Lisa M. Collins's Blog

One of the things I’m doing differently, this year, as part of my resolution for 2018, is to take my writing to the next level. In the past I’ve been a dyed in the wool pantser. I have written two complete novels that way, but I have to admit, I have treated my writing as more of a hobby until now. As my first step into the professional world of novel writing, publishing, and books, I have decided to do a makeover to my process.

♫ A plotting I will go. ♫

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To say I was a bit overwhelmed at the idea of outlines, synopsis, graphs, timelines, beat sheets, and characters sheets…is a total understatement! I almost gave up and went back to my old habits, but I know I want to be a professional novelist. I dove head first into the deep end of plotting. The sheer assortment of templates and types of outlining available on the Internet is astounding. So, I would like to share with you what has worked for me. Beginning with Character Sheets.

Mine is basic it includes:

Picture
 Name

Nickname


Prominent features (age/gender/height/hair/eyes/body mods)
Back story

Paragraphs about what their world is like, where they come from and motivations for the present and future.


Relationships

Here is one of my two main POV characters for Starborne Academy, Elizabeth Grissom:

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If you have any questions or would like copies of any of the templates I’ll be sharing, leave a comment below.

Don’t forget I will be sending out the first chapters of Starborne Academy to the Beta readers on April 5th. If you are interested in beta reading what happens to these brave cadets, sign up by filling out the form.[image error]

Elizabeth Grissom is ecstatic when she is awarded a coveted spot at Starborne Academy, the elite officer training school for the USC. Liz and her new friends are thrust into an interplanetary war when a rebel bomb strikes too close to home. It is all hands on deck in this race across the stars to save the Alliance. To read what happens to these brave cadets sign up to be a beta reader by filling out the form below.

I will be selecting the team shortly and you will receive an email from 4lisacollins AT gmail.com, please add this address to your email contacts to avoid the message getting lost in your SPAM filter. If you haven’t heard from me by April 1st please feel free to email me. Thank you again for your help.

My Resolution: Be A More Professional Writer, is underway. I began February with actions toward each of my 3 goals.

I am currently reading The Great Gatsby.
I did a full Pro/Con list for each of my 12 Works In Progress (WIPs) and have selected the project that I will prep for #PitchWars.
I got a haircut which is the beginning of my makeover process.

Out of the three projects for the year I am currently working on #3: Get Ready For Pitch Wars. The project I selected for this year’s Pitch Wars is my original serial Starborne Academy.

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I am writing the novelization of the serial and working on setting out all the plot points and outline for the rest of the book this month. The writing will continue until April but the complete layout of the novel will be completed by March 15.

If you are planning on getting in on PitchWars you still have time to get your novel done…yes to enter the contest you MUST have a COMPLETED project. I, personally, wouldn’t test the waters without novels in this word count range: 75,000-95,000. The folks at Writers Digest can tell you all about the why and therefore for the numbers.

But even if you aren’t planning on joining in the contest, I know it can be hard to pick a project when you have so many good stories and characters to choose from. So how did I pick? I used an oldie but goodie tool a Pro/Con list. There is one below you can use.

I printed out one for each project. I had 12 in all, and then I asked myself a series of questions about each project.

How much work is needed on this project for the 80+thousand word mark?
Do you feel confident that you will have a complete manuscript with this project by May 1st?
How commercial is this story?
What genre is this story?
What age group does this story target?
Who is your target audience?
Is this the project you want as your traditional publishing debut novel?

You may want to create your own list of questions, but this list was designed to pick a project for PitchWars 2018. I needed to focus all my writing and thought to ONE book and this Pro/Con list gave me the need impetus to get the job done and pick. If you have questions or just want to chat about your WIP comment below. Happy Writing!

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Like I said last month…I like the whole concept of starting off the New Year with a mixture of resolutions, goals, and projects. But unlike many folks I give myself time to test drive them before I commit. Now that the trial phase of January is over I add them to the Master List for the new year.

My writing resolution for 2018:

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To get me started on the goals, I am reading The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I decided I would read books off of this list: The Modern Library 100 Best Novels. If you would like to join me in reading more of the classics you can get the #1 book on the list Ulysses by James Joyce for free on Amazon.

I’ll keep y’all updated as I make more plans for my goals and projects for the year. As Hermione would say, “Happy Reading!”

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Do you make resolutions, goals, or set up projects for the New Year? Personally, I’ve found that all three have merit. As people we make resolutions all the time. Really? Yep, we sure do. Remember being a kid and saying, “I don’t like Brussel Sprouts, I will not eat them, you cannot make me.” Sounds like you were pretty resolved on the whole “Sprouts” issue. (LOL) Most of us are also pretty familiar with goals. Like… I want to make the team, I want to get a B in Algebra, or I will read the entire Harry Potter series this summer…see goals, not so bad right? But what about projects? Often there is a gap between what we feel strongly about (resolutions) and what we want to accomplish (goals). Projects bridge that gap.

[image error]We accomplish projects all the time, often without thinking about it. Some of you went to work today and had piles of paperwork to sort, or  you made lunch or breakfast, what about packing up the car to leave grandma’s after Christmas break? All of these are projects, some small or big or daunting, but projects nonetheless.

Now, for me, I like the whole concept of starting off the New Year with a mixture of all three, resolutions, goals, and projects. But unlike many folks I give myself time to work these out and test drive them before I commit. That is what the first month of each year represents to me. The Trial Phase: I look back on things I resolved to change over the last year and decide if they are worth keeping, tweaking, or were really more of a hassle than a good return on my investment of time? If they measure up then I add them to my resolve list for the new year. I do try to keep this list short. Honestly how many things do you need to resolve to change about your day to day life? I’m not talking about goals, like losing weight or eating better…actual things to RESOLVE?

