Archive for the ‘writing a novel’ Category
a map to go with a story
Since I began to read, I have loved to have a map included in the book – the more detailed the better!
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The maps that come to mind include the five maps of Middle Earth and the detailed map of the Shire in J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of The Rings (Methuen Publications), the maps of Great Britain and Wales inside the front cover of Mary Stewart’s Crystal Cave (William Morrow and Company, Inc.), and the map of Martha’s Vineyard accompanying all of the books in Philip R. Craig’s Martha’s Vineyard Mysteries (Scribner). Although books in the mystery and fantasy genres often have maps, almost any book can include a guide to the geography of the book.
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the completed GIMP map for Meniscus: South from Sintha … every feature has its own layer so I can add a tree, delete a path, or add a house to a village!
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When I began my Meniscus series, I knew a map was needed. I needed it, to help me plot the story and action!
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At first I thought I would do a hand-drawn map and make changes as needed. Foolish girl! I would have been drawing maps forever. I have included a new map with each book, showing the path taken by the characters and any new features they find in the landscape. Fortunately I chose GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program), a free on-line app similar to Photoshop Pro. I had never worked with GIMP before, so I took the time to learn the system and I still have trouble with those ‘paths’. The system produces maps in layers. I can have a map for each kind of tree in the forest, a map for the grasslands, one for the villages and cities and so on.
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This week I started plotting for the seventh book in the series (two are now published and the third is expected out next week). I have told all the stories I care to (for now) for the first map (Map of Prell-nan South District, Meniscus), so I have been working on the landscape of Prell-nan North District.
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I first designed this map at the laundromat. Laundromats are the best place to read and write and think. No one bothers you and there is a set time to work. Many of the details of the map will change but it shows the basics of the portion of planet Meniscus I am building.
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a very draft map of Prell-nan North District, Meniscus … the features on this map will be continuous with the map of the South District … the original map is 4″ by 3″ … I drew on what I could find!
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I have now finished most of the layers on GIMP. I still need to label the various features and tidy up some of the layers. Now I can use the map to help me plot the journey of my characters and their actions!
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the first draft of the map on GIMP … I love creating all those little trees!
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Be watching for the next book in the Meniscus series! Meniscus: Winter by the Water-climb tells the continuing story of Odymn and the Slain, and gets them through a brutal winter on planet Meniscus! Their love story and adventures continue with some new characters.
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Copyright 2017 Jane Tims
my eraser is my friend
I spent a quiet morning drawing a new image for the fourth book in my science fiction series.
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Meniscus: Crossing The Churn and Meniscus: South from Sintha have been published. I am now waiting for editing and a proof of Meniscus: Winter by the Water-climb (to be published in July). In the meanwhile, I have some time to continue work on the fourth book, Meniscus: The Village at Themble Hill.
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The Village at Themble Hill is the most tragic of the four books to date. Odymn, sometimes reckless, breaks her leg and then falls from a tree. How did she get in that tree and will she survive?
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I am the first to admit my drawings are not perfect. I have no specific training and my hand does all the work so it takes all the blame. However, I love to draw. It is engrossing and being able to illustrate my own books has helped me tell my stories.
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I begin by reading the text of the story to choose a scene I want to illustrate. I usually have the composition of the scene securely in my head as a result of the writing. Then I pose my little wooden model, find some photos to help me with the human form, and get to work. I have decided to show you the stages for a particular drawing.
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In this scene, Odymn and the Slain have decided to explore The Fault, to make sure there are no unknown ways for the Gel-heads to gain access to the new Human settlement. The Gel-heads have invaded before, carrying off prisoners and trying to murder those they leave behind.
The Slain pulls his map from his pack.
Yellowed vellum. Corners worn.
Ink marks gloss the edges.
The Slain’s finger follows The Fault.
“We’ll go scouting,”
he says. “Make certain
there are no other stair-steps
carved in rock.”
“No other water-climbs,” says Odymn.
She hears what the Slain does not say.
He tires of life in Garth —
rules, duty rosters
and expected conversation.
“When do we leave?” says Odymn.
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I begin with a quick sketch to establish the position of my characters. I use a 2B pencil and eraser. I think the eraser is the most useful of my drawing tools!
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Then I start to consolidate the lines and sketch in some background.
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The next step is to establish some of the shadow in the drawing. As you can see, a Q-tip is almost as important to me as the eraser!
