8 Benefits of Writing

I’m in the middle of the fun craziness that is NaNoWriMo at the moment. A little behind, but nothing so bad that I’m freaking out. Consequently, I bring to you today a short fun post to show some benefits to writing. Oh, and I took this photo because writing is as sweet as a strawberry.

1. Writing keeps me sane. Although some days, it doesn’t seem that way. I’m so thankful I have an outlet for storytelling otherwise my brain might implode from the pressure.

2. Writing keeps our loved ones sane. Writing makes a writer happy. If a writer isn’t happy, then the rest of her family suffers.

3. Writing helps me meet a wide variety of people I wouldn’t normally meet. I wouldn’t have met all my wonderful blogging buddies or all my other writing buddies if I wasn’t a writer.

4. Writing opens up my world of experiences. I’m not a naturally adventurous person. If I were left to my own devices, I’d be happy to stay within my close group of friends and not venture out. Writing forces me to be adventurous, to try new things, and meet new people.

5. I can create worlds and destroy them just as fast, if not quicker. A little destruction is good for the soul.

6. Writing clarifies my mind. As a writer, I have to train my thought processes so I’m able to pinpoint exactly what I want to say.

7. Writing increases my vocabulary. I may not bother if I wasn’t a writer or reader.

8. Writing gives me the courage and confidence to express myself.

What are some other benefits to writing you’ve experienced? How are your November projects coming along?

Top Ten Ways NOT to Make Dinner

Today's fun post (including pictures) is brought to you by Crystal Collier. Also, a quick reminder that the Realms Faire, hosted by M Pax has started and will run from November 11-15. 

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Top Ten Ways NOT to Make Dinner

10

Yeah, bird watching.

9

8

Image courtesy of Scott Huber

7

Tell me you haven't wasted an hour on one of these:

6

Image courtesy of Greg Verdino

5

Oh Lolcatz...

4

Youtube. 'Nuf said.

3

Tell me you don't play this.

2

1

Too busy eating cheese.

Crystal Collier, author of MOONLESS, is a former composer/writer for Black Diamond Productions. She can be found practicing her brother-induced ninja skills while teaching children or madly typing about fantastic and impossible creatures. She has lived from coast to coast and now calls Florida home with her creative husband, three littles, and “friend” (a.k.a. the zombie locked in her closet). Secretly, she dreams of world domination and a bottomless supply of cheese. 


You can find her on her blog and Facebook, or follow her on Twitter.

Buy MOONLESS HERE or add it on Goodreads.

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The Writer's Many Faces #IWSG

Because I'm in the middle of the frantic craziness that is NaNoWriMo (writing 50k words during the month of November), I thought I'd bring you something a little different for the Insecure Writer's Support Group: a comic strip I drew while taking a break from writing and outlining (click on the image to see it larger).

Can you relate to that aspect of the many faces of writers? Whether you're doing NaNo or not, how is your writing coming along so far this month? Hit any speed humps yet? 

If you'd like hook up with me as a NaNo writing buddy, I'm in as LynFaw.

The Insecure Writer's Support Group is the love-child of Alex J Cavanaugh. We post on the first Wednesday of every month. Everyone is welcome and it's free to join. Sign up HERE. 

Our website also includes a database of databases of helpful links for writers both new and established.

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I would also like to feature Melanie Schulz's new release, The Bashan Agenda.

The Newstead Trilogy is one story in three parts, The Bashan Agenda, part two, picks up right where The Newstead Project left off. Nathan's truck eventually stops in the small town of Wilson, NY, and Rachel's still in it, not that she wants to be. But she figures at least in Wilson she'll be able to have a fresh start. She forgot one thing: they can be anywhere. As Joel trains with his father, doubts begin to rise in his mind. Is he really who he claims to be- and more importantly does he have an agenda all his own? When the maps to Bashan come out, Joel realizes maybe it's not such a good idea to be putting so much trust in one man.

The Bashan Agenda is available on:
Amazon Kindle

Find Melanie on:
Blog Wattpad Facebook

You, Too, Can Review

Today the lovely Christine Rains is here, writing about the importance of reviews:
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You, Too, Can Review

Book reviews are a vital part of marketing for authors. Not only do they help you by letting you know what readers liked and didn't like about your stories, but more importantly, they help attract other readers. The big problem is getting readers to write reviews.

I've found a lot of people are intimidated by writing reviews. They're worried about their opinions being voiced out loud, so to speak, and about sounding like a gushing fangirl/boy or being too critical. But you know what? Authors love it when you gush about their books. I get giddy when I read someone rattling on about how much they love my story. I also appreciate it when someone tells me what they didn't like when done in a respectable manner.

