Fans of Interracial Romance discussion

I thought it might be nice to start a thread with updates on our writing, suggestions of blog posts and resources, of just to cheer each other on.

I hope everyone is still writing post nano. I'm at about the 30,000 mark and still trucking along.

I was 30K into my Nanowrimo 2013 novel when I realised it wasn't the story I wanted to tell. I restarted it and, even though it's still early days, the new beginning feels so much more like the story I intended to write. :)

Kim wrote: "I was 30K into my Nanowrimo 2013 novel when I realised it wasn't the story I wanted to tell. I restarted it and, even though it's still early days, the new beginning feels so much more like the sto..."

That's incredible! I know from experience that a complete rewrite is no small feat. I too have scrapped some of my work on occasion and started from scratch. The fourth book of my series gave me that same feeling of not being the story that I intended to tell. I ended up scrapping the WHOLE thing (over 200 pages) and starting over completely. It was a hard pill to swallow because I'd put so much time and effort into it, but it felt so necessary. Kudos to you for having it in you to realize that, even though you wrote it, you desired more of the story. Good for you! I'll bet that you're gonna be so much more pleased with the finished product :)

I start over all the time. My nano novel was an attempt to finally expand a short strom that's been sitting around for a year...and even I know the first chapters will probably be completely scrapped.

Kim wrote: "I was 30K into my Nanowrimo 2013 novel when I realised it wasn't the story I wanted to tell. I restarted it and, even though it's still early days, the new beginning feels so much more like the sto..."

What I do when this happen is file away that book instead of rewriting it for a future book. Obviously other characters sometimes channel you while working a book you already mapped in your head because they want their story told and that's why it goes in unexpected directions.

I learned the hard way when I try to mold my characters to fit my desires they rebel and I get a block of where to go next, or worse they stop talking to me. I've had that to happen on two books and until I listened and did as I was told I was frustrated with each chapter.

So what I do is file away the story I was working on for another project and start all over again from scratch.

Ree
www.shireemccarver.com

Hang in there Kim. I enjoyed your last book, and I appreciate your writing skills. I was left with the impression that you are very thorough in your writing, and sometimes that can cause us to over analyze things. Remember to breathe, your probably doing better than you think....Smile.

Thanks! :) I think I am over analyzing my characters at the moment. I need to focus on the plot so I can just write a quick and dirty draft.

I was complete and darn near doing a rewrite.

Any tips for getting motivated again? I am working on an IR and I was doing well, then got thrown off track by a really busy week and taking care of colds and flu.

Now it's tough to get back to the writing...

mrsbookmark wrote: "Any tips for getting motivated again? I am working on an IR and I was doing well, then got thrown off track by a really busy week and taking care of colds and flu.

Now it's tough to get back to th..."

Well, I'm definitely not a professional writier, but I felt like my motivation faded a bit too. So, what I did was create a soundtrack for the story that I'm working on, and it seemed to help listening to that playlist. I got the idea from one of them members here that mentioned they create playlists for the characters they create. I hope that helps!

Thanks for the tip. I did a short playlist, and got a few words down so that's something. Hopefully, I'll get back on track.

My best tip for getting motivated again? I make a Spotify playlist of music that I think reflects the mood of my WIP.

I also interview my characters. It's a good way of forcing out their secrets. :)

And then I make Pinterest inspiration boards. :)

Kim wrote: "My best tip for getting motivated again? I make a Spotify playlist of music that I think reflects the mood of my WIP.

I also interview my characters. It's a good way of forcing out their secrets...."

I've gotten addicted to PINTEREST. You can get lost there.

I love Pinterest! :D I am addicted to it too. :)

I'm trying to finish my final draft of a book, but my confidence is waning again. Does anyone have suggestions on how to stay positive during the editing process??? I wanted to cut my manuscript from 160,000 words down to 150,000...but I ended up making it into 170,000 words. I feel like such a failure sometimes.

You are not a failure. cyber-hug
How many days have you been editing? Editing is painful, and if you've been doing the same edit for days you may need to step back for a day to gain some perspective. I find writing a flash fiction or short story helps, because it gives your brain a chance to do something else and recharge.

Also, maybe divide your edit into sections. Like, I'll edit chapters 4-6. Just focus on those as a unit. Cut out unecessary words. Find the single theme and edit out anything that doesn't fit the theme. This might help chop it down(if that's what you want)

mrsbookmark wrote: "You are not a failure. cyber-hug
How many days have you been editing? Editing is painful, and if you've been doing the same edit for days you may need to step back for a day to gain some perspectiv..."

