Tag: My Writing Journey

Know the Novel Link Up: It is Written (mostly)

Shaina Frantz2 Comments

Nanowrimo is over! Somehow, I survived. I lost my sanity and my brain somewhere around week three, and still have to catch up on sleep (though is that even possible?).

Also, I won!!! I somehow managed to scrape out 50,000 words in the month of November. Even with an epicly slow plot, Thanksgiving, and interruptions every two hundred words. Some evenings…

To celebrate such epicness, I am doing the last part of the ‘Know the Novel Linkup’ by Christine Smith. A great link all about your nano novel, or your current work in progress! This last link up is ‘It is Written’. Or half written, as the case may be.

If you would like to join the link up, you can here!

Know the Novel Part Three: It Is Written

1. Firstly, how did writing this novel go all around?

Ummmm… Terrible for the first third of the month, okay for the middle third of the month, and great for the last third of the month! I got into a groove with writing, and finally got to the bits I was excited for. Yay snarky character relationships! I am pleased with where the novel is going, and I can’t wait to write the next half!

2. Did it turn out like you expected or completely different? And how do you feel about the outcome?

In some ways, it turned out the way I expected. No new characters or plot twists. However, some of my characters are exhibiting strange new tendencies and depth that I am simultaneously liking, and wondering how on earth to deal with. No new love stories or anything. But unexpected friendships, moral dilemmas, and conversations. Overall, I like the unexpectedness. I think every bit that surprised me ended up being some of the stronger parts of the novel. So, yay!

3. What aspect of the story did you love writing about the most? (Characters, plot, setting, prose, etc.)

Characters!!! I love Kerina and Terrence’s relationship, and their growing shipness (we are pretending that is a word). I also love the beginnings of the threesome Nerl, Kerina, and Terrence. Nerl likes Kerina, though she is terrified of him; Nerl and Terrence have a sort of friends but mostly enemies relationship. Alllll the snark, mostly from Nerl. Which is nice because he is the only one in this novel who is. Heaven help all my serious characters…

4. How about your least favorite part?

Subplots. They sounded like such a good idea at the time, and now they are so frustrating! Trying to balance them all, and remember them all, is hard! I am consistently forgetting some plot thread or other and having to go back and find them again.

5. What do you feel like needs the most work?

Pacing. Blegh. my beginning is too slow, and then finally stuff happens, and then it got slow again, and now stuff is happening again! When I edit, there is going to be many, many scenes cut out because all they do is, well, give me a word count. Yeah. During Nano I have a tendency of putting in random dreams and scenes because I don’t have any more ideas and I needed two hundred words an hour ago!

6. How do you feel about your characters now that the novel is done? Who’s your favorite? Least favorite? Anyone surprise you? Give us all the details!

Technically, my novel isn’t done yet. I got about halfway in 50,000 words, and now have to write the last half. Eheh. This novel will never end…

My favorite character is Terrence. I like being in his head and writing things from his perspective. He is so interesting! Though Kerina is slowly growing on me. She is learning stuff, and I think I am getting better insights into her character.

My least favorite character is… Do I have to choose one? I kinda like ’em all. Though, Akel is being irritating. He isn’t very nice to the rest of my characters, and sometimes he is very hard to keep in line!

7. What’s your next plan of action with this novel?

Finish it. Write The End on a novel that has been in the works for years. And this time, I will do it! It will be finished! So says the procrastinating writer who already has a couple more ideas now that Nano is finished. *headdesk*

After that, time to edit! Which includes ripping out half the beginning and starting my novel someplace else entirely. And cutting out that weird dream, that was not a good day of writing, let me tell ya.

8. If you could have your greatest dream realized for this novel, what would it be?

Get it published. This is the first novel I have written that I think could be publishable material. It is interesting, needs lots of work, but the characters are slowly popping up off the page. If I do it right, this novel could be worth pursuing publication for. And that would be really, really awesome.

9. Share some of your favorite snippets!

‘Valon said something, but at that moment Terrences attention had been arrested by something else entirely.
There was a girl laying on the grass. A girl. When was the last time he had seen one? Maybe it wasn’t a girl. She had flowers in her hair and looked for all the world like an elf that had been transplanted to the forest.‘

‘There was a rustle above his head, then a thud at his side as the tree deposited a grinning Kerina. Her braid was covered in leaves and twigs sticking out at odd angles from her head.

