April Camp Nano 2017 - Part 1

Today's Earworm: Heart Heart Head by Meg Myers
Today's Date: April 3, 2017

I have made a decision. A very serious decision to.

It's about Black Veiled Saviour, which is one of two books that I'm working on.

I have decided to just scrap the original story and start it anew. I have plans on using bits and pieces of the current chapters that I have, but I'm not going to continue the current story line.

I still need to work a few things out but to note I am keeping the characters used so far, and keeping their personalities. It's going to be interesting to rewrite this world.

But that'll wait for a bit of time. I'll survive. Really.

Now, something I wanted to talk about: Genres. I've noticed that there have been threads about Happily Ever After's (HEA) in romance and why it's a part of romance.

If you don't have a HEA it's not a romance damnit! We read romance for that. That is what makes romance romance.

People are trying to get rid of the need for HEA's and a few other things that make the romance genre what it is. Which is kind of stupid actually because then it's not romance.

Now mind you, romance has so many sub-genres that the sub-genres need sub-genres. It's that damn vast of a genre.

I personally write horror, comedy-horror, mystery, and sometimes Sci-fi, but I still work within the rules that sell those genres. Why?

Because that's what sells. It's been changed and perfected and honed over the years. A genre is set up a certain way because it works and yes, I'm playing with some cliches and some not so cliches and changing up my characters and introducing some new ideas...but...

I am still playing by the damn rules.

I write according to the beats that were set by authors that were around long before I was. I write my villains and I write my heros and I write my victims according to what sells.

And I do the same for my romances, rare as they are.

Stop trying to be edgy. Even the author of Twilight played by the rules set in her genre, as distasteful as I find the book. I grew up on Dracula, and Anne Rice okay.  Vampires do not sparkle and those wolves aren't werewolves. They're shifters.

But still, genre 'rules' are there for a reason. And that is because...

They fucking well sell! Learn what the guidelines are and figure out how to put your own damn spin on them. That's the idea behind writing. I swear.

Let's Talk...Free Writing

Today's Earworm: Picture Me Rollin' by 2Pac
Today's Date: January 23, 2017

So today, we're gonna talk about free writing. And I'm not talking about what writers do when they have no idea what they want to write, and just open a new file and let the words go.

No, I'm talking about all the little goodies that you get randomly from some authors on their blogs, or on their sites.

I'm talking about flash stories, drabbles, and bits that you get for free to entice you into buying their books from them.

For that matter, I have some free writing that I'm working on creating for all of you, but it's taking me a bit of time. Mostly because I lost my little booklet with the drabble ideas in it for a while there. I have it again, and I'm back at writing the darn things. And editing them to death.

To move on, why do writers have free writing on their blogs or sites?

Well, now days, sites like Amazon have a nice little feature where you can get a sample of a book. But really? That's not a firm way of knowing the writer's style and ability. That's a good way of seeing if the book interests you and is what you want, but does the style of the writer make you want to come back for more? Who knows.

So most writers have started to create free bits on their sites and blogs, allowing the reader, you, to check things out. To read and see if their style is something that you would be interested in.

Most free writings that I've seen usually range from just under a thousand words (for a flash fiction) up to nearly 2 thousand (for shorter pieces). And they may even be a part of an interconnected story line which can show you just how they can weave a tale.

We do this to draw in new readers in the hope that they'll buy our books. That they'll tell their friend about this great new writer that they just found and want to share! That our blogs and sites will be shared all over the place and introduced to new people. We put things out there like that to help grow our small corner of the community.

It's a way to show off our skills. It's like we're saying "Hey! Look! I can write really good! Check out this story that I wrote and tell me what you think". Even these short pieces of fiction take time. Not as much as novels or novelettes or novella's take. Or even a short piece for an anthology. Because yes, those take time to write and edit and the such.

The free writings, we're usually writing, editing, letting sit, editing again and posting within a week's time since most of us do post such things weekly. It doesn't truly take much time for most of us to have a nice polished short bit. Longer pieces, yes, it takes time. A lot of time. But not so much the shorter pieces.

And again, we do this to show off our writing skills, as a way of thanking those who have taken the time to buy our stories, our books, and to draw in new readers.

