Lara's Ramblings

Creating Strange New Worlds One Sentence at a Time. Check Out My WIP/About Page! Like what you see? Consider Buying Me a Coffee. It fuels my words. ;-) Profile pics under CC0 license from DreamsTime.com.

[authorlaragrey-blog]

Yes, I haven’t yet finished the first draft for Bloodstained Shadows. I know I should just let plot holes lie and finish one draft before revising it into a second draft. That would certainly…

[authorlaragrey-blog]

Hallowed Shadows, Part One: A Halloween-themed short story taking place in the fictional town of Shadow Cove.

[mcubed35]

Writers, remember this.

…you guys…

Just read an excerpt from a productivity/goal setting book that concerned Tolkien.

His publisher mentioned that people wanted more about the hobbits after Tolkien published The Hobbit.

So Tolkien started another novel.

And apparently bounced between the depths of despair and the height of confidence for the entire process (he said that: “his ‘labour of delight’ had been ‘transformed into a nightmare.’”)

He gave up multiple times.

That book? Fellowship of the Ring.

You know what kept him going? C.S. Lewis’ support.

First lesson: if you’re stressing over your book, remember that Tolkien did too.

Second lesson: Writers have to support each other. Seriously. It might be the difference between a book that becomes beloved by hundreds of thousands (maybe even millions) even existing or not.

[bluewritesforever-deactivated20]

Reblog if I’m allowed to share a snippet of my WIPs in your inbox

[authorlaragrey-blog]

I LOVE WIPs!!!

[authorlaragrey-blog]

Getting Back on Track - Update concerning Patreon and pausing my campaign for a month.

[authorlaragrey-blog]

Bloodstained Shadows Chapter Four Draft

[authorlaragrey-blog]

Bloodstained Shadows Chapter Three - Updated Rough Draft

[brynwrites]

The difference between Critique Partners and Beta Readers:

Critique Partners: 

Say: “These are all the things that subtract from the story you’re trying to tell and these are the ways I recommend fixing them if you want to reach your intended outcome.”

Must: Understand your personal writing style and your vision for the book, be at a similar writing skill level as you, and be able to communicate well with you in a constructive back and forth dialogue.

You should have: About 3 at any given time, though the number will vary though your writing carrier. 

Your responsibilities: To respect their advice and give them the thorough, honest critique on their manuscripts in return. 

Beta Readers:

Say: “This is what I understood while reading, this is why I came to that understanding, and this is what I think of it and how it made me feel.”

Must: Be a reader in (or near) the manuscript’s target audience, have the ability and desire to think deeply about a piece of writing, and convey those thoughts in a way that the author can make sense of.

You should have: 7-15 at the end of any given beta reading round. (The longer the story, the more likely it is that beta readers will drop out due to time constraints, personal life problems, or sheer forgetfulness.)

Your responsibilities: To keep track of their progress and encourage them to continue reading, to look for patterns or contradictions in their responses and decide what needs to be changed in order to receive the reactions you want from the majority of your readers in the future, and to ignore any advice you don’t firmly believe will make your book better.

Find out more about Beta Readers and Critique Partners!

[originalficfest]

Day 1: CHARACTER DAY

Create something that reveals a character or shows character development. For example: a drabble that you’d tag as a ‘character piece’, a fic snippet(s) showing how a character has changed, a short meta piece about a character, or whatever else you feel inspired to create! There’s no minimum or maximum wordcount, just have fun with the prompt.

Post your finished item or a link to it at your blog and please add an @originalficfest​ so we can find and reblog it for everyone to see. Don’t hesitate to check out the rest of the entries and share the love (you might make new writer friends!) :) Remember if you don’t want to complete this prompt, or want to do it later, that’s fine too, this is a low pressure fest.

[authorlaragrey-blog]

I’m going to create something, I promise, but for now I’m just going to reblog this so I can find it later. :-)

[genrefictionediting]

New Tumblr Blog

Hello Tumblr,

I offer affordable, yet thorough, editing services for fiction writers. As an indie writer myself (pen name, Lara Grey), I know it can be hard to afford quality editing. Yet, you want to make sure you’re writing comes across as professional. So you’re between a rock and a hard place. That’s why I created GenreFictionEditing.com. I actually enjoy editing, it isn’t just a job to me. I still have bills to pay, so I can’t edit every indie author’s manuscript for free. But I certainly would if it was possible to survive while doing so, lol. I look forward to reading snippets of every Tumblr writer’s wonderful WIP while I’m on here. Have a good day all!

