C.L. Walters's Blog, page 7

3 Things I Learned About Writing Reading Sci Fi & Dystopian

First, I put science fiction and dystopian categories together because they have a lot in common. Nebulous futures, scientific explanations about flying through space or the end of the human race, robots, artificial intelligence, heroes who need to save the day. You get what I mean, right? So look…a lot of the same lessons from fantasy (and any category, really) are applicable to the lessons learned from well written science fiction and dystopian stories. But rather than be repetitive, I considered adding ways that these categories twist the lesson but are applicable to any category of writing. 

Here are three I came up with:

Asking the Right Questions

Read any info heavy science fiction novel (ah hem… Dune…) and you’ll understand that just like a fantasy story, it’s easy to get caught up in the minutiae of the information that defines the story. The problem, of course, is information dumping and information overload (which I’ll cover in a moment). This turns off most readers. What great writers in the category do well is parcel out information that is relevant to the necessary questions. Of course a reader has questions about the world, but not all the questions are necessary to the story. Not all of them fill in the gaps of the plot hole. While the author has a lot of the questions answered, that doesn’t mean the story needs all of them answered. Which ones need to be answered for the sake of the story.

One of my favorite dystopian writers is Paolo Bacigalupi (Ship Breaker, The Drowned Cities and Tool of War). The cool thing that Bacigalupi does that I’ve seen some of my favorite fantasy writer’s employ is dropping the reader right into the world and unfolding the world around them as if the reader is already a member of the society. I LOVE this technique. A perfect literal example of this technique  is The Maze Runner by James Dasher. The reader is Thomas dropped into the maze having to learn on the fly what’s what and how he fits in. Perfection. 

There is inherent danger in losing the reader when an author embarks on information overload. I get the temptation to include all the cool things developed in world building, but just because it exists, doesn’t mean it’s relevant to the narrative arc. Well written books in this category recognize this and employ an “as needed” methodology by understand which questions need to be answered.

Which leads to the next point…

The Structure (the world and creatures)

Sci Fi/Dystopian writers build worlds like fantasy writers, but then they destroy them. There is a methodology to this madness of course, even if they make it look effortless. But then consider that a wonderful fantasy story’s world is important to overall conflict from political machinations to traditions and systems impeding a hero’s journey. In Sci Fi/Dystopian the structure of the world and its demise is often the narrative architecture around which the conflict is built.

It’s clear when we enter habitat with Mark Watney in The Martian by Andy  Weir, the structure of not only the immediate place is a functional place, but also that as a reader, the structure of the story is about survival. We are surviving with Mark, we are invested in his success, in the tension between learning he will connect with NASA. Or as we siphon through the missives of World War Z, the means by which author Max Brooks structured the novel makes it necessary to understand the hows and whys and what fors in order to understand the movement of the narrative. The world, the creatures (think Alien) are so integral to the story, they can’t be removed or changed without impacting the overall narrative structure becoming a character in and of themselves.

Which then leads to:

Reader Story Interface

It might be easy to develop a story in this category so high above a reader’s understanding that it becomes inaccessible. But strong writer’s of this category make sure that the average reader is as much an expert as the scientist character or the super computer. Isaac Asimov is a great example of this. A pioneer in the science fiction realm of writing, he was a very talented scientist (physicist) who made reading science fiction accessible. 

And really, that’s what any category is about right? Making the narrative accessible to the reader so that they fall in love with the story.

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5 Things I Learned About Writing Reading Suspense-Thrillers

I went through my thriller phase, both reading them and writing them. I couldn’t get enough. Tess Gerritson, Tami Hoag, Thomas Harris, Ruth Ware, Gillian Flynn, Paula Hawkins.  A good thriller is able to draw you in and keep your attention all while developing a story that’s paced like a rollercoaster and has the conclusion of a fireworks show. They are…well, thrilling.

So I took to writing them, hence The Letters She Left Behind (and another book still hidden away in the drawer).

Here are five things I think successful thriller writers offer to teach any category of writer.

A Well Developed Villain

Look, a great protagonist needs a great antagonist, and those one dimensional villains just don’t work, especially if you want to invest the reader. As a widely read person, if I’m not invested, I’m not finishing the book and will drop it without ceremony into my DNF pile. Investing time in developing the protagonist is key, but the same holds true for the antagonist as well. A really great thriller demonstrates this development either making the villain’s motives believable or making them so sympathetic, the twist at the end is a gut punch.

