Payton Hayes 12/25/20 Payton Hayes 12/25/20

Book Writing 101: Coming Up With Book Ideas And What To Do With Them

Hi readers and writerly friends!

The How-To Series continues! This week, in Freelancing, we’re going to discuss how to come up with story ideas and what to do with them! This is normally where I’d direct you towards a useful, related blog post, but we’re gathering quite the list already, so I’ll just leave that bit at the end of this post for your convenience!

And now, back to your regularly scheduled programming!

So, where do book ideas come from?

Book ideas can come from anywhere. That’s it. Blog post over. We can all pack up and go home. Right?

Well, yes, book ideas can come from practically anywhere, but it takes more than just a juicy theme or a compelling character to make a book. You certainly need those elements present to make a thrilling novel, to be sure, but its so much more than that. However, we’re not here to discuss the elements of a novel —no, we did that last week. (Check the links below!)

While novel ideas can come from just about and where and anything, you can also brainstorm novel ideas. Think about your favorite novels and see how you can create a mashup of two or more stories that would fit well together and put your own twist on it, such as Alexa Donne’s Jane Eyre in Space —Brightly Burning, or Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith, (the same writer who did Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter!) for example. While the latter is a literal mash-up, the former is more like a mash-up or genre-bender with Donne’s own twist on the original premise.

So, think about how you can put your own spin on your favorite tales!

How would x-story be different if it were…

set in space? in the center of the Earth? on another planet?
told in another genre?
told from the opposite gender or a non-binary narrator?
told from someone with 30-years age difference?
told from the perspective of an animal?
mashed-up with your favorite movie?
told from a different POV or story tense?

Write the book YOU want to read

These are just a few ways to put a refreshing spin on old stories to make them feel new. You can also consider what kind of book YOU want to read. How would your favorite story be better? How could you change it to include certain elements you feel it is lacking, but with a whole new cast of characters, a new theme, and a fresh new setting? How can you rework and existing story to include more representation for a minority?

Explore fun websites to spark inspiration

I have an interesting little blog post that does just this! (It’s listed at the end of the blog post too!) Essentially this post is a long, organized list of fun websites that you can read or interact with to spark inspiration for your next book. If you already know what you might like to write about, try some of these sites out to see how you can put a new spin on it to make it your own story that has never been told before. For instance, I might like to try rewriting Hush, Hush, but instead of the typical plot points that occur throughout that story, I might swap the genders of the characters, and set it in 1943, where an asteroid shower has been happening for the last 30 years. See how that immediately changes the whole story? It might not be the best example, but you get the idea! Consider reading articles on news sites from Buzzfeed to the New York Times to get inspiration from the crazy every-day lives of other people, like Florida Man. Sometimes, the truth can be stranger than fiction and can spark even the most outrageous novel ideas that eventually become great stories!

Read bad books!

Ever heard of BookTube? Well, if not, then bless you! It’s what book YouTubers and others in the community like to call the little corner of the video-streaming service that is dedicated to all things bookish!

Consider looking up scathing reviews of books you may or may not have heard of and see how you can rewrite them to succeed in the areas they failed. Obviously, none of this advice is suggesting you plagiarize, by any means. However, it is okay to take an overly broad and vague story premise, mold it, and make it your own. How can you turn this book that is absolutely loathed by the Bookish Community into a novel that readers everywhere will love simply by reimagining the things they went wrong with? For instance, there are plentiful mixed (and mostly critical) reviews for Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings Zenith.

Here is the description from Goodreads.com:

Most know Androma Racella as the Bloody Baroness, a powerful mercenary whose reign of terror stretches across the Mirabel Galaxy. To those aboard her glass starship, Marauder, however, she's just Andi, their friend and fearless leader.
But when a routine mission goes awry, the Marauder's all-girl crew is tested as they find themselves in a treacherous situation and at the mercy of a sadistic bounty hunter from Andi's past.
Meanwhile, across the galaxy, a ruthless ruler waits in the shadows of the planet Xen Ptera, biding her time to exact revenge for the destruction of her people. The pieces of her deadly plan are about to fall into place, unleashing a plot that will tear Mirabel in two.
Andi and her crew embark on a dangerous, soul-testing journey that could restore order to their ship or just as easily start a war that will devour worlds. As the Marauder hurtles toward the unknown, and Mirabel hangs in the balance, the only certainty is that in a galaxy run on lies and illusion, no one can be trusted.
—Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings, Zenith

This book has a 3.11 average rating and is most known for its unconvincing worldbuilding, lack of original vocabulary explanation (the author drops in made-up words without explaining what they mean beforehand and leave the reader to remain confused, since there is a lack of a glossary in the book as well?) sci-fi elements that simply don’t make sense —such as impenetrable glass spaceships (with metal defense covers?) and golden, double-trigger revolvers— characters that are lazily thrown together and also do not make sense, poor-quality writing, overwhelming number of clichés present throughout, and—I’ll save you the rest because I could go on and on. The point is that this novel was incredibly overhyped, and fans of Alsberg’s YouTube videos were sorely disappointed when the book did not deliver.

So, as a writer, how could rework this story to succeed where it failed? How can you take extra time and immense care to ensure your characters are compelling and are actively evolving throughout the story? What kind of research can you do to verify that your story keeps in line with traditional sci-fi elements, while managing come across in a refreshing, interesting, and new way? How can you make sure your readers thoroughly understand the vocabulary and systems present in your book? What do you personally wish had been done differently? These are the types of questions you have to consider when brainstorming, because if you think you have the skill to rework a very poorly received influencer novel such as Zenith, then you just might have a story idea on your hands. I would suggest reading books that have overwhelmingly terrible reviews and seeing if you can distill the poor, unfinished, low-quality work into something fresh and new that you too would want to read. You can also do this with movies, TV shows, plays, music, and any other art form that leaves you feeling underwhelmed or unsatisfied once you’ve finished consuming it.

One fantastic example of a writer who reworked a story they were unsatisfied with is Claudia Grey’s Defy the Stars which she wrote after seeing the movie Prometheus and being dissatisfied with how the movie’s producers portrayed David 8. She was inspired to rework the story and write her own book about an android the way she wished it had been told.

In an interview for Nerdophiles on Twitter, Grey explained how she got the inspiration for Defy the Stars from Prometheus:

How did you come up with the idea of writing Defy the Stars?
You know, the actual genesis of this story came a few years ago when Prometheus came out. A lot of it had to do with Michael Fassbender’s performance as David 8. He just walked right into the uncanny valley and stayed there and it was great.
One area the movie didn’t really explore much but that was really interesting was the fact that Elizabeth Shaw was trying to really evaluate how much of David is machine. It’s this very tiny thing but I thought that was a really interesting thing they should have played with more. They have this person who has this other mission – her job is not to analyze this guy – but who spends time trying to figure out if she’s working with a machine or if she’s working with somebody. And that’s not going to be a question that has a really solid answer.
That idea then took root and became the idea of Defy the Stars.
—Claudia Grey, Nerdophiles

Read more from this article in the link below!

Another great example of a story premise that was reworked is “Errant” by Diana Peterfreund.

As per Goodreads.com:

In 18th century France, a noble family prepares to celebrate their daughter's arranged marriage by holding a traditional unicorn hunt. But when an unusual nun arrives at the chateau with her beloved pet to help the rich girl train, nothing goes as expected. Starring hunters, fine ladies, fancy frocks, and killer unicorns.
—Diana Peterfreund, Errant (Killer Unicorns #0.5)

This short story is not only a historical reimagining of arranged marriages with never-before-seen traditions, but it’s also a fantasy. With KILLER UNICORNS. It’s exquisite.

Don’t be afraid to look to other media where narratives left you feeling dissatisfied and consider how you can tell them in a new way that succeeds where these stories failed. And on the flip side, look at where your favorites succeeded and consider how you can channel that into your story idea.

Take inspiration from your own hobbies and interests

Are you a gamer? Consider writing yourself into the world of your favorite video game and then change it to make it your own. Are you a chef? Consider how you can reimagine cook-books to find balance between overly chatty blog posts and old-school recipe-only cook books that lacked that certain something something. What kind of morbid curiosities can you dive deeper into to pull a story from? I personally have a morbid curiosity with true crime and sinkholes even though they both creep me out. Maybe I could write a thriller about people adventuring into the world’s deepest sinkhole only for the trip to go awry and lead to murder, mayhem, and mystery as the characters grow increasingly desperate to survive being trapped inside the belly of the earth?

Yeah, no I wouldn’t write that. Not ever. Not even if you paid me. Sinkholes and caves are the worst!

But you could! You could write about LITERALLY ANYTHING.

What weird thing are you obsessed with? Can you turn it into an interesting, new, dark, fantasy? How can you weave that topic into a novel?

Examine events and people form history to spark inspiration

What is your favorite time period to study? I personally love the Revolutionary war and the romantic period in literature. What chunk of history fascinates you? (Leave a comment below!) How can you take your favorite elements of that time period and either modernize them or convert them from history to fantasy?

Subscribe to writing prompt websites and social media pages

There are TONS of writing prompt profiles on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram and not to mention the plethora of other websites on the world wide web. You can find story ideas on reddit or on Wattpad too! I personally am subscribed to @redditvoice, @reddit, @mr.reddit and @writing.prompt.s on Instagram and I am signed up to receive daily writing prompts from Storyaday.org (they also have a great list of where to find story prompts). Likewise, you can purchase writing prompt books or even play around on your favorite meme sites to spark inspiration. You can also take inspiration from fanfiction as well!

Those are just a few ways to come up with ideas, but they can truly come from anywhere. The truth is, the more media you consume and the more life experiences you have, the more avenues you have open for story ideas to just waltz into your life. Watch some movies, read a few books, go out and catch a local play and then sit down for a good ole brainstorming session and see what you can come up with.

How to keep your story ideas once you’ve been inspired

MS Word document with New Story Ideas. Alternatively, you can use Pages or Google Docs. Photo by Payton Hayes.

Just like with writing, there’s a ton of different methods of jotting down your story ideas. You can keep them in a notebook or binder. You can make an ongoing Google Doc or Microsoft Word Document. You can store them in Scrivener or Evernote. It really doesn’t matter what you use. Just make sure you keep them organized and include enough information so when you come back to them, you remember your ideas vividly and know where to pick them back up. I prefer to keep my fleeting ideas in a single Microsoft Word document titled “New Story Ideas” where everything is in a bulleted list.

Sometimes, the ideas a fully fleshed out while others are simply one-liners because that’s all I could think of when I was writing it down for later. Figure out what works for you and keep it in an easy to reach place so you can access it whenever the creative spirit strikes you! If you can try to write a brief synopsis for your book ideas so you can come back to them and know exactly what you were talking about 1, 2 or 5 years later. Additionally, don’t be afraid to let your story ideas ferment within that list and feel free to add to them over time when you get more inspiration for them.

And that’s it for my blog post on how to come up with story ideas and how to keep them once you’ve gotten them! Brainstorming is such a personal process and can be different for every writer. How do you come up with ideas? Let me know in the comments below and don’t forget to check back next Friday with another installment of this Book Writing 101 Series! Part 4 will be out next week!

—Payton

Payton Hayes 12/25/20 Payton Hayes 12/25/20

Series Reveiw: The Angel Trilogy by L.A. Weatherly

This is a series I have been meaning to read for so long, picked it up in the summer of 2019, and didn’t finish it until just before the end of 2020! After reading Hush, Hush, I needed a new paranormal romance to do with angels and I honestly thought this one was going to be my next fave. I had such high hopes for this trilogy, and even skipped reading Hush, Hush this year, to make sure I knocked it out before 2021!

This is a spoiler-free review.

Hi readers and writerly friends!

*Angel Fire* by L.A. Weatherly. Photo by Payton Hayes.

This week in Bookish Things, I’m doing an in-depth review on L.A. Weatherly’s Angel Trilogy! This is a series I have been meaning to read for so long, picked it up in the summer of 2019, and didn’t finish it until just before the end of 2020! After reading Hush, Hush, I needed a new paranormal romance to do with angels and I honestly thought this one was going to be my next fave. I had such high hopes for this trilogy, and even skipped reading Hush, Hush this year, to make sure I knocked it out before 2021!

“It’s worth it you know,” said Alex, smiling into my eyes.
“What is?” I said.
His thumb moved slowly over my cheek. “All of this. Having you. It’s worth—anything.”
—L.A. Weatherly, Angel

I’m going to start off with my least favorite parts of the series and then end on some positives. This biggest issue I had with the story was the romance. It just didn’t do it for me. I enjoyed the characters and felt like they really meshed well together, but the romance was just lacking and left me wishing we’d gotten to see more of it. However, I understand this series leaned more on the young side of YA Paranormal fiction, than adult.

“There is no greater universe than holding you…”
—L.A. Weatherly, Angel

Secondly, I hated the angels. I know that was the point of the story—they’re not exactly the good guys in this one! But I almost found the passages that had to do with the angels themselves to be unbearable and I often wondered, did we really need to read this? But of course, we did, it was in fact, important to character development and progressing the plot. I just couldn’t hardly stand reading about them because I despised them SO MUCH.

On the other hand, though, the characters in this series were SO GOOD. The main character was certainly a refreshing take on the special girl trope, as were her peers. I found myself enchanted and enamored with all of the characters and was often rooting for them. There were times that this series hurt my feelings as I read because the characters would say or do something to each other and I couldn’t help but think, oh, my heart. Did you really have to say/do that? And of course, they did have to say/do that because tension and plot devices.

Another story element that L.A. Weatherly does well in her Angel trilogy is she really created a new, refreshing depiction of angels that I’ve never seen before. In Angel Burn, Angel Fire, and Angel Fever, angels are malicious, otherworldly beings who feed on human life forces and leave the people they’ve fed from irreparably damaged in their wake. In the story, AKs, or Angel Killers hunt angels by shifting their consciousness up through their chakra points so they can see the angel’s halos—their Achille’s heels—and then they shoot them down. The way angels (monsters) and angel killers (monster hunters) are portrayed in the Angel trilogy really give a new presentation of the monster hunter theme often seen in YA paranormal fiction.

The prose was expertly crafted, and the characters voices felt believable and unique. The protagonists garnered reader investment and the villains warranted loathing, as they should have. The story’s premise was a new and refreshing delineation and the mythology easily believable and digestible. The narration alternates between both Alex and Willow smoothly and seamlessly. The romance albeit lackluster aptly served to drive the plot along rather than simply being romance for romance’s sake. Overall, if I had to rate this series on a 5-star scale, I’d give it a 3.5, only for the fact that the romance just didn’t cut it for me. To be fair, I was measuring it up against Hush, Hush, and of course, it didn’t stand a chance in hell (yes, pun intended.)

And that’s it for my in-depth review of the Angel trilogy by L.A. Weatherly! Have you read this series? What did you think of it? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

Check out my other book reviews.

Thumbnail photo by Payton Hayes.

—Payton

Payton Hayes 12/11/20 Payton Hayes 12/11/20

Breathing New Life Into Humanities At Rose State College

Hi readers and writerly friends!

This week in Artsy Things, I wanted to republish an article I wrote for the 6420 Magazine. They’ve redone their website again so I figured I’d try and post all my writing here! This article was supposed to be second in a three part series, but was adjusted to fit all the core information into one brief article for the magazine. You can learn more from the articles linked at the end of this blog post!

In part one of this series, we looked at the research and development the Fall 2019 Mural class conducted in preparation of the new humanities mural. They visited with Randy Marks from OKC’s Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs, Pablo Barrera from Oklahoma Contemporary, and the heads of the Arts Division from OCU to see what the process was like getting a mural up in public spaces, what Oklahoma Contemporary was doing to make public art more accessible, and what new courses and features OCU’s art division had to offer art majors transferring from Rose State College.

The start of an art-covered campus at Rose State

Even though the process for getting a mural up at Rose State was different than the process for public art, they still had to render out their ideas, budget their supplies, and put together a presentation for the Humanities Building Interior Mural Committee on the Rose State College campus. They narrowed down their ideas down to two mural concepts, one done by Fine Arts major, Ashley Gilliland and one done by myself. The committee chose Ashley's design due to time constraints and planned for my mural to be done next semester.

Once all of the prep work was complete, the mural was set to begin. They started sketching the design out on the wall and in days, had the first layers of paint up. Over the past few months, they've been working on it, each Tuesday and Friday, and they made considerable progress for only working two days out of each week of the semester. They just finished the mural and sealed it on Tuesday, December 10th, 2019, so it's officially finished.

Suzanne Thomas described her thoughts on the mural class, how it differed from previous years’ classes, and her thoughts on the mural:

“This mural class was more about the process and procedures that an artist must go through before they create artwork. Especially artwork that is meant to be viewed in public. I think a lot of art students have this idea that art is just about their personal expression, but public art, i.e., like murals, are about the reflecting the values within the community at large. This class was different in that there was more research that had to be done, more collaboration among the students, and Humanities faculty. I am really proud of the mural and their work!” said Thomas.

No Limitations

No Limitations mural in the Humanities building at Rose State College

Humanities Brain Mural Planned for Spring Semester

When the mural class rendered out their concepts for the first painting, at least three of five students came up with a left brain versus right brain type of design. They said this happened with zero communication or collaboration on their part and thought it was a good sign that they were on the same page. However, due to the fall semester moving so quickly, the students of the mural class, Suzanne Thomas and the Humanities Building Interior Mural Committee agreed it made more sense to do Gilliland’s mural in the fall semester and save my mural for the spring semester.

The Humanities Building Interior Mural Committee was torn between the two mural concepts and voted to have both done since they couldn’t pick one over the other. The second design is planned for the spring semester. I will be completing the mural as an honors credit project for my painting class, with the help of volunteer high school students from Midwest City High School. We’re still getting all our ducks in a row but so far, Humanities Dean, Toni Castillo’s approval we have a few students who have volunteered to work on the mural, and Suzanne Thomas’ has agreed to mentor me on the project.

Since I will be spearheading the project, it is my job to organize all the logistics from reaching out to the high school to recruit students, obtaining liability waivers, and getting everything approved between both schools. This project is exciting because it benefits all three parties—the MCHS students who will be receiving recognition for their volunteer work on the project, Rose State College which is using this as a recruitment opportunity for the Fine Arts Department, and myself who will of course receive recognition for the concept as well as an opportunity to participate in a leadership program.

Toni Castillo, Dean of Humanities provided her thoughts on both of the murals and her plan for breathing new life into the Humanities building:

“The mural project is a perfect opportunity for the Humanities Division Art Program to showcase the exceptional talents of Rose State students. I am particularly gratified that the project is completely student driven—their vision, their presentation, their implementation—so that eventually that entire upstairs corridor of our building will be a legacy of their values left for all who come here. Professor Suzanne Thomas, who has headed the project, has shown particularly strong leadership in the way she has structured the class and worked with dedicated Honors Program students to complete the project, as those students have in turn reached out to involve area high school students. The project in that corridor will be ongoing for several years until we finally have a true venue for experiential art here at Rose.” said Castillo

Spring Humanities mural completed in the summer of 2020 due to COVID-19 Pandemic

Unfortunately due to the pandemic, I had to push my mural back until the summer where I was one of the only people allowed in the building. Since then, I have completed it and was awarded honor’s credit for it’s completion. It was an incredible opportunity I will be gracious to Rose State College and Suzanne Thomas for forever. Below is a slideshow of the completed mural.

