Wednesday, March 25, 2015

How Much Is Too Much...

Hmm... that's a very open ended question there. But in this case, I'm referring to stories in general.

How many stories do you work on at once?

Personally, I can only focus my attention so far. Which means, I can only work on one thing at a time. But that does NOT keep the ideas from flowing in! I have well over a dozen ideas sitting, waiting patiently in the wings.

Every so often, I have to get the ideas that come down on paper somehow. More often than not, I'll resign myself to the couch, notebook and pen in hand, and write out as much of the details as I can without getting completely sucked in to a new project. I have a composition book for each one. Working titles written on the cover.

I even have one designated to short stories. I think I need an intervention.

Every time I go to Wal-Mart, I pick up at least 3 or 4 more. I have two blank ones, but I already have an idea for one more.

I'd love to work on more than one idea at a time, but I've tried doing that and it just all gets too jumbled. And more ideas start creeping in. So I'll just take my time and do one, complete it and move on.

How about you? How many stories can you work on at once?

Monday, March 23, 2015

How To Get Past That Block...

Got writer's block? Don't worry, you aren't alone. Every writer experiences it at one point or another.



The main thing is to keep moving, keep writing and get past that block!

How?

It's different for everyone. There have been times when I've had a block, and I stare at my computer screen until I go cross-eyed. Or, I'll avoid writing altogether and do something else, but that isn't productive. Because, I know, and most of you know, I won't write for a very long time.

You can't wait for inspiration to strike, you have to push past it, sort of like that runner's wall. If you're jogging and you hit that wall and stop every time, you won't improve. You won't further your distance. So you hit that wall, and you keep running. Eventually, it goes away.

So does writer's block.

I have spent time searching the internet for help, but there isn't much help out there, just advice.No one is going to give you a magical key or formula for bypassing this experience.

Find what works for you.

Here's what works for me, and yes, every time is different, but the one that works the most? Writing.

I'll go on Pinterest, type in "fantasy art" and start browsing. I write fantasy, so it helps me a lot. I'll find an awesome piece of artwork that inspires me and I'll write a piece of flash fiction for it. I'm getting quite the collection, because I found I enjoy this exercise very much.

I also have a book of 1,000 Awesome Writing Prompts by Ryan Andrew Kinder. I have it on my Kindle. I popped it open one night, went to the first real prompt, (because he included some freebies in the first few pages for previewing) and was immediately inspired to write a short story. So I finished that short story before I moved on to the next one. Now, not every single one of them is inspiring, to me, that is, but I am going to make an effort to write something off of every prompt. What was awesome, though, is just one prompt not only inspired a short story, I worked out some issues for a couple of my other projects I'm working on.

I will also listen to music or watch a fantasy movie. More often than not, I've got the soundtrack to so many fantasy movies queued up and ready to go. I have a Writing playlist on my iPod. I even subscribe to lots of musicians on Youtube. I will find fantasy music, plug into it, and start writing. There are days, though, when I don't have a lot of time. So I'll go to Youtube, find some "Epic Fantasy Music" that lasts an hour and hit play. When it's over, I step away from the writing if I have to. Otherwise, if I have time, I'll find something longer and keep going.

There are so many places to find inspiration. No matter what you write. It's up to you to find it!

So those are my helpful tips. These are things that work for me. Leave a comment and tell me what works for you! Maybe I'll try it.

Have a good week, all!

Friday, March 20, 2015

Review of "Tea For Two" by Cheri Chesley...

Title: Tea for Two

Author: Cheri Chesley

Publisher: Chesley Books

File Size/Book Length: 2030kb/ 96 pages

ASIN: B00TQ2L2C8

Purchase: Amazon



About the Book:

He finds her intriguing, she finds him dangerous. Can Shannah protect a long held family secret from the persistence of her handsome employer?

The world of Eeryan is not unlike our own—kingdoms and principalities with rich histories of love, hate, vengeance, war, peace, epic battles, and natural disasters. There are diverse kingdoms to discover and vast land masses to traverse, as well as a Great Sea that essentially holds it all together.
In the land of Brundidge, so far across the Sea from kingdoms like Demarde and Fayterra as to be almost unheard of, there is no remaining magic. There is, however, a just king and stately queen, the right amount of heirs, and a love story that will warm your heart.

My Thoughts:

This was a super fast read, being a short story. Sadly, I started late at night and had to put it down, but couldn't wait to finish it.
Cheri Chesley's writing is fresh and imaginative. She paints the pictures of the scenes so easily and effortlessly.

This story, being a short story and a fantasy romance, is one of the best I've read. First of all, it's clean, meaning your teen or pre-teen could read it and it would be perfectly fine. There's no foul language or hardcore sexual scenes. Yet adults will love it, too. If you're looking for something that dips your toe into the world Cheri Chesley has created, it will certainly pull you in and pique your curiosity, so you'll want to read more.

Even for a short story, the characters are well developed. You get all the information you need about them in 96 short pages and it still leaves you wanting to read more. You want to continue learning about Shannah and Brenden's lives long after reading the final word.

My rating is totally five out of five Skull and Crossbones.

Friday, March 13, 2015

Final Scenes...

I'm well into the final scenes of "Veritas", book two in my trilogy. I've even sort of outlined them.

*Gasp!*

I know, right? This Pantser, outlining? Heaven forfend! (Really, spell-check? On forfend? It's in the dictionary!!!)

Anyway...

So like I said, hitting the end of book two and even have the majority of book three all planned out. Except the end. I think the voices in my head are keeping quiet on purpose. Waiting until I get there before revealing all to me.

Selfish much?

If any of you are on Pinterest, you can find me there. I have a board for my book with pictures of what most of my characters look like. Plus, I have a TON of fantasy art. I want to get back to my usual Friday posts, at the very least, but just show some of this fantastic artwork. I like the funnies, but hard to find ones that just about everyone will get and not go, "Huh?" over.

Any suggestions for an end of the week post? Leave me a comment, I'd love to hear your ideas!

Hope you all have a great weekend!