June Book Update

It is officially less than four months away from the release of my debut novel, The Night’s Chosen. You can already add it on Goodreads to your “want to read” list!”

Can we all collectively squeal while also freak out? When my book deal announcement was made the release was set to be in 2021. A couple of weeks ago my publisher informed me that in fact my book was going to come out October 6, 2020.

My initial reaction was excitement and joy and just.. .WOW! I’m going to be a published author THIS YEAR! Then, I texted my writer friends with this GIF.

There is SO MUCH TO DO. I have to do all of the rewrites/edits/and revisions still to prep them for the Advanced Reader Copies (ARCs) to be distributed. Then even book prep aside, there’s all of the work on the marketing side with cover reveals, blog tours, lining up reviewers, reaching out to local bookstores and libraries…

Okay, now I’m getting overwhelmed again.

My editor isn’t worried at all and says we have plenty of time to get it all done, and we started discussions on how to go about marketing. After those conversations I felt much better. It’s so awesome to have someone who’s so confident in my writing and knows how this business works to help me navigate all of this. Then the other authors with my publisher have also been a huge help and are always willing to offer advice and insight. I’m really lucky to have such an author-focused publisher.

What’s also exciting? They’re working on the cover. Nothing is finished yet so I can’t show you anything. But there will be a big official cover reveal when we get closer to the release date. (As always, newsletter subscribers will get to see it first so be sure to sign up!) From what I’ve seen so far… WOW. It. Is. So. Pretty. You all are going to love it! It’s surreal to see my name and the book title on a book cover. It’s one of those moments where I’m like “wow… this is actually happening.”

As we discussed the cover, we also discussed the name of the book series. Yes, the series, and not just this one book! The Night’s Chosen is the first in my Cursed Queens series. My plan is for there to be four books- but we’ll see how things go. I was so happy when they asked me for the series title because I’ve been thinking about the future books and have some synopsis rough drafts done for them. I cant wait to dig into them more!

A couple of other updates…

I gave my website a facelift and updated it with a Cursed Queens page and the banner on my homepage features my book release date. Feel free to poke around!

I’ve gotten started on a new short story which I’m planning to make as a freebie for my newsletter subscribers and it’s so fun! It has a vampire and a thieving werewolf.

Some goals and things to look out for this month…

I’m currently researching other authors in my genre (fantasy mostly - but more specifically those who’ve written retellings) who may be interested in helping with some promotion. Also just to get inspiration to see how other authors have promoted their books. If you have any favorite fantasy authors whose website and social media you LOVE, please let me know.

I want to put together a “street team” of bloggers, booktubers, bookstagramers, and friends who may be interested in helping out as well with sharing about my book on their platforms. More info will be coming soon, but if you already know you’re interested contact me so I can put you on my list of people to reach out to first!

Sorry this was mostly an “info dump” post but I want to be sure you all are updated on what’s going on! I feel like I’ve been talking about this book for so long yet with no news - when there is actually things happening I want you all to know about it! Everyone has been so supportive and I can’t wait to get my book into your hands. The countdown is on!

Things are going to be happening fast and soon. So be sure to keep an eye on this space as well as my Instagram as news comes. My Facebook and Twitter I’ll be updating as well, but I’m most active on Instagram these days.

My Writing Goals For the Year

Writing goals for the year… I’m sure you’re looking at the title of this post and then glancing back at your calendar thinking “But… it’s May. Shouldn’t you have figured out your writing goals by now? That’s a January thing!”

Well, I’m here to tell you that you can set your goals for the year whenever you want! Especially with this whole pandemic going on and people staying at home all of the time, time and days have no meaning anymore. Besides, what better time than now to do some goal resetting, right?

Right.

Besides, since I’m new to this whole “my book is actually going to be published” thing and am still figuring out the ropes, I haven’t had much of an idea of the sort of timelines and goals I should be giving myself with my writing. I’m starting to get a little better vision of how things go, which makes me much more comfortable to figure out what I want to do.

Even beyond that, I think having goals is helpful right now. I need things I can obtain and accomplish so when I look back at this time spent I can say “I did that!” I definitely have a lot of relaxing time too, and if you’re in a place where you don’t feel like you can be motivated and do ALL THE THINGS that’s okay too! But, I want to go for it.

Look at me all ready to crush those goals, sitting naturally at my desk for the camera. I even put on lipstick for the first time in about a month. #pandemiclife

Top Priority: Edit The Night’s Chosen and Prep it for Publishing!

This should be a no-brainer. Everything is going to come second to this. I want my debut novel (and any novel I publish for that matter) to be the absolute best it can be. Yes, I want to accomplish other things too, but if they need to be set aside for me to revise and edit The Night’s Chosen, so be it. It’s also the goal I’m most excited and scared for. The pressure is on now!

Next Up: Knock Out the Synopsis’ for The Next Book (or two)

A majority of the time your second book is sold on synopsis. Since The Night’s Chosen in my head is the first in a potential series, I want to have a rough outline and synopsis done for the sequel - maybe even the rest of the series! That way when the time comes, I can have it ready to go to pitch it to my editor instead of rushing to do it at the last minute.

