A writes: Why I Write

I know B already shared this post a few weeks ago, but I thought it was interesting and I wanted to share it too.

B's been inspiring me a lot lately, particularly with her 'write a bit daily' ideas. I'll admit that I also find myself waiting for inspiration to strike. Or worse, editing. Editing is something I've found that just shouldn't happen until the end of the book - otherwise each day I find myself just going over the previous work, even if I'm not necessarily editing and instead just rereading. As an attempt to break that, I've been forcing myself to just write and so far its going well. A part of this is also going to be an effort to do more regular blog posts, so we'll see how we go! 

So...

WHY DO I WRITE?
To me, this isn't really a question. You might as well ask why I breathe, or sleep, or eat. For as long as I can remember, stories and their characters have just been a massive part of who I am. Even if I'm not physically putting a story down onto paper, it's always in my head. It's a strange feeling - a part of me does, and always will, live inside many different worlds that no one else understands, at least not until they read about them. And even then, sometimes what they get is only a glimpse into a world I see, into the lives of characters who I know very intimately. Why do I write? I suppose the easiest answer would be because I want you to see - the worlds, the people, their stories. I want you to love them as much as I do, but if you don't, that's okay. I'll keep writing them anyway, because I could never stop. I can never stop.

HOW DO I WRITE? 

Typically in bed, but lately also in front of the TV. I actually prefer paper and pen, but the ease of a computer is undeniable and so that makes it my object of choice. I'm one of those people who always has a writing playlist - what's on it tends to vary. Sometimes it's just whatever music I'm loving at the moment - normally songs with emotions, though. I've also become a huge fan of 'epic' music, like Audiomachine. It makes me think of sword fights, and dragons, and always helps me really want to write, even if I'm not feeling inspired for the story itself.  

HOW DOES MY WRITING DIFFER FROM OTHERS IN ITS GENRE? 

I think B's answer to this was fantastic. Faith is the biggest part of our lives, and that comes into our writing a lot - even if it's not always obvious. I think as well, the fact that theres two of us can make a difference! At least, I like to think so.

HOW DO I GET PAST WRITER’S BLOCK? 

You write. You don't edit, you don't re-read, you just write. Even if it all seems useless, and doesn't seem to have anything to do with your plot - just keep going. I find the moment I start to look back at the book, or even the last couple of pages, I get bogged down - all I can see are the flaws and I spend far too much time trying to fix things. For me, the only thing to do is to look forwards, even when I hate everything I'm writing. The important thing is to keep writing, because you'll be pushing yourself towards the next important plot point or you'll discover a new direction for your book that you hadn't considered before. Either way, when you're finished the book, then you can go back and get rid of the utterly useless scenes you're writing right now. Or you might discover that you love them, who knows.

I hope you enjoyed my take on these questions. Hopefully you guys have also been inspired like I've been to write frequently, even if it's just a little bit and even if you hate it. Because either way, you're writing and thats the important thing.
-A

B writes: Progress

I'm happy to report that this 250 Words a Day writing challenge I set myself is just what I needed to get my backside into gear and finish this pony story I've been sitting on since 2013!

Most days I'm easily going over my target - in fact my average word count is 500 words a day.  I've done seven days of writing, and 3,503 words so far - with a few extra typed here and there that I didn't bother tracking. So far, I'm only doing the challenge five days a week, but I might up that to six days a week soon.

I want to keep it achievable though. That's why I picked such a low word count to aim for. Yes, it would be slightly ridiculous for some writers who are already writing regularly to do the same, but this is for me. A busy mother with three children under four years old, who has many other responsibilities and hobbies besides writing.

250 words, five days a week is not only achievable, but also encouraging. I hit that goal, I want to try for more. So I end up doing more than 250 words each and every time I sit down to write! Sometimes it's a little more, sometimes it's a lot, like 1,013!

Either way, progress is being made and it's good. I like it.

"The first jump was an inviting oxer, with a nice ground line. Simple bars, and solid wings, the jump was set up to encourage the horse and rider to get into the course.

