Jenna Moreci has also made a really useful video on how to name your characters. Jenna talks through three methods of coming up with names (historical names, fantastical names and contemporary names) and then talks through some advice on how to pick the bets names for your characters and how to make sure the names you choose for your characters fits their personalities and the genre of the book you are writing. Historical Names: The first method of coming up with names that Jenna discusses is coming up with names for a historical fiction novel. - Google It: Google names that were used/popular during the time period your book is set in. Use names that were used in that time period and maybe look into the names' meaning to make sure they fit your character's background and personality. Fantastical Names: The second kind of names we can come up with are fantastical names. These names tend to be used in any story that are set in a world that is not our own or in a futuristic/apocalyptic world. There are three types of names you could come up with here. - Regular Names: These names will still work in the futuristic and apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic genre. - Real Names: Names form folklore and mythology and history. These names will work in fantasy and dystopian genres for sure. These names tend to be chosen for the deeper meaning of them. - Invent Original Names: These names could work in any genre really. However, they will work particularly well if the character you are naming is not human or if you are writing for the dystopian or fantasy genre. For example, Katniss is an original name Suzanne Collins came up with and this name worked well in The Hunger Games because it fitted the genre and the character herself. Contemporary Names: These names are for stories that take place in our world and are set in the recent past, current day or close future. There are three sections to this section: - Normal Names: For example, Sarah, John, Steven, etc. These are very common names. These names could be good for regular or relatable characters. However, if you use one of these names, your character will not be memorable for their name so you will need to make sure they are memorable for something else about them. - Middle Names: These names are familiar to use but are not extremely common. For example: Sydney, Calvin, etc. These names are more memorable than the normal names but make sure that if you use a name from this group, you need to make sure it fits your character as you don't want your character to seem fake. These names tend to be good used for protagonists. - Unique Names: For example, Scarlett, Gage, etc. These are very fancy and cheesy. However, these names tend to work well with toned down/common surnames. This makes the character still seem relatable despite their 'fancy' name. For example: Gage Taylor. Now we look at how to choose which name you want for which character. You need to consider the following things before naming your character: - Their Role and Personality: Make sure your character's name fits their personality and their role in the story. Look at the meaning behind the name you are giving them as this may help you choose a name. - Their Background: Choose a name that fits your character's background. For example, if your character has a rich or privileged background they may have a more fancy name. For example, Genevive, Nikoli, etc. - Their Parents: Think about what their parents are like and what they would name our character. - Where Is Your Character From?: Consider your character's heritage. Maybe choose a name that fits their heritage. For example, if your character has an Italian heritage, give them an Italian name. For example: Ariana, Rosa, Marco, etc. After following the above steps, you should now have a name list. Consider the above points before you assign names to characters. However, another piece of advice that Jenna gives is you should not have several names that begin with the same letter in the same book, unless the characters are siblings. Also, Jenna advises you not to necessarily follow name trends. Overall, Jenna's video did help me come up with names for my book. I went through the process of making a name list and then I considered the factors listed above before assigning names to my five main characters. However, my five main characters' families' names were generated kind of randomly.
