Lizzi Tremayne's Blog, page 18
October 21, 2015
SADDLE UP AND GET GOING! Tips For Wannabe Writers to FINISH That Novel!
Starting, and finishing, a novel can be a daunting prospect, but you can do it if you’re willing to be a little disciplined and try a few different ways of doing things. I’ve compiled a few of the tips that have made the biggest difference to me in my journey as a writer. I hope something here will help you!
Write…Just write.
Get it out of your head and down on paper or on your computer, word processor or whatever you use.
Plan your writing in the best way for you.
It may take some time to figure out what that best way really is. Some people are Planners (plot their novel out ahead of time), some are Pantsers (write by the seat of their pants) and some are a combination of the two, as I am. I write historicals, so I automatically have a timeline to work my story into. Once I plot out my basic story, with a solid framework offered by the real timeline (planning), I let my characters go to work and tell me the story (pantsing).
Let go of that ‘internal editor’.
While you write your rough draft, just write whatever comes out. It might be junk, but so what? That’s the beauty of a rough draft: you can edit it later. You can’t edit a blank page, so get on with it and progress your story, instead of getting stuck and giving up somewhere back on Chapter 1 or 2.
Do NaNoWriMo this November!
(Or NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program, if you’re a junior)
NaNoWriMo is a fun, worldwide, online-linked program where from 1-30 November of every year participants drive towards their goal of writing 50,000 words of their own novel. Yes, 50K words. Why would anyone want to put themselves through that? For me, it’s about getting better at the first and third bullet points, above. You can’t edit a blank page. (yes, I already said that—it’s that important) J
Find a time to write every day.
Not most days, every day.
Finding a time to write undisturbed is not always possible and you may have to get creative. I like to write in bed, before I get caught up in everything I see needs doing around the place. This required changing my bedtime so I am awake before everyone else starts moving around and needing my attention!
Make a Daily Writing Pact.
In his excellent book: On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, Stephen King suggests making an agreement with yourself to write a certain number of words every day, and keeping to it.
No, you don’t get Sundays off.
Or Mondays. This is not a restaurant.
If you want to be an author, act like one, and write.
Even at 500 words per day, in 100 days or just over three months, you will have written 50,000 words.
At 1000 words per day, in the same time period, you’ll have completed the draft of that 100,000 word novel you’ve been dreaming about. For a professional writer, he suggests 2000 words per day.
Do the maths. It works.
Write what you know.
It adds insights that others may never have considered, but I think it’s also good to write what you don’t know much about, using it as a stimulus to learn about things that interest you and keep yourself fresh! If you choose to do this, however, find people who do know about those things you’ve just learned, to ensure you get it right! Especially if it’s about horses. Horse owners (including yours truly–yes, we’re snobs) seem to be intolerant of writers who don’t know their stuff and still try to write about horses. For me, regardless of the intrinsic value of the rest of the story, if a writer doesn’t get the horse parts right, he or she has has lost my confidence, and I simply won’t read it.
Help: Books for beginning writers or beginning editors (or any writers or editors, for that matter).
If you’re a beginning writer, you might read through some of the books mentioned below before you get started. If you’ve already done that draft, definitely read them before you go on.
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: How to Edit Yourself Into Print by Renni Browne and Dave King.
The Novel Writer’s Toolkit by Bob Mayer and Jen Talty
The Emotion Thesaurus, by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi
~
I’ve met many wanna be authors who say: “I started writing a novel once, but never finished it.” I’ll bet my boots they kept going back to edit. How many of these people do you know?
Ask them.
It doesn’t have to happen to you.
Only you control your writing destiny.
~
Go for it.
With kindest regards,
Lizzi
Lizzi Thompson
President, RWNZ
Writing as Lizzi Tremayne
© Lizzi Tremayne 2015
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: 1860, 1860 Aleksandra California carriage character arcs Cossack Czar drive Express Desire Faust’s gig healthy food historical horse horses immigrant Joseph Hatch La Honda lessons Lizzi Tremayne Nevada Ne, 1861
October 20, 2015
Enter Dee Ann Palmer’s Draws and WIN A Long Trail Rolling or a Gift Card! Blogging over there now!
To go into a competition to win a digital copy of A Long Trail Rolling or a $10.00 USD Amazon /Barnes & Noble gift card, visit the website of Dee Ann Palmer at http://deeannpalmer.com/ where she’s hosting me today!
