Kellyn Roth's Blog: Kellyn Roth, Author, page 21

More than a Second Chance by Lisa Renee (Blog Tour Intro)

Welcome to the blog tour intro for Lisa Renee’s novel, More than a Second Chance! This Christian contemporary novel, which features some tough themes and sweet romance, is on tour with Reveries Co. for the next month!

There’s a giveaway, there are interviews, there are reviews, there are book spotlights … all in all, it’s going to be a fun time, and I’m excited to introduce you to this new author!

So let’s dive right in …

About More than a Second Chance

Cassie Chambers, a dedicated youth worker, is determined to rescue the troubled youth in the city of Perth, Australia.

Cassie has made mistakes but hasn’t allowed tragedy or divorce to stop her. She devotes every working hour at Youth Connect. But her own needs are neglected.

Chef Chris Evanson offers work experience to young men from Youth Connect. Cassie and Chris’s encounters become more than sassy bantering with a hint of attraction. Chris is a sincere romantic.

How will Chris respond when he finds out her secret? She must tell him before he falls in love. Will he believe she deserves more than a second chance?

To complicate matters, one of Youth Connect’s troubled teens needs rescuing. She’s pregnant and moves in with Cassie, bringing absolute chaos. Chris gains insight into what life with Cassie involves. Does he still want the total package? Is he Cassie’s true soul mate?

AMAZON – GOODREADS – BOOK TRAILER

About the Author

Lisa Ren’ee is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Omega Writers, Australia. With an Australian theme, she wrote the Single Again series featuring More Than a Second Chance and Acres of Promise, to encourage women to heal past wounds and to dare trust again. Lisa adores babies enough to have seven of her own. Recently, Lisa has taken up breeding Ragdoll cats instead of breeding humans. The tribe lives in Australia, where Lisa and her husband enjoy their writing projects, public speaking, and are on the pastoral team at their church

FIND LISA HERE:

FACEBOOK – AMAZON – WEBSITE

One person will win an eBook copy of More Than A Second Chance by Lisa Renee.

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY HERE

Follow the Tour …

Use this schedule to follow the tour from stop to stop!

Monday, October 21st

Kellyn Roth / Opening Post

Kelly Barr / Interview

Thursday, October 24th

Jane Mouttet / Interview

Saturday, October 26th

Abigail Harris / Book Review

Monday, October 28th

Michaela Bush / Spotlight

Thursday, October 31st

Paula Marie / Book Review

Friday, November 1st

Abigail McKenna / Book Review

Saturday, November 2nd

Amie / Book Review

Tuesday, November 5th

Emily Harris / Spotlight

Thursday, November 7th

Chelsea Pennington / Book Review

Saturday, November 9th

AbbyRose / Book Review

Monday, November 11th

Rose / Spotlight

Lori Parrish / Book Review

Wednesday, November 13th

Kellyn Roth / Book Review

Thursday, November 14th

Connie Porter Saunders / Book Review

Saturday, November 16th

Jo A. Ruth / Book Review

Monday, November 18th

Kellyn Roth / Wrapup Post

Isabel Olivetti / Book Review

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TTFN!

~Kellyn Roth~

p.s.

Have you seen this book around? Does it look good to you? Have you ever wanted to visit Australia? (I kinda do but am afraid of all the critters … hmm!)

WANT MONTHLY UPDATES? CLICK TO JOIN MY NEWSLETTER!

The post More than a Second Chance by Lisa Renee (Blog Tour Intro) appeared first on Reveries.

My #1 Regret from Publishing Young

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As you all know, I published The Dressmaker’s Secret back in January 2016 when I was only fifteen years old. While I’m not the youngest person to ever published, that was still young by most standards, and … it was a mistake.

I don’t say that lightly. I’ve weighed the pros and cons, and I truly believe I should have waited at least a year if not longer to figure things out. (Of course, that would be if I knew the right things to do, which I didn’t.)

So let’s talk about my #1 regret from publishing young.

I regret that I didn’t put my best work out.

But it’s more than that.

I regret that people had to read a sub-par novel.

I regret that some people, perhaps younger or less experienced writers, might have mistaken it for a good book. Perhaps they thought it was worth imitating or simply wasted their time when they could’ve been reading better books.

