Rani Divine's Blog, page 19

What does a Rani write

Hey everybody! Welcome back to Too Many Books to Count! I’m glad you stopped back in. Today will be fun, I promise. :)
Rani WritesBut what does Rani write?
Well, that’s what we’re talking about today. In case you’re new here, in case you don’t know a whole lot about me and what I’ve been writing, let’s take a few minutes today to talk about my passion, and the books that have come out of it.
The Past: Telekinetic was the first novel I published. I call it my post-apocalyptic x-men novel, but there’s really a lot more to it than that. I really think there’s too much story in that book to be contained in just one book, and that that makes it a little muddy, but I’ve gotten decent reviews on it, and I know several readers who couldn't get enough. Feel free to check it out, if you get a chance. I will continue it at some point, I promise. The books are all written, it's just that I need to clean them up and make them read better.
From there, I moved onto the Druid Novels. These are my pride and joy, my kiddos, my favorites. Of everything I’ve written (and it’s a lot more than what’s on the shelves, let me tell you), these are my best works.
But what are they?
They’re a story about life coming into its own, in many different ways. They’re about people making a way for themselves, about building lives and striving to be better. They’re about life, but set in a world very much unlike our own—and yet more like ours than you might realize, if you stop to think about it.
Coetir: People of the Woods, Cedwig: People in the Vines, Dwr: People in the Water, and Mynidd: People of the Hills are the books released so far. I haven’t been releasing them in chronological order, so you'll get to experience the story as I experienced it, entirely out of order. Only two books remain, the beginning and the end. The two that will bring all the pieces together.
But don’t worry, these novels are completely designed to stand on their own, and to be read in any given order. As long as you read the last one last, you’ll be fine.
The Present: As you well know, the Druid Novels are done. I’ve written them. In fact, I’ve struggled to find something to write, ever since I finished them.
Well, I’ve found it.
Atlyna
That’s the working title, of course. Actually, it’s the name of a world. And this is a story unlike anything you’ve seen from me before—which is what makes it so much fun to write. Imagine a world where the only higher beings always agree, where even if they disagree, the standard of society is to agree. One person chooses for the whole of their people, and once a choice is made, it cannot be unmade. No one else may make another choice which goes against a prior decision.
Now, imagine humanity coming to that world, in all our chaotic glory. Imagine those higher being choosing to hide away in their own world, waiting for humanity to leave. And imagine how humanity will actually behave, in coming to a new world—and in discovering a species they never knew was there.
That’s what Atlyna is about. And it’s a lot of fun.
The Future: Do we ever know what the future holds?
For my part, I hope to stick to my roots of science-fiction and fantasy, but I would love to throw in a little bit of horror, here and there. After all, Letters from Hell had to come from somewhere, didn’t it? There’s a little bit of horror inside me, and I’d love to explore it and see where it takes me.
But for me, sci-fi is my love. Fantasy is my joy. They’re where I’m most happy, where I’m most comfortable. And there where I can work outside the box, while staying completely inside the box at the same time.
Perfect, right? 
If you want to check out any of the books I've mentioned in here, head over to www.RAD-Writing.com/Store — there, you'll find print copies of all my books, as well as digital editions that don't span a single platform. Yeah, if you buy an eBook from RAD, you're getting an eBook that'll work on ALL your devices, for the same price you'd pay for one Nook Book or Kindle Book at Barnes & Noble or Amazon. 
Pretty cool, don't you think? 
[love]
{Rani Divine}

