Category Archives: The process

How long should my story be?

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When I started my first novel I asked myself the question, ‘how long should my story be?’ The problem was, I was asking the wrong question and at the wrong time!

As a writer, don’t worry about the length of your story… at least not before you’ve even begun writing. Just write! Stare at the empty screen and start typing. Pound out your first draft and then ask the right question:

Is my story a short story, novelette, novella, novel, or epic?

Once your story is complete, then look at the word count in order to determine what “length” of a story you’ve written. The answer to this question is easy, because it is based on your final word count. Don’t let the desired word count dictate what you write, allow the story to dictate what you write. If you worry about word count, while you’re writing’ you may end up with way more words – and superfluous details – than necessary. 

Now, I’d love to say that there are clear-cut guidelines to how long each type of story should be, but there aren’t. I’ve done a lot of research and it seems the ‘word count’ guide changes depending on who you ask. However, I’ve put together what seems to be the most common ‘suggested’ word counts:

word count

Does this mean you have to adhere to this guideline? Nope, absolutely not! They are just a guide to get you started. Write what you want to write. Tell your story the way your characters are begging you to tell it. When you’re done, call it what you want, but get that story out there for the world to see. Then, pat yourself on the back and celebrate, because you’ll have accomplished something amazing! Something you should be proud of! After you’re done, comment below and tell me what your story is and how long it ended up being, so we can celebrate together.

FADE by Lisa McMann

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TITLE: FADE
AUTHOR: Lisa McMann

RATING OVERVIEW
Writing: ★★★★★
Story: ★★★★
Characters: ★★★★★
Appearance: ★★★★
Overall: ★★★★★ (4.5)

AMAZON DESCRIPTION:
The sequel to Wake, the bestselling YA series about a girl who gets sucked into other people’s dreams.

Buy it HERE on Amazon!

BOOK BLURB:
For Janie and Cabel, real life is getting tougher than the dreams. They’re just trying to carve out a little (secret) time together, but no such luck.

Disturbing things are happening at Fieldridge High, yet nobody’s talking. When Janie taps into a classmate’s violent nightmares, the case finally breaks open – but nothing goes as planned. Not even close. Janie’s in way over her head, and Cabel’s shocking behavior has grave consequences for them both.

Worse yet, Janie learns the truth about herself and her ability – and it’s bleak. Seriously, brutally bleak. Not only is her fate as a dream catcher sealed, but what’s to come is way darker than she’d feared.

THE CRITICAL POINTS

WRITING: Like WAKE, the first book in this series, FADE is a quick read. The style is once again broken down by date and time allowing us to follow along almost as if we are voyeurs on the wall peeking into Janie’s life. This book picks up just “two weeks” in time after where the first one ended. I found these books in the YA section of a bookstore, and although the covers appear YA-ish and the reading level is YA, the content definitely is not!

STORY: In WAKE, the first book, we got to meet the main characters, learn about Janie’s “condition”, watch the relationship between Janie and Cabel develop, and of course discover Cabel’s secret identity as a narc (informant) working with the local police detectives. FADE however, dives so much deeper. The topic of drugs, partying, underage drinking, and a drug bust were Cabel’s main concern in book one, but in FADE, with Janie joining Cabel in helping the police they tackle the issue of a sexual predator who is active in the High School—a teacher. Actually, not just one teacher… three!

Although the issue of sexual predators is very scare, I do feel that it is an important one and I believe Lisa McMann handled it well. She gives a true to life, detailed description of what could happen. It isn’t pretty, it isn’t fun, it is down right scary. As a mom, it makes me want to homeschool my children and keep them locked up and protected from the outside world. Now, I know I can’t do that, but McMann does give us a glimpse into a worlds that not everyone has seen and it feels like she is writing from real life experiences even though her stories are clearly fiction.

I’m very excited to read book 3 (GONE).

APPEARANCE: There are two covers for this book. I have the cover with a photo of Cabel on the front. I think it is nice, but the image they used isn’t exactly what I had invisioned in my mind after reading the first book. I love the simplicity of the other cover – and it matches the covers I have for books 1 and 3 – but I was not able to located that copy.

MY FAVORITE QUOTE: Janie’s response to one of her teachers when he implies because she is from the wrong side of the tracks she probably won’t go to college or if she does it will be a community school:

“Well, I would, if’n I didn’t have Earl Junior on the way, and you know mamaw can’t stay alone in the trailer so good no more. I got to go find Earl Senior, so I can git me some oney, know whut I mean?”

This quote was the PERFECT slap in the face response to her teacher. It shows that women, even young girls, can AND SHOULD stand up for themselves. It doesn’t matter where you come from, how old you are, what you look like, or even your background… you can do anything you want, be anything you want, and achieve anything you want!!!

