Hi everyone! Are you excited? Land of No Demons is now available in ebook format on most venues! You can purchase it directly or you can scroll down and see the links to other vendors from which you can buy.
Please spread the word and enjoy!
Showing posts with label land of no angels. Show all posts
Showing posts with label land of no angels. Show all posts
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Monday, October 29, 2012
Bewitching eBook Deals for Halloween (or Samhain!)
If you love awesome deals on ebooks and love books about witches, then check out this promotion for Samhain/Halloween. We've got over 45 books discounted for the holiday. The blog where you can find all of these great finds on Witchy eBooks.
And if this wasn't a sweet enough deal, we're even having a contest to celebrate. The prizes include TWO $45 gift cards to Amazon.com! How neat is that? If you'd like to enter the giveaway, you can do so on the Witchy eBooks Giveaway page.
From the press release: More than thirty horror authors announced today that they are coming together this Halloween to offer book lovers a bewitching deal on almost fifty witch-themed ebooks on October 30, 31, and November 1, 2012. Bargain hunting readers will find that a spell has been cast, magically lowering sale prices, which will range from free to $2.99 with the majority of ebooks being sold for 99 cents. The complete list of participating authors as well as their books and short stories featuring witches, warlocks, and other seasonally appropriate creatures is available at WitchyEbooks.Blogspot.com and includes links to the ebooks on retail sites.
Although their ebooks share a similar witchy theme, the cauldron-stirring group of authors has approached the subject many different ways, from frightening to fun and from historical to hysterical. Some authors crossed genres, mixing romantic comedy with their witchcraft while others stuck to traditional hard core horror featuring evil witches. Assorted demons, vampires, ghosts, and zombies appear in various books as well."
Equally as awesome, you can get both Land of No Angels and Land of No Mortals for discounted prices! This special isn't exclusive to Kindle, either. If you own a Nook or a Kobo, then you can also get in on these discounts.
Click on the book covers to get Land of No Angels for 99¢ and Land of No Mortals for $1.99! If you need the links for Nook or Kobo, you can find them in the YA Books tab at the top of this page.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Land of No Mortals Cover Reveal
Oh man, I've been sitting on this one for about two weeks. The cover's been ready and it looks divine, but I had to hold off exposing the world to its awesomeness until it was the right moment. Well, it's time! Land of No Mortals is almost in the beta readers stage right now and after that, it's going to the editor. It won't be much longer before the book is ready an available to purchase. I'm hoping by the end of April. Are you dying of anticipation yet? Okay, okay! Here it is!
Amazing right? Amanda from Razzle Dazzle Design did the cover again. She is wonderful at this, isn't she? I also had her make a few changes to the Land of No Angels cover. Not only did I want them to match, I also wanted to darken the LoNA cover a bit so it fit in with the rest of my work. Check it out!
Pretty nice right? I wanted to add the series and book number on there too. Want to see them together?
So cool! I can't wait to share the new book with everyone. It's going to be crazy fun to read. A lot of new things happening. But stop me from rambling! I don't want to accidentally give away any secrets! If you haven't read the back cover copy, yet, pop over to the books tab and check it out.
Amazing right? Amanda from Razzle Dazzle Design did the cover again. She is wonderful at this, isn't she? I also had her make a few changes to the Land of No Angels cover. Not only did I want them to match, I also wanted to darken the LoNA cover a bit so it fit in with the rest of my work. Check it out!
Pretty nice right? I wanted to add the series and book number on there too. Want to see them together?
So cool! I can't wait to share the new book with everyone. It's going to be crazy fun to read. A lot of new things happening. But stop me from rambling! I don't want to accidentally give away any secrets! If you haven't read the back cover copy, yet, pop over to the books tab and check it out.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Dragon Dictate and No Hands Writing
Over the weekend, I spent a lot of time working with a dictation software called Dragon Dictate (Formerly known as MacSpeech), and thought I would share my experience and how using such software will optimize my writing experience. First, I'll preface this by saying that Dragon Dictate is the mac version of Dragon Naturally Speaking, only it's more expensive and doesn't work as well. From what I've read, anyway. However, I've found Dictate to be an amazing and fun way to dictate my handwritten work to the computer, and I'm even trying to dictate directly, skipping the handwriting process.