Write writer, write

Hey everybody! I hope you all had fabulous weekends full of great times and a hefty dose of relaxation—because we all need relaxation, and we should always be having fun. I don’t think fun is emphasized enough in any culture, if I’m being totally honest. Gotta have fun.
But straight to the point, shall we? Last week, our focus was on reading. The logical progression then, of course, is for this week to be all about writing.
Rani Writes
Well, I should hope I write. I mean, how else would I have gotten six books on the market? ;-) but really, I do, I write a lot, and as of this past weekend, I’m back into the full swing of things.
Like we talked about last month though, that wasn’t always the case.
See, last year something happened to me, something that had never happened before. I finished writing a book series. Technically, I finished writing two of them. Both Earth-Space and the Druids saw their endings penned last year, in some form or fashion. And to be fair, I did start writing something else almost immediately—it’s just that I didn’t finish it. In fact, it was so much of a mess that I ended up scrapping it near the end of the year. I didn’t really start working on another novel until very recently (though I was editing some of my already written things, so it’s not like I wasn’t doing anything).
I really, honestly, didn’t know what to do with myself when I finished writing those books. How was I supposed to continue from there, to move on from series’ that had meant so much to me for so long?
I mean, Earth-Space isn’t technically done. There’s a spinoff in the works, and it’ll be really fun when I get to it, but I really need to finish editing what I have already written before I start writing the new one. Trust me, it’ll be easier that way. There are a few points in the first book that I had to change partway through the third book, only I never actually made those changes, so—it's just a bit of a mess. We'll leave it at that.
But for the Druids? There was always going to be a definite ending. I knew that from the beginning. It couldn’t go on forever. And when I penned the final words of the sixth and final novel in the Druid Novels, I cried.
I cried for days. I wasn’t myself, for a long time. I didn’t know what to do without that series, without the books I’d been working on for so long.
I still don’t, some days. But I’m getting there. This past weekend, I wrote a few short stories, and I dove back into my new novel. I had to force it sometimes, sure, but I got it done—and I had a lot of fun with it. Looking back at what I wrote, I honestly like it.
The thing is though, it took me a while to get to this place. Collide, the novel I started writing last year, was a mess because I didn’t know what to write. I couldn’t find my voice again. Atlyna, my new novel, isn’t like that. It’s a story I love.
And it’s a story I’ll tell you more about, on Thursday.
[love]
{Rani D.}

Summer Reading

Hey guys! How’re your weeks going? I hope everything’s well. Me, I’m still trying to catch up on sleep after a week of nothing but wedding chaos. But hey, I know how to make fondant flowers and I can decorate a buttercream cake. Woo.
This week, as you know, we’re talking about reading. I’ve admitted that I have to force myself to read, and I’ve gotten over the fact that I had to admit to it. So now, I have something more fun to discuss.
What have you been reading lately?
Let’s talk about some of the things I’ve been reading…
1. Timeline, Michael CrichtonThis book had been in my to-read pile for a few years (far longer than it should’ve sat there, considering how much I enjoy Crichton). I honestly don’t know why it took me that long to pick it up and read it, because it really was amazing. Please note, I also haven’t seen the movie. Actually had no idea it was a movie until I picked up the book and it said it on the cover.
Anyway. Timeline was amazing, just like nearly every other Crichton book I’ve read. It’s a time-travel story, and involves much of what you’d expect from a Crichton-style time-travel novel. Trouble is, it also contains the one pitfall of Michael Crichton novels… it didn’t know how to end.
I don’t know why he had such an issue with ending novels, but Timeline is on the list. It was predictable in some ways and strange in others, and things seemed to wrap up far more quickly than the rest of the story warranted. But if you’re like me and you’ll read anything that has Crichton’s name on it, it’s worth a read. I’m not sorry I read it, and I may decide to read it again at a later date. Who knows.
2. Serenity Graphic NovelsI loved Firefly. I didn’t actually watch it when it was first on the air, but by the time I did watch it, I absolutely loved it. Couldn’t get enough. I have Firefly paraphernalia all over the place. Even my keyring has Serenity on it. So it wasn’t a jump for me to read the graphic novels, even though I’d never read a graphic novel before.
If you’re a fan of the series and you’re sad that they ended it, these are definitely worth checking out. Leaves on the Wind was slightly muddy, in my opinion, but No Power in the Verse was exactly what I was looking for in a graphic novel continuation of this beloved series (and No Power in the Verse makes more sense if you read Leaves on the Wind, so...).
Honestly, I’m not sure what took me so long in starting them. I should’ve been reading them from the start.
3. The WitcherI talked myself into reading these, based on the fact that I have several friends who play the Witcher games, and I don’t play video games. I wanted to know what they were all talking about. So, books. I can read books.
In the beginning, I was completely hooked. Didn’t want to put them down. The Last Wish is the very start, and it’s just wonderfully written. From there though, it takes a turn. If you’re not used to reading books from other countries, you will get bored. I got bored, for a little while. And then I got annoyed. And confused. And weirded out.
But you know what? The series is really cool. I’ve enjoyed it. I only have one to go, and it’s the one book I’ve been both itching to read and nervous to pick up, because I don’t know how this guy is going to end a series of this nature.
If you’re a fan of fantasy (or of the Witcher games), I’d definitely give these a read.

