It's the same Notebooks and Novels, just with a new look and some fun new stuff coming your way! =D Hope to see you all there!
I Moved!
Monday, November 12, 2018
It's the same Notebooks and Novels, just with a new look and some fun new stuff coming your way! =D Hope to see you all there!
Friday, November 2, 2018
Project Canvas is almost here! *cue the epic music, confetti, and mounds of cake* This exciting international project is jam-packed with writerly advice, encouragement, and lots more amazingness. And guess what? It's going to be released to the world on November 15! So many epic people contributed to this book--61 in total (including me)! Altogether, we're from eleven different countries and six different continents. And we have all come together to make Project Canvas. I am SO EXCITED for this book to go out into the world! <3 Read on to learn more about Project Canvas, the amazing founders, and other fun stuff. =D
About the Book
An international writing community. 61 authors. 11 countries. 6 continents.
Are you looking for advice on how to create the perfect villain? Do you need the courage to put your story down on paper? Find this and more in Project Canvas, a writing resource written completely by teen and young adult writers and compiled by Caroline Meek and Olivia Rogers.
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| Isn't the cover beautiful!? |
Project Canvas includes:
· 71 short chapters, each written by a different author
· bonus interviews with authors such as Tessa Emily Hall and Q. Gibson
· world building and character development worksheets
· and other helpful resources!
“This is a writing teacher’s dream – not a how-to book, but more of a literary testimony and homage to the process of writing. A sweet balance between the practical and the spiritual, Project Canvas is concise enough for daily meditation, yet robust enough to move the writer’s soul beyond the temporary.” –Brian Dolezal, professional development and spoken word coach at Sumner Academy of Arts and Science
About the Founders
Caroline and Olivia have been friends ever since kindergarten, when they met in a homeschooling group. Their writing journey was a slow evolution over the course of many sleepovers, games of pretend, writing stories together, and finally publishing some of them.
Caroline Meek is the editor-in-chief and co-founder of Project Canvas. She’s originally from Kansas City, Kansas, where she co-authored The Drawing in of Breath and attended Sumner Academy of Arts and Sciences. Caroline has a passion for bringing writers together and is currently studying English & Creative Writing on the Publishing track at the University of Iowa. She’s been published in The Kansas City Star, Ink Lit Mag, Wordsmith, and blogs at Of Stars and Ink-Stained Things.
Olivia Rogers is the co-founder of Project Canvas. She’s originally from the great state of Kansas, where she showed sheep, competitively debated, and also became involved in politics. Olivia believes that writing is the gateway to change. She’s currently studying Political Science and Philosophy at Kansas State University, with the goal of becoming a lawyer and continuing to advocate for others.
Other Fun Stuff...
And y'all, don’t forget to stop by the other amazing blogs on this tour! For a schedule of the blog tour, visit the Project Canvas blog (projectcanvasblog.blogspot.com). Also, there's a super fun bookstagram challenge going on, and I think that I'm going to be joining in. Click here to see the blog tour schedule and check out the bookstagram challenge that Project Canvas is hosting! =)
Are you excited for this book's release or what?!
What is one piece of advice you'd like to give to other writers?
What is one piece of advice you'd like to give to other writers?
Saturday, October 27, 2018
I'm very excited to continue talking about multiple points of view in fiction with you all today! In last week's post, I talked about three important questions to ask yourself before adding another point of view to your novel (you can read that post by clicking this link here). Today, I'm sharing three tips on writing a novel with multiple points of view. Most of the projects that I've worked on have had at least two points of view in each, and I'm excited to share what I've learned from reading and writing stories with multiple points of view! =)
#1 Let your readers know when you're switching between points of view.
As I mentioned in my last post on multiple points of view, having more than one point of view can be confusing. Key words: Can be. It can be confusing if you don't warn your readers when you're switching between points of view. This is especially important to remember in first person narratives, when there is less use of the point of view character's name.
For example, there are multiple points of view in the second and third books of Sara Ella's Unblemished trilogy. To keep everything less confusing, the author dedicates a chapter to each point of view and marks each chapter with the name of the point of view character. Imagine how confusing it would be if she skipped from one character's journey to another, with just a pretty divider in between!
The Take-Away: Don't skip from points of view seamlessly, especially if you're writing in first person. Make sure that your readers know when you move on to another point of view.
#2 Don't use too many points of view.