Free writing is another way for us to draw attention to ourselves. Simple as that.

Let's Talk...Hate Sex!

Today's Earworm: I Cry by Flo Rida
Today's Date: January 16, 2017

I bet you're sitting there and going "Hate sex? The fuck?". Yeah, because I haven't touched on sex in books yet, in any form.

Okay, look, this came about from a DM (direct message) on Twitter about the fact that I was thinking about writing a scene where the two characters are having hate sex.

Right. So what did the DM say?

It called hate sex "rape".

It's not?

No. For f's sake...

To all those who don't know what hate sex is, it is not rape. Yes, it can come across as rapey depending on how it is written, but it's not that hard to move away from that.

But we'll get to that in a moment.

What is hate sex though?

Ah, it's a bit of an interesting thing to define really.

Let's talk about what it's not real fast first.

It is not rape. Rape is defined by Merriam-Webster (for this purpose) as:

unlawful sexual activity and usually sexual intercourse carried out forcibly or under threat of injury against the will usually of a female or with a person who is beneath a certain age or incapable of valid consent.

And:

archaic : to seize and take away by force.

What does this mean? It means that it's about power on one persons part. There is no consent wanted, nor needed for it to happen.

I don't like rape but I do use it in various stories for various reasons, and I'm always respectful to the victims and survivors of rape.

So hate sex is not rape.

Hate sex is also not makeup sex, or even sex that one has within a loving relationship. Rough sex happens in a loving relationship, but not hate sex.

Okay, so hate sex isn't rape, makeup sex or just even rough sex. What is it?

Well, hate sex is just that.

Sex that happens between two people who hate or intensely dislike each other. For them, the heat of their hate takes a turn into lust and they have sex. It's not about a relationship, love, or even respect.

Let me state something: When hate sex happens, the two (or more) involved have given consent in some form or another. As long as they are not drunk (I've written characters with alcohol in their system having hate sex but not drunk enough to not know what they're doing, let's be clear on this), they can consent.

Consent is key.

 Hell consent is key in any sex scene, be it for fanfiction or original stories. Especially in this day and age.

For example: In the story that I was planning on writing, the two characters hate each other. Absolutely despise each other.

That doesn't mean that they don't want to screw each other silly. For them, there is a fine line between absolute hatred and lust, but it's a very interesting line that is defined by the state of their relationship.

To break it down:

• Person A hates Person B for a specific reason. 
• Person B hates Person A just because of circumstances. 
• Person A and Person B have a mutual hate on for each other.
• There is no real way for them to act on that hate because they share a life and Person C would kick both of their asses. 
• Then one day are snarling and the anger is growing and growing and growing. 
• In a fit of trying to get rid of the anger, they somehow find themselves pulling at clothes, pouring all of it into kissing and pushing and shoving. 
• They screw and find it's a great way to let loose and relax before the next time.

That's their relationship. They play nice in public, and to each other, they screw when it's just to much, and then they move on.

That is hate sex. It's a release for these two characters. For other it's just sex with an ex that they hate, a rival, or someone that they hate. 

Okay, so hate sex is just sex between two people who hate each other, right?

Bingo.

Then how does one stop it from coming across as rapey?

Ah, now that's a bit of a hard one isn't it? 

Remember when I said that consent is key? Yeah, it's key in real life and in a story. Consent is sexy, even in hate sex. 

If they participate and the know just what is going on and what is to happen, and they don't stop it from happening, that's consent. They may hate what they did, but it still happened and some walk away from hate sex with a sore body and content with what happened.

You need to, somehow, work that consent in without disrupting the flow of the scene. It's not that hard to if you're good enough, and if your not...

That's what editing is for after all. And editors. And readers. Seriously. You don't need to do a whole lot.

Me? I'm planning on having Person A go "wait...do I want this?" and decide that yes, yes he does. For his own reasons and he has no doubt that the other is interested in doing it to since Person B was the one who jumped him.

So, let's go over the points.

1) Hate sex is not rape.

2) Consent is sexy, even when it's between two enemies.

3) Consent is even more sexy when it's done right.

4) You need that consent to not come off rapey with a story or chapter.

