Official blog of author Jasmine Mead. When she's not writing, she's either swing dancing, procrastinating, or drinking too much Earl Grey. Encouragement and inspiration for young authors. Writing tips and tricks, author quotes, and other things I find inspiring! Current project: a YA thriller. Title TBA.
This was my second self published book, written while working at McDonalds, which is why I wrote it under my middle name and not my first, though McDonalds is not mentioned by name in the book. Ā This is a collection of essays in chronological order of all the sh*tty jobs Iāve had as I worked my way through college, graduated college, had one good job and then somehow ended up in fast food when I decided to go for a third degree. Ā Woven around these anecdotes on my jobs are the stories of my life, the bands I listened to, the friends I had and how I thought higher education was my golden ticket but it turned out to be my ultimate betrayal. Ā This book is available in soft cover on Amazon.com.
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THE LOSS OF YOU: A Story of Love, Loss, Grief and Moving On by Leanne Wise
The cobbled streets seemed to glisten as the sun shone in the freshly made puddles which swam through the cracks. The birds flew down from the high buildings as theyād been hiding from the storm and splashed playfully in the puddles. The street was quiet now, where once there had been loud raindrops hitting the pavement, now the only sound was of the cold, harsh wind whistling through the trees, the type of wind that you get after a storm that bites at your ears and nips at your fingertips.
The Loss of You is a story about one womanās journey through losing someone she loves and how she comes to terms with her new life.
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I fell off the wagon a little with my writing a little, but I'm back in full swing today. Also, I did a quick calculation, and if I write 1,000 words a day, I can write between four and five novels A YEAR. Today marks the start of my new 1,000 words a day goal.
Exercise the writing muscle every day, even if it is only a letter, notes, a title list, a character sketch, a journal entry. Writers are like dancers, like athletes. Without that exercise, the muscles seize up.
It has been twenty years since Kaethurios, the Man of Night, destroyed Gantham. The kingdom is submerged in dark corruption and whispers of rebellion threaten. Hadrian, the kingās assassin, has managed to keep Gantham from utter desolation by disposing of the criminals the Council have denounced. When he is sent to put down yet another rebellion, Hadrian meets a young woman, Alyss, a magician, desperate for a chance of redemption. Magic is strictly forbidden, yet Kaethurios is returning and Alyss and Hadrian must join forces to warn the king and find a way to stop Kaethurios before the night theĀ moonĀ shines red.
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Author Lev Grossman saysĀ C.S. LewisĀ taught him that in fiction, stepping into magical realms means encountering earthly concerns in transfigured form.
This is a fantastic article about the magic that fantasy truly is. The Chronicles of Narnia are very close to my heart, and C. S. Lewis' writing is such an inspiration. The wide, sweeping prose of Tolkien is to be admired, surely, but Lewis' writing seems real and tangible to me. It's simplistic, to the point, and utterly enchanting. He is a huge inspiration to me and my writing.
A THOUSAND NIGHTS OF ARAB PROMISES by Joey Jabor-Luke
My first book of poetry, available in soft cover on Amazon.com. Ā This book deals with my punk rock midlife crisis and getting a crack at the childhood I never had, though it didnāt come about until my thirties. Ā Imbedded in this was my decision to be childless that came a bit unravelled when I suddenly felt the need to mentor and try to give others the childhood I was denied. Ā This had mixed outcomes and most of the poems in here sprang from the abandonment I felt when the kids I tried to help grew up and left me behind.
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Of all the ways writers find to waste time, waiting for the muse to show up has to be the most common, and fruitless, of them all. So if youāre waiting for her, too, stop it right now.
As anyone who actually writes on a regular basis can attest, the muse is a very unreliable creature. Sometimes she shows up at noon, raring to go; sometimes she shows up at midnight, just when youāre ready to call it a day. And sometimes, no matter how many times you put out an SOS, she doesnāt appear at all. She doesnāt return your calls, she doesnāt come to your door (that youāve left conveniently unlocked); sheās simply missing in action. Gone without a trace. No forwarding address
Which is why you cannot build your writing life around her.
Robert Masello,Ā Robertās Rules of Writing: 101 UnconventionalĀ LessonsĀ Every WriterĀ Needs to Know (via writeworld)
A PLACE TO STAND by Meg Farrell
Rhae Peters is happily married to her best friend, Ryan, who loves her more than anything in this world. Her life comes crashing down when the worst thing imaginable happens ā Ryan is killed in an accident. Rhae is faced with figuring out how to continue living without him. He is all she has ever known. Adding insult to injury, she learns that Ryan was keeping secrets. The revelation causes her to question everything about their marriage.
