Just some pictures from the convention. Scares That Cares raises money for families who are unable to pay for medical needs. Set in the quaint city of Williamsburg, VA., this three day event is host to a plethora of celebrities who all share the same vision: to help those less fortunate.
The venue is well run, and complete with activities for kids and adults alike. If you have a chance, this is an event you won’t want to miss.
#truth #life #direction #advice #amwriting
The buzz of the city amplifies your anxiety as you stare at the street signs. It’s a new place. You’ve never been here and perhaps you’re used to small town life. You want to ask someone for directions so you stand there-in the middle of the sidewalk-watching the faces as they move past you.
Their faces are cold and stoic. Each expression is carved in stone, immortalizing the “worker bee” hive mind. Finally, as if sent there just for you, an elderly woman shambles nearby. She’s bundled up in her wool coat and pink, knit hat, gazing into the windows displaying colorful clothes, flashy watches, maybe a best selling book. Her lips are softer than the chiseled-line mouths of the faces around her.
Yes, you think to yourself, this is the person I will ask for directions.
Rolling your shoulders back, you head her way, put on your best smile, and call out to her.
“Excuse me, ma’am. I’m sorry to bother you but I’m a little lost. Can you point me in the direction of the subway? I need to get uptown.”
The woman smiles and offers a small chuckle. Turning a half of an inch to her left. She raises her arm, extending her crooked finger, tipped with cotton candy nail polish, and points in the direction you came from.
“It’s over there stupid, can’t you read?”
And just like that, her smile goes from being sunny and warm, to sarcastic and full of ridicule.
The point of this little story is to point out how sometimes we let our own insecurities and fears keep us from seeing where we we need to go. We can’t see the clearly marked signs. We feel disoriented. We question our own judgement.
The direction is always easy.
“Just go north.”
“It’s right there in front of your face.”
However easy the direction seems, it doesn’t reflect how hard the path is to actually reaching your destination.
Focus on the direction, but work on the path.
It’s right in front of you . . . Dummy.
#reading #horror #bookclub #reviews
I’m starting a monthly horror reading group. Every month I’m looking for authors willing to send out one free ebook to members to vote on their favorite Villain of the Month.
In return, you get free promotion and members agree to leave an honest review.
Do you want to play a game?
Comment below! Share with anyone you think might love to play!
#ComingSoon #FreeReading #CoverReveal
Although I’m offering this for #free on my blog, I will also be producing this in print format. Once it’s edited, formatted and submitted, it will be deleted from the blog!
What do you think?
Disclaimer: NONE of the artwork shown is mine. I am not using it for monetary gain. I’m creating a mood board for my characters and sharing “concepts” and “visual aids” for fun. PLEASE visit and support any of the artists you see by following them on social media or even purchasing some of their work!
Gabrielle was the first born child of the De Sol line. Due to her dark nature, she was not made the successor to the throne in the Sol’Arian Empire when her mother, Genesis, died but this was never an issue with her. She created her own kingdom like her other siblings in order to expand the power of her family throughout the universe.
Artwork by Cryptcrawler
Tanar’ri De Sol: Successor to the throne of the Lord of DragonsTanar’ri is the youngest of the 1st Brood of siblings and the rightful heir to the De Sol throne of Celestial Dragons. His better half, Marianna, is the Baroness of Pain.
Wife to Tanar’ri De Sol and mother to their daughter, Marianna is sadistic and enjoys inflicting torture on the De Sol enemies for interrogation purposes.
Artwork by Luis Royo: https://www.luisroyo.com
Drak’kith’ar is the former brother-at-arms of Ladon (Patriarch of the De Sol Family), turned traitor and enemy.
Sebastian is the son of Gabrielle and Arkane. Half vampire, half werewolf. (And before any one wants to cry UNDERWORLD rip-off, please note this story has been in print way before the movie, and MANY people who roleplay know this is not a new concept.)
ALL ARTWORK came from the following link and ALL CREDIT goes to the artist except where otherwise noted:
https://www.artstation.com/maratars
There are times when I try to give advice to authors and I feel like I’m failing. I know “time” is hard to negotiate between “real life” and our make believe sessions at a pen and paper (or computer, etc). The real question is, “Is this your real life? Or is it a hobby?” The question lingers overhead like a giant thought bubble taking up the space of breath between me and said author. Do you think I don’t understand? Oh, I do.
