Hunger Games -- What Readers are Starving For

Readers crave books that put them into the action. They want to leave their white-walled homes and enter a world of color, dark or glowing bright. Even the smells that you conjure up in your book can rival that of a dead skunk on the road, readers will dive in because they just want to experience something outside of them; to live in a way that they can't without your imagination. Don't be afraid of exaggeration and eclectic ideas -- those are the recipe for wonder.  Hurt your main character, it will make the reader love more deeply and care so much about the story that they will dress up as your characters when they see the movie based on your book. 

Introduce your character in action to display the protagonist’s strong devotion and passion. This allows the reader to find empathy for the character. Trigger further empathy by showing how other characters in the book treat your protagonist. If the protagonist is swarthy and attractive, then other characters must show their attraction to his/her wit and physical beauty. If your protagonist is a warrior, then show him/her using the skills needed to win a battle. 

Place an advantage on the antagonist. You protagonist is the underdog, the hero, who is willing to lose everything to keep family and friends alive. Right before your protagonist is going to face a huge trial, twist the knife one more time so that he/she enters the trial wounded emotionally or physically to show that she/she still motivated to fight for a cause.

The attention you give to portraying your protagonist in the best, most empathetic, light will allow your book to be a thrill to read. Readers want to care about the protagonist. They want something to fight for, even if it is in the confines of the reader’s imagination. You drive that imagination, you decide on the intensity of feeling that will take the reader out of the mundane world and into a world unlike anything they have experienced before.

Make Your Own Paper

How much fun would it be to make your own paper? It would be your own creation, plus, you'd be recycling. 

You can make crafty paper like Brandy D. Cattoor's by following directions posted on Arts and Hobbies. 

Lisa Jacobs adds colored napkins to her paper pulp mixture to color her paper. This is cheaper and easier than using paper dye. Thanks for the tip, gal!

If you are going to use the paper as stationary, wikiHow suggests adding two teaspoons of liquid starch to the pulp mix. This will prevent the ink from bleeding.

Have fun making your own paper!

Paper Art is Imagination on a Stage

I am writing and illustrating a children's book right now and I'm looking at these goodies for inspiration. Kate, Saelee, and Emma cut these by hand, or X-acto knife to be exact - nudge nudge. Can I have a whole world made like this...or just one room? Yes, Please!

Kate Slater

Saelee Oh

Emma Van Leest

Published in 1830 or 2012 - What has Changed?

Have we progressed much since the 1830's? Well, we do have the Internet, cell phones, and fast cars, but we seem to be writing along the same lines. We are still in search for God or meaning in life, we still like thrillers, and we enjoy intrigue and adventure.

The surprising publications were the porn novels. Who knew that people were publishing those in 1830? Well, we had another popular one in 2012, too. It goes to show that we are fighting the same battles and thirst after the same things: a way to sin, a way to find forgivness, and ways to find escape.

Book Art

Not only do I love to read and write books, I love to make pretty things out of books. These are just some of my favorites:

Barton Lidicé Beneš used nails and rope to bind the 

written word to symbolize censorship.

Kaspen made the story jump right out of the pages. Wow...magnificent! 

 Cara Barer turned this picture book into a flowing work of art. 

The colors work perfectly with this design.

Wentworth suspended books to the ceiling, giving the room a magical feeling. I think that we all of stories floating around in our heads...a lot like these floating books.

This took some patience. I don't how you do this, Isaac Salazar, 

but I'm impressed. 

If you were wondering what you can do with those phone books that the government still delivers to your doorstep, then go no further. 

Introducing the flower-shaped pencil holder:

This reminds me of M.C. Escher in book form.  

Beube creates some amazing work.

Storyboarding

Welcome! I hope that this blog helps you write your book. I love using storyboards. They help me put raw, random ideas into a linear format.

I start with around 30 items that could be in my book. This creates a list of islands that aren't even connected to each other yet. Then I find the five most important points of my book. When these five points are mapped out they create the W structure.  This structure was used by Aristotle and can be used for any genre.

Let's talk about those five points. Every story has rising action and falling action throughout the book. This creates the drama, excitement, and worry.

1. The Triggering Event is the event such as a murder, a wedding, etc, that starts the story.

2. The First Turning Point occurs as a result of the triggering event.

3. Ideas to handling the problem lead to the upward motion as hope seems to be on the horizon. This leads to the  Conflict in point 3.

4. The conflict runs the emotion downward to the Second Turning Point. This is the lowest point of the entire book and forces a change within the protagonist and possibly other characters.

5. As understanding and change occur, we end up at Resolution.

The W lets me know where my story is going next. This keeps my writing going and helps to prevent serious writer's block. So try it! I hope that this helps you!