Let's Review Some Books

If you want to read some strong opinions about YA fantasy/romance/summer time books, you're in the right place! 📚

[katesbookobsession]

I wrote a book.  I’ll probably never let anyone read it.  But I just wanted to tell someone.

I wrote a book.

[carrieonwriting]

some highlights from my writing seminar with honestly one of my favourite authors of all time who shall remain nameless bc i dont want her to know i was spilling her secrets online

The first trick is to detach yourself from your idea. You don’t have just one novel inside you, and it’s not a big deal if you don’t finish this novel.

She was skeptical of the common advice “just write!!1!” - she talked about how long ideas for her most popular novels were marinating inside her before she properly wrote them

As a continuation of that, she was a big believer in knowing what you want to write before you write it. Not what you’re going to write, what you want to write. 

The first thing she decides about a novel is what the mood is going to be, and this informs every other decision (e.g. the mood for Shiver was bittersweet)

Ideas should be personal, specific, exciting and they should exclude secondary sources. A personal idea isn’t necessarily autobiographical (which should be avoided), but it speaks to your emotional truth. 

She said she had been read Ronsey fanfiction and she couldn’t view her car in the same way since. 

Story is the thing that seems most important to reader but is most changeable to the author - story is subservient to your mood and your message. Change what you like in the plot as long as your book retains its sense of self.

Story is conflict, exploration and change. A good story has active tension -the characters want something, instead of just wanting something not to happen (e.g. wanting to kill an enemy instead of simply defending a stronghold against an enemy) 

A story needs to have a concrete end, something to be done. 

Satisfaction is important - deliver what you promise to the reader. The other shoe has to drop. Ronan Lynch doesn’t ever talk about his feelings, so its rewarding when he does. 

Earn your emotional moments (she threw shade at Fantastic Beasts lmao)

Forcing a character to be passive is dissatisfying to the reader. 

Characters are products of their environments, consistent/predictable, nuanced and specific, moving the plot, and subservient to other story elements. 

She always starts with tropes for ensemble casts like sitcoms. Helpful for building good character dynamics.

Write scenes with characters saying explicitly what they’re thinking and then go back and make them talk like real people in the edit. 

An action can also prove what they’re thinking, instead of making them say it or another character guess it (e.g. Ronan punching a wall). 

Move the reader’s emotional furniture around without them noticing. 

All her books follow the three act structure. Established normal -> inciting incident -> character makes an Active Decision -> fun and games -> escalation -> darkest moment -> climax. 

Promise what you’re going to do in the first five pages. 

Read your book out loud. Record yourself reading it. 

If you have writer’s block, it’s because you’ve stopped writing the book you want to write. She likes to delete everything she’s written until she gets back to a point where she knew she was writing what she wanted to write, and then carrying on from there. 

[emeralddodge-deactivated2022091]

How to Publish on the Cheap

So you’ve written that awesome novel, but you don’t have a lot of money. How can you get it ready for publication? (Spoiler: Fiverr shows up a lot)

Editing/Proofreading Services

Scribophile

Strictly speaking, Scrib is a workshop, not an editing service. But a lot of the feedback you’d get from an editor, you’d get from a decent swap on Scrib. The trade off: time. It takes time to network, to critique other people, and to get actionable feedback. 

Fiverr - example gig

Fiverr has been a godsend to authors like me. For a sneeze I can hire proofreaders who charge a flat fee instead of paying hundreds of dollars (or thousands!) for editing and/or proofreading. 

Covers

Fiverr - example gig

Another Fiverr option. If you do some basic research into the covers of your genre, list what always catches your eye, and then write a detail brief, you should be able to get a great cover here.

Pre-made cover sites like this one

Pre-made covers are a huge industry. There are tons of warehouse sites like the one in the link on which artists display what’s on offer, you pay the flat fee, and they’ll tailor it to your needs.

Formatting

Fiverr (again) - my own service

If you don’t have the money to invest in Vellum and/or the requisite MacBook, you can hire people like me to format your book for you. I’m one of many people who will do this.

Swaps 

Because Vellum is a premium buy, a lot of authors don’t have it. You can swap another service (usually beta reading or a newsletter feature) in exchange for formatting.

Advertising

BookFunnel promotions

1. Write something designed to be a reader magnet (or lop off the first 10% of your book). Make sure the end of the freebie links to your sales page.

2. Open a freebie account on MailerLite or MailChimp, which is usually free for the first 1000 subscribers.

3. Load your file onto BookFunnel.

4. Join a few promotions for your genre, and make sure you are collecting emails in exchange for the freebie.

5. Start swapping features with other authors, thereby increasing your exposure. At the same time, make sure the promotions are in your newsletter, too. No freeloading.

Voila! You’re advertising your book.

These are just a few ways I’ve seen to publish cheaply! You can do this, and you can do it without breaking the bank. :)

[kelseykingillustration]

CATS + BOOKS

[ohmycavalier]

Austen Kitty. 

