Brooke Bailey's Senior Project

Hello, visitors. I'm Brooke Bailey. This is my senior project blog, your one stop shop for all updates on my progression into the field of fiction. Working Bibliography Senior Project Hours Post Types All Entries

[brookebbailey]

Blog 24: Last Presentation Reflection

(1) Positive Statement: What are you most proud of in your block presentation and/or your senior project? Why? I had a lot of passion for my topic as well as my answers that I felt showed through in my presentation. My voice projection was good- not yelling but loudly voicing the evident issues in the writing community. I feel that helped me maintain a sense of confidence and ethos.

I was also humorous though, I suppose, cracking off sarcastic remarks frequently that viewers complimented me on later. 

The compliments meant so much to me. I have really bad anxiety so I stayed up all last night, dreading and nauseous and worried to death. To be told that I did well helped assure me that yes, I can do these types of things even when they seem mounting and terrifying. I’m still proud of my PowerPoint too. It was very aesthetically pleasing and displayed in an eye-catching manner. Thank god for Slides Carnival. Thank god that I’m decent with aesthetics. (2) Questions to Consider a. What assessment would you give yourself on your block presentation?  Use the component contract to defend that assessment. AE     P          AP       CR       NC

I feel I did pretty well on my presentation.

My PowerPoint and E.Q. display were very aesthetically pleasing. I filled the block with quality content- a deconstruction of every answer, a myriad of different research sources to back up my claims, and whole slides dedicated to my senior project experience (both for my Independent Component and my mentorship time).

I maintained an appropriate volume throughout, loud when I needed to be but always reasonably leveled. Passion was evident- it wasn’t just a monotone presentation. I had a closeness towards the subject that showed through when I was up there, that made the audience interested in what I had to say (even if I talked for a LONG time...)

I engaged my audience not only during my very depressing albeit poetic hook, but throughout my whole presentation by giving audiences members the opportunity to speak at times and by consistently making them laugh.

Overall- it might be vain to say this- but I feel that I and many of the other first day, first block kids started off this final project very strong. We weren’t really the slacking off types- we set the bar and we set it high.  

(This is just a cute message my dad left me on the box of donuts I brought for the class. I don’t know how I could’ve made it through this year without the support and love of my parents as well as my mentors.)

b. What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project? Use the component contract to defend that assessment. AE       P          AP       CR       NC

I believe I deserve around an AE for my senior project as well. I’m only 2% away from an AE, which I believe might be bumped up as I did exceedingly well on my exit interview and pretty well on my final presentation too. 

I consistently gave this project my all. I completed an extra credit video to promote my presentation. I worked hard even when I didn’t need to, finishing the PowerPoint months in advance. 

My research was always quality, much of it from renowned magazines or scholarly journal articles. My work was completed on time and whenever I needed to speak about my topic to others- be it lessons or exit interviews- I held a sense of confidence and credibility. 

I simply always put effort into going above and beyond. My I-Search was filled with quality content and a mass amount of ethos, I completed a whole novella for my first I.C. (20,000+ words in thirty days, by the way) and for my second I.C., I managed an elaborate online literary magazine (which contained a significant amount of bonus content for readers I didn’t need to put). 

(This was my favorite part, I think. I’m still proud of how pretty my I.C.s turned out.) 

(I’m a bit long-winded, but I believe I had a lot of great information provided in my paper...) 

It was an exhausting project but I never gave up. I always wanted to prove to myself and to others- whether those “others” were my mentors or my I-Poly advisers- that I was capable of putting everything I had into something this extensive. 

I understand if I end up with a P+ but I do personally believe that I’ve done all I could to make a high quality senior project and I hope that others can see that effort as well.  (3) What worked for you in your senior project?

I really enjoyed the freedom Independent Components gave us. I feel that, when I was working at my own pace, I was able to put out beautiful content I was proud of.

I loved being able to do things I’ve always wanted to do like write my own novella and maintain a literary magazine. I just really enjoyed being my own boss there- tailoring those components to fit whatever I thought would be most productive to my senior project overall.

(An early throw back Thursday to my first I.C.) 

In general, I worked well during any part of the project wherein I had the opportunity to combine literature with aesthetics- so my I.C.s, my extra credit video, my interviews. Working with Photoshop and film editing programs is a passion of mine, so it just made the experience feel as if it was something much better than a chore- something actually pleasant. (4) (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your senior project?

I think I managed myself pretty well throughout this project. The only thing I would’ve told past-me was to aim lower on time.

Every single lesson, I nearly went over. I would practice and it would be at about ten minutes per answer- reasonable for each of the lessons- but during the actual lessons, it would end up significantly longer.

I wished I had gotten time to complete my second activity during my final presentation in the way that it was planned but as it stood, I had to cut it off to make time.

I did well on both the second and final presentation but I could’ve done better on my first if I had known. It’s just disappointing to me that I never learned from my mistakes. (5) Finding Value: How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors? Be specific and use examples.

I think that my senior project has been helpful in various ways. I believe that I fulfilled parts of my bucket list I never thought would be completed- writing a novella, making use of my talent with poetry.

It feels as if I accomplished something grand that puts everything else into perspective- if I can do THIS, what else am I capable of?

In addition, the mentorship aspect helped me work on my social anxiety. I was constantly talking to professionals in the writing community and being introduced to all sorts of new people. I was able to branch out, to get myself out of my little bubble even for a few brief moments.

(Source) (I’m getting a bit better about this, slowly but surely...)

It’s helped me get more accustomed to talking to people. That’s going to be crucial in college, as one really only gets by in a field by networking, putting themselves out there, that sort of thing.

Social skills are crucial to the thriving of an individual, and I feel my senior project definitely helped me in that way.

[brookebbailey]

Blog 23: Exit Interview Prep

(Source)

(1) What is your essential question and what are your answers?  Which is your best answer and why?

My essential question is, “How can a novelist most effectively create a memorable reading experience for her audience?” I have three answers to this question. 1st. “One of the fundamental components to making a reading experience memorable is creating a unique, properly fleshed-out story for potential readers to follow.” 2nd. “In order to create a memorable reading experience for one’s audience, novelists should create casts or stories that are more relatable for a larger percentage of the population.” 3rd. “For an author to create a reading experience of any kind, one must maintain contact with their audience before, during, and after the publishing process.”

My best answer is definitely my third. I feel that, in today’s society, there’s really no way a book can stand out in people’s mind unless an author assures it themselves. When an author tries to perfect their writing (which they so often do) without perfecting their marketing game in tandem, they’re shooting themselves in the foot. I mean, this is a world where novels like Amish Vampires in Space become popular.

Great writing is fantastic! Real bookworms can appreciate that but...when speaking about the general crowd of readers, not everyone is on that level. Authors must be willing to approach all types of reader- the ones who prefer audiobooks, the ones who prefer visual pieces- and connect with them as well. So many people are like this and that is exactly why they don’t really read. Writers just aren't willing to cater to them.

This is also why the creation of promotional content and social media accounts are necessary. The product of these efforts are, pretty much inherently, centered around very different (and sometimes more meaningful) means of communication than just words on a paper.  

Then, we delve into the possibilities that lie in other post-publication efforts such as the release of novels onto multiple formats. This is incredibly important to disabled readers- those who can’t really “read” and rely on braille or audiobooks to consume literature. With the advancement of technology, humankind is developing products that will be insanely useful for these types- such as the Eye Ring, which converts standard text to braille/audio- as well as M.I.T.’s “wearable book”, which uses sensors to make a reader feel the temperatures as well as emotions a character would at certain moments in the book.

(Source: N.P.R.)

Not only are these cool additions to the writing field- they’re necessary ones. They assure that we’re acknowledging a much larger spectrum of people that generally go ignored. People remember when authors remember that they exist. 

If an author can make a reader feel appreciated, feel represented, that’s really the key to establishing longevity in a novel.

(2) What process did you take to arrive at this answer?

Researching was a big part of getting to this answer. When I looked up marketing strategies, I consistently saw that the authors of these books or articles were very adamant about the necessity of constantly being in a reader’s face. In such a media-driven world, it’s crucial to connect with an audience on multiple platforms and authors, I think, are finally getting tapped into the fact that the Internet community isn’t going away.

For a while, though, I was still in between my second and third answer. As I read people’s testimonies on how being underrepresented made them feel, I got more and more attached to that second answer. Being both mentally ill and a part of the LGBT community, I know how it feels to get ignored by modern media, how it feels when acknowledgment finally comes around.

(Source: Peabody Library)

So, I decided my second independent component would revolve around making a literary magazine centered around representation. Unexpectedly, though, what I found was the most entertaining and engaging was the process of making promotional add-ons like trailers and audio splices.