Check the Pace

The flow of a story can make or break it. This pacing from one event to the next in a thriller is paramount. The economy a thriller writer employs in making sure every word, every scene counts is critical, especially when the writer is crafting a whodunit. Every word, each scene matters in the overall story, and driving the reader through the prose is critical. Places that lag, spots that sag aren’t acceptable in this genre because there isn’t time. While a literary slice-of-life story might be a slow burn, the necessity of moving the reader through the story still exists. Thriller writers do the page turner so well.

Don’t Fall into Plot Holes

Thrillers readers, especially, are freaking smart. They are voracious in their ingestion of the mystery and suspense story. Like romance readers, they are always on the lookout for their next read. They know what to look for, are able to spot those red herrings, and ultimately they are working overtime to make those guesses. Because they are so well read in the category, they are also connoisseurs of technique. They can spot the plot holes, guess the plot twists, identify the culprit within the first three chapters, which makes writing this category (and doing it well) challenging. But Thriller writers write a very tight plot for this very reason. This is a great skill to have in any category.  

Setting that Mood

From the first page, a thriller-suspense-mystery writer sets the mood and they don’t start with “..it was a dark and stormy night…” Just like pacing, tone is critical to this category.  The tone, in many ways, informs that pace, and that informs the tone. Funny how that chicken or the egg thing works right. But they do go hand in hand. The clarity with which a thriller author develops that mood throughout, upping the stakes, creating tension, and building suspense is magical when done well. I think the same holds true across any category you’re writing. Tone is very critical to the overall sense of your story.

Bringing It All Together

Finally (though not a complete list to be sure), thriller writers have to stick the ending. I mean, all authors do, but in terms of writing lessons, thriller writers have to be the gold medal Olympic Figure Skaters doing that triple axel to perfection. With the stakes raised, the tension hitting hard, those smart readers need that payoff, and if better be good if you want them back. This holds true for any category, but I think there are things to be learned from successful thriller writers.

There isn’t a formula for writing your book. Well, there sort of is (check out Brody’s Save the Cat Writes a Novel), but the point is that your book and learning how to develop these tools come with time (and a lot of reading). Go get to it!

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5 Things I've Learned About Writing Reading Fantasy

I love fantasy. Okay. Wait. Let me qualify that. I love some fantasy. I have certainly read some fantasy stories that make me want to throw the book at the wall. But then I have discovered fantasy stories that make me want to dive in and stay (if you want recommendations, drop it in the comments). A wonderful fantasy story is like a gorgeous dance between author, story, and reader. I have learned a lot about writing by reading both fantasies I love and hate. For the sake of this blog, I wanted to concentrate on what I’ve learned reading fantasy that is applicable to writing stories across genre. These five lessons in writing, regardless of the genre, are critical to a wonderful story.

World Building

We don’t exist in a white room. Neither do characters. They are alive in a world where other people, languages, cultures, traditions exist. Fantasy stories require that the character’s world plays a part in the overall story. For me, the best worlds are those that the author unfolds the world like a blanket, immersing me (as a reader) into the world as a member of it. This means that the author never info dumps, but rather assumes I already know the details. The details unfurl around me like a dream. Fantasy writers (SciFi and Dystopian writers, too) spend a lot of time creating the world where the story takes place fleshing out details to make the world come alive. These rich details add so much to the overall effect of the story but a huge mistake a writer can make is dumping mass amounts of information all at once (this is a major pet peeve for me as a reader).

While I have spent more time writing contemporary, understanding how important it is to develop the space—the reality if you will—of the world where my characters are walking is so critical. In The Stories Stars Tell, I never once named the town. I did this on purpose (if you want to know why, ask me in the comments), but I don’t think the story is less because of it. Rather than focusing on the “names” of a place, I focused on the atmosphere, the mood, the kind of ways Tanner might take Emma on a date. These details of world, ultimately, should enhance the reader's overall experience.

The conflict (Hero)

Main characters (protagonists) or the hero (though I use the term loosely because I want it to encompass whoever we’re on the journey with which might be an amazing anti-hero) in a fantasy story often embodies the desire of the common human. Think of it this way, Frodo was just an everyday hobbit thrust into extraordinary circumstances that required him to step up. The conflict he faced (besides that huge massive evil creature bent on destroying the world) was finding his own inner strength to do what needed to be done with the ring - to carry the burden for all and destroy it. While the hero is important, so is the conflict between their wants and needs in which they find themselves. Those drivers are the ways we connect as readers.