“How did the biscuits taste this time?” She asked with a smirk. “I think I finally found a charm that keeps them from burning.”

He hadn’t eaten dinner yet. Now that she mentioned it, the smells coming from thirty odd plates was overwhelming. Not that he was going to tell her that.

“What is the charm?” He asked instead.

Kerina tapped the side of her nose with a mysterious air. Then shrugged and grinned again. “I don’t know, they just worked out this time.”

Terrence blinked, was she teasing him?

“You should try one,” Kerina added airily before turning around and walking off to who knew where. She was definitely teasing him.‘

And my favorite…

‘These buttons were going to be the death of him. Maybe he should just stuff them in his pocket and pretend bare hands were all the fashion in Valai. They were, as long as you didn’t count the court. Which could be wearing rags for all he knew.

“Wretched things, aren’t they?” Terrence looked up to a lady in a green dress floating towards him. She took his glove and began to do the buttons for him. He almost jerked away, ladies of this court were too forward. He didn’t even know this woman, and she presumed to do his buttons for him. Then she spoke again. “Minnie had to help me with them. With all the ribbons and things they have to look pretty, they should invent things so that you can get dressed in them yourself.”

There was one person who talked like that. Kerina. Even if Terrence had wanted to move, his feet were stuck to the floor as he looked down at her hair. It was fixed with ribbons woven in and out of her brown, glossy hair. He had never noticed how well green and brown went together.

Her dress swished against his boots. Silk, how well she looked in it. Just like a lady of the court. As if she belonged here.

She finished the buttons and looked up at him. Any thanks was stuck in his throat. Her green eyes were iridescent. He couldn’t look away, couldn’t step back. There must be something to say. All words had left his mind, except three.

“Good evening Kerina.” ‘

10. Did you glean any new writing and/or life lessons from writing this novel?

I am a faster writer than I thought. When I started Nano I was under the impression that I am a slow writer who creeps along at a snails pace. When in fact, I can write a thousand words an hour. (yes yes, some of you are sniffing at such a small number, but it was news to me!)

No, I am not a steady writer. I write in spurts of creativity followed by a few minutes of staring into space. Or fifteen minutes, depending on the day. Even this blog post has been written in increments. But those increments add up, and I was finding that I could write two thousand words a day no problem (ish).

I also learned that my peak creativity is at about 4:00, 4:30, and at 7:00. Go figure, I am an evening writer. Not a late night writer, because at about 9:30 my brain decides to turn into a pumpkin and I run out of ideas.

There you have it folks! Another successful Nano under my belt, and a scrap of sanity left to spare. Yay! Despite what I did learn about how much I can write and when, I was still left drained. My creativity has all been sucked up by my novel. To rest, and to renew that creativity, I am taking a hiatus from most writing for a couple of weeks. You will probably hear from me sometime around Christmas, or right after, and then it will be back to your regularly scheduled blog posts in January.

Have a great holiday season!

Shaina Merrick

Know the Novel Linkup: Part Two

Shaina FrantzLeave a comment

This is the story of how I died. Also the story of how I can’t remember much about November except the fact that I have written so, many, words. As of at this moment I am at 30k. Whoo! Not totally sure how I made it, but, hey I’m here so why not have some fun.

Christine has posted the next part of her Know the Novel Link up! You should totally join if you are doing Nano, or if you have a WIP you want to showcase! Go check out the details here!

And now for…

Within Valai

1. How’s the writing going overall?

Bwahaha! You mean how the story is actually going? Or how I am feeling about it? Cause… There have been a few days where I wanted to throw my story out the window and never write again!

Confession, I hate writing beginnings. It isn’t the first line that bothers me so much as the first 20 pages. Yup. Writing those few twenty is like pulling teeth. It is awful and it happens every. Single. Nano. I actually ended up completely stopping one day and going to another project altogether because I hated my story so much.

But I did come back. I did make it through those first twenty pages, and I am enjoying my story again! I am suspiciously thinking that my main problem was that I started my story in the wrong place. Namely way too early. Because now that things are actually happening it is fun!

So, I guess overall it has been good, and I like where the story is going so far.