[authorlaragrey-blog]

My editorial services side blog, which will regularly feature writing & dialogue prompts, resources, etc.

[originalficfest]

Day -1!!!

The Fest starts tomorrow! We’re so glad (and also a little anxious) to see you all excited and ready, with all your cool projects we can’t wait to read more about!

Here are some of the important links and information you might find useful during the Fest.

!!IMPORTANT REMINDERS!!

We’ll only reblog ONE post by person for each prompt. If you have a lot to say and want to spread the information over several posts, please add the links to a central one! Thank you for your understanding! 

If you think we missed one of your posts, please message us or send us an ask with the link to the post you’re querying

Schedule: The daily prompt posts will go up at around 8am UTC each morning. 

25th May: CHARACTER DAY

26th May: ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP DAY

27th May: NON-ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP DAY

28th May: QUOTE DAY

29th May: MUSIC DAY

30th May: PICTURES DAY

31th May: FREE DAY

LINKS Promo post: https://originalficfest.tumblr.com/post/173986180530/do-you-have-an-original-story-or-several-do-you

FAQ: https://originalficfest.tumblr.com/faq

Rules: https://originalficfest.tumblr.com/post/174074377245/original-fic-fest-rules

Content advisory: https://originalficfest.tumblr.com/post/174108227050/content-advisory-for-posts

you can also check the #mod post tag

Survey link: https://goo.gl/forms/dVHshYo5J8Vfl5f93

And the most important ones: HAVE FUN AND NEVER STOP CREATING!!

[maramahan]

I have two goals as a writer:

1. tell stories

2. help and encourage other people to tell their stories

so if ever you have any questions about writing or storytelling that you think I might be able to answer, feel free to ask–I’ll do what I can

[authorlaragrey-blog]

I see we share common goals. *tips hat*

[authorlaragrey-blog]

4, 13, 15, 25? :)

4: Any writing habits or rituals? 

Honestly, I can’t think of anything specific. Maybe writing with pen on paper. When I find myself stuck or want to brainstorm worldbuilding, setting, or character - I do so with a physical pen and paper. I’ve tried doing this initial process on a screen, but for some reason it doesn’t work as well for me. So I just transfer the main points, conclusions and questions I come up with on paper to the screen when I’m finished.

13: How do I deal with writer’s block?

Actually, I use the same process briefly described above and/or I’ll write a monologuing scene for my character. Pen on paper is the best for me though, it’s why I have sooooo many notebooks, most of which are practically filled. Mind you, I don’t usually go over those notes ever again, it’s just for me to get a better idea of what I’m doing, where the story is happening, what this particular universe is, who these people are, etc.

15: Where does my inspiration come from?

Anywhere really. I grew up watching a lot of movies/shows and reading books every night. The elements I found fun, interesting, or fascinating within those many many stories are probably the main pool of inspiration I draw from. My personal life experiences make up the rest.

25: Linear or non-linear, and why?

I’d say it really depends on the story. Sometimes I like to think I’m in control of the story - the god of these characters universes. But that’s not true at all. The characters I write are more like real people who tell or show me stories that I then figure out how to describe on paper/screen.

[ramonameisel]

New ask game for writers

1. Favorite place to write. 2. Favorite part of writing. 3. Least favorite part of writing. 4. Do you have writing habits or rituals? 5. Books or authors that influenced your style the most. 6. Favorite character you ever created. 7. Favorite author. 8. Favorite trope to write. 9. Least favorite trope to write. 10. Pick a writer to co-write a book with and tell us what you’d write about. 11. Describe your writing process from scratch to finish. 12. How do you deal with self-doubts? 13. How do you deal with writers block? 14. What’s the most research you ever put into a book? 15. Where does your inspiration come from? 16. Where do you take your motivation from? 17. On avarage, how much writing do you get done in a day? 18. What’s your revision or rewriting process like? 19. First line of a WIP you’re working on. 20. Post a snippet of a WIP you’re working on. 21. Post the last sentence you wrote in one of your WIP’s. 22. How many drafts do you need until you’re satisfied and a project is ultimately done for you? 23. Single or multi POV, and why? 24. Poetry or prose, and why? 25. Linear or non-linear, and why? 26. Standalone or series, and why? 27. Do you share rough drafts or do you wait until it’s all polished? 28. And who do you share them with? 29. Who do you write for? 30. Favorite line you’ve ever written. 31. Hardest character to write. 32. Easiest character to write. 33. Do you listen to music when you’re writing? 34. Handwritten notes or typed notes? 35. Tell some backstory details about one of your characters in your story ________. 36. A spoiler for story _________. 37. Most inspirational quote you’ve ever read or heard that’s still important to you. 38. Have you shared your outline of your story ________ with someone? If so, what did they think of it? 39. Do you base your characters of real people or not? If so, tell us about one. 40. Original Fiction or Fanfiction, and why? 41. How many stories do you work on at one time? 42. How do you figure out your characters looks, personality, etc. 43. Are you an avid reader? 44. Best piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten. 45. Worst piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten. 46. What would your story _______ look like as a tv show or movie? 47. Do you start with characters or plot when working on a new story? 48. Favorite genre to write in. 49. What do you find the hardest to write in a story, the beginning, the middle or the end? 50. Weirdest story idea you’ve ever had. 51. Describe the aesthetic of your story _______ in 5 sentences or words. 52. How did writing change you? 53. What does writing mean to you? 54. Any writing advice you want to share?