But you know what? I really need to add some new books to my to-read shelf. I meant to do it before summer hit, but I just haven’t had enough time to look into new books.
So I need your help! What have you all been reading? What would you recommend for me to pick up this summer? Let me know in the comments, or send me a message on Facebook!
[love]
{Rani Divine}

Forced to read

It’s June! How did that happen… 
In case you were wondering, the wedding last weekend went off without a hitch, and the cake turned out beautifully. I’ll get a picture up on Instagram as soon as I can, promise. I think my biggest takeaway is that I’m glad it’s over, and I’m ready to get back into the normal swing of things.
Unfortunately, I forgot to actually plan for a new month starting. So, this month’s topic is thrown together based off something I noticed a few months ago: you guys seem to like it when I talk about me.
That feels weird, but it’s what I noticed during my all-about-Rani series. So, I think we’ll try to expand on that a little bit. Let’s talk about me, and what I’m up to.
I’m calling this week “Rani Reads.”

As most of you know, I’ve always been at least something of a reader, but I’ve not always been someone who’s constantly reading. I know, that just sounds wrong, but it’s true. I love reading, but I don’t always actually do it.
Today then, let’s talk about making time for reading, and how I do it, personally.
People say that writers do two things, primarily. We write, and we read. Well, that’s true, but it also means that we can easily get a little tired of both. Which is very true for me. I get tired of reading, and I get tired of it in a hurry. Strangely, I do better with longer books than with shorter, despite that.
Most of my time ends up going to work and to my own writing, aside from trying to have a life (I find that at least semi important, in the long run). I imagine it’s the same for every writer out there. After all, most of us didn’t give up our day jobs to write. For a lot of us, writing is something we do because it’s our passion, but not something we do for the sake of making money. Even for professionals, that’s quite often the case.
Because of that, because writing is something we do on the side, it’s not always easy to make time for the other half of things: reading. Writing takes up a lot of time. So does work, family, having a life. But we have to fit reading in there somewhere too, don’t we?
A lot of writers have made the switch to audiobooks, so they can do multiple things at once. I just can’t do that. I can’t. If I’m listening to an audiobook, I’ll fall asleep or I’ll get so enthralled that I can’t do anything else but listen. Because of that, I have to actually make time to read. And most days, that means I have to force it.
I know, I know, I always advise to never force things that don’t come naturally. But it does come naturally for me to read! The problem is that by the end of the day, I don’t feel like I have the energy to put into it. I have to force it. If I don’t force it, I won’t do it. But once I force it, I will get into it and really enjoy it.
It’s a weird thing, adulting.
But that’s it. That’s what I do. I pull an adult and I make myself do what I know I should do. I make myself read. Right now, I’m trying to read multiple things at a time, to keep myself interested and keep myself going. It helps a lot, interestingly.
I won’t deny it though. Most of the time, when I sit down to read, I don’t actually want to read. But once I get past the fifteen page mark, I find myself greatly enjoying it.
It works for me. *shrug* 
What do you guys do, when you don't feel like reading but you know you should?
[love]
{Rani D.}

Keep calm and...

