H.A. Kinani's Blog

Wattpad is a writing/reading app, community and general land mine of books and information for the book lover or writer out there.

I remember back when it was first released. I think I even downloaded it onto my phone before looking it over and dismissing it.

Man, if only I had known. The community has grown to over 40 million unique readers and writers around the world. There are countless books written and countless readers. All genres including fan fiction and all aged readers and writers alike, and every story is free.

Back when I first saw wattpad, I thought fanfiction.net and fictionpress.com were enough for me. But the ability of wattpad to take over the market the way it has, puts my previous favourites to shame.

If you want readers, then why not go to where the readers are? It makes sense, so what is the catch?

Well, for one, getting noticed is not nearly as easy as one would think. On a site flooded with excellent material, professional authors and avid readers, how do you gain notice?

That is the tricky part.

Wattpad’s search system is pretty limited. You can look for specific tags, or you can browse what they recommend but if you have a story with zero reads, it will sadly go mostly unnoticed. Aside from that, there is a newly listed section that you can sort through but with the number of writers on wattpad, the stories often tend to get overlooked.

A good friend of mine, Cherry Pickett drew me properly into the wattpad world with her current book (if you like m/m romance, alphas and omega’s, hockey and really good writing you should check out!) titled, SlapShot!

It’s so good, seriously.

 

For experimentation, I decided to go ahead and post some of my old work that I am not planning to publish. After editing and revamping, Public Displays Of Affection was reborn!
Like the cover??

This is an interesting subject for me. As someone who has been published several times now, it might sound crazy that I still get insecure.

So insecure in fact that I consider not even editing my books. I think about how “crappy” it is. I think about how I’m wasting my time working on something that no one will read. 

The thoughts are not intentional. They creap in when I think about my current project. they’re in the back of my head, telling me to stop, telling me to give up.

This time, with Cinder Unit, is no exception. The thoughts are there, just like they have been with every single other thing that I have written.

This has led to drawers filled with unfinished fiction, files upon files in my hard-drive, forever abandoned.

Think about the reality of this. All of these stories that I have put hundreds of hours into, stories that have inspired me and filled me with passion, left abandoned.

Right now, with this book that I have spent most of the year working so hard on, why is it happening again?

I’ve heard it before from other writers, passing remarks about never finishing projects. If its such a common occurance amongst us, maybe there is a universal reason behind this?

Self sabotage?

Now, this sounds textbook. But when I am honest with myself, I do believe this to be at least a little bit true. What else could be the reason that now that the first draft is done I am losing faith in my work? I look at this pile of pages of a book that I love. One that I obsessed over and fought for and struggled with and instead of seeing all of that, I think, “No one is going to like this”. Does that make sense for a popular genre with a strong female heroin and an exciting adventure set in a steampunk-esque world? I would love to read that If I saw it! So why wouldn’t anyone else?

What else could be the reason that now that the first draft is done I am losing faith in my work? I look at this pile of pages of a book that I love. One that I obsessed over and fought for and struggled with and instead of seeing all of that, I think, “No one is going to like this”. Does that make sense for a popular genre with a strong female heroin and an exciting adventure set in a steampunk-esque world? I would love to read that If I saw it! So why wouldn’t anyone else?

Fear of success?

Maybe. If this book does very well, will I be happy? Um… yes! And then my whole life would change. I would be achieving my dreams and moving into the next stage of my life. I could quit my job and be a full time writer. Its such a big step. Am I ready for that?

And then, what if none of that happens? What if this book does terribly?

Fear of bad reviews?

Absoutely! Who wants a bad review? When you’ve poured your soul into a book and then to have someone tear it apart..? Ugh! Nightmare!

Not to mention the reason I write. I do it to nourish my own soul and keep myself happy, yes, but the whole reason that I ever started writing was to share. To share my worlds and give others an escape and happiness the way that my favourite writers have always done for me. To write and have it hated. That would be heart breaking.

Fear in general?

I guess now there is no denying it. When I look at what I’ve accomplished. I get worried that it’s not enough. It’s not good enough. It didn’t hit the marks that I wanted it to. It is missing everything that could make it better.

But..

Love for what you do drives you and you can’t stop being who you are. I am a writer. I was truly blessed to have this passion and drive for the written word. And I have been equally blessed with my bravery.

No matter how hard it is, I will always be here writing and putting my work out into the world in one way or another.

What do you think? Are there other common fears that I have missed? Do you also experience insecurity with your work?

Here is a post about editing your story in just six steps! It still works for me and is exactly the process that I am using now.

