One week to go! #ChaBooChaLite #ChaBooCha

Only one week left to finish your story! Are you close to finishing it yet? If you are finding it is getting more difficult to write the story as you get further into it, let the picture above help you.

First, look at the typewriter. Most of us use laptops and desktop computers now, but have you considered writing one chapter using a different device or in a different way just to give your brain a jump start? Maybe get out a notebook and write out one chapter by hand. You'll be surprised how helpful it can be when you are feeling stumped at the computer, plus you get the bonus of being able to edit it a bit when you type it all into the computer later.

Next, look at the camera. Is your story set locally? Or is it set in nature? Go out and take some photos. Use them as references while you write. Is there a wild animal in your story? Go to the zoo and watch it's natural behaviour. Take photos of it. Think about how to use what you've seen in your story.

Third, look at the hourglass. Are you having trouble finding time to write? Try setting up some timed writing sprints. Set a timer and spend 15 minutes writing, if that's all the spare time you can manage. Even writing for just 15 minutes a day can get you a considerable amount of writing built up by the end of the month.

We've just had the Autumn Equinox (last Sunday), so maybe take a break from your writing for an hour or two and just go walk amongst the fallen leaves and take in the nature that is around you.

I hope your story has grown during this month's challenge, and for many of you, that it has taken you in directions you had not originally planned (that's part of the fun). Let me know in the comments how you are doing and how far your story has progressed.

Happy writing!

"Working" Covers Can Help You Write your Story #ChaBooChaLite #ChaBooCha

The above picture is of a working book cover I made for the novel I was writing a couple of years ago during Blog Your Book in 30 Days and Camp NaNoWriMo.  It is not the official cover for the book. The final book cover will probably look nothing like the above image. But it was fun to make and having an image to have in place for the book cover gave me a bit of a kick in the pants to keep writing.

During NaNoWriMo, members are encouraged to create a book cover to use as a thumbnail image for their project. I think it can be just as useful during ChaBooCha. Having a working cover is an inspirational tool to use. Your story is calling to you to write it and now it has ammunition in the form of an image to call to you with.

Another trick, if you don't want to make a simple image for your book cover, or you don't have the necessary skills to do so, is to look up images of people who look like the vision you have for your characters.

Below are some random images of men and women, found easily on royalty-free image sites such as Pixabay.com:

                                

Of course, for children's books, you will most likely find images of younger people such as children or teens.

 And here are some "working" images I made for some of my children's NaNoWriMo stories a couple of years (two of whom used the covers for their published books):

Just make sure that you don't spend so much time on this that you don't get your writing done. It can be a fun and inspirational tool to use during your writing, but, used incorrectly, it can also become another distraction that keeps you from writing.

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Give-away

I create book covers, sometimes with more success than other times, using photo-manipulation, with your photos and/or stock images. Whether or not I can create your vision depends on what your vision for your cover is. I'm offering to create a "working"cover for one prize winner. If you are signed up for ChaBooCha Lite, just comment on this blog post in order to be entered to win. Winner will be chosen by a random number generator on the 30th of this month.

Naming Characters by Melissa Gijsbers #ChaBooChaLite #ChaBooCha

Naming Characters

Coming up with names for your characters can be hard. To be honest, there are days when I think that, if I’m having trouble naming a character in a book, it’s amazing that my kids were ever named!

There are a number of ways I try to name a character:

Use the first name that comes to mind

Every now and again, a name will just come to me as I write the story, and it works. If it doesn’t, I figure I can always change the name later if I need to.

Baby Name Books & Apps

Books and apps can be useful when you are trying to find a name that is a specific ethnicity, or you are looking for a name that has a specific meaning. When all else fails, close your eyes, open the book, and put your finger on the page, and use the name closest to your finger!

Top 10 or 100 Lists

If you are looking for a name from a certain year or era, then doing a search for the top names of that year or decade, can give you a lot of great ideas for names you may not have thought about before. There are also lists of the worst names in a year, or strangest names.

Name Generators

These can be useful if you are looking for names for a fantasy or science fiction story or are looking for a name that is a bit different from names that would appear in books, apps, or popular name lists.

Ask for suggestions

When I’m really stuck, I will post something on Social Media asking for suggestions. The ideas that come back may be used in the story or may point me in the right direction so I can find a name for my character. I also know of people who have auctioned off the opportunity to name a character in a story!

Names of people you know

As much as I try not to do this, you could name characters after people you know. This can be both a good and bad thing as people you know could take it as a positive or a negative, especially if you name a less than pleasant character after them!

What are some of the other ways you come up with names of characters?