Look forward to hearing from you!
XX
L
Filed under: Uncategorized
October 16, 2015
Blogging over at The Romance Studio Right Now!
Hello there!
Today I’m guest-blogging over at The Romance Studio!
Cover for A Long Trail Rolling
Come on by, I’m talking about the Pony Express and how it ran,
Patrick Hearty The Pony Express Stations in Utah
and still runs today!
That’s over at The Romance Studio!
Ride on by and take a look!
There’s an interesting little excerpt at the end, about a rather stroppy, in-heat mare, and how she makes life a little more difficult for Vladimir, the baddie in the story!
Looking forward to your comments!
Bye for now!
Lizzi
XX
PS, here are some of the other guest posts I’ve done at The Romance Studio. Enjoy!
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: 1860, 1860 Aleksandra California carriage character arcs Cossack Czar drive Express Desire Faust's gig healthy food historical horse horses immigrant Joseph Hatch La Honda lessons Lizzi Tremayne Nevada New , 1861
September 25, 2015
Come see us at the NZ Indie Book Festival next weekend!
It’s an exciting time for independent and self-publishing writers who want to exercise control of their ideas, their stories, and their books. This festival brings together New Zealand authors, writers, books and readers together in a way never before possible! At the festival you’ll have the opportunity to talk with authors behind the stories. If you’re a writer, come and meet the literary businesses who can help you turn your manuscript into a print book, e-book or both.
I’ll be in one of three booths, either: 1) The Historical Writers booth, with Zana Bell, Sheryl Buchanan and Rae Roadley – Author; or 2) in the Romance Writers of New Zealand Inc. booth, or 3) in the New Zealand Society of Authors booth, and my book: A Long Trail Rolling will be in all three!
Come on by!
Click here for more information, plus below you’ll find three great vids!
Looking forward to seeing you there!
The promised vids: Just click on them!
See you there!
With bells on!
Thanks for reading!
Kind regards,
Lizzi
[contact-form]
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: 1860, A Long Trail Rollling, Aleksandra, California, character arcs, Faust's, gig, historical, Historical writers, horses, immigrant, La Honda, Lizzi Tremayne, Nevada, New Zealand, New Zealand Society of Authors, Patrick Hearty, Poland, Pony Express, romance, Romance Writers of New Zealand, writing
September 18, 2015
A Long Trail Rolling Wins Best First Novel in Koru 2015!
I posted on FB but not on to here!
At the annual 2015 RWNZ Conference a few weeks ago, A Long Trail Rolling placed in two sections of the Koru Award for Excellence, winning the Best First Novel and placing third in the Best Long Novel.
I’m especially pleased because this in this competition, entrants were both self-published AND traditionally published by very large publishers.
:)
Here’s a pic of the winner with her best cheerleader and beta reader!
I ALSO just found out that A Long Trail Rolling was a finalist in the Best Indie Book Award Competition!
Now I just need to get The Hills of Gold Unchanging done, then finish A Sea of Green Unfolding!
A Sea of Green Unfolding
Back to work, I go!
Oh yeah…. I am now also the President of the Romance Writers of New Zealand. We have a great bunch of ladies and one man in our Executive and Committee this year, who all want to work as a team!
Yeah!!!!
Take good care, back to writing.
XX
Lizzi
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: 1860, 1860 Aleksandra California carriage character arcs Cossack Czar drive Express Desire Faust's gig healthy food historical horse horses immigrant Joseph Hatch La Honda lessons Lizzi Tremayne Nevada New , 1861, 1862, A Long Trail Rolling, A Sea of Green Unfolding, adventure, California, Faust's, Koru Award for Excellence, Pony Express, Romance Writers of New Zealand, RWNZ, The Best Indie Book Award
Blogging Today at The Romance Studio!
Hi All,
I’m blogging today over at The Romance Studio!
Come on over to
hear a little about the Secession Menace in California in the 1860’s, A Long Trail Rolling and The Hills of Gold Unchanging!
See you there!
