Creating your Book Cover

"Creating your Book Cover"

BLOG SESSION

April 9th, 2018

Good Evening Blog Readers, Writers, Authors, Followers & Visitors~  We're back for another great Session, and there are many Writers following along who are in the middle of writing their next great novel during the month of April 2018.  Many of our Readers are working on their Writing Project in Camp NaNoWriMo.  If you have already signed up to participate, then you are just beginning your first steps to a great Spring writing experience!

Our topic today is designing your own Book Cover.

Sample Book Cover Design

Most Writers have been warned against making their own book covers because the Book Cover is way too crucial an element to self-publishing success to take lightly.

If you are interested in self-publishing your Novel, then you definitely do not want to have an ugly book cover sabotaging your diligent efforts or your success.  Of course, you'd like your book to be a Bestseller!

If you have already started the process of designing your own Book Cover, then please leave us your comments here on the Blog on how you went about creating your book cover.  We'd love to hear other creative ideas.

For all of the Authors & Writers here who are working on their Novel this Spring, you may have already discovered the many reasons why you'd like to try your hand at creating your own Book Cover despite the nay-sayers.  You may inherently be an Artist as well as an Author.  Designing a book cover comes naturally to the Artist.  Especially for those who are graphic designers.

Sample Book Cover

(Template)

You should play with cover ideas so that you can get a good feel for how you'd like your cover to look.

Some of you may want to hire a Book Cover Designer to complete the design of your book cover, and that is fine too.  However, you may still want to create a draft of how you'd like your book cover to look and then give the draft sample to the Designer as a springboard idea from the author for the Designer to work from.

If you want more control over your Book Cover, then of course, you'd like to create it yourself.  Below is a sample book cover design template, and you may find many other templates that you can work from by researching "Book Cover Design"...

Book Cover Design

(Template)

You may be working on a short story, an educational guide, a self-help short, or a poetry book that you do not want to invest a great deal of money, time, or effort looking for a book cover designer.  In that case, you should definitely create your own book cover.

This also holds true for those Writers here who are working on a Series, and you don't want to pay full price for each book cover design.

You can use Photoshop, Microsoft Word, or Publisher.  You can use Templates!

Be sure to leave your thoughts, ideas, questions, suggestions and all comments in our "Comments Section" at the bottom of any of our Blog Sessions.

Have a great evening and happy novel writing ~ See you back here on the Blog tomorrow!

OUR NEXT BLOG SESSION:

What about your word count?

Peace, Love & Light

By René Allen

©Copyright - René Allen - 2014-2018 - All Rights Reserved

Let's Learn ~ What's the difference?

Novels ~ Novelettes ~ Flash Fiction

Novellas ~  Micro Fiction ~ Short Stories

What’s the difference?

Welcome back all Writers, Authors, Aspiring Authors, Emerging Authors, Film Writers, Journalists, Creative Writers, Editors, and Poets ~ We are here for another informative Blog Session!

For everyone who is new to our Blog, please take a moment to Bookmark this Blog, and to also "Follow by Email" so that you do not miss any Blog Sessions.  You will be able to follow by email over in the far right column under my eyeball...just add your email address and click "Submit".

Another note for new Blog Followers, be sure to pick up a nice Journal so that you may take notes each time you visit the Blog.  Decorative Journals are nice, and you may also create your own decorative journal if you are artistic and creative...

Journal Notes

Today's Session is going to dive into the topic of Novels, Novelettes, Flash Fiction, Novellas, Micro Fiction & Short Stories.  We are going to find out what the difference is between them...

In short, the difference between them is length.

Another important point is that every Publisher and Editor has their own guidelines on lengths.  Before you write for a submissions call or submit to a publisher, check to see what category you fall into, and what length that particular publisher is looking for.  Do your research.

Here are some rough guidelines for the lengths of each category...

Micro fiction

500 words or less.  There are specific categories within this, including six-word stories and 100-word stories, and a host of other names – you might have come across ‘sudden fiction’, ‘short short story’ and ‘immediate fiction’.

Flash Fiction

500 – 1000 words, but ‘flash’ often includes micro fiction too, so it’s usually anything below 1000 words.  If in doubt, check the submission guidelines or with the Publisher.

Short Stories

Usually between 2,000 and 10,000 words.  Most publishers prefer 3,000 – 8,000 words, so aiming for the 4-5k mark is pretty safe.

Novelette

Approximately 8000 – 20,000 words.  Essentially, novelettes fall into the gap between short stories and novellas.  They are a pretty new category, and you’ll likely have a hard time publishing these if you don’t already have a market.