It didn’t look that scary until Jody was standing next to it, and then it was as high as Dudley’s knees, 60 centimetres tall. She could feel the butterflies flopping about. She’d jumped higher than that before – she’d been regularly jumping a meter ten at the riding school, but that had with Bosley; her favourite mount. Now it was just her and Dudley and she wasn’t sure she was ready for that.

She could dimly hear Mrs. Lowe discussing the course as they walked around, and shook herself, panicking. What did she miss? “-so make sure you sit up after the spread and really half-halt to gather Dudley’s strides. He will have flattened out to jump over the width of the triple bar, and you’ll really need to collect them up to get through the bounce clear.”

David nodded in complete agreement, but Jody felt like a vice was squeezing her ribcage when she looked at the pair of jumps set so closely together after that wide staircase spread. 

A triple bar! Then a combination! She could feel her knees knocking together, but David and Mrs. Lowe were already striding to the last jump of the twelve obstacles – the wall.

A solid jump, one to scare the riders, and Jody remembered it’s not just the riders that don’t like wall jumps – most horses didn’t either because they couldn’t see the ground on the other side of the jump. They had to trust their rider that it was safe to jump.

Jody swallowed hard. She and Dudley had been working on their relationship all this time – and they’d had some crazy adventures together – riding for help after Betty’s accident, and then riding out alone to help Cinnamon, but where they ready for this?

Jody squared her shoulders. Well, it was now or never, and as she walked back to her family and Dudley, she thought it was time that Dudley proved himself to be the right pony for her." 

- Dudley's Last Chance by Bonita Vear

Coming soon!

b.

B writes: On Writing

So I've made a pledge to myself. I'm going to start a habit of writing 250 words a day on my books - any of them. A novel, the e-book, anything - but it's got to be on a book, and not on a blog!

I do write a lot every week, but I'm writing on my blogs, on Twitter, on other people's blogs.  I'm not writing on things that are going to help my journey forward as a published author. I'm missing that part in my schedule of things to do, and as a result, all too often the book writing gets completely overlooked.

Crikey, the last time I worked on a novel seriously was.... Uh.  Whoops. I don't even remember. Probably Nanowrimo 2013.

Gamenian did get some work done on it in 2014, but that was mostly polishing and editing; stuff to ready the manuscript for publishing. No real 'writing' as in building the story.

Since I've made this pledge I've written over 1,000 words. So I know it can be done. Bit by bit, day by day, I'm going to finish my next book, and then I'm going to start another one. I'm a writer. So I am going to write.

"Jody stared at the measly remnants of cake in front of her, and poked the crumbs into a tidy heap in the middle of the swirling gold pattern. It was always a bit of a worry when Bridget got that look on her face – mostly because it meant that she had some new idea that she was going to drag Jody into, and any amount of ‘no’s’ just made her all the more determined to go ahead." 

- Dudley's Last Chance by Bonita Vear

b.

B writes: Why I Write

A series of questions I found on Gala Darling that instantly intrigued me, and I knew I had to answer them for myself.

Because why do I write?

Why?

WHY DO I WRITE?

Because I can’t not write. Because I can’t not tell a story some how, some way. I have so much to say, and so many ways to say it – art, photography, creating with my hands – but in the end, I can’t not write about it.

It’s like the story is too big and too grand to be captured just by one medium, and each different medium adds another layer to this great big story I call ‘Life’. 

So I create, I share my stories, and I hope that somehow the message gets across…

There is something out there, something that is bigger than we see. Something that inspires us, that drives us, that pushes and pulls us to grow, change, explore, create, expand, implode, fall down and begin all over again.

There’s life. There’s hope.

And those two things are the fundamental elements of my creative ‘me’. Story telling just happens to naturally blossom from those two core truths I know, and writing just happens to naturally blossom from my desire to tell a story.

So I write because I must.

HOW DO I WRITE?

Sporadically. It’s kind of sad. I’m not even close to any sort of rhythm or routine. I know that all professional writers talk about dedicating certain hours of the day, or making sure to hit a certain number of words, but I don’t do that. In fact, I’m the worst kind of writer…

The one who waits for inspiration to strike!

Ruh-Rho…

Please don’t follow my example!  I write when I have a blog post to write, but it’s never on the same day week to week.  I write when I have something I need to remember, or a story to tell. I work on my books when I need too. Nanowrimo was great for getting me into a regular routine, but I couldn’t keep it up for long. I had really bad tendonitis after trying to write 1,000 words a day for a month. Ouch.

