You cannot let the need to be good stop you from trying. A lot of my content is garbage when it first comes out, but I am willing to stare the garbage in the face and make it better.
Viewing entries tagged
Romance
You can’t edit a blank page. It can be terrifying staring at a blank page, especially when starting a new book, but if you don’t put something on that page, how can you go back later and polish it into a literary gem?
I find myself incredibly inspired after finishing a good book. There's a spark that comes with wanting to become a better, funnier writer.
I’m still regularly tweaking my writing process even after ten years of writing professionally. So learn all you can, be open to feedback and advice but also pay attention to how your creative mind is best served. You are your own science experiment.
Romance author Roni Loren put aside writing to be ‘practical’ in college but it came back with a vengeance several years later. We chat to her about the challenges of not being a fast writer, knowing when your book is ready for publication and her maximum productivity writing routine.
Don’t give up. Whatever obstacle is in your way right now, make it your life’s mission to overcome it. I promise, it will be worth it. Your story is worth it.
Ontario-based author Jessi Elliott writes ‘swoon-worthy romance with a dash of sass’. We catch up with her to talk about the steep learning curve of publishing, finding a critique partner through Twitter and juggling full-time work with book marketing.
There’s always room for unique, well-written self-published books. There’s no end to the different takes on new and old tropes, so as long as you identify your voice early on and stay on message, you can carve out a following for yourself.
Amazon best-selling author Jessica Hawkins writes to ‘move others’ in a way that is both provocative and inspiring. Having recently published her thirteenth book she talks to us about guarding against ‘hermit’ mode, outsourcing for effectiveness and staying in touch with your writing goals.
The percentage of authors that explode in the market right out of the gate is very low. We all secretly hold onto hope that we’ll be an overnight success, and while it’s okay to keep that little dream nugget close to your chest, it’s best to have a solid plan built for readership reach as well.
Award winning author E.J Mellow on how a high school fairytales class inspired her to start writing, recommendations for securing an agent and the importance of reviews in increasing readership.
I’ve read books that have spoken to my heart and when I’ve finished them I’ve hugged them close to my chest and thought, ‘that’s what I want to do. I want to write like that’.
New Zealand romance author Rowena May O’Sullivan remembers first wanting to become an author after falling in love with the Famous Five series by Enid Blyton. Later, writing competitions become her encouragement as she started small and learnt along the way. She fills us in on the value of connecting with writers’ groups and believing in yourself.
I wanted to be a storyteller. I grew-up creating characters and stories and then acting them out with the neighborhood kids. Soon I became an adult but the characters wouldn’t leave me alone.
Andrea R. Cooper has always enjoyed inventing characters and stories, but it wasn’t until her late twenties that she began writing novels. Her author tag-line reads ‘for those who believe in magic and love’ and her own life story echoes this sentiment. Divorced and disillusioned by love stories she put aside writing and creativity for a time until she met a new real life hero, her now husband, who supported her writing and led to her to believe in love and imagination once more.
I’m inspired by a love of words and how descriptive they can be. I’m one of those who highlights beautiful sentences in books or rewinds an audiobook to hear just how melodic a certain set of words sounds.
As an unabashed lover of all things happily-ever-after, Shaila Patel's younger self would finish reading her copy of Cinderella and fling it across the room because it didn't mention what happened next. We were thrilled to sit down with her and talk about treating your writing like a business, the benefits of networking with other authors and adjusting to setbacks.
Do your research. Know what the press publishes, what they’re looking for, who their editors are, what their contracts are like, and their history. It’s a tough market right now, tougher than it’s ever been, and if you want a publisher, be sure it is one standing on solid ground.
Speculative fiction author Christine Rains has a wide variety of interests and four degrees to prove it. She’s a woman who wears many hats, as a writer, blogger and geek mum. She’s published in a wide range of genres but always finds herself drawn to the supernatural. We catch up with her to talk what-if questions and book marketing techniques that work.
Even if you’re lucky enough to be published by a large imprint, you’ll have to do some self-promoting. Gone are the days of being able to hide and only pop out when you have a new book. You have to keep people constantly aware of your existence.
Multi-genre author and screenwriter M Pepper Langlinais always loved making up stories as a child. Now with a long list of varied writing projects, she chats to us about her beginnings as a scriptwriter, trial and error book marketing and the dangers of writing advice overload.
It’s not always physical or social isolation that affects writers, it’s the isolation of being misunderstood... Sometimes the non-writers among us might not “get” what it is we do, or they don’t understand that staring at the wall and daydreaming is a legitimate part of the creative process.
Young Adult author Rachel Rust, creator of the Escape series, begun her love affair with writing while penning her first short story in first grade. We chat to her about approaching publishers with bravado, the value of beta readers in strengthening a plot and writing as a family affair.
Just write. Even if you think it’s going nowhere. Even if you think it stinks. Even if you’re convinced that no one in their right mind would ever, ever want to read it. Because you certainly can’t prove yourself wrong unless you try.
Georgia-based Young Adult author Lindsey Ouimet on drawing inspiration from great stories, the power of perseverance and finding the perfect publisher.
No one has lived your life and sees the world the way you do and that’s what you have to express to publishers. Highlight whatever makes you unique. Write the story only you can tell. Different is good. Weird is better.
Megan Gaudino, author of the Guardian Kiss series, describes herself as a mixture of black clothing, iced coffee and a desire to go adventuring, the sort of combination that naturally forms a writer. She talks about getting her start on Wattpad, bleeding onto the page and reading as much as you write.
I have always loved horror movies, especially anything with monsters. And even today when I sit down and plot a novel, I can’t help but add dark elements and monsters in my stories.
We chat horror and mythology with Australian-based, Romanian-born fantasy author T.F. Walsh.
It wasn’t until My Lea did I finally look at my writing as something more. It’s not just a hobby. It is me. Writing is who I am.
Indonesia author E.Mellyberry entered her first writing competition at the age of ten. Yet it wasn’t until years later than she began to publish and recognize herself as an author. She told us about embracing the isolation of writing, connection through social media and bringing your own voice to your work.
‘Never give up. Even when life gets in the way and every writing door seems to be slamming, never stop writing.’
Advice from genre-hopping, multi-talented author Diana Anderson-Tyler, who fills us in on her life-long passion for writing, parting ways with her first literary agent and how she seeks to find a balance between creativity and consumption.