Here’s an example: we wouldn’t read Griffin’s story In the Echo of this Ghost Town if all we had to go on was The Stories Stars Tell. He’s not a great “hero” and as an everyday reader he’s not very likable either. But his wants, the conflict driving him, is his need for love, which all of us can relate to. 

The journey

Which brings us to the journey. A good fantasy story always has a journey. This doesn’t always mean walking from point A to point Z (even if many do. I mean…Lord of the Rings) but there should  always be the internal journey from who is this hero at the beginning of the story (what do they want?) to who they become by the end (what have they learned they need?). This journey is created (using that world building and the conflict) to develop a necessity for the reader to go along with the character.

The helpers

And then there are those helpers—the secondary characters—who make the hero better. I mean look, if we are the hero of our own stories, we are surrounded by secondary characters, who are the hero of their own journeys. Fantasy stories (the good ones) develop these secondary characters so they become as essential to the overall story as the main character. 

The series

And last but not least, is the way in which fantasy authors flesh out a series (when done well). I have often wondered if they knew from the beginning how it would go. A good series (and I don’t mean the kind of series with stand alone stories with common characters, but rather the series in which one book feeds into the whole of the next one with an endgame in play. Look at Sabaa Tahir’s Ember in the Ashes series if you want a great example of this) unfolds the conflict over time, building into each of the stories as a part of the overall three act structure. So while each book adheres to that structure, so does the series, and it is a beautiful thing.

I tried to do this with the Cantos Chronicles. When you think about three books as a singular work, Swimming Sideways, The Ugly Truth, and The Bones of Who We Are and examine them from the lens of the three act structure, Swimming Sideways is the first act, setting up the ordinary world, the inciting incident, and crossing the threshold into the “new world” of the second act which is Seth’s story, The Ugly Truth. His story leads us through the road of trials to the dark night of the cave moment when we cross into the third act and the final battle of Gabe’s story, The Bones of Who We Are (because the Cantos Chronicles were always about Gabe from the moment they began).

This certainly is NOT an exhaustive list of all that can be learned by reading fantasy. As a category, I find it supremely complex and am in awe when writers slay a fantasy. It isn’t an easy feat, but it’s freaking magic when they do!

5 Things I'll Examine During a Reread

This blog is a quick aside from the series I’m working on for you about things I’ve learned from reading. I thought you might enjoy an update on where I’m at in the process for The Messy Truth About Love. For the sake of this blog, I think it’s important to define what I mean by “reread.” Rather than drawing a favorite book I’ve read and plan to read again from the shelf, in the context of what I’m sharing here, I’m referencing the rereading of The Messy Truth About Love (or any work in progress). Now that our brains are functioning on the same wavelength…

After a month away from The Messy Truth About Love, the beta feedback has been returned. With those external observations and questions swirling around in my head, it’s time to sit down and reread the story to prepare for a hefty revision. Why hefty? This is the one where the missing puzzle pieces get fitted into place, which often changes existing portions of the narrative and requires lots of rewriting. 

When I reread the draft—with the rule that I am not allowed to edit (and it is so hard)—I have a few things I am consciously observing to help me with the rewrite. Here are five of them:

Character Arcs:

If you’ve read any of my books, you probably have noticed that they tend to be very character driven. My narrative philosophy seems to operate on the assumption that the story isn’t really a story without the characters driving it. In The Messy Truth About Love, the two protagonists—it’s dual perspective—Hannah and Seth drive the story. When I reread, I want to pay attention to each character’s growth from beginning to end. I’m observing their motives and how those might shift throughout, their wants versus their needs, the way they interact with others being consistent and true to those motives. Finally, I need to see that where they end up is believable, and if it isn't what did I miss along the way?

Narrative structure, Plot holes & Pacing:

Another thing I’m rereading to study is how the story flows from beginning to end. I’m examining each scene for its purpose in the narrative structure. I often ask myself if it’s purposeful to the whole story? Is it working hard enough? Should Seth kiss Hannah there? Would Hannah share that kind of information so soon? I’m looking for the gaps in the story where the reader is having to take giant leaps from one plot point to the next to determine if there are holes I need to fill or scenes that need to be moved or cut. Finally, I’m paying attention to my experience to find out where the pacing slows or stalls. 

