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.

Sunny Days

Hi Folks,

Well from a farm perspective the summer left a lot to be desired. However, it wasn't a total loss. We are now starting to enjoy the fruits of our labors.

First Taste

Hi Folks,

Well, August is about done. Thankfully, it has been a lot warmer and drier that July so the garden has actually managed to grow. Yesterday we took out first taste of the rewards for our efforts. I can't begin to tell you how much I enjoyed the taste.

Secondary Characters

Hi folks,

Well, here we are again, working on the writing process. So, in previous posts we developed our main character and started her story rolling. Now we're going to let her interact with some folks. Of these, let's introduce somebody who can be a help to her.

Storyteller's Endgame

Hi there, fellow writers,

Last week I gave you an example of how I come up with a main character. Today I will share the process, or lack of process I use to get the story going. First, in the case of such a character as we found last week, it is a given she will kick ass and take names. The only questions are whose ass and why? What is the endgame target?

Farm Progress

Hi Folks,

Well, it's Sunday, time for a farm report. Writing discussion is on Wednesday, but you knew that already. Okay, on with it.

Creating Characters. Where the story begins.

Hey there, fellow writers, today is my first post on my writing process. If you’re looking for tips on publishing and/or marketing, sorry to disappoint you, this ain’t it. These posts will be about storytelling. I'm not going to tell you how to do it, I'm going to tell you how I do it.

Week in Review

Hi Folks,

Well, another week has passed as summer slips away. K's knee is making great progress. She no longer uses the walker and the cane is not always in use either.

Is it sad that it has taken a full knee replacement for us to get some relaxing time together? We all tend to lead busy lives these days and her job is a high stress treadmill. We'd actually forgotten how much we enjoy just hanging out together.

Warming Up

Hi Folks,

Well, another week has passed in the summer that wasn't. I don't ever remember a summer where we had to keep turning on the heat. Crazy stuff. The end result is the garden is growing much slower than desired. 

However it is growing and August is looking up. I didn't need a jacket on when I took the dogs out this morning. Looks like things might be warming up a bit.

On the home front, K's knee is slowly but steadily improving. Last night she walked .75 of a kilometer. We were at the Air Strip, and the horses in the pasture nearby all came to the fence to listen to her sing. Girl has an awesome voice.

Whirlwind Week

Hi Folks,

I know I'm a bit late here, but I've been a bit busy gal. Last Tuesday my beloved K had a knee replacement. Not so much fun. I brought her home on Thursday, but things got complicated and I had to take her back to the hospital Sunday night. Everything is under control now, she is home and feeling much better. Life is good.

I've been taking care of her needs as well as doing her chores and my own. That's where you learn just how much your partner gets done in a day. The woman is amazing,; how does she manage to get so much done in a day? Anyway, as you have probably guessed a few things have been neglected.

Cold Day in July

Hey Folks,
Today I'll start with the ROW80 report.

I woke up yesterday about 5:30, the current book I'm writing demanding my attention. I tried to get back to sleep, but to no avail, the story wouldn't leave me alone. The need to write was almost unbearable, the story demanding to be told. I got up, booted up the computer and set to work. 
Yeah, when my muse strikes, she uses a Thor's Hammer. On the bright side, I got lots done. Close to 6500 words for the week. Go me!

Progress on the Farm and at the Keyboard

Hi Folks,

Well, here's all the news that's new from the farm this past week. In spite of a cold wet week I did manage to harvest two of the five huge clumps of chives. They're hanging in the greenhouse drying. 

News From Down on the Farm

Hi Folks,

I promised an update of the farm efforts and here I am. Things have slowed down from an expansion standpoint. On the other hand, everything is growing nicely. That darn rhubarb seed stalk is now over seven feet tall.

I have gathered poles from the bush behind the house to use as pea poles. I've stuck them in the ground. I will wait until the peas are climbing well before I show you a picture.

Immortal

Hi Folks,

I'm all excited today and with good reason. I do have some farm news, lots of it, but for today I want to tell you about a re-release of Immortal Tigress. This has been in the works for months. This is one of my favorite books and now is available in paperback as well as e-book. Here's the new cover and links.

e-book

paperback

  

For millions of years a rogue meteor hurtles through space towards Earth, glowing from the vast fields of radiation through which it has passed. A primitive human female gazes in wonder as the burning invader hurtles toward the ground, unaware of the great beast stalking her. All three meet in an instant. 

Flash forward to the present, yes, she is still here, she has always been here, in the shadows, ready to strike from the darkness with gleaming fangs.

This one is me putting forth a completely different take on vampires, their origins, strengths, weaknesses, and struggles to survive and remain unseen by humanity.

Want a different look at an old legend, check this one out. I am currently working on the sequel. It's about the Vampires meeting the werewolves. Here's a small taste:

Cursing softly, and wishing for a fur coat as she trudged through the snow in human form, the vampire shivered. Ah to hell with it, she stripped off her clothes and buried them in the snow before changing into the saber-toothed tiger; the cat could track the maddened killer more easily, and she had a fur coat.

Okay, that's all you get for today. Tee Hee 

I'll bring you up to speed on the farm news in a day or two. For now, have a stellar day overflowing with blessings and laughter.

Pru