Hi guys! Sorry for the long wait between posts. November, as per usual, was pretty much utter hell. (And now I'm ankle-deep in finals week! Blah, college.) I did finish my 50k word count (hoorah!), but I didn't finish The Ram because I am an utter derp. I'm close, though. So close I could taste it. ...Well not quite that close, but I'm close! I think it's down to what, two plot points? Yeah, that sounds right. And one of them is fight-related! I can go through fight scenes in ten seconds flat, y'all.
I also got a new story idea! ...Which is a bad thing, actually, since I'm already struggling and failing to balance four fucking stories (The Ram, WHIPLASH!, Ree Majors' Wonderful Journey, and Engel der Wache). Engel der Wache is very much a background thing, and WHIPLASH! has been shoved waaaay back onto the backburner, but it's still not easy. I don't think very many authors can balance that many successfully. I sure can't. Advice: don't do that!
I've also decided to reopen my writer advice blog, but there's nothing there yet. I'm not sure what to make the first post about just yet, but I'll probably write it over winter break. Since, y'know, I'll have that silly thing called "free time" again. And I'll finish that marketing thing soon! Promise!
Showing posts with label advice from the skitty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label advice from the skitty. Show all posts
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Why You Ought To Own The Rook
Or: A Tale of How Not To Market Your Book
I'm giving this marketing thing a try, because the most I ever do to advertise any of my writing is leave a link here or there. That and tell my friends to tell their friends. Not sure how well that's working out, actually (but it is a sound method! just don't let it be your only method).
To get your book, your name, your title, what have you, to get your thing out there, you have to have a certain amount of confidence and aggression about it. Don't be afraid of being annoying. Post in forums if you wanna maintain some anonymity or reach a ton of strangers. It's not a great technique, but who knows? You could snag a couple readers here and there. (I think that's one of the important things. Getting readers where you can. They may come from unexpected sources - trust me, I don't want my grandma to read The Rook but she liked it anyway - but always encourage them.) Everyone else is trolling forums with links and pictures and posts, anyway, so why not add to all the noise?
I mean, everyone knows the basics. Tell your friends. Tell your classmates. Tell your family. Tell your in-laws. Tell your pets. Tell your study buddies, babysitter, children, teachers, bosses, coworkers, underlings, facebook creepers, and twitter followers. Throw yourself and your book out there! You may get criticized for it, and you may get ignored. But you may also get praised and drum up some readership. ...Actually, maybe not the facebook creepers. They probably already know about your book, anyway.
Tell all those aforementioned people to tell their friends and family and coworkers and who knows who else! Six degrees of separation, my skittens. Foist your book upon enough people and it may just sit in J.K. Rowling's library one day. Or Suzanne Collins'. Or Stephen King's. Or Stephanie Meyer's. (By the by, how do you think they got famous? Besides having known names and really kickass agents, I'm guessing. They get their books out there! With help, granted, but who's to say you can't get help, too?)
It also depends on how your book is put forth, too. A book that is only available online would have to be marketed a bit different than a book that you could go down to a bookstore (not borders! /cry) and pick up off the shelf. And yes, it is slightly embarrassing to tell people that no, you can't buy your book at a bookstore. Don't you know what self-publishing is? Only online, grandma. Just have mom buy it for you.
I am far from a marketing, writing, publishing, anything guru. Far from it. But perhaps, that lets me be a little more helpful. I've stumbled through this, just like I bet a lot of you have or will. I'm not making beaucoup bucks off my writing. I'm still doing this not as a career. So I could probably help people with what little I know, right? At the very least, it can be a place to start. So, skitty, where do we start? You start BEFORE the book is done. (Or even written.)
But - wait - why then? I'm still busy writing the damned thing! I don't have time to tell people to buy it when it's not even done yet!
Good points! But it doesn't mean you can't drum up interest and anticipation. If you're using NaNoWriMo as a kickstart to your novel, for example, utilize the forums there! Fill out your author profile and fill in tons about your book. If nothing else, random strangers trolling around the site would be able to see a snippet and/or a quick synopsis. On the internet, you can't really control who can and can't see your public information, so why not just let it be? Throw it out there and get it to as many anons as possible! Link people to your NaNoWriMo profile. I've found that a LOT of people misunderstand what it's actually about, but they can see a summary, an excerpt, and that handy little progress bar. What more do they need? They don't have to understand it to cheerlead for you.
