A 50/50 Chance

I want to show you guys something. Here is my first ever self-designed cover for Legacy.

I was so proud of this when I first made it. I was on my way out of the “I’m going to hit it big!” way of thinking when I made this. Really, I just wanted a cover to see a finished product...book + cover = pretty pretty dreams in my hand.

And then reality slapped me in the face. Of course it usually does when I get a high happy point when I’m daydreaming about my future. That’s not to say I’m going to fail or never get to that publishing point.

I will get there. Motivation is a little lacking sometimes, but I’ll get there.

After weeks and weeks of research I knew the cover up there wasn’t gonna cut it. It might be enough to get people to look at it, but it is a huge risk. The quality is poor, the silhouette is blurry. The three colors all pop and it is clearly read (Haha, I made a pun), but what exacly draws the reader in to take a look at the description?

It doesn’t fit in the genre, there is very little you can gain about the story from this cover. Then again....it really is a toss up. I’ve got a 50/50 chance of winning or failing with this cover. But I got to say, this will be on my wall one day.

It’s a testament to how much I’ve changed in the past two years. 

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Oh The Pain

For those of you who noticed, I did not post Monday, but on Sunday. I did this because I promised to keep up my posts on a regular schedule. This was a promise to you as much as to myself.

Monday I had a dentists appointment. Long story short, I have an infection in a canine root canal. I was able to schedule an emergency appointment with my dentist and be seen right away. I've been on antibiotics for only a day and already I can feel a difference.

I didn't grow up with good dental care. My guardian never took me to the dentist, even when I was in pain when my wisdom teeth came in early and started the whole process of my dental problems.

For those of you who don't go to the dentist, please go. For those with children, please make sure they go on regular checkups. I didn't do either and now I'm paying the price.

For those that don't go because of financial constraints, there is hope. Medicaid, insurances, clinics, CareCredit, and dental discount plans are all available to you. There is usually an application process, certain qualifications, and of course fees, but anything can help cut the costs.

Now that I can take my mind off this little road bump in my life, I can focus on my project. I haven't written much in the past few days, barely hitting the 4000 word mark, when I should have double that by now.

But it is a new week, and my brain is in overtime. If you are a fellow Camper this year, what is your goal and how far have you gotten?

Don't forget to comment, like and share your thoughts below. I'd love to hear from you!

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Research...You Mindless, Fickle Being

Writing fiction means you make up the rules. You create the world, the religions, the culture, the beliefs. You create the characters. You control everything.

Until you publish and you get criticized for the decisions you make. They say, "You didn't follow the rules." "That's not how it's supposed to be."

You could tell them all to screw off, that you make your own damn rules. But the things they say still hurt. The shiny accomplishment you wore is dulling out and you wonder how you can write again.

So maybe you decide to make facts work for you, instead of against. As I've said before, you can find anything on the internet. Doesn't always mean it is right. Here is where research comes into play. The book I'm working on now is a world of my own creation...inside reality. Basing fiction off real-life can be a hazardous road to walk.

The best and easiest thing to do is to find a reliable source. Books. Write a book using books.

Books are most definitely your best friend and knowing how to use them can make the research days of plotting seem like the calm before the storm (which it really is.)

For days I've been researching mythologies of all different types and origins, boats, languages, land mass, blahgity-blah.

I could easily go to Google and type in the terms I need. There's a 50/50 chance the info I find will be right or wrong. There's an even greater chance that someone will see this one fact in my book and tell me I got it wrong and then proceed to share 20 links to sites that tell me I'm wrong and he's right. So I beat him to it. Searching for an expert on the topic could lead to much more fruitful finds, and much less headaches.

Following some rules doesn't have to be painful. You can break all the rules you want and still appease the Fact police.

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