Then: Write a Freebie for my Newsletter Subscribers

Yup! This has been on my list for a looooooong time. I want to be able to give away a downloadable short story or novella for my newsletter subscribers. If you’re already subscribed, I’d send it to you early. Then all new subscribers would get it when they sign up. The problem? I can never decide what I want to write about! All of my ideas end up becoming bigger and would do well as full length books instead of something shorter. But, it will happen. This goal is always in the back of my mind and I want to have it for you all as a thank you for all your support.

After That: Write More Short Stories

This is a skill I’ve wanted to hone for a long time. I started to awhile back with my flash fiction pieces, but then I fell off the wagon. (Probably around the time I stopped blogging in general. ::facepalm:: I want to do this for a few reasons. 1) So I can post more of my fiction writing to this blog and share it with you all! 2) A great way for me to get my writing out there in the world is to submit to magazines and anthologies and for those you need shorter pieces. 3) It’s just a good skill to have in my author tool belt.

And Another Thing: Keep Up With my Blog and Social Media

This blog has been on the back burner for far too long, and I want to keep up with it again. Only one post a week, but keep it active and up to date. I want this site to be the “main hub” for anyone to go to when it comes to my writing and what I’m up to.

AND ANOTHER: Keep Learning About Writing

This is a goal I’m continually doing because I need to keep learning about my craft and honing it so I get better. I want my first book to be amazing, but I don’t want to stop there. I want each book I write to be better and better.

But I’ve noticed how lax I’ve been. For example: I listen to the podcast Writing Excuses every single week and I love it. These writers are so knowledgeable and have such a wealth of wisdom to share! I love soaking it all in, even though the episodes are only 15-20 (sometimes longer) minutes long. The thing is… I never do the homework. Ever. It’s terrible! My editor had me take a class a couple weeks ago and I thought a lot of the concepts I already knew, but when I started to do the exercises and homework I realized that I could know all the information about metaphors and poetic language that I wanted - but if I didn’t actually practice writing them I was never going to get better. So, I want to keep up with taking classes, reading books, and watching videos about writing while actually doing the practice items the instructors give.

Finally: Think of More Novel Ideas!

I have a few of these floating around in my head and my journals have little notes and thoughts jotted down in them. But I’m getting excited to dig deeper into them and see if there’s anything more I can make of them. As much as I love The Night’s Chosen and the world I’ve created with it, I want my author career to go past it whether it’s a stand-alone book or a full series. There are more characters and worlds to create and I want to explore them!

Okay… looking at all of these feels like a lot. But, the idea isn’t to do all of them at once. This is for the whole year. When I get my notes back from my editor, I’m going to only be focusing on that until it’s done. After I turn in that round of revisions, I’ll look back at my list and pick another goal to focus on for a bit.

We’ll see how well I actually do, but for now I’m super motivated and ready to go!

Anyone else have goals they want to accomplish this year?

---

Like what you read? Consider buying me a coffee or becoming a Patreon.

When Writing is A Battle

I’m in high school and trying to think of a book idea.

I’d played around with novels in the past and always said I wanted to be an author, but I wanted to sit down and really do it. I mean… I was fourteen years old for crying out loud. SE Hinton had her first book written when she was 15 and published when she was 18. Clearly, I had to get going.

There was the age old advice of “write what you know” and I always rolled my eyes at it. What I knew was so boring. Until my sister points out “you know the story of Snow White better than anyone. Why don’t you just write about that?”

Well… now there’s an idea.

It’s a few years post college and I have an incredibly rough draft complete of this old idea about Snow White I once had.

Having put my writing aspirations aside as a hobby and only participating in NaNoWriMo and toying with edits in exchange for focusing on a different career path, I realize I’m tired of keeping my writing on the side. I have so many other ideas. More characters and worlds to explore. I can’t not write anymore.

But… this book is not good.

For someone who played around with it periodically in high school in college it’s just fine. As an actual publishable novel? Not at all.

And I’m okay with this.

I set the book aside and work on something brand new.

It’s a couple years later.

I’ve completed and revised a book and queried it out to agents. Nothing happened with it. While I’m sad and disappointed, as I look through the manuscript I know there’s so much work to be done on it and to be frank - there wasn’t a market for this genre at the moment. Maybe I can return to it someday.

Yet, I don’t have anything else to work on.

As I sit in my living room watching TV an idea hits me like a lightning bolt. It has to do with Snow White. But… different.

No. NO WAY. I can’t go back to my terrible terrible book from high school. BAD IDEA.

But…

The same skeleton of the Snow White tale is there (obviously) and the same with the love interest. Yet… there’s more. A completely new turn. A new story. Sure, use the same character names if they still work. But this isn’t just revising a terrible old draft. It’s something new.

It’s August of 2018 and there’s two weeks to go until the PitchWars deadline.

My Snow White novel isn’t complete. It’s close, but, there’s so many more words to write than I’m used to in such a short period of time.

Yet… maybe I could do it.

Would it be hard?

For sure.

Is it possible though? Am I crazy enough to go for it?

I set a schedule for myself where I wake up early each morning before my 7am clock in time for work. When I get home, I write even more. Sometimes from the moment I get home to the moment I go to bed only to start it all over again the next morning. I cancel plans with friends and have to back out of meetings. I talk to my supervisor about my goal and they’re kind enough to let me leave early the day before my deadline and have the whole next day off so I can get it done.

