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This is it. Reading season has finally arrived! I don't do a lot of reading when the weather is nice because I spend most of my time outside. But now that it's getting darker earlier, I have time to dig into my to-be-read pile. Check out my October reading list below for some new fantasy books that are perfect for a chilly autumn day and a warm cup of tea. The Book That Wouldn’t Burn by Mark Lawrence
Apples Dipped in Gold by Scarlett St. Clair
Autumn Chaos by Olena Nikitin
House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig
Disclaimer: I love reading, but my 9-5 job has been crazy lately. I'm starting one of these books on Oct 1, but there's a 95% chance that I'm not going to read all 4 of these books by the end of October. If you have read any of these, please let me know what you think!
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You have a deadline approaching. You need to finish a draft of your manuscript, but you can’t get it right. You’ve been at it for weeks, working endlessly. You have to drag yourself to your desk, but once you’re there the words just don’t come to you. You’re running out of time and things are only getting worse. Does that sound familiar? That’s just one example of how burnout can creep up on you. It happened to me at the beginning of the summer, and I tried to white-knuckle my way through it. Spoiler alert: that doesn’t work.
Burnout occurs when you exceed your emotional and mental limitations for too long. A cheetah’s heart and lungs would give out if she tried to sprint 75 mph constantly. The same goes for you and me. We can’t maintain a mental or emotional sprint indefinitely. Let’s take a minute to talk more about burnout—what it is, what causes it, and how you can cope with it. I’ll focus on burnout from a writer’s perspective, but this can happen to anyone in any profession. What causes burnout?
In mid-July, I found myself rattling off long lists of things I was doing wrong or even just not improving at fast enough. I felt like I didn't have control over anything and didn’t have the energy to fix it. How do you cope with burnout? If that sounds like you, too, don’t worry. There are ways to address burnout.
For more information, check out these links:
As a writer, most of the time, you’re working with your head down, feverishly plotting, drafting, and editing. Then, suddenly, you finish your manuscript, and it’s like a diver coming up for air. You lift your head up and take a look around, seeing how the world has changed. That’s when it hits you. Being a writer is way more than just putting words on a page. It’s about putting those words out in the world where they will be judged and criticized. Publishing a book is every writer’s dream and every writer’s fear. As I prepare my manuscript (Oreia’s story) ready for publication, I’ve been reflecting a lot on my journey—on how a sporty woman with a PhD in engineering ever ended up publishing an action fantasy novel… But that’s exactly what I’m going to do. There are no if’s or maybe’s. Someway, somehow, I will publish this book, and I’d like to share with you some of the life lessons that have made me so certain of that. I hope these little stories resonate with you, whether you’re also a writer trying to publish or just someone navigating the challenges of life. Fortune favors the brave.
Success takes strategy and sweat. It takes cautious risks and wild optimism. Give me just a few minutes of your time to tell you what I’ve learned about how living life outside of your comfort zone can open so many doors for you. Lesson 1: You have to put the work in constantly and consistently
Lesson 2: Changing your course is not failure, and failure is not the end
Lesson learned: Failure isn’t the end. I promise you that failing my first calculus exam was rough. I think my exact words were feeling like I “got mauled by a tiger, trampled by elephants, and run over by a Mack truck” (my parents still like to remind me of that). But I survived that failure. In some ways, it made me stronger. It’s something I’m weirdly proud of now because I got a 27% and didn’t give up. I passed that class by the end of the semester, and now, ten years later, I have an amazing career. Switching paths is a new direction, not failure. We all end up on the wrong path sometimes. In my example, I was making myself miserable trying to force mechanical engineering to work. Switching my major wasn’t a failure for me; it was discovering a better path and taking it. When it comes to publishing, these lessons have helped me realize that I don’t have to have my heart set on traditional publishing or indie publishing. I’m also not defined by how my first book works out. Maybe, the world will love it. Maybe, no one will read it. What matters is that I keep moving forward, refining my course as I go. Lesson 3: Learn when to take risks