It wasn’t until then that I really considered- wow, this is easy. From this level, an author can really connect with various types of readers, regardless of whether they commonly enjoy “reading” in the typical sense. Regardless of whether they enjoy listening or reading or watching this kind of fictional content, the possibilities with marketing are so multifaceted and endless that there’s something for all readers to enjoy.

(3) What problems did you face?  How did you resolve them?

My struggles were mainly rooted in not being able to meet directly with my mentors or potential interviewees very frequently. I was, for the most part, on my own throughout this project.

I was worried about the scarcity of my primary sources because I knew how important this is to build up credibility, then factoring in the necessity of hours completed…

(Source)

My mentors and I did end up meeting up a lot last month, though, which I think was for the best. At this point in the game, all of my answers are pretty well-developed so I had the chance to specifically ask what I wanted or needed to ask. If I needed help understanding marketing in modern time versus ten years ago, they were there. If I needed to know what makes a meaningful plot know, they were there.

Earlier on, I think I would’ve just been wandering aimlessly around this field with no clear head. That doesn’t make for quality quotes or sense of guidance. That just makes for a mess.

(4) What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why? (At least one must be a printed source)

My two most significant sources would have to be the Blurb article “Why you need to think about marketing now—before you’ve even written your book,” by Milena Canizares and the Mashable article “5 Low-Cost Social Media Marketing Strategies for Author,” by Leyl Master Black.

Canizares’ article really drives home my point that marketing as well as general publication efforts must be consistent before, during, and after the completion of a book. Canizares elaborates on the many benefits to having a detailed pre-game plan in mind, which is useful to any author that has a genuine desire to stay on top of their potential audience. 

She also uses prime examples of authors who have achieved certain goals she discusses (such as John Green with his excitable blogging during the adaptation of The Fault in Our Stars). This allows for an extended amount of ethos to be built for her article and, in turn, for me, when I plan on presenting my third answer.

Black’s piece is a brief version of a good portion of my slides, honestly. It’s a short article but it goes over all of the main marketing strategies I will discuss- some of which I implemented during Independent Component #2 (such as blogging, trailer-making, etc). Black, similar to Canizares, also directly quotes a number of achieved authors which proves relevant to the building of credibility during my final presentation.

[brookebbailey]

Blog 22:  Independent Component 2

( a ) I, Brooke Bailey, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 33 hours of work.

( b ) Cite your source regarding who or what article or book helped you complete the independent component.

http://www.thewire.com/entertainment/2012/04/ongoing-problem-race-y/51574/: Doll’s article allowed me to understand where the problem of race and under-representation branches from as well as how it takes place in modern day America.

http://mashable.com/2012/08/04/author-social-media/#b_cH6eU9uiq: This article gave me ideas on how to keep the hype over the magazine going during the off-periods. This is where the idea for creating trailers and audio posts came from!

http://www.blurb.com/blog/why-you-need-to-think-about-marketing-now/: This piece furthered upon the previous source and gave me an understanding of how I can connect with my audience by posting things relevant to them (which I did in the cases of creating the gif mentioned later and uploaded a scan of an informational pamphlet borrowed from senior Katie Lopez.) 

http://spillthezines.blogspot.com/2011/08/ten-tips-for-first-time-zinesters.html: This is a rather minor source but one I used in terms of getting ideas for how to go about creating the magazine. It helped in giving me tips and tricks for how the pages should look as well as what might be useful if this was going to actually be published. 

( c ) Update your Independent Component 2 Log (which should be under your Senior Project Hours link) Done!

(Source)

( d ) Explain what you completed.  Over the course of two months, I maintained a literary magazine called Moth Hearts Magazine. The goal of the magazine was to explore a variety of topics considered taboo by current standards but necessary to consider, such as the prevalence of sexual/domestic abuse, untreated as well as treated mental illness, and racism in modern day America. It was intended to be about giving a voice for the voiceless and inspiring underrepresented readers everywhere to make their feelings known.

Though I took on a few (much appreciated) featured writers, the majority of the work was my own. I solely did all of the editing, the photoshopping, the audio/video posts, and the photography. 

I created two short stories entitled “Little Pink Secrets” and “Dark Places & Familiar Faces”, wrote fifteen poems, and wrote four pieces on representation in current media (displayed through a Diverse Character of the Month and a review of recent literature/works). 

In between issues, I maintained a weekly posting of various I-Poly alumni artwork and created a few promotional posts. One of them involved me reading a poem from Issue #1 called “Sunflower Girls” while the sound of nature was edited into the background. Another was a simply motivational gif revolving around moths that I hand-drew and edited myself. The final one was a short trailer video for a poem in the final issue entitled “Pompeii Lives” wherein I burned paper moths as “Castle” played in the background. 

    ( e ) Defend your work and explain the component's significance and how it demonstrates 30 hours of work. Provide evidence (photos, transcript, art work, videos, etc) of the 30 hours of work.   My independent component helped me explore two of my three potential answers. It was centered around my second answer primarily- “In order to create a memorable reading experience for one’s audience, novelists should create casts or stories that are more relatable for a larger percentage of the population.”  

So often, whole groups of people go unnoticed as far as mainstream media goes. We’ve grown so used to the standard being a very specific archetype that defying that is cause for controversy, questions of whether or not it’s a “necessary” addition. It really means something to people when they’re able to see themselves in one’s work. 

This is what I intended to do. I wanted to create piece that readers who were mentally ill or LGBT+ could relate to, and those who were not could possibly understand more coming out of the process.

(An excerpt from one of issue #2′s pieces.) 

At the same time, I was exploring pre-, intra-, and post-publication efforts in the writing process. I was posting frequently in various forms- be it audio, video, or our weekly Moth Heart Mondays. 

(This is a motivational gif I created to tide readers over during the wait.)

(I made a video trailer for one of my poems. I’d recommend going on the blog to access it. It’ll be one of the most recent posts.) 

This means, on top of writing fifteen poems, two short stories approximately 1,900 words long, four (roughly 800 words each) pieces on representation in current media, and photoshopping all of this together in the form of two issues, I was also making other time-consuming additional elements. 

I would recommend simply looking at the blog I maintained this semester for the rest of the content. 

Link to IC#2 Blog: Click the Link!

( f ) How did the component help you answer your EQ? Please include specific examples to illustrate how it helped.   By actively participating in making more truthful literary works, I felt I was really getting a feel for the entire process as far as what goes into making a more accurate representation of our society goes. 

This helped me explore my second answer, “In order to create a memorable reading experience for one’s audience, novelists should create casts or stories that are more relatable for a larger percentage of the population.” 

(Source)

It’s not as hard as I expected to do this. With various pieces like “Little Pink Secrets” and “Three Things to Keep in Mind When Mentally Ill,” I wasn’t going too far in the realm of truth. These are things I’ve experienced and have felt myself. 

I think a key to making more relatable pieces, thus, is really putting one’s self into the feet of whoever they’re trying to represent. You don’t have to be mentally ill to write about mentally ill characters (though I am) or a certain race to depict said race (though it helps). It’s really about pulling from struggles you’ve faced and having the ability to apply those raw feelings to other subjects. 

If you’ve faced adversity over some part of yourself, odds are, you have some rudimentary understanding of how it would feel to face it on a daily basis (how “minorities” in society might feels). Once that overall vibe is understood, the characters can be written with little struggle. 

(Source) (The unexpected places where my independent components overlap...) 

In addition, as far as my third answer goes (“For an author to create a reading experience of any kind, one must maintain contact with their audience before, during, and after the publishing process.”), I expanded upon this by taking it upon myself to post regularly. I was constantly making gifs or audio posts or videos whenever I could. I also had a weekly schedule for a segment called Moth Heart Mondays, where I posted artwork from I-Poly alumni. 

It was all about staying in the minds of my theoretical readers. 

My independent component actually gave me more difficulty in answering my essential question, primarily because it elaborated on how necessary and easy both of these factors happen to be. 

I believe I’m leaning towards my third answer (as my best) now, purely because unique plots and representation are so needed in society but they go nowhere if one isn’t forcing themselves into the minds of their readers. Humans have short attention spans. If I wasn’t posting on a set schedule, I might’ve forgotten my own magazine as well. 

(Source) (I know I talk about Maggie Stiefvater a lot in terms of my third answer, but she’s my muse for it. This is an example of her sticking in the minds of readers- she used her artistic ability to draw on and doodle upon all her pre-ordered Raven King copies. She then posted pictures online. It added to the hype we all already felt in regards to the book’s finale.) 

Still, meaningful literature can be eternal if it sticks with the right people. Especially in this day and age, representation in media sticks out. People all around the country are crying out for it. It’s exactly what’s making many films and books nowadays as popular as they are. 

This is a toughie. I’m really stuck in between these  but this is where I’m standing as of now. I’m swaying more towards my third answer but it’s a close call. 