With a few hours to spare - the book is done. The last half isn’t perfect. The last quarter is a hot mess. But it’s done. I’m completely and utterly exhausted and I never want to look at a computer screen ever again. I also have never been more proud of myself regardless of the outcome.

Submit.

It’s April 2019 and I’m still revising.

I didn’t get picked for PitchWars - but I later learned I did get attention. Someone helps guide me through how to revise. I read a book about plotting. I outline, write and edit, reoutline then rewrite and reedit. I get started, then there’s times for weeks I can barely look at the page.

Each time I have a break through a roadblock appears. Even if it’s just one I’ve created in my own head. I think I have it all though through then when I go to write my mind completely blanks out.

I’ve cut so many words and added even more words only to have them cut again.

I know this is how the revision process goes, but it doesn’t feel like I’m making any. I know it’s being made, but my heart won’t accept this fact.

Other novel ideas are floating around in my head and it’s so tempting to just say “well… I tried that time for something else.” I want to dig through those stories and characters. I want to take all that I’ve learned and maybe, just maybe, this time around it’ll be better.

It’ll be easier.

But if I stopped one book and started a new one every time it got hard I would never have anything complete. So, I keep going.

Then I doubt myself. “What if this wasn’t such a brilliant idea in the first place? What if there isn’t really anything to salvage out of this? Do I really want to waste my time on a book that’s never going to be great? Maybe you were never meant to publish a book. You’ve been talking about this literally your entire life and you still can’t even get revisions on this one book done.”

There’s a literary agent/writer I follow on Twitter, Eric Smith, and he tweeted several weeks ago “The book of your heart is worth fighting for.”

In case you're a writer who needs to hear this...

The book of your heart is worth fighting for.

— Eric Smith (@ericsmithrocks) March 16, 2019

Is this Snow White novel the book of my heart? It might be. Although, I wonder if there is even a single “book of your heart.” I think you might have a few. They all just each explore a different part of your heart. I think this book is one of the books of my heart.

I keep trying to remind myself that if this is the case, it’s worth the fight and the battle. The days of self-doubt and frustration. All of it will be worth it.

Maybe I should shoot for only 100 words a day. Even if it’s not much progress, it’s at least something on days when my brain can’t work any more. Maybe I should set another hard and fast goal to force myself to get it done and stop making excuses. Maybe if I make one more outline it’ll work itself out.

Maybe this

Maybe that

Try this

Try that

Yet… it’s still not done.

Why isn’t it done?

I know I don’t have a timeline and I can’t compare myself to the routines of other people because every has their own process. In spite of knowing this, I can’t help but keep asking myself “Why can’t I just figure it out and get it done?”

There’s something that’s going to be special and unique about this book. There has to be. Something in me says to keep going and keep digging through the muck and I’ll find something special. For some reason, it’s not coming out yet.

I know writing and revising is hard. Most of us writers know this. But when we’re actually in the middle of it, we (or at least I) start to wonder “Is it supposed to be this hard?”

The book of your heart is worth fighting for.

So, I’m trying. And I’m fighting. Even if I don’t hit my word count goal each day. Even if end up deleting all of the scenes that I’ve already written and I have to start some of them (or all of them) over. Camp NaNoWriMo and spring arriving with it’s sunshine helps. Talking with other writers and my CPs helps. But it’s hard right now. It’s been hard for several months now.

But I can’t stop fighting for this book.

---

Like what you read? Consider buying me a coffee.

How I'm Preparing for NaNoWriMo 2018

It was the fall of 2008. I was a few months into my full-time internship and living away from Chicago for the first time. I’d been writing my whole life, but in college it was much more sporadic than usual. I was ready to write more. I had a retelling of Snow White I’d been working on for literally years, but never finished it. A friend of mine from high school mentioned one day “Have you ever heard of this this called National Novel Writing Month? You should try it.”

Okay, I don’t remember if that was the exact quote. But you get the idea.

Looking back on it, that novel was awful. Like… it should never see the light of day awful. But, it was a start.

Since then I’ve participated in NaNoWriMo every single year. 10 wins. 1 Loss. 8 fantasy. 2 contemporary. The first was to complete what I’d already started, the rest were brand new novels starting from scratch.

Now it’s 2018 and low and behold - I’ve come back to that original Snow White novel.

Funny how life works, isn’t it?

Yet, nothing could be more different than that first attempt 10 years ago.

My relationship with NaNoWriMo is vastly different than it was ten years ago. The months leading up to November I lived in the forums looking for inspiration, grabbing character names, and finding writing buddies. When they started the word sprints on Twitter I was there for them all! I searched for write ins (but rarely went due to schedules and some minor social anxiety) and even put together one with a couple of people.

Now… not so much. Instead of going to the forums for ideas and brainstorming, I go to my small writing group or other people I’ve connected with who are also writers. For me, it’s much more effective and helpful. If I need the motivation, I’ll jump in on the writing sprints on Twitter, but not the way I used to.

In fact, I’m not even starting a book from scratch this year.

I used to have a hard time with my changing relationship. Isn’t the point of NaNoWriMo to write a new book? Isn’t part of the joy of NaNoWriMo the community that comes along with it?

Last year, I was listening to the Writing Excuses podcast and they were discussing NaNoWriMo. One of the hosts pointed out that the intent of the event was for new writers. The people who have always said “I’ve always wanted to write a novel” but never did. Experienced novelists of course can participate too, but the purpose is going to be different for them.

