Words/Time: 620 words of writing practice with an idea inspired by a song I heard a few times on the radio today while my husband and I were on our way to and from the theater to watch the new Star Wars movie. The song was “Flawless” by MercyMe, and there’s one line in it that has struck me since I first heard the song. Today was not the first day that it influenced my writing.
Author: Kristi
A Little Q&A
These questions come from a post on aliasfaithrivens’ blog. I like reading Q&As like this from people I know, and it’s kind of fun answering them too.
When did you first start writing? Was being a writer something you always aspired to?
I started writing stories in elementary school. I recently dug up one of my first stories, written when I was 10 years old. I don’t know if the hard copy exists somewhere (I suspect it doesn’t), but I’d typed it into my parents’ old Tandy 1000. This was around 1992.
When I was older—somewhere between twelve and fourteen—I wrote a good start on what I had planned to be the first in a series of books for teenagers. That story I still have in several notebooks tucked away.
But apparently in middle and high school, I left fiction writing behind and turned to poetry. I wrote some good, some bad, some uplifting, some angsty poems. And during a creative writing class in high school, I even went as far as to say (in a reflection paper at the end of the class) that though I’d enjoyed writing the short story required for the class, I didn’t think I’d have a reason to write fiction again in the future.
What genre do you write?
Lately, mostly speculative fiction. My main book series seems to have landed squarely on post-apocalyptic science fiction. I wouldn’t normally consider myself a sci-fi writer, though…just sort of happened that way. Outside of this one series, I write more contemporary fiction, sometimes with a Christian bent.
Can you tell us a little about your current work in progress? When did you start working on this project?
It’s actually a weird feeling to not say that my current WIP is “Pithea.” But since that one’s done, it’ll be time to move on soon. I’ll be turning my attention soon to “Pursuit of Power.” This novel is about a young man who becomes suspicious about his dad’s accidental death, starts to dig, and ends up drawing a lot of unwanted attention.
Technically I started working on this in 2009. I wrote most of the first draft during NaNoWriMo that year. Then I re-imagined the story world I’d tried to create and rewrote the story in 2014. The very basics of the original were the same—main characters, their main goals, and a general ending—but it’s a completely different story now.
What was your first piece that you can remember writing? What was it about?
As I mentioned above, the first piece I remember writing was when I was 10. It was a story about a couple adopting a 10-year-old girl, along with that girl’s best friend, because the girl they were adopting insisted. It was 186 words long. I started writing a sequel that was supposed to be a bit of a mystery, and though I didn’t finish it, it was already longer than the first story. I still remember what was supposed to happen in that story. Maybe I should finish it.
What’s the best part about writing?
There are so many things about writing that I love. If I had to choose one thing, it would be the discovery. The sudden light bulb when a brand new idea strikes, when a blockage is broken through, or when things suddenly become fun again.
What’s the worst part about writing?
In contrast to the previous answer, I think the worst part of writing is when things just aren’t working out. New ideas aren’t flowing, you can’t break through the block, and you feel downright un-creative.
What’s the name of your favorite character and why?
Though Missy would be the logical choice, as the MC of my first novel and a character who will feature or at least appear in more of the rest of the series than any one character (I’m pretty sure, at least), she is still a second to my favorite. His name is Remiel Azrael, and he is one of the main characters in “Outcast.” Of everything I have written, “Outcast” remains my favorite piece, which I’m sure is part of the reason he became my favorite. I wrote it as fanfiction 7 years ago, and for the moment, it still only exists as fanfiction. It will eventually take place in the same world as “Pithea,” and in fact Missy is a big character in it too. But I just really love Remiel.
How much time a day/week do you get to write? When is the best time for you to write (morning or night)?
Ideally, I have 2-3 hours per night after my youngest goes to bed. Sometimes bedtime is later, or I have other things I have to get to first. Weekends are sometimes a chance for extra time, and sometimes we’re so busy I can barely get any time in.
Did you go to college for writing?
No, I didn’t get re-interested in writing fiction until I started writing fanfiction after my oldest son was born.
What bothers you more: speeling errors; punctuation, errors, or errors for grammar?
