Struggling Writers discussion
Struggling Writers Newsletter
>
February 2014 Newsletter
date
newest »
newest »
Q&A with Jennifer Priester
We also tapped into author Jennifer Priester's brain to find out what it's like to be an author and also to hear about her newest work: Mortal Realm Witch: The Magic Continues.
What was your inspiration for Mortal Realm Witch: The Magic Continues?
Most of my inspiration came from the Sabrina the Teenage Witch TV show and book series. Some of the inspiration came from writing the previous book in the series, Mortal Realm Witch: Learning About Magic, and other factors that inspired this book remain a mystery.
Why do you think people will enjoy Mortal Realm Witch: The Magic Continues?
I think the reason people will enjoy [the book] is going to vary by reader. I think overall what they will enjoy are the situations my characters get themselves into as a result of magic and how they get out of it, as well as seeing the progression of the witch, Turtle, as she grows up and faces each challenge that gets thrown at her.
What tips do you have for authors that are new to the publishing process?
The best tip I can come up with for those new to it is to really think through all of the various options when it comes to publishing. With as many choices as there are, from taking a chance on getting published with a big publisher, or publishing with a small one, or even self publishing, it can be hard to know which to go with. Each comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages so before publishing it’s best to really know what each has to offer and what goal is desired by publishing before making a choice.
Did you self-publish your story, or was it professionally published?
I’m professionally published under A & M Moonlight Creations.
What is some advice that you have for young, aspiring writers?
The best advice I can think of, which has always worked for me, is to write the story that you want to read but can’t because it doesn't yet exist.
Did you ever picture yourself as a published author?
I did picture myself as a published author, but not until the year when my first book was actually on the road to being published as my editor and I worked on it.
Was writing always your passion, or did you ever have a different career in mind?
Writing was always my passion in the sense that it was something I constantly did because I loved to write and always had multiple stories jumping around in my head at once, but I never thought about it as a career. I actually always thought, right up until my senior year in high school, that I would be a vet. It wasn't until a short time later that I discovered being a vet wasn't really right for me and the idea of writing for my career was presented by my high school tutor.
What author/story do you look up to and use for ideas/inspiration?
I can’t say there is one specific author or story that I look up to for inspiration. Typically when I need inspiration, I read new books, often with a similar subject to what I am writing.
What do you find to be the most difficult part of the writing process?
Writing the ending to a book. It’s really hard for me to know exactly when I am done and how to end it, so writing the wrap up always requires a lot of help from my editor.
Can we expect some new works from you in the future?
I am currently working on many new books. There is a section on my website dedicated to nothing but books I am currently working on.
We'd like to extend a special thank you to authors Alexandar Tomov and Jennifer Priester for allowing us to conduct these interviews. :)
February Quiz
Love is in the air! Do you think you know the answers to our trivia questions for February? Test your knowledge of the month here: https://www.goodreads.com/quizzes/331...
Congratulations to the January Short Story Contest Winner!
Congratulations to our January writing contest winner, Ali. Her awesome story is way too long to feature here, but you can check it out by clicking here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
February Writing Contest
There are a lot of special things about February--the leap year, for one, and in the U. S., we pay tribute to presidents and groundhogs--but the most iconic day this month is Valentine's Day. Some see Valentine's Day as a romantic holiday, but others view it as a commercial, money-generating scam. What do you think? Write a short story telling us what you think of Valentine's Day. The winning short story will be featured in March's newsletter. Interested in entering? Click HERE: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Writing Tip of the Month
Hello again!
So, I am sure everyone is acquainted with an unwanted visitor by the name of Writer’s Block and have a lovely repertoire of ways to bid it goodbye, but what about selective writer’s block? Sure, that’s probably not the proper name for it, but I have been seeing a lot of it within in the group lately. You can write, you just can’t seem to write that exact section you want to, that exact bit of dialogue that would make things complete.