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Some people might say, “but how is resolving different from goal setting?” Here is an example that is pretty common in today’s culture. “I resolve to eat a vegan diet.”*** (ketogenic, vegetarian, low carb, high carb, etc.) That is the perfect example of a true resolution, it is a grand statement encompassing a sweeping change that will require goal setting and projects. And I think that is where the vast majority of resolutions fail. For major change to occur a person must either be willing to do the next step, of goal setting or start a project to make concerted change. Let’s take the example at hand, eating vegan.

[image error]Well if you haven’t done any research into what Veganism means (FYI it is way more than just what one eats), obviously that would be your first goal for your resolution. What does is mean to eat vegan. Next you might be getting a bit hungry so you would need to be able to go to your fridge or the grocery store and find something to eat. So when you understand what vegan is and what it is not then your next goal would be to make a list of staple foods you want to keep on hand that will make it easy for your to stick to your resolution. This set of basic goals might get you through the first week or so, but eventually you will have a craving for something off your safe foods list.  What about pie? Pizza? A biscuit or cookie? Or dare I say it, something meaty tasting? This is where the rubber meets the road on resolutions. Do you go give up? Or do you take this challenge on as a new goal?

Well, Business Insider, says that 80% of New Year’s Resolutions fail by February. This is why I think The Trial Phase for resolutions is so important. Sure you could throw your hands up and say, “Screw being vegan, I want a cookie!” Or you could see this moment as part of the process of change, and learn a new skill or try a new thing. Being vegan isn’t as hard as it was ten or twenty year’s ago. You want nuggets, go to the grocery store and read the ingredient list on the various veggie nugget options. Do you want vegan cookies that are as yummy as grandma’s? Get thee to a Whole Food’s or Trader Joe’s, they have them ready to eat. Or set a goal to learn a new skill, become a vegan baker, or at least perfect one dessert recipe that will keep your sweet tooth in check.

[image error]I think you see my point. Resolution leads to Goals which then can lead to Projects.

Resolved: I will eat a Vegan Diet
Goals: Learn about Veganism, Prepare list of safe foods, Find local sources of quick and easy vegan options, learn how to make vegan cookies.
Project: Vegan baking

 

What kind of resolution do you want to make for 2018?

***I think it is important for you to know Veganism isn’t my resolution for this year, but an example of a common resolution. Personally, one of my projects for the year is to learn how to do Low Carb Baking.

Here is blank resolution chart, if you try it out or post it to your instagram please tag me and let me know how it worked for you. @coolvstar650

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When the whole world seems dark you can still depend on The Liberty Girl to get to the heart of the matter. A beacon of justice during the dark days of World War II, Liberty continues her heroic battle against evil Today. Pick up your copy of

Liberty Girl: Fight For Freedom

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Also available in ebook!

Pro Se Productions Proudly presents the second book based on Heroic Publishing’s LIBERTY GIRL. With tales by Richard C. White, Lou Mougin, and Lisa M. Collins and based on concepts created by Dennis Mallonee, LIBERTY GIRL: FIGHT FOR FREEDOM takes readers to the core of this stunning Heroine, revealing what makes Her tick, why She wars against Injustice, and how, no matter how powerful a force challenges her, She will never surrender freedom, hers or anyone else’s. Known for the Finest Superheroines in Comics, Heroic Publishing has teamed up with Pro Se Productions to bring its colossal cast of characters to prose! Two Independent Publishers Join Forces to bring a Superheroine to life in a brand new way. Heroic Publishing and Pro Se Productions Proudly Present LIBERTY GIRL: FIGHT FOR FREEDOM!

This NaNoWriMo I tried writing in the genre of Fantasy. I hadn’t done that since 2008! It was fun to stretch my writing legs and do a new thing. Did you do NaNoWrimo this year? If so what did you write? If not join us for CampWriMo in April!

Here is a round up of all the fun we had on Instagram with the #NaNoPhotoFun, I hope you will join us for the next photo challenge.

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This is week three of the #igwritersoct photo challenge on Instagram. This challenge has been fun and we are in the last days as week four begins today. I am looking forward to the challenge for November and NaNoWriMo. I will be posting my NaNo Instagram Photo Challenge at the end of this week so join us we would love to see your NaNoWriMo in photos!

I’ll be sharing the week-in-photos here on the blog, but if you want to join in on the fun you can click my links above to check it out. I hope you enjoy all the fall/writing themed posts that will be coming your way. Happy Autumn

This is week two of the #igwritersoct photo challenge on Instagram. So far I’ve enjoyed the challenge. I have missed 2 days (oopsie),but I did get to see my son and his family who traveled all the way from California and I also joined my local United Methodist Church. Those kinds of things are important and as writers or creatives sometimes we have to let go and enjoy life. I hope your week was filled with good things too!

I’ll be sharing the week-in-photos, on Fridays, here on the blog, but if you want to join in on the fun you can click my links above to check it out. I hope you enjoy all the fall/writing themed posts that will be coming your way. Happy Autumn

This is week one of the #igwritersoct photo challenge on Instagram. I love photo challenges! This is a new discovery for me too. I like having a plan for the month when it comes to social media. So I plan to do one for each month of the last quarter of 2017. Instagram Writers October is for this month, then I plan to create my own NaNoWriMo photo challenge for November, and then pick out another to do in December.

I’ll be sharing the week-in-photos, on Fridays, here on the blog, but if you want to join in on the fun you can click my links above to check it out. I hope you enjoy all the fall/writing themed posts that will be coming your way. Happy Autumn