A.E. Jones's Blog, page 7

A Writer’s Next Step

I am in the middle of second edits and beginning to prepare for my release in October. It’s hard to believe that my sixth and final paranormal wedding planner book will be in readers’ hands soon.

And with that comes a momentous occasion – at least for me. I need to decide what I want to do next.

Do I write a spin off from my Mind Sweeper series (I have ideas churning about that). 

Do I keep working on the manuscript that I have been playing with recently? You know, the one I hadn’t planned on, but started writing anyway?

Or do I head in a new direction and come up with a new series?

Honestly, I could go down any of these paths which makes the decision harder for me. What do I want to do next? What is calling to me? I’m hoping that the muse will tell me what to do. I’ve got a few more weeks until my release and then I’ll let you know what I come up with…

A Writer’s Guide to Editing with Cats

This weekend I got my first edits back on my wedding planner book and I dove in and worked through them all, or the majority of them, anyway. I’ve never been a big fan of the editing portion of the process, so I have to tell myself that it ultimately will make the book a much better story if I work through all of the suggestions my editor gives me.

Plus once I’m to the editing phase, that means the book will be in the hands of the readers sooner rather than later, so that is also a plus.

As for the title of this post…here’s the thing, it’s a bit misleading. The truth is, there is no guide that I can provide you for editing with cats, or anything with cats, really. Anyone who lives with a cat knows that they are ultimately the ones in charge.

So when I was editing this weekend, boy cat decided that I was done for the evening and it was time to pay attention to him. And there is no bargaining with him as you can see by the serious expression on his face!

Which meant boy cat got loved on and I finished my edits the next day. Maybe this post should have been titled ‘A Cat’s Guide to Controlling a Writer?’

 

 

A Writer Had to Stand in Line

Today I had to go to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles to renew my driver’s license. In Ohio, we call it the BMV although other states call it the DMV. But, I digress…so I got to the office bright and early to stand in a social-distanced line so that I could take care of business. And as I stood there, I thought about my story and characters. But after a couple minutes, I started thinking about the actual people in line around me.

What were they thinking about? Probably not about paranormal wedding planners or demon romances, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t interesting. Ultimately, everyone has a story. One that we’re in the midst of living.

Relationships, hardships, fears, joys…all of these things jumbled together in our lives, especially now. So much so that it made me stop and think about the people around me.

Until this year I think many of us were plowing through life with blinders on – not thinking about the people we pass by every day. Now, when we aren’t able to spend time with others, I think we can’t help but wonder what is happening to the very people we were once surrounded by.

Remember that everyone has story that they’re living, even as they stand in line at the BMV.

Time For This Writer to Move to Plan B

A couple weeks ago I shared in my blog that I was working on a book that had two couples in it. This of course meant that there are two romantic conflicts, four point of view (POVs), four backstories, two first meets, two first kisses…you get the idea.

Well, I was super exited about tackling this but then I got nervous. The more I wrote, the more I realized it was taking a long time to get into the crux of the story with all of the set up and background and scenes I was writing for both couples.

So I sent what I had written so far to a writer friend who beta reads for me and she came back and confirmed my fear. It was taking too long to really delve into the story.

Now what?

I had to make the decision to focus on one couple. A painful, but necessary decision. And when I read it again, I realized that the story was truly leaning in one direction and toward one couple. Which means a rewrite.

Wahhhhhh!

I’ve spent the last week trying to rework 30k words that I already had written to narrow the focus to one primary couple. And I still need to decide what to do with the other couple. Do I fit them in as a secondary couple with hints of them getting together? Or do I write a short story or full length novel getting them together after the fact?

We’ll have to wait and see about that. Right now I need to work on a happy ever after for the first couple. Stay tuned.

A Writer’s Version of Breaking a Sweat

I went for my daily walk this evening. And I knew before I stepped out the door that it was hot, hot, hot outside. But that didn’t stop me from putting one foot in front of the other. I really needed to exercise and break a sweat today. It helps me relieve my frustration and I get to spend time outside which is a plus right now.

