Moving Forward in 2024 #WIPs #writing #storyideas

Since the beginning of January, I've been mulling over where I want to take my writing career in 2024. There are so many directions for a romance author to go! I've spent much of the last two years writing serials on Kindle Vella. While that has been fun and rewarding, I'm eager to move forward into other projects.

What do readers want? That is a question many a writer has asked, and I'm asking it, too! What would you like to see from me in the future? I have a wide interest in romance subgenres and tropes. While I focus mostly on Paranormal Romance, I've also delved into Historical Romance, Sci-Fi Romance, Gothic Romance and even some Contemporary Romance.

Help me decide what to write next! I have so many works-in-progress that I'm often overwhelmed with options. Maybe you can help narrow it down!

What do I have in the works? Here are a few ideas brewing in my creative brain...

• More Shifters! Big Cats and Wolves, mostly.
• Witches 
• Aliens
• Sci-Fi Romance (with humans or human-like aliens as main characters)
• Post-Apocalyptic Romance (I have a lot of story ideas in this subgenre!)
• Ghosts (there's always room for more ghosts)
• Historical Romance (Regency-era or Pirates)
• Contemporary Romance (lots of tropes!)
• Monster Hunter Romances (I've got a 6 book series planned)
• Or maybe something else!

Leave a comment! Tell me what you'd like to read! :) 

Write the Story Until It's Done! #writingadvice #wordcount #IWSG

The first Wednesday of every month is officially 

Insecure Writer's Support Group day.

The Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It's a safe have for insecure writers of all kinds!

IWSG Asks: Quote: "Although I have written a short story collection, the form found me and not the other way around. Don't write short stories, novels or poems. Just write your truth and your stories will mold into the shapes they need to be." 

Have you ever written a piece that became a form, or even a genre, you hadn't planned on writing in? Or do you choose a form/genre in advance?

 

This is an excellent question and one I struggle to find the answer to years ago.

When I first began writing, I wrote stories to fit the guidelines of the New York Big Book Publishers. Most of the guidelines for romances were around 70k - 80k words (if I remember correctly). There were some exceptions, but definitely none below 50k words.  

At that time, 50k - 80k felt like huge tomes for me to write. I'd been writing short stories just for fun and stretching a story to fit those kinds of word counts felt intimidating. Not to mention, with my busy life and work schedule, it would take me years to finish a full-length novel. 

I did it. And it did take years!

But then something strange happened. E-books became a thing. And with them came more variety with lengths and heat levels.

Suddenly, I wasn't grappling with how to stretch a story to fit such lengthy categories, now I was writing the story that felt right to me.

Some stories don't need to be told in epic lengths. Sometimes, 10k is enough. There's flash fiction that can be told in a hundred words! 

To me, the word counts don't matter and your story shouldn't be shoved to fit inside a box that it wasn't meant for. Write your stories until they're done.

That's it.

When your characters are finished telling their stories, then you know your job as a writer is done. Word counts, page lengths... None of that matters. 

The story matters.

Don't worry about not finding an audience for your work. Some readers like longer novels. Some readers just want a short story. I'm a former Waldenbooks bookseller, trust me, I know there is a reader for everything out there!

Strangely enough, 20 years later, the short story and novella-sized stories that I wrote so easily when I was starting out are now lengthening. My stories are growing with complexity and depth which make them longer to write. 

I joined an alien abduction romance boxed set, Stolen and Seduced, with a 5k - 20k word count limit. My personal goal was 10k, but the story took off and settled into a little over 20k. Thankfully, the co-ordinator is flexible with word counts.

I hadn't planned on writing a longer short story (I even outlined... a bit.). But at 10k, the characters weren't finished telling their story, so I simply followed along. 

As it stands, these characters touched me so much with their story, that I have a series planned now because of them. Those stories will probably be longer than 20k, but that's okay. It needs to be done.

As I said, my advice to writers is to write until the story is done. Don't worry about the word count. There's a reader out there for everything.

Be safe! Stay healthy! And keep writing!

~ Tricia 

Be sure to visit the other writers in the 

Insecure Writer's Support Group!

I write sensual paranormal and historical romances. Interested in learning more about my stories? Become a VIP Reader by signing-up for my newsletter where you'll learn about my new book releases, updates on my works-in-progress, writing tips, book reviews, contests, and other fun book-related info!

You can Follow me on ...

BookBub | Amazon | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest | Instagram

Need a little escape? Check out these books!

   

Getting into the Writing Zone with Kids at Home #IWSG #writinglife

The first Wednesday of every month is officially 

Insecure Writer's Support Group day.

The Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It's a safe have for insecure writers of all kinds!

IWSG Asks: Do you have any rituals that you use when you need help getting into the ZONE? Care to share? 

Yes! I'm all about rituals. Or habits. Or magical spells.

Getting into the ZONE is one of the easiest and equally most difficult things for me to do. Typically, I try to get my writing done first thing in the morning when my brain feels fresh and I have no distractions (aka my kids are still sleeping).

My morning routine remains relatively the same each day. Feed the kitty-cats. Make coffee or tea. Do some yoga and meditation. Eat breakfast. 

And then sit-butt-in-chair and write.

Now that my kids are home from school thanks to Covid-19, I usually have the mornings all to myself from 6am to sometime after 8am-ish. My 5 y/o is the alarm clock for the family. When he wakes up, everyone else wakes up and then our day truly begins. (This online schooling sucks, btw. Just saying.)

But while I have the house blissfully to myself, I can write and edit to my heart's content. To get into the ZONE, I re-read a brief section of the work I did the day before and then force myself to write. One word at a time. Then one sentence at a time. And one paragraph, and on and on.

It's not fun at first, but I have a ticking time bomb of when will my kids wake up hovering over me. It's a race of how much writing can I do before they wake and stop me? There are times when I come upon that elusive ZONE just by sheer force of willpower. Other times, it stays just beyond my reach. 

Since this is my job, however, I need to write more than an hour or two in the morning.

When I need to keep writing after a morning of chaos with my four children (breakfast, getting dressed, making beds, yes, of course you need to brush your teeth - and your hair! I don't care if we're not going anywhere today!), that makes it a little more tricky.

After my children are done taking turns sharing the school's borrowed Chromebook to do their lessons, they are free to play or cause whatever mayhem they can concoct (safely) while I use my earphones to block out the noise. Since I'm a single mom and have no one to help me with the kids, my writing desk is the sofa in the living room. I'm still there physically, at least, to prevent any major disasters. Mentally, if I'm lucky, I'm worlds away!

In this situation, I use music to help get into the ZONE. The music depends on the work-in-progress. I often create a playlist for the story I'm writing to help get me in the mood. Or I have a certain type of music for whatever subgenre I'm writing. Type O'Negative always works well for me when I'm writing gothic paranormals or dark suspense or I'll listen to classical music if I'm writing a historical or regency romance. Of course, Christmas music is perfect for a holiday romance. You get the idea.

I wish it was easier. The ZONE is a mystical place where the writing fairy blesses us and our fingers fly with something akin to a magical presence controlling us.

I'll be honest. There are many days that I don't achieve the ZONE. 

Those are sad days. 

But, the writing still needs to get done. Getting into the ZONE is like icing on the cake. Such deliciousness! But plain cake is still good, too.

Be safe! Stay healthy! Keep writing!


~ Tricia 

Be sure to visit the other writers in the 

Insecure Writer's Support Group!

I write sensual paranormal and historical romances. Interested in learning more about my stories? Become a VIP Reader by signing-up for my newsletter where you'll learn about my new book releases, updates on my works-in-progress, writing tips, book reviews, contests, and other fun book-related info!

You can Follow me on ...

BookBub | Amazon | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest | Instagram

Need a little escape? Check out these new books!

     

New Goals for 2017 - Author Update #newyear #resolutions

With the start of a New Year, comes a time of reflection and planning. We often look back over the last year to evaluate what we've achieved or didn't achieve. Then we look forward to the coming year and the infinite possibilities that it brings.

Good-bye 2016

From what I understand, 2016 has been an extremely tough year for many of us for different reasons. Aside from the long list of celebrity deaths that seemed to occur on a clockwork basis, I've talked to many people who've had a rough year, too. From losing jobs to failing health, there are many of my friends who needed some extra prayers and positive thoughts sent their way to help them cope. 

In the Schneider household, we had our share of difficulties. My husband was in a motorcycle accident and had 2 separate surgeries, all of which put him out of work with no pay. Not such an easy thing for a growing family. I won't even begin to discuss the most recent discovery of the theft of royalties from the ARe debacle. You can read about that here and here. That hit many authors, publishers and readers quite severely. To add to the struggle of having a reduced income was the string of bad luck concerning our appliances. The list of broken down appliances is almost amusing. Two air conditioners, a dehumidifier for an overly damp basement and the washing machine broke down exactly a week prior to the dryer as if they had conspired together to make life as challenging as possible for us. I've been spending a small fortune at the local laundromat for several months. I'm there with my kids several hours each week to clean clothes for 6 people. If I had the chance to save that money instead, I might've been able to buy 3 or 4 washers and dryers by now. 

