I NaNo...do you?

I'm doing it. Are you?

Australian WriMo's get started in just over 24 hours. I'm sort of a little bit ready but not really.

If you're joining the fray, be my buddy - I'm SairzB!

Cover Love #3: Indie Edition!

I have discovered some FABULOUS covers on indie author books lately.

I think these three are really evocative.

The deep shadows, fonts, the coloured smoke in the background...
oh Tawny you've won me over.

I love the soft lighting

And how creepy does this one look?

These indie authors have certainly found some epic cover designers, don't you think? Sold!

Have you come across any primo covers lately? (yeah, I said primo. I'm owning it.)

Laters!

Sairz

Writers Block Schmiters Block: An Update

Sooooo....

I don't have generalised writers block anymore. YAY! I have a very specific writers block on the zombie book but I think that's because I need to know SPECIFIC details for the next third of the book and do not know them yet. Research can be hard.

But in order to combat The Block, I started writing something else.

Something unplanned.

Something I have no expectations for.

It could be a short story, it could be a novel. It's just going to be whatever it turns out to be. That freedom is kind of liberating, actually. I've been purely writing novels for the last couple of years so this is certainly making for a fun change.
And getting to know the characters as I write them is bringing back the fun and joy.

So I have combated The Block by playing. And it's awesome. And not coming out too badly, I must say! This is a big statement for me - do you remember my last blog post in which I announced the supreme suckage of everything I wrote lately?

Here are some hints of what the story is turning out to be like.

A very, very white Christmas

Watching movies in bed

So. Much. Snow.

Scary stary emo boy

Chilling by yourself cos there's no one else around

Empty college dorm

Potential Satanism

Frolicking in the snow

and....

Aww.

So there you have it. An empty dorm. A satanist. Christmas time. A blizzard. But it's a comedy.

I dunno. We'll see. I'm gonna go with it and see what happens.

I handed in my last essay for the year today (WOOHOO!) so I have one more class next week and then it's all over until next March. Or April. One of those, I can never remember. We visited the biggest printer in Australia today and it was really cool seeing how the end product is made.

If any of you lovely readers are interested in my editing or manuscript appraisal services, I have some vacancies coming up so by all means contact me and find out if I'm the right editor for you!

Have a fantabulous week, all!

Love,

Sairz

I Didn't Believe In Writer's Block

So...as the title says: I didn't believe in writers block. I've always got loads of ideas. But loads of workable ideas to help me get my characters from A to B? Um...no.

I have been stuck 46,000 words into this book, in this one scene for a month and it's completely bumming me out, guys. Peeps are telling me it's not writer's block, it's PROJECT block, and to just write something else and it'll work itself out.

I'm trying that. And everything else I write SUCKS. There is major writing suckage happening in my life right now. I am NOT in the zone, people. I AM NOT IN THE ZONE. And with NaNoWriMo looming ever closer it's really not a good time for writing suckage.

If you too share the woes of writer's block, you might find this post from io9.com helpful:

10 Types of Writers' Block 

(And How to Overcome Them)

They seem to have a thing for old pulp fiction covers over at io9
and I found this one quite disturbing.
Enjoy.

Me? I'm experiencing some number 3 and number 4 and a bit of number 9. And you?

On that happy note I bid you adieu,

Love Sairz

Sarah's Store of Awesome!

Oh my God you guys...

I'm so psyched I can do this. Amazon Associates has this thing where you can make your own shop so as a way to help you get to know me, I have made a shop of my favourite things (that are available on Amazon).

It includes books on writing and the publishing industry I have found really helpful, obscure but amazing and completely underrated books as well as TV series that everyone loves - including me - and TV series that were brilliant but cancelled early. Oh - and my ebooks, of course!

So if you're looking for something new to enjoy, by all means, click here!

Amazon gave me a username of Sarah Billieboop. I kinda like it. :D

More later,

Love Sairz

R U OK: A Confession.

It's a commonly known fact that creative types, artistes if you will, seem to suffer from mood disorders such as depression and anxiety moreso than non-creative types.

And it's perfectly understandable. We pour our soul into our work, be it writing, painting, music, choreography or other types, we put our heart and ourselves out there for the world to see, to judge, to deem worthy or to reject.

There is a lot of rejection in creative fields. And a lot of depression.

You may not have noticed, but I noticed a significant absence of myself on this blog lately. I've been posting, sure, but they've been about other awesome folk. They have been lacking in me.

And that is because I had what I tend to call, a 'down period'.

I have depression. It's a clinical thing to do with hormone levels that I have to control with medication. And most of the time I am perfectly capable of operating in the real-world and getting shit done.

But sometimes I'm not. And I realised, a week into canceling plans with friends, ignoring important emails, watching a lot of TV and napping that I was in a down period. It suddenly dawned on me that wait a second, this isn't exactly normal for me and though I thought I was okay - I wasn't. I had withdrawn from the world.

The day I realised that I was not okay (yes, it took me awhile. Not the sharpest tool in the shed, this one), I spent the whole day out of the house interacting with people and confiding in close friends and that has helped me come around and get back my passion and determination and hell...get back into this game called life.

In Australia a couple of weeks ago we had national R U OK day. It took me a little while to be brave enough to post this, but I feel it's important to say.

As most of my readers are also creative people, I know that many of you will suffer from bouts of depression, and anxiety and feelings of failure.

So I want to ask you:

Are You Okay?

Take care of yourself,

Love Sairz

Cover Love #2: Bumper Edition!

I was at the Apocolypsies site today (site for YA authors debuting in 2012...the year of the apocalypse. At least they have a sense of humour about it.) and stumbled upon a goldmine of freaking awesome upcoming book covers. Here, in no particular order, are the ones that appealed to me.

I have no idea what these books are about but their covers have me intrigued.

I do feel for the boy readers out there. With so many girls on books - some of these look super creepy, but I don't know how many boys would want to pick them up. They'll miss out on the awesome because of the stylised chick on the cover.

This observation isn't based in fact, just...well...observation.

So what do you think of these apocalyptic book covers? Have you found anything lately that you love?

Much love

Sairz