NORTHWEST INDEPENDENT WRITER'S ASSOCIATION
  • HOME
  • ABOUT US
    • Our Authors
    • Our Board of Directors
    • OUR HISTORY
    • Donate
    • Become a Member >
      • Membership Policy
  • BOOKSTORE
    • Book Review Submission
    • Featured Reviews
    • 2025 New Releases
    • Action & Adventure
    • Children's
    • Comedy
    • Contemporary
    • Crime & Mystery
    • Fantasy
    • Graphic Novel
    • Historical
    • Horror
    • LGBTQ+
    • Non-Fiction
    • Poetry
    • Romance
    • Sci-Fi
    • Short Stories
    • Women's Lit
    • Young Adult
    • SEARCH BY AUTHOR >
      • A >
        • J.M.M. Adams
        • Heather Ames
        • Josh Amos
        • Shari Lyn Anderson
        • Judith Ashley
        • Stephen Atkins
      • B >
        • E. A. Bagby
        • Pam Bainbridge-Cowan
        • Maya Bairey
        • Melissa Gowdy Baldwin
        • Hollis Barkhaus
        • Rebecca J. Bastian
        • Allan Batchelder
        • Barry L. Becker
        • Elizabeth Beechwood
        • Doug Beisley
        • B. Elizabeth Bell
        • Michael Bershay
        • David R Beshears
        • JP Biddlecome
        • J. A. Bierman
        • Diana Blackstone
        • Kerry Blaisdell
        • Lynn Bohart
        • Byrum K. Bolerjack
        • D Dean Boom
        • A. K. Brauneis
        • Anna Brentwood
        • David Bruce
        • Kami Bryant
        • Andy R. Bunch
      • C >
        • Lacey Cameron
        • Linda Caradine
        • R Lindsay Carter
        • Baer Charlton
        • Emma E. Chavez
        • Mike Chinakos
        • Kate Cody
        • Randal Collins
        • William J Cook
        • Adam Copeland
        • Brendan Corbett
        • Kelly Coston
        • Pamela Cowan
        • Mary Cox
        • Kathryn Crabtree
        • J. M. Crist
        • Joshua Crosson
        • Deb Cushman
      • D >
        • Disa Dawn
        • Sheila Deeth
        • C. Quinn DeMar
        • Raven J. Demers
        • Tiffany Dickinson
        • Rebecca M. Douglass
      • E - F - G >
        • Jonathan Eaton
        • Jonathan Michael Erickson
        • Veronica Esagui
        • Susan K Field
        • Kim Fielding
        • Cay Fletcher
        • Lana M Fox
        • Gus Frederick
        • Ava M. Gale
        • James L. Gillaspy
        • Judy Glenney
        • Kc Gloer
        • Angela D. Goldsmith
        • Thomas Gondolfi
        • Patty Grasher
        • J C Graves
        • Tag Gregory
      • H >
        • T K Hall
        • J M Halloran
        • Van Haney
        • E B Harding
        • J. R. R. R. (jim) Hardison
        • Skelly Harrington
        • Christopher J Harris
        • Dianne Hartsock
        • Kathy Haynes
        • Craig Allen Heath
        • Rhett Heath
        • Nelle Heran
        • Jonno Heyne
        • Angela Highland
        • Lana W. Holden
        • M. P. Hopcroft
        • James H. Horton
        • Kathy Hoxworth
        • A. M. Huff
        • Mollie Hunt
      • I - J - K >
        • Frances Lu-Pai Ippolito
        • Maquel A. Jacob
        • Ellen Jacobson
        • Paty Jager
        • Maggie Jaimeson
        • F. L. Journey
        • Flo Journey
        • Kimila Kay
        • Shaun C. Kennedy
        • Mark Shelley Kenzer
        • James W. Kitson
        • Chloe Kontur
        • Angela Korra'ti
      • L >
        • Cheryl Landes
        • Michael R. Lane
        • Tom Larsen
        • Rowen Lee
        • Rachel Levy
        • Cyn Ley
        • Robert Liebertz
        • Eric Little
        • Erin Louis
        • Tristram Lowe
        • KD Lumsden
        • Pat Luther
        • Maggie Lynch
      • M >
        • James D Macon
        • Tim Maddox
        • Carly Major
        • Sulima Malzin
        • Amy Maroney