Situational Awareness:

One thing I hate when I’m reading a story is when a character behaves out of character. This is a sure way for me to put the book down and resist picking it up again. When I’m rereading, I noticed characters shift as they grow, but the essence of  “who they are” doesn’t. Consider yourself for a moment. When faced with a tragedy, you will remain true to who you are. You will behave in a way that communicates the deep-seeded beliefs of your person forged through your experiences. A character’s behavior, dialogue, choices should ring true to not only their character development but should be rooted in the reality of what has shaped them. When incongruence exists, it leaves space for the reader to put down the book (and I definitely don’t want that). 

Big Questions:

Every writer says it, and I will keep saying it, the first draft never gets it right. That’s why we draft again and again. Case in point: this revision will be The Messy Truth About Love’s fourth draft. And still, having sent the third draft to beta readers, there were still questions that needed to be answered. As I reread—again—I’ll be searching for those big questions. Those need to be addressed in the next revision.

Satisfying “The End”: 

There’s nothing worse than going on a journey with a character and in those final moments, stepping into a lackluster resolution. When that happens, I close the book and think: Wow, that was a giant waste of time. I hate that! I hope to never do that to a reader. So as I reread, I’m thinking about that end, really wanting to make sure that emotional payoff from the opening page to the final one hits just right. If it doesn’t provide that “I’m so glad I read this” feeling in the reread, I know I better rewrite it.

Then there are lots of nitty gritty things I’m paying attention to as well in a reread. Like are there spots that need more research?  Or did I offer enough description for the setting?  And am I noticing any symbols or motifs that I wasn’t aware of that I should take a closer look at in a rewrite? When I reach this point in the writing process, I’m adding layers to the story to hopefully make it an overall rich reading experience for the reader.

And that’s that, my friends. Where I’m at and what I’m up to for the next month before I get this next draft off to the editor. With a July publication date in sight (a full three months earlier than my usual October release date), I’m feeling the pressure. So… I’m off to reread. 

Next week: 5 Things I’ve Learned about Writing by Reading Fantasy

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5 Things I've Learned About Writing Reading Romance Novels

I love reading romance novels. I have since I was a pre-adolescent when I was reading Sunfire novels featuring a heroine set in historical times immersed in a love triangle. I would work (babysitting and helping my mom with her housekeeping business)  and save all of my money so that I could go to the bookstore and splurge on the ones I didn’t have (oh why didn’t I keep them?!?!?!). I read Sweet Valley High books and Sweet Dreams books, then branched out into horror-suspense by reading Christopher Pike. Eventually I graduated to romance novels written by Lavyrle Spencer, Judith McNaught, then onto suspense novels by Tami Hoag, Thomas Harris and Stephen King. Always, always, I returned to romance novels.

As a writer, I’m of the belief that reading is essential to the practice of writing. Sure, writing is important, duh. But we learn through models, and how better to learn the craft than by reading and reading widely. When I think about my reading experience, reading romance has taught me a lot as a writer (and not just to write romance novels).  Let’s face it: the romance category is the best selling category of novels for a reason. Here are five things I’ve learned by reading romance novels:

Importance of a back story:

Character development is key in any novel. Whether you’re writing a detective story, a memoir, a suspense thriller or a dystopian sci fi, your reader MUST be invested in the characters. Romance authors do this so well. When connecting to readers on an emotional level, the investment in a character’s backstory is critical. That doesn’t necessarily mean a writer should info dump that backstory. Knowing those what’s and why’s  is important because it informs perspective in the current narrative, dictates behavior, and is reflected in dialogue. (I’ll be posting a template to my patreon page if you’re interested in what I use for my characters to get to know them).

Tension turns the pages

The key to keep readers turning the pages is tension. Picture a relaxed rubber band. That’s often where we start our stories (when they are linear). As the story progresses, that tension builds (stretching the rubber band). If the tension dissipates, the story flags, drifting and often losing the reader. Romance writer’s do this well. Granted, there is built in tension in the “will they or won’t they” element of the love story, but they maintain the tension. This element is what creates a page turning horror story or a dystopian that you can’t put down. Tension builds up to the climax of the narrative with the rubber band snaps, releasing it for a new build in the final act.  In romance novels this is often the beat when the lovers have a massive fight and the readers know they are in love, but they have to resolve the misunderstanding to return to one another. The tension is what keeps readers turning the pages.

