starphire27

[starphire27]

It was strange, but I remembered his kind smile and gentle reaction to my more boyish mannerisms. He’d often treat me like a gentleman would a lady. It was weird to say the least.

A Chapter 3 Quote

[starphire27]

Wonderful query advice!

Top 10 “Do”s and “Don’t”s of Writing a Query Letter

You wrote a novel! Now what? NaNoWriMo’s “Now What?” Months are here—this February, we’ll be helping you guide your novel through the publishing process. Today, literary agent and editor Elizabeth Kracht shares her definitive list of things you should and shouldn’t do when querying:

Query letters are your calling card in publishing and shouldn’t be underestimated. They’re pretty hard for authors to write because they’re technical pieces of writing, not creative. I’m a fairly relaxed agent, and our agency allows unsolicited submissions, but some agencies only want to see the query, which means you’ve got one shot. Here are my top ten query letter “Do’s and Don’ts” to help your query letter stand out–in a good way.

DO:

1. Address the agent as you would in a business letter: Dear. Mr. or Ms. Blank:

2. Give one line about why you think your work may be a good fit for this agent.

3. Have your next line lead with the genre, title, word count, and two comparable titles (books similar in style to yours).

Keep reading

[starphire27]

I lowered the gun and set it on the small table besides me. I frowned at my own actions. What was I thinking? Pointing a gun at my boyfriend.

Chapter two blurb

[starphire27]

Choosing a Title

I know my audience is small, for I haven't been around long. I don't even know if anyone cares but alas I'm not going anywhere. So here I go. I've been thinking of possible titles for my book. I've come up with a few but they all seem to plain. I want a title that's catchy but explains the book. I suppose it's not supposed to be an easy feat. Not for something at feels so important. Not to mention I have yet to come up with the right summary. It's overwhelming. It's also exciting because there are so many ways to go with it. Either super vague or blunt and upfront. I prefer a bit of vagueness. I also came to realize that to find the right title one needs a summary. The title needs to be what embodies the entire book. It's personality. It's name.

[starphire27]

Falling out of a car is just as terrifying as it sound.

A Chapter One quote.

[starphire27]

The Peptalk

Confidence is everything.

That’s what I was reassured just yesterday. I had spoken with a family member about my publishing plans and he managed to boost my confidence. And by boost I mean I was ready to show the world what I had written.

It was a clear shot. If I had printed a copy I would have passed it out. That’s how great I felt.

Even though he hadn't read what I had written he reassured me that when people ask for more it means they do like my book. He suggested that I distribute to publishing houses on my own. That the worst that could happen was that I would be rejected. He pretty much told me I should act as if I knew what I was doing. Which in all is great advice but just a bit difficult to take. More so when I'm a perfectionist to a fault. So yes I do plan on sending a few manuscripts. I just have to figure out what's required. I can't just send things without looking professional. More research is needed.

[starphire27]

The Author Platform Begins

So, I've begun my task of expanding my author platform. It mostly consisted of Facebook and so I decided to branch out to Tumblr. Well I've come to realize that at one point my identity would have to be known by others if I want my book to get published and bought. The thought terrifies me. It's got my anxiety through the roof. I decided to make a twitter to which at the moment consists of me following authors and publishing houses. I'm starting small. I'll eventually make my way to Instagram but I have yet to decide if I should login through Facebook or not. I hadn't realized how much work and importance these sites could be to my overall goal. I know if I want to be published I need to be known. I need others to know if my book. What it consists of and how far along I've gotten. It's a crazy thought that people out there would even want to know my struggles. Yet I know it to be true, because the idea interests me. Surely there must be others out there that think the same. I will have to at one point share my book on this site. Or at least let people see what I intend to publish. For know I will start small. I still need to figure out how to "explain" my book. How to "share" it with the world. Only if it were as easy as sharing it on Facebook. Perhaps I should take that method of distribution. I'll figure it out. Writing is such an introverted lifestyle; it's easy to hide behind the screen. I urge anyone who reads this to share with the world their life passion. Writers unite!