Thanks so much for the cyber-hug. I've been editing for months. Most of my insecurities stem from things I can't even articulate. They are abstract and numerous, but here is one specific thing that I can put into words:

My main character is described as a very light skinned woman with reddish brown hair and grey eyes. She is a mixed race woman, inspired by my younger sister. I grew up in a multiracial family, and my racial identity has always been African American, because my features and skin tone reflect that. My mother is Hispanic though. When I started writing this book, it never occurred to me that the mixed race heroine had been done so many times before... I haven't read a ton of interracial romance novels.

My first desire was just to write a good story with good characters that I could authentically write. Coming from a family that wasn't strongly rooted in any one culture reflects in the way I write my characters.

I actually thought that basing a character off of my light skinned, green-eyed creole/Hispanic little sister was something that wasn't a big deal.

After reading some of the posts and threads in this community, I feel a massive amount of insecurity about my main character. My first book had a dark skinned heroine, so the light skinned heroine isn't my "go to" character, but I'm now worried about alienating readers. I can't rewrite my entire book, and I wouldn't want to, but I am starting to worry that BWWM IR readers will think, "Oh, GREAT, here's yet another light skinned character..." and throw my book against the wall before they even give the story a chance.

Do those concerns make sense?
Thanks for your suggestions, by the way. I think I will start doing more short stories. I need all the practice I can get when it comes to shorter works.

Indigo.plume wrote: "mrsbookmark wrote: "You are not a failure. cyber-hug
How many days have you been editing? Editing is painful, and if you've been doing the same edit for days you may need to step back for a day to ..."

Please, please, please don't let the comments discourage you. I know that I am one who's made a comment about wanting to read about a heroine that looks more like me- plump, dark brown with extremely kinky hair. I never meant for my comments to make a writer feel insecure. My only point was that I'd like more diversity among the heroines, that's all. If you wrote a story girl, please don't let any comments here stop you or make you question your main character. We can't have it all one way or the other, you know what I mean? I don't think any of us that may have commented about the lack of darker-skinned heroines meant to make you, or any other writer feel like the couldn't write the characters they want to write. Am I making sense?

Michelle wrote: "Indigo.plume wrote: "mrsbookmark wrote: "You are not a failure. cyber-hug
How many days have you been editing? Editing is painful, and if you've been doing the same edit for days you may need to st..."

I completely understand what you are saying, and I understand the thoughts and feelings behind the comments I've been so concerned about.

I was always the short, dark, ugly one with the unmanageable hair. My mother had light skin and beautiful flowing hair down to her waist. I grew up with feelings of insecurity. I know how it feels to want to see myself in a character that is depicted as desirable and worthy of both affection and passion. I just let my insecurities dictate my life a little too much, and I'm constantly striving not to offend people-especially don't want to offend people who have already been offended multiple times in the past by other authors doing hurtful things like stereotyping.

Above all, I want women like me and my younger sister and any other "black girls" or "mixed girls" to know they have a viable place in literature.

Big hugs to you, Indigo. Definitely keep writing and keep going. You have to write what's true to you and what inspires you, as tough as it may be to hear that inner or outer critic. I agree with Mrs. Bookmark who suggest taking a break from your work. I usually do this and come back as a reader looking at my manuscript and that way I can dictate whether it's entertaining or needs work or is lacking something.

You said: My first desire was just to write a good story with good characters that I could authentically write. Coming from a family that wasn't strongly rooted in any one culture reflects in the way I write my characters.

There's your goal right there. :-) That's what's driving you to write the story. Keep that in mind whenever you start doubting yourself. Print it out and hang it on your wall near where you write if you need it for inspiration.

I have an old self-editing checklist thingie from one of my old pubs that I can send you, if you like. Most times if you find the story inflated, you just need to get back to the main idea--the raw meat, if you will--of the story and focus on telling that. Who knows, maybe your extra scenes will become a special features of deleted scenes for your readers. :-) If you are comfortable seeking out a beta reader or two, that may help to see what you need to edit on an objective level.