0 Comments
Once again, we're looking at Jenna Moreci's videos to research into "How To Title Your Book" this time. Before she gets into the tips for titling your book, she gives us a good piece of advice: - You do not need to title your book at the start of the writing process. It will normally come to you during the writing process. Jenna gives us six points to consider before titling our book: 1) Key Words & Themes: Look for key words and themes in the book that are significant to the story. Find the key words and phrases and write them down. 2) Themes & Symbols: Look for themes and symbols in the book. This method of generating a title is a good method to sue to title contemporary novels as it is hard to find key words in contemporary novels as the stories are set in the here and now. After completing the first two steps, you should have a title list. 3) Eliminate Misleading Titles: With every title on your title list, you should ask yourself if the title sounds right, ask yourself if it creates an image for your story that fits. Get rid of titles that don't sound right and fit your criteria. 4) See If They Already Exist: Make sure to google the titles that are left on your title list to see if they already exist. If they already exist, take them off of your list. After this step, if you are left with hardly any or no titles, go back to steps one and two. 5) Tie-Breaker: Narrow down your list to two or three titles. Then, ask your audience/following which of the titles they fidn the most intriguing. This will help you decide on a title more easily as you will be able to tell which title your audience lieks the most and therefore, which title will help your book get more attention. 6) Consider The Series: If you know your book is going to be part of a series, you need to consider the title of your book more carefully. The reason being, the entire series will have a similar title to the first book (the book you are currently writing). Jenna mentions three ways of coming up with a good set of titles for a series in her video: A) Named After The First Book: The entire series could be names after the first book. For example, The Hunger Games (2008), The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2009) and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay (2010). B) The Divergent Method: Choose titles for your books in your series that rhyme with each other. For example, in the Divergent (2011) series, the titles of the three books in the series sound similar and almost rhyme: Divergent (2011), Insurgent (2012) and Allegiant (2013). C) The Harry Potter Method: Use the name of your main character as your title and then add to the title by including a symbol or important setting after the character's name. For example, Harry Potter and the Philosipher's Stone (1997), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (1999), etc. When deciding on a name for your book when you know it will be a part of a series, it is a good idea to have all of the book's details written out so you can make an informed decision as you cannot go back and rename the entire series once you have distributed the first book in the series. Overall, when deciding on a title for your book, you need to consider all of the things listed above and you should go through all of the steps suggested. However, the title of your book doesn't really have to be decided before the final draft of your book s completed really. You will defiantly need a working title for your book. However, this does not have to be your final title. After your drafts are finished, then is the best time to create your title as you will know your story and your characters inside out and you are more likely to make a better decision. Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zp-Y-h9KKA https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS_fcv9kBpDN4WWrfcbCrgw www.neilstoolbox.com/bibliography-creator/ Collins, Suzanne (2008). The Hunger Games. US: Scholastic Press. 374. Collins, Suzanne (2009). The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. US: Scholastic Press. 391. Collins, Suzanne (2010). The Hunger Games: Mockingjay. US: Scholastic Press. 390. Roth, Veronica (2011). Divergent. US: Katherine Tegen Books . 487. Roth, Veronica (2012). Insurgent. US: Katherine Tegen Books . 525. Roth, Veronica (2013). Allegiant. US: Katherine Tegen Books . 526. Rowling, J.K. (1997). Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. UK: Bloomsbury Publishing. 223. Rowling, J.K. (1999). Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. UK: Bloomsbury Publishing. 251. Above is yet another video from Jenna Moreci, explaining how to design a successful book cover. However, these tips are catered for self-publishing writers instead of people going the traditional route with a publisher (the publisher will normally choose your cover for you). Jenna gave us the following tips in this video: 1.Genre & Target Audience: What will your audience want to see? What genre are you writing? Identifying these things will help you immensely. For example, if you are writing a contemporary novel, you wouldn't use a magical sword on the front cover as that is a conventional cover for fantasy novels. Your audience will tend to want to see something that goes with the genre you are writing so these two things kind of go hand in hand. However, your cover needs to be eye-catching in order to get the reader's attention in the first place. 2. Symbols/Imagery From the Book: To help you come up with an idea for your cover, it may be good to identify any reoccurring symbols or imagery that you write about in your book. This will help convey the message you are wanting to convey (as mentioned in the first point). For example, if your story is about someone searching for a magical sword, your cover should have a picture of that sword. 3. Beware of Trends: While it is a good idea to analyse book cover trends for books similar to yours, you should not really be following trends too much as this will not make your book stand out and won't grab you reader's attention. 4. Consider the Thumbnail: Since most of the books purchased nowadays are now purchased online, you do need to consider the thumbnail you are using for your book when selling it online. Therefore, when creating your cover, you should try using contrasting colours to catch the reader's eye because it is very easy for them to just continue scrolling when they're online and ignore your book. 5. Hire a Professional: Hire someone who is a professional designer! If you cannot afford this, start saving as you will need a professional's help. Jenna's video was once again very helpful in helping me think about creating my own cover. Unfortunately I do have a deadline to meet and so I will more than likely have to make my cover myself. However, Jenna's tip about symbols and imagery are especially helpful as I hadn't really thought of this prior to watching this video.