The end of May has arrived, my friends. It was bound to happen sometime, wasn’t it? Tomorrow, we put the wedding cake together. Saturday, I’ll be able to think again. I look forward to it, I really do. I have so many things I want to do, that I just can’t do without full brain power. It’s taking up too much space. I don’t like that.
I digress.
For the final of the month, I have one thing I want to remind you, when you feel like you’re in that rut. One more thing that you should do, no matter how you’re feeling about your writing. One more thing that you should always keep in mind.
Carry On
Bet you didn’t see that coming!
Yeah, of course, keep going. Carry on. You’re a writer, aren’t you? So write. But remember that you don’t have to write the things society says you have to write. You don’t even have to write the things your head wants to write. In fact, I’d say that you should be writing the things your heart wants you to write. That way, you’ll be less likely to fall out of love with it at all.
Point is, it doesn’t matter if you’ve tried every single thing I mentioned this month and none of them have worked. It doesn’t matter if you’ve tried a million other things, and you still feel like you’re in a rut. Eventually, the writing itself will help get you out of it. It’ll remind you how great it is, how wonderful it is to be writing. The story will draw you in again, and you’ll fall in love just like you did when you first started writing. It will happen. You know that, because you’ve experienced it before. I know it, for the same reason.
So keep going.
Stay strong.
Never let your tired mind convince you that this isn’t good anymore.
Don’t let life drag you down.
You’re a writer, aren’t you? Well, writers write. It’s what we do. No, we may not be constantly writing our novels, but we are always writing. Even if that writing is only in a humble blog post, which will only ever be read by a few hundred people.
Keep writing.
Don’t Stop.
Let those words draw you back in again.
You know they will.
[love]
{Rani D.}

Hairy

Well, we’ve come to the last week of May. June starts this weekend. I think this was one of the fastest months of my life, if only because my mother and I for some reason volunteered to make and decorate a wedding cake (which we really don’tdo), and the culmination is finally coming together. The cake will be on the table on Saturday. It’s currently in the freezer, entirely undecorated. If I had a better camera on my phone, I’d say you could find pictures on Instagram (but I promise to remedy that, soon).
All month long, we’ve been talking about ways to get yourself out of a writing rut. We’ve discussed many of the methods I use myself, or have used in the past. Because of that, I think they might work for you—and I wanted to share them.
This week, however, we have two of the most important ways to keep yourself in the writing mind, even when you think your writing is nothing more than a rut itself.
Get a Haircut
I’ll be real honest with you. I might’ve chosen this title because I’ll finally be getting an actual haircut today, after spending over far too long with very shaggy hair. But I also have a very legitimate point here.
You need to get a fresh perspective on what you’re doing. You really do. You need to look at things with fresh eyes, with a new level of understanding. In fact, you might say you need to look at this as though you’re a different person altogether. Say, a person who just got a haircut.
It’s okay to take a break from writing. I’m always sure to tell that to every writer I know. If you’re not writing, it doesn’t mean you’re not a writer. It means you’re smart. You don’t want to burn out. But when you’re not writing because you’re in the rut, there’s a problem.
So don’t think of it as a rut, and look at your writing as though you’ve never seen it before. Look at it through editor’s eyes, through reader’s eyes, through any eyes but yours. Look at it from every angle except the one you’ve been using, and then make some decisions about it.
When you look at your work through fresh eyes, you’ll be able to see the things that need tweaking, the things that might need to change, and even the things that are amazing and that you should definitely keep. It’ll make a big difference, even if you don’t feel like it will.
Give it a try. Put on some rose colored glasses and take a new look at your work. See what you find. You never know until you try.
[love]
{Rani D.}