I regret any people who will have read The Dressmaker’s Secret and probably not been inspired to become a lifelong fan.

I regret the people who felt like they wasted time or money.

So yes, I regret a lot of facets about that one thing: the fact that my best work didn’t go before people the first time.

I think it’s very important to always do your best — “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.” (Colossians 3:23)

But …

That was then and this is now.

“But one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.” (Philippians 3:13)

It’s not like this is an unfixable mistake. This January the 10th, the new version of The Dressmaker’s Secret will be releasing, and it’s looking pretty fly.

5 Non-Outline NaNoWriMo Prep Necessities

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NaNoWriMo prep generally revolves around outlining, daydreaming, and pep talks, but there are some other things you’ll want to have prepared ahead of time. What if you miss them?

Last week I wrote about how to create your outline, and this week I’ll dive into these other, lesser-known-but-very-important elements of NaNoWriMo prep.

Note: I’m working on some very exciting things for the relaunch of The Dressmaker’s Secret, so stay tuned for that!

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5 Non-Outline NaNoWriMo Prep Necessities
1: Snacks & Drinks

HOW COULD WE FORGET OUT SNACKS AND DRINKS!?! Snacks and drinks are important, yet every year – or almost every year – I forget to purchase them.

So this is your reminder. Buy your chocolate and chips. Make sure you have a bunch of microwave/precooked meals set. Purchase your favorite drink – even if that just means stocking up on tea bags or coffee grounds.

And be ready for NaNo.

2: Music

All of us need a good playlist for NaNoWriMo. I highly suggest putting together some songs on your favorite device/app/whatever.

I use YouTube/the YouTube music app myself. This is my half-completed playlist for Ivy Introspective. You can get a trial that’ll take you safely through November, and I believe there’s a free version, too.

But basically, I have it on my phone and kindle (up to 500 songs can be downloaded on each of these devices) and can easily access it on my laptop. No ads, as many playlists as I want, and automatic playlists of my favorite songs, liked songs, etc. Perfection!

3: The Perfect Writing Spot

Figure out where you can write best! I’m still working on that myself as it may be I’ll hit my sweet spot in my new desk area. However, at the moment, for me, that’s the couch in the living room (on my laptop, of course).

Try testing a few places if you don’t know where you write best already. You have half a month to figure it out, after all!

4: Time to Write

I know, I know! This is the hardest thing about NaNoWriMo – finding time. Especially if you have a busy life. Still, you’ll need to plan ahead for it if you want to make a success of NaNo.

I’d suggest finding one or two times during the day when you can just WRITE like crazy. Of course there’ll have to be some flexibility, but if you can find a few sweet spots, you’re halfway there.

So get your schedule ready!

5: Writing Buddies

I saved the best and most important for last.

Get yourself some writing buddies! Make sure you have a group of fellow writers to do NaNoWriMo yet. You need them for accountability, writing sprints, sharing snippets, prayers … whatever it takes!

Without my group of gals, I wouldn’t have finished half the novels I have. So assemble your wordplayers! Honestly, this would be my #1 tip for NaNoers – you need to have buddies.

TTFN!

~Kellyn Roth~

p.s.

Are you prepped for NaNoWriMo? Do you have snacks and drinks? What about music? And how’s the scheduling going? MOST IMPORTANTLY … WRITING BUDDIES?!

WANT MONTHLY UPDATES? CLICK TO JOIN MY NEWSLETTER!

The post 5 Non-Outline NaNoWriMo Prep Necessities appeared first on Reveries.

How My Current Outlining Method Works

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Today I’m going to be using my outline for Ivy Introspective to show y’all how I plan for NaNoWriMo, outlining-wise. My current outlining method is my current favorite, obviously, and I hope it’s helpful to you!

Next week I’m hoping to fill you in on some non-outlining ways to prep for NaNo, but an outline is going to be one of your most important tools during November, so you definitely need to think about it.

So let’s get right into it so you can get right into NaNo prep!

