Look what I found: Breathe Character Note Cards

May 8, 2015, 4:52 am

≪ Previous: I SWEAR TO YOU Release Party: I SWEAR TO YOU is now out at Loose Id (and a Preview in Pictures)

I was cleaning my office the other day and stumbled across these note cards. They’re my original ideas for the characters in BREATHE. I had forgotten all about them. Most of the characters from the story were in the stack, even Duke, Lincoln’s old dog.

Thanks again to everyone who stopped by the release party last week. And a big thanks to those of you who wrote to me with your giveaway entries. All your kind remarks about my work meant a great deal to me, and I’m thrilled so many of you have enjoyed MORE THAN MOST. Thank you for taking the time to let me know.

The winner of the release party giveaway was selected and has been contacted about their prize. Congratulations to the winner and thanks to everyone who entered!

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Friday Photos: Beautiful Love

June 5, 2015, 7:00 am

≫ Next: Video I Love: The Romance of Wild Storms

≪ Previous: Look what I found: Breathe Character Note Cards

Today I thought I’d share my most recent Pinterest posts in my social media series: Beautiful Love. Each of these images beautifully illustrate that love is love.

Follow Sloan’s board Beautiful Love on Pinterest.

If you can’t see the embedded images above or wish to view my full Beautiful Love board, you can check it out at Pinterest.

You can also see more Beautiful Love posts on my Tumblr blog.

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Video I Love: The Romance of Wild Storms

November 18, 2015, 7:00 am

≫ Next: Love this phase of writing!

≪ Previous: Friday Photos: Beautiful Love

A couple captured the romance of Norway’s wild storms in this beautifully done video. It’s a sweet, fun look at their experience as they locate remote camping sites in Lofoten Islands.

If you can’t view the embedded video above, you can watch it here.

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Love this phase of writing!

February 5, 2016, 7:00 am

≫ Next: Friday Photo: Someone Loves His (My) iPad

≪ Previous: Video I Love: The Romance of Wild Storms

Pictured above is the binder containing the rough draft of Seth and Vargas’s story, HOW TO HEAL A LIFE (The Haven Book 2). I’m currently reading through it, revising, and adding more emotional depth and substance to the manuscript, and it’s going really well. I’m surprisingly pleased with the opening of the story, and that’s usually where I do most of my reworking. Knowing I’ve got a good handle on the beginning has me even more excited about this one.

I’ll keep you posted on the progress! Watch my newsletter and works-in-progress page on my website for more updates on this and my other projects.

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Friday Photo: Someone Loves His (My) iPad

February 12, 2016, 7:00 am

≫ Next: Beautiful Love, Character Inspiration, and More

≪ Previous: Love this phase of writing!

My cat watching his favorite bird video on YouTube.

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Beautiful Love, Character Inspiration, and More

March 2, 2016, 12:24 pm

≫ Next: Recent Finds: Setting Inspiration

≪ Previous: Friday Photo: Someone Loves His (My) iPad

http://sloanparker.tumblr.com/post/140179486851

I love visual inspiration for story ideas, and I share many of the ones I find online with readers via social media. At the links below you can check out some of my recent posts.

ON TUMBLR

ON PINTEREST

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Recent Finds: Setting Inspiration

May 18, 2016, 11:03 am

≫ Next: Character Inspiration: Serious and Studious

≪ Previous: Beautiful Love, Character Inspiration, and More

Whenever I write a scene, I picture the setting in my mind, whether it’s a room or an outdoor wilderness locale or a bustling city street, with as much detail as possible. Then I describe one or two specific, concrete elements to give the reader a sense of the place, which is often more effective than describing every detail.

Usually I can imagine that setting clearly in my mind, especially if it’s a character’s home or another important place for them. Other times I like to use a real place that I’ve visited as inspiration. When that isn’t possible, I’ll use a stock photography site to gather images. I might describe the setting the way I see it in the photo, or that picture might spark my imagination to go in a completely different direction. If the photos I find seem like a great setting idea but don’t match my current project, I’ll save them for later use.

Here are some of my recent inspiration finds for settings:

Photo License: CC0 Public Domain

Photo License: CC0 Public Domain

Photo License: CC0 Public Domain

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Character Inspiration: Serious and Studious

July 14, 2016, 8:12 am

≫ Next: Video I Love: Time-Lapse Shots of Our Beautiful World

≪ Previous: Recent Finds: Setting Inspiration

Here are some of my recent character inspiration finds that I’m saving for future projects:

Photo License: CC0 Public Domain

Photo License: CC0 Public Domain

Photo License: CC0 Public Domain

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Video I Love: Time-Lapse Shots of Our Beautiful World

July 19, 2016, 9:30 am

≫ Next: Setting Inspiration: From City Streets to Living Rooms

≪ Previous: Character Inspiration: Serious and Studious

A sampling of our beautiful world… shot in Wyoming, Utah, and South Dakota.

