The (Wo)Man with the Plan

Preparation is the key and it will look different for everyone.

Some people plan novels, some will plan meals, some will plan to trick others into doing their chores. No matter what, if you’re doing NaNoWriMo, you’re going to need some type of plan to get you through this insanity.

Novel Planning
Not everyone plans their novels and that is fine. Don’t ever let someone tell you there is only one right way to write a novel. Getting that out of the way, if you do prefer to plan your novel then get it done. Do your character sketches. Write your backgrounds. Do whatever you want to prepare yourself to write a minimum of 50,000 words in 30 days.
You can do all the novel planning you want in any way you want.

Home Planning
I highly recommend thinking about this unless you are single and have servants to take care of you as you write, you need a plan here. Think about asking for help from supportive family and friends. Think about preparing freezer meals and slow cooker meals. Make a plan so that no one gets neglected - including yourself. Especially yourself. If you’ve never tried NaNoWriMo before then you should know that self-care during the gruelling month is critical.

Life Planning
School? Work? Life is a priority. Sometimes you can’t do much about life getting in the way of creativity. Do try to make sure you get the important things done in your life. Forgive yourself for those days when life doesn’t go as planned, but do try to make sure you leave room in your life for… well, life.

Other Planning
Do you like to write to music? Get those playlists put together. Anything you need to get through this month, think about it. Plan for it. Tendonitis? Make sure you have the items you need to be able to care for yourself to prevent a flare-up (because if you’re anything like me, you’ll spend at least one week of the month in a splint).

Make ‘Be Prepared’ your motto and try to plan ahead. Oh, and very important:

PLAN TO BACK YOUR NOVEL UP DAILY.

You have no idea how many times I have heard the story of lost novels because someone didn’t back up their work. Use cloud storage, an external hard drive or memory stick. Use them all if you want. Just make sure you have a plan to have your novel accessible in multiple ways. Trust me on this one.

Depths of Darkness - Behind the Scenes

First off: Happy Book Birthday to Depths of Darkness

Today marks the the very first day of my second novel in print and in eBook format. This blog post isn't going to be about selling you my book, but I will put some links at the bottom of the page for those who are interested in buying a copy for themselves.
Today, this post is about telling you a few interesting details about my long-awaited second novel that many of you might not know.

Before I do that, I do want to take a moment to thank Mrs. Y for taking the time to review the ARC that I sent her. Please read her detailed review here.

Prequel, Sequel

One of the things that Mrs. Y. addressed in her review and something that has been commented on by others is how odd it is to write a prequel as a sequel. There are several reasons for this, some obvious, some not so much.

1. I love backstories. Every time I write a new story, the first thing I do is work on my character backstories. These can get ridiculously detailed, but I find that to write good characters I need to understand what brought them to where they are today.
   What this means is that even when a story is intended as a standalone or first in a series, I have so much backstory in my head (rarely do I write anything down about backstories) that sometimes a story sparks for what happened before the current story. 
2. I started writing this book first. You read that right. I actually started writing this story first. It's been through multiple rewrites and often put aside in frustration for years at a time. My first attempt at Depths of Darkness was in 2009, the first draft of Road to Redemption came in 2012. Depths of Darkness has changed considerably over the rewrites, but the ending, beginning and overall plot have remained pretty much the same. When the idea for Road to Redemption came along and it fit so well into the world of La Port, that I ran with it and I loved it. 

Why did it take so long to write?

Well, as Mrs. Y so aptly put it - this is a dark story. It is a terrifying story in many ways and deals with darker themes than I usually write. I always knew what I wanted the story to be, but that many years ago I did not have have the ability to write it well. By the time I did have the ability, I found it to be a very difficult story write.
This novel deals with issues of addiction and mental health, these are both topics that hit close to home in my world. There are many scenes where I just had to step back and take a break from writing because it was too much for me. Child murders? My brain was desperately looking for a way to make the kids "less real" and I did play with not having kids as the victims. Unfortunately for me, as Mrs. Y also noted, these dark things were necessary for the plot to proceed properly.
There were moments where I just had to force myself through the writing session to finish this book. It was hard to write. I will not lie about that.