Beginning with the training. When you first get the program, you will have to train it to recognize your voice. The training doesn't take long, though, and you're on your way. You can dictate to a lot of different programs, but I chose to just dictate in the Dragon window, then copy/paste it into my normal program (Scrivener), because it's less buggy in the dragon window. Sometimes in Scrivener it was adding random letters for no reason I could understand or find.
I began officially dictating with chapter two of my next novel project, which is the sequel to Land of No Angels. So, there are a lot of little word quirks, such demon names. Often times if the name sounds like something else, I will have to retrain it almost every time. For example, the demon name Halpas is impossible for the software to understand no matter how many times I retrain or correct it. Often times it won't even show up in the list of words to choose from when trying to correct it. Luckily, the name hasn't come up much, yet, but when it does, I'm going to lose my mind.
There was another name, one that is a normal name and was actually already in the program's vocabulary, that I had trouble with: Nadia. No matter how many times I tried to get it right, the program always changed it to Nokia. In the end, I deleted Nokia from the vocabulary and I haven't had another problem since. This can't be done with Halpas, though, because the words that pop up for that name are words like "help us" or "helpless". Basically, words I will need at some point. Even if I emphasized the 'ah' (as in autumn) and 'a' (as in at), the program changes it to 'hall pass', which, I suppose, is closer than the others, but still not right.
Strangely enough, it immediately had no issues with the name Errol the first time I spoke the name. Though, at times it will now change it to Carol. For the most part, though, it recognizes my words just fine. I enunciate pretty well to begin with, and it does worse when I'm slurring some, but it's not so bad. I correct as I go and am still doing pretty well with productivity. Reading from my two handwritten chapters took a lot less time than typing them. Usually it would take me an entire week to write them out, but this took three days.
Today I decided to try dictating straight from my brain, to my mouth, to the computer for chapter four. This was amazingly difficult to begin with because I like to write things down. Seeing the words makes them more understandable for me. At first, straight dictating felt awkward and I struggled a little, but after a while, I was much better at it. In the end, it was just as fast to dictate than it was to write by hand, and much faster than typing myself. Normally I only write for 30 minutes in an hour because I get distracted and I suffer pain in my hands and wrists. But with dictating, my hands hurt less and I was more focused and interested in what I was doing. Somehow it made me focus more. I'm not sure how, but it did. Perhaps I was more focused because it took a lot more brain power to translate the narrative into speech rather than the silent translation of narrative to my fingers.
A couple awesome things I noticed while straight dictating:
-Dialogue was a lot easier to dictate than narrative and went a lot faster.
-My dialogue felt more real because I was actually having the conversations out loud.
[READER RESPONSE] If you've ever used dictation software, how did/do you like it? Did you find it more or less useful? If you haven't ever used dictation software, would you like to? What problems could come with using such a software?
Beginning with the training. When you first get the program, you will have to train it to recognize your voice. The training doesn't take long, though, and you're on your way. You can dictate to a lot of different programs, but I chose to just dictate in the Dragon window, then copy/paste it into my normal program (Scrivener), because it's less buggy in the dragon window. Sometimes in Scrivener it was adding random letters for no reason I could understand or find.
I began officially dictating with chapter two of my next novel project, which is the sequel to Land of No Angels. So, there are a lot of little word quirks, such demon names. Often times if the name sounds like something else, I will have to retrain it almost every time. For example, the demon name Halpas is impossible for the software to understand no matter how many times I retrain or correct it. Often times it won't even show up in the list of words to choose from when trying to correct it. Luckily, the name hasn't come up much, yet, but when it does, I'm going to lose my mind.
There was another name, one that is a normal name and was actually already in the program's vocabulary, that I had trouble with: Nadia. No matter how many times I tried to get it right, the program always changed it to Nokia. In the end, I deleted Nokia from the vocabulary and I haven't had another problem since. This can't be done with Halpas, though, because the words that pop up for that name are words like "help us" or "helpless". Basically, words I will need at some point. Even if I emphasized the 'ah' (as in autumn) and 'a' (as in at), the program changes it to 'hall pass', which, I suppose, is closer than the others, but still not right.
