IWSG: My Writerly Cave

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IWSG: a place where writers and friends share woes or hugs.

Welcome to mine!

Welcome to my March's IWSG post. I apologize for posting this so late. I've spent the past several weeks in my writing cave preparing an upcoming book for publication. Finally! I spend so much time writing and writing by the seat of my pants that when I look back at the mountain of edits, I realize I'm falling behind.

I've rewritten Darkspell. It feels cringeworthy at best. I also plan to update my website's tabs to include upcoming books as teasers. So much to do!

One of the methods I've recently incorporated into my arsenal of editing is the Reader tool on MicrosoftWord. I've been listening to my computer read back every paragraph. I'm doing my best to rewrite the words so that it reads smoothly--I must be at my best for listening to cadence anomalies.

I'm in the process of trimming down overused words according to an editor's worksheet list--some of the things she has in there are crazy. For example, "in", "to", and "not". I was relieved that the words "and" and "the" weren't included. I'm breaking out into a sweat as it is with everything else!

I'm just about done and will send my current story to my beta readers!

I'm aiming to release it on Independence Day as a way to honor freedom and free will, which is the premise of my story. It is a SciFi Romance Here is the blurb:

Balance. Peace. Order.

Everything N'reena has lived for shatters the moment an accident nearly takes her life. If it weren't for Daemos, she wouldn't have ever tasted a kiss, felt a touch, or experienced love—

She especially wouldn't have unveiled what lurked right in front of her home these many centuries…

I'm done illustrating the book cover. My muse directed me to use the anime this time, an interesting turn to be sure. Would you like a sneak peek? Here it is:

I plan to include a glossary at the back of the book and a few bonuses, though I'm not exactly sure what!

What is your process for finding overused words? Do you have pet words? What do sort of bonuses do you look forward to when you read a book?

#IWSG: Battling the Beasts of Life, a mom lecture

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IWSG: a place where writers and friends share woes or hugs.

Welcome to mine!

Thank you, Joylene Nowell Butler, Jacqui Murray, Sandra Cox, and Lee Lowery for hosting this month's IWSG!

February's question is: Is there someone who's supported you that isn't in your life anymore that you miss?

Thank you for the prompt, but I will write on dredging up creative intuition today.

The other night, one of my children lamented how they were unable to create fantastical depths compared to the authors they admire. To their frustration, they've worked on the same novel for over four years. They're frustrated as to why they struggle to move forward, why they're constantly rehashing the same scenes.

IWSG: Regrets in my Writing Career

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IWSG: a place where writers and friends share woes or hugs.

Welcome to mine!

Thank you for co-hosting January's posting: Erika Beebe, Olga Godim, Sandra Cox, Sarah Foster, and Chemist Ken!

The question of the month is: What's the one thing about your writing career you regret the most? Were you able to overcome it?

My career has been all over the place. When I first started out, I was full of eagerness and enthusiasm. I participated in book signings, writer's conferences, Q & A panels, critique groups. 

Despite my involvement, I faced so many obstacles. The further I trod, the more resistance I faced: from my connections to the publisher I was with (it had cut so many corners that I lost confidence in their way of doing business). I was so discouraged that I hired a copyright attorney to end my contracts with said publisher and took a year-long break.

IWSG: What Writing Does for Me

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IWSG: a place where writers and friends share woes or hugs.

Welcome to mine!

Thank you, IWSG co-hosts: PJ Colando, Diane Burton, Louise – Fundy Blue, Natalie Aguirre, and Jacqui Murray!

December 1 question – In your writing, what stresses you the most? What delights you?

Before I say a thing, I need to apologize! A big oops on my part! Here I thought that December 8th was the first Wednesday of December. 

My, has the time slipped by me so unnoticed!

To answer the question, it is keeping up with my psyche: I can whip them novels out so fast, but they sit and sit and sit while collecting, waiting for publication. I'm faster at writing than I am at anything else. I wish I had a crew behind me who could edit and format and market all of my books!

Photo by Jasmin Egger @ Unsplash.com

Then there's real-life happening to me and it's not easy! I'm dealing with putting together Humpty Dumpty. It has been a journey of frustration and tears but the rewards of healing have been miraculous and so very beautiful.

So I keep writing more because it's cathartic!

Then there is the satisfaction in editing. It gives me the chance to revisit my beloved stories. Formatting is an art. It's aesthetic. Then there's creating the book cover! Wow. There's another art form.

Photo by Stoica Ionela @ Unsplash.com

Marketing has slipped me!

I was really good at it several years ago before I took a sabbatical and it went all downhill from there.

So I find myself at the start with a fresh page begging to have a new story written.

What do you find most stressful about writing? What joys does it bring you?

IWSG: Wrestling with Hooks and Blurbs

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IWSG: a place where writers and friends share woes or hugs.

Welcome to mine!

Thank you for cohosting November's IWSG:

Kim Lajevardi, Victoria Marie Lees, Joylene Nowell Butler, Erika Beebe, and Lee Lowery!

The question of the month is: What’s harder, coming up with my book title or with the blurb?

photo by Anne Nygård@Unsplash.com

So this month’s question for IWSG is a very interesting one, the blurb or the title? They are both hooks! If you decide to subtitle each chapter, those are hooks. The last sentence of each chapter should be hooks as well as the very first sentence of the book! Oh, and the book cover is a hook in case that thought hasn’t crossed.