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Odymn is always the easiest to draw. She is a bit quirky, so her facial expressions mask her beauty. The main challenges are her hair and her nose which always tries to develop a hook.
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The last thing I draw is the Slain’s head. He is a most difficult character/subject. I always get him too young or too old, too dark or too light. Sometimes he insists on looking a bit like a caveman!
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The final drawing is almost exactly the scene I saw in my head. Odymn and the Slain look a little uncertain about what they will find on their adventure. As you can see, when you use an eraser, you also need a brush to shoo the eraser bits away without smudging the drawing.
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With a few minor edits, this drawing will accompany this part of the story in The Village at Themble Hill. The Slain and Odymn will have some dangerous adventures as they travel along The Fault.
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What do you think of my process and my final drawing?
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Copyright Jane Tims 2017
Independent publishing – editing
During the past two months, I have been working on the second in my sci-fi series. Meniscus: South from Sintha tells the continuing adventures of Odymn and the Slain. This is a story of redemption. Odymn wants the Slain to undo his past wrongs, but can he ever return his ‘acquisitions’ to their homes?
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To edit this book, I have used all the methods at my disposal: edits in Word, read-throughs of printed .PDF files, and reviews of the virtual book on CreateSpace. I also follow advice of an editor, Lee Thompson (Lee Thompson Editing +), and pay attention to the comments of my beta-readers.
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This time I tried one more method, a great boost. I ordered ‘proof’ copies of the book and sent a couple of these to beta-readers. And I used the ‘proof’ as my own mark-up version. I ordered a ‘proof’ for the first book as well, but only after all comments were in.
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For South from Sintha I used the proof to record all comments and edits. Having the book in hand to do this step has been so much easier. I have given myself permission to scribble and revise and add details, and I am now ready to download the file to generate another proof.
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This adds a few steps to the CreateSpace process, but I have already seen the rewards.
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Meniscus: South from Sintha will be available in paperback and Kindle by mid-May. I am so eager to hold both finished books in my hands!
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Copyright Jane Tims 2017
Winner … what is ‘beelwort’?
I am happy to announce the winner of my contest ‘What is beelwort?’ Beelwort is a mysterious item mentioned in the first book of my Meniscus sci-fi series — Meniscus: Crossing The Churn. My books give only small hints about the nature of beelwort: it get slipped into pockets as a joke and, although edible, is not very palatable.
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The winner of the contest is Allan Hudson. Allan is the editor of the South Branch Scribbler, an on-line blog exploring the arts. Every week Allan posts an article, guest blog or question and answer session about an author, musician or artist. Have a look at http://allanhudson.blogspot.ca/ The blog includes some interesting insights into the process of writing and the methods of some well-known authors.
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Allan’s answer to the contest defined beelwort as ‘… an edible, hallucinogenic fungus only found on Meniscus …’ To this, I will only add ‘rather squishy’. Beelwort will finally be defined, using Allan’s definition, in Book Five of the Meniscus series — Meniscus: Karst Topography. Also, Allan will receive a postage-paid copy of my first poetry book within easy reach, poems about eating wild edible plants (available at http://www.chapelstreeteditions.com or on Amazon).
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available from www.chapelstreeteditions.com
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Meniscus: Karst Topography (I took geology as a minor in university) is in draft form at present. However, the first book in the series — Meniscus: Crossing The Churn — is now available at Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats.
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B06XPPNCGF/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
Meniscus: Crossing The Churn is a science-fiction adventure/romance describing the meeting of Odymn and the Slain. Written as a long poem, it is a book about loss, freedom and relationship. The remaining books in the series will bring new characters into the mix and tell a story about building companionship, family and community on a dystrophic planet where even casual contact between humans is discouraged. Don’t let the poetry format put you off! The tale is told in short lines, written as concisely as is possible to tell a story!
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Thank you to Allan for entering the contest! Your book within easy reach is in the mail!
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Belnar, one of the characters from Book Two is into the honey mead, but he could be eating beelwort!
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Copyright Jane Tims 2017
Writing a Series – continuity
With the publication of the first in the Meniscus series — Meniscus: Crossing The Churn (CreateSpace, 2017), I am now working to publish the second – Meniscus: South from Sintha.
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A poor photo of the painting I did for the cover of Book Two – Meniscus: South from Sintha
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I have completed the text and all of the drawings. I have even finished the painting for the book cover! The book is now with my editor (Lee Thompson Editing +) who will give me advice on story arc, characters, poetic line and word choice.
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Back to those final edits!!!!
