 The awesome co-hosts for the October 2 posting of the IWSG are Nancy Gideon, Jennifer Lane,Jacqui Murray, and Natalie Aguirre!
Remember, the question is optional! October 2 question - Ghost stories fit right in during this month. What's your favorite classic ghostly tale? Tell us about it and why it sends chills up your spine. I’m glad the question is optional, because I don’t care for ghost stories. What I do love at this time of year is a story with cozy autumn vibes. I want to see the golden leaves. I want to smell the pumpkin spice. I want to taste the apple cinnamon. I want to feel the warmth by my fireplace while I swaddle myself in the fluffiest blanket on my sofa. There are books that could convey this mood, but I always find myself craving the TV show Gilmore Girls. It makes me want to dress in warm earth tones and leather boots so I can grab a coffee while I stroll through a town square or college campus. They consistently delivered the seasonal vibes for this fall-loving girl! In writing news… I am still making good progress with my first round of edits! As I write this, I have five chapters to go, and I should be even closer by the time this post goes up. I’ll do one more editing pass, then it’s off to beta readers! I’m so excited to be on schedule for once. Which reminds me, I need to check in with my beta readers soon to make sure they’re still willing… :)
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 The awesome co-hosts for the September 4 posting of the IWSG are Beth Camp, Jean Davis, Yvonne Ventresca, and PJ Colando!
Back to School (aka the most wonderful time of the year) By the time this post goes up, it will be the second day of school for us! I’m always blown away when my Facebook friends post back to school pics throughout August when we’re right in the middle of summer break here in BC. It’s okay though, my kids will be in school throughout June, so it evens out. September 4 question - Since it's back to school time, let's talk English class. What's a writing rule you learned in school that messed you up as a writer? I wouldn’t say it messed me up, but I struggled to ignore grammar rules when I first started writing dialogue. Realistic dialogue means ending sentences in prepositions and using fragments, unless your character is a robot…or an English teacher. I was lucky to have a laid back creative writing prof in college who helped me get past my rule-following habits. He encouraged us to experiment, break rules, and see where the story took us. I loved the feeling of freedom in that class! I wish I could retake it today with the same professor. I have so much more to write about now!  The awesome co-hosts for the August 7 posting of the IWSG are Feather Stone, Kim Lajevardi, Diedre Knight, C. Lee McKenzie, and Sarah - The Faux Fountain Pen!
August 7 question - Do you use AI in your writing and if so how? Do you use it for your posts? Incorporate it into your stories? Use it for research? Audio? I have used AI for research but nothing else. It is useful as a tool, but I hate seeing it used for “art.” That’s all I have to say about AI, so on to my update… Writing Progress Update Good news! At the start of July, I finished the first draft of my book. That alone was cause for celebration. I put the manuscript aside and didn’t look at it for two weeks so I’d have a fresh perspective. While my kids were in summer camps, I began editing. This is where the even better news comes in… The first draft is pretty decent! This will be much smoother than editing book two. I’m so glad I took my time. It was totally worth it. I think the third book of the trilogy will be published before the end of the year, as planned. But, before I get ahead of myself, there is the matter of the tagline and synopsis. Those are the hardest parts, but I can’t get the cover design started until I nail those down! Sorry I’m late posting today! I completely forgot until this morning.
The awesome co-hosts for the July 3 posting of the IWSG are JS Pailly, Rebecca Douglass, Pat Garcia, Louise-Fundy Blue, and Natalie Aguirre! July 3 question - What are your favorite writing processing (e.g. Word, Scrivener, yWriter, Dabble), writing apps, software, and tools? Why do you recommend them? And which one is your all time favorite that you cannot live without and use daily or at least whenever you write? I have always used MS Word. It’s not that I recommend it or prefer it. It’s just comfortable, like broken-in fuzzy slippers. I know where to find every setting, feature, and formatting option. My ancient computer still has the old Word, from before subscriptions were required. When my beloved dinosaur someday crashes, I will have to find a new word processor, because I am NOT paying a monthly fee. My husband wants to get a Mac, so Pages is likely in my future. I’ve used Pages on an iPad, and it’s okay. Not as comfy as slippers, but perhaps a running shoe I could get used to.  The awesome co-hosts for the June 5 posting of the IWSG are Liza at Middle Passages,Shannon Lawrence, Melissa Maygrove, and Olga Godim!
June 5 question - In this constantly evolving industry, what kind of offering/service do you think the IWSG should consider offering to members? The IWSG already offers the most important service to me: moral support. I’ve said it before, but just having other writers to chat with monthly is huge. On top of the emotional aspect, there’s also the practical aspect of website visitors. Getting search engines to crawl my site was impossible until I joined the blog hop. The other thing I see writers ask for is feedback. Beta readers, sensitivity readers, critique groups—these are common pleas. Life is busy, and it’s hard to find likeminded and willing people whose opinions we can trust. I’ve been fortunate to have two friends who helped me immensely. Those two ladies identified strengths and weaknesses in my books and caught errors before publication. Then my mom and husband proofread my final drafts. Traditionally published authors have more sets of eyes on their work, but a lot of indie authors would kill to have four like I do.  The awesome co-hosts for the May 1 posting of the IWSG are Victoria Marie Lees, Kim Lajevardi, Nancy Gideon, and Cathrina Constantine!
