Gwen Gardner's Blog, page 3

IWSG: God Bless Us, Everyone!

It's the first Wednesday of the month and it's time for the Insecure Writer's Support Group post! If you'd like to join, go HERE. 
Thanks to our host Alex Cavanaugh, and this month's co-hosts,  Joylene Nowell Butler, Chemist Ken, Natalie Aguirre, Nancy Gideon, and Cathrina Constantine!
This month's optional question is: It's holiday time! Are the holidays a time to catch up or fall behind on writer goals?
I always feel like I'm behind on writer goals. I always want to do so much but life gets in the way. I retired last April, lived in our motorhome for five months while looking for an affordable forever home, found our forever home (yay!) in October and moved to Arizona. 
It was a crazy time. 

BUT!  I did NaNoWriMo last month and wrote over 50K words! I wrote two novellas and added some words onto a book I started seven years ago. I call that a win!

Of course, the downside is that I wrote it quickly and so most of it is not pretty! I have a lot of editing to do, but at least I have something to edit!
 I want to wish you all HAPPY HOLIDAYS! I'm grateful for you all, and your support.
Here's my favorite line from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. 
Bob Cratchitt said of his son, Tiny Tim, at church on Christmas Eve:

Somehow he gets thoughtful, sitting by himself so much, and thinks the strangest things you ever heard. He told me, coming home, that he hoped the people saw him in the church, because he was a cripple, and it might be pleasant to them to remember upon Christmas day who made lame beggars walk, and blind men see.

Will you catch up on writing goals during the holidays, or fall behind? 

Do you keep to a writing schedule or does life get in the way? 

 

#IWSG: #NaNoWriMo2022

It's Insecure Writer's Support Group Day!
For reasons that I will explain shortly, I've turned off "comments" for today's post. 
If you'd like to join this monthly event go HERE.
Thanks to Alex Cavanaugh for hosting this monthly event. And, thanks to the awesome co-hosts for the November 2 posting of the IWSG: Diedre Knight, Douglas Thomas Greening, Nick Wilford, and Diane Burton!
November's optional question is:
November is National Novel Writing Month. Have you ever participated? If not, why not? 
I've never had the time until now. Working full time with over time and attempting to do NaNoWriMo was too much to consider.
But now that I'm retired...I'm doing NaNoWriMo for the first time! 
I did BuNoWriMo once years ago when I wrote my first novel. It was kind of a disaster. Hopefully I'm more prepared this time around. 

Image Courtesy of NaNoWriMo
Wish Me Luck!
Comments disabled so that I can participate in NaNoWriMo 2022!


 

IWSG: No Post: I���m On the Move

 

Sorry, no post today. I���m in the middle of moving house.  

I will see you next month!

IWSG: No Post: I’m On the Move

 

Sorry, no post today. I’m in the middle of moving house.  

I will see you next month!

#IWSG #NoSuspense #NoThriller #CozyGirl

It's Insecure Writer's Support Group Day! If you'd like to join this monthly event, go HERE to sign up. 
Many thanks to our host Alex Cavanaugh, and this month's co- hosts, for their time and efforts to make sure every one is included and receives a visit with kind words and encouragement:  Kim Lajevardi, Cathrina Constantine, Natalie Aguirre,  Olga Godim,  Michelle Wallace, and Louise - Fundy Blue! 
This month's optional question is: What genre would be the worst one for you to tackle and why? 
Suspense/Thriller would be the hardest for me. I find it hard enough to put my characters in danger as it is, and any gore or murder happens "off stage" in my books. I write "gentle" murders. Nothing like real life at all,  LOL. 
My biggest problem is that I'm a fixer. You got a problem? Let me help you fix it. I want people to be well and safe and not sad or stressed. Even in books I can't bring myself to make things too hard, and when I do put the pressure on, I fix it as well. Haha! Crazy, isn't it? 
What genre would be the worst for you?

(P.S. If you visited me last month and I didn't return the visit, I apologize. I'm a bit scattered right now. I had Covid, and then Covid Rebound so was basically sick for a month--so annoying!). 

#IWSG and Giving Readers What They Want

 

It's Insecure Writer's Support Group day! If you'd like to join, GO HERE. 

The awesome co-hosts for the August 3 posting of the IWSG are Tara Tyler, Lisa Buie Collard, Loni Townsend, and Lee Lowery! Also, many thanks to our host, Alex Cavanaugh.  

The optional question for August 3: When you set out to write a story, do you try to be more original or do you try to give readers what they want? 
Hmmm, I don't do either. Generally I get an idea about a story and then I go with it because it's what I want to write. I don't think about if it's original or not, or whether it's what the readers want. 
Which brings up something interesting. I recently took a free seminar in which the instructor basically said not to write what you want, but what the readers expect. Deliver the book that you promised and the books will sell themselves. No ads or social media required. 
I know, I know, hard to believe. 
But I get what she was saying. Design the book to sell itself. Readers are looking for certain things within the genre and we need to give it to them. The genre/subgenre tropes, the title, the description, delivery of the promised hook, the plot points, the stakes. 
Deliver to the reader what they want, and via word of mouth, the books will sell themselves. Huh. 
Easier said than done, to be sure. But thinking on it, this could be why my books don't sell. They are not designed properly, because I don't hit all the expected marks. I mean, I read Save the Cat so this shouldn't be a revelation to me, but it kind of is. Because I'm still writing what I want, rather than treating writing books like a business out to make money. 
Don't get me wrong, we should all write what we want. But I think I can do both if I put my mind to it.
Do you pay particular attention to the tropes/plot points, etc., so that they fall where they should?
Or do you just write and let things fall where they may?
What are your thoughts on books selling themselves?