Strangely enough, it immediately had no issues with the name Errol the first time I spoke the name. Though, at times it will now change it to Carol. For the most part, though, it recognizes my words just fine. I enunciate pretty well to begin with, and it does worse when I'm slurring some, but it's not so bad. I correct as I go and am still doing pretty well with productivity. Reading from my two handwritten chapters took a lot less time than typing them. Usually it would take me an entire week to write them out, but this took three days.
Today I decided to try dictating straight from my brain, to my mouth, to the computer for chapter four. This was amazingly difficult to begin with because I like to write things down. Seeing the words makes them more understandable for me. At first, straight dictating felt awkward and I struggled a little, but after a while, I was much better at it. In the end, it was just as fast to dictate than it was to write by hand, and much faster than typing myself. Normally I only write for 30 minutes in an hour because I get distracted and I suffer pain in my hands and wrists. But with dictating, my hands hurt less and I was more focused and interested in what I was doing. Somehow it made me focus more. I'm not sure how, but it did. Perhaps I was more focused because it took a lot more brain power to translate the narrative into speech rather than the silent translation of narrative to my fingers.
A couple awesome things I noticed while straight dictating:
-Dialogue was a lot easier to dictate than narrative and went a lot faster.
-My dialogue felt more real because I was actually having the conversations out loud.
[READER RESPONSE] If you've ever used dictation software, how did/do you like it? Did you find it more or less useful? If you haven't ever used dictation software, would you like to? What problems could come with using such a software?
Monday, August 1, 2011
Two Weeks of Awesome!
So, in case you haven't heard: Land of No Angels is on Sale for a super awesome BIRTHDAY price! Why? Well, because August is the month for birthdays in my family. Mine is on the 19th, my husband on the 27th, and my dad and HIS dad are also in August. So, to honour so many birthdays, I thought it'd be fun to have a sale. It's only going to last through the 14th, so don't miss the chance. Also, if you wish to get your copy through Smashwords, please use coupon code CT22E for the discount.
Also, I'm finally able to show off the book trailer for Land of No Angels. It was super fun to create, and if you missed the blog post where I talked about my process for creating the trailer, you can check it out here!
The cool thing about the two weeks of awesome is that at the end of it, my young adult short story will be available for your reading pleasure. So, yeaaaay!
[READER RESPONSE] This reader response is going to be a bit different. If you were stuck in the demon apocalypse, would you hide, fight, or die? If you would fight, what would be your weapon of choice? Also, name one person you would fight to the death to protect from demons and why?
Also, I'm finally able to show off the book trailer for Land of No Angels. It was super fun to create, and if you missed the blog post where I talked about my process for creating the trailer, you can check it out here!
The cool thing about the two weeks of awesome is that at the end of it, my young adult short story will be available for your reading pleasure. So, yeaaaay!
[READER RESPONSE] This reader response is going to be a bit different. If you were stuck in the demon apocalypse, would you hide, fight, or die? If you would fight, what would be your weapon of choice? Also, name one person you would fight to the death to protect from demons and why?
Monday, July 18, 2011
Creating a Book Trailer
The last couple days, I've been creating a book trailer. I know I'm behind on my writing and I'm sure it's just my way to procrastinate, but I think after the nightmarish week I had that I just needed a break and I needed to do something a little different. I read an entire book in one day (which isn't shocking for me, just not something I've done in a while) and I started a book trailer. It's been a blast working on it, and I thought it could be fun to write a blog post about how I tackled the book trailer while I wait for artists to get back to me.
The first thing I did was browse deviantART(dA) for images that I thought would be useful. Links to the images I liked or chose when onto a page in my Land of No Angels Scrivener file, then I took the images to use as place holders. I used about 5 images and have one or two additional ones that I kept as back-ups in case the artists didn't want me using the images. When I decided for sure which ones would be needed in the trailer, I contacted the artists on dA asking permission to use them in my book trailer that will be posted to youtube. (Also, give yourself enough time. Sometimes it can take a week for people to get back to you. Keep that in mind.)
