I Would Have Written It…

Differently. We all have those books. We’re reading along, there might be some inconsistency in the writing but we’re still in it. Until that moment when we think “No, this that and the other thing needs to happen right here.”

And as writers, our brain sets off like a freight train.

I just had that happen recently in the middle of a book. And my brain is chugging along. I have several ideas that haven’t got the steam on their own, but maybe if I smash them together I can get somewhere.

Spoiler Alert: I’m working through this as I’m writing. I will tell you there will only be generalities about the stories because, whelp. It’s not that I believe someone will “steal” my ideas. You and I could be given the same setting, plot and characters and write completely different stories. It’s because if I write too much or discuss a story my brain is over it and I lose all interest in writing it.

So first off, the book stat I was reading (and DNF’d) was trying very hard to be a mafia romance. And for some odd reason it made me think of a story I had started and stopped quite a few times– it deals with witches & warlock vs mage ability. What’s the difference and what happens when you are one but everyone assumes you are incompetent at the other? This idea is hands down 100% fantasy so obviously no mafia. But warring factions? We can do that.

The part I put it down at was a “meet the head of the family” type of moment and it was not going well. Whelp. Last year I started watching those super short shows– you know the ones. Rich guy drops his wife who is a secret billionaire who is now gonna make his life hell. Ok, so take part of that– the part where they really have NO IDEA who the heck they are dealing withand smash it with witch/mage thing.

I really want a sentient house in there too. I love them. When the house is a character it can go either really really well or very badly for the people involved.

But then I’ve been leaning towards shifter romance, although none of the ones I’m seeing are catching my eye and/or imagination. That might A. Be one step too far or B. Just be a reading thing. I know I tend to not read what I’m writing or what I’m hearing up to write so I might just go back to some old favorites of that type and see if that scratches that.. oh that’s in poor taste.

So. There you have it. My creative brain run around and proof that even the books we don’t finish can be worth it for us.

Ta, my lovelies! I’m off to write a bit now!

The DNF Dance

At what point do you put a book down and not finish it because of poor editing? I’m not talking about a story that doesn’t click for you, is outside your realm of interest or anything to do with taste

I’m speaking of straight up poor editing. Even down to the sentence level.

I believe I mentioned I’ve been on a reading tear. For this month I am at 15 books completed, not counting the 3 books I reread. (All by Zapata, I really really like her books!) Not all the authors I like are on KU which is where I’m getting most of the books I’m reading. And with 35 books under my belt for February and March, I had to branch out. Found some thru TikTok, and some through recommendations on Amazon.

I’m going to put a few caveats here. 1. I know, I KNOW my writing here could use a good editing or even proofreading. I come here to get things off my chest. When I send things out for “Submission” it has been proofread & sent to my writing partner (Hi Sis!) for editing help. 2. I will not name this author here. She has done something not everyone can do– completed and published not one but 3 books (in the series). 3. To whomever left the Amazon review of how she could get her money back from her editor… I howled. Also felt bad, but snickered too. BUT there is a possibility she didn’t have the funds for an editor, or resources. However, some of the problems could have been spotted with a set of beta readers.

The first hiccup I encountered was the tense. Writing in present tense is hard on the reader, but I could roll with it. Not my first rodeo lol. I don’t generally like the pacing, but the book was under 300 pages so thought I could handle it.

Then there was the missing word. It bothered me enough that I  went back a few times just to see that Yup ! Really missing a word there.

Chapter four rolls around. We, the reader, are still with the couple on the first meeting. It’s been going back and forth between male and female character for point of view, but I’m chapter four we get.. Past tense.

No. Just no.

I know that fore personally, if I continue reading it I will be doing so in order to find more hiccups. But there’s no reason for me to do this. I am not in a class, needing to give feedback. I am not her editor. I am not a beta reader.

And at 15% in, I’m not that invested in the characters. Which wouldn’t be a problem (taste) but I figured it was short. I could rip through it. Maybe it gets better. But when that chapter bounced the tenses, I hard bounced out.