I am sure we have all stood there and thought “I need to write this, I want to write this, but it just won’t come!” and it’s not like we couldn’t write on another random topic, we completely could. The issue is we are stuck with this particular section and most people would say “well, why don’t you leave it alone and go work on something else?” That sounds fine and dandy to me, but what if I want to work on this specific piece, what if I have a deadline? Hopefully I will answer that for you today!
After perusing article after article, blog after blog, post after post, I have an answer that will hopefully help us all, two simple remedies that are supposed to be true blue. Do indeed write something else, but write on your piece! Find an event that you know, or even just think, you want to happen and flesh that sucker out. It may be at the very end, half way through the story or even back at the beginning where you want to change something.
IF you don’t know where you want your story to go or can’t think of something you have wanted to change, get out a blank sheet of paper. A nice, clean, blank sheet. Decide how you like to brainstorm, do you like webs? Do you like lists? Do you like scattering random words and phrases across the paper and connecting them? Whatever it is choose your method! Then, write down three colors, three feelings, three major characters from the scene, three objects, and three events from your current scene.
Now, start writing things that go with each word or phrase next to the sets. Don’t think, just write, and when you feel your brain starting to slow down take a break. Look at what you have written, take a different color writing utensil and write down your comments, let yourself get lost in everything that is on the page. Don’t think “oh, well that could never belong in my story because so and so wouldn’t do that” just draw lines connecting things and comment.
Eventually you should have a nice and messy sheet of paper in front of you and some new ideas. Yes, I just walked you through a simple brainstorming method, what makes it so special? I will tell you, nothing really. The only thing that makes it special is that you are selecting specific elements from the point at which you are stuck and encouraging your mind to spin wondrous and outrageous ideas about them. You took fifteen items from your scene that contains thousands and now, hopefully, see them in a new light.
Happy writings!
What Were Your Resolutions?
What is your New Year's resolution? We asked all of our Struggling Writers what exactly they plan on pledging to do this year--and here were the results!
*50% of members pledged to write everyday.
*30% of members pledged to read a certain amount of books throughout the year.
*10% of members pledged to exercise more.
*10% of members pledged to write six more books in 2014.
Now that we snuck into your mind a little bit and found out what you plan on doing throughout the year, hopefully we won't have to remind you to stick to your resolutions! :)
Happy Birthday, February Babies!
February is finally upon us, which means so are some of the birthdays of some of our fabulous Struggling Writers! Happy birthday to Shlomo R., who will be turning 33 on February 2nd, Ashley V., who will turn 24 on the 4th, Asher, who will turn 36 on the 14th, Margaret S., who is born on the 18th,and Jennifer, Mahree M., and Aldrea A. who are born on the 22nd of the same date! Happy Birthday to you all!!
Monthly Riddle
Q:It's been around for millions of years, but it's no more than a month old. What is it?
A:The Moon!
Monthly Quote
“Write the kind of story you would like to read. People will give you all sorts of advice about writing, but if you are not writing something you like, no one else will like it either.” -Meg Cabot
February Writing Horoscopes
It's a new month, which means new writing horoscopes! Click this link HERE to head over to the thread and find out just what your writing fortune will be this month:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Looking For An Awesome Book Trailer?
Struggling Writer's member Alexandar Tomov isn't only an author--he's a designer of book trailers, too! He's currently in the process of starting a new book trailer campaign. He has a professional camera and computer editing equipment, and rates are low and negotiable. Plus the trailers come out pretty cool, too! So, if you're a newly published author looking to have an awesome book trailer made for your newest novel, this is a deal that you just cannot refuse. Interested? Shoot a personal message on over to Tomov here: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
Your Wish(es) Have Been Granted!
Last month, we asked you, the members, to tell us your wishes to make the group better. We received some great responses, and we're working on making some changes to the group, as per your suggestions. So as not to completely change the group on you overnight, we're making this transition gradual, but it is happening, so keep your eyes peeled for some great new features to the group!
We'd like to give a special thanks to everyone that helped make this newsletter possible, and we also want to extend a huge thank you to your Struggling Writers Moderators--Ingrid, Irene, Jessica, Laura and Tara! Check back next month for the March newsletter, and have a happy Valentine's Day!
