I think I've mentioned it before, but it is worth mentioning again that my preferred style of writing is multi-POV (point of view). While I don't get as hardcore as George R. R. Martin, in my series Urban Legend, I've got three distinct POVs going. Each subsequent installment will have three POVs, but switching out a few so by the end of Rylee's first school year at Artemis Academy there will have been six POV characters with varied levels of alliance and antagonism (not mutually exclusive in at least a couple cases). Writing each POV character requires me to fully flesh out those characters as I would any protagonist. While not all writing styles match mine, I think it is very important for writers to consider minor characters as assets and not afterthoughts.

From Uni-dimensional...
During my brief but not insignificant foray into screenwriting, I was taught to think about the major characters as "round" characters and minor characters as "flat" characters. The reason being, in screenplays there is limited real estate on the page so the focus needs to be the characters that matter. In the years since developing my writing, I can say with absolutely conviction that this unequivocally false; every character needs to be as "round" as the next. Viewers and readers have become more sophisticated in recent decades and uni-dimensional characters aren't going to cut it. The talking heads, linear love-interests, and the sycophant sidekicks now spark irritation and outrage as demand for realism is at an all time high. Dragons and cyborgs are fine, but the princess better be more than a "basic DiD" (Damsel in Distress). Even if the reader never actually sees the full complexity of a character, like the tavern owner in two pages with six lines of dialogue, they need to feel as if he was a real person, otherwise the whole sequence will be indeed "flat."

The “Plot-point” Character
One of the most pointless characters is the one who serves a single plot driving purpose and then becomes irrelevant. This is the "talking heads" whose sole purpose to to drive the Exposition Express right down the readers gullet, full steam ahead. Or the deus ex machina character who was maybe hanging around like loose garbage than at the end helps save the day in some small way. And of course there is the comic relief: the funny person who, at best, offers a few quips; or at worse, hinders the protagonist in contrived comedy to pad the conflict (nobody likes that guy). These kinds of characters pop up in all genres, and if poorly done enough can throw the reader out of the story with caricatures and not characters. A litmus test to see if such a character plays such a role, pluck them out entirely and see how intact the story remains. If the plot only needs a few minor plot holes to fill, you might want to consider dropping them OR perhaps spend some time around upping their significance by making them multi-dimensional.

The “Character-point” Character
These serve a bit more useful purpose, if nonetheless still limited in function. Character point characters tend to evoke or amplify certain emotions or traits in the protagonist to help them on their way. The love interest might only be there to be pretty and co-dependent (both guys and gals) and ultimately serve no ground-breaking plot-purpose. Or they could be that teacher who shows them the "Ways of the Whatever" and then either hangs around or drifts away because they got nothing else to do. Or, it could be that lovable scamp who ends up dying and drives the protagonist to go Super Saiyan or something and drives home the finale (or the next installment). While these roles have a bit more depth, they are still merely roles, a box the minor character is packaged in and shipped off. Instead of dropping these characters though, they sill have the framework to be potentially integral characters. To lift themselves off the page as a simple "LOL" to a "BFF".

The time is here! I can't believe it, but this is the official announcement for my chronic illness anthology! Aren't you excited?!

Thanks to your love and support, I have been able to get all of the details ready way earlier than planned and I am excited to release the submission guidelines for the first book in my anthology series!

About the Anthology:
As I move forward in my chronic illness journey, it has become abundantly clear just how little reading material is out there for teens and young adults struggling with mental and/or physical illnesses. More specifically, I've found very little material dedicated to chronic illness warriors like myself.

Occasionally, I'll come across a great depiction of what it's like to live with an illness in a fiction book, but that's not what I'm looking for. Had there been a helpful book when I first started this journey, I believe that I would have learned how to accept my new life and cope with the new changes that my body would undergo earlier on in the process.

Since that wasn't the case, I've decided to team up with a myriad of writers and create something new! My goal is to help those struggling with similar problems and conditions, while also working towards ending the stigma against both mental and physical illnesses!

What I'm Looking for:
Ultimately, I am hoping to create a collection of letters from you to your younger self. This can be for a specific age, prior to your diagnosis, or in the early stages of your treatment plans. It's completely up to you!

In these letters, I would like to include a bit of helpful advice as well as inspiration. I don't only want to help educate others, but I want to inspire them too! So consider including how your life has changed since your diagnosis in a positive manner, how you stay positive despite your illness, or maybe even include ways to show yourself self-love. Don't force it though, we want your open and honest letters!