Novella

20,000 to 50,000 words, with the usual aim for length being 40,000 words.  Novellas used to be a hard sell but they have grown in popularity over the last five years.

Novel

50,000 to 150,000 words.  You can aim higher, but you’re likely to end up with a book more suited to being an Epic Novel, and it will have to be extremely fascinating!  If you’re hitting the 200k mark or above, consider splitting the book into two, or writing a series.

Ideally, you want to aim for 80 – 100k words for a standard Novel, which roughly equates to the 300-page books you see on fiction shelves.

Today's Writing Tips

• Carry around a Journal or Notebook to catch ideas as they come up.  For example, plot ideas, or interesting names for characters.  Keep it by your bed at night as well.  The mind is often best at free association when it is on the edge of sleep.
• Consider an App for your smart phone or tablet that will allow you to enter notes for your story.
• Also consider carrying around a Photo Album to capture the perfect scenes that you come across in your daily travels that inspire you to write your story.  Place your photos of scenes that you come across that will help you to keep your mind on your story, and be inspired.

Until Our Next Blog Session . . .

~ Sit and enjoy the scenery ~

Enjoy some ART this weekend...

Artistic Minds®

Peace, Love & Light,

René

© Copyright - René Allen - JULY 2017 - All Rights Reserved

Mystery Novels

We're still typing away!

BLOG SESSION

July 2017

Good Morning everyone ~ We're back for another fabulous Blog Session about Mystery Novels.  In our last Blog Session we discussed a little about what a Mystery Novel is, and your making a decision to write one.  We also discussed character descriptions, Plot Outlines and Plot Diagrams.  At the end of our Session, there were Mystery Novel Tips given out for you to add to your Journal notes.

For those Blog Readers who have been following along in our Sessions, many of you have already started on your Novels for Camp NaNoWriMo which is going on this month.  There are many wonderful genres to choose from, and many genres have been shared here on the Blog.  We've discussed everything from Fiction to Romance to Memoirs and more. Whatever genre you have decided to take on will be just perfect for you.

If you have missed any of our Blog Sessions, just scroll down to see some of the previous Sessions, or you may find them in our Blog Archive in the right-hand column.

You'll need to grab your Journal at this point, because we're about to take more notes about writing a Mystery Novel.

Journal Notes

Picking back up where we left off, the next thing you'll need to do after you've worked on your Plot and your Scenes, is to plant some clues.  It doesn't matter if you are writing crime or ghost stories, you will still need clues as to what is actually happening in your story.

In Crime Novels, your clues should be very subtle, for example a hair bow left at a crime scene, or a misplaced item that cannot be easily moved.

In a Ghost Story, your clues should be shocking -- like the sudden disappearance of a person in the dark or a ghostly hand touching someone's face.

To help you out with your clues, be sure to read some real life accounts of crime scenes to find out what the little things are that give people away.

It's a good idea for you to write a First Draft.  Your first draft doesn't have to be perfect, but it does serve as a vital tool for the creation of the backbone of your story.  Therefore, knowing that a first draft serves a vital purpose for many Writers, you should take your first draft seriously in the sense that it will make life a lot easier for you as you work on your Novel.  You can always go back and add more to your first draft  later.  For now, as you write your first draft, just focus on the solid bones of your story.  Worry about the flesh, skin and eyeballs later.

Another tip for all Novel Writers is to let your writing come easily, don't try to filter it.  Let your spirit flow freely as you write.  You'll be amazed at what comes out!

SPECIAL TIPS

TIP:  Get an index card holder, and a pack of multi-colored index cards with a set of dividers.  You can use numbered dividers or alpha dividers.  Your dividers can be multi-colored or not.  You may also like to try an index card flip-board.  You can use these index cards for many different purposes . . .

Index Card Box with Alpha Dividers

Multi-Colored Index Cards

Multi-Colored Dividers

Alpha Colored Dividers

Numbered Dividers

Flip-Style Index Card Holder

What can I use the index cards for?

1)  Writing your ideas down and categorizing them, i.e.,

      a)  Character connections to other characters in your story

      b)  Various scenes and/or locations in your story

      c)   Background information on each character

      d)   Ideas for various transitions in your story

2)  Plot Schematics

3)  Chapter Storylines

4)  Edits

5)  An array of  various endings or scenes

6)  Research Notes - Helpful Websites

Be creative with your index cards.  Think of some good uses for them to spice up your Novel.

We can't forget a very important part of writing your Novel, and that is Editing...

Get your red pen or pencil out for editing purposes.

Make sure that you look over your work and rewrite what needs fixing.  Rewrite until you get it right.  Make sure that you fix your Novel with edits to make it the best that you can, and also be prepared for the next step, which is publishing.

