Cameron Darrow's Blog, page 19
June 20, 2019
Voice and POV
I like to think I have a distinct authorial voice, or at least that I am well along in the process of forming one. I don't know what it is exactly, as I don't actively think about it while I'm writing. I try to inject wit and a dash of insight into my work, making the prose itself enjoyable to read.
But as I continue to write the Ashes books, I have become much more aware of my character's voices, and making each of their POV's distinctive. I want the reader to know exactly whose scene it is without even having to read the name that pops up most frequently. This is why, for me, it's hard to write from more than one character's POV in a day. Usually, it's a Millie day or a Pretoria day, so I can really stay in that groove and speak with their voice more authoritatively, without having to go back and re-write whole swaths of it.
In this way, I find Victoria the easiest to write. She's difficult in many ways, but in the manner she speaks, the words she chooses to use, either in dialogue or in prose, she's quite distinct, and I enjoy it when she grows a bit pompous, leaving it up to Millie or Katya to take the piss out of her a bit. Katya, on the other hand, is trickier, since while she is well-educated, English is still her second language.
But as the series goes on and the characters grow and change, so must their voices, and so must I to keep up with them. One of the things about writing novels (and a series in particular) is that it takes a long time, and I change over that time, as well, and so maintaining a consistent voice as an author even as I and the characters both change over the course of months and years is an interesting challenge.
But as I continue to write the Ashes books, I have become much more aware of my character's voices, and making each of their POV's distinctive. I want the reader to know exactly whose scene it is without even having to read the name that pops up most frequently. This is why, for me, it's hard to write from more than one character's POV in a day. Usually, it's a Millie day or a Pretoria day, so I can really stay in that groove and speak with their voice more authoritatively, without having to go back and re-write whole swaths of it.
In this way, I find Victoria the easiest to write. She's difficult in many ways, but in the manner she speaks, the words she chooses to use, either in dialogue or in prose, she's quite distinct, and I enjoy it when she grows a bit pompous, leaving it up to Millie or Katya to take the piss out of her a bit. Katya, on the other hand, is trickier, since while she is well-educated, English is still her second language.
But as the series goes on and the characters grow and change, so must their voices, and so must I to keep up with them. One of the things about writing novels (and a series in particular) is that it takes a long time, and I change over that time, as well, and so maintaining a consistent voice as an author even as I and the characters both change over the course of months and years is an interesting challenge.
June 15, 2019
Remember, November Free This Weekend!
I am giving away Remember, November, the first book in my lesbian urban/historical fantasy series From the Ashes of Victory, free this weekend, from today until Monday!
Magic, mystery and a sweet, budding romance set in Britain in the immediate aftermath of WWI, it's about daring to forge something beautiful in an ugly time by finding the truth within yourself.
With an all-female cast of characters, join Millie Brown and the other witches of ADAM as they struggle to keep together the only family they have left after the destruction caused by the First World War: each other. With her best friend missing and fearing her feelings for the beguiling witch Elise as much as the possibility she will be forced to return to France, it will be up to Millie to re-assemble her Coven and make it stronger than ever or lose it for good.
I hope you enjoy it! If you do, I would really appreciate it if you could leave a review. It would mean a lot.
Magic, mystery and a sweet, budding romance set in Britain in the immediate aftermath of WWI, it's about daring to forge something beautiful in an ugly time by finding the truth within yourself.
With an all-female cast of characters, join Millie Brown and the other witches of ADAM as they struggle to keep together the only family they have left after the destruction caused by the First World War: each other. With her best friend missing and fearing her feelings for the beguiling witch Elise as much as the possibility she will be forced to return to France, it will be up to Millie to re-assemble her Coven and make it stronger than ever or lose it for good.
I hope you enjoy it! If you do, I would really appreciate it if you could leave a review. It would mean a lot.
June 14, 2019
"I've Wiped the Internet!?"
In Eddie Izzard's 1997 comedy special Glorious, he talks about people who have Techno Joy versus people who have Techno Fear. That is, people who embrace technology and rush headlong into it, learning everything they can, early adopters, etc. And then the people who have Techno Fear, who sit down at a computer and are afraid to click on anything for fear of somehow erasing their hard drives or the entire internet.
I know I need to learn how to use Twitter and other tools more effectively as part of my 'trying to be better at promotion' thing, but every time I try to wade into it, I get the Techno Fear. It all just seems so overwhelming, with the hashtags and the subtweets (and the screaming) and the other things that shouldn't start with 'the' but do now because I can quote verbatim from a 22-year-old comedy special that I bought on CD from a store I walked into. With cash!