If you're interested in submitting a letter like this, we'd love to hear from you! Just take a moment to read through the guidelines below and shoot us an email at ivycirillobooks@gmail.com !

About the Author:

• Where are you from? I'm British, currently living in West Yorkshire.
• Are you a full-time writer? If not, what else do you do? I write in my free time, work full-time in an office and also visit schools when required.
• If you couldn’t be an author, what would your ideal career be? Why? It would be fun to work as an editor or for a publishing house.
• What’s your favorite genre to read? I'm a fan of fantasy, dystonia and post-apocalyptic fiction, but I will read anything that looks and sounds interesting.
• What’s your favorite book? The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom.

About Being an Author:

• When did you know that you wanted to be an author? I don't think there's a specific moment, but I started writing at 14 years old after having a poem published in school.
• Were you ever discouraged about pursing your passion? If so, how’d you push past it? No, I have never been discouraged. I have sometimes felt like giving up when sales were low or I got writer's block, but my friends and family have always supported me.
• Does your family support your writing career? Yes and they always have.
• Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym? If I wrote non-fiction I would choose another name, but only to separate the two.
• Is writing your passion or your hobby? Both.
• What has been your best experience so far as an author? Being on television with the children from Low Ash Primary School.

About Your Book:

• What gave you the ideas for your most recent work? I have several books ongoing, so I can't give you a specific title. I also don't think anything in particular sparks my ideas, they just accumulate and build into something I think is worthy of a story.
• What inspired your novel’s cover? Finding Pandora: Book One: World is a young woman with hair draped across her face, laying in a forest. The book is set in a forest and I liked the image because it shows Arriette's imperfections.
• What was the hardest part of finishing your novel? Editing. I hate editing, but it's necessary.

• What’s your favorite genre to write? Fantasy and post-apocalyptic fiction.
• What’s one genre that you secretly want to write? Horror.
• Where do you get your big ideas? I soak them in from everywhere, then I fit them together like a jigsaw puzzle until I can shape a basic outline. The media and other stories on television or in books can be very inspirational.
• Did any of your books stem from dreams? No but I sometimes dream about my characters.
• How do you come up with the names for your characters? They come up with their own names and they tend to just come to me. I think a character's name has to suit them, but I do tend to look up the meanings of names. For example, in Finding Pandora I used the name Coyote, which means trickster.
• Who’s your favorite character you’ve created so far? Why? Arriette Monroe. She is one of my oldest characters and I have spent the most time on her stories.

• What is your writing process like? I usually get the idea, do a basic outline, do a first draft, then go back several times and edit until I'm sick of seeing the book! 
• Is there any part of the process you wish you could delegate to someone else? Editing, but I'm a real control freak and although I hate how long editing takes, I think it's important for me to know how to do it.
• What’s your favorite part of the writing process? The idea generation and the initial draft. It's fun and creative.
• Are you a planner or a pantser? I used to be a pantser but more recently due to re-writing some of my young adult books, I have become a planner.
• Writers block, how do you cope with it? I tell myself it doesn't exist and that I just need extra motivation. I think when authors no longer feel excited about an idea, they call that lull writers block. I don't force words if I'm really not feeling the story, but I will then go and work on something else until I feel better or think of something that might improve the story.

I am a published author. Both traditionally and, more recently, self-published. When I was traditionally published I got to work on the written word and let others worry about what the packaging would look like. As a self-published author, I don’t quite have that same luxury. All the responsibility for all aspects of the book fall onto me.

I do, however, have a bit of an advantage. In my “day job” I’m also a graphic designer. That allows me to understand what goes into a cover design and how to lay it out most effectively.

Lately I’ve been doing some thinking, and I want to share an approach that might help the writerly folk out there breach the wall between words and pictures.

Let’s start with your book. It most likely started with a spark. A basic premise that took you down the rabbit hole of creativity. From there you developed the plot. Putting together the events and situations that made up the story you wanted to tell. Roughly at that same time you developed the characters. The people that would convey the story. The focus of the novel that told the tale. At that point began the actual act of writing. You executed the story to the best of your ability, putting together everything that you had thought up into one coherent book. Finally, came the editing. Either yourself, or more likely, another person came in and went through the text to help refine the work into a polished piece ready for presentation.