Humanities

“Humanities” mural in the upstairs back hallway of the Humanities building at Rose State College

—Payton

Payton Hayes 12/11/20 Payton Hayes 12/11/20

Exploring Oklahoma Murals Where Public Art Is More Than Paint

Hi readers and writerly friends!

Suzanne Thomas’ Fall 2019 Special Topics In Art: Mural Students paint the finishing touches on the first Humanities hallway mural. Photo by Ken Beachler at Rose State College.

This week in Artsy Things, I wanted to republish an article I wrote for the 6420 Magazine. They’ve redone their website again so I figured I’d try and post all my writing here! This article was supposed to be first in a three part series, but was condensed, so the full versions will be here.

In Suzanne Thomas’ Fall 2019 Special Topics In Art: Mural class, students learned all the ins and outs of getting a mural up in public space when they met with the Randy Marks from the Oklahoma City Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs. The same day, they met with Pablo Barrera, Oklahoma Contemporary’s inaugural Curatorial fellow and the Division heads of the Fine Studio Arts at Oklahoma City University. After learning about the public art process and different opportunities for art in Oklahoma, the students began preparing for the mural they’d be painting in the upstairs, back hallway of the Rose State College Humanities building.

OKC Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs

When the mural class met with Randy Marks from the OKC Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs, they learned that the process for getting not only murals, but other forms of public art installed is a much more extensive process than slapping paint up on a wall. First, one must go through the Oklahoma City Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs to get their artwork approved, if it’s going to be on public property or on the external surface of a building (Indoor murals are at the discretion of the shopkeeper).

The mural artist must build a presentation which includes the stages of execution, mockups, expected start and finish date, location, and a budget for the project if it will require public funding from the city. The presentation must be formally presented in front of the Oklahoma City Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs Committee and approved. Once approved, the artist will begin preparing for the mural process; this includes gathering materials, preparing the workspace, and getting the necessary paperwork and waivers in order.

It’s important that muralists get a VARA Rights Waiver. Anyone who commissions a mural or other work on the interior or exterior of a building, they should ask the artist to sign a waiver of VARA rights before the work has begun and have this reviewed by an attorney and ensure that the waiver is transferrable to future owners of the property.

When the mural class met with the Oklahoma City Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs, they learned the importance of VARA waivers because on January 23, 2017, Bob Palmer’s 2-year old mural, on 46th and Western (along the crown heights area) was painted over by Alotta Action Advertising, a new company who had just moved into the building. This mural was a legacy piece by one of Oklahoma’s most acclaimed artists, and the idea that it has been covered up has a lot of artists upset at the lack of respect for the internationally renowned artist.

The mural class also learned about Kent Twitchell, the Los Angeles artist who settled his lawsuit against the U.S. government and 11 other defendants, for $1.1 million, for painting over his six-story mural—“Ed Ruscha Monument,” that was painted on the side of a federal government-owned downtown building.

Once all of this has been done and the artist gets the green light, work can commence on the project—and that’s when the paint finally goes up on the wall.

Making Space with OKC Contemporary

After their meeting with Oklahoma City Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs, the class stopped by the newly constructed Oklahoma Contemporary building to check out the building-in-progress the murals adoring the fences around the construction site, and to chat with Pablo Barrera, the Director of Oklahoma Contemporary. He told them Oklahoma Contemporary’s new building would be open in March 2020 (the opening has since been postponed due to the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic), that the building’s exterior was made to reflect Oklahoma’s picturesque sunsets and sunrises. He also showed us the murals that they’ve set up along the construction site, called Making Space.

Fine Studio Art Division at OCU

When the students finished their visit with Oklahoma Contemporary, they visited briefly with some of the art Bryan Cardinale-Powell, Associate Professor and Chair of Visual Art and Film, and Jeff Price, Professor of Game Design and Animation at Oklahoma City University. They learned about their extensive art programs, saw their high-tech graphic design studio, and some of their projects for upcoming courses—notably their motion capture room which was under construction during the visit. It was neat to see a full-blown art studio with every tool one could imagine for bringing artwork to life. Beyond that, students saw they even had their own little art museum and exhibit hall. The area was bigger than Rose State College’s fine studio arts area but smaller than the Fred Jones Museum at the OU campus in Norman.

New Humanities Mural at RSC Coming in Spring 2020

After the class met with the different local art communities, they decided to get to work on their own mural. You can read more about their process and experience in part 2 of this series, “Breathing new life into Humanities at Rose State College” which will be featured in the Spring issue of the 6420 Magazine from the 15th Street News, at Rose State College, as well as here. The next part in this series, also covers Dean of Humanities, Toni Castillo’s vision for breathing new life into the RSC Humanities building by covering all the hallways in murals.

— Payton

Payton Hayes 12/4/20 Payton Hayes 12/4/20

Book Review: Ghosted By Rosie Walsh

*Ghosted* by Rosie Walsh. Photo by Payton Hayes.

Hi readers and writerly friends!

This is a spoiler-free review.

This week in Bookish Things, we’re discussing Ghosted by Rosie Walsh. This book review was my contribution to the 15th Street News’ special 50th Edition Newspaper! Check them out here.

Almost every one of us can relate to the sour feeling and phenomenon of being “ghosted” and what it feels like to never hear from someone again. For those who have read Gillian Flynn’s psychological romantic thriller, Gone Girl, Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce and/or anything by Llane Moriarty, then you may have heard about The Man Who Didn’t Call or Ghosted by Rosie Walsh. This book is a romantic thriller from cover to cover and I devoured this fantastic summer contemporary like it was candy. Or perhaps, honey is the better word; the prose is so smooth and sweet, and it draws you in and keeps you hooked until the end. I ate up this short 174-page whirlwind of a tragic love story within the span of a single day, if that tells you how truly wrapped up in it, I was.

There’s no better feeling than picking up the perfect book for your current season of life— the ideal read you’re just craving. I nabbed this book just before summer started and left it sitting on my shelf for weeks before I realized what gold lay in store or me within its pages. I picked it up around July and was left hungering for more as soon as I’d put it down. Ghosted was sweet, to be sure, but it was also equal parts heartwarming, and heartbreaking, gushworthy, swoonworthy, and it’s a story I will always look back fondly on.

This contemporary romance has everything you could ever want— complex relationships that make your heart ache, flawed, yet deeply loveable, compelling characters, multiple layers of secrets/intrigue guaranteed to keep the pages turning, a pacing that you’ll find makes you hold your breathe one moment and sigh out of relief the next, and a premise that is just utterly dazzling. The TWIST was so, so good.

“Seven perfect days. Then He disappeared. A love story with a secret at it’s heart” —Rosie Walsh, Ghosted.

An underlying theme in this book, much like Walsh’s other works is the protagonist who is not what he or she seems. Layers of mystery woven together pull readers in ever deeper the longer they read and leaves them eager for more even after the mystery is solved. Walsh makes clever use of Facebook posts and text messages to build suspense— an apt strategy for creating a compelling and relatable read for many readers today.

Although it was hard to break away from the story, I found myself having to put the book down a few times because certain scenes were just so raw and deeply moving to me. And I would chalk this up to personal response, however after a quick glance at other reader’s reviews on Goodreads and Amazon, it’s clear I am not the only one who felt this way.

“I was ready to hate this book. I didn't pick it up for an entire day, not wanting the story to go the way I thought it was. But it called me to just see, just see how it ends. And I couldn't put it down until it was though!” —Angie on Amazon, July 28, 2018.

I was honestly touched by the unforeseen way mental illness was portrayed and the kind of dysfunctional relationships that can be wrapped up in it. I had a lump in my throat throughout these scenes because Walsh just gets it. It is always refreshing to read an author that is able to examine something from multiple perspectives, especially subjects as complex as mental illness, loss, bitterness, and tragedy. Walsh lovingly and honestly wrote around these sensitive topics with great empathy and care.

This book gets a lot of criticism for having a contrived plot, unrealistic characters, and cringe-inducing writing. I simply have to disagree. From the outside looking in, someone being “ghosted” may seem obsessed, childish, and naïve. However, I implore these readers to think back to when they were treated this way (or imagine it, if they have never experienced this) and consider how painfully unyielding this experience truly is. Closure is never promised and although people joke endlessly about “ghosting” each other on social media, its wound for some, that may never truly heal.

“This plot is focused and squeezes its reader into the manic grip of Sarah’s growing insanity, dragging us on a journey that is both obsessive and dryly comical.” —Kristin on Goodreads, July 9, 2018.

I should also say that I typically see plot twists coming from a mile away. I’m the kind of reader who has to cover the bottom-half of the page with my hand to keep my eyes from darting down as I read, eager to know whether I’ve figured out the twist just before it happens. However, this plot twist shocked me. If you think you know where this story is going, you’re wrong.

Ghosted is a real hold-your-breath-squeal-as-you-read-grit-your-teeth-can’t-stop-smiling kind of book and is absolutely the perfect summer read. (Also great for the fall if you love cozying up with a sweet read and your favorite warm beverage.) If you love Liane Moriarty’s writing, I am confident you will also love Ghosted.

You can find Ghosted by Rosie Walsh here.

Check out the 15th Street News here.

And that’s it for my review of Rosie Walsh’s Ghosted. What do you think of this novel? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

—Payton

Payton Hayes 12/4/20 Payton Hayes 12/4/20

Christmas 2020 For Writers: 5 Must-Have, Useful Items For The Writer In Your Life

While we can’t all be with our loved ones during this crazy time, you can still show the writers in your life love by gifting them something useful they’ll actually use! Ditch the boring old notebook and go for one of these ideas! If you’re the writer in your life, gift yourself something nice or add your faves from this list to your own personal wishlist!

Hi readers and writerly friends!

Its December 2020! Can you believe it? It somehow simultaneously feels like this year flew by and just dragged on forever. Well, against the background of 2020’s chaos, its holiday season once again, hooray! While we can’t all be with our loved ones during this crazy time, you can still show the writers in your life love by gifting them something useful they’ll actually use! Ditch the boring old notebook and go for one of these ideas! If you’re the writer in your life, gift yourself something nice or add your faves from this list to your own personal wishlist!

Books about writing

Chicago Manual of Style (Contains everything a writer needs to know about grammar, formatting, style, and industry standard practices!)
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
The Novel Planner: A Daily Planner for Authors by Kristen Kieffer
Pep Talks for Writers by Grant Faulkner
No Plot? No Problem! A Low Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing A Novel In 30 Days by Chris Baty
On Writing by Stephen King

Want more amazing books to choose from? Here’s a list of my favorites —40+ of the best books on writing.

Annual subscription to something useful

Sometimes writers just need the right tools to write. Pick up an annual subscription you your writer’s favorite word processors, apps, writing tools, design software, and marketing services!

Writing Tools

Word Processors

Design and Website Tools

Canva (Lightweight but powerful photo editor and design app)
Squarespace
Squarespace Campaigns
Google Domains

Marketing and Exposure

MasterWriter claims to be the “leading songwriting, lyric writing and creative writing software.” If the writer in your life is a creative writer or songwriters, consider picking up a monthly, yearly, or two-year license for $9.95, $99.95 or $149.95.

With this software they can access a suite of useful writing tools that will not only encourage them to express themselves in “a unique and meaningful way,” but will also give them the means to do so digitally, whether their a songwriter, poet, novelist, or blog writer.

Author photoshoot with a professional photographer

Regardless of whether the writer in your life has been published or not, its always a great idea to have professional photos taken. Writers can use these in their resumes, writer websites, media kits, social media profiles, and more. This is likely something they’d never think to get themselves but will ultimately end up paying for themselves since the value of professionally shot photos far exceeds the cost of the service fees. Many photographers will even lightly edit the photos for you. Consider hiring photographer for 1-2 hours and heading out to a library or public park with all of your favorite writerly tools in hand.

Pro Tip: Search Instagram, Facebook Marketplace, or Groupon to start looking for affordable photographers near you.

If you’re in the Oklahoma City area, I would recommend Jae McBride of @Jaeashtenphotos and Jalea Alexandria of @j.alexandriaphotography on Instagram.

Writer’s Associations and Editing Masterclasses

Writers never stop learning and growing. Help the writer in your life become a better writer by taking professional masterclasses or by making valuable connections with other writers and literary freelancers by getting them an annual subscription to a writer’s association.

The Christian PEN (Proofreaders and Editors Network) has tons of affordable masterclasses and lesson packs to chose from.

Writersrelief.com has a great list of writer’s associations to chose from.

Check out these amazing editorial associations!

The Christian PEN offers masterclasses, lesson pack bundles, and even group rates.

Check out my courses here!

Comfy writing room additions

Complete your writing set up with these comfy, warm, adjustable, and ergonomic office-space must-haves!

Writing isn’t a sprint —it’s a marathon. Writing takes time and that means your writer will be parked at their desk for hours on end, typing and staring at a screen. Outfit the writer in your life with a comfortable set up from seating to warmth to blue-light glasses. Get more writing done with a comfy desk chair, adjustable footrest, or even fingerless handwarmers (so you can still type!) Consider tossing in a candle warmer to keep your tea/coffee warm while you write!

If you want to go above and beyond and splurge on yourself or the writer in your life, consider picking up a new writing computer for them. This is a vital tool for the writing and editing process and can last them years. Bundle it with writing software and/or a masterclass to really go the extra mile this holiday season!

Story Binder Printables

Bonus Item!

Story Binder Printables (Includes Character Sheets, Timelines, World-Building Worksheets and More!)

For only $10 you can help yourself or the writer in your life keep their writing notes organized in a beautiful and easy-to-navigate Story Binder! Choose from 10 beautiful covers, take advantage of quick reference pages, easy prepping and developing kits for your story, and make use of 52 pages of actionable content that will help you stay on track while writing your story! The best part is, you get access to my Story Binder Printables FOREVER! Reprint and reuse this system for all of your novels!

These are just a few of the faves on my personal wishlist. I might even end up gifting myself a couple of these! Show the writer in your life that you care and want them to succeed in their craft by gifting them something they can actually use in their writing practice! If you’re shopping for yourself, remember you’re investing in your passion and career, so no shame in the occasional writing book or masterclass and in fact, it’s highly recommended! Happy Holidays readers and writerly friends! Have a merry and safe holiday season this year!

Thumbnail photo by Element5 Digital.

—Payton

12/4/20 12/4/20

Book Writing 101: Starting Your Book In The Right Place

Hi readers and writerly friends!

I’m so glad you’re here and I can’t wait to get back into this series! (I may have gone on a mini vacation/camping and I have been playing a lot of WoW lately! Hello, Shadowlands!)

In any case, after a long-awaited return, the How-To Series is back and this week in Freelancing, we’re going to discuss where to start your novel. Make sure to if you haven’t yet read my blog post, “Book Writing 101: How To Write A Book (Basics)” ! It’s a great first step to writing your novel. If you’re ready to start bringing your story to life, just keep reading to learn how to start your book in the right place!

The importance of starting your book in the right place

You might have heard this phrase —I think you might have started this story in the wrong place— before from a friend or critique group or what have you. It’s actually a very useful and critical piece of advice because the start of your novel is arguably the single most important part. From the very first page/scene, readers get an idea about your voice as a writer, what the story will be about, what the characters are like, and more. The first page just might be the most important part of your book. But don’t fret! It’s doesn’t have to be as dramatic or as daunting as it first may seem. The key to a good opening scene is one that introduces character, conflict, setting, and ideally, stakes. The opening scene should establish your main protagonist (or if you’re writing with flashbacks, it can introduce your antagonist too!), introduce the main conflict/themes of the story, present the setting as both where and when the story takes place (and what rules/systems/cultures and other aspects exist there), and should reveal the stakes of the story.

Achieve balance between action and introduction through pacing

This of course, is going to require much of you since there is a lot to accomplish in the opening scene, to be sure. However, the secret is in the pacing. Whenever someone says “I think you might have started this story in the wrong place” it has to do with pacing more than the actual location in the plotline. For example, if you start your story too early or too late, that simply means you haven’t given enough time to establish all of these aspects of a good opening scene: a) character, b) conflict, c) setting, or d) stakes. If you start your story too early, then you will end up with a pacing that feels slow or takes entirely way too long to get the proverbial ball rolling. However, if you start your story too late, then your story will feel rushed and the reader will feel confused and as if they have no clue what is going on. The former usually presents itself in a “waking up” or “weather scene” which is typically irrelevant and will bore your reader, while the latter presents itself typically in action scenes, where the reader is dropped into a situation where there is just not enough information to assess said action.

Start just before the inciting incident

A helpful tip I always try to tell new writers is that they should start their story just before the inciting incident. This doesn’t necessarily mean, fifteen minutes before the action, but it can. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the story will start five minutes before the action, but it can. It really depends on your story and the plot you have created, but you should always try to start your story just before the thing happens that sets the story in motion.

For instance, if you’re writing a YA Highschool Paranomal romance— where a girl discovers she’s a vampire while she’s at school and everyone makes fun of her— you wouldn’t start the story with her waking up. Instead, you might start with your main protagonist sitting in class when she starts feeling unwell. Thoughts are racing through her mind as she struggles to pay attention to her instructor. She can hear her heartbeat drumming her ears, but wait—its not her heartbeat she hears, its her classmates’ and she can hear their blood pumping through their veins as well. Suddenly, she gets up and rushes to the bathroom just to get away from it. When she looks in the mirror, she’s horrified that there’s no reflection. Another girl comes out of the seemingly empty stalls behind her and comments on how pail she looks. Her best friend rushes into the bathroom after her to check on her at the request of her teacher. They look at her in awe as they realize she’s just begun to transition from human to vampire. And to top it all off, the popular girl group comes into the bathroom…

Of course, this is a really overplayed and cheesy cliché, but I’m sure you understand my point. I wouldn’t start a story like this with the weather or someone waking up, or going to sleep, and neither should you, although many, MANY stories seems to start in this fashion. In this example, the inciting incident is the main protagonist transitioning into a vampire. However, you could start this story with her sitting in class when this physical transformation comes on.

Get to the party late, leave early

This advice might not be the best for real life situations, but it works wonders for writing stories. The first part of this saying suggests you should open your story with a social gathering of some sort, or the party. All kinds of different people might find themselves at a party (or other social event, it doesn’t have to be a party. Consider how the event might be different if it were set in a fantasy story or murder mystery!) Think about what groups might attend this party and how your cast of characters fit into this backdrop. Consider where the party might take place and how you can use this sub-setting to establish your story’s greater setting. Present the stakes of the story by introducing the relationships among characters and how they interact with one another. If you haven’t read my blog post, “How to Develop and Write Compelling, Consistent Characters,” you should check it out. I discuss how setting can even be a character of its own and how characters drive the plot.

The second part of this saying refers to when your characters actually get to the proverbial party, i.e., when does the story start in reference to the inciting incident. As mentioned previously, you don’t have to start the story right before things change and set the story in motion, but it’s always good to start it as early before this as you can. Likewise, the latter part of the saying —leave early, reminds writers to close the scene early. Don’t end things prematurely, but definitely move on before things start to peter out and get boring for the reader. If your characters are at a party, don’t write until they’re standing around trying to say goodbye for half an hour after everyone else has already left. If it’s not interesting or crucial for character development, and doesn’t drive the plot forward, you don’t need it.

*The Hush, Hush Saga* by Becca Fitzpatrick. Photo by Payton Hayes.

