A writer is a reader first...by Sheila Claydon

Find my books here

A writer is first and foremost a reader. Reading is what inspires us. In my book Empty Hearts the heroine  is a TV presenter turned writer. 

My daughter-in-law was complimented the other day when she and her daughter (my ten year old  granddaughter) were staying in a hotel together and the waitress who was serving them saw my granddaughter reading a book. She wanted to know how this was possible when every other child sitting at a table waiting to be served was on an iPhone or a tablet. My daughter-in-law didn't have an answer other than 'she likes to read.'

How did this happen? Is it because we are a book loving family so it's in the genes? Or is it due to the fact that every night before bed she had a story until the day she dismissed her parents, saying she was now old enough to read to herself? Is it because she is surrounded by books? She has a whole bookcase full in her bedroom, another shelf here when she visits me, and a library ticket for whatever country she is in. Currently the family live in Singapore. Previously it was Hong Kong. Before that Australia. All interspersed with long stints in the UK. 

In the UK our local library is good but small. There are reading pods for the children who start a book the moment they arrive, and a garden to play in for the ones needing to let off steam. It offers lots of storytelling activities and every child can take home 20 books at a time. It is not, however, a patch on the libraries she used in Australia and Hong Kong. Nor the Singaporean one she uses now. They are all truly amazing with what seems like miles of shelving and lots of child sized seating areas as well as roomier ones for parents to join in. There are school libraries too, so she's never short of books. 

None of this means she doesn't use the iPad however. It's still one of her favourite things alongside her Nintendo Switch (which means nothing to me!) but she always finds time for her books. 

Now all this sounds as if she has been conditioned to love books and of course it has helped but it can't be the only answer. My other two older granddaughters were treated in exactly the same way as they grew up (apart from living in multiple countries!) and yet one of them never reads while the other one always has a book on the go. So loving books has to come from somewhere inside us. Is it imagination, curiosity, an ability to visualise what the words on the page are saying, or something else entirely? 

My non-reading granddaughter is bright, academically able and can read and spell perfectly well. She passed all her English exams with good marks, then gave up reading. Yet she is much better than the rest of the family at interpreting diagrams, building flatpack furniture from the pictures, ditto Lego and other constructions. She has an amazing memory and can map read like a pro, whereas I can get lost in a carpark! 

So what is it? I only have a sample of three to go by, but loving reading and valuing books really does seem to be something inbuilt. A child who reads is an adult who reads, and who, maybe, one day, become a writer. 

The Joy of The End by Eileen O'Finlan

 

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Two of most writers favorite words are "The End." That's not because we don't like writing. Most of us love it. It's because "The End" represents that the first leg of a very long and often arduous process is finally finished. It can take months or even years to be able to type those words. For those of us who write in genres that take a tremendous amount of research before a single word of the story gets written, it may be even longer. 

It is not, however, truly the end for the author. The first draft is just the beginning. Once those glorious words have been typed, the author enters the next phase of the writing process - revisions. The first draft is only that, the first of what could eventually be many drafts before the book is finally done. I completely rewrote Kelegeen at least three times before it was truly finished.

Recently, I typed "The End" on the first draft of my current work in progress, an historical novel to be titled The Folklorist. Upon seeing those words appear on the screen, I felt as though a huge weight had been lifted from me. I would not have been surprised to find myself floating around the room (okay, I would have been surprised, but maybe not that much). 

I knew perfectly well that it was not really the end. I'm now slogging through revisions, fixing problems, looking for any issues with pacing or continuity. Given that The Folklorist has a dual timeline, something I've never written before, it is especially challenging. But I'm up for a challenge, and, honestly, I've been delighted to find that the timelines held together on the first draft much better than I expected. 

So if there's still so much more work to do after the first draft has been completed, why is typing "The End" such a big deal? It's because of what it represents. An entire body of work has been completed. The author who likely had plenty of doubts, writing crises, writer's block, and general hair-pulling moments liberally sprinkled amongst times of pure writing joy, can finally say that a complete story has been written. The obstacles were overcome. "I did it!" may ring through the air.