5) Editing will be your friend. If it seems off, it's off. Edit it again. Let it sit. Re-read a month later.

I think that's all I have to say. 

If you have questions or comments or suggestions on what I should talk about next, leave me a comment. 

Writing and Rewriting

Today's Earworm:
Today's Date: December 19, 2016

Well now, we're about halfway through December and I'm just...exhausted. Straight up tired. Why?

Because I've been baking (which you can check out the pics of the goodies and all sorts of things here), decorating, and trying to stay up to date on my writing.

On top of that, I got new flooring! Finally! I swear. I'm so happy to have new flooring. I really am. Which means that I've been unpacking all the shit that I had to pack up to lay it down.

But I've done it and I'm sitting here and was thinking about what to write this round.

And then I remembered that in a part of my Story List (coming on Jan 2nd, guys) that I talk about rewriting.

To be precise, what I have to do to rewrite A Butterfly's Dream. Which is a really old story that can be found running around online. I find that the story line is interesting. The story itself needs a LOT of work.

And I mean a lot of work. Enough so that I've decided to do the following rewriting process. Mind you, it's what I'm planning on doing, just probably not in this order.

1: Collect all of the chapters into one file.

What this means is you're consolidating the various versions of a story. That's what I did already. I took the original story (which is only partially written), the rewritten file with new chapters, and my information all into 3 files.

Mostly because that's what my OCD tells me to do.

I have those files and they're formatted for easy of use.

2: Print out the file.

That's right, I'm going to print out the files in full, punch holes into the sides and stick them into a binder for ease of keeping it in place and access. It will be much easier in the long run.

Especially if you're like me and like to read something on paper. Even if you don't, sometimes working from actual paper works a lot better when it comes to working out what needs to be changed.

3: Buy/find all of your supplies.

I need to pick up some sticky notes actually. I learn this from the lovely Inky Laurens (@InkyLaurens) and Liana Brooks (@LianaBrooks) on twitter. They did a video where they took Inky's story, broke it down and used post its for each scene.

I'm going to adopt this style of rewriting once I get the first round of rewriting/expanding done.

I'll find some proper pens and a clear wall and start.


But first I'll need to find an empty notebook or two.

4: Make notes.

This step will include those empty notebooks or two. I'll sit down with my printed out file and start to make notes on characters, settings, plot ideas, and what I need to fill in or add. I'll do this chapter by chapter.

5: Take those notes and put them onto sticky notes.

Once I have those notes written out and ready for this part, I'll pick up the post its and start to write out my scenes, which goes down into part 6.

6: Arrange sticky notes onto flat surface and start to work out the new outline.

Yes, once I have started on part 5 part 6 also starts. I'm going to lay them out in rows and get them all laid out.

It'll take time and it'll drive me insane, but I'll do it. Because once I'm done, it's time to start with part 7.

7: If need be, remove/consolidate/break up sticky notes.

When I start creating a new outline, I'll start to go over the various scenes to work out what needs to go where, how and when. I'm going to clean up the outline and move scenes around.

But...I'll also combine scenes or break some up or even just straight up remove them. It all depends on the scene and what I'm trying to do.

This is where having a solid plot idea with subplot's is a good idea.

8: Do it with a friend.

This part isn't so much a step as it is a good idea when it comes time to start rearranging your outline. It makes life easier. So I'm going to steal my friend Tonya for a day and sit there planning out A Butterfly's Dream.

It's going to take a while since I also need to figure out what I'm doing with the plot in the long run. It's going to be interesting that's for sure.

But again, this is just what I'm going to do.

How do you edit? Rewrite? What works best for you?

For me, this is going to be a new try. It's going to be fun.

National Novel Writing Month 2016 - Pt 1

Today's EarWorm: Blood Red Roses by c21fx
Today's Day: November 7, 2016
Word Count Widget

So this time, I'm going to try something different. Instead of a kind of a daily thing put together in one blog, which I find kind of hard to deal with really, I'm just going to give you a summary of how I did and the what not.

Let's start with word count shall we?

