Writing Process Results

Hi Folks,

We've talked about my writing process for a number of weeks now. How about a few peeks into what that process has produced. First I finished the final episode of the Corelian Guard Series. Keep an eye out for Empire's Fall, the sequel to Empire's advance.

Next, I completed the sequel to Immortal Tigress.

And yesterday I finished the first draft of the sequel to Lady Blue.

Here's a peek inside.

Tasha awakened slowly, fear gnawing at her very soul. She was no longer alone in the cold damp basement. The small hairs on the back of her neck were standing up and a shiver crawled slowly up her spine. “Relax woman,” sighed a soft feminine voice. “I'm not going to hurt you.” The speaker was a small girl not much older than Tasha. She had blue spirals painted on her face and arms.

“Who are you? What do you want?”

“I'm called Lady Blue. My name is Kara. Your name is Tasha and you're in deep shit. I'm here to bring you an option you might not have thought of. Hungry?”

“What do you mean options? Wait, what? Yes, I'm starving. Have you got anything to eat?”

“Sure, try this.” She tossed Tasha a couple of military ration bars then fished a bottle of water out of her backpack. She passed it over.

Tasha forgot everything in her hunger. She devoured the bars then guzzled the water. A moment later she became aware of the small girl watching her. “These are military rations, where did you get them?”

“I took them off a soldier who tried to rape me. Feeling better now?”

And that's a wrap for this week. Now for the ROW80 check-in.

Again I seem to be well ahead of schedule. I have ROW80 to thank for keeping me on track. Even in the times when I set my goals lower, I still have that need to get something written for the check-in. Thank you one and all for keeping me honest.

So, this past week I managed to drive the word count on my WIP over 60,000 words and to bring the story to its proper ending. I am so thrilled.

Until next time, may your days be filled with sunny skies and smiling faces. 

Bright Blessings

Pru

Writing Time

Hi folks,

Well, we're back again at the writing practice. Last time I spoke about some of the rules. Today I will speak to another. "Write something every day! Just sit down and write, don't wait for the muse!" and so on.

You've all seen this advice on line and heard it in class. It's good advice...if you write for a living and have deadlines to meet. It might even work well for a plotter, not being one I wouldn't know. I'm told I'm a pantster.

What's a pantster? Somebody who has no plan, they just fly by the seat of their pants. Okay, guilty as charged. I can sit down and five minutes later have a broad outline of where I want the story to go. It rarely goes there anyway.

So, what does all that have to do with the write everyday rule? Well, I'm about to tell ya, see. I feel about that rule the way I feel about spending weeks plotting an outline. I'm a story teller. I sit to the keyboard and tell a story. 

If the voices in my head won't talk to me, I do something else, walk the dogs, weed the garden, bake bread, read, drink, whatever. Anything but write. I only write when I have a story to tell. Sometimes that's every day, other times I can go weeks without writing a dang thing.

Moral of the story? Ignore that dang rule. Do what works for you. Write when it brings you joy, fills you with excitement, takes you out of time. Write when you're driven to. That's when the good stuff happens.

ROW80 check in.

My beloved K has been away at a conference these past few days and the muse has been cracking the whip. Over the past week I have taken my WIP from 30,000 words plus to over 50,000. This sort of thing only happens when I am left on my own. Over the next week I will try to crack 60,000. Wish me luck.

That's it for me today. I hope this finds you all well, happy, successful, and excited about life.

Bless
Pru

The Rules of Writing and You

Hi Folks,
It's time now to discuss some of the rules of writing. I have no idea what they are. Sigh Well, okay, I do know, but I've caught a lot of flack for using them. I'm talking about English now. I have been told I write too formally. What? Say what???

It's English, people. We used to learn it in school. So, apparently, now you are supposed to ignore the rules of proper English and write in Jargon.

Please, aspiring writers, don't do it. Save the jargon for inclusion in dialogue, otherwise, use proper English. It may seem a bit formal or stiff to some, but at least they will be able to understand it. 

Oh, and for the love of Mercy, use the Oxford comma. If you don't there will inevitably be places where your intent is lost, confused, or downright hysterical. Use the Oxford comma. It bears repeating.

So, that's all I have to say about that topic for now. Next time I will tell you about some of the rules you can break...well, perhaps just bend a little.

Now, on another note, the Dark Traveler has been revised and given a new cover. Check it out here:

e-book

paperback

ROW Check-in:

We're starting the last round of ROW80 for the year. I can say I am quite thrilled with this year's progress. Last round all I wanted to do was finish a first draft. I did that, plus thirty thousand words on the next novel. Way beyond expectations.

So, this time I will shoot to finish the new story. How about that? This coming week I will aim for a total of three thousand words on the new story.

So, how about you? Was the last round successful for you? I truly hope so.

May your days be filled with sunshine and smiling faces.

Bless
Pru

More on the Writing Process

Hi folks,
Yep, it's been a while since we touched on this, so let me see. We created characters, tried to understand what drives them, got our storytelling hat on, and now it's time for a few of those secrets we're not supposed to share.
Everybody's different, but here's one that works for me. Music. Epic, powerful, driving music. Movie themes are great. Get in the chair, limber up the keyboard, put on some truly epic music, and let the story flow. As the music takes you, the story takes you, and the words magically roll.
Here are two examples of stories that flowed from my imagination on the wings of epic music.

e-book

paperback

e-book or paperback

Phoenix has always been one of my favorites, but Dark Traveler is special to me. I originally wrote it to give young transgender kids a hero. One child in particular. It is a fantasy/adventure story, but it is more. It is also a window into the lives, fears, and joys of these children. The hope was to help the child's family understand.

Now, on a different note, I'm all excited about my impending new website. I'm hoping it will be ready this month, and when it goes live I will make a serious fuss because I want everybody to see it. Keep an eye out for the smoke signals.

That's all for now. Hope this finds you all well and happy.

Bless
Pru

Return of the Phoenix

Hi Folks,

It's been a crazy few weeks and my lack of posts will attest to it. However, there's good news, and more good, and then great news on the horizon. I don't want to spoil anything so I'll just give it to you in pieces. Here's the first piece.

Phoenix is back!

Paperback

e-book

We've had Phoenix down for months getting her a fresh edit and a new cover. Now she's back and gathering a lot of attention.

On With the Story

Hi Folks,

It's a cold windy day here, perfect for story telling. So far we've talked about creating the characters and getting into the bad guy's head. Today let's talk about getting the story moving. There are any number of ways to do that. I suggest you try a few to see what works best for you.

Bad Guys

Hi Folks,

All right, I'll admit it, I'm way late with this post. Sigh. Sometimes chaos just explodes all over your world and you need a few days to settle things back down again. So, on with the show. Today's writing discussion is about bad guys.