How My Current Outlining Method Works

(broken down step-by-step for your convenience)

Step 1: Get a Basic Road Map

A basic road map, for me, is basically the bare-bones details of the plot. Oftentimes I’ll use basic story structure principles to get my main points in place (e.g. first plot point, midpoint, third plot point, climax, resolution, and all points in between!).

I didn’t save mine word-for-word, but it would have looked something like this:

Note: I did remember most of my big plot holes, so this is pretty much exactly what I had, except I added in a few more thoughts in the middle which were scattered here and there.

First Act: Ivy is struggling to fit in at her new home,
1st Half of Second Act: Ivy goes to McCale House, learns music, hangs with Violet, stuff happens.
Midpoint: ???
2nd Half of Second Half: More of that all.
Third Plot Point: I don’t know, but a low point for Ivy’s self-esteem.
Climax: Violet and the cliff and all that.
Resolution: [censored]

As you can see, I don’t have all the details, but I did have a solid climax and resolution, and I did have at least the foundational elements – the beginning, most of the middle, and the end.

And then I fleshed it out to this more detailed point-by-point outlining method:

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Step 2: Detailed, Fleshed Out Version

Hook (0%): Ivy is being mildly verbally abused by a maid because her parents hired out her care for the time being, basically.
First Half of First Act (0-12%): Set up the scene for everything. Guests arriving, parents easily distracted, Mrs. Chattoway interested in helping but unsure how to.
Inciting Incident (12%): Ivy [does something that makes her parents seriously concerned for her safety].
2nd Half of First Act (12-25%): The decision to send Ivy to McCale House, all the prep, stuff that happens before that.
First Plot Point (25%): Ivy leaves for McCale House.
1st Half of Second Act (25-50%): Arrives at McCale House, meets everyone, starts with therapy, learns about Violet, becomes intrigued by her and wants to help.
Pinch Point #1 (37%): Ivy realizes how sad Violet is but also that really she isn’t wanted when it comes to comforted her—it’s not her concern, basically.
Midpoint (50%): Music is introduced.
2nd Half of Second Half (50-75%): Deepens relationship with Violet and starts to actively reach out to her. Of course music continues being a thing.
Pinch Point #2 (60%): Ivy comforts Violet during a tough time.
Third Plot Point (75%): [Censored for spoilers, but I did finally figure it out. It’s a huge low point for Ivy and disrupts her goal – which is to find a purpose – in a major way, causing her to feel lost and hopeless to an even deeper degree than she started at.]
3rd Act (75%-95%): [Also censored, but Ivy overcomes her fears and doubts and makes herself move forward while we continue foreshadowing our final battle.]
Climax (95%): [details censored, but Ivy confronts the main conflict and perhaps she triumphs and perhaps she doesn’t. What do I look like, a genie who grants my character’s every wish?

5 Practical Steps to Overcoming Unfinisheditis

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You’ve had it. I’ve had it. We’ve all had it. That’s what writing is for beginners, after all – not finishing stories. And it’s okay, at first, to test out a thousand little plot bunnies.

But at some point, to become an author, you must finish a novel. Still, it’s not like it’s easy. So many things stand in our way – writer’s block, new story ideas, negative thoughts, plot holes, and a thousand other little problems.

In this post, I’m offering practical solutions to the illness that’s plagued us all for years: unfinisheditis.

Defining Unfinisheditis

For some reason, Google reveals no results for Unfinisheditis. But I can loosely define it as:

un-fin-ished-itis

The inability to finish a story or novel.

It’s a terrible sickness that keeps coming back, keeps plaguing novelists of all ages and backgrounds, and never seems to quite be gone. But I have 5 practical steps for overcoming it. So let’s begin!

5 Practical Steps to Overcoming Unfinisheditis
1: Get to the root of the problem.

Every person who experiences this disease will experience it in a different way. And that means the reasoning behind it will be different, too.

Do you find yourself fizzling out and disliking your novel midway through? Perhaps you love too many of your plot bunnies to focus on one? Do you not really like the genre of book you’re writing? Or do you get bored with the endless work without any help?

Without knowing the reason why, overcoming unfinisheditis becomes pretty impossible. So sit down and write out your feelings about the project.

Why do you have unfinisheditis?

2: Ask yourself how you got to this place.