When I listened to this perspective, the weight of my changing relationship with the event I loved so much was lifted. It’s okay if I don’t interact on the website as much as I used to. It’s okay if I don’t jump at each Twitter notification that a writing sprint is starting. It’s okay if the book I work on isn’t a brand new project.

This year, I’m focusing on my revisions and rewrites for White Rose. It’s the original Snow White retelling that I started all those years ago. (For those of you freaking out that I’m trying to resurrect a terrible old project full of teen angst- you can calm down. I started this book from scratch last year and the only things that are the same are a couple of character names and maybe one or two plot points. It’s a vastly different book than it was!) I’ll be rearranging scenes, rewriting chapters, and piecing together what’s decent enough to salvage for the new draft.

To be honest, I’m not sure how I’m going to keep track of my word count this coming November. It’ll be an adventure!

How am I getting ready? A couple of different ways.

A Lot of Help and Guidance

While I wasn’t picked for PitchWars, I am fortunate enough to have made some great connections with people who believe in me and my book. I’ve been given tips, resources, worksheets, and excel documents to help me organize my thoughts and look at my novel from an objective perspective to figure out what I need to do moving forward. Pretty much all of my prep resources have been given to me by other people and goodness it’s helpful.

I have writing friends who are loving and patient enough to listen to me ramble about my characters and plot lines. Even if they don’t have suggestions, it’s useful just to have them there to be like “yes, what you’re saying makes sense” or “I understand your pain.”

Character Profiles

I’m attempting to make a detailed character profile for each of my main characters before November. Eventually, I want to have them for my minor characters as well. If I can get them all in before November, that would be great! But, I have so many that I know this is probably an unrealistic goal. I have a couple of them done and it is so helpful for me to dig deep into the characters so I can figure out their story lines and how I need to change things for them in my manuscript.

Detailed Outlining and Scene Trackers

I’ve always been an outliner, but the last few years for my first drafts they’ve been pretty loose ones. When I go into revisions though, I want to have a fully laid out plan so I know exactly what I need to fix and do.

It’s tedious and time consuming, but having everything laid out for me is opening my eyes to what’s broken and how to fit it in this draft. I’m seeing what scenes need to be cut, combined with others, rearranged, and added. If I had done this for a rough draft, I would have been completely overwhelmed. For a rewrite revision? It’s gold.

By the time November is here, I want to have this outline sketched out in Scrivener. That way when I’m ready to write, I can jump in and not worry about “so what am I doing next?”

Or at least I won’t be as much - hopefully.

Honestly… that’s pretty much it. The list is short, but each one of them are so time consuming and helpful, I’m feeling confident for November.

Who else is prepping for NaNoWriMo? Any tips? What kind of project are you working on for November? How are you preparing?

---

Like what you read? Consider buying me a coffee.

Paperbacks 3 for $30

The Should-Be Hole

When I begin to dream up a book, I can see the perfect image of what it should be. The feel it should have, the messages to come through, and where it would sit on a shelf in the bookstore. I think about how it'll be different from the others I've written and the challenges but also awesome moments it will have. 

Then, I begin my rough draft, and it's nothing like I imagined .

I don't have all of the answers I think I do. The prose is clunky and awkward. Characters aren't developed. There's so many plot and world building holes it looks like Swiss Cheese. 

When approaching White Rose, I pictured this big sprawling epic fantasy. I would have maps, charts, appendixes to all of the political alliances and family trees. I even have a guide to the religion and all of the deities. Which is pretty great and I'm proud of the work I have gotten done, even if it's not totally complete yet. 

I realized then, that it's been a long time since I've read a big epic fantasy for an adult audience. I wasn't even sure how those books felt anymore. I've read them for young adult, but not adult lately. So, I picked up one.

Goodness, it was boring.

Now, I love long descriptions and a beautifully detailed fantasy world like anyone else. But this book had me so bored. It had rave reviews and had everything I'd usually enjoy in a fantasy. Intrigue, romance, a great leading female character, etc. Yet, the style of the writing left me completely bored and I had to force myself each day to pick up the book. 

Later, I thought about the other fantasy novels I tend to enjoy. The big fat adult fantasies are in there for sure, but the vast majority are either urban fantasy, or they're young adult. It made me think about how I'm approaching my own novel. (Now, if only New Adult would become an actual thing and not just a romance sub-genre... that would be great because I think my novel would fit there... but that's another topic for another time.)

What's been making me stumble with my last couple of projects is the idea of what the novel "should" be. I think it "should" be one thing, when that thing may not be what I actually like or am good at. Or, I think about the book as how the end result will be, and not what the rough draft is. 

VE Schwabb wrote this on her Twitter once, and I still think of it often: (I would link the tweet itself, but it was in 2015 and I don't have the patience to scroll through her feed that far back)

"So many people set out to write a Novel of Great Importance. I just want to write stories that make people forget where they are. I want to make readers miss their stop. I want to make them smile and gasp and cheer. I want them to have fun."

A lot of writers think about this, and it's not an uncommon struggle for myself. (I wrote about it when Schwabb first wrote this tweet on my old blog in 2015!) I think my novel needs to be Very Important. It has to have the most advanced vocabulary, beautiful prose, and have Deep Meaning. All of these things are great and wonderful.