Let’s talk about prologues

Prologues are great for some books and story-killers for others. For sci-fi and fantasy novels, prologues are typically told from an alternative point of view and/or story tense, i.e., third-person, past-tense. They serve as a great way to throw in extra worldbuilding lay the groundwork for systems and other aspects of your story. However, prologues don’t always give an accurate portrayal of what your book will be about, for this reason. Likewise, an unfortunate occurrence in the reader world, is that many readers just skip over the prologue entirely. One way I have found to get around this is to write a flashback/repeat prologue — where you start with a scene that will occur later in the book but will not make complete sense until the reader reaches that point in the story and puts the puzzle pieces together for his or herself. This can be tricky, however and depending on your plot/genre it might not make sense for your novel. If I do end up writing a prologue, I prefer to do it once the story is completed. Naturally, your story should be able to stand on its own without a prologue. I would check out prologues from popular stories in your genre or review prologues from your favorite books to get an idea of how to execute a successful prologue.

If you are going to write a prologue, here are some general tips.
Keep it short and sweet, but not too short of course.
It should align with the tone and themes of your story If it is told from a different tense or point-of-view, make sure its not a stark contrast from the rest of the storytelling so readers can get an accurate idea of the narrator’s voice for the rest of the story.

Prologues naturally slow down the pacing of a story, so consider whether your story really needs to have one. If the answer is yes, consider what information will be present and how you can weave it into the story later, to avoid readers missing crucial story details if they do decide to skip your prologue.

Examples of good openings:

Example 1: Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

I’m going to start with my all-time favorite series —you guessed it, Hush, Hush, by Becca Fitzpatrick. (And you thought I wouldn’t, tsk, tsk tsk.)

Hush, Hush does have a prologue, but after that it starts off very domestic, or day-in-the-life but quickly grabs the readers attention on page one. I personally like to think of the first chapter as the true starting point of the story. While the elements in the prologue come back around later in the story, it could also do without it.

I’ve included this entire chapter for educational purposes only. All credit goes to Becca Fitzpatrick and Simon and Shuster Publishing.

1
COLDWATER, MAINE, PRESENT DAY
At my side, Vee Sky said, “This is exactly why the school outlaws camera phones. Pictures of this in the ezine would be all the evidence I’d need to get the board of education to axe biology. And then we’d have this hour to do something productive— like receive one-on-one tutoring from cute upperclass guys.”
“Why Vee,” I said, “I could’ve sworn you’ve been looking forward to this unite all semester.”
Vee lowered her lashes and smiled wickedly, “This class isn’t going to teach me anything I don’t already know.”
“Vee? As in virgin?”
“Not so loud.” She winked just as the bell rang, sending us both to our seats, which were side by side at our shared table.
Coach McConaughy grabbed the whistle swinging from a chain around his neck and blew it. “Seats, team!” Coach considered teaching tenth-grade biology a side assignment to his job as varsity coach, and we all knew it.
“It may not have occurred to you kids that sex is more than a fifteen-minute trip to the backseat of a car. It’s science. And what is science?”
                “Boring,” some kid in the back of the room called out.
                “The only class I’m failing,” said another.
                Coach’s eyes tracked down the front row, stopping at me. “Nora?”
                “The study of something,” I said.
He walked over and jabbed his index finger on the table in front of me. “What else?”
“Knowledge gained through experimentation and observations.” Lovely. I sounded like I was auditioning for the audiobook of our text.
“In your own words.”
I touched the tip of my tongue to my upper lip and tried for a synonym. “Science is an investigation.” It sounded like a question.
“Science is an investigation,” Coach said, sanding his hands together. “Science requires us to transform into spies.”
Put that way. Science almost sounded fun. But I’d been in Coach’s class long enough not to get my hopes up.
                “Good sleuthing takes practice,” he continued.
                “So does sex.” Came another back-of-the-room comment. We all bit back laughter while Coach pointed a warning finger at the offender.
“That won’t be part of tonight’s homework.” Coach turned his attention back to me. “Nora, you’ve been sitting beside Vee since the beginning of the year.” I nodded but had a bad feeling about where this was going. “Both of you are on the school eZine together.” Again I nodded. “I bet you know quite a bit about each other.”
Vee kicked my leg under our table. I knew what she was thinking. That he had no idea how much we knew about each other. And I don’t just mean the secrets we entomb in our diaries. Vee is my un-twin. She’s green-eyed, minky blond, and a few pounds over curvy. I’m a smoky-eyed brunette with volumes of curly hair that holds its own against even the best flatiron. And I’m all legs, like a bar stool. But there is an invisible thread that ties us together; both of us swear that tie began long before birth. Both of us swear it will continue to hold for the rest of our lives.
Coach looked out at the class. “In fact, I’ll bet each of you knows the person sitting beside you well enough. You picked the seats you did for a reason, right? Familiarity. Too bad the best sleuths avoid familiarity. It dulls the investigative instinct. Which is why, today, we’re creating a new seating chart.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but Vee beat me to it. “What the crap? It’s April. As in, it’s almost the end of the year. You can’t pull this kind of stuff now.”
Coach hinted at a smile. “I can pull this stuff clear up to the last day of the semester. And if you fail my class, you’ll be right back here next year, where I’ll be pulling this kind of stuff all over again.”
Vee scowled at him. She is famous for that scowl. It’s a look that does everything but audibly hiss. Apparently immune to it, Coach brought his whistle to his lips, and we got the idea.”
“Every partner sitting on the left-hand side of the table—that’s your left—move up one seat. Those in the front row—yes, including you, Vee—move to the back.”
Vee shoved her notebook inside her backpack and ripped the zipper shut. I bit my lip and waved a small farewell. Then I turned slightly, checking out the room behind me. I knew the names of all my classmates … except one. The transfer. Coach never called on him, and he seemed to prefer it that way. He sat slouched one table back, cool black eyes holding a steady gaze forward. Just like always. I didn’t for one moment believe he just sat there, day after day, staring into space. He was thinking something, but instinct told me I probably didn’t want to know what.
He set his bio text down on the table and slid into Vee’s old chair.
I smiled. “Hi. I’m Nora.”
His black eyes sliced into me, and the corners of his mouth tilted up. My heart fumbled a beat and in that pause, a feeling of gloomy darkness seemed to slide like a shadow over me. It vanished in an instant, but I was still staring at him. His smile wasn’t friendly. It was a smile that spelled trouble. With a promise.
I focused on the chalkboard. Barbie and Ken stared back with strangely cheerful smiles.
Coach said, “Human reproduction can be a sticky subject—”
“Ewww!” groaned a chorus of students.
“It requires mature handling. And like all science, the best approach is to learn by sleuthing. For the rest of class, practice this technique by finding out as much as you can about your new partner. Tomorrow, bring a write-up of your discoveries, and believe me, I’m going to check for authenticity. This is biology, not English, so don’t even think about fictionalizing your answers. I want to see real interaction and teamwork.” There was an implied Or else.
I sat perfectly still. The ball was in his court—I’d smiled, and look how well that turned out. I wrinkled my nose, trying to figure out what he smelled like. Not cigarettes. Something richer, fouler.
Cigars.
I found the clock on the wall and tapped my pencil in time to the second hand. I planted my elbow on the table and propped my chin on my fist. I blew out a sigh.
Great. At this rate I would fail.
I had my eyes pinned forward, but I heard the soft glide of his pen. He was writing, and I wanted to know what. Ten minutes of sitting together didn’t qualify him to make any assumptions about me. Flitting a look sideways, I saw that his paper was several lines deep and growing.
“What are you writing?” I asked.
“And she speaks English,” he said while scrawling it down, each stroke of his hand both smooth and lazy at once.
I leaned as close to him as I dared, trying to read what else he’d written, but he folded the paper in half, concealing the list.
“What did you write?” I demanded.
He reached for my unused paper, sliding it across the table toward him. He crumpled it into a ball. Before I could protest, he tossed it at the trash can beside Coach’s desk. The shot dropped in.
I stared at the trash can a moment, locked between disbelief and anger. Then I flipped open my notebook to a clean page. “What is your name?” I asked, pencil poised to write.
I glanced up in time to catch another dark grin. This one seemed to dare me to pry anything out of him.
“Your name?” I repeated, hoping it was my imagination that my voice faltered.
“Call me Patch. I mean it. Call me.”
He winked when he said it, and I was pretty sure he was making fun of me.
“What do you do in your leisure time?” I asked.
“I don’t have free time.”
“I’m assuming this assignment is graded, so do me a favor?”
He leaned back in his seat, folding his arms behind his head. “What kind of favor?”
I was pretty sure it was an innuendo, and I grappled for a way to change the subject.
“Free time,” he repeated thoughtfully. “I take pictures.”
I printed Photography on my paper.
“I wasn’t finished,” he said. “I’ve got quite a collection going of an eZine columnist who believes there’s truth in eating organic, who writes poetry in secret, and who shudders at the thought of having to choose between Stanford, Yale, and … what’s that big one with the H?”
I stared at him a moment, shaken by how dead on he was. I didn’t get the feeling it was a lucky guess. He knew. And I wanted to know how—right now.
“But you won’t end up going to any of them.”
“I won’t?” I asked without thinking.
He hooked his fingers under the seat of my chair, dragging me closer to him. Not sure if I should scoot away and show fear, or do nothing and feign boredom, I chose the latter.
He said, “Even though you’d thrive at all three schools, you scorn them for being a cliché of achievement. Passing judgment is your third biggest weakness.”
“And my second?” I said with quiet rage. Who was this guy? Was this some kind of disturbing joke?
“You don’t know how to trust. I take that back. You trust—just all the wrong people.”
“And my first?” I demanded.
“You keep life on a short leash.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’re scared of what you can’t control.”
The hair at the nape of my neck stood on end, and the temperature in the room seemed to chill. Ordinarily I would have gone straight to Coach’s desk and requested a new seating chart. But I refused to let Patch think he could intimidate or scare me. I felt an irrational need to defend myself and decided right then and there I wouldn’t back down until he did.
“Do you sleep naked?” he asked.
My mouth threatened to drop, but I held it in check. “You’re hardly the person I’d tell.”
“Ever been to a shrink?”
“No,” I lied. The truth was, I was in counseling with the school psychologist, Dr. Hendrickson. It wasn’t by choice, and it wasn’t something I liked to talk about.
“Done anything illegal?”
“No.” Occasionally breaking the speed limit wouldn’t count. Not with him. “Why don’t you ask me something normal? Like … my favorite kind of music?”
“I’m not going to ask what I can guess.”
“You do not know the type of music I listen to.”
“Baroque. With you, it’s all about order, control. I bet you play … the cello?” He said it like he’d pulled the guess out of thin air.
“Wrong.” Another lie, but this one sent a chill rippling along my skin. Who was he really? If he knew I played the cello, what else did he know?
“What’s that?” Patch tapped his pen against the inside of my wrist. Instinctively I pulled away.
“A birthmark.”
“Looks like a scar. Are you suicidal, Nora?” His eyes connected with mine, and I could feel him laughing. “Parents married or divorced?”
“I live with my mom.”
“Where’s dad?”
“My dad passed away last year.”
“How did he die?”
I flinched. “He was—murdered. This is kind of personal territory, if you don’t mind.”
There was a count of silence and the edge in Patch’s eyes seemed to soften a touch. “That must be hard.” He sounded like he meant it.
The bell rang and Patch was on his feet, making his way toward the door.
“Wait,” I called out. He didn’t turn. “Excuse me!” He was through the door. “Patch! I didn’t get anything on you.”
He turned back and walked toward me. Taking my hand, he scribbled something on it before I thought to pull away.
I looked down at the seven numbers in red ink on my palm and made a fist around them. I wanted to tell him no way was his phone ringing tonight. I wanted to tell him it was his fault for taking all the time questioning me. I wanted a lot of things, but I just stood there looking like I didn’t know how to open my mouth.
At last I said, “I’m busy tonight.”
“So am I.” He grinned and was gone.
I stood nailed to the spot, digesting what had just happened. Did he eat up all the time questioning me on purpose? So I’d fail? Did he think one flashy grin would redeem him? Yes, I thought. Yes, he did.
“I won’t call!” I called after him. “Not—ever!”
“Have you finished your column for tomorrow’s deadline?” It was Vee. She came up beside me, jotting notes on the notepad she carried everywhere. “I’m thinking of writing mine on the injustice of seating charts. I got paired with a girl who said she just finished lice treatment this morning.”
“My new partner,” I said, pointing into the hallway at the back of Patch. He had an annoyingly confident walk, the kind you find paired with faded T-shirts and a cowboy hat. Patch wore neither. He was a dark-Levi’s-dark-henley-dark-boots kind of guy.
“The senior transfer? Guess he didn’t study hard enough the first time around. Or the second.” She gave me a knowing look. “Third time’s a charm.”
“He gives me the creeps. He knew my music. Without any hints whatsoever, he said, ‘Baroque.’ “ I did a poor job of mimicking his low voice.
“Lucky guess?”
“He knew … other things.”
“Like what?”
I let go of a sigh. He knew more than I wanted to comfortably contemplate. “Like how to get under my skin,” I said at last. “I’m going to tell Coach he has to switch us back.”
“Go for it. I could use a hook for my next eZine article. ‘Tenth Grader Fights Back.’ Better yet, ‘Seating Chart Takes Slap in the Face.’ Mmm. I like it.”
At the end of the day, I was the one who took a slap in the face. Coach shot down my plea to rethink the seating chart. It appeared I was stuck with Patch.
For now.

—Becca Fitzpatrick, Hush, Hush.

Fitzpatrick, Becca 2009. Hush, Hush, 7-17. New York, Simon and Shuster.

Sorry in retrospect for the long excerpt, but I just had to include Hush, Hush. How could I not?

Anyway, this opening scene absolutely nailed it in all the areas it needed to for it to be an interesting, gripping, and memorable start to one of the most well-known romantic thrillers.

✔️ Established compelling characters

Nora, Vee, and Patch are the prevailing main characters here. They all have interesting and unique personalities that not only set them apart from one another, but even in this short first chapter, the reader can tell these characters are going to be entertaining to watch interact with one another.

✔️ Outlined the story’s core conflict

Nora versus Patch —that is, as far as the reader knows, the story’s main conflict. Nora is creeped out by her new class partner, who seems to know so much about her and refuses to shed any light on himself.

✔️ Introduced the setting for the story

This story takes place in Coldwater, Maine, and is set in the present day. The reader quickly learns that the story is currently being told from the setting of a high school classroom. Based on the supporting characters, tone, and how the students interact with the coach, readers can infer that this story takes place in the 2000’s or later, thanks to the dialogue. It is likely many readers themselves can relate to this type of Sex-ed class setting and I for one, can certainly connect with the idea of having a high school sports coach double as a professor as that happened to me more often than I would have liked.

✔️ Presented the story’s stakes

Nora doesn’t want to fail this assignment and she seems to think Patch doesn’t care either way. The stakes are high because Nora doesn’t want her grade to drop but Patch gets under her skin so easily. Him leaving his phone number on her hand, acts as an open invitation to see what he’s all about. Will Nora bite, just for the sake of her grade? This question is what drives the reader further into the story.

It’s dynamic, interesting and ultimately pushes the reader further along in the plot in a way that feels organic. ✔️

Example 2: Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Another example of book that opens at just the right time is Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. While I don’t particularly enjoy dystopian fiction, I can’t deny I was hooked from the first page of the series. I’m not including an excerpt for this one, because it is very likely we all know how this story starts out.

Here’s a recap:

Hunger Games opens with main protagonist Katniss Everdeen on the morning of The Reaping. It all starts out very domestic and day-in-the-life as Katniss gets is getting ready and taking care of her family. It demonstrates the level of poverty they are living in and sets the tone for the YA dystopian fiction. As the story progresses, we learn more about this world, how the systems inside this setting work, the characters and their relationships and ultimately, how they are impacted by said systems. Katniss eventually goes out hunting, and her interactions with Gale —them discussing their concerns about The Reaping and their desire to protect and provide for their families —really introduce these characters and their values. This is a series of scenes that lay out the story for the reader and very neatly drive them towards the Reaping. By the time the reader reaches that point in the story, he or she already knows the characters, their values, the oppressive nature of the world they live in, and when everything happens with the reaping, it evokes an emotional reaction from the reader. When Katniss wanting to do whatever it takes to protect her family conflicts with her sister being selected to fight in the Hunger Games, the reader can’t help but wonder where the story can go from here. The fact that the Hunger Games are so terrible that Katniss is willing to take her sister’s place, but she trembles with complete fear as she volunteers as tribute, absolutely tugs at the readers heart strings and forces them to keep reading to see how it all plays out.

However, it might not evoke such a strong emotional reaction had the story started say, in the months or weeks leading up to the Reaping because the story’s pacing would have been too slow to keep the reader invested. Likewise, it could have turned the reader away out of confusion if it had started right with the Reaping or the Hunger Games instead, because there isn’t enough information on the characters or their situation to make the reader care.

Example a of lackluster opening scene from my writing

In this excerpt from a short story I am working on, I have a pretty solid start to an opening scene. It has compelling characters, introduces immediate conflict while also providing backstory to the characters and their struggles. However, this story opening lacks stakes and it happens too quickly. While this is a work in progress, I can already tell that I am going to have to add more to make it more convincing and interesting to the reader.

1
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, PRESENT DAY
My knuckles are snow-white, clasped around the small paper cup of airport coffee in my hands, as I strive for some sense of warmth and normalcy. I hold it together until the last person passes through the airport terminal and break down only once I’m in the relative privacy of the car park. I slump onto the cold, steel bench, set my coffee beside me, and drop my head into my hands, sobbing.
I’ve just been through something so crazy that I’m still shaken up over it, three days and a flight later. I lost someone I cared about deeply, all because of my own emotions getting the best of me, and by lost, I mean literally.
My name is Stephanie Powers, and no, the irony of my last name is not lost on me -we’ll come back to that later. I’m twenty-four years old, brunette and blue-eyed, and I’ve just landed my first real job after graduating with my Bachelor’s in Mass Communication a year ago. Sounds normal, right? Well, my new normal is going to make this look boring.
***
The alarm clock blares for the fifth time and I’m about ready to throw it out the window when switch it off for good this time. I’ve been up for an hour now- I woke up on time and somehow, I’m still running late, and obnoxious alarm clocks aren’t making me get ready any faster. I shimmy into a pair of matchstick jeans and grab my sweater from the pile of clean clothes growing in the chair. I’m walking out the door when I realize I’m missing shoes, which I run back into my room to find. At this point, my room is looking like a tornado came through and showed mercy on absolutely nothing- clothes everywhere, makeup and hair products strewn about on any and every previously open surface available, and on the floor, there’s a graveyard of empty water bottles that unfortunately didn’t make it into the trash bin. I catalogue the damage and make a mental note to tidy up later, but it’s unimportant now. After finding my shoes, I grab my sweater and bag and race out the door, smacking into him.
“Fox!” I shriek, stumbling backwards through the doorway, almost landing on my rear. Fox catches me, with that familiar, yet sinister smile on his face, and pulls me to my feet.
“What are you doing here?” I say.
“Good to see you too, Steph.” Fox says sarcastically.
I pluck a rogue strand of hair from my lip gloss and stand up straighter.
“Good to see you too,” I say, “Not to be rude, but I’m running a bit late.”
“For?” he asks.
An impatient sigh escapes my mouth before I can stop it.
“It’s my first day at the paper, and I want to make a good impression.”
He looks me up and down briefly then smiles wider. “You’ve made a good impression on me, so far.”
“Yeah? Falling on my ass, does it for you?” I say.
He rubs his chin as if considering this. “Yeah, your ass does it for me.” He said, then winked. Actually winked.
Fox Wilder has been my neighbor and childhood friend for as long as I can remember. He’s a whole head taller than me, with blonde shaggy hair and a tan that reminds me of a stereotypical surfer dude. Throw in a shell necklace and the look is complete. Growing up, he lived three doors down from me and we went to all the same schools together, including Washington State University.
I move to check my watch and realize I’m not wearing it, so I pull my sleeve up over my wrist and tuck my hair behind my ear.
“I have to go.” I say looking around him to my 98’ Volkswagen Jetta, parked in the driveway. His Avalanche was boxing it in. Taking the hint, he fished his keys out of his pocket and went to move his car. I shouldered my bag and climbed into my own, then turned the keys in the ignition. The engine sputtered several times before dying. I tried again, to no avail.
“Great, just great,” I say, “as if I needed any more bad luck already.”
Fox raps on my window and I roll it down manually.
“Car problems again?” he asks, knowingly.
I sigh. “Yeah. At this rate, I’ll never make it to work. Impression: not good.”
“I can take you.” he offers with a smile.
“Really?” I say, almost too enthusiastically.
His smile widened. “Yeah, hop in.” He gestures to his car and a wave of relief washed over me. I might make it to work on time after all. He backs the Avalanche out of the drive and makes for the highway.
Of course, I was grateful, but I couldn’t help thinking, Fox saves the day, yet again. Adding to my mental to-do list, I vow to take my car into the shop after work. I’d get a ride with Fox for the next few days if I could and then be back behind the wheel in no time.