Once you are comfortable with your edits, send your Manuscript out to be published.  Be prepared for a "No". Not everyone gets their first Mystery Novel published.  It takes time and effort.  Try again and again if you receive "No" as your response.  After about four "No" responses, make some changes and try again.

Rejection is not the end.  It is only a hurdle.  Plenty of famous Authors have been rejected numerous times.  You'll find some of their names, including Stephen King in one of our previous Blog Sessions.

Until our next Blog Session,

Stay Inspired!

Peace, Love & Light,

René

© Copyright - René Allen - JULY 2017 - All Rights Reserved

April 14th, 2017

Continuation of HouseCapades!

Good Morning everyone ~ today you will find the continuation of my Romantic Short Story entitled, "HouseCapades"  by René Allen from the Anthology TWISTED SHORTIES II - A.F. Stewart, Editor, and Pam Brittain, Chief Compiler.

If you have been following along, the Short Story is continuing for the 7th Installation.  You can view HouseCapades from the beginning here on the Blog by viewing the six previous posts.

Your comments & thoughts are always welcomed here on the Blog!

_______________________________________________________________________

Twisted Shorties II

HouseCapades

By René Allen

VINETTE ONE ~ Unaccustomed Business

[ BLOG - continuation of Story ] . . .

*Red type denotes last paragraph where we left off . . .

As they both went to press the “down” button to the elevator, they realized that there was only one button, and it said, “Will.”

They both looked at the words, and together, in unison, sad, "What?"

Laughing, Quinton looked at Sheila, “I sure hope my Crocodile luggage is in that elevator, Sheila.”

"Oh, that's right!  I forgot that you left it in there," she said to him.

Without hesitation, Quinton pushed the button that said, “Will.”

The elevator door opened, and there stood Quinton's Crocodile luggage right where he had left it.

“Whew! Okay, at least that is where it should be,” Sheila told him as they both stepped inside the elevator.  “Okay, I'm pressing the button that says, 'FOYER,' ” Sheila told Quinton.  The elevator started moving, but they could not tell if it was going up or down.  It was just making a sound as if it was in operation.

Quinton was unsure as to what would happen next. And Sheila was baffled by that room they had just left.

The elevator stopped, and the door opened once again to reveal the same room they had left a minute ago. But the strange thing was that the rose petals were now pink instead of red.  Everything else seemed to be the same.  The bed and its ornate redwood frame, the window and its draperies, the carpeting, and even the embroidered king and queen hummingbirds on the sheer silk window dressing.

“Weird. Okay, let's try the elevator again,” Quinton told Sheila as he took her by the hand, turned her around, and led her into the elevator.  When he went to push the button once inside, he only had one choice, “YOU.”  “Alright, this is getting stranger and stranger. Look at this button, Sheila.” Quinton pointed to the elevator button, and found his heart racing in the process.

“Definitely getting weirder and weirder, Quinton.  I own this house, and I've never seen anything like this before.  Granted, I know there have been some strange

happenings in this house, but nothing like this.”  Calm, but weirded out, Sheila turned to Quinton, “I'm going to push the button now, Quinton.”  She pushed the button real quick, as if she were expecting the button to disappear altogether if she didn't hurry.

Again, the elevator door shut, and the elevator started making the same sound it did before.  It was like it was moving, but still, they could not tell if they were going up or down.

Once the elevator door opened, they looked out before they stepped out, to discover that they were now on the roof of the house.  Except, Sheila was thinking, there was no flat roof on her house. 1010HouseCapade Blvd had a Spanish tiled roof, not a flat roof complete with Olympic sized swimming pool and deck chairs all around it.  Quinton also noticed a bar with about ten bar stools.  When they looked up, the sky was without cloud or hint of grey.  It was bright blue, and exotic birds were flying around chirping, squealing, and squawking.  But, they both had the same funny feeling in their bellies at the same exact moment...

Copyright May 2013 by René Allen - All Rights Reserved.

...TO BE CONTINUED...

_________________________________________________________________________________

See you all back here for more of HouseCapades!

Get your Journals out, because we're going to be learning more about Short Stories and Book Covers at the end of this Romantic Short Story...

Peace, Love & Light,

  René

©Copyright - René Allen - APRIL 2017 - All Rights Reserved

April 13th, 2017

Continuation of HouseCapades!

Good Morning everyone ~ today you will find the continuation of my Romantic Short Story entitled,"HouseCapades" by René Allen from the Anthology TWISTED SHORTIES II - A.F. Stewart, Editor, and Pam Brittain, Chief Compiler.