I am currently on step six for Cinder Unit! Nervous! (even though it is definitely the longest/hardest step :P)

Sienna's Way...

In celebration of finishing the edit of COLD BLOOD, WARM HEART I decided to share my six step editing process with you all! Exciting I know.

~

Editing can be-and often is-the most tedious and sometimes painful part of the writing process. However if you can keep sight of the creativity and excitement that you had while writing, it doesn’t need to be.

Just like with writing, there are steps and tips that may help ease the process and maybe even make it more fun. So here are my personal techniques!

STEP ONE: TAKE A BREAK

Yes that’s right. Hey, you just finished writing a book. Take a friggen break! Not just a lunch break either. Go out, celebrate, do something to congratulate yourself. This is a big accomplishement, whether its your first time doing it or your hundredth. It may seem unneccesary but believe me, gatting space from your…

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After starting this series with 10 free paranormal story ideas, my creativity has been flying through the roof. I could not wait to write another list to inspire people with!

As always, take what you like, alter whatever you choose and let me know your favourite story idea in the comments below!
Here are my 10 fantasy story ideas!

In the midst of a cold, stark winter, all magic stops. The world is in a panic. Without the use of magic, there is no fire. There is no food. And worse, the light that fuels the souls of every magic person, slowly begins to fade. With a world dying from the inside out, our MC is forced to learn the basics of everyday survival in a brutal landscape while fighting for their life to reach the one person that they know is responsible… before it is too late.
Within the night his father will be dead, and with his death, along with the kingdom, all of his fathers powers will be passed on to him. As though the role of king wasn’t enough, how is he supposed to cope with unlimited power and those fighting to steal it from him. Entering into hiding, a kingdom in chaos, and fighting for his life, can he gain the strength to put everything right again and be the king that his people deserve?
There are certain things in the world that it is best to avoid. Creatures that lurk in the dark and especially, in the woods. She has always been terrified of the Wolves in particular. Cratures that live in the night and hide in the dark and feed on unsuspecting victims while disguised as the very humans that they hunt. Normally, she would be the first to avoid a Wolf, but when one begins to stalk her, targeting her family and slowly working its way to her, she may have no choice but to face her fears.
Dragons rule the land with an iron fist. Our MC hates them. Hates that they control the wealthy and ignore the poor. And then he becomes a target. Street kids come for him first. Then people he thought were his friends. Then professional assassins. Why does the Dragon king want him dead? Could it be because he is a threat? Could it be because he is the rightful heir and the only one who could remove the tyrant from his thrown?
Song is magic. Each pitch and combination of notes flowing from a living being produces a reaction. The effects can be beautiful, or destructive. One note out of key, one vibration in just the wrong place and the magical result is beyond control. And everyone is about to find out just how dangerous singing can be.
The visions begin as an indistinct glimmer of something bad and slowly they grow, revealing more and more. Glimpses of this and that. Flashes of people in danger and people who hold the key. And the one who is on the verge of unleashing the greatest evil seen in centuries… always a shadowed blur.
The Angels live high above the city. The demons far below. Humans, as always, live on the ground in between, torn between the politics of the angels and demons. One a beacon to live by, the other, something to avoid. But our MC is about to have his/her views rocked when accidentally embroiled in the crimes of the lowest of the underworld.
In the natural history museum there lie secrets that few can understand. As a geologist, our MC treasures the findings. So much so that when a plot is hatched to steal one of the museum’s treasure he/she intervens, taking posession of the item and unlocking its hidden ability to travel through time.
On the harvest moon the Fae come out to play and wreak havoc. One is fast approaching and MC gets dragged into the games despite every attempt to escape. Will he/she survive this harvest moon? Will the fae realize they’ve found something special in him/her? Are the games now, just beginning?
The Naga live deep within the wilderness. Caves, swamps, forests… each is more dangerous than the last when you’re stranded amongst the flesh eating snake-people tribes. The only way to survive may be to make alliances, betray who you can, and never make the mistake of trusting.

 

There you have it! I hope that you enjoyed these story prompts and maybe even found something to write?

Number 7 is actually based on a story I started about two years ago and never finished. One day maybe… until then, have fun with these!

Let me know your favourite prompt in the comments below!

I started getting published about five years ago. It has been an interesting evolution. Everything has changed from my genre to my publishing outlet to my pen name to my marketing.

I started out writing M/M romance exclusively. Slowly started to include het romance and then removing the sex scenes and then getting younger with my audience.

here’s the link!

