Joey Paul's Blog, page 242

Inside The Author: How Long Will I Write For?

HOW LONG WILL I WRITE FOR?

I don't think any writer really ever plans how long their career will last. As I've said before, it all depends on how long they can keep the ideas going in addition to other real life commitments. Of course, many writers would prefer that their day job was writing, but it's not always possible for that to happen. Life has a way of getting in the way of the best laid plans, but I always had some idea as to how my writing career would go.

When I was first published, I planned to write ten books; five of the DYING THOUGHTS series and five standalones. It was only a year or so ago when I was writing the last words to my ninth and tenth books that I realised I still had more writing to do. I had plans for my next two books and so I decided I would aim for fifteen books, with the option of going to twenty if I ever hit that target. As it stands now, I have nearly finished my eleventh and twelfth books - in fact by the time this is published, I think I'll be in the beginning chapters of the next two - and I already have more than a small plan for the main plots of my next projects.

I've always said that I will write until I run out of ideas or until someone tells me to stop, and I think that even if someone did say that to me, I wouldn't actually be able to. I've been writing as a job now for the past thirteen years, published for almost ten years, and I'm nowhere near running out of steam. I figure that as long as my health allows it, then I will continue to write, because it's not just a job for me now, it's something I live and breathe for. It's my passion. I get my inspiration from everything and see ideas, characters and plot twists in everyday life, as I'm sure many other writers do. I feel like I still have a number of stories left to tell, a number of characters left to create and breathe life into, and until I get to the point where I'm no longer getting light bulb moments, I plan to keep going.

Of course, that doesn't mean that I'll be continuing the DYING THOUGHTS series forever. As it stands, I thought five  books would be enough to tell Tara's story, but it's turned into eight. All good things must come to an end and although Tara and Kaolin have been with me almost since the beginning of my career, there will come a time when I have to say that they have told all there is to tell and I must close the book on their lives and let them be. I have the idea that it'll be when Tara is in the police force as a paid and trained officer, but even then, I'm not too sure if I'll get to that point.

As for my others books, well I have plans and ideas and one of the projects I will start on soon has the potential to become a two book series or a trilogy. I don't want the book to be a brick, but at the same time I don't want to end it before it's ready, so I'll spend some serious time thinking about whether or not it can be told in one shot or if it needs to be spread out over two or three parts. I won't really know until I start writing and get some idea of how long it will be. That's another part that I really do like about the job, you don't know what's going to happen every day. You can plan and think ahead but sometimes it's not until you're knee deep in a scene that you realise things aren't going to go to plan and you have to take a left turn. It's constantly surprising me and while it continues to do that, I'll continue to write.


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From Joey's Instagram

Because a #writer never sleeps! #beingawriter #joeywrites #indieauthor #writerlife #authorsofinstagram #goals #jowrimogo #authorslifeA photo posted by Joey Paul (@joeybug) on Jul 8, 2016 at 10:57am PDT

[IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A square photo of a white door with a small rectangle sign hung on the door. It's held up with string and is white, with a page from book placed in the middle. On top of the page are the words "I'm not sleeping, I'm plottting!" The caption reads: Because a #writer never sleeps!]

Happy Release Day!! Destination: Unknown is live on Amazon!! #beingawriter #joeywrites #indieauthor #writerlife #authorsofinstagram #authorslife #joeyisanauthor #awesome #youngadultbooks #mysterybooks #paranormalbooksA photo posted by Joey Paul (@joeybug) on Jul 9, 2016 at 3:12am PDT

[IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A square photo of a black phone screen. In the middle if the front cover for Destination: Unknown, which has two train tickets, one is orange and green and reads: "Destination: Unknown" while the other, underneath the right hand corner of the first is brown with "1910" on the edges as well as the words "Joey Paul" in the centre. On the edge of the screen is another cover for a book, though it is not clear what book. The caption reads: Happy Release Day!! Destination: Unknown is live on Amazon!]