        • Amy Marsh
        • Steven Mayfield
        • tom r. mcconnell
        • Nikki McCormack
        • James M. McCracken
        • Donald McEwing
        • Agathon McGeachy
        • Marvin McKenzie
        • Joyce Labelle McNair
        • Minnette Meador
        • Erick Mertz
        • Michael J. Metroke
        • Russell Mickler
        • K Z Miller
        • Rory Miller
        • Ruth A Milligan
        • Jeff Monday
        • Sonja S Mongar
        • L. M. Montes
        • J. Moody
        • Barbara J Moritsch
        • S. K. Mueller
      • N - O - P >
        • Konrad Nau
        • Shelly M Neinast
        • D G Nelson
        • NIWA
        • Neil Orint
        • Ann Ornie
        • Tammy Owen
        • Susan Patterson
        • Julie Pershing
        • Jenny Plumb
        • L. Wade Powers
        • E M Prazeman
        • Shelly Pulse
      • Q - R >
        • Shannon L Reagan
        • Shawna Reppert
        • Winry Willow Rose
        • P. K. Ross
        • Jean Rover
        • E. J. Russell
        • R Roderick Rowe
      • S - T - U >
        • Andretta Schellinger
        • DJ Schneider
        • Bonnie Schroeder
        • B. J. Scott
        • James Scott
        • Rolf Semprebon
        • Andrey Sid
        • Ann Simas
        • Susie Slanina
        • M.A. Smith
        • Kay Smith-Blum
        • D. L. Solum
        • Jon Spoelstra
        • Deni Starr
        • Thomas Stimson
        • Susanna Strom
        • Fia Sylvan
        • Brian Tashima
        • Charles Thomas
        • Patrick Timm
        • Contessa Timmerman
        • Rene Tyson
      • V- W- X - Y - Z >
        • Elka Eastly Vera
        • Cody Voeller
        • Denita Wallace
        • Larry Walton
        • C M Weaver
        • Christina Weaver
        • Brad Wheeler
        • Andrea Weilgart
        • Matt Whitaker
        • Skeet Will
        • James Ross Wilks
        • Suzi Wiser
        • Steve Zell
  • Members
    • Anthology >
      • 2025 Anthology: JOURNEY
      • 2024 - Contributor copy
      • Anthologies - Member Discount
      • Anthology Launch Party
    • Add My Book
    • EVENTS >
      • Annual Events Calendar
      • Event Roles and Responsibilities
      • PAST EVENT STATS
      • HOW TO SIGN UP FOR EVENTS
      • REGISTER YOUR BOOKS FOR EVENTS
      • 2025 EVENTS >
        • 05 BEAVER ST COMIC CON 25
        • 06 Troutdale Arts 25
        • 06 LAPINE RHUBARB 25
        • 06 PRIDE in the Park 25
        • 07 Robin Hood 25
        • 07 NW Book Fair 25
        • 07 Portland Pride 25
        • 07 1ST City
        • 08 OC Festival Arts
        • 08 MULTNOMAH DAYS
        • 09 Mt Angel Oktoberfest 25
    • NEWSBITS BLOG
    • Newsletter Author Spotlight Application
    • NSQ
    • Renew My Membership
    • RESOURCES >
      • Advertise Your Book
      • Audio Book
      • Cover Designers
      • Editing & Formatting
      • Grammar
      • Indie Friendly Bookstores
      • ISBNs, COPYRIGHTS, AND LCCNs >
        • Understanding your ISBN
      • Legacy Planning
      • Printers
      • Publishing
      • Add A Member Tool
    • Storage >
      • Storage Policy
      • Storage Inventory
    • Update My Membership Info
    • Update My Author Page
    • ZOOM Videos >
      • Audiobooks 11-8-22
      • Book Covers
      • Editing
      • Self Editing & Proofreading
      • Writing Resources
      • Reviews and Why We Need Them
      • 2022 in Review
      • Pinterest - 1-10-23
      • Book Signings - 2-14-23
      • Genres - 3-14-23
      • Blurbs, Taglines, Pitches - 4-11-23
      • AI in Publishing - 5-9-23
      • Professional Ethics - 6-13-23
      • Newsletters - 7-11-23
      • How to work with Editors - 8-8-23
      • Events - 9-12-23
      • Marketing with Joe Marich- 11-4-24