A book cover works exactly the same way.

You have to start your cover with a premise. An idea of what will represent the book. It doesn’t matter if it’s a detailed illustration, a highly graphic color-blocking technique, or even just bold text, you have an idea. This is your foundation for the cover. Now you have to tell a story with that cover. You have to come up with a plot. What is it that will convey the story to your readers at a glance? How will you draw them in with a single image?

So, who is going to convey that story? What one character is going to tell it to the reader? Don’t limit your thinking about what that means, either. This can be a person, an object, a setting, or even colors and letters. This is your character. The one thing that is going to tell the story on the page.

And don’t think that idea is beyond you. You just wrote an entire novel. You described scene after scene throughout the course of the book. This is just one more scene. Which is where your execution comes into play. Write the cover out. Describe it, and remember that it is more important than ever here to show and not tell. You don’t want a paragraph on your cover to tell the reader what is happening, you want to let them see it themselves. (Unless, of course, you are writing a genre where a cover blurb is appropriate. There are no absolute laws here.)

Lastly comes editing. If you have the means, you can finish this off yourself. More likely, however, you will need to bring in an outside talent to help polish off the cover and make it what you want. This can be an illustrator, a photographer, or just a graphic designer to put the elements together into a press-ready file.

So, when you’re thinking about the cover for your book, don’t think of it as a separate piece. It has the exact same qualities and concepts behind it that you’ve already put together. Premise. Plot. Character. Execution. Editing.

Don’t push this aside as an add-on to your novel. You’re creative. Take that ability and put the same thought into the creation of your cover. Make it yours, because, ultimately, this is your story.

And if you are the type that wants to get in there and do the physical construction, stick with me. I’m creating a follow-up post to this one that explores the technical side of things and hopefully gives you some pointers on how to do actual layout, both inside and out.

It took a little while to get back on track, but I'm excited to announce that the Weekly Writing & Reading Recaps are back on!

While having a strong protagonist is the start of a good story, a powerful antagonist leads to the end of a great story. The hero or heroes can only be as effective as the villain they fight against; if the antagonist is lukewarm, a one-and-done sort of enemy, then it didn’t take much to defeat and the heroes didn’t stress their limits. Boring.

But a hero that comes across a seemingly indomitable force, faces insurmountable odds, and clashes with strength and power previously unknown, well that would be one hell of a read.

As of this writing, I don’t have a set up for the overall villain for Urban Legend. Darius is the antagonist, but he’s just a tip of the iceberg. There is a whole chain of command within the Vampirum, and they aren’t the only enemies out there.

Heroes and Villains are separated with only the thinnest of lines. Some are vague and disappear entirely. Let’s explore what those similar differences might be.

Hero in Their Own Mind
A “villain” rarely ever sees themselves as the bad guy in a situation. Normally they claim to be the victim, therefore justified in their actions. They think of themselves as working for the greater good so horrendous actions justify an overall positive result. Or maybe they don’t even really think about it, setting aside ethics and morals to justify the logic of their actions. And maybe, just maybe, the antagonist knows exactly what’s going on, and doesn’t need any justification.

That’s where the antagonist’s head is at, the justification. Everyone knows the difference between right and wrong, and everyone’s got a reason why something at the “wrong” end of the spectrum is okay given the right circumstances. Most of them are harmless and inconsequential, like eating that bit of cake when on a diet because it’s been a hard week. When running pyramid schemes to bilk people out of their hard-earned cash or hacking an ex’s computer to spy on them, that’s when it gets a bit unacceptable.

The following three sections outline potentially the most complex and engaging villain archetypes, each more nefarious than the last.

Fallen Angel
The most tragic expression is arguably “what might have been.” Wasted potential or opportunity, we’ve all been there in one way or another. And how much more tragic is it when a good man goes bad?

Let’s consider the baddie to end all baddies: Lucifer. He was once God’s right hand man, His Riker, his Hamilton, the best and first among angels. Then Lucifer decided that wasn’t enough, he wanted to call the shots, God disagreed, one thing led to another, and Lucifer with a third of the angels fell were cast out of heaven. It’s heartbreaking in that context, in a way.