May 1 question - How do you deal with distractions when you are writing? Do they derail you? This topic immediately makes me think of the Astrohaus Freewrite. It's a word processor tablet that is supposed to give authors distraction-free writing. It's basically a typewriter with a tiny screen that doesn't allow much editing and forces you to finish your first draft. I received the Freewrite Traveler a few years as a prize for a writing contest. It's a nice tablet, but it didn't do much for me. I prefer using a regular computer so I can research and edit as I write. I know we're not supposed to do that during a first draft, but I can't help it. I've heard others love the Freewrite, so I'm sure it works well for many authors' style. To avoid distractions (AKA kids) I set aside time during school hours and try to churn out as much word count as possible. Distractions in the form of emails or social media don't bother me. The only thing that hinders my progress is when I'm trying to write a scene that I just don't want to be writing. You'd think I'd have learned by now that if I don't enjoy writing it, it probably shouldn't be written! What about you? How do you deal with distractions?  The awesome co-hosts for the April 3 posting of the IWSG are Janet Alcorn, T. Powell Coltrin, Natalie Aguirre, and Pat Garcia!
The awesome co-hosts for the March 6 posting of the IWSG are Kristina Kelly, Miffie Seideman,Jean Davis, and Liza @ Middle Passages!
Have you "played" with AI to write those nasty synopses, or do you refuse to go that route? How do you feel about AI's impact on creative writing? I wouldn’t use AI for synopses. The only thing I’ve asked AI to do is generate lists of words. I need lots of superhero and villain names for my characters, and it seems every name under the sun has already been taken by the Marvel and DC universes. I used to get a great idea, search it, see that it’s already taken, get another idea, search it, see that it’s already taken… Frustrating! Now, I ask AI for a list of name leads that have not been claimed. Sometimes when I search the names, one or two is already in use, but most are free. It saves me a ton of time and headaches! The awesome co-hosts for the February 7 posting of the IWSG are Janet Alcorn, SE White,Victoria Marie Lees, and Cathrina Constantine!
February 7 question: What turns you off when visiting an author's website/blog? Lack of information? A drone of negativity? Little mention of author's books? Constant mention of books? My Website Turn Offs: difficult to navigate, cluttered When driving, I rely heavily on my GPS so I don’t get lost. Likewise, I don’t want to stop and ask for directions on a website! My Website Turn Ons: neat and tidy design, personality If I can find what I want within seconds of landing on a site, I am happy. I am impressed if I also sense the author’s personality. Two examples of what I mean are Janet Alcorn and Loni Townsend. I hope they don't mind me using them as examples, but I just love their websites, and I must sing their praises. Janet Alcorn Her sense of humor shines in each blog post. Zingers are sprinkled throughout the site, and her memes are delightful. I find her writing style charming and down to earth, and I’m always excited to see what she has to say in the monthly blog hop. Loni Townsend Loni’s site greets visitors with a silly cartoon squirrel and a rhyming tagline: “Nutty Chitter from a Caffeinated Critter.” Right off the bat, I’m engaged and eager to explore. First impressions matter, and my first impression of Loni is that she is fun and creative. What about you? What do like/dislike in author websites?  The awesome co-hosts for the January 3 posting of the IWSG are Joylene Nowell Butler, Olga Godim, Diedre Knight, and Natalie Aguirre!
January 3 question: Do you follow back your readers on BookBub or do you only follow back other authors? I don’t usually follow on BookBub or Goodreads. There are many things I should do but don’t have the capacity for. I prioritize writing, self promoting, and doing monthly blog posts. And on New Year’s Eve, I prioritize blockbuster movies. That’s right, no partying for me. I prefer to start the year couch-potato-ing. This year I watched disaster movies, and it got me thinking about characters. Specifically, the character of Yuri in 2012 and why he, of all people, was my favorite. (Warning: Spoilers ahead for 2012) The earth is doomed, and only the rich will survive. When we meet Yuri, he’s an obscenely wealthy man who purchases three survival tickets for himself and his twin sons at a cost of 1 billion euros each. He does not purchase a ticket for his girlfriend. A former boxer, Yuri is huge and speaks in a deep voice with a heavy Russian accent. He is not someone you want to mess with. Over the film, he leaves people to die, even those he seemed to care about, like the young boxer he is coaching just before disaster strikes. We are told he pressured his girlfriend to get breast implants against her wishes. His sons are spoiled brats who gloat to the chauffeur that they will live and he will die. There are many reasons we should hate Yuri. However, he has funny lines and moments of character development that make him something more important than likable. He is interesting. In a quiet moment, we see him staring at a photo of his ex-wife. After his pilot dies, he reveals that the pilot and his girlfriend were having an affair. So that’s why he didn’t buy her a ticket. Oh well, he’s still a jerk. Then comes the pivotal moment. Yuri and his two sons are about to miss the last ship. The ramp is going up. One son climbs aboard. The second can’t reach. A chasm gapes before them. Yuri does not hesitate. He hoists son #2 and hurls him aboard with such force that Yuri plummets to his death. It’s not about redemption. Yuri’s a horrible person. But my gosh, that scene lives rent free in my head. The lesson I take from 2012 is the importance of making minor characters interesting. Not everyone has to be good, but they do have to be complex! |
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