Gabriella Slade's Blog: The JOY of Writing, page 7

December 2017 Goals

Happy Monday!

It’s already December. Can you believe it? 2017 is already ending. So much has happened this year, yet it still flew. So of course, here are my November goals recap and my December ones. The last of this years posts. *Cries.*

November Goals Recap

NaNoWriMo 2017! (Write 50K in my WIP) Yay! My WIP has 50K written in it! But I’m setting it aside for now so I can go back to editing.
Blog 4 Mondays in November: I did better this month, but still missed a goal. But that’s because of NaNo, and the fact that I got sick a couple weeks ago.
Read Unblemished (Sara Ella) and Dragon Lyric (Bethany Jennings.) Still reading Unblemished, but I did finish Dragon Lyric, and absolutely loved it!
Post on Facebook and Instagram periodically. I could be doing better, but Instagram seems to be doing pretty good at the moment.
Complete the #characterboss Challenge. I did this on Instagram EVERY DAY in November. I’m so happy, especially since I was able to encourage other writers participate. I LOVED reading everyone’s responses to the question prompts.

I’m pretty satisfied with November. It was a pretty productive month. Let me know in the comments how your November went. Now, on to December!

December Goals

Set 2018 Goals
Edit 5 chapters of Show Me a Week.
Make a schedule for my blog and Facebook for the coming months
Stop stressing, especially since the holidays are upon us
Write 10K in my WIP
Get to 50 likes/follows on FB and Instagram

Those are my writing goals for the end of 2017. I hope you enjoyed today’s short post. Now I’m going to get back to editing, because I know you guys are eager to get your hands on my book, and it will only get done if I work on it!

See you next Monday!

In HIS Joy,

Gabriella Slade

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Show Me’s Drafts 1–4

Happy Tuesday Y’all!

I am doing AWFUL with keeping up a schedule, I know. But I’m here–on a Tuesday of all days, to talk a bit on how I’ve been editing my debut, Show Me.

I wrote draft 1 of Show Me in April of 2016, after writing two versions of the book and ditching them completely. (Mostly because they sounded like rewrites of Eragon by Christopher Paolini.)

Over the course of 6 months, Show Me has gone through a lot. It’s been through 4.5 drafts, and has been read by betas, who’ve given me helpful tips to make the book even better! As I’ve written and edited, I’ve worked on building an audience of readers who are as excited to read my book as I am to finish it.

But what exactly has been going on in this editing process of mine? Exactly what procedure has Show Me been through. Today, I will tell you what each draft of my book has been focused on. It’s going to go up to draft 4, because that’s where I am now. In the future, I may go back and add whatever drafts I do following this post.

Let’s do this!

Draft One: Draft One is pretty Obvious. This was where it all started. Using a simple outline, I wrote Show Me, throwing out all the ideas for scenes into one messy document. The finished draft was only about 45K words. The main character had a different name, and the story goal was not what it ended up being in the current draft. This draft lacked plot on a major level, and was all over the place. It will NEVER reach the eyes of the public.

Draft Two: This draft was mainly for adding scenes and lengthening the word count. I developed the plot, and changed my MC’s name. Although it’s not as bad as draft one, it still has had no grammar checks, and the plot was still pretty messy and needed more clarification.

Draft Three: I fully fleshed out the plot in this book, finalizing story goals, and removed scenes that were not relevant to the plot. This was the draft that took me the least amount of time.

Draft 3.5: Because draft 3 had so little changes, I made a half draft. I went through and tried to polish the book enough for reading. I did some line edits here, and added a few more scenes, before I shipped an E-copy to my beta readers.

Draft 4: My current draft. In Draft 4, I am incorperating any beta feedback I found helpful, and now, I have been reading through the book line by line and highlighting sentences I find weak or lacking structure. This draft is mainly focused on my description and my dialouge tags, because I learned with both of these weak, it really weighs the story down. I haven’t had to do any major plot surgery in this draft, because according to betas, my pacing has been excellent. (Thank goodness. I thought that needed mending.)

Well, there are some descriptions of my drafts up to #4. I hope you enjoyed this post, although it was yet again, late. If you haven’t please subscribe to my feed to receive two exclusive newsletters a month in your inbox, and follow me on all my social media.

See you next week!

In His Joy,

Gabriella Slade

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My Experience Writing a Sequel

Happy Wednesday!