November 1: 3,005

November 2: 760

November 3: 1,453

November 4: 1,604

November 5: 1,586

November 6: 1,478

Total: 9,882 words

So as you can see, I did pretty good on the 1st. I got my 3K starter and that's pretty much what has kept me afloat ever since. 

Why? Eh, I was feeling ew on the second and had a hell of a time focusing enough to write a new prologue for Bad Dog; day 3 had a new chapter and me crashing out hard early (like 8 in the evening early) and a shopping run with a friend; another shopping run and another chapter, hurrah; the fifth included me staying home, rewriting one chapter and writing a new chapter for something other than Bad Dog. 

Hey! All new words count damnit! I'm a rebel. That's what I'm saying to myself. 

To go a bit more in depth about what went on.

Day 1 was pretty good all things considered. It was enough to get all the words that I needed and then some. Then again, it's always easy enough to get a good set of words down on the first day. It's easy enough.

Day 2 was spent writing a new prologue on Bad Dog, getting things down and out because I had to introduce my Idiot Villain and figure out just what I need to figure out about him. Let's just say that by the end of the series, you'll find out that he's not the main villain of the entire series. He's just the one that you see.

Day 3, again, was spent writing a new chapter, but I also had to run to the store with my friend to pick up some of her things for the month. I got home lateish and crashed soon after.

Day 4 was spent going to get the last of the things that she needed and getting yet even more words. Nothing amazing. And I also planned out a couple more chapters Bad Dog which is nice. I figured out some more things about the structure of my story to.

Day 5 I lounged around. Wrote. Or tried to do so. Did a jigsaw puzzle on my jigsaw app. Or three. I wrote. Got a chapter on something else. Got a rewrite done for one of my stories. Mourned the fact that I don't have the money to print out one of my stories so I can tear it down to the very foundation of what it is. 

That's going to be...fun. I think. Maybe. Lots of work though.

Day 6 was just exhausting. Once more, I was shopping but this time I went food shopping for my household instead of helping my friend with her shopping. Which isn't any fun, trust me.

My hair hurt and that's saying something since hair doesn't feel.

But I got a good sized turkey (20+ lb bird) for about 89cents per pound so it was nice. It worked out in the good for me and my mom. I'm very happy with how things went in the long run.

And I barely squeaked in on my word count for the day even though it was a fight to the bitter end to get the words. Today, I hope to focus like nothing else and just WRITE.

I can hope yes? Yes.

I will see you next week with a fresh and new update! For now, enjoy life. Read a book. Treat yourself to a favorite snack. Watch a good movie. Enjoy life.

Preparing for National Novel Writing Month 2016 - Pt 4

Today's Earworm: "Eyes" by Kings 810
Today's Date: October 24, 2016

I don't really know what to say. I'm exhausted is the first thing that comes to mind.

The second is that I'm on a binge watching all sorts of documentaries on things. Ghosts and spirits and the such.

Fueling the thoughts for Bad Dog. Which is good yet bad since I'm still fighting with myself in regards to working on it. I can't. Not until the first of November and it's a week away yet.

So I'm kind of sitting here. Sick. Exhausted. Binge watching documentaries. Working on Bad Dog. And trying not to toss people off a cliff.

I hate the build up towards the next round of Nano. I always end up twitchy and growling. And I've been very anti-person lately. Which is kind of surprising but yet not?

Okay, so let's me tell you what insanity has been going on and how it has been utterly *censors the line of curse words that would make a sailor sniff in proudness but comes down to messing* with my life.

1) My friend is currently trying something to help with her chronic pain issues. She doesn't do needles and since these are  about an inch long going into her back, she needs to be put under which means I have to go with her.

2) I lost my outline for my short piece set! I'm crying. I need to clean up some more and hope to find the bitch. I can hope yes?

3) As stated above, I have been very anti-person lately. I don't know why but it's starting to make me twitch. Which isn't good.

4) Depression has attacked me a bit but I'm working on getting through it.

5) The muses and will to write has been fluctuating.

I'm hoping though that by the time November comes around that I will be back on balanced ground again.

I'm hoping.

Anyways, I got thinking about if I've ever told you guys about my writing process...

And I don't think so! At least not in the last year. I've talked about my Plot Mountain (found here), but I don't think I've ever quite gone over what I do after that.