Nostalgia

For the month of May, we’re discussing the many ways to get yourself out of a writing rut. Especially after writing over a dozen books, I’ve found that it can eventually feel monotonous and like nothing about this matters at all. Believe me, I know how that feels. I know how awful it feels to be stuck in that place of “does this matter at all?” and I know it can be a struggle to break out of it. That’s why we’re discussing my personal methods, all month long.
Tuesday, we talked about the importance of getting reviewed, to help yourself out of a rut. Today, I want to keep our discussion in the same vein.
Read your old reviews
Of course, this only counts if you’ve actually published or been reviewed on works you wrote a few years back—but really, we’ve been talking as though you’ve written over a dozen works, so this shouldn’t be too hard to do.
Remember the first book you ever published? Go read the reviews on that book. I don’t care how bad you think the book is, or how well it was received in general. I just want you to go read those reviews.
For me, that book is Telekinetic. And yes, as many of you well know, I’m entirely out of love for that book. It has problems. I want to go back and rewrite it, because I love the story but I do not like the way I wrote it. But, I do occasionally go back and read the reviews for Telekinetic.
Why?
Because I learn something from them, every time.
I relearn the things people have always loved about my writing, I remember what it was like to be publishing my very first book, and I learn even more things I could be doing to make my writing better now.
And yes, I realize that this advice is extremely similar to what I talked about on Tuesday, but this time, it’s a little different. This time, it’s more about the nostalgia of it.
There’s something extremely telling, about the first work a writer releases. I’m not sure what it is exactly, but the first release is usually the one we’re able to look at constructively, no matter what. So going back and looking at those reviews, the good ones and the bad ones, is a great way to learn something, and to remember what it was like to be in love with writing, like you were back then.
And for those of you who haven’t published yet, but still find yourself in the rut? I highly recommend that you start sending your works out to people, once you’ve finished writing them. Ask them for an honest review. Then, the next time you find yourself in this rut, you can go back and read the things they wrote.
I still have notes like that from Telekinetic as well—and I go back to them every few months, just as a reminder.
Don’t be afraid to be reviewed, and don’t be afraid of the past. Both are things we learn a great deal from.
[love]
{Rani Divine}

In Review

All month long, we’ve been talking about ways to get ourselves back in the writing zone, especially when we’ve felt like everything we’ve been writing is the same and we’re trapped in a rut of “why do I even bother”—and each and every thing we’ve talked about is something that’s personally worked for me, so I like to think I’m giving you some good advice. ;-)
Today’s focus is one that I know many authors struggle with, out of crippling fear about the negative side. But I’m not suggesting you should focus on the negative at all.
Get yourself reviewed.
I know, it sounds utterly terrifying, doesn’t it?
Every writer has that innate fear of being reviewed, of finding out what people actually think of our work. I’m not entirely sure why so many of us are so crippled by it, if I’m being totally honest, but I do know that I’m in the same boat.
However, being reviewed is a great way to get yourself out of a rut.
How? In one of two ways.
If it’s a positive review…
Then it shows you that you’re doing something right, and you should stick to your guns and keep doing what you’re doing. Positive reviews remind us that our writing can’t be all that bad, and that there really are people out there who want to read the things we want to write. It’s a confidence boost, something to tell us that we can really do this, that we can really do something with the thing we love to do.
And if it’s a negative review…
Then there’s something we can learn from it. Negative reviews almost always give us notes on things we can work on for the next book—which can be a great way to get out of a rut. Reviewers don’t seem to like how you write your characters? All right, now you have something to work on for your new book, and something that will make this new book far different from what you’ve written so far.
The point, today, is that you get reviewed. Even if it means giving your book out to some people who will read it and review it for you.
Reviews aren’t bad things. They can teach us, enlighten us, and give us a boost.
But don’t let them cripple you. Use them for your good, and only your good, and then look the other way. That’s the best possible advice I can give you, when it comes to reading reviews in general.
[love]
{Rani D.}

