Wandering Thoughts of a Writer: #writer

Showing posts with label #writer. Show all posts

I can’t speak for all writers, but this is what my internal world is like as an author.

I have a loud mind.

Stephen King once said quiet people have loud minds. I don’t know. I mean, I’m quiet when I have nothing to say, and I don’t ever have the need to hijack someone’s conversation . . . so yeah, now that I think about it, I do have a loud mind.

My thoughts constantly scatter.

I can have a conversation with my husband and think of other things at the same time. Where I get into trouble is when he’s telling me something I’m not in the least bit interested in. I’ll focus on my thoughts instead and not hear a word he’s saying.

My mind always turns an unexplained noise or situation into a story.

This is so true, and nine times out of ten I’ll tell the person with me about it. And yes, that person looks at me like I grew another head—unless it’s another author I’m telling it to.

I'll compare real life situations to fictional ones.

I’ll compare a situation someone is in or was in or something that happened that’s relevant to one of my characters, and I’ll talk about it.

Self-induced stress.

Sometimes I become anxious and irritable when I have so many things to do like edits, rewrites, posting, marketing, etc. and not enough time to do them. Basically, I get overwhelmed, and my thoughts won’t stop whirling.

I have stories racing through my mind.

I have so many stories I want to write but not enough time to do so.

I’m never bored.

It's very rare that I'm bored. I have too many things to do to get bored.

Crankiness.

If I’m not working on a story, I get grumpy and depressed.

Anxious.

I get nervous and scared when other people reads my story.

I'm a serf to my imaginary friends.

My character’s talk to me, and they can get demanding to where I have to appease them. I am their slave.

Happiness.

I get excited and giddy when I’m creating a story.

My characters crack me up and make me weep.

I laugh when one of my characters does something funny. I also cry when something bad happens to them.

So do I like being an author?

No.

I frickin’ love it.

Why?

Because despite the anguish as an author I go through to churn out a novel and market it, I created something out of nothing. I have the ability to transfer what’s inside of me, onto paper, and into other people’s minds. I can share with them worlds and characters they never knew about. I can teach them lessons or at least get them to think on topics they never thought about before. I can make them laugh, cry, smile, and get frustrated. I can entertain them. I’m giving something to this world that more than likely will last well after I’m gone, which rocks.

Yes, I’m overwhelmed.

But . . .

Being an author makes me happy and want to do a silly dance.

Enough said.

#amwriting, #author, #authorlife, #characters, #creating, #creativity, #life, #stephenking, #stories, #writer, 0 Comments

As some of you know, I've finished the first rough draft of Legends of Deceit book 2. I still don’t have a title for it, but I will soon.

I was going to write a post on my writing process from start to finish but decided to save that for another time. Instead, I’ll tell you straight up what that one secret to my editing process is.

Are you ready?

It’s finding your repetitive words, descriptions, or sayings.

We all have them.

Say for example you wrote: my heart thudded hard against my chest. You noticed while you were doing your first read through that you had used those words more than once to describe what your character was feeling. So now what you want to do is discover how many times you wrote it in your story.

How do you do that?

Simple.

In Word, you want to go to the top right-hand corner and click on find. On the left-hand side of the screen, there will be a window that pops up. Beneath the word Navigation will be a search bar. Enter the word(s) you want to search for to see how many are in your story. I just typed in draft, and it came up twice.

How cool is that?

This secret trick of mine will help you tremendously in your editing process.

Cheers.

#amwriting, #author, #draft, #editing, #manuscript, #secret, #story, #writer, 0 Comments

I think we all experience a moment in our lives, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem to another, where something extraordinary happens to us. Some may say it’s a message from a benevolent being tapping on your spirit to awaken the part of you that’s been in hypersleep. Or maybe it’s a livewire from your past life sparking one of the many parts of you tucked away within your superconscious mind. It’s an unforgettable moment meant for only you. It can be as simple as holding a newborn and knowing without a doubt that someday you want to be a mother. To most that may seem like a silly goal but to you raising a child–another human being–is one of the noblest things to do in this life.

The Defining Moment.