Yes, there will be things to fix, add, delete, whatever. But a whole story emerged despite the times it threatened to keel over and die. And that is a feeling to which very few things can compare.

                                                        

The End of the Story...by Sheila Claydon

Find my books here

Writing a book is a mix of things: a hard slog, moments of elation, moments of recognition even, and of course a lot of staring at a blank screen. A writer's mood can swing from depression to excitement from one sentence to the next. And then, when the last i is dotted and the last t is crossed, there is the editing. The acknowledgement that the section in chapter ten that seemed just right, no longer works. Nor does the timeline in chapter twelve. What has been missed out? What has been forgotten?

Once all that has been rectified to the writer's satisfaction, and all names and dates checked and double checked (yes, I did accidentally change the name of the heroine for a couple of chapters in one book, which would not have been a good look if the mistake had gone to print!) then it is the turn of the publishing editor, who will inevitably find a whole lot of other things that need attention.

While all that is going on there are a couple of other things that is very important indeed. The title. The cover image and the blurb (the short description that will hopefully persuade a browsing reader to buy the book).

This can be both the best and worst of times. The blurb cannot be too long but nor must it leave out the kernel of the story. The cover image must fit with the most up-to-date publishing style while at the same time show what the story is about, and finally the title. This can be the most tricky thing of all. Does the writer use the name of one of the characters, as I did in the first two books of the Mapleby Memories series, or is it better to find another link within the story.

It took me quite a while to find a title for my latest book (due out in April) and in the end it wasn't really me who found it, but my teenage granddaughter! She was staying with me for a few days and we were discussing her English homework and, because she naturally has a very quirky way of looking at things, she was explaining to me how once, when she was given a topic to write about, with a title, she was almost at the end before she realised she hadn't tied it to the title at all. What did she do? She wrote a final paragraph cramming everything in and, believe it or not, got good marks!

I didn't do that of course but it really made me think. Was there something that had featured throughout the book that could be used in the title? I re-read the whole thing and realised that there was. The moon!  Because the story stretches across the centuries the events that took place were observed by many a moon. I had the title. Many a Moon not only trips off the tongue, it is quite a memorable phrase and, when I re-read the story I realised I had indeed used a moonlit image quite frequently. Admittedly I did copy my granddaughter a tiny bit by inserting a couple of extra moons, but only two, and then the book was complete.

In April readers will be able to discover what the moon saw. Until then I have one final edit and then Many a Moon: Mapleby Memories Book 3, the final book of the trilogy will be published, with a cover, a blurb and a title I really like. I hope readers do too. 

Why Write Fan Fiction When You Could Write Something that REALLY Blows? by Vanessa C. Hawkins

 Vanessa Hawkins Author Page

Get it? Blows... if not then read the title again, and strap in for a punderful time with your favorite fun-loving blogger/extrovert, needs-to-get-out-in-the-sun-more, weirdo. 

I know, I know... I only have one... and it's in my room.

So for those of you who don't know what fan fiction is, allow me to explain. Fan fiction is when you watch the first four seasons of Supernatural, realize that the subsequent seasons suck and Dean is obviously meant to be with Castiel, and finally after a stupid amount of time writing alternate realities in your mind, you post these alternate realities--which are obviously better and why the producers of the show didn't contact me about my ideas, I'll never know-- on the internet. 

Did you catch that? No? Okay... how about this!

Though I must admit I never actually posted my fan fiction on the internet, in retrospect I'm glad I didn't. It was entirely the fault of dial-up, mind you--the age old tradition of using one's phone line to obtain a crappy internet connection. But it was enough to keep my alternate ideas away from the public eye or becoming something like Fifty Shades. 

Yes, that's right. I'm old. PlayStation 1 old...

There's a PlayStation 5 now?!

Also yes, Fifty Shades started out as a fan fiction... and yes... UGH! I still hate it.