But is that really me?

I hope my books have deeper meanings than they may appear and will touch people who read them. But ultimately, I want them to be enjoyable. Not a chore for someone to sit through as they struggle to pick it up because supposedly it's "good" for them. 

I refer to books like that as being kale. Some people love it, and that's great for them. But for me, it's that healthy food that is supposed to be really good for you and in the end my body will probably be glad I ate it. But the process makes me cringe because it just doesn't taste good.

It's not just with writing though. How many times in our lives do we see something and think "that's what my life should be!" But, that's not reality at all? And that's okay.

Too many times we stumble because we think we need to be, look, and behave a certain way. We should have a certain type of job, our relationship status should be one thing, at a certain age or body type you need to dress a specific way, etc. 

Why do we put this pressure on ourselves? It can be good to set goals for ourselves and be sure we're making progress and taking care of our lives, family, friends, etc. But these goals should be based on what we like, enjoy, and do for ourselves. Not what we think everyone else would find impressive. 

But it's a hard rut to get out of. I see myself with my career and where I am in life and find myself comparing to others and what it "should" be. When I write I imagine what my novel or my blog posts "should" be, and then it becomes something I don't actually want or like. 

What do you do to get out of the "should be" hole?

---

Like what you read? Consider buying me a coffee. 

My Must-Have Writing Tools

It's been a bit of a busy week around here and I'm working on White Rose for Camp NaNoWriMo. So, it's a bit of a shorter post this week. 

Here are some of my favorite things that help me survive Camp NaNoWriMo. (Some may have affliated links, but they aren't sponsored and no one is telling me to promote these things. I genuinely love all of these things!)

Also - I have a special announcement about a writing resource at the end of this blog post! 

Scrivener

This is the number one program I write with and I tell all of my writing friends they should use it too. It's a program designed specifically with writers in mind. I can organize my novel by chapter, have all of my character and location notes, links to my research, brainstorms, outline, all in one place. It even helps you to compile and save it according to industry standards for when I'm ready to query agents. There's also a screenwriting setting for people who are writing scripts. 

What I really love is that they now have an app for IOS. Using the app and Dropbox, I can sync all of my work to my phone and my iPad. Writing on my mobile devices isn't the most ideal for intense writing sessions. But, it's so handy to have my novel with me wherever I go in case I need to reference something or want to write down an idea or work on something when I can't get to my computer.

You can learn more and download Scrivener here. 

iPad Keyboard

Speaking of writing on mobile devices, I recently purchased a new keyboard for my iPad. Last year I switched to a desktop because I had Scrivener on my iPad. I love my desktop, but sometimes I missed my laptop in case I wanted a change of scenery. I did some research and I love my new keyboard. It connects to my iPad via Bluetooth and it hinges in a way that makes my iPad feels like a laptop, but I can still rotate it around so I can hold it like a tablet when I want to read ebooks. 

The keyboard is a little small so it takes a bit of getting used to. But now that I am, it's great. I can take it with  me anywhere and write where I want, but is smaller than a whole laptop. 

You can get some super cheap ones for like $18 at Walmart, or you can get really expensive ones that are over $100. I went in the middle and got it on Amazon here. 

The Emotion Thesarus

This book is something I’d seen floating around the Internet a bit, and you can download it cheap for Kindle. (Also available as a physical book.) Sometimes, especially when you’re on a deadline or trying to hit a word count goal, your mind freezes. The simplest thing can stumble you up and your brain turns off. In comes the Emotion Thesaraus.

You look up different emotions, and each one has lists of definitions, what that emotion looks like physically, mental process, psychological impact, tips, and suggestions of other emotions to look up which are similar. It’s so helpful when you're stuck and need to get your brain going when you can’t picture how a character might sound or behave for certain emotions.

There’s a ton of other ones as well such a urban settings, rural settings, emotional amplifiers, emotional trauma, etc. But this is the one I have, and it definitely makes me consider buying the others because it is incredibly helpful when I'm stuck.

You can purchase it here. 

A Great Writing Space

This is something I've been working on curating for myself for a year or so now. I picked out a desk and an organization system I like. Then, just today I added new artwork to my wall my desk is leaning against, and it really completes the set-up. It's cute, motivational, and relaxed. I love having some artwork around so I have something to look at other than a blank wall when I'm trying to think of the perfect thing to write. 

Granted, this is a bit privileged of me, and not everyone has the resources to create their most perfect writing space. But, if you have the means to even at least give yourself a taste of what that would be like, it helps so much.

A Familiar TV Show

This one sounds super weird, but for some reason, for me it works. I don't like to work in silence and need some sort of background noise as I get things done. Sometimes, I just pick a TV show I've seen a million times and let it play in the background while I work. Usually, something in a completely different genre than what I'm writing. Currently, I'm rewatching That 70s Show. 

Some of my other go-to shows are:  Friends, How I Met Your Mother, Gilmore Girls, Sex and the City, Glee. 

I know this is something that's not for everyone because it's easy to get distracted or to be too influenced by what's playing. That's why I say to pick a show you're very familiar with because it's a lot easier to not pay attention and if you happen to not listen to parts of the episode, it's not a big deal because you already know what happens. 