[brookebbailey]

Blog 21: Interview 4 Reflection

(This is Kaitlyn Delaney, the woman I interviewed via pre-approved Skype meeting.)

Listen to the audio here. 

Read the transcript here. 

1. What is the most important thing I learned from the interview? 

Mrs. Delaney had a number of interesting points regarding the importance of representation in young adult novels. As the majority of the people I interviewed were older, I feel as if they weren’t as in-touch with the current generation of young readers. Kaitlyn Delaney, though, is still in her early 20s, meaning that while she IS a professional author, she also has the privilege of being on the same level as her target audiences. She understands the full extent of under-representation and social taboos in present time. She understands how these things affect 12-27 year-olds because she is presently experiencing these things herself. 

(Source)

Therefore, as we talked, she informed me on how her own readers have reacted to disabled characters she’s written and how she, herself, has interacted with said readers in meaningful manners. I learned through this that, in order to really connect with one’s audience, an author should not be afraid of approaching certain topics or characteristics. Just as these stories might be an escape for some, they can be a saving grace for others.  

2.  How will what I learned affect my final lesson?

Our discussion of under-representation in the writing world will just further go to back up my claims in my second answer, “In order to create a memorable reading experience for one’s audience, novelists should create casts or stories that are more relatable for a larger percentage of the population.”

However, Mrs. Delaney also brought up another fascinating topic I had not considered: Authors should go towards whatever platform their own readers gravitate around. This means that, in order to properly form connections with one’s audience, an author should not expect their audience to come to them. An author must be willing to adapt, to go outside of their comfort zone and roam into somewhere more in line with their reader’s. 

(Source: Sean Ford)

This isn’t something I had planned on mentioning, initially, but it does wholly affect the way I should address my third answer, “For an author to create a reading experience of any kind, one must maintain contact with their audience before, during, and after the publishing process.” This point brings up a whole additional way to look at the creating of long-lasting relationships between an audience and a creator, meaning it’s something that I have a duty to bring up while I present as well. 

[brookebbailey]

Hello there, readers! This is my senior project trailer. It’s simply advertising my presentation. 

Hope you all like it!

(I recommend turning up your computer’s volume. The video’s background audio is a bit low!) 

QR Code: 

[brookebbailey]

Blog 20: Interview 4 Preparation

1.  Who do you plan to interview?  What is this person's area of expertise?

I plan to interview Gail Delaney’s daughter, Katie Charles. She’s in her 20s now, but she’s been publishing her works since the age of sixteen so she most likely has a lot to say on young adult readers in particular (which are the focus of my E.Q.) 

Her expertise lays in creating young adult literature. With each of her books, she attempts to deliver a message to her intended audience, though subtle. Charles is very much about maximizing a book’s power while simultaneously creating a compelling piece of literature. 

This is really what my E.Q. is all about. The power of books, certainly, is something that Charles must have mastered in her seven years of published writing and I’m curious as to what she has to say about this, what can help me in my own project. 

(Actual representation of me conducting my interview.) 

2.  Post 20 open-ended questions you want to ask an expert in the field concerning your senior project. Your focus should be finding answers to your EQ.

You’ve been writing since you were a teenager. How has the process of connecting with your audience changed over that time? What skills do you think were crucial to adapting? 

What have you found works for you in terms of author-fan communication? Do you feel it’s very important to the novel itself and if so, how? 

What have you learned, throughout the years, is necessary to the marketing process? 

How has social media affected the way you go about talking to readers or promoting your novels? 

How do you think that writers can go about engaging a potential audience before a book is actually published? 

How can an author can keep the hype over a book or series going even after it’s over? 

What are some of the characteristics you feel are necessary to making a great novel? 

Is there anything you feel makes a “timeless” piece of literature? Is there any reason why novels like Lord of the Rings will live on forever or was it just the luck of the draw? Explain your feelings on this. 

How important do you feel it is for a reader to see themselves in someone’s work? 

In what ways can authors target their audience to a larger percentage of the population? What would make it easier for potential readers to relate to and care about one’s characters/plot? 

How do you feel about the current state of representation within the writing world? Do you think there’s anything that can be improved upon and if so, how? 

Do you feel there are any taboos in fiction that might exist today? Is it important that we break those taboos and if so, how would we go about doing that? 

What specific characteristics do you feel are necessary to creating great characters? 

How do you feel an author can make a truly impacting novel, something that leaves a mark on their readers emotionally? 

How does one create not just a decent but a great plot? How can an author go about making a plot that is not only unique, but properly fleshed out? 

Can you tell me a bit about your own research process for your novels? Do you have any tips or tricks you feel are important to the overall pre-writing process? 

What is the importance of messages or a deeper meaning to a book’s overall success? Do you feel it’s helpful as far as a reader’s personal connection to the book goes? 

We’ve seen a large progression in the way books are handled due to the quick evolution of technology. Have you seen any alternative ways books are being displayed other than the standard hard cover? Or have you seen any interesting connections between technological advancements and novels?

Are there any novels you’ve read that you have just fallen in love with? Are there any that have stood out to you in particular throughout your life and why do you believe you felt that way about them? 

Do you have any last words you want to share in regards to extending the longevity of a novel? What specific ways do you feel an author can truly make the entire experience of reader a novel more memorable for their audience? 

[brookebbailey]

Blog 19: Third Answer

What is your EQ?

(Source)

“How can a novelist most effectively create a memorable reading experience for her audience?”

Answer #3: 

“For an author to create a reading experience of any kind, one must maintain contact with their audience before, during, and after the publishing process.”

List three reasons your answer is true with a real-world application for each.

1. If no one knows about an author’s book, it honestly doesn’t matter how fantastically written it was. It becomes a nobody. It was reported by Bowker that 1,052,803 books were published by the U.S. in 2009. Since then, the number has been on a continuous incline. In order to be relevant, to catch the attention of readers, a book must stand out. If not, it is lost in the crowd. 

(Source) 2. Sometimes, authors will chime in a month or so before the release date and expect readers to flock to their book. This is not realistic. If an author does not have a mailing list or an already-generated fan base, how can they expect to sell anything? This might garner a few fans, but most potential readers will remain blissfully unaware of the book’s presence. In the same realm, it’s especially terrible when authors will try to load a year’s worth of marketing in a few months. This is exactly why Forbes and other notable film critics considered The Lone Ranger to be a terrible show of marketing (leading to its poor box office result.) The studio released a number of trailers, clips, and special footage just before the film was set to air. So much so that it virtually revealed the entire plot. Obviously, viewers- or readers, in this case, should know what they’re getting into and should be hyped about a story but there should be a bit of mystery surrounding the novel. That’s why marketing should be paced out and consistent, not a desperate show of, “Here, take it!” 

(Source) 3. In addition, as in the case of the previous bullet point, it is clear that those authors are just attempting to sell their book. Audiences pick up on the dishonesty and respond unfavorably to it. Who would ever want to read a book by someone who is unavailable, who treats their readers like a paycheck? It’s dehumanizing. What readers really want is a genuine connection. As stated by publisher Gail Delaney during my third interview, “Because we’re an ever-shrinking planet and social media is so widespread, authors are more real so a lot of marketing comes from talking to the people that are reading your books and connecting to them, letting them know you.” If that is done, if an author can manage to talk with their fans and get to know them throughout the marketing process, it comes off as much more appealing and down-to-earth. 

Research source(s) to support your details and answer

Canizars, Milena. "Why you need to think about marketing now—before you’ve even written your book." Blurb. Blurb, 16 June 2014. Web. 29 Feb. 2016. <http://www.blurb.com/blog/why-you-need-to-think-about-marketing-now/>

Grahl, Tim. "When Should You Start Marketing A Book?" Tim Grahl. Tim Grahl, n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2016. <http://timgrahl.com/when-should-you-start-marketing-your-book/>

Barnett, Mac. "Why a good book is a secret door." Youtube. Youtube, LLC, 17 Sept. 2014. Web. 21 Feb. 2016.

Ferrante, Elena. Interview by Sandro and Sandra Ferri. The Paris Review. The Paris Review, Spring 2015. Web. 12 Feb. 2016.

Piersanti, Steven. “The 10 Awful Truths About Book Publishing.” Out:Think. Out:Think, n.d. Web. 29 Feb. 2016.  <http://outthinkgroup.com/the-10-awful-truths-about-book-publishing/>

Mendelson, Scott. “The Best- And Worst-Marketed Movies Of Summer 2013.” Forbes. Forbes, 27 Aug. 2013. Web. 29 Feb. 2016. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2013/08/27/the-best-and-worst-marketed-movies-of-summer-2013-were/#114244725386>

Concluding Sentence

Making a book worthy of a reader’s attention is about more than just a great story. If an author makes a wonderful, unique piece of literature that is sure to strike the hearts of audiences, that isn’t necessarily a guaranteed success. Before one can expect an audience, they must create an audience. This falls in line with having a consistent brand of marketing before, during, and after the writing process. 