2. What’s been the most fun aspect about writing this novel so far?

Terrence and Kerina! Their interactions are the absolute best. My favorite scenes are when the two of them are together. I have to work really hard to make sure that my whole book is not just the two of them talking…

Their relationship has begun to take on a life of its own. AND I LOVE IT! It isn’t quite what I expected, but it is more than I had hoped. Terrence loves to spend time with her, but while Kerina likes his company, she also spends every moment terrified that he will learn her terrible secrets. So all the subtext behind what they say and the hidden emotions are just so fun! And their banter, and the way Kerina is like the only person able to make him laugh and… Yeah, I should move on now.

3. What do you think of your characters at this point? Who’s your favorite to write about?

Kerina is finally becoming a regular person! Yay!!! Ever since I started this story sooo many years ago, Kerina has always been my trouble child. I found it hard to latch onto her motivations, her emotions, and basically everything about her. She just always felt so flat. And I couldn’t find a way to bring her to life. Now, that is not to say that I have finally found the perfect piece that totally brings her to life, she is still a little flat and totally angsty and girl would you please lighten up?! But it is getting there. She feels more like a real character than she ever has, and I might actually like her now!

Terrence is a bit different than I expected him to be. A little less preoccupied with stuff and more focused on the here and now. I had created him to be a bit more introspective, but he refuses to spend hours thinking about stuff. Soooo. Yeah. He is still my favorite though! I love spending time in his head, and his chapters are always waaay longer than Kerina’s. (oops.) He is so much easier for me to write. I dunno, the words just flow easier. He has also become more fleshed out in this draft, and is more like a living breathing person than this weird ink and paper doll.

4. Has your novel surprised you in any way?

Considering how much planning I have done for this, one would think that nothing would catch me by surprise. Well. I still was.

They have all been little things though. Little nuances of characters here and there are different then the way I expected them to be (looking at you Kerina). My first plot point may have ended up being something different, and an event I thought would be a huge deal ended up not being such a big deal after all. Ya know, normal writer problems.

5. Have you come across any problem areas?

You mean other than wacky characters, plot holes, and terribly slow beginnings? Um. I am beginning to realize that some of my side characters, and all of my side plots, and not as fleshed out as they should be this far along in my novel. As in they have barely made an appearance. Too many characters, not enough brain space.

I am going to try to give my characters some more screen time, esp. the ones who come more into play later. But I have a feeling that all of those are going to have to be fixed during the editing stage. (sorry future self) Ah well, Nano drafts are supposed to be messy, right?

6. What’s been your biggest victory with writing this novel at this point?

Kerina is not a paper doll! After so long with struggling to find this character, I love that I have begun to see into her character. Though less bubbly than I imagined her, she has become more convoluted and interesting, while still keeping to a more artistic personality.

She is less of a puzzle to me than she was before I started. If that is the only thing that happens during Nano, those thousands of words will be worth it.

7. If you were transported into your novel and became any one of the characters, which one do you think you’d be? Would you take any different actions than they have?

I would be Kerina. Hands down. Though I wouldn’t say we are exactly alike. She is the only girl in the novel so… Yeah. (I am still trying to decide if that is a problem) We also share a rather important trait. We both worry waaay too much. Worry about what other think of us for the most part. She is terrified that if anyone else finds out who and what she is they will hate her. So she has built up a mask to show to the world, hoping that they will accept her.

If I was her, I think I would worry less and do more. But maybe I am just kidding myself and I would still worry too much.

8. Give us the first sentence or paragraph then 2 (or 3!) more favorite snippets!

Phooey. Consider yourselves lucky because I never share my unedited stuff. *deep breath* Here we go! (please excuse any weird grammar, I try but…)

‘If they were lost, then Terrence had failed. Again. Or he was reading the map spread out on the table in front of him wrong. He glanced at Colen and Wizard Gyre. If either of them were confused, it wasn’t showing on their faces. Maybe the squiggles and lines made sense to them, while he was wracking his brain trying to remember map class all those years ago. Was that one of the ones he had skipped?’

‘Terrence scrambled up the hill that guarded the end of the valley. The place where mountains made way for the plains. He couldn’t reach the peak fast enough. The rest of his men were far behind, their steps slowing as they reached the extent of their territory. The moment familiarity ended and the unknown began.