Check out my YouTube channel and the video review below… and make sure you hit subscribe so you never miss a video.

https://youtu.be/E1slVwFeKZU

WWSKD – What Would Stephen King Do?

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It’s no secret… Stephen King is my favorite author and I just don’t see that changing any time soon. Now, it doesn’t mean I love everything he writes, because I don’t. However, I do love most of it!

The thing is, Stephen King is the author that made me first fall in love with reading. It was his books that got me through not only my youth but also some pretty tough times in my life. Lonely times.

So, as an author myself, I often turn to my “mentor” and seek his guidance. I ask WWSKD – What Would Stephen King Do? I’m actually thinking about getting #WWSKD bracelets made… I wonder if other authors think the same thing. Maybe I should start a club… I digress.on writing

Stephen King has written at least 90 books… probably more. Check out his online library HERE! His books have sold more than 350 million copies. AMAZING, right?! It doesn’t matter if you love them, like them or even hate them, you have to admit 90+ books is impressive. He has even written the manual on writing… literally! In his book, On Writing Stephen King shares all his thoughts on writing including his ‘rules’ which he admits, like most authors, even he breaks from time to time too.

 

He also shares a lot of advice for aspiring writers. I’ve picked some of my favorite quotes and shared them here:

  1. “You don’t need writing classes or seminars any more than you need this or any other book on writing. Faulkner learned his trade while working in the Oxford, Mississippi post office. Other writers have learned the basics while serving in the Navy, working in steel mills or doing time in America’s finer crossbar hotels. I learned the most valuable (and commercial) part of my life’s work while washing motel sheets and restaurant tablecloths at the New Franklin Laundry in Bangor. You learn best by reading a lot and writing a lot, and the most valuable lessons of all are the ones you teach yourself.”
  2. “While to write adverbs is human, to write ‘he said’ or ‘she said’ is divine.”
  3. “Language does not always have to wear a tie and lace-up shoes. The object of fiction isn’t grammatical correctness but to make the reader welcome and then tell a story… to make him/her forget, whenever possible, that he/she is reading a story at all.”
  4. “Timid writers like passive verbs for the same reason that timid lovers like passive partners. The passive voice is safe. The timid fellow writes “The meeting will be held at seven o’clock” because that somehow says to him, ‘Put it this way and people will believe you really know. ‘Purge this quisling thought! Don’t be a muggle! Throw back your shoulders, stick out your chin, and put that meeting in charge! Write ‘The meeting’s at seven.’ There, by God! Don’t you feel better?”
  5. “You have to read widely, constantly refining (and redefining) your own work as you do so. If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write.”
  6. “A radio talk-show host asked me how I wrote. My reply—’One word at a time’—seemingly left him without a reply. I think he was trying to decide whether or not I was joking. I wasn’t. In the end, it’s always that simple. Whether it’s a vignette of a single page or an epic trilogy like ‘The Lord Of The Rings,’ the work is always accomplished one word at a time.”
  7. “There should be no telephone in your writing room, certainly no TV or videogames for you to fool around with. If there’s a window, draw the curtains or pull down the shades unless it looks out at a blank wall.”
  8. “When you write a story, you’re telling yourself the story. When you rewrite, your main job is taking out all the things that are not the story. Your stuff starts out being just for you, but then it goes out.”
  9. “If you’ve never done it before, you’ll find reading your book over after a six-week layoff to be a strange, often exhilarating experience. It’s yours, you’ll recognize it as yours, even be able to remember what tune was on the stereo when you wrote certain lines, and yet it will also be like reading the work of someone else, a soul-twin, perhaps. This is the way it should be, the reason you waited. It’s always easier to kill someone else’s darlings that it is to kill your own.”
  10. “Mostly when I think of pacing, I go back to Elmore Leonard, who explained it so perfectly by saying he just left out the boring parts. This suggests cutting to speed the pace, and that’s what most of us end up having to do (kill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your ecgocentric little scribbler’s heart, kill your darlings.)”
  11. “Writing isn’t about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end, it’s about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well. It’s about getting up, getting well, and getting over. Getting happy, okay? Writing is magic, as much the water of life as any other creative art. The water is free. So drink.”

When Are You the Most Creative?

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creative thinking

Do you have a specific time of day when you feel you’re at your creative peak? Is there a place you go to get a quick surge of creativity? Or, is it an activity you do that helps you put your creative thinking cap on?

