Robin Jeffrey's Blog, page 9

Behind the Scenes Sunday

Self-Esteem & Art

Let’s take a peek at the cogs inside the machine and talk about why I write and how I write on Behind the Scenes Sunday! Today I’d like to talk about the relationship between a person’s artistic pursuits and their self-esteem and how not to let failure or success as an artist impact how you feel about yourself.

Failure and success are as fleeting and ephemeral as happiness and sadness. They are not built to last and you shouldn’t hang your worth as a human being on such flimsy hooks. It’s tempting, especially when working in a creative field, to think that doing x, y, or z (landing a literary agent, getting that short story published, hitting fifty 5 star reviews on Goodreads, etc.) will make you feel good about yourself. And it will! But not the kind of good that lasts.

So, what to do? How do you make sure your self-esteem and self-worth doesn’t wax and wane with your career? Here’s a few tips:

Separate yourself from your art. I’ve talked about this before on this blog, but it’s vitally important to separate yourself from your art — you have to accept that you are not your work and your work is not you. That way the success or failure of that work does not directly relate to who you are! I’m not saying it’s bad to have pride in your work, your art. But it is dangerous to let yourself be defined by it. Find joy in creation. Don’t look for joy in the success of your work — find joy in the creation of the work itself. Just like it’s the journey that matters, not the destination, you should get more joy and fulfilment from creating your art than from how it is received by others.Embrace imperfection. Accept that nothing you make will be perfect — because you’re not perfect! Nobody and nothing is. Find beauty in the imperfections of your art and yourself.Celebrate your ‘why’. Make sure to celebrate, not just when your art is well-received, but all the time — celebrate your ‘why’, the reason you are making art in the first place. For me, I write because it connects me with the world and my fellow human beings. It makes me feel good and brings me joy!

As always, if you’re interested in supporting me and my work, thank you: Hungry is the Night, my paranormal romance, is available on all major platforms, as are my classic murder mysteries with scifi twists, The Cadence Turing Mystery series!

Order Your Copies Now!

Author Advice

Daniel Joshua Rubin & Confronting Evil

This brings us to your responsibility as a storyteller. If you are going to confront evil in your story, you must have something to say about it.

27 Essential Principles of Story
by Daniel Joshua rubin

In almost every story ever written, there are ‘good guys’ and ‘bad guys’. There are the protagonists, the characters you are rooting for, whose perspective the reader is inhabiting, and antagonists, characters who do whatever they can to thwart your protagonists and keep them from being happy or getting what they want. These ‘bad guys’ can be as ‘evil’ as a bully on the playground to a bloodthirsty dictator responsible for the deaths of thousands — it depends on what your story demands.

But evil should never be presented in your story for mere shock value. For provocation’s sake alone. For a convenient plot complication.

If you are writing a story where evil, in any form, is being confronted, it is your responsibility as the storyteller to have something to say about that evil. There needs to be a point to it’s inclusion. Otherwise it’s just cheap sensationalism, and that does you, your story, and your reader, no good whatsoever. So think carefully about the ‘bad guy’ in your story, at least as carefully as you do about the ‘hero’.

LESSON LEARNED: GOOD VS EVIL IS MORE THAN JUST A CONVENIENT CONFLICT — IT’S A CHANCE FOR YOU AS AN AUTHOR TO MAKE A STATEMENT.

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The Check-In

Welcome to THE CHECK-IN, where you can get a sneak peek into my writing progress every week! Read on to find out what I’m working on and how things are progressing in my world.

Here’s the breakdown:

Dirty Drinks – The last half of the draft always feels like it drags to me. Not as far as pacing or storytelling or anything like that. Just to actually write. Because, I suppose, as the author I know where everything is headed. So I just want it to be written. I don’t necessarily want to take the time it has to take to write it. I just want it to be done. Still, I have a few big scenes left to hammer out and then this’ll be 9/10ths completed. So close and yet so far!Fickle Fae – I really wanted to write this story in 3rd Person Limited POV. But it was not to be. Now I’m working on changing what I have to dual 1st person POV. At least I figured it out when it was only about twenty five pages single spaced rather than a hundred! Much easier to change now than later. And, in the end, I think it will work better for the story. That’s the most important thing! Lonely is the Night – I’m getting really comfortable with Caleb’s voice, but still feel a little stilted when writing from Violet’s POV. I think I need to figure out her motivation, her drive a little more clearly in my mind. I need to have a better, firmer understanding of what makes her tick. But, after all, that is what first drafts are for!