Now that you know the reason why, you can figure out the how. Did you pick a story idea that was too improbable? Or is it possible you pushed yourself too hard and burnt out?

However you got infected with the terrible disease that is unfinisheditis, find that out. Once you know, you’ll be equipped to move onto the next step!

3: Decide what you’re going to do.

Make a plan, a goal, and stick to it.

Perhaps you want to finish the novel within a week or two. Perhaps you want to finish it during NaNoWriMo before moving on to your next project. Or maybe you just want to write 500 words a day until it’s finished.

Don’t do anything too unreasonable, but pushing yourself is always a good idea unless your schedule is just too crazy to allow it.

But be sure that the goal is single-mindedly focused on finishing your book, whether that is just writing, moving on to another project you can finish, or even doing a little extra outlining to figure out your next step.

4: Get an accountability partner or ten & tell them.

Your goal will be easy to break – and you will never overcome unfinisheditis – unless you share it with people!

Though it’s good, of course, to tell a lot of people in general (e.g. your followers, friends, and family), also be sure to collect a few people around you who are determined to be your accountability partner.

I have a bunch of groups here and there who help me, but my main accountability partners tend to be from a Hangouts group (we call ourselves the “Chatter Box Girls”). We not only talk writing but also pray for each other and talk about our lives.

And honestly, you need friends who are willing to be stern with you! Of course encouragement is the main thing, but a gentle reprimand or some help getting to the roots of the issue when you don’t write is always amazing.

We all need accountability partners in our lives for so many things, and writing is no different.

5: Make yourself finish that story!

JUST WRITE!

Whether this is the story you’ve been slaving away at for months or a new one, write that novel! It needs to be finished no matter the cost.

If you’re a writer, you have to write. Writer’s block does infect a lot of us, but often we just need to put hard work and effort into writing to make it happen.

Now …

Are you ready to start overcoming unfinisheditis?

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Other Posts You Make Like

5 Myths About Writing Debunked
How to Keep Your Blogging Inspiration Flowing
Writing Will Get Easier

Before you go …

Bloggers, could you help me host a blog tour for Lisa Renee’s novel, More than a Second Chance?

All the info is in the link …

Join the tour!

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I would really appreciate the support, and I know Lisa would as well!

TTFN!

~Kellyn Roth~

p.s.

Have you ever had trouble overcoming unfinisheditis? How do you write when you don’t feel like it? Have you ever finished a novel (& how many and what about)?

WANT MONTHLY UPDATES? CLICK TO JOIN MY NEWSLETTER!

The post 5 Practical Steps to Overcoming Unfinisheditis appeared first on Reveries.

How to Punctuate Dialogue for Beginners (and people like me who never paid attention)

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There are punctuation rules you might not have run across in your essay writing – or at least you didn’t probably run into it often. If you read a lot, you’ve seen it … but do you remember?

I had to learn how to punctuate dialogue after I started writing, and it wasn’t necessarily the easiest thing ever. There are way too many rules. And there was never one article I read that summed them up (though I’m sure many such exist #toolazytoGoogleit).

So here are the basic (and slightly more advanced as far as they go) rules of punctuating dialogue all in one place for your writing ease!

Without further ado …

How to Punctuate Dialogue for Beginners

(and people like me who never paid attention)

When learning how to punctuate dialogue, it’s important, of course, to define what dialogue is.

Dialogue

“Conversation between two or more people as a feature of a book, play, or movie.”

This is the talking characters do – basically, anything they say out loud. This does not include thoughts, feelings, etc. that the characters experience. Things like telepathy, texting, passing notes, etc. are usually written differently.

Direct vs. Indirect

Only DIRECT dialogue requires punctuation. Indirect dialogue requires no punctuation. For instance:

Indirect dialogue: Kelly said that learning to punctuate dialogue is easy once you get used to it.

Direct dialogue: “Learning to punctuate dialogue is easy once you get used to it,” said Kelly.

With that definition out of the way, let’s move on to the basics.

The Basic Rules for Punctuating Dialogue

“Well,” said Kelly, “basically, you start with those little double dashes which are called quotation marks. The dialogue goes in between a set of them.”