C'est la vie. 

On the bright side, I've managed to keep a positive outlook on every negative thing that happened using my talent of viewing the world through rose-colored glasses. In addition to that, there were some good things that happened in 2016, too. I dipped my toes into a new romance genre this year. The Pirate's Lady was published in November, my first historical romance with nary a hint of a paranormal element present. It was quite an accomplishment for me and it was educational to work with a new-to-me editor.

Also, I completed NaNoWriMo for the first time. Well, actually the second time. I completed it with a 65,000 word gothic novel the first year I joined the challenge, but never had the chance to verify the word count since my computer crashed on the last day of November. This year, I managed 52,209 words for Loving Boone, my newest WIP and it was verified.

Reviewing the lovely word count tracker that I obtained from the talented Svenja Gosen last year, I wrote a total of 97,485 words during 2016. Just a little shy of my goal of 100,000 words, but I'll take it. Besides writing most of Loving Boone, I'm in the midst of writing an untitled alien romance which is where most of the other words came from and I edited and revised an untitled paranormal romance featuring zombies.

Not too bad.

Goals for 2017

Looking forward to a new year brings with it a list of new goals. I have some personal goals such as finish incomplete projects around the house, get better organized and try to teach my kids better organization (I can hear parents laughing as you read this!), as well as some goals I didn't finish last year. I want to further my study of the German language and my guitar lessons sort of got set aside. I'm teaching myself to play and my 20 month-old son loves music and thinks my guitar is a toy for him to play with. Trying to find the right notes at the same time as keeping his little paws off the instrument presents a unique challenge.

As for my writing... 

I found my writing groove during NaNo this last November. I write during my son's afternoon nap time. That gives me about an hour or two each day to work in relative peace and quiet (at least on the days the rest of my brood is in school). I write new words in the afternoon and work on edits in the morning or at night.

If I plan it correctly, I have the opportunity for a productive year.

• Edit and/or revise Loving Boone
• Finish writing the first draft of the Untitled Alien Romance
• Complete edits for the Untitled Paranormal Romance with Zombies
• Write a new novella for Camp NaNo 2017
• Write a new novel for NaNoWriMo 2017
• And, of course, I have a long list of books that I'd like to read and review 

I have a few other WIP's that might join this list later in the year. I'm also considering joining the self-published author community this year. The wonderfully successful spec-fic author and my dear friend, Ash Krafton, has offered to help me through this big step in my career once I was ready. I'm thinking this year I might take the plunge. 

Here's hoping everyone enjoys a Healthy, Happy and Prosperous 2017!

Happy New Year!

Tricia

He's Not Human #pnr #WIP #excerpt #NaNoWriMo #WeWriWa #8Sunday

The Weekend Writing Warriors hosts a group of writers who share excerpts of their published works or works-in-progress every Sunday for reader's enjoyment. Please, be sure to check out the other writers in this group. You might find your next great read!

I'm half-way through writing my current work-in-progress, Loving Boone. This is my National Novel

Writing Month project. The goal for NaNoWriMo writers is to finish a 50,000 word rough draft

during the month of November.

I've been posting my progress in snippets for Weekend Writing Warriors to help encourage me and others to finish the novel. For me, this is a daunting task considering my four children keep me busy 24/7. I've been lucky enough this week to have the opportunity to write 2k a day during the 1-hour nap time of my 18-month old son while the older kids are at school.

If I can keep that schedule up, I'll have no worries about finishing on time. Keeping my fingers crossed!

Loving Boone is a New Adult Paranormal Romance with a shapeshifter hero. You can read the other snippets I've posted this month about Boone and Beth-Ann at Going Home and To Meet Again. 

“No one will hurt you here.”  

“Not anymore?”

She flinched. 

It was as if she gazed into a stranger’s face expecting to see the boy she remembered. Boone might look the same in appearance with his dark skin and black hair, but his eyes had changed. His soul had changed. He’d been wounded in ways she couldn’t comprehend.

And, he had it right, despite her beliefs that her father wouldn’t kill him. Her father had already inflicted injuries on him that might’ve killed a normal human.

But, Boone wasn’t human, was he?

Check out these other Weekend Writing Warriors!

I write sensual paranormal and historical romances. Interested in learning more about my stories? Sign-up for my newsletter where you'll learn about my new book releases, updates on my works-in-progress, writing tips, book reviews, contests, and other fun book-related info!

Happy Reading!

Tricia