A to Z II - A is for Again?!

Alrighty kids, here we go again! This is my own A to Z challenge, and is in no way related to the group that organizes the big challenge in April.

I wanted to do an A to Z for another WIP. I am re-creating Trajectory into a full-length novel! To celebrate it, we're going through the alphabet.

A is for Again?!

That is the question and exclamation. Again?! Why am I working an old story and expanding it to a full-length novel? Why Trajectory again?

Honestly, I love Joe. I love him, and I never felt as though the original story did him any sort of justice. So when Kimberlee Williams of Vanilla Heart Publishing and I were talking, we were both excited at the idea of a full-length Trajectory. So I began working on it, and it just flowed and flourished.

Again?! Yes, again.

Trust me, it's worth it!

Resolutions for 2016

We are into the second week of 2016. This week, I want to share my resolutions for the new year.

This year, I resolve to be a better writer. I will push and challenge myself. I will study, take classes, and improve my craft.

This year, I resolve to expand my horizons. I refuse to limit myself to just one genre. Instead, I want to grow and see what new stories I can create. My books will now encompass a broader range.

This year, I resolve to create stories that will impact my readers. My books will touch your heart and change your mind. I write to entertain, but I also write with a greater purpose. That will be even more palpable this year.

This year, I resolve to reach a bigger audience. By creating new stories, and promoting my current titles, more people will be aware of my work, and will read them. By doing so, my previous resolution will be reinforced,

This year, I resolve to be the best person and writer I can be for one sole purpose: you!

Happy new year and happy reading!

NaNoWriMo: The end is just the beginning!

Happy November, everyone! For many people November equals NaNoWriMo. National Novel Writing Month. It's a challenge to write a 50,000 word novel in one month. I want to take this opportunity to go through NaNo with you, and to look at the writing process in great detail.

It's the end of the month, so it's time to look at the end of NaNo and where we go from here.

The end on NaNo is not the end of your story. In fact, it's just the beginning.

                                           

We've talked about quantity and quality, and the importance of editing and polishing your piece. The end of NaNo marks the beginning of that.

But I don't want to beat a dead horse. I'm just as sick of the repetition and redundancy as you are.

Let's look at the other beginning the end of NaNo brings us.

Having accomplished NaNo, we can say that we have written a novel. It doesn't matter if we're seasoned or not. We've done it. That's an accomplishment in and of itself. It's the beginning of feeling pride in our work and our victory.

It opens the door for us to write more. Novels, short stories, poems, whatever we want! NaNo opens up our creative channels to write and write and write.

If you discover that writing isn't your thing, it still opens up those creative channels. It encourages us to try new artistic endeavors - to begin other challenges and begin learning other art forms.

The end of NaNo is not the end. Not even close. The end of NaNo marks the beginning of many wonderful things!

NaNoWriMo: Why word counts count

Happy November, everyone! For many people November equals NaNoWriMo. National Novel Writing Month. It's a challenge to write a 50,000 word novel in one month. I want to take this opportunity to go through NaNo with you, and to look at the writing process in great detail.

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This week, I want to discuss word counts.

To start off, we need to look at the breakdown of word counts. As a general rule, they go as follows:

Short Stories: 20,000 words or less

Novellas: 20,000-40,000 words

Novels: 50,000 words or more.

NaNo sets the goal at 50,000 words, which is a good goal. At 50,000, you should have a very well rounded story, and good foundation for the novel itself.

50,000 is a lot of words! Yes it is. Any writer will tell you that there are times when 50,000 feels more like 5,000,000,000. It's not always easy, but word counts are important to keep in mind.

Why?

First and foremost, if you're seeking publication, publishers watch word counts carefully. If the word count is low, they see an emaciated story that will need lots of editing to beef it up. That's time and money that they're not willing to spend. On the flip side of that, if the word count is too high, the piece is too long and no one will read it. So you need to watch your count if you want to get published.

What if you're not seeking publication? What's the point of watching your word count?

Well, those of us who are die-hard grammar policemen/-women will tell you that you need to follow the rules. 

For those of you who are rebellious and don't like rules, look at a word count as a challenge. It's a goal to meet. It's a good frame to help you beef up and trim off sections of your story. It will show you what sections of your novel require more attention and editing. 

I personally find word counts to be a great guide in my story writing.

A good word count is not necessarily indicative of good quality, per se. However, a good word count is indicative of the fact that the writer has been paying attention. If they're paying attention, chances are they're paying attention to the quality and the quantity.

So yes, word counts count.

Changes

Hiya troops!

I apologize for the brief hiatus. Life just does that some times, doesn't it?

We're at the end of October, nearing the end of the year, and we've gone through all the characters from all of my books. Where do we go from here?

Well, that's a darn good question. As of right now, I have a few WIPs, but one is getting significantly more attention.

If you're friends with me on Facebook, I'm sure you've been inundated with pictures and videos of our baby Lovebirds. One of them was a special little guy named Robert.

Robert suffered some brain damage from an accidental encounter with one of our dogs. He survived, but the effects were obvious. He was slower to develop than his siblings. He was smaller than his siblings. He was slower to develop feathers, and he was behind in his coordination. But he was so cute, and so much fun. I couldn't resist sharing my pictures and videos of him.