Beats of a story

Speaking of those beats. Romance novels are often formulaic. That isn’t to say they are easy to write. (Go write a really well-done AND well-received romance novel, then come back and tell me how easy it was to write). What romance writers do is adhere to the common beats of the genre because that is what readers expect. The romance genre has a specific code to move the narrative.  If you’ve read Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody, she adheres to the idea that ALL novels (especially those that sell)  adhere to specific beats in the narrative structure. She calls it a code, or the “DNA of a novel”. That code of beats doesn’t make all novels the same, but rather the beats make them recognizable to a reader as a “good story.” Ultimately, it is that code that moves the story from the beginning to the end and romance writers do this very well.

Emotional Payoff

Romance is all about the heart, the emotions, but I’d argue it isn’t characters emotions that a romance writer is concerned with. It’s the reader’s emotions they are tapping into. The best stories are those that speak to our hearts. Those stories that linger long after you’ve closed the book. The ones you can’t read before you go to sleep because you’ll toss and turn thinking about it. The romance category does this so well. When I’m writing (well, rewriting because this never happens when I’m drafting), I’m thinking about how that character responds to situations in order to develop that tension that will heighten the emotional payoff. 

Happily Ever After

I need a happy ending. I also know that life doesn’t work out in a nice, neat, tidy box  to close up and pack away, but I read to drift away from those real-life difficulties. I want a happy ending. I want to know that the protagonist faced struggle and overcame it. That is why I escape between the pages of a book. Romance readers expect a happy ending. It is as critical to the genre as the common beats and the emotional payoff of the “I love you”. Whether it is really a cry your eyes out happy ending or a cry your eyes out resolution, readers what an ending that provides them with depth and hope (even if it isn’t always happy).

I have no plans to give up reading romance anytime soon. I’ve branched out in young adult novels, fantasy, science fiction, and literary, but I always come back to romance. These stories make me happy, and ultimately isn’t that why we tell stories ourselves? To bring joy to a reader?

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February Ideals: Dreaming

Dear Friends,

I was sitting at the beach the other day, drinking my coffee, watching the ebb and flow of the waves as the tide came in. The sun was warm against my face, and I thought about how though life feels static, it really isn’t. I sat on that beach for nearly an hour, and recognized the tide coming in because waves came in, drew back out, came back in, cresting and washing over the shore until a rock was submerged under the water. It was exposed and dry when I arrived. The tide is subtle and if I hadn’t been paying attention, I might never have noticed it. 

One of my dreams as an author is to be able to make a living creating. Am I there yet? Nope. Not even close. (Thank God for my husband, who’s supportive of this dream,  my mom, who supplements me when she can, and for each of you, willing to buy the books when they drop. You all probably have multiple copies of each). While I might feel discouraged sometimes at how little impact my ripples are making in this giant ocean of writing and publishing books, as I sat on the shore watching the tide, I realized that what I’m doing isn’t static. There is a dynamic ebb and flow to it, moving me forward toward my goal. 

It’s subtle.

So this February I’m going to remember that. The steps I take, the moves I make, the people I talk to, the list of things I have to do are all contributing to that rising tide. My job is just to keep doing what I do with a joyful heart filled with gratitude.

Thank you for being on this journey with me,

Cami

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The Messy Truth About Love: Beta Read

I did it! I finished this latest draft of The Messy Truth About Love. It was an important deadline to make in order to meet my publishing goal of July 26, 2022. Why? Because I need to get it to beta-readers.

Images from Canva.

Beta readers are so freaking important! Why?

They read an early version of the work in its early form, and with guidance (I give my beta-readers a list of things I want feedback about), they provide their wisdom to help with the revision. Think of a beta reader like a product tester, only probably more knowledgeable about what they are testing.

It’s nice (and terrifying) when I get to this stage of the writing process. I’ve gotten the story to actually look like a story; one I am starting to like. On the flip side, however, there’s a lot of insecurity wrapped up in it, because it’s new and raw. As a writer, sharing my work in any form is a very vulnerable experience. It feels a little like opening up my chest, exposing my heart and saying, “sure, take your scalpel and poke around in there. Please be careful.”

So what do I hope to get from a beta reader:

Honesty. I mean, I want the truth, but hopefully offered in a gentle way that protects my creative soul.

