Shallee McArthur

Just sneaking in to announce that last night, just before 10:00 pm, I finished the first draft of The Unhappening of Genesis Lee! In seven weeks, I wrote 76,525 words. WOOT.

Like a typical first draft, it's a lovely disaster-- I'm already planning to rip apart the ending-- but it's actually the best first draft I've ever written. It won't need nearly the overhaul Devolutionaries got when its first draft was done. By comparison, that first draft took over four months, and included a complete re-start around 30,000 words. Why the difference? Obviously JuNoWriMo helped, but the biggest change was MORE EXTENSIVE OUTLINING. Give it a try, my friends.

Also...I might be having a shiny new idea. Tentatively titled Perception, I'm still brainstorming, but I've got a fabulous protagonist, a terrific setting, and a twisty-turney plot all in embryo form. And, because I got all excited about it, it also has a mock cover.

Sigh. SNIs have such terrible timing. Maybe the first draft of this one will be a NaNo project this year.

Okay, sneaking quietly away again...see you July 15th.

image source

I have sort of a lukewarm feeling toward Valentine's Day. I love my husband. I don't need a single day of the year to give/receive romance and appreciation. That said, it's a great excuse to find a babysitter and go out on a date. I'm never averse to a little extra romance amidst the everyday romance.

But that's not what this post is about. It's about LOVE, yes...but it's about something I LOVE about writing that, uh, has nothing to do with writing.

I love making mock covers for my books. I'm not an expert in graphic design, and I don't even have Photoshop. My covers are pretty basic; I have two steps.

1. Make a list of words that reflect your book's themes, plot points, and characters. Then do a Google image search for those.

2. I pull the images I want into a freeware program called GIMP. I do some tweaking, effects, rearranging, image combinations, and text creation for the titles.

And voila! I get a temporary face for my book. Here are some designs I've played with for my current WIPs.

This is the cover for Devolutionaries. I had a hard time coming up with a cover for this one. I think this one looks awesome, but I'm not sure it really captures the book. [image removed]

This one is for Black and Blue. While the story is currently waiting its turn because I got wrapped up in another project, I love the cover! [image removed]

And now for my favorite...the cover for The Unhappening of Genesis Lee. A few effects turned the basic picture into something that reflects the story. [image removed]

So, my friends, what fun things do you do with your WIPs that have nothing to do with the writing of it? Have you ever made your own covers, just to put a face on your book?

And don't forget, you can enter to win a critique from agent Sarah LaPolla and editor C.A. Marshall-- and help five kids in Africa get an education!