Without this, a novel is likely to end up as the fiction version of a box office flop. 

[brookebbailey]

Blog 18: Answer 2

1.  What is your EQ?

“How can a novelist most effectively create a memorable reading experience for her audience?”

2.  What is your first answer? (In complete thesis statement format)

“One of the fundamental components to making a reading experience memorable is creating a unique, properly fleshed-out story for potential readers to follow.”

3.  What is your second answer? (In complete thesis statement format) “In order to create a memorable reading experience for one’s audience, novelists should create casts or stories that are more relatable for a larger percentage of the population.”  

4.  List three reasons your answer is true with a real-world application for each.

1. People want books they can relate to. In order for an audience to attach themselves to a character or plot, they must empathize with the struggles described. There’s such a vast resource of untapped potential as far as this goes. The majority of novels explore very general tropes- isolation, forbidden love, bullying- but not enough discuss more specific types of struggles like coming out to one’s parents or facing microaggressions on a daily basis due to one’s race. The Raven Cycle series is loved, in part, because one of the protagonists is openly gay. For all the teens reading these novels who are part of the LGBT+ community or are still questioning their sexuality, the presence of that character makes them feel less alone. It makes them feel more connected to the character (and therefore, to the novel) through these shared experiences. If people can see themselves in the characters and root for them as a result, it’s simply a book readers aren’t likely to forget any time soon. 

(Source: The Raven Cycle Book #2, The Dream Thieves)

2. In a world where diversity is incredibly limited- as in, one where 2014 contained only 47 young adult books featuring LGBT+ characters and the known fact of the publishing world is that cisgender, white male protagonists are easiest to sell, to defy norms is outstanding. It’s fresh and exciting to read new sorts of stories, to see new faces amidst the sea of typical model-like characters. While not a novel, the recent adaptation of Annie was widely well-received for its race-flipping of its historically ginger protagonist. On a different level, novels like Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter became famous because they were really the first of their kind. They popularized and essentially created the genres they’re now categorized in. These breakthroughs are possible and very likely to occur with novels that explore the lesser-discussed types of communities or people. 

(Source)

3. Books that cater to larger portions of the population allow for larger audiences. This means that there is a bigger fan base wherein quality discussion, discourse, and fan works will be generated. The fan base aspect of a book’s community is really, in many cases, what makes the experience special. It’s exciting to get to talk about a book you love with a number of different people, all of whom are sure to have different view points and thoughts on the matter. 

(Source: John Stephen Dwyer) (Conventions are a popular place in which fans can discuss and celebrate fictional works. These cosplayers are dressing up as Harry Potter characters. #reppinmyhouse #ravenclawisthebest)

5.  What printed source best supports your answer?

Ashley Strickland’s article, “Where's the African-American Harry Potter or the Mexican Katniss?” would probably be my best source in regards to Answer 2. The reason being is that the article effectively discusses the lack of diversity within young adult novels and why this is problematic for the reading community as a whole. It even goes as far as to interview credible sources on the matter to get their opinions on written diversity. 

MLA Citation:  Strickland, Ashley. "Where's the African-American Harry Potter or the Mexican Katniss?" Cnn.com. CNN, 2 July 2014. Web. 9 Dec 2015. <http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/09/living/young-adult-books-diversity-identity/>

6.  What other source supports your answer?

Juliana Piesco’s piece, “Minorities In Children's Fantasy Fiction,” would also be a great source to reference. Piesco wrote the article in regards to the troubling misrepresentation/lack of representation seen in the fantasy world. She goes in depth into why this is an issue, what misconceptions people often have about positive representation, and how the writing world can improve in the future. 

MLA Citation:  Piesco, Juliana. "Minorities In Children's Fantasy Fiction." Medium.com. Medium, 13 Nov 2014. Web. 9 Dec 2015. <https://medium.com/@julianapiesco/minorities-in-childrens-fantasy-fiction-why-under-representation-isnt-make-believe-e23ce74596cc#.94lqbj88g>

7.  Tie this together with a concluding thought.

For an audience to really support and get attached to an author’s novel, the book they’re reading must be a quality piece of work containing a variety of different, relatable characters or story lines. Too often, the publishing world gets stuck on a certain, unwavering mold for its protagonists and this is proving itself to be an unproductive trend. What really makes a story memorable is one that breaks norms, one that truly speaks to audiences and generates a safe space in which interesting responses can be presented. The key to making this type of tale, simply, is to make a more diverse piece of literature. 

(Source)

[brookebbailey]

Blog 17: Interview 3 Reflection

Listen to audio here. 

(Audio consists of ~5 minutes worth of what I felt were some of Gail’s best answers.) 

Read interview transcript here. 

(Source) (Just kidding, it wasn’t bad at all. Gail is great and she even introduced me to her puppies.) 

(Gail with her Sherlock toy at the D.B.P. H.Q.) 

1. What is the most important thing I learned from the interview?  

It’s not so much what I learned from the interview, but rather what I gained from it in regards to my answers. 

In Question #13, Mrs. Delaney began to talk about the struggles that come with making a meaningful piece of literature, a factor I had never really considered deeply. It’s hard for most to talk about something very raw or personal or even new for them, which is why some authors may be discouraged from writing something that doesn’t fall in line with what we usually see on the bestseller lists. 

My second answer, then, I think is not simply, “Diversify your character list!!” (though part of it still is) but in addition, that all authors should go against the grain more often and write characters and plots that might be out of their comfort zone. Those types of books often produce the most fascinating reads, the kinds that people admire and might even be able to relate to more. 

As Gail said, “You have to take that risk. It can be really scary, especially if it a story that has some kind of deep connection to you, that has some deep emotional link to you. It’s hard to do it, but once you do it, it probably affects someone else.”

(Source)

(You have to be willing to put yourself out there sometimes.) 

(Side Note: In addition, Gail might put me into contact with her daughter, a young, published author. This would be a great option to explore further seeing as she has done exactly what I’ve been discussing in the past few paragraphs by writing intimate, alternative works throughout her career.)  

2.  How has your approach to interviewing changed over the course of your senior project?

I feel that I have better control over the direction of the interviews now.

This shakiness in the previous interviews came from a mix of potentially vague questions and over-politeness in regards to interviewees getting off course. 

(Source: Game of Thrones) (When I used to wait for interviewees to get to their point patiently.)

After my last interview, I realized it was necessary to reign interviewees in more. By giving them clear-cut, specific questions to answer, they’re less likely to misinterpret my questions or go off on little tangents. 

If these interviewees begin to talk too much on a certain topic as well, I feel it’s okay to steer them back to the subject at hand by giving a follow up question that’ll change the direction of the interview a bit- for the better.

[brookebbailey]

Blog 16: Independent Component 2 Approval

1.  Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours.

I plan to maintain an online literary magazine for Independent Component #2. This means I would head the magazine, write a number of the featured works, and serve as sole editor-in chief.

(Source)

(An example of a zine.) 

My plan is for the magazine to be centered around works from a diverse staff of writers. I would describe, in my pieces (be it informational, poetry-form, or short fictional stories), what it's like to be mentally ill as well as what it's like to be part of the LGBT+ community.

I've already spoken with some friends (such as Giselle Pineda and Clerisse Cornejo) who would be interested in submitting works on what it's like to be of mixed race and the experiences they've encountered in regards to that.

Even our class president, Jocie Sanchez, and North House’s wonderful graphic designer, Katie Lopez, have come forward in hopes of collaborating with me during Independent Component (as their own plans coincide with mental illness and the prevention of self-harm.)

Once the pieces are written, I will collect them, edit when needed, and do all of the graphics/actual magazine construction. I will maintain a blog for this in which all issues as well as well as sneak peeks are posted.

(Source: Rookie Mag)

(This is probably more along the lines of what the magazine would look like.)

Additional potential components:

Diverse game/book/movie characters of the issue.

Interesting fact: There are students in the senior class who have created very diverse characters for their own independent components that I would love to feature.

Book/Author recommendations that fall in line with the goal of the magazine.

2.  Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.

I plan to maintain a blog where I will post all my issues for (potentially) all of the Internet to view. On this blog, I will be consistently updating as I work on the magazine, showcasing behind-the-scenes photos, sneak peeks, and exclusive content in a manner similar to Rookie Mag.

(Rookie Mag, for the most part, is an online magazine based upon a collaboration between the group’s decided authors as well as submission works. Anyone can submit their art [be it poetry, stories, collages, etc] to the group and if chosen, the staff will work to polish it up and bring it to the next issue. Rookie Mag has a highly interactive site where most of the content is featured, even going so far as to release free works and post playlists/relevant pictures their audience might like.)