The key here is to take the right risks. I’m not suggesting that you blow all of your money on lottery tickets or go sky diving blindfolded. I’m saying that if there is something you really want, sometimes you have to take risks to get it. You can plan and do all of the prep work in the world, but in some cases it all comes down to one final leap into the abyss. Publishing is that leap for me. I’ve read books on publishing and edited the living daylights out of my manuscript. I’ve had beta readers review and comment on my project. I’ve done everything I can think of to make my manuscript the best it can be. Now, all I can do is jump. Lesson learned: Stay tuned… We will discover together how this latest leap of mine goes. I wish you luck in all of your leaps, and I hope you wish me luck in mine! Final ThoughtsI invite you to take a leap with me. Whatever it is you want to do—whether it’s a new career, publishing a book, or asking your crush out—take a risk and go for it. Know that you may fail, but failure is better than never trying at all. Fortune favors the brave. Fortune favors the people who give it their all and don’t back down. In the end, this life is about more than just bravery. You need resilience, perseverance, and faith. Take that leap, knowing that whether you land on your feet or stumble, you made progress. Every step, no matter how small, moves you forward along your unique path in life. You are not alone As writers, we all know that only one name appears on the cover of a book, but the truth is that no author works alone. Ask for help, advice, or just good old-fashioned support. You can always reach out to me, too ([email protected]). I'm not an expert, but I'd be happy to listen and provide advice where I can. Every writer dreams of creating the next bestseller. We all want to write an edge-of-your-seat, un-put-downable story that hooks readers from the very first page and takes them on an unforgettable journey. But how do you achieve that? What is the magic formula that transforms a good story into a legendary one? Why do so few authors manage to create that spellbinding thrall? Story Genius by Lisa Cron offers a compelling answer to these questions. Cron explains that humans are evolutionarily hardwired to crave stories. We seek answers to help us understand and navigate the world around us. Stories are the solution. They provide a safe and controlled setting for our minds to explore the possible outcomes and answers to our problems.  What I Loved About Story Genius
Summary
Story Genius by Lisa Cron combines wit and humor with a science-based method to create captivating stories. It’s not just another educational primer for writers; it's an engaging read that made me laugh while providing valuable insights. I highly recommend this book to any writer looking to take their work to the next level. Additional Resources
A Guide for Indie AuthorsTo all of my indie authors: buckle up. In the 2nd part of my blog series on book cover design, I'm going to give you some high-level tips on creating the best covers for your books. Let's dive in. 1. Find a Cover Designer I know it’s tempting to make your own book cover. You can get the right software fairly cheaply (or for free), and with a few Youtube tutorials, you’re on your way. But I recommend against that. Hiring a good book cover designer can make all the difference in how well you attract potential readers.
Finding the Right Fit: Choosing the right book designer can be tricky, but it’s important to get it right. Your designer should have experience in your genre and a design style that resonates with you. Here are some tips on how to find the best designer for you and your project:
The Search in Action: Hollen the Soulless by Denali Day
3. Test and Perfect Your Design
Your designer will send you mockups of your cover to review. Don’t be afraid to send critiques, but remember to be polite and professional. Provide Specific Feedback: When you’re reviewing your cover, it helps your designer if you can specifically pinpoint what does and doesn’t work for you. Try breaking the cover down into components that you evaluate individually, such as the title, author name, foreground, and background. Get Other Opinions: It may help to share mockups or early versions of your cover on social media, in writing forums, or with beta readers to gauge their reactions and identify areas that need improvement. Pay attention to feedback on visual appeal, clarity, and alignment with genre expectations, and be willing to iterate on your design based on constructive criticism. Conclusion: I hope you found this guide helpful. For more information, check out these resources:
We've probably all heard that saying a thousand times since childhood. Right now, I’m picturing the librarian at my old public library whispering that to my friends and me as we picked out our books. I get what she meant: don’t judge, don’t make assumptions. It’s an important life lesson, but when it comes to choosing the right cover design for your book, don’t judge a book by its cover is completely off the mark. The cover of a book is the first thing people see of your story. The job of a book cover is to be judged. It is the first interaction the world has with your book. That's why it's absolutely critical that you get the best book cover for your masterpiece. What makes a good book cover? That's a hard question to answer. It’s so difficult, in fact, that I’ve decided to break up the answer into a multi-part series to cover it all. In this set of posts, we’ll cover the role of a book cover, the basic design elements, and special considerations for indie vs traditionally published authors. I’ll also provide some additional resources along the way, so you can get the most out of this series.