So I'm on the writing train lately and feeling good about it. I feel like I'm actually an author today which is a feeling that comes and goes but to celebrate the good here's a #selfie of me after a hard day's work resting in bed with my tablet. Back to work tomorrow! #beingawriter #joeywrites #indieauthor #writerlife #authorsofinstagram #authorslife #joeyisanauthor #awesome #youngadultbooks #joeyhasagremlin #youngadultauthorA photo posted by Joey Paul (@joeybug) on Jul 11, 2016 at 11:38am PDT

[IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A square photo of Joey Paul (me) a cis, female white woman sat up in bed against a rose coloured headboard. She has short brown hair, wire rimmed glasses and is smiling. The caption reads: So I'm on the writing train lately and feeling good about it. I feel like I'm actually an author today which is a feeling that comes and goes, but to celebrate the good here's a selfie of me after a hard day's work resting in bed with my tablet. Back to work tomorrow!]

As always,  I am just starting out with image descriptions, so please do jump in if I've made an error!

Inside The Author: Writing Waiting On You

WRITING WAITING ON YOU 

I started writing WAITING ON YOU in the spring of 2007, I had finished my last book and the idea for a new one was fresh in my mind. I was in a long distance relationship and with the success of the internet, it was becoming commonplace for people to meet online, date and even end up married. I wanted to write a book about two teenagers who came from different walks of life and met online. I wanted it to be my first foray into the world of romance fiction and although I had always stuck with crime plots, it was something I wanted to at least try.

Angelina lived in Keswick in Cumbria, her family were not as loving as they could have been, she had a difficult time with both her sisters and her mother. She also struggled with friends at school and they never had the money for her to do much of anything. She finds her solace and rescue in the form of a computer and internet connection from her Aunt who lives miles away. It's intended to just be a tool to help her with her school work, but it opens up a new world for her - a world of friends and the possibility of escaping her life.

In contrast, Zack is one of six children, living in London, with parents who are at work more than they're home. He has a mountain of responsibility on his shoulders, but has always been afforded the luxury of never worrying whether he will eat. He is surrounded by a loving family and has friends at school as well. He's sixteen, compared to Angelina's fourteen, and is well known in the chat room that they both use and ultimately end up meeting in. Zack takes a shine to Angelina, and eventually they get close and start to date. It's a whirlwind romance and all Zack wants to do is rescue Angelina from her horrific life. Only it's not as easy as it seems and despite his want and need to do the right thing, it doesn't all work out the way he planned.

It was while writing this book that I started to write a second book alongside, a practice I have since adopted as a way that works for me. I found that while I had a lot of ideas about how things could go with the book, getting them down on paper was harder than I had first realised. It did all come together (with a few breaks from writing here and there) and I finally finished the book in the Autumn of 2009. Looking back at the way my own long distance relationship worked out, I'm glad to say that although that relationship ended badly, the one between Angelina and Zack was not affected by that and has a somewhat happier ending... though maybe not the one they both hoped for.

Overall, I did enjoy getting to know both Angelina and Zack and seeing the world through their eyes. It was my first time writing from the point of view of a sixteen year old boy and while I may not have first-hand experience in that, I feel like I did a good job moulding Zack and giving him a voice. The same applies to Angelina. I may not have had the experience of a home life like hers, but I have been fourteen and feeling like the world is caving in around me and that no one would care if I wasn't there. I have also had the joy and relief that comes when you realise that someone does actually care and does want good things for you. For me, it was a friend, for Angelina is was Zack. I hope that in writing their story, I'm able to show that sometimes what you wish for can come true, but it doesn't always happen the way you thought it would. In other words, life gets better and it goes on getting better, you just have to hang on through the tough parts and hold on to people around you who care about you. There is always someone who cares, you may just not have met them yet.


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From Joey's Instagram: Bedrest Edition Part 2

All eight with space for book nine coming July 9th on Kindle and paperback! Something to be said about seeing your creation on a book shelf! #beingawriter #joeywrites #indieauthor #writerlife #authorsofinstagram #goals #bookrelease #authorslife #joeyisanauthorA photo posted by Joey Paul (@joeybug) on Jun 26, 2016 at 9:11pm PDT

[IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A square photograph of a bookshelf with two metal bookends. From left to right, the books are: Dying Thoughts - First Touch; Dying Thoughts - Second Sight;  Dying Thoughts - Third Wish; Dying Thoughts - Fourth Week; Waiting On You; Lynne & Hope; The Friendship Triangle; Blackout. All eight books have the same author: Joey Paul. The caption reads: All eight with space for book nine coming July 9th on Kindle and paperback! Something to be said about seeing your creation on a book shelf!]