A few more steps. He could see his goal. Stumbling over a rock, Terrence reached the summit. There it was. The sight he had been dreaming of. Stretched out before him was the plains of Sunlight. Nothing but grass reaching out towards the horizon. The horizon. The place sky reached down to touch the land, its blue arc glorious to see.

An unfelt wind swept over the prairie, bending the tall grass to show their golden sides to the sunlight. Sunshine from above meeting sunshine from below.

He sighed, this was home.’

‘“When was the last time you saw the plains?” Kerina asked.

“A week after Torroc came to power,” Terrence replied. He had entered the mountains for the first time with Gyre as a mourning boy who dreamed every night of his sister and of flames. Only the smallest hope of coming back kept him going.

Now he was leaving with a battalion of men at his back, and a way to take back his country. Something he had barely hoped for all those years ago.’

9. Share an interesting tidbit about the writing process so far! (For example: Have you made any hilarious typos? Derailed from your outline? Killed off a character? Changed projects entirely? Anything you want to share!)

I have not actually killed off a character as of yet. I have had a bad habit of that lately, so I am very proud of myself!

So, I think I mentioned earlier that I took a day off because I couldn’t stand the sight of my story anymore. Well, during that day off I went a finished a novella that I have been writing for months. I had tried to finish it before Nano, but it hadn’t worked out. I took that day to finish my novella. Finishing that gave me the momentum I needed to get back into Valai and chop half a chapter so that I could get back to the story I wanted to write. Let me just say that there were many, many words written in those two days.

‘Valai’ isn’t actually the title of my story. It doesn’t have one. But since I needed to call it something I decided to give the name of the country the book is set in to the novel. Because to be perfectly honest, the only thing I hate more than beginnings is having to title things. So until further notice, my story is called Valai.

10. Take us on a tour of what a normal writing day for this novel looks like. Where do you write? What time of day? Alone or with others? Is a lot of coffee (or some other drink) consumed? Do you light candles? Play music? Get distracted by social media (*cough, cough*)? Tell all!

I work every morning from 8:00 to 1:30 so needless to say, I don’t write in the mornings. I try to write as soon as I can in the afternoons. But lunch comes first. Then a couple life things like do laundry or something like that. So often I don’t get started until 4ish. (awful I know) I also have to work myself up to a writing session so sometimes I procrastinate a little too much.

I will write for a while, have dinner, then sit down and write some more! I try to finish writing by about 9:00, 9:30. Well, I tend to run out of ideas by then and am ready to wrap up so I can go to bed. Like I said, I work in the mornings so a good nights sleep is really helpful!

I have my water bottle nearby and music going most of the time. Though I might try writing without music today, because sometimes I get more done if I don’t have that distraction. Other than that… I write alone, with my sister, I write at the dining room table, on the couch, on my bed, wherever the mood strikes me that day! I will say that some of the best writing times have come at the dining room table. (don’t ask why I don’t know)

Phew! That was more than you probably wanted to know about my trial and tribulations while trying to write 50,000 words in a month. Unfortunately, I will not be finished with this novel by then. It has decided to turn into a monstrosity that will most likely be around 100k by the time it is finally done. (somebody help me)

How are you all’s Nano’s going? Or if you aren’t doing Nano, how is your lovely stress free November going? 🙂

Shaina Merrick

Writing Contest!

Shaina FrantzLeave a comment

Hello everyone! I hope your creative juices are full, because I am here to announce a contest!

My friend Cassie Hamm has created a desert theme writing prompt contest! Every two days she will post a prompt on her Facebook and Instagram pages. In those two days you have the chance to post a 100 word or less piece of flash fiction (aka a teeny tiny story).

The contest starts tomorrow on the 11th! It goes through the weekend and ends October 16th. The first day she will post a prompt, and then you will have that day and the 12th to think up a little story and post it in the comments! The next prompt will go up on the 13th and you will have till the 14th to come up with a story. And then the last prompt will be posted the 15th and you will have that day and the 16th to come up with one last story. You can choose to use Facebook or Instagram to post your story in the comments, depending on which platform you like best. 😉

The semi illustrious me will be joining the very illustrious Cassie in judging the contests. No, I will not be taking bribes. (unless they are in chocolate of course) This is Cassies third story prompt contest, so this one promises to be a great one!

I hope to see your stories there!

Shaina Merrick

Know the Novel Link Up Part One

Shaina Frantz8 Comments

The wonderful Christine Smith has created a writerly link up for Nanowrimo! Yay! Which is next month guys. (I’m not thinking about it, I’m not thinking about it) Anyway. Her link up is all about the beautiful stories we are all writing, or attempting to write as in my case.

It is a three part link up series, the first part is the introduction. Where I get to introduce you to my royal mess of a novel and all of its poor characters. Fun! Prepare to scratch your head and wonder what on earth I was thinking when I started this project. I don’t have an answer for you. Let me know if you come up with one!

Without further ado… Onto the questions!

1. What first sparked the idea for this novel?

Wellll, a long time ago, when I was younger than I am now and when I still had dreams of being rich and famous, I had a scene in my head. The scene was all about a girl who had been hurt by magic and was struggling to heal. I wrote the scene down, and the next one that had the same characters. At that time I didn’t feel up to doing the novel. But I wrote down each scene as it came to me in a notebook. And then eventually I got around to figuring out what happened around those scenes.

2. Share a blurb!

One night changed the future of Valai. A night of betrayal and soaked in blood. The youngest prince alone escapes the rebellion, and he is forced to run to the mountains.

Terrence vows to take back his throne and defeat the usurper who killed his family. But planning a war is harder than it seems. Terrence needs an army at his back, and the only one to be found is in Trium. A country wracked with its own change as a new king takes the throne. A king unwilling to help in another countries civil war.

The only bright spot in Terrence’s journeying is Kerina. The niece of a forester who knows the mountains of Valai like the back of his hand. She waltzes her way through life, bringing sunshine into Terrence’s plots plans. Yet like all things, she is more than she appears to be. And she may be the only thing standing between Terrence and his enemy. Behind the throne is a shadow, a shadow who has placed a price on Terrence’s head.

3. Where does the story take place? What are some of your favorite aspects about the setting?

Most of the story takes place in Valai, with a jaunt or to outside to other countries. Valai is known by its wide stretching plains that threaten to swallow you up if you aren’t careful. On one side the plains are bordered by a ridge of mountains that hold secrets. Or so the rumors say.

Yes, there are elves. When I first began this novel there wasn’t a story I wrote without ’em. However these elves are nomads, wandering the plains in gypsy like caravans. If you search for them, you will only find them if they want you to.

I think the most interesting part about this particular setting is the magic system. It is all within the mind. Almost everyone in Valai can talk to each other in their minds. Some can only speak with immediate family members, other can speak with family and close friends. The most powerful mind speakers are the wizards, they not only can speak with a complete stranger, but can make you fall asleep. Or perhaps see things that aren’t there. They can do anything within the limits of the mind. Things like changing dirt to a flower don’t work too well.

Of course, then there are the ones born with immunity to magic. But no one talks about those people.

4. Tell us about your protagonist(s).

Let me introduce you to Terrence, my poor displaced prince who has been hiding out in the mountains with his small band of men. He is the last royal in Valai, and as such the full weight of taking back his kingdom has fallen onto his shoulders.

Prince Kai from the Lunar Chronicles

This guy, he tries so hard to help everyone and shoulder the responsibility alone. And yet, it doesn’t work. He can’t do it all, and things keep falling apart. Which isn’t all his fault, but he never sees it that way. He blames himself for not paying more attention in class, but why did he need to when he wasn’t supposed to be king anyway? Yep, a second son forced into becoming the royal heir.

In his head Terrence holds up his elder brother and father as the perfect standards for kingship. Every decision he makes is held up to that standard, and every time he fails he thinks of how they would do it better. And it all get worse when he meets Kerina.

Kerina is an artist. She enjoys painting sunsets and forests and would prefer not to get mixed up with the displaced prince thank you very much. But her uncle thinks otherwise, and she is forced to go on with them.

Kerina

Generally a cheerful person, Kerina does things like skip through camp, sing in the top of a tree, and paint the back of her hands when she runs out of paper. She likes to make up stories about her paintings, and tends to hide elves and fairies within her drawings, if you know where to look.

However to get past her cheerful veneer and to the Kerina underneath is something that many have tried and none have succeeded in doing. She has no wish to let people see what is inside and then laugh at her for it. Until, of course, she meets a friend that she would rather not lose, and then has to find out how much exactly she trusts Prince Terrence.

