Click here to join my Facebook Author Page! Your support brightens my day every day.

Click here to join my Facebook Author Page! Your support brightens my day every day.

The believability of your novel is going to reside on many factors: characters, plot, language, etc. But these are the obvious reasons, and many writers forget that the smallest details can also make or break your credibility. I’ve talked about this before in Writing Tips: Keeping Track of Time on March 11th. I described the importance of tracking every minute, day, month, and even moon cycles of your novel, and now I wanted to discuss the physical world you also need to track.

When I write a story, I always draw maps–both of the exterior and interior of places within the story. I even draw a much larger map, showing how the story moves. But that’s for another post. Today, I’m strictly clarifying the importance of a floor plan. Where’s the living room, kitchen, and bedroom? How are these places laid out? Where do your characters stand? What would they be near? These questions are important, because you can easily contradict yourself from scene to scene.

For example: In chapter one, you may describe Person A walking through the living room to get to the kitchen. THEN–ten chapters later–you write about Person A (or someone completely different) coming out of the kitchen into a hallway that leads to the front door next to the living room.

These little mistakes, even if the reader isn’t consciously aware of it, can upset the flow and take them out of the story. In other words, they may feel as if something isn’t quite right.

We can avoid this with detailed maps. (Even if you base your places on real-life, because you’re bound to change something.)

I really recommend drawing the map before you write a significant amount of your story. In my opinion, you can wait until that room appears in the book, describe it naturally, but then take note on EVERYTHING you said. That way, when you come back to the scene, everything is in place.

Another way to record it, however, is to physical draw or use realtor websites that allow you to create a room digitally.

I really like RoomSketcher, because you can morph the walls, stack floors, and even add furniture. I wasn’t able to use this while making November Snow in 2007, but I did make two with this website for an example:

NFlock

Northern Flock Home

The first drawing is of the first floor of the Northern Flock’s home. If you’ve read November Snow, you know many of the scenes take place here, so making sure my characters’ movements were flawless was very important. On the left, you’ll even see the lamp by the stairs, because it (and I don’t want to spoil anything) becomes very important at some point in the novel. This is just another reason to guarantee that I knew where it was. Other furniture that I used was a couch, desk, T.V., dining room table, and everything in the kitchen–the fridge, oven, and sink. The doorways are also very important, because it shows how the characters could leave and enter while also reminding me what would be in front, behind, to the right, and left of them as they did so.

As a comparison, I also created Calhoun’s house.

Calhoun's house

Calhoun’s house

I did this to show how RoomSketcher can allow you to create your own floor with walls, carpet, windows, and stairways. It’s very easy to use, and there’s even different kinds of furniture you can choose from. (Notice Daniel’s room–the blue one–has a different colored bed than Calhoun’s.)

I’ve had these maps drawn since I began writing, and it allowed me to be confident that my book could correlate with such pictures. I have no doubts that, if you read November Snow today, you could follow my maps along with the characters.

I have to admit that some rooms, homes, or even streets are very clear to me, and I very rarely have to go back to my notes. However, when writing the smaller scenes, the ones that I probably do struggle with, I often go back during revisions and use a pencil to trace the movements. This may seem tedious, but I feel as if it is necessary, and I have found mistakes before.

Plus, it’s fun to take a break from writing and editing to create something else. And you can share it as an extra with your readers & fans! I know I’ll keep spending more time on this website. I love how easy it is to manipulate the walls, the furniture, and recreate something without losing what I’ve already made. (I’m a pen addict, so that’s really hard to do when I draw on paper.)

I suggest you guys try it out too! And if you don’t like RoomSketcher, I remain loyal to the dedication of drawing a physical map. In the future, I will expand on how to draw an exterior map and/or trace the movements of characters in specific scenes along with overtime in general.

Good luck & have fun! (I also have Interior Maps for “Minutes Before Sunset” coming April 4.

~SAT

UPDATED: April 4: Movie Mention: The Host

April 6: Publishing Tips: Introduce Extras.  

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Writing Tips: Different Perspectives

31 Mar

On March 17th post: News: Submissions Closing and Minutes Before Sunset Info one of my followers, rolark, asked “I’m trying out writing from more than one perspective right now (it’s my first time!), and was wondering if you had any advice?”

And I do!

As many of you know, November Snow is told from two perspectives (Daniel and Serena) while my upcoming paranormal-romance novel, Minutes Before Sunset will also be told this way (by Eric and Jessica.) I love using this technique for novel writing, because I enjoy first person, but I dislike how it restricts the storytelling to one character during particular scenes that may be told better by another.

So I use first person by two people—generally one male and one female. Why? Because I generally have a romance aspect to my stories, but I also think men and women can bring different viewpoints to the table. (But so can every character–this is a personal preference of mine.)

One of the coolest part of writing is when one of your fans creates something for you. This is fan art from a novel of mine on my previous Wattpad account. Sophia and Noah, my male and female protagonists.

I love it when fans creates something from my writings. This is fan art from a novel of mine on my previous Wattpad account. Sophia and Noah, my male and female protagonists.

Personally, this is what I do (although 3 comes first, but it’s the longest part), and I’ll be using November Snow as an example:

1. Consider Syntax.

Change it up. One character’s thoughts may drag on, so the sentences are longer or dragged out, while another may make lists or sporadic lengths of thoughts. Consider using italics, colons, and/or dashes for one character.

Ex/ Daniel is often exhausted, so I used shorter sentences to depict his energy state. Serena’s sentences are longer. This allows the voices to seem different in the basic way they think.

2. Pay Attention to Diction. 

One character may use very flowery language, while another may have less of a need to elaborate.