Either way, I bet there is someone somewhere out there just like you and your younger sister looking forward to reading your story so they can see themselves as protagonists having their story told. Even if it's just one person, it still can impact their lives. And that's definitely worth writing for! :-)

"Above all, I want women like me and my younger sister and any other "black girls" or "mixed girls" to know they have a viable place in literature. "

THIS is where your stories will find their heart and why it will work. Only you can tell it. Don't worry about what other people may or may not say. Also, remember that these discussions we have on Goodreads are discussions...they are not rules set in stone. We have a lot of intelligent, passionate people in this groups with different ideas, concepts, opinions. As a writer, you feelings are just as valid.

Maybe you have someone who can do a quick beta before you continue editing? That might help you see the strengths of what you have written.

I hope that you are feeling better and more confident.

Indigo.plume wrote: "I'm trying to finish my final draft of a book, but my confidence is waning again. Does anyone have suggestions on how to stay positive during the editing process??? I wanted to cut my manuscript fr..."

Are you working with an editor or going it alone? I've found it useful like Mrs. Bookmark said, to have an extra set of eyes. It's easy for that fresh set to pick out the strengths and weaknesses.

As for your heroine - you write what you want to write. Being true to yourself is the essence of being a successful author.

Get yourself a trusted beta/reader and keep on keeping on!!

D

I'm doing Camp NaNo this year, and – starting 1 July – I'll be taking a break from the WiP I'm ruining right now in order to write the story of the grandparents of one of the MCs.

Since you can set your own goals at Camp NaNo, I originally decided to write 35,000 words. But now that I've got the story mostly out-lined in my head, I will probably end up reducing that number to 25,000 or so. Because I've got to leave some things for the main story!

Tea wrote: "I'm doing Camp NaNo this year, and – starting 1 July – I'll be taking a break from the WiP I'm ruining right now in order to write the story of the grandparents of one of the MCs.

Since you can se..."

That's a great idea Tea. Would you recommend a super duper newbie like me participate in something like the Came NaNo?

I have a goal to write 1000 words within the next two weeks for a story that I'm working on. Do you think that goal is realistic? Not challenging?

Michelle,

Absolutely! I think it's probably going to be waaaay less pressure than NaNoWriMo because you aren't forced to meet the 50,000-word minimum.

As for writing 1000 words in two weeks, it really depends on your production style and how much time you can actually devote to writing every day.

During a decent run, I can 1000+ words in a day, and when I was at uni, I could do a lot more (because I was the queen of procrastination). However, recently, writing 1000 words in three days has sometimes felt like a challenge.

Michelle,

Sign up here if you haven't already: http://campnanowrimo.org/about

Thanks Tea!

Because RL, I am 1400 words behind my goal. :-( But since I've started, ideas for the story have grown. Since this is a NaNoWriMo event, I have stuck them into the manuscript, but I really think a lot of the ideas need to be moved to the main novel(s).

~sigh~

How is it that I'm growing more interested in the grandparents' (and the story has expanded to include appearances from all four grandparents, even though at least two of them were originally going to be dead) stories more than in the one I've been working on for nearly a year? Maybe I'm just a little burnt out on M and N, my MCs from the main.

Is anyone else doing Camp NaNo? Michelle? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

Camp NaNo over here. :-) I'm jumping off from the Savvy BluePrint event session from last month which really helped mapped out my NaNo novel. Was doing pretty well until I hit a snag today. Soooo behind my goal argh.

I know what you mean, Tea. I keep getting other story ideas as well.

Maybe the MCs need a goal refresher?

You can do it! If you ever want to do a sprint together or something, let me know. :-)

Rae, I think you might be right.

The MCs in the main really have goals that are ultimately political (though, they aren't wholly aware of this: they know there will be political implications to their actions, but that isn't what drives them), while the goals of the grandparents in the NaNo novella are purely familial and romantic.

Their stories are so much lighter, it's easy for me to become captivated by them right now... when our world is so full of strife.

A sprint might definitely be on the table if I don't catch up over the next two or three days!

That probably explains it then. :-) I don't blame you at all if you're on political overload with all the hoopla going on. If the grandparents are working out, that may work in your favor to get those pages out. Then maybe when you go back to the MCs, add in what drives them and it'll be easier to handle once they see their end goal in mind. Then your word count will probably balloon up. :-D

Sounds like a plan! Let me know when and where whenever you're ready! I'm going to try to work on getting my wc up today myself. May need more caffeine! hehe

Tea wrote: "Because RL, I am 1400 words behind my goal. :-( But since I've started, ideas for the story have grown. Since this is a NaNoWriMo event, I have stuck them into the manuscript, but I really think a ..."