[starphire27]

The Journey Begins

So as of late I've been looking for ways to publish a book. It hasn't been easy. Traditional publishing sounds intimidating and costly. Hiring editors, an agent? Writing a query, pitch? It's all terms I had to look up just to understand. It's intimidating and demoralizing to a certain point. It's like jumping into the deep end of the pool after just learning the basic in swimming. Then there is self publishing. The wonderful, appealing, bright and shiny method of publishing. It's a do it yourself type of publishing. That's the extent of the appeal. It's also part of the problem.

Which place is best for publishing? How much money will I profit? How will I format my book? What about making a book cover? Oh and let's not forget marketing. Who will do that? Well it all falls on oneself for it. Hence, the SELF in self-publishing. It's intimidating. Every perfectionist bone in my body is worried of making an Imperfect project that will tank in sales. 

Not to mention I'd have to find people to help edit, format, and design a cover. I don't so much mind the formatting process if I have a proper program to work with. Editing is a bit of a problem since I need people for what I missed. Besides it always good to get a second or third opinion. While cover design is a problem since I don't have any programming to make a cover, let alone any drawing abilities. 

Then there's the hybrid process of self- publishing. It's self- publishing companies that work with you in the process. This seems less of a task but it still is worrisome. Money sometimes plays a factor in all of it. Hiring editors, agents and paying for a website are all part of it. I suppose I'm getting off track. I will report my research and my path to publishing. I hope this will help others learn along with me. On this journey to publishing. 

If there is anyone out there that has a better insight to all of this, I’d appreciate the help.

[starphire27]

Writing prompt: "So, err. I noticed that you're kinda naked. Is that intentional, or...?"

The alarms blared as the palace was under attack. It was the third time that week that the Knights had attacked. They weren’t all that pleased that there was a new queen in charge. Granted she had taken over by force and killed the royal family in the process. So they wanted to bring the queen down. They had little progress the days before.

The queen peered out her window and saw the front line defend the palace entrance. She smiled and turned away from the window. It wasn’t like they would make it past the gates but the queen didn’t want to miss out on the fight.

She opened the closet and walked inside in search of her armor. She had gotten a new lightweight suit made of dragon scales and she was dying to try it out.

She smiled when she found it. The black scales glistened in the dim lighting of the closet. She grabbed it off the hanger and stepped out of the closet. The queen set her armor in the bed and proceeded to change.

The battle outside had become louder but that didn’t worry the queen. She wondered if she’d get to see that cute knight she fought the previous day. His wild brown-black hair and his stunning green eyes. Not to mention he was a great fighter with a nice butt. Too bad he was against her or she would have asked him out on a date.

The door flew open and the queen grabbed her sword off the night stand. She stood at attention and faced the intruder. The queen grinned, “Looks like I’ve been found.”

The knight stood and stared at the queen. He blinked and his face redden with the realization of what he saw. “You’re going down.”

The queen stepped out from behind her bed. Her armor still on the bed but that didn’t worry her. “Oh aren’t you cute.” She stepped forward and the knight held his ground. He diverted his eyes.

The queen ran at him sword drawn and ready to attack. He blocked her attack and he glanced down. He frowned as the red of his face deepened in color. He pushed back and sliced at the queen’s side.

She stepped aside in one swift and graceful motion. She spun and elbowed the knight in the side and then pinned him to the wall. Her sword pushed against his neck. She grinned, “Distracted?”

He frowned, “So, err. I noticed that you’re kinda naked. Is that intentional, or…?”

She laughed, “It wasn’t intentional. I was in the middle of changing into my armor. Besides I’m wearing underwear. I’m not naked.” She pushed the blade deeper into his neck.

He flinched and frowned, “It’s inappropriate.”

“Well you didn’t give me much choice. So what’s your name, cutie?”

He snarled, “That’s none of your business.”

“Oh there’s the tough fighter I met the other day. I never pictured you so easily flustered.”

The knighted looked at the queen. She seemed different, playful perhaps? He wasn’t sure. There had been rumors that spread that the queen was some sort of siren. That she was able to manipulate men to follow her every command. He wondered if this was her attempt to control him.

She looked at him and smiled, there was no malice in it. She seemed intrigued, “Your eyes are more stunning up close.”