— Payton Hayes, “Stockholm Heroes, a Work in Progress” 😂

Glad we’re done with that part, whew! But do you see what I mean? The short scene at the beginning launches readers into the action with a very fly-by type of introduction to the main character. This scene is really more of an info dump, something which you should really avoid during the exposition. Readers can smell them from a mile away and they absolutely kill pacing. The second scene is where some magic happens. Readers learn about the characters, their immediate struggles, and the setting. However, once again, its too short. Everything happens so fast, and then is over with the snap of a finger. While this scene is so visually appealing and relatable, it might not make sense to start in either of these parts in the story’s timeline. Instead, I should pick one or the other to start with and spend more time fleshing it out.

Go with your gut

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It all comes down to your story and the plot that you’re working with. There’s truly no one-size-fits-all approach to writing an opening to a novel, but if you go with your gut and think about your story and what kind of pacing you’ll need to deliver it best, you can come up with a fantastic opening scene at just the right time. Think about slice-of-life scenes that you can use to introduce your characters and think about the events leading up to the inciting incident so you can select the best time to drop the reader into the story. Develop a scene that shows off character, setting, conflict, and stakes. Consider different ways to achieve this without massive info dumps and inorganic dialogue.

There is of course, always exceptions to the rules, but this is how I go about writing opening scenes in my novels. It’s certainly not a hard-and-fast—rules approach but these are just a few guidelines for creating an organic and enthralling opening scene that will keep your reader turning pages. I hope this blog post helped you and I’d appreciate it if you’d leave a comment with your thoughts below! At the bottom of this post, helpful/related blog posts are linked for your convenience.

—Payton

Payton Hayes 11/13/20 Payton Hayes 11/13/20

Book Writing 101: How To Write A Book (Basics)

Hi readers and writerly friends!

This week in Freelancing, we’re going to start a new series: Writing How To’s and today, we’re starting off strong with what is essentially Book Writing 101 —how to write a book. We talk an awful lot about editing, writing, publishing, marketing, and everything in between but we’re going to be bringing it right on back to the basics. How do you actually write a book? It’s a badge of honor for some and a checkbox for others, but one thing is certain: writing a book is not easy. It’s a feat of strength, really. It requires a lot of planning, months and even years of writing, and dedication from start to finish.

There’s really no set way to write a from the first word to the last. The truth is, the writing process varies from writer to writer. In this guide, I will explain the basics of writing a book and a general order to follow, but of course, experiment, try different methods and figure out what works for you!

So, how do you actually write a book? What goes into it?

Research, brainstorm, and come up with an idea

Think about what you might like to read and or write about and even look up what is selling in that genre. For instance, if I want to write a murder mystery for young adults, I might check out some of the popular books that are out at the time and see what the hype is about for myself. Reading is a great way to improve your own writing and familiarizing yourself with your desired genre will only help you.

I will have a more in-depth post for this next week when we cover book brainstorming, but essentially, you want to try and come up with a compelling premise that you can write roughly 50,000-75,000 words around, depending on your genre. Don’t get too bogged down by the word count, right out of the gate; this is just a simple guideline to shoot for. So, do some brainstorming and see if you can come up with an idea that will yield roughly 50,000 words. If you don’t think you can stretch your story idea to book length, consider writing it as a short story or a novella instead. If you believe you do have a solid story idea and you think you can write an entire book from it, consider if your idea is somewhat original. Of course, none of us are out here doing new things under the sun per se, but you can put a new spin on old ideas and resurrect dead story tropes by breathing new life into them with your unique voice, writing style, and twist on clichés.

Establish your prevailing theme and subthemes

I wish someone would have given me this advice when I started out writing. It’s one thing to come up with a premise and a plot, but themes are the driving force in a story and every good story has at least one important theme at its core. Consider your story idea and what the main theme of it is so you can write that into your outline in the next step.

Outline/Develop your plot

Some people prefer to plan out their novel with an outline while others enjoy writing as they go. I used to be the kind of person who would just write as I went and often my story would become jumbled and confused as the consistency slowly melted away. Now, I sit down with a firm outline and I know exactly where the story is going start to finish, even if I jump around and write out of order. Even if you prefer not to get to crazy with the outlining, I would at least suggest outlining the key plot points according to the 3-Act Story Structure. This is a tried and true plot outline that is present in almost all successful works of writing and if you only used this to outline your novel, it will make all the difference in your consistency. That being said, if you’d like to try the pantser route as opposed to the planner route, you can try writing freely and taking some notes as you go, to try out the alternative process and see how it works for you. A pantser is someone who, “flies by the seat of their pants,” meaning they don't plan out anything, or plan very little. For some writers, the thrill of telling themselves the story as they write it is part of their creative process and what making writing fun for them. If you do decide to go the pantser route, I would suggest that you come up with at least a vague idea for how you want the novel to start and end and then plant yourself somewhere in the middle and write from there. Instead of going from point A to point B to point C, you’re considering point A and point C while you write point B and then connecting them all as you go. At the end of the day, find out what works for you and stick with it.

Develop your characters

As mentioned previously, there’s really no set order to follow when writing a book. For some, the characters are what sparks the inspiration for a novel idea, whilst for others, the premise or the theme inspires characters along the way. Either way, you must have a clear idea of who your characters are and what they are like when writing a book. Characters are the lens through which the story is told and writers must create compelling characters for their readers to connect to while reading. Consider your main character(s), supporting characters, antagonists, and background characters as well. Think about how they will come into play with one another to drive the plot, how their unique personalities both move them forward and backward in their goals, and how it makes sense within the realm of your premise, theme, and genre. Put simply, who is your main character, who is getting in that character’s way, and does it make sense with your story idea?

I have an in-depth blog post for How To Write Compelling Consistent Characters here, so make sure to check that out if you want to know more!

Establish the setting

Book with a view. Photo by Kourosh Qaffari.

Piggybacking on the idea that the story idea can come from anywhere, sometimes, establishing the setting is the first step in the process. Try to imagine all kinds of different terrains and zones and see what stories emerge from these places. I got the idea for my short story, The Sieka of Sahn’Jatar when imagining a vast desert in the greater setting of my ongoing fantasy series. I was just imagining the windswept sand dunes one day and the idea struck me. Suddenly, it wasn’t just a desert I was seeing —no, it was a girl dashing through the dunes, being chased by a warband mounted atop camels against the backdrop of the setting sun. Its crazy how stories can just come to us like that.

So, if you’ve already got your story idea in mind and don’t really need the setting for inspiration, consider where you want to set the story. Consider whether or not worldbuilding is something you’d like to do, or how realistic you want your story’s setting to be. Sometimes, the setting can even be a character all on it’s own, depending on how much of a role it plays within your novel. If you’re writing realistically, do you research, look at maps, and if you can visit the place you’re writing about, so you can write it accurately.

Break out the writing tools

Now, I know what you’re thinking —Payton, what writing tools do I need? I have a laptop.

And you’re totally right. While some people do enjoy writing their first draft longhand with pen and paper, most of us write digitally. However, I’m not just talking about the physical writing implement; I’m talking about you’re writing environment, your word processor (the program you physically write with), your writerly resources, and more.

For starters, where do you write? Do you write at home, locked in your bedroom with a tea and mood music? Or do you prefer to write at your favorite coffee shop with your trust headphones and a croissant nearby? Think about where you can get your best writing done and make it happen.

On that note, I have a helpful blog post on 8 Ways to Level Up Your Workspace And Elevate Your Productivity. It’s really more geared for freelancers and those working from home during the pandemic, but I think it has some great information on how to tailor a space that is both comfortable to work in and also is conducive to productivity.

Next, what kind of word processor will you use to write your novel? Do you use Mac or Windows? If you’re a Mac user, you might want to use Pages, but if you’re a Windows user, you might want to use Microsoft Word. (I think you can use MS Word for both, but that’s besides the point!) If you’d rather keep all of your writing in the cloud, maybe Google Docs is better for you. Perhaps none of these options sound quite right so here are a few more to check out: Scrivener, Apache OpenOffice, LibreOffice Writer, or Word Perfect. There are many others out there, so make sure to try them out and see what works best for you and your writing needs.

Following the word processor, the next tool you will need in your writerly toolkit is a note keeping system of some sort. I hear many people use Scrivener, Notion, or Evernote for keeping their novel notes organized and in one central location. If you’d rather keep the notes tactile and not in the digital realm, consider using a Story Binder to keep all of your hand-written story notes safe and organized.

Next, figure out what other real-world items you’re going to need when you sit down to write your novel. Of course, this might be a figure-it-out-as-you-go-along kind of thing. I personally always need some kind of soft music in the background while I write to help keep me in the headspace of my story. I have a blog post on Get Immersed With The Five Senses, but I think it’s also applicable to writing because it can help you stay de-stressed and inspired throughout the process. Likewise, I highly recommend you make a playlist for your novel so you (and your future readers) can get into the right headspace for your story as easily as clicking play. Additionally, consider what snacks, drinks, and other items you might need to write effectively. I’ve also linked my Yoga For Writers post here, just in case you need a little writing break.

Lastly, prepare your accountability tools. This could be a writing partner, a critique group, your editor, a friend, or even a writing schedule. If you know you will need some external accountability source to keep you writing on the days when it gets tough, then get that ready well before you sit down to write. Consider joining a writing group online if you are having trouble finding a writing community in your area. Maybe NaNoWriMo is just the thing you need to keep the forward momentum going in your writing. Whatever you decide to use, have that accountability crutch ready beforehand so you can lean on it when you need to.

Create a writing schedule

This might be the single most important step in your entire writing career because if you don’t establish a habit of writing regularly, it might not bode well for you as a writer. However, it is likely also the hardest step in writing a novel, because many writers struggle to find the time to write. The truth is that if you want to write, you have to make the time to write. This is a special, designated time where you sit down and write, for however much time or however many words you decide and you do this consistently to progress your project and better your writing skill.

Writer planning her schedule. Photo by Marissa Grootes.

If you can, write every day. Some writers will tell you that you absolutely must write every day, while others will advise writing once a week. If you can, try to write a little every day, and if that’s just not possible for you and your schedule, try to write as often as you can. Don’t use being busy as an excuse for not writing. Ultimately your writing, your writing career, and your novel’s success is on you, and if its truly important to you, then make it a priority in your life. Writing is just like anything else in life that requires exercising a skill and practice. You must work your writing muscles to improve your writing in the same way you have to work your upper arms to get better at push-ups.

Like with the writing space, you can use the 5 senses to trigger yourself into what I like to call “writing mode.” This is the headspace you get in when you write, and it becomes easier and easier to trigger this mindset shift with time and practice. It’s a lot like Pavlov’s dog, in that, with time, effort, and practice, you will subconsciously train your brain to expect that when it’s writing time, you will sit down and write and nothing will get in the way of that. For example, as mentioned, I like to have tea and music when I write. For some, that might be a certain candle or aromatherapy or dimming the lights in your writing space. I personally like to set an alarm for my designated writing time and the alarm itself is actually the music that I listen to while writing. This immediately gets me in the mood for writing and like the dog mentioned earlier, drooling for some black tea.

There are many ways to make writing a habit for yourself and while it will take some self-discipline and patience at first, it certainly is doable. You could even use a incentives or a rewards system top keep you motivated to write. Whatever you decide works for you, just make sure that you are writing regularly and making consistent strides to better your craft and make progress on your projects. Th reason a writing schedule is so crucial to the writing process is because writers will have to learn to push through when the writing process becomes difficult. We can’t always write just when we want to or wait, twiddling our thumbs for the creative spirit to strike us. It is great when we have those moments for sure, but the reality is that most days, writing is hard. There’s going to be so many moments when writing is difficult and you won’t feel like writing, but if you’ve created the schedule and the habit, you’ll write anyway. Writing when it’s hard, or when you don’t feel like it, or when the words just won’t flow is what enables you to push through, finish the book, and accomplish your goals.

On a similar note, don’t try to force yourself into a box or create unrealistic expectations for your writing habits. If you work two jobs and are a mother of three, it might not be realistic to expect yourself to sit down and write for four hours out of the day. Many people recommend writing first thing in the morning, but if you’re not a morning person, this simply will not work for you.

I’m raising my hand over here. I’m actually a night-writer and I prefer to write during the ungodly hours of the night, but I can see how that is an unrealistic schedule for many writers who have day jobs. The point is, just go with what feels right with you and what fits feasibly and realistically into your schedule.

Set realistic goals and a deadline

Of course, this ties in with your writing schedule, finding what works for you, and building the writing habit, but having something to work towards can really help you when you’re first starting out with writing. Having loose, but clear goals can help you plan your writing schedule and celebrate milestones as you encounter them. This will also help you in breaking down the daunting process of writing an entire novel to smaller, more manageable parts. For example, if you want to write a 50,000 word novel, and you want to try and write 500-1000 words a day, then if you wrote every day, you can expect to finish your novel in 100-50 days. Write as much as you can as often as you can but if you find that you really just cannot bring yourself to write 1000+ words a day, that’s okay, do what you can. It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon and you don’t want to burn yourself out trying to reach these impossibly unrealistic goals. Likewise, you can reverse-engineer this method by setting a deadline first. Maybe you want to participate in NaNoWriMo? If you’re writing a 50,000-word novel for the National Novel Writing Month Challenge, then you know you’ll have to write an average of 1,667 words a day to meet that goal. Some people like to write one chapter a week while others will write one a day. Some books take a month to write while others take years to write. No matter what this looks like for you, setting deadlines and loose, yet realistic goals can help you stay on track throughout the novel writing process.

Writer feeling stressed. Photo by Energepic.com.

Be kind to yourself throughout the writing process

This is probably one of the most overlooked parts of writing and I believe many writers could stand to practice some self-care throughout the writing process. Remember, writing a book is insanely hard to do and most people never accomplish this feat of strength. It’s not meant to be easy. As mentioned, writing can get really tough sometimes and its important that you exercise patience and kindness with yourself when writing. You will feel like the words just aren’t working or everything you write is an absolute dumpster fire, or you can’t pull yourself to the desk to write because you know these next scene is going to be really hard to bring to life. It’s okay. Breathe. Forgive yourself for writing garbage writing. Forgive yourself for not meeting your daily word count goal for that day. Forgive yourself for struggling because writing is a process.

I have a blog post for When Writing Becomes Difficult that goes more in-depth into this topic, but for the most part, just be kind to yourself and take the process one day at a time. Eventually, if you keep at it, you’ll have yourself a book! Following through and finishing the book is the hardest part of actually writing a book, but trust me, there is no better feeling that finishing a book.

When writing gets tough, check out these articles I wrote for some grace and self care.

And that’s it for my guide on How To Write A Book! Remember, this is going to be a 20-part in-depth series, so stay tuned for the next one. These blog posts will be coming out every Friday from now on, so make sure to subscribe to my newsletter if you want updates when the next part of this series is out! Good luck to all of you aspiring writers out there! I believe in you! Thanks for reading and don’t forget to write!

—Payton

Payton Hayes 11/13/20 Payton Hayes 11/13/20

7 Fun, Useful, Quirky, and Cute Non-Book Bookish Items

Here’s a bunch of fun, weird, non-book bookish things that you may not have heard of before!

Hi readers and writerly friends!

This week in Current Faves, I’m showing you a bunch of fun, weird, bookish things that you may or may not have heard of before! Some of these have been recommended to me time and time again while others I only recently discovered and now that I’ve got a pretty good stack of quirky bookish objects, I figured I should share them with you!

Bookly App

You might not have expected an app to make it onto a weird bookish things list but it was so good I couldn’t not put it on the list. If you don’t know, Bookly is a gorgeous app that helps you track your books, read more and improve your reading over time. You can scan your books or simply search for them online to add them to the app, from there you can track to whom you lend them, add favorite quotes and thoughts, and see insightful data that can help you improve or read even more.

I personally love this app because it really gets me motivated to read more books and it keeps me reading regularly because I don’t want to break my reading streak!

Book Sleeves

Does anyone remember using the paper book sleeves or the 99c spandex book sleeves to protect their textbooks back in middle school? No? Just me? Okay.

These book sleeves from Love You More Studio are absolutely stunning. They even come in holiday prints and everything! I’m going to have to snag myself a few of these!

Goodreads App

Okay, I promise this list isn’t all apps. But I had to put this one on the list too, because I recently discovered a surprising amount of my writerly friends had never heard of Goodreads even though its basically been around forever. Goodreads is an American social cataloging website that allows individuals to search its database of books, annotations, quotes, and reviews. Users can sign up and register books to generate library catalogs and reading lists. Similarly to Bookly, I really like tracking my reading progress, read, currently reading, and to-read book lists, and engaging with other readers on Goodreads.

Clear Panel Booklight

While this booklight is more of a necessity than a quirky object I had to include it as well because it’s amazing. If you read my Bookish Things blog post for this week, How I Read Books/ My Reading Routine, then you might remember this little gadget from that post. I raved about how awesome it was to have when the power went out last month during the Great Oklahoma Ice Storm of 2020. It was an absolute lifesaver. I found my light on Shein, but you can get them just about anywhere.

Bookish Home Décor

I found these items on the ebookfriendly.com blog where Ola Kowalczyk put together a list of bookish home décor that was just too cute to ignore!

Kowalczyk says,

“In times when most of the books can be stored on a single e-reader or tablet, there comes a problem book lovers haven’t experienced before: how to express the love for books? Hundreds of books on the Kindle means you won’t need a classic floor-to-ceiling bookshelf, or, at least, you won’t need a bookshelf that large. But it’s good to have things at home that remind you of the evening you will spend with the book and a cup of delicious tea.”
—Ola Kowalczyk, Eboookfriendly.com

You can read the full blog post here.

While I personally enjoy physical copies of books, I can certainly see the appeal of keeping all of your favorite reads stored in the cloud. From book-shaped cutting boards to ceramic pencil-holders, these cute, practical, bookish home décor items are sure to serve as a warm reminder that your next read is only a swipe away.

Peter Pan Book Pillow by biseyhandmade on Etsy.