Pre order a copy now from Amazon! Following Harriet as she travels in time to right a wrong and solve a murder! #beingawriter #joeywrites #indieauthor #writerlife #authorsofinstagram #bookrelease #authorslife #joeyisanauthorA photo posted by Joey Paul (@joeybug) on Jun 26, 2016 at 9:15pm PDT

[IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A square screenshot of an Amazon page with the book: Destination: Unknown and the words Pre-order price: £1.99. There is a long grey button that says: Pre-order this item today! The caption reads: Pre-order a copy now from Amazon! Following Harriet as she travels in time to right a wrong and solve a murder!]

Still on #bedrest but am ready to get another bonus chapter written! Got my window open and the cool air coming in lovely day to write! #beingawriter #joeywrites #indieauthor #amwriting #authorsofinstagram #writerlife #authorslife #surgery #spoonie #chronicillnessproblems #chronicillnessA photo posted by Joey Paul (@joeybug) on Jun 27, 2016 at 1:02am PDT

[IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A square photograph showing a polka dot duvet with four items positioned on top. A piece of A4 white chapter plan on the right. On the left are blue notecards and a small brown note book. In-between the two is one purple pen and a purple bulldog clip. The caption reads: Still on #bedrest but am ready to get another bonus chapter written! Got my window open and the cool air coming in lovely day to write!]

Last day of #bedrest and another chapter written! I have tomorrow to finish the bonus chapters and then a new month starts! I'll be taking it slow so may end up writing in bed again but we shall see! #beingawriter #writing #indieauthor #joeywrites #chronicillness #spoonie #authorslife #surgery #authorsofinstagram #goals #jowrimogo #joeyisanauthorA photo posted by Joey Paul (@joeybug) on Jun 29, 2016 at 5:46am PDT

[IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A square photograph of a untidy bed cover with polkadots. On top of the cover to the right is a blank Kindle screen, next to that is an A4 white chapter plan. Balancing on top are a purple pen, a brown notepad and a small syringe pen. The caption reads: Last day of #bedrest and another chapter written! I have tomorrow to finish the bonus chapters and then a new month starts! I'll be taking it slow so may end up writing in bed again but we shall see!] 

Work today brought to you by: Tablet, bluetooth keyboard and a bed desk. Well worth the cost as I get so much done in bad days! #beingawriter #joeywrites #indieauthor #amwriting #authorsofinstagram #writerlife #authorslife #surgery #spoonie #chronicillnessproblems #chronicillness #bedrestA photo posted by Joey Paul (@joeybug) on Jun 29, 2016 at 5:48am PDT

[IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A square photo showing a bluetooth black keyboard at the bottom of the frame, the edge of a black bed rest and the white glare of a tablet. The caption reads: Work today brought to you by: Tablet, bluetooth keyboard and a bed desk. Well worth the cost as I get so much done in bad days!] 

As always, I am still learning with image descriptions so any tips or criticisms are greatly appreciated!

Book Launch for Destination: Unknown

Come and join in the fun here at the #DarkerSideOfFiction2017 Facebook Group!

Inside The Author: Eight Down; How Many More To Go?

EIGHT DONE, HOW MANY MORE TO GO?

At the time of writing, I'm working on my fifteenth and sixteenth books, which are both only just started. To answer the question though, I'm not really sure how many books I’ll write before I lay down my keyboard and say that I'm done. I've always joked that I’ll keep writing until I run out of ideas or someone tells me to stop, and despite the fear that I will run out of ideas, it hasn't happened yet.

I usually start planning my next two books when I reach the point with the two I'm working on where I can see how they're going to end and how long it's going to take me to get there: I like to have an idea of where I'm going and what I'll need to do once I finish writing a book. I like being able to close the file on one, and open a new file pretty much immediately. The first words of the book may not be written straight away, but once I have my chapter plan and character notes done, along with any research that I need to do, I'm usually desperate to get started.