If you have been following along, the Short Story is continuing for the 6th Installation.  You can view HouseCapades from the beginning here on the Blog by viewing the five previous posts.

Your comments & thoughts are always welcomed here on the Blog!

_________________________________________________________________________

Twisted Shorties II

HouseCapades

By René Allen

VINETTE ONE ~ Unaccustomed Business

[ BLOG - continuation of Story ] . . .

*Red type denotes last paragraph where we left off . . .

Quinton spoke first, “Baby, what floor are we on?” It dawned on him that neither one of them had pushed any buttons.

“Oh, yes, that's right; I didn't ask you where you wanted to stay, did I?” Sheila hesitated for a second, “I mean which room?”

“Wherever you want me to be,” Quinton responded while pulling her to himself, and looking intently into her eyes. “I'm here for as long as you want me to be, wherever you want me to be.”

Stunned, Sheila softly answered, “I don't know what floor we're on.” She was slowly melting like cotton candy over a flame.

Quinton took her hand in his, “Well, let's step off and see where we are.” As they both stepped off the elevator, leaving Quinton's Crocodile luggage inside, a strange thing happened...

They were both standing on a crème carpeted floor that smelled freshly laid. There were red rose petals strewn all around, leading to a very voluptuous bed, with thick mattresses, and many king-sized plump satin pillows. And, the moment they took the first step together, both looking around in wonderment, soft romantic jazz music started playing.

“Did you do this just for me?” Quinton asked, but stopped midway through his question, because he noticed that the look on Sheila's face told him the answer.

“I – I – I've never seen this room, or floor, or wherever we are – before in my life,” Sheila told Quinton with a stunned look on her face.

"Alrighty then."  Quinton found this all to be very amusing.  Then as he looked around, he discovered that there was nothing else to this place where they were.  There were no other rooms, hallways, or anything else -- there was only the freshly thick plush carpeted floor with red rose petals, the massive lovely bed with a very expensive ornate redwood bed frame, and one picture window with expensive designer draperies pulled back to reveal the picture window dressing of sheer crème silk lace embroidered with a pair of crowned king and queen hummingbirds.

As Sheila looked around, she was completely at a loss. She had no idea of where they could be within the house at this point. She took Quinton by the hand, “Let's get back on the elevator and start all over again from the foyer.”

Quinton laughed. “Let's not,” he said to her in a reassuring voice.

“Let's not?” Sheila asked. She was unsure. She didn't know what he had in mind if they didn't get back on the elevator and start all over again.

“No. Let's not do that. Let's just stay in here for a bit.” And, like magic, just as Quinton got those words out of his mouth, the elevator door shut.

The sound of the elevator door closing scared Sheila. “I'm scared. Do you have your walkie-talkie phone with you?”

“Don't be scared, baby. I'm with you,” Quinton told her as he pulled her into his loving arms. “Come to think of it, I do. It's here in my pocket.” He pulled it out to show to her, but discovered that it had turned into a video game of sorts.

What in the world is that?” Sheila asked him.

“I don't know.” Quinton looked at it in puzzlement. The (whatever it was) started flashing and throwing hearts around on the screen. “I have no idea where this came from,” he said to her while studying the antics of the (whatever it was).

Sheila took one look at what was happening on the screen of the (whatever it was), and bust out in laughter.

Quinton had to laugh along with her, because this whole (whatever it was) was just rather odd, to put it mildly. “I really don't know where this thing came from. I know I put my walkie-talkie phone in my pocket, where this thing was.” Quinton jerked his head in Sheila's direction, “Did you call Betty White?”

“Betty White! What would I call her for?” Sheila asked.

“To play a joke on me,” Quinton said to her seriously, laughing. He was laughing, but he was serious about the question he had asked Sheila.

“No. No, I did not.” Now Sheila was laughing. “You're funny, Quinton.”

“I'm serious. This is odd. Don't you think this is odd?” Quinton was looking around the room, then back at the thing in his hand, then at Sheila. “Okay, maybe we do need to get back into the elevator and start over again on the foyer level.”

Sheila was happy to hear Quinton say that. “Yeah, let's do that.” She told him as she took his hand, leading him back over to the elevator door.

As they both went to press the “down” button to the elevator, they realized that there was only one button, and it said, “Will.”

Copyright May 2013 by René Allen - All Rights Reserved.

...TO BE CONTINUED...

_________________________________________________________________________________

See you all back here for more of HouseCapades!

Get your Journals out, because we're going to be learning more about Short Stories at the end of this Romantic Short Story...

Peace, Love & Light,

  René

©Copyright - René Allen - APRIL 2017 - All Rights Reserved