My last book, A Zombie’s Guide to Being Dead was released in December 2015 as a kindle book and print book. And anyone of any age who likes zombies and/or contemporary romance would probably have a good laugh reading it.

The book that I am currently working on though-a YA Cinderella steampunk/sci-fi retelling, Cinder Unit: Book One of the Duplicate Series- is the first thing that I’ve written in a long time that I think is so incredibly me that I absolutely have to put my all into in.

I was projecting to have the writing done by march, but I finished the novel early! (I was a little overly excited when my writers block passed) And I am planning to publish in the summer or fall 2016, depending on circumstances.

But before that, and for the first time, I am properly going to market this book well before its release date.

I’ve been doing a lot of research, reading books and blogs and scouring the kindle community and nanowrimo forums and loads of other places in search of my plan of action.

Here is the list that I have so far and in the order that I will proceed in.


Document my editing process through my blog! (This one is an easy and fun way to gather like minded writers and readers interested in the craft)


I will begin to share quotes and images through twitter and facebook (To gain interest from people who enjoy the YA/fairytale retelling/romance/steampunk genres)


I will create the book’s profile on goodreads. (My favourite website ever, btw)


I will have the cover completed.


I will schedule a cover reveal and free excerpt of Cinder Unit to be released at the same time on this blog and various other websites. (they will be shared between all of my twitter accounts, websites, facebook, author pages on goodreads and amazon and any other book related sites that I know of that do such promotions)


Once Cinder Unit has been edited to perfection I will submit it to review sites. (List to come!)


I will contact bloggers in order to do a blog tour! (I’ll write a post about this soon too!)


Reviews will be added to the books info as I add it to Kindle Scout! (learn more about Kindle Scout here, its pretty cool!)


During Cinder Unit’s 30 day campaign on Kindle Scout, I will have my blog tour!


Hopefully, Cinder Unit will be chosen for publication following that, but if not, everyone who voted for my book will still be notified upon its release!


I will schedule a goodreads giveaway for the longest time possible. (In order to gain as much attention as possible)


I will schedule my book release to be at least a month after the giveaway campaign has ended to give the winners time to read/review on goodreads before the book is even out.


I will post relevant reviews from reputed sources into the description for my book on amazon. (this can be done with any book selling sites)


I will find the optimum tags and categories to place my novel into. (There is a system for this. It takes time but I will walk through it in a future post)


I will make my  book available to preorder (if it isn’t selected by kindle scout) for the full 90 days. (the more preorders, the higher the rank will be when it is released)

 

Phew! That is a little overwhelming, I’ll admit. BUT, I am giving myself loads of time. Maybe too much time, but we will see. I have some very big shoes to fill in this genre (the top book under YA Steampunk is currently The Golden Compass!) but I still want to make a mark in the genre and hit my target audience.

So with that in mind I will work toward my goals and take it one step at a time. If Cinder Unit is selected for publication by Kindle Scout, the timeline will drastically change. If not, then I am using their platform for additional advertising.

Wish me luck and also, I am always looking for more marketing ideas and tips. If you have any, feel free to share!

 

I’ve come across a number of free story idea lists before. There are a lot of them out there. Some have been too generalized to be of much use to me, but some of them have been epic!

So… In the spirit of paying it forward and having fun doing it, I’ve decided to start a Story Idea Series!

For my own entertainment, they will be written as a back of the book blurb. Each part of the series will have 10 suggested story prompts for different genres meant to inspire you and get you writing. Feel free to use the stories how you wish and have fun!

This week the genre will be:

PARANORMAL STORIES:

A young woman is being stalked by a black cat. She finds it cute until everywhere she goes and at all hours, she catches its ethereal eyes watching her. It’s said that cats have a connection to the underworld. This young woman is about to find out just how deep that connection runs and exactly how she ties into the underworld, life, death and the very gates of hell.
When he rose from the dead, he thought that he would be eating brains and in an apocolypse where he fought on the opposite side of the war. Instead, he finds himself ressurected as a hoodoo slave. Hidden and kept secret and used to bring about dark and terrible things. That is, unless he figures out how to end his captivity and return where he belongs, back in a cold, dark grave.
She is from a small coast town in Ireland and she’s always been overly superstitious. Mostly because bizarre occurances have ended most of her family members in mysterious ways throughout the years and she doesn’t want to be next. Then, one night, she hears the Banshee’s cry. She only has her husband left and he didn’t hear a thing. That means she has 24 hours to find out how he’s going to die and stop this, despite not having his support and a whole town that is against her… and a mystery that could uncover worse than she’s ever imagined.
Vampires. Some people think they bathe in blood, others think they sparkle. In a world where twilight is out and the walking dead is in, a not so pretty vampire tries to find his very average place in the world. Can you come of age when you’re immortal?
He should have known she was a demon from the start. She was sexy as sin and all she had to do was ask and all his morals went out the window. This bad girl just wants a little fun and the crime spree that she’s lead him on is making him think that maybe she isn’t quite human…
She can hear the spirits when they pass. Sometimes they are kind, sometimes angry. Ether way, she can never let them know that she hears them because once they find out, they get angry. Last time, she barely escaped. This time, she might not be able to.
The crystals are formed deep within the earth for millions of years. When she touches them, the earth’s vibrations move through her. It’s almost too much, almost like a high and the powers that each individual stone channel through her means something that even she doesn’t know. That she is part of something larger than herself. She is part of an underworld society where your limits are measured by the strength of your channeling and the struggle for power is more dangerous than she could suspect.
The hunger inside of him is unexpected and uncontrollable. This desire for human flesh, to feel it between his teeth, is it because he’s a freak, a psychopath, or is he in fact, a litteral monster. What has been hidden from him all these years? and is it worth fighting what is so natural or should one succumb to who they truly are?
She knows that the spirits cannot depart when parts of their remains are kept against a beating heart, but losing her mother and father at the same time. It’s too much. A strand of hair from each kept in her locket, that’s all it takes to keep them around forever. Except that spirits are never very happy to remain and mom and dad seem to be angrier than most…
The dog shifters mostly keep to themselves, forming gangs and getting involved in all sorts of underground activities. Especially dog fights. Raised as an outsider, he has never had a place amongst his people, but now, despite having everything and everyone against him, he is determined to win his place, fighting all of the biggest, baddest, most respected dogs in the city. And he will stop at nothing until he gets to the top.

There you have it! I hope you enjoyed this list and that at lease one of these stories really got you thinking. For me, I have to say that numbers 3 and 5 really got me thinking! 

Please use any of these prompts and if you have anything available to read based on something here please let me know and I would be delighted to read and review your story/book!

Thanks for reading and keep an eye open for the next 10 free story ideas in the series!

Here’s an interesting post I found from Scott D. Southard. Its so true that your emotions and your true self shine through in your writing if you allow it.

Check out his tips here.

The Musings & Artful Blunders of Scott D. Southard

There is this truth around writing that we all can’t put our finger on. It’s enigmatic, elusive. But this “thing” can make a story or destroy it; it can change a letter from something that is thrown away or kept; and it is what makes an e-mail readable or spam.

Let me break this down in a different way.

As a book reviewer, I’ve had the pleasure of reading a lot of contemporary literature. And many times, these works will be by academics with amazing degrees and resumes. No one can deny these books are well-written, with a well-developed vocabulary and well-crafted plots. Yet, as a reader they don’t stick. I have no emotional attachment. It is like finishing a dry work assignment, not a work of art.

Recently, I had the same feeling reading Purity by Jonathan Franzen (you can read and hear my review here). No respectable…

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I just thought I’d share these videos. I have a lot more back home which are of much better quality including solo performances.

I miss belly dancing and dancing in general so much that its hard for me at times. One of my goals for 2016 is to take some classes in any type of dance possible/available just so that I am doing it again.

Yay for Tarkan!

Here is the dance demo I made for my old agent. I should do a new one actually. I have a new costume and I’ve lost a bit of weight too :/

 

Here I am with Halawa Dance Company

Can you guess which one is me???

Okay Fine, I’m in the dark purple, far right when we are in the group of three.

 

Thanks for watching my old videos!

H.A. Kinani

 

 

Yes, that’s right. I am suffering from the plight that effects all writers.

What writer’s block means to me:

Basically, I am still writing. BUT IT IS NOT ENJOYABLE! I have to force every word. Every time I am at the end of a paragraph, I have to push myself to keep going. It takes me 3 hours to write something that I normally write in 1. Is it going too far to say that it’s torture?

Normally I can break through it simply by pushing myself to write even when I’m not feeling it, but this time it doesn’t seem to be working.

So, there’s no time like the present to try various techniques to break the cycle of painful writing and get back into power writer mode.

3 tips and tricks:

I’ve come up with a few ideas to help. If you also have writer’s block, let’s try them all out together!

1-Go somewhere new

I put this as the number one tip because in the past I’ve always found that being in a new environment is all I needed to make the story and my writing seem fresh and exciting again.

