Book Chick City: Guest Author: Writing With Style by Chloe Neill

Guest Author: Writing With Style by Chloe Neill

Friday, November 20, 2009 | Posted by Book Chick City |

Today I have the pleasure in welcoming back Chloe Neill. Chloe last visited Book Chick City in October as part of my All Hallow's Eve event, where she wrote the post: You've Got An Idea...Now What?.

Chloe is the author of the Chicagoland Vamipres series, including Some Girls Bite, which I reviewed in October, Friday Night Bites and Twice Bitten, which is to be released July 2010. Chloe has also written a Young Adult novel, Firespell, which is set for release this coming January.

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WRITING WITH STYLE: SETTING THE STYLE OF YOUR MANUSCRIPT

Hi, everyone, and thanks for reading today! Since I love to scour the web for sweet pictures, I thought I'd offer a researching tip today--ideas for "styling" your manuscript.

You might be familiar with prop stylists, who arrange the *stuff* in film and photographs. This can range from a creative arrangement of food: www.phyllisasher.com for a Martha Stewart-esque picture, or arranging home accessories: www.scotthorne.com for a decorating shot.

So, what's this have to do with writing?

Well, each time you draft a scene, or imagine a setting, or construct a character, you're doing some of your own prop styling. You're establishing (1) geography, (2) architecture, (3) decor and (4) clothing to give your characters and your setting a sense of depth and realism. I've put together some of my favorite links below--they help me think outside the box and bring (hopefully!) a depth.

GEOGRAPHY & LANDSCAPE

This is your big picture question. Are your characters in a desert? A grubby city? A rolling moor? A midwestern river? Peruse the photography links below to select a geography for your world.

- Pruned

- Subtopia

- Earth Photography

- National Geographic Photography

- TrekEarth

ARCHITECTURE

You've picked your general location. Now what? Your characters are probably going to need shelter at some point, so you might consider what they'll be taking shelter in: A 19th Century mansion? A tent? A warehouse-turned loft? Here are some links to inspire you!

- BLDGBLOG

- A Daily Dose of Architecture

- The Architecture Blog

- Chicago Architecture Blog

- Architecture Planet

DECOR & INTERIORS

Okay. You've got a latitude and longitude. Try to build in some attitude. Are your characters chic? Glam? Simple? Thrifty? The 'stuff' around your characters can tell a reader a lot about them--who they are, what they love, their hobbies. It also gives you stuff to write about. A character can pick up an object, talk about a collection, drop something, throw something, or give something away. Here are some places to start.

- Design*Sponge

- CribCandy

- This is Glamorous

- Apartment Therapy

- Delight by Design

CLOTHING

I'm not much of a fashionista, but fortunately, these folks are! What does your character wear? In the summer? In the winter? On a Sunday morning? On a Friday night? Is s/he a secondhand shopper or maven of couture? Check the links below for some clothing details.

- The Sartorialist

- Popgloss

- Net-A-Porter

- Red Carpet Fashion Awards

- Fashion Copious

- Style.com

Thanks for reading today, and good luck!

Thank you Chloe for appearing here today!

Labels: Chloe Neill, Guest Author

5 comments:

RKCharron said...: Hi :)
Thank you VERY much for posting here today Chloe. I really enjoyed learning a bit more about the craft of writing. It made me examine my writing. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks to BookChickCity for having you here!
:)
All the best,
RKCharron
xoxo; 20 November 2009 08:29
Fallon Blake said...: I always love hearing what successful authors have to say about writing. Thank you for taking the time to post. I enjoyed the insight.; 20 November 2009 12:33
Jo said...: What an awesome post! Another post from Chloe I'm going to have to bookmark so I can refer to it later when it comes to my own writing. I never would have thought of things like this, but they would be so useful! Cheers Chloe, and cheers Carolyn.

(Btw - I finished my copy of Some Girls Bite I won from you today - review is up if you're interested! :) ); 20 November 2009 16:32
Blodeuedd said...: Hi :)
A very interesting and different post in a way, I enjoyed it a lot.; 20 November 2009 21:27
miss cindy :) said...: Great guest post, I have added those books on my TBR list :); 20 November 2009 21:46