The hum of futuristic machinery in a space station? Groaning timbers in the belly of a wooden sailing ship? Cries and ringing steel on an ancient battlefield? Whatever background noises set the mood for your fiction writing, you can probably find it at tabletopaudio.com.
Created for rpg gamers, I like to use this site either as white noise, or as a tool to really get in the mood of whatever I’m writing. Try it out!
So, I just finished making a new cover for my novella, We Only Come Out At Night. And yes, I’m pretty damned proud of it. It came out better than I had hoped. I’ve had a few people say, “Whoah, dude, how did you do that?” So I thought I’d explain some of the free resources available online that can help you make a pretty decent looking cover.
Before I begin, let me say: This isn’t an article about graphic design. I can’t help you with artistic decisions. If you’re really bad at that sort of thing, you should probably just find a professional to help you out. But if you’ve decided, hey, I took an art class or two, I can make my own book cover, then here are some of my favorite resources to get you started. Continue reading
Timmy dragged his father’s big sledgehammer across the back yard to the sandbox.
In his dad’s scrap-pile, he found a two-foot length of rebar. He posted it in the sand.
The boy strained to lift the sledge. Tink tink tink, the rebar sank until six inches protruded.
He upended a bucket of sand over the steel then lifted the bucket away, leaving a smooth, tall tower. He added walls, moats, battlements.
Johnny rounded the corner and spied the sandcastle. His eyes lit up evilly. “Nice sandcastle, nerd,” he said, as he wound back for a mighty kick.
Matt Kincade 