All posts by NewEngland_Muse

I'm a traditionally and self published author. I write in the genre of children and YA at the moment but working my way up to adults. I'm a sports loving, photo taking gal who loves to sing/dance to my own enjoyment. I love to laugh even at myself. I am also owned by 8 birds and 2 hamsters, and yes they know it. :)
Art of Writing, Author resources

How do you write your stories?

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How do you write your amazing books and short stories? Growing up we had an electric typewriter but mind you this was later in high school. Before we either wrote in pen very carefully so we didn’t make mistakes or use the typewriters at school if they were available.

We didn’t see a computer until my high school years where they were locked up in a room and only opened by the tech who taught us how to use them. Yippee, right? I didn’t own my first computer until my second or third year in college. I used my first credit card to buy a used one and I instantly maxed the card out. LOL

I guess with not having the equipment then like people do now I got use to writing everything by hand. Even with what I have available to me a computer, a smart pen and a smart tablet. But most of the times I revert back to writing by hand. This is frustrating since I have to retype it once I am done. But it is ingrained in me and even with the technology now I tend to still write this way.

The beautify of writing by hand I tell people is you can write anywhere with it. Yes, they make computers and tablets smaller and smaller it seems now these days but being able to curl up in a chair, beanbag or laying down on the floor while writing on my lap is something that is more comfortable if I’m using pen and paper.

I also find I am more creative when I do write by hand. Once an idea hits my head the pages do fly as I try to get it all down on paper. Even with what I have available before me and what new inventions yet to be invented I will always in my heart feel better when I write by hand.

A fact that seems to make people either totally get me for they do the same thing or they are wowed.

Anthology, Author branding, Branding helped me with a short story

Branding yourself does work: Finding a home for my short story

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An opportunity came across my desk which just reminded me again why having an author’s platform is beneficial to writers.

A few months ago I was checking my sites out to make sure all were working like I wanted. I ran across a friend who was entering a submission for a publication. Checking it out further the person who was behind it all invited me to submit also. They were taking 1000 submissions but only one per author would be accepted though you could submit as many as you like. You had to write a flash fiction of 200-300 words. Now this is for an anthology published in Brazil with the release day being 2018.

There would have been a slim chance, a very slim chance, of me hearing about this on my own. But thankfully to my platform it fell into my lap. I only submitted one but I made the first cut! It would be really cool if my short story landed in this book especially one from another country. It would be a new way to make my brand shine with a new audience.

So even though I harp a lot to others about creating one’s brand this is just another example of why one should have one.

The elements of writing a book, Writing a book is easy?

It’s so easy to write and publish a book: I’ve been told

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I have heard over the years how easy it is to write. It is not that simple or easy. It be great if it was. So I pulled up some notes on things that authors need to remember and include from a character development class I took.

Do you have your setting correct? It tells you where and when a story line is occurring. It has to be believable for it gives you the opportunity to deliver a backdrop for your book. For example if you are in the tundra or jungle odds are the book is an adventure. If the dust bowl in the Midwest is where you are at the character might experience tough times in the story line.

One can’t forget that the mood and setting can change through the book. Location and weather also hints where the reader will find themselves. The setting gives us the physical boundaries and develops the plot and characters. If we can’t wrap our minds around it you will lose us.

You can’t forget the good guy who is the central figure that readers can identify with but they must go through changes through the book or else they will fall flat and be one dimension. You want your characters to be well-rounded. They should have positive features and still be flawed making them dynamic as they change with the experiences they encounter. We develop characters directly or indirectly. Directly we state what the character looks like, what they say, do or feel. Indirectly we let the readers draw the conclusions by the words written.

But hey let’s not forget about the plot which is an arrangement of consequence of the story including conflict and obstacles. And even then there is still more to think on and perfect. One has to include the conflict and the resolution.  And still that is not the end.

There is so much more that goes on in writing a book and making it published ready. To tell someone writing is easy has never picked up a pen and tried.