Author Bio Mad Libs

At some point, whether you're writing short stories or novels, you're going to be asked for an author bio -- that quick little blurb that gives readers a glimpse into who you are. Since joining the wonderful folks at Operation Awesome, I've been reading and researching author bios in order to put together a little something to tell OA readers a little something about myself. 

After discovering that many author bios follow a similar format, I took that format at turned it into an "Author Bio Mad Libs" for your amusement -- and who knows, maybe it can help you write your own author bio as well.

Before you read mine, try it out for yourself!

AUTHOR BIO MAD LIBS

Step 1: Jot down a word or phrase for each of the descriptions below

1. Full name:
2. Genre:
3. Noun:
4. Adjective:
5. Plural noun:
6. Award:
7. Occupation:
8. Gerund (non-finite action verb, usually ending in -ing):
9. State:
10. Number:
11. Adjective:
12. Animal:
13. College major:
14. 2-3 random letters:
15. Gerund:
16. Place:
17. Gerund:
18. Beverage:
19. Sport:
20. Famous author:
21. Verb:

Step 2: Scroll down and fill in your answers in the author bio below!

(your name) is a (genre) author who has written about everything from (noun) to (adjective) (plural noun) and has won a (award) for his/her nonfiction book, "The (occupation)'s Guide to (gerund)." S/He lives in (state) with his/her family and (number) (adjective) (animal)s. S/He is a (college major) graduate of (2-3 random letters) and has enjoyed (gerund) in (place), (gerund) (beverage), and playing (sport) with his/her close friend and mentor, (famous author). S/He aspires to someday be the first full-time author to (verb) on the moon.

In case you were wondering, here's mine (with some tweaks for accuracy):

Wendy Nikel is a speculative fiction author who has written about everything from time travel to magical islands. She lives in Utah with her family and four imaginary puppies. She is an elementary ed graduate and enjoys taking photographs, drinking chai tea, and playing board games.

Post your Mad Libs Author Bio in the comments! How accurate is it?

Myth and Science Made Mainstream: Thor, Vampires, and The First Martian Colony

Thor is part of ancient Scandinavian folklore.

Usborne Stories from Around the World

But it wasn't until the 2011 blockbuster movie THOR that the Einstein-Rosen Bridge became associated with the mythical god in the pop culture psyche. Suddenly Thor's boomerang hammer and rainbow bridge aren't goofy anymore.

They're freaking awesome.

One of the things I loved about this cinema treatment of an old comic book/myth was the subtle combination of shiny technology and folklore magic. In The Avengers, Black Widow says, "These guys are basically gods."

Basically. But not really.

And in the first Thor movie, Thor says, "Your ancestors called it magic. You call it science. Where I come from they're one and the same."

*sings* Loooove iiiit!

One of the things I enjoyed about Twilight, aside from the intense rip-roaring emotion and curly-haired hilarity of Emmett, was the sci-fi idea slipped into vampire lore that the same evolution or God that brought us the shark and the angel fish could have brought us the vampire and the human.

"Well, where did you come from? Evolution? Creation? Couldn't we have evolved in the same way as other species, predator and prey? Or, if you don't believe that all this world could have just happened on its own, which is hard for me to accept myself, is it so hard to believe that the same force that created the delicate angelfish with the shark, the baby seal and the killer whale, could create both our kinds together?" -Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Why not?

Speculative fiction. My absolute favorite place to play. Whether I'm reading or writing, it's just a wonderland for the imagination, tickling the very edges of our knowledge with the as yet unknown.

It influences our scientists, engineers, inventors:

Self-driving cars, spray-on skin, and even invisibility cloaks have leaped off the pages, gone from science fiction to science reality.

"British Columbia company HyperStealth Biotechnology showed a functioning prototype of its new fabric to the U.S. and Canadian military this year (2012). The material, called Quantum Stealth, bends light waves around the wearer without the use of batteries, mirrors, or cameras. It blocks the subject from being seen by visual means but also keeps them hidden from thermal scans and infrared."

Source: toxel.com

And maybe you don't know about this but I'll bet most of you do, there's a soon-to-be reality TV show all about the first colonizers on Mars, from selection to training to the actual flight and colonization of the Red Planet.


