Rani Divine's Blog, page 28

Don't stop. Never stop. Can't stop.

Well friends, we’ve come to the end of the line. I only have one more thing to talk to you about, when it comes to things writers do. One more thing, that happens to be the most important thing of them all. It’s the thing that it all boils down to, and the thing that really keeps us going, when it comes right down to it. It’s the part that matters, the part that we cannot overlook and cannot allow ourselves to ever forget.
What is it, you ask?
You wouldn’t stop being a writer for anything in the world, because, hey, you get to create worlds
For me, personally, I cannot even imagine not writing. Even now, when I’m finding it hard to make time to keep writing, to keep constantly writing even while I’m in the midst of two editing projects and about to start on a third, I cannot imagine what I would be if I wasn’t writing my own book.
It’s been less than a decade since I started writing in earnest, but these past eight years have been the time in which I’ve really come into my own. I’ve learned more about myself since I’ve been writing than I learned in the many years prior.
I know who I am, because I know what I write.
And yes, I now spend a mass of time editing and far less time sitting down at my computer to write, but you know what? If I was given the chance to edit full time and never write again, I wouldn’t take it. I can’t not write. I can’t even imagine not writing.
Writing is my passion, it’s the passion of every writer out there. It’s the thing we do, the release that helps us the most, the way that we get from point A to point B in our heads. It’s what we do, whether we like it right now or not.
When we’re not writing, we’re not creating. When we’re not writing, we’re probably not thinking clearly. When we’re not writing, well, we’re not writers.
It’s a hard life. We all know that, and we knew it when we jumped in, from the very start. Our own friends warned us that this was going to be hard, they asked us if we were ever going to make it, because the market is so saturated. They told us that it wasn’t worth it, because we’d never make anything of it in the end.
But for some of us, that’s not the part that matters. The part that matters is that we’re writing, that we’re out there, and that we’re never going to give up on it.
We’re creating people, we’re making new worlds that no one has ever dreamed of before, and we’re forming a story out of our own heads—a story that we believe needs to be told.
That’s what we are, and that’s what we do.
We write because we must write, and we never stop. We wouldn’t even be willing to stop. Many of us wouldn’t even consider stopping.
Why would we, when we so love what we do?
[love]
{Rani Divine}
p.s. Be sure to stop in next week to find out what our August series is! It’s a good one!

Always with the words

It’s the last week of our July series! I have a really interesting theme picked out for next month, and I’m getting really excited to finalize what I’ll be talking about. One of these days, maybe I’ll do a blog to tell you guys how I blog… Digressing again, aren't I? 
Since this is the last week of our series on things writers do, I’ve picked out my two favorite topics. Well, technically three. Today, we’ll be talking about two things. Why? Because they went hand in hand, and it made more sense to take a day and talk about both than it did to take two days for smaller topics.
But enough descriptions while hiding the actual topic! Let’s get started.
If you’re a writer…
You know what it feels like to have your eyes spin from staring at words too long
And…
You know how to prevent the screen-staring headache, but you don’t always do it
Know what I mean?
I spend hours every day, sitting at my computer, writing or editing (and sometimes reading) until I seriously can’t look away without my eyes hurting. It happens a lot during the editing phase, actually, because I’ll spent about eight hours in any given day editing as much as I possibly can. When I’m writing, I usually take breaks here and there to do some other things, but when I edit, that’s just not the case.
As writers, we know what it’s like to continually stare at a screen.
And I’m sure you’d say that a lot of other professionals have that problem as well. Really, in this day and age, nearly everyone is on the computer all day. But you know what? Most of them aren’t extremely intensely staring at the screen, at words, waiting for magic to happen.
Most professionals are doing rote tasks on their computers all day. They’re working, yes, but they’re not actively focused on words all day. They’re looking at images as well, they’re looking at different websites and the graphics therein. Writers, however, are just sitting here looking at words—and you can only stare at words for so long before it gets old.
It happens when you’re reading all day, too. Pretty much, it just happens whenever you’ve been looking at words for too many hours in a day.
Unfortunately for writers, that’s our livelihood.
But, for many of us, we’ve gotten to the point where we know how to prevent the oncoming headache that ensues from staring at said words. We’ve been at it long enough that we know we should look away for fifteen minutes every hour, to take your eyes off the words for a little while whenever we can and give our eyes the break they need.
Then again, most of us never bother to do it.
Why? Because that would mean taking our eyes off the thing we do, the thing we love, and who wants to do that? Sheesh. No, we want to keep doing what we’re doing, we don’t want to stop writing, to stop reading and editing and bettering our craft.
So we continue to stare at the screens, at the words, and fight off the headaches threatening to bubble over the whole of our consciousness, and for that, you have a writer who’s written many books, and a writer who never stops writing.
Isn’t that what we are, in the end?
[love]
{Rani D}