Let's sidetrack for a second to talk about dA and about images and permission and all that good stuff. Before I became an author, I was an artist (click on the art link in the menu bar to see some of what I did) and you know one of the biggest pet peeves of artists is? People jacking their artwork without asking. It's kind of the same for writers, right? Well, some people seem to think that if it's on the internet and/or you can find it by searching google, then it's free use. This is not the case. There are copyright laws in place that do not allow people to randomly take and use images off the internet. And let's face it, it's just plain rude. Plenty of people try to justify it and act like it's no big deal, but it is. Always find the artist and ask for permission, even when it's photography. Always.
As for why I went with dA instead of a stock photography place, there are two reasons. The first is that there is a higher likelihood of being able to use the images for free as long as I credit the artists and link to their work, and second I needed images of demons and apocalyptic settings. It's not exactly easy to find those is stock photography and nothing beats the artsy feel of beautifully crafted artwork and photo manipulations. Yes, I have to wait to upload the finished project until the artists agree to let me use their images, and yes, may have to change some of the images if I'm rejected, but for the most part dA artists are pretty cool and don't usually have a problem as long as you give credit and links.
Anyway, back to the trailer. After I found the images, I wanted to find the perfect background music. It took a bit of time, but I found something I thought fit. Two pieces of royalty free music that I found on Flash Kit. They fit together perfectly and I went through using Audacity (or Cacophony) and spliced them together, did a little looping, and had what I wanted. Husband loved it. It was kind of dark metal, rock, grungy sort of tune, but my best friend (who's also one of my crit partners) didn't like it. She sent me over to Incompetech and we found something that possibly fit better. It's about 38 seconds long and I think it works.
With those parts finished, I needed to script my trailer. This was the hardest part for me. I struggled and struggled and went crazy over how to entice people, get the story across, be interesting without rehashing my book blurb, and have something that worked. I was able to get the first couple of lines out okay. It took a while, but the second half just would not work. There was so much to say about Rebecca and Errol and the adventure and the horror and everything. In the end, I decided that less is more in this case. Cool imagery, good music, and intriguing text that doesn't give too much away are perfect. But, the script took hours to decide on and I hadn't even finished it while I was working on the actual trailer.
Which brings me to how I made the trailer. For this, I used Flash. When there are so many easy programs to use and even ones online that allow you to quickly and easily set up a movie, why did I choose flash? Well, several reasons. I'm familiar with flash. I know how to use it the way I want. Before I was an author, part of my artsy job(s) was to use flash. Worked on a film using Flash, created educational graphics with Flash. All of that fun stuff. So, it was a comfort thing. Some people may use animoto or windows movie maker, but I'm on a mac and I have/know Flash. So, it was the most convenient and easiest option for me.
After spending half of yesterday working on the trailer, it's mostly finished. I'm working out some kinks and I'm adding/syncing the music properly. The only thing left is for the artists to give me permission to use their work and it will be ready to upload. I can't wait to share it with everyone, though.
[READER RESPONSE] Have you ever created a book trailer for your favourite book? Or maybe your own book? Some people like to make music videos too, have you ever done that before? If so, tell us about it!
The first thing I did was browse deviantART(dA) for images that I thought would be useful. Links to the images I liked or chose when onto a page in my Land of No Angels Scrivener file, then I took the images to use as place holders. I used about 5 images and have one or two additional ones that I kept as back-ups in case the artists didn't want me using the images. When I decided for sure which ones would be needed in the trailer, I contacted the artists on dA asking permission to use them in my book trailer that will be posted to youtube. (Also, give yourself enough time. Sometimes it can take a week for people to get back to you. Keep that in mind.)
Let's sidetrack for a second to talk about dA and about images and permission and all that good stuff. Before I became an author, I was an artist (click on the art link in the menu bar to see some of what I did) and you know one of the biggest pet peeves of artists is? People jacking their artwork without asking. It's kind of the same for writers, right? Well, some people seem to think that if it's on the internet and/or you can find it by searching google, then it's free use. This is not the case. There are copyright laws in place that do not allow people to randomly take and use images off the internet. And let's face it, it's just plain rude. Plenty of people try to justify it and act like it's no big deal, but it is. Always find the artist and ask for permission, even when it's photography. Always.