He took this chance and leaned forward. The blade cut into his neck but he took his chance and kissed her. Her body tenses but she lowered her sword. The knight grabbed her by the waist and pinned her to the wall. He pulled away and smirked, “Looks like I win.”

The queen frowned, “I don’t think so.”

“You look pretty trapped to me.”

“And who says I’ll just give up?”

The knight looked at her. She was beautiful… much like the rumors had said. Her stare was fierce and intense. As if she wanted to rule the entire world and was sure no one would dare stop her. She was dangerous.

The knight tilted his head as he noticed an orange marking on the side of her face. He reached and rubbed the orange marking. The queen flinched and frowned, “What are you doing?”

The orange marking became larger. Her makeup faded and revealed an intricate design the wrapped around her eyes. He looked at her and then glanced back at the door. Her guards had reached the bed room.

He glanced at the queen and then back at the guards. The queen took the change of his hesitation and head butted the knight. He stumbled backwards and let go of the queen.

“Don’t just stare at me! Stop him!” She commanded.

The guards ran at the knight. He frowned and glanced at the queen. He noticed how long her black hair was. It reached past her waist and near her toned legs. He shook his head and ran for the window. He broke his way through it and landed safely below. He looked back up at the window above.

No one on the ground seemed to have notice a man jump out of a second story window. He stood and called out, “Fall back!” He ran out the front gate. His thoughts wander to that of the queen. He would have to investigate what those markings meant and a way to fight back in case the same situation occurred again.

The knight knew he wouldn’t stand a chance if she was naked. That time around he had gotten lucky.

[starphire27]

So you want to make an OC?: A Masterpost of Ways to Create, Develop, and Make Good OCs!

i made this masterpost in hopes that it helps you in making your own OCs ah;; it can also apply to developing RP characters i suppose! if you’d like to add more resources then go for it sugar pea (´ヮ`)!

How to Write Better OCs:

basic tips on how to make your oc even better

tragic backstory? learn how to write one/make yours great

writing specific characters

a wordier, great guide on how to develop your character

kick out those vague descriptions and make them AWESOME

Character Development:

how to actually make an OC

Q&A (to develop characters)

more Q&As

giving your character a backstory

how to write an attractive character

Diversity

adding more racial diversity

avoiding tokenism, AKA, how to add diversity to your cast not just because you “need” it

writing sexuality and gender expression (doesnt include non binary, if you have a good ref to that, please add on!)

masterpost on writing more diversity into your story

cultures of the world

guides to drawing different ethnicities (not just a great art reference, but also really helpful in appearance descriptions!)

Villains

villain generator

need an evil sounding name for your evil character? bam

villain archetypes

what’s your villain’s motive for being a villain?

Relationships

character perceptions (What your character thinks of themselves and what others think of them)

how to write strong relationships between two characters

8 ways to write better characters and develop their relationships with others

OCxLove Interest Handbook 

develop your couple with good ol’ Q&A!

how to write realistic relationships

how to write relatives for your characters (this is more OC related to a canon character, but will help in writing family members in general)

ARCHETYPES

12 common archetypes

8 archetypes for male/female characters

female archetypes (goes pretty indepth from two main categories)

a list of archetypes

NAMES

how to name your character

random name generator

most common surnames

surnames by ethnicity

APPEARANCE

tips for better design

basic appearance generator

pinterest board for character design (includes NSFW and images of skeletons/exposed muscle (?) so tread carefully!)

clothing ref masterpost

DETAILS

give your character better powers

a list of professions

proactive vs reactive characters

positive and negative traits

interest generator

skills generator

motivation generator

123 ideas for character flaws

list of phobias

again, this is to help inspire you or help establish your OCs! i hope you get a lot of info and help from this ahh ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ

[starphire27]

Run. Don’t stop. Run. Don’t stop. Run! That’s what was on my mind as I weaved through the crowd. There was no clear path that I could take. I ran through the busiest street I could find and forced my way through the crowd. I pushed through as many people as I could; although a few were much...

[starphire27]

Several years in Isio and now Helen started seeing life as it use to be before she ended up as a soldier. She had fallen hard for Ivan and she was hoping he had felt the same way for her. She knew he would stare at her and he even called her beautiful but she wasn’t sure if it was for real. ...