World Building: Use The Weather

9/15/2018

0 Comments

 
Whether you write literary fiction, epic fantasy, historical fiction, or any other genre, you must carefully construct the environment your novel is set in. The weather is a constant in our lives and affects how we dress, how we travel, and what we eat. Therefore, it is a central component of world building. How does the weather come into play in your novel?
 
If your novel’s setting is a low-tech society, the weather will have more of an effect on your characters than one set in a modern society. However, in any era, the weather will affect the speed with which your characters can travel great distances, and it will affect how they dress. Bad weather always has a detrimental effect on transportation, a serious point to consider.
 
The weather can be shown in small, subtle ways. We use the weather to show the world in such a way that it doesn’t become the star of the story. What follows are excerpts from three of my works in progress, using weather to show the world in three different genres.
 
Weather is an integral part of world building in contemporary literary fiction:

The path was slippery and required scaling the cliff in some places. By the time they arrived at the clifftop, the weather had begun to clear, and the low fog was dissipating. Patches of blue peeked from behind the gray clouds, and the wind had picked up.
Parker absorbed the solitude, enjoying the way he could see the entirety of Baron’s Hollow, from one end of the cove to the other. He turned to Dominic. “You were right. This is perfect.” Gazing down on the world, he saw Izzy running with the dogs at the south end, heading toward the lighthouse as if she were trying to outrun her anger, the wind tearing her blonde hair from its braid. At the house, John stood on the deck, absorbed in whatever it was he was painting, oblivious to the drama.
Far down at the north end of the cove, Leo and Claire walked beside the surf, with Leo’s gestures emphasizing his words. Claire was alternately agitated and hunched against the sharp breeze in her hooded sweatshirt. It was clear her agent had told her something she didn’t want to hear. Parker chuckled; she looked like a little girl being chastised by her father.
 
How does the weather look, feel, smell? What does it sound like? I use it to show the world in my medieval fantasy:
 
In the absence of battle noises, the hissing of the rain on the foliage was loud in Julian’s ears. The odors of wet horses mingled with the scents of blood and damp, musty undergrowth.
 
Our characters are not always traveling or fighting in the rain. Use the weather:
 
Dust hung in the air, burning his eyes, a thick pall that concealed him but also hid his quarry.
 
Even in an epic fantasy, at times our characters are moved by the beauty of the world around them.
 
Alf’s gaze was caught by a giant maple, far across the valley. The setting sun lit the halo of spring’s new leaves, and the maple’s glowing crown of iridescent green became a beacon, shining in the forest of dark evergreens. The thought crossed his mind that the tree was like hope. It shone against the darkness of the trees around it, a guiding light for the weary to cling to. Maybe his son would live. Maybe the new treatments would work.
 
We are able to find out how various modern societies deal with severe weather, simply by looking on the internet. Hurricanes, blizzards, wildfires–how local communities prepare for and deal with these events is newsworthy. But historical societies also had ways of dealing with the weather when they had to be out in it, and the internet is also your friend when you are researching this.
 
In early medieval times, people of England, Wales, and Ireland didn’t have to deal with the extreme temperatures they experienced in the 17th and 18th centuries, as it was a warmer time. However, they did get some occasional snow and cold in the winter, and at times they suffered heat waves during the summer.
 
In a cold, wet winter, a simple shawl won’t cut it. Layers are critical, and the materials they would use are simple and readily available—linen and wool.
 
