Kellyn Roth's Blog: Kellyn Roth, Author, page 50

Guest Post: Too Young to Write?

Hello guys! Today we’re having another guest post. It was written by Miss Libby Beth, who … I just met. I mean, I feel like I just met her, but I kinda know her from YWP NaNoWriMo.

At least, I think I do … but I keep getting people mixed up. I even mix up ‘famous’ NaNo folks. I suppose that’s because I’m not on there often enough anymore to know who’s ‘famous’!?

A Bunch of Random (Fun!) Updates

This post will just be updating you on a lot of random (and hopefully fun) stuff as it says in the title. Be sure to like, comment, and share. Trust me, the fun is really fun. :P (Hint: pretty big discounts on my novels!)

Hi folks!

Guess what? I published my first story on Noble Novels! It’s a short story (not even 1,000 words) called Esther Ashton’s New Dress. I think you’ll enjoy it. Here’s a quick blurb:

Recently-orphaned Esther Ashton doesn’t expect much from Christmas with her brother away fighting in the South Pacific, her sister-in-law hospitalized with a new baby, and her job at the department store providing little to no profit. Will Esther have any sort of a Christmas or will it be another dud?

Lame blurb, I know.

Merry Christmas! And I mean it.

Another post I wrote on Send the Light. I hope you enjoy it!

Christmas In Theory

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In theory, Christmas is a ton

Of joyfulness and merry fun

Of presents gifted from the heart

Of puddings and plums and strawberry tarts

In theory, fir needles never fall

Off a tree, which isn’t too tall

Or too short, too fat, too dead

And Christmas carols don’t hurt you head

By being sung just out of tune

Mistletoe is opportune

Ly placed just where the sweethearts stand

And sleigh bells ring throughout the land

And relatives arrive on time

And get along. So all the signs

Point towards a joyous day

At least that’s what the carols say.

~Kellyn Roth

Five Secrets of Description

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Confession: I don’t actually have five ‘secrets,’ per se. But I have a bunch of stuff I think people should remember when writing description.

So don’t actually take my advice.

That’s right.

Just read it, like it, comment on it … then forget it.

It’s best for you and the posterity who would otherwise have to read through your awful descriptions right in the middle of your amazing novels.

Seriously, though, ladies and gents, I’m doing my best here to tell you everything I know about description.

Well, not everything.

Just five things … to keep in mind … when describing stuff.

And by stuff I mainly mean scenery, people, etc.

So. Let’s get going.

1: Describe the Action

I know people are always talking about not using too many adjectives (at least, people are always telling that to me), but add a couple adjectives to an action. For instance, “She picked up the phone with her slender fingers and place it against her ear while she dialed, brushing back her shiny black hair to do so.” See? You just got in that she had slender fingers AND that she has shiny black hair. Cool, right?

2: Write DESCRIBE What You Know

I get sick of hearing this. What’s the imagination for if this is true? But with description, I’d say this definitely applies! I know, I know. Not all of us can take a trip to Scotland or Belgium or wherever your novel is set. I sure can’t! That’s what Pinterest is for.

December 2016 Spotlight: I Don’t Usually Write in this Genre …

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I know it’s been several months (September, to be precise) since the last spotlight, but you remember what a spotlight is, right? Well, just to refresh your memory (or to inform you if you just started following me), it’s me shining a ‘spotlight’ on something I’m working on at the moment. Kinda like an author update, only a more in-depth peak. With a special name. And lots of pictures. And (I just determined this) a theme.

Can you guess what the theme is? If you can and you comment it first, you win a free ebook copy of The Lady of the Vineyard. I have PDF, MOBI, and EPUB, just so you know.

I am not kidding! I will need an email address, though (although you can email me so you don’t have to post it in the comments or anything), so yeah. That might narrow things down because I know some of you don’t want to give away your email addresses. Especially since you read this blog post … and realized how blood-thirsty I am …

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That’s right. It’s pretty gruesome.

So if you’re sensitive, you may want to click off my blog now.

Do it.

It’s for your own good.

Your mind will stay innocent this way.

Sure, I’ll miss you. Sure, your support means a lot to me in these *sniffle* troubled times. But I care about your safety. So go. Just go.

Still here? Well, I’ll at least give you something beautiful to feast your eyes on before the *gulp* blood-bath.

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*sighs* I just love Christmas.

In Which I Fail at Vlogging. Again.

Dear Reader,

Unfortunately for you, I attempted vlogging again.

Yep.

That’s right.

I made a vlog post today.

I made three, actually. All on the same subject. The subject being ‘general author updates.’ The first time, I forgot what I was talking about. The second time, my brothers dived behind me and danced. The third … it’s just not a very good video.

So maybe don’t watch it.

Wait, do! I want you to watch it. Just … watch it open-mindedly, I suppose.

December 2016 Dares

Once again we come around to our dares. As I skipped the month of November dare-wise (as all I wanted to do was write At Her Fingertips, which I did succeed at), I have nothing to fill you in on.

That’s right. This month you don’t get to scroll through my post laughing maniacally at all the “Failed” dares.

Oh, that’s not what you do? Ha! As if I’d believe you’re actually a kind person who wouldn’t giggle at another person’s failure! Actually, I do believe you’re a kind person … at heart. Unless you’re demon-possessed or something. In which case … why are you following me?! AWAY FROM ME DEMON!!!

Moving on.

Reading

Read five books. I don’t think that’s a lot because it’s December and Christmas and who knows how much reading I’ll actually have time for.
But one of those has to be Ivy Introspective. Ah, well, I was gonna do that anyway … so there!
Finish A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I’m reading it with my mom, and she’s editing it as we read for literally every kind of content there is to be had. Why do such incredible books (and movies, too) have to be filthy?! Life is unfair … which I suppose is the point of the book …
Read at least two books for enjoyment purposes only. And they can’t be the three I’m in the middle of right now, either. Yeah … you see, I have three books at the moment … this one, this one, and this one. I’m loving them all. I’m in the middle of this one, going through for the first time, and I’m going to have to read this one and this one again because I read this so fast (they were both so amazing!) that I need to read them again slowly to suck all the awesomeness in. Slowly. Make sense?

Dear Fellow Writers: No Man Is an Island

I know I’m supposed to be blogging myself today (and I will! Just be patient; my “December Dares” post will be up this afternoon), but I decided to reblog this fantastic post by Hannah A. Krynicki. I believe I’ve told you before that I write primarily to share truth (without climbing up on the pulpit, at which point peoples’ ears generally turn off). Well, this is a fantastic summing-up of something I’ve been trying to say for a long time.

NaNoWriMo 2016: Wrap-Up

At Her Fingertips is officially finished at 66,172 words.

Yesterday I wrote 8,611 which brought me to 65,978 words. I wrote the rest this morning. I’m pretty proud of myself. Last NaNo, I wrote 40,000-some words; the NaNo before that, it was 36,000. Both times, I barely made that.

This year, however, it was easy for me to make my goal of 50,000 and surpass it, as you know, by more than 15,000 words!

Here are my final stats:

You can also view my stats here.

Now what am I gonna do?

Search the freezer for icecream. Eat it if I find it. Mourn if I don’t.
Watch Gilmore Girls. The old ones, of course. The new one … don’t get me started.
Not do anything. I deserve it.