XXX
Lizzi
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: 1860, 1860 Aleksandra California carriage character arcs Cossack Czar drive Express Desire Faust's gig healthy food historical horse horses immigrant Joseph Hatch La Honda lessons Lizzi Tremayne Nevada New , 1861, 1862, 1863, A Long Trail Rolling, A Sea of Green Unfolding, adventure, Aleksandra, Arguello, Auckland, C2C, California, california secession, carriage, character arcs, City of Rocks, Coromandel, Cossack, Czar, drive, driving, Echo Canyon, Express Desire, Express Desired, Faust's, Forest Rangers, gig, Gisborne, Harlequin, harness, healthy food, Hickman Canyon, historical, horse, horse horseback archer, horse terms, horses, Hunua Falls, Idaho, immigrant, JM Chapman, Joseph Hatch, La Honda, land grant, lessons, Lizzi Tremayne, Maori, Maori Wars, medieval, NaNoWriMo, Napier, Nevada, New Zealand, New Zealand; north island; writing; care; short story;, north island, novel, old californios, Old Sacramento, Paparimu, Patrick Hearty, placerville, Poland, Polish, pony, Pony Express, Pony Express monument, Pony Express Re-Ride, pony express station, pony express stations in Utah, psychoanalysis, rancho de las pulgas, reenactment, ride, romance, Romance Writers of New Zealand, romantic, Rush Valley, Russia, RWNZ, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Mateo County, secession, Simpson's, The Romance Studio
August 20, 2015
Sneak Preview! A blog post for the 21 August on The Romance Studio’s End of Summer Bash…
Just for a bit of fun, here’s one of the blog posts I’m posting on the 21st of this month on The Romance Studio’s End of Summer Bash…
Hello All! Welcome back!
Here’s another excerpt… with Scotty, horses and sparks flying between Aleksandra and Xavier…
~ ~ ~
‘Oh no, the Furs! And Dzień!‘ she wailed and turned back to face the men.
‘Dinna fash, mo nighean. I kept the buyer here since yeste’day ’cause I knew ye were comin’. He’s paid fer yer pelts ‘n gone.’ Scotty rumpled her hair.
She smiled her thanks, color returning to her cheeks.
‘And that pony, he’s got a heart o’ gold. Ye dinna need to go, yon wee man’s in the stable, munching’ away with me old geldin’.’
Aleksandra’s chest heaved in a deep sigh. ‘What would I do without you, Scotty?’
‘It’s the least I kin do fer you and yer da,’ Scotty remarked, his voice becoming gruff as he spoke, and a tear glistened in his eye.
‘Papa wouldn’t have been pleased to see Dzień abused so, but there was nothing else for it. He never even slowed down.’ She looked at the floor.
‘Aye, but he’s a bonny one.’ Scotty smiled.
‘It would’ve meant the world to Papa, knowing we made it on time and our year’s work wasn’t for naught.’ Scotty was pleased to see a hint of the girl’s normal glow showing in her eyes, beneath the wet lashes.
‘Right ye are, missy.’ He raised his brows at her. ‘Now, d’ye want me to hold some o’ the money fer now so it canna be taken off ye by highwaymen?’
‘Thanks, Scotty, please keep it all here. I don’t need it yet.’
‘Are ye sure ye need t’leave tonight?’ Scotty was unconvinced. ‘It’s getting’ mighty late, we could make you a bed o’sorts.’
Aleksandra’s eyes narrowed at the dark man still standing in the doorway.
‘I’d rather risk the highwaymen and the wild animals for tonight, thanks. I’ve got my shashka and bow.’
There was a choking sound from the entrance, then Xavier mumbled something about checking the horses and disappeared outside. Scotty turned away and coughed to hide his chuckle from the pair.
Xavier was harnessing Dzień to the wagon when Aleksandra came outside.
‘I can do that,’ she snapped, rushing to the side of the pony, her blue eyes icy and cheeks flushed pink. Xavier smiled at her back as she hurried around to the pony’s other side to finish.
‘I’m sure you can, Querida, but I’m happy to help,’ he said, wrapping a breeching strap around the shaft and buckling it snugly.
‘Thanks,’ she gritted out, looking away as her hands slid down Dzień’s rump towards the crupper.
‘Any possibility you might tell me just why you went loco on me back there?’ Xavier watched her brows drop as she stared at a strap she’d just buckled too tightly. Her lips tightened further as she readjusted it.
‘I want nothing to do with people who insult my friends.’
‘Como, what?’ He shook his head and blinked at her.
‘My friends, the Shoshone, the only friends I have left alive, other than Scotty,‘ she said from between clenched teeth, and then slumped, sobbing, against Dzień.