Spotify Playlists

I'm super late to the party, but I finally got a Spotify account and I have no idea how I lived without it. Because even I get distracted by TV and would rather have music in the background. Sometimes it's a playlist I created to help set the mood, or it's one I found exploring the app.

You can follow me on Spotify by clicking here. 

Pinterest

My use of Pinterest for my writing is two-fold. One, I love having secret boards for myself and my writing group to share so I can show them ideas, research, and brainstorm my projects. In a recent update, Pinterest added "sections" to boards so you can organize your boards better. It's a total game changer and I'm slightly obsessed. Two, you can find A TON of writing resources on Pinterest from tutorials, articles, tips, quotes, brainstorming, and other writing advice. It's like being able to take writing classes but picking and choosing what topic you want to learn about. 

You can find my Pinterest writing boards here. 

Journal

There just isn't anything like being able to hand-write ideas. When I need to brainstorm and outline, I work better when I can hand-write it. I have a "catch-all" journal I carry with me almost everywhere so I can get ideas down for my novel. I use it for other things like budget, blog ideas, and shopping lists too. 

I bought a simple lined leather journal from Target, but when this one is filled I'd like to try one with the dots so I can more easily draw out maps and sketches for my world-building. A lot of people like Moleskin journals, but honestly anything is fine. Even just a spiral notebook.

Google Docs

I use Google Docs mostly after my drafting phase because this is how I share my work with  my writing group and beta readers. I'm obsessed with Google Docs for this! You can all see each other's edits and comments and have an ongoing conversation right there in the doc, and I can access it anywhere. Honestly, between Scrivener and Google Docs, I personally don't see much of a need for any other word processor. 

Oh... you want to know that special announcement? Did you just skip all the way down here for that alone? 

Fine. I won't judge you. We all have busy lives.

I'm now offering for my email subscribers a free tutorial on Creating Characters! In my humble opinion, and from talking with my writing group, one of my greatest strengths in writing is characters. People that readers can connect to. As a thank you for everyone who subscribes via email, you get a free intro into how I do it! It includes the three questions you need to answer about your main characters, building a supporting cast, a worksheet, and other tips. 

Subscribe below to get your freebie!

What do you all rely on for when you're writing? What are your favorite resources?

---

Like what you read? Consider buying me a coffee. This simply helps me to offset costs (ex. paying for my website domain) so I can continue to create quality and professional content - along with you receiving my lifelong love and appreciation!

The Story of Two Snow Whites

There once was a girl who loved the tale of Snow White. The Disney movie was the first she had ever seen in a theatre, and growing up her greatest vanity woe was not having black hair. All of her dolls were named Snow White, watched the movie on repeat, and read every version available. 

The same girl also loved to write stories and was always making up large fantastic dramas with her toys. As she grew into her teen years, she may not have played with toys anymore, but was still creating stories in her head. But, she never had "the one." The one story she would turn into a great novel. She'd always heard the phrase "write what you know." But she thought that what she knew was quite boring.

Until one day, someone suggested, "You know Snow White really well, why not write about that?"

Why not?

The girl's mind and heart soared as she thought through ideas, created characters, and built a world around her favorite tale. There was adventure! Humor! Romance! Intrigue! It was going to be perfect!

Years went by, and the novel grew and grew and went through several drafts. None of which had an ending. Until she graduated college and someone informed her of a magical thing called "National Novel Writing Month." Yes! This was exactly what she needed to finally complete this epic tale!

November came and she wrote at the computer for 30 days, and continued to do so for the next several years. Sometimes it was this epic Snow White story, sometimes it was a spin-off inspired by other fairy tales, sometimes it was something brand new. Each one teaching her something about her story weaving skills. 

Then, another idea hit her. It wasn't Snow White. It wasn't based off of any fairy tale. This was brand new. Modern. Urban fantasy. With demons, vampires, witches, and angels. When she looked back at this first book with all of it's rewrites, she realized it was time to put it away. 

In fact... it wasn't very good. It was a wonderful learning experience and vital to her skills as a writer. But the fact remained:  it wasn't good. 

While part of her was sad about it, she knew it was for the best, and moved onto her new idea.

Fast forward another few years. Past five drafts of this urban fantasy novel she so dearly loved. Her second love if you will. The world of rewrites, edits, and queries left her feeling sad. She loved this book so much, why didn't anyone else? Perhaps, it was time to set this one aside. Not for forever. Just for now.

Then, one day, an idea hit her. There were two fairy tales featuring a girl named Snow White. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and Snow White and Rose Red. Many people got them confused and thought they were the same character. Being the fairy tale expert she was, our clever (not quite as young as before) writer knew they were in fact two different people.

But what if they weren't?

Once again, the wheels started to turn. Perhaps there was hope for that very first Snow White novel idea after all! With some changes, rearranges, and starting over again with a brand new take on the story... this could be something truly special!

So, she wrote, and shared with her other writer friends who loved this new tale! It was fabulous!

Until... one of these writer friends sent her an inspiration idea. Another one with Snow White. But what if she was a vampire? It combined two of the things she loved to write most. Urban fantasy, and fairy tales. Could nothing be better?

Yet again, her ideas started to bubble over. This was so new and different than anything she'd ever done! This Snow White was nothing like the others, and she could picture this character perfectly. She'd be one of the greatest achievements ever!

Tossing the other idea aside, she dove into the world of the vampire. 