He gained quite an audience. So much so, in fact, that he even has his own blog! Please check it out at http://robertsbirdbrain.blogspot.com/




Robert captured the heart of many, so when he unexpectedly passed away, many hearts were saddened.

In his very short life, Robert created a world of good. In his passing, I needed to share that goodness with the world. So, for the first time since I began writing fiction almost a decade ago, I am writing a fantasy. Robert is the hero of this latest novel. I have never done anything like this, but boy is it fun to just let my imagination run wild! I am trying to somewhat emulate J. K. Rowling in writing what is both a children's story, as well as a novel for adults - a story that can reach all audiences. I do hope that you will join me in this endeavor.

So this is where we stand at the present moment. Where we go from here has yet to be determined, but since Robert was so awesome, I have no doubt that this will be awesome as well!

Happy reading!

2015 A to Z Challenge: Pianissimo - Day 5 (E)

For the third consecutive year, I am participating in the A to Z blog challenge.
http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/

This year, we're going to go through my latest full-length novel, Pianissimo.

Today is the fifth day, so we're up to E. E is for extraordinary.

I know, that sounds egotistical at best, but please hear me out.

Pianissimo is my first paranormal story. It was a little tricky at first, but it began to flow fairly quickly. I had a lot of fun writing this story. It was a extraordinary experience to write it.

It's extraordinary in how it developed over two years. I watched this story transform from a small possibility into a novel that I am proud of. I have come a long way as a writer. I am excited to see these changes in myself, and in my work.

Pianissimo may not be my best work of all time, but it is the best that I have created thus far.

Check it out. You might just think it's extraordinary too! ;)


http://www.amazon.com/Pianissimo-Lauren-Shiro-ebook/dp/B00OEOTZMC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1420832795&sr=8-2&keywords=lauren+shiro

Inspiration

Good Thursday morning, world!


A couple of days ago, I was struck with inspiration for a very brief short story. A friend caught me feverishly writing down my thoughts for that piece. He asked if that was how my stories originate. I explained to him that sometimes they do, but not always.

So that got me thinking about how my pieces come to life. There are so many forces that stir inspiration in me. I thought it might be interesting to discuss and explore them (in no particular order).

Personal experience. The piece from the other day came into being from a moment in my own life. Whether it's something I see or hear, something I own, or something that happens to either someone on my life - or even me. It's not to say that my writing is a reenactment of my life. The story came from seeing my own shadow out of the corner of my eye, and my imagination ran wild with it. So even little things like that can suddenly become story worthy.

Pictures/Images. I'm a visual person. Sometimes if I look at a person or place, a story pops into my head. It's amazing how much one person's face can impact and inspire me. From celebrities to everyday folk, watching the sunset to watching kids play in a park, I am able to find inspiration almost everywhere.

Dreams. Dreams didn't start encouraging my work until the last few years. Now, they are a font of inspiration. Various stories and/or characters spring to life in my sleep. This is still a new source of inspiration for me, so sometimes these dreams need to be worked and re-worked. Ultimately, however, a good, solid story can come from even the most bizarre of dreams.

This is a good overview of inspiration. Just like anything in life, this isn't all encompassing. These are just a few sources of creativity for me. There are more - and I'm sure there are more to come, but this is a good start.


I hope you found this to be interesting. More over, I hope you find my stories to be captivating!


Happy Thursday, and happy reading!!!

Writing is a team effort

Happy Thursday, cats and kittens!

Today, I want to talk about life behind the scenes of writing a book. Just as there in an entire crew behind the cameras of a movie, there's a crew behind each and every book.

Believe it or not, writing really is a team effort.

I kid you not!

There's always at least one editor involved. No matter how good a writer is, we ALL need an editor. We just do.

Then, depending on the size and nature of the publishing company, you have people working on the actual publication of the book, marketing, book trailers, advertising, design and layout, printing, distribution, and more.

As you can see, there are many hands involved in the entire process.

What does this mean?

It means that we all need to be willing to work as a team. There is no room for egos. Each and every person involved has something wonderful to bring to the table. We all need to work with, accept, and appreciate everyone's gifts and differences.

I recently had a conversation with my publisher. She has been an amazing publisher. I've worked with her for the last 7 years. We've both seen and helped each other to grow. So when she approached me about changing the title of my upcoming release, I knew that I needed to put my ego aside and trust her. She hasn't steered me wrong yet. She, our editor and I all have the same goals for this book - and all of the books that we publish. We all want to do our best, and to see each book succeed. She wasn't bringing this up as a way to hurt me, or as some flighty, impulsive move. There was thought, reason, and planning. There is a method there, even if I don't see it.

Was it difficult to step aside? You bet! I pour my heart and soul into every book that I write. There is a reason behind every word, including the title.

I'm not so stuck on myself that I would argue. For as much as I would love to think that the title is superb, I can respect the fact that she and my editor see something different than I do. Their fresh eyes on the piece can only make it better. So I acquiesced. And as long as I keep my ego in check, I will remember that this will only help the book to be better than it already is.  :)

So the next time you crack open a book or turn on your e-reader device, remember that there's a big crew behind the scenes that worked with the author so that we could all give you the best stories possible.

Happy reading!!!