If you're not writing... you wish you were

It’s Thursday! You’ve almost made it through the week! Which means I’ve almost made it through the week, too… which is a very good thing. It’s been a long week. But Mynidd is almost done with edits, and it’ll be off to my advance readers very soon. That’s a very good feeling, believe me.
Which brings me to the topic I picked out for today, one that is really in my heart during weeks like this, times like these. The life of a writer isn’t always what we want it to be, but you know, we’re dreamers. And that’s a good thing, too. 
Know what writers do, all the time? 
We spend more time writing than we do anything else… or, we dream of a day when we can.
Now, for me, writing is my career. Well, one of them. I’m a writer, an editor, a blogger, a social media manager and marketing specialist… which all equates to the fact that I write pretty much all the time.
But you know, it wasn’t always like that. And that kind of writing that I do all the time isn’t always the kind of writing I want to be doing. It’s not like I’m sitting at my computer, writing my books day in and day out. Just ask my betas. They’re getting Collide as I write it, and right now, that means it’s not coming very quickly. I’ve been so deep in edits that I haven’t had as much time to write. I’ve been so busy with my new position at RAD that I haven’t had nearly as much down time as I used to. Which means I find myself wishing I could write more, but at the same time, glad that I get to write as much as I do.
As writers, there’s nearly always a storyline running in the backs of our minds. It doesn’t really matter what we’re doing, we’re always thinking about story. And when you’re thinking about story all the time, you really want to be able to sit and write that story down.
Life doesn’t always let that happen, unfortunately.
As writers, we dream of a time when we can spend a whole week in a cabin in the woods or holed up in a beach house, doing nothing but writing, day in and day out. We envision ourselves being able to sit and write for a living… while in reality, we often struggle to find the time in our daily schedules to even write five hundred words a day (that’s my new goal, by the way—remember when I used to write 4,000?!).
There was a time, not so long ago, when I spent more time writing than I did doing anything else. If anyone asked me what I was doing, the answer was always writing. It was the thing I loved to do, the thing I focused on the most, the thing I never wanted to give up.
And I still won’t give it up, but maybe I won’t write as often as I used to, and I’ll dream of writing, remembering the time when I used to write so much.
Because I’m a writer, and if I’m not writing, I definitely wish I was writing.
So do you, I’d guess.
[love]
{Rani D.}

We see a lot of words

Hey guys!
Welcome back to Too Many Books to Count! I hope you all had fabulous weekends, filled with rest and relaxation… far unlike what I experienced. I’m exhausted, and the week has only just begun.
Before we get started today, I want to give a shout out to one of my biggest fans, my big brother, Anth! Today’s his birthday, and he’s one of the coolest guys you’ll ever meet. Happy birthday, brother! I hope it’s great, and that your year is as awesome as you are.