Basically, I write when I want to. But it’s a least once a week, so I am writing regularly if it comes to that – just not once-a-day-regularly.

HOW DOES MY WRITING DIFFER FROM OTHERS IN ITS GENRE?

Hmm. This is a super great question. Mostly because I’m not sure, but let me think…

I think our writing is different from other books that I’ve read in the same space opera genre, mostly because of our faith, and how that shapes our world view, and consequentially, our writing.  

There’s always a theme of hope, and something greater that’s out there – referring to God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. We want to make people think about their world view and why they believe what they do. Questions always lead to answers when your heart is truly seeking, and we hope to that by provoking the questions our readers can find an answer that satisfies their soul.

HOW DO I GET PAST WRITER’S BLOCK?

I… don’t.  No, really. I just move onto another project and wait for the writer’s block to dissolve. Sometimes this works really well, and sometimes it doesn't. I think the best approach to writer’s block has a lot to do with whether or not you are a professional writer, or a part-time writer like myself.

I PASS THE PEN TO…

Alethia!

I pass the pen to any writer out there who would like to answer these questions themselves. Go ahead – tell us - why do you write?

b.

A writes: our query letter

I did a post on query letters a couple of weeks ago and as promised, here is our query letter. Hopefully, it gives you a few ideas! 

Dear [ ],

Gamenian is a complete Science Fiction novel of 78,000 words aimed at young adults and science fiction space opera lovers.  Fast paced and character driven, Gamenian explores the games we play with each other, the lies we tell, and the search for forgiveness. It follows a young woman as she seeks to reconcile the idea of a higher power with the actions of a broken humanity.

Freedom is a lie. It’s been four years since Tori escaped the desert planet of Esandira and her life as a drug-mule and assassin for a dictator named Craik, but she is as enslaved as she ever was. While she is physically free, inside her mind the past blurs with the present and she’s desperate for a cure from the faces that only she can see, and the voices that only she can hear.

The fragile life she has created for herself is simultaneously destroyed by an unorthodox bounty hunter named Ash, and Lethar, an assassin sent by Craik, forcing her on a reckless journey to escape from her demons. Her past is no longer inside her head and with her control slipping, the last thing she needs is a 17-year old Way Seeker stuck by her side, but that’s what she gets in the form of Spencer. Spencer doesn’t want anything to do with her, and while she shares the sentiment, their lives are twisted together by the death of a mutual loved one.

Both Ash and Lethar are relentlessly tracking their every move and she’s getting tired of running. Spencer believes Tori's only true freedom is from the Almighty, but she isn’t so sure. There’s only one out that she can see - Craik must die. It’s a dangerous cat and mouse game, but the closer she gets to Craik the more her dark secrets begin to surface and the more she begins to question the path she has chosen. 

Bonita and Alethia are Australian sisters who share a passion for stories, whether it’s reading them or writing them. Bonita graduated in 2009 from the University of Canberra with a BA in Journalism.  Since then she has been busy publishing on a variety of platforms on the internet. She writes and edits content on three different blogs, twitter, Instagram, and is currently building an online portfolio to showcase her works. Alethia is currently studying Medical Science at the University of Canberra and frequently blogs.

Thank you for your consideration, we look forwards to hearing from you at your earliest convenience. 

Obviously, the original wasn't in italics ;) Looking back, I'm pretty happy with the letter we created - we ended up using a lot of it on the back of the book. A lot of people with opinions on query letters - some people say to put the book info first (genre, word count etc) while others say to put it in later. Personally, we decided that putting it in before would be helpful and ran with that. 

For me, writing the story plot was easy - I knew my book and straight from the start I had a pretty good idea how to present it. After doing a lot of research into formatting the plot, I found it relatively easy to write. The rest of it, like how to write credentials when you have none, what to mention, what not to mention etc just took a LOT of research. I've posted some of the links in the earlier post on queries that I did, but they were really only some of the crucial sites I found. I found a lot more of random articles, or random paragraphs within articles, that were very helpful, but there were too many to actually write a post about!