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The story for South from Sintha continues the tale begun in Book One — in this book, Odymn wants the Slain to fix some of the wrongs he has done in the past. South from Sintha is the story of a journey to return some of the Slain’s former captives to their homes. But can you really ‘go back’?
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The cover painting for Meniscus: South from Sintha is based on one of the drawings I created for the story … the drawing is called ‘release of the feather’ … after returning each captive to his or her home, the Slain and Odymn release a token to celebrate the ‘return’
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As I prepare the second in the series, I have to make a couple of continuity decisions. One had to do with maps. I have taken the advice of my nephew and altered the map to reflect the landscape changes revealed in Book Two, as well as the path followed by the major characters.
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The West Half of the map in the story South from Sintha … drawing the map in GIMP makes additions/changes so easy!
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Another continuity decision concerns the common language on the planet Meniscus: Gel-speak. As I write, new words are added to the Gel-speak vocabulary. I have included a Glossary with a Gel-speak Dictionary at the back of each book. But, do I keep the Book One words in the Book Two Dictionary, even though some words are not used in Book Two? Or do I include the vocabulary from both Book One and Book Two? Perhaps you would help me make a decision by responding to the poll.
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If you want to read Book One in the series, Meniscus: Crossing The Churn is now available at Amazon, in both Paperback and Kindle versions. Be sure to look under my first name Alexandra Tims. Of course I want you to buy the book and read the story of how the Slain and Odymn meet! Meeting the furry, purry Argenop in the story is worth the read!!!!
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Copyright Jane Tims 2017
Meniscus: Crossing The Churn … on Kindle soon!
I have had a frustrating week. However, I have accomplished what I set out to do. I have pressed the publish button on the Kindle edition of my book. It should be available in a couple of days.
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Say hello to Odymn and the Slain. My big problem was to get them from postage-stamp size to fill-the-page size.
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What an effort! My main challenge was putting my 25 drawings into the various types of e-book at a proper size.
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I googled for help for almost two weeks and tried every suggestion without luck. And at last I found the answer. I purchased a book by Aaron Shepard ( Pictures on Kindle – Self-Publishing Your Kindle Book with Photos, Art, or Graphics, or Tips on Formatting Your Ebook’s Images to Make Them Look Great (Shepard Publications, Friday Harbor, Washington, 2013-2016) available as an e-book from Amazon for $4.03 … the key was to switch on and off all the right boxes in Word ! You have no idea how deep the Word rabbit-hole goes!
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Copyright Jane Tims 2017
A contest ! What is ‘beelwort’?
In writing my science-fiction book Meniscus: Crossing The Churn, I had a lot of fun inventing plant and animal species to populate the planet Meniscus. I also enjoyed thinking of the various common items a traveller on the planet might encounter. I include a Glossary at the end of the book, to help the reader. However, one item is not identified, on purpose. I thought it might be fun to keep readers guessing about the identity of this item … “beelwort” …
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What is ‘beelwort’ ???
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When we first meet Odymn, the book’s protagonist, she is a slave in the city of Prell. She puts in her days at a bar, waiting tables. Being a waitress in Prell is no fun. As the book says, every day has its challenges: boiling coffee thrown, the brutal behavior of the Gel-head customers, and, worst of all —
Slices of beelwort slipped into a pocket …
The “wort” in “beelwort” suggests a plant or plant product. The only other thing I know about “beelwort” is now part of my draft of Book Four — Meniscus: The Town at Themble Hill. Odymn talks about her cooking:
‘When we return to Garth,” she says,
“I refuse to take another turn at cooking.
No one likes what I make.”
“I like what you make,” says the Slain.
“You’d eat beelwort on a stick,”
says Odymn.
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So what is “beelwort”?
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For example, a slice of “beelwort” in a pocket might be like having a slice of orange put into your pocket …
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I am running a contest. The winner of the contest will recieve a copy of my poetry book within easy reach, a book about edible wild plants … not a beelwort among them!
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To enter the contest, let me know what you think “beelwort” is — the answer can go in my Blog or Facebook comments. Describe it in one sentence (nothing obscene is allowed and I reserve the right to edit or not allow the comment). I will run the answers by the members of my writing group and have them select one winner. I’ll announce the winner by March 31, 2017 and arrange to send him or her a copy of within easy reach, postage paid.
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available from http://www.chapelstreeteditions.com
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Put on your thinking caps! What is “beelwort”?