IWSG: My Favorite World

It's Insecure Writer's Support Group day! If you'd like to join, GO HERE. 

The awesome co-hosts for the July 6 posting of the IWSG are J Lenni Dorner, Janet Alcorn, PJ Colando, Jenni Enzor, and Diane Burton! Also, many thanks to our host, Alex Cavanaugh.  

The optional question for July 6: If you could live in any book world, which one would you choose?
This is an easy one for me--Harry Potter World!
The Harry Potter World is complete escapism for me. Sure, they have their warring with the dark lord, but it comes with options on how to fight him. It's good vs evil and there's some pretty clear lines--unlike the muggle world (real world). Everyone can fight against evil and it's pretty empowering. Even us non-magical folks can live vicariously through the witches and wizards of Harry Potter's world. 
Had this world been around when I was a kid, I would have had everything involving Harry Potter--a cloak, a time turner, a wand--wait, I do have a wand...even made it myself. Polished aspen. I'm still trying to figure out how to imbue it with magic though...if only I could contact Ollivander, the famous wand maker...or figure out how to get to Diagon Alley. 





This is how I'd spend my days. 

What book world would you live in  given the chance?  And what makes you want to live there? 

#IWSG No Post Today

 Sorry, no post today. I'm not quite settled into my "new" place yet. More about that another time ;)

If you'd like to join the Insecure Writer's Support Group, go HERE. 

HAVE A BLESSED DAY!

Moving: No #IWSG Post Today

 

I’m on the move so can’t participate this month!

 If you’d like to join the Insecure Writer’s Support Group, please sign up HERE. 

See you next month! 

Guest Post by Alex Cavanaugh: Switching the Main Character

Today I'd like to welcome Alex "the Ninja Captain" Cavanaugh to my blog to talk about his new release, CassaStar, and why he switched to a new main character. And now I'm getting ideas...but I digress. 
Please read on!

Switching to a New Main Character

 

The Cassa series follows Byron from hot-shot gifted pilot to retired war hero to commander of a base. He’s a character who has been with me since I was a young teen. So why would I switch from Byron to his son Bassan for the fourth book?

 

Each book has jumped ahead many years. By the time the third one begins, Byron is approximately sixty-two. While Cassans live to a hundred and twenty, Byron is at this point middle-aged. Another jump forward would’ve put him near senior citizen. I didn’t want to write Cassa: The Geriatric Years.

 

Enter Byron’s son, Bassan. He’s introduced in CassaStorm and the ten year-old rather stole the show. Jumping ahead a few years with Bassan made more sense. He’s a grown young man still finding his way in the world, which provided the perfect scenario for an interesting story line.

 

Bryon is still present, but he now takes a back seat as CassaDark follows Bassan across the galaxy. Normally I tell a tale through two points of view (and for CassaStorm, three) but this time I revealed everything through Bassan’s eyes only. That created a new challenge, but it also kept it simple in terms of voice and staying in character.

 

Will readers embrace this switch? I hope that those who grew attached with Bassan in the third book will continue to follow him into the fourth one. And for those picking up CassaDark on its own (since it follows a new character, it stands on its own better than any of the others) they will never know the difference!

 

 

Alex J. Cavanaugh works in web design and graphics, and he plays guitar in a Christian band. A fan of all things science fiction, his interests range from books and movies to music and games. Online he is known as Ninja Captain Alex and he’s the founder of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group.
http://alexjcavanaugh.com 

https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/

https://twitter.com/AlexJCavanaugh

 

 

CassaDark
By Alex J. Cavanaugh 

His world is unraveling…

Bassan’s father is stepping down from command. His best friend almost dies when Bassan freezes. Now, he’s being sent across the galaxy to speak at an important conference. Despite saving the eleven races years ago, he’s paralyzed by fear and doubt. Could things get any worse?

Once there, new acquaintance Zendar convinces Bassan to visit his planet for a humanitarian mission. Bassan’s special connection to ancient technology is the key to saving Zendar’s people. One problem though—it’s a prisoner planet.

On Ugar, he discovers things aren’t so straightforward. As each secret reveals itself, the situation grows more desperate. If he can’t find the right answers, he might die along with Zendar’s people. Can Bassan summon the courage to be a hero again?

Trade paperback, 226 pages, Dancing Lemur Press, LLC
Science fiction - Adventure (FIC028010) / Space Opera (FIC028030) / Space Exploration (FIC028130)
$4.99

Links:
iTunes – https://books.apple.com/us/book/x/id1574189874
Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0982FL3SH
Barnes & Noble – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/2940164947033
Kobo – https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/Search?Query=9781939844859
Scribed – https://www.scribd.com/search?query=9781939844859&language=0
Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58461762-cassadark