I must start by giving a large apology for skipping out on blogging these last few weeks. Things have been hectic with NaNo, as well as my personal life. And to top it all off, I’m recovering from getting sick this weekend. So, I hope you’ll understand my absence.

So now that’s done and over with, I want to dive head first into today’s topic: My Experience writing a sequel.

Since it’s NanoWrimo (or National Novel Writing Month), I’ve been trying to put 50K into Book 2 of The Dragon Artifacts’ Series (Title To Be Revealed.) This is the first time I’ve really stuck to a series after abandoning two seperate ones, so  I’m actually writing a sequel now. The experience has been quite different to be honest, picking up the same story lines and the same characters and deepening their journeys.

So this post isn’t going to have lists or helpful tips for you and your sequels. I might do that later on, when I work on editing the book. For now, I’m just going to ramble on a little bit, and pour out what my experiences have been.

To get started, I had no idea where to start this book off. Sure I had an outline written, giving me ideas for what to write in the book, but I still needed an opening line. (And if you didn’t know, I suck at opening chapters. They are always rewritten once or twice before I’m done. Starting a book is so difficult for me, and I don’t know why.) I would write something, and then delete it and start again. And again. But this wasn’t getting me anywhere.

So after writing the most crappy first line ever, I continued on. It felt weird writing with all the mistakes after editing for so long, and just getting all the ideas out without structure. But it also felt good. I needed this. I needed to just listen to my characters live, while recording their experiences on paper.

It took me two whole chapters to finally feel comfortable in the world I created for Show Me. I didn’t worry about all the mistakes I was making. (Turning off spell and grammar check will really help with that!)

One of the things I had to make sure, was that I wasn’t writing the same story over again. Kade and his friends needed a new adventure, while still continuing their story lines from the first book.

Without spoiling things, I’m just going to say, that throughout the beginning of the second book, Kade is dealing with losing someone close to him, and it’s been honestly very emotional for me, because I myself loved this particular character, and hated to have to see Kade deal with the loss.

I love being back with these characters though, and I’m so glad to have finally stopped procastinating and gotten to writing this sequel. I hope it turns out as good (if not better) than what I hope Book One will turn out to be, once I finish ALL of its nonstop edits.

That’s all for today. Have you enjoyed my quite short ramble on writing my first sequel? I hope later on to do a post on writing sequels, after I myself learn a thing or two about it. Linked below are some helpful blog posts if you are seeking tips now. 

Write A Sequel That Doesn’t Disappoint–Ink And Quills

Sequels, Trilogies, Series, Oh My!–Xulon Blog Press

How To Write a Sequel That’s BETTER Than The First Book.–Helping Writers Become Authors

Until next time my dear readers,

Gabriella Slade

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November 2017 Goals

Happy Monday!

It’s that time again–I’m going to be reviewing my October 2017 Goals and sharing with you my November ones. October flew by, and wasn’t the most productive when it comes to writing, but as usual, I’ll let you guys see my progress.

October Goals

Write 10K in my WIP: Nope. I have done terribly when it comes to getting this book written. I think I have a fear of writing sequels (hides behind tree.)
Read 2 Books. According to Goodreads, I read 3 books in October, and I’m currently in a 4th. Reading this month was really good!
Finish Editing in Show Me’s Current Beta Feedback. By now, I’ve gotten all my feedback in from Part 1, and somebody has already read and given me feedback for Part 2. Most of the feedback I’ve gotten from these readers have been super helpful, but one of the things everyone says I need to fix is a big fix, but I’m going to give myself a check for this one.

5 Great Self Published Books You Should Read

Happy Monday!

For today’s post, I’ll be sharing with you 5 self published books I read and I think you should too. Many of these are a part of a series, so they will marked as so. Lately I’ve been reading so many books by self published authors, and it made me realize how much more they ought to be read and appreciated. Just because it is marked as self published, doesn’t mean it doesn’t have great talent, because many of them are, and should be reconized for it. Therefore, here are 5 Great self published books you should read:

