Dealing with Distractions #IWSG

IWSG Question of the month: How do you deal with distractions when you are writing? Do they derail you? 

For me, the biggest distraction from writing is noise. Noisy neighbours, construction clanging and banging, angle grinders, people talking around me or to me.

My solution: Headphones and carefully curated playlists. 

When I write, I can't listen to music with lyrics. It has to be instrumental only. Often I'll pick music that matches the mood of the scene I'm writing. I have a huge playlist full of epic cinematic style music. James Paget, Michael Maas, Hans Zimmer, deadmau5, Steve Jablonsky. and some Thirty Seconds to Mars. To name a handful. Mostly big sounds. I also have a collection of softer music too, but my heart is with the big stuff.

How about you? What's your biggest distraction and how do you cope?

This post was written for the IWSG. Every first Wednesday of the month, members post on their blogs about their writing insecurities or offer some encouragement to others. If you are new to the IWSG or want to learn more, then please go HERE.

The Joy of Blogging #IWSG

The question of the month: How long have you been blogging? (Or on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram?) What do you like about it and how has it changed?

I started blogging about fourteen years ago. Blogging in general was probably at its peak in popularity with a huge community taking part. When I started, I was so enthusiastic that I blogged every day.

My first blog was Christian based with devotional thoughts every day. Then I added a writing blog (this one). I quickly learned I couldn't maintain the output so I dropped the frequency of posts and then I eventually let go my Christian blog and turned it into a book instead: Cling to God: 365-Day Devotional

I've met so many wonderful people over the years through blogging. Some have disappeared completely. Many stopped blogging once they got agents and published, turning to other social media. But a whole lot are still here.

Today blogging is probably considered a dinosaur in the social media world. If not for the IWSG, I would've stopped blogging too, but the community is a treasure to keep and I do love the long form of blogging, which is very different to the blip media out there.

How about you? What's been your blogging journey? What is it about blogging that keeps you tapping away at the keys?

 

This post was written for the IWSG. Every first Wednesday of the month, members post on their blogs about their writing insecurities or offer some encouragement to others. If you are new to the IWSG or want to learn more, then please go HERE.

 

Using AI for Synopses #IWSG

The IWSG question of the month is about AI. Have you used AI to write synopses, or do you refuse to go that route? How do you feel about AI's impact on creative writing?

In terms of AIs impact on creative writing, I have already written a post about why AIs won't replace creative writers. You can check it out here. 

In terms of writing the synopsis of a book, it's great to give us a hand, but it's not the time saver you'd expect. In output of AI will always need an edit, and you have to give it lots of information for it to work properly, ie a blurb, a detailed summary, or an outline. The more information, the better. Please, never use the raw AI material. 

If you've tried AI, what was your experience with it? If you haven't tried it, what's holding you back?

Note: I'm still recovering from my illness. On pain meds and so very tired all the time. Not a happy camper. And then I went and got Covid as well, thus my recent silence. I have recovered from that fun experience, at least. There is always something to celebrate! 

This post was written for the IWSG. Every first Wednesday of the month, members post on their blogs about their writing insecurities or offer some encouragement to others. If you are new to the IWSG or want to learn more, then please go HERE.

Quick Update #IWSG

Just a quick update. I've been sick since late December. It has not been fun. And still I'm not 100%. I'd say I'm at about 68%, but definitely on the slow mend.It's why I missed last month's IWSG.

Hope everyone has been doing waaaaaay better than me.

Happy writing and reading.

Note: this post has been prescheduled. I'm currently not around, but I'll do the rounds to say hi and catch up in about a week.

This post was written for the IWSG. Every first Wednesday of the month, members post on their blogs about their writing insecurities or offer some encouragement to others. If you are new to the IWSG or want to learn more, then please go HERE.

How to Write a Book Review

The IWSG question of the month: Book reviews are for the readers. When you leave a book review do you review for the Reader or the Author? Is it about what you liked and enjoyed about your reading experience, or do you critique the author? 

I would argue that book reviews are not only for readers, but for authors as well, and not just for the author of the book being reviewed, but for authors of similar books. They help us get a feel for our readers, what they like and dislike. They help us write better books, and they help us with marketing those books. 

So it’s important to know how to write a book review 

1. Most people would suggest you start with a brief summary of what the book was about, but when reading a review, I generally skip over this part because I’ve already read the blurb. But if you do include this, try to avoid spoilers. 

2. Share what you liked about a book. Did you like the characters, the pace of the story, particular scenes? Did the book keep you guessing or was it an engrossing page-turner. How did the book make you feel? Did it make you laugh or cry? 

3. Share what you didn’t like about the book. I’m guessing most authors wouldn’t like this part, but a well-rounded review has more weight than one that only talks about the best bits. Maybe the book had a cliffhanger or left you unsatisfied. Maybe the book wasn’t what you had expected. Maybe the characters were unlikable. 

4. Would you recommend this book to others? If so, who? 

Reviews don’t have to be long and they don’t have to be eloquent. Us authors appreciate any form they come in. A review is a way of spreading the word about the book. The algorithms of online retailers favor books with many reviews. 

Remember, every review helps.