I haven't started a challenge yet. I got caught up reading , and it has me working on giving my characters some depth. I didn't realize just how underdeveloped they are. Would Nano help with that ?

NaNo just forces you to work, Michelle. During the events, you just write what comes to you. So, it might help. During my first NaNo, I wrote more in-depth characters simply because I ended up writing every thought I had about them and every thought they told me they were having. Of course, that also meant that I ended up doing a lot of cutting later (and, ultimately, I didn't think the story was viable). But my characters ended up being more well-rounded because I wasn't self-editing (and over-editing) as I wrote. A lot of what I would have normally not allowed to reach the page ended up being beneficial.

Thanks Tea!!#

Not self editing helps SO much. I love that about NaNo also. I'm still trying to kick my inner editor to the curb and just focus on word count but it's definitely helping to get the words on the page no matter what.

Michelle, have you read up on GMC? That may help your characters feel more well rounded if they have a motivation, goal and some conflict in their way. is on my wishlist and has been recc'd a bunch of time as being helpful.

A buddy of mine from my previous workshop linked me to some very helpful worksheets thanks to this author (whose name escapes me at the moment, arggh) which helps to nail down your story so it moves smoothly and with character GMC in mind. It's helped me a lot with NaNo even though I'm a complete pantser. Let me know if you want those links and I can hunt them down on my hard drive. I know they also make use of Beat sheets which are popular in screenwriting.

Hey Rae! I would really appreciate those links. But please don't rush. I'm so new that I feel like I could use all the resources I can get my hands on. I write a sentence one day and fall in love with it. I read it the next and I read it the next day and I hate it, LOL!

Michelle, the good thing about NaNo is that part of the whole point is writing past that feeling. You go ever onwards without looking back till the end.

Hehe no worries! You can use them at your leisure and as you like. They've really helped me with this current Camp Nano project.

http://jamigold.com/for-writers/works...

I'm thinking of doing a writing sprint sometime over the next few days. Anyone interested in joining me? (We can set up times in GMT +/- format to make certain we're all on the same page.)

Tea wrote: "I'm thinking of doing a writing sprint sometime over the next few days. Anyone interested in joining me? (We can set up times in GMT +/- format to make certain we're all on the same page.)"

Can I join you?

I signed up for Camp Nano and then forgot I'd signed up for it. Oi vey...

Indigo,

Of course!

Kim,

Quick, lower your goal to 10,000 words and then sprint with us. I'm GMT -4. How about you?

Maybe I should to that! I am on Swedish time here--we're GMT +2.

All right. So, we'll just need to choose a time that will accommodate the six-hour difference between us, factor in anyone else who might wish to join in, and then set a time-goal. (I'm thinking 30 minutes since this will be my first sprint of the season. :P )

We can use ilys to help keep us on track check out an explanation for it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfnMJ...


Visit the site:

http://www.ilys.com/

I've just realised that I'm probably not going to hit my 25,000 word goal for Camp NaNo.

I lost a lot of time this past weekend due to The Bitter-sweet Adventure We Call Real Life (and Death).

That said, I'm calculating that I'll be able to finish just four days late if a few meetings go well tomorrow, giving me uninterrupted writing time fore the remainder of of this week.

~crossing fingers~

How are others making out?

Tea wrote: "I've just realised that I'm probably not going to hit my 25,000 word goal for Camp NaNo.

I lost a lot of time this past weekend due to The Bitter-sweet Adventure We Call Real Life (and Death).

T..."

Well, I never signed up for NaNo. I've been writing a bit here and there though. A new story idea pops into my head almost every day, but I'm putting most of my energy into one main story. Like you, real life keeps getting in the way. I'm hoping to get a good bit done this weekend though. I've taken to carrying around a composition tablet and jotting any idea that comes to mind to type up when I get home later.

I tried Nano but it didn't suit me. I carry around a notebook constantly and try to write in it at least 20 minutes a day. I've only done bigs and pieces of my current WIP this past week because I have edits to turn in & it's a long, humid summer. Life stuff too:) plus, I want to read for fun.

I managed to "finish" on time (with nearly six minutes to spare), but it's the worst mess I've ever slapped together for NaNo.