Kate Sylvan (writing)

Author of Fantasy Romance
Standalone Fae retelling of Beauty & the Beast due this fall.
And the first in a romantasy series coming early spring 2027.

[Kate Sylvan (writing) @katesylvanwrite]

Absolutely, ALL of that! ESPECIALLY to chapter titles because that costs no extra expense to set up, only a bit more thought/time.
AND...
Graphics / illustrations
Along with chapter titles... Ideally ones that also give hints of the chapter's content/theme.
@NathanTheAuthor does this very well in Faith Faraday, and sets the stage for each coming chapter.
And Holly Black does this GORGEOUSLY in How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories. The book features color paintings that give even the digital version of the book a lushness that is rare in most books. While the author didn't use unique per-chapter graphics in the prior books from Folk of the Air, each book has its own line-art graphic that is used for chapter headings. Sadly, they're only numbered chapters, not titled.
In multi-POV stories, it's also beneficial to at least use some sort of symbol indicating whose POV the chapter will be in. For example, one series alternates between a dagger for the FMC and crossed swords for the MMC.
Adding title graphics costs time and effort, plus out-of-pocket if you're purchasing stock imagery or commissioning artwork, but it *dramatically* upgrades the reading experience.

[Kate Sylvan (writing) @katesylvanwrite]

@StevenTBoers63 @NathanTheAuthor @WilChanWrites @tristanbtaylor @Ivyloganauthor @kampungkreepy @joanne_paulson @JayeTroop @JasPhoenix_Rise @deanpb_author @LovettLovesBook @Author_MLWhite @EddAhearn1 @whataimeereads_ @nikki_twisted @LaylaHawke2 @jordana_greene @VanitaHork @AuthorSJB @Adele_Royce @Emme_Klama @ANelsonLMPotter @ta_welton @EatonKrone @booksbyJeanneR @BubbleyBrain @Z_Gottlieb @EveKoguce @jgmacleodauthor @Kellyrei007 @KalFulsom @AJCalvin @triempery @CBLansdell @ayrtonmsilva @drafoxter @LCyrus7890 @jflWrites @Wisteraverse @DWARussell22 @KWBussard_ I have serious issues LOL (55 going on 15... all I'm gonna say)

[Kate Sylvan (writing) @katesylvanwrite]

@NathanTheAuthor @StevenTBoers63 @WilChanWrites @tristanbtaylor @Ivyloganauthor @kampungkreepy @joanne_paulson @JayeTroop @JasPhoenix_Rise @deanpb_author @LovettLovesBook @Author_MLWhite @EddAhearn1 @whataimeereads_ @nikki_twisted @LaylaHawke2 @jordana_greene @VanitaHork @AuthorSJB @Adele_Royce @Emme_Klama @ANelsonLMPotter @ta_welton @EatonKrone @booksbyJeanneR @BubbleyBrain @Z_Gottlieb @EveKoguce @jgmacleodauthor @Kellyrei007 @KalFulsom @AJCalvin @triempery @CBLansdell @ayrtonmsilva @drafoxter @LCyrus7890 @jflWrites @Wisteraverse @DWARussell22 @KWBussard_ THIS thread was what got me spinning abou that silly song again LOL

[Kate Sylvan (writing) @katesylvanwrite]

@NaoyaCreates @Mr_Husky1 It did! Now almost 30 years later, still doing graphic and website design (my author site is still incomplete, shhh), but I've made a happy career out of it.

[Kate Sylvan (writing) @katesylvanwrite]

@AuthorTRobare A lot... but it's the "total package" that grabs me: cover, title, and book blurb.

[Kate Sylvan (writing) @katesylvanwrite]

@KyleLeeWriter My daughter's high school stage crew did a better job with their costumes than that with practically no budget and only a few hours a day.

[Kate Sylvan (writing) @katesylvanwrite]

@art_muse I love seeing different artistic styles! But not a fan of the "wet, sticky oil paint" that seems so prevalent these days... to me it says "AI made this in a default style setting" vs carefully crafted style prompts.

[Kate Sylvan (writing) @katesylvanwrite]

Faithful adaptation is part of the reason the Harry Potter films were so well received, and even then she got backlash from having to cut some of the scenes and characters.
FANS -- the built-in base of people who LOOOOVEEEE the IP will pay through the nose to see the film treatment done RIGHT.

[Kate Sylvan (writing) @katesylvanwrite]

Not necessarily. AI is a tool.
I wasn't replaced by Canva, but many of my clients use it now, and instead hire me for the things it can't do, allowing them to exercise their creativity in a way they couldn't before and freeing me up to help more people with the things they can't/won't/don't do on their own.
Photoshop enables us to edit photos in ways that photographers never captured.
Illustrator allows us to draw or paint without pen or paintbrush.
Audition & CapCut let us perform the magic of filmmaking that was once relegated to massive studios and literal cutting rooms slicing and splicing film.
Apps like Suno allows people with a story to tell and concepts for songs to create music that resonates.
Apps like MidJourney allow people with artistic vision to create characters and worlds that not only don't EXIST except in the imagination, but are concepts that nobody conceived of previously -- and would continue to not come into fruition without the ability of AI artists to transform their thoughts into digital art/music/video.
I believe AI will ADD to the art created versus replace it, it gives people like me with IDEAS the tools to create things we lacked the exact skills for previously.
That doesn't mean that everything created with it is good, but as with all other forms of art, the beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
I am not threatened by AI, it enhances, not detracts... Innovation and advancement.

[Kate Sylvan (writing) @katesylvanwrite]

@JamesAllenMaxey @Nightwolfwriter Sent the link to my daughter and now she's planning a trip with her friends LOL... it looks like so much fun. Haven't been to one since college.

[Kate Sylvan (writing) @katesylvanwrite]

@KyleLeeWriter That's fair... and the main reason I stuck with the series was research, but damn did Holly Black get her hooks in me!

[Kate Sylvan (writing) @katesylvanwrite]

@JamesAllenMaxey @Nightwolfwriter You & Richard are so inspiring!
Just looked up the Renaissance Festival in MD...
(Hubby is going to be so annoyed with me in coming years!)
https://t.co/Gt9r5bytPi

[Kate Sylvan (writing) @katesylvanwrite]

@stephenRB4 Second edition *Gone with the Wind* by Margaret Mitchell... it's in rough shape, but it was my grandmother's. And was the first book I fell in LOVE with reading. (Also realized this year that it was the first enemies-to-lovers story I ever read.)
https://t.co/FwLxGHYHbJ

[Kate Sylvan (writing) @katesylvanwrite]

https://t.co/dZUO6353Ic

[Kate Sylvan (writing) @katesylvanwrite]

@CoffeewClassics The Rude Duke

[Kate Sylvan (writing) @katesylvanwrite]

@AuthorTRobare I look forward to having something for them to promote... in the meantime, I started your book this weekend!

[Kate Sylvan (writing) @katesylvanwrite]

@ThomasBlan8283 @markemusgames That cover and excerpt are fantastic!

[Kate Sylvan (writing) @katesylvanwrite]

@ItsRobbAllen ... or getting caught in the rain...
Coconut has a great flavor, but yeah, the texture is off-putting, especially in thick shavings.