Wednesday, June 3, 2015

IWSG, Nightmares and Backworlds


It's the first Wednesday of the month and that means it's Insecure Writer's Support Group day. If you want to join this awesome group, go HERE. Thanks to Alex Cavanaugh for hosting this monthly event and a big shout out to all who help make this event happen every month.

Also, welcome to what has become my monthly blog post. Sad, but true, it seems. I don't want to post if I can't comment and return visits. And since I've had to prioritize, if it's a choice between working on my next novel and blogging, then the novel writing wins. I know you can all relate.

When I win the Time Lotto, I'll do more blogging.

So on to my insecurity. I'm actually feeling pretty good about what I'm doing. I've read several books on craft recently and have a couple of outlines started. I need to get more organized and combine what I've learned into something that works best for me. I've actually started writing, because whichever outline version I use, they start out the same. Beginning the writing process has eased my anxiety about not getting any writing done.  I feel good about it, so it's all good!

How's your writing life going?

 
Even though I'm not getting a lot done, I know some awesome writers who are!
Check these out:
 
Precipice
by M. Pax
 
 
In the far future, humanity settles the stars, bioengineering its descendants to survive in a harsh universe. This is the sixth book in the science fiction series, The Backworlds. A space opera adventure. 
The Backworlds hang by a Quantum string, a thread about to snap. Annihilation is coming if Craze can’t stop it.
The genocidal alien he had trapped breaks free, destroying a ship belonging to the Backworlds’ oldest enemy, the Fo’wo’s. The murderous alien wants to overtake the galaxy. The Fo’wo’s want another war.
The Backworlds’ best chance to survive is to overcome a century of hate and forge an alliance with the Fo’wo’s. Because of his history with the alien, Craze is recruited to represent his people. Now he’s the most hated man in the galaxy.
The looming war will be a holocaust unless Craze can stop it, knowing salvation comes at a price. 
 
Sounds awesome, right? Well, here's another interesting bit from the main character, Craze:
Question: What is the most expensive drink in the Backworlds?
Craze:  Hot chocolate. A tiny bar of chocolate can buy you a spaceship in the Backworlds. Not a top of the line deal, but a working spaceship all the same.
 
Buy links: Amazon / B&N / iBook / Googleplay / Smashwords / Kobo / Other
 
And,
 
Once Upon A Nightmare: A Collection
 
 
A monster hunts us. After hibernating for a decade, it’s ravenous. We long to stop this nightmare, but the end of the road is far. There is no waking up once a legend sets its sights on you.
Disappearances every ten or so years make little impact on the small town of New Haven, Virginia. Hikers get lost. Hunters lose the trail. Even when a body is discovered, the inhabitants’ memories last about as long as the newspaper articles.
No one connects the cases. No one notices the disappearances go back beyond Civil War times. No one believes a legendary monster roams the forests in Southwestern Virginia.
I don’t either until the truck breaks down on an old mountain trail. Cell phones won’t work in this neck of the woods. It’s amazing how much a person can see by starlight alone. So what if we can’t feel our fingers or toes as we hike toward the main road. How many more miles left to go?
Crrraaack!
Hear that noise?
I'm shivering already!
 
Purchase Once upon a Nightmare: A Collection by Cherie Reich at Amazon.
 
 
 
How's your writing going?
 
Got any good book recommendations to share?
 


29 comments:

  1. I know what you mean about the blogging and writing. Sometimes there's not time for everything and we must prioritize. And if you do win the Time Lotto, I hope you'll share some of the winnings. ;)

    Congrats to Mary! And thank you so much for mentioning my Once upon a Nightmare! You're so sweet! :)

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  2. Congratulations to Mary and Cherie!
    I only post when I can comment, so I completely understand. Keep writing.

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    1. I'm going to just keep writing and moving forward, Alex.

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  3. I've been more focused with my blogging. Long story but I spend less time with it and try to make what I do post more engaging. Choose your time wisely! Sounds like you are.

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    1. I know I'm choosing wisely, Steph, but why do I feel so guilty? LOL.

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  4. I have a couple features I run on my blog that I've developed templates for. That way, I send them the interview template and my blog time is reduced to just the prep work after I get it back. Helps to keep content on the blog, plus I get to meet a lot of great people!

    Good luck with your novel!

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    1. Kai, I have your interview template, I just need to fill it out!

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  5. I can't seem to get the blogging down anymore either--far more so when I am writing. I blame my day job. My sense of whimsy is tired... Best of luck to Mary and Cherie!!! The books sound great!

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    1. I blame my day job, too, Hart. It's hard to be creative when you're tired.

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  6. If I had to choose, I'd pick writing over blogging too. Thankfully, I can manage both right now. Good luck with your writing.

    ~Patricia Lynne aka Patricia Josephine (Cohost for June)~
    Story Dam
    Patricia Lynne, Indie Author

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  7. Summer is short here in Buffalo, NY and I plan to enjoy. That means cutting back on blogging which takes up much of my time. On IWSG, I spend my spare time hopping around to friendly sites such as yours. We all understand, Gwen. We're only human and can't do it all. Relax and enjoy the summer.

    Congrats to Mary and Cherie. Their books sound amazing!!!

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    1. Summer seems incredibly long here in San Diego. It's my busy season at work and I get very little writing done :(

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  8. I hope you do write more. It was a delight reading your trilogy while I formatted it. (I admit, it's hard not to read them, and yours sucked me right in.)

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  9. There's a time lotto? Where can I get a ticket?

    Beginning is where I most literally begin. I find that sitting down and typing--even the schlock that comes out in the beginning--allows me to actually craft something really good. The more I type, the better it gets. So after a brief character and basic plot outlining process, I set down and pants it the rest of the way. Cleaning it up later is what revisions are for.

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    1. I know Kim, like Hemingway said, just open a vein and write! I know that you have to keep it honed too.

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  10. I always feel too guilty to post if I don't have time to visit others' blogs, too. Taking a blogging break to write sounds like the smartest thing to do, anyway!

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  11. Good to hear you're feeling positive about your writing, sounds like you've taken some time to get back to grass roots and examine the craft. Hope it yields some good results.

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  12. My writing has been . . . s-l-o-w! But I'm hoping to fix that this summer :-) Thanks for the book highlights!

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    1. I just read your blog post, Jamie. You're going to have a great summer!

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  13. LOL, Time Lotto...I wish! Glad all is going well for you.

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  14. Where can I enter this Time Lotto?! I know the feeling. I need to cut down more on my net time as I promised myself this summer since I haven't had time to write at all. Yay for Mary and Cherie! :)

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  15. Good luck with the outlining.
    Congrats to Cherie and M.

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  16. I can definitely relate. Various priorities took precedence over blogging for a solid year, but I'm happy to finally be at a point where I can return to it. Best of luck with getting organized with your writing. I used to write without a plan when I was younger, but I'm now highly organized with my outlines, character sheets, etc., and I really feel like my novels have improved because of it.

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  17. Outlining - shiver - best of luck! And to Mary and Cherie. I read Cherie's book and it's dark! :)

    shahwharton.com

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  18. Yay for Cherie and M!!! I've been bopping around to book cons, but I'm back. And yes, my blogging has slowed down though I did blog today about my experience at Utopia con. As for my writing, I am headed to a weeklong writing retreat at the Cape where I plan to get lots done.

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