Questions! The questions a beta reader asks helps me think, reflect, and respond in the text of the story.

Confidence. When a beta reader loves the story in its raw form (even if there’s lots of work to be done), then I know I’m on the right path. 

Are you an avid reader? Are you one of those people who finds the plot holes and has a million questions when you read a book? You might enjoy beta reading. Mixed Plate Press is looking for both beta readers and ARC readers. If you’re interested in either, here’s a link!

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The Messy Truth About Love: Revision

Revision. 

Now that I made the announcement in my newsletter, I can widely share: The Messy Truth About Love is a return to Cantos and to familiar characters, specifically Seth Peters from The Ugly Truth. The story jumps ahead four years after his accident. He’s transferred colleges and is trying to start over, and who does he bump into? Hannah Fleming. 

As I revise The Messy Truth About Love, I find myself feeling the gaps, knowing there are pieces that need to be placed, and not sure how to do it. This requires returning to the “drafting” by exploring character arcs and understanding motives. Just this morning, as I was rinsing my hair in the showerI had an “ah ha” moment about one of the main characters that made things clearer.

I love this part of the writing process, even if it can be frustrating. Why? Unlike drafting, the blueprint is already there. Now, it’s about finding the missing points, restructuring them to work harder, developing characters and plot points so they have an impact. Revising is like seeing the whole picture, but filling in the gaps. The difficult part is struggling to see the gaps, or knowing they are there, and not knowing how to fill them.

I am putting a lot of pressure on myself to do this story right (Okay. Yes. You’re right. I do that with every story I write). This is a little different for different reasons. First, there are existing characters in an existing world. People who have loved the Cantos Chronicles will definitely have expectations. It makes me anxious that I’ll mess that up somehow. I want to add to the tapestry of this world. Second, this is set in a new adult world of college versus the young adult world of high school. That changes things significantly because college and adulthood has its own complexities and what if readers aren’t ready to see Seth as a man making adult choices? Third, I want to make sure the story is awesome, but then that’s always my hope with every book I write.

Look, I’m probably overthinking it all, but then, I probably wouldn’t be a writer if I didn’t.

Is there a book you enjoyed that was a favorite character revisited?

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Setting Goals

It’s the beginning of January, and that usually means we’re setting goals for the year. I do the same.

Here are my goals for the CL Walters brand (some of which I posted last week):

Publish a new CL Walters novel this year: The Messy Truth About Love. I shared an exclusive scene from that novel in my newsletter and on my Patreon page (sign up for all kinds of exclusive content).

Work forward on publishing the fantasy The Many Shades of Lies.

Draft three new novels this year (the second in the fantasy series, the third Maci Aurora novel, and a new YA book).

Start a Patreon—or some other way to develop an income—that will allow me to continue publishing (it’s really expensive to make books well my friends, and book sales alone won’t see it done).

Publish a newsletter each month for followers.

Blog consistently.

You are invited to hold me accountable.

Here’s my Patreon Page I started. One goal down.

So here’s an update: I can check off one of these goals. I started a Patreon Page. What is it? Patreon is a place where artists set up accounts and provide supporters with content. The supporters pledge monthly to the artists for access to that extra content. Head over to my page so you can see what I’m providing patrons (mine focuses on the behind-the-scenes work, new and updated content, and work-in-progress access). I’m hopeful this is successful because I’m definitely going to need help this year to meet all the goals I have across Mixed Plate Press, CL Walters, and Maci Aurora. Where is the money I raise going? Initially, it will pay for other artists (editors, cover designers, graphic artists, and the nuts and bolts of indie publishing). If you have opinions about what you’d love to see there, let me know!

I’m in the process of revising The Messy Truth About Love. I’m 100 pages done and have a deadline of January 21st so I can get it to Beta Readers.

How are you doing with your goal setting?

Looking Back to Look Forward

2022 is just a few more steps away—right around the corner—and while I’m not one for creating resolutions I won’t keep, I am one for looking over my shoulder to reflect on where I’ve been in order to form manageable blueprints to guide my goals.

So here’s my reflection about 2021… Creatively, it has been a solid year.

Books Read:

As of this writing, I read 117 books (and I’m currently reading book number 118, a contemporary, enemies-to-lovers with fake dating in The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas—an indie author and indie book that made the Goodreads Best Romance List of 2021). When eyeballing my goodreads list for the year, it’s clear that my go-to genre was contemporary romance but sprinkled in are several fantasies, a few memoirs, and a dash of dystopian/sci fi. Clearly, romance is my jam.