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Melissa Gijsbers is an Australian author, blogger, and speaker who has been a member of the Chapter Book Challenge since it began. She currently has three chapter books published, all written and edited during the challenge. When she’s not writing or running workshops, she is caring for two teenage boys and working in the family business. You can find her online at melissagijsbers.com and www.facebok.com/melissagijsbers

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Give-away

Today's prize is a copy of Shakespeare: A Book of Quotations. If you are a signed-up member of the Chapter Book Challenge or ChaBooCha Lite, just comment on this blog post in order to entered for the prize. Winner will be chosen by a random number generator on the 30th of September 2018.

ChaBooCha Lite - Final Day! #ChaBooChaLite #ChaBooCha

The final day of the ChaBooCha Lite has arrived. I hope this day finds everyone who participated, if not finishing their books, then at least having written more this month than they would have done without the challenge.

We have some prize winners to announce for three of the four give-aways this month.

The winner of the Novel Under Construction writing journal is Melissa Stoller! Congratulations Melissa! Please contact me with the mailing address that you would like your journal sent to.

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The winner of the signed copy of THE ENCHANTED SNOW GLOBE COLLECTION: RETURN TO CONEY ISLAND is saputnam. Congratulations! Please contact me or Melissa with the mailing address you would like your book sent to.

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The winner of the hand-made mermaid charm bookmark (different from the one shown in the picture; pictured is a cat charm bookmark) is Meli Glickman! Congratulations, Meli! Please contact me with the mailing address you would like your book sent to.

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I hope everyone has enjoyed this "lite" challenge and found it aided them in being more productive with their writing! Feel free to let me know a little about your book in the comments below. And thank you for joining us!

Research for your Novel #ChaBooChaLite

Research is something that, with most books, you will have no choice but to do at some point during your writing. If you are writing a fiction novel, than you will need to research a variety of things for your book?

Some things you might need to research when writing a fiction novel:

History:
When is your story set? If it's in the past, what did people wear? How did they speak? What buildings were already built in that era? How were women treated? What occupations were prevalent? How did people travel? How was food prepared? As you can see, the list of things you will need to know if you story is set in the past is a long one, much longer than the questions asked here. And you will need to do thorough research on the topic in order to write a story that won't ask people to suspend their belief more than they should have to. Local museums, libraries and, if you have one, your local historical society are good places to start your research. Elderly relatives can also be true fonts of information about the past.

If your story is set in the future, it's important that you portray a future that is believable. What types of technology are being invented today? How do you think they will change by the time period your story is set in? Science and technology magazine could be a good source for finding out how some things are already set to change in the near future.

If you story is set in the present, your research won't have to be as intensive, unless your setting is somewhere that you are not familiar with.

Setting: 
Where are you setting your story? How is the setting important to the story and the events within the story? Have you done enough research on your setting to be able to write about it? Is your story going to be in a different world? If so, what do you need to research in order to accurately portray this mythical world?

Some authors who have a book set in the present day world use the need to research their chosen location for their setting as an excuse to travel. Some authors keep their stories located somewhere that they already know very well, but even then, there is research that might need to be done about the location. If the setting is local but in the past, local museums can be a great help in your research. For local stories set in the present, see if your town or city has a visitor's welcome center.

Weapons: 
If your protagonist or antagonist are using weaponry of any kind, you will need to research the type of weapon and how it is used. for example, different guns have different weights and caliber of bullets. Some guns and rifles take longer to reload than others ans some guns and rifles shoot faster than others. Some shoot more bullets before needing to be reloaded than others do. You have automatic weapons and semi-automatic weapons. Which will your character be using? And, taking a moment to look back at setting, which weapons are legal or illegal to carry in your story's location? What about licensing regulations within the chosen location for your story? 
Archery also contains differences that need to be researched. There are long bows and short bows, as well as cross bows and compound bows. Do you know what makes each of them different? And what about the way they feel when you use each one? Does one take more strength to pull back than another does? How fast can each type shoot arrows? What types of arrows do they use? Did you know that the compound bow was created in such a way that it reduces the holding weight when it reach full draw position? Or that the recurve bow is the only bow style allowed at the Olympics?

There are several other weapons that your characters might make use of; a few examples are swords, throwing knives and poison darts. An extra step for your research would be to take a class that teaches you how to use the weapon. One class might be enough to give you an idea of the level of skill and difficulty and how each movement feels for the person wielding the weapon.

And a whole lot more:The types of research you will need to do will depend on what or who your novel is about, where it is set and many other factors. Each novel is unique and so is the research that it will need in order for it to be written well.

What have you needed to research for your novels?

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Everyone who is signed up for ChaBooCha Lite and comments on this post will be entered into a drawing for the cat charm book mark (similar to the one shown above). The drawing will occur at the end of the month and the winner will be announced in a blog post.