With her life in turmoil, Rhae wants to start over and forget everything about Ryan, and the life she thought they had. She builds a coping mechanism out of her friends and family, including her neighbor Cade. Chivalrous and overwhelmingly handsome, Rhae feels the hand of propriety holding her back from pursuing more with him, despite all the clues that let her know heās willing.
Rhae and Cade are broken in their own ways, and must help each other overcome the pasts and secrets that haunt them.
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Writing new characters is like showing up to a new social situation. You want to get to know everyone, but they're all slightly strange and very intimidating.
Whenever I sit down to start on a new project, I seem to have the same problem. I have a great concept, but plot? Not so much. The difficult part is translating a unique concept into a cohesive plot, with characters and story arcs and themes that glue everything together. I'm always coming up with new concepts, but without a plot to go along with them, my projects fall into a jumble of disjointed characters with no purpose.
So, how to overcome this? Here's how I get from concept to plot.
The concept is the initial idea of a story. For some authors, it's a feeling that they want to convey. Maybe it's just the idea of a certain setting. It could be the moral of the story (or the theme).
Let's say that I have a concept for an urban fantasy novel.
A city in the 1940s is torn between rival mobs run by werewolves
There's no story here. It's just an idea. Sure, I can can up with engaging characters to fit the idea, but unless I have a plot, my characters won't be doing much than just going through their everyday lives.
When I come across this in my own writing, I like to take a step back and explore my options. This is where the brainstorming kicks in. There are a lot of stories that could be told to explore my concept. A lot of genres, even. It could be about the war between the police force and the werewolf mobs (crime fiction). It could be a Romeo and Juliet type story, whether between members of the two mobs, or between a human and a werewolf (romance). One of the mobs could be planning to take over the city's government (thriller), or they could be terrorizing the citizens (horror), or it could even be told in lighthearted or comedic manner (comedy/children's fiction).
You get the idea.
What the author needs to do now is pick a genre and characters to flesh out the story.
I like the idea of the clashing police force and werewolf mobs. My main character is a police detective investigating a string of suspicious murders. His opponent is the leader of one of the werewolf mobs. Now the ideas are starting to flow. Who was murdered? Why were they murdered? Was it gang warfare, or a mugging gone wrong, or just an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire? Maybe our hero is deathly afraid of dogs, but he's the only detective willing to investigate the powerful gangs. The city is relying on him to solve the mystery and finally put the villain behind bars.
Now I have a plot.
When a well-loved business owner is brutally murdered, detective Cliff Hendricks is assigned to crack the case. When his investigating uncovers that the most powerful mob in the city is behind the killing, Cliff is grimly delighted. After all, his fiancee was caught in the crossfire of gang warfare a year ago, and he still hasn't gotten over her death. He throws everything he has into proving that the mob leader is behind this new murder, but he uncovers more than he bargained for...and maybe more than he's willing to believe.
The mob's members are exclusively werewolves. Investigating werewolves might be a bit difficult when Cliff is deathly afraid of dogs. And these aren't the fuzzy puppies he's usually running from. These are wolfmen ready to kill to protect their territory.
And Cliff is invading more than just a little of their turf.
Taking the few extra steps to develop a concept into a plot does more than give me a summary to work off of when I'm writing. It gives me a plot to insert my characters into. My characters could be the more brilliant, engaging characters on the planet, but if they don't have a story to tell, they won't mean anything.
This is just one of the many steps I personally take to flesh out my novels months before I even begin to write. I hope it gives you some good ideas on how to develop your concepts as well!
Questions or comments on this article? Send them to my askbox! I'd love to hear about your plotting experiences, or answer any questions you might have!
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Arman Lance was supposed to travel the galaxy with his father, not watch him die. He was supposed to experience the adventures from his fatherās stories, not isolate himself from the world. He was going to join the Embassy Program, fly across the galaxy, and find Ladia Purnell, a girl from another planet with whom he had a summer fling years before.Ā
Clinging to his fading hopes and dreams, Arman joins the Embassy Program to fulfill that last promise. If he can reach Ladia, heāll never have to worry, never have to feel alone. But it doesnāt take long for his plan to fall apart when heās confronted by his fellow Embassy recruit, Glacia Haverns, the ever-smiling adrenaline junkie who decides itās her job to show Arman thereās more to life than chasing a desperate obsession.
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