Available now!
Water: Generation Mars, Book Three is now available on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Water-Generation-Mars-Book-Three/dp/1733731067
Crafting Generation Mars 16 (illustration)
Share examples of your ideas with your illustrator. Make mockups: physical, existing imagery, AI (if, like me, you can’t draw).
Share relevant excerpts from your manuscript with them. Share the whole manuscript if they want it. You have to give them plenty to work with.
Aside: Stop worrying about somebody stealing your work. The likelihood of that happening is vanishingly small. You’re never going to move forward if you worry about that.
images: 1) a physical mockup of the ice mine in Book Three, 2) a mockup map of the area around Dawn using public domain satellite imagery of Mars, 3) an AI mockup of Nour, a character from Book Three.
Crafting Generation Mars 15 (illustration)
You have to give your illustrator creative freedom, but remember that this is your project, and you are the creative director.
Finding a balance is tricky. It’s the hardest, yet most rewarding, aspect of working with an illustrator. Be open to their ideas, but don’t be afraid to stand up for yours.
Crafting Generation Mars 14 (illustration)
As the author, it’s important to own the copyright on your illustrations. You want to be able to remix them yourself and use them for future purposes (promos, merch, whatever), without having to ask permission.
Specify this in the contract. This will cost a bit more, but it’s worth it.
Also allow the artist to retain the right to display them in their portfolio. This helps them and can be good for you as well if they have social media reach.
image: Photograph of Greg Wilson taken by Ian Tilton. It was used as artwork for the Credit To the Edit album compilation by Greg Wilson released on Tirk Records. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Greg_Wilson_C2TE.jpg https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en
Crafting Generation Mars 13 (illustration)
My current WIP is now in illustration. Since Generation Mars is a children’s book series, this means more than just a cover. How much more has been evolving along with my books.
The prelude was an early reader chapter book and was filled with illustrations. Each successive book has been more advanced than its predecessors and has needed less illustration. For the penultimate book, Water, I had two maps and a diagram at the beginning, and an opening illustration for each of the three parts.
Aside: Writing a series that spans multiple maturity levels is not the best idea for marketing. I knew that and did it anyway, because that’s what I wanted to write. When you’re self publishing as a hobby, you can do stuff like that. Think hard, if this is not your situation.
Crafting Generation Mars 12
For the current WIP (Food: Generation Mars, Book Four), I also have couple people providing sensitivity notes. This is a new thing for me.
There are some delicate cultural interactions necessary to the plot. I think they’re ok, but I’m an upper middle-aged white guy, with all the blinders that entails. I don’t wanna mess this up.
image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Tsaag_Valren, license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en
Crafting Generation Mars 11
I was not completely truthful in the last post. I use editors, sort of. When the time is right (gut feeling), I give the manuscript to my wife.
She will point out areas that still feel sketchy, logical inconsistencies, beats I might have missed or that can be reinforced with a little nudge here or there.
After manuscript updates, I pass it by my daughters for similar feedback.
Between all of us, I feel we have enough reading experience and command of the English language that the resulting manuscript is tight. Then I have a couple of months to polish it while my illustrator works his magic.
Crafting Generation Mars 10
#CraftingGenMars 10
Now, for a controversial reveal: I don’t use editors. I will say this is for financial reasons, and that is certainly true. But it’s not the only reason.
I don’t really want anyone else’s opinion on my work, whether developmental, line, or copy level. I mean, I want readers to like it, of course. But only if it’s mine, warts and all.
I realize that this approach is made possible by the fact that this is a hobby for me. If I were relying on my books for income, I might follow a more conventional path. But then again I might not.
I will admit that this has become increasingly difficult as my books have gotten longer.
Crafting Generation Mars (interlude)
I drink coffee. Not an unreasonable amount, but… enough. And I’m picky about it.
I have a nice, midrange espresso machine, and I roast my own beans using a handcrank popcorn popper on an old white gas Coleman stove.
I steam the milk right in the mug, then pull a double into it. The result is what I call a snakebite cap. Not exactly art, but function over form. I don’t have time to play with milk; I have writing to do!
I don’t know if this helps my writing, but it sure doesn’t hurt.
Haw flakes
While vacationing in San Francisco, I picked up some haw flakes in Chinatown. A fun little confection for me; a conflict trigger for the kids in the next Generation Mars book.
“So, in the interest of preventing strife, Jun and Keiron suggested it would be best if the Chinese ate their own rations until they were gone. Then they would adopt the Metzger menu. Ro reluctantly agreed, as it delayed dealing with the issue of the Chinese eating what she thought of as ‘our’ food. This plan would have worked except for one item the Chinese had in their stores: haw flakes.”
(Excerpt from Food: Generation Mars, Book Four. Coming soon.)
Crafting Generation Mars 9
At this point, I’m keeping track of word count. I’m not strict with myself. I don’t have to be. The enthusiasm is raging and watching that count go up each day is enough. Sometimes I post about it.
For one book (Shelter), I experimented with daily social media posting of word count updates, along with an image that was somehow relevant to whatever I had worked on that day. It was kind of fun but also a distraction. Now, I just post occasionally for milestones.
Because I tend to be sparing with words and flesh out as I go, my word count rarely goes down, instead climbing steadily, even after multiple rounds of editing.
image: Edited from public domain image at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Word_Count_h_650.svg