Well, let me explain that since I'm getting prepped for Nano in a week and the process after is just as important, if not more so in some cases, as the writing process.

Please remember, that what may work for me may not work for you. So experiment, learn, discover. Don't be afraid to find a new way if your current way just doesn't work for you.

Step 1: Write the First Draft

I went over this in my Plot Mountain Post all those months before. I write that first draft.

Step 2: Ignore the First Draft

Depending on the story and size that I wrote, I usually ignore that first draft from anywhere from a week to six months. Why? Because I want to forget what I wrote in that first draft so I can come back to it with fresh eyes.

Step 3: Reread (groan) over the first draft and make notes on changes like I'm a reader.

This is just what it says. After that time of forgetting the first draft, I stick the draft into a GDoc, make sure it's accessible on my tablet and sit in bed with pen and notebook to reread it while making notes.

I look at it like I'm a first reader (thus why I ignore it for so long) and I have to give this writer an honest critique. But then again, I'm meaner to myself and tend to rip the story apart in my notes.

I did this with my current M/M novella (which I'm in step 4 and 5 right now for it). It took me about 6 pages of legal pad paper; front to back; to write all the notes.

Step 4: Write out a new outline

This outline will include the old chapters and new chapters I want to insert.

For the old chapters, I tend to make notes on what I want to insert into them and if I want to split a chapter into two chapters instead of one.

For the new chapters, I make sure I know just how they would fit into it as I go along. This will be a long process because I'm going back and forth between the first draft and my notes to see just what I need to do.

This also includes about 5 different colored InkJoy pens so I can color code things.

Step 5: Start to fill in those chapters and write out the new chapters

AKA: Rewrite round 1.

Yep, time to rewrite. It's not fun. Nope. Not in the least. But I will do it! My page will bleed RED from this first round of rewrites.

Step 6: REWRITE!

This time I'm going from start to finish and literally rewriting each chapter to fix things such as tense, wording, some grammar (not really expected at the moment), characterization and making sure it all flows together.

It will take me anything from a month to four depending on length and how often I work on doing the rewrite.

Step 7: Rewriting AGAIN

Okay, this rewrite is pretty much a combination of step 3 and 5. I'm going to read through it after about a week of not touching it and making notes before inserting what I need.

It's pretty much a lighter version to help start to tighten things up.

Step 8: Actual editing

This is the step where I sit down and go through with grammar and punctuation in mind. I sit there and don't read like a writer or a reader (like above), but this time as an editor.

I had to train myself to stop from worrying about most editing bits during the last 7 steps. Thank you, NaNo for training that out of me.

This takes me about a week or two to finish from beginning to end. It's not that extensive.

Step 9: Send it to a first reader and get their opinion on the story.

I usually have someone in the background waiting to read my story and go over it, critique things and the such.

Step 10: Go over what they say and insert and maybe do some light rewriting.

Once I get that information back from them, I sit there and fiddle around with things, filling in holes or making it clear that a hole is there for a good reason for future books depending on what I'm working on.

Step 11: Repeat 9 and 10

Just that. I repeat 9 and 10 a few times (usually with more than one reader) and then I get to this step.

Step 12: Edit then send to editor/beta and forget about it.

This is where I wait for the editor to go over it, make their notes and tell me what I need to fix. I usually send it after I do another quick once over to catch anything.

Step 13: Fix what needs to be fixed.

I fix what needs to be fixed and once I get it to a point where I'm happy with it, where it reads well and looks good, it's done.

Yeah, 13 plus steps later (because sometimes there's a couple more rewrites and edits in there).

Now mind you, I figured this out over the course of my fanfiction writing career and I can tell you that yes, it works just as well for when it comes time to editing original worlds.

Again this may or may not work for you. If it works, great! I'm happy. If it doesn't or just parts works, that's all good! I'm happy you have discovered what works for you. As I have. We all have our own processes. 

This is just my process. 

So for now, I will see you next week with the start of Nano!

Preparing for National Novel Writing Month 2016 - Pt 3

Today's Earworm: 9909 by Danger Silent
Today's Date: October 17, 2016

So I've been thinking about what to write about this week's prepping. And really? I had no real idea what to write.