Bookish Pillows

What’s cuter and cozier than a book sleeve or cuddling up with a good book, you ask? Book-shaped pillows! These adorable and surprisingly soft bookish throw pillows on Etsy make a wonderfully whimsical addition to every book lover’s reading nook.

Solid Wood Book Shape Coasters by Cutting Boredom on Etsy.

Wood Book-Shaped Coasters

Not the cozy type? That’s alright! Maybe you’re into entertaining or you’re a craft brew aficionado? Next time your friends come over games and booze (post-pandemic of course!) whip out these beautifully made, handcrafted wooden book-shaped coasters. They have some hilariously witty twists combining the classics and alcohol which are sure to entertain.

I hope you liked my list! Please let me know in the comments what quirky and fun non-book bookish items you’ve been into lately and make sure to check out my other posts in Reader Life!

—Payton

Payton Hayes 11/13/20 Payton Hayes 11/13/20

How I Read A Book / My Book Reading Routine

I always love seeing how other people curate their perfect reading experiences and I know it seems to be a popular topic in the bookish world, so I figured, why not? So, snuggle up, get cozy, grab a warm beverage, and let’s take a look, shall we?

Hi readers and writerly friends,

This week in Bookish Things, we’re taking a look at my reading routine. I always love seeing how other people curate their perfect reading experiences and I know it seems to be a popular topic in the bookish world, so I figured, why not? So, snuggle up, get cozy, grab a warm beverage, and let’s take a look, shall we?

Vegan gummies and green tea. Photo by Payton Hayes.

Sips and snacks

I can never read on an empty stomach, and especially not if it’s a book that talks about food often or makes you crave certain dishes. I’m looking at you, Night Circus, with your caramel corn and other carnival treats! I probably just made you hungry for that, huh. Sorry! Anyways, I usually eat before reading or bring a snack with me and I always bring a drink either way. If you read my blog post, 20 Bookish Facts About Me, you might know, my go-tos for bookish beverages are either a hot black tea, a hot/iced mocha latte, or a nice glass of rose. Lately however, I have been enjoying Arizona Green Tea and these adorable and yummy candy kittens. (Yes, they’re vegan!) If this blog post is making you hungry, stay tuned for next week’s Bookish Things post because I will be covering 10 when a book made me hungry.

Cozy reading space

Of course, I also can’t read in an uncomfortable position, because that gets old really quick. Instead, I opt for a cozy armchair by the furnace, a nice, shady spot outside, or a good ole pillow nest if it’s a bit chilly. Either way, comfy clothes and blankets are essential. I prefer to read in a pillow nest on my bed, with blankets and my favorite pair of pajamas. I’d also recommend reading in the woods, on the beach, and some place new to you! These are all great ways to spice up your reading experience.

Clear panel booklight. Photo by Payton Hayes.

Ambiance and lighting

This one sort of ties in with the previous item in this list, but if you want to amp up the coziness factor, candles, mood lighting, and aromatherapy are key. I light either soy-based candles or put on my essential oil diffuser for a two-birds-one-stone kind of solution. String lights or other soft lighting such as salt lamps are a great way to bring in some warmth and light to you reading space. Of course, if you have a fireplace, that’s always a great place to read. Piggybacking on that, reading lights can be a great way to keep the reading going late into the night. I am currently loving this flat reading lamp from Shein. (Later in this post, I mention how our power is currently out due to the ice storm, and I just have to say, this reading light has been a life-saver!)

Book and a notebook. Photo by Payton Hayes.

Taking notes while reading

I keep track of information during my reading process in a few different ways. Lately I have been using a plain, lined journal to keep words and definitions in. I sometimes like to jot down words that resonate with me so I can reference them later on. In my bullet-journal (and on Goodreads, let’s be honest here) I like to keep track of my reading progress by writing down how many pages I read each day. I sometimes like to highlight particularly striking passages and then leave a sticky tab on the edge of the page so I can find it easily and quickly if needed.

Books, a booklight, vegan gummies and green tea. Photo by Payton Hayes.

Reading regularly

I have been trying for years to establish a daily reading routine, but I’m still not quite there yet. What can I say? I am a mood reader, not an escapist reader! Anyhow, I try to read as often as possible and never let myself go more than two days without reading. Sometimes life gets in the way— for instance, I am writing this as the great Oklahoma Ice Storm of 2020 is happening and our power is currently out all over the Midwest City area. We are running off a generator at the moment, but before we got that set up, all I could do to pass the time was read. Suffice it to say, I was well-prepared to read for a few months…

I digress. My point is just that, as a mood-reader it is extremely hard for me to get myself to read daily, but that’s no excuse to not read regularly. Like I said, my 2-day rule is what keeps me reading often. If you are a mood reader too, consider trying this method to see if it helps. Additionally, keeping track of your reading progress might incentivize you to keep working through your TBR.

And that’s it for my reading routine! How do you read? What is your preferred reading environment like? Do you eat/drink while you read or prefer to just soak in the book instead? Let me know in the comments below!

—Payton

Payton Hayes 10/16/20 Payton Hayes 10/16/20

20 Bookish Facts About Me

Hi readers and writerly friends!

This week I wanted to bring things in a little closer to home and share a bit about myself here on the blog. I thought sharing twenty bookish facts about me would be a fun, on-brand way to do that so without further ado, lets get into the list!

1. I am not an escapist reader but rather a mood reader. I am not the kind of person who reads to escape reality and especially not when I am stressed or busy. I don’t read to procrastinate or anything like that. I am what you’d call a mood reader because I have to be in the right headspace to sit down and become meaningfully engrossed in a book for any period of time.

2. Certain songs remind me of books and books remind me of certain songs. Like for instance, I think the Maximum Ride series by James Patterson pairs really nicely with any of Juliet Simms’ work from when she was in the band Automatic Loveletter, namely her song “Let It Ride.” I mean how on-brand is that? Likewise, in middle and high school I used to listen to music while I read (don’t ask me how I did it, I couldn’t do that now) and so now, some songs transport me back to that time when I listen to them and I can still vividly remember how whatever I was reading made me feel.

3. I’m a chronic book-starter and I’m typically reading about five books at any time. In 2021 I want to be better about this and hopefully try to read more than one genre at a time because it seems like I just keep starting fantasy books and slowly chipping away at them as my TBR pile grows in the background.

4. I’m better at finishing a series than finishing stand-alone books but its harder for me to get invested in a series because I know it will take longer to finish.

5. I cannot read horrors or thrillers before bed or I will not sleep. I save the scary stories for daylight reading.

6. My bookish beverage of choice is usually black tea, but sometimes I’ll spring for a coffee or if I’m feeling really fancy I will have a glass of rose’. I will also welcome the occasional Thai bubble tea.

7. I don’t like reading in public because someone always interrupts my reading by asking me what I’m reading and proceeding to have a conversation about it even though I try to make it quite obvious that I want to get back to my book.

8. I’ve never read Harry Potter. I know, I can hear the angry mob with their pitchforks coming for me as we speak. The thing is, as a kid I wasn’t a super strong reader and I also wasn’t into mainstream media. I just didn’t want to get into it because everyone I knew was obsessed and I wanted to be different. I know, I was a rebel from the start. I would like to read it sometime soon, though because I am almost done watching the movies and I’d like to see how the movies compare to the books.

9. I am a HUGE book crybaby. I cry during happy and sad scenes. I cry when characters die or when lovers break up or even when the book ends if it was particularly good.

10. I don’t like to know much about a book before I start it. I really love the idea of having a blind date with a book. (Not the actual book buying service, but that too!) If a book is spoiled for me, I will avoid reading it for years to try and forget whatever spoilers I read/heard.

And you thought I wouldn’t mention Hush, Hush. Rookie move, tch, tch. Rookie move. — *The Hush, Hush Saga* by Becca Fitzpatrick audiobook and paperback. Photo by Payton Hayes.

11. I love audiobooks. Some people will say they are hit or miss or that the narrator will make or break a book for them, but I personally have loved every audiobook I’ve ever listened to. I might just be lucky but still, I think I don’t really have a preference unlike most readers. I’m a really auditory person—I love music, nature sounds, ambient noise, ASMR, and podcasts so it makes sense that I’d love audiobooks as well. They’re so great for multitasking when you want to read and do menial tasks around the house or listen to a book while driving. However, if I am listening to a fantasy audiobook, I must be reading a hardcopy along with it or the story will just not stick in my brain.

12. I am not a car reader. The aforementioned audiobook is great because I cannot, for the life of me, read in the car. I get dizzy and carsick and it’s just not a fun time.

13. I am not a journal-keeper. Though I am planning to change that. I have never been one to keep a journal or diary. There was a brief stint in middle school when I wrote my heart out about your run of the mill angsty teenager stuff but other than that, I’ve really not done much chronicling of my life and I think I’d like to start doing that. I’d really love to be able to look back on more than just ticket stubs and photos.

14. I will read in the bathtub and in the pool. I ain’t scared! There’s something so relaxing sitting in the pool on a warm summer day with a good book and a mimosa or just chilling in the bubble bath with a nice rose’.

15. I have to put my phone away while reading because I will just get too distracted. Ironically enough, I usually just end up on bookstagram or booktube.

16. I primarily prefer reading adult/young adult fiction. Paranormal romance, romantic thrillers, horror, psychological thrillers, motivation/entrepreneurial advice, and fantasy are my favorite genres to read.

17. I love well-loved books. Granted that they’re still in good condition, I love books that have been dog-eared, written in, highlighted, etc. It’s so fascinating finding out what stuck out to other readers as they consumed a story. I actually paid the difference for one of my rental textbooks in college instead of returning it because there were so many interesting notes in the margins. It just fun seeing how books take on new lives and to be able to connect with other readers through the notes they’ve left behind.

18. I love reading at night or while its raining.

19. My bookshelf is a mess. I mean it might be due to the fact that I only have one bookshelf and over a hundred books, but still. There’s some organization going on, such as with series—I like to keep series together—but other than that, there’s no real rhyme or reason. Not even by genre or book cover color scheme. :/

20. I absolutely judge books by their covers. :D

And that’s it for my twenty bookish facts about me! What are your favorite genres to read? What’s your bookish beverage of choice? And do you judge books by their covers? Let me know a little bit about you and your bookish quirks in the comments below!

— Payton

Payton Hayes 10/16/20 Payton Hayes 10/16/20

Book Writing 101: How to Develop and Write Compelling, Consistent Characters

Characters are the beating heart and soul of any story. Books with lackluster writing or major plot holes can get away unscathed (mostly) if they at least have believable, loveable characters—not that writers should cut corners, though. Readers will follow these types of characters anywhere which is why Fanfiction is such a big interest to many readers.

Friends holding each other at sunset. Photo by Helena Lopes.

Hi readers and writerly friends,

Today, I want to talk about how to write and develop compelling, consistent characters. Characters are the beating heart and soul of any story. Books with lackluster writing or major plot holes can get away unscathed (mostly) if they at least have believable, loveable characters—not that writers should cut corners, though. Readers will follow these types of characters anywhere which is why Fanfiction is such a big interest to many readers. Writers can really bring a story to life with vibrant, relatable characters. The first half of this blog post that covers creating compelling characters is geared towards writers who are still in the drafting phase while the second half that covers writing consistent characters is more geared towards writers entering the revising and editing phase, so just keep that in mind as you go.

So, first, let’s discuss how to develop characters.

Character development

This is always the fun part, right, dreaming up your ideal characters, giving them names and backstories and building a fictional life for them? But this is also where a lot of key, fundamental, foundational work goes into your story and the characters within it. This part of story-building is crucial. There are so many more factors that come into play that will make your characters seem realistic and yet enchanting or cause them to be one-dimensional, forgettable, and poorly thought out. There are many things you’ll want to consider when developing characters that make sense.

Character backgrounds and worldview

What racial background do your characters come from? What gender background, religious background or economic background do they come from? What kind of upbringing did they experience? What kinds of views were they raised with? What kind of experiences did they face during their most critical stages of development as children and teenagers? What familial background do they have? What kind of education levels do they have?

Consider yourself for a moment. You are the culmination of all of your experiences, memories, backgrounds, and external and internal influences, up to this very moment. This is called your worldview. Everything you’ve ever experienced has come together to bring you to this moment in space and time. And that even started before you were born. Think about how your parents factor into this or even your grandparents. Everything that happened to your grandparents brought them together so they could bring your parents into this world, and thus, you. So not only does your upbringing influence your story much like the characters’ upbringing influences their stories, but you literally might not be here now if things hadn’t worked out just the way they did. This worldview is a critical element of each of your characters whether or not they ever make it onto the page. Consider your characters parent’s worldviews and goals and how they might influence your characters.

For example, if your character’s mother wanted to be a ballet dancer as a young girl, but her mother never let her, maybe she might push your character into ballet other extracurricular activities to make up for the lack of experience with such things in her life. Another example, if your characters grandparents were insanely rich and the character’s parents realized how all the money could corrupt people, they might chose to cut themselves off from the rest of the family and struggle through life instead of allowing themselves to succumb to wealth and the vapid nature of the parent’s family.

Consider character goals

Piggybacking on that last point, you want to consider your characters goals both internally and externally. Consider what goals they might have and how the interact with plot points. Consider what kind of self-imposed and external expectations might come attached to these goals. Consider what is at stake for failing to complete these goals and how that failure might make your character feel. Consider how one character’s goals conflict with the goals of another character in your story. Basically, determine what are your characters greatest desires and deepest fears and what lengths will they go to, to achieve the former and avoid the latter?

Perfect characters are boring

There is no such thing as perfect—not in real life and not in fiction. One of the biggest selling points of vibrant characters is the level of relatability the reader has with those characters. Characters should have both good and bad qualities as well as character-specific, unique quirks that set them apart from each other. Think about the things that make us human and figure out how you can weave that into your characters. Perfect characters are unrelatable and boring so leave those unrealistic expectations out of your writing. A fun way to figure out character personality traits is to write as many of them down as you can. Then close your eyes and point to a random one. Do this a couple of times to see what kind of character trait combinations you get. Then see how you can write these traits into your characters.

Gabriel Picolo’s Icarus and The Sun Comic. All rights go to Gabriel Picolo. Used for educational purposes only. — *Icarus and The Sun* artwork by Gabriel Picolo.

Strengths and weaknesses

Branching off from writing perfect characters, we need to talk about character strengths and weaknesses because it’s quite closely related. Since we know there is no such thing as a perfect character, then surely your characters must have some flaws you can work with. See how their strengths interact as well as how their weaknesses interact. Is one character really insecure but another has enough self-confidence to cover for the both of them? Are two characters toxic people towards one another but madly in love with each other and unstoppable when they’re together?

I like to think of Gabriel Picolo’s (@_picolo on instagram) Icarus and The Sun comics, where the sun is a radiant woman with so much passion and love to give, but her flaw is that she’s selfish and she will treat Icarus poorly until he leaves her and she starts the cycle again. And Icarus is so painfully lonely that he welcomes the toxic relationship back into his life again and again even though it is literally and figuratively killing him every time.

Consider the characters’ strengths and weaknesses and how these traits can either be steppingstones or roadblocks for completing their individual goals. Additionally, many times, a character’s greatest weakness can also double as their greatest strength. Much like in Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series, where Percy has struggled all his life to read and focus and chalked it up to dyslexia, but that weakness proved invaluable when it turned out he could read fluent Greek without and previous practice and it eventually saved his life. So, as you’re writing your characters, consider how their strengths and weaknesses can interact and either help them with or keep them from reaching their goals.

Character interaction

Now that you’re thinking about character strengths and weaknesses, you can start to figure out how characters interact with one another and how all of these character traits interact as well. If you start with your main character, how can you cast characters that play off the strengths and weaknesses of him/her? What kind of traits do they need to have to make a believable, relatable, and irresistible relationship between one another? Consider writing Foil characters, or characters that exists solely to frustrate and derail the protagonist’s goals. What kind of strengths would a foil character have if he/she existed purely to stop your main protagonist from completing his or her mission? In addition to character strengths and weaknesses interacting with one another, writers should consider what quirks, hobbies, interests, activities, and preferences their characters might have.

For instance, it might make sense that the bully in a YA boarding school fiction is a bit stronger than the main protagonist because she has played lacrosse for as long as she can remember and the main protagonist is more of a reader. But that might also make sense as to why the main protagonist is smarter or more cunning in a tight situation because she’s spent all her time reading and quickly formulate a plan for escape. This example is from Gillian Shield’s Immortal series and its just one of millions of examples of how to write character trait interaction and it really does boil down to just what worldview, interests, background, and strengths/weaknesses your characters might have.

Of course, you want to limit these traits to only a few per character and make sure they truly do make sense. Characters with too many dislikes, talents, hobbies, quirks, or what have you, are just not dynamic or believable—instead they are just too much. Pick a handful of traits that make sense for your characters and the plot and go with those. Additionally, it would be better to sprinkle these things in throughout the story instead of info-dumping on your readers all at once. Keep in mind that some hobbies are passive and might not make sense for your character or story as a whole—such as with reading. It made sense for Evelyn Johnson in Immortal, but it might not make sense for your story, so really consider how each character’s hobby fits in against the backdrop of your story, specifically.

Character hobbies and setting

“One donut doesn’t break a diet, babe.” — Vee Sky, Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Consider what your characters enjoy doing in their spare time and how that hobby reflects the world around them. Some settings/stories are easier to develop hobbies in such as Contemporary because anyone in that genre could just as easily (and believably) be doing the same activities any of us do, such as reading or playing video games or anything else we do in 2020. However, designing character hobbies for a futuristic story set in 3059 might be harder to do because you have to think about what people might actually be doing in that setting. The same thing goes for historical fictions, where you absolutely wouldn’t be reading about characters playing World of Warcraft or making videos for Tik Tok (rip Vine) because it just wouldn’t make sense for the setting and story. Likewise for Fantasy where many things that exist in our world might not make sense for a fantasy story, especially not high fantasy. The list goes on and on. Just think about how your character’s hobbies reflect the world about them and how they fit in with your setting.

Character relationships

Another element of compelling character design that ties into everything we’ve already discussed is how characters interact with others and what kind of relationships are present in the story. Something has to drive the plot forward and that is usually likes, dislikes, talents, hobbies, or relationships. Relationships are often the driving motivation for a character and can really move the plot along in an inconspicuous way to the reader. Such as, in Becca Fitzpatrick’s Hush, Hush where on the first day of school, Nora’s coach and Sex Ed professor assigns a seating chart and forces Nora to be partners with the new transfer student, thus putting her in an awkward position and potentially jeopardizing her grades if she can’t get her partner to cooperate on assignments. There’s all kinds of tension here from Nora missing sitting next to her best friend Vee, to her reluctance to engage with the intimidating transfer student, Patch, and to the stubborn teacher who refuses to change the seating chart at Nora’s request. This immediately creates some kind of relationship between Nora and Patch whether they want it or not and that’s exactly what drives the plot along until the real plot points are revealed.

There are many tropes in which something happens to a characters relationship with another character that drives a plot forward. For one, the trope of the character who must save their sibling (or a lover) from a terrible fate so they go on their quest. For two, there’s the trope of a character’s family member dying and the angst, rage, and confusion propelling them into their quest. Character relationships directly impact character motivations. For example, why does the villain always capture the superheroes’ love interest? Answer: because they know the hero will come running to the rescue of said love interest. That’s one of the most blatant uses of character relationships as plot devices.

