Writing

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Qualities I Look for in a Beta Reader #IWSG 09/02/2020

September 2, 2020 By ravenofiernan 4 Comments

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Monthly Status Report

This was a very scatterbrained month. Maybe I am not cut out for self-directed work. I have not gotten much done on the writing front at all, though I have spent every day doing at least some reading/analyzing of The Firm. Very minimal progress, though, and nothing of my own writing. I still have the two short stories I finished in June sitting on my table to read and revise. I also signed up to be a Municipal Liaison for NaNoWriMo, this year, which I’m excited about, and starting to learn about. Lots of new stuff, just very little actual writing.

As for food, I did much better this month than last month, but as usual, still struggling with food prep. I did get some frozen vegetables, which might help in that department, but haven’t actually used any yet since, well, it’s summer, and there are so many good fresh vegetables.

Optional Monthly Question

September 2 question – If you could choose one author, living or dead, to be your beta partner, who would it be and why?

I don’t know, honestly. I don’t think I know anyone well enough to know if they would be a good beta partner. I look more for personality traits than writing traits, to be honest. And my writing goals are very personal. My number one reason for writing is to write the stuff I want to read, but that doesn’t exist because everyone is convinced no one wants to read it, so advice on what will increase my readership based on what “everyone is reading” is not going to be at all helpful, and I could see it leading to conversations that make me look like I am not interested in improving or not willing to take advice from people who are more successful, when that’s not the issue at all. I do want to improve, I just want to improve in a way that leaves my core values and core reason for writing untouched. I think that’s probably true of most writers, but I think a lot of people are afraid to say so.

So, understanding that motivation and willing to put up with my countless “Yes, but what about . . . ?” types of responses would be at the top of my list. I don’t want to just take a suggestion that might end up messing up a different part of the story. It doesn’t mean I don’t want to solve the initial problem, it’s just that I’m not likely to take the very first suggestion I get. I want to be able to have a lot of give and take and discussion to find the very best solution, rather than just the first one.

I’m also highly sensitive. I have a post on why I think writers don’t need thick skin, because I take the metaphor to mean not letting things affect you in the first place, and I think part of what makes us good writers is the fact that we DO feel things, we ARE affected. We need to learn not to act unprofessionally based on our feelings, but to me, this is very different than not feeling it at all. So, another quality I would look for in a beta reader is someone who understands that I will probably be upset when I get their feedback, and to give me time to process it, rather than chiding me for not having “thick skin”. Granted, I tend to throw it back on myself first (“I’m a terrible writer, there’s no point in fixing this because it still won’t be any good,” etc.) rather than aimed at the critique-giver (I don’t think I’ve ever had a reaction of “You’re so stupid to not see how brilliant this is” — though I was flabbergasted once when I was told my secondary character wasn’t believable because he drove a truck, and the vehicle he drove was a Dodge Spirit, which is a sedan), but it’s something I need to get out of my system before I can look at it with a clear head, so I would want a beta willing to get that out of my system without thinking I’m a “special snowflake” who can’t take criticism.

I guess these are similar in that I don’t want to be pegged as a defensive crybaby just because I don’t immediately agree with everything they say and might specifically ask if there are any good points that make the story WORTH revising, rather than just throwing out.

I didn’t think I was going to have much to say about this topic, but I see I was wrong! Have a wonderful September, and let me know your own thoughts on finding a good beta reader, and whether you look for similar or different qualities. Thanks for reading!

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The awesome co-hosts for this posting of the IWSG are PJ Colando, J Lenni Dorner, Deniz Bevan, Kim Lajevardi, Natalie Aguirre, and Louise – Fundy Blue!

Another Quick Update #IWSG 08/05/2020

August 5, 2020 By ravenofiernan 4 Comments

I had a lot of overtime at work and have been extra involved in my Bright Line Eating program, so here I am on August 2, knowing that this short time while my laundry is in the washer is all I really have to write before the post is due on Wednesday. So, this one is even quicker than last month’s, and doesn’t have all the bells and whistles I usually like to have. Luckily, I can copy a lot of it from the previous post and the IWSG sign up page.

As for writing, my July Camp NaNo goal was to analyze the book The Firm by John Grisham. I did not finish, but I got over half-way, and have had a lot of great moments of understanding that I will be able to use in my book once I get back to revising it.

So, that is the first plan for August. If I finish that before the end of the month, I plan to go back to finishing up all the covers for the Hazel Kanetzki short story so I can get feedback on them. So August is looking to be very much a “loose ends” kind of month, and I hope I can get it all done by September, so I can get on to something new. But we will see.

