A Writer’s Journey Part 1

I’m going to attempt doing something I’ve never done before. Take someone, in this case my blog followers, on the journey of developing a new story idea. So for the next few weeks, my weekly post will be based on developing a new story. I won’t be giving away loads of information about the story I’m working on, just the basics. (Can’t be giving away all the details of a future book.)

Unless you’re a writer you don’t really stop and think about how much goes into developing a story. I mean why would you. You buy the book to relax and be entertained, not break it down. Now, if you are a writer, you know lots go into developing a story idea and then transferring it into an awesome entertainment. Each writer has his or her own process. In some cases an author will develop each story from a different approach. I know I do. But the most common way I start with is: Brainstorming.

Brainstorming for me is sitting down and writing whatever hits my head. Once again this is a method that can vary from person to person. Some may use charts in brainstorming and others may consider using predefined outlines as brainstorming. It’s a personal choice, and none are wrong if it works for you. I warn you before you read further, what you read will sound like a jumbled up mess of nonsense, but I swear it’s works for me and most of the times turns into a wonderful story.

My Brainstorming

The house is quite. Everyone is still asleep. I can hear the whirling of the fan sitting on my dresser. The light from my bedside table is casting a shadow of my lamp over my Indian picture that my dad painted. It’s irritating the shit out of me, because it’s darkening the eagle in the picture, which is soothing to see. I love the faint yellow my dad put in the eagles’ eyes. It gives the eagle a creepy yet scary look. Makes me think of a disapproving father looking over his children from above. There is my story idea.

A story that is told from a ghost POV. It would be from an omniscient POV. I don’t relish the idea of writing in that POV, so I’m going to scratch telling from the ghost POV, because I don’t think I can get deep enough into the characters doing so from that POV. I still like the idea of a father overseeing his children’s life after his death, but I’m not feeling it as strong as I was to start with. Hmmm. Okay not my story idea.

My fingers are drumming away on the silver part of my MAC. Frustration is creeping over me. My skin is crawling with ideas, but none are vivid enough in my mind that I can see where they want to go. Maybe some music will help. Maybe, I can scan my movies. I’ve not seen a good vampire story in awhile. Might do to pull out some of my old . . . Oh fudge there it is. My idea. Duh! How did I miss it?

The story need to start off with a young woman/man having been told the huge family secret right after his/her 21^st b-day party ended. The father had hoped to never tell any of his children that his family descended from a family of Vampires, because he rejected their horrid way of life. Problem is his view of their life was warped because of past experience inside his old style click. The majority of Vampires live peacefully among the humans, never killing or taking from anyone other than a select few who know of their true identity and willingly gave them blood. They only need one pint of blood, animal, synthetic, or human blood a month to survive. The rest of the time they eat and drink like humans. There are a few Vampires who need emotional energy to survive, which can be gained by having sex or involving ones self into a heated discussion. This father’s bloodline fits into this anomaly and many misused the partaking of emotional energy in order to force humans into huge brawls costing people their lives in violent ways. He feared his children becoming one of these so he hoped by avoiding living in any such manner he would compress his son’s urge when and if it came to be. His son being only half energy vampire worked until the day his father tracked him down because their Click Leader, had decided it was time to choose a full partner. A full Partner choice comes from all eligible men and women in the click. The father believed his and his son’s name had been taken off the register by the previous Click Leader, but it looked as if he hadn’t been living lone Vampire status like he’d assumed, which explained why he’d coped with begin alone for so long. A vampire of any kind can live alone if they are blood bound to a click, once the blood bond is broken it become natural instinct to hunt others kin and mingle among them. Vampires, especially Energy Vampire crave a connection to their own kind. The father’s old click leader swore his blood bond with the Click had been severed, and he’d believed him, which is becoming the downfall to his plan of keeping his son in the dark to his true nature.

End of My Brainstorming

Hope your were able to follow some of that writing ramble. If not, I apologize, and hope it intrigues you enough to join me for the next segment of the Writer’s Journey Post. In it, I will move onto the next phase of my journey to create a new story. It’s gets even more interesting, because from here I have to build the world, chose the characters, and decide how much outlining, if any, will be used or if I’ll just be going by the seat of my pants.

Have a great week and hope you join me next week for the next part of the Writer’s Journey.

Remember let your imagination soar when you read and write.

Julia

Setting Goals (Continuation of last weeks post)

Where do you want to be five years down the road?

We all ask ourselves this question at some point and time in our lives. It’s a very valid question that gets asked lots of time during our life. Most time we hear it even before we start school. As we age it becomes a more serious question. In fact, it always was, but at a younger age we don’t see just how important it is. We are busy being a child and that’s the way it needs to be. But, this question allows us to start to figure out how to set goals and find ways to reach them.

I heard of an exercise that may help people achieve finding this true desire. (This exercise was mentioned by the author of Write-A-Thon by Rochelle Melander) I hope each will take the time to do this and see if it works. Each day for a week write 20 minutes/day about where your life will be in five years if all goals and dreams have been met.