Ha ha! "The search for life on Mars begins on Earth." Brilliant!

Speculative fiction does a great service to humanity as well as being a ton of fun. It keeps us hoping for a better future, and sometimes warns us of technology abuses (cough, cough, Cybermen) that could destroy us in a horrifying echo of excruciating shrieks.

So, okay, some of it's scary. But that's only so we can resolve the conflict with the other side of the creativity coin.

Have you ever been inspired by technology or magic in fiction? 

Pass it on. 

Have FUN Writing! (with writing prompts)

There are a few things I always associate with FUN:

• Fridays
• Saturdays
• Parks and lakes
• Ice cream
• Yellow
• Balloons
• Bubbles

You'll notice something very important is missing from this non-inclusive list. 

WRITING!

But writing is fun, right?

Well, it usually is. In fact, I'd go so far as to say it always is... except when it isn't.

Times when writing isn't fun include: 

• writer's block
• December 1st, the day after NaNoWriMo
• post-accident/baby/surgery

All other times, though, writing is SOOOO much fun we're all just giggling manically, right? Maybe that's a bit of an overstatement. Last night, I wrote until 1:30am before I forced myself to synopsize the rest of the story in my head and go to bed... for the sake of the kids the next day. 

Why was I writing so long? I was having the time of my life. It is FUN to make up conversations and relationships and conflicts that only I can resolve. It is FUN to create a whole new world with made-up slang and rites of passage and...

Mmmm...

Oh yeah! Magic edible sparkles!

In fact, there's no job more fun than writing. 

So if you are writing today and you aren't having fun, take a step back and try one of these prompts instead:

1. You're a zoo animal the night before a planned zoo/prison break.
2. You're a socialite/social climber with a huge zit on a prominent body part the night of your engagement party to the man or woman of your dreams.
3. You're a five-year-old child in a war-torn town.
4. You're Scooby-Doo.
5. You're a 7-foot tall man who's falling for his English tutor. 
6. You're the last pickle in the jar.
7. You're a dynamite performer of the charisma level of Elvis and Justin Bieber all wrapped into one, and your stage just collapsed with you and all your favorite people on it.
8. You're Castle meets Veronica Mars meets Doctor Who.
9. You're a five-time mixed martial arts champion with a sprained toe going into the last fight of your career. 
10. You're a small town CPA who starts an a cappella group in the basement of your professional tax preparation office.

Also, see the Writing Prompts tumblr page (not mine, but so awesome) for more inspiration.

A Guide to Writer Traits

When drafting a new WIP there are certain things a writer will encounter. We can try to fight them. Pretend they won't happen to us, but the time will come when you are faced with these things:

Your appearance will suffer. You may/will be so engrossed in your WIP that your hair protests. Embrace it. Our presentation may suck, but the words you could write in the time it takes to brush your hair are what counts:

You've marked out your writing time. Everyone knows not to disturb you, but someone will interrupt you in the middle of THE MOST IMPORTANT scene to ask you a question. You'll need a speed answer to preserve your wordage flow:

Your computer will decide to shut down/freeze/go wonky at the most inconvenient moment. You will utter this phrase many, many times:

Or possibly want to do this:

A balanced meal takes time to prepare. Valuable writing time! Sometimes the major food groups will end up looking like this:

We all know that sometimes the brain needs a break. Never underestimate the value of procrastination time: 

A writer will find that everything else is exciting while procrastinating:

And don't forget the benefits of a power nap:

And then there is the ultimate writer trait to embrace. You can try to avoid it with carefully thought out writing plans/word count goals/time management, but the words are tricky. The words will hit you when you least expect it. Then comes the time when the words demand you write all night:

Happy writing! 

Writing With Jack Sparrow!

When you get a story idea you aren't sure about: 

Sometimes you have to trek through the jungle of words to get to the heart of the story:

When the edits get tough:

And when the darn thing is FINALLY finished:

We tip our hat, bidding adieu to our manuscript baby:

And point our compass to the horizon: 

But we all know adventures never end.... they just change direction. Because a pirate/writer never surrenders. Savvy: 

Happy writing!