Have you ever read a book with more than four points of view? I can't think of single one, and there's a reason for that. It can get confusing with lots of different points of view. It would be hard to balance each character's part in the story equally, not to mention keep the readers interested in all of the characters and their separate journeys. Lots of point of view characters can be okay, but you'd have to be really careful as to not confuse your reader or lose her interest.
The Take-Away: Try to limit how many point of view characters you use.
#3 Make each point of view sound unique.
This is a biggie! It's not just the confusion aspect that is a problem here. If all of your characters are sarcastic and gloomy or cheery and full of rainbows and unicorns, they will all sound like one person. Having all of your characters sound the same won't let them shine as the unique and memorable characters that you have created them to be!
Instead of adding lots of snark to each point of view, think about your characters. What makes them special? What aspects of writing could best bring out their personalities? Lots of monologue, more action? After all, would sweet and innocent Sally really roll her eyes or whine on the pages?
The Take-Away: Let your characters shine! Allow them to be their unique selves on the pages, and their voices will stand out as unique and memorable ones.
Does your novel have more than one point of view? And what is your favorite book that has multiple points of view? I'm all ears! =D
Friday, October 12, 2018
Annnnnddddd I'm back. xD Apologies for the unplanned hiatus! Life has been a bit crazy, what with the start of my first draft of my novel (I AM SO EXCITED GUYS) and a whole lot of other exciting stuff (such as the fact that I finally got INSTAGRAM!!!!!). I am so happy to jump back into blogging. I've got lots of exciting things planned for you all, including more book reviews, photography, and details about my current WIP! =D
But for now, let's talk about points of view in novels. Specifically adding points of view to your novel. Is it good? Is it bad? The answer to both of those questions can't be found until you ask yourself these three very important questions. ;)
Will this work with the narrative voice I've chosen?
Other points of view just might not sound very good with the narrative voice you've chosen. Maybe it's just me, but I prefer having multiple POV stories in a third person omniscient narrative voice. For example, here's a snippet of writing featuring two points of view in the first person narrative voice:
My heart hammered in my chest. I couldn't believe it. What had he just said? "Say it again," I breathed.
Timothy ran a hand through his hair and met my gaze. "I like you, Amber."
~~~
There. I had said it. I liked her. I looked down at my feet. I wouldn't expect her to feel the same way, especially since I had lied to her about the letters, but still....
Is it just me or is that a tiny bit confusing? We skipped from Amber to Timothy SO quickly. It felt a little choppy, even with the "divider" signaling a change, and the voices didn't sound very distinct. Let's look at this same snippet in third person omniscient, shall we?
Amber's heart hammered in her chest. She couldn't believe it. What had he just said? "Say it again," she breathed.
Timothy ran a hand through his hair and met her gaze. "I like you Amber."
There. He had said it. He liked her. Timothy looked down at his feet. He wouldn't expect her to feel the same way, especially since he had lied to her about the letters, but still... He could hope, right?
In this third person omniscient voice, it's not only easier to add extra points of view, but it is also less confusing and has smoother transitions. This by no means goes to say that first person narratives with multiple points of view are bad (they can be done well!). I'm only bringing this up as something for y'all to consider. =)
Will the other points of view weigh the story down and take away from it, or will they move the plot/theme/arcs/etc. along?
Adding some extra points of view might not make your story better. Those extra points of view could weigh it down instead. For example, if I'm reading a story about a little girl named Lilly who's buying ice cream from an ice cream truck, I don't want to know what the ice cream truck driver or the boy riding his bicycle past her are thinking. I'm only concerned about Lilly getting her ice cream. Reading those other points of view would drag the story along and add a bunch of unneeded story.
However, if the story was about Lilly and the boy riding his bicycle past her, it's okay to include his point of view. Adding his point of view would help introduce him, move the plot along, and even help reinforce a theme, amongst other things. It would deepen the story and help the reader understand things that one couldn't understand with just Lilly's point of view.
Will these extra points of view confuse my readers?
Has anyone else ever read a book with what seemed to be only one point of view character, but then later, about halfway through the book.... There's for some reason another one? And then you only hear from this POV for five pages? It can be confusing, y'all, trust me. Multiple points of view get confusing when there are too many of them or if they're introduced too late in the novel, amongst other reasons. If you think that your extra points of view might be confusing to your readers, have another person look over your manuscript with this specific question in mind.