So, I'm not saying that fan fiction is lame. I mean a lot of it is... and a lot of it's just smutty bullhump that some people like ejaculating online, *COUGH!* E. L. James **COUGH COUGH!** but not all of it's bad! I promise! In fact, my first foray into writing fanfics--that's a little word we pros like to use to seem like we know a thing or two--was definitely what got me on the path to published writer bliss! And despite my fan fiction being anything BUT cool, it was practice, and practice makes perfect...

or at least it made me a less crappy writer...

Ahem! You weren't supposed to laugh at that...

But my point--and yes I sometimes DO have one--is that although fan fiction is a self-indulgent mess that we love developing and getting into, sometimes we ought to turn off Pornhub, go out into the world, and find a human being by ourselves that we can love and cherish and make ours forever and ever and ever!

Buffalo Bill gets what I'm sayin'!

I mean, copyright aside, I'd be cool with peeps writing fan fiction of MY work. It meant I had a fan! But then again, I'm not so sure I'd recommend any aspiring writer to get one foot in the door by doing that unless you want to change pretty much everything to avoid lawsuits. 

Did you know Christian Gray was really Edward Cullen? Did you know what's-her-face was really Bella Swan? E. L. James proves that anything can be possible! But I wouldn't bank on those re-written fanfic bucks just yet...

In fact, some writer's vehemently oppose it. Look at ol' George...

We would the blog be without George? 

He believes that it's a bad route to being a professional writer. Build your own worlds and characters! he says! I tend to agree with him... though I also agree actually finishing what you started to write is good advice too... *hint hint George* 

So! I guess the moral of the story is: Write Fan Fiction! Make bucks! But be sure to change just enough around so Lionel Huts doesn't come knocking at your door...                                                                                                Or!--the alternative--Don't Write Fan Fiction! Don't even finish your series! Make bucks! Sell out and help produce a great series on HBO that ends like a blind date with bad breath. 

Yes... I signed the Game of Thrones Petition...

And no, I have no idea what I'm doing. No one does. At least that's what I tell myself at night to feel better. 

Just do you and have fun so later you can go back to crying over your manuscript in peace...

Where are my fan fiction or didn't finish my work in progress BUCKS? *cries*

 

Why do writers like cats? by Vijaya Schartz

Find VIjaya's books from BWL Publishing HERE

As far as I can remember, I loved cats… and writing. I wrote poetry in first grade, around the same time I brought my first stray home. At the time my father didn’t allow us to have pets, but since then I adopted many cats… and I kept writing. I still write, and I still have a cat. 

Some say writers like cats because they are non-intrusive. I beg to differ. Even right now, my cat is begging for me to stop this computer nonsense and pay attention to her. 

Others say cats are the perfect writer’s pet because they sleep a lot and they like daily routines. That part is true. There is a time for me to write. That’s when my cat sleeps. Right now, it’s TV time and I’m still writing, that’s why my cat is so upset. 

Cats are independent, and the epitome of indifference. That part is usually true, unless it’s tuna time, or close to tuna time, or two hours before tuna time, or three in the morning and she decides it’s tuna time. 

My cat's favorite camouflage blanket

So, if cats are just as demanding as other pets, why is it so many famous writers had cats and adored them? My rational opinion could be that cats are quieter than dogs and don’t need to be walked, but I believe it goes much deeper than that. Cats are intriguing, challenging, smart, and obstinate. They tickle our muse. And if I have a question, I can always ask my cat. She will give me the right answer. 

Here are some other reasons why great writers loved their cats: 

"A cat has absolute emotional honesty: human beings, for one reason or another, may hide their feelings, but a cat does not." Ernest Hemmingway 

"I write so much because my cat sits on my lap. She purrs so I don't want to get up. She's so much more calming than my husband." Joyce Carol Oates 

"That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you." Ray Bradbury, Zen in the Art of Writing 

"I simply can't resist a cat, particularly a purring one. They are the cleanest, cunningest, and most intelligent things I know, outside of the girl you love, of course." Mark Twain 

"I wish I could write as mysterious as a cat." Edgar Alan Poe 

"When a Cat adopts you there is nothing to be done about it except to put up with it and wait until the wind changes." T.S. Elliot 

There is a cat in my latest novel, a telepathic cougar, the companion of my kick-butt bounty hunter heroine. If you haven’t read it yet, pick it up and enjoy.