From the YouTube description: “The slower moving light streaks are airplanes, the fast ones are satellites. I also caught many meteors which are only 1 frame or 1/24th of a second on the timelapse.”

If you can’t see the embedded video above, you can watch it on YouTube.

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Setting Inspiration: From City Streets to Living Rooms

July 28, 2016, 8:29 am

≫ Next: Those Eyes, That Stare, and More Character Inspiration Photos

≪ Previous: Video I Love: Time-Lapse Shots of Our Beautiful World

A few more of my recent setting finds. Not sure when or for what project I’ll use them, but they sure are great shots.

Photo License: CC0 Public Domain

Photo License: CC0 Public Domain

Photo License: CC0 Public Domain

Photo License: CC0 Public Domain

Photo License: CC0 Public Domain

Photo License: CC0 Public Domain

Photo License: CC0 Public Domain

Photo License: CC0 Public Domain

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Those Eyes, That Stare, and More Character Inspiration Photos

August 18, 2016, 8:23 am

≫ Next: It’s All About the Feels

≪ Previous: Setting Inspiration: From City Streets to Living Rooms

More of my character inspiration finds…

Photo License: CC0 Public Domain

Photo License: CC0 Public Domain

Photo License: CC0 Public Domain

Photo License: CC0 Public Domain

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It’s All About the Feels

August 23, 2016, 12:40 pm

≫ Next: Recent Finds: Setting Inspiration

≪ Previous: Those Eyes, That Stare, and More Character Inspiration Photos

Photo License: CC0 Public Domain

When looking at a picture and thinking about that particular place in terms of setting, I like images that are striking, that evoke emotion or set a particular mood. When revealing where a scene is taking place, it’s often more powerful to do so through the character’s other senses, rather than merely running through a descriptive list of what is visually present.

For me, a picture often sparks ideas for how to describe those little sensory details, such as how a character can feel the slick brick sidewalk beneath his feet as he walks the city streets and tries to deal with the disaster his life has become, how she can hear the slow trickling of water that transfixes her as she nears the stream situated beside her childhood home, how he can feel the worn, smooth leather beneath his palms on the couch where he had his first kiss years earlier.

I like taking such sensory details and matching them to what the character is feeling and the mood of the scene. Visuals can go a long way in helping me discover those details.

Here are a few of my recent Setting Inspiration Finds:

Photo License: CC0 Public Domain

Photo License: CC0 Public Domain

Photo License: CC0 Public Domain

Photo License: CC0 Public Domain

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Recent Finds: Setting Inspiration

May 18, 2016, 11:03 am

≫ Next: Friends, Travelers, Runners, and More Story Inspiration Pics

≪ Previous: It’s All About the Feels

Here are some of my recent inspiration finds for settings:

Photo License: CC0 Public Domain

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Friends, Travelers, Runners, and More Story Inspiration Pics

September 22, 2016, 10:35 am

≫ Next: To Love Somebody

≪ Previous: Recent Finds: Setting Inspiration

Along with my character and setting inspiration pictures, I also collect images that spark new story ideas. The ones below have me coming up with all sorts of storylines.

Photo License: CC0 Public Domain

Photo License: CC0 Public Domain

Photo License: CC0 Public Domain

Photo License: CC0 Public Domain

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To Love Somebody

October 25, 2016, 7:00 am

≫ Next: Story Inspiration: Lost in Thought, Time Together, and More Story Prompt Photos

≪ Previous: Friends, Travelers, Runners, and More Story Inspiration Pics

Here’s my latest pick for my “video I love” series. A beautiful montage from several movies and TV shows.

If you can’t see the embedded video above, you can view it on YouTube.

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Story Inspiration: Lost in Thought, Time Together, and More Story Prompt Photos

December 6, 2016, 8:10 am

≫ Next: Setting Inspiration: Bookstores!!

≪ Previous: To Love Somebody

Here are some new photos for my story inspiration series. Any of these images give you writers out there new ideas? Do these pictures have you asking questions? What are these people thinking? Why are they together? How long have they known each other? Why are some of them alone right then? What’s on their minds right then?