5. Who (or what) is the antagonist?

Torroc is the man who now sits on the throne of Valai. He is a paranoid man who sees enemies in every shadow and conspiracies in every whisper. It is soon known that coming to his court is like signing your death sentence. It is not a question of if you will be accused of treason, but when.

Torroc

He has good reason to be paranoid, he did take over a county loyal to the king, and spilled a lot of blood to do it. But his paranoia reaches new levels with every passing month, and recently they have come with hallucinations as well. Which may be the work of a wizard, except he has locked them all up.

He took the throne that he believes should be rightfully his anyway. It would have been, if his father had not descended into madness and was forced to surrender the throne to his younger brother, King Rond, Terrences father.

Yet his greatest fear is that he is descending into madness as well.

There are some who question how he gained the power to take the throne, and those ones will be the first ones to fall to the what lurks in the shadows behind the throne.

6. What excites you the most about this novel?

To be able to finish it! I have been working on this book for years. In fact a few Nanos ago I tried to write it. (don’t kill me for doing the same novel twice, please) However the ending, and to be honest the middle too, has eluded me. This year I will finish it! Even if it takes 100k and all nighters! (okay lets be honest, I probably won’t pull an all nighter, I do have a day job after all)

Seriously though, I am excited to get back to my characters. Terrence and Kerina have been strolling around in my head for so long, I know them better than any other characters I have ever written. They feel like home I guess, they are what I always come back to after the first thrill of another novel has worn off, when I finish a book and wonder what to write next I always think of them. This story is destined to be written, and I hope this year is the year their story will be completed.

7. Is this going to be a series? standalone? something else?

*glares at novel*

You will stay put as a novel. Got it?

Glad we understand each other.

8. Are you plotting? pantsing? plansting?

Plotting aaall the way. This particular novel has gone through extensive world building, character mapping, and plotting. It also has two half drafts to its name. I will brush everything up before I start, but I can say right now that this novel is about as plotted out as it gets.

I am still planning on being surprised by something though. Something always happens that I don’t expect. Always.

9. Name a few things that makes this story unique.

The magic system is one that I personally think is unique. It is all within the mind, and everyone can mind speak. Well, almost every one… It might be hard to juggle mind conversations and real conversations, but I want to try!

Other than that, it is a standard tale of epic journeys, battles, dangerous mountains, and displaced royalty.

Oh, and King Nerl. I can’t forget him. Not that I could if I wanted to.

Nerl

Let me introduce you to the bratty king of the neighboring country of Trium. Terrence and Kerina travel to the kingdom of Trium to ask for help. He and Terrence are old friends, well, that is stretching it a bit. They knew each other when they were kids. They may have also hated each other. So it may not be too much of a surprise for them to realize that Nerl doesn’t exactly want to entangle himself with the civil war of another country.

He also might, might, have a crush on Kerina. But he would kill me for saying that. So don’t tell.

10. Share a fun “extra” of the story (a song or full playlist, some aesthetics, a collage, a Pinterest board, a map you’ve made, a special theme you’re going to incorporate, ANYTHING you want to share!).

For once, I do actually have a pintrest board! Enjoy!

Welp. That is my story. My hope is that I will finish the story, and it won’t finish me. Here we go to Nano!

Shaina Merrick

Why I am Keeping my Day Job

Shaina FrantzLeave a comment

Like many writers living today, I have what is called a day job. A job to pay the bills and support me while I write. My ‘true calling’, writing, will eventually take over and I will stay home and write all day. Spending my days in bliss as I churn out novel after novel. The end goal of almost every writer is to get to the point that their writing is financially able to support them so they can quit their day job and come home to write full time.

Well, the goal of every writer except me. I would prefer to keep my day job thank you very much. And it is not because I am a pessimist who thinks she will never make money from her writing. (only sometimes) Nor is it because I want to keep my writing at hobby level.

I will keep my day job because I like it. Most of the time. Now, being a PreK teacher is no walk in the park. There have been more than a few times that I have wondered why I signed up for this. However, there have been plenty of times that I wondered that about writing too. Why on earth did I think it was a good idea to put the stories in my head down on paper?

I enjoy what I do, so I don’t see myself stopping it any time soon. But even if I did quit and found myself with hours a day to write instead of snatches of time here and there, I think I would still find a job.