What in the frozen hells of Laxxar prompted Fianna to pursue her quarry to this forbidden blue planet? Well, she needs the credits... badly. But as if crashing in the jungle wasn't bad enough, none of her high-tech weapons work. She'll have to go native, after the most wanted felon in five galaxies. It's not just her job. It's personal.

Acielon has never seen an outworlder like this fascinating female, strangely beautiful, and fierce, like the feline predator loping at her side. He always dreamed of exploring the universe, despite the legends... and the interdiction. Is it truly a hellish place of violence, lies and suffering? If it spawned this intriguing creature, it must also be a place of wonders, adventure and excitement...

Fianna's instincts tell her someone is watching. Sheba, her telepathic feline partner, doesn't seem worried... yet, something on Azura isn't quite right.

"I don’t know how Vijaya continues to write books that both aggravate you to no end and keep you on the edge of your seat. You can’t put it down until you know what happens next. Before you know what happened, you are at the end of the book and wondering how you got there so fast. It is hard not to get caught up in and lost in the imagery created on the pages of the locations. You can even smell what is in the air. Yet another page turner I couldn’t put down! Thank you Vijaya for keeping me entertained." 5-stars - Beverley J. Malloy on amazon

HAPPY READING!

Vijaya Schartz

http://www.vijayaschartz.com

Writers need exercise - by Vijaya Schartz

Sitting at a keyboard all day, every day, is not conducive to inspiration or good health. Unfortunately, writers tend to just sit and type, so engrossed in their stories that they forget there is a world around them. Unaware of time constraints (except for deadlines) they remain sedentary. Even when they do not write, they are still sitting, promoting on social media, writing blogs.

Sometimes it's difficult to find the time or even the energy to move or go outside. We all know we should exercise, but we find excuses, mostly valid and logical ones, for postponing and procrastinating. One day, I will exercise. When this book is finished... when I'm done with this series...

There was a time in my life when I traveled a lot, exercised a lot, climbed mountains, jumped out of planes, surfed, practiced Martial Arts. Of course, I was not published at the time and had no deadlines, or obligations. I enjoyed accumulating the experiences that now enrich my writing.

For me, it has been over a decade since I practiced any physical activity on a regular basis. So, this fall, I decided to break out of my funk and take care of my body. Nothing drastic, nothing extreme. I was looking for regularity, something I could stick to. Something with buddy support. Two writer friends recently started Tai-Chi classes near my residence, and I joined their class. One of them goes hiking on Sundays, and I decided to join her as well. Yes, it's the right season for hiking, since I live near Phoenix, in Arizona.

I also had to establish a writing schedule around these activities, to make sure my writing would not suffer. I quickly discovered that having a regular schedule encouraged me to write faster. I write mornings, while my mind is fresh and agile, and it's my first priority of the day. Then I exercise, promote, and fulfill my other obligations as a writer.

Since I started exercising again, I discovered that I am more prolific, and inspiration comes easier. I'm glad I established this routine. I already feel better, stronger, younger, more energetic, and I love my life. So, this January, stop making excuses, and start taking care of yourself. You will like living healthy.

And as a reward for reading this, PRINCESS OF BRETAGNE, Book 1 in the Curse of the Lost Isle medieval fantasy romance series, is free in kindle through today. If you like immortal strong women, the Viking invasions, or Celtic legends, don't miss it.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007K1EGAM

And this series will be complete with the release of Book 8, Angel of Lusignan, in January. That book is already in pre-order at Amazon HERE

Check out the entire series on its new page on Amazon HERE

Vijaya Schartz
 Blasters, Swords, Romance with a Kick
 http://www.vijayaschartz.com
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Writers Are About Words (and That Makes Me Think) by Karla Stover

    

Amazon

Every once in a while I give pause over something—generally something trite, for example, the word, “nonplussed.”  Its original Latin definition was “no more or no further.” The meaning then changed to, a state of bewilderment and now means unimpressed. That change isn’t what bothers me, though. What really gets me is that the “non” implies that a person can be “plussed” which they can’t because there’s no such word—or condition.