The internet age is a grand one, but it does have its downfalls. Then again, use it, too! Use all the world to your advantage! Facebook and Twitter (or google+, or myspace, or tumblr, or livejournal, whatever your cup of tea is!) are great ways to get your book out to a lot of people with not a whole lot of effort. Sure, you lose the ability to individually tailor your sell to each person, but it's all about snagging a couple readers wherever you can get them. Post links to your facebook profile! Pimp it out in your twitter! Don't ignore these easy marketing ploys. Really. Don't be like me and be embarrassed about your writing; you will get nowhere with that attitude. (And don't be like me and resist posting on facebook because of that one person who you don't want to read your writing.)
Where else do you frequent on the internet? What other big forums that are fairly creativity-friendly do you check in on daily? It doesn't have to be a writing site, although those are generally more sympathetic to your plans. (But remember, they're also out there to promote their own writing too, half the time. Sometimes, it's a good idea to trade - you read mine, I'll read yours - but not for everyone.) FictionPress.com, FanFiction.net, LiveJournal, TvTropes (although be VERY careful in perusing that site. or not. I'll see you in a week.), and even more art-centric sites like deviantArt and tumblr are also pretty easy ways to drum up some interest. Post a link to your book as your 'homepage'. Put links in your journals, profiles, whatever is available and freely available to the public. The internet is a vast series of tubes, and those tubes are full of cats, but they could also be full of your story. Just so long as you don't push out the cats. I like them.
Now, onto non-internet-related ways to market your new book. Friends and family are invaluable here. Personally, my mom has been a huge help. She's been helping to sell books to just about anyone she knows, and she does it with no small amount of massively embarrassing pride. Relatives are also good targets! Remember, they're your kin. Guilt them into it if you have to. But use them! Tell them to recommend it to friends and coworkers.
Want to know a surprising gift from getting relatives to read it? New audiences. My aunt read my book, and she happens to be a teacher. Now it seems like several german classes in Douglas, Wyoming are quite enamored with my book. Use that sort of thing! Teachers, nurses, students, accountants - there are lots of careers these days that connect you to a lot of people. Use that! You don't have to thrust the book in their face, but just a mention. "Oh, my cousin wrote a book... I just got done reading it..." They don't even have to like it to help you, really.
There are perks to where you live, of course. And people you know, or people your close friends and family members know. Don't waste these, either. I come from a pretty unpopulated neck of the woods, and it seems as if my family has been around here since the dark ages. There are two small towns in this state I can't go to without tripping over distant relatives or neighbors. This is a great way to get the word out there, too! Yes, these are miniscule towns that you will never find on any map, probably. But they're people. They're potential readers. And they have friends and family outside that little town, too, I'm betting. It's like a spider web.
Speaking of local politics and how you can work them to your advantage, if you come from a smaller town, use this to your advantage as well! After all, it's not every day they get a brand new author in their midst. Contact the local newspaper, see if you can get an article. Donate a copy or two to the local library. (That's another thing - you may not always make money off of your books. But getting your name out there is just as important. ESPECIALLY if you plan on continuing writing.) If you can get an interview on the local news, all the more power to you! (Note: I did not do any of these things except donations to several libraries. I am shy, and it sucks, especially since a couple of these were offered. Do NOT let your shyness get hold of you! You are amazing and talented and you just wrote a book! Let the world know!)
So now that I've offered some pretty common sense and basic advice, I'll just end Part One here. The second part will mostly be me trying (and failing, most likely! :D) to write a good "sell" for The Rook. Think of it more as an example than anything else. ...Unless, you know, you'd want to buy it. Because that would totally be cool, too.
I'm giving this marketing thing a try, because the most I ever do to advertise any of my writing is leave a link here or there. That and tell my friends to tell their friends. Not sure how well that's working out, actually (but it is a sound method! just don't let it be your only method).