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Copyright Jane Tims 2017
The “proof” arrives!
A knock on the door yesterday afternoon brought the “proof” of my new book Meniscus: Crossing The Churn”. So exciting!
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The proofing with CreateSpace takes a while if you follow their process. At the suggestion of one of my blog readers, I sent for the hard copy “proof” and I am so glad I did! I am also reviewing a virtual book and a PDF version, both provided by CreateSpace.
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I know from my read of the virtual book, there are several things I want to fix. But having the proof makes publication of the book more “real”. Also, a read of the real pages will probably point out other edits … there always seems to be a difference between my perception of paper and screen versions!
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It will take a few hours to read the “proof”, make any changes and go through the process of downloading the new version to CreateSpace. Then, a repeat of the proofing process. Nevertheless, I am that much closer to the publication of my book on Amazon!
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Copyright Jane Tims 2017
A muse takes over – final edits
This week I am working towards final publication of my first sci-fi novel on CreateSpace – Meniscus: Crossing The Churn.
I have incorporated the comments of my editor ( Lee Thompson Editing + https://leethompsonediting.com/ ) into my final draft.
I have sent my beta-version to my six beta-readers and will make a few edits based on their comments.
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A glimpse of the book in final editing. The blue paper was a gift from my husband who thought he was buying white paper! The yellow tabs are just a few last minute changes. The white frame is my way of seeing how the book will look on the final page size!
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At the last minute I decided my font was too small and switched from Garamond 12 to Garamond 14. It took a while to get all those drawings back to the left hand page!
Now, I have printed out a final version to have one last view before I load the cover, text and other information into CreateSpace.
A comment about independent versus traditional publishing:
I realize how patient the publisher was with all the edits for my poetry book within easy reach (Chapel Street Editions, 2017).
I also realize that my publisher made the final call and ‘pushed the button ‘ regarding the final, final, final draft. Left to my own, I realize I am a bit nervous about this last step and find myself procrastinating, just a little.
To that end, I spent all morning, not working on Meniscus:Crossing The Churn, but on the early draft of the fifth book in the series!
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Copyright 2017 Jane Tims
a muse takes over – character arcs
Every character in a novel needs a background and a story arc of their own, in order to make them interesting and realistic. This creates challenges as I proceed through the drafts of the five books of my sci-fi series ‘Meniscus’.
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In Book One (Crossing the Churn), I have only two main characters, Odymn and the Slain.
In Book Two (South from Sintha), they rescue three new characters from servitude under the Dock-winder aliens and a simple community begins to take shape.
In Book Three (Winter by the Water-climb), a transport crash brings six more humans to the settlement.
By Book Four (The Town at Themble Hill), the settlers are actively seeking new recruits to the community and there are sixteen characters for the writer (me) to manage.
At the end of Book Five, even I don’t know how many characters will survive/be added!
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Character arcs assist with the forward motion of the entire story. Each character’s story arc contributes to the whole and is usually connected in some way to the main story arc.
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I express my character story arcs in a three-part sentence — what the character wants, the obstacles he or she encounters, and the resolution.
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For example, one of the new recruits in Book Four (The Town at Themble Hill) is Edward, a medical doctor. Although the settlers can get the help of an alien elder, a doctor who has actually treated human illness will be a great asset to the community. When he enters the story, he has been a Dock-winder slave, used to treat the ailments of other human slaves.
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In the Dock-winder city of Prell, Edward has been able to work with complex technologies. But in the new human settlement, deep in the Themble Woods, even simple tools like stethoscopes or standard pharmaceuticals don’t exist. Edward has to reinvent his approach to medicine, developing his own methods with available tools and embracing alien natural medicines and techniques he previously belittled.
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So, Edward’s story arc is expressed as follows:
Edward wants to help his patients but when technology is no longer available, he has to learn to embrace alien methods and natural herbal medicines.
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This sentence, once written, can help determine the mood of the character, his attitude towards other characters, his response in various situations and the risks he is willing to take. Now I can revise my draft to make it consistent with Edward’s story arc.
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There are often three ‘bumps’ to move the character’s story arc along. Edward’s three ‘bumps’ are consistent with his story arc:
- Edward is skeptical of the Argenop methods (the Argenops are primitive aliens, cute and furry)
- He encounters a medical challenge that, with technology, could be easily resolved
- He tries an alien, herbal treatment and learns to trust new methods
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Back to work!
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Copyright 2017 Jane Tims
nichepoetryandprose 