Below are some more videos from Jenna Moreci. These videos explain how to outline your novel and give you an example of the outlining process.
Part One:In Her part one video, Jenna answers some questions her viewers sent about outlining a novel and talked a lot about the benefits of outlining. She answered the following questions in the first video: 1. What is an outline? 2. What does an outline look like? 3. What are the benefits of outlining? 4. What can I do if I'm stuck while outlining? 5. Does outlining ruin creative process? 6. With outlining you always know whats coming next? Does it lessen motivation to write novel? 7. What if I deviate from the outline? 8. How long should the outline be? 9. Famous authors don't outline. Why should I? 10. Do I have to outline? Jenna offered a lot of good advice in this video, some of which I noted down: 1. What is an outline? A blueprint for your book. It breaks down the plot points of the book down in chronological order. 2. What does an outline look like? You can find rules for an outline but it doesn't matter too much as long as you can follow your outline easily. 3. What are the benefits of outlining? There are many. An outline of your novel will guide you through the writing process a lot easier. You are less likely to end up with plot holes and to go on tangent. You are also more likely to write a good ending, spend less time editing and avoid writers block! 4. What can I do if I'm stuck while outlining? Work backwards. Decide where you want your characters to end up and then set out the events that get them there. 5. Does outlining ruin creative process? No! It actually tends to improve the creative process as you will know when your favourite scenes are coming up, you will have more anticipation while writing the novel despite knowing what's coming. 6. With outlining you always know whats coming next? Does it lessen motivation to write novel? Yes, you tend to know what's coming next and this should do the opposite of de-motivate you to write. This should actually increase your motivation as you know whats going to happen in the book and you know when your favourite scenes and interactions are coming up. 7. What if I deviate from the outline? A lot of people complain about this but you shouldn't really be deviating too much if you've already planned your characters. Your characters should be written to fit your outline and your outline should be written to fit your characters. However, you outline is not set in stone and you can deviate as much as you want as ideas are going to be generated throughout the entire writing and editing process. 8. How long should the outline be? However long you need. More detailed outlines tend to be around 30 pages long, minimum but they can be s long or short as you want. 9. Famous authors don't outline. Why should I? Many authors also do outline and swear by them. However, if you can write and make things up as you go, you do that. However, if that process doesn't work for you, I'd recommend doing an outline. 10. Do I have to outline? No. Part Two:In her second outlining video. Jenna talked us through the entire outlining process and talks us through how she outlines her novels. She states that her outlines tend to be very detailed and are at least 30 pages long, minimum most of the time. Jenna broke down her outlining process into 3 sections: 1. The brainstorm (or 'Mind dump' as she calls it) stage. 2. The puzzle phase. 3. The actual outlining phase. 1. The Brainstorm Phase: - Write down the overall plot. - The overall information on your characters (character profiles). - Have a brainstorm document on both your laptop and phone so you can add to it anytime. - There is no right or wrong way to complete this phase, just produce as much content as you can. 2. The Puzzle Phase: This phase can be skipped if your brainstorm work is organised already. However, most of the time, your brainstorming will not be organised and therefore, this step is required. - Go through your brainstorm notes and write down the key plot points on note cards or post-its. - Colour code these cards. For example, use red for violent scenes, pink for romantic scenes, purple for friendship orientated scenes, etc. - Find a poster board or some sort of flat surface and arrange the cards in the order you want the events to take place in the book. - After arranging the plot points, ensure to fill any plot holes you see and cut out anything unnecessary. - Divide the plot points into chapters or time frames. 3. The Actual Outline: - Transfer everything from your note cards onto a word document. Use bullet points and the same colour coding system as for the cards. - Cut out all the unnecessary stuff again. - Go through the outline again and identify further plot holes and fill them. - Go through the outline a few more times until you are happy with it. - This outline may be added to throughout your writing process as it helps keep a log of everything and again, makes the entire writing process easier. Overall, right now, I feel like I have a very good idea of how to write my outline and I am confident it will turn out well and make my writing process a lot easier.