Think of a character that you would NEVER in a million years consider corruptible or selfish enough to fall into evil. Imagine if Captain America went not rogue, but straight up evil. Or maybe Harry Potter, throwing in with the Dark Lord. Not all at once, because that’s not how it starts: First it’s a little bit of pride, then a little bit of self-righteousness, then a little rebellion. Then at last, there is that point of no return, that line in the sand, and they cross it. They are committed, no regrets, no wavering of their position, all their justifications are lined up and they are set to take action.

While tragic, these are perhaps the most destructive. Their path is borne of conflict and possibly they see themselves as the tragic hero, fighting against the establishment that has fallen. While pity for this kind of antagonist is expected, mercy is not an option. They will use whatever tools they can to survive, including preying on the sympathies of others.

Do not bargain with a Fallen Angel. Shoot on sight; Shoot to kill.

Anti-Villain
Who doesn’t love and anti-hero? That roguish scoundrel who plays outsides the rules of convention, but still has a heart of gold. Robin Hood is such a figure, fighting a corrupt false king and willing to live in the outskirts of society with his merry men if it means he can rob the rich and give to the poor.

Now let’s reverse that: Instead of a hero operating a bit like a villain, how about a villain who operates like a hero?

Imagine a mob boss, running the crime of a major metropolis. He runs guns, drugs, hookers, is ruthless with those whom cross him, and has major government and law enforcement officials on payroll. Scary right? It gets worse:

He defends the children; anyone caught abusing kids in any way just disappears. He doesn’t run a sex slave ring, prostitutes are well cared for with health benefits (one of his brothels even fronts as a fitness center). He doesn’t like collateral damage, he finds it a waste and unprofessional. Anyone can run any scam they want, as long as they register with him and it doesn’t conflict with his existing policies. Hell, he might even have a legit retirement plan for his people, the white-picket-fence kind not the cement-overcoat kind. This kind of antagonist would be really complex to get at.

John Marcone, a character from Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files, is such an antagonist. Ruthless and merciful, he is the best example of this kind of villain, the “civilized criminal”. How would a hero depose him without collapsing the whole thing and bring down chaos? The antagonist could even work more with the law than the protagonist might. And since the antagonist would fight to protect their interests, there could come a time the hero and the villain must team up to fight an even eviler evil.

The Anti-Villain is arguable the most insidious: bulletproof without even needing any kevlar. Proceed with caution.

The Greatest of These…
What is the most powerful emotion, the one that most changes the world? Hate and anger might lead to momentary action and conviction, but it is love that sustains a revolution. Love is what unifies us as a species, what lets us thrive, what drives us to explore our world and reach out to ones beyond it. It forges civilizations, builds communities, and binds together family. It is an extraordinary power and it's horrifying when it becomes a weapon.

Imagine someone grieves for the fate of a loved one, but that grief turns rancid and compels that person to do unspeakable deeds. Maybe the person loves from afar, but it wasn’t meant to be, so that twists into an obsession and that leads them down a dark path. Perhaps it isn’t even a person, but an idea like freedom, where they become so hyper-focused on that one specific outcome that they are blind to all the chaos that rains around them.

There is a quite a bit of overlap with this type of antagonist, the Fallen Angel, and Anti-Villain; they aren’t even mutually exclusive. But the main difference here is that the Antagonist is motivated by love. From that love there is purpose, and from that purpose comes that resolve. An antagonist who loves will be the last to break, the first to rise again, and is the absolute hardest to end.

When dealing with an antagonist who loves, be prepared to sacrifice all to defeat.

Final Legacy
Many more antagonist types float around than those mentioned above. The flavors of antagonism are a buffet, each can be tailored to the protagonist and readers taste (or distaste). But two things must remain true for an antagonist: the first is that they are the hero in their own story, and second, their legacy rings out beyond that story.

No hero or villain seeks to cast a modest shadow, they work to change the world as they think it should be. Just as the legends of heroes are remembered, so are the villains.

This element is the least identifiable: what makes a person, hero or otherwise, ring out beyond the pages and develop a mythos of their own? Fear is a good place to start, the fear so great they can’t even say the name aloud. Or perhaps the antagonist was a devastatingly brilliant tactician and was brought down only after hope was lost and at a ruinous price. Maybe the antagonist had a power that transcended the laws of physics, possibly he could simply speak and others would do his will without question. And it could be the antagonist believed so much, so fiercely, that the peoples of the worlds he lit afire felt compassion and loved him, even as they threw his body to the flames he had wrought.