One of my defining moments (I've had more than one) happened in seventh grade. We had to write a story. When it came time to read it out loud the teacher asked for volunteers. I raised my hand (I was the only one), then went to the front of the class and read my horror story about a monster who lived in a sewer. As I was reading it, I became aware of the silence in the room.

I kept reading.

When I arrived at the scary part the whole class did a collective gasp.

I was hooked from there.

After I finished, a male classmate named Clay laughed. I looked up from my paper. My eyes swept the room and settled on him. He had a huge grin on his face. "Wow," he said. "Your story reminded me of the movie Chud. So cool!" Some of the students nodded in agreement and something inside me swelled with a joy I'd never felt before.

Back then I never knew what an impact my writing could have on people. I mean, as long as I could remember I’ve been writing stories. However, I'd never shared them with anybody until then.

That was my defining moment. And still, today, when I revisit that memory, I can’t help but smile. :)

So what was your defining moment?

#horror, #life, #monster., #school, #story, #write, #writer, 0 Comments

So how do you like my new revamp blog?

I’m digging it and will probably play around with it later.

Why would I change my blog?

I’m moving into a totally different direction in my life that’ll eventually have to do with writing, travel, and adventure.

Eventually.

This is a year or so plan in the making.

What’s the plan?

The hubster and I bought this RV A.K.A. Aesop, last September.

Once the weather warms up, we’re going to renovate it and make it our own.

Here’s what it looks like inside right now.

It’s the total Vegas look.

Gag.

We’re going to rip up that nasty carpet, put down like a barn wood flooring, get rid of the blue velvet and brass and paint the cabinets among other things.

We’re going to document the whole renovation, so I’ll share it with you.

What’s the plan?

The hubster and I are going to travel the U.S. in our RV and be digital nomads. We’ll be creating a documentary about our adventures/travel, and I’ll continue to write as well as put other social media content out.

I just opened an Etsy store called: DARETOLIVESHOP. It’s another way to hopefully bring in some extra cash to help fund our documentary. Right now, there are cool inspirational t-shirts to buy. I’m still working on putting other products in my shop, and I’m having fun doing it. Here’s the link if you want to check it outà https://www.etsy.com/shop/DARETOLIVESHOP?ref=search_shop_redirect

It’s also on one of the tabs above.

Anyway, that’s my crazy plan—travel the US as a digital nomad in my RV and living off grid—and I'm so happy and excited about it.

I’ll be doing an update on my current writing in progress soon.

Cheers!

#adventure, #author, #book, #daretolive, #documentary, #etsy, #future, #inspiration, #shirts, #shop, #travel, #writer, #writing, 1 Comments

What the heck is a beta reader?

Years ago, I asked that same question. I'd never heard of that term before, until I decided to turn my stories into novels.

A beta reader reads your manuscript before it's published and gives you valuable feedback on your story. They'll point out plot holes, inconsistencies, errors, and will tell you how they feel about the tale.

I love my beta readers. They're my helping angels, and I appreciate them.

Why do I even need a beta reader? I mean, I have an editor who would point all those things out to me and would tell me if my story sucked.

I'll tell ya why.

You need more eyes on your manuscript. I've learned this the hard way, and it makes a HUGE difference if you have a handful of people beta reading for you.

Trust me.

When do I give my manuscript to my beta readers?

This is what I do. After I've completed the first draft, I'll take a week off, then read my story. I'll edit and do rewrites. Once that part is completed, and I feel comfortable sharing my manuscript, I'll send it along to my beta readers. I'll do another round of rewrites, based on their suggestions. I also have a proof reader I'll send my story to, but I wait until my beta readers are finished first before I do that. After my proof reader's job is completed, I'll once again make the necessary changes, and then send off my manuscript to my editor.

See how the process works?

Beta readers play an important role in the literary world, and I think they rock.

Wow. This is brilliant, but how do I get a beta reader?

There are a lot of ways to obtain a beta reader. Ask a friend, family member, teacher, or another author. I found my first three beta readers on a writing forum called, Absolute Write. My beta readers now are fans of my books and part of my street team.

What's a street team?

We'll get to that later. ;)

In the meantime, good luck and best wishes to you!

Cheers!

F.Y.I. I have a new website I've been working on. I'd love for you to follow me there. I reblogged this post from that site. Here's the link: http://rebekkahford.com/