So this week, we’re continuing to talk about what it means to be a writer, what it is that writers really do, and I have the perfect topic for today. Perfect, because I went through this whole process literally two days ago. I know exactly what it’s like.
You sometimes feel like reading is the last thing you’d ever want to do… but you read anyway.
As writers, we’re told time and time again that we have to read, we can’t not be reading, there’s always something that we should be reading. But when you’re writing all the time, sometimes it’s hard to get up the gumption to read. And if you’re also mid-edit, then it’s even harder to pick up another book.
Why? Because we already did that today.
See, right now, I’m about a third of the way into a new book, tentatively called Collide. I’m also about a third into the edits of the next in the Druid Novels, Mynidd. And I’m also trying to read Orson Scott Card’s Speaker for the Dead. If you’ve ever written, edited, and read at the same time, then I’m sure you know how I feel.
Sometimes, I just don’t want to anymore.
I spent the majority of last week editing, with a little bit of writing on the side. The weeks before that were also spent editing a project for RAD Writing. Later this week, I’ll be editing submissions for Mavguard (if you haven’t gotten your submissions receipt yet, let me know!). All while still writing Collide, and all while still trying to read this amazing book.
That’s a lot of time spent with words.
The thing that nobody tells writers, is that it’s going to get old, and it’s going to get old fast. You’re going to get bored, doing what you do all the time. Especially if you make a career out of it.
Right now, I feel like all I do is stare at words on a screen or words on a page. That’s all I do, all I think about. And that’s really boring, if I’m being honest.
But you know what? I do it anyway.
Because despite how bored I feel, despite how much I want to walk away and go do something else, I know that this is what I love. This is the thing I signed on to do, and deep down, in my heart, I enjoy it. Right now, it’s old. It’s rote. It’s dull. But in a couple days, it might not be anymore. And that’s what I’m building toward.
So I keep writing. I keep editing. But most of all, I keep reading.
I even bought some new books over the weekend.
[love]
{Rani Divine}

Jot Those Ideas Down

Hey guys! You’ve made it through most of the week. Congratulations!
Me, I’ve been editing all week. Seriously. All week, for the past three weeks. So it’s nice to get away and write a blog, get some creativity out. That being the case, I thought I’d talk about something that’s super applicable to me while I’m editing.
Writers always think about plots… We always see people as characters…We’re always on the lookout for the next idea…
And you know what else?
We never go anywhere without a pencil and paper… or at least a cell phone.
You know those ideas that we’re always on the lookout for? Well what kind of writer would we be if we weren’t prepared to write them down?!
There’s a saying that goes around, among writers, that says if you don’t write it down you’re probably going to forget it. Unfortunately, it’s true in a lot of cases. All those amazing ideas that surround us all the time, we have to write them down as soon as we get them, or there’s a strong chance that we won’t remember what they were. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve woken up from a dream in the middle of the night, thinking the dream I had would make a wonderful novel, but by the time I got up in the morning I didn’t remember what it was.
That, my friends, is why we always be sure we’re prepared to write those ideas down.
I keep a little notepad and a collection of pens in my nightstand, all set for me to write anything down at a moment’s notice, in the middle of the night. And I always keep my cell phone on me, because even if I’m out and about, I want to have a way to write that idea down. These days, a smartphone fits the bill quite nicely.
When you’re walking down the street and a notion strikes… write it down. When you’re half asleep and you have an idea that’s either amazing or horrible… write it down. When you’re deep in thought and something occurs to you… write it down. When you’re in the middle of a conversation and someone says something that sparks even a hint of a notion… stop and write it down. When you're editing a book (even if it isn't yours) and something hits you... write it down. 
That’s what we do.
We’re writers, and so we write. Even if it's only a tiny little note that says “the humans should have radiation poisoning” – it’s something we have to do. And yes, that’s a note I’ve been holding in my phone for a long time, waiting until the time is right to use it.
Writers all have notes like that, little reminders of things we never want to forget. Even if the ideas are ones that we’re probably never going to use, we don’t want to give up on them. At least we have a little reminder, that there was one time when we thought up this little thing. When it was a bad idea, it’s a way to keep ourselves from going down that path again, which is a very good thing. Believe me.
So we never go anywhere without pen and paper, or without a way to write things down. Because if we did, then we wouldn’t be writers, would we? 
Especially when all we're doing is editing, this is a great way to keep our minds on writing. 
[love]
{Rani D.}