Then someone asked in one of my closed NaNo groups "What is ADHD/ADD like?"

I got thinking about that. I know that I've talked about it before on twitter and on facebook, but I myself have ADD. What is ADD?

Again, ADD/ADHD is Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

And it does just like it sounds: It's a disorder where a person finds it hard to focus. All of those "I have focus...SQUIRREL!" memes are a funny way of saying it, you guys. There's a good reason why I have thirty things going on at a time. And why I have a dozen projects going at once.

But really? What does this have to do with preparing for NaNo?

It actually has a lot to do with preparing for Nano. Did you know that most often than not, I have my blogs ready to be posted at least a week before hand? And I tend to fiddle around with what I'm posting for the following week. It's so I know for a fact that I have something ready to post.

Now, what does it feel like to have ADD/ADHD? Well, it's different for everyone.

For me, it's like a normal adult having too much sugar and caffeine in a short time. I'm bouncy and jittery. I can't focus without putting some effort into it. I have to have something going on in the background to help me keep that focus once I found it. Usually it's a movie or show or some kind of music.

I don't react to caffeine and sugar like someone who doesn't have ADD. Caffeine tends to help me focus, sometimes, if I'm really tired, wakes me up when I have it along with some sugar and food. Just to keep the balance in my body. I could drink coffee all day and still go to bed at a decent hour.

But when I can't sleep (and I often can't until I'm so tired I'm seeing double), it's not because of the caffeine or sugar. Hell, I've had issues sleeping when I was just buzzed enough on wine (really, really fruity good wine to, cause hey, I'm a picky woman about my wine) to feel that nice sort of sleepy. The reason why I can't sleep?

My mind is overworking again. It's not shutting up. And not even sleeping medications work all the time. They work sometimes and I can't take them too often otherwise my body gets kind of used to them, which kind of defeats the purpose of taking said sleeping medications. I've been drugged up on morphine before (back when I've had my gallbladder taken out mind you) and still been unable to fully rest.

And if you've ever had morphine, you know that you will be OUT once it truly hits your system. It hit and I was still laying there, counting tiles and trying to get my brain to shut up, please and thank you.

This is what I feel every day. All day. And it makes preparing for Nano a bit of a pain in the ass. I'm not joking you.

I literally have this down to a science now. I kind of have to since otherwise things get...messy.

Let's break it down.

Week 1:

- Shift through all of my DVD's (which I've expanded this year by 9, give or take 1) and make a pile for the coming month to rewatch.

- Start a playlist (on spotify this year) for NaNo. Start going through songs I like and adding it to playlist. I'm usually looking for a certain tone.

- Create or update the GDoc that I'm going to use. Do the same with the file and folder for the saved story.

Week 2:

- Panic just a touch. Just a little.

- Continue to build my playlist.

- Go through some more of the DVD's if I haven't finished it.

- Start making notes on the outline as I need to. Usually this means bouncing ideas off of one of my friends. It's kind like throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks.

Week 3:

- Panic a bit more.

- Continue to forever built my playlist. I swear. I need to build it up ever more.

- Make some more notes. This time, it's more like throwing lime slices at the wall to see what sticks. Citrusy, annoying, and a pain in the arse to clean up.

Week 4:

- Panic once more. Then drag myself out of the state of panic to discover there is a distinct lack of tea.

- Find money (somehow) to buy a thing or two of tea. Tea and coffee if I'm low on it. Usually I have enough tea to last me at least the first week until I can get to the store with new monies.

- Flail around a bit with my fellow Nanoer's in Forward Motion chat.

- Plot some more. Or rearrange the outline. Whatever I'm happening to do.

- Set up the NaNo blog outlines for the coming month. This means I set up my usual setup for the days.

IE:
Date
Word count for that day
Total Word Count for Nano
My thoughts on that day.

- Flail around some more.

- Maybe rearrange my DVD pile. Find a few extra to add to it.

- Arrange paper, pens and pencils. (Actually I've already done this, mostly, when I went through my pens. And if you follow me on Twitter, you saw those pictures).