I estimate, taking into consideration time spent writing, editing, creating certain content (like photos/drawings) and designing, that each issue should average about 9-11 hours. Therefore, I will aim to create about two issues in total, each one comprising of maybe 5-7 pages.

In order to work with one of my answers, I also plan to explore alternative mediums of displaying one’s work, such as audio posts or beautiful videos set to an author reading their poem or something along those lines. That would also be posted on the magazine’s blog in order to appeal to the more casual readers who might enjoy audio/visual-based posts better.

(Start at :21 to skip the intro. This is basically what I mean.)

This would further add to the time spent working on Independent Component #2, but it would certainly be fun and I feel it’d capture the attention of a wider audience than what strictly text and pictures might.

3.  Explain how this component will help you explore your topic in more depth.

I'll be exploring two different aspects of my essential question. One answer, I know this much, will revolve around the necessity of making the writing world more diverse. This means that, in order to properly reflect the truth of society, an author must be willing to write a story representative of it (ex: creating characters that are not inherently white, middle class, and cisgender.)

(The woman on the right is playing adult Hermione in the official Harry Potter play.) 

It will be a cathartic experience as much as it is a moving one for us (as the magazine writers) to discuss the struggles we’ve faced in different written formats. For those reading who have gone through same thing, there will be a sense of solidarity, a feeling of, “Oh. Oh, I'm not alone.”

That, I've found, has been entirely powerful for me as a consumer and I hope to explore what it's like from the perspective of an author.

(Source: It’s Kind of a Funny Story)

(As mentioned in a previous post, this book meant a lot to me as it came to me during a dark time in my life. By seeing a character deal with exactly what I had been through, I felt less alone. I want to explore how it feels to be on the other end of this, to pour my heart out in hopes of reaching someone out there.)  

My other answer revolves around making consistent pre-, post-, and intra-publication efforts in order to reach out to one’s audience, to connect with them. This is why I plan to post sneak peeks, behind the scenes moments, various bonus content (such as the videos mentioned before), and even answers if anyone has any questions they hope to submit.

4.  Post a log in your Senior Project Hours link and label it "Independent Component 2" log.

(Done! It’s right beside Independent Component #1.)

[brookebbailey]

Independent Component #1

Literal

I, Brooke Bailey, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 51 hours of work. 

Sources I referenced throughout I.C. #1:

http://www.paper-dragon.com/1939/slang.html

MLA Citation:  "Dirty 30s!" Paper Dragon. Paper Dragon, n.d. Web. 2 Nov. 2015. <http://www.paper-dragon.com/1939/slang.html>

http://www.history.com/topics/automobiles

MLA Citation: “Automobiles.” History. History, n.d. Web. 1 Nov. 2015. <http://www.history.com/topics/automobiles>

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ug02/newyorker/historyhome.html

MLA Citation: “The Covers in Historical Context.” The University of Virginia. The University of Virginia, n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2015. <http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ug02/newyorker/historyhome.html> 

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ma04/hess/slang/slangsplash.html

MLA Citation: “Slang Splash.” The University of Virginia. The University of Virginia, n.d. Web. 3 Nov. 2015. <http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ma04/hess/slang/slangsplash.html> 

https://medium.com/@WilliamGJones/how-to-outline-a-novel-for-nanowrimo-2015-c02f4f1778da#.f4q85jru4

MLA Citation: Jones, William G. “How to Outline a Novel for NaNoWriMo 2015.” Medium. Medium, 30 Oct. 2015. Web. 1 Nov. 2015. <https://medium.com/@WilliamGJones/how-to-outline-a-novel-for-nanowrimo-2015-c02f4f1778da#.f4q85jru4>

http://www.bustle.com/articles/120673-10-last-minute-nanowrimo-prep-tips

MLA Citation: Wilson, Kristian. “10 Last-Minute NaNoWriMo Prep Tips.” Bustle. Bustle, 30 Oct. 2015. Web. 31 Oct. 2015. <http://www.bustle.com/articles/120673-10-last-minute-nanowrimo-prep-tips>

(Source) (It’s funny because I can literally quote this now and it wouldn’t even be exaggerating.) 

During November, I took part in the NaNoWriMo Young Writer’s Program. The objective was to, within that thirty day span, write however many words the individual sets as their goal. I set my goal as 20,000 words, and finished my novella on the final day with an ending word count of roughly 23,500 words. 

(Source)

The plot of this novella revolves around an eighteen year old petty thief by the name of Evelyn Moore. She has no hopes for a brighter future, content in her self-employed profession of swindling, manipulating, and ditching town before anyone notices. 

One day, on a seemingly ordinary stop in the small, quiet town of Havenfield, Evelyn finds herself confronted by evidence of a terrifying blood disease spreading itself throughout the joint. 

She decides to stay the night anyway, with the intentions of robbing a local establishment the next day. This will be her fatal flaw.  Right as Evelyn finds herself ready to go through with her plan, the full extent of the blood disease makes itself abundantly clear. All around her, people are suddenly being torn apart by their neighbors or stumbling through the streets in manic delirium. It’s chaos, it’s death, and Evelyn is- for lack of a better word- screwed.   Without much thought, she grabs the sole survivor of a slaughter at the local general store- an former abuse victim aged 13 who reminds Evelyn too much of herself- and goes. 

She doesn’t know where she’s going, but her gut tells her that she needs to find a way to get her and the child to safety, regardless of the costs. 

To look at my senior project hours log, click here.  Interpretive

There is literally no better way to get a feel for the writing profession than to get out there and physically write. By having a time constraint, I couldn’t fall into the trap most would-be authors do as well. I had to write a predetermined amount of words within thirty days or I would fail, no if, ands, or buts. 

I’ve written lengthy reports before, but never a piece of literature even near this size. The largest writing project I’ve ever taken on, I believe, was a collaboration I did with a friend in middle school. That would’ve been only maybe 10,000 words maximum though, done over the span of several months, and consisted of pure fanfiction. 

This was a challenge. I no longer can look at authors and feel as if their job is easy. Sitting down at a desk and forcing yourself to write everyday- regardless of your mood- is pure hell. Then, there came the huge issue of constantly going back to the drawing board, needing to redo certain sections because of plot inconsistencies or realizing you have no idea how something worked/will work in a specific era. I actually had to go up to my parents and ask how to phrase car-related statements because I didn’t count on needing to research that and promptly realized, when I approached it, that I had messed up. 

This I.C. really was a mess all around, and if I didn’t have a constant supply of food and friends to keep me company, my sanity would’ve been lost. 

(Believe me, this is not my schedule. I started off with a rough schedule on a sticky note. It lasted maybe the first week. Found on iamtequilalcorbly’s tumblr page.) 

I’m not the quickest writer and it showed during this time. It took me anywhere from 2-2.5 hours just to write 1,000 words. It’s likely the perfectionist in me. I kept going back, and an average of 2.25 hours per thousand words is...a lot. That would amount to about 45 hours in its own right, but then there were times where I had to stop and research midway through writing, or go back and rewrite scenes entirely. I spent a great deal of time just editing to ensure continuity within the piece. All of this added up continuously, creating an ending time frame of 51 hours. (Not even considering the time it took to make extra promotional chapter dividers. I felt as if this was simply overtime and didn’t really count towards the intentions of my I.C.)

NaNo was stressful, to say the least, but I’m glad I did it. It really helped me get into the actual mindset of an author. To quote author C.S. Lewis, “Experience: that most brutal of teachers. But you learn, my God do you learn.”

To read the first 2.5 chapters of the novella, please click on this link.

Promotional image and chapter divider pack (only edited pictures and sources): [CLICK THIS LINK]

(Source) (This was definitely me throughout the month. Fueled by snacks and probably internal crying, in all honestly. November was tough.) 

Applied

Overall, writing No Road Home helped me understand my essential question (and my topic, for that matter) due to its room for exploration of actual writing. I can no longer just be like, “Oh, write a creative story! Everyone will love it and that’s it!” because...The actual process of writing is way more in depth than that. There are times one must literally stop and consider, “What am I trying to say? What does this character want? Am I boring everyone reading?”

It’s much more strategic than I though, creating a novel. It’s battling inner demons that tell you you can’t write, figuring out how to meet your characters, and hitting the “...Now what?” period. There was a good portion of time where I just filled out online character Q&As in hopes of figuring out Ethel’s goals and Evelyn’s motive. It’s definitely not as easy as it looks. 

I understand now that in order to answer my E.Q., I must first provide methods in which people can understand how to create their unique plot because God did it take a long time to understand where I was going plot-wise. Coming up with ideas on the spot...not as easy as one would think. Brainstorming can take days and for a while, it just seemed like every plot had already been done before. 

(Source) (Trying to come up with a plot like...) 

I must also, in the future, research further on how to connect with people who can potentially help you write about certain things you, as the author, might not be accustomed to. 

