From Joey's Instagram

And that's #LightsOff finished! The end of the trilogy. All printed and files ready look editing wise later! #authorslife #authorsofinstagram #indieauthor #writersofinstagram #writerslife #bookfinished #LightsOutTrilogy

From Joey's Instagram

The vlog is up! I'm looking back on 2017 and all that's happened. Check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/JoeyPaulOnline #authorslife #authorsofinstagram #indieauthor #writersofinstagram #writerslife #vlogger #authortuber

Looking Back on 2017 [CC]

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From Joey's Instagram

#TEASERTUESDAY Can Tara find Kaolin before it's too late? Buy here: http://amzn.to/1TKqsdL #authorslife #authorsofinstagram #indieauthor #amwriting #writerslife #writersofinstagram #DyingThoughts4 #bookstagram #bookboost #bookworm #readersofinstagram #amreading #books #reading

My Rules Of Work - The Creative Process

MY RULES OF WORK

I know that I've been around a lot of the writing world and seen these kinds of posts. The talk of special rituals or rules that the writer must complete before they can sit down to actually doing any writing. Early on in my writing journey, I had a similar kind of process until I realised that actually, all you gotta do is write. Therefore I wanted to do a piece today about how there are some rules I have before I get on to my writing day, but they're not really the kind you think of. I thought it'd be a fun little piece, so here we go. Joey's rules of work!

#1 TEA IS NOT OPTIONAL
Now if you've read any of my books, you'll know that ninety-nine percent of my characters all drink tea. Copious amounts actually. It's an ongoing joke between my editor and I that she searches for the words "tea" and "cup" before she starts editing to see just how overboard I've gone. I'm trying to curb myself better now because it was getting silly! It makes me laugh though because both of my editors - my previous one and my current one - said the same thing. They don't know how much is part of the story and how much is me thinking: hmm, cups empty, better refill it!

#2 MUSIC IS OPTIONAL
I've got auditory processing disorder so I struggle sometimes with music as a whole. It's something I love, but not something I can excel at. I have various playlists and such, but I often find that where other writers talk of needing music, I usually don't. I also have some scenes where I can't have music because then nothing gets done. My brain is too busy trying to do the sound stuff that I can't focus on the writing stuff.

#3 MULTI-TASKING IS FINE
Like right now, I'm in the middle of a chapter, but I'm also writing this blog post, and talking to people on Twitter. I usually also have a conversation going with a friend, but she's gone for a nap. So I can manage to do both or several things at a time. I don't need to be completely focused on the writing for it to flow nicely. Sometimes yes, there will be times when the scene is really intense and I need that focus only on my writing, but other times, the majority of times, it's fine. That said, I can't talk and write. As in I can't hold a conversation orally and still be able to type.

#4 THERE IS NO TIME LIMIT
Now the way I work, I don't do a set time every day. That's probably because I have the time to write when I want to. If I were also working a regular job, that would change I am sure. But when I choose to write, I'm never setting myself say, an hour to get it done. I know that I write best without deadlines and stress, so knowing that I don't put time constraints on my writing life. It just feels like an easy way for me to get stressed out over nothing.

#5 WRITING CAN BE PAUSED
Along with that fourth rule, I can always pause to nap, talk, or do something else for a while. I work like this because I can, something I know I am very lucky for. If I feel the need to nap but am knee deep in a chapter, I'm not going to push myself to the point of feeling like crap. My health comes before my writing, so if I need to take some time to relax or chill or sleep, I will and I won't feel even a tiny bit guilty about it.

So there you go, my five rules of writing. There's not a ritual that I have to go through. I generally open up Open Office, pull up my work and just write to my heart's content. Like I said, I did used to think you had to write at a special time of day and spend a certain amount of time doing so, but now I pretty much let my brain tell me when it's time to go, and when it's time to stop. Listening to your body, especially in my case, is always a good idea!

So, do you have any fun rules for writing? What are there? Let me know in the comments!

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From Joey's Instagram

Help! I'm being held captive by a #MissViolet. She demands #cuddles and no writing. #authorslife #authorsofinstagram #indieauthor #writersofinstagram #writerslife #amwriting #kitty #snuggles #catsofinstagram

From Joey's Instagram

And it's December 1st! The last month of the year and planning to finish two books, start two more and begin the new year with edits a plenty! On with the work! #authorslife #authorsofinstagram #indieauthor #amwriting #writerslife #writersofinstagram #writer #booklover #selfie #oxygenuser #bookworm #lovemyjob #ilovewriting

Guest Blog - Daphne James Huff

The writing process for a new writer

I am in the first year of my writing career, so my process is still “under construction.” I tried pantsing, and that got me through my first project. But I knew that wasn’t quite the best solution for me, long-term. I have since tried plotting and like it much better. My recent projects have been in a genre that has pretty strict structure and tropes. I’ve been finding this helpful, rather than restrictive.

As a newer writer, it’s reassuring to have a guideline to what’s expected in a story. Having a defined set of beats and structure means I’m almost required to plot, to think things through, to make sure I hit all the elements needed.

Circumstance also dictates a large part of my process. I have a full-time job, and I have a young son who isn’t able to occupy himself for more than five minutes at a time. The only time I have to write is the evening, and a few hours on the weekend. So I need to be organized, and I need to write quickly. Plotting again is helpful for this. 

I let myself dream and brainstorm during the random moments of the day that I have a break, rather than spend precious childfree time on it.

However, the most critical part of my process – which will be of no surprise to veteran writers – is feedback from readers.

I have one friend who reads everything I write. She sees it at different stages, but often she’s getting the awful first draft you’re not really supposed to show anyone. So why do I show her? For me, it’s a matter of accountability. She asks me almost every day what I’m writing, or if she can read anything for me. It gives me that extra push I need to find the time to get some words on the page to send her.

Sometimes I send her a random assortment of scenes for an idea I had. Sometimes I send her entire chapters I’ve already plotted, written, and taken a second self-editing pass at. She sends back comments, fixes typos, and points out places things don’t make sense.

If it’s a first ugly draft, I don’t worry about “fixing” anything, and just absorb her impressions of the characters and story ideas. She usually asks questions I had planned on answering later in the story, but sometimes her comments can lead things down a slightly different path.

The hardest thing for me is to “kill my darlings". When you’ve spent hours writing thousands of words, cutting a huge chunk of that can be both painful and depressing. So I pretty much ignore her when she tells me to do it. The important thing, however, is that she also ignores my ignoring her and keeps telling me to do it.   

I don’t know if she’s considered a beta reader, an accountability partner, an editor, or something in between. Whatever her role should be officially called, it’s the single most important part of my writing process: remembering that on the other end of the writing journey, there is a reader waiting for your words.

You can follow Daphne on Facebook, her website check out her books on Amazon, or even on her podcast!

Join Joey here on the blog on Fridays for interviews, reviews and guest bloggers. If you'd be interested in doing any of those, you can contact Joey here.

Final Tally for November 2017

I managed 24 chapters, 113 pages and 64,274 words in November!

From Joey's Instagram

And that's #DTSC off to the editor! I hope to have them back in January. At which point I'll be starting my edits for the next release. 2018 is gonna be off to a busy start! #authorslife #authorsofinstagram #indieauthor #writersofinstagram #editing #amediting #DyingThoughts6 #booksinprogress #youngadultbooks #paranormalbooks #mysterybooks