Initially, when I first started writing in 2001, I didn't think about how many books I would write. My goal was to write and then try to get one of the finished works published. When BLACKOUT hit the shelves in 2005, I set myself a goal of ten books total. Five of those would make up the DYING THOUGHTS series and another five would be standalone books. I would then release one a year so that I always had a backlog - though that backlog keeps getting smaller each time I release a book! However, when I started writing two books at the same time, I started to get closer and closer to that final number.

When I started writing my ninth and tenth books, I realised that I wasn't quite done with Tara's story and I also wasn't done with writing. I planned to increase the DYING THOUGHTS series to eight books, and continue to write my standalone books. I estimate that by the time this blog post is live, I will be writing the eighth book of Tara's journey. I don't really know where I'll go after that because I don't know how that book will end and if it will take me to the point where I feel that Tara has told her story and it's time to bring it to a close. Of course, since I write two at once, I'll write another handful of standalones which will bring me up to twenty books. I'll leave any decision making about whether or not I'll write more to when I get to that point.

So, the answer is that I really don't know how many more books I'll write. I do worry that one day I will run out of ideas and that Tara will be left waiting, and other characters will have been left in the dust. It's not just about being inspired, it's about having a plot line that can span a book. It's about having a story to tell. I know that I would like to write more books about disabled teens because as someone who became disabled in their late teens, I know how hard it is to find representation in books and I'd like to fix that. I would also like to explore new worlds and go down different paths and I can't do that if I don't write and bring my characters to life. Just as they get to tell their story, I get to go along for the ride, and I'm not done on this ride! Eight rollercoasters done, now onto the next adventure!

Follow Joey here on her blog, on Facebook, or Tumblr to be sure to be kept up to date with the latest news regarding Joey and her books.

From Joey's Instagram: Bedrest edition

Another day of bedrest but managed to get up a little this morning and plan to try and write tomorrow as well as getting the video for the 21st finally up and captioned! Hopefully I will manage it! #beingawriter #joeywrites #indieauthor #writerlife #authorsofinstagram #writing #chronicpain #chronicillness #spoonie #surgery #chronicillnessproblems #bedrestA photo posted by Joey Paul (@joeybug) on Jun 23, 2016 at 5:42am PDT

[IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A square photo showing the view from Joey's bed. The window frame is slightly open and through the window you can see an old row of buildings with sun shining. At the end of the bed are the handles of a walker. Caption reads: Another day of bedrest, but managed to get up a little this morning and plan to try and write tomorrow as well as get the video for the 21st finally up and captioned! Hopefully I will manage it!]

I may be on #bedrest bug I'm still getting some #writing done today! #beingawriter #joeywrites #indieauthor #amwriting #authorsofinstagram #writerlife #authorslife #surgery #spoonie #chronicillnessproblems #chronicillness

Inside The Author: Why I Write Two Books At Once

WHY I WRITE TWO BOOKS AT ONCE 

For all of my adult life, I have been someone who likes to have things in reserve. I don't know whether or not it's linked to my chronic illnesses and my inability to predict from one day to the next how I'll be feeling, or if it's the organised planner in me, but I've always wanted to be ahead and to make sure that when someone asks for something, I have it ready for them. I’m the same with my university work; for every course I’ve done over the past five years, I’ve always gotten at least two weeks ahead of the schedule so that if I were to fall ill, or need to take a week off, I wouldn't spend it worrying about being late or behind with an assignment. I’m the same with my writing.

It didn't start out like that; in the beginning, I was more than happy to be writing one book, never mind two! If I was lucky, a book got written to my own schedule... and then something changed. It was when I was writing WAITING ON YOU. It was 2007 and I’d had the idea for about six months before I put pen to paper, or rather, fingers to keyboard. I got to about chapter eleven before I realised that I had no idea where to take it from there. Now, if you follow my blog, you'll know that I am a planner. I plan everything! I have a chapter plan that I try to follow and I always know where my story is going, or at least where I planned for it to go! Yet, I just sat there as the hours turned to days, and the days to weeks, with no idea how to get from the middle of chapter eleven to the beginning of chapter twelve. I was blocked!