I hate it when I come across an improbability in an otherwise good narrative. If you write fantasy or romance, you must remember that while fur-trapping is a common way of earning money in a lower-tech society, only the wealthier classes, the merchants, and nobility, will be able to buy those furs. The trapper and his/her family will have fur lining and fur trim on some of their cold-weather garments, but they won’t be ostentatious or stylish. Their clothes will be strictly utilitarian, designed for warmth, as everything they trap will be sold. Certainly, the best furs will be sold, so what they wear will not be the rarest. After all, the trapper is working to earn money for their family.
 
In tropical climates, people wear fewer clothes, and those they do wear are much lighter in weight. They protect the wearer from the sun, but breathe, allowing for comfort in times of high heat and humidity.
 
The average medieval agrarian society will have access to fleeces, though spun wool is more common. Also, in the more urban centers of a low-tech society, the average person’s winter garments, hooded cloaks, gloves, and even bedding would be made of thick wool, layered and felted.
 
Wool has been a winter mainstay since humans first began making cloth. Some garments will be made of heavy canvas or oil-cloth. Oilcloth, close-woven cotton canvas or linen cloth with a coating of boiled linseed oil,  was a product available from the late middle ages on.
 
Clothing and cold weather gear will make their appearance in relatively few sentences in your novel. Most likely it will only be mentioned in passing, but it is important as part of what builds the world you are creating. A little research on your part regarding what technology might be plausible in your society will lend a sense of realism to your work.
 
The world we set our character in is far more than whether they travel on horseback or in a Maserati, more than clothes and fashion, more than décor and food. The world has weather, which affects everything and makes the décor and the Maserati real. When you include the sounds and sensations of the weather, it lends a sense of solid reality to the words you write on paper.
 
These words we write are, after all, only a dream with a beginning, middle, and end, a vision we want to make believable through solid world building.
 
If you need to know how people protected themselves against the weather in the middle ages, here are several good websites for research:
Sarah Woodbury, Romance and Fantasy in the Middle Ages
Medieval Gloves, etc.
Castles and Manor Houses
 
            __________________________________________________________________________

Connie J. Jasperson is the author of nine novels. Her work has appeared in numerous anthologies. A founding member of Myrddin Publishing Group, she can be found blogging regularly on both the craft of writing and art history at Life in the Realm of Fantasy.
 
This article was first published on August 27, 2018 on Life in the Realm of Fantasy as “Weather, a Central Component of World Building,” © 2018 Connie J. Jasperson and has been reprinted by permission.
0 Comments

growth and the character arc

9/1/2018

0 Comments

 
When we think of epic fantasy, the first books that come to mind are J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Tolkien’s work was compelling not only for the quality of his prose and the events, but for the characters and how they grew and changed in the course of their adventures.
 
Genre authors spend a lot of time plotting the events a character will go through. Equal time must be given to character development.
 
A great story evolves when the antagonist and protagonist are strong but not omnipotent. Both the antagonist and protagonist must have character arcs that show personal growth or inability to grow.
 
Sometimes, an antagonist’s weakness is their inability to accept change and adapt to it. Other times, events cause them to devolve, sending them into a downward spiral. Either way, for the antagonist to be realistic, this must be clearly shown.
 
Once we meet the hero, small hindrances must occur between the larger events, frustrating their path to success. As each hindrance is overcome, the reader feels a small sense of satisfaction. Following the protagonist as he/she is negotiating these detours is what makes the story captivating, in my opinion.

  1. The story begins with the opening act, where the characters are introduced, and the scene is set. It then kicks into gear with the occurrence of the “inciting incident,” that first plot point at the ¼ mark that triggers the rest of the story. It is “the problem,” the core conflict of the story. This is where the protagonist is thrown into the action and is where they first find themselves blocked from achieving the desired object.
 
At this point, the protagonist is not fully formed—they must grow as a result of their experiences. They may make mistakes, cause themselves more trouble because they are untried and don’t know what they are doing.
 
Also, at this point, the protagonist may be confused as to what is really going on. This is a good place to introduce a mentor, someone who can offer a little wisdom or set the hero on the right path.

