Much of a writer’s life is spent slogging away over a keyboard, fighting for inspiration and the time to get the story down. But the last couple of days I’ve been doing the fun stuff. My publisher, Solaris, has asked me to come up with ideas for the covers of the new series called:
The Outcast Chronicles
This means I get to pull out my Resonance File and go through it, putting together a page of visuals for the setting, another one for the way people dress and a couple of pages on the main characters. Then I do a brief background on the series and the characters, and finally I do a page on my vision for the series’ covers.
Eventually, I’ll put together an inspiration page on The Outcast Chronicles, as I did for King Rolen’s Kin. For now, this is my collage of images:
I’m very lucky really. Most writers don’t get this much input into their covers. Of course, once I hand the Resonance File over, it is in the lap of the publishers and the cover artist. Clint Langley did a wonderful job on the KRK book covers, so I’m hoping for him again.
Meanwhile, there’s a give away of KRK book one The King’s Bastard on Dave Brendon’s blog.
Thanks for spreading the news, Rowena. 🙂 Much appreciated! 🙂
You’re welcome, Dave. (Or is ti Dave-Brendon?)
Good luck with your writing. It’s a fantasy isn’t it?
That does sound like fun. I’ve never been one to get together images to help me during the writing process – maybe it would be a great source of inspiration and ideas.
Some writers have a play list of music they listen to while they’re writing. I gather images, stories from certain periods, things like that to give flavour to my world.
Are you one of the music people, Nicole?
No, I’m not – I find music too distracting while I’m writing. Although having said that, I did have some 20s jazz playing while I was doing my short story sub for Twelfth Planet Press’s Speakeasy antho, so maybe it’s something I could do with the right music.
I get a lot of inspiration from things I’ve seen, places I’ve been. For the current novel, for example, I got some great stuff from the Te Papa museum in Wellington.
Music only works for me if it is instrumental. If there are voices it like they’re arguing with the voices in my head. Ooooh, did I say I have voices in my head?
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