Looking For the Next Big Thing

Happy Tuesday!
I know, it’s just not the same as saying Happy Monday, but you know, Tuesdays are a weird day too. It’s not quite Wednesday, so you haven’t made it to the hump, but it’s better than Monday, when you’re just starting to get back into things. It’s always been one of those days where I don’t quite know what to do with myself.
At least now I get to write to you guys. ;-)
Last week we talked about two things that writers always do, no matter what: we always think about our plots, and we always assess people as characters. Can’t even help it, it just comes naturally to us. But there are many more things we do too, when push comes to shove.
Writers are always on the lookout for the next good idea
And they come from unexpected sources. Seriously, they do. I was in a Viking Mythology class when I got the idea for the Druid Novels. And I was in a class at my church when I started writing my Earth-Space series (the first of which is due out sometime in the next decade, I hope). They come when you least expect them, and you have to be constantly prepared to receive them.
Why? Because we never want to run out of ideas.
I think it’s honestly a bit of a fear, in many writers. We don’t want to run out of ideas, to get to the point that we’re not sure what to write next. And if we’re honest, it’s happened to all of us at least once or twice. We finish a book and we feel like we have nothing else in us. But we’re wrong, and that’s where this comes in handy.
No matter where we go, no matter what we’re doing while we’re there, we’re always looking for the next big idea.
Ideas are where we thrive, when it comes right down to it. Every book is a series of ideas strung together, a group of notions that we put together to form a complete story. How are we supposed to finish the book if we run out of ideas in the middle?
So then, it’s not just about new novel ideas, or new ideas that will lead into a new novel, but about new ideas to string into the group of ideas we’re currently working on. A novel isn’t just based off a single idea, most of the time.
But for those of you who aren’t writers, I’m sure you’re wondering where we get these ideas. In fact, I know you wonder that, because it’s one of the questions I’m asked all. The. Time. Here, I’ll answer it for you.
I get my ideas from the back of my head, while I’m doing something completely normal and mundane. I get ideas from random phrases people spoke on accident. I get ideas from the Word of God, from the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. I get my ideas from television shows, but I usually take them in a different direction than they did. I get my ideas from all around, from everywhere, and I do not intend to stop. Because I’m a writer, and I need ideas. I thrive in them, and they in me—as with every writer before me, every writer around me, and every writer who will follow us.
We need our ideas, and our ideas need us, if they’re going to come to fruition.
[love]
{Rani D.}

Characters are Everywhere

Hi, friends!
Thank you all so much for sticking with me, even as we go down to having two posts a week, instead of three. If you can’t get enough of me, don’t forget that I will be the normal writer of the RADblog on Fridays. I’ll do my best to share that link on my Facebook page as well, whenever we post, so you’ll be able to keep in touch.
This month, we’re talking about what it really means to be a writer. On Tuesday I focused on seeing plots everywhere, on not being able to get out of that zone, no matter where we go or what we do—and today’s topic is along a very similar line. Unlike Tuesday, however, I’m going to make it a little more personal.
Writers never stop assessing people… as characters.
We really don’t. Some of us do try to see people in a different light, to not be so stuck in the rut of seeing anyone and everyone around us as a character in a story, a small part of a larger whole, but really, we just can’t stop. After all, this is the thing that we do whenever we get the chance. Whether writing is our day job or not, it’s something that we live in, something we associate with, something that we are, and that we do.
We’re writers, and we write people.
Like you.
Which is where today’s topic comes in.
See, I’ve written a lot of characters, based on my assessments of people in the real world. Bear in mind though, that I’ve never really talked to those people to make sure they were okay with me making them into a character. Why? Because I didn’t really make them into a character. I took some features of theirs, some things that they said or did, and morphed them with a plethora of other ideas to make a fully-fledged character. Nothing wrong with that, after all.
Let’s talk about a few though, shall we? (don’t worry, I won’t say anybody’s real name, and nothing here will even be able to reveal who you are)
FriendsI have this one friend who knows everything. Seriously. He knows everything. So I used that little detail about him, that really funny and really brilliant side of him, to make a character. Because see, it’s hard to make a character like that and make him realistic, since it’s so rare to meet a person like that. So, since I knew someone, I used that feature about them to make my character more real, more vivid, more lifelike. But, my friend is a little awkward, and I needed someone a little more hands-on. So I used that one detail, but built off it to make something else.
FamilyThere’s this one family member of mine, who’s the sweetest person in the whole wide world. I’m sure we all know at least one of those. Well, I’ve used her as a basis for some of the witches in the Druid Novels. They were designed to be sweet and innocent, which this family member definitely is. But I don’t have much experience in that arena, so I used her as a springboard off which to create my character. And let me tell you, it’s worked out really well.
Innocent bystandersOne day, I was walking through Sprouts here in town, and ran into a guy. Never seen him before, never seen him since. But he had this amazing walk. There was a little bit of a limp to it, a little bit of a lilt, but not enough that you’d notice it if you weren’t paying attention. And that struck me. It was the tiniest detail, if you looked at the guy. Trust me. But it was the one that I knew I could use. What if there was a character who’d been tasered in the foot when she was a child, and the feeling never fully came back? What if that made her walk differently, but she tried her best to hide it from everyone around her? That, is a great character idea, wouldn’t you say? 
We never stop doing it, no matter what. We can't. We're always looking for ways to enrich our characters. And really, it's a heck of a lot of fun. 
[love]
{RD}