Ex/ Daniel is very patient, but also anxious (especially when walking around Vendona, considering the government is after his kind.) So I always have his eyes darting around. He’s constantly surveying his surroundings, paying attention to the little details, and often loses his thoughts to the physical world. His language, therefore, does the same thing.

Serena is rebellious. She’s tired of conforming to the rules and hiding, so she’s often taking risks she shouldn’t be taking. Because of this, I don’t pay attention to as many details when I wrote from her perspective. She no longer cares. Instead, she’s focused on changing, so I show more details about relationships, people, and the future within her language.

3. Now Perspective. 

Now, I’m about to use a gender stereotype to explain where I’m coming from, but it’s for an example. You’re welcome to swap them around for different effects.

Men may pay attention more to physical action than detail, while women may focus on the little details. For instance, a man may describe someone running, while a woman may mention the fact that the runner was in jeans. These little switches in descriptions between your perspectives will help create a realistic viewpoint in the sense that it’s subconsciously differing from one person to the other. The character doesn’t even consider it; it’s simply a part of how they look at the world.

One of my favorite exercises:

Write a chapter in which the two characters are talking. Let’s say this chapter is written from Daniel’s. Afterwards, whether I decide to use it or not, I’ll write it from Serena’s. Make sure the dialogue and the physical actions are the exact same, but compare the thought process. How did the scene change? What does this change mean?

As an example, two people can be talking and Person A could notice Person B is fidgeting. Person A may assume Person B is nervous, but, when you tell it from Person B’s perspective, you learn that they are distracted, not nervous. These little bits can truly morph the way characters interact. I always encourage this exercise, even if the writer isn’t planning on telling from another’s perspective.

This always helps me understand the consciousness of the characters, and I feel more confident when I move onto a new scene.

You can always post questions for quick answers on my Facebook Author Page! Joining also helps me out, and I really appreciate the support :]

You can always post questions for quick answers on my Facebook Author Page! Joining also helps me out, and I really appreciate the support :]

My hope is that this may help rolark and other writers who want to play with this technique, but I also want to encourage others to ask questions.

I will always do my best to answer! (And you will get credit for asking the question.)

Have a great day,

~SAT

April 2nd: Writing Tips: Make Maps (Interior) 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Shannon Summary: Six Months In

25 Mar

Website Update: March 26: I’ve created an event on Goodreads for Minutes Before Sunset’s release. Join here. 

On September 25th, My Primary Post was created, and this website was established. Six months later, here I am: all over the world.

World Stats

World Stats

When I first created this website, with the direction of Robin Hoffman, I didn’t know what to expect. I had all kinds of questions: How do I connect? What do I post about? Who will read it? Who will I want to read? Will this go anywhere?

I didn’t know any of the answers, yet, today, I have over 5,000 followers, and I couldn’t be happier with all of the lovely supporters (readers, writers, and dreamers) that I have talked to through this blog. Today–this six month mark–is a mark of celebration! And this celebration is all about you all :D

My Facebook Author Page is almost to 150 followers too :]

My Facebook Author Page is almost to 150 followers too :]

Below this, I’m posting my top five posts and top five commenters. I’m doing this, because I want you all to see what has driven my blog the most. Maybe this will help you with yours. At the same time, I want you all to think about what you’d like to see on ShannonAThompson.com in the future! I really encourage you to comment with questions or comments in regards to what you’d like to see, and I will surely post about it! (I’ll even link to your page :D ) And you can do this on any post, not just today’s, because this blog is truly dedicated to you guys, my readers. For instance, I’ve noticed many of you really enjoy writing tips, but is there a particular piece about writing you have questions about? I’d love to help with those.

My top five posts (not including pages) are:

1. Writing Tips: Being an Author: Pros & Cons

2. Inspirational Meet: Kristine Andersen: this means a lot to me by the way. Kristine’s death has been very difficult, but knowing you all have taken the time to read about her memory brings me a comfort that I cannot explain.

3. Publishing News: Barnes & Noble: Paperback: I just sent off the final bit of paperwork, so I’ll keep you updated as it continues to process.

4. Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting: I think it’s very important to analyze such tragedies in order to make as much understanding as we possibly can. If you haven’t read this post, I have two novels that, I think, can help question and understand school shootings.

5. Writing Tips: How I Form Dialogue into Writing

…

My top five recent commenters are: (And they deserve great praise, although all of you are getting a thanks!)

1. Slepsnor, Legends of Windemere.

2. Ahamin, Ahamin: Author’s official Blog–AKA my thoughts

3. The Animation Commendation: The Animation Commendation: A Tribute to Disney and Animation

4. P.C. Zick: Living Lightly

5. PO3TIC: Stranger Than Fiction: Photography, Poetry, & Prose.

…

I’d also like to thank Sam Dawson for featuring me on Hot Tea and Dark Chocolate March 21st, along with many others for being especially dedicated to their craft and support: Jhobell Kristyl, Ky Grabowski,  & Tuan Ho along with so many others.

So thank you again for journeying with me to this milestone. I will continue! And I am looking forward to what the next six months will bring. A lot of that will be up to you guys!

So this photo is from the summer, but it's a perfect representation of how my life goes. This is my friends, Brendan and Scott, as we worked, side-by-side, at a local hookah house.

So this photo is from the summer, but it’s a perfect representation of how my life goes. This is my friends, Brendan and Scott, as we worked, side-by-side, at a local hookah house.

~SAT

March 27: Publishing News: Cover Reveal

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

← Older Entries

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 7,666 other followers

%d bloggers like this: