How To Write A Novel

The utterly epic How to Write a Novel by Holly Lisle is open again, for a few days only. And this is the last time it will ever be available at the early bird price.

So if you’ve ever thought you might want to write a novel, but didn’t know where to start, or how to middle, or when to end… this is the class for you.

Check it out now before time is up!

Note that this is an affiliate link. I will receive compensation if you purchase through this link, but it won’t cost you anything extra. And, as always, I only recommend things that I use and believe in. If you take this class and follow through, you will learn how to write a novel. Full stop.

Ends Monday April 8, 2019 10:00:00 pm ET

Oh yeah… I have news…

Grumpy Old Gods cover

Grumpy Old Gods–Storm Dance Publications (affiliate link)

I think I missed mentioning it… I’m in an anthology! It’s coming out this month, and I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.

The title is Grumpy Old Gods, and the concept was to write about a god–either from an established mythology or a new one–who is old, decrepit, or otherwise waning in power. I chose to invent the God of Morning for my story.

The book is available now for pre-order on Amazon! Don’t miss out!

And, in related news, I have a featured post on the StormDance Publications blog. Go check it out and take a look at the other authors in the book while you’re there.

 

 

The Advent Calendar is live!

I probably should have posted this on Saturday. But it was Saturday.

I forgot.

Anyway, no harm. No foul. The Indie Author’s Advent Calendar is live, and new stories will be revealed each day until Christmas. Click the link to get the stories. And if you want the bonuses, sign up for the email reminders while you’re there. (Cat doesn’t ever spam, and that list will get you nothing but these emails. It’s a safe and very quiet list.)

Enjoy the stories!

The Advent Calendar is Coming!

I’ve done it in the past, and I’m doing it again this year. I’m going to be a part of Cat Gerlach’s Indie Author’s Advent Calendar!

Woot!

What this means is that I have a story that will appear on one of the days in December (I don’t know which day) on the Advent Calendar site. Anyone can just go click on that page starting December 1st and read anything that’s been revealed so far. But if you sign up for the Advent Calendar mailing list, you’ll get daily notifications when the new story is available, plus there will be bonus downloads for email only, including the collected stories in e-book form.

This year’s theme for the calendar is Snow. There will be a bunch of great stories, and you never know what you’re gonna get. It’s possible you’ll discover your new favorite indie author, just in time for Christmas!

So, go sign up to get alerts, and enjoy the holidays!

Indie Author’s Advent Calendar 2018

Last chance for early-bird pricing

A quick reminder… tomorrow (October 5th) is the final day to get in on the launch special for Holly Lisle’s new Novel Writing class.

If you think you’re interested, now is the time to go for it. The next opportunity might not be for months, and will definitely have a higher price tag.

How To Write a Novel. (affiliate link)

A New Novel-Writing Class

I am super-stoked to announce that Holly Lisle has just released How To Write a Novel. (affiliate link)

This is the class that many people have been waiting for. It’s set to be over 35 weekly lessons with suggested homework assignments so that at the end of the class you should be able to have a finished novel of at least 50,000 words.

Until October 5th only, HTWAN is available at an early bird price that will never again be available. There are also single-pay or monthly-pay options to make the class as accessible as possible. If you’re interested, I highly recommend joining now!

The super early bird class will also include an amazing bonus–80% off a content edit from Holly’s personal editor, her husband, Matt.

I am already signed up and getting started, and already incredibly excited about having new motivation and direction. If you decide to join me, let me know! We can start a writing support group to help keep one another on track.

Note that this post includes affiliate links. I may receive a commission if you choose to purchase, but your price will not be affected in any way. 

Short Story Class

Anyone who has followed me for any amount of time knows that I think Holly Lisle and her classes are terrific. Her newest class, How to Write Short Stories, is no exception.

And because I’m working through that class right now and finding it very useful, I wanted to take a minute to share it with those of you who follow me before the price goes up on it next week.

In this class, Holly teaches:

  • generating ideas that work for short stories (haven’t we all had what we thought would be a nice, short idea only to have it turn into a meandering mess?).
  • the difference between short stories, as opposed to vignettes, scenes, slices of life, or experimental musings with no goal.
  • how to deconstruct stories written by other people so you can see what works or what doesn’t.
  • how to come up with endings that matter instead of just stop.
  • how to revise short.
  • how to write to a specific theme or word count when writing for a contest or specific market.
  • and a whole lot more!

Click Here to see the whole curriculum so far. The class is currently under development, so there is still plenty more to come. 😀

It is a well-structured class that should help anyone who wants to get better at writing short stories, whether you’re just starting out, or been writing a while.

And until next Thursday, July 26th, you can still get it at the early bird price of $67. That’s a bargain for what you’re getting.

After that it will still be available, but at the permanent price of $97. So you’re better off buying now if you think you’re interested.

Holly’s classes are delivered at one lesson each week, and you get to work at your own pace. You will have access to her online community where students of all her classes gather to discuss writing, answer each others’ questions, and support one another on their creative journeys. And your access will never expire. You can go back and revisit the class months or even years later. It really is a great deal.

Please note: If you purchase How to Write Short Stories through my links, I will get an affiliate commission. That helps me out, but does not affect your price.

I wrote a thing

I forgot to mention it here earlier, but I had the opportunity to write a guest post for the blog at Holly’s Writing Classes.

Because I’ve been focusing on goals, habits, and tracking, my post was about how to set goals that you can keep. If you’re interested, you can read my post here.

And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention again that Holly’s classes and community are a big part of why I still write. If you’re interested in learning how to write fiction, I highly recommend looking at her free starter class on flash fiction. (affiliate link)

And then…

Well, here I am. Two and a half months later.

NaNo was a bust. I wrote about 5000 words before tossing my hands up in disgust. I know I should not do these things… a finished terrible story is better than no story at all. sigh

Anyway, so I flaked out for the remainder of November. Plus most of December. This blog ignored Christmas. And New Year’s.

However…

Starting on January first, I have written at least something every day. Not always big. Not always good. But words on the page.

And I’ve already reached “The End” on three short stories so far this year. No kidding.

Two of them are currently marinating and will need revision in order to be fit for public consumption.

The third? It’s a flash-ish fiction (a wee bit over 1000 words) that will be appearing right here for the next Blog Hop on Wednesday, January 31. Woo Hoo!

So, yeah. I wish I hadn’t not done more at the end of 2017. But I’m pretty happy about where I am so far in 2018.

NaNoWriMo 2017

 

Today (November 1) marks the beginning of that month-long insanity known as National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo for short.

For the uninitiated, this is a challenge that happens every November to encourage writers to write a 50,000 word novel (or, at least, 50,000 words towards a novel) in 30 days. That sounds like a lot, and it is. But if you make writing a daily habit, that is actually a mere 1667 words per day, and that’s not that bad.

As usual, I’m participating. I nearly always participate. I have yet to actually complete the goal, but I always participate.

This year, I have a plan. I have a story in mind that is fairly well-formed living inside my head. (I really should write some of the details down, but, well, this is me. insert eye roll here) Weirdly, the story I have in mind is not in my usual genre. It’s a real-world, suspense-thriller in the style of something like Girl On A Train or Fatal Attraction.

Weird, right? But I’m running with it because my muse is excited about it. And I can’t help but think that since this isn’t a genre that I’m all that invested in, maybe I won’t get in my own way so much worrying about how terrible it is and actually get some writing done.

Here’s hoping anyway.

If you want to know more about my story… if you want to track my progress… or if you want to play along… come to NaNoWriMo and add me as a buddy! I’d love to see you there. 🙂