Hello, fellow kids!
I know I need to learn how to use Twitter and other tools more effectively as part of my 'trying to be better at promotion' thing, but every time I try to wade into it, I get the Techno Fear. It all just seems so overwhelming, with the hashtags and the subtweets (and the screaming) and the other things that shouldn't start with 'the' but do now because I can quote verbatim from a 22-year-old comedy special that I bought on CD from a store I walked into. With cash!
Hello, fellow kids!
June 11, 2019
I'm Back
Hello all, it's been awhile. Longer than I expected, and certainly longer than I wanted. First off, I want to wish a happy Pride Month to all of my readers! I know it's already halfway over, and I apologize.
The last few months have been the hardest mentally I've had since I started publishing books. It's taken a lot to get to the point where I can post here again, or feel like have anything worthwhile to say. The little flashes of my last posts proved to be temporary, and I found myself questioning everything all over again. All of my choices, my motivation, the simple ability to put one word after another... none of it worked, or felt right.
But I didn't give up.
So, as you can see, all of my books have new covers! Even the Eili short! I learned a lot, gained new skills and an appreciation for just how much work goes into making effective ones. I hope that proves to be the case for mine, I'm very happy with how they came out. What do you think? I will have more posts on the topic of making them later.
Those are only the first of the changes I will be making, however. There are more coming, including me being more active here, and trying to do a better job of engaging with my readership.
Though it seems there are dark clouds swirling no matter where you look these days, I personally am feeling more hopeful than I have in a while. Taking stock, and looking back at how far I'd fallen makes me appreciate how far I've come, and puts the wind to my back to keep climbing.
If you've been waiting to hear from me, thank you for your patience. If you're just finding me, welcome. I have a lot in store for you.
The last few months have been the hardest mentally I've had since I started publishing books. It's taken a lot to get to the point where I can post here again, or feel like have anything worthwhile to say. The little flashes of my last posts proved to be temporary, and I found myself questioning everything all over again. All of my choices, my motivation, the simple ability to put one word after another... none of it worked, or felt right.
But I didn't give up.
So, as you can see, all of my books have new covers! Even the Eili short! I learned a lot, gained new skills and an appreciation for just how much work goes into making effective ones. I hope that proves to be the case for mine, I'm very happy with how they came out. What do you think? I will have more posts on the topic of making them later.
Those are only the first of the changes I will be making, however. There are more coming, including me being more active here, and trying to do a better job of engaging with my readership.
Though it seems there are dark clouds swirling no matter where you look these days, I personally am feeling more hopeful than I have in a while. Taking stock, and looking back at how far I'd fallen makes me appreciate how far I've come, and puts the wind to my back to keep climbing.
If you've been waiting to hear from me, thank you for your patience. If you're just finding me, welcome. I have a lot in store for you.
May 2, 2019
Update Update
Looking back at my last few posts, they all kind of say the same thing, I noticed. It's all still true, though, so I will be cutting back on updates for awhile. It's a very sloggy stage I'm in at the moment, and nothing is really happening, just progressing in little increments, and I don't want to spam your feed with the same thing over and over.
When things really get cooking, or I have some refined bit of genius to drop (sarcasm, am I right?), I will make a post, but right now, nothing visible is happening, and I don't want to be a bore.
Things are going, and I'll be back, rest assured, but for now, I will leave you in peace.
When things really get cooking, or I have some refined bit of genius to drop (sarcasm, am I right?), I will make a post, but right now, nothing visible is happening, and I don't want to be a bore.
Things are going, and I'll be back, rest assured, but for now, I will leave you in peace.
April 25, 2019
3 x 3
So, when I said I was going all-in on the Ashes books again, I meant it more than I knew at the time.
Right now, I'm still working on the covers for the first three, and maybe even the fourth, since I have a handle on what that book is, even if it doesn't have a title yet.
More importantly, I am working on outlining the next three (3!) books in the series. It's as overwhelming as it is freeing. I'll have an idea for Book V, which leads to something for VI, which I can plant the seeds for in IV, it's crazy. I've always had a plan for the overall arc od the series, but not sat down and worked on any level of detail for anything other than the current one. Does doing it this way mean they'll be out faster? Dunno. We'll have to see how it goes. I hope so.
After falling into the pit of despondency where I didn't want to do anything, I've managed to crawl my way back out, and now it's three covers and three outlines, all at the same time.
Never give up, never surrender.
Right now, I'm still working on the covers for the first three, and maybe even the fourth, since I have a handle on what that book is, even if it doesn't have a title yet.
