kareaders - Tumblr blog

[kareaders]

Topic: Editing

Editing is perhaps THE most daunting thing for an author. Between grammar, formatting, and plot points, it can all take a toll. Regardless, it has to be done. You've got to pull up your big boy/girl pants and go forward.

I must say, however, that editing things that you *thought* were okay to begin with can be a low blow to the self-esteem. Despite that, recognize that by coming to terms with how your writing *used to be* means that you've grown as a writer, not that your work was bad. It has just...evolved.

That said, don't be afraid to look backwards. Think of it as a way to see how you've changed 😊.

-KA

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Tips for Authors: Say Bye

Things I have come to terms with: it's okay to completely scrap sections of your story if they're not working. The muse will flow a whole lot better when you just chuck it. Don't let the unwritable be your obstacle.

KA

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May the muse be good to you

NaNoWriMo is under way and I thought it would be a good way to light a fire under my butt and get writing done. A new book may come out of this, so wish me luck! And for those of you writing too, I hope that the muse is working and you write as much as you can. Whether you make it to 50k or 5k, some words are better than none at all :).

-KA

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Tips for Authors: How Not to Be a Ghost

The title is timely isn't it? One thing about being an author is that you want people to read your work. Well, before that can happen people have to know who you are. That requires doing a bit of advertising as well as interacting with your readers when possible. I know this from my experience writing fanfiction. It wasn't until I started being an active participant in fanfiction groups, putting out a post when I had a new chapter or story up, making an author page (like this one), and a Tumblr, that I started getting followers. People started to recommend my stories, recognize my writing style, and nominate my stories for contests. Putting yourself out there and doing the whole marketing thing and basically "selling yourself" may be a bit daunting. I know that it was for me considering that I'm a bit on the reserved, introverted side. What's the fine line between boasting or shoving your work in people's faces without being "Look at me!!" and annoying people? Well, I've come to terms with the fact that that's what advertising is. How many times a day do you see the same ad? How many places do you see that ad when you're not at home? You see it on other TVs, billboards, and hear it on the radio, etc. It's something that you HAVE to do if you don't want to remain an anonymous voice who writes well, but no one knows you.

Another thing that I've learned is that you can't start and stop. If you have a work that you love, you should put all of your efforts behind it. That can be hard when you have other priorities though (such as myself working full-time AND in grad school).

At the end of the day you have to make yourself and your work known. Once you've done that, don't let your work (or yourself!) disappear. Keep them afloat, and don't become ghosts.

-KA

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Writing Tip of the Day - When Your Writing Sucks

Let's be as blunt as possible, shall we? Sometimes your writing sucks. It's terrible. It won't flow. Characters seem stiff, your descriptions are crap, and you're frustrated with yourself because it sounds great in your head, but just not on paper.

It's okay. It happens. What to do then? PUT IT DOWN! Rather recently I realized this was happening with me. I knew what I wanted to write, but I despised what came out. I closed out the tab on my computer and I hadn't touched it for three weeks. I opened it last night and words started flowing easier than I could've hoped for.

Creativity cannot be forced. It's as simple as that. To further my point in the lamest way possible, you can't pour juice out of an empty bottle. So, don't be discouraged. Just give it time :)

KA

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Random tip #3

Happy Holidays everyone!!! A writing tip for the end of the year:

Writer's block? Write anyway. It doesn't have to be a whole paragraph. Not even a full sentence. You'd be surprised how even a little start can be the boost that you need.

KA

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Random tip #2

Google Docs is THE best thing to use when you're constantly on the move. As a writer with a muse that pops out of nowhere, I'm always writing something. That's why I keep everything (with backups on my flash drive and laptop itself) on Google Docs. I use it on my phone to write as I travel to and from work, on my lunch break, or randomly at 2am when I can't sleep and don't feel like grabbing my laptop. It's a true lifesaver and your ideas never get lost!

KA

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Random tip #1

Random tip #1: Always start out with a date (day, month, season, etc.) in mind at the beginning of your story. You might not mention it in your writing, but fiction or not, time is essential. Time is a reality. You can't fudge dates and time and it all has to make sense. It'll also shape how you write it (whether your characters wear sweaters vs. shorts; are shopping for a Christmas tree vs. looking forward to going to the beach.) KA

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Synonyms For Very

This masterlist is a masterlist of words that you may use alongside the word very, very being one of the most common words that are used when writing. I hope this helps you as much as it helps me in our writing seem more sophisticated and unique. 