Sometimes, I think creative people believe that creativity exists in a vacuum. We are story writers, poets, artists, and musicians who spend hours upon hours holed up in a room pouring our hearts out into whatever medium we have chosen. Creating art is a solitary process, it has to be. But I don’t think our creativity comes from that tiny room. It comes from all around us, from our experiences, our lives, the things we have seen and the things we have heard.

I put this idea forth to you; that the stories we find ourselves thinking about are in a large part influenced by our lives. Who do you know? What do you do? How do you live? Where do you live? All of that will affect the stories you write. Whether you mean it to or not.

Writers are often told to write what they know, and the second best thing to knowing it is researching the stuffing out of it. So many writers spend even more time holed up in their room googling random, or not so random, things because they want to know it so they can write it.

Well, I for one do not want to settle for second best. I would rather do than read. So I have done, and done some more. I have traveled, explored, gotten lost, made friends and lost them, worked for myself, gotten a job, and done lots of random things. I have failed a few times, and done a face plant in life. But hey, at least I know what it feels like for my characters! (my poor characters…)

I fill my life with interesting things and interesting people in part so that my writing will be interesting. I know there are some things that will have to be delegated to research. Like going to the moon and being a prima ballerina. Yet if I can, I do rather than read. I want to know how this world works.

So no, I am not quitting my day job. I know that because of it I will write slower than most. I know that my path will be longer because I don’t dedicate as much time to my craft. But I would rather be slow, and have my stories filling with interesting things, than be fast and have my stories all sound the same.

As a side note, all the aforementioned things are not why I am sometimes late putting up a blog post. Naps are wonderful things that help you get nothing done.

Shaina Merrick

The Fantastic Realmies (and books)

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Every year a bunch of crazy writers get together to celebrate their mutual craziness. We call it Realm Makers. At this conference they also learn how to be even crazier. Those particular people are called Realmies. The ones who are so crazy that there is no hope for them. If you like being crazy, it’s a fun time! If not, well, maybe you should stay far, far away…

I decided to go to this conference, and risk coming out crazier than before. Whether I escaped successfully or not is for you to judge.

So many things happened at Realm Makers. So. Many Things. My poor brain is so full, and it is worse because I haven’t journaled yet…

I attended classes that have taken me one more step in my writing journey. I learned about my craft, and what it takes to get published. I learned how to plot a short story in the same weekend that I learned to plot a series.

I was encouraged beyond belief by the keynote speaker. He reminded me how important this career can be. That our words can touch other people. I was reminded that this is something that God has called me to do, and that this calling is a grand and wondrous thing.

I came back home ready to write again. Ready to grab my time by the horns and force it to produce a novel.

Unfortunately, I also came back to a day job, which puts a damper on a few things. So it’s a good thing I took that class on balancing life and writing!

I bought lovely, gorgeous books. Which I can’t wait to read! I also can’t wait to figure out how I will fit them all onto my shelf…

Gorgeous covers! I almost don’t want to read them, just stare at them…
You can’t see it in the picture. But Kings Folly is actually humongous.
Even more lovely books! Where will I find the time to read them all?

Like I said, I did lots and lots of things. But the classes I went to, the books I bought, the things I did, all of those paled in comparison to who I met.

Courage is going up to an author, sticking out your hand, and saying, “Hi, I’m Shaina.” But if you drum up that courage, you find out that those authors you are star struck by are friendly people happy to talk with you

Wayne Thomas Batson. Teacher of my favorite class. 🙂
Jill Williamson. I was definitely star struck when I asked her to sign my book.

This last weekend I finally (finally!) got to meet my pen pal. We have been writing, and emailing, back and forth for years. And I met her for the first time a week ago. To say that it was great would be an understatement. It was awesome. I was able to put a person to the words I have read. A voice behind the emails. Unfortunately, we both forgot to get a selfie together. Whoops!

I also met the voices behind the articles and blogs that I have been reading for so long. People I never thought I would meet in a million years I was suddenly shaking hands with.

Gabrielle.
Rolena. One of the sweetest people ever!

I would have been content with just meeting those people. To hang out with them the whole weekend. But instead, I was blessed with a friend. We clicked, bonded over conversation and pizza (a perfect combination). Before I knew it, we were hanging out all the time, chatting about writing, school, jobs, and anything else we could thing of. She became my friend, one I hope to keep for a long time to come.

