Ready…Set…Write! By Guest Blogger Jennifer Harlow

Ready…Set…Write!  

By Guest Blogger Jennifer Harlow

Today I began work on my tenth (holy crap!) book, the second in The Galilee Falls Trilogy (the first is now available in the Kindle Store). Really, I started work on this one years ago on many a sleepless night. The main characters, the basic story arcs - they've been locked away in my brain for eons, and now it's time to finally put pen to paper and bring my imaginary friends to life.

I've been staring at a blank page for an hour.

I know exactly how it begins. I have the scene playing in my brain but I just can't pick up the pen. I hate this day. It's the hardest day of the project. The start of countless hours, months of diligent work start TODAY. And it is hard work, damn hard. I was once asked why I wanted to be a writer.

The pay's crap, there's no guarantee the work will be seen (this one's already been sold so it probably will), and on average it takes six months to get a complete manuscript, and that's before the trillion edits it'll need. The truth is, for me at least, I can't NOT write. I wish I was meant to be a doctor or psychologist or even a stay at home Mom, but since I was a child I've always known I was meant to be a writer. And selling six books before age thirty is a good guidepost that I was right.  And most days I love it. I love the inception, the research (and there's a lot for this one), the character sketches, even later the editing. I just don't like today.

Maybe it has to do with physics. Yes, I'll blame Sir Isaac Newton and his first law: "An object that is at rest will stay at rest unless an unbalanced force acts upon it." It all comes down to drive. I've always been a very driven person but as I get older I get...well...lazier. It gets harder and harder to pull myself away from cult classic movies and BBC America. I can do research and sketches while watching those but not when I really need to concentrate. I have to sit at my desk or the library 8+ hours a day for months with only music for company. But really, that's not it. Really, it's fear. 

A hundred horrible thoughts race through my mind as I'm sitting down on this day. What if I can't pull this off? What if my characters are unlikable? What if I can't pull of the voice? What if it's just total and utter crap? What if I'm not good enough to tell this story? I'm usually a damn confident person. Just not today. But I will solider on because this is important. (And I have a hard deadline.) I will pick up that pen, I will write that first word. Then the next, then the next 80,000 and when I see all my hard work sitting in a bookstore and when I receive lovely e-mails from people who enjoy my book, today will be nothing but a distant memory.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to defy Newton's law.

Jennifer Harlow spent her restless childhood fighting with her three brothers and scaring the heck out of herself with horror movies and books. She grew up to earn a degree at the University of Virginia which she put to use as a radio DJ, crisis hotline volunteer, bookseller, lab assistant, wedding coordinator, and government investigator. Currently she calls Northern Virginia home but that restless itch is ever present. In her free time, she continues to scare the beejepers out of herself watching scary movies and opening her credit card bills. She is the author of the Amazon best-selling F.R.E.A.K.S. Squad and Midnight Magic Mystery series. For the soundtrack to her books and other goodies visit her at www.jenniferharlowbooks.com  

or find her on Facebook or follow her on Twitter @JenHarlowBooks

 

Three Essentials of Writing a Complex Series by Guest Blogger Geoff Wakeling

Three Essentials of Writing a Complex Series

When it comes to writing, I’m a total pantser – that’s flying by the seat of your pants, aka, not having a clue what you’re writing till you sit down. That’s fine when you’re working on a standalone novel. It’s even fine when you’re starting off a series. But when it comes to later books, such as books four and five of my Inside Evil series, problems start to arise. Those throw away lines that you made in Chapter 3 of your first book suddenly need tying in with everything else. The character developments you wrote on the spur of the moment start to throw up all kinds of issues. Even worse, if you’re writing fantasy, creating worlds or setting laws in place to govern systems, such as magic, breaking the rules in later books to ‘make everything fit’ might result in the wrath of your beloved fans.

 

Let’s face it: I’ve found this out the hard way. The first two books of Inside Evil were a breeze to write. Then I had to start thinking – yes – actual thought processes away from the keyboard. That’s really not so fun. I like the spontaneity of taking my characters where THEY want to go. I have milestones to reach, but most of the story is ultimately unknown until my fingers allow it to unfold.

But with creating a fictional town, an ancient curse and a new parallel world come all manner of rules, myths and intricacies that have to be carefully spun together as you wind down a series.

I’m a HUGE fan of SF and Fantasy television, and I think it often shows when a series has been carefully formulated before even airing. The executives from Fringe, for example, already knew exactly what was going to happen. They were then able to drop in hints and facts in the initial shows to tie together later. However, despite loving Vampire Diaries to start with, the totally chaotic nature of the series and the writers breaking almost every one of their initial rules to try and create an engaging story has left me cold. It was inspired by a book series, but departed from this 90s literature fairly quickly.

So, if you’re writing a series, what should you be looking out for and doing?

Take Notes

It really doesn’t matter whether you’re a pantser or consummate organiser, taking notes is essential. If you write that the bite of a butterfly is venomous in one world and not the other, write it down. If a character says they hate beer in one book and then is guzzling down cans in later novels, you have a problem. Again – write it down.