A:

Very accurate - exact Very afraid - fearful Very angry - furious Very annoying - exasperating

B:

Very bad - atrocious Very beautiful - exquisite Very big - immense Very boring - dull Very bright - luminous Very busy - swamped

C:

Very calm - serene Very careful - cautious Very cheap - stingy Very clean - spotless Very clear - obvious Very clever - intelligent Very cold - freezing Very colourful - vibrant Very competitive - cutthroat Very complete - comprehensive Very confused - perplexed Very conventional - conservative Very creative - innovative Very crowded - bustling Very cute - adorable

D:

Very dangerous - perilous Very dear - cherished Very deep - profound Very depressed - despondent Very detailed - meticulous Very different - disparate Very difficult - arduous Very dirty - filthy Very dry - arid Very dull - tedious

E:

Very eager - keen Very easy - effortless Very empty - desolate Very excited - thrilled Very exciting - exhilarating Very expensive - costly

F:

Very fancy - lavish Very fast - swift Very fat - obese Very friendly - amiable Very frightened - alarmed Very frightening - terrifying Very funny - hilarious

G:

Very glad - overjoyed Very good - excellent Very great - terrific

H:

Very happy - ecstatic Very hard - difficult Very hard-to-find - rare Very heavy - leaden Very high - soaring Very hot - sweltering Very huge - colossal Very hungry - ravenous Very hurt - battered

I:

Very important - crucial Very intelligent - brilliant Very interesting - captivating

J:

K:

L:

Very large - huge Very lazy - indolent Very little - tiny Very lively - vivacious Very long - extensive Very long-term - enduring Very loose - slack Very loud - thunderous Very loved - adored

M:

Very mean - cruel Very messy - slovenly

N:

Very neat - immaculate Very necessary - essential Very nervous - apprehensive Very nice - kind Very noisy - deafening

O:

Very often - frequently Very old - ancient Very old-fashioned - archaic Very open - transparent

P:

Very painful - excruciating Very pale - ashen Very perfect - flawless Very poor - destitute Very powerful - compelling Very pretty - beautiful

Q:

Very quick - rapid Very quiet - hushed

R:

Very rainy - pouring Very rich - wealthy

S:

Very sad - sorrowful Very scared - petrified Very scary - chilling Very serious - grave Very sharp - keen Very shiny - gleaming Very short - brief Very shy - timid Very simple - basic Very skinny - skeletal Very slow - sluggish Very small - petite Very smart - intelligent Very smelly - pungent Very smooth - sleek Very soft - downy Very sorry - apologetic Very special - exceptional Very strong - forceful Very stupid - idiotic Very sure - certain Very sweet - thoughtful

T:

Very talented - gifted Very tall - towering Very tasty - delicious Very thirsty - parched Very tight - constricting Very tiny - minuscule Very tired - exhausted

U:

Very ugly - hideous Very unhappy - miserable Very upset - distraught

V:

W:

Very warm - hot Very weak - frail Very well-to-do - wealthy Very wet - soaked Very wide - expansive Very willing - eager Very windy - blustery Very wise - sage Very worried - distressed

X:

Y:

Z:

A/N: If you know of anymore words I can add please message me.

[kareaders]

Random Thoughts

Your imagination could be a blessing and a curse. Either writer's block can come and ruin everything, or you have so many ideas you find yourself working on three stories at once! No matter your stage in writing, go with the flow. Ideas moving and grooving? Take advantage of it. Ideas at a standstill? Don't force it because you'll only end up with writing that you hate. Be open and be free with what you do :) KA

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Character names

I'm just going to say it: coming up with character names sucks. You have to come up with a first name that you like, then a last name, and make sure that they sound good TOGETHER. If one or both are terrible, the whole name is terrible. Then there's always that pesky part when you're feeling metaphorical and you want your character names to mean something. What do you want it to mean? What do you want to symbolize? Do you want the name in a different language than what you're writing in? With all of this in mind, names can be hard, but use that trusty tool called the internet and you'll be surprised what you find. Name generators are a good place to start. They can give you just parts of a name or the whole thing. They can even give them to you based on the theme of your story (i.e. fantasy). There are even generators for places (yes, giving towns names can suck too!). So don't give up on that perfect name. Just fiddle with things a bit :) KA

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:)

7 Ways End Your Novel

Figuring out the right way to end your novel can be difficult and it can make or break your story. If you’re stuck, try to understand that your ending should match the tone of your story. Here are a few common ways to end a novel to keep in mind:

Happy

There’s nothing wrong with a happy ending. If you want your novel to end on a joyful note with everyone getting what they want, that’s perfectly fine. Just make sure it’s in line with how your characters have behaved throughout your novel.