I read that studies have shown; people are typically at their most creative in the late evening hours and at their least creative late afternoon/early evening. Well, I don’t know about you, but I’ve always found that my best ideas come to either while I’m in the shower (morning, afternoon, or evening), while I’m on a road trip, or when I’m half asleep. It seem ironic to me that in all three cases I am, more often than not, unable to jot down my thoughts… unless I’m a rider not a driver! I’m an author… I can’t let my most creative moments pass me by! 

The thing is, I don’t really believe that this is something a “study” can tell us. Everyone is different. I’m typically a morning person, while my husband is typically a night owl. I say typically because life… jobs… kids… they often dictate what type of lifestyle we have to adjust to, but that doesn’t mean we enjoy it. I do believe however, that there are certain times of the day when we feel the most creative and other times when creativity seems impossible. I just believe the ‘creative zone’ happens at different times for everyone.  

The truth is, it doesn’t matter when or where you feel you’re at your most creative. What matters is that you know when/where that is ,so you can use it to your advantage. Below I’ve listed a few tips on how you can figure out what your most creative times of the day are, where you’re most creative, and what activities spark your most creative thoughts/ideas. 

TAKE NOTE:
Keep a “creativity log” to track your tasks. When tracking project progress, you want to jot down when the project started, when/where you worked on it, and when you finished. Long periods of time spent working on one task is typically a sign that you were focused and in a creative zone. However, taking a long time to complete a task because you are working on it sporadically may indicate you were distracted, un-focused, and not in a creative time/space. Tracking tasks from week to week will allow you to determine your most creative times/locations each day and which days you tend to be the most productive.

BE FLEXIBLE AND SCHEDULE YOUR TIME WISELY:
In order to use your creative time the most productively, you may want to consider juggling your schedule a bit. Whether it’s at work or home, make sure you are scheduling fun, creative tasks during the hours you feel your most alert and focused. Use this time to write, create, or work – if that’s what you’re passionate about. Just make sure you are spending your most creative time of day on creative tasks.

PLAN AHEAD:
Once you know when your creativity is most likely to sneak up on you – like me in the shower or on a nice long road trip – you can start to plan for it. For me, I always have a pen and notebook with me… yes, even in the bathroom. That way, if inspiration hits me, I can jot down my thoughts as soon as I jump out of the shower. Whenever it is that creativity seems to be at its peak for you, you need to be prepared. So, think about how you can plan for that next inspiring moment. 

Do you have suggestions on using your creative time wisely? Comment below and share when you’re most creative and how you make sure to never let inspiration slip by!

My 2 Cents… DUDE!

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DudeMovie: Dude
Director: Olivia Milch
Writer: Olivia Milch
Stars: Lucy Hale, Kathryn Prescott, Alexandra Shipp, and Awkwafina

Blurb:
A group of teenage girlfriends deal with life after high school.

Storyline:
DUDE is a grounded comedy about dealing with first losses in life–leaving your best friends, the death of loved ones, and the passage of time–and that odd mixture of grief and nostalgia experienced by young people as they try to understand these losses. It is also about getting stoned with your friends in your car while listening to hip-hop.

RATING OVERVIEW
Writing: ★★★★
Story: ★★★
Acting: ★★★★
Overall: ★★★★ (3.66)

My 2 Cents:
Netflix recommended this movie to me because I had just finished watching Life Sentence also with Lucy Hale. I did sit through the entire hour and 37 minutes of Dude, although I’m pretty sure I’ll never get that time back. It wasn’t that it was a bad movie, it just wasn’t what I was expecting. Definitely not another typical teen comedy where girl meets boy, they fall in love, break up, and eventually end up together again.

Right from the start, a mix-match group of high school aged girls are smoking weed, drinking, and cussing like gangsters. As a mom, this put me on edge. One of my biggest fears is that I’m not raising my kids right and they somehow end up going down the wrong path and end up like the teens in this movie.

Back to reality… I’ll leave my parenting choices out of this.

The acting was good, especially Lucy Hale. [SPOILER ALERT] During the party scene… when Lily finds herself alone with the overly aggressive boy that she only partly knows, Lucy shows just how good her acting chops really are.

The directing, not bad… I can see why she made the choices she made.

The writing wasn’t bad either, and I’m sure there are more high school kids out there living lives just like the ones seen in this film than I’d like to believe. Overall, I think it was a good movie, but I do hope it’s not one my kids watch while staying up late watching Netflix on their iPads.

You can watch the official movie trailers here:

4 KEY INGREDIENTS FOR A STRONG BOOK LAUNCH & CONSISTENT SALES

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KEY INGREDIENTS FOR A STRONG BOOK LAUNCH AND CONSISTENT BOOK SALES:

• Cover Design – YES, people do judge books by their covers! The cover is your books first impression, if people don’t like it they aren’t going to pick it up to read the back blurb (2nd impression).

