Once I have a basic idea for a story, whether that's a vibe or a plot or a character, the next step for me is always to make a playlist of music that reminds me of that story. Sometimes, I'll start these playlists months before I even think about writing the book. I have dozens of playlists on my Spotify account of unfinished and unstarted stories. But having those playlists is a really good way to start thinking up ideas for the story. I'll sit there and listen to a playlist, envisioning possible scenes for the story. Here's my step-by-step for how to create a really awesome playlist: Playlist LocationFirst thing we need to decide is where you want to build your playlist. There are several options:
Building the PlaylistOnce, you've chosen where to make your playlist, it's time to start choosing songs. Having a hard time thinking of songs to add? Here are some ideas to get you started:
As an example, this is what my playlist for Forged in Storms and Shadows looks like:
What do you listen to when you write? Or do you prefer silence? Leave a comment!
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So, you've got an idea. It's probably little more than a concept or a character at this point. Compelling yet vague. So, what now?
The planning of a book is pretty specific to its author. There are really two different planning methods.
A Plotter plans the story before they start writing. It's a much more methodical way of writing. This is the way I write. I have to outline and make character profiles, setting profiles, the works. All before I can get started. The best advice I can give to new writers regarding these methods? Experiment. Try to just write and see if it works for you. If not, start plotting and outlining. For those interested in the Plotting method, I full plan on walking you through the method to my madness. Please keep in mind that this is not the only way to plot a book. This is just what has worked for me. There are several steps to my plotting:
Writers, what method do you use? Are you a plotter or a panster? In the thirteen years I've been writing, I've gotten a lot of questions. I mean, a lot of questions. And we're talking about everything from the standard "where can I buy your book?" to the surprised "when do you find the time?!" But the most common question I get asked is "where do you get your ideas?" The answer to that is pretty simple, actually. In short, EVERYWHERE. The stranger I saw while taking the kids for a walk. That movie we've watched ten billion times thanks to the toddler. A piece of artwork I saw in passing. Prompts, books, video games. A conversation with my siblings or a dream I might have had. Point is, you can get ideas from virtually anywhere for writing. The key is finding the idea you're actually passionate about it. Because, without passion, the story will always fall flat. Any idea for a book you have should speak to you. It should be exciting and it should be compelling. Here are some places I've gotten story ideas that really spoke to me: 1. What If...? What If questions are amazing for story telling. What if the bad guy won? What if vampires were the good guys? What if true love was a lie? The options are endless and usually lead to some pretty compelling stories. One of my first books, Forbidden, is based on a what if, being "what if vampires were the good guys?" And y'all it's literally the most unique story I've ever written. Make a list of what if story ideas. Just write down all the what if scenarios you can think of. You could even keep it in your writing space to look out when you need a new idea. 2. Favorite genresAnother list I like to keep is a list of different topics and genres I'm interested in exploring. This list currently has the following subjects included:
3. The Real WorldAs a predominantly fantasy and sci-fi writer, you probably wouldn't think I'd draw much inspiration from the real world. But I really do. Sometimes, it's a conversation I had with a sibling or friend that sparks an idea. Sometimes, it's a conversation with my husband (those are legitimately my favorite story ideas--he's the best to bounce ideas off of). Sometimes, it's something that happened while I was on an errand with the boys. Don't be afraid to draw inspiration from anywhere. You never know what you'll find. And definitely make sure you keep a notebook handy to write it down. 4. DreamsI'm a super vivid dreamer. I always have been (for anyone who has read my books--yes, most of my inspiration regarding villains comes from nightmares--gotta get inspiration somewhere). Dreams are another excellent place for inspiration to strike, so long as you're one of those people who actually remembers them once the dream is over. I actually keep a notepad on my nightstand so I can write my dreams down if something good comes along. There you have it. These are, by no means, the only places to get story ideas. These are just where I get most of mine. A rule of thumb? Always be prepared for inspiration to strike. And always have that notebook handy.