(Source) (Representation matters. Consumers deserve to see themselves in the products they buy, regardless of whether that’s a film or a book.) 

For the second answer to my E.Q., I’d like to talk about the importance of representation within the publishing industry- both author and character-wise. I had intended to include two non-straight characters into the mix of N.R.H., but I didn’t have enough time to introduce that plot arc, unfortunately. 

What I did notice though, when attempting to promote diversity, was that it is very hard to write about a character if you know nothing about what their life would’ve been like. I had a black family in my story but, due to the fact that I didn’t have the slightest clue of what it was like to be free and black in the 1930s, I hardly touched upon their story line at all. I strayed away from it because I really just didn’t know how to approach it. 

I’d like to explore this more in I.C. #2, to really learn what it takes to write characters representative of one’s self as well as people entirely different.

Brief Bonus Content

(Gif from Perks of Being a Wallflower) 

Playlists I listened to while working:  Long Way Home by 99Valentine Peachy Keen by Me! (andthegodsletitrain on 8Tracks) 

Songs I had on repeat:  Stormy Weather by Ethel Waters (1933)  Steamboat Bill by Arthur Collins (1911)

[brookebbailey]

Blog #15: Lesson 2 Reflection

1. What are you most proud of in your Lesson 2 Presentation and why? I think I spoke with a large amount of passion and enthusiasm that just flowed out from me. I somehow managed to overcome a bout of crippling anxiety that would normally plague me and use that raw energy to make a better presentation overall. 

(I had the confidence of Professor Cat today. Look at his majestic nature, his effortless stance.) 

Typically, these types of scenarios would send me into a panic attack but today, I was able to get through the entire presentation without blanking, stumbling too much, or getting flustered. It was, for lack of a better term, a completely awesome feeling.  2. a.     What assessment would you give yourself on your Lesson 2 Presentation (self-assessment)?       AE       P          AP       CR       NC I think I’m somewhere in the low AE, high P range. I wasn’t E-quality type of amazing, but I think I did well enough to warrant around an AE/P+.      b.     Explain why you deserve that grade using evidence from the Lesson 2 component contract.

I think my PowerPoint was beautiful, first of all. That’s vain to say, I know, but I put a lot of time and effort into the overall aesthetic of my props, my poster, and my presentation. (It paid off, I believe, seeing as people literally asked to take my mini-posters home with them.) 

I hardly needed to look at my PowerPoint though, seeing as by the time I finished working on it, I knew that presentation like the back of my hand. This helped my words flow better, definitely, and heightened my sense of confidence. 

I was excited to get the whole thing over with, and I think the enthusiasm came through during my time. I spoke well and enunciated properly, all in passionate tones. 

(Source)

I just had a lot of fun overall, and my activity gave people the chance to have fun as well. People were actually very excited to share out their stories, which made me smile. They very easily were able to connect different methods I had talked about to the activity itself, which gave me more to work with during my debriefing session.  3. What worked for you in your Lesson 2?

My hard work payed off, essentially. I put a lot of time into creating the PowerPoint as well as the different additional props, which somehow greatly aided in the process of memorizing my presentation script overall. 

I managed my time more effectively that Lesson 1 and though I wasn’t perfect on that aspect, I did get everything I had hoped to say within that 25 minute span. 

I was excited at the prospect of a do-over, a way to make up for Lesson 1′s failures, Lesson 1′s blanking and stumbling and, as described in #1, it worked out entirely. 

(This was not me today! I kind of wish it was, though, this dog is adorable.)  4. What didn't work? If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your Lesson 2?

All I would’ve done differently, in all honestly, was to map out my time better. I nearly hit the max, in fact, I was at 24:59:25 and everyone in the room was holding their breath as I finished. 

Most of that, I think, was just because I didn’t actually look at the timer when I started my activity so I had to roughly estimate and plan for it to end in ten minutes. Therefore, I might’ve dedicated an extra minute or two accidentally to the activity itself when it should’ve been directed at debriefing and concluding more efficiently.  5. What do you think your answer #2 is going to be?

(Source)

I believe I already know my three answers, but for answer #2, I would say that it revolves around representation. I think, in order to create a relatable and therefore memorable piece of literature, the novel industry must better represent the true nature of our current society. 

What this means is that we basically need to evolve to a point where more minority authors (authors of color, mentally ill/disabled authors, LGBT+ authors) are published. There’s such a huge advantage within the publishing world- an unfair one at that- that places white, able males (and arguably, females, though lesser) at the top of a pedestal. I think we need to break that pedestal and allow any type of great author the chance at success. 

This also means though, that novels themselves should not revolve entirely around all privileged white cast with a token black friend every once in a while. Instead, there should be more diverse characters within this industry whose cultures are portrayed accurately and with respect. 

(Source)

[brookebbailey]

Blog 14: Interview 3 Preparation

1.  Who do you plan to interview?  What is this person's area of expertise? I plan to interview Gail Delaney from Desert Breeze Publishing. She’s the head of D.B.P., a small publishing house located in Castaic. Gail is also an award-winning author herself, specializing in contemporary romance and science fiction. 

She edits a bit as well and oversees all works within her company, assuring that each novel approved by Desert Breeze Publishing comes out as polished as possible. 

Overall, Gail is a multifaceted woman- an expert in not just one but multiple aspects of the writing world.  2.  Verify that you have called your interviewee to schedule an interview.  What is the date and time of the interview? 

Gail has not gotten back to me about the date of our interview and I completely understand. She’s a busy woman. Hopefully, she’ll be able to meet this weekend or next though.  This will give me sufficient time to listen to the audio and transcribe all of the great advice she will surely give me.  3.  Phrase an open-ended question that will help you find research resources that would help to answer the EQ.

“Is there anything you can recommend to me that you would consider helpful to the writing process or creating a truly unique piece of literature overall? Such as books, online magazines, publications- something of that nature.”  

Alternatively:

“The writing community- at least out here- seems very close-knit. Are there any types of local publications or writing magazines that are appreciated by the community in the way books like Bird By Bird or On Writing are? 

(This is a literary magazine run by a high school. I would love to do something like this for IC2.)

4.  Phrase an open-ended question that will help you think about other useful activities you might do to help you answer the EQ (IC2, possible experts to talk to, etc). “Have you ever encountered an author, who you might’ve published for or simply met at a convention, that you feel has garnered a large and/or incredibly loyal fan base? Who were they and why do you believe they reached a status so many other authors strive for?”

(Source)

Hopefully, this question will allow me to get into contact with an author I might be able to interview in the future or just speak with in general to get a sense of how they achieved a good portion of my EQ. 

If there is no novelist Mrs. Delaney can think of, then I will ask her if she has any idea of how I can get a feel for the publishing process without publishing a novel of my own. This way, I’ll have an idea of what I can do for my independent component, considering at least one of my answers relies on post-publication efforts.  5.  Phrase two open-ended questions that help you to understand your interviewee's perspective on an aspect of your EQ. “How important would you say it is for an author to interact or maintain contact with their audience? Why?”

“Some authors are beginning to implement interactive software and other appealing visuals within their e-books to captivate their readers. How does this make you feel, as an author yourself? Do you feel there are other ways an author can make their book entertaining for audiences aside from simply writing?”  “Can you describe to me some of the more important things you’ve learned over the years that you feel are necessary to creating a great novel?”  

“Do you feel there’s a sense of disproportion as far as positive representation in fiction goes? Why or why not? How do you feel we, as writers and consumers, can aid in making the world of literature a more diverse place overall?”

[brookebbailey]

Blog 13: 10 Hour Mentorship Check-In

1.   Where are you doing your mentorship?

I’m doing my mentorship pretty much exclusively at my mentors’ home. The living room and their personal office is where I spend most of my time. In the living room, we will have long discussions on what it means to be an author. In the office, though, we get into the physical representations of those components, with Lorna actively working on her editing business while I shadow and observe the process. 

(A look into their office. Lorna and Larry pretty much have their own designated sides of the room, and this is Lorna’s. She has two computers which act as one. It’s hard to explain but essentially, she can move her mouse through both screens in one go and drag items from one computer to the other. She uses the left screen for constant surveillance of important emails or other forms of communication while the right screen revolves more around business and social media.) 

They live in Dana Point, and sometimes we go on walks around the neighborhood after our meetings.  2.   Who is your contact?  What makes this person an expert? Lorna and Larry Collins are my mentors. They’re both published authors, having written a number of novels on their own as well as with each other. One of their mystery novels, Murder in Paradise, was even a finalist for the EPIC eBook Award for best mystery. 

In addition to this, Lorna is also a freelance editor, allowing her to maintain an intricate web of contact between the vast amount of authors she’s worked with. 

Between them, the Collins have an incredibly good vision of what the writing world is actually like. 

3.   How many  hours have you done during the school year? (Summer Mentorship Hours and Mentorship Hours should be reflected separately in your Senior Project Hours log located on the right hand side of your blog).