The Black Tiger Trilogy by Sara Baysinger: Now a favorite read of this year, this dystopian trilogy sucked me in. I was hooked onto this whole series. When the fire goes out, supposedly dead, the embers still remain, tiny specks of deadwood and ash that have the capacity to start a fire large enough to burn down an entire city. Read Blurb Here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31690889-black-tiger
The Girl Who Could See by Kara Swanson: As many of you probably already know, I participated on the launch team for this book, and I you’ve heard me say a million times that I totally reccomend this book. She’s currently writing a second book, and I can’t wait to get to read it! Read Blurb Here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34094813-the-girl-who-could-see
The Alpha Drive Trilogy/Shadow Crown by Kristen Martin: I recently interviewed this Amazon Bestseller on my blog, and her new book, Shadow Crown, released last week. Despite the minor swearing inside her books, they are still very intruiging reads, and I look foreword to Shadow Crown’s sequel.  Read Blurb for The Alpha Drive Here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28117098-the-alpha-drive
Essence By Mandi Lynn: I love Mandi’s YouTube videos, so of course, I decided to pick up Essence, her Debut. I found it to be a light read with a very unique plotline that pulls on your heartstrings just a bit. Read Blurb Here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19401612-essence
Fire and Ice: The Elementals by Erin Forbes: I was happy to see how good this book turned out to be. Now, I’ve gotten to chat with the author, Erin a bit, and she is so sweet. Her sequel to her book comes out in December. Read Blurb Here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36069214-fire-ice

Those are the books I recommend. All of them are on Kindle Unlimited, which is how I read them, though I’m working on now purchasing them all in paperback. Have any of your own recommendations? Be sure to comment them down below so I can go check them out!

Have a great week friends! If you haven’t yet subscribed to my blog, please do! See you next Monday!

In His Joy,

Gabriella Slade

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October 2017 Goals

Happy Monday!

I apologize for not having a post ready for you in the last couple of weeks. September quickly got very busy with school starting and such.

Today, we are going to review my September Goals and set my October ones. Let’s see if I did any better than last month

September Goals

Send Show Me Out To Beta Readers: Check! I’m currently recieving excellent feedback on my book, and editing the suggestions into the manuscript.
Blog Every Monday: Unfortunatly, I did worse than I did last month. I really need to get back into my schedule.
Finish 2 Books: Check. I read Restitution by Kristin Martin and Essence by Mandi Lynn.
Write 10K in my WIP: I wrote about half of this. Again: Things have been quite hectic.
Incorporate Beta Reader’s suggestions into Show Me: Not as much as I should be. But I’m working on it.

October 201 7 Goals

Happy Monday!

I apologize for not having a post ready for you in the last couple of weeks. September quickly got very busy with school starting and such.

Today, we are going to review my September Goals and set my October ones. Let’s see if I did any better than last month

September Goals

Send Show Me Out To Beta Readers: Check! I’m currently recieving excellent feedback on my book, and editing the suggestions into the manuscript.
Blog Every Monday: Unfortunatly, I did worse than I did last month. I really need to get back into my schedule.
Finish 2 Books: Check. I read Restitution by Kristin Martin and Essence by Mandi Lynn.
Write 10K in my WIP: I wrote about half of this. Again: Things have been quite hectic.
Incorporate Beta Reader’s suggestions into Show Me: Not as much as I should be. But I’m working on it.

Featured Book Of The Month: An Interview With Kristen Martin!

Happy Monday!

I can’t believe I have the honor to even get to post this!

If you’re on AuthorTube or BookTube, you will probably will have heard of Kristen Martin and her Bestselling Alpha Drive Trilogy. If not, you will get to learn a little bit about her today, because I have the honor of interviewing her on my blog! So please welcome The amazing author, Kristen Maritin!

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Welcome! It’s SO great to have you here, Kristen!

Thanks so much for having me, it’s an honor to be here!


First things’ first, do you want to tell everyone a little about yourself?

Absolutely! My name is Kristen Martin. I am a young adult science fiction and fantasy author, YouTuber, and entrepreneur living in Texas. I self-published my first young adult science fiction dystopian series, THE ALPHA DRIVE, and I’m currently working on a new young adult dark fantasy series called SHADOW CROWN. The first book is scheduled to be released October 3rd of this year. In addition, I’m a YouTuber who posts writing advice videos to help aspiring authors in reaching their goals of writing a book, and I also post day-in-the-life vlogs to give viewers a sneak peek into the life of an author and a full-time career woman (because I currently do have a full-time career outside of writing). And, I just launched a new webinar program called Hustle Smarter, Not Harder, where the main focus is on helping you build the necessary foundation to turn your passion into profit without compromising the value of your dreams. It’s been very well received thus far, and I’m excited to see where it goes! Okay, I feel like that was the longest introduction ever, but hopefully that gives you a feel for who I am and what I do.