Then, an opportunity came across her desk. A writing retreat offering scholarships. She'd never gone on a writing retreat or had any formal writing training before. She would need recommendations and writing samples. She got to work.

After much deliberation with her writing friends, she decided to include the first chapter of that Snow White and Rose Red book. She dusted it off, gave it a polish, and read it over and over again to be sure everything was perfect.

Wow. That story was really great, wasn't it? 

She began to fall in love all over again. 

This time, it was with two different novels. Inspiration from the same classic fairy tale. But two completely different characters, stories, and worlds. One could not be more different than the other.

It was worse than being on The Bachelor.

Which will she choose?

Find out next week, on the MOST DRAMATIC BLOG POST EVER.

Okay... let's be real. My blogs aren't that dramatic, and I'm the worst at choices. Therefore, don't be expecting to come back next week with my being ready to tell you which Snow White book I decided to work on. But when all of this made me think of The Bachelor I couldn't resist. 

But, this is something I see writers struggling with often. They start one project, then get distracted by another. Then, they have to pick which one they want to focus on. It's so easy to get distracted by the shiny new projects. 

So, now I need to pick between two vastly different but both awesome ideas based on my original love - Snow White. 

A classic fantasy focused on two sisters, with characters I've known and loved for years, and with some of my all-time favorite world-building?

Or

A darker fantasy featuring a vampire and grittier characters that kinda scare me but are also awesome?

I hate choices. 

---

Like what you read? Consider buying me a coffee. This simply helps me to offset costs (ex. paying for my website domain) so I can continue to create quality and professional content - along with you receiving my lifelong love and appreciation!

Four Life Lessons From Writers Block

I have had the worst writers block ever since finishing NaNoWriMo at the end of November. I mean, last month I didn't even get a Flash Fiction Friday posted.

Usually, once November ends, I take a bit of a break from my novel. One, I love the holidays and I want to spend December enjoying them and not stressing over my writing. Two, it's always good to give yourself a break and space from a work in progress so that when you're ready to go back to it, you can look at it with fresh eyes. 

Usually, this works out well for me. 

January came around and I was all pumped and ready to go. I was going to have this rough draft of Vampire Snow White finished by the end of February so I could send it over to my critique partners! It was going to be amazing! I had motivation! It was a NEW YEAR! DO ALL OF THE THINGS!

Yet, here we are. It's the beginning of March, and I am no where close to having this first rough draft done. The last two months, I've been battling writers block like none other. I've re-read what I worked on in November, edited some chapters, wrote a couple of pages, and rewrote chapters. But I am no where close to where I wanted to be. More days than not I sat at my computer, looked at the blank screen, then turned on Gilmore Girls and forgot about writing. 

Part of it is due to pure laziness. There's something about winter that makes me not want to do anything. Whoever thought to have people start New Years resolutions in the middle of winter clearly didn't know what they were doing. 

A lot of it though was simple writers block. Every writer and author gets it from time to time. You simply have no idea what is going to happen next, or you can't picture the characters, or there's holes in world building. This is part of what you sign up for when you decide to write. Even if it's non-fiction or blogs! Everyone has those days when they sit at the computer and they can't think of a single thing to type. You just push through it and keep going until words come out.

But I've never had writers block this bad before. Or at least in a long time. I didn't know what to do other than avoid and complain. So, that's what I did.

Finally, after talking with my critique partners and getting a good pep talk and advice, I sat down the other night to work on outlining. Not writing, world building, or character development. Just write down the plot points I knew I had, then fill in the gaps from there. 

At first, it wasn't easy. Once again, I stared at the blank piece of paper. Then, once I got going, I had some major revelations, which I think can be applied to other things in life even beyond writing.

1) You Have to Enjoy What You're Doing

The biggest revelation I had was that I didn't like the main plot line I was going with. Yes, it needed to be in there, and yes, it could be really awesome and fun. But, as a main plot line? No. I hated it. It was boring. I couldn't figure out what was going to happen next because I didn't like what I was doing. 

Once I saw that I didn't like my plot and I could go in other directions, everything came so much easier. The ideas started flying through my head and I couldn't wait to see what else I could do.

It makes me think of Sarah J Maas' books. Yes, her writing and books have their problems, I won't deny that. But, one of the things I love about her books is that as I'm reading I can tell that she loves what she's writing about. It oozes from the pages her love and passion for it. When someone loves what they're doing, you see it in their work.

Not that you're going to love your work and every single thing about it all of the time. But if you're stuck in something and you realize that you don't like it, what can you do to be sure you do like some aspects of it? Motivation will come much easier and quicker if you find you enjoy what you're doing.

2) Don't Confine Yourself to What You Think Something "Has" to Be

I had it stuck in my head that my Vampire Snow White book had to be an urban fantasy. She was a vampire, the setting was in modern day, therefore:  urban fantasy. 

As I was attempting to outline, I realized that this book doesn't have to be urban fantasy. It can have many of the elements of urban fantasy, but I didn't have to stick to that alone. When I opened myself up to the possibility that this book could just be "fantasy" in general, I saw so much more of what I could do with it.

Especially when in the beginning stages of a creative project, you need to let go of the rules sometimes. Do your own thing. Shake it up. Look beyond the bounds of what things "should" be like and do what you want!

