Something like a dream...

Last Thursday, it finally hit me. It's really happening. The dream that I fought so hard and so long for is at last within my grasp. Literally. ♥˘⌣˘♥

Because my Splintered ARCs (advanced reader copies) came in the mail. And for the rest of that evening, I was *FLOATING*. Still am.

In fact, I can't seem to climb down off of this cloud ... might have something to do with how beautiful they are. See?

One thing that really struck me was what a unique marketing tool ARCs are. They're not just some unedited paperback version of the hardback. They have all kinds of juicy info on the inside and the outside to entice buyers for the book.

So, since I can't hand out an ARC to everyone to show you, I'll share a few of the details via pictures. First, the back cover:



Hopefully, the text is big enough that you can see the different sections.

• First there's the blurb by a respected and already published author, to let buyers/readers know that fans of said author might like this newbie author's work, as well.
• Then comes the book synopsis with a hook that will hopefully make buyers and readers equally excited to invest time and/or money into the story.
• After that comes the marketing information. In other words, what the publisher is doing to get exposure for the author and the book, and in turn, helping to make the buyer's job to sell books easier.
• Book specifications follow, such as numbers of pages, price, ISBN, age recs, etc...
• The Publisher's insignia and address, and the distributor information for anyone interested in ordering.

So basically, the outside is like a really elaborate business card. :)

The inside offers a preview of the finished layout. Chapter fonts, text fonts, designs, pictures, etc... are all on display. No holds barred, this is the time to display everything the book has to offer aesthetically, like a peacock spreading out those tail feathers to get the attention of his mate. And let me tell you, Splintered has some very pretty tail feathers (thanks to Amulet's design team for their artistic talent and foresight!). 





ARC picture collage by Gabrielle Carolina







So, there's a quick peek at the ins and outs of ARCs. Congrats to those of you who've already won a Splintered ARC in one of my contests. To those of you who haven't, I'll be having one more contest for one, so be watching!

Hope everyone has a great week! As for me? I'm going back to hugging my book. See you soon! :)

Irrigating your writer's soul...

Before I get to my post for the day, I'd like to announce Friday's QueryTrackers Making Tracks interviewee: Kathy Bradey. Be sure to drop by to learn how frozen horses and lost loves played a part in her offer of representation.



Now, onto today's post. We're NOT going to be talking about bad hair days (although I could write a whole series on that. Ha!). Today's subject is bad writing days.

Ever since my MS has been out on submission, I've been having a hard time motivating my muse to work on my WIP. Instead, I'm obsessed with checking my email or twitter or bouncing around PublishersMarketplace to read about new deals getting picked up.

Bad writer ... bad, bad writer.

I wouldn't say I have a block exactly, but it's the closest I've ever come. One thing that always helps shake the cobwebs from my brain is rollerblading. But it's been too windy around here to do that lately. Also, my muse loves rain. Last year, in the span of two dreary, drippy days, I managed to whip out over 6K words, finishing one chapter and coughing up another, all while I had a part time job. Unfortunately, we haven't seen a drop in the panhandle for months.

Much like the weather, I'm having a creative drought.

All of this got me thinking about how most writers have quirky routines that help set the mood for a productive session. Some famous examples:
 
• The poet Friedrich von Schiller used to keep rotten apples under the lid of his desk. To awaken his muse, he’d open the lid and inhale deeply. I’ve tried that a few times with dry erase markers, but it’s just not the same. Kidding! Just kidding...(or am I?)

• Colette, the author of the famed novel “Gigi”, used to pick fleas from her cat before she wrote. Maybe she was afraid she’d mistake some of those parasites for misplaced punctuation on her pages?

• Voltaire, a French Enlightenment writer, used his lover's naked back as a writing desk. That could be why most of his work had a romantic slant to it. *wink wink*

• Anne Rivers Siddons' husband reports that she makes a nest of papers, like a mouse getting ready for winter, then she starts walking into walls just before she begins a writing session. That walking into walls thing … I've tried it myself. It seems to be the only way I can work up a synopsis.

• Emily Dickinson wouldn't see her dressmaker, go out of the house, or expose her handwriting while working on her projects. Her sister transcribed all of her letters. Emily would’ve loved email.

After seeing these, I realized I really don't have any quirks for getting myself into the writing mood. I'm more inclined to nurture my muse while living my everyday routine, to irrigate it until it has no choice but to write or burst.

So, what do I have in my watering can?

• Mug shots: I post pictures of my main characters on a bulletin board in my office so I can see them each time I'm in the room. Sometimes that's enough to either inspire an entire conversation between them, or a scene that I have to sit down and write immediately.

• Books and movies: Every Friday night hubbie and I watch a DVD together. I prefer movies about my current WIP’s subject (I’m a bit of a fanatic about it). While working on my geisha vampire fantasy, we saw tons of vampire flicks (with the occasional side of Phantom of the Opera and Memoirs of a Geisha). Bless my spouse and his tolerant heart. This also goes for books. I saturate myself in the subject I'm writing. This not only keeps my head in the theme, but helps me to avoid things that have already been done in similar books and movies.
 
• Music: When I first start on a project, I'll compose a playlist of songs to evoke the moods of my characters / scenes, and to heighten the atmosphere of the setting wherein I've placed my story. The songs vary from instrumental to vocal pieces. I'm not picky. It all depends upon the book. But I listen to this music, not just when I'm writing, but when I'm doing other things. Like the pictures on my bulletin board, it sometimes inspires a scene or an exchange when I'm not even at the computer.

What about you? Do you have any quirks or tricks that help wake up your muse for a writing session?

Or, like me, do you just feed your writer’s soul until it's fat with inspiration and then sit down and write in a gluttonous purge?