Accountability: Own it. Whether it’s a mistake, a failure, a success, a lie, a truth … just own it.
If I don’t make time to write, that’s on me. No one else. I choose to not make that time. No one else but me owns my time.
You say, “it doesn’t pay the bills.” No, it doesn’t. Not yet. Because you’re not taking inventory and ownership of it. Trust me. I run a small press. No one is making a living off of this. Whose fault is that? Mine, theirs, ours. When my brain wants to explode and I shut down? I own it. When they need a break and life overwhelms? They own it (most of them, anyway). We all do the best we can.
Let’s finish with the coddling, now.
Only you can sit and write your story down. You have to do it. You have to push through the dry spells, the hectic life, the exhaustion, the depression, the loneliness, and the mania.
Make. It. A. Habit.
Give yourself a set amount of time a day. Most of us have a certain period (night, day, morning dump, etc.) where we are unbothered and can jot down a few words. Carry a notebook with you and jot ideas down. Seriously, this isn’t hard. Grab a napkin. Grab an old receipt. Keep all your notes in one spot and keep them organized. Maybe an index card box? A shoe box with cardboard dividers? An accordion file … whatever.
You have to believe you want to do it, in order to be motivated. You have to be your own cheerleader.
Stop listening to everyone else and listen to YOU. Are you proud of your progress? Are you proud of your growth? Are you proud of your words? If not, work for it. Earn your own approval. Stop wallowing in self-deprecation and make yourself worthy of YOU.
What I can do is give you the tools you need. What you can do is use the tools.
Now, stop what you’re doing and give me 100 words.
One of the things I do with new clients and/or authors is have them take me through their process. Some authors are “Pantsers” and others are “Planners”. Regardless of what your process is, you need to have a plan for when the story gets long enough. Keeping everything in order is a huge task. There are several ways I teach the process because everyone is different. Some are OK with hearing the explanation, others need to see it.
Stick with me a few min’s here while I go through a couple of steps. If any of them help you, please comment and let me know! I always like to hear feedback so I can continue to get better and help more authors!
The picture above is what I call “sorting it out”. Notice they are all chaotic and out of sorts? That’s OK. It’ll make sense to you once we go further. For those of you who say this is a lot of work? Trust me. For authors/writers whose thought process is all over the place, this is a good tool to use to learn how to sort through the whirlwind of ???’s they have bouncing around an overactive mind.
So, you have this amazing idea, right? Great!
Now, what you want do is throw the thoughts out like darts. Get them all out! You can use different color pens, different symbols, etc., to keep things in order and to differentiate. Stars can be characters or minor details, the pink circles can be larger ideas you want to connect (the lines) so you know how to put it all together when you begin to write.
Once you’ve done the sorting (think laundry!) you can move onto one/more of the next process:
This map is where we begin to streamline and make sense of the chaos. Remember! More experienced writers may not need to sort the dirty laundry. It’s fine to start where you feel comfortable and what your skill level allows. A lot of my clientele say, “I have this concept but I have no idea where to go with it!” In those cases, we need to analyze how much of the story we really have to work with before we start throwing words down.
As much as it’s important to “just write” it’s also important to have a direction. Many new writers can get hung up on details, or not having an end in sight. It’s similar to being tossed in a city you’re unfamiliar with then left to find your way home. It can be daunting and discouraging. Taking an author by the hand and helping them to sort through the storm while encouraging them to listen to their own inner voice is the best assistance you can give them.
Now, on to the next step:
Take all the “darts” and start arranging them by importance to your story. Answer the “W” questions, figure out the “How” and develop your “Resolution”. Once you’ve completed a portion of these things, you should-in theory-have a great foundation for your piece. If you want to stop and jot some words down, this is the best time to do it. It’s fresh in your mind, the creative juices are going, and you’re developing ideas you may want (or have forgotten) to integrate.
SUGGESTION: Fill in the blanks with pencil so you can erase/change/alter.
Do you have a story you’re stuck on? If so, do any of these maps help you? If you use the techniques, I would love to know if they helped/hindered you! Comment below and let’s write!
Stay tuned for the next tutorial and more “maps” for getting the story out. If you like what I have to say, you can also follow me on Twitter, Instagram, or on Facebook.
