Writing Prompts

I love writing prompts. They are one of the most versatile tools for writers. They can create entire stories, add that little bit of needed color to an existing story, be used as simple writing practice, or anything in between. What's more, writers of any genre and age group can look at the same prompt and come up with widely different pieces.

For example, if a group of writers were given a single-word prompt, such as "sunset," the end result would be so varied that the reader likely wouldn't have a clue they all started from the same place. A writer of dark fiction or dystopia may have a town living in fear of sunset because of the horrors which the night brings. A romance writer might have sunset be the time when two lovers can meet. A science fiction writer could have sunset mark the beginning of a long period of absolute darkness on a distant world. A writer of any genre can come up with a plethora of ideas with that simple prompt. Even writers of the same genre will pen vastly different tales.

Whether you use them as a warm-up exercise or craft a complete plot around them, writing prompts are a useful tool. Put it to practice now. Use that single word, Sunset, to spark something creative. Feel free to borrow an idea I put forth above and flesh it out to your heart's content, or take it in an entirely new direction. No need to give me any credit for the prompt when you use it. Have fun with it, and happy writing!

Playing Around With Another Cover

Here's another one I made for my upcoming book, Love and Fandoms. I actually like the simplicity of this one. As with the first cover I made, it's not one I'll likely use, but if push comes to shove, I could see myself using this one. Chime in if you'd like!

First Attempt at Creating a Cover

My first book (as CJ Zane, anyway) still needs to go through a few more revisions, but I'm thinking ahead to the release, which I'm going to do everything I can to make sure it happens before the end of the year. I would normally buy a pre-made cover, as I find those to be excellent quality, but I thought I might try my hand at creating my own. This is not the final cover, and the final cover most likely will look nothing like this, but I thought I'd share my first attempt, just for fun. What do you think?

My Thoughts on The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

This one has plenty of layers which all come together in perfection. For the most part, this book is a gigantic flashback told by a man who has come to an old farmhouse he remembers from his childhood. He remembers (or so it seems) when he was 7 years old and met an older girl of 11, along with her mother and grandmother. As the story progresses, all three ladies prove much more than they seem. When an evil presence pushes itself into his life, the girl, Lettie, must get rid of it using extraordinary methods.

This is an excellent tale of fantasy for adults and teens alike. In true Neil Gaiman style, quite often it reads like a fairy tale, and I found many of the story's revelations quite fantastic indeed. I highly recommend this book!

Book Review - The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

The Red Pyramid


I thoroughly enjoyed the Percy Jackson series, so I picked enthusiastically picked this book up. I'm glad I did! The Egyptian myths were a great change of pace while remaining a familiar theme by Mr. Riordan. I enjoyed how it was implied that this world of Egyptian Gods shared space with the Greek Gods of the Percy Jackson series. I'm curious to see if that will play out further in the future. The brother and sister team of Carter and Sadie Kane were excellent characters to follow, and I enjoyed how the book was told as if the two were relaying the tale through a voice recording. The action and adventure throughout the entire book kept me on the edge of whatever seat I was reading on at the moment. The two protagonists gained plenty of power to wield, but their adversaries were even more dangerous, making me wonder how they could come out on top. And, without spoiling anything (it is book one in a series, after all), I enjoyed how the ending opened up for future stories without giving much away. I will be continuing on in this series, no question about it!

Book Reviews

One of the main things I want to do here on this blog, aside from giving my own projects the spotlight, is writing reviews for YA books I read. For the most part, these reviews will be short and to the point. I don't like to write reviews that recite summaries of the story, as I feel a reader can go to the book's description for that (or, quite often, a Wikipedia page for the book). Plus, I don't like posting any sort of spoilers, so I basically plan to write a simple paragraph of what I liked about the book overall. I'll try to post a pic of the book's cover, as well as a link to it (probably on Amazon, as I love Amazon!) so it's easy to find if anyone wants to read it. I hope you enjoy these as they come!