I almost missed my deadline. 

It took me four months longer to finish the last draft of this novel than I had predicted it would because I kept  putting off writing it. When it came to editing, it was the same deal. There were moments when I just saved where I was, close my computer and thanked God that I don't typically have nightmares.
Thankfully, the wonderful and talented Sarah Jane Pounds (Find her on Twitter @sarahjp22) was willing to work with me on rushing it through the last stage of edits. Without her hard work this novel wouldn't be nearly so good a book.

Any Other Questions?
Feel free to drop a note in the comments and I will do my best to answer the questions.


Purchase Links:
Kindle & Print US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07J43XHTV
Kindle & Print CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07J43XHTV
Print CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1726830608

Also available on your Kobo device.


PS: Yes, I am already planning the next novel in this series. It is currently untitled.

NaNoNowWhat?

You’re taking the plunge… but what does that mean?

YAY! You did it!
You signed up to take part in this crazy adventure! You may be scared or worried or wondering - now what? Well, let me tell you there is a lot you can do. It took my shy self a few years to realize there was a lot more to NaNoWriMo than a profile and some writing.

Forums (https://nanowrimo.org/forums)
There are a lot of forums to be found on NaNoWriMo ranging from the general forums to your regional forums. In the general forums, you will find distractions, advice, help, and places to chat with other writers in the genre(s) that you write. I highly recommend taking the time to read any “Stickied” posts before posting in a forum to make sure you don’t step on any toes. Make use of them because there is a wealth of knowledge in the NaNoWriMo community that you can tap into here. Just remember the cardinal rule - don’t be a jerk. This is an international community and there will be a lot of people who may have various issues with communication. So be kind, be tolerant and if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything.
Regional forums are ones that are specific to where you live. If you’re looking for people in your local community to get to know then go in search of your region. Here you can find all sorts of events that are arranged by participants and Municipal Liaisons (also known as MLs that are hard working volunteers for your area). Some areas even have regional IRC chat rooms as well.

IRC Chat
Not every region has this because it isn’t an official NaNoWriMo thing, but if you like IRC chat rooms then check out http://www.chatnano.net. This is server is maintained and run entirely by volunteers. Most regional chats don’t mind you dropping in to say ‘hi’ - truth be told you might be overwhelmed by your reception. It’s also a great place to find word sprints (sometimes known as word wars) to help get you writing in November.

Profiles
Just a quick word, go ahead and fill out your profile and novel information. Have some fun with it. I’ve slowly been developing mine over the last 10 years and it really has changed a lot. Although I do like my current format.

Beyond the website
A lot of people wonder how much they can do before starting writing during November and the answer is simple. Whatever you want to do. You can do a detailed outline of any kind if that is your thing. Character profiles, storyboards, aesthetics, world building. Heck, some people even continue writing an existing novel (this is known as being a NaNo Rebel) and they count the words they write during November. This is an honour system. We are trusting you to be honest and only count legitimate words you write during November. Besides, why lie? The only real prize is the pride of
having written.

Prep Events
Lots of regions and even NaNoWriMo itself hold prep events. This is usually targeted more at the people that like to put some planning into their novels. However, if you pants your novels there may be a few ideas and suggestions on different ways to prepare for the insane month of NaNoWriMo. However, take a look around and see what fun can be found.

P.S.
There are a bunch of  regions across the world that also take part in a little side adventure called The Wrimoverse. You can check it out here.

Important Announcement!

This weekend the official announcement was made on my young adult fantasy novel Feathers and Fae. I am so excited to show you the incredible cover and official blurb for this wonderful novel. (I may be biased in this opinion).

Emmett and Kami have always been best friends, but Emmett’s shadowy past catches up with him when a dark force chases them into the realm of Mythos. In this strange world, Kami is suddenly able to tell whether a person is being honest or not, and she discovers that everything Emmett has ever told her was a lie – even his name.
Despite this, Emmett needs Kami to trust him enough to get her back to safety as the dangerous journey ahead puts their friendship to the test. As dark forces close in on them, the web of lies Emmett has built begins to unravel and Kami demands the truth; a truth that will shake the foundations of everything she ever believed.