Where do you get inspiration? Do you have anything you'd add to this list? I'd love to hear about it. Drop a comment below! Title: House of Eclipses Author: Casey L. Bond Genre: YA Epic Fantasy Editor: Stacy Sanford/ The Girl with the Red Pen Cover Designer: Melissa Stevens/ The Illustrated Author Design Services Publication Date: August 13th, 2021 Hosted by: Lady Amber’s PR Blurb:
Capture his heart. Steal his crown. Noor is the unwanted, unloved third born of the Aten, chosen vessel of the sun goddess, Sol. While she has no chance at inheriting her father’s title, what she truly longs for is peace from his unrelenting hatred. Hope builds that she may finally be able to claim that reprieve when a missive arrives from the House of the Moon. The new Lumin, chosen of the moon god, Lumos, seeks to broker peace with the Kingdom of Helios for the first time in ages. He envisions open trade routes and an end to archaic rivalries. His dedication to this cause extends to visions of a union between the two families by marrying one of Aten’s daughters, if one of the matches is a fit. Driven by his own twisted agenda, Noor’s father is willing to sacrifice his daughters as pawns to steal the crown for him to further his despotic reign, pitting sister against sister in a brutal battle for power. But Noor must come out the victor, either by capturing the Lumin’s heart or stealing his crown. For whomever wears the crown of moonlight, holds the power of the moon itself. With such strength at her command, she could finally defeat her tyrannical father. Yet this endeavor cannot be accomplished without great sacrifice. As Noor learns more about Lumin Caelum, guilt over her betrayal consumes her, burning hot as the sun itself. If only he wasn’t kind, and selfless, and exactly what she wanted. If only she had greater dominion over her heart… Can Noor carry out her plan and end her father’s vile reign? Or will unlikely alliances allow a new day to dawn? Praise for House of Eclipses: "A gorgeous journey you'll want to take again and again." ~New York Times bestselling author, Wendy Higgins “Stunning world-building, a fierce heroine, gorgeous writing, and a storyline unlike anything you've ever read. House of Eclipses will pull you in until the very last page.” – Celia McMahon, author of The Unspoken Series “House of Eclipses is full of compelling characters, beautiful worlds full of whimsy and wonder, an edge-of-your-seat storyline, a love story for the ages, and an ending that packs in incredible punch.” – Ethan Gregory, One Guy’s Guide to Good Reads Book Links: Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58490407-house-of-eclipses Author Bio: Casey Bond lives in West Virginia with her husband and their two beautiful daughters. She likes goats and yoga, but hasn't tried goat yoga because the family goat is so big he might break her back. Seriously, he's the size of a pony. Her favorite books are the ones that contain magical worlds and flawed characters she would want to hang out with. Most days of the week, she writes young adult fantasy books, letting her imaginary friends spill onto the blank page. Casey is the award-winning author of When Wishes Bleed, Things That Should Stay Buried, and With Shield and Ink and Bone. Author Links: Website: www.authorcaseybond.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorcaseybond Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorcaseybond Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7212486.Casey_L_Bond Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/caseyb007 Amazon: http://amzn.to/1PmE0pg Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/casey-l-bond Bond-Tourage: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1032678336804562/ Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gcAu9v Instagram: www.instagram.com/authorcaseybond YABC: https://www.yabookscentral.com/search/tag/authorname/casey-l-bond/?criteria=6 With Forged in Storms and Shadows being out for about a month now, it seemed past time to give it a little love here on the blog.
Forged in Storms and Shadows is my new standalone sci-fi novel featuring a strong female protagonist and fast-paced action that keeps going. Here's a little more in depth information: Title: Forged in Storms and Shadows Cover artist: AKA Cover Design (by the way, didn't she do great y'all?! It's just so pretty) Genre: Young Adult/New Adult Sci-Fi Blurb: The fiercest storms are tempered in tragedy. Kaladria Astrana is the Lightning Demon. A renowned soldier from Saturn, she is both feared and respected across the galaxy. What no one knows is that Kaladria is haunted by a memory she has refused to speak of for fourteen years. But when she's sent to Earth to investigate a strange power fluctuation, she finds herself face to face with the darkness from her past. Malcolm Faraway, a human who dreams of crossing the stars, doesn't believe in aliens. Then, a strange woman with lightning under her skin and a power he can barely fathom walks into his life and makes him question everything. Faced with the evil that has ravaged the universe for centuries, Kaladria and Malcolm must work together to stop the monsters threatening their worlds. Can Kaladria overcome the nightmares from her past and push back the armies of darkness? Or will the universe be lost forever? Sneak Peek: Kaladria crouches down, fingers quickly searching the gunman. When she doesn’t find what she’s looking for, she stands with a heavy sigh, turning that sharp gaze on me. I try to remember my manners. “You just saved my life. Thank—” She lunges forward. Spear in both hands, she shoves me back against the wall. Her face is suddenly inches from mine as she stand on her toes, placing the long staff of her spear against my throat. She narrows her eyes. “What have you done?” she growls. I stare at her, blinking stupidly. “W-what?” Her eyes are like ice. She doesn’t remove her spear, scrutinizing my face. “He wanted something from you. What was it?” “I-I don’t know.” I can’t stop stammering. I haven’t had a problem with it since I was a kid but her gaze has brought the old habit back out. She watches me silently, narrowed eyes studying my face. Like she’s trying to decide if she believes me. “Look.” I swallow. “I don’t know what’s going on but they just kidnapped my friend.” Fear sets back in at the thought of what they’ll do to Emma. “You have to help her. Please.” She hesitates. “A human?” “Yes, a human. What else would she be?” I don’t know where this sudden irritation is coming from. This can’t be a wise course of action. I just saw her fry a man for making her angry. To make the same mistake would be lethal. Kaladria sighs, lowering her spear a couple of inches. “I will do what I can to help your friend,” she promises. “But first I need to know what they were