Cautious of her all-too-effective looking sword, Xavier slowly approached her. He slid his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against him, watchful for any fast moves on her part, not caring if her tears soaked his shirt. How long they stayed like this, he neither knew nor cared. Once her sobs quieted, he slipped his fingers under her chin, lifting her face to stare into the watery depths of her blue eyes.
‘Okay now, Querida?’
‘As okay as possible, I guess.’ She dropped her head again. ‘The Shoshone are like family to me, especially since Mama died,’ she murmured into his shirt.
‘Are you sure you won’t stay here? I’ll sleep in the stable, if it would make you happier.’
She closed her eyes and was still.
‘No, it’s okay. I’m sorry, Xavier. I’m upset, but that’s no excuse for my nastiness. Thank you for this.’ She nodded her head at his tearstained chest.
‘De nada. It is nothing.’ He smiled. ‘May I accompany you to your home, at least?’
‘No, really, I’m fine, thank you again. I’d better go farewell Scotty, it’s getting late.’
‘If you’re sure…’ Xavier shook his head and followed Aleksandra back inside.
~ ~ ~
Hope you enjoyed the tale! Want to read more?
Come on by my website to see how you can get your hands on a copy, whether ebook, paperback or hardcover! It’s now also available in LARGE PRINT in paperback and hardcover with dust jacket from bookstores around the world! Just tell your favourite bookstore book buyer they can order it from Ingram!
OR…
you can win a free ebook copy if you’re the lucky winner of our giveaway!
To enter into the giveaway, just comment on the blog with what you liked about the excerpt or blog post and one lucky person will be in to win a copy of A Long Trail Rolling, my new Western Historical Romantic Adventure, or… a Horsey Historical Romantic Adventure, complete with plenty of suspense!
Next week, after the party, I’ll pick one winner from those who commented!
Hope you enjoy the excerpt, and I’ll be back tomorrow with some posts about The Long Trail Quadrilogy, still in progress!
Good luck in the competition!
About the Author:
Lizzi grew up riding wild in the Santa Cruz Mountain redwoods, became an equine veterinarian at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, practiced in the California Pony Express and Gold Country before emigrating to New Zealand. When not writing, she’s swinging a rapier or shooting a bow in medieval garb, riding, driving a carriage or playing on her farm, singing, or working as an equine veterinarian or science teacher. She is multiply published and awarded in special interest magazines and veterinary periodicals.
For more information, please visit:
my website
my Facebook fanpage,
[contact-form]
Thanks so much for reading! Hope to see many of you over there or when you come to visit in New Zealand!
Regards,
Lizzi Tremayne
Filed under: Book Excerpt, Book promotion A Long Trail Rolling, Book Promotion A Sea of Green Unfolding, Book Promotion Express Desired, Book Promotion The Hills of Gold Unchanging, RWNZ Romance Writers of New Zealand Tagged: 1860, A Long Trail Rolling, Aleksandra, California, carriage, character arcs, Cossack, Czar, drive, gig, healthy food, historical, horse, horses, immigrant, La Honda, lessons, Lizzi Tremayne, Nevada, New Zealand, New Zealand; north island; writing; care; short story;, novel, Patrick Hearty, Poland, pony, Pony Express, Pony Express monument, pony express station, ride, romance, romantic, Russia, RWNZ, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, suspense, Utah, writer, writing
August 18, 2015
Come Over to The Romance Studio for the TRS End of Summer Bash, this WHOLE WEEK!
I’m posting ALL WEEK on The Romance Studio’s End of Summer Bash! Come on by to see what my book is all about, and a bit of background about A Long Trail Rolling, its author (me!) and the in-progress sequels in @The Long Trails Quadrilogy, The Hills of Gold Unchanging, A Sea of Green Unfolding and A Bold Country Evolving!
It’s at…
The Romance Studio End of Summer Bash
and it starts TODAY!