Plot, Plot, Plot

I might be wrong, but most authors I know have a definite end to their series. They know where they’re headed, they just aren’t always sure what’s happening in between. If possible, take the time to create a skeleton outline for each novel. It doesn’t have to be scene by scene, of even chapter by chapter, but stating the obvious points, milestones and important events will help tie in all your series’ qualities.

Write Back Story

I’m a huge fan of back story. I’ve got reams of pages about worlds, laws, creatures and characters that will probably never see the light of day. By writing these down you can figure out the important details and side-step the hurdles rather than realising there’s something wrong AFTER you’ve already published the first few books. And, if your series really takes off, you can offer this encyclopaedic info as a short story, website post or even a reward for fans signing up to your newsletter.

 

Writing a series is complicated. I wish I’d known this before I started! I’m always a fan of complex television and book series, and often think ‘How did they manage to combine all of this?’ Inside Evil continues to astonish me, especially when things I wrote in the first novel suddenly start meaning a lot more later on. Honesty, sometimes I didn’t have a clue at the time. But, if there’s anything I’ve learnt, it’s that preliminary plotting, note taking and back story writing is essential if you’re to let your characters have their way without jeopardising some of your story’s complexities.  

 

Follow Geoff on Twitter @GWakelingWriter

Check out Geoff's website HERE

Check out his books on AMAZON

The Vampire King of New York and his Quirks by Guest Blogger Susan Hanniford Crowley

The Vampire King of New York and his Quirks by Susan

Hanniford Crowley

Hi!  My name is Susan Hanniford Crowley and for several years now I’ve been the historian for the Arnhem Society, a secret society of vampires.  I was invited onto this blog to tell you about the quirks of a certain CEO vampire by the name of Maximillion Vander Meer.  Max is the Vampire King of New York, and he calls me Lily A. Snow to protect my human identity from other vampires.  Very thoughtful of him actually, but Max is a thoughtful kind of guy. So rather than my talking about him, Max thought it better that he come along to share.  

Lily: Max, please, what would you say is quirky about you?

Max (laughs):  Oh, Lily, I don’t think there’s anything out of the ordinary about me.

Lily:  Let’s start with the Arnhem Knights. I understand that you started the knights shortly after helping to found the New Amsterdam colony.  What do the Arnhem Knights do?

Max:  I viewed New York as a sanctuary right from the beginning.  The Arnhem Knights are vampires who have taken a vow to protect humans from death by vampire and give assistance to any supernatural in danger.

Lily:  That’s very noble but very strange for vampires.  I mean, you do drink human blood. 

Max:  Actually I don’t anymore.  Some do and they can from donors but not by attacking unwilling humans. 

Lily:  Let’s get back to Amsterdam.  I understand you were in on the negotiations with the Native Americans for Manhattan Island.  Is that true?

Max:  Yes, Lily, I was right there when it all began.

Lily (looking thoughtful):  You didn’t hypnotize them or anything, did you?

Max (smirks):  It’s called mesmerization.  Let’s change the subject on that one, ok? 

Lily:  Ok, Max.  You know what they say-out of the frying pan into the fire.  I’ve heard you’re notorious among the ladies with something called a champagne bath.  Can you tell us more about that?

Max: It’s not something I can tell as much as show.

Lily:  Max, you’re being bad.

Max:  All right, I suppose I can explain a little and let your imagination do the rest.  It’s just a matter of filling a bathtub with champagne and inviting a lovely lady for a bath.  The bubbles are very stimulating.   The loofa is fun too.

Lily:  So you bathe the lady?

Max:  And she bathes me.  (He grins.)  Sure you wouldn’t want a demonstration?

Lily:  No, thank you, Max.  Remember I’m married.   That leads me to my next question.  I’ve heard that all male vampires are sluts.  Is that true?

Max:  No.  Well, yes.  Please, let me explain.  It’s very rare for a vampire to find love, true love, so male vampires make a lot of sexual alliances in their search for their one and only lifemate.

Lily:  So all male vampires are sluts?

Max (sighs):  Yes, many are, but not all. Not me.

Lily:  Wow, so you’ve kept yourself pure while searching for your lifemate, Max?

Max:  I’ve practiced more moderation than most, but you have to understand that when your human family and friends die, there is the most incredible loneliness. 

Lily (sniffs):  Okay, let’s talk about romance.  What would you say is the most romantic place in the city?

Max:  The most beautiful view of the city of New York is by sitting behind the crown of the Statue of Liberty.  It’s also very private.  

Lily:  Aren’t you worried that you and your date will fall off?

Max (laughs):  I float, remember. 

Lily:  Is there anything else that would make a date memorable?

Max (smiles that devastating smile of his): Always bring the lady roses.  (He hands a double dozen bouquet of red Damask roses to Jill.)  These were imported from Morocco just for you.  Thank you for having Lily and me on your blog.

Lily:  Thank you, Jill.  This book is the first in a series all about Max and the Arnhem Knights of New York. VampireKing of New York is now available on Amazon Kindle.

To find out more about Susan Hanniford Crowley and her vampires and rare supernaturals, visit:

Susan’s website: http://www.susanhannifordcrowley.com
Susan’s blog:  http://nightsofpassion.wordpress.com
Facebook: Susan Hanniford Crowley, Author
Twitter: @SHCrowley
Publisher: Soul Mate Publishing