It wasn't like the usual writer's block, or at least it wasn't like my usual writer's block. I had plenty of ideas, I was brimming with them...they just weren't for that book! As well as my standalone books, I write a series called DYING THOUGHTS. I had written the third one and finished it before starting WAITING ON YOU. I usually liked to take a break between those books and write a standalone, which I was doing. Yet, my brain was bombarded with ideas for the fourth DYING THOUGHTS book and I was more than inspired. I swear that I could have written it there and then if I wasn't so determined to finish what I had started.

You see, like any other writer, I had started pieces early on in my career that had never really gone anywhere. I guess I was trying to find my feet and because I'm organised and had never really thought the ideas were so bad they should be dumped, I'd filed them away to use at a later date. One of those because my fifth book, LYNNE & HOPE, and another one has morphed into a book I'm writing now. Anyway, I'm getting off track. So, I have all these ideas, but I'm telling myself that I can't write them because I HAVE to finish WAITING ON YOU. It was like talking to a wall because my brain did not seem to want to accept those messages.

So, I tried to compromise. I wrote out the chapter plan for the fourth DYING THOUGHTS book and put it to one side. I went back to WAITING ON YOU. Nope, wasn't happening. I spoke to friends about it, I called my parents and spoke at length about how this was a real dilemma and I was stuck with no idea what to do. It was my friend Libby who eventually found the answer. She said that I should write the first eleven chapters of the other book and then go back to WAITING ON YOU and see if that helped get the ideas out of my head, clearing the way for me to finish chapter eleven. I thought about it for only a minute or two before agreeing that it was the best way forward.

You know what happened after I wrote up to chapter eleven of the fourth DYING THOUGHTS book? The writer's block for WAITING ON YOU cleared up as if it was an infection and I'd thrown major antibiotics at it. It was GONE! So, I was finally able to write the ending to chapter eleven and start, and finish, chapter twelve. Problem solved, right?

WRONG! Once I got to chapter thirteen, I was dying to write some more of the other book. So, I went back to Libby and she told me to try writing them side by side. Do two chapters of one and then do two of another. At this point, my second book hadn't been published and so I was writing books seven and eight. I did as she suggested and bam! I was writing and writing, switching after two chapters and getting chapter after chapter written. I never got the plots mixed up. I never found myself desperate to write part of the other, and it worked for me.

So, when I finally finished the book, it was 2010 and I was just about to have book two published under the Bug Books indie label. I planned to release one book a year, but with so many in "standby" as it were, we decided to release books three and four in early 2012 with book five coming in the summer of 2012. After that I realised that with five books released, I had very little back up. As I said at the beginning of this piece, I like to have something in reserve and because it had worked so well before, and also because I had ideas for another two books banging around my head, I decided to continue to write two books at once.

I am now working on books eleven and twelve. I am happy with the arrangement, and although I still only release one book a year, that may change if I get to the point where I have a large backlog. It gives me a chance to work on a DYING THOUGHTS book alongside a standalone and although I still get writer's block, I usually find that switching after two chapters allows my mind to not get too far ahead of itself, and keep the ideas coming. I know that a lot of writers work on more than one piece of work at a time and I think that if it works for you, then why not do it? After all, as the saying goes, if it ain't broke, why change it?


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Inside The Author:How I Juggle Chronic Illness & Writing

HOW I JUGGLE CHRONIC ILLNESS & WRITING 

I have several chronic conditions and they’re the reason why I pursued writing as a career. I thought that an interesting piece for this blog book tour would be how I manage to juggle being chronically ill while still managing to write. As with most chronic conditions, I have good days and bad days. I even have some bloody awful days. I spend time at the hospital for both appointments and inpatient stays. I see numerous doctors and I will probably never be well enough to hold down a "conventional" job again.