Some weeks the writing is a slog — it’s a lot of hard work and every word is a struggle to get down onto the page. Some weeks it’s harder to stop writing than anything else because you are so inspired. This past week was a mixture of the two. I felt very inspired by certain scenes in certain pieces on certain days, but sometimes the muse was just not with me. But I showed up and did the work all the same!

LESSON OF THE WEEK: SHOWING UP IS 90% OF THE JOB!

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Behind the Scenes Sunday

Friends & Family

Let’s take a peek at the cogs inside the machine and talk about why I write and how I write on Behind the Scenes Sunday! Today I’d like to talk about the importance of having supportive friends and family when you are pursuing a career in the creative arts.

I’ve talked before about how lonely writing can be. Really, any artistic pursuit can feel a bit isolating at times, especially if you are attempting to turn it into a career. It’s important when you start to live a creative life, when you commit to writing or painting or signing or whatever as more than just a hobby, that you have a good support network around you.

I would not be where I am today without the support of my friends and family. More than just being cheerleaders to me, they have been business advisors, therapists, public relations managers, editors, beta readers — anything I have needed, they have been there, ready to lend a hand, shoulder, or ear.

I have also worked hard to build a support network for myself. It’s hard for an introvert like myself, but I have intentionally put myself out there and tried to create connections with other writers and other artists who are going through the same things I am, partially because it’s good for me, but also because it’s good to give back. Once you have been given love and support, you want to give it to other people too, like a gift.

As always, if you’re interested in supporting me and my work, thank you: Hungry is the Night, my paranormal romance, is available on all major platforms, as are my classic murder mysteries with scifi twists, The Cadence Turing Mystery series!

Order Your Copies Now!

Subscribe to Robin’s Newsletter!

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Author Advice

Chuck Wendig & Cause/Effect

…the complications of each scene result[s] in the one following — therefore, a thing happens. But, the opposite occurs. Because of, indicating consequence. But never merely: and then.

The Kick Ass Writer
by Chuck Wendig

When I first began to write novel length stories, I struggled a lot with pacing and flow. I was consistently told that my work felt meandering, that there was no drive through the plot, that characters lacked agency, and a whole host of other valid criticisms. I could tell as well that my stories weren’t flowing the way I wanted them too, but I couldn’t figure out what I was doing wrong.

An editor I was lucky enough to work with enlightened me one glorious day by explaining that my scenes where just that — discrete, separate moments, placed next to each other narratively but with no driving link actually stitching them together. They were great scenes! By themselves. But why one lead to the next and then to the next was totally unclear.

I was and then-ing.

My writing levelled up that day. You can’t just string moments together in a story and expect the reader to follow along. You have to give them a reason, a propulsion, a flow to coast on. Cause and effect. Why does this scene lead to the next? Usually it is one of the three connecting thoughts that Wendig has provided us with above: therefore, but, or because of.

LESSON LEARNED: WHEN PLOTTING, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO CONNECT EACH SCENE WITH SOMETHING MORE THAN “AND THEN”. IF YOU CAN’T, A REWRITE IS IN ORDER!

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The Check-In

Welcome to THE CHECK-IN, where you can get a sneak peek into my writing progress every week! Read on to find out what I’m working on and how things are progressing in my world.

Here’s the breakdown:

Dirty Drinks – This novella is beginning to take on it’s final form! I’m going to have to decide on an ending pretty soon — something more specific than “and they lived happily ever after”. I always struggle with endings, so I’ve been avoiding thinking too much about how this story is going to actually wrap up. Hopefully I’ll come to grips with something soon!Fickle Fae – Exciting news! I realized that I had the perfect excuse to start working on Fickle Fae again – I’m going to turn it into my 2nd Chance Anthology Submission! It’s perfect, it was already going to be a second chance romance and now I have a place to submit it when it’s done. It does mean ramping up the heat level, but I think I’m at peace with that notion.Lonely is the Night – I’ve set a new deadline for myself as far as the third Night book is concerned. I’m going to do my damndest to get it finished and submitted to my publisher by the middle of June! And that means I need to get writing on it now. No more breaks, just putting my head down and work, work, working!