As you can see, when you write something like “said Kelly” and it’s still part of the sentence, you use a comma after “Well” and have “said” be uncapitalized.

In addition, when the sentence continues (e.g. “Well, basically, you start …” is all the same sentence), the first letter of the first word is not capitalized (meaning basically is uncapitalized).

However, if a dialogue tag (e.g. said Kelly) separates two sentences, you do not use a comma.

Examples:

“The quick brown fox,” said Kelly, “ran over the lazy, fat dog.”

“Well,” Kelly murmured, “being a writer is super hard.”

“Writers are awesome,” said Kelly.

Kelly said, “Don’t you dare poison my coffee.”

“I am a writer,” said Kelly even though that was rather obvious. “I love writing.”

“Let’s be friends,” Kelly said with a forced grin. “I need a little more pain in my life.”*

*Let me here note that I do not hate people … I just don’t know how to talk to them.

Quotception

For a quote within a quote, you use single quotation marks. For instance:

“Kelly says, ‘For a quote within a quote, you use single quotation marks,'” said Angela. “Makes sense to me.”

Don’t overdo this, but do remember to do it whenever someone is giving a direct, word-for-word quote. Don’t use them for indirect quotes (see above).

Examples:

“She said, and I quote, ‘I don’t want to eat a pound of candy.’ What an idiot,” said Kelly.

“As one great comedian said, ‘Those are my principles, and if you don’t like them … well, I have others.'”

“To quote Hamlet, Act III, Scene III, Line 87, ‘No.'”

But what about actions?

“Sometimes you have actions in between sentences.” Kelly lifted a huge boulder that only someone of incredible strength could possibly lift. “Then you just continue talking like before.”

As you can see, when you have a two separate sentences, it’s pretty cut and dry. No commas – just periods. In fact, you never use commas for actions unless they’re preceded by a dialogue tag:

“I just don’t like Pumpkin Spice is all,” Kelly said, sipping a cup of heavily-sugared coffee.

But …

What if the action is in the middle of a sentence?

“I am”—Kelly scratched her head—“a writer.”

Those lines are called em-dashes.

A regular dash looks like this: –

An em-dash looks like this: —

Em-dashes can be created by holding down the Alt key and typing 0151 on your keyboard, but I’d recommend making it so whenever you create a double dash (–) on your writing program, it autocorrects to an em-dash.

You probably won’t use this a ton, but sometimes it can bring the perfect emphasis to a conversation.

“You said”—Kelly pounded her fists on the table—”that you would comment on my blog post.”

“Will you”—he knelt on the sandy beach—”marry me?”

Note that because it’s a continuing sentence, there is no capitalization beyond the first word except for names.

Interruptions

Em-dashes are also used for interruptions. For instance:

“What do you want to—”

Kelly threw a cup at Angela. “STOP THE PRESSES! I’m going to rudely interrupt your conversation.”

Exclamation and question marks, though?

Oh, right!

“I’m so excited!” said Kelly.

“Would you like to buy six copies of each of my books?” Kelly asked.

So none of that comma nonsense in these cases.

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Other Posts You May Enjoy

5 Times You Can Sneak Writing In
Writing Will Get Easier
Tips for Writing a Book Series

TTFN!

~Kellyn Roth~

p.s.

Do you know how to punctuate dialogue? Was any of this new to you? Did I get anything wrong? Or miss anything?

WANT MONTHLY UPDATES? CLICK TO JOIN MY NEWSLETTER!

The post How to Punctuate Dialogue for Beginners (and people like me who never paid attention) appeared first on Reveries.

New Blog Schedule & Other Changes to Reveries

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You may be clicking on this post with some trepidation. I mean, I would be, too. What reason have you to trust me? I’ve let you down so many times.

It’s been a couple months since I’ve been able to consistently stick to a schedule on Reveries, and even before then, it was rough. And now I’m gonna tell you that this time is going to be different?

I wouldn’t believe me either, but I’ll earn your trust in time. At least, I hope I will. *glares at my past offenses menacingly* Let me explain …

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What’s up?

It’s not easy being consistent about a blog and Facebook and Twitter and Instagram and multiple email lists and the same platforms for a secondary business and two day jobs and another writing-related job and a social life and also maintain a basic degree of mental and physical health.