To get your book, your name, your title, what have you, to get your thing out there, you have to have a certain amount of confidence and aggression about it. Don't be afraid of being annoying. Post in forums if you wanna maintain some anonymity or reach a ton of strangers. It's not a great technique, but who knows? You could snag a couple readers here and there. (I think that's one of the important things. Getting readers where you can. They may come from unexpected sources - trust me, I don't want my grandma to read The Rook but she liked it anyway - but always encourage them.) Everyone else is trolling forums with links and pictures and posts, anyway, so why not add to all the noise?
I mean, everyone knows the basics. Tell your friends. Tell your classmates. Tell your family. Tell your in-laws. Tell your pets. Tell your study buddies, babysitter, children, teachers, bosses, coworkers, underlings, facebook creepers, and twitter followers. Throw yourself and your book out there! You may get criticized for it, and you may get ignored. But you may also get praised and drum up some readership. ...Actually, maybe not the facebook creepers. They probably already know about your book, anyway.
Tell all those aforementioned people to tell their friends and family and coworkers and who knows who else! Six degrees of separation, my skittens. Foist your book upon enough people and it may just sit in J.K. Rowling's library one day. Or Suzanne Collins'. Or Stephen King's. Or Stephanie Meyer's. (By the by, how do you think they got famous? Besides having known names and really kickass agents, I'm guessing. They get their books out there! With help, granted, but who's to say you can't get help, too?)
It also depends on how your book is put forth, too. A book that is only available online would have to be marketed a bit different than a book that you could go down to a bookstore (not borders! /cry) and pick up off the shelf. And yes, it is slightly embarrassing to tell people that no, you can't buy your book at a bookstore. Don't you know what self-publishing is? Only online, grandma. Just have mom buy it for you.
I am far from a marketing, writing, publishing, anything guru. Far from it. But perhaps, that lets me be a little more helpful. I've stumbled through this, just like I bet a lot of you have or will. I'm not making beaucoup bucks off my writing. I'm still doing this not as a career. So I could probably help people with what little I know, right? At the very least, it can be a place to start. So, skitty, where do we start? You start BEFORE the book is done. (Or even written.)
But - wait - why then? I'm still busy writing the damned thing! I don't have time to tell people to buy it when it's not even done yet!
Good points! But it doesn't mean you can't drum up interest and anticipation. If you're using NaNoWriMo as a kickstart to your novel, for example, utilize the forums there! Fill out your author profile and fill in tons about your book. If nothing else, random strangers trolling around the site would be able to see a snippet and/or a quick synopsis. On the internet, you can't really control who can and can't see your public information, so why not just let it be? Throw it out there and get it to as many anons as possible! Link people to your NaNoWriMo profile. I've found that a LOT of people misunderstand what it's actually about, but they can see a summary, an excerpt, and that handy little progress bar. What more do they need? They don't have to understand it to cheerlead for you.
The internet age is a grand one, but it does have its downfalls. Then again, use it, too! Use all the world to your advantage! Facebook and Twitter (or google+, or myspace, or tumblr, or livejournal, whatever your cup of tea is!) are great ways to get your book out to a lot of people with not a whole lot of effort. Sure, you lose the ability to individually tailor your sell to each person, but it's all about snagging a couple readers wherever you can get them. Post links to your facebook profile! Pimp it out in your twitter! Don't ignore these easy marketing ploys. Really. Don't be like me and be embarrassed about your writing; you will get nowhere with that attitude. (And don't be like me and resist posting on facebook because of that one person who you don't want to read your writing.)
Where else do you frequent on the internet? What other big forums that are fairly creativity-friendly do you check in on daily? It doesn't have to be a writing site, although those are generally more sympathetic to your plans. (But remember, they're also out there to promote their own writing too, half the time. Sometimes, it's a good idea to trade - you read mine, I'll read yours - but not for everyone.) FictionPress.com, FanFiction.net, LiveJournal, TvTropes (although be VERY careful in perusing that site. or not. I'll see you in a week.), and even more art-centric sites like deviantArt and tumblr are also pretty easy ways to drum up some interest. Post a link to your book as your 'homepage'. Put links in your journals, profiles, whatever is available and freely available to the public. The internet is a vast series of tubes, and those tubes are full of cats, but they could also be full of your story. Just so long as you don't push out the cats. I like them.