[cyloveless]

New Writblr!

Hey y’all! I finally made a side blog for all my writing stuff. As usual, I have few plans, but lots of ideas!

I’ll be sharing some things about my vampire sci-fi wip (the summary can now be found in my wip page!), and writerly inspo and thoughts. One thing I’m going to try to do is Word Wednesdays, where I share a word I like and use it in a sentence. There’s so many cool words out there that I forget to use, so maybe someone other than me will be inspired by them too. #wordwednesdays starting this Thursday (so timely)!

PS. If you’ve tagged me in a writing tag game by @consultingcinnamon, I’ll now be answering it here @wordofthedey! Thanks for including me. :)

[authorlaragrey-blog]

Clear: Do your characters control where the story goes or do you maintain control?

My characters control everything, lol. I like to pretend I have any control whatsoever, but seriously I don’t. I’ll plot something out, try to outline. I’ll be confident that I know where I want to take the story. And I’ll be wrong. Every time. 

I’ve had characters I didn’t know existed suddenly pop up in a scene as I’m writing it. I’ll start a scene with a set, clear idea, and the opposite will wind up happening. I’ll stare at the screen for a minute thinking, well what the hell are you going to do now?

It’s almost like I’m not creating them at all. They’re just dropping by to tell me about their day and what happened since the last time we talked.And my question for you is:

Silver: are you comfortable writing in public places?

[authorlaragrey-blog]

Red, gray, and brown

I actually had to think about the answer to the first one...Red: what kind of writer’s block do I experience the most? 

When I was in high school, and until I was about 20, I couldn’t think of anything to write about after an ex-boyfriend stole the first couple pages of a story I was working on. He literally just stole them, wouldn’t give them back, and they were handwritten, so I had no backup. But that wasn’t a usual thing, I’ve always had plenty of ideas.

No, the type that really plagues me on a regular basis is my subconscious inability to commit to one idea or another and therefore FINISH! lol. I have three storylines in the works that would easily span 20+ books, and I’ve been going back and forth working on them for too many years to count. In an effort to combat this, I’ve made the conscious decision (in the last few months) to focus ONLY on The Bloodstained Shadows Series, refusing to allow myself to work on the others or anything new until at least the first three books are completed (even just in their initial draft form). I even made a Patreon for this project so I could hold myself accountable to someone other than myself!

Still, I feel the pull to work on the other two stories from time to time. None of them are even in the same universe! The past decade+ has involved a LOT of worldbuilding! LOL.

Gray: what’s a common writing tip that I almost always follow?

This one wasn’t easy to think of either. I want to follow the writing tip - just get the story down, don’t edit while writing the first draft, just write! But honestly, I don’t follow that one despite all my best efforts. I’m still trying. It’s a good tip!

The tip I do almost always follow is the one involving that, very, and ly-adverbs. I use as little of these words in my writing as possible, even in the initial draft stage. It’s almost subconscious at this point, probably because I’ve heard this advice so much.

Brown: do I have a set writing space?

I wish! I would love to have a set writing space. I should have a set writing space. But I have six kids, so there really isn’t a special space available in the house for me to set up for that purpose. So honestly, I write wherever and whenever I can find the time. And I’ll rush to my laptop or physical notebook whenever a bit of inspiration strikes as soon as I can get to it.And the questions I have for you...Blue: what’s more important to you - characters or plot?White: are you a supporter/lover of fanfiction?Clear: do your characters control where the story goes, or do you maintain control?