He started off this panel by reminding everyone that while rejections sucks, it's also a big part of being a writer. It's all part of the writing process. After this reminder, he launched right into the biggest reason why he rejects manuscripts.
Reasons Why Manuscripts are Rejected
on Thursday, November 24, 2016
This is another one of my favorite LTUE panels. It was given by Jason King, the acquisitions editor at Curiosity Quills Press as well as the author of the Age of the Infinite series.
He started off this panel by reminding everyone that while rejections sucks, it's also a big part of being a writer. It's all part of the writing process. After this reminder, he launched right into the biggest reason why he rejects manuscripts.
He started off this panel by reminding everyone that while rejections sucks, it's also a big part of being a writer. It's all part of the writing process. After this reminder, he launched right into the biggest reason why he rejects manuscripts.
From the Stories of Old...An Interview with Renée Harvey
on Monday, November 21, 2016
Hello everyone! Remember how I announced that my writing group was putting together an anthology of fairy tale retellings for publication? Well, it's almost available! And because I'm so excited about it, I invited a special guest, one of my close friends, to share a bit about her piece that is going to be included in the anthology. So without further ado, please welcome Renée Harvey!!!
R- Hi, Allie! Thanks for inviting me.
Renée Harvey is a wife and mother, historian, and writer in Idaho, USA. She graduated from Brigham Young University-Idaho with a Bachelor’s degree in history in 2013, filled with a love of genealogy and pre 1400 a.d. history. Combining those passions, she now primarily tells the stories of little-known people who lived long before. It is her hope that readers will see beyond the cultural differences to the messages conveyed: that individuals matter, and that every person has the ability to choose for themselves the good they will contribute to their world.
A- Welcome Renée!
A- Alright, let's get right to it. What inspired your retelling of The Little Mermaid for the anthology?
Writing Political Unrest Without Boring Readers
on Thursday, November 17, 2016
It's been a while since I've been able to do an LTUE post, so I'm excited to share this one. This topic is especially relevant to me right now as I'm editing Powerful because one of the main conflicts of the book is political unrest, and the one piece of feedback I get from every reader is that the conflicts go on for too long without any point.
Rose & Thorn Coming Soon!
on Monday, November 14, 2016
Back when I started this blog, I was working on a novel that was supposed to be part of a trilogy. That novel was called Rose. It was a retelling of Sleeping Beauty set in modern-day France because I love France.
Unfortunately, the story didn't end up panning out. There wasn't enough content to it to fill up a whole novel. I decided that since it was going to be part of a trilogy where the characters interact, that I would combine all three of my story ideas as novellas into one novel. But I put it off because something wasn't right.
My other ideas, my retellings of Cinderella and Snow White, also were not panning out. The stories didn't quite make sense and their plots were also seriously lacking in depth. Eventually, I was inspired with other ideas for retellings for both those tales, but they didn't fit along with Rose, because they both took place in medieval times and were set up to be more traditional fantasy stories. So what was I going to do?
Unfortunately, the story didn't end up panning out. There wasn't enough content to it to fill up a whole novel. I decided that since it was going to be part of a trilogy where the characters interact, that I would combine all three of my story ideas as novellas into one novel. But I put it off because something wasn't right.
My other ideas, my retellings of Cinderella and Snow White, also were not panning out. The stories didn't quite make sense and their plots were also seriously lacking in depth. Eventually, I was inspired with other ideas for retellings for both those tales, but they didn't fit along with Rose, because they both took place in medieval times and were set up to be more traditional fantasy stories. So what was I going to do?
How my Anxiety Affects my Writing
on Thursday, November 10, 2016
I've talked about my depression before, but I don't think I've ever talked about my on-going struggle with anxiety here. Why is that? Maybe because society seems to understand depression better than anxiety, even though both are still highly underrepresented.
As with depression, anxiety is impossible to understand unless you've personally dealt with it. Unless you've had those voices in your head, those nagging sensations in your heart, you assume it's typical stress. And if you assume it's stress, you assume that people with anxiety are really poor at handling stress.