My typical haunts would be any new cafe (yes, I am one of those >> look, I can’t sit around in my room writing all the time, i’d go crazy. I need somewhere else that is warm and cozy and has coffee.) Other places that work for me are libraries, parks, my porch/deck. Anywhere that you will feel extremely comfortable, relaxed and stimulated will work.

Try this out and hopefully you wont need any of the other steps.

2-Schedule your writing

Structure works for planning what you’re writing, it often works to get ahead and beat writers block too.

If you schedule two hours to write at 9 am, let’s say, the rule is that you cannot get up, wander around or brows the web. You face that blank screen or page and you write, even if it is one letter at a time.

The idea is that by the end of your scheduled time, you will be so into what your writing that it wont be forced anymore. the longer you do it the more you’ll get into it, right? …right?

3-Write something else

Put your project aside, even if just for a few minutes and think of something else to write that piques your interest. If you have no other ideas simply look at someone or something of interest and describe them/it in detail as though introducing an important character or object into a larger story.

This does wonders for getting your creative juices flowing. Whenever you’re ready, go back to your original project.

Does it work?

Maybe those aren’t extravagant ideas but I believe that they work and if you devote yourself to them, you’ll end up with a finished project in no time.

Let’s get to it!

H.A. Kinani

As a writer, one of the things that I have always found the most difficult is the blurb or summary.

Somehow compressing an entire novel into one line. Summarizing the theme and the characters and the plot, striking interest while getting the feeling of the story across.

Now, even more impossibly, I am trying to do that with myself.

For simplicity I’ll think about my character and what I am wanting with this blog.

If I think of myself objectively, the first thing that comes to mind is that I am always seeking.

Every time Something speaks to me, I admit that I become a bit obsessed. I need to know everything about it. I become consumed with what makes me feel a certain way and why. I need to understand how it was made and what elements came together with what techniques.

The first one I read!

The first thing this ever happened with was reading. It all started with Piers Anthony’s Xanth novels. I fell so into thee world that not only was I reading at an above university level by grade 8 but I wanted nothing more than to give the gift back to the world. I wanted to write and transport people into worlds that I had inside of me, that they might need as much as I needed these other books.

Then Harry Potter came along. I don’t think I should even get into the fandom, fanfiction and all the other fandoms that followed. Waaay to much energy went there…

This obsessive habit of mine led me to spending over 10 years as a belly dancer, performing professionally and studying profusely for up to 10 hours a week while still in school, juggling work and friends (although admittedly putting those second).

Then there was the anime and manga. Oh man. I couldn’t just let myself be like a normal otaku, oh no, I had to tirelessly learn the ins and outs of illustration, how to make manga’s and create story boards and scripts and the like. I had to open a goddamn anime store in my home town at the age of 18, which I was not prepared for and didn’t understand and left me in dept at a young age (which I am still working on correcting). It influenced my decision to go to film school, which was something I had always wanted to pursue.

In film school, I spent tireless hours learning to edit, write scripts, light, film, direct, etc. It was an amazing time in which my job was to create. And I LOVED it.

After that I found ball jointed dolls and Oh. My. God. My mother actually thought I was obsessed with the computer. She was worried about my mental health because I felt the need to know every doll sculpt by name and every company and all the history and THEN, how they were made. I spent full summers sitting on the patio sculpting heads and creating these intricate, moving dolls that everyone else thought I was crazy for.

All along the way, I always wrote, drew, painted, illustrated with various materials, studied singing and acting and eventually even moved to Vancouver to become an actress.

 

Oh, and did I mention that I actually starting getting published and even managed to book a few roles.

My publishing Company! http://www.djinnpublishing.com

So… my first thought when I think of all of this is literally what the hell is wrong with me? Why can’t I just be normal?

Truthfully, I’ve had support in that family often humors my projects when they see them but no one has ever really understood this compulsion in me. I can’t control it. I just need to learn and I need to express myself creatively. I need to create.

There is my epiphany. I am simply an artist. I need it to breathe. I need it to feel happy. It can take many forms. It can be music, dance, painting, sculpting, film making, anything.

If I am able to express myself then I am happy that day and that week and I feel whole.

I guess that’s the beauty of the world that we live in. People are passionate about different things.

My passion is creating, and that’s what this blog is for; to put everything in one place and keep active and not deny myself and not put myself down for being who I am, but to build something with that.

Are you the same when it comes to art? Is there anything that you feel similarly about that is completely different? Let’s get the conversation started in the comments section and embrace everyone’s individuality!

Thanks for reading!

H.A. Kinani