Cassie. My favorite person at the conference.

So there you go, a mini recap post of the fantastic, wonderful, crazy time that is Realm Makers. If you happen to make your way to it next year, I hope to see you there!

Shaina Merrick

Cover Reveal!

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I’m so smart. Why else would I enlist my sister to do the hard work of creating a cover for me? Since I am so smart, it makes total sense that I would decide that the cover isn’t exactly what I wanted. So I do another one myself.

Yup, I’m smart.

Right.

That is actually the story behind the cover for The Fantastic and the Wondrous. In the beginning I begged my sister to create one for me because A) I have limited amount of time and B) I am terrified of all things formatting. Yay me.

The original cover, which I won’t show here because…. Reasons. Was cool, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it was not quite what I wanted.

So after thinking this many times late at night when I was supposed to be sleeping, I decided to change it. Even though the reasons I listed above were still valid.

But you aren’t here to listen to me rant about all that. You want to see my book cover! (if you don’t, you can leave now I suppose.)

Tada!!

For being my first cover (wait, why did I just say that?) it’s not so bad! And for all the work it took (not so much, I just like to whine) I like it!

What do you guys think? Does it look like a cover that would catch your eye? Have you ever tried to make a book cover? (how do other people do it so well??) Let me know in the comments! 

Shaina Merrick

Writer to Author

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I suppose it makes sense that I would be a writer. After all, I read stories, dream stories, critique stories. So why not create them too? Thus said my little brain many years ago, little knowing the consternation (read blood sweat and tears) it would cause in the years to come.

Guys, writing is HARD. Very hard. Especially if you are a perfectionist. Especially if you sit and agonize over the first sentence in your first draft because you are under the mistaken belief that it has to be perfect on the first try. If you were wondering, no it does not. That is what a first draft is for.

Now, I can sit here and complain about writing which if you have a writer friend you have probably heard it all before. (thanks for the patience mom) OR I can tell you the cool parts of writing.

Namely, being able to share it with other people.

Like this blog, or like publishing a book.

Yup, I’m publishing a book. And here I am acting all chill about it when really I am screaming inside!!!! I’m actually getting a book published!

On Amazon anyway, which means it will become part of the millions of other books trying to get noticed on there. Oh, my poor baby.

So! If you were one of the poor, *cough* I mean lucky people who read my old blog you have most likely heard of this. For months on end.

Well, the months before I publish have turned into weeks and I am realizing just how much I need to do before handing it over to readers.

Sigh.

But before I go back to doing all of that boring stuff, I am here to remind you all of the title and tell you what on earth this long talked of book is even about.

So here you go!

The Fantastic and the Wondrous.

Snazzy title if I do say so myself.

This book is not a novel, or even a novella. It is a collection of short stories. These short stories are all connected with the web of the fantastical. (hence the title) Fantasy, scifi, and mash up of both, all are found in my collection.

You will find time travelers, fairies, hero’s, and robots in these stories. Some of them are designed to make you laugh. Some to make you cry. (that’s the intent anyway, we’ll see if it actually works)

You will get to read all 12 of them on April 4th! The date I am releasing my hard work to the world.

Until then you will get to hear gobs about this book, all in the hope that you will throw your hands up and say “Fine! I’ll go buy it if only to stop you from pestering me!”

Its called marketing folks. Basically an excuse to bug people so that they will buy something.

Anyway.

Next up will be my cover reveal, so stay tuned for that!

If I disappear before April 4th you can say that cause of death was stress over publishing. All the writers will understand.

Here’s to not dying and getting a book published!

Shaina Merrick

The Adventure Begins

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Hello everyone! Welcome to The Beauty of a Story!

So glad you could join me at the beginning of this new adventure! The world of stories is a spectacular place. If you aren’t careful, you might get lost and never come back…..

I have been reading and creating stories since before I can remember. So it is only natural that someone as head over heels with them as myself would dedicate a whole blog to them.

On this blog I will be talking about the stories that are beautiful. The ones that bring us joy and hope when we read them. Whether those stories were written by an author or by a historian. I am going to talk about them all. Perhaps with my own stories thrown in there every now and then as well.

I hope to see you around!

Shaina Merrick