Now, onto non-internet-related ways to market your new book. Friends and family are invaluable here. Personally, my mom has been a huge help. She's been helping to sell books to just about anyone she knows, and she does it with no small amount of massively embarrassing pride. Relatives are also good targets! Remember, they're your kin. Guilt them into it if you have to. But use them! Tell them to recommend it to friends and coworkers.
Want to know a surprising gift from getting relatives to read it? New audiences. My aunt read my book, and she happens to be a teacher. Now it seems like several german classes in Douglas, Wyoming are quite enamored with my book. Use that sort of thing! Teachers, nurses, students, accountants - there are lots of careers these days that connect you to a lot of people. Use that! You don't have to thrust the book in their face, but just a mention. "Oh, my cousin wrote a book... I just got done reading it..." They don't even have to like it to help you, really.
There are perks to where you live, of course. And people you know, or people your close friends and family members know. Don't waste these, either. I come from a pretty unpopulated neck of the woods, and it seems as if my family has been around here since the dark ages. There are two small towns in this state I can't go to without tripping over distant relatives or neighbors. This is a great way to get the word out there, too! Yes, these are miniscule towns that you will never find on any map, probably. But they're people. They're potential readers. And they have friends and family outside that little town, too, I'm betting. It's like a spider web.
Speaking of local politics and how you can work them to your advantage, if you come from a smaller town, use this to your advantage as well! After all, it's not every day they get a brand new author in their midst. Contact the local newspaper, see if you can get an article. Donate a copy or two to the local library. (That's another thing - you may not always make money off of your books. But getting your name out there is just as important. ESPECIALLY if you plan on continuing writing.) If you can get an interview on the local news, all the more power to you! (Note: I did not do any of these things except donations to several libraries. I am shy, and it sucks, especially since a couple of these were offered. Do NOT let your shyness get hold of you! You are amazing and talented and you just wrote a book! Let the world know!)
So now that I've offered some pretty common sense and basic advice, I'll just end Part One here. The second part will mostly be me trying (and failing, most likely! :D) to write a good "sell" for The Rook. Think of it more as an example than anything else. ...Unless, you know, you'd want to buy it. Because that would totally be cool, too.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Never Cross The Writing/Fan Streams
snohshine
Okay...
I'm working on The Ram! It makes me happy to write Tuesday.
snohshine
Though she's rebelling against me with everything she has. She knows what's coming next.
WillyW2010
LA LA LA LA LA
snohshine
What?
WillyW2010
dont want to hear
snohshine
I wasn't going to tell you.
Although apparently, Claire taught one of her dogs to pee on Stephen.
Claire = Stephen's girlfriend.
I like her already.
WillyW2010
You're mind is scary.
snohshine
*your
WillyW2010
YOUR MIND IS SCARY!
snohshine
8D
Dog pee = scary?
WillyW2010
No, how your characters have lives in your head.
snohshine
Oh.
That's normal for a writer, really.
WillyW2010
I assumed such.
snohshine
I am awesome in the fact that I have a mental map of Tuesday's apartment, though. Usually I don't do that for buildings.
WillyW2010
I'll get you help.
snohshine
I just imagined the Hamtaro themesong with 'persona' substituted. It fits.
IT'S PERSONA TIME!
PER SON A
WHEN WE WORK TOGETHER IT'S MUCH BETTER
MY BEST FRIEND
...Now you may get me help.
This is why you don't mesh 'writer' mode and 'fan' mode, kiddies. It's painful to watch. While entertaining at the time, it's liable to leak over into both sides, and then it just gets into a mess of references and characters. (snohshine is me, obviously, and willyw2010 is a friend of mine who has read The Rook).
Working on The Ram, Pedestal's epilogue, and finished the second chapter of RMWJ. I've been slightly productive lately, just spread thin over a range of things. Which is fine, but I usually don't recommend it. Especially if you are working with deadlines.
Friday, December 31, 2010
so kiss me goodbye honey i'm gonna make it out alive
So I'm (finally) working on the newest chapter of WHIPLASH!, and goddamn, this shit's depressing. Not in the fact that it'll bring tears or anything, or it probably won't even sound all that depressing when read because it reads pretty quick and doesn't dwell (unlike actual tear-jerkers), but still. imagine this.