So my lovelies, at what point do you DNF a book due to technical errors?

If you write and self publish, please know that there are people rooting for you and willing to be beta readers for you.

Writerly Wonderings

So I’ve started reading voraciously lately and with that comes grooving on an author’s work. KU makes it nice because you can rip through a series without the financial impact.

But today I want to talk about writing tics. That word or phrase a writer uses, or something that they do repeatedly. Some people hate it when the author does not use the word “said”. Some writers over-use ellipsis.. And that writer is me, in case you were wondering.

I was involved (according to Kindle about 30% worth) in the second book of the series when I started to wonder: What would a shoulder pop look like? It bounced me a bit out of the story as I tried different variations of the motions.

But then it kept happening. These shoulders were popping so much I started to wonder how no one dislocated a shoulder. It also bounced me out of the story, just a bit.

As writers, it’s imperative that we have readers. Beta readers are such a needed resource. Other writers can help as well if you can get over the nerves. Nerves about how another writer will treat your writing, treat you as the author. Some are worried that others will steal their words. Their ideas. Their heart and soul.

I’ve been lucky in the people I’ve met along the way. I dip in and out of Writers Village University (not an accredited school, but more of an online resource for writers to learn and make connections). I don’t go on there often, but I’ve met some great writers there.

And one of those people I met so very long ago. She has edited my work. Cheered me on. And currently we write together every day from miles away (thanks to technology. You should go check out her work– Rie Sheridan Rose.

She has called me out on my ellipsis and the lack of the word said in a story. I hope I’ve helped her as well. And when you find the right writing partner/ beta reader, sharing your story doesn’t send you into a panic attack.

Promise.

Now onto book 3 to see if all these characters are still popping their shoulders!

Ta my Lovelies!

Bookish Thoughts: 3rd Act Breakup

I read a lot of romance, and something that comes up often in the genre is the 3rd Act Breakup. It’s generally right at the 75% mark, that last push , the last obstacle, a bit of a hurdle to overcome before the Happily Ever After can be earned.

Too often, we (the reader) get the miscommunication  trope. The one where if someone had picked up the phone, it would all be resolved. Well, in Tessa Bailey’s Secretly Yours, the heroine does, in fact, pick up the phone. He just doesn’t answer. Why? Because of a monster of a panic attack, one the lasts weeks. But it is something the reader is prepared for because it has happened to him before. It’s part of his OCD, part of what makes him.. well, him. Just like her chaos makes her, her.  (Loved this book, how Hallie was working through both grief and self doubt. Came close to bawling a few times. Gave it 4 stars)

Then we have Mariana Zapata’s The Winnipeg Wall and Me, which I don’t think has a third act breakup. Vanessa knows she loves Aiden, and while married (convenience) they aren’t quite there yet. It has lots of tension and spunk and fights, but no breakup towards the end. Zapata makes us work for our HEA, but she does not dangler in front of our eyes and then snatch it back away from us. They are apart only because has to leave the state for training, and she’s got a marathon to run. (This book made me stay up til 1am, had me bawling and was not the book I was expecting. 5 stars all the way)

I love when books surprise me, and these two certainly did that. It wasn’t just about the 3rd Act Breakup, or lack thereof. It also had to do with the way the character’s mental health, past trauma and all, were handled through the stories. The fact that these felt like real people, with real wounds.. well, that’s what had me grabbing my Kleenex.

So, my lovelies, what have you been reading?

Paladins Faith : Bookish Thoughts

I had been looking forward to T. Kingfisher’s Paladins Faith and I’m happy to say it did not disappoint. Rousing plot, great characters, a sprinkle of romance and some comic relief… But this one hit me differently than the others.

It reminded me of why I love the genre.

Speculative Fiction. Fantasy in particular.

Possible spoiler alerts. Not sure where I’m going but I’m going to talk about big ideas. Ideas that sometimes need to be worked out in a setting not of our own.

Big.ideas like… Religion. The paladins in this series are berzerker warriors for the Saint of Steel who, apparently, died. Leaving them without control during berzerker episodes. But if a god can die… How is one born? And if a demon is old and wily, but actually doing good and protecting their people– is it an evil thing? Can something inherently evil do good? How, and who, makes those decisions?

And then there is the problem of people using the weapons they have. Berzerker uses sword, or axe or some other similar weapon. But what if you are not a warrior? And you need to use your own body to win the war? Oh, and add in that you are female. Does that change how you feel about it? Why?

Just some really good questions that reading this book brought up. Ideas to gnaw on for a while, ideas that are important.

Also important to note that none of this is bashed over the readers head. It is fairly natural in the course of the book.

Which makes it all the more impressive.

First Rejection & Snow

Of the year. And it’s fine, it’s part of the process. It’s fine. I read somewhere once that being rejected just means your story has not found a home yet.

What hurts is that in the midst of the s**t show of the last few years, I lost both my physical log and the computer log of where I had submitted which stories.

In the rejection letter they were absolutely both extremely professional and kind. Especially since I had apparently submitted that story to them in 2021.

Sigh.

So many emotions are swirling in me right now. A morass. Not because of the rejection of the story. It will find its home.

And it hit hard because I’m trying to find my footing in my new home. Most of that is working through the mental state that I arrived in. My home is still in disarray, and when I lay in bed and close my eyes I see my old room. My old life.

Friday night & Saturday morning we experienced our first snowfall that stuck. My son still calls California home. Sunday we went to lunch with my niece & her family, and I borrowed a shirt for a wedding next weekend. Wednesday I put my kid on a plane to our old home to visit– and I’m hoping he gets on the plane back 12 days later. I’m hoping he doesn’t get into trouble.

I’m also looking forward to time without him. Time to make a freaking mess of the house so I can put it together the way I want to.

My words are messy, but they are coming out. I’ve got 2 stories I’m working on because well, messy. I wrote a poem.

I talk to my bestie on the phone everyday. She’s still in Cali, and is my backup with the almost adult boy I’m sending out there. I miss her. I have family here but haven’t made friends yet. I also don’t really go anywhere– haven’t even been to the library yet. I do recognize the cashier at the Dollar General, but I’m sure I’m just another face in the day to her.

Well. This has gotten a lot more personal than I thought it would. Hope you don’t mind. My brain doesn’t feel as messy.

Until next time, my lovelies!

Things I Never Thought I’d Say

I got a KU subscription and… I like it. There’s a wide variety and no wait time like with Libby. The app glitches on me all the time, but I’m figuring that out (it puts me back, page wise, in the book so I have to find my place again. It’s workable.)

Yes, I still buy books. Ahhh, don’t tell anyone tho. But it feels good to be able to dip in and see if I like an author or not, a book or not, and return it with no hassle or financial hit. And I am finding that I’m a voracious reader lol.

Second thing… I am severely disappointed in both Net Galley and St Martin’s press. I had emailed Net Galley, asking what their position was on the whole St Martin’s press boycott going on (boycotting reviews on their titles until they address the actions of a marketing employee who has not only said atrocious things, has also picked through ARC copies as to who was approved and who wasn’t). Other people explain it more eloquently over on the Klock App. I read an ARC that comes out in January and is a St Martin’s book… And as of right now I won’t be posting anything on it. And that sucks for the author. For all authors publishing within that company. I know I’m small potatoes. That’s ok. I’ll still abide. It would have been nice to get a response from Netgalley, tho. Any response.

Since starting this, I saw an ad for that company on the Klock app and saw one of the authors was Nora Roberts. It makes me sad, so I found a reader email for her and sent an email. But as I said, I am small and she is huge. But I always thought of her as one who would stand up against that type of hatred. All the comments under that ad on the Klock app had to do with the boycott & the marketing employee.

And Booktok is weird. And I love it. First, no it is not all smut. There are accounts that are dedicated to fantasy, mystery, general fiction, sweet romance, spicy romance, all of it. It’s just that what you interact with you see more of. So if you can’t help yourself and keep commenting on genres you hate… It’s going to keep showing them to you. If you scroll on by, they’ll eventually drop off. You can find like minded people there… Even when you read a wide variety. The search bar is your friend lol.