Doing this will allow us to find out what we need to accomplish to manage our time to achieve our goals, whether they be writing or whatever your dream is. One thing is clear to me, no matter what we dream of it requires managing your time. Setting goals allows you to do this.

Hope you all are finding this information helpful. There will be another post along this line next week.

Have a great week.

Let Imagination Soar

Write and Read With Creativity

Julia Matthews

Long, Yet Productive Days

Hey everyone,

New year has begun. Hope all brought it in with a bang. Holiday season behind us, and back to the grindstone. Guess that's why I decided it was the perfect time to make this post.  

You know those days that never seem to end no matter how much you do to pass the time. I hate them yet love them. Those are the days that I find I’m more productive than every. Didn’t realize it till the a few days ago.

One of those days came about for my entire family. Mom had to work her day job, and even called to complain about being board and a never-ending shift. Of course, she found it very easy to come home and drift off to sleep while watching TV. I myself can’t go back to sleep till bedtime unless I’m major sick.

By six o’clock I’d been up for twelve hours and was still had at least four more hours before my body would start to wind down enough for sleep. Problem was, (well not really a problem) I’d done wrote 6,000 words on a new story. Revised 16 pages of Miss Donna’s story, and another story that is underway. Read over two-thirds of a book, finishing it off. Oh and let’s not forget all the organizing time I put into the story that I wrote on and the house cleaning I did. Loads of work in 12 hours time. (Yeah, for me.) Should have been tired. Felt tired. Head hurt. Hands hurt from the typing. Eyes hurt from the reading. Yet, my body wouldn’t shut down and settle down enough for me to rest and relax with a good movie or a decent TV show. Only one thing left for me to do.

Write. Ah, the glorious relief that my writing gives me. By bedtime I’d written an additional 2,000 words and my headache was gone. Too bad my hand still ached. But I wouldn’t change a thing.

Still don’t know how a day that seems never ending can be so wonderful when all I wanted was for the day to come to and end. (Or why these days seem to come so frequently during the winter days. Maybe, it’s because it gets dark so early.) But I’m not knocking a gift horse in the mouth. I welcome great writing time any time I can get. Helps when my mind hits one of those blank walls for a few days.

Hope all has an amazing and productive week,

Julia

Changes I’ve noticed in my writing.

My writing has grown over the last two and half years. I’ve worked hard at bettering my knowledge of grammar, as well as what all in entailed in creating an enjoyable book, or short story. I started out helping my mother, Vickie Matthews, who is the co-author to Journey To A Mate, the 1^st book in the Journey Series. That sprang to life book two: Anything For A Mate, the third book, Claiming My Mate, and the fourth books, that will conclude the series. (Don’t worry there’s more stories in the works.)

Not only have I been studying up on grammar, but I’ve been using other resources like the Writer Digest Webinars, which have really helped me in loads of areas. Like with plots, stronger openings, and self-publishing. Not only that they help me find ways to keep myself motivated. I strongly encourage anyone who’s interested in finding out about self-publishing, mainstream publishing or writing tips to check their site out.

Being a self-published or traditional published writer doesn’t mean we can stop educating ourselves. Every job that I know of these days, require continual advancing skills due to all the new technology among us today.

Another area they’ve helped me grown in is outlining my work. Still debating just how important this is to me. Mind keeps going back and forth. That leads me into next weeks post. So for this week, I’m wishing everyone a great and enjoyable one. I know I’m going to be busy at work on revising Book 4, the final novel of the Journey Series.

Hope all has an amazing week. 

Julia

Back to Grindstone

Hey all my readers,

Book 3, Claiming My Mate is out and available at Smashword and Kindle, soon to be out at many other book stores. Remember keep a check out here and the website for all direct links when they are up and ready.

This being the case, means back to the work for me. I took a couple days off, but now it's time to get back to business. Spent yesterday working on Book 4.


* * * Spoiler Alert * * *  It will be the last one in the Journey Series.

Thanks to everyone who has bought a copy of Claiming My Mate.
Have a great week and a great Thanksgiving,
Julia

What’s in the works?

Thought that since the release of Claiming My Mate is only a couple of weeks away, it was a perfect time to give an update on what else I’ve been doing. If you followed my blog then you know I’ve been trying out using outlines. Hoped it would help me organize and manage my time better, allowing me to create more stories. I say it has.

With the upcoming release of Claiming My Mate, I find myself with a completed first draft of two books. One of which is book 4 of the Journey Series. There are also outlines underway for a new series. It leans more towards Sci-Fi, and Fantasy with a hint of romance. Of course, like any story in the works that could change, or the entire idea might die out. That’s not all, there is several other ideas lurking around in my head.

Who would of ever guessed that being able to outline the ideas would be so productive. Man hard lesson learned. Outlines, aren’t the bad guys like I originally thought. They have their purpose and can indeed help you out. The two first drafts that I’ve gotten done are more like the final revision drafts that I normal spend an extra week or two on. Learning and figuring out how to implement the best outline for my writing style has already paid off.

Makes me think of the saying that was used to use in the show, A Team. “Love it when a plan comes together.”

Hope all has a great week.

Julia Matthews