Here’s a take away from my reading journey this year: There are a lot of really great storytellers out there, and there are a lot of great storytellers who aren’t traditionally published. I knew that, of course, but the converse is true as well. There are a lot of terrible stories out there both traditional and indie. But one will never know without taking the chance to dig for treasure unless you do it. It reminds me of my Discover Weekly playlist on Spotify, unearthing those amazing gems of songs among the duds.

Some of the indie treasures I found:

Chloe Leise and the Bergman Brothers Series. Leise does a great job with character development and weaving in representation  (specifically mental health and autism spectrum). 

Raven Kennedy’s adult fantasy The Plated Prisoner series which begins with Gild. If you liked Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses series, then this indie author is a wonderful choice. Her series is a reimagining of the King Midas story which comes to a stunning conclusion in the third book (but the story will continue. HOORAY!)

A traditional author I love: 

Mhairi McFarlane. Romance author who does an impeccable job of exploring individual character growth for the sake of personal empowerment. I love that.

I already shared my top five reads this year (click here for that if you missed it), but I didn't share my disappointments. I don’t plan to begin disparaging other authors anytime soon, so I won’t go into detail about those specific titles, but here’s some lessons about writing and narrative that were reinforced for me:

Editing matters, and not just copy editing but developmental editing too. And this wasn’t just a problem in indie books, but a few widely reviewed traditional books as well.

Characters need to be developed, otherwise I’m not invested in the journey, and isn’t that why I want to go along in the first place? Reading about characters whose motivation isn’t clear, or who aren’t very likable make me want to throw a book at a wall.

TikTok book talk doesn’t always get it right.

Overall message matters to me. A highly recommended book might be enjoyable but if the message perpetuates negative or unhealthy attitudes and ideals, I’m out.

I’m not sure I’ll set a reading goal this coming year. I read a lot, but with what I’ve added to my goals for 2022, I’m not sure I need one more thing to do in a year that is going to be very busy on the creativity front. We’ll see. How about you? Do you need the goal to read?

Books Written & Published:

As you know (I hope), I published In the Echo of this Ghost Town and When the Echo Answers this year with Mixed Plate Press. Wow. Two books published in the year. I never thought I could do that. I also published the novella The Ring Academy: The Trials of Imogene Sol in my newsletter. I’m so proud of these new books, and that endeavor taught me something about myself: I can produce and shouldn’t be afraid of that.

Behind the scenes of those publications, I drafted four new novels. FOUR!  That’s exciting stuff. They aren’t revised or in any finished state, but that’s four new stories to eventually share in the coming year or so. Two of these books are for a brand new pen name-imprint I’ve started, Maci Aurora (for adult romances). One of those books will be published in April 2022. Then I’ve drafted a fantasy and a new adult contemporary. Can I do two novels in 2022 as well? That’s the hope (and if I can get my stuff together, a possible 3rd).

What I learned as a publisher:

How important planning is. Sure. I knew this, but my background as a teacher really came in handy especially when it came to managing more than one book title.

The importance of time. If the planning is on point, then the amount of time needed to put together a product deserving of being considered by consumers in the marketplace is more likely.

How much I love this work! I do. I love it. Can I do this forever? Please.

Looking forward:

The intersection from 2021 to 2022 is ahead. And I’ve got some goals, which I feel like are different from resolutions. Defined, a resolution is the decision to work toward or modify something. Whereas a goal is the object of my effort with specific benchmarks to see it to fruition. Perhaps the goal is what makes the resolve happen, but regardless, here’s some goals I have for this coming year (feel free to hold me accountable):

Publish a new CL Walters novel this year: The Messy Truth About Love. I’ve got an exclusive scene I’ll be sharing from that novel in my newsletter next month (sign up for all kinds of exclusive content dropped into your inbox once a month).

Work forward on publishing the fantasy The Many Shades of Lies.

Draft three new novels this year (the second in the fantasy series, the third Maci Aurora novel, and a new YA book).

Start a Patreon—or some other way to develop an income—that will allow me to continue publishing (it’s really expensive to do it well my friends and book sales alone won’t see it done).

What are your goals for the coming year?

Thank you so much for being on this journey with me. You being with me is what makes it so much more rewarding!

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