Sad

Writing a sad ending depends on how you built up your novel. A sudden, sad ending shouldn’t come out of nowhere. It should tie in with the tone of your story. If you want to write a sad ending, make sure it makes sense in the world you’ve created.

Open

Sometimes due to the nature of your story, your ending will remain open. Maybe your audience will have to come to conclusions themselves or maybe you’re leading into your next novel. If you’re writing a sequel, writers will often end with it open or a cliffhanger.

Complete

Happy or sad, some writers tend to complete their novel. These means they’ve tied up all loose ends, plots, and subplots, and created a solid ending. Usually this leaves no room for a follow-up and the novel can stand complete on its own. 

Twist

The twist ending can be hard to pull off, but if done correctly it can really blow your readers’ minds. This is when you lead up to one conclusion and then reveal that an assumed truth was false the whole time. Study up on twist endings if that’s something you want to do in your story.

Tie-back

This is when the ending ties back around to the clues in the beginning. Stories with a tie back ending sometimes have a full loop and give the story a feeling of completeness. They make readers feel as if everything is connected in some way.

Epilogue

An epilogue often gives readers details beyond the perceived ending. Writers will sometimes use epilogues if there’s a lot to sum up. Just make sure the epilogue fits your novel and it’s not something you can explain in the main sections of your story.

-Kris Noel

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Good notes to keep in mind guys :)

Tiredness while Writing

Anonymous asked: “I was wondering if you have sometimes something like tiredness from writing? For example, if you’ve been typing and at some point feel that the words are forced and it’s tiring? Is it because the style is wrong for me or just the story, or it’s something with that I’m not suitable for writing longer stories?”

Writing a novel definitely does take some level of endurance. It’s something that has to be built up over time. For that reason, I recommend usually starting with short stories or even collaborating with others on novel-length fiction at first. I think part of it really is confidence. If you don’t know whether or not you can finish something you are so much more likely to give up. Sometimes tiredness can come from a certain scene or even just how much you intend to write. 

Keep reading

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Character data sheets!

A story is not without its characters and those characters have back stories. They include where they live, what they like, their friends, even how they react to stress and express happiness. I'll be the first to admit that I don't do this often. When a story hits me my fingers just take off typing away. However, there's a good possibility you'll end up with plot holes this way (I'll write a post about outlines next time). You might forget that your character hates whistling and then you have him or her do it on later chapters. A small/poor example, but you get the point. Character data sheets keep your characters as you've envisioned them. A leash on your imagination, if you will, should it run off course :)

[kareaders]

Don't worry about story length!!

Story length: How long is too long? How short is too​ short?

My answer is that it doesn’t matter. That whole saying about quality over quantity is so true, and if you value the reverse you can end up hurting your work.

I’ve read stories where I thought to myself, “Wow, this could’ve been over in five chapters, not ten.” What you end up doing is writing for the sake of writing, but not adding anything important to move the story along.

So my “words of wisdom” are that a story is finished when it feels complete. Even if it ends on a cliffhanger, all that means is that a sequel is on the way ;).

Happy writing! KA

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It's Memorial Day weekend (and soon my birthday) and THIS is the reason why I haven't written anything in the past 4 days lol. Sometimes your muse needs a break folks!

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When writing takes over your life

It’s official. You know you’re writer when writing takes precedence over everything you’re doing.

You have homework? Let’s write two pages of a plot bunny that won’t go away. Late for work? Oh it’s okay, write that one paragraph. It’s 3 a.m.? Push it to 3:30. Then 4:00. Then, oh what the heck, let’s see the sunrise.

Writing is a drug sometimes. You crave it. It drives you. At least it’s a healthy addiction?