3) Change Up the Style

Another element that had me stuck in writing the last few months was that the style I was writing in didn't fit my vision for the book. It was pretty typical of some of my other books. Which is fine. Most writers have a specific style and it works. 

But it didn't sound like my main character. I looked at it and kept on thinking about how this didn't feel like her.

So, I went back and rewrote my first chapter using a different style. I'm still experimenting with it, but I think it'll work. If not, I'll try it another way.

Basically, if you're stuck in something, try it from a new angle and see how it goes!

4) Allow Yourself to be Bad

This is one I have to remind myself every single time I write a rough draft. It's called a "rough" draft for a reason.  It's not supposed to be good right now.

But for some reason, I, along with most writers out there, think that we can be that one in a million person whose first draft is a work of genius!

It doesn't work that way. 

You're allowed to make mistakes, have things be messy, and not be perfect all of the time. No matter what you're doing, let yourself have breathing room. When we put too much pressure on ourselves for something to be perfect, we stop ourselves from getting anything done at all. 

I'm not saying that my rough draft is going to go along and I'll get all of the words written right away. I will still have days when I sit in front of the computer and have no idea what to write about. But, I have much higher hopes for my progress now. 

What are some lessons you've learned when you're stuck on something you're working on?

---

Like what you read? Consider buying me a coffee. This simply helps me to offset costs (ex. paying for my website domain) so I can continue to create quality and professional content - along with you receiving my lifelong love and appreciation!

My Writing Process: World Building

This is one of the more difficult writing process posts I've written. I think it's because a lot of this happens during my brainstorming phase, and it's one of the elements I end up working on as I go vs. planning it out in advance. I have some general ideas as I start drafting my book, but I work out the details as I write and in revisions. 

First of all, "world building" is a bit of a writers phrase, and not one other groups of people use very often. So, let's define that. 

World building is anything that has to do with the world the characters live in. At first glance, it's about setting. Where the characters live, the geography, etc. But it's so much more than that. World building definitely is about their home, their neighborhood, and other geographical elements. But it also spans to culture, politics, slang, swear words, religion, magic, where the characters hang out, where they go to school, values, ethics, clothing styles, what characters carry around with them, the list can go on and on. 

This is partly why I tend to world build as I draft my novels. There are so many details, it can get overwhelming. If I approach them as I need them, I can have a bit better of a handle on it. Then, when I go to my revisions, I can see where the gaps are in my world building and fill them in. 

Some writers can create whole binders and guides to their world. I think about some of the big fantasy writers like JRR Tolkien and George RR Martin and how they could have several books just about their politics and family histories and languages. Which is awesome, and I love that they can put such great realistic detail into their work!

I'm not one of them. I wish I could be one of them, and maybe I will be someday. But today is not that day.

One misconception about world building is that this is exclusively for fantasy and sci-fi fiction. This is not true! Contemporary, mystery, historical, and any other genre also need to have well done world building!

Let's say you're writing a book about a modern day teenager in the mid-west and most of the action takes place at school. I don't know about you, but the high school I went to was VASTLY different than the one only a few blocks away. Each school has their own groups, culture, trends, after-school activities, views, etc. The local hang outs will be different for each student body. Maybe one school wears uniforms and the other doesn't. One might be a public school and the other is religious. All of these are world building elements. This is what makes those books feel so real and relateable.

For historical, you have do a lot of research for clothing, culture, the way the homes were built, what was happening politically at the time, etc. I'm actually slightly terrified at historical fiction because there's so many details that I'm scared to mess them up!

When I think about how I've been going about setting up my Vampire Snow White novel, I did a lot of things the more traditional route when it came to my vampire lore. I had the main action happen in Chicago, which is where I live, mainly because I already know the city so well I would be able to put more of my focus and research on other elements. (Not that I don't have to research my home town - I totally do! There's a ton I've learned because of preparing for novels.) Some vampire stories do a lot of twists to the legends, which I really like. But, personally, I liked keeping some of the traditional things. Particularly when it came to weaknesses. (No daylight, wooden stakes can kill, can't touch silver, religious icons burn, etc.) Vampires are already very powerful creatures, and I didn't want them to be too powerful. A creature without weaknesses felt boring to me. So, that's the route I went. 

Once that was decided, I started to research the origins of the Snow White tale as well as German folklore. Since it is a German story, I wanted a lot of my magic and other world building aspects to be influenced by that history and culture. I was excited to see that some elements of the German vampire were slightly different than the traditional one we always see. So, even though I have a lot of the classic vampire in my book, there are a few unique twists I snuck in. 

For other world building elements, I tend to think of them and brainstorm them as I go according to the needs of the plot and the characters. If they need to have dinner in a scene, that's when I start to think about what sort of food they'll eat. When they go to buy something, that's when I'll brainstorm the economy and stores they'd go to. 

I for sure would love to improve my world building skills, because there are many authors who excel at this and I want my stories to feel like they're in real places happening to real people!

It does help to take some notes though, because if you're anything like me, you'll forget some details! I've also found that if someone presents me with the questions about my world, I can easily answer them. Having to come up with those guidelines on my own, I struggle. Check out my World Building Pinterest Board for some of the resources I've used. 

What are some books, movies, or TV shows where you've felt the world building was really well done?

---

Like what you read? Consider buying me a coffee. This simply helps me to continue creating content and I really appreciate your support!