Amanda Meuwissen's Blog, page 16
August 14, 2015
Every writer should play with head canons
What is a head canon? Well, it’s one of those terms that I’m sure people would argue over, but it tends to come up in fanfiction to refer to things we don’t actually know to be true in the canon of a story, like Harry Potter for example, but because of what we do know, in our minds we believe this (whatever it may be) to also be true.
Still using Harry Potter, as most people are familiar with it, since I always wished there was more Marauders in the books, a head canon could be a whole plot line idea for a story about them going out in their animal forms causing a ruckus or doing some prank, that we can easily believe might have happened or could happen in actuality because everything about it is still in line with real canon.
Head canons can also work if you want to imagine an alternate universe for something. Given what we know of the universe of Harry Potter, if Neville had been The Boy Who Lived instead, how would the story have been different?
Coming up with or writing out head canons doesn’t require you to write a full story, just jotting down notes, in a way, with maybe some paragraphs here or there, or even snippets of dialogue, but you’re really just trying to get the idea out of you as quickly and succinctly as possible. Maybe you’ll come back to it someday to write the story out fully, maybe getting the idea out of you is all you needed to feel that moment of catharsis and that’s as far as it will go. Maybe working out a head canon is what inspires you to consider your next original story. Whatever the answer may be with any given head canon exercise…it’s a lot of fun.
For me, I find that once I start allowing for head canons to come to me, and take the time to write them out, it happens more frequently, which then in turn gets the muse going to come up with ideas for my original works.
Try it out! Suddenly realized that two of your favorite TV shows have a lot in common and one could totally be an alternate universe of the other? Describe to yourself how that would work and what the story would be. Want to consider a what if, such as the hero being the villain and the villain the hero? How would that go? Write it! Give creating a head canon like this a try once and I guarantee it will be your new favorite way to waste time, BUT! Might also help inspire you with your regular writing.
Still using Harry Potter, as most people are familiar with it, since I always wished there was more Marauders in the books, a head canon could be a whole plot line idea for a story about them going out in their animal forms causing a ruckus or doing some prank, that we can easily believe might have happened or could happen in actuality because everything about it is still in line with real canon.
Head canons can also work if you want to imagine an alternate universe for something. Given what we know of the universe of Harry Potter, if Neville had been The Boy Who Lived instead, how would the story have been different?
Coming up with or writing out head canons doesn’t require you to write a full story, just jotting down notes, in a way, with maybe some paragraphs here or there, or even snippets of dialogue, but you’re really just trying to get the idea out of you as quickly and succinctly as possible. Maybe you’ll come back to it someday to write the story out fully, maybe getting the idea out of you is all you needed to feel that moment of catharsis and that’s as far as it will go. Maybe working out a head canon is what inspires you to consider your next original story. Whatever the answer may be with any given head canon exercise…it’s a lot of fun.
For me, I find that once I start allowing for head canons to come to me, and take the time to write them out, it happens more frequently, which then in turn gets the muse going to come up with ideas for my original works.
Try it out! Suddenly realized that two of your favorite TV shows have a lot in common and one could totally be an alternate universe of the other? Describe to yourself how that would work and what the story would be. Want to consider a what if, such as the hero being the villain and the villain the hero? How would that go? Write it! Give creating a head canon like this a try once and I guarantee it will be your new favorite way to waste time, BUT! Might also help inspire you with your regular writing.
August 3, 2015
Positive Reinforcement for Writers
I don’t think it can be said enough that reviews, comments, and simple little nudges of encouragement, are not only wonderful to receive as a writer, but the very foundations of what makes us want to write more. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure I’d write even if I never received a single accolade, but when I do receive positive comments…it’s this insane confidence builder, this rush that wow, I connected with someone because of something I literally poured part of myself into, and this person/people liked it!
But one of the other reasons it can be so important to let your favorite writers know how you feel about their work is because those same people, who you might love but maybe aren’t the type to review or ever do more than beam that they wrote a new book, or posted a new chapter online, is because your positive reinforcement can help combat the negatives they are almost certainly also getting.
One single bad review/comment can completely eradicate the good feelings created by positive ones, because that’s just how humans are built. 7 good reviews and 1 bad—you instantly forget all the good and start second guessing yourself, why do I even do this, and the only thing that can help is time and, frankly, that next positive review. It really does help to go back after some time has passed and see another glowing comment to combat the bad.
