Laura Winter's Blog, page 6

A Look Inside: The Writer’s Mind

Ever wondered what goes into my writing or what my books are like? I’ve gathered a few questions from social media to give you a look inside my writing mind.

What's your favourite type of writing environment?

I love a space that has minimal distractions. Usually that means my office, because it’s my safe space. I’ve worked at coffee shops and libraries before but I just get better work done when I’m in a comfortable area!

What's your favourite point of view to write from?

If you had asked me th...

A Look Inside: Writing to Music

Some writers love writing to music, other’s can’t focus with it and need silence. Some have specific playlists, others can just throw their library on shuffle. Some use instrumental focus music, others can listen to lyrics.

From the beginning, I’ve been a little bit of all of these. Mostly, it depends on what I’m writing. Sometimes I can write to music, other times I get so lost in the flow that I forget to even press play. I thought I’d share a little bit about the music behind the books.

Blue St...

The Curse of Broken Shadows: Pronunciations

Okay, I’ve gotten this question a lot of times, and with some pestering from my husband, I’ve attempted to do a pronunciation guide for some of the words I’ve made up in my Smoke and Shadows series!

Please forgive me, but I don’t know how to do the traditional ‘pronunciation’ symbols and such so I did my best to make it easy on both of us. Below you’ll find the guide for locations, herbs, people, animals, and the other languages used in this series. At some point, I’ll try to do a video to speak ...

Character Interview: Brela

Sometimes I like to go through these types of interview questions when I’m creating a character. It really helps to get to know them and see how their mind works. It can also help me get in the mindset of writing them - almost like asking these questions allows me to become that character and write them more effectively.

Brela was one of the first characters that I actually went a lot further than the basics, especially because I had her entire backstory planned out before I wrote the first book....

A Look Inside: Pinterest Board Inspiration

Oh, Pinterest is a dangerous tool for writers. We can get completely lost going through photos creating mood boards and looking for inspiration. Still, this is a wonderful tool for writers.

I’ve definitely been known to waste some time on this site, though not as much during the middle of writing series. This process usually kickstarts my writing mood as I look for ideas, themes, and general character aesthetics. Having some foundation before I go write makes for a smoother process, especially wh...

Excerpt: The Bones of Crystal Sand

For those who are (im)patiently waiting for the sequel of The Curse of Broken Shadows to be written and released (I swear I’m working on it when I can, new baby takes priority though!), I might have a little something to tide you over.

I’ve been working on the prequel to TCOBS as well. It’s available on Amazon for just $0.99!

The prequel is a collection of stories from Brela’s past, following some of her time in Valisea and her adventures as an assassin. We’ll see some of our favorite characters, ...

A Look Inside: Writer Process

Last blog, I gave you a look at my Passion Planner and how I manage my personal and work time. Well, let’s dive in a little more with the writing process that I have! If you’re interested in how I go from idea to finished book, this is definitely a good look at what I do behind the scenes.

1. Do you write your first draft by hand, or digitally?

Almost always, the majority of my first draft is done digitally. I use Scrivener as my writing app but whenever I have an idea and I’m not near my computer...

A Look Inside: Passion Planner

It’s no secret I love my Passion Planner. I use it for absolutely everything - life and business especially. From keeping track of my personal goals to managing my writing life and social media presence, this planner is my life saver. I’ve got this sucker on my desk and open constantly, helping me stay focused on the things that matter.

How do I use it exactly? Well, I’ll walk you through some of my spreads!

...

Happy Release Day, Star Supernova!

It’s finally here! Happy release day to Star Supernova, book 2 in the Star series and book 5 in the Blue Star collection.

Grab that book here and tell all of your friends.

How about a little teaser from Chapter 1 to get you excited? We start off this book from Declan’s perspective (yes! a new pov), and it gives a bit of a refresher on what happened at the end of Star Collapsed.

Reminder, if you keep reading, there are spoilers from book 1. You have been warned.

Why did Peritia have to be so fucking ...

Star Supernova: Playlist

The playlist for Star Supernova is finally here!

For those unfamiliar with my debut Soul Series, it’s a tradition to have an accompanying playlist for these books. While the Star Series doesn’t explicitly mention the songs like the Soul Series does, there’s still a playlist that goes along with the book!

I’m so excited for the release of Supernova (May 21) and I think you guys will really enjoy the powers in this one! It’s explosive and wonderful, just like this awesome playlist. I go into detail ...