Added to that was some interior formatting jobs, helping other authors, launching books, taking care of puppies … a dozen other things.

But I wanted to do it all. I still do! I’ve cut off over half of my social media, narrowed down my email list focus, passed off the secondary business job, quit one of my day jobs (exchanging it for a lower-stress part-time job), and promised myself not to try any crazy book launches any time soon.

Basically, I’m trying to cut back. And that means cutting back on Reveries.

Is that a bad thing?

No, it’s really not! Cutting back is good for us all if we’re doing too much—and frankly, a lot of authors and other internet entrepreneurs are.

Also, cutting back means that the things you are doing get done really well. The blog posts I do publish will be of a higher quality—and therefore of more use to you.

See? It all works out!

So what will the new blog schedule be?

I’ll post every Saturday without fail. However, Monday and Wednesday will become optional. Probably I’ll post on one or the other day every month. When I do, it’ll be unusual posts—blog tours, reviews, giveaways, etc. Maybe some fun, random stuff thrown in, too.

We’ll see.

But mainly, I want to move this blog to focus on writing-related posts from advice and tips to writing lifestyle-ish stuff. I also want to talk about how God has influenced my writing.

And yes, some of my “unusual” posts may be occasional Christian stuff. I’m not going to be able to resist the pull of giving all my dumb opinions.

But yes, Saturday will be our regular post day!

TTFN!

~Kellyn Roth~

p.s.

What do you think of my new blog schedule? What’s your blogging schedule like if you blog? And what are you most wanting to see posted on Reveries?

WANT MONTHLY UPDATES? CLICK TO JOIN MY NEWSLETTER!

The post New Blog Schedule & Other Changes to Reveries appeared first on Reveries.

3 Annoying Female Lead Tropes in Historical Romances

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There are a lot of annoying female lead tropes out there. There are a lot of ALL KINDS OF tropes out there. But I read a lot of historical romance. And so that’s what bugs me.

In this post, I’m going to be pulling apart three annoying female lead tropes in historical romance … because only YOU, young writer, can prevent badly written main characters. (Also, I want some fellow bookworm sympathy. #letsmourntogether)

Now, there are a lot of tropes out there that are annoying, but these are my top three. Let me know in the comments what yours are … and if you agree!

Without further ado …

My Top 3 Annoying Female Lead Tropes
The Feminist

*sigh* This is a fun one.

I see this in almost every historical romance. The woman doesn’t want to be a woman. Or she has to fight people who think women aren’t as important as men. Or she wants to do something that’s shocking for women.

Now, there’s a time and a place for feminist characters. Like … when there’s actual historical reason for it.

But when it’s every woman, every main character, then no. Just no. Especially since it’s rarely fleshed out!

Generally these heroines will have at least two of these qualities:

Dislike/hatred of men (except the hero who is Much Perfect Man Who She Dies For)
Shock when people don’t want her to do things women aren’t “expected” to do
A desire for more … and more … and more
Continual whining about her lot in life
Dislike of regular women things of the era because they’re keeping her down (esp. corsets – they hate corsets)
Does/says super stupid things that are gonna get her in huge trouble
Not having any awareness of the world she’s living in
Only being okay with misogyny when it’s from her Very Own Hero
Don’t really do anything about it except complain

Now, don’t get me wrong. Not all of these things are bad!

But when they’re combined … and when they’re present in an era where they don’t make sense (oftentimes) … and the heroine is a jerk about it … and it’s really just shoved in so the author can have a feminist character because that’s #good …

Well, it’s pretty awful.

The good Christian woman

This is of course mainly in Christian fiction, but it can also exist in secular novels as a more “Mary Sue” type character.

I know this is really just another way of saying “Mary Sue,” but there are a few specific things about this character that make her … more so.

Most of these characters have at least a few of the following traits:

Only really act/do Christian stuff when there’s a crisis/the reader needs reminder they’re Christian
Quote Bible verses
Pray instead of having brain thoughts but then don’t get anything out of it
Give nods to God but don’t go any deeper than nods because that’d be preachy
Says things that are more inspirational than Biblical
Regular church-goer who doesn’t really church outside of church
Always happy, smiling, etc.
Encouraging to other people … always
Occasionally ignores morals if it gives off an “inspirational” message
Occasionally ignores common sense if it gives off an “inspirational” message

She’s not really that … real. I think of her as a plastic barbie doll in a conservative but super cute skirt and blouse who is a perfect mom (hahahahaha). But no. We don’t need this.