Now, I’ve been lucky lately, it’s been a LONG while since I had a straight up mean review, and I’ve had some very helpful criticisms lately that were well-stated and didn’t bother me at all, just made me nod along like, yep, you’re right, I’ll work on that for the next thing I write, or that during a story has helped dictate how I proceeded and things I ended up including to combat a reader’s concerns. Those types of comments don’t sting the same as something purely negative but spur me on, like, oh I got this!
But as I have in the past dealt with some pretty awful reviewers, and have sadly seen very recently the effects that type of thing can have on others when it happens to them…I’d like to put out a plea to all you readers out there to remember that every little kind comment even just an ‘I love this’ means so much to writers. Because sure, we’re writing for ourselves, but we’re also writing for you, and what makes me want to attack that next project most is seeing how happy my work can make others.
So please know how grateful we all are for your comments and support, and consider offering positive reinforcement where you can, because we all know how awful it can be to deal with bullies and trolls in this world, and what a better place it would be if we were all just there supporting each other instead.
As for you bullies and trolls…suck it.
But one of the other reasons it can be so important to let your favorite writers know how you feel about their work is because those same people, who you might love but maybe aren’t the type to review or ever do more than beam that they wrote a new book, or posted a new chapter online, is because your positive reinforcement can help combat the negatives they are almost certainly also getting.
One single bad review/comment can completely eradicate the good feelings created by positive ones, because that’s just how humans are built. 7 good reviews and 1 bad—you instantly forget all the good and start second guessing yourself, why do I even do this, and the only thing that can help is time and, frankly, that next positive review. It really does help to go back after some time has passed and see another glowing comment to combat the bad.
Now, I’ve been lucky lately, it’s been a LONG while since I had a straight up mean review, and I’ve had some very helpful criticisms lately that were well-stated and didn’t bother me at all, just made me nod along like, yep, you’re right, I’ll work on that for the next thing I write, or that during a story has helped dictate how I proceeded and things I ended up including to combat a reader’s concerns. Those types of comments don’t sting the same as something purely negative but spur me on, like, oh I got this!
But as I have in the past dealt with some pretty awful reviewers, and have sadly seen very recently the effects that type of thing can have on others when it happens to them…I’d like to put out a plea to all you readers out there to remember that every little kind comment even just an ‘I love this’ means so much to writers. Because sure, we’re writing for ourselves, but we’re also writing for you, and what makes me want to attack that next project most is seeing how happy my work can make others.
So please know how grateful we all are for your comments and support, and consider offering positive reinforcement where you can, because we all know how awful it can be to deal with bullies and trolls in this world, and what a better place it would be if we were all just there supporting each other instead.
As for you bullies and trolls…suck it.
July 24, 2015
More Sidhe Reviews, Enchanted Book Promotions Blog Tour, and ColdFlash!
Today I came online to discover that Kris from Joyfully Jay, who has read and reviewed all of The Incubus Saga so far, had the review up, and I cannot beam any brighter.
"This is the last book, the one where it’s all been leading. And after the set up in the first two books, it had to be epic. And it was. It is an action-packed tale, one event happening right after another with only a little time to stop, breathe, and explain thrown in. We got to see and hear from characters that appeared earlier. The author did a great job of tying up loose ends, and of showing us the seeds she planted early on that are now coming to fruition. It had everything, absolutely everything, a final book should. That alone makes this a worthwhile read."
Read the full review over at the Sidhe page here on Goodreads, or here.
I've also had a TON of great blog tour stops happening. Remember to stay tuned to my social pages for each of those for some excerpts, guest blogs, and interviews. Currently running is my tour with Enchanted Book Promotions.
You can also watch the full author interview I had recently with my publisher, BigWorldNetwork, here.
And hey, just for fun, if any of you are fans of The Flash on the CW, and enjoy slash fanfiction...my current obsession and distraction while I work up toward diving into my next book is a little ColdFlash fic I've been working on called Out Cold - that means pairing up The Flash with his nemesis Captain Cold, FYI. It's been a blast from the past to be part of a budding fandom and enjoy blogging and gushing with some amazing folks. Never lose the little things. They can mean so much.