after.” "They wanted to know where you were. They said they had a score to settle with you?” She doesn’t look bothered in the slightest. I wonder if she’s used to people swearing vengeance against her. She certainly doesn’t seem to mind that an entire group of people hate her. “I am quite familiar with this score,” she says impatiently. “What else?” I blink. “Well, he…he wanted my device.” She studies my face, her expression softening slightly with curiosity. “What device?” I hesitate. While she did technically save my life, she seems more dangerous than the man she saved me from. Do I really want her to know about the wormhole generator? The fire returns to her eyes, growing with her impatience. “Don’t test me, human. I’m really not in the mood to play games. What is this device?” I try to push her spear away. “Why do you want to know?” Her eyes are electric with anger. She shoves her spear back against my throat. “What part of don’t test my patience didn’t you understand?” “Okay, okay.” I cough as she relaxes her stance. “I made a wormhole generator.” I expect her to stare, maybe even laugh at me, like everyone else does. But she doesn’t. Her eyes spark with fury. “Of all the idiotic…” She slams her spear against the ground, sending electricity sparking across the floor. “Show me. Now.” Forged in Storms and Shadows is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, and more. If you're interested in receiving a signed paperback copy, please see the Signed Books section of this website. XOXO, Brittany So excited to share this awesome moment with author Casey L. Bond. Her Frenzy series is being released as a box set. Here's a little info on the books: Title: Frenzy Series Box Set Author: Casey L. Bond Genre:YA Paranormal Editor: Stacey Sanford/The Girl with the Red Pen Cover Designer: Marisa-Rose Robyn of Cover Me Darling Models: Daniel Wells and Becca Bryant Hosted by: Lady Amber's PR Here's a good look at the cover: And here's a quick look at what it's about: After the world was ravaged by a viral apocalypse, Blackwater is one of the only colonies that remains. The survivors came together to create this safe haven. Nestled between a fierce river and a city’s flood wall, the well-being of its residents hangs on a long-established treaty with the night-walkers. Sounds simple enough, but lately, the people of Blackwater have been dying, and the humans believe the night-walkers are to blame. Porschia Grant starves for more than her parents’ affection. Forced to enter the rotation, she will be given extra food rations in exchange for becoming a vampire’s breakfast and dinner for a week. The rotation has an extra responsibility as well: leave the colony and enter the dangerous forest to hunt for food. A night-walker will protect the hunters from the infected that roam the woods. But with the treaty hanging in the balance and tension between the humans and vampires rising, anything could happen in the darkness. What would you do if your only chance at survival might kill you? This box set contains six books in The Frenzy Series: Frenzy, Frantic, Frequency, Friction, Fraud and novella Forever Frenzy. Hunger is deadly... Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33865382-the-frenzy-series-box-set Author Bio: Casey Bond lives in West Virginia with her husband and their two beautiful daughters. She likes goats and yoga, but hasn't tried goat yoga because the family goat is so big he might break her back. Seriously, he's the size of a pony. Her favorite books are the ones that contain magical worlds and flawed characters she would want to hang out with. Most days of the week, she writes young adult fantasy and paranormal fiction, letting her imaginary friends spill onto the blank page. Casey is the award-winning author Frenzy series and fairy tale retellings such as Riches to Rags, Savage Beauty, Unlocked and Brutal Curse. Learn more about her work at www.authorcaseybond.com. Author Links: Website: www.authorcaseybond.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorcaseybond Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorcaseybond Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7212486.Casey_L_Bond Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/caseyb007 Amazon: http://amzn.to/1PmE0pg Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/casey-l-bond Bond-Tourage: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1032678336804562/ Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gcAu9v Buy Link: Universal: http://books2read.com/u/bMajlk So, there you go, guys. Check it out and don't forget to check out Casey's website for information on all of her books! I've realized being a writer is a lot like climbing a mountain. And in the last week, it feels like I've climbed three mountains.
In the last couple of days, I have gone from truly believing my writing meant to something to thinking it was a bunch of junk and back again. This morning those back and forth feelings turned into a full-fledged crisis. I felt paralyzed by uncertainty. It wasn't until I talked about it that I realized what my problem was. When I was first starting out, someone far more experienced than I gave me the single most important piece of advice I've ever been given. She told me to keep writing until I was happy with my story. I thought I understood what she meant. Of course I would keep writing until I was happy with the story. But I understand much better now what that advice means. When I first got into the publishing game, I started strong. I worked effortlessly to prepare my writing. I was determined to write something worth reading and I was determined to have fun doing it. But, over time, it lost its luster. I got caught up in getting work out there and forgot that writing used to be fun. Which brings me to my second point. Deadlines are dangerous. Okay, so I do realize that some people work great with deadlines. And that's awesome. But not me. I realized that in my desire to crank out a couple of books this year, I lost the joy and my spark. I realized that giving myself such strict deadlines was putting massive pressure on myself. It was starting to hurt my body and it was that pressure that led me to feeling like I was going through some sort of crisis. So, I've made a decision. I will not be keeping to a strict schedule. I will write my heart out but I will not force myself to finish something until I am sure it is ready. I owe my readers that much and I owe myself that much. So, here's the point. To all you writers out there, if writing has last its spark and its not fun for you anymore, take a break, take a look at why it's not fun anymore. And if it's because it's because of pressure, like it was for me, slow down. Your readers will thank you. |
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