I hope that you'll join me next week as I share three tips on writing multiple POVs in your novel! =)
Do you prefer novels with just one POV or multiple POVs? Do you have anything that you'd like to add to my thoughts? =)
Tuesday, September 25, 2018
In one of my recent posts, I ranted talked about three romance clichés that drive me crazy (click here to read it!). But, to be honest, I LOVE some clichés. Clichés can be bad, but they can also be like a mug of cocoa--nice, comforting, predictable, and exactly what you need. Now, without further ado, here are three romance clichés that I LOVE.
The Damsel in Distress <3
I LOVE THIS CLICHÉ SO MUCH. I blame it on the Disney princess movies that I will never get enough of. Just ask my siblings.
But honestly, what can be more romantic than a prince saving his princess from a fire-breathing dragon, a poison-apple induced sleep, a sea-witch, or an evil stepmother? I'M KIDDING I'M BEING SARCASTIC. Or am I? One can never tell. ;) I really like this cliché because it totally goes against the "strong" women cliché (check out this post to see my rant thoughts). Also, it's romantic. Just watch the Disney princess movies. Thank you very much.
Romeo and Juliet <3
What I mean by Romeo and Juliet is FORBIDDEN LLLLLOOOOOVVVVVEEEE. But this cliché does need to meet some conditions for me to love it.
Hate to Love <3
Don't you love it when two characters start out hating each others' guts and then end up falling madly in love? I know that I do! Not only is it slightly humorous, but it is also so stinking adorable when it does happen. ESPECIALLY if a good dose of sarcasm is thrown in the mix. For example, Darcy and Elizabeth from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is my favorite hate-to-love relationship. Another book that had a great hate-to-love relationship was Unblemished by Sara Ella (read my review by clicking here). Read it and then we can fangirl together, okay? =)
What are some romance clichés that YOU love?
Saturday, September 8, 2018
For one, literacy is important because it helps people unlock their full potential.
So many people are kept in the clutches of poverty simply because they cannot read or write. Without literacy, they cannot get better jobs to support themselves and their families. And without better jobs, many families find themselves unable to send their children to school, which contributes to the cycle of illiteracy. Literacy is important not only for individuals caught in this cycle, but also whole societies.
Literacy helps people unlock their full potential and rise above this cycle. Let's look at the United States for example. Back in the day, when colonists were coming from Europe to the New World, they put an emphasis on education for the common people. They broke the mold of illiteracy that had been the social norm in Europe. And guess what? America grew to be a strong, prosperous nation with many citizens that have made an impact on the world today. That's the power of a good education, my friends.
Secondly, literacy is important because it brings joy and helps people dream.
Can you imagine not being able to pick up a book and read? Not knowing how to write your own name? Looking at this blog post and wondering what in the world all of these letters meant? Think of all of the joy from reading and writing that would be taken away! Think of all of the places you wouldn't visit through reading, the people you wouldn't meet, the things you wouldn't learn. Think of the dreams that wouldn't be there... Imagine all of the kids who don't have the joy and the dreams that we have all because they can't read or write. It's heartbreaking to me, an avid reader and writer. I have a hard time imagining this reality.
Not only that, but literacy helps decrease the risk of human trafficking and exploitation. Have you noticed something? Poverty is something that greatly contributes to illiteracy. But armed with literacy, people in poverty can rise above the risks that come from human trafficking and exploitation. They can better themselves with literacy, which in turn can help get them out of poverty. I could go on about this, friends.
That's the power of words in a nutshell. So now what can we do? How can we help break the chains of illiteracy? For one, we can join together and pray. Pray that people all over the world will be able to gain literacy skills. Prayer is one of the most important things we can join together in.
Secondly, we can help break the cycle of poverty that also keeps people mired in illiteracy. Great Christian organizations such as Compassion International and Amazima Ministries help educate children not only to read and write, but also provide material needs (such as food and medical attention) and, most importantly, the Gospel. Supporting ministries such as these helps educate children and breaks this cycle of poverty and illiteracy.
These are just some of the ways we can break the cycle of illiteracy. Let's go change the world, my friends. <3
Below is a list of the sources I used while writing this blog post:
Compassion International "International Literacy Day" https://www.compassion.com/world-days/international-literacy-day.htm
Compassion International "Effects of Poverty on Children" https://www.compassion.com/poverty/effects-of-poverty-on-children.htm
Project Literacy https://www.projectliteracy.com/you-wont-believe-how-many-people-cant-read-sentence
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this! Do you have any ideas as to how we can help stomp out illiteracy?