"This is the last book, the one where it’s all been leading. And after the set up in the first two books, it had to be epic. And it was. It is an action-packed tale, one event happening right after another with only a little time to stop, breathe, and explain thrown in. We got to see and hear from characters that appeared earlier. The author did a great job of tying up loose ends, and of showing us the seeds she planted early on that are now coming to fruition. It had everything, absolutely everything, a final book should. That alone makes this a worthwhile read."
Read the full review over at the Sidhe page here on Goodreads, or here.
I've also had a TON of great blog tour stops happening. Remember to stay tuned to my social pages for each of those for some excerpts, guest blogs, and interviews. Currently running is my tour with Enchanted Book Promotions.
You can also watch the full author interview I had recently with my publisher, BigWorldNetwork, here.
And hey, just for fun, if any of you are fans of The Flash on the CW, and enjoy slash fanfiction...my current obsession and distraction while I work up toward diving into my next book is a little ColdFlash fic I've been working on called Out Cold - that means pairing up The Flash with his nemesis Captain Cold, FYI. It's been a blast from the past to be part of a budding fandom and enjoy blogging and gushing with some amazing folks. Never lose the little things. They can mean so much.
July 13, 2015
The Incubus Saga Tours and Reviews!
While one tour draws to a close today with an interview at Deal Sharing Aunt and a guest blog at Fang-tastic Books, another begins, starting with the kickoff and full listing of stops with I Heart Reading for my Enchanted Book Promotions tour.
But to top off all of that excitement, blogger Kristen Burns had a treat for me this weekend, having read and reviewed the entirety of The Incubus Saga, with perhaps some of the most heartfelt words offered toward my work that I have ever received, and I was just thrilled to go through each of her comments and that her final review for the series as a whole was 5 stars.
Definitely check out her thoughts on the series HERE with some snippets for you below.
"The thing about these books is, I didn’t read them for the action or the mystery or even the plot (though I did enjoy those things, don’t get me wrong). I read them for the characters, the emotion, and the depth. And they never disappointed, especially this third book. The author has this way of describing things, of showing-not-telling, of making you feel, of imbuing such depth into everything that I often found myself tearing up, frowning, smiling from ear to ear, reacting in all these different involuntary ways to what seemed like the smallest and most insignificant of moments because she made sure to give them significance and write in a way that portrayed that significance. And she made sure it didn’t stop with Nathan–I was feeling things for all the characters, everyone from main characters, like Jim, to side characters that weren’t introduced until the last book."
July 6, 2015
Author Interview at first Bewitching Blog Tour Stop for Sidhe, and New Review!
Today marks the start of my blog tours, and the first stop is with the host herself, at Roxanne's Realm for an author interview and book spotlight. Through the stops for my Bewitching Blog Tour, you have a chance to win a copy of all three eBooks in the series, so please help share and comment for your entry!
"Who designed the cover of your latest book?
My good friend and coworker at BWN, Mario Hernandez, who does everything for the publisher, and is just too talented for words. He has worked tirelessly with me on perfecting each of the covers for my series, and they have all turned out exactly as I imagined."
Read the full Interview here!
And here you can see reviews and spotlights for all three books from Paranormal Romance and Authors that Rock!
"The third book of the series is just as the two before it; it sucks you in and keeps you turning pages wondering what the three [main characters] have to face again and if they can still stand the test of time. I loved this series and Sidhe was the perfect ending."
Stay tuned for more!
"Who designed the cover of your latest book?
My good friend and coworker at BWN, Mario Hernandez, who does everything for the publisher, and is just too talented for words. He has worked tirelessly with me on perfecting each of the covers for my series, and they have all turned out exactly as I imagined."
Read the full Interview here!
And here you can see reviews and spotlights for all three books from Paranormal Romance and Authors that Rock!
"The third book of the series is just as the two before it; it sucks you in and keeps you turning pages wondering what the three [main characters] have to face again and if they can still stand the test of time. I loved this series and Sidhe was the perfect ending."
Stay tuned for more!
July 3, 2015
The end of The Incubus Saga - Sidhe available now!
It happened. Yesterday the final book in my series went officially live, and is now available for purchase. It's already up here on Goodreads with the inaugural review offered by my good friend and fellow author, Meagan Hedin.
Amazingly enough, I didn't cry. Though I've gotten teary eyed several times. In honor of this occasion, and how excited I am for various events and blog tours planned over the next few months, I'd like to share with you all the final author's note from the back of the book.