Join me and hundreds of other authors:
Paige Tyler, Gail Koger,lizzie starr,Sam Cheever,Tina Gayle,Roz Lee,Debora Dennis,Kate Hill/Saloni Quinby,Cornelia Amiri,Rita Hestand,Zenobia Renquist,Jianne Carlo,Lola Karns,Lisa Carlisle,Christine Murphy,Kitsy Clare,J.R. Gray,London Saint James,Nicola Cameron,Cate Masters,Haley Whitehall,Shiloh Saddler,Naomi Bellina,Leigh Ellwood,Teri Riggs,Ute Carbone,Susan Hanniford Crowley,Lacey Roberts,Susan Horsnell,Lucy Felthouse,B.J. McCall,Denyse Bridger,Sharon Buchbinder,Amanda Bretz,Justus Roux,Janet Eckford,Natalie-Nicole Bates,Sean Michael,Megan Slayer,Wendi Zwaduk,Katya Armock,Tina Donahue,Sharita Lira,Sarah Grimm,Samantha Gentry,Shawna Delacorte,JoAnne Myers,Charity Parkerson,Jami Gray,A.M. Griffin,Tory Richards
To go straight to my posts, click here!
It’s time to celebrate our last tanning days in the Northern Hemisphere and the last of the rainy days in the Southern !
Enjoy reading excerpts and blog posts! Have FUN! Win Prizes!
Here are the details:
We’re celebrating the end to a fabulous summer (or winter in the Southern Hemisphere) as we always do — with a End of Summer Bash! We’re giving away an Amazon gift ecard (electronic gift card only, value $115) to one lucky reader and we’re giving away a lot of other prizes from the TRS prize vault and participating authors too!
Where is it going to be held?
The event will be held exclusively at the TRS PARTY SITE.
When is it going to be held?
From August 17 – 23, 2015. Times? All day! (since it’s in the states, half of the night!)
When will the prizes be given out?
The winner of the Amazon gift ecard will be selected at random after 23 August, 2015. Other prizes from TRS and its participating authors will be assigned at each donor’s earliest convenience following the end of the event.
Okay so HOW do I enter for the gift card?
We authors will be posting during the event period at our PARTY SITE about our latest books and other entertaining topics. Comment on any of the posts at any time during the event (should be at least acceptable/polite comments because comments in poor taste may result in exclusion from the event), and fill out the gift card entry form that will appear at the party, and you will be entered into the drawing for the Amazon gift ecard.
How do I enter for the other prizes?
For other prizes donated by TRS and all participating authors, there are giveaway forms at the PARTY SITE.
Deadlines are 23 August 2015!
Come on down & join me at the PARTY SITE!
See you soon!
To go straight to Lizzi Tremayne’s posts, click here!
Filed under: A Bold Country Evolving, Book Excerpt, Book promotion A Long Trail Rolling, Book Promotion A Sea of Green Unfolding, Book Promotion The Hills of Gold Unchanging, RWNZ Romance Writers of New Zealand, The Long Trail Quadrilogy, The Long Trails series Tagged: 1860, 1860 Aleksandra California carriage character arcs Cossack Czar drive Express Desire Faust's gig healthy food historical horse horses immigrant Joseph Hatch La Honda lessons Lizzi Tremayne Nevada New , A Long Trail Rolling, A Sea of Green Unfolding, adventure, Aleksandra, Arguello, carriage, Cossack, Echo Canyon, Faust's, fiction, gig, historical, horse, pony, Pony Express, pony express stations in Utah, Tsar, western
August 3, 2015
Hi All! Come on over to Cynthia Woolfe’s Blog, we’re over there today!
I was invited to an interview with Cynthia Wolf, Historical Romance author extraordinaire!
Click Here!
Here’s the header on her lovely page!
Cynthia Woolf’s Website Banner
Come on by and learn a little about where I got interested in writing, how the series began, and some things about me you might not have known!
Leave a comment and I promise to reply!
Take good care,
Kindest regards,
Lizzi
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: 1860, A Bold Country Evolving, A Long Trail Rolling, A Sea of Green Unfolding, Aleksandra, California, carriage, character arcs, Cossack, Express Desire, Faust's, gig, historical, horses, immigrant, La Honda, Lizzi Tremayne, Nevada, New Zealand, New Zealand; north island; writing; care; short story;, novel, Patrick Hearty, Poland, pony, Pony Express, Pony Express monument, pony express station, psychoanalysis, romance, romantic, Salt Lake City, suspense, The Hills of Gold Unchanging, The Long Trails Quadrilogy, The Long Trails Series, Utah, writer, writing
July 27, 2015
Featured on the Front Page of The Romance Studio Today!
Hi All!
Just wanted you to know A Long Trail Rolling is featured on the front page of The Romance Studio today!
http://www.theromancestudio.com/
Come on by and have a look!
Take care!
Back to writing Book Two!
Regards,
Lizzi
Filed under: Uncategorized