.First, let’s break down some of the elements of a book cover: Imagery: This may be obvious for some people, but what imagery do you want on the cover? To figure that out, you first have to ask yourself this: what is the biggest driving force of your story? If your story is character-driven and has a strong central protagonist, maybe he or she should be on the cover. If your story is about an enchanted sword or a haunted pirate ship, those would make great cover images, too.
Tone: The tone of a book cover is the feeling it gives you as a whole. It considers the imagery, the artist style, title font, color scheme, etc. You may have noticed that a lot of genres have tone patterns that they usually follow. Mysteries, thrillers, and horror stories often have darker colors and sharper lines. Romance novels tend to have softer, warmer tones, while comedies and children’s books often have brighter colors and more whimsical font styles. Keep in mind, these aren’t hard and fast rules, but if you follow themes that fit your genre, your potential readers are more likely to recognize your book’s genre from first sight
Cover font: The style of font you use for your title and your author name can say a lot about the content of the book. For example, romance novels might use a curling script or a soft-style font, but non-fiction books may rely more on structured fonts that give the reader a reliable, professional feeling. Open a word processor, like Microsoft word, and take a look through the fonts for inspiration. Keep in mind, though, that a professional graphic designer may have access to more font styles than you do, so you may have more options when you hire a designer
Here's an example of a book cover that I thought did a great job selling the book:
If you're interested in Hollen the Soulless check out:
That's it for Part 1 of this series.
If you're interested in learning more about book covers, here are some resources that I recommend:
 I know I’m very late to the party here, but the Throne of Glass series means a lot to me, so I’m going to cover it anyway. Not only are these books fabulous to read, but they also played a major role in my writing development. Sarah J Maas is a very dynamic and impactful author. She writes vibrant scenes, breathtaking action, and complex plots. Her characters are flawed in ways that make them feel real. Maas masterfully weaves multiple character arcs together to create deep stories that are constantly evolving. This is an 8-book series, including the prequel novellas published in The Assassin’s Blade. Below, I’ve included my review of the first book in the series, Throne of Glass
If you're interested in reading more, check out these resources below:
Writer's block has hit and it has hit hard. You can't string together a single interesting, compelling, or coherent sentence. Your writing sounds like garbage. Your character's are flat, and your action is boring. You've rewritten the same page 6 times. Your garbage can is filled with discarded drafts.
Does any of that sound familiar? We've all been there, I promise. In fact, I’m there right now. No writer is immune to bad days and rocky writing. The key is keeping yourself moving until you get back on your literary feet. You can try the obvious tricks: Take a break, switch topics, or let the project sit for a few days. Those things can help sometimes, but not always. What about charging head-first into your writer’s block? Have you tried that? Just lower your head like an 800 lb bull and charge right through that block. Turn off that critical voice in your head and just write. That's it. Just. Write. Your writing doesn't always have to be elegant or earth-shattering. Anything is better than a blank page, even if it looks like someone handed a typewriter to a gorilla. Bad writing—done with purpose and direction—is a foundation that you can revise and polish. Finishing a novel is about progress, not perfection. Perfection will come later with editing and Beta readers. For now, just do what you love: write. Check out these links for more resources:
If you’re interested in hearing more about Taren, check out my full page on her WIP Taren here.
Also, leave me a comment with your thoughts and suggestions. I’d love to hear what you think! |
JenNifer AldenWelcome to the Untold Stories, my fantasy writing blog! Categories
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