     Inchoate is another puzzler, though less so because it is possible to be “choate.” Oliver Wendell Holmes used the word, “choate” in 1878 but I wonder if anyone has used it since then.  Anyway, inchoate means either the beginning of something, or to begin something, and choate means whatever was begun is complete.  Mostly the word is used by lawyers.

     Which brings me to “short-shrift.” A “shrift” is a confession to a priest, a penance imposed, or absolution of sins after a confession; “short-shrift” means, little or no attention was given. I’ve never seen or heard the word, “shrift” used.

     The use of “real people” on some (dare I say) reality commercials insults me. “Real” as opposed to what? Is there such a thing as an unreal person? Is that what zombies, vampires or werewolves are? Of course, I know the advertisers mean the unreal people are those who are stars in their fields—athletes, actors, etc. The implication being they’re so far above the rest of us that they aren’t “real?” What are they, then? Inhabitants of Mount Olympus, home to the Gods? I have a hard enough time with male actors, as it is. Actor Paul Giamatti said it best. “Acting can be a really silly thing. It's like playing dress-up.” No “like” about it; acting is dressing up and pretending to be someone else.

     And one last interesting thing. When I belonged to Toast Masters, we counted the number of fillers people used in their talks—such as, er, um, and erm. A synonym to these is, “you know.” “You know” has invaded the English language. All four of them are mimetics—sounds of hesitation.

     Please, someone, make them go away.

http://bookswelove.net/authors/stover-karla/

(Really Great) Writers on Writing By Gail Roughton

A few weeks ago, I took a couple of hours and "organized" my computer files. Like closets and file cabinets, computers tend to accumulate a lot of files and documents you had good reason to save at the time you saved them. Unfortunately, six months--or six years--later, you have absolutely no idea what that reason was.  That's when you need to bite the bullet and go through those accumulated files, organizing what's usable in such a fashion you can actually find it when you need to use it, and deleting the things you have no idea why you saved in the first place.  Sometimes, in the course of such a clean-up, you find some absolute gems you'd forgotten you'd ever saved. Like the following quotes from a few of the acknowledged greatest writers of our time. 

"There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are." W. Somerset Maugham. (That might be my favorite.)

"If you have any young friends who aspire to become writers, the second greatest favor you can do them is to present them with copies of The Elements of Style. The first greatest, of course, is to shoot them now, while they're happy."  Dorothy Parker.  (No, wait! With apologies to Mr. Maugham, that's my favorite!)

Writing's tough. If it was easy, anybody could do it. Any seasoned writer will tell you--the first rule of writing is there are no rules, and that's been said by many people in many different ways.  Still, there are pearls of wisdom to be gleaned from listening to the greats. Like this one:  "The first draft of everything is s--t." Ernest Hemingway. And when an aspiring writer actually believes that insofar as their own first draft goes, they are well on the way to ceasing to be "aspiring" and becoming a seasoned writer. 

"I would advise anyone who aspires to a writing career that before developing his talent he would be wise to develop a thick hide."  Harper Lee. Now who in their right mind would ignore advice from Harper Lee?  (Nobody in their right mind, of course.) I'd also add that without a thick hide, all the talent in the world isn't going to help you, because you won't survive long enough for that talent to be discovered. 

"If writing seems hard, it's because it is hard. It's one of the hardest things people do." William Zinsser.  Yes, it is. And that's why it's so satisfying when a reader's review lets the writer know that their words made an imaginary world populated with imaginary characters live for them. It's magic. Magic made real. And there's nothing like it. Speaking of magic...

War-N-Wit, Inc. Boxed Set

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