I decided to open up with some Lenore goodness. Because really, she doesn't get enough writing time yet. This'll change once the plot picks up, but as of now, she's pretty side-character-ish.
So we get major posttraumatic stress disorder and a good glimpse of what she goes through on a nearly daily basis.
That's right. She actually, canonly wakes up every morning to "Nora, wake up" as her mental alarm clock. If she lets it happen, she would completely zone out and get lost in memories. Also, the stomach thing - in case people had forgotten, she was pregnant in the prologue. If she ever wraps her arms around her stomach, it's either damn cold or she's trying not to dwell.
And then, surprisingly, we get a dose of helpless angst from Nathan of all people. Imagine this one: You're nineteen, twenty in a couple months. Almost fresh out of school. Oh, you've had training. Graduated (nearly) top of the class and whatnot. Feeling pretty cocky about everything. Sure, the first mission was a bit of a surprise, but everyone came out more or less okay. At least on their team.
Then this mission. (Minor spoilers, but it's implied in the end of the last chapter and it's in the beginning of this one, so...) You meet this family. Adorable kids, beautiful wife. Cue monster the second you leave them alone for five minutes. You come back, manage to kill the thing, only to find one child mercilessly and literally ripped to pieces, the mother dead, the father wounded and breaking down, and the other kids and your goddamn Inven missing. You have two dead bodies and a dead monster lying at your feet and a man sobbing over it all and your literal link to life is hiding somewhere. It's dark out, the smell of blood and death hangs in the air, and your heart is about to explode. What do you do in this situation. Do you go out looking and leave the man alone? Do you lead children back to where their sister and mother are brutally murdered and still laying in their own guts and blood? Do you dare hope there aren't any more creatures roaming the wastes around you this very second?
I think helplessness is one of the worst feelings in fiction, but when conveyed properly, is worse than almost everything else. It's incredibly powerful. Nathan has NO IDEA what to do, regardless of his class rank, regardless of his gun, regardless of his training, regardless of everything. He's just thrown into this and wasn't prepared in the least.
(I'm also reminded tragically of an episode of Adventure Time. Yes, it's a kid's show (but it's kickass). But in the episode The Jiggler, amongst catchy tunes and goofing around and an adorable little whistling creature they call the Jiggler, they nearly kill it and without anything else to do, the main character (a young boy) starts kissing it. "Why are you doing that?" his partner asks, alarmed. "Because--I don't know what else to do," he replies in the most heartbreaking little voice imaginable. It's short and sweet and that's how these things should be, lest they completely overpower the reader/viewer and break them/the character. A key element of tragedy is the helplessness, but mostly it's implied. When attention is drawn to it, well... Well maybe I'm just tired, I don't know. But I enjoy this.)
I decided to open up with some Lenore goodness. Because really, she doesn't get enough writing time yet. This'll change once the plot picks up, but as of now, she's pretty side-character-ish.
So we get major posttraumatic stress disorder and a good glimpse of what she goes through on a nearly daily basis.
“Nora, wake up.”
Flashes of memories, bits and pieces, frames of smiles, of kisses, of tears, were in her mind’s eye before she could stop it. Lenore screwed her eyes shut tighter and dragged her arms down to her stomach with a sleepy groan. Allen’s snoring jarred her completely out of her slumber. Lenore opened her eyes, unsurprised to find that Thomas wasn’t beaming down at her with his usual wakeup.
He never was.
She shut her eyes again and pushed herself up onto her elbows. It wasn’t even light out yet, but she knew she wouldn’t be getting any more sleep. It was happening more and more often, too, she noted with no small amount of irritation.
Lenore ran her fingers over the nivedidus on her arm, contrasting the smoothness to that of her skin. It may as well be part of her skin, but even after years of service, it felt so alien. Especially in the real world, out of the wastes. She looked over at Allen, still snoring quite loudly, and couldn't help a small smile. She silently got up, untied her hair, and knelt down beside his bed. “Allen,” she whispered as softly as her voice would allow, although he immediately cracked an eye open, “I'm going to go take the shower first. Go back to sleep.”
“What time is it...?” he whispered back, settling back into his pillow with a sigh.
“Early. Go back to sleep.”