This round, I have an extra post since Nano starts on a Tuesday this time, so that'll be loads of fun.

But that's pretty much what I do. And between all of that, I write. I write on other projects. I write e-mails. I write tweets. I write facebook posts. I write comments. I write.

All to prepare for everything to come.

So yeah, ADD has a lot to do with my prepping since I have to set up so much and combat the need to go "Ooh, shiny!" at random times. Which is never a good thing.

Let's Talk...Sequels

Today's Date: September, 19, 2016
Today's Earworm: "Gansta" by Kehlani

I watched...or rather tried to watch Sinister 2. It's been about a week so far since I tired, and during that time I had to figure out why it didn't appeal to me while Sinister was so damn good.

Then I watched The Conjuring 2 and figured it out.

I didn't like Sinister 2 because when I was going in, I was expecting it to be like Sinister. I'm not talking plot. I know that the mythology in the story was set in stone and most likely they were going to continue on with the demon Bughuul. But I was expecting something more from the film.

Such as the same kind of pacing and seeing things happening at certain times. And a bit more happening with the mother and the kids.

Instead it felt off.

So this got me to thinking about my own sequels that I'm planning on writing. As most of this blog readers know most of my books have at least one sequel planned, and there are a few series that are in the works.

It got me thinking about keeping the pacing and style of the sequel(s) of the first book. Why?

Well, if you think about a series as a building, the first book is a cornerstone. It's what you build the future series off of later.

It sets the characters, the tone of the story, and the main plot points that are to carry into the next book and all following books of that series.

And you kind of have to follow that line through because if you don't it doesn't read right. It doesn't sound right. And it sure as hell looks odd if suddenly you're going off in another direction for the series.

Okay, look, I'm not saying that all series have to be about one character and one build up throughout. I'm talking it has to sound and look as if it's from the same world.

I personally have a couple of series that is more world series then character series.

Wait...what's a world series and what's a character series?

I heard that one coming from a mile away.

A world series is more of a story that is built in the same world but uses various characters as the main focal point of the story. Most often than not, the plot point of that story is different than the last book or the book that follows after it, but it's still tied into the world that was built in the first book.

And, again, most often than not, it is still tied into the recurring plot point that was built upon in the first book.

A character series is a series built upon the characters and uses those same characters throughout the series. The plot for each book can be a single point plot, where it's solved in just one book. Or it can build on a plot point and mix it with a longer point that will be covered in the full series with a single plot point.

It all depends on the writer and the stories.

I myself have a few mixes of both types. I also have world series and character series.

My Honey Drops series is, mostly, a world built series. Yes, I have the characters working towards a single goal for book 7 (I think, I don't have my list in front of me. It might be bk 6), but their own stories are different. They have different plots that they have to get through.

But the style of the story, the pacing and the world will be the same.

For my series Don't Look, again, it's a world built series but again, has an end point that I have no idea where it is. I don't know how many characters are going to end up in this series.

But for my new Comedy-Horror Ex-Retail Worker series, it's a character built series.  Meaning that I have my main characters and they're going to be in all of the books to come. There are two plot points. One plot point is for the duration of the story but it ties into the plot point that will end up finishing in the last book.

It's what ties the rest of the books together.

But again, the pacing, the world and the style of the story will stay the same.

Because that's what builds the series. It's what makes the series good and cohesive.

At least that's what I've found in my writing career.

What are your thoughts on series? What makes a good series to you?

Writers Meme Tag Questions 1

Today's Ear Worm:
Today's Date: May 16, 2016

First and foremost, go over to this here Link, and read my interview done by the every lovely Connie! It's my first one and I kind of had fun doing it.

But I decided to do a couple of writer tags but just do them on here since I can't do a video properly right now due to my throat.

So this is part one and the list of questions if you wish to do it yourself is here on Maxkrin's Tumblr Blog.


01: When did you first start writing?

When did I first start writing? Gods years and years and years ago. I was about 12 years of age actually when I started scribbling silly little poems before moving onto fanfiction that will never see the light of day right around 15.

02: What was your favorite book growing up?

I didn't really have a favorite book until I was like 14. And then it was Anne Rice's "Interview with a Vampire" which expanded to a few of her other books.