I’m not sure one is more bothersome to me than another.
What is the best writing advice that anyone has given you?
Don’t worry about perfection. I’ve read so many articles and blog posts by writers who make it seem like a manuscript will never be ready. It will always need another draft. While it’s true it will never be perfect, just maybe it doesn’t have to be. If I hadn’t read this advice from two different sources, I’m not sure if I would be ready to submit my first novel, or if I’d still be reading through it, looking for things to fix. Or maybe I’d be proceeding like I am, but paranoid that it’s too soon.
What advice would you give to another writer?
Take any writing tips, rules, and advice with a grain of salt. Writing is an art, and what works for one person doesn’t always work for others. Reading blogs about writing is a good thing. It’s good to find out what works for others, especially when you’re new to writing, because most likely something will resound within you. But if it doesn’t feel right, and you’d have to force yourself to adhere to someone’s suggestions…just don’t do it. (Not referring to grammar rules and such.)
What are your favorite writing sites or blogs that you turn to for help, tips or encouragement?
I don’t have any sites in particular. I tend to do online searches when I have questions.
Besides writing, what else do you enjoy doing? What are your hobbies?
I don’t actually have a lot of time for hobbies these days. I enjoy reading, but haven’t finished a book in a while. I like to scrapbook, but that’s been on the backburner for a few years. I don’t even play computer games much anymore. I do like game nights with my family once a month and on holidays, playing board games for hours.
What’s the best book you’ve read this year?
As I mentioned, I haven’t finished a book in a while. I’ve started several, and hope to get back to some of them soon. (I’ve set up a challenge on Goodreads to finish 25 books this year…I should probably get started on that soon.)
What’s the best movie you’ve seen this year?
I actually don’t watch all that many movies. And of those I do watch, including ones I watched at home, I’m not sure I can think back and remember them all (using 2015 for the question, rather than the few days of 2016 so far). I’ll go with Jurassic World.
What is your favorite book or series of all time?
The Oath by Frank Peretti is my favorite book of all time, with Thr3e by Ted Dekker coming in a close second.
The Mandie Books series by Lois Gladys Leppard still holds a special place in my heart, as a series I loved as a kid.
Who is your favorite author?
Frank Peretti
What are your plans for the rest of the year in terms of your writing?
I’m currently working on submitting my first novel to publishers, and have spent the last week or so getting a novelette self-published. When these two things have settled down some, I play to turn my full attention to the beginning revision stages of “Pursuit of Power.”
Where else can we find you online?
Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads (though I created that account only a few days ago)
Amazon Author Page, Story Blog
I never do these tag posts like normal people though, so I’m not tagging anyone. But feel free to share your own answers to any of these questions.
Daily Writing Check-in: January 15, 2016
Words/Time: 620 words of writing practice using my Writer Emergency Pack for the first time. With The Triangle published and “Pithea” as far as I can take it for now, my attention turns to “Pursuit of Power.” I’m going to wait at least until Monday to start into revision, partly because my brain could use a rest and partly because I’m not even sure where/how to start. But I didn’t want to let the day go by without writing. I wrote a little bit about the MCs in “Pursuit of Power,” though it was about what would come after that book. It was more enlightening than I thought it would be.
The Triangle Released!
The Triangle is officially out! It’s available both in paperback and Kindle format. I didn’t expect the paperback to be released so soon, but the proof copy came quickly!
Click here to buy it!
Tyler Bradley has a good life. He’s been married for seventeen years, has two daughters, makes a comfortable living, goes to church on Sunday, and really has no complaints. But one small, innocuous change reveals a tiny crack in his happy life. The crack widens until one day Tyler looks around and can’t understand how he got where he is. And worse yet, that crack threatens to devour his entire family.
Hoping to repair the damage, Tyler begins to study the Bible he’s heard so much about, but never bothered delving into. During his searching, he meets someone who captures his attention, and then his heart. She manages to brighten his life, while also muddling his mind. While this new relationship deepens, his home life only gets worse. How will Tyler recapture the good life he once thought he had?