  1. Following the inciting incident is the second act: more action occurs which leads to more trouble, rising to a severe crisis. At the midpoint, the protagonist and friends are in grave difficulty and are struggling.
 
Each scene is a small arc of action that illuminates the motives of the characters, allows the reader to learn things as the protagonist does, and offers clues regarding things the characters do not know that will affect the plot.
 
Those clues are foreshadowing. Through the first half of the book, foreshadowing is important, as it piques the reader’s interest, and makes them want to know how the book will end.
The characters begin to be changed by the events they experience. How you show their emotional state is critical at this point because emotions engage readers. If you want your readers to feel the crisis, your characters must feel it and show their reactions to the reader.
 
We must contrast the relative security of the characters’ lives as they were in the opening paragraphs with the hazards of where they are now. We show the uncertainty, fear, anger, sense of loss they are experiencing.

  1. At the midpoint, another serious incident occurs, launching the third act and setting them back even further.
 
Now they are aware that they may not achieve their objectives after all. Bad things have happened, and the protagonists have to get creative and work hard to acquire or accomplish their desired goals. They must overcome their own doubts and make themselves stronger.
 
The midpoint is also where we really get to know the antagonist and learn what the enemy knows that the protagonists do not. We discover his/her motives and what they may be capable of.
 
First, we need to remember that very few people are evil for no reason at all. Sometimes they are likeable, people who appear innocuous, even loving. If this is the case in your story, you need to insert small clues for the reader about their personality into the narrative in the beginning pages.
 
Fleshing out the antagonist and making their motives realistic is important. He/she is as central to the story as the protagonist because their actions force the protagonist to grow as a human being.

  1. By the end of the third act, the protagonists are finding ways to resolve the conflict and are ready to commence the final, fourth act, where they will embark on the final battle. They will face their enemy and either win or lose.
 
By the end of the narrative, the protagonist has been through life changing events. They are no longer naïve but have knowledge and wisdom of their own. They are fit to be the mentors of the next generation.
 
It’s important to remember that at no point in the narrative can people be sitting around idly chit-chatting about the changes they have been through. The reader knows and doesn’t want to read a rehashing of events at the end of each chapter.
 
Many authors who are new to the craft say their characters just evolve with no thought ahead of time. As this lack of planning is clear in their muddy work, perhaps it’s a good idea to give a little thought to plotting the personal growth of the characters, how the experiences will change them. Readers become invested in the characters and want to see what happens next. Reward the reader by making the journey about the characters as much as you do about the events.
 
          __________________________________________________________________________

Connie J. Jasperson is the author of nine novels. Her work has appeared in numerous anthologies. A founding member of Myrddin Publishing Group, she can be found blogging regularly on both the craft of writing and art history at Life in the Realm of Fantasy.

This article was first published on August 6, 2018 on Life in the Realm of Fantasy as “Character Growth/Arc,” © 2018 Connie J. Jasperson, and has been reprinted by permission.
0 Comments

    Archives

    January 2023
    June 2022
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    November 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016

    Categories

    All
    BLOGGING
    MARKETING
    PUBLISHING
    WRITING

    RSS Feed

PRIVACY POLICY

© COPYRIGHT 2024
Northwest Independent Writers Association.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Artists, Crafters, and Tradesman Insurance ACT Seal
Contact us at:
Mailing Address:   Northwest Independent Writers Association
                                            P.O. Box 1171
                                            Redmond, OR  97756

Email:  [email protected]
             [email protected]

