C.J. Miranda's Blog, page 3

The Good & The Nasty About Posting Free Stories Online

For anyone who's been an avid reader for as long or longer than I have (which isn't hard since I'm only 23), you'll know that the world of books has completely changed. Gone are the days of library cards or crossing your fingers that Barnes and Noble has that book you've been dying for. Instead, with the click of a button or the tap of a finger on a touchscreen, readers have access to every book they could have ever hoped for without even leaving their house.

Because of this, writers have had to change their ways as well.

Ever since I decided I enjoyed writing fiction, which was around age 13, I started looking at websites where I could post my stuff for free. It was very uncharacteristic of me since I was an insanely shy teenager, but something about the anonymity of being behind a screen gave me the confidence I needed.

I started on Buzzle, moved to Booksie, and then finally settled in on Wattpad.

Wattpad's a site where anyone can upload anything they've written, ranging from Fan Fiction to full-fledged novels. Most users there post a new chapter to their stories about once a week, making it almost like a weekly television series. From there, other users can vote, comment, and become a fan to receive email updates. It's a very, very social site, and with millions of users, it's no wonder quite a few of the novels initially posted there have gone on to be published in the more serious, make-some-money kind of way.

That's what happened to me!

So anyway, after spending six years on the site and posting to it four completed novels, I've decided to list out my pros & cons for using Wattpad and other sites like it.
 

Pro: Free Stories
     What's not to love about that? And reading all the stories may give you inspo for your next book.
Con: Lack of Originality
     The books that do well on there usually fall into categories: Bad boys, werewolves, and CEO's.

Pro: Critique Chapter by Chapter.
     And by critique, I mean helpful comments. Instead of getting one final review at the end of the book, writers here are able to see what people liked and didn't like sentence by sentence.
Con: It's the Internet. There Will be Trolls.
     Not all the comments will be helpful. And that's putting it lightly.

Pro: Prepares You for Real Publishing
     This kind of goes hand-in-hand with the last pro. I know when I first started out, I despised people calling me out on my mistakes. But in the real life world of publishing, a manuscript you gave your life and soul to for two years will be torn apart and nitpicked by editors and beta readers. The comments can be a good preparation for getting used to this.
Con: But Could Give You False Hope 
     Having a book do incredibly well on Wattpad (millions of reads/comments/votes) doesn't necessarily mean it's fit for real publishing. Like I mentioned before, the vast majority of popular novels fall into a slim range of categories. And while some of those stories are absolutely incredible, some just ride the wave of the genre and not much else. So just because it's loved by Wattpad users doesn't mean it'll be loved by publishers.

Pro: Motivator.
     A really big problem for published writers is being stuck in a rut. No one's going to read your first chapter, love it, and then cheer you on to keep going. That's not the case for posting online, though. Having just one reader love your story and leave comments on every chapter can give you the motivation you need to finish the entire story.
Con: Negative Motivation
     But on the other hand, one particularly mean comment may make you want to stop. Or having no comments at all. This is where you just have to trust in your ability and in your story, and wait for the readers to come. It took about a year for my first full novel to gain attention, and now it's at nearly 2 million reads. It just takes time and patience.

Pro: You'll Make Friends.
     When I was younger and posting to these sites, I was a shy and awkward teenager who was embarrassed of my writing. I didn't tell anyone in my real life about it. And what's so great about these websites is that they're filled with people just like you who love the same thing you do. 

Pro: It's Fun.
     You get to make your own book covers, upload character pictures, and interact with people who love your writing. And not only that, but you'll even have people sending you fan art. It turns books and stories into so much more than just that, and it's incredibly fun.

So while there are some drawbacks of posting your work for free online, in my opinion the benefits definitely outweigh them. It's fun, it furthers your love for both reading and writing, and can help you grow and refine your skill. It's so, so helpful, and as long as you don't take the negatives too seriously, I believe it's worth the try.

What about you guys? Have any of you ever posted online? What'd you think about it? Would you do it again?

Let me know!! 

Love,
CJ

Use Pinterest to Write Your Novel

When one thinks of Pinterest, they most likely think of DIY tutorials and chicken recipes (at least, that's what I used to think). Of course there's no harm in that, though. I've done quite my fair share of both of these, and more often than not they've turned out well.

But my favorite utilization of Pinterest, hands down, is its incredible impact on my writing. Now, I'm a fiction writer and my genre of choice is romance. So while the boards I follow and the pins I love may be different from other types of writers, the motions can still be applied elsewhere.

Here is what my "Writing Tips & Tricks" board looks like. Obviously I have several others, some pertaining to writing and some not, but this is where the bulk of my writing pins go. 