Before I really get into writing my actual book, I wanted to create some character profiles to ensure I get the details of the characters correct when writing the actual book. However, despite having created character profiles before, I wanted to do a bit of research into character profiles to ensure I make my own as detailed as possible. I stumbled upon a very good YouTube channel called Jenna Moreci. Jenna is an author and makes videos on YouTube with advice on several aspects of writing a novel. One of her videos (the one I linked below) is about how to create a character profile and she also included a sample character profile with some questions she answered about her character. However, I have looked up some different character profile templates and questions apart from Jenna's so I can include as much information as I can. Jenna suggests that creating a character profile can help you get to know your character, even if not all of the details in the profile are included in the actual book. I have created one profile so far using the questions from Jenna's character profile and I've found it to be a very useful tool because as Jenna says, if you get to know your character inside out, you will find it much easier to write for them and that's what I've found as I have began my book. I have linked Jenna's video below: Overall, I found Jenna's video and the sample profile very helpful as it gave me a good outline for my own profiles and encouraged me to research into what other templates are available. However, I did choose to use Jenna's format of profile after looking at several others. Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQcQ-As2BU0 http://jennamoreci.tumblr.com/post/144219244447/character-profile-tobias https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS_fcv9kBpDN4WWrfcbCrgw http://www.writerswrite.com/journal/jun98/how-to-create-a-character-profile-6986 http://www.creative-writing-now.com/writing-character-profiles.html When it comes to publishing (particularly books), if you intend on going on the traditional route, you should know who your options are. You need to target a publishing company that caters to your genre of writing. However, below is a bit of research on the UK's most successful publishing houses/companies. Penguin Random House:
History: Penguin Random House was founded in 2013. However, prior to the merger, they were two separate publishing companies known as "Penguin Books" and "Random House". The two companies merged on the 1st of July 2013 to become "Penguin Random House". I actually got the chance to interview Taran Matharu, who used to work for Penguin Random House and he briefly describes his experiences working there and gives some information about the merge (he arrived to work at the company the day of the merger). Watch the interview below: HarperCollins:
History: A bit like Penguin Random House, HarperCollins started out as two different companies: William Collins, Sons and Harper. However, in 1989, Rupert Murdoch's NewsCorp bought William Collins, Sons and Harper which then went on to become HarperCollins. Bloomsbury Publishing:
History: Bloomsbury Publishing was founded in 1989 by Nigel Newton. The main HQ is in London, UK. However, this company has branches in: London, Oxford, NYC (New York City), New Dehli and Sydney. Who Would I Publish With?At this current moment in time, I am unsure as to which company/-ies I would want to publish my book with. the reason for this is that I am unsure as to what my book will be exactly like. therefore, should I decide to publish my book in the traditional way at all, I don't really plan on looking into publisher until I have completed my final draft. Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_book_publishers_of_the_United_Kingdom http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penguin_Random_House http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/233901/george-r-r-martin http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/127911/mindy-kaling http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2143507/lilly-singh http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/penguin_random_house_2014_logo_detail_white.png https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penguin_Books https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Random_House http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7979840.Taran_Matharu https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=re2TQcRt3ZY&feature=youtu.be https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HarperCollins https://www.harpercollins.com/ https://media.licdn.com/media/p/3/000/217/0aa/0b33064.png http://newscorp.com/leader/brian-murray/ https://www.harpercollins.co.uk/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Collins,_Sons https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harper_(publisher) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/News_Corporation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rupert_Murdoch http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/ https://www.harpercollins.co.uk/cr-100832/cecelia-ahern https://www.harpercollins.co.uk/cr-100227/agatha-christie https://www.harpercollins.co.uk/cr-100356/george-r-r-martin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloomsbury_Publishing http://newscorp.com/leader/brian-murray/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Salz https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigel_Newton http://www.bloomsbury.com/author/sarah-j-maas/ http://www.bloomsbury.com/author/neil-gaiman http://www.bloomsbury.com/author/jk-rowling/ https://publishingperspectives.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Bloomsbury-logo-solo.jpg |