He didn't need to be told again. He was snoring once more by the time she had the water running. Lenore moved her long hair behind her shoulders and tried to concentrate on the shower, she really did. All that came to mind, however, was Thomas. She could practically hear him complaining about her taking too long in the bathroom. Lenore shook her head, biting her lip, trying to stop the tears. It was much too early in the morning for such things.
“Thomas, I miss you.”
The scalding water didn't answer her. Lenore slowly sunk down to the floor, nudged the drain shut, and let the water and her hair flow around her until she stopped crying.
That's right. She actually, canonly wakes up every morning to "Nora, wake up" as her mental alarm clock. If she lets it happen, she would completely zone out and get lost in memories. Also, the stomach thing - in case people had forgotten, she was pregnant in the prologue. If she ever wraps her arms around her stomach, it's either damn cold or she's trying not to dwell.
And then, surprisingly, we get a dose of helpless angst from Nathan of all people. Imagine this one: You're nineteen, twenty in a couple months. Almost fresh out of school. Oh, you've had training. Graduated (nearly) top of the class and whatnot. Feeling pretty cocky about everything. Sure, the first mission was a bit of a surprise, but everyone came out more or less okay. At least on their team.
Then this mission. (Minor spoilers, but it's implied in the end of the last chapter and it's in the beginning of this one, so...) You meet this family. Adorable kids, beautiful wife. Cue monster the second you leave them alone for five minutes. You come back, manage to kill the thing, only to find one child mercilessly and literally ripped to pieces, the mother dead, the father wounded and breaking down, and the other kids and your goddamn Inven missing. You have two dead bodies and a dead monster lying at your feet and a man sobbing over it all and your literal link to life is hiding somewhere. It's dark out, the smell of blood and death hangs in the air, and your heart is about to explode. What do you do in this situation. Do you go out looking and leave the man alone? Do you lead children back to where their sister and mother are brutally murdered and still laying in their own guts and blood? Do you dare hope there aren't any more creatures roaming the wastes around you this very second?
The Lannish man took all of two steps before collapsing to his knees. Nathan started forward—only to be halted when he heard a sob.
I... I don't know what to do. He had never felt so helpless before. Training didn't prepare him for this. It didn't teach him to shoot monsters or what to do with attacks or how to comfort a man who had just lost a wife and child. Nathan looked, almost unwillingly, at Seraphine and the other body. It—she—was one of the girls. He wished desperately he could have remembered her name.
I think helplessness is one of the worst feelings in fiction, but when conveyed properly, is worse than almost everything else. It's incredibly powerful. Nathan has NO IDEA what to do, regardless of his class rank, regardless of his gun, regardless of his training, regardless of everything. He's just thrown into this and wasn't prepared in the least.
(I'm also reminded tragically of an episode of Adventure Time. Yes, it's a kid's show (but it's kickass). But in the episode The Jiggler, amongst catchy tunes and goofing around and an adorable little whistling creature they call the Jiggler, they nearly kill it and without anything else to do, the main character (a young boy) starts kissing it. "Why are you doing that?" his partner asks, alarmed. "Because--I don't know what else to do," he replies in the most heartbreaking little voice imaginable. It's short and sweet and that's how these things should be, lest they completely overpower the reader/viewer and break them/the character. A key element of tragedy is the helplessness, but mostly it's implied. When attention is drawn to it, well... Well maybe I'm just tired, I don't know. But I enjoy this.)
Saturday, June 12, 2010
come with me honey i'm your sweet sugar candy man
Here are some fun writing-related links for y'all if you don't already have them. (And I'm assuming the drabblematic link just below this will work and doesn't have to be included in this post.)
The Evil Overlord List. Lulzy and true. Some day, I'd like to write a story about the "bad guy" who sticks dangerously close to that list. (It's also fun to look at it and think of how many villains fail at it. *cough*nick*cough*)
The Phobia List. A list of phobias! Even some really, really crazy ones! Give your character a debilitating fear of anything! (For example: Lenore - ornithophobia. NamNar - hydrophobia. Sonya - Nathandoesn'tlikemephobia.)