• Detailed Editing – The more editing the better! Readers will give your book on average 1-3 chapters to impress them, often less.

• Strong Story – Some editing issues can be forgiven as long as your story is strong.

• Marketing – You should start marketing your book at least 6 months prior to the actual book release date.

I want to know your thoughts too!!! Comment below and share your suggestions for ensuring a successful book launch and consistent sales after your book has been published!

My 2 Cents… Life Sentence (Season 1)

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LifeTV Series: Life Sentence (Season 1)
Creators: Erin Cardillo and Richard Keith
Stars: Lucy Hale, Elliot Knight, Jayson Blair, Brooke Lyons, and Carlos PenaVega

Blurb:
When Stella finds out her terminal cancer is cured, she must learn to live with all the choices she made when deciding to live like she was dying.

Storyline:
Stella (Lucy Hale) has lived the last 8 years of her life making every day count. 8 years ago, she was diagnosed with cancer, but when she finds out that her cancer has been cured, she struggles to make some life choices. How do you make choices when there isn’t a weight on your shoulders anymore?

RATING OVERVIEW
Writing: ★★★★
Story: ★★★★
Acting: ★★★★
Overall: ★★★★ (4)

My 2 Cents:
OK Lucy Hale… I’m a fan. Having known Hale only from Pretty Little Liars, I was glad to see her in something a bit more serious. Something that could challenge her acting abilities. Life Sentence is a fun, yet serious, dramedy (drama/comedy) that touches on topics such as cancer, mixed marriages, discovering yourself, sexuality, and marital affairs.

No, cancer isn’t funny… but, in the context of a young girl who discovers her new-found life, the series creators have found a way to make all of life’s ups and downs entertaining. I laughed. I cried. I was disgusted and pissed off. To say that I was emotionally involved by the end of the season would be correct. Sadly, I have learned that there will be no season two as the CW canceled the show. So, I guess if you’re just looking for a short commitment… with minimual time investment… you should binge watch Life Sentence on Netflix, but be prepared for all the feels.

You can watch the official season one trailer here:

 

 

5 KEY INGREDIENTS FOR A STRONG STORY

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5 KEY INGREDIENTS FOR A STRONG STORY:

• A strong opening – Right from the start of your story the setting should set the mood and tone for your readers.

• Balance – You need to have a balance between SHOWING through strong, but not overwhelming, descriptions and TELLING through script-worthy dialogue

• Diverse, well-developed characters – Keep in mind that not everyone is beautiful, people have scars (emotional and physical). Your characters should all be uniquely themselves, with their own back-stories, personalities, etc.

• Conflict and Resolution – Every good story needs conflict, it’s what allows the characters to develop, adapt, and change, throughout the story.

• A satisfying conclusion – This doesn’t mean a Hollywood “happy” ending, it just means that all the plot holes have been filled in and questions have been answered… that is unless you’re leaving your readers with a cliffhanger! I have to admit, I love a good cliffhanger. 

What else do you feel are key ingredients for a strong story? Share your thoughts and comments below! 

Tips from famous authors…

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If you do a google search for the best tips for new authors, you’ll be inundated with a ton of advice. Some suggestions will be good… others, not so much. Below are some of my favorite tips from famous authors out there:

  1. Be open to criticism – Be it from your peers, your beta readers, and most importantly your editor. You have to be open to listening to your editor! (Stephen King)
  2. Write for yourself, not the market – Write what you care about. Don’t try to write for the market or just to sell. If you aren’t writing what your passionate about it will never sell. (Neil Gaiman)
  3. Practice makes perfect – Writing is like a sport. If you don’t practice you’ll never get better. Just a little bit every day – a page a day – will make you better. (Rick Riordan)
  4. Ask practical questions – The moment you make a decision about your story, a character choice, a plot choice, etc. you need to ask yourself practical questions about it. How will that work? How will it affect the characters? When you start asking yourself those types of practical questions and finding answers then the unrealistic becomes realistic. It becomes possible. (Salman Rushdie)
  5. Teach yourself that everything is interesting – A common desire for new writers is to edit everything, and although editing is VERY important, you don’t want to edit yourself as you write. Put everything into your story – everything is interesting – everything is important. You can edit out what really doesn’t matter at the end, when you’ve finished your first draft. (Malcolm Gladwell)

Watch the Reedsy video here:

 

Author Interview – TM Blayte

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Being an indie-author is hard… amazing, exciting, and so much fun, but it is HARD!!! Getting your book in the hands of readers is often draining. So, for that reason and because I believe that we indie-authors need to help each other out, I welcome all authors to my blog as guests.