Before I talk about how I manage to write whilst being chronically ill, I should really give you a little information on the main three conditions that affect my life. I have Type One Brittle Asthma, which is a rare form of asthma that affects only 1500 people in the UK. It causes me to have attacks daily, and I am on numerous medications to try and control it, though they’re not very good at doing that. I also have Myalgic Encephalopathy, also known as M.E. This causes me to have cognitive problems, as well as crushing fatigue and many other symptoms. Alongside those two, I have Fibromyalgia, which I'm sure you know is responsible for a lot of the chronic pain I have. On a scale of one to ten, with one being nothing and ten being the worst pain imaginable, I usually sit around a five or six daily. I take medications for all of these conditions and they have a huge impact  upon my day-to-day life. I use a wheelchair 99% of the time and require round the clock care.

As I’ve said previously, being retired from my previous job at the age of nineteen on medical grounds is the reason why I became a writer. Facing a life of nothing but daytime TV and hobbies, I turned to writing as a way to fill the gaps. That was nearly fourteen years ago and I haven't looked back since. However, writing has its own trials and demands and as a disabled person, some of them I’m just unable to meet. Take this blog book tour; it is only something I could dream of doing because I am not required to travel and appear somewhere in person. Doing it online allows me to write the pieces in advance and takes into account that I can't predict how I'll be feeling tomorrow, let alone in six weeks time. Part of being chronically ill is accepting that although you WANT to do something, your body will not always ALLOW you to do so.

I love writing because it is something I can do whenever I feel I am able. I’m an indie author and work to my own schedule. There are no deadlines to meet, or at least the deadlines are flexible, and it allows me to be productive without damaging my already fragile health. I do work to my own deadlines though; I do something called a "Monthly Sticky Post" on a private journal, where I set myself four chapters every month, two for each book. At first, I tried to go for eight, not realising that I would almost never be able to reach that goal. I would struggle and find myself getting annoyed that I couldn't do something as simple as write. The constant frustration was not good for my mental health. So I made it four, and sometimes I don't even get those done. Other times, I have managed an extra four, something I call my "bonus chapters”. Only once have I gone further than that and managed to do twelve chapters, six of each book, in a two week period.

I am no longer able to write by hand; the Fibromyalgia and M.E have caused weakness and muscle cramps in my hands that mean I can't grip a pen for anything more than a signature. To overcome this, I type my books. There was a time in the early years of my career where I would hand write each chapter and then type it up and edit it as I went. However, I do like being able to write anywhere, and so I brought a laptop, and I recently purchased a tablet that has a large enough screen for me to still type with two hands. This means that when I go into hospital, I can take my notes and my tablet and have everything there for me in case I feel well enough, or am struck my the lighting of inspiration.

I manage my writing alongside my conditions quite well, although I do find it frustrating when I'm too ill to write and I get inspired. It is not unheard of for me to dictate a note to myself to do something with at a later date. Thankfully, this is the age of smart phone, apps, email and many other modern inventions that allow someone like me to work when they are able, and sometimes even when they're not. It's all about finding the balance and making it work. I know that even though I may not be able to do everything I used to be able to do, I will always be a writer, and I will keep writing until I run out of ideas!

Follow Joey here on her blog, on Facebook, or Tumblr to be sure to be kept up to date with the latest news regarding Joey and her books.

From Joey's Instagram

A #writer in the middle of a good scene. No character is safe from my killer keyboard! #beingawriter #joeywrites #indieauthor #amwriting #authorsofinstagram #wheelchairuser #oxygenuser #writerlife #authorslife #crimeauthorA photo posted by Joey Paul (@joeybug) on Jun 8, 2016 at 5:05am PDT

[IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A photo of Joey Paul (me) a cis, white female with short brown hair. She is sat in a manual chair, with her arms resting on the wheels. She is wearing a khaki shirt and blue jeans. She has wire rimmed glasses, an oxygen cannula on her face and is smiling. Over her left shoulder is a black strap that leads to a small bag hanging over the right wheel, with two thin tubes coming from the bag and under her shirt. She is sat in a room filled with various office-like things, with a corkboard behind her with various notices on it. The caption reads: A #writer in the middle of a good scene. No character is safe from my killer keyboard! #beingawriter #joeywrites #indieauthor #amwriting #authorsofinstagram #wheelchairuser #oxygenuser #writerlife #authorslife #crimeauthor.]