writingonscrappaper

[writingonscrappaper]

So I Wrote Another Book…

Tis the holiday season, and I thought, what better time is there than now to write a little holiday romance novella?

So I did!

“Mobster Under the Mistletoe” is a followup novella to Carter & Evelyn���s story in “I Think My Neighbour’s A Mobster”! I took a break from writing the hockey/mafia rom-com sequel when the idea for this one slammed into me lol I think it’s cute and fun and sweet and perfect to read for the holidays!

If you like reading about mobsters killing people in various ways to protect their loved ones, at least 😅

Buy it in paperback and ebook here!

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“I Think My Neighbour’s A Mobster” - Now Available!!

It’s finally here!! My Mafia Romantic Comedy is finally out and available to the public!! You can find all the available sites to buy it here! Ebook for now, Paperback drops on the 21st!! I hope you enjoy it! ♥️

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“I Think My Neighbour’s A Mobster” is now available for Pre-Order!

It’s finally official! You can now pre-order my mafia rom-com “I Think My Neighbour’s A Mobster” thru Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Smashwords or Apple Books!

Amazon does not currently support PREORDERS through the publisher I use, but the book will be available on Amazon on the release date, which is JULY 21st! (Wow