More importantly, I am working on outlining the next three (3!) books in the series. It's as overwhelming as it is freeing. I'll have an idea for Book V, which leads to something for VI, which I can plant the seeds for in IV, it's crazy. I've always had a plan for the overall arc od the series, but not sat down and worked on any level of detail for anything other than the current one. Does doing it this way mean they'll be out faster? Dunno. We'll have to see how it goes. I hope so.
After falling into the pit of despondency where I didn't want to do anything, I've managed to crawl my way back out, and now it's three covers and three outlines, all at the same time.
Never give up, never surrender.
April 18, 2019
Falling In Love Again
I've finally managed to work myself back to the point I can read everything that I've written for Book IV, and it feels wonderful. I love these characters and this world I'm creating, and now I'm itching to dive back into it. All the other stuff is still going on, but now I know that I need to work on things like the covers to do the characters justice. They deserve to have their stories read, and I am not only responsible for writing them, but making sure that they do. More than my own hard work, I feel like I owe them that.
It's weird, I know, and maybe not the most professional way to think about it, but I'm sentimental that way. Maybe when I'm putting out novel number fifteen or something I might be a bit more detached and objective, but for right now, no one knows who I am, and I have the freedom to find my own way of getting done what needs to be done. And what I want to get done.
So it's full-bore back into the Ashes books. Everything else has returned to the back burner (three! outlines for new stories, though!). Victoria, Katya, Millie and the others have resumed their rightful places at the top of my mind, and in my heart.
But so was the light."
- excerpt from 'The Fires of Winter'
It's weird, I know, and maybe not the most professional way to think about it, but I'm sentimental that way. Maybe when I'm putting out novel number fifteen or something I might be a bit more detached and objective, but for right now, no one knows who I am, and I have the freedom to find my own way of getting done what needs to be done. And what I want to get done.
So it's full-bore back into the Ashes books. Everything else has returned to the back burner (three! outlines for new stories, though!). Victoria, Katya, Millie and the others have resumed their rightful places at the top of my mind, and in my heart.
...
"As little control as she had when the darkest parts of her asserted themselves, she welcomed the reminder of just how much light there still was. The darkness was still there, of course. It would be waiting for her tomorrow, and every day going forward. It would always be there because it was part of who she was, of who she had become.But so was the light."
- excerpt from 'The Fires of Winter'
April 11, 2019
Work Proceeds Apace
Not much of an update this week; in a very similar place to last week, if I'm honest. Still doing the same things, lots of YouTube tutorials and advice columns.
Trying to separate the good advice from the... not bad, really, but less helpful is hard. There is some I got earlier that I shouldn't have listened to, and some I really should have. Getting as many points of view as possible, and then looking for consistency among them.
It sort of feels like the pre-MIrrors launch thing where lots is happening, but you just can't see it and it's not terribly interesting to read about.
Currently working on:
New Covers
Status: eyes bleeding from sifting through thousands upon thousands of stock photos; learning how to use GIMP more effectively, and about cover composition and psychology.
Book IV
Status: Nibbling away at it at the moment. Working on outlining. Not in full-fledged writing production yet, though. That massive creative burst I had was a few specific scenes from random places in the story, chunks mostly from Acts I and III. Act II is still very much under construction. Yes, I've cried already. But happy or sad? Who knows? Well, I do, but... hey, look, it's the next topic!
Other Projects
I'm experimenting with actively working on more than one project at a time, for when Ashes isn't working, or I need a break from it. I've always been a one-track, deep-dive kind of writer, we'll see if I can multitask.
Status: Broad outline, main character names and a tentative title already decided. Standalone story, and much shorter than any of the Ashes books. Aiming for 80,000-ish words, at most. Lighter and more fun, but still sincere and heartfelt. It's a fantasy with a lesbian romance at its heart, but not a historical one this time.
So, that's where I am at the moment! Maybe I'll make this update style regular, depending on if I get enough done to make it worthwhile, and how the multitasking goes.
Trying to separate the good advice from the... not bad, really, but less helpful is hard. There is some I got earlier that I shouldn't have listened to, and some I really should have. Getting as many points of view as possible, and then looking for consistency among them.
It sort of feels like the pre-MIrrors launch thing where lots is happening, but you just can't see it and it's not terribly interesting to read about.
Currently working on:
New Covers
Status: eyes bleeding from sifting through thousands upon thousands of stock photos; learning how to use GIMP more effectively, and about cover composition and psychology.