Hopefully, this gives you all some ideas on what to do with your query! As I've said before, I'm in no way an expert on query letters but I'm happy to answer any questions you guys might have. 

A writes: Elementary vs Sherlock.

I am a huge, huge fan of the BBC's Sherlock and while I wasn't too keen on Elementary at the start, it actually surprised me. That said, I feel a little bad comparing these two. While both revolve around the same concept, the way that they’re approached makes them worlds apart. To start off, Sherlock.

Wow. Trying to describe Sherlock is pretty much impossible for me; it has everything. It is damn clever, it gives me sooooo many feels (Particularly with Sherlock and John’s relationship), it keeps me on the edge of my seat and is pretty much impossible to predict. The only bad thing about it is how long they leave it between series but given that Benedict Cumberbatch is in an awful lot now days (Which is amazing, because he is amazing!) that’s not really surprising. And honestly, I think it’s one of the reasons why it’s so popular; it comes along every few years, hits you with a couple of episodes that are so jammed-packed and leave you wanting more. It’s the type of thing I can see going on for years and years without becoming stale like most good TV shows do.

Elementary is  completely different. It’s the light, feel good, mainstream TV version of Sherlock. The reason I’m a bit hesitant about doing a comparison is because there is none. Sherlock in Elementary is smart, clever and observant, yes, but the important distinction is that I believe 100% that he could exist. There’s no… magic. No real ‘wow’ factor. There’s just a man, who’s really good at what he does, but is flawed. His flaws, however, are a part that I grew to like an awful lot; it gives dimension to an otherwise run-of-the-mill cop show. I think a big part of my lack-lustre response to it initially was their decision to make Watson a female. The Sherlock-Watson relationship is fantastic (The Sherlock Holmes starring Robert Downey Jr. & Jude Law movies highlight it, too) and a female Watson completely rips that relationship apart. Particularly seeing as its entire purpose is sex appeal. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against good-looking actors/actresses, but when the only purpose of a character is sex appeal it annoys me. In my opinion, my reservations unfortunately proved to hold true; Watson does not work as a girl. All of their adventures, all of their banter, is now just prelude to a hook up which seems inevitable. Which to me just seems like a huge letdown for a great character and what should have been a great relationship. Negatives aside, though, it does have some good moments.

BBC Sherlock, particularly season 3, does begin to add more depth to Sherlock’s pitfalls but Elementary really paints the picture of broken genius which does draw me. After watching the first season of Elementary, it does hold its own but only when you look at it on its own – die-hard Sherlock fans might not want to worry about it at all. A comparison leaves it extremely lacking and if I had to pick my favourite of the two there’s no doubt whatsoever which one I would pick. But if I was comparing Elementary to some of the other mainstream cop shows, it’s a lot more likely to make the list.

A writes: the query letter

A while ago on my personal blog, I did a post on writing query letters and I thought I would also share it here. I'm in no way an expert on query letters; I have, in fact, written one. But what I also did is a lot of research, so I'm hoping to save you a bit of time by sharing the four main websites that I found particularly invaluable. I'm also planning on posting our query letter in the next week or so to show how we wrote ours. 

Anyway, to start off my research, I spent a good deal of time in the archives of Query Shark, and Miss Snark (who also helped write the synopsis!). These two websites have some great ‘what not to do’ feedback as well as what works in a query letter. But the reason I love these two websites is because once I learned what not to do I was able to figure out what I wanted my query to look like. Writing the first draft of the query was relatively easy after reading through many, many pages of awful queries. 

In addition, JM Tohline has some great tips from agents about what they look for in a query letter on his website. And last but not least, the agent query website also talks about formatting etc your query once you’ve written it.

If any of you have any websites about query letters that you've found helpful, let me know in the comments! As I mentioned earlier, I am by no means an expert on this and I'm always looking out for more hints or tips.

Speaking of, the best tip I can give you is to read the requirements carefully; some publishers we’ve looked into requested marketing info such as target readership etc. In the end, however, no matter how much research you do you just have to sit down and write the thing. And then spend an awful lot of time editing, proofreading and making sure that there are no errors. Because at the end of the day, the query is your first meeting with a potential agent or publisher and you'd better make sure the impression is a good one.