[katesbookobsession]

The Mess

The child bounds into her father’s bedroom, his figure still sleeping on the queen sized bed.  She uses the wooden foot posts to pull herself onto the bed, her little feet jumping around.  Her blanky in one hand that she holds up to her nose, wafting the scent of dirt mixed with laundry detergent.  Her mother follows in only a moment later.

The room is a mess. Piles of laundry, both dirty and clean, litter every flat surface: the old TV that hasn’t work in decades, the large oak dresser, the window seat, the bedside tables.  Dirty plates are piled on the ground by the bed, empty glasses lay on their sides.

The sleeping mass moves.

“Are you going to get up today?” the mother asks.

“Be quiet, Amy,” he snaps.

The child continues to jump around.

The mother moves around, picking up the dishes and the glasses.

“Stop touching my stuff, woman.  I’ll take care of it.”

“Yeah?  When? This plate has mold on it.”

They continue to yell, the child continues to jump.

“Dad, can we play?” she asks, moving up the bed.  The child uses the headboard as leverage to jump even higher.

It all happens in one quick motion.

The dad pulls the child, flipping her as she screams her giggles.  Her hand releases the blanky that she held against the headboard.  It falls behind, to the floor.

When the dad releases her, as her giggles subside, she stands back up.  She jumps over to the headboard, looking for her blanky – unaware of what was to come.

The child peers behind the headboard, she sees her blanky there.  

The mom saw what happened, she knew what would be next.  The child needs her blanky or she will cry, wailing, until she gets it.

“Mommy, what’s that?” she asks, pointing down.

“No, baby, don’t go back there,” the dad says.  “I’ll get your blanky later.”

“I’ll get, it’s not like you planned to get up anyways,” the mom rolls her eyes.

The mom leans behind the headboard, her arm already reaching.

The dad tries to stop her with one last attempt.

But it’s too late.  The mom’s face transforms into a livid, raging animal.  All she’s thinking is it fucking happened again.  The words race through her mind on a loop.  It’s a three-second song on repeat.

Her arm lifts above the headboard, an empty bottle of vodka, the black label reading a cheap brand that the child doesn’t understand.

“That’s it,” the mom breaths.  Her voice is calm, much calmer than her face. “That’s it.  I’m filing for divorce.”  The words are said as she pulls more and more bottles from behind the headboard.  Some of them are empty, bone dry, other’s are almost there, only a few more swigs left.

The child doesn’t understand what’s happening.  She doesn’t know what divorce is. She doesn’t know what the bottles mean.  She just picks up her blanky, jumps off the bed, and skips out of the room.

The child is completely unaware of that this one morning, that her blanky fell behind the bed, would be her first memory of her addicted father. And the last moment in her parent’s marriage.

[epicreads]

“You forged this crown yourself, now wear it. Or don’t.”

WAR STORM by Victoria Aveyard

[theboywhoreadsbooks]

I know i look cute, but i’d look even cuter with 5 new books in my hands, i’m just saying

[the-bookshop]

Source.

[kaypier-deactivated20200518]

More often than not I’ll crack into a sprawling fantasy series and, while I appreciate the luscious descriptions of furniture, landscapes, and clothing, all I’m focused on is that I don’t actually know how this world works. I only know what it looks like.  

Including some functionality to your universe can add to immersion and give your reader a strong foundation on which to build their mental model of your universe. 

You certainly don’t need to use all of these questions! In fact, I recommend against that, as all of these certainly won’t make it into your final draft. I personally find that starting my worldbuilding off with 5 to 10 functional questions helps pave the way for glittery and elaborate aesthetic development later on.

How is the healthcare funded in your world?

How does healthcare functionally differ between the wealthy and the poor? (i.e. can only the wealthy go to hospitals? do poor families often have to rely on back-alley procedures?)

Where are health centers (i.e. hospitals, small clinics, etc.) organized in your cities?

Does it differ in smaller towns?

How does this affect people’s ability to get healthcare?

Is healthcare magical, and if it is, how does that affect the healthcare system? 

If healing is instantaneous, how does that affect people’s views on injury, illness, and chronic ailments?

If you have both magical and physical healthcare, which one is deemed superior and how does that affect society? 

What illnesses are common in your world? 

How does this affect daily life? 

What do the people in your world think illnesses are? 

Is it a miasma theory? 

Humor theory? 

Demons? 

Do they know about biological viruses and bacteria? 

How does this affect healthcare?

How do people get water? 

Is the water sanitary and if not, how do they sanitize it?

How does agriculture work? 

Is it large corporations or individual farms?

What sort of agricultural technology exists in your world and how does it affect food production?

Are farmers wealthy or poor?

What sort of natural resources does your world/country(ies) have and how are they obtained?

How does this affect the average wealth of the country?

How does this wealth affect the culture? 

What livestock or beasts of burden are most valued? Least valued? Why?

What is considered a luxury good vs. a regular good?

What forms of transportation does your world have?

What classes use what forms of transportation?

How far has the average citizen traveled, given your transportation limitations?

Which cities are the most accessible and which are the least? Why?

How do popular transportation methods change how cities/towns are laid out?

Does your world have public transportation? What is it?

Is there a coming-of-age aspect to travel?