  • HOME
  • ABOUT US
    • Our Authors
    • Our Board of Directors
    • OUR HISTORY
    • Donate
    • Become a Member >
      • Membership Policy
  • BOOKSTORE
    • Book Review Submission
    • Featured Reviews
    • 2025 New Releases
    • Action & Adventure
    • Children's
    • Comedy
    • Contemporary
    • Crime & Mystery
    • Fantasy
    • Graphic Novel
    • Historical
    • Horror
    • LGBTQ+
    • Non-Fiction
    • Poetry
    • Romance
    • Sci-Fi
    • Short Stories
    • Women's Lit
    • Young Adult
    • SEARCH BY AUTHOR >
      • A >
        • J.M.M. Adams
        • Heather Ames
        • Josh Amos
        • Shari Lyn Anderson
        • Judith Ashley
        • Stephen Atkins
      • B >
        • E. A. Bagby
        • Pam Bainbridge-Cowan
        • Maya Bairey
        • Melissa Gowdy Baldwin
        • Hollis Barkhaus
        • Rebecca J. Bastian
        • Allan Batchelder
        • Barry L. Becker
        • Elizabeth Beechwood
        • Doug Beisley
        • B. Elizabeth Bell
        • Michael Bershay
        • David R Beshears
        • JP Biddlecome
        • J. A. Bierman
        • Diana Blackstone
        • Kerry Blaisdell
        • Lynn Bohart
        • Byrum K. Bolerjack
        • D Dean Boom
        • A. K. Brauneis
        • Anna Brentwood
        • David Bruce
        • Kami Bryant
        • Andy R. Bunch
      • C >
        • Lacey Cameron
        • Linda Caradine
        • R Lindsay Carter
        • Baer Charlton
        • Emma E. Chavez
        • Mike Chinakos
        • Kate Cody
        • Randal Collins
        • William J Cook
        • Adam Copeland
        • Brendan Corbett
        • Kelly Coston
        • Pamela Cowan
        • Mary Cox
        • Kathryn Crabtree
        • J. M. Crist
        • Joshua Crosson
        • Deb Cushman
      • D >
        • Disa Dawn
        • Sheila Deeth
        • C. Quinn DeMar
        • Raven J. Demers
        • Tiffany Dickinson
        • Rebecca M. Douglass
      • E - F - G >
        • Jonathan Eaton
        • Jonathan Michael Erickson
        • Veronica Esagui
        • Susan K Field
        • Kim Fielding
        • Cay Fletcher
        • Lana M Fox
        • Gus Frederick
        • Ava M. Gale
        • James L. Gillaspy
        • Judy Glenney
        • Kc Gloer
        • Angela D. Goldsmith
        • Thomas Gondolfi
        • Patty Grasher
        • J C Graves
        • Tag Gregory
      • H >
        • T K Hall
        • J M Halloran
        • Van Haney
        • E B Harding
        • J. R. R. R. (jim) Hardison
        • Skelly Harrington
        • Christopher J Harris
        • Dianne Hartsock
        • Kathy Haynes
        • Craig Allen Heath
        • Rhett Heath
        • Nelle Heran
        • Jonno Heyne
        • Angela Highland
        • Lana W. Holden
        • M. P. Hopcroft
        • James H. Horton
        • Kathy Hoxworth
        • A. M. Huff
        • Mollie Hunt
      • I - J - K >
        • Frances Lu-Pai Ippolito
        • Maquel A. Jacob
        • Ellen Jacobson
        • Paty Jager
        • Maggie Jaimeson
        • F. L. Journey
        • Flo Journey
        • Kimila Kay
        • Shaun C. Kennedy
        • Mark Shelley Kenzer
        • James W. Kitson
        • Chloe Kontur
        • Angela Korra'ti
      • L >
        • Cheryl Landes
        • Michael R. Lane
        • Tom Larsen
        • Rowen Lee
        • Rachel Levy
        • Cyn Ley
        • Robert Liebertz
        • Eric Little
        • Erin Louis
        • Tristram Lowe
        • KD Lumsden
        • Pat Luther
        • Maggie Lynch
      • M >
        • James D Macon
        • Tim Maddox
        • Carly Major
        • Sulima Malzin
        • Amy Maroney
        • Amy Marsh