-----
At last we come to the end of this tale 8 years and over 450,000 words in the making.
I’d like to leave you all with just one of the amazing stories that happened during the last few days of finalizing this book.
Many years ago when I was first posting this story online, when I got to the end, a good friend of mine, Steph, who you know better as Ula the shapeshifter, wrote a continuing ending for me. Just a sweet little story of backyard BBQs and family fun, with the Creedence Clearwater Revival song “Lookin’ Out My Back Door” as a theme throughout the tale. To this day, it is one of the many songs I think of when imagining an Incubus soundtrack, though I seldom hear it on the radio.
Reading through some of the last chapters while also listening to my Pandora, I simultaneously received a message from Steph while “Lookin’ Out My Back Door” began to play over my headphones, and it stopped me so cold, I nearly teared up—serendipity.
So many other similar coincidences and cosmic nods have happened while working on this story, and I feel truly blessed for each one, and for all the ways “Dave” has been present as I wrap up this important chapter in my life…with the last chapters of The Incubus Saga.
To happy endings. Wherever we may find them.
-Your Friendly Neighborhood Authoress
Amazingly enough, I didn't cry. Though I've gotten teary eyed several times. In honor of this occasion, and how excited I am for various events and blog tours planned over the next few months, I'd like to share with you all the final author's note from the back of the book.
-----
At last we come to the end of this tale 8 years and over 450,000 words in the making.
I’d like to leave you all with just one of the amazing stories that happened during the last few days of finalizing this book.
Many years ago when I was first posting this story online, when I got to the end, a good friend of mine, Steph, who you know better as Ula the shapeshifter, wrote a continuing ending for me. Just a sweet little story of backyard BBQs and family fun, with the Creedence Clearwater Revival song “Lookin’ Out My Back Door” as a theme throughout the tale. To this day, it is one of the many songs I think of when imagining an Incubus soundtrack, though I seldom hear it on the radio.
Reading through some of the last chapters while also listening to my Pandora, I simultaneously received a message from Steph while “Lookin’ Out My Back Door” began to play over my headphones, and it stopped me so cold, I nearly teared up—serendipity.
So many other similar coincidences and cosmic nods have happened while working on this story, and I feel truly blessed for each one, and for all the ways “Dave” has been present as I wrap up this important chapter in my life…with the last chapters of The Incubus Saga.
To happy endings. Wherever we may find them.
-Your Friendly Neighborhood Authoress
June 26, 2015
COVER REVEAL! The Incubus Saga - Book 3: Sidhe
I've already gotten a little teary-eyed several times just looking over the final interior and working with artist Mario Hernandez on the cover design, and finally, with less than a week before the release of the last book in my trilogy, The Incubus Saga, I am ready to share this beauty with all of you.
Stay tuned for the official release July 2nd, and get your preorder copy of the eBook now!
Stay tuned for the official release July 2nd, and get your preorder copy of the eBook now!
June 12, 2015
The importance of community to an author
Sometimes I don’t think readers understand how much receiving an honest, positive review feels. Maybe not enough authors, especially if they become truly famous, have the time or wherewithal to express to their readers how much their comments mean to them. While having too many reviews to comment back on is a problem I’d love to have, I hope I never lose sight of how much fans drive me forward.
Recent Incubus review:
"I was lucky enough to get this book for an honest review. Well I didn't think I was going to enjoy reading this as it is M/M and the ones I read so far I really didn't like much, but this book, well, it rocked my world lol. I loved it, the characters were well written and you really got sucked into the book rooting for them all. There is so much more in the book than meets the eye and it wasn't distasteful. It was really a great book to read and if you never read any M/M books but love paranormal than this would be a super book to start with (wish that this would have been my first M/M). I really felt for Jim, Nathan and Sasha and couldn't stop turning the page because I wanted to know what was happening to them. I am so glad I didn't have to wait for the next book which I can't wait to read. I am giving this 5 stars; would give it more but there isn't any."
Recent Changeling review:
"This book is a great addition from the first. Still loving it. The characters really come to life and you get to know a little more from each one as you turn the pages. You can’t help but feel for them all, and keep your fingers crossed that it will all work out in the end. Really well written and the reader gets sucked into another world which is yet still so like ours. You can't help but fall in love with the main characters. Thoroughly enjoyed this book and will give 5 stars because there are no more to give."