Describe your world’s postal system or whatever equivalent there is. 

Who pays for it? 

How reliable is it? 

Are there emergency methods for transporting information?

How does your world keep time (i.e. watches, sundials, water clock, etc.)?

Does your world have a currency system, barter system, or something else? 

If you have multiple countries, do different currencies have different values across said countries?

How does this affect travel?

Do you have banks in your world and if so, how are they run?

Who owns the banks? Government? Wealthy? How does this affect the economy and/or class system?

How does credit operate in your universe?

Does your world operate more on big corporations or small business? Something in between?

How are workers/labourers treated in your world? 

Are there workers unions and if so, what are common views on unions? 

Describe your tax system. If you don’t have a tax system, explain why and how your world is affected by that. 

Can certain social classes not own property, certain livestock, certain businesses, etc.? Why?

How are business records kept? Are business records kept?

If your world has technology, does your world prioritize developing entertainment tech, communications tech, transportation tech or something else entirely?

What does this say about your world?

How does this affect your economy?

To the closest approximation, what type of government does your world have? 

How are rulers/presidents/nobles put in place? 

How much power does an individual ruler have? 

Is there a veto process? 

If you have multiple countries, do they have different types of rulers?

Describe any large-scale alliances (i.e. countries, factions, etc.) that are present in your world. 

How did they come about and how are they maintained? 

Are they strained or peaceful? 

How does it affect the greater politics of your world?

Describe how wars are fought both internationally and nationally. 

Do methods of war differ between countries/races? 

What about philosophies about war?

If there is a military, what is its hierarchy structure?

How does the military recruit?

Is the military looked upon favourably in your society?

What weapons are used by each country/type of people during warfare, and how does that affect war strategies?

Describe the sentencing system of your world. 

Is your accused innocent until proven guilty, or guilty until proven innocent?

How are lawbreakers punished? 

If you have prisons, describe how they are organized and run, and who owns them. 

Does differing ownership change how the prisons operate?

What are the major ways in which laws between countries vary? 

Do laws between cities vary? If so, how and why?

How does citizenship work in your world? What rights and privileges do citizens have that others do not? 

Can certain classes or races not become citizens?

Are there certain taboo subjects or opinions that artist/authors/musicians are not allowed to depict (i.e. portraying the official religion in a negative light, explicit sexual material, etc.)? What does this say about your society?

How do people get around these censorship laws?

What is the official hierarchy of duty in your world? (i.e. is family the most important, or patriotism? What about clan?)

How many languages are there in your world, and how many languages share a common origin? 

How many people are multilingual? 

Which language is the most common?

How is multilingualism viewed?

How are different languages viewed? (i.e. is one language ugly/barbaric while another is romantic and sensual?)

Feel free to add your own questions in reblogs or in comments!

[scarletguarrd]

the gods still rule us. they have come down from the stars. and they are no longer kind. – Red Queen

[scarletguarrd]

Cal: I’ve never felt this way about anyone. I want to do something for her, but what?

Julian *reading a book*: Well, there’s the usual things: flowers, chocolates, promised you don’t intend to keep.

[touchbeauty]

[theheartofabookblogger]

I love how each cover in the RED QUEEN series gets darker—it creates such a pretty effect! I’ve only read the first two books in this series (and the novellas), but I’m excited to read the last two books now that the conclusion is out in the world. • • Do you like to binge-read series once they’re complete or do you like to read the books as they’re released?

[katesbookobsession]

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

*4 1/2 out of 5 Stars*

I should start this review out by saying I SO fell for the game. Probably more than anyone else in this book.

I was a huge fan of this book for the first 95%.  I loved it.  The intrigue and twists.  Yes, it was predictable at times, but honestly, HONESTLY, are you reading a YA fantasy book for it to be 100% original in thought?  I doubt that.   The romance was adorable and teasing - my favorites. Julian and Crimson are eek level cute. The setting of Caraval was beautiful, although I do wish I was able to hear more about the setting outside of Caraval.  I'm super interested in hearing about the different Isles and everything.

****SPOILERS AHEAD****

My biggest issues with this book happened in the last 5%.  Julian lied to her at least five times, changing the story to fit whatever Legend needed it to be and Scarlett just forgave him every time?  UM.  What?  Yes, I get it, he was enchanted so he couldn't say anything about Legend, but I don't think anyone could just get passed that without some sort of actual argument.  Instead of the forgive me, forgive me, please.

Also, her sister is psycho.  I firmly believe this.  She's like, oh yeah, let me just kill myself in front of my sister and hope she can bring me back to life, as if it won't scar her for life.  As if she wouldn't wake up in the middle of the night with nightmares of her sister jumping off a freaking balcony.  No.  Come one.  Selfish.

Luckily, the last 5% don't ruin the first 95%.  I just wish it could have lived up to the majority of the novel.

[strandbooks]

*mic drop🎤* this gorgeous watercolor piece by @ramblingsketcher has us totally speechless 😵🎨❤️📚 #bookstores #fanart #booksarelife (at Strand Book Store)

[biblioartsbyemma]

bookstack