​

This title will be available from Kyanite Publishing​
 Release date: October 11, 2019

Please take the time to check out some of the other incredible titles that are available through Kyanite Publishing and more of their upcoming novels! 

The NaNoWriMo in the Room

You’ve heard of it, but what is NaNoWriMo?

The Basics

NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. It takes place every November and welcomes writers of all stripes to write 50,000 words within the month. It’s not a contest, your prize is pride and 50,000 words towards a first draft. Over the period of thirty days this breaks down to 1667 words a day. Now if you want just want the basics then you should check out the FAQs (https://nanowrimo.org/faq) on the website. If you want an insider's view of how it works, stick around.

Not so Basics
I am going to say this once and I want you to take this to heart.

THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE FUN!

Yes, lots of people have published their novels (after significant editing) and many people use NaNoWriMo to help write the first draft of their novels. The goal of NaNoWriMo itself, though, is to have fun while challenging yourself. This is not a contest. This is not life or death. It is a personal writing challenge. In the end, all that really matters is that you tried.

NaNoWriMo is about the act of creating, not the perfection of prose. Everything can be edited (after November) except the empty page. NaNoWriMo helps you fill that page. It takes the ‘I want to write a novel someday’ into ‘I wrote a novel’. For many people, myself included, it is the thing that makes you realize that you can write a novel. There are a lot of aspects to doing NaNoWriMo besides attempting to write 50,000 words in 30 days. One of the greatest things that you will find is the social aspect. It may strike you as odd that the social aspect is a key component to succeeding at NaNoWriMo for a lot of people. Writing is generally considered a solitary activity, but NaNoWriMo makes it a social one.


If you came here from Twitter, you might already have come to the realization that a community of writers can really rev the engine of creativity. They can encourage you on days when the words come slow and cheer you on when you’re having good writing days. Perhaps you’ve even taken part in a writing sprint or two. This is something that NaNoWriMo promotes - the aspect of a cooperative community among writers.

Have I convinced you yet?

Okay, I’m not really trying to convince you to take part in NaNoWriMo. If you came here because you were curious you might already be sitting on the fence about taking part. If that’s the case, let me tell you something. My first NaNoWriMo was back in 2008. I signed up to do it on October 28 with a vague idea for a story I really wanted to write. It took me over a month to decide to even do it from the day someone first told me all about it. The thought that finally convinced me to give a try was ‘Why not?’

Seriously, why not? Is there a really good reason not to try? I couldn’t think of one and that is why I decided to do. When you boil everything down - if you want to write a novel you need to write. A novel starts at a first draft and, most people will tell you that first drafts suck. They are meant to be bad because this is just you telling yourself the story you want to write.

Depths of Darkness is Available!

Depths of Darkness is my follow up novel to Road to Redemption and the second book in the Saints and Sinners Series. 

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Iain was one of the best detectives when it came to strange cases that plagued the city of La Port. After the death of his family led to a breakdown, he was forced into retirement. Six months later he is dragged back in by the lure of a mysterious case involving the ritual eath of multiple children and he is quickly thrust into the dark, supernatural underbelly of the city.

As he strives to understand this dangerous new world, a demon is trying to tear it all part. Can he trust Ruby Champagne long enough to help her stop the demon from opening the seal on the portal or is he already too late?

Available for pre-order now on Kindle and Kobo
US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07J43XHTV
CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07J43XHTV
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/depths-of-darkness-2

Paperback will be available on Amazon within several days of the release date for the book on October 23, 2018

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This novel has been a long time coming for me. Road to Redemption was first published in 2016 and I have learned a lot about writing since that first novel. I've made several attempts at writing this story, but it took a good solid push over this last year or so to really make it happen.

This story verges more towards horror than the previous novel. I hope you enjoy this darker walk through the City of La Port with me.

And, thank you.