-Reviewer for Paranormal Romance and Authors that Rock
But community as a writer isn’t just about getting comments from readers—though I love that part, and it’s one of the reasons I will write fanfiction until I die, because the ability to comment and respond to even a single chapter is made so easy online—but also in the community of authors themselves; other writers sharing ideas and support.
Being published through BigWorldNetwork is one way I’ve been able to hang onto the sense of community I love with fanfiction, especially since it has allowed me to get to know so many remarkable writers, narrators, and editors. As a BWN Team, many of us converse daily, and it never fails to inspire me when I see interactions happening.
After all, we’re not competitors. Books aren’t like other products where because someone buys another book, they won’t buy yours. Consumption of reading material is a constant thing. Just because someone doesn’t buy your book this month, or even this year, doesn’t mean they won’t eventually. So authors need to embrace being there for each other as much as themselves.
One great place I’ve found help with this—and goodness, do I wish I had more time to really make use of this site—is from groups on Goodreads, particularly Support for Indie Authors. If you’re an indie author, you should be part of this group too!
Being able to ask questions, share wins, review each other’s work, all with open, honest community is the best tool any author can have. So wherever you find that kind of community for yourself, embrace it. And if you’re a reader…be sure and leave a review from time to time. It keeps the muses happy.
Recent Incubus review:
"I was lucky enough to get this book for an honest review. Well I didn't think I was going to enjoy reading this as it is M/M and the ones I read so far I really didn't like much, but this book, well, it rocked my world lol. I loved it, the characters were well written and you really got sucked into the book rooting for them all. There is so much more in the book than meets the eye and it wasn't distasteful. It was really a great book to read and if you never read any M/M books but love paranormal than this would be a super book to start with (wish that this would have been my first M/M). I really felt for Jim, Nathan and Sasha and couldn't stop turning the page because I wanted to know what was happening to them. I am so glad I didn't have to wait for the next book which I can't wait to read. I am giving this 5 stars; would give it more but there isn't any."
Recent Changeling review:
"This book is a great addition from the first. Still loving it. The characters really come to life and you get to know a little more from each one as you turn the pages. You can’t help but feel for them all, and keep your fingers crossed that it will all work out in the end. Really well written and the reader gets sucked into another world which is yet still so like ours. You can't help but fall in love with the main characters. Thoroughly enjoyed this book and will give 5 stars because there are no more to give."
-Reviewer for Paranormal Romance and Authors that Rock
But community as a writer isn’t just about getting comments from readers—though I love that part, and it’s one of the reasons I will write fanfiction until I die, because the ability to comment and respond to even a single chapter is made so easy online—but also in the community of authors themselves; other writers sharing ideas and support.
Being published through BigWorldNetwork is one way I’ve been able to hang onto the sense of community I love with fanfiction, especially since it has allowed me to get to know so many remarkable writers, narrators, and editors. As a BWN Team, many of us converse daily, and it never fails to inspire me when I see interactions happening.
After all, we’re not competitors. Books aren’t like other products where because someone buys another book, they won’t buy yours. Consumption of reading material is a constant thing. Just because someone doesn’t buy your book this month, or even this year, doesn’t mean they won’t eventually. So authors need to embrace being there for each other as much as themselves.
One great place I’ve found help with this—and goodness, do I wish I had more time to really make use of this site—is from groups on Goodreads, particularly Support for Indie Authors. If you’re an indie author, you should be part of this group too!
Being able to ask questions, share wins, review each other’s work, all with open, honest community is the best tool any author can have. So wherever you find that kind of community for yourself, embrace it. And if you’re a reader…be sure and leave a review from time to time. It keeps the muses happy.
June 3, 2015
How My Newest Character Found His Identity
I’m going to detail out how one of my current new characters has developed to give some insight into my process at the start of a story. My upcoming vampire novel, currently titled Life as a Teenage Vampire, was always going to have the vampire teen as the protagonist, though despite him speaking to readers in 1st person for his sections, it is arguable whether or not his love interest and best friend shares his role as protagonist with 3rd person-owned sections. I knew I had to find some sensible balance between both characters’ perspectives to tell everything I wanted in the right light.
