Crystal L. Shaw's Blog: Self published work in progress

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Hi everyone! Shameless plug: Color Her Red will be available for free downloads March 6 and 7th on Amazon!! Enjoy!

http://www.amazon.com/Color-Her-Red-e...

Life can be cruel and wicked - for Emma Grant these words sound true. Her passive and trusting character is overshadowed by a seething mix of agony and rage as her perfect life and loving husband are viciously torn from her. News of a scandalous affair between her husband and an unknown woman begins a horrifying, yet passionate, journey that will forever change Emma's life.

I do my best to get lost in my characters and write whatever comes to me so that they can develop themselves. I don't worry about editing until I run out of steam. I have to admit that, at times, I am utterly shocked at some of the scenes I end up writing. Once I finish my literary rant, I sometimes ask myself, "Should I seek professional help?"

I am a strong advocate against self censorship, at least for personal development, but I find myself struggling with that today. I'm not sure that the choices my lead character is making are likable.

It's so strange to think that I am solely responsible for a scene which I think ultimately makes my character unlikable. I don't agree with her decision, yet I'm the one who wrote it. I feel as though I want to go into the novel and try to talk her out of it... Is this something that happens often?

A friend sent me this link and I have to admit, I am in love with this "new" genre.

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/e...

Maybe it's because I was never a fan of the traditional teen novels in high school; I kept my eyes open for the more shocking and sexually explicit books.

I've noticed that this isn't a genre on Amazon, but if it were that's where I would search for my next new read ... other than goodreads of course. :)

I've started working on my sequel! I'm so excited and anxious. It's definitely going to be a bit darker in the beginning but I am looking forward to writing it. I'm going to include tons of flashbacks of the initial romance between Emma and Thomas. Their love story gives me butterflies ... and a few other feelings. ;)

I've learned so much in this first week from self publishing my novel. More than anything I want to say that I am sincerely grateful for the generous people out there who are willing to read my book. Review are like gold in this industry (I have been told this and now I fully understand), and regardless of how many stars my novel will get, I am eternally grateful for the constructive criticism. I can't wait to continue to pursue this passion of mine while keeping in mind that I am a work in progress.