I don’t think every novel needs to be dark. We need happy books as well as light. But they do need to be realistic … and that means realistic heroines.

When our Christian fiction says “being a Christians means being perfect” and our lives cannot always portray that (#sinnatureamiright), we lie to the secular world as well to ourselves about reality.

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The continually awkward bookworm

WHY!? Why can’t we write women who don’t love books? Or not awkward bookworms at least? Why do we have so many comedy relief heroines (still beloved by their knight in shining armor, of course)? And what’s with the introverts? I would much rather read about an extrovert at this point!

Like … I am a continually awkward person who likes books (not gonna say bookworm because I’ve been reading so randomly lately). I mean, I’m not THAT awkward, and the older I get the less awkward I get soooo maybe I’m just not … getting it?

But I do believe this character basically IS what the author wants to imagine her readers are like. And that’s … good. To a point. We all want someone we can relate to.

However, the most important thing is VARIANCE. We need different types of heroines. Which I suppose is the crux of this post – though perhaps there’s nothing wrong with any cliche, it’s still a cliche. Can we do better?

But I digress. Here are some things you’ll generally see in this type of character.

Collecting books – books, books, books
Thinking/talking about famous books
Generally she has no desire to read all the lesser known books of the era
Romanticism of EVERYTHING
Generally drops at least five things, usually in front of the hero
But is only awkward conveniently
Oblivious to the hero’s advances
Only the hero sees that she’s amazingly finnnnnnne
But really she’s super fine
She is super innocent & is constantly naive and getting into dumb situations
However, there are no serious consequences of her naive actions
Unless she gets kidnapped, of course, ’cause if that can happen, it will
And then the hero will rescue her!
Just like the man she always dreamed about in her books
But who she never really believed existed … except she kinda did
Yay for unrealistic expectations!

And … yeah. I mean, it’s not all realistic, but as far as a character goes, one or two of them wouldn’t be horrible.

But I’ve read so many. SO MANY! Even Ann(e) of Green Gables kinda fits this description. And it drives me crazy.

Perhaps we can spice this up – make an introvert who actually doesn’t turn extrovert as soon as she meets the man of her dreams or a bookworm who is into really obscure books instead of just reading Austen or Dickens or whatever the author’s favorite classic novel is.

Basically, there are lots of ways you could twist this cliche. So let’s do it!

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Other Posts You May Enjoy

5 Romance Tropes I Can’t Get Enough Of
Why I Keep Coming Back to the Victorian Era
7 Christian Historical Romances

TTFN!

~Kellyn Roth~

p.s.

What are your least favorite annoying stereotypes/tropes? And, for that matter, which ones do you love? What cliches would you like to twist in your books if you’re a writer? And do you like tacos?

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The post 3 Annoying Female Lead Tropes in Historical Romances appeared first on Reveries.

This is Your Permission to NOT Publish

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Dear young writer,

I don’t know where you are in your writing journey. But I know so many writers like you who put their all into their craft. You care about writing, so naturally you want to make a career out if it.

Is it any wonder you want to be published?

But should you? Perhaps you should just … not publish.

We all want to publish.

Being a published author is the “it” thing, after all. A lot of people dream of writing a novel, and a small percentage of those people write one, and an even smaller percentage of those people work toward publishing.

Before, there was nothing wrong with that. But nowadays self-publishing is becoming a more and more valid option.

Problem with that is … self-publishing is easy. Well, at least it’s sort of easy.

The process of getting your book up on Amazon (and other sellers) is fairly simple. You just upload your manuscript, throw together a cover on Paint, and call it good. And then anyone can buy your book.

But they won’t. Not unless you put effort into it. And you’re proving everyone right about self-publishing … and you’re lessening your chances of being taken seriously in the future … and you’re making a huge mess to clean up later.

Self-publishing means self-policing.