I’ve only completed ten hours so far. Lorna and Larry were celebrating their 50th anniversary in Hawaii for a while, so I had to wait for them to get back before we could get to meeting. 

Unfortunately, when they arrived home, I was in the midst of NaNoWriMo and, between that and school, I had no time to travel the hour long distance on a regular basis. 

We’ve met twice so far, both times in December, both meetings consisting of five hours each. 

It’s just a bit rough travelling back and forth so often, seeing as they live so far away. It’s a burden on all of us. 

Luckily, in the latter meeting, we did come up with a schedule that should work for not only my family and I, but also for Lorna and Larry. 

4.   Succinctly summarize what you did, how well you and your mentor worked together, and how you plan to complete the remaining hours.

We’ve primarily gotten to talking about the various components to being a writer, what makes up a novel, and what the technicalities of character/world building are. 

We’ve had countless discussions on a variety of different subjects, from independent publishing and publishing on demand to the terrible experiences Lorna has had in her editing profession. 

I’ve helped them notate research for their series, The Memory Keeper, and shadowed as they created detailed, precise timelines for books they plan to write in the near future. 

I’ve also watched them in action as Lorna quite literally publishes novels for her clients and Larry draws up incredible mock-ups of the gadgets in his sci-fi series. 

(One of Larry’s illustrations. I’m not sure what it is exactly, not being the best at sci-fi related concepts, but I’m assuming it’s some sort of ship.) 

My mentors and I are very close. This most likely stems from the fact that my mother grew up with their daughter, and even though many years have passed since then, the tight bond of companionship has never left our families. 

Therefore, I feel I’m close to Lorna and Larry partially by proxy. 

They seem to see me as an extension of their family, showering me with warmth and making sure they send any and all useful bits of information/contacts my way. I think I’m very lucky to have met them. 

We’ve discussed our plans for the next few months, though this mostly refers to the amount of physical time we’ll be spending together. Each month we will meet for a total of ten hours, and within those meetings, we’ll address whatever topic is most urgent or relevant. 

Lorna offered to show me their presentation on the perks of independent publishing, so that will come up in one of our meetings. We also plan to get down to some hands-on work, with Lorna and I spending some time editing my NaNoWriMo story. 

(Which, hey, I won by the way. This will come in a later blog post though.) 

The Collins are pushing me to write another novel, though, I think I need to consider my options for Independent Component #2 first. Once there’s a concrete plan there, we’ll probably spend a good portion of February planning before I’m sent off to complete it. 

We’re really just playing this all by ear. I know that we have future plans of meeting with the Collins’ writing group but, in the near future, I will most likely just be aiding in their writing processes whatever way I can. 

[brookebbailey]

Blog 12: Holiday Project Update

(Source)

1.  It is important to consistently work on your senior project, whether it is break or we are in school.  What did you do over the break with your senior project? I met with my mentors on the first Sunday of this break. There, we laid out our plans for the rest of our meetings, arranging a schedule of which days we would meet and for how long. This way, we have a rough layout of our interactions for the rest of the school year, rather than scrambling to get hours together before each deadline. 

Of course, none of this is set in stone. We all have our own lives, our own individual plans and aspirations, but at least for now, we generally know how the rest of the hours will be split. 

We also spent some time discussing the possibility of checking up on each other weekly through Skype, and began to throw out ideas for Independent Component #2. Though, I’m a bit more excited about a concept I began discussing with a few of my peers today, a project which would involve multiple mediums and some sort of free, online and physical  publication. 

(Source) (The project would look somewhat like this, mixing between drawn, edited, and collage formats with poetry or stories layered atop.) 

After the meeting, at home, I began to read the writing books Lorna and Larry had given me, Steering the Craft and Bird by Bird. 

I didn’t do much else besides that. I edited covers for the first two chapters of my NaNoWriMo story, which will be posted with the novella excerpt at the end of the month. I also watched a few videos on what it’s like to be a writer, including this one. 

That’s pretty much what my break consisted of.  2.  What was the most important thing you learned from what you did, and why?  What was the source of what you learned? During the meeting with Lorna and Larry, I watched as Lorna placed the finishing touches on a novel she had been editing for some time now.

The author called her a bit later and began to work with Lorna as they got it ready for publication. Once they had polished it as much as possible, Lorna went on a popular, free publishing website and uploaded the file. 

(The site provides a layout function where an author can see how their novel will look in real life.) 

She and the author picked out the colors of the pages (creme vs. white), the finish of the cover (matte vs. glossy), and that was pretty much it, the publishing process was essentially over. It was that simple.

They had only just uploaded the file, filled out a few preferences, and it was officially published.

I found this an incredibly interesting. There’s always the idea that publishing involved red-inked manuscripts and a team of hypercritical professionals handling your work but that isn’t the reality.

The reality is that the fate of your book is 100% in your hands- all at the touch of a few mere buttons.

I don’t know how interesting this would be to others, but I just found it very enlightening. It taught me that being a published author isn’t hard, so to speak, but becoming a known one is. Being the type of author who can garner up a fan base, who can touch lives as all authors dream of...that’s the real hard part. 

3.  Your third interview will be a 10 question interview related to possible answers for your EQ. Who do you plan to talk to and why?

For interview #3, I might go back to Gail Delaney, the head of Desert Breeze Publishing, whom I had spoken with for my first interview.

This isn’t out of laziness or lack of ambition- I do have multiple professionals I could potentially speak with if I tried to coordinate with them.  However, the amount of knowledge Mrs. Delaney had in regards to my E.Q. was astonishing.

During our first meeting, she spoke in depth about the necessity of continuing communication with fans, the way in which we can create characters that mean something to our readers, and what the necessary components to all great novels are.

Mrs. Delaney even went as far as to answer my E.Q. for me, saying, “In order to make a truly memorable book, in my opinion, you have to be emotionally invested in the lives of these people who don’t exist. You have to make them exist in your heart, in your mind, and they will come off the page for the reader.”

While that isn’t necessarily my top answer, it is one of my potential answers. Realistic characters are just as important as author-fan communications and unique plots. 

I do really want to come back to the Desert Breeze Publishing offices and speak more on the topic of my E.Q. If Mrs. Delaney was able to give so much feedback in regards to my E.Q.  when that wasn’t even the topic at hand...I can’t even imagine the amount of insight I would get from her when it IS the focus. 

[brookebbailey]

Blog 11: Lesson 1 Reflection

1. What are you most proud of in your lesson, and why? I had a lot of passion for my topic that I believe was evident in the presentation. I didn't sound monotone or bored, but rather confident in the things I was saying.

I felt that I sounded fluid and smooth while speaking (for the most part at least) and I hope it appeared that way in real life as well.

I had fun with the presentation before I was cut off, so I suppose I’m just very proud of that. I’ve gone into complete panic modes while presenting before, and while I was still nervous, it really wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been. 

It feels like  I might be getting more comfortable with presenting, which makes me feel a bit better about public speaking.

(Source) (I blanked a bit at certain sections, but thankfully, I did not completely fall to my typical panicking as I’ve done with past presentations.) 

2. What assessment would you give yourself on your lesson? Explain why you earned that grade using evidence from the component contract. I would most likely give myself a low P (P-). I didn't get through half of my planned presentation, which was really upsetting to me. Because I couldn’t get to the entirety of my topic, I feel as if I probably don’t deserve a solid P, in all honesty.

I do think that I deserve a low P in general, though, because I did make the minimum requirements. I spoke about my topic by detailing what writing is as well as what it takes to make a novel. I also discussed my independent component, my mentors, and my essential question (albeit briefly.)

Then, I made use of topic-specific props (widely successful books and items from my hook), cleaning up the area directly after my presentation was finished.  

As far as professionalism goes, I feel I was energetic and retained a good amount of eye contact, so I don’t think there were big issues there either.

I hit the minimum for a P, I believe. I could’ve done much better, but I didn’t control time well enough, and so I deserve whatever assessment I receive.  

(Image above shows all of the props I used for my presentation. The books on the left were used as an example of exceedingly famous novels, and the items on the right were part of my hook.) 

3. If you could go back, what would you change about your lesson?  How can you use that knowledge to give a better Lesson 2?

I would definitely cut down how much I had planned to say. I suppose I should’ve guessed that when my script neared three and a half pages of writing. 

When I tried timing myself at home, I was good on time, but I really didn’t take into consideration hook length or the differences in speed that would occur when presenting to a class rather than simply to myself.

I just spoke too much about one aspect of my topic and didn’t have time to get to the rest of it, which was a complete shame. If given a chance to go back and redo it, I would’ve spoken a bit less about novel-writing so that I would have enough time to get to get the self-publishing aspect of the publication world. 