As for why I went with dA instead of a stock photography place, there are two reasons. The first is that there is a higher likelihood of being able to use the images for free as long as I credit the artists and link to their work, and second I needed images of demons and apocalyptic settings. It's not exactly easy to find those is stock photography and nothing beats the artsy feel of beautifully crafted artwork and photo manipulations. Yes, I have to wait to upload the finished project until the artists agree to let me use their images, and yes, may have to change some of the images if I'm rejected, but for the most part dA artists are pretty cool and don't usually have a problem as long as you give credit and links.
Anyway, back to the trailer. After I found the images, I wanted to find the perfect background music. It took a bit of time, but I found something I thought fit. Two pieces of royalty free music that I found on Flash Kit. They fit together perfectly and I went through using Audacity (or Cacophony) and spliced them together, did a little looping, and had what I wanted. Husband loved it. It was kind of dark metal, rock, grungy sort of tune, but my best friend (who's also one of my crit partners) didn't like it. She sent me over to Incompetech and we found something that possibly fit better. It's about 38 seconds long and I think it works.
With those parts finished, I needed to script my trailer. This was the hardest part for me. I struggled and struggled and went crazy over how to entice people, get the story across, be interesting without rehashing my book blurb, and have something that worked. I was able to get the first couple of lines out okay. It took a while, but the second half just would not work. There was so much to say about Rebecca and Errol and the adventure and the horror and everything. In the end, I decided that less is more in this case. Cool imagery, good music, and intriguing text that doesn't give too much away are perfect. But, the script took hours to decide on and I hadn't even finished it while I was working on the actual trailer.
Which brings me to how I made the trailer. For this, I used Flash. When there are so many easy programs to use and even ones online that allow you to quickly and easily set up a movie, why did I choose flash? Well, several reasons. I'm familiar with flash. I know how to use it the way I want. Before I was an author, part of my artsy job(s) was to use flash. Worked on a film using Flash, created educational graphics with Flash. All of that fun stuff. So, it was a comfort thing. Some people may use animoto or windows movie maker, but I'm on a mac and I have/know Flash. So, it was the most convenient and easiest option for me.
After spending half of yesterday working on the trailer, it's mostly finished. I'm working out some kinks and I'm adding/syncing the music properly. The only thing left is for the artists to give me permission to use their work and it will be ready to upload. I can't wait to share it with everyone, though.
[READER RESPONSE] Have you ever created a book trailer for your favourite book? Or maybe your own book? Some people like to make music videos too, have you ever done that before? If so, tell us about it!
Monday, June 6, 2011
Ebook for Land of No Angels is now available!
I'm thrilled to announce that Land of No Angels is finally available in ebook format through Amazon and through Smashwords. Sadly, Barnes and Noble is having an issue with something on their end that is making the B&N version unavailable right now, but hopefully it will be fixed soon. Luckily, if you own a nook, you can still order the epub version on Smashwords until B&N get their butts in gear.
+Download Land of No Angels for Kindle on Amazon.com
+Download Land of No Angels from Barnes & Noble
+Download Land of No Angels from Smashwords (file types include epub, mobi, pdf, html, rtf, and others.)
The print version of Land of No Angels should be available next week through Amazon, and likely Barnes & Noble, as long as it's not still messed up. Also, there is still a giveaway going on at GoodReads for copies of Land of No Angels. It's ending on the 13th and I'm giving away three copies! Be sure to sign up if you want to enter to win a copy! There's a link on the side bar to the right.
+Download Land of No Angels from Barnes & Noble
+Download Land of No Angels from Smashwords (file types include epub, mobi, pdf, html, rtf, and others.)
The print version of Land of No Angels should be available next week through Amazon, and likely Barnes & Noble, as long as it's not still messed up. Also, there is still a giveaway going on at GoodReads for copies of Land of No Angels. It's ending on the 13th and I'm giving away three copies! Be sure to sign up if you want to enter to win a copy! There's a link on the side bar to the right.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
I have proof!