In this board and among some of my other ones, I've saved and utilized several different things to motivate and improve my writing. I've listed and explained my favorite ones below, and I have no doubt that people wanting to develop or improve their writing skills will find them helpful.

PROMPTSYes, we're starting before the writing even gets started. Pinterest is FULL of awesome writing prompts that, even if they don't become part of your actual story, will at least your creative gears turning.CHARACTER INSPOLooking at boards filled with pictures of pretty people? Yes, please. Not only that, but saving one picture in particular for a character guarantees that their descriptions in the story stay consistent.CHARACTER DEVELOPMENTThis is my favorite part of using Pinterest. I've always been obsessed with character's backstories, but there are charts and information you can find that just delve so much deeper. You can get ideas for names, motivations, and personalities. My favorite tool? Anything Meyers Briggs. Don't know what that is? Search it and prepare yourself for hours of distraction.STORY PLANNINGNever in my life did I think I would enjoy using worksheets so much, but here I stand (sit?) corrected. If you search "story worksheets", "story planning", or anything of the sort, you'll have access to tons of free printables that can help you track scenes, develop characters, organize different plot points, etc.   GRAMMARThere are literally pins of a 100 different words to use instead of "said". There are also ones for commonly misused words, when to use what kind of hyphen, and for when you aren't exactly sure what word you're thinking of. The people that make these should have their own hall of fame.TOOLSIf you ever want to know what tools and websites other authors or bloggers use to help them, just search "writing tools" on Pinterest. MOTIVATIONLastly, with so many writers using Pinterest, it's not at all difficult to feel better about yourself when you see others posting about thinking their work is crap as well. People post their tricks for making themselves sit down and write, for refining a skill that is so lucky to have, and for not letting self doubt get you down.  

Here are some of my favorite boards.

https://www.pinterest.com/kayladeanwrites/writing/https://www.pinterest.com/RadicalMartian/writing-help/https://www.pinterest.com/bridgidlee/write-a-novel/https://www.pinterest.com/kittyinferno83/writing/https://www.pinterest.com/TabathaMiller14/writing/https://www.pinterest.com/chatwoman/help-for-writers/https://www.pinterest.com/cailin007/writing-exercises/https://www.pinterest.com/onceuponamoo

And there it all is. Obviously you can utilize the site however you'd like so that it suits your needs, but this is how I use it (for the most part). I really hope that any of these help you out in any sort of way.

Comment below if they have or if you're excited to try them! 

Love,
CJ

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Why Romance Novels Aren't "Lesser"

I've seen it time and time again throughout my time as both a reader and a writer.

It's the giggles when you tell teenagers you're reading a romance novel, the resounding "ohhhh..." from adults when you tell them the same thing. It's the less enthusiastic congratulations when you tell people your first published novel is primarily a love story.

And it's absolutely ridiculous.

For some reason unknown to me, romance novels/fans/writers are seen as less intellectually significant and culturally important as other types of genres. Romance books are noted as mindless fluff or trashy mom porn when, in reality, the vast majority of these types of stories are anything but. And before anyone can say that I don't know that for certain because I haven't read every romance book out there, I'm going to put it out there that obviously this is true, but that I have read my very generous share so I'm not entirely uninformed.

Romance novels, to me, are an exploration into the most vulnerable and truthful part of a person. 

They are as psychological and well thought out as any other type of genre, as romance has the ability to tell stories about people going through one of the greatest emotional roller coasters life can throw at someone. It shows how a basic and primal feeling can affect a person's world in ways no one else would have guessed.

The emotions characters go through in love stories are as exciting to its readers as fight scenes are for fans of action stories. The thrill in romance may not be as obvious or straightforward as in other genres, but it has just as much impact.

Not only that, but romance can have just as much effect on today's culture as anything else. As I mentioned before, love stories usually show the truest form of a character, and it sheds so much light on why some people are the way they are. It opens people's minds to what someone else might be going through behind closed doors. Other genres do the same thing, of course, but I think a lot of the good that the romance genre can do is swept aside,

Romance novels are so much more than the stereotype they're given, and while I may be incredibly biased because of my love for both reading and writing in this genre, I still think that what I've said here needs to be put out in the world. There needs to be a realization that there is nothing inferior about love stories, and that they are just as mind provoking and exciting as any other type of story that people enjoy.

They can be sinful, they can be sappy, but romance novels can also be some of the greatest insights into a character's mind.

So, anyway, I hope this post doesn't seem like I'm just rambling (even though I kind of am), so that people will take me more seriously as a romance writer. I could care less about that, honestly. I just want people to realize that enjoying one genre doesn't make someone any smarter than people who enjoy others.

That's all :)
-CJ

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Why Romance Novels Shouldn't be Considered "Lesser"

I've seen it time and time again throughout my time as both a reader and a writer.