When you’re crafting characters think about all of the characters in your story as an entire cast and plan them out as a whole. When you’re developing a cast, consider each relationship and how everyone relates to one another, what function they serve, and whether or not its dynamic. However, much like the issue of having too many hobbies or talents, steer clear of having too many characters. You really only need enough characters to drive the plot and then have a few extras here and there to make your world seem bigger/believable as needed. Try to avoid veering into Martin territory where there are just so many characters that all of them are disposable and even the readers know not to get their hopes up since they will all die anyways. Some stories warrant a large cast of characters such as with Tolkien, Martin, or Riordan where there are complex subplots and worldbuilding at play. As you can probably gather from these examples, massive casts of characters are best left to fantasy and mythological fiction. Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule, but air on the side of caution and avoid creating a character soup, where there’s just so many characters that their details get muddied and confusing.

Character names

This very well might be the single most fun items on the list, yet but I implore you dear writer, to take time and care with choosing your character’s names. There is so much readers can learn from a character’s name. Names truly do inform a large part of a person’s identity—they serve as markers of racial or cultural backgrounds, family names carry centuries of history, certain names carry with them certain connotations and ultimately names can impact how people are treated, so select your characters names with care. Consider why the character’s parents might have picked that name for them, what it says about them, how other characters might treat them because of it, and so on.

Pro tip: One of the easiest ways to get started with believable names is to look up a culture your character might be based on and try to find names that might have been popular during the time you’re writing your story. Obviously, this might be difficult with fantasy or futuristic stories, but for those, you can get extra creative by adding in vowels or consonants, changing spellings, and weaving elements of different languages into the name. Such as with some of the names/words in my fictional language in the world of Avyiien which pulls inspiration from Xhosa, a Nguni Bantu language that uses tongue clicking, and French which uses a lot of excess letters.

Ultimately characters are like icebergs—this is an analogy we see used a lot for plot and it works well there, but it works well for characters too. The visible tip of the iceberg is the written information about your character that is present in the book and the other 80% below the surface is what you use to inform the way you write your characters, but doesn’t necessarily always make it on the page. This is exactly how you write vibrant, rich, compelling characters that readers just can’t get enough of. These are the kinds of characters that find themselves in fanfiction and beyond.

And now, lets talk about how to maintain a consistency among your character’s their unique voices, worldviews, quirks, hobbies, strengths, weaknesses, goals, and relationships. If you’ve spent all this time designing rich, deep, believable characters, you want to ensure their actions throughout the story align with them as people and make sense to the reader. This is typically a revisions/editing issue so if you’re still working on that first draft, don’t get too bogged down by inconsistencies early on—simply write and go back to iron out the details later.

However, these are all important points you should take into consideration if you’re looking to write consistent characters across chapters and/or multiple books. In order to avoid giving readers emotional whiplash, it’s the writers job to ensure a character’s actions align with their personality. Failing to do this can result in confusion and distraction for the reader, which we of course, want to steer clear of. Its perfectly okay for characters to do things that are our-of-character for them as long as it makes sense for the story and has the proper set up beforehand, thus it no longer becomes out of character for them. Potential Spoiler: Such as with my short story, the Sieka of Sahn’Jatar, where one character has plans to kill another for profit, but after a series of events, changes their mind and decides to work with the person they’d initially planned to kill. This shift in character makes sense because of the shift in events leading up to this conflict. As a writer, you can choose to keep the plot points that conflict with the personality of your character so long as you’re willing to tie them together and make it make sense. Otherwise, it might just be a better move to cut it out and change directions altogether.

Inconsistent main characters are the worst

Of course, all that has previously been mentioned concerning inconsistent characters thus far, has pretty much only had to do with supporting characters or antagonists but if you’re finding inconsistencies with your main protagonist, you have some fundamental discrepancies with your book that will absolutely need to be worked out for you to achieve believable, relatable characters. Inconsistent main characters can potentially create a lot of distance between the characters and the reader. This can end up causing some serious issues for your story because it deprives the reader of that emotional reading experience, and since the characters are the vehicles by which the story is told, having that disconnect can really break a story. That being the greatest of your worries, having inconsistent main characters or POV or what have you, can cause frustration, confusion, and anger in your reader. All of these issues are just distractions for your readers and ultimately something you as the writer, should be trying to avoid.

So, how do you solve an inconsistent character? Well, you have to bring it back to the basics. Consider what that character’s fundamental motives are. Think back to everything we’ve covered in the first half of this blog post. What goals does he or she have and how do their (inconsistent) actions fit in to those goals? If they don’t fit, how can you write them so that they do? What other background information and characterization can you supply that will make these actions not so far fetched for your character? If these actions aren’t necessary for that character, can you write them for another character? Can you cut them out entirely? If they are necessary to the plot, how can you change your characters to fit around these inconsistencies? Consider how your characters would organically respond and react to the actions of the other characters and how they all fit together.

This is where you have to do some serious soul searching and determine whether or not these character actions are integral to your plot and story as a whole. Like I said, if it’s a deal breaker, you might have to recast that character or sprinkle breadcrumbs throughout your story, so their inconsistent actions don’t seem so out of character for them. If it’s not a deal breaker, how can you change those actions to fit your carefully crafted characters and make their actions and reactions believable? As you can probably tell, this is why its critical to make sure you have your first draft completed before digging into inconsistencies and rewriting because you just get stuck in a vicious rewriting cycle and it’s just not pretty. If there’s discrepancies throughout your writing, a finished draft will allow you to make decisions on how you can solve those issues, but if you’re just rewriting, it can quickly get confusing and hard to know where your story will even end up.

Characters are incredibly important and should serve the plot just as much as the plot serves them. Characters must be well-rounded and balanced and everything they do should make sense within the framework of your story. Compelling, consistent, and loveable characters are the backbone of any great story and can often carry a sub-par plot if they are believable and relatable enough and if their actions match their personalities. However, writing enchanting characters is easier said than done and it’s why a lot of writers struggle with character development.

And that’s it for my extensive blog post on writing and developing compelling and consistent characters. What are your favorite and least favorite parts of character development? What do you think about character backstories and names? Let me know what you think in the comments below!

— Payton

Payton Hayes 10/9/20 Payton Hayes 10/9/20

8 Ways To Level Up Your Workspace And Elevate Your Productivity

Not only is my new workspace such a refreshing place to be in now, but it serves as a fabulous backdrop for my video calls and meetings. If that’s not enough for you, a room this beautiful just makes me so excited to show up and get to work.

Hi readers and writerly friends!

With all of the craziness of the pandemic and most people working from home now, it has become more important now than ever to tailor a special, intentional space for you to do your work and to do it well. Whether you work in an office with a team or from the comfort of your own home, your workspace can have a major impact of the quality of the work you produce and how you feel physically and mentally while you work. Since people are working from home more in 2020 it’s absolutely crucial that you set up your home office for success.

Stay tuned to check out these 8 must-haves for your at-home or in-office workspace so you can always accomplish your best work:

Get the right chair

Making sure you get your best work done starts with a comfortable workspace and a comfortable workspace begins with your seat. A comfy desk chair is an absolute must-have when you’re spending a lot of time seated in deep work and its certainly not an investment you want to skip.

Do some research on what features come with the desk chairs available to you. Consider quality, comfort, aesthetic, and pricing. I’d love to recommend my IKEA Kimstad White Millberget Swivel Chair because it is so comfy! And if you’re wanting something a little fancier, the Furmax Ribbed Office Desk Chair is a great alternative. If you’re looking for a few other chair choices, Forbes has an amazing list of office chairs from best quality to budget options.

desk 1.png — Bright and airy workspace. Photo by Adrijana Bozic.

desk 5.png — Bright and airy workspace. Photo by Adrijana Bozic.

2. Wallpaper or new paint

Friends, it’s time to ditch the drab drywall and add some color to your space. I recently renovated my home office by painting the walls and changing out the curtains. I went from a horrid creamy yellow color and black curtains (yeah, right? What was I thinking?) and opted for medium gray walls with a beautiful teal accent wall and sheer, teal curtains instead and let me tell you, it has made all the difference. Not only is my new workspace such a refreshing place to be in now, but it serves as a fabulous backdrop for my video calls and meetings. If that’s not enough for you, a room this beautiful just makes me so excited to show up and get to work.

As mentioned, you can add an accent wall if wallpapering or painting all four walls is just too daunting at this time. Removable wallpaper is a fantastic option for experimenting with different aesthetics— just stick it on and peel it off when you’re done.

You can find removeable wallpaper just about anywhere, but I recommend supporting fellow artists on Society6. You can find some unique and amazing wallpaper designs for a special, tailor-made workspace.

Pro tip: If you can’t commit to wallpaper or painting, consider checking out wall hangings and tapestries instead. These are a great way to add in a pop of color to your space in a less-invasive, less-permanent way. Society6 sells artist’s work in tapestries and wall hangings as well.

3. Lighting

It’s no secret that lighting is a big deal both in and out of the content creation world. Whether or not you’re working for someone else or yourself while you work from home, the quality of your work will suffer if you’re not working in the right lighting. Don’t strain your eyes. Good lighting is essential for focus and productivity. Science shows that poor lighting can ultimately impact your mindset—this study from the NIMH has found that light directly impacts mood and learning.

My Chesapeake Bay Pearlized Rain Glass Oil Diffuser. Photo by Payton Hayes.

It’s obvious that a dim, dull room doesn’t exactly do wonders for your motivation. The LE Dimmable LED Desk Lamp is one of my all-time favorite additions to my at-home workspace. With the adjustable brightness, low-profile footprint, and collapsible swivel arm, this light is perfect for both small and larger home offices. Himalayan Salt Lamps and Essential Oil Diffusers are great additions that have added benefits such as air purification and aromatherapy. I have this gorgeous Chesapeake Bay Pearlized Rain Glass Diffuser that doubles as a lamp when I want a softer light in the evenings. In that same vein, candles are also a great way to cozy up a bland office space —just make sure they’re all natural, soy-based candle, such as these lovely vegan candles from Halarosis.

If you’re going to be creating video or attending a lot of zoom meetings, this mini ring light and tripod stand is a must-have. You can easily level-up your professionalism in your online meetings or videos by upgrading your lighting and backdrop.

desk 2.png — Bright and airy workspace. Photo by Adrijana Bozic.

4. Desk Setup

I’d venture to guess that most of your work happens at or around your desk, so assess your current workstation situation. Is your desk cluttered and messy? Are there papers and pens scattered about? Is there a Starbucks cup graveyard in your trashcan? Is it completely bare and boring? Is it easy to locate everything you need, or do you need some more organization?

Level up your desk set up with some simple organization tools to help you waste less time searching for objects and spend more time doing what’s important. Monitor desk mounts and monitor stands can be a great way to create more diskspace if you’re working with a smaller set up. And if you really want to level up your desk, consider swapping out your current set up for a standing desk. This one can be raised or lowered with the press of a button, and it offers preset options so you can easily adjust it as needed throughout the day. One of my colleagues uses a standing desk and she swears by it. It’s a great way to break up hours of sitting with a little movement and get better blood flow to the lower half of your body.

5. Organization

Be prepared for anything by keeping all your essential office supplies nearby in your home office. Depending on what kind of work you do, it’s a pretty safe bet to stock up on all the office basics: paper, pens, printer ink, tape, staples, etc. Having these items readily available in your workspace helps you stay organized and productive. Filing systems, pen and pencil holders, are a lifesaver for keep all of your must-haves tucked neatly away but still within reach. This beautiful rose gold organizer is my go-to and can be a great addition to your space to keep you from losing important papers in all those would-be piles. It also has divided compartments for easy access of the supplies you reach for the most. Keep the bulk of your supplies stockpiled somewhere out of the way and keep only what you need at your desk.

Likewise, if you don’t want to use an on-desk organizer, consider using a bulletin board or in-desk filing system. This great corkboard is affordable and available on amazon here. You can also stay organized by using a white board, desktop calendar, or planner. The possibilities are endless! Just do what works for you and helps you to keep organized and productive.

6. Office plants

Where are my green thumbs at? Adding in a plant or two is a great way to purify the air while doubling as cute décor. If your workspace is feeling a little bland, an office plant might be just what you need. Good news for my friends who aren’t particularly plant-inclined: you don’t have to be a seasoned gardener to keep most office-friendly plants alive.

This article by Sophie Lee from NBC News, explains how Houseplants directly affect our health in a positive way:

At work, place plants, especially those with broad leaves, on your desk; they will help regulate humidity and increase levels of positivity — seeing greenery and nature help us feel more relaxed and calm, which in turn benefits your everyday mood.
— Sophie Lee, NBC News

You can read the full article here.

My go-to office plants are snake plants, ivy, and monsteras. Snake plants require minimal attention and can add some vibrancy back into your office space. Ivy plants can be a beautiful touch to any room with taller shelfs or high places for the plants long curtain of tendrils to cascade down. Monstera plants are great for bigger spaces and can give your home office a tropical vibe. Bamboo, succulents, and aloe plants are other low maintenance choices. And failing that, you can always spruce up your workspace with fake plants too!

desk 3.png — Pink desktop decor. Photo by Adrijana Bozic.

7. Customize your office

One awesome perk of working from home is the ability to design your office the way you want to. Add in your own style and make sure your workspace feels like you. Whether or not you’re actually your own boss, it’s much easier to focus and be productive when you feel at home in your office. Customize and decorate your workspace in a way that gets your excited to do your most important work. Add in some personal touches such as a photo with a friend or a note from a loved one. These kinds of personalized additions not only help level up your workspace but they can cheer you up on tough work days when you need an encouraging reminder of who you are and the people who believe in what you can do.

This photo holder is great for displaying multiple pictures in one small space. You can also create a mood/vision board with motivational quotes, positive affirmations and your personal goals for a custom collage that reminds you to keep pushing towards your goals.

8. Tidy up any and all clutter

If you’ve been around here for any amount of time, then you might know how much I love Gretchen Rubin’s book Outer Order, Inner Calm: Declutter and Organize to Make More Room for Happiness and we’re going to touch on that again real quick. Too much clutter piling up in your workspace can eventually get to you, even if you’re an organized-chaos type of person. To stay efficient and productive, make sure everything has a place and regularly tidy up to keep everything in order. A great way to combat daily clutter is to use the tried and true ‘Leave the Room’ rule. Whether its your empty coffee cup after a day’s work or the overflowing paper bin, making sure to complete one tidying up task every time you leave the room will do wonders for keeping your workspace tidy with minimal effort. This practice takes seconds and will save you so much time in the long run.

And that’s it for my eight tips on how to level-up your home office or workspace! What do you think of these tips? What are your plans for sprucing up your workstation? Let me know what you thought of the post in the comments below!

—Payton

Payton Hayes 10/9/20 Payton Hayes 10/9/20

When Writing Becomes Difficult

I get it—trust me. I just came back from a writing hiatus and while I wish I didn’t take that time away from writing, it’s hard to picture me where I am now without it. So, as we get into it, let’s think of this as a group therapy session.

Hi readers and writerly friends!

This week in Freelancing, we’re discussing a little something that hit close to home for me and that’s when writing becomes difficult. Writing is hard. Full stop.

Deep breath in and out. It’s going to be okay.

Now, let’s do this.

Woman covering her face with her hands. Photo by Anthony Tran.

Writing is hard. No matter how many times I say it, it doesn’t make the process any easier. Writing can be really, really, reeeeeally difficult sometimes. Most of the time, in fact. It’s a process that makes you swoon, cry, cringe, hyperventilate, and want to tear your hair out at every turn. It’s frustrating when you want to write but you just don’t feel motivated or inspired enough to do so. It’s frustrating when you feel motivated and inspired but you just don’t feel like writing. It’s frustrating when you don’t want to write but you have internal and external pressures on yourself that make you feel like you should be writing when you’re not, and that doesn’t feel good either.

And even if you managed to get past those hurdles, writing can be hard for a plethora of other reasons as well. It’s frustrating when the words just aren’t working on the page, or when you just can’t seem to iron out the kinks in your plot so that it makes sense.

I’m raising my hand here.

Writing is not an easy feat and it’s not supposed to be. Writing is a trial. It requires bravery and vulnerability, and a willingness to be consistent. It feels incredibly gross sometimes—like when you know you need to just sit down and crank out that first draft, but you keep self-editing your previous passages out of fear of inadequacy.

But I assure you, if you’re feeling the burn, you’re heading in the right direction. Writing is a process that is meant to make you want to pull your hair out sometimes, to make you feel like you’re going insane. (And if it’s any consolation, tons of famous writers were nutty.)

This hair-pulling, however is meant to help you grow as a writer. The frustration you feel is the fuel you need to burn through your writing struggles. When you’re feeling frustrated with how nonsensical your plot is, you’re forced to decide to scrap the idea or go down the rewriting path. This teaches writers about story structure and revising and self-editing.

Cumpled up paper. Photo by Steve Johnson.

The frustration you feel with creating unique, believable worldbuilding and setting that’s rich and just as complex and enchanting as the characters that dwell there forces you really understand your characters and the space you’ve created for them. It teaches writers how to really step into those worlds in their minds and envision themselves actually standing there. It forces you to travel to distant lands and capture these incredible places on the page because otherwise, no one but you would get to enjoy them.

The frustration you feel when writers block hits you like ton of bricks forces you to take a step back from your writing, to take a breather, and return to it with fresh eyes. This teaches writers to have a healthy relationship with writing. It teaches them how to take a break when things just aren’t working out and to return after mulling it over for a while. Your writing will be all the better for it.

There are many frustrations that come with writing and they’re exactly why writing is difficult. It’s not meant to be easy. But then again, nothing ever worth it is. Writing will test your patience, often. It doesn’t mean you should stop writing. It means you should find a solution to the problem you’re facing and then continue writing. Writing is a lot like horseback riding—the writing is the horse, you are the rider, and this incredible beast just keeps throwing you. But you get back up, again and again and again. Because writing isn’t a race. It’s a marathon. It’s a process.

Writing is for most, a passion. It’s an epic, tumultuous love. And if you’re feeling down and out about your writing, maybe all you need to do is rekindle your love of writing. You need to fall in love with writing again.

Single red rose on pages. Photo by Annie Spratt.

Think about what made you love writing in the first place:

Did you fall in love with writing because it was the best/only way to express your emotions?
Did you fall in love with writing because you had a burning story inside you, just itching to be told?
Did you fall in love with writing because your wild and uncontrollable Imaginate just couldn’t be contained?
Did you fall in love with writing because it helped you get through a difficult time in your life?
Did you fall in love with writing to escape or to feel free?
Did you fall in love with writing because of the way it made you feel?
Did you fall in love with writing to connect with yourself or someone else?

Why did you fall in love with writing? Does that reason still hold true today? What if anything, has changed for you? Because something, somewhere once drew you to writing and somehow you’ve lost sight of that. So, go back and fall in love with writing once again.

It doesn’t matter if your why has changed. It only matters that you still love to write. That’s what makes a writer. A love of writing is at every writers core.

If you need some help with inspiration, 500 Writing Prompts can help you to brainstorm some new ideas.
If you’re stuck on the details of your novel, try getting organized with The Novel Planner.
If you are still struggling to pick up the pencil, consider starting a journal or morning pages. This is a practice created by Julia Cameron in her book, The Artist’s Way and its basically a daily brain dump. Just write everything you can, the good, the bad, and the ugly. No one is meant to read this stuff so let all your reservations go and just write. This will help ease you back into writing, even if your journal/morning pages have no structure whatsoever.

And that’s it for my sappy thoughts on when writing gets difficult. I know it can get really tough sometimes. Just try to fall in love with writing and never let that little fire go out. It sometimes helps to have writerly friends who can inspire you and cheer you on as well. Let’s get a discussion going in the comments. What’s the most difficult thing about writing for you? What made you fall in love with writing? Let me know down below!