Daily Writing Check-in: January 14, 2016
Words/Time: 45 minutes working on another submission for “Pithea.” I finally buckled down and started on my first query letter. It is nearly done; there’s just one small line that I can’t quite decide how to word. I think (fingers crossed) that after this, submitting to more places will be easier, because I will have created the different documents that I can alter as I need. Except the CV. I’m still unsure what to do about that, so if it comes up…I may spend another 3 days researching.
The Triangle releases tomorrow(!), which I’m a lot more nervous about than I thought I would be. The proof copy of the paperback came today too, almost a week sooner than projected. So things are moving really well on that front.
Daily Writing Check-in: January 13, 2016
Words/Time: 835 words of writing practice using a prompt. I had planned to work on another novel submission tonight, but some family issues put me in the wrong head space to try to write a query letter for the first time. Normal writing for a change was nice.
Daily Writing Check-in: January 12, 2016
Words/Time: 1.5 hours working on a synopsis for “Pithea.” I reworked the synopsis that I sent to the first publisher I submitted to. I found ways to trim some unimportant information and add in more of the meat of the story. Hopefully this new version of the synopsis will usable for multiple submissions before I decide to rewrite it again.
The writing group that I’m part of, which started as NaNoWriMo write-ins and then became a weekly group, met tonight. We’ve decided to make ourselves more official and created a name for our group. Then a Facebook group, so we can better communicate and draw more people in. Though we didn’t get much writing done in the time we met, we have ideas for how to make our weekly meetings more helpful and productive, by adding some structure to it. So that was a lot of fun, to be part of the beginning of something like that.
Daily Writing Check-in: January 11, 2016
Words/Time: 1.5 hours working on the cover letter for “Pithea.” That involved a lot of research again, but I think I’m finally on the right track. Hopefully all of this time I’m spending researching now will result in relative ease of writing this and future cover or query letters.
Of course, this isn’t the type of work I had in mind for my 500-word daily challenge, but I have limited time to work on anything writing-related, so I do what I can. And I forgot my plan to do a little writing practice at the outset of each evening’s writing time, but it’s a new plan, so some forgetfulness makes sense.
The Triangle Update
The Triangle is well on its way to being published. (Note my change from using quotes around the title to formatting it in italics because it’s a proper book now.) Here is the pertinent information about the upcoming release:
Paperback copy: I am awaiting the proof in the mail, which is stated to arrive over a week from now still. If that copy looks good, the paperback copy should be available soon after that. When it’s released, I will post a link to a location from which it can be purchased.
Digital copy: The official release date of the Kindle version is January 15th. It is available for pre-order right now.
Both: If for any reason you want, or think you might want, both the paperback and the digital copy, I suggest waiting until the paperback is out. Amazon has a program that allows the customer to buy eligible books in hardcopy, and get a discount on the digital. My book is enrolled in that program, so buying both the paperback and the digital copy that way will save you a few dollars.
Daily Writing Check-in: January 9, 2016
Words/Time: Untold amounts of time researching how to go about writing a query letter and cover letter (and what the difference between them is). And even more time later setting up “The Triangle” as an ebook. I’m waiting for the proof copy to arrive to proceed with the physical book publishing. The ebook will be released in advance of the physical book, and I’ll post more on that tomorrow.
Truth be told, I’ve been putting off this business of writing the query/cover letter(s) to submit to more than the two places I’ve done so far (neither of which required either of those). I’ve found such differing ideas of what to put into both of those letters that I’m worried when I actually sit down to do it, I’ll just freeze up, or end up with a jumbled mess. So it’s easier to just not do it yet. But I’m also waiting until I have more time, and the last few days, I’ve felt more compressed in my writing time.
Now that I’m in a waiting process for the publishing of “The Triangle,” which is what I’ve busied myself with while avoiding the further publishing pursuits of “Pithea,” it’s time to really focus on what I’ve been putting off. I just need to remember to approach it like I’ve approached every part of this process, from world building, to drafting, to revising, even to writing the synopsis only a few days ago–focus on one small step at a time, rather than the whole picture (which, let’s face it, is daunting).
A Journey of Words 