I also have decided to forego traditional publication of my Tarot series, so expect to see those begin to pop up here again, starting with a re-post of 0 – The Fool for the October Storytime Blog Hop. That one will always be available for free on my website. The others will be available for free at first, but then removed over time. I have not yet decided whether to leave them up until I publish the first collection (which will be the Major Arcana) or to take each one down as soon as the next one goes up.

With that, here are the important links for the Insecure Writers’ Support Group! May you all have a wonderful month!

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The awesome co-hosts for the August 5 posting of the IWSG are Susan Baury Rouchard, Nancy Gideon, Jennifer Lane, Jennifer Hawes, Chemist Ken, and Chrys Fey!

Short and Sweet Update #IWSG 07/01/2020

July 1, 2020 By ravenofiernan 4 Comments

Monthly Status Report

June was still focused mostly on the eating, and while I didn’t do as well as I wanted, I have gotten rid of the biggest offenders (chips, ramen, etc.) and in general, I am feeling better, though the food prep is still frustrating at times.

Near the end of the month, I got back to writing, though, and have been writing some short stories for anthologies! One of the deadlines IS July 1, so while I am writing this post early, I’m not done with the story and there is still a chance I will get it done it time. That is why this post is so short this month. Darn deadlines!

Optional Monthly Question

July 1 question – There have been many industry changes in the last decade, so what are some changes you would like to see happen in the next decade?

Wow. I am such a newbie on this. I think the main thing is that I want there to NOT be a monopoly. I want other companies besides Amazon to continue to thrive and grow. Yes, it might be more difficult to market on multiple platforms, but I just like lots of variety and options, so I want to participate everywhere.

And that’s all for this week. Have a fantastic July everyone, and see you again in August!

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The awesome co-hosts for the July 1 posting of the IWSG are Jenni Enzor, Beth Camp, Liesbet @ Roaming About, Tyrean Martinson, and Sandra Cox!

Ritual #IWSG 05/06/2020

May 6, 2020 By ravenofiernan 4 Comments

Monthly Status Report

April, of course, was another strange month in terms of what’s going on in the world. For me, pretty much status quo. I am missing meeting with my writing friend, and the retreat I’ve gone to for the past two years was canceled, but otherwise, things are pretty much the same for me. The huge influx of work the middle of March at my day job settled down, and is also sort of back to normal. In positive news on that front, they love me and gave me a raise! I know that makes me extremely lucky in these times where many are losing their jobs, being laid off, or having to close their businesses.

April is also Camp NaNoWriMo — being an online free event, it still proceeded with gusto. If you read my report from last month, you know that I have been working on covers for my reader magnet. I finished twelve more of them during Camp as my Camp project. I also was part of a wonderful cabin and had a lot of fun. I even did some writing and finished another short story and started a new novel idea… but I don’t know when I will get back to that. I really don’t need any new novel ideas right now.

For May, I plan to finish the still remaining 4 covers and add the little series branding logo I created for one of the middle covers to all the covers that came before it. Then I am going to work more on my website. You may have noticed that I removed my email newsletter sign up form. I looked in my Spam folder and found thousands of bad email spam from this website with my name on it, so I don’t want to open it back up until I figure out how to stop it. I haven’t even started investigating yet, but it is definitely something I need to get to. Then get a new newsletter set up once the spam problem is dealt with.

Optional Monthly Question

May 6 question – Do you have any rituals that you use when you need help getting into the ZONE? Care to share?

I love ritual. But strangely, my ritual to get in the zone is very minimal, and more a routine than a ritual. I know many people use the terms interchangeably, but for me, a ritual involves a kind of spiritual attention and purpose, while routine is just the actions. I don’t usually have a ritualistic mindset when I write, which, again, I actually find rather odd. Anyway, the main thing is getting set up with something to drink (coffee in the morning, water or black tea in the afternoon, and water or green/herbal tea at night — I used to have wine, but wine puts me to sleep and gives me a headache, so not really good for writing). Then I put on my hour-long playlist, which is a bunch of classical pieces that are 1) the right length for the playlist and 2) associated with Halloween for me or at least seem somewhat sinister. The actual list is:

J. S. Bach – Toccata and Fugue
L. Beethoven – 5th Symphony
A. Vivaldi – Winter, first movement
J. S. Bach – Cello Suite #2, 6. gigue
C. Saint-Saëns – Danse macabre
C. Gounod – Funeral March of a Marionette (Alfred Hitchcock theme)
P. Dukas – The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
M. Mussorgsky – Night on Bald Mountain
P. Tchaikovsky – Marche Slave
K. Jenkins – Palladio: I. Allegretto (the Zales diamond song)

So, I have my (usually warm) drink, my document open, and music playing, and my fingers just fly! Not as fast as some, but I average around 2,000 words an hour, which is pretty good, I think.