And now for some naming and other generators:
+ Serendipity
+ Seventh Sanctum
And now for some translators:
+ Quick (but not perfect) romaji converter
+ A very handy little translator for many different languages (opens up on the french one)
+ Another translator
Keep in mind that many/all of online translators and dictionaries are very far from perfect (and can even lead to some hilarious and unfortunate mistakes). But it's handy for simple things or vocabulary. It's also super super handy for making words. :D Tego, Inven, and nivedidus were all frankenstein'd together using words from other languages (primarily latin).
Basically, the first two links are lulzy and mostly there for entertainment, though they can provide an interesting amount of insight into a character. I use generators all the time for inspiration and a quick name for anything from a city to a drink (I kid you not; Dreamer's Dread is still my favorite). Translators are also a key, especially if you're like me and are world-building. Because worlds need cultures. And cultures need languages. Damn those cultures. Though remember kids, always put your original spin on things. If you just shamelessly steal, bad things will happen.
Here are some bad things:
+ If you decide to be "cool" and just use a randomly translated word as a term, chances are it'll either be wrong in a hilarious or offensive way and a native speaker will call you out on it. Publicly. With shouting. In the correct foreign words.
+ If you decide to be "cool" and "borrow" names from generators, other stories, or again, a translator, chances are that'll be wrong, too. The owner will track you down and flay you. In a foreign language if you really messed up.
+ You will get the pants sued off of you. And then you'll have to live a shameful, pantsless life. Come on folks, no one wants to go through that (or have to see it).
+ These stories are supposed to be your own, your creation, your babies! You would not use someone else's arm to make your baby, now would you? No. No you wouldn't. So use your own goddamn genes to make your own goddamn baby. You'll be more proud of it in the end, too, I promise.
(Though, just as having a baby, the process of creating it - labor - is very painful and long. Just so you know. Or perhaps the world does not wish for authors to procreate and thus gives them this trial instead. Hmm.)
The Evil Overlord List. Lulzy and true. Some day, I'd like to write a story about the "bad guy" who sticks dangerously close to that list. (It's also fun to look at it and think of how many villains fail at it. *cough*nick*cough*)
The Phobia List. A list of phobias! Even some really, really crazy ones! Give your character a debilitating fear of anything! (For example: Lenore - ornithophobia. NamNar - hydrophobia. Sonya - Nathandoesn'tlikemephobia.)
And now for some naming and other generators:
+ Serendipity
+ Seventh Sanctum
And now for some translators:
+ Quick (but not perfect) romaji converter
+ A very handy little translator for many different languages (opens up on the french one)
+ Another translator
Keep in mind that many/all of online translators and dictionaries are very far from perfect (and can even lead to some hilarious and unfortunate mistakes). But it's handy for simple things or vocabulary. It's also super super handy for making words. :D Tego, Inven, and nivedidus were all frankenstein'd together using words from other languages (primarily latin).
Basically, the first two links are lulzy and mostly there for entertainment, though they can provide an interesting amount of insight into a character. I use generators all the time for inspiration and a quick name for anything from a city to a drink (I kid you not; Dreamer's Dread is still my favorite). Translators are also a key, especially if you're like me and are world-building. Because worlds need cultures. And cultures need languages. Damn those cultures. Though remember kids, always put your original spin on things. If you just shamelessly steal, bad things will happen.
Here are some bad things:
+ If you decide to be "cool" and just use a randomly translated word as a term, chances are it'll either be wrong in a hilarious or offensive way and a native speaker will call you out on it. Publicly. With shouting. In the correct foreign words.
+ If you decide to be "cool" and "borrow" names from generators, other stories, or again, a translator, chances are that'll be wrong, too. The owner will track you down and flay you. In a foreign language if you really messed up.
+ You will get the pants sued off of you. And then you'll have to live a shameful, pantsless life. Come on folks, no one wants to go through that (or have to see it).
+ These stories are supposed to be your own, your creation, your babies! You would not use someone else's arm to make your baby, now would you? No. No you wouldn't. So use your own goddamn genes to make your own goddamn baby. You'll be more proud of it in the end, too, I promise.
(Though, just as having a baby, the process of creating it - labor - is very painful and long. Just so you know. Or perhaps the world does not wish for authors to procreate and thus gives them this trial instead. Hmm.)
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