It's the giggles when you tell teenagers you're reading a romance novel, the resounding "ohhhh..." from adults when you tell them the same thing. It's the less enthusiastic congratulations when you tell people your first published novel is primarily a love story.

And it's absolutely ridiculous.

For some reason unknown to me, romance novels/fans/writers are seen as less intellectually significant and culturally important as other types of genres. Romance books are noted as mindless fluff or trashy mom porn when, in reality, the vast majority of these types of stories are anything but. And before anyone can say that I don't know that for certain because I haven't read every romance book out there, I'm going to put it out there that obviously this is true, but that I have read my very generous share so I'm not entirely uninformed.

Romance novels, to me, are an exploration into the most vulnerable and truthful part of a person. 

They are as psychological and well thought out as any other type of genre, as romance has the ability to tell stories about people going through one of the greatest emotional roller coasters life can throw at someone. It shows how a basic and primal feeling can affect a person's world in ways no one else would have guessed.

The emotions characters go through in love stories are as exciting to its readers as fight scenes are for fans of action stories. The thrill in romance may not be as obvious or straightforward as in other genres, but it has just as much impact.

Not only that, but romance can have just as much effect on today's culture as anything else. As I mentioned before, love stories usually show the truest form of a character, and it sheds so much light on why some people are the way they are. It opens people's minds to what someone else might be going through behind closed doors. Other genres do the same thing, of course, but I think a lot of the good that the romance genre can do is swept aside,

Romance novels are so much more than the stereotype they're given, and while I may be incredibly biased because of my love for both reading and writing in this genre, I still think that what I've said here needs to be put out in the world. There needs to be a realization that there is nothing inferior about love stories, and that they are just as mind provoking and exciting as any other type of story that people enjoy.

They can be sinful, they can be sappy, but romance novels can also be some of the greatest insights into a character's mind.

So, anyway, I hope this post doesn't seem like I'm just rambling (even though I kind of am), so that people will take me more seriously as a romance writer. I could care less about that, honestly. I just want people to realize that enjoying one genre doesn't make someone any smarter than people who enjoy others.

That's all :)
​-CJ

How Writing Became my Escape

I know, I know...the title to this sounds like a completely cliche "woe is me, my life was so hard" title, but I'm going to try my absolute hardest not to let this entire post sound that way.

So, to start this off, you will need a little back story to me as a person.

I grew up in a small town in southern Louisiana, a town with people I never truly felt close to. It seemed to me like everyone was into hunting, or high school/LSU football, or whose truck had the tallest tires. I was not into any of these things, and I always felt ostracized because of it. I was into reading, into getting decent grades, and into hanging out with my family and watching Disney Channel on the weekends. I had friends, yes, but I was still the kind of person who'd rather stay at home then go out and do anything. 

And because of this, because of struggles I had that were primarily internal, I turned to writing.

I turned to spending my free time in an alternate world instead of the real world, and for the longest time I was so ashamed of that. I never mentioned to anyone that I wrote, not even to my own mother, because I was embarrassed that I'd rather live inside of my head than in my actual life.

I remember spending entire weekends on this AWFUL floral couch in my bedroom, typing furiously away on an old Dell laptop that would immediately shut down if the charger chord decided to move a certain way. I remember telling my parents that I was playing Sims, or shutting the laptop the second someone walked in. For about five years I hid the fact that I wrote, and still to this day I remember how heartbroken my mom was when I finally told her seconds before she dropped me off at school.

But now that I think about it today, years after the fact, I am so incredibly glad that I didn't tell anyone. 

Having kept my writing a secret, I was able to teach myself without worrying about the curious eye of people in my real life, something that's always affected how I live. I was able to post online anonymously, to get feedback and constructive criticism, and I was able to grow. When I read stuff now that I wrote so long ago I'm mortified, but I know deep down that without having posted that, I'd never be where I am now.

And this isn't me saying that I'm some huge successful author, because John Green I am not, but I am on my journey in that direction and just saying that has been a dream of mine since I was a socially reclusive preteen. 

So, anyway, the purpose of this blog post is, first and foremost, to introduce myself to  whomever dares to read this, but also to share the drive behind my writing. I initially started writing to forget my real life, to forget that I was a chubby, frizzy-haired girl with few friends.

And now, now I write just for the sheer passion of losing myself in a story. I write to relive a state of mind I never thought I'd want to relive, which is that of a thirteen year old confused about who she is. I write to create, to introduce characters that you just have to root for, and to immerse people in the daydreams that I was unable to rid myself of.

I write because that's what I am, a writer, and never in a million years did I think that I'd be confident enough to admit that.

So, there's your little introduction to CJ, a pen name I've had picked out since I was thirteen and come to love and admire ever since.

I hope you like her (me).

--CJ