With Lesson 2, we will have more time to present, which alleviates some of the issues I faced during this presentation. However, I must keep in mind that I should still be paying attention to minutes passing and taking note of parts of my presentation I can drop in case I run low on time.  

[brookebbailey]

Blog 10 - Interview 2 Reflection

Link to Audio File

(Audio is about seven minutes long. It was a nice story, though, and I couldn’t bear to cut it off.) 

(Lorna and Larry, my mentors, pictured above. They got really excited over the prospect of picture-taking because it allowed them to do the “prom pose.” Not even kidding.) 

1. Please explain how you are spending your mentorship time (Is it at a workplace or somewhere else?  Are you shadowing?  Are you able to do tasks that are meaningfully related to the topic?  If so, what?  Are there other people who are experts in the location?  Etc...)

I haven’t spent much time with my mentors yet, as they’ve been out of the state. Now that they’re back, though, we have a number of plans lined up.

Mainly, I’m going to be helping them with the research process for their books. This is how I can be of most help, I think, to my mentors (as they are doing me a huge favor for me just by participating in this project and taking time out of their day to educate me.) 

I’ll benefit from learning all there is to know about the manner in which an author creates an a truly accurate piece of fiction. In my interview, actually, we briefly go into the importance of getting things right while working on a novel. 

To immerse the audience in a world of one’s creation, said world has to be believable. This is especially crucial for Lorna and Larry, as they have a series of historical fiction novels based off of the area in which they live. I’m sure the locals- neighbors and friends of the Collins- would not take very kindly to inaccurate representations of said community, and because my mentors pride themselves on being as contentious as possible, the opinion of this audience is highly important to them (as it should be for any true writer!) 

(Some of Lorna and Larry’s books shown above. The Memory Keeper is their historical fiction series.) 

Of course, though, my senior project isn’t going to be purely spent on research, as this result in a shallow, tedious understanding of the writing world. 

We have different ideas for how to spend our time together. My mentors and I have discussed meeting up during November to check my progress with NaNoWriMo and ease any troubles I may be encountering.

Afterwards, Lorna and Larry might teach me about the publication process by going through the different components of it with my own completed book. (I don’t intend to get it legitimately published, but following the steps leading up to it would allow me to understand the process of getting a book to print in a realistic, hands-on manner.) If we were to do this, we’d spend a good deal of time editing closely and planning out the different surface factors of the novel’s print (cover designs, how it would be marketed, etc.)

(I made a quick rough draft cover earlier today out of the excitement from having my laptop back. Cover-making is surprisingly therapeutic.)

We’re mostly playing this mentorship thing by ears. It’s a new situation for all parties involved, so we’re still really determining how we can be of most help to each other. We have plans here and there, but not much that is definitively concrete (spare for the NaNo meetings. My mentors are way too excited about the book I’m writing to let me go a month without physically updating them.) 

The plan that is most exciting, I think, in terms of my branching out into this field, is one to meet with Lorna and Larry’s critique group. Aside from Wordsmitten, (R.I.P.- you are still missed) I’ve never really engaged in a true critique circle. It’s a bit intimidating, but oddly thrilling to think about. 

In a single meeting, I will come out with a stronger list of contacts, an understanding of what authors are truly like, AND a knowledge of areas within my writing that require work. 

It’s a win-win-win situation here, one can’t lose when they’re gaining a free chance at notable self-improvement. 

(Quote by Ralph Martson, edit by me.)  

2.  How did you find your mentor?  How did you convince this person to help you?  

This is a bit of a cute story, actually.

My mentors are long-time friends of my mother. My mother happened to be close to their daughter, Kim, growing up, which meant that my mother frequented their house quite often.

Ever the extrovert, my mother takes it upon herself to constantly maintain most (if not all) of the healthy relationships she develops in life. Though we are not very close in distance, my mother has made it a point to stay in contact with Lorna and Larry, efforts which my mentors have fondly echoed.

I suppose it’s happy coincidences that led us together, as Lorna and Larry didn’t start off in the writing field. All throughout my mother’s childhood and until more recent years, Lorna and Larry had worked for Universal Studios in the construction of their theme parks (fancy.)

It just so happened that, upon retirement, they’d pursue their mutual love of fiction in a writing format.

When I told my mother about my idea to do my senior project on writing, she excitedly suggested I speak with Lorna and Larry. Shortly after, I wrote up an email detailing what the project was about, how passionate I was about the subject, and how appreciative I would be if they allowed me to work with them.

Within a day of sending it, we had begun to regularly communicate back, constantly making plans to meet up and swapping bits of information about ourselves. It was intimidating at first. Maintaining that level of casual conversation with adults- especially professional adults- had seemed extremely unmanageable early on.

I’m happy to say it eased up, though, largely in part with how quickly they had embraced me as a mentee. By the time we met in person, it felt as if we were old friends seeing each other for the first time in a few years.    

3. How would you rate your comfort level with your mentor at this point in your relationship?  How does this relate to the time you've spent so far at mentorship/with this person?

I discussed this a bit in #2, but I’ll elaborate on it further. As my mentors and I had been in close contact throughout the summer, by the time we physically met, it felt as if we’d known each other for much longer. Meaning, thank god, we were able to skip the awkward small talk and head straight for relationship-building.

While it does seem that our level of comfort consistently- albeit subtly- increases with each hour spent together, I feel that this closeness transcends a time of mentorship-depth of relationship-based ratio.

Some people just click right off the bat, and thankfully, we seem to be reflective of this case.

(It seems very serendipitous that out of all of the people I could’ve encountered, I found two mentors who happened to jive with me perfectly. It appears that fate is finally looking up for me.) 

On my first meeting with Lorna and Larry, we spent seven hours chatting about a variety of different topics before finally heading off to dinner together.

During our second meeting, we were already discussing our personal lives and bouncing story ideas off of each other.  

As mentioned before on this blog, I suffer from (sometimes debilitating) anxiety which requires me to seek professional help. As such, it’s an exceedingly rare occurrence that I am able to form a close relationship with someone this early on. Typically, there would be weeks of build-up, months of easing my way into situation in a manner all-too-comparable to stretching one’s feet into the scalding water of a hot tub.

Time to adjust and pure luck is what I’d need, at the bare minimum.

I don’t know how to explain it. Maybe it’s because we’re all writers. Maybe it’s because of their warm, bubbly personalities. Regardless of what it is, I don’t need any of this when I’m with them. They make me feel welcome, not fumbling or weird like I feel with most other people.

They don’t know this, but being around them encourages me to talk to more people outside of my support team, outside of the extremely close knit groups I’ve formed. It’s exciting, to say the least.

Lorna and Larry invited me to spend a weekend at their house, which I had denied on the basis of awkwardness at the start of our interactions. Now, though, I think it’s likely I will soon take them up on this offer.

Not a common statement for introverts, especially naturally anxious ones like me,  but I genuinely enjoy spending time with them. It’s not a chore to either of us, and that’s very special, I think.

I suppose I really lucked out with this project.

4. What went well in this interview?  Why do you think so?  What do you still need to improve?  How do you know?  How will you go about it?

I believe Lorna and Larry came off very genuine and down-to-earth in their interview, which is always nice to see. They used many real life examples to elaborate on their points, and spent a good deal of the interview talking about their friend/former client who did x or didn’t do y. 

It was very endearing to see how deeply enveloped they are into the writing world that it affects every aspect of their life, right down to the friendships they hold and the minor grudges they carry. This field really is their life.  

There isn’t even the faintest air of falsity of exaggeration when they speak about this topic. Their passion, their excitement, it all bleeds through and comes off so refreshingly real. This is what partially makes conversations with them so much fun. 

They’re just so open about who they are and what they do. It’s a unique trait in this guarded of a society, and I feel it drives a sense of trust that is clear in parts of the interview. 

(Source)

My only issue with this meeting was how frequently Lorna and Larry got off topic, how much audio couldn’t be used due to the irrelevance of the subject matter. 

I regarded these instances with fondness, don’t get me wrong, but it was a pain to edit while transcribing. It’s just as much my fault as it is theirs though. 

I do need to put more effort into reigning interviewees in when they stray too far from the topic. It’s a sort of curiousness that keeps me from it, wondering where they will go if I do not guide them. This, so far, has led into dialogue exchanges regarding anything from family friends to the state of defunct stores. 

Entertaining but really- all too time-consuming. These minor studies in curiosities do not nearly make up for the time that could be spent in, you know, relevant places. 

So, next time, I’ll make sure to interrupt and direct the conversation when need be. I really don’t need to spend anymore time listening to audio and transcribing sections from it that might just prove irrelevant to the discussion anyway. 

Overall, even with its minor grievances, I still think the interview went pretty well. I could tell Lorna and Larry had a lot of passion about the subject, which just made it a really fun discussion to listen to, in my opinion. 

I hope that other listeners feel the same way as well.