03: Are you an avid reader?

Yes, I am. I read quite a bit actually.

04: Have you ever thrown a book across the room?

No. No, wait yes, once. When I tried to read "50 Shades of Grey". I threw it hard enough to break the spine.

I. Do. Not. Regret. It. One. Tiny. Bit.

05: Did you take writing courses in school/college?

Outside of the basic English courses, no I didn't. I find that if I try to take a course on writing it tends to mess with my writing and I don't learn anything at all because I'm sitting there going "this is to stiff". It's kind of counter-productive.

06: Have you read any writing-advice books?

Again, they tend to be counter-productive for me, but I have read a few when I was first starting to write and looking to become better. One thing that I've taken from them is all "practice is a good thing" and "editing is your friend". So pretty much what I knew.

07: Have you ever been part of a critique group?

No because the last time someone asked for a crit, I was rather blunt that read as harsh since the bit that I was reading didn't look like she had tried to edit it much less make it look like a story.

08: What’s the best piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten?

Not a lot actually since I rarely share my stories, but the best bit I could have gotten was from a wonderful friend who told me to try psychological horror. I have and have learned that I love writing in that.

09: What’s the worst piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten?

"You suck. Your story sucks. Your characters suck." That's it. Yeah. Not the least bit helpful.

10: What’s your biggest writer pet-peeve?

Dialogue tags and punctuation! I swear people seem to not know how to write dialogue tags with proper punctuations. Let's not go into that yes? It's not that hard to understand. *sighs*

And "Damsel in distress with more than one guy after her". Just...overkilled lately.

11: What’s your favorite book cover?
Mmm, not sure actually. But it has to be J.A. Marlow's series book covers.

12: Who is your favorite author?

I don't really have a favorite author actually. Surprisingly enough I really don't. 

13: What’s your favorite writing quote?
Frank Miller's quote about a noir hero. It's a good thing to have in mind when writing it.

"The noir hero is a knight in blood caked armor. He's dirty and he does his best to deny the fact that he's a hero the whole time."

14: What’s your favorite writing blog? c;

No real favorites again. I watch and read so many that I don't have a solid favorite for various reasons.

15: What would you say has inspired you the most?

My mother. She's been here from day one and encouraged me to find a new story in everything that I do. Which is what I'm inspired by. Just living my life and moving through things.

16: How do you feel about movies based on books?

They would be well done I think but I think that it would need to be watched by the writer if they're alive, or someone who knows the books well enough to make sure that the important things get into the movies.

17: Would you like your books to be turned into TV shows, movies, video games, or none?
I wouldn't mind any of them actually. But my books would probably be better to be movies more than TV shows and video games. Except my Magical Girl series actually. That would make a good TV show if done right.

18: How do you feel about love triangles?
Love triangles actually kind of annoy me to a point. Unless it's very well done, I tend to stay away from them when it comes to reading or writing them.

19: Do you prefer writing on a computer or longhand?
A mix actually. It depends on the story and what I'm doing during that month. During April and July (Camp National Novel Writing Months), I tend to write on my computer with very little longhand, and during November (National Novel Writing Month) I write exclusively on my laptop.

20: What’s your favorite writing program?

My favorite writing program is actually just Gdocs and OpenOffice Writer. I don't have the money for anything else really so I'm happy with what I have.

21: Do you outline?

Yes, yes I do, mostly because if I don't I'm not going to get far.

22: Do you start with characters or plot?

Mix actually. I'll start with a few characters and work the plot out that comes with them.

23: What’s your favorite & least favorite part of making characters?

Creating personalities, figuring out looks, and sexuality. All of that is just such a pain in my ass but I do it. 

24: What’s your favorite & least favorite part of plotting?

My favorite part of plotting is creating it. My least favorite is sitting down and fleshing it out. It's a pain but it must happen.

25: What advice would you give to young writers?

Research is your best friend. That old adage "Write what you know" doesn't have to mean "don't fucking well learn nothing in the course of your damn life". You have books. The internet. Use it! Learn things. It'll come in handy with your writing and with your life to. 

Come back next week for the second half of the questions!