September 2017 Goals

Happy Monday, and Happy Labor day!

By the time you read this, I’ll be on vacation with my family, but today we will be reviewing my August goals and setting my September Goals! (FYI, I didn’t do that good)

August Goal Results

Write 30K in my WIP: Yeah…I have done so bad with writing this book.  Again, editing sucking up my time. I sucked with writing/editing goals this month. The end of summer ended up being soo busy!
Reveal #destiny17: YEES! If you don’t yet know, I’m writing a YA supernatural Fantasy series, which I hid from you guys until this month. I got such positive feedback from this reveal, and I am so happy! I love you guys so much, and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your guys’ support.
Gain 20 Subscribers on my Blog: NOPE. I did gain two though, so maybe I don’t think I should set goals for how many people I want to like my FB page or subscribe my blog.  (If you haven’t done either, please do!)
Relaunch my Newsletter: I DID do this, and I’m glad I did. I wasn’t very satisfied with how the newsletter was done. Now, I’m trying it out in a more personal letter form, and I think it’s easier to write, and read. Do you guys like it? Let me know in the comments below!

So, August wasn’t a very good month. I wanted to finish the draft for Show Me by the end of the month, but it took a lot longer than I wanted, so I am still editing.

September Goals

Send Show Me Out to Beta Readers: Keep your eyes peeled. More news coming soon concerning this!
Blog Every Monday: I’ll be honest, I did end up skipping a week or two this month. I’m going to try to stay on top of schedule this month.
Finish Two Books: I just want to finish the books I’m reading. Simple enough.
Write 10K in My WIP:  Yeah, so I keep dropping the numbers on this goal…
Incorporate Beta Reader Suggestions into Show Me: This goes along as the first goal.

Liebster Awards 2017

Happy Monday!

I was nomintated for the Liebster award by Annie Louise Twitchell, author of Spinner Of Secrets over the weekend, so THANK YOU ANNIE!

The Liebster Award is spread from blogger to blogger to give smaller blogs some extra love!

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Here are the rules for the nomination:

Thank the person who nominated you, and post a link to their blog on your blog. Try to include a little promotion for the person who nominated you. They will thank you for it and those who you nominate will also help you out as well.
Display the award on your blog — by including it in your post and/or displaying it using a “widget” or a “gadget”.
Write a 150-300 word post about your favorite blog that is not your own. Explain why you like the blog, provide links.
Nominate 5 – 11 blogs that you feel deserve the award, who have a less than 200 followers.
List these rules in your post
Inform the people/blogs that you nominated that they have been nominated for the Liebster award and provide a link for them to your post. (They might not have ever heard of it!)
Post a comment in the comments of –>  the award post  

I think my favorite blog, hands down is

Go Teen Writers!

If you have not yet heard of Go Teen Writers, you NEED to go check them out!

This site is run by Stephanie Morrill, Jill Williamson and Shannon Dittermore, and I ADORE them! They have opened up some large doors for me in my writing career, such as participating in my first launch team/interview (The Lost Girl of Astor Street by Stephanie Morrill) and widening my audience here on the internet! They give such helpful advice from so many different points of views and genres (contemporary, fantasy and paranormal/supernatural.) GTW also has a FB group that I’m apart of, that’s almost  at 1K members! So if you want to connect with me and other teen writers, that would be the place I recommend. I’m currently reading King’s Folly by Jill herself, and I’m LOVING it so so soo much!

Now…On to the Nominations!

I nominate

Millie Florence: http://www.millieflorence.com/
Melissa Torrefrance: http://melissatorrefranca.com/
Bethany Baldwin: http://ramblingsbybethany.blogspot.com/
Laura A. Grace: https://unicornquester.com/
Ivy Rose: http://lakesidepublications.com/
Rachel Giesel: https://rachelgiesel.com/

Soo…Yeah!

Go Check them out!

I will see you next Monday, where I’ll be reviewing my August Goals and setting my September ones

In HIS Joy,[image error]

Gabriella J. Slade