You Are A 512 Year Immortal In A Bar, Angry Because You Cant Order A Beer. Its Not Your Fault You Took

You are a 512 year immortal in a bar, angry because you can’t order a beer. It’s not your fault you took the immortality potion at 12 and have looked the same ever since!

setting

Setting the scene is one of the best tools a writer can have, as it allows for the reader to truly feel immersed in the story. But… how can an author set the scene? Is there a foolproof way to immerse the reader? (hint: the answer is no, lol.) Here are some things that help me build background and establish the setting. [as always, there’s no pressure to use any of these tips; writing is a unique process and there’s no “one size fits all” formula for it.]

Ordinary does not have to equal boring. Sometimes, it can be hard to escape the pressure of an interesting, entirely unique setting to provoke a reader’s interest. However, it can be hard to fulfill lofty expectations like those! Furthermore, there is absolutely nothing wrong with ordinary settings. In fact, embracing normality can really enhance a story. Office buildings, schools, grocery stores, gas stations… All of these places may seem ordinary, but that doesn’t mean they’re uneventful. In fact, each place comes with its own unique challenges and occurrences, which is really useful for writing! Mundane activities such as purchasing groceries, walking out of a movie theater, and visiting a library for books can all create additional outlets for interaction and occurrence. 

Look to the details. This one is pretty self explanatory and probably something everyone already knew, but I figure it can’t be overstressed. The details really do make a difference! Little things like the way an office worker’s desk looks can reveal a lot about their character. For example, is their workspace cluttered with scattered papers? Or perhaps it’s pristine and looks nearly untouched? Those kinds of mundane things can be utilized to further establish your character’s desires, motivations, personality, etc.! Exploring a character in small, seemingly unimportant ways is pretty enjoyable and a fun exercise to further develop your character-building abilities.  

Utilize weather and climate conditions to add effect. This is another simple way to add some character to a scene! Weather can add symbolism—if a character is feeling melancholy, it may appear gloomy outside—but it can also simply add more detail and further flesh out the scene. Even better, the scene doesn’t even have to occur outside! Weather conditions can still be noticeable from inside a building—think of the sound of precipitation, the presence/absence of sunlight, and the way light reflects off of different surfaces!

Embrace change. Sometimes, a story necessitates a return to a setting that already has been introduced. In these moments, it can be helpful to think of any potential changes that may have occurred since the last time the setting was visited. This can manifest in large-scale ways—such as a banker returning to their place of work, only to find that the building has caught fire and is now just a pile of rubble—or small-scale ways—think of a graduated student returning to their elementary school, only to find that it feels much smaller. Simple things can represent far bigger elements of a story—for example, a missing chair can represent a person’s death or foreshadow their future absence… a previously tidied area turning messy can hint at a future conflict… After all, most settings do not remain entirely unchanged. As people come and go, things are left behind, objects are moved/altered, and more!

Think about noise. Different settings will come with different levels of noise, which can also affect character interactions and conversations. If the characters are standing in a library, their voices may shift to hushed whispers. If there’s potential for eavesdropping (aka they’re in a public space), there may be different gestures and means of communication. 

©2023, @defectivehero | @defectivevillain, All Rights Reserved. 

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When you were just a kid, your father left the house to go get your birthday cake, only to never come back. Ten years later, you leave to go buy yourself a cake, only to see your father, wearing fantasy armor and covered in scars, was about to knock on your door.

It is said that, once a decade an angry dragon will destroy a castle, once a century a furious dragon will burn down a city and once a millenia an outraged dragon will use it’s gold to collapse an empire.

Thanks! This is really helpful, I’ve been worrying about what I’m going to do for my cover. Do you have any good suggestions on how to actually get your book printed?

novlr.org

How to Source Publisher-Quality Book Cover Design as a Self-Published Author - Novlr

I spoke with art commissioners from Faber and Bloomsbury to get their top tips on how to source great art for your book cover design.

The post is full of great insights, but here are some of the top tips to give you a sneak peek:

Top tips to making sure you’ll get quality book cover design

To give you the best chance of finding quality illustrators and artists for your cover art, these are the top tips from the publishers I spoke with:

Find artists who have worked on commission before. Make sure they show evidence of problem-solving, and that their portfolio gives a clean and clear idea of their style.

When in discussion with an artist or illustrator, make sure you can describe what you’re looking for in 5-10 words. This gives your designer a clear idea of what you want for your book cover design and ensures they’ll be working to a clear brief. If you can describe your work succinctly, then they’ll be able to design a memorable cover that reflects exactly that, and nothing else.

Look for illustrators who suit your themes. You might really love an artist’s work, but if they specialise in subdued, soft lines and specialise in fantasy art, they’re probably not the right designer for your romance or horror cover.

Do not ask for custom samples without being willing to pay a fee. Never ask an artist to work for free. You can get a sense of their style from a portfolio, but if you want to see tailored work samples, you must be willing to pay them – you will attract better-quality designers.

Always work with a contract. This is essential for both parties to ensure you both know what is expected from the other. It alleviates the likelihood any nasty surprises and keeps both parties protected from things like intellectual property theft or copyright infringement. Besides, if an illustrator isn’t willing to work with a contract, that’s usually a red flag that they’re someone you don’t want to work with. It’s worth it for that reason alone.

Looks great! I’ve been reading through your posts recently, and there’s a lot of good stuff here. I especially love seeing custom maps.

Work in progress. The line art isn't completely done yet and I tried a new technique to draw hands. I have a bunch more to draw to finish Caelum's reference sheet but I really want to play stardew valley instead so I'm putting it off :)

On a more humorous side note, I'm in the midst of an art trade with someone and I tried a new line art technique and they gave me a compliment on it, SO as a man, it is the only way I will be doing my line art because those serotonins hit real good.