Great newsletter! {I am especially excited about the writing contest, horoscopes and new book releases!!}.
Lucinda wrote: "Great newsletter! {I am especially excited about the writing contest, horoscopes and new book releases!!}."Thanks a ton, Lucinda! :)
New Book Releases for February
As we journey further into the beginning of the New Year the books just keep on coming! Check out the some of the top “Most Anticipated Book Releases” (according to Barnes and Nobel) for February below and then head on over to the full list of new releases for February at their site here: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/books... Happy readings!
Cress (#3 Lunar Chronicles) –Marissa Meyer
In this third book in Marissa Meyer's bestselling Lunar Chronicles series, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, now with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and prevent her army from invading Earth.
Their best hope lies with Cress, a girl trapped on a satellite since childhood who’s only ever had her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker. Unfortunately, she’s being forced to work ...
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cress...
Ignite Me ( #3 Shatter Me Chronicles)- Ransom Riggs
The heart-stopping conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Shatter Me series, which Ransom Riggs, bestselling author of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, called “a thrilling, high-stakes saga of self-discovery and forbidden love.”
With Omega Point destroyed, Juliette doesn’t know if the rebels, her friends, or even Adam are alive. But that won’t keep her from trying to take down The Reestablishment once and for all. Now she must rely on Warner, the handsome
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ignit...
Cell- Robin Cook
George Wilson, M.D., a radiology resident in Los Angeles, is about to enter a profession on the brink of an enormous paradigm shift, foreshadowing a vastly different role for doctors everywhere. The smartphone is poised to take on a new role in medicine, no longer...
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cell-...
Survivors 4- The Broken Path
Erin Hunter, the #1 nationally bestselling author of the Warriors series, is back with book four in the New York Times bestselling Survivors series about a dog named Lucky. This thrilling animal fantasy series was praised by Kirkus as "wild and wonderful adventure" in a starred review. It will be welcomed by all fans of epic animal fantasy adventure.
Lucky and Alpha have reached a shaky truce, but tensions within the newly united Pack are still running high. As the dogs search ...
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/survi...
The Undead Pool- Kim Harrison
Supernatural superhero Rachel Morgan must counter a strange magic that could spell civil war for the Hollows in this sexy and bewitching urban fantasy adventure in acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Kim Harrison's Hollows series.
Witch and day-walking demon Rachel Morgan has managed to save the demonic ever after from shrinking, but at a high cost. Now, strange magic is attacking Cincinnati and the Hollows, causing spells to backfire or go horribly wrong, and the truce ...
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-u...
Featured Writing
Help by Grace
The ceiling creaks, slow and loud, like nails on a chalk board. The air feels thick and heavy, clinging to my body, weighing me down. Cold wooden floors lay beneath me, glazed in a thick coat of dust. My eyes peel open to reveal darkness. The room is the size of a bathroom, the wooden walls looming over me, squeezing me in. My eyes adjust to the dark, but my vision blurs as I slip in and out of consciousness. My head is heavy against my neck, and any movement feels like someone rolling a strike inside my brain. My body is shivering, despite the pools of sweat dripping over me, and I'm bare except for an unfamiliar night gown on my body. I force myself to sit up, feeling a mix of nausea and achiness, my bones cracking like twigs after being stiff for what feels like weeks.
I look down at myself, and that's when the panic begins to simmer inside of me. The first brief seconds of wakefulness felt calm, not knowing anything was out of the ordinary until my brain fully clicked on. Just like that, from peace to panic. My whole body tenses, I feel a glaze of ice slide up my hot body, and my mind sails out to sea, losing all control. The night gown is old and tattered, an off white color with spots of yellow. Scrapes and bruises cover the entire length of my legs, some scabbing over while others still wet with blood. Big purple and green bruises embellish my arms, along with deep scratch marks on the surface. I touch my shaking hand to my face to feel blood dripping down from several open wounds on my head. My body begins to shake, as if I'm strapped to a wash machine, and the arrival of tears coat my eyes.
