Seasons/Summer of Life

Last weekend, I posted a blog about how I printed out the incomplete manuscript for the novel I started writing back in November.
This weekend, I am taking another trip down Memory Lane and sharing two of my favorite things that go along with my National Novel Writing Month experiences.

First, the cover art.
My junior year of high school, I took what amounts to a computer graphic design course.
It ended up being one of my favorites - I still have my portfolio from it if anyone ever wants to see it in all of its late 90s beginner designing awesomeness.

Ever since then, I've taken great pleasure in the (extremely) occasional opportunities I've had to play around with what I learned.
For NaNoWriMo, that means seeing how well I can translate the cover I envision for a book into an actual book cover design.
I never have been, and probably never will be, a professional, but I'm pretty happy with how NaNoWriMo 2013's effort turned out (although 2011's attempt will always have my heart).

NaNoWriMo 2013

NaNoWriMo 2011

Second is the playlist.
Most of the time, when it comes to this part of NaNoWriMo, I cobble together a playlist of songs I think will suit the tone of the story I am writing before November 1st and hope it helps inspiration along.
This time, I let the characters tell me what songs put them in a place where they wanted to spill their guts as I went through the month.
I don't think I've ever been happier with a playlist at the end of the month than I am with this one.
As a matter of fact, I'm listening to it right now. :-)

In the order they were added:

Track 01 - Oh My Dear - Tenth Avenue North (from the album The Light Meets the Dark)
Track 02 - The Struggle - Tenth Avenue North (from the album The Struggle)
Track 03 - Something Beautiful - Newsboys (from the album Go)
Track 04 - Need You Now (How Many Times) - Plumb (from the album Need You Now)
Track 05 - Beautiful Again - Ryan Corn (from the Ryan Corn EP)
Track 06 - Give Love - Third Day (from the album Revelation)
Track 07 - We Fall Apart - We as Human (from the album We as Human)
Track 08 - Losing My Mind - Daughtry (from the album Break the Spell)
Track 09 - The Edge of Water - Jars of Clay (from the album The Eleventh Hour)
Track 10 - American Noise - Skillet (from the album Rise)

Third...
Well, there actually isn't a third (scared you, though, didn't I?).
I guess it just seemed appropriate to share this with you as I get ready to put fingers to keyboard and officially head into the last one-third or so of this first draft.
Hope you're ready for it - I know I am.

My Writer's Toolbox: Thesauruses I Love

I don't know about the rest of you writers in the crowd, but there are times when I struggle to get the right words to come out onto the page. The debate over using thesauruses amongst authors can be fierce. My personal opinion is that there is definitely a place and time to use them (they've saved me from missing deadlines on a few occasions), so long as a writer is careful not to overuse them. Because I do consider them an essential in my writer's toolbox of resources, I thought I would share the ones I make the most use out of and where you can find them. 1. Webster's New World Thesaurus (credit: @catpollockwrites IG, posted 8/24/2017 ) When you were in grade school, did your teachers ever hand out those monthly or bimonthly Scholastic book catalogs with all the age-appropriate books coming out that they wanted you to buy? That, my friends, is how I got a hold of my thesaurus. It's almost like mid-thirties me traveled back in time and whispered int

Metaphors: Candles

I've recently fallen in love with candles. Since coming home from the World Race , I've bought at least one a month. My favorite candles are the ones that come in glass jars - because when they burn out, I can clean the remaining wax out and put the jars to other uses. Right now, that means they get cleaned out and packed away in anticipation of my move to Flagstaff. But as I was lighting one tonight (vanilla spice... Thanksgiving smells? Yes, please!), I saw a metaphor for writing flickering away in the flame licking at the wick and melting the wax. I suppose it could be a metaphor for life in general, but since the theme of this blog is writing... Well, you do the math.

How to Make Sure Your Book Review Request Does NOT Get Deleted

I've been hesitant to write this post. That is due, in large part, to how angry I get some days after reading book review requests. I curse, I rant, I snark. My cat will tell you it's not a pretty sight. But I also feel like this is a good opportunity to talk about what it is that makes me feel those feelings AND how to not stir them up. I'm not the only reviewer that gets frustrated when I see certain things in my emails from authors looking for a review. And I know I'm not the only one who gets triggered enough to ignore or delete those messages. I never feel good about doing it. It's just that I'm hitting the proverbial wall here and I want to hit it a little less often. So if you're an author looking for loving advice on how to approach reviewers (especially this one), read on. Review Requests I Always Delete Before I get into what to do, I wanted to take a minute to look at what not to do (and how I handle it). Want to know what immedi

Cat Pollock Writes

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