I hope you found an applicable idea or two from this! Antagonists are people too, with their flaws and virtues, though the flaws tend to stand out a bit in comparison. Next time, I’ll tackle how to Bolster the Minor Characters to expand the story cast and give it a richer texture.

As some of you guys already know, I'm currently working on a couple verse novels. So, I've been reading a ton of books from authors familiar with writing in verse. Mainly, Ellen Hopkins and Lisa Schroeder.

Before starting my project, I hadn't heard of Lisa Schroeder's work before; however, after doing my research, it soon became clear that she was definitely an author that I needed to check out! So, what did I do? I made my way over to Amazon and ordered four of her verse novels: I Heart You, You Haunt Me, Far From You, Chasing Brooklyn, and The Day Before!

Synopsis:
Restless souls and empty hearts

Brooklyn can't sleep. Her boyfriend, Lucca, died only a year ago, and now her friend Gabe has just died of an overdose. Every time she closes her eyes, Gabe's ghost is there waiting for her. She has no idea what he wants or why it isn't Lucca visiting her dreams.

Nico can't stop. He's always running, trying to escape the pain of losing his brother, Lucca. But when Lucca's ghost begins leaving messages, telling Nico to help Brooklyn, emotions come crashing to the surface.

As the nightmares escalate and the messages become relentless, Nico reaches out to Brooklyn. But neither of them can admit that they're being haunted. Until they learn to let each other in, not one soul will be able to rest.

It took a little while to get back on track, but I'm excited to announce that the Weekly Writing & Reading Recaps are back on!

As some of you know, I've been using Blogging for Books for almost a year now. I absolutely love reading, so it's nice to get a free book every once in a while :)

Over the course of the last few months, I've had an interesting experience to say the least. I mostly joined because I wanted to get a copy of one of Mindy Kaling's books, but there weren't any available by the time that I signed up.

Nevertheless, I looked around the available books and picked a couple out! Since then, I've reviewed The Little Paris Bookshop, Approval Junkie, and June. The first one I loved, but I can't truly say the same about the others.

I was almost ready to sever the relationship until I saw that Blogging for Books was offering review copies of The Sun Is Also a Star. I had been dying to get my hands on a copy and I'm so glad I did! Since then, I've stuck with the company and I've seen a couple other awesome books hit their website too!

It took a little while to get back on track, but I'm excited to announce that the Weekly Writing & Reading Recaps are back on!

Like many of you, I too set New Year's Resolutions for 2017! And of course, one of them was reading related! And if we're friends on Goodreads, then you already know that I've set a goal to read 30 books this year.

Honestly, I struggled to reach my goal last year, so I didn't want to set anything too crazy. I figured that 1 book every 12 days was a reasonable goal and I can't wait to reach it!

So, to keep myself accountable, I've decided to start a monthly reading log! I figured that it would be the easiest way to keep you guys updated while still reminding myself that I need to read! Plus, now you'll be able to read along with me and we can discuss our favorite books along the way :)

February 2017 Reading Log
February Stats
Books Read: 3
Pages Read: 1,170
Average Rating: 3 Stars

February Reads

• You Will Know Me by Megan Abbott
• Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder
• Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow

February Reviews
Ivy Cirillo Books

• Chasing Polaris
• You Will Know Me

Perfectly Ambitious

• Margaux with an X
• The Girl on the Train

February Reading Challenge Progress
Goodreads
I've read 10/30 books for the year! That means I'm 33% done!

#ICBReadingChallenge2017
So far, I've checked off the following prompts for this year's challenge:

• A 99¢ e-book from Amazon
• A book with less than 200 pages
• A book with multiple authors
• A book from a genre that you wouldn't normally read
• A debut novel

Reading Goals
This Month

• Read six more books
• Finish two NetGalley books
• Check off two challenge books
• Review one book from Blogging for Books

Next Month

• Read five more books
• Finish two NetGalley books
• Check off one challenge books
• Review one book from Blogging for Books

Overall, I'm kind of disappointed with this month's reading log. I had planned to read six books this month, but I only ended up reading three. I think if February had been a full length month, I would have been able to finish four books. Ultimately, I know I should be happy that I managed to make time for reading, but I think anyone that sets a goal and doesn't make it would be equally as disappointed. Nevertheless, I'm just going to adjust next month's goals a tiny bit and keep on trying!