Placement

Writers write. That’s what they always say. But you know what? Sometimes it’s hard to stay in that frame of mind. Especially after writing over a dozen books, there comes a point where we start to wonder if we’re doing anything beneficial at all, if there’s any reason to continue writing, or if we should just give up and call it quits.
That’s what we call a rut, and that’s what we’re trying to claw our way out of, all month long.
This week, however, is all about inspiration. Tuesday we talked about music, ambiance, but today I have something that could be even more important. Find an inspiring place
It’s hard for me to actually follow this advice. I struggle to find places where I can write, places where I actually feel inspired in the moment. But I do know that they exist, because I have found them before, on occasion. Actually, for me, the most inspiring place is a boring classroom setting. I love it, Put me in a lecture, and I’ll write you a novel.
That’s not how most of us work though, is it?
Get out there and find a place of your own, where you can write what you want to write, where you feel inspired to write the things you need to write.
Whether that be a coffee shop, a city park, a train, or a classroom—find what works for you.
The biggest thing here, I think, the thing that writers struggle the most with, is the fact that other writers think we’re strange, for writing where we want to write. But you know what? We are a little strange. If you’re not wonko, then you’re not a writer. So go hang upside down and write, if that’s what you need to do. None of the rest of us have the right to say anything against where you want to write. It’s not our decision, but yours. It’s not our inspirational place, but yours.
Get out there and find it. Experiment with new places, places where you didn’t think you’d be able to write. Try new things. Check out new parts of your city. Write in the place you least expected.
Find that inspiration, whatever it takes.
If it comes right down to it, flip the rut over and use it as a bench. As long as you find a place where you can sit down and write, where you won’t be distracted, where you can get in the zone and write the words your mind so desperately wants to write.
Because as they say, you’re not a writer if you’re not writing.
*sigh*
[love]
{Rani D.}

Ambiance

Feeling like you’re in a rut with your writing, and you just can’t wiggle your way out of it? Getting a little weary of writing what feels like the same thing, over and over again? I completely understand. It happens to the best of us. We all reach that point where we feel like this story has already been written before, when it seems like there’s no point and no reason and nothing to write at all.
But that’s what this month’s topic is for. All month long, I have been and will continue to give you some ideas for how to get yourself out of that rut. They’re all tried and true, because I’ve used every single one of them. So you know something in this list is bound to help you.
Today, I want you to…Find some inspiring music
No brainer, right? Well, finding the right music is a lot harder than it sounds! There have been times when I’ve spent over an hour looking for the right music to match the scene I want to write—but once I find the right music, I can write for hours without once feeling like I’m back in that rut.
That’s why what you’re listening to is so important.
Now, I understand that some writers are able to write while listening to music with lyrics, but I am not one of those. Nope. I need to have music with no lyrics whatsoever, or lyrics that are so faint and difficult to understand that they won’t draw me out of what I’m doing.
That’s why I listen to epic music. It’s like soundtrack music, only it’s not actually from a soundtrack. If you’re interested, check out Two Steps From Hell, Audiomachine, and Future World Music. All of them are amazing and have gotten me out of many a rut in my writing life.
But that’s not the only type of music you can use to inspire you. For some of us, it’s not music at all, but sound effects. Nature sounds, city sounds, whatever it is that gets your brain into the right frame of mind to write what you’re here to write—no one else, not even another writer, has the right to say what you should and shouldn’t listen to while you’re writing.
That’s exactly why I didn’t say you have to try out epic music. I know that for some of you, it won’t be helpful in the slightest. But for me, it’s just the ticket.
Music, sound effects, ambiance, are extremely inspiring for authors. The sounds of the world around us always flavor what we’re writing, what we’re working on. So let them. Find something that flavors your writing in the way you want, and put it on repeat. Even if it’s just one song that you’re listening to over and over again, do it!
Find that sound that inspires you, that music, that ambiance that brings you into a world of creativity.
You’ll be glad you did.
[love]
{Rani Divine}