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Thursday, October 28, 2010

Cover Art

I fixed my font issues. Seems it was a mix of "zoom" and "text size." I will blame a cat since I cannot imagine what combination of buttons I would have pushed in my sleep to do what I just undid.

Notice that "seems" up there in the second sentence? Seems a lot of things "seem" when I write. I know about my propensity for "still." Last night I noticed how "seemy" I can be. Everything seems to be this, that or the other. I should probably run a search at the end in case I missed any.

I did some math (you all know how that goes, so this next could be chock full of error). Taking the last two nights of edits, dividing pages edited with words removed and averaging the results - about 10 words removed per page - I am going to miss my 100K goal by over 4000 words. This is a conservative and possibly faulty estimate, but my initial concern level is inching toward anxiety.
The later pages of the book are more first-drafty than the first parts, so I may cut more words than I expect as I proceed. Then again, I may add words for clarity's sake.

I'm gonna shove that mounting anxiety under the covers until I've actually reached the end of the mss. Proverbs says don't count your dragons before they hatch. No, Proverbs doesn't say that. It does say a wise man counts the cost before he builds the house, but this ain't no house, your Majesty, and I ain't no wise man.

But my post title says I'm writing about cover art today, so I'll get on with that.

One of the questions on PYP's Questionnaire is what I see as cover art. I've never thought about cover art for Elementals. Odd, I know. I think about everything else.

I prefer art with professionally illustrated people accurately portraying a scene from the book. Nothing irritates me more than a cover with a blond warrior who is a brunette in the book. Or swords where there should be morning stars. Infuriating. Makes me want to slap the artist.

TT: I am an artist, too, so I 'm justified in my irritation. I can draw to specification when needed.

The Robert Aspirin Myth Adventures series paperbacks were perfect. So were the Terry Brooks Magic Kingdom for Sale covers. And Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time cycle, although the illustrations got a little fuzzy in the middle. A bit more impressionist than I normally like. Probably all the same artist. The noses look the same.

I hate covers with photos of people on them, even people in costume. I don't want people. I want characters. And covers with pictures or symbols bore me, unless the symbol is really mysterious, like a celtic knot with a dragon pattern in it oozing blood. Well, maybe not blood.

Anyway, Elementals' cover should have both sisters on it. Not easy. We only see them together at the end. And I'm not professional enough to satisfy my own standards, so I can't do it.

Some of you have read it. Any suggestions?

2 comments:

  1. The spider guy for sure! He needs to be somewhere on there. Maybe in the center should be a picture of where the girls worship w/surrounding charters of the book, spider man, witch, husband, king, ummm..that bird. Sorry, it has been awhile since I read it but I do remember the images in my mind. LOVE this story!

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  2. YOU want the spider guy on the cover? You hid that pic so well I still can't find it. Don't worry. It was a copy. :)
    I see a shadowy image of the blazing desert on top and chilly caverns below but it won't focus. Or mix with the title. I'll keep working on it.

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