Front Cover

Therefore, I’d like to welcome TM Blayte, author of Until We Are Free, to my site.

  1. What is your name and where do you call home? My name is TM Blayte. I call Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa home.
  2. Do you have a pen name? Yes. TM Blayte is my pen name.
  3. What is the name of your most recent book and if you had to sum it up in 20 or fewer words, what would you say? Until We Are Free. It is about a teenage rebel, working against his organization’s enemies, and against his own organization, which is led by his father.
  4. Is the above book part of a series? Yes. It is the first in a planned trilogy.
  5. What or who inspired you to start writing? I liked history in school. Using stuff we were taught about colonial Africa, the Vietnam war, and the French revolution, I was inspired to add revolution elements to a mandarin vampire story. And then remove the vampires.
  6. How long have you been writing? I’ve been writing since before I was sixteen.
  7. How did you come up with the cover? Who designed the cover of your book(s)? I’m published by a small press. Their department took care of everything cover related.
  8. Did you listen to any particular songs while writing your book(s)? No. I like working in silence.
  9. How did you come up with the title for your book(s)? The original title was Revolution Until We Are Free. It felt appropriate, because an overall theme of the trilogy is we are never truly free. So any successful revolution actually never ends. After I signed my book with Alban Lake Publishing, the editor suggested changing the name to Until We Are Free.
  10. Do you prefer e-books, paperbacks, hard-covers or audio-books? Whenever I can get my hands on them, I love audio books. They don’t come cheap, so I mostly read e-books.
  11. Are you a self-published/Indie author? I am published with a small press, Alban Lake Publishing. No agent.
  12.  Have you ever read a book more than once? And if so what was it? Yes! I read all the Harry Potter books over and over again, until I knew the chapter names of all seven books. I’ve also read Frost Bite by Richelle Mead a couple of times. However, as I’ve had more to spend on books in the past year, I almost never repeat books anymore.
  13. What is your opinion of novellas? Awesome. I love reading and writing them. I think they are perfect. As a university student, I usually want something I can start and finish on a Saturday. In comes this wonderful literary invention.
  14. Have you ever read a book just based on its cover? Never. Ever. Ever.
  15. What is your favorite film based on a book? I would have to say Game of Thrones. It is a show a reader can appreciate, but the film guys take artistic license as well. It has the perfect balance.
  16. What is your favorite book genre at the moment? That is a tough question. Very tough. But let’s go with Fantasy.
  17. What books have made it onto your wish list recently? And why? One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus, Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orïsha, #1) by Tomi Adeyemi, and The Fallen by David Baldacci. The first two, because they are what everyone is talking about in YA circles. The Fallen, because I am a longtime Baldacci fan.
  18. What book are you reading at the moment? And in what format? Thirteen Hours by Deon Meyer. I’m listening to the audio version.
  19. If you could invite any four (4) celebrities (alive or dead) to your dinner party, who would you invite and why? Lecrae. He is my favorite rapper. Celine Dion, she has the best vocals in the game. J.K. Rowling, come on, who wouldn’t? Beyoncé, it’s not what you’re thinking. I used to be a rapper in my teenage years. I simply want to pass on one of my old demos, so she can pass them onto J.
  20. What’s the best advice that you have been given when it comes to writing? Wait. The business is subjective.
  21. Do you have any hobbies that aren’t related to reading & writing? Yep. I enjoy listening to good music. Genre doesn’t matter, as long as it is good. I also love binge watching series. My favorites are the Blacklist, The Big Bang Theory, Bosch, and Game of Thrones.
  22. Where can your readers follow you?

■ Blog: https://www.tmblaytespeaks.wordpress.com
■ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/tmblayte
■ To purchase a copy of Until We Are Free: https://www.infiniterealmsbookstore.com/product-page/until-we-are-free-by-tm-blayte
■ Newsletter: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeDnT36u5d62e0CwQhWLyW2NAjL5NE6UvLnBZPD_qlXCeOiqg/viewform?c=0&w=1&usp=mail_form_link

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Front CoverUntil We Are Free

If sixteen-year-old human, Nyl Jayms fails to kidnap the Elder Princess, in order to force her brother, the king, to negotiate with humans, the only other option is a war that could lead to the annihilation of one or both races. It has been nearly six hundred years since the war of the gods, and humans are still second class citizens, in what the characters believe to be the last shred of civilized earth. The Riders, a group of human rebels now have enough resources to stage a full-scale war, but want to try negotiations to spare human lives. Why then, does it seem some council members, including Nyl’s dad, want a war, and will do anything to disrupt negotiations?