Can't Stop Thinking

Hey guys!
It’s Tuesday. That feels a little weird. And I do feel a bit sad that I’ll only be writing in here twice a week for the foreseeable future, but you know, it means that I get to pour a lot more time and attention into the things that I’m sharing with you guys, and I think that’s really cool.
By the way, I’m still working on getting the RAD Writing podcast up and running, so if you guys have any topics you’d like us to cover or if you have some tips or tricks of the trade you’d like to share with me, feel free to drop a comment or send me a message. I’d absolutely love to hear from you!
This month, I thought we’d talk about something a little bit more fun, something unlike anything I’ve written in a while. I’ve been a little more focused on helping you out, this year, but you know, there’s always time for a little fun—don’t you think?
So, we’re going to talk about what it really means to be a writer. And by that I mean I’m going to talk to you about things that writers do, that aren’t really that glamorous, and that are sometimes more weird or annoying to others than anything else.
It’ll be fun though, I promise.
Do you know what we do? Well, we never stop thinking about our plots.
No matter what we’re doing, where we’re going, or who we’re with, it’s something that never really leaves our minds. Ever.
Thing is, most people, normal people, wouldn’t know what that’s like. So we have to pretend we’re not thinking about it, that we’re thinking about lots of other little things, and nothing so huge as to decide the fate of one’s life. After all, characters aren’t just figments of our imaginations. They’re real, as long as we’re writing them, and often for many years after.
When we go to the store, we often imagine our characters, our friends, fighting their foe through circumstances small and large. We see grand palaces and barren wastelands, all while we’re walking to the produce section.
If only other people could see it.
I often find myself imagining the settings of my stories, while I’m out shopping. And then I see everyone else in the same setting. What part of the story will they play? Or are they only a background character, one who won’t even have a name within the text? Who is to say, but the writers of their stories! For many of them, that writer is not me. But for some, oh the glorious few, I will write them. I have the honor and the joy to create their character, to put them into this amazing world borne out of my imagination, and to allow them to live a life unlike any they’d ever dreamed.
That’s what makes a writer.
No matter the circumstances, no matter where we are or what we’re doing, we can create. It also makes us a lot of fun to hang out with, as long as you can break through the shell. Like I said, most people don’t understand the way we think, so we don’t often talk about it. And like I’ve talked about before, our ability to assess plot lines also gives us an uncanny ability to determine what the future will hold, based on information in the present. Lots of people don’t like that, so we don’t talk about it—but it can be of use to both of us, if you’ll get close enough to us that we feel safe enough to open up.
Sometimes it effects our moods, other times it simply makes us quiet and introspective, and still others it makes us want to run away and hide, if only to get these notions down on paper.
Whatever it is, it’s something we can’t stop doing—and something other people might not always understand. 
That, right there, is a writer. 
[love]
{Rani Divine}