With self-publishing, you have to be the gatekeeper yourself. (It’s the real “self” in “self-publishing.”) And it’s not easy to use restraint when all you want to do is be a published author.

Anyone can publish … same as anyone can become a doctor or lawyer. But with self-publishing, there is no medical school and there is no bar exam. You have to create the standards.

The thing is, you will regret publishing before you’re ready. I sure did. I know many other authors who did.

Your worth as a writer depends on …

Publishing? I think not!

It does not depend on how many books you publish or how much money you make. Neither does it depend on what every single reader in the world thinks of your stories. And it certainly does not depend on how speedily you progress from one stage of your writing career to the next.

Your worth as a writer is a variable you can determine, but in general, if you work hard and keep at it, you’ll be an amazing writer in no time.

(Some of my writer myths debunked might help you with this one, too!)

But when will you be ready to publish?

You should not publish before you have …

Written more than one book.

This is important because your first book isn’t gonna be amazing. You need to write for a number of years before you’re ready to publish no matter how much raw talent you have!

Consider not publishing at this point to be your college classes. You’re not ready to be a brain surgeon yet.

This doesn’t mean you can’t publish your first book. Just put it aside after you’re done and come back to it when you have more experience. I know a number of authors who have done this to success (Roseanna M. White comes to mind), and it’s the best way to go.

Don’t delay writing your book because you’re inexperienced. You need to write to become experienced! But know that once you finish the first draft or the fifteenth draft, you don’t have to be done. The story, the characters, your world will be there when you’re ready for it again.

Researched the market and trends.

You need to know the market before you publish. (Check out this post for some more guidance.) If you don’t, you’re going to get lost in the void that is Amazon in a hurry.

At least begin developing a platform.

This could be an email list (recommended!), a blog, social media, etc. But basically, you need an audience before you can publish. People who will support you and perhaps even buy your books! This will give you a solid base to build your launch off of.

Hired a professional editor and cover designer.

This is an important step many writers miss. Every young author needs professionals for these two services at a minimum. Otherwise, you just shouldn’t publish. Save up your money

All this said …

I can’t make you do anything. In the end, you are the gatekeeper, and it’s your job to decide when you’re ready. But I hope these words of warning, from one flopped early-published author to another, will help you decide when you’re ready …

And perhaps keep you from making the same mistakes I did!

A story of someone who did not not publish:

[image error]Moi! I DID publish … back in 2016 … with a book that wasn’t edited, didn’t have a professional cover design, was super immature, and in general wasn’t ready to be out there.

I’m still paying for my mistakes. I’m still picking up the mess. And yes, I can do it … but it’s taking me so much time. Imagine if I’d waited and could be moving forward now instead of going back to fix my messes!

Imagine if I’d started out with a solid platform. If I’d figured out the market. If I’d targeted the correct readership from the beginning.[image error]

No one was there to tell me NOT to … but I’m here to tell YOU that you SHOULDN’T. If I could tell a young writer anything, it would be WAIT.

There’s so much time. No need to rush. Just take your time, learn to write, figure out your market, and then publish.

I know you’ll make more of a success out of it.

You won’t risk the discouragement monsters coming to steal your love for the craft.

Just be patient. I promise it’ll be better.

But even if you did mess up and publish early (like me!), you’ll still make it. If you keep working at it. If you don’t let the mistakes of the past keep you down.

Still, wouldn’t it be better to NOT have started wrong?

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TTFN!

~Kellyn Roth~

p.s.

What do you think? Do you agree with me about waiting? What’s something you did a while back that you later regretted? Have you ever felt a pressure to publish?

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The post This is Your Permission to NOT Publish appeared first on Reveries.

Courage, Dear Heart {a poem story}

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Hello readers! I don’t usually do this on Reveries, but I just finished this poem – Courage, Dear Heart – and I decided I needed to share it with someone.

It’s a bit different than most poetry. You see, it tells a story … and shares a message … and is based loosely off a novel I’m working on (Wind Against the Cliffs – and now, I haven’t shared about it yet!).

I hope you’ll enjoy this piece which shares some thoughts about God remaining with us throughout our biggest trials as well as a woman’s growth into experiencing His presence in her life.