A proof copy, that is! Muwahahaha! Yes, I received the first proof copy for Land of No Angels and it looks amazing! The artwork is beautiful, the colour perfect, and the interior is so great. I'm quite pleased with the font I chose and the way the inside looks. Now, Husband and I have to go through it with a fine comb to make sure that everything was copied correctly and to double check any spelling or grammar mistakes. It's all very exciting! So, I've posted a couple of pictures for you to see!
Also, before I finish this entry, I'm holding a contest over at GoodReads! I'm giving away THREE (3) copies of the physical book. So, sign up for the contest on the GoodReads website. There's a link to it in the sidebar of this webpage, so go on and enter already! Look for more giveaways coming up in a couple weeks here on this site, and on twitter! I'll be giving away another copy or two of the print book and several copies of the ebook.
Also, before I finish this entry, I'm holding a contest over at GoodReads! I'm giving away THREE (3) copies of the physical book. So, sign up for the contest on the GoodReads website. There's a link to it in the sidebar of this webpage, so go on and enter already! Look for more giveaways coming up in a couple weeks here on this site, and on twitter! I'll be giving away another copy or two of the print book and several copies of the ebook.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Cover Reveal: Announcing Land of No Angels
Hey everyone! I'm so excited because the cover for Land of No Angels is officially finished. The ebook version of this young adult horror will be available by the 6th of June through Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, and all other format from Smashwords. The print version will be available hopefully by the 13th or the 20th depending on final proofing and distribution times. Also, I have several contests in the works where I will be giving away free copies of both the ebook AND the print book. It's going to be great! So, look forward to the announcements for those.
Now it's time for the cover!
Isn't it awesome? I love the model; she makes a great Rebecca. Also, for anyone who is interested: The cover was done by Razzle Dazzle Design and I highly recommend them.
Now it's time for the cover!
Isn't it awesome? I love the model; she makes a great Rebecca. Also, for anyone who is interested: The cover was done by Razzle Dazzle Design and I highly recommend them.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Thesis Approved and Independent Publishing
It's been a while because I've been so busy with finishing my thesis. Speaking of which, my thesis has been approved and finalized and now I just need to send it off to a binder to have it specially printed for my school's thesis library. It's a really great feeling! I just have a couple of class assignments left and I finish at the end of May, but the important thing is the thesis and I'm finished. My last few assignments have to do with query letter writing and it doesn't really apply to me.
Why doesn't this apply? Well, my dear friends, the reason is because I am going to independently publish my work. Self-publish, for those who don't agree with the term Indie. No, I'm not crazy. No, I don't suck and can't make it in the traditional (legacy) publishing world. The point is that I don't want to try. Not yet, anyway. Maybe for my next book I might, but honestly I have a problem with the way that side of the book publishing world works. Some things just don't add up with me and I'd rather take it directly to readers. Additionally, there may be a higher chance to make a living by going this route. No guarantees but I'll take my chances.
With that said, I'd like to announce that Land of No Angels will officially debut in ebook format sometime in July, hopefully mid July. The print version will be available by the end of July, so there will be two formats. It's pretty exciting. I'm expecting to have contests and swag and copies of the book as prizes. It will be great fun, I think. The book cover should be ready sometime in June and I'll talk about that more as time goes on.
There we have it. It's a short post today, but I'm going to be having some Scrivener posts coming up soon because I haven't gushed about it lately.
Why doesn't this apply? Well, my dear friends, the reason is because I am going to independently publish my work. Self-publish, for those who don't agree with the term Indie. No, I'm not crazy. No, I don't suck and can't make it in the traditional (legacy) publishing world. The point is that I don't want to try. Not yet, anyway. Maybe for my next book I might, but honestly I have a problem with the way that side of the book publishing world works. Some things just don't add up with me and I'd rather take it directly to readers. Additionally, there may be a higher chance to make a living by going this route. No guarantees but I'll take my chances.