It's not that difficult to write a review. No one is expecting a deep analysis. Just a couple of sentences about what you liked and didn't like is wonderful. Here are five quick and easy things you can mention when writing a review:

1. Characters. Who was your favorite and why? Who was your least favorite?
2. Plot. What was your favorite part of the story? (Please try not to give any spoilers!) Did the author move too fast or too slow? Any glaring plotholes?
3. Setting. How was the world building? Was it realistic? Beautiful or uninspired?
4. Style. What was the writer's style like? Was it fast-paced, poetic, or gritty?
5. Originality. What makes this book stand out from others? Or what makes it stale?

Give it a try. You'll make a writer's day.

Do you write reviews for the books you read?

Six supernatural tenants
Living in a haunted apartment building
On a floor that doesn't exist.

Six novellas telling their tales.

A retired demon acquires a price on his head.
A werewolf is hunted by her pack.
A modern day dragonslayer misses his target.
A harpy challenges Zeus for the soul of the man she loves.
A vampire is obsessed with a young woman he can't find.
A banshee falls in love with someone who's death she has seen in a vision.
And a sweet ghost must battle a primal monster to save them all.

All the stories take place at the same time intertwining their lives together on the 13th Floor.

Includes “The Shadow,” a bonus short story.

Amazon / B&N / Kobo / Goodreads 

Author Bio:
Christine Rains is a writer, blogger, and geek mom. She has four degrees which help nothing with motherhood, but make her a great Jeopardy player. When she's not writing or reading, she having adventures with her son or watching cheesy movies on Syfy Channel. She's a member of Untethered Realms and S.C.I.F.I. The 13th Floor series is her first self-published series. She has eight novellas and twenty-one short stories published.
Website / Blog / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

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Also, check out the cover of Lexa Cain's up coming book, Soul Cutter. I love all things Egypt, so I'm looking forward to reading this young adult novel when it's released on 6th December 2013.

M. Pax: Top Five Highs and Lows of Publishing

Please welcome M Pax to my blog today. She is a truly amazing person with a lot of drive and talent. A great combo. Take it away, Mary.

This author gig is tough, rife with ups and downs. Here are the highlights of mine:

Top Lows

1. Rejections. I still submit short stories and still get rejections.
2. Bad reviews. Most of them are for my perma free The Backworlds. This used to really bother me. Lately, not so much. It sells my sequels. It does its job. And it’s a darn good story.
3. The Renaissance of Hetty Locklear not selling. That one is like pushing water up a hill.
4. Mistakes. I’ve hired editors I didn’t like and a cover artist I didn’t get along with. I’ve learned to get recommendations from writers I know and to get them privately. Just because a writer lists an artist or editor doesn’t mean she or he would use that vendor again. I’ve also learned to trust my gut and intuition.
5. Slow sales days. Husband Unit hates these, too. He has to listen to me whine about how it might all be over. Yeah, I can be a bit melodramatic.

Top Highs

1. Fan letters. There is nothing better than contact from a reader who says he or she loves my writing. It makes all the lows worthwhile. Every single one.
2. Dr. Joseph Geary being a fan of the Backworlds series. As the innovator of modern telescope optics, this is an uber geeky victory for me. One that made me squee. It also impressed my astronomy boyfriends.
3. Being contacted by a publisher this past summer with an offer to include Semper Audacia in an anthology. She paid me, too. Space Jockey is now out, selling very well, and gaining me exposure.
4. The Backworlds series selling steady and growing. Yay! The fans now help shape the stories. Originally, it was Lepsi’s skull found under the ash sea. I received a lot of letters telling me how much my readers loved Lepsi and Talos. So yeah, Lepsi is not dead. Not anymore.
5. Doing what I love – writing stories. It’s a real high when each one is finished and is sent out into the world.

M. Pax-- Inspiring the words she writes, she spends her summers as a star guide at Pine Mountain Observatory in stunning Central Oregon where she lives with the Husband Unit and two demanding cats. She writes science fiction and fantasy mostly. You can find out more by visiting her at:

Website / FB / Twitter / Goodreads / Pinterest / Wattpad

Beyond the Edge

 

Some truths are better left unfound.

For two years Craze’s dear friend, Lepsi, has been missing. The murmurings of a haunted spaceship might be a message and may mean his old pal isn’t dead. The possibility spurs Craze and Captain Talos to travel to uncharted worlds, searching. Out there, in an unfamiliar region of the galaxy beyond the Backworlds, they stumble upon a terrible truth.

Meanwhile, Rainly remains on Pardeep Station as acting planetlord, dealing with the discovery of her lover’s dark and brutal past. Alone and questioning her judgment, her introspection unlocks more than heartache. Latent protocols in her cybernetics activate, forcing her to face a sinister secret of her own.

In the far future, humanity settles the stars, bioengineering its descendents to survive in a harsh universe. This is the fourth book in the science fiction series, The Backworlds. A space opera adventure.

Amazon / AmazonUK / Nook / Smashwords / Kobo / Other Outlets

Photo: Please note, barring author pics, most of the photos on this blog were taken by me. However, this one of the girl rock climbing is not one of them. I don't think I could climb that high. Mary kindly provided this pic for the post.