Booktok also holds authors accountable. One just spiraled so far out of control they lost their publishing deal AFTER cover art had been released. They even had a special edition box edition signed. Gone. All because they tried to harm other authors release ng at the same time as them. I can’t imagine NOT supporting other authors. The ones I’ve met have always been so helpful and kind to a baby author like me.

So is there anything else I never thought I’d say? Well yes

Merry almost Christmas from the Midwest.

Tension in Writing

I was reading a “Sweet” romance, which I enjoy as a whole. I like the gamut of the romance genre, but I cut my reading teeth on sweet romances as a young one.

I recently read one where the heroine and hero were alright, but there wasn’t that tension. The electricity a reader feels when they catch each other’s gaze from across the room. The story itself, and the writing was ok, it kept me reading through out the 250ish pages…

Which is short for a historical romance. Or maybe I’m just used to reading mammoth books. But if the reader is feeling the lack of chemistry, maybe it should have been lengthened.

At one point, the reader is told the heroine’s stomache fluttered at the sight of the hero. That was it. All the tension in that should have been dripping in that scene, the longing…. And all the reader received was being told about a flutter.

I used to be a less is more kind of writer. I know that description is one of my weaknesses. Being honest, I was being a lazy writer. Still am, but I’m getting better at making passes on my work as I go, adding details. Glances. A shiver down the spine. Or a golden candlestick on a mantle handed down by generations.

It’s interesting reading as both a reader and a writer. I’m learning a lot, and also enjoying myself quite a lot.

Ta, my lovelies. I’m off to find my next book.

Or maybe I should pick up the pen and write a bit in one of the two I have going on right now.

Doing the thing

The thing where writers get….. Published. I wrote stories, have been learning how to edit my work (which is an act of love even if it feels like you’ve gone to war) and have started actually… Gasp…. Submitting stories.

It’s hard sometimes as a writer. To send out your work, into the ether. Trusting it to people unknown. Sometimes it feels like every rejection is personal. That they are rejecting us, the writer, as a person.

A few things have really helped me with that. One is Rie, and how she just takes a story and sends it back out if it gets rejected. She has done challenges where she submitted every single day for a year. It reminds me of the story in Poets magazine, where the writers colleague had buckets of rejections and 10 acceptances. Everyone was jealous on the 10 acceptances, but they didn’t have the buckets. Rie is a great writer (go find her– Rie Sheridan Rose or Rie Rose) and puts in the work. I haven’t been.

But I’ve started. 4 stories went out. Three were rejected. One found a home. I can’t wait to share that with you, as well as more of the writing journey. It’s past time for me to take control of that part of my life and find a way to share my stories.

And yes, I’ll share the details as soon as I get them .

Momcation

I haven’t been by myself in a house for an extended amount of time in… Years. I always have my son (15) or my dad (95) around or coming back. It’s wonderful. I love my family. But….

I used to love living by myself too. I’ve always kept myself occupied– readings writing, television. I’m not one that gets bored and stays bored. The quiet is a friend of mine- it allows a moment of reflection, a deep sigh.

Thanks to Caltrans and my Best friend I just had that. A glorious Sunday through Thursday morning where I stayed in a house all by my lonesome. Caltrans closed the freeway that I need to get to work. (Not a work vacation, alas). My BF is travelling, and offered her house. I have to tell you….

It. Was. Glorious.

I wrote and sent out cards. I didn’t cook ANYTHING. Frozen all the way. And after work, I went to the real happiest place on earth, Barnes and Noble, and bought many wonderful magazines. One was brand new to me, called Oh, Reader and I read every single article in it. Which has inspired me– to do magazine reviews. Share what I’m loving. Maybe a few book reviews in there too.

The fact is that I miss blogging. I miss sharing the things I love, and boy do I love books and magazines!

I love my family. Of course I do.

But I missed myself, and didn’t even realize what had been missing in my life was ME.