"Where am I?" I croak, my words sliding against my throat like sandpaper against medal. Panic twists and squirms, trying to find its way out of me. "No.." I screech in a whisper. "NO." I stand through my body's protests and run from one side of the room to the other, bouncing off wall to wall. The panic unleashes itself out of me, and my self control slides through my fingers. My mind abandons ship, and my senses sink beneath the waves.
Blood and tears slide down my face, a thousand jumbled up thoughts and questions swirl through my mind. I grip my hair between my fingers and yank on it, pounding my head into the wall. "WHERE AM I?" I scream on the top of my lungs. I can feel my tonsils quivering with each scream, seconds from falling from their thread. "HELP. SOMEONE HELP ME" I bang on the walls, and bang and bang and bang. I don't know if it hurts. I can't feel anything. My whole body is numb and useless. But I don't care. I just need to get out of here. I. Need. To. I will get out. Just a few more screams. Few more bangs. A door will appear. I'll leave and go home. Wherever home is. Maybe I am home. And this is all just a dream. Just a dream. Yes. A dream. Please be just a dream.
I scream more. I scream for hours because there's nothing else to do. I've walked, crawled, paced the length of this small room thousands of times, hoping something will appear to get me out. Bundles of my hair litter the floor from me ripping it out, along with hundreds of my feet and hand prints, imprinted into the dust. After what feels like hours I slide against the old and worn walls and fall to the floor. I stop screaming and instead just quietly cry, holding on to the wall. Then I notice something I didn't before; a scratch mark in the wall. I wipe the cloudiness from my eyes and look closely at the walls. Then I see more. There's little scratch marks, hundreds of them. The long lines of torn away wood in every direction.
"Weird." I think to myself. Looking closer I also noticed other things etched in the wall. The more I look I realize they're words. A lot of them.
'Trapped'
'Help'
'Out'
'Help'
'Not crazy'
'Not'
'HELP'
'CRAZY'
The words grow bigger and bigger, some so worn they're barely visible, while others look brand new.
"Weirder." I think. "Strange." I lean hand on the wall, preparing to stand up, and only then do I realize my torn and bloody nails fit perfectly within the thousands of scratch marks.
Q&A with Alexandar Tomov
We interviewed author Alexandar Tomov to ask about what it's like to be a published author and also about his newest work, Future Gone.
What was your inspiration for Future Gone?
My thoughts about human existence and my strange visions from future [inspired the book]. My inspiration process is based on intuition, not something concrete.
Why do you think people will enjoy Future Gone?
I hope [people will find] the book interesting, because these short stories are an unusual viewpoint [of the] world and human nature.
What tips do you have for authors that are new to the publishing process?
I myself am new in the publishing process and need some advice!
Did you self-publish your story, or was it professionally published?
Most of my short stories are self-published, but I'm included also in one collection of short stories from Marid Books Publishing.
What is some advice that you have for young, aspiring writers?
[They need] to stand against their fears and try to transform everything in their minds into literature.
Did you ever picture yourself as a published author? Unfortunately, not yet. I'm self-published author, who is looking for realization outside my country.
Was writing always your passion, or did you ever have a different career in mind?
I could say that writing was always my passion. I started writing poetry when I was 16 years old, and [when I was] 20-21 I started writing short stories. But I'm filmmaker too. I create short movies based on my short stories.
What author/story do you look up to and use for ideas/inspiration?
There are many short pieces from books, stories, and movies in my mind, which I use for ideas and inspiration. But also I would say that some modern and classic authors inspire my writing, too--writers like Franz Kafka, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Stephen King, Jorge Luis Borges, and Chekhov.
What do you find to be the most difficult part of the writing process?
The expression of abstract and absurd ideas and feelings using words.
Can we expect some new works from you in the future?
Yes, and I hope very soon. My future book Beyond the Absurd is ready and in English-translation process.