Book IV
Status: Nibbling away at it at the moment. Working on outlining. Not in full-fledged writing production yet, though. That massive creative burst I had was a few specific scenes from random places in the story, chunks mostly from Acts I and III. Act II is still very much under construction. Yes, I've cried already. But happy or sad? Who knows? Well, I do, but... hey, look, it's the next topic!
Other Projects
I'm experimenting with actively working on more than one project at a time, for when Ashes isn't working, or I need a break from it. I've always been a one-track, deep-dive kind of writer, we'll see if I can multitask.
Status: Broad outline, main character names and a tentative title already decided. Standalone story, and much shorter than any of the Ashes books. Aiming for 80,000-ish words, at most. Lighter and more fun, but still sincere and heartfelt. It's a fantasy with a lesbian romance at its heart, but not a historical one this time.
So, that's where I am at the moment! Maybe I'll make this update style regular, depending on if I get enough done to make it worthwhile, and how the multitasking goes.
April 4, 2019
Fixing What Broke
Failing hurts. A lot. It's dispiriting, discouraging, and can be quite the crater to have to climb out from. But it can also be very motivating. Yes, it's a lot of work to get back to where you started, but at least you're not in the dark anymore.
It's made me be a lot less precious about things, and more willing to break apart what I've been doing and look at it critically. Made me think and analyze. I think I've figured out some of the problems I've been having, and have been force-feeding myself paths to the solutions. It's hard to be objective, but I'm trying. I've already learned a lot, and continue to do so.
It's all forward progress, and at the very least, I can be proud of myself for trying to fix things, rather than just complaining or worse, giving up.
I know the last few posts have had similar themes and topics, but that's where I'm at right now. Building new foundations under a house that's already there is hard, and tricky, and takes time. Lots of levitation and frantic shoveling.
But the cherry blossoms are out, the air is warmer, and the return of the sun might just also be the light at the end of the tunnel.
It's made me be a lot less precious about things, and more willing to break apart what I've been doing and look at it critically. Made me think and analyze. I think I've figured out some of the problems I've been having, and have been force-feeding myself paths to the solutions. It's hard to be objective, but I'm trying. I've already learned a lot, and continue to do so.
It's all forward progress, and at the very least, I can be proud of myself for trying to fix things, rather than just complaining or worse, giving up.
I know the last few posts have had similar themes and topics, but that's where I'm at right now. Building new foundations under a house that's already there is hard, and tricky, and takes time. Lots of levitation and frantic shoveling.
But the cherry blossoms are out, the air is warmer, and the return of the sun might just also be the light at the end of the tunnel.
March 28, 2019
Change is Coming
Still not quite back on my feet yet, but I've made a list of things I'm changing to help right the ship. All three books in the Ashes series will be getting new covers, and that's where my focus is at the moment. The covers that are there now are what I thought would look neat, but they clearly haven't done the job in getting people to check out what's inside, so I'm going back to square one and really looking into cover design and how to do it. I have to make them myself, so I have a lot to learn.
Writing-wise, I still haven't been able to look at Book IV very hard. The release of Mirrors has messed me up more than I thought, and I'm still gunshy about pouring myself full-force into it yet. I will, have no doubt, just not yet. Meanwhile, I've pulled something off of the back burner to work on so that I can keep my writer brain active, rather that sinking entirely into all the marketing stuff. It's very different tonally from the Ashes books, much lighter (with more swears. So many swears), but still about a magic-slinging girl who fancies other girls. Way breezier, and should be much shorter than the 140,000-word leviathans I've been writing up 'til now.
Those aren't the only changes and happenings, many more are happening behind the scenes, but know that I am still here, and still working. Some will be obvious, some now. But there will be a lot, so I need to get to them. If you're reading this, know that I appreciate it, and thank you for staying.
Writing-wise, I still haven't been able to look at Book IV very hard. The release of Mirrors has messed me up more than I thought, and I'm still gunshy about pouring myself full-force into it yet. I will, have no doubt, just not yet. Meanwhile, I've pulled something off of the back burner to work on so that I can keep my writer brain active, rather that sinking entirely into all the marketing stuff. It's very different tonally from the Ashes books, much lighter (with more swears. So many swears), but still about a magic-slinging girl who fancies other girls. Way breezier, and should be much shorter than the 140,000-word leviathans I've been writing up 'til now.
Those aren't the only changes and happenings, many more are happening behind the scenes, but know that I am still here, and still working. Some will be obvious, some now. But there will be a lot, so I need to get to them. If you're reading this, know that I appreciate it, and thank you for staying.