—Payton

Payton Hayes 10/9/20 Payton Hayes 10/9/20

Double Book Review - Before The Storm by Christie Golden and Shadows Rising by Madeline Roux

Hi readers and writerly friends!

This is a spoiler-free review!

This week in bookish things, I’m doing something a little different. I decided I wanted to cover two books in one review because I wanted to compare the writing style of the two authors, the way these stories set the tone for the two World of Warcraft expansions that followed them, and my thoughts on the way these authors wove virtual game lore into a palatable, fully fledged storyline. These books are part of the World of Warcraft canon. There will be links to everything mentioned throughout and at the end of this blog post for your convenience.

*Shadows Rising* by Madeline Roux and *Before the Storm* by Christie Golden. Photo by Payton Hayes.

I am so excited to finally discuss these books. I’ve read books from the Warcraft universe before and I’ve very much enjoyed them, but these books were different from the War of the Ancients trilogy or the Stormrage book and other novels by Richard A. Knaak. I unfortunately was out of the loop when previous Warcraft novels came out as storyline precursors to their following expansions such as Christie Golden’s Warcrimes that came before the Warlords of Draenor expansion. But this time around I was able to read the two most recent books that tie into the storyline and set the pace before the coming expansions.

My first run in with reading a book that precedes their video game counterpart was Christie Golden’s Before The Storm, which I absorbed via the audiobook while it was available for free on Blizzard’s YouTube channel. I really enjoyed reading this novel and it certainly amped up my own excitement for the following expansion, Battle for Azeroth to come out shortly after. While I wouldn’t say BFA was my favorite expansion by any means, it was really neat to get a look at the upcoming storylines and to get a better understanding of the overall tone and direction of the expansion in preparation for release.

Since I had such a great experience with reading previous Warcraft novels as well as Before the Storm, I thought why not read Madeline Roux’s Shadows Rising as well. I, as well as many of my friends and guildies were incredibly excited for this next expansion to come out, and while the news of the delay was not what many players wanted to hear, I can’t deny that I personally, was pleased to have more time to finish reading Shadows Rising before BFA is officially over. Now that I’ve finished reading it, I’d like to discuss my thoughts on the two books and how they compare.

Before the Storm

As mentioned, this was my first time reading a Warcraft novel in preparation of an upcoming expansion and I very much enjoyed it. Even though I did read it via audiobook, Josh Keaton did a wonderful job narrating the story in a clear, enunciated way so I could easily digest what I was hearing. Personally, I think the novel was expertly written, the pacing was excellent and kept me hooked the entire time, and Golden aptly captured the essences of all our beloved fantasy characters. However, as someone who plays the game on both sides—Horde and Alliance—I can very clearly see why many readers complained about the Horde side of the story not being adequately portrayed or there at least not being enough page time for the Horde experience. I personally agree that the story overall leaned quite heavily into the Alliance perspective and that of the Horde experience that was depicted, was mostly negative and revolved around Sylvannas being a bad person. I am not sure how much of this was intentional since the game itself receives a lot of criticism from Alliance players who believe Blizzard favors the Horde and therefore typically tends to give them the better stories, but I can’t help but feel for Horde readers who were looking for more out of this book. Overall, I would give it a 4-star rating since the writing is excellent, there are many heart-felt relatable moments, and the story is very well crafted. But it is true that the story leans heavily in favor of the Alliance perspective.

Shadows Rising

Can I just.

This book was phenomenal. The writing incredible, the characters believable and compelling, and the story felt very, VERY well balanced between the Horde and Alliance perspectives. I really enjoyed playing through the Horde story in BFA and getting to see all the characters I came to love throughout that story come to life again in the novel was really great. I read this book via the audiobook and the hardcover and although Susan Wokoma’s character voices took some getting used to, her narrating was spectacular. I would give this book a 5-star rating because everything—from compelling characters and enchanting settings, to expertly woven plotlines and pager-turner pacing—was on point and that Horde/Alliance balance was certainly there as well. While I don’t necessarily think this novel contained anything we particularly needed to know for the upcoming expansion, it served to revamp my own excitement for Shadowlands.

I really enjoyed both of these Warcraft novels and I will likely read more of them in the future. I don’t think either writer is better than the other—they simply had different writing styles and different stories to tell. I think it is important for video game lore like with the Warcraft novels, that if there are two sides to the story, readers from either side feel equally included and there is equal coverage of the Horde and Alliance perspective throughout. If I had to pick one over the other, I would say Shadows Rising would be my favorite of the two. Perhaps I am just biased towards our Zappy boy.

One thing is true for both of these novels and that’s that they got me really excited for the expansions following in their wake. Before the Storm sowed the seeds of Sylvannas’ treachery and established Anduin’s altruism and Shadows Rising shows how the Horde and Alliance tries to mend themselves after the fourth war and sets the stage for players and readers alike to venture into the Shadowlands. Both stories serve as a hype device, but they also tie up loose ends in the stories, lend insight into character motivations, and help establish the tone and direction for the coming expansion.

And that’s it for my double book review special covering Before the Storm by Christie Golden and Shadows Rising by Madeleine Roux. What did you think of these novels? If you haven’t reads them yet, please check them out at the links below. How did the make you feel about the expansions coming after them? Are you excited for Shadowlands? Let me know in the comments below!

Before the Storm and Shadows Rising amidst Warcraft comics and poetry books on my shelf. — *Before the Storm* and *Shadows Rising* amidst Warcraft comics and poetry books on my shelf. Photo by Payton Hayes.

Mentioned in this blog post:

Warcrimes by Christie Golden

Before The Storm by Christie Golden

Shadow’s Rising by Madeline Roux

War of the Ancients by Richard A. Knaak

Stormrage by Richard A. Knaak

World of Warcraft Shadowlands Expansion Delayed

World of Warcraft Shadowlands

BlizzardWatch’s list of all Warcraft Stories in Print (Not Mentioned, but useful)

—Payton

Payton Hayes 10/2/20 Payton Hayes 10/2/20

10 Times I Was Attacked By the 5 Senses While Reading

Hi readers and writerly friends!

Last week in Bookish Things, I reviewed Karsten Knight’s Wildefire Trilogy and this week, we’re going over ten times I was attacked by the five senses while reading. I got this idea from C. G. Drews of Paperfury (she’s SUPER awesome so don’t forget to check her out!) Some of our experiences overlap and I’ sure you guys can relate so keep reading to find out more about ten times when I was assaulted by the five senses while reading.

From elaborate writing that triggers your sense of smell or makes you hungry to sticky library books—that elicit a far more physical response—I’ve had plenty of run-ins with the senses while reading. This is a phrase C. G. uses in her blog post about the same topic, and I can totally relate to how she feels. I personally feel like I’m equally as sensory perceptive as she is and many of her own stories of sensory assault while reading hit close to home for me. While I don’t easily remember math formulas or Pi in its entirety, there is a little corner of my brain dedicated to immortalizing these sensory experiences so I can drool and shudder at them for all eternity.

With that being said, let’s talk about

I’ve also written blog posts on Immersive Reading With Audio Books and Reading With the Five Senses. I must really love sensory posts, huh? I also plan to write one that covers books that made me really hungry in the future so stay tuned!

1. The time when a library book cover was sticky

I had to put this one at the top of the list for obvious reasons. Sketchy, sticky substances on library book covers are so beyond upsetting. *Gag noises* ugh, just give me a minute to collect myself here.

This hasn’t happened to me for a while since I’ve been buying my own books as opposed to happening upon a blood-soiled book cover in the library. It’s blood, isn’t it?

Don’t get me wrong, libraries and bookstores are incredible and quite possibly my favorite place to be, short of a secluded forest or curled up, cozy in my covers with a good book. But the truth is, this unfortunate occurrence has happened more times than I’d like to remember and it’s always with library books. I’m still shuddering.

2. The time a book fell apart when I picked it up

I usually get my books at half-priced bookstores, thrift shops, and library sales, but this actually happened to me in the sanctity of my own home. The audacity of some books, smh. My dad was going through some old items and told me I could have a book that had belonged to my mom. It was The Lady of The Lake by Sir Walter Scott, published by Maynard Merrill, & Co., published in 1908. I picked it up and the front cover came clear off the book.

*The Lady of the Lake* by Sir Walter Scott. Photo by Payton Hayes.

This 100+ year old book just…

DISENTIGRATED

IN MY HANDS

Yeah. Just like that.

R.I.P. Lady of The Lake.

3. The time a book I damaged a book’s cover

Here’s a throwback. This is an olddddddd photo of me with said book back in high school. Thank God for puberty. Photo by Payton Hayes.9

Okay, book police, cuff me and haul me away now, because yes, this most certainly is a travesty. For a good chunk of 9th grade, I carried around a trilogy that came in the form of one, massive tome of a book—the War of the Ancients Trilogy by Richard A. Knaak. It’s keystone story in the World of Warcraft universe and I just couldn’t get enough of it. It took me a long time to read it because a) the sheer volume of that thing. It had to be like, what, 800+ pages or something? It was A BRICK. and because b) it was my first year of high school and I was dealing with a lot as a freshman, so sadly reading got put on the back burner for a while.

That being said, this book spent a lot of 2012 sitting around in my backpack, being carried around with my less-appreciated school textbooks and binder, left behind in classrooms as I struggled to get from one high school hellhole to the next. And thus, that book was certainly worse for wear.

And it was totally my fault. I often considered stealing that book from MCHS because of it’s quaint, “well-loved” (let’s be real, I treated that book like garbage 😭.) quality and replacing it with a new version so students before me could appreciate the words with in it without being distracted by how dusty and bedraggled my copy was. Legend has it, that book is still in my old high school’s library to this day.

I don’t know, I just find something charming in a well-loved, worn book. I’ve added a quote from Jocelyn of the 52 Letters in the Alphabet Blog because she just so perfectly describes how I feel about this:

In these crumpled pages and broken spines are signs that these books have been loved, not just by me, but by my entire family. There is history trapped in these books, and to replace them in the name of cleanliness would destroy that history. When I see these worn-out books, I smile, because they make me remember just how much I’ve loved them throughout the years.
—Jocelyn of 52 Letters in the Alphabet

Read more of her blog post about broken spines and crumpled pages here.

And that’s just how I feel about the massive brick of a book I read back in high school and how I feel about many of my own well-loved books. I remember what it was like to carry them around in and out of school, to stay up into the unholy hours of the night ravenously devouring them, and to come back to the little imperfections they developed as a result of my reading them year after year and it’s special.

4. The time a book cover wasn’t even

When I bought Shadow and Bone, the first book in the like-named trilogy by Leigh Bardugo, I was absolutely stunned. This was my first time seeing the front cover of a book not line up flush with the edges of the pages and the back cover. AND IT HAPPENED AGAIN WITH THE OTHER TWO BOOKS, Ruin and Rising, and Siege and Storm. Honestly, what is the point of this? So, you can have those little strips of red and gold? I just don’t understand. My copies of Station Eleven and Ghosted are like this too. I can’t comprehend the purpose of this design choice. C.G. says she thought it was a printing error, and honestly, same. I don’t know if I can take another uneven book cover. 😵

*The Grisha Saga* by Leigh Bardugo. Photo by Payton Hayes.

Three Books with uneven covers. Photo by Payton Hayes.

A book with deckled edges. Photo by Payton Hayes.

5. My first time with deckled edges

Piggybacking on the note about uneven book covers, deckled edges are another book design choice that caught me off guard. I thought this was a print design error as well. My first run-in with deckeled edges was in the Midwest City Dollar tree where I found a ton of really neat books but they ALL had deckled edges. My first instinct was that they were imperfect copies or something, but noooo. They were like that on purpose.

I repeat:

WHY???

6. The time the cover was soft or pettable

Okay, so deckled is a word and pettable isn’t? Microsoft Word, I want a refund!

I’ve actually seen this a few times in my bookish adventures but the first time I stumbled upon pettable covers it threw me. I personally prefer glossy or matte covers, but the ones with the velvet-y, hairlike texture is another thing entirely. When my sister and I found ourselves in the book aisle at Walmart, we were met with this combination of upset, cringe, and intrigue as we picked up a velvet-covered, forest-green YA fantasy novel and it practically purred as we stroked the cover. Okay, maybe it didn’t purr, but it made my sister shudder in disgust and that was entertaining. I liked the texture, but it’s safe to say that she’s not much of a fan.

Also R.I.P.Kobe.

7. Raised Titles (Also Pettable)

On a similar note as the soft and pettable covers thing, raised titles are just the best. I mean you could probably think of a handful of books with raised lettering and whether its matte or glossy, it’s nice to just sit and stroke the letters while murmuring incoherently and drooling at the…

Oh, just me?

Okay.

But you can’t deny that raised letters are quite satisfying. The Angel Trilogy by L.A. Weatherly comes to mind for me. I may or may not spend time gently tracing the raised letters and lovely, intricate gold filigree as I read. Totally normal. Who would not do this? Also, raised titles always seem to make the book feel a whole lot fancier and shinier and more precious!

8. Broken Spines

*To Kill A Mockingbird* by Harper Lee. Photo by Payton Hayes.

Coming back around to broken spines and well-loved books, I have to mention my first time with a book that had a broken spine. This was actually pretty recent for me—about a week ago, I realized I was missing some classics from my collection and went to the half-priced book store to pick them up. I stumbled across a few copies of Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mocking Bird and they were all pretty trashed. However, I did find one with it’s cover mostly intact and only the running, jagged lines down the spine serving as the only other indication this book had seen some things. I personally don’t think I have it in me to break a book’s spines but I know it doesn’t make a book any less whole if it has a broken spine. Just think of it this way—it’s a lot easier to read now, right?

9. Audiobooks

Okay, so this is an obvious one, but audiobooks are undoubtedly a sensory experience. And don’t even get me started on the dramatized versions. I once bought the Fellowship of the Ring dramatized audiobook and it caught me so off guard. There were character voices and music and all kinds of nonsense that I was just not ready for.

10. That good, good book smell

If you’re at all bookish, then you must have, at least once in your life, sniffed a book. I can’t explain it, it’s just heavenly. Brb real quick, I have to go find a book to sniff.

Inhale. Exhale.

Ah, there it is—that wonderfully paper-y scent with notes of ink and dead tree flesh.

Okay, now I know I sound like a crazy person.

But I see you, you book-sniffer, you. Don’t think I don’t know that you’ve done this too.

Enjoy these carefully selected book-sniffing memes for your viewing pleasure.

And that’s it for my ten sensory reading experiences. Are there any particular sensory memories that stick out to you? Can you relate to any of these? And please answer if you (a) sniff books, (b) enjoy petting textured covers, and (c) how you feel about deckled edges! Let me know in the comments below!

And don’t forget to check out C.G.’s post here! I wouldn’t have thought to write this post if it wasn’t for her!

Check out my post 10 Times A Book Made Me Hungry and read more from Reader Life and Bookish Things!

—Payton

Payton Hayes 10/2/20 Payton Hayes 10/2/20

5 Reasons Most Writers Quit

Hi readers and writerly friends!

While it’s easy to want to write and book and even easier to come up with an idea for a book, sometimes the follow through just isn’t there. Sometimes it’s hard being a writer—I get it. Sometimes we get writers’ block and sometimes we just don’t feel like pulling up to the computer and cranking out 1200 words a day for the month of November, or ever for that matter. It’s a rough balance between doing what you love and having the discipline to stick with it long enough to see your stories come to life. This week in Freelancing, I’d like to talk about five reasons why most writers quit and how you can avoid giving up when life gets in the way.

1. As mentioned, ideas are easy.

Ideas are cheap—a dime a dozen or less, honestly. And just about anyone and everyone can conjure up some kind of book idea. From prompt to full fledged plot is the hard part. I hate to say that some people just aren’t made to be writers because I believe everyone has a book inside of them. But the truth is, the difference between fleeting thoughts/short bursts of inspiration and fully-developed, rich, enchanting stories is the process of transporting the idea from your brain to the page—a process that’s just not for the faint of heart. There’s a reason why some people end up as prompt writers and others get six-figure book deals. It really just depends on whether or not you really believe in your story and if you have the drive to bring it to life.

2. Writing is hard

Touching on that, writing is hard. Trust me, I totally get your pain. I mean, hello—fellow writer here! But really, writing can be hard. Some days, we may feel like writing, but the creative juices won’t flow. Sometimes we force ourselves to write but the sentences just aren’t working out. There’s a lot of moving parts in the writing process and it takes a lot of time, effort, and energy to get all of those elements lined up just right. Not to mention, a book is a lot of words. That’s a lot of writing. Between writing the grueling first draft, revising, editing, cutting out the fluff, trying to balance storytelling elements with pacing, crafting compelling characters and designing enthralling worldbuilding, writers have so much more to do than just writing. The writing process in general is just a lot, okay?

Next week, I will have an article out about what to do when writing is hard, but for now, just take a step back, take a break, and do something that rekindles that passion for writing. Don’t let yourself get burned out, but don’t take a break for so long that the creative fire burning inside just goes out either. Know when the process isn’t working, step away, and come back to with with fresh eyes. Your writing and sanity will be all the better for it.

crumpled+paper.jpg — Cumpled up paper. Photo by Steve Johnson.

3. Writing can be and often is a full-time job

Piggybacking off of that second point, writing is a lot of work. Writing is a job. And for many writers who haven’t yet made it, it’s an unpaid, thankless job. Sometimes, writing can even be the job that money can’t inspire you to do. I know several writers who have turned down certain writing jobs because their heart just isn’t in it or because it might get in the way of their passion. For others though, it can truly be a lifelong career. And while sitting at a desk, typing and chugging coffee doesn’t seem so bad, its more of a mental and emotional labor that is taking place and it can be an intense job for most writers. It makes sense that most writers struggle to get even just one book out, much less a second or third or regular writing as a career (such as with blog writing or technical writing).

4. Writing comes with rejection.

Rejection unfortunately is heavily woven into the writing and publishing process and it’s never-ending. There are possibilities for writers to face rejection at every turn—from their own self criticisms during the actual writing, to finding an editor, to finding an agent or publisher and so on. It happens at every level of the publishing game and can still be a tough pill to swallow from even the most seasoned writers with years of experience. If you think big name writers such as Veronica Roth or J.K.Rowling don’t still face rejection today, then I’m here to tell you you’re wrong, because even after they’ve left the writing rat race, they still can be rejected by their own readers and critics.

The solution to the cycle of endless rejection is to simply let it roll off your back and use it as the fuel to your fire. If your first book gets picked up but your publisher rejects the second, consider how you can improve your book so they might pick that one up too, or do some looking into other publishers in case your current press turns out to not be a good fit for the next project. If you’re getting a lot of negative criticism online, first determine whether its hate or truly constructive feedback and if it’s the latter, see how you can use the information your critics are giving you to improve your writing next time. Writers must learn to protect their sensitivity and creativity with a tougher, stronger outer shell. I know building a thicker skin is easier said than done, but it’s required for the writing biz, because you’re putting your words, thoughts, and book baby out there for the world to see. You’re making your creativity vulnerable to even the most ruthless of internet vultures and that requires bravery. I commend all of the writers out there for doing this, one step at a time. Eventually, it does get easier. Sooner or later, the good begins to outweigh the bad and you remember that because you’re doing what you love, none of the rejection really matters if its not going to help you in some way.

mac and money.png — Cash on a laptop. Photo by Pixabay.