As a writer I also need to break a sweat. That happens in different ways as I’m working on a story. Especially if the story is not flowing easily for me. Or if I have to rework something. What really makes me sweat is cutting scenes from my stories. But it’s a necessary evil in writing.

So I’ll continue to break a sweat on my walks and in my writing. Motivation is definitely key for me right now. It helps me move forward when many of us are feeling a bit stuck right now.

The Author’s Version of Walking in Circles

I went for my daily walk today. It was threatening rain, so instead of walking my normal path down my street and back again, I decided to walk in the circle drive where my home and other homes sit. That way, if a downpour started, I wouldn’t get too drenched.

So around the circle I walked, and walked, and walked. And it got me thinking about writing. When you tell a story, you have to move the plot, and characters, and conflict forward. Circling or retelling the story again and again bogs the plot down and bores the reader.

But there isn’t anything wrong with not moving forward in a straight line. Sometimes you’ll zig and zag along the story path adding nuances and surprises along the way.  Because as much as the reader can be bored circling, they can also be bored by knowing what is going to happen along that straight path.

Exploring Characters

Lately the story I have been working on has been an interesting exploration on characters. I am actually writing about two couples in the same book – gulp! It’s been a different experience juggling four points of view and two romantic conflicts. Luckily, both couples are dealing with one mystery, so that at least is a relief for this author.

And the fun thing so far about this story is that I am writing by scenes and not by my normal gauge of word count. And it has been liberating to say the least.

The biggest change is juggling who gets to be the main POV in each scene. Now I have four characters fighting for center stage.

And I still need to figure out is how long this book will actually be – when you have two couples to get together, it might end up being more words than I originally planned. But I won’t worry about that now – I’ll write the scenes and keep moving forward until the end finally shows itself.

Stopping the Characters from Talking to Me

So my amazing editor asked me if I was ever going to write a story that the two of us have been talking about for a few years now. And when she asked me about it, it got me thinking about the plot and the characters, and the conflicts…well, you know the drill. Of course, the story would actually be part of a trilogy if I do end up writing it (because apparently I can’t write standalone books).

A simple question from my editor started the voices in my head. My characters talk to me and now I had them all talking at once. I’m used to that, but normally it’s when I am writing their story not something else.

Remember, I’m writing a new story right now that is flowing very nicely and I don’t want to stop the momentum. But…the voices were there. So…I took a little detour.

I wrote the first chapter of the first book in the trilogy. And it stopped the voices for that trilogy, at least for now.

If they start squawking again I can always right a little bit more of their story. That would be a new experience for me, writing two books at once! In the meantime, we’ll see if I can keep the voices at bay

 

 

 

 

Writing the Un-Story

In my last blog I talked about sending my manuscript off to my editor to start edits. In the meantime, I have started a new story. It’s actually one that I hadn’t planned on writing. And honestly? I don’t know if I will finish it. (Does that sound strange?)

But the really interesting thing about it is that I am writing it much faster than my last book.

Why?

Here’s my thoughts on it. I haven’t associated a timeline to this and I’m not pressuring myself about it or promising anyone that I am writing it, so the words are flowing. Who would have thunk it?

If it continues to work, I’ll keep writing it. I don’t know when I will decide I am actually going to finish it, but I’ll let you know when I figure it out!

My Manuscript is Heading Off to School

So I sent off my draft manuscript to my editor for a developmental read. In some respects, I think of this version of the manuscript like a preschool child heading to school for the first time to learn the fundamentals. My editor will read the book and look for big picture issues with plot, character, timeline, etc. Then it comes back to me to revise.

After that, I send it back for the first edits (what I lovingly refer to as bloody edits). My editor works through it painstakingly and cleans things up. Think of the manuscript as a grade school child learning about reading, writing and arithmetic.

After first edits and revisions, you guessed it, the manuscript goes back for second edits where we do line edits and check for anything else we missed before. I would say the manuscript is in high school at this point.

Finally, the manuscript will head for proof edits and then will be formatted for digital and print books. Now the manuscript is in college getting ready to head out into the world.

And if I keep following this analogy, the book will graduate college in late October and will be in readers’ hands at that point.

I’ll let you know how ‘school’ goes over the next few months for the book…