One last thing: I do all my drafting (not revision or planning) in the free program FocusWriter. I have my own theme set up with amber Courier on a dark blue background with a raven. Here is a screenshot with some lorem ipsum:

Get FocusWriter here: https://gottcode.org/focuswriter/

That also puts me in the right mood for all the magic and mystery of my first drafts!

What sort of routines and rituals do you have?

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Feather Stone
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Mary Aalgaard
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And here are the awesome co-hosts for the April 1 posting of the IWSG!

On Visual Art #IWSG 02/05/2020

February 5, 2020 By ravenofiernan 10 Comments

Monthly Status Report

I haven’t done much writing in January. I think this is rather normal, too. I am okay with it because I know that I will come back to it. That probably isn’t the right attitude for someone who wants to go pro, but I only sort of want to “go pro”, so it’s probably fine for me. I am not planning on ever quitting my day job, so I can have a more relaxed attitude towards my writing.

I’ve been doing a lot more studying and learning rather than actual production. I finished a big beta project and now I am listening to podcasts during my writing time. It will all help in the end.

Optional Monthly Question

Every month, there is an optional question you can answer. I like them because they usually allow me to share more about myself as a writer and as a person in a way I might not have thought of myself. So, here is this month’s question:

February 5 question – Has a single photo or work of art ever inspired a story? What was it and did you finish it?

You know? I can’t actually remember this ever happening. I remember a news story inspiring a serial killer novel, and no, I didn’t ever finish it. And then the song “My Snow White Queen” by Evanescence inspired my Snow White fairy tale retelling, which I did finish — well, the first draft anyway — but a photo or visual art? I can’t think of one.

Which is kind of sad because I do love visual art. But I can’t think of any stories that were actually inspired by it. But now that the question has arisen, it is something I can think of when I see art. Ask my muse if there is more to the story than what I see in the image. New perspectives are always welcome!

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And here are the awesome co-hosts for the January 8 posting of the IWSG!

Lee Lowery
Ronel Janse van Vuuren
Jennifer Hawes
Cathrina Constantine
Tyrean Martinson

The Order of the Good Death #IWSG 11/06/2019

November 6, 2019 By ravenofiernan 4 Comments

Monthly Status Report

Not a lot has gotten done in October. September was a productive month, writing-wise, and I’m looking ahead to the frenzy in November known as NaNoWriMo.

I participate every year, and have a great deal of fun, so I’m not planning on missing out anytime soon. Of course, that knowledge made me desperately want to play more Skyrim, make more soup, and in general take care of my house, not to mention actually spend time with people.

So, that’s pretty much it for October. Not a bad month, but not much writing.

For November, I am not doing a traditional NaNo. Instead, I will be finally typing up and finishing writing the second draft of Cipher. I’ve been writing it by hand since 07/2018 and I got stalled recently because of the slowness with handwriting, which made my critic louder, and I just wasn’t getting the words. Since it will need to be typed anyway, I decided to just type the whole thing for NaNo, and when I get to the part where I stalled (near the end), just keep going and finish the thing.

I will be doing a third draft anyway, so might as well use the motivation of NaNo to help me get this one done.

November’s Question

And now on to the optional monthly question:

November 6 question – What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever googled in researching a story?

This isn’t actually something I googled, and it’s probably not the strangest thing, but it’s what came to mind when I saw the question.

I love cozy mysteries, and I’ve written a few over the years. I have one in a bed-and-breakfast, and a YA one set in a Catholic private school. And of course, being so slow at revising, all are very messy rough drafts. Still, it remains an interest, and a few years ago, one of my writing friends introduced me to the Ask a Mortician videos by Caitlin Doughty, which led me in turn to her nonprofit organization The Order of the Good Death.

Immediately, I knew I wanted my paranormal mystery series to be about a funeral home worker who knows about and applies natural burial techniques in addition to more typical mortician services. Her work would give her access to the corpses of the murders, and I could also explore these other options in my work. As a pagan, I have long wished that upon death, I could just be buried naturally in the earth and have the earth consume my body the way it would happen naturally. To learn that this is actually something that can be done was eye-opening to me, and I want to share that with others.

I can do that through my main character, while still presenting an interesting mystery.

And of course, I use the resources at The Order of the Good Death liberally to make sure that the details are accurate.

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Writers supporting, encouraging and learning from each other. Post on your own blog about your struggles, your triumphs, and your successes. Talk about your works in progress: the good, the bad and the ugly or some other writing relating topic on your mind. Read others, interact, comment, and grow within this wonderful author community. Every month there is an optional question for those who may need help figuring out what to post about.

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