5. Money is a problem for writers too

Coming back around to number 3, there is never enough money. This mostly goes for writers who have made it into the full-time/part-time writing game and are getting paid in some way for their writing. Fiction writing unfortunately is not known for paying especially well, unless you make it so big, like J.K. Rowling or Suzanne Collins, but the chances of making it that big simply just aren’t fair for the average writer. Many writers take up side gigs as teachers or doing some other non-writing related job to make ends meet while working on their passion, but the sad reality is that writing can easily get pushed to the back burner when life gets in the way.

Some crafty writers have figured out how to employ multiple income streams so they don’t have to spend so much time working, and they can focus more time and energy on their writing. It really just comes down to how much you love writing and how worth it writing is to you. If it really means everything to you, and its your lifelong dream to be a successful, full-time fiction writer, you’ll find a way to make that dream a reality, one way or another. What separates the writers from the dreamers is the work a writer will put in to make their writing dreams come true.

And that’s it for my five reasons why writers often give up on writing and some advice/solutions on how to combat these sad writer realities. Hopefully, these opened your eyes to the darker side of the writing world and reminded you that it’s okay to be down about your writing process sometimes, just as long as you pick it back up. On a more positive note, this week in addition to this post, in Current Faves, I have a post called “20 Things Writers Can Learn From Dreamers” and next week in Freelancing, we’ll be covering “When Writing Becomes Difficult” so be sure to check those posts out!

And take it from me, a fellow writer, self-proclaimed coffee addict, and mother to a still-growing 15+ year old book baby, I understand the writing process is difficult and being a writer can be hard sometimes. Just take a deep breath, maybe treat yourself to a coffee, give yourself a hug (I see you rolling your eyes. Just do it, okay?) and know that YOU CAN DO IT. I believe in you and there’s thousands of eager readers out there ready for you to present your novel to the world. Just keep at it, take care of yourself, and remember to be a writer and not just a dreamer.

What do you think about the writing process? What do you think of this list? What writer struggles just make you want to pull your hair out? Let me know in the comments below!

—Payton

Payton Hayes 10/2/20 Payton Hayes 10/2/20

20 Things Writers Can Learn From Dreamers

Hi readers and writerly friends!

It’s no doubt, still a crazy time, even in October 2020, with another round of the pandemic creeping in and the election in November just around the corner, things just don’t appear to be slowing down any time soon. But today, we’re going to shove all of that gross-ness under the rug and talk about something fun, positive, and incredibly inspiring.

I got this idea from the lovely Shayla Raquel who wrote this kind of blog post first on her blog. You can check it out here! But I just thought it was such a wonderful and inspiring kind of post and I had plenty of amazing quotes myself, so I figured, why don’t I take a crack at it?

In her blog post, Shayla writes:

If you’ve ever been around someone who sprints toward his dreams, then you know he’s absolutely insane. Nothing will get in his way. Nothing can stop him. He will accomplish his goals because he knows no other way to live.
—Shayla Raquel, Curiouser Editing

I love this quote and it aptly describes me whenever I get in a writing mood. I can’t be stopped, not even by my friends and family, by hunger, sleep, or coffee.

Okay, that’s a little bit of a stretch. Coffee might be the only reason I stop writing when I get on a roll.

But it’s certainly true that us writers can learn a thing or two from dreamers:

“You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”– Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Failure is not an option. It’s inevitable.” — Randy Langley
“I address you all tonight for who you truly are: wizards, mermaids, travelers, adventurers, and magicians. You are the true dreamers.” — Brian Selznick, The Invention of Hugo Cabaret
“Dare to dream! If you did not have the capability to make your wildest wishes come true, your mind would not have the capacity to conjure such ideas in the first place. There is no limitation on what you can potentially achieve, except for the limitation you choose to impose on your own imagination. What you believe to be possible will always come to pass - to the extent that you deem it possible. It really is as simple as that.” — Anthon St. Maarten
“Maybe you are a poet and a dreamer, but don't you realize that those two species are extinct now?” — J.G. Ballard
“Some stories have to be written because no one would believe the absurdity of it all.” — Shannon L. Alder
“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.”— Robert F. Kennedy
“I just want to live my life less like a list and more like a lyric.” — Emily Freeman (If you’ve seen my Instagram, then you know!)
“The only thing that will stop you from fulfilling your dreams is you.” – Tom Bradley
“So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon seem inevitable.” ― Christopher Reeve
“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” ― Harriet Tubman
“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.” — Paulo Coelho
“You see things; and you say, ‘Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say, ‘Why not?'” – George Bernard Shaw
“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside of you.” — Maya Angelou
“All successful people, men and women, are big dreamers. They imagine what their future could be, ideal in every respect, and then they work every day toward their distant vision. ” ― Brian Tracy
“I’m not just a storyteller. I am story.” — Ronne Rock
“The phoenix must burn to emerge.”— Janet Fitch
“Giving up is the only sure way to fail.” — Gena Showalter
“If one advances confidently in the direction of one's dreams, and endeavors to live the life which one has imagined, one will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”– Henry David Thoreau
“Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.”– Stephen King

Wow, just wow.

I feel pretty darn inspired right now, what about you? Which quote was your favorite from this list? They were all such great quotes and amazing message, I’m kinda mad I didn’t come up with them myself! Buuut I did make this handy-dandy graphic so you can print it off and pin it up next to your writing space. This way you’ll have a ton of amazing quotes to pick you up when writing gets difficult.

Aren’t these quotes just everything? Click the collage below to download your copy so you can pin it up in your writing area so you never lose inspo!

Click here or click the image to download your free printable now!

Next week in Freelancing, I will have an in-depth, dedicated blog post for what to do when this happens, but sometimes motivational quotes about dreamers, writing, and overcoming failure can really help us gain a better perspective. Let me know your thoughts on this post in the comments below and don’t forget to check out Shayla’s post here!

Keep your head up and keep writing, dreamers. See you next week. <3

Thumbnail photo by Cottonbro.

—Payton

Payton Hayes 9/25/20 Payton Hayes 9/25/20

Why Fanfiction is Great Writing Practice and How It Can Teach Writers to Write Well

Hi readers and writerly friends!

This week in current faves, we’re discussing fanfic and more specifically, why fanfiction is great for teaching writers excellent writing skills. This is something very near and dear to my heart because my ongoing fantasy series got its start as a World of Warcraft fanfiction when I was only eight years old. Whew! I just put that fact out on the internet and there’s no coming back from that. Oh well, moving on. 😂

Fanfiction is often frowned upon because its derivative and typically written by younger writers for younger audiences. However, while the former claim is true, the latter is just a misconception about fanfiction because many adults write fan fiction as well. Snobby literature buffs like to look down at fanfiction writers and readers alike because its not original and is usually cringey. And while for the most part, there is a lot of cringey fanfiction on the internet, there is also a lot we can learn from it as writers. Keep reading to learn more about how fanfiction can effectively teach writers to write original content competently.

Fanfiction writers just get character. This might be the single most important element of writing because the characters are the windows through which the reader experiences the story and how he or she connects with the people around which the story takes place. Something that fanfiction writers do especially well is character consistency. Since they’re writing from source material rather than conjuring up their own original characters, fanfiction writers have to be able to accurately and consistently emulate character canon. Fanfiction writers must understand the characters and be able to organically portray them in a way that is believable and acceptable to their readers. This means, for a fanfiction to be believable, accurate, and just good quality, the writer must effectively capture the essence of the characters about which they are writing.

Most fanfiction readers find themselves on the derivative side of literature simply because they’ve fallen in love with characters and they just can’t get enough of them from the source material. So, where do they go? You got it—fanfiction websites, so they can experience more adventures, emotions, scenarios and more with the characters they love. The story doesn’t end just because the book does. Fanfiction writers expand on pre-existing stories, forever immortalizing and breathing new life into age-old beloved characters and tales.

On a similar note, fanfic writers that create fanon characters (reimagined versions of preexisting characters) are essentially already creating their own characters with a few details derived from the source material. These missing details and experiences that are not present on the page/screen require writers to approach their stories with a sense of originality and a very specific lens through which they can invent new pieces to the story that weren’t there before. Likewise, depending on the POV, some stories require a lot of creativity to write fanfictions for, because the POV is very narrow, such as with singular first-person narrators.

Fanfiction writers must understand the rules and systems of a story’s world/setting. For example, if a writer wanted to cover J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter or Gillian Shields’ Immortals series, they would have to know the way magic and other systems work, like the back of their hand. They’d have to know all the inner workings of the magical world, how non-magic users view said magical world, the laws set in place (if any), and any other important details that go along with deeply fleshed out fictional worlds. This is even more difficult for the more obscure worlds where authors have done very little worldbuilding and the fanfiction writer must invent their own systems to fit against the backdrop of the source material author’s original setting. Just like with character development, fanfic writers must really understand the setting to make for a rich, believable story that is as convincing or possibly even more convincing than the source material.

The best stories perfectly balance intricate, complex, layered dense worlds with intricate, complex, layered, dense characters. And the same is true for fanfiction. Fanfiction writers must be able to provide an organic, believable interaction between dynamic characters and their equally dynamic world.

Fanfiction writers must interweave juicy, compelling tropes into their stories. Fanfiction writers are particularly keen on determining what tropes readers want to read and which tropes provoke, deep, visceral reactions from their readers. Fanfiction writers know exactly what their readers want to read more of because the writers are fans themselves. This is something particularly unique to fanfiction writing and it’s that the writers are painfully and constantly aware of what is missing from the source material because they are consumers of it as much as their readers are.

Fanfiction writers have each other’s backs. On a side note, the fanfiction community is one of, if not the single best writing community when it comes to inter-community constructive criticism. Fanfiction writers know the struggle of writing hundreds of hours’ worth of content only for people on the internet to come to their stories and comment something like “fanfiction isn’t even real writing” or to point out how many errors there are throughout the work. Not only do fanfiction writers understand this pain, but they are incredibly generous with their constructive feedback because they’re all in the same boat. I’ve seen tons of fanfiction critique groups and positive critiques in the comments of ongoing fanfiction stories. Due to the nature of the internet and fanfiction as a genre, readers are more likely to leave a helpful, positive comment for writers because they are far more accessible.

Fanfiction is an excellent way to practice writing. Fanfiction writers via community engagement, constructive critiques, drafting, revising, and self-editing, and ultimately practicing their writing skills get a pretty good grasp of their strengths and weaknesses as a writer. Likewise, fanfiction writers learn how to be vulnerable with their writing, how to keep writing regularly, and how to be strong, confident writers due to the (typical) positive reinforcement that comes from the fanfiction community. Of course, not everyone who writes fanfiction wants to be a professional writer—many people just write fanfiction for the fun of it.

Fanfiction allows writers to experiment. At its core, fanfiction is all about fun and play. Writing fanfiction allows fans and writers to enjoy the never-before-seen/heard stories from their favorite characters and worlds. It’s a way for writers to play around with different stories, tropes, voices, POVs, settings, characters, and other storytelling elements to create transformative works. The fanfiction writing process is meant to encourage experimentation with the source material and can be therapeutic and inspiring as well. In many cases, alternate universes, crossovers, fanon characters, and original interpretations of preexisting works are in fact original works on their own because what started out as fanfiction evolved into an original piece of writing, with only a few remaining non-original details (such as names.) At this point, writers are just creating original works with archetypes that are universal. And the same goes for remixes and pastiches where the writer is essentially creating a retelling of a story, which forces them to practice writing with different voices, POV’s, and with different styles.

Fanfiction can be very useful for aspiring writers because it teaches them many vital writing skills, it forces them to be vulnerable with their writing, it inspires them to employ the constructive feedback from their readers, and requires them to become very familiar with the source material after which they’re writing. It’s a really, REALLY fantastic way for budding writers to dip their toes into it and for amateur and seasoned writers alike to practice their craft in an increasingly safer writing space. While it’s still kind of frowned upon for people to write fanfiction (for very lame reasons, I might add) its been really cool to see the shift in public opinion of the hobby and artform. I always recommend new writers to try fanfiction because it takes the pressure off of them to come up with everything from scratch so they can just focus on the writing.

And that’s it for my take on fanfiction and how I think its incredibly useful to writers. What do you think of fanfiction? Have you ever read or written fanfiction? What do you think about the community and public opinion of fanfiction as a genre? Let me know in the comments below and if you enjoyed this blog post, consider signing up for my newsletter here!

—Payton

Payton Hayes 9/25/20 Payton Hayes 9/25/20

Book Review: Wildefire Trilogy by Karsten Knight

It’s been on my to-be-read list for quite some time now, and I fear I might not have seriously picked it up if it weren’t for COVID-19. But I am SO glad that I did, because once I got into it, I couldn’t stop. I binged the series in less than a week and found myself highlighting passages because the writing was JUST.THAT.GOOD.

This is a spoiler-free review!

Hi readers and writerly friends! Below is my review of Wildfire Trilogy by Karsten Knight! Check out my other book reviews here!

*The Wildfire Trilogy* by Karsten Knight. Photo by Payton Hayes.

Wildfire By Karsten Knight

This book review starts with my first-ever book hunt in my Midwest City Dollar-Tree. I was shopping for some containers and noticed the store had an awful lot of books and many of them I’d either seen before, heard of the authors before, or the covers were just so gorgeous that I couldn’t help myself. I think I left the store with 20+ books. And guess what book just happened to be amidst all those tomes I scurried out of the store with? That’s right—the aforementioned Wildefire by Karsten Knight. I had no clue what this book was about. I’d never heard of the author or the title and the only reason I bought it was because the lovely cover sucked me in, and the punchy writing kept me hooked. It’s true, I totally judge books by the cover.

As per the Wildefire Goodreads page:

Every flame begins with a spark.
Blackwood Academy was supposed to be a fresh start for Ashline Wilde. A secluded boarding school deep in the heart of California’s redwood forests, three thousand miles from her old life—it sounded like the new beginning she needed after an act of unspeakable violence left a girl in her hometown dead. But Blackwood is far from the peaceful haven Ashline was searching for. Because terrifying, supernatural beasts roam the forests around campus. Because the murderer from Ashline’s hometown—her own sister—has followed her across the country. Because a group of reincarnated gods and goddesses has been mysteriously summoned to Blackwood...and Ashline’s one of them.
—Karsten Knight, Wildefire, Goodreads.com

I can confidently say, that if you enjoyed reading ANY of Rick Riordan’s mythological fiction, you would likely love this series. I would categorize it as a mythological thriller because it revolves around reincarnated gods and goddesses from all different kinds of mythologies including Norse, Greek, Roman, Polynesian, Japanese, Mayan, and Aztec, and it was an absolute page turner! Without spoiling, the YA fiction is centered around the main protagonist Ashline Wilde and her newfound friends at Blackwood Academy in Southern California. She and her friends find themselves face-to-face with some unsettling foes—the seemingly nefarious cloak, inky, black creatures with singular blue flames for eyes. They are all given unique quests to carry out as they familiarize themselves with their own newly realized god/goddess abilities and struggle to fit in with their mundane, human classmates. However, school life quickly becomes the least of their worries when Ashline’s treacherous older sister appears out of the blue, other gods force Ashline and her friends to go on the offensive, and schoolmates end up caught in the crossfire.

I of course, don’t want to give too much away because I implore you, dear readers, to please give this series a try. The pacing was fantastic (and kept me turning pages into the wee hours of the night), the characters were compelling as all-get-out, and the prose was simply exquisite.

I can only describe Wildefire by Karsten Knight, through the title—a ruthless wildfire that swept through me, a ravenous hunger to breathe, sleep, eat, and drink in the entire story until I’ve had my fill. Unfortunately, now that I’ve actually finished it, I can’t help but want more. This story was a whirlwind of romance, mythos, angst, and a deep desire to belong. It was a wild ride and I enjoyed every second of it.

Every one of the characters are carefully constructed. You can clearly tell that Knight took his time fleshing out each character from the names down to their personality traits and compelling developments over the course of the trilogy. Everything was intentional. At times, I saw myself in Ashline Wilde, and at others, she felt like my best friend—as if we’d known each other forever and I was just now embarking on this insane journey with her. Books that achieve this level of relatability in the character-reader relationship can hard to find. Each and every character is meaningful and when some of them leave the story, it comes like a punch to the gut.

If you need more reasons why I LOVED this series, I’ve left a few below:

The writing—duh! Fantastic, believable, well-written prose laced within an excellent premise that upsets me for the sheer fact that I had not come up with it first.
Compelling, relatable characters that make you swoon, cry, and grit your teeth.
Knight’s expert ability to weave and interweave plots within plots to create a constantly enthralling and complex storyline that is guaranteed to keep you turning pages.
The mythology. Like I said, if you enjoyed Percy Jackson or any of Rick Riordan’s prose, you would likely enjoy this series simply for the employment of many different kinds of mythologies. The mythos used in Karsten Knight’s Wildefire is well-researched and expertly infused within believable character development. It doesn’t seem forced at all and where creative license is used, it is minimal and justified.
While it’s a paranormal YA fiction, set (initially) against the backdrop of a boarding school, Knight’s take on centuries’ old mythology and paranormal romance is new, interesting, and refreshing.

But don’t just take my word on it. Read it for yourself here.

And that’s it for my spoiler-free review of Karsten Knight’s Wildefire trilogy. As promised, there’s a personal life update just below here, but I wanted to thank all of you who took the time to read this review. It honestly means the world to me. If you enjoyed this post, please consider signing up for my newsletter here! Tweet me or comment below if you decide to read this book and let me know what you thought of it!

So, where do book ideas come from?

Write the book YOU want to read

Explore fun websites to spark inspiration

Read bad books!

Take inspiration from your own hobbies and interests

Examine events and people form history to spark inspiration

Subscribe to writing prompt websites and social media pages

How to keep your story ideas once you’ve been inspired

Related topics:

—Payton

—Payton

The start of an art-covered campus at Rose State

No Limitations

No Limitations mural in the Humanities building at Rose State College

Humanities Brain Mural Planned for Spring Semester

Humanities

“Humanities” mural in the upstairs back hallway of the Humanities building at Rose State College

Further reading

—Payton

Further reading

— Payton

Hi readers and writerly friends!

—Payton

Books about writing

Annual subscription to something useful

Writing Tools

Word Processors

Design and Website Tools

Marketing and Exposure

Author photoshoot with a professional photographer

Writer’s Associations and Editing Masterclasses

Comfy writing room additions

Story Binder Printables

—Payton

The importance of starting your book in the right place

Achieve balance between action and introduction through pacing

Start just before the inciting incident

Get to the party late, leave early

Let’s talk about prologues

Examples of good openings:

Example 1: Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

1

COLDWATER, MAINE, PRESENT DAY

Example 2: Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Example a of lackluster opening scene from my writing

1

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, PRESENT DAY

Go with your gut

Related Topics:

—Payton

Research, brainstorm, and come up with an idea

Establish your prevailing theme and subthemes

Outline/Develop your plot

Develop your characters

Establish the setting

Break out the writing tools

Create a writing schedule

Set realistic goals and a deadline

Be kind to yourself throughout the writing process

Related topics:

—Payton

Bookly App

Book Sleeves

Goodreads App

Clear Panel Booklight

Bookish Home Décor

Bookish Pillows

Wood Book-Shaped Coasters

—Payton

Sips and snacks

Cozy reading space

Ambiance and lighting

Taking notes while reading

Reading regularly

Related topics:

—Payton

Related Topics:

— Payton

Character development

Character backgrounds and worldview