#inks rambles

Hey guys! I'm doing some "author uplifts" where I take an author photo (if they want) and pictures of their works (with links where to buy) and make posts and YouTube videos talking about each one. I'm hoping to start a back log so I can set up a schedule to release them regularly (still deciding on once a week or once every other week). This YouTube channel is basically going to be posting about writing How To's, author uplifts, profession connection (where I basically post about cover artists/models, writers looking for cowriters/commissions, etc. to connect them together), writing resources, writing prompts/submissions (I'm hoping people will tag me or submit their pieces based on the writing prompts I post so I can read them - with their permission and links back to the original pieces - as a means to get better at narration for when I want to make my own audiobooks).

I'm not charging or anything like that for author uplifts. I figure if I'm trying to build a community centered around something I love, I can also bring attention to authors/writers who deserve all the love and share the spotlight.

Would anyone here like to send me a link to their works (and a photo of themselves if they so desire - not required) so I can make a post/video about them? I'm just starting out, so gaining traction will take a while, but you know what they say: the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago but the second best time is today.

You can comment here or DM. I'm also on Ko-fi!

You ever start working on something that's not supposed to be serious, but ends up being way too much fun despite being a crack fic that takes itself seriously?

How to Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon is a great resource to start with. It teaches you how to take information around you and put it into your own style and words so that you can create something fun and original.

Understand that writing is a skill you build not a talent you're born with. It's a muscle you gotta build up. The first things you write are going to be bad. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. It just means you are clearing the mud out of the pipes for clear water to come through. Gotta get rid of the crap so the good stuff can come through. 

When I was starting out writing, I would watch a movie and try to describe in my own words what was going on, the setting, and the dialogue happening onto a page. I would then go back in a second draft and add what I call fluff. You can't have a story without fluff. That would just make it bare bones. Give it meat. That's what 2nd and 3rd drafts are for: Adding meat to the bones and fluffing it up to a well rounded, well fed story.

Follow your muse when you get it and help yourself associate writing with something good and fun at first. Like writing a few hundred words (like a paragraph's worth) and giving yourself a little treat as a reward. It can be whatever you want. A bite of a snack, a piece of candy, a sip of your favorite drink. This will Pavlov you into associating following the muse with good things and serotonin. It will also cause it to chase ideas down in a back alley and rifle through their pockets for inspiration to keep the serotonin coming. 

When you write, make sure you do so consistently. This looks different for everyone. It can be for several hours during the day everyday. Or it could be every other day at lunch when you get a moment, or even once a week on a random Saturday for 15-45 minutes. As long as you have a set writing time that you keep for yourself you're going to be good. This is especially good for the days you don't have a muse but still need to write something to get it out of your system or get you past the dreaded writer's block.

Remember to write for yourself and the readers will follow. Don't worry about your audience or revisions until after you've told yourself the story first. This is the first draft. That makes it so that you can have a full draft to edit later and make sense out of it, find inconsistencies, and make it legible. 

Also remember to look at the books and stories you love and dissect what it is that you like about them so you can apply it to your own style in your own words. This could mean plot, characters, setting, grammar style, or dialogue and more. Just find what makes that happy button tick and apply it to your own style, changing to to match your own stuff without plagiarizing.

And lastly, I'm going to leave you with my favorite ira glass quote that really kept me going:

Last night, I got up to 163 words short of 30K. In 7 days. And last night I dreamed of the next scene involving my unhinged MC.

This was supposed to be a short story. I was TRYING. I failed. Ridiculously so. Their journey hasn't even sunk it's teeth into the core plot yet. They've been building a base for the character's personalities and situations and are about to kick something big off.