Last words and Announcements

As the final post of the month, the final words that you’ll hear from me in this series on getting from manuscript to published book, I have a few last words of wisdom, for you to keep in mind. And a few announcements, for the coming weeks and months.
Don’t get offendedWhen you’re sending out your work, or when you’ve gotten a response from an editor, it’s easy to get offended by anything and everything that they tell you. Even if you get accepted, they’re going to want to make changes to your manuscript. They are. Don’t allow yourself to be offended by anything they tell you. You’ve only been researching the business for a few weeks, but these people work in it. You picked a publisher you can trust, so trust them.
Don’t get impatientIt’s all a process. Every little bit of it. Whether it’s the submissions part, the waiting part, contracting, editing, or waiting for your book to hit shelves. There’s a lot to get done, no matter the stage. Don’t get impatient while you’re waiting for a good thing to come to pass. Patience is a virtue, so they say. And they say it with good reason. Get impatient, and you’ll get offended no matter what happens.
Be a nice humanRemember Wednesday, when we talked about reaching out to people? It’s important enough that I’m mentioning it again. Don’t be a jerk to people you might be working with for the rest of your life. Be nice to them. Treat them the way you want them to treat you. If you’re a jerk, they’ll be a jerk right back. That’s just how people are. So, don’t do that. Unless you like working with jerks. I can’t even fathom that, though.
Don’t stop writingNo matter what happens, do not stop writing. If it takes years for an editor to start reading your manuscript, if you get a million rejection letters, don’t let any of it stop you from writing. Just keep going. You’re getting better and better, while you’re waiting to hear back from them. And you can start sending out multiple works, which means you might end up getting signed by two companies at the same time. It happens. But whatever you do, whatever is going on around you, don’t give up on the thing you love. Never stop writing. Ever.

And remember, while you’re waiting to find out whether you’ve been approved or not, don’t get testy. Stay calm, stay sane, and stay writing. Never give up because of what any publisher may tell you. They don’t know the whole world, do they? They’re looking to fill a gap in their market, and maybe your book doesn’t suit that. But none of that means your book isn’t publishable, isn’t sellable.
There’s an audience out there, for your book. You just have to find them.



And now, as promised, I have some announcements.
My position at RAD Writing has changed! Which means I don’t have as much time for my own stuff. Which, admittedly, is a little sad. I’m not going to forget about you guys, or stop writing in Too Many Books to Count, don’t worry. But, I will be changing my release dates. Since I’ll be the primary blog writer and podcaster for RAD Writing (podcasts coming soon, TBD), I’ve decided that it’s time I scale back a little bit, in here.
Starting in July, I’ll be posting in Too Many Books to Count on Tuesdays and Thursdays, instead of Monday/Wednesday/Friday.
What does this mean for you?
Well, it means you’ll get fewer posts from me. But it also means that I’ll be able to dedicate more relevant information to each post, so you won’t feel like you’re getting the same thing two times in any given series. It’ll be a good change, don’t worry.
And if you just can’t get enough Rani, remember, I’ll still be posting in the RADblog on Fridays, and the plan is to start podcasting in the next few weeks as well.
I’ll still be around. It’s just time to move up in the world.
[love and hugs for each of you]
{Rani Divine}

Reach Out

Monday, we talked about things you need to keep in mind while you’re sending your work out to your preferred publishers. Today, I have my final pointer, while you’re sending out your work. The last thing that I really think you should do, if you’re going to get in.
Reach out
Yeah, it’s something I’ve been telling you to do, from start to finish. You need you show yourself as a friendly person, as someone who publishers actually want to work with, someone who can easily market themselves, without a second thought. After all, these days, half the marketing really does fall on your shoulders. Reaching out now will help you get better at doing so with your readers, and anyone else you need to reach out to.
So get in touch, see if you can make friends and get a leg up on your competition.
Editors
We’ve been trying to meet them this whole time, haven’t we? Well, make nice with them when you are able to get in touch. Make friends, ask them questions, be a normal person and not a nervous author. Trust me, it will be a welcome change in their lives. But in all honesty, if the editor likes you as a person, it gives you a huge leg up on your competition. If you’re rude, your chances go down. Make nice. Even if you don’t think of yourself as a nice person. You’re going to have to be nice, if you get signed. Yeah. You will. Don’t think you won’t. Nobody wants to buy a book from a jerk. I’m not even kidding.
But I don’t just mean that you should reach out to the editors at the company. There are a lot of other people there, who might be able to get you an in.
Authors
Remember, we researched a bunch of them, too. So do the same thing with them that you did with the editors. Meet them, make friends, be nice. Ask them about the business, about the company, but don’t let that be the only thing you talk about with them. Authors don’t often get contacted by other authors who don’t want to talk about writing. Show that you can be a normal person. They might give you a rave review, when they’re talking to their editor—who, you never know, might be your editor as well.
It’s not the end until you get a rejection letter. And yeah, that’s probably going to happen, once or twice. But by making nice, by being a good and kind person, you’re way ahead of a lot of other writers out there.
We tend to be eccentric, you know. ;-)
[love]
{RD}