        • Steven Mayfield
        • tom r. mcconnell
        • Nikki McCormack
        • James M. McCracken
        • Donald McEwing
        • Agathon McGeachy
        • Marvin McKenzie
        • Joyce Labelle McNair
        • Minnette Meador
        • Erick Mertz
        • Michael J. Metroke
        • Russell Mickler
        • K Z Miller
        • Rory Miller
        • Ruth A Milligan
        • Jeff Monday
        • Sonja S Mongar
        • L. M. Montes
        • J. Moody
        • Barbara J Moritsch
        • S. K. Mueller
      • N - O - P >
        • Konrad Nau
        • Shelly M Neinast
        • D G Nelson
        • NIWA
        • Neil Orint
        • Ann Ornie
        • Tammy Owen
        • Susan Patterson
        • Julie Pershing
        • Jenny Plumb
        • L. Wade Powers
        • E M Prazeman
        • Shelly Pulse
      • Q - R >
        • Shannon L Reagan
        • Shawna Reppert
        • Winry Willow Rose
        • P. K. Ross
        • Jean Rover
        • E. J. Russell
        • R Roderick Rowe
      • S - T - U >
        • Andretta Schellinger
        • DJ Schneider
        • Bonnie Schroeder
        • B. J. Scott
        • James Scott
        • Rolf Semprebon
        • Andrey Sid
        • Ann Simas
        • Susie Slanina
        • M.A. Smith
        • Kay Smith-Blum
        • D. L. Solum
        • Jon Spoelstra
        • Deni Starr
        • Thomas Stimson
        • Susanna Strom
        • Fia Sylvan
        • Brian Tashima
        • Charles Thomas
        • Patrick Timm
        • Contessa Timmerman
        • Rene Tyson
      • V- W- X - Y - Z >
        • Elka Eastly Vera
        • Cody Voeller
        • Denita Wallace
        • Larry Walton
        • C M Weaver
        • Christina Weaver
        • Brad Wheeler
        • Andrea Weilgart
        • Matt Whitaker
        • Skeet Will
        • James Ross Wilks
        • Suzi Wiser
        • Steve Zell
  • Members
    • Anthology >
      • 2025 Anthology: JOURNEY
      • 2024 - Contributor copy
      • Anthologies - Member Discount
      • Anthology Launch Party
    • Add My Book
    • EVENTS >
      • Annual Events Calendar
      • Event Roles and Responsibilities
      • PAST EVENT STATS
      • HOW TO SIGN UP FOR EVENTS
      • REGISTER YOUR BOOKS FOR EVENTS
      • 2025 EVENTS >
        • 05 BEAVER ST COMIC CON 25
        • 06 Troutdale Arts 25
        • 06 LAPINE RHUBARB 25
        • 06 PRIDE in the Park 25
        • 07 Robin Hood 25
        • 07 NW Book Fair 25
        • 07 Portland Pride 25
        • 07 1ST City
        • 08 OC Festival Arts
        • 08 MULTNOMAH DAYS
        • 09 Mt Angel Oktoberfest 25
    • NEWSBITS BLOG
    • Newsletter Author Spotlight Application
    • NSQ
    • Renew My Membership
    • RESOURCES >
      • Advertise Your Book
      • Audio Book
      • Cover Designers
      • Editing & Formatting
      • Grammar
      • Indie Friendly Bookstores
      • ISBNs, COPYRIGHTS, AND LCCNs >
        • Understanding your ISBN
      • Legacy Planning
      • Printers
      • Publishing
      • Add A Member Tool
    • Storage >
      • Storage Policy
      • Storage Inventory
    • Update My Membership Info
    • Update My Author Page
    • ZOOM Videos >
      • Audiobooks 11-8-22
      • Book Covers
      • Editing
      • Self Editing & Proofreading
      • Writing Resources
      • Reviews and Why We Need Them
      • 2022 in Review
      • Pinterest - 1-10-23
      • Book Signings - 2-14-23
      • Genres - 3-14-23
      • Blurbs, Taglines, Pitches - 4-11-23
      • AI in Publishing - 5-9-23
      • Professional Ethics - 6-13-23
      • Newsletters - 7-11-23
      • How to work with Editors - 8-8-23
      • Events - 9-12-23
      • Marketing with Joe Marich- 11-4-24