But first I had a vague sense of the characters and story I wanted to tell. This was what came to me naturally, before I gave things much thought. Two 18 year old seniors in a small town (something I can write about with authority), one becomes a vampire, one is gay while the other is straight (later realizes he is bisexual), the gay friend is in love with the other, and by bonding more deeply over the first becoming a vampire, their friendship grows into something more.
A story of change and survival with an undercurrent of love, my favorite.
Next I named them. I won’t lie, when I’m stuck on names, I go over to babynames.com and type in words under meaning in the search that relate to the character’s personality. It’s fun, and often leads me to good names, or at least in the right direction.
But this time I didn’t need to do that. Emery is a character name I have loved and wanted to use for a long time, and since I had already planned to give the character the last name of Mavus—one of my husband’s nicknames from Meuwissen—Emery Mavus was born without much struggle.
I knew he had dark hair and hazel eyes, that he was sturdy having played football, but had switched to theater, and therefore had a bit of pudge from less physical activity. I didn’t sit down and decide any of this, I just knew it based around little reveals the character would give me as I wrote him. His athleticism but also his ability to act well, as would be seen in having to hide his nature from most people after becoming a vampire.
Something still felt off about him though until I decided to search areas around the world where Mavus was a common surname, and discovered that the largest population of people with that name live in Turkey.
Suddenly, I understood why Emery was always darker skinned in my mind. His father was of Turkish descent, though born in the US, and it only recently dawned on me that after Emery’s grandfather passed away, his grandmother, who had immigrated to the US with her husband in the 50s, moved home to Turkey, giving me an opportunity to have her visit and introduce some Turkish culture where fitting.
I never sit down and tell myself, I’m going to create a gay character. I’m going to create a person of color. I want to include this or that particular heritage. As I tell the story, these things are revealed to me, and I simply choose not to fight them.
Now, I don’t know if all other authors go through something like this process, where some things you just know, and other things you discover through research and the writing process, but I definitely find that letting it be organic like this makes for fuller, more realistic characters that readers can identify with and love.
How did your last character come to be?
*Photo from HERE.
May 21, 2015
Discussion on Villainy & The Incubus Saga Fanart
First, I wanted to share my rant after so many people backlashed on the most recent Game of Thrones episode. No spoilers, just a small soap box.
I don’t think I’ll ever quite get over people complaining about villains doing villainous things in any form of media. What are villains supposed to do? Be nice? Then they wouldn’t be villains, there would be no conflict, and subsequently NO STORY.
Villains are allowed to be sexist, racist, cruel, and everything in between, because they are representations of the side you DON’T WANT TO WIN. If their acts are too downplayed, it would almost be like saying it doesn’t matter that they do bad things. It matters. That’s why their villainy needs to be shown, so you can be outraged, and then cheer later when they get their due. And if they don’t get their due, it’s not glorifying villainy, but hammering home just how awful it is.
What a boring world of fiction we would have if censorship won. We’d have no stories, and eventually no morals, because how would we ever know the difference between a hero and a villain?
And on a lighter note, I got some fun Incubus fanart from a fellow author, and couldn't resist coloring it to match the characters more closely.
Thanks, C.B. Archer!
This all came about because CB started a thread on the amazing group I'm part of Support Indie Authors that anyone who IS an Indie author should definitely check out!
I don’t think I’ll ever quite get over people complaining about villains doing villainous things in any form of media. What are villains supposed to do? Be nice? Then they wouldn’t be villains, there would be no conflict, and subsequently NO STORY.
Villains are allowed to be sexist, racist, cruel, and everything in between, because they are representations of the side you DON’T WANT TO WIN. If their acts are too downplayed, it would almost be like saying it doesn’t matter that they do bad things. It matters. That’s why their villainy needs to be shown, so you can be outraged, and then cheer later when they get their due. And if they don’t get their due, it’s not glorifying villainy, but hammering home just how awful it is.
What a boring world of fiction we would have if censorship won. We’d have no stories, and eventually no morals, because how would we ever know the difference between a hero and a villain?
And on a lighter note, I got some fun Incubus fanart from a fellow author, and couldn't resist coloring it to match the characters more closely.
Thanks, C.B. Archer!
This all came about because CB started a thread on the amazing group I'm part of Support Indie Authors that anyone who IS an Indie author should definitely check out!