All in all, I didn’t get as much writing as I was hoping done this past week – but I got damn close, and I think that’s still worth celebrating! Besides that, I’m on the verge of being able to share some very exciting publishing news with y’all (could it be about The Night, Book 2: Bloody is the Night? Stay tuned!) and I’m looking forward to my last signing event of the year here in a few weeks. 2023 has been a crazy year and I have the distinct impression it isn’t going to go quietly…

LESSON OF THE WEEK: HAVING GOALS IS ADMIRABLE, BUT BEING FLEXIBLE IS ESSENTIAL.

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Advent Calendar Giveaway!

Every day until Christmas is a new opportunity to win!

It’s Christmas every day with this romantic Advent Calendar giveaway. Twenty-five authors have teamed up to bring you over $550 worth of prizes. Every day another door opens and another giveaway chance for you to win!

Each day, return to the site to click on the calendar and open the door to another fantastic prize. Be swept away this holiday season by gripping romance, pampering treats, cozy gifts, and an amazing offer hidden inside the calendar.

Once again, that link! https://ellenmint.blog/advent-calendar/

The giveaway is sponsored by these wonderful authors:

Ellen Mint • Melissa McClone • Kara Kendrick • Jordyn Kross • Totally Entwined Group • Heather DiAngelis • Tracy Sumner • Seelie Kay • Kristian Parker • Tracy Krimmer • Cass Scotka • Kat Turner • S J Coles • Sara Ohlin • Karenna Colcroft • H.M. Shander • Katherine Grant • Charissa Gracyk • C. J. Burright • Serena James Chase • Robin Jeffrey • Megan Slayer • Ella J. Smyth • Rosanna Leo • V.J. Allison

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Demystifying Mystery Writing with Robin Jeffrey

Learn how to craft a compelling, taut mystery from start to finish! The secret is in your characters: understanding what makes them tick as individuals and how they relate to each other. By the end of this course students will:

– Feel empowered to write their own mystery novels/short stories

– Understand the importance of characters in any compelling mystery

– Have tools to create characters that fit in their mystery plot

– Be able to plot their own mystery novels/short stories

Keep readers guessing without needing to be a criminal mastermind! This 2 week workshop runs from February 5th 2024 to February 19th 2024.

Sign up today!

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The Check-In

Welcome to THE CHECK-IN, where you can get a sneak peek into my writing progress every week! Read on to find out what I’m working on and how things are progressing in my world.

Here’s the breakdown:

Dirty Drinks – WOOOOOOOOAAAAAHHHHH WE’RE HALFWAY THERE! wooooAAAAHHH! LIVING ON A PRAYER! Dirty Drinks hit the halfway mark and then some and I can’t wait to finish up the second part of the novella. This one is steamy, folks! You have been forewarned!Fickle Fae – I haven’t written more on Fickle Fae, but I’ve been really pleased by the responses I’ve gotten to the few excerpts I’ve posted online as part of #TuesdayTeaser time. With that in mind, I think I’m going to put some more work into this soon and see how it shapes up. Other Projects – As I work on getting Dirty Drinks finished by a self-imposed deadline of the beginning of January, I’m letting other projects fall to the wayside for a bit. We’ll see if that’s a smart thing to do or not, but for now it feels like the right thing to do!

I’m still trying to get back on the horse with my daily writing routine after a hectic fall book tour schedule, but I think I’m on the right track. I don’t feel like I have the focus that I did at the midpoint of the year. Not quite sure how to fix that. I’m as determined as ever to make this full-time writer thing work, however, and that means keeping my fingers to the keys!

LESSON OF THE WEEK: PROGRESS ISN’T LINEAR AND THAT’S OKAY!

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Black Friday Freebie!

Get ready to make the most out of Black Friday! Kickstart the holiday season with a free romance e-book that will transport you into a dangerous world just beneath our own – the world of “The Night”. Indulge in some steamy seasonal reading and get swept away in the magic of romance. Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity to enjoy some quality time with a good book. You’ve done shopping for everyone else — this one’s for you!

Before the Night

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