While parts of that statement are true (trust me, I really DON'T handle stress well), it's not entirely accurate. First off, there are a lot of different types of anxiety, and some are harder to diagnose, which is why so many people who have anxiety are never treated for it.
As with depression, anxiety is impossible to understand unless you've personally dealt with it. Unless you've had those voices in your head, those nagging sensations in your heart, you assume it's typical stress. And if you assume it's stress, you assume that people with anxiety are really poor at handling stress.
While parts of that statement are true (trust me, I really DON'T handle stress well), it's not entirely accurate. First off, there are a lot of different types of anxiety, and some are harder to diagnose, which is why so many people who have anxiety are never treated for it.
Blog World Tour- Heather Hayden!
on Monday, November 7, 2016
It's time for another guest! You may remember Heather Hayden from a previous appearance on my blog.
Though a part-time editor by day, Heather Hayden's not-so-secret identity is that of a writer—at night she pours heart and soul into science fiction and fantasy novels. In March 2015 she published her first novella, Augment, a YA science fiction story filled with excitement, danger, and the strength of friendship. She immediately began work on its sequel, Upgrade, which continues the adventures of Viki, a girl who loves to run, and her friend Halle, an AI. You can learn more about Heather and her stories through her blog and her Twitter, both of which consist of equal amounts of writerly things and random stuff she’s interested in.
Though a part-time editor by day, Heather Hayden's not-so-secret identity is that of a writer—at night she pours heart and soul into science fiction and fantasy novels. In March 2015 she published her first novella, Augment, a YA science fiction story filled with excitement, danger, and the strength of friendship. She immediately began work on its sequel, Upgrade, which continues the adventures of Viki, a girl who loves to run, and her friend Halle, an AI. You can learn more about Heather and her stories through her blog and her Twitter, both of which consist of equal amounts of writerly things and random stuff she’s interested in.
It's November!
on Wednesday, November 2, 2016
Alright, so I've got a few quick things to go over today, including Halloween, NaNoWriMo, and a checklist of my goals. Here goes nothing-
For those who haven't followed my blog in previous years, I LOVE HALLOWEEN. I dress up every year because it is my favorite part. Pretending to be someone else shouldn't be reserved for little kids. We all need to exercise our imaginations and take a break from the real world.
That's why I write fantasy novels. And that's why I love Halloween. Here and here are my posts from previous years. I usually dedicate a lot of time to making costumes. Unfortunately, this year there were a few hiccups-namely moving and cleaning out a new living space, still fighting a cold, Husband of Mine fighting a cold, etc. So, we didn't get super creative this year, but I still had fun.
Two weeks ago, Husband of Mine (who works for Disney Imagineering as a ride engineer) manage to snag us tickets to Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Disneyland. This is a special event where the park closes early except for those with special tickets, and there's trick-or-treating throughout the park and a special fireworks show and a special nighttime parade. We dressed up for the party (of course!) and partied all night long (or at least until the park closed at 11 pm)
For those who haven't followed my blog in previous years, I LOVE HALLOWEEN. I dress up every year because it is my favorite part. Pretending to be someone else shouldn't be reserved for little kids. We all need to exercise our imaginations and take a break from the real world.
That's why I write fantasy novels. And that's why I love Halloween. Here and here are my posts from previous years. I usually dedicate a lot of time to making costumes. Unfortunately, this year there were a few hiccups-namely moving and cleaning out a new living space, still fighting a cold, Husband of Mine fighting a cold, etc. So, we didn't get super creative this year, but I still had fun.
Two weeks ago, Husband of Mine (who works for Disney Imagineering as a ride engineer) manage to snag us tickets to Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Disneyland. This is a special event where the park closes early except for those with special tickets, and there's trick-or-treating throughout the park and a special fireworks show and a special nighttime parade. We dressed up for the party (of course!) and partied all night long (or at least until the park closed at 11 pm)
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