With that said, I'd like to announce that Land of No Angels will officially debut in ebook format sometime in July, hopefully mid July. The print version will be available by the end of July, so there will be two formats. It's pretty exciting. I'm expecting to have contests and swag and copies of the book as prizes. It will be great fun, I think. The book cover should be ready sometime in June and I'll talk about that more as time goes on.
There we have it. It's a short post today, but I'm going to be having some Scrivener posts coming up soon because I haven't gushed about it lately.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Details, Details, Details!
I've been working on my work-in-progress YA novel, Land of No Angels, a bit over the last few days. It's been a slow process lately due to life issues and the lack of cooperation from my brain. However, during the time I stare at my manuscript vacantly and wish I could just spill my guts all over the digital page, I find myself wondering about the details.
For the most part, I can follow the "Don't think. Don't self edit. Just write." concept while working on my first draft. But sometimes, I get this idea that all of the details I add or need to add feel awkward. For example, I'm writing a scene with two sisters outside in a some-what post apocalyptic setting, who fear for their lives being out in the open and they need to hurry their conversation to get back to their safe zone. There is so much information that needs to be conveyed or even just introduced in this scene, but I find it hard to place these details and bits of information without feeling like it's too awkward. Sometimes this even happens with describing a little of the surroundings when it doesn't directly relate to the character(s) in focus.
When I try to explain things in a little more detail than "they were in a forest" and "she his under blackberry brambles" I start to get an awkward feeling. Like when you are reading a book in first person and the main character starts describing his/her own physical appearance while gazing into a mirror. Awkward! This first scene I'm working on is sort of intense and I wanted it to FEEL and READ just like the main character's breathing: short, sharp breaths that sting her lungs. Which... actually makes the scene go fast. A little too fast maybe? So the suspense isn't building properly....
Okay, so I took a break from this blog post after I had an epiphany halfway through it. I went to lunch, discussed some things with my writing partner (who also happens to be my husband) and I realised that the scene mentioned in the above paragraph wasn't working because it lacked details. While I still want it to feel like a panic attack, it can do so with some additional information to break away from the immediate action and build suspense. Not in an awkward "Hey, I thought this girl was being hunted... now we're talking about her living situation, wtf?" sort of way, but more so a "Ack! What's going to happen to her. The suspense is killing me!" sort of way. Breaking up the quick action sentences with longer description sentences will help build that tension I need.
[READER QUESTION] Do you struggle with writing details? Are you too detailed? Not detailed enough? How do you overcome these issues?
For the most part, I can follow the "Don't think. Don't self edit. Just write." concept while working on my first draft. But sometimes, I get this idea that all of the details I add or need to add feel awkward. For example, I'm writing a scene with two sisters outside in a some-what post apocalyptic setting, who fear for their lives being out in the open and they need to hurry their conversation to get back to their safe zone. There is so much information that needs to be conveyed or even just introduced in this scene, but I find it hard to place these details and bits of information without feeling like it's too awkward. Sometimes this even happens with describing a little of the surroundings when it doesn't directly relate to the character(s) in focus.
When I try to explain things in a little more detail than "they were in a forest" and "she his under blackberry brambles" I start to get an awkward feeling. Like when you are reading a book in first person and the main character starts describing his/her own physical appearance while gazing into a mirror. Awkward! This first scene I'm working on is sort of intense and I wanted it to FEEL and READ just like the main character's breathing: short, sharp breaths that sting her lungs. Which... actually makes the scene go fast. A little too fast maybe? So the suspense isn't building properly....
Okay, so I took a break from this blog post after I had an epiphany halfway through it. I went to lunch, discussed some things with my writing partner (who also happens to be my husband) and I realised that the scene mentioned in the above paragraph wasn't working because it lacked details. While I still want it to feel like a panic attack, it can do so with some additional information to break away from the immediate action and build suspense. Not in an awkward "Hey, I thought this girl was being hunted... now we're talking about her living situation, wtf?" sort of way, but more so a "Ack! What's going to happen to her. The suspense is killing me!" sort of way. Breaking up the quick action sentences with longer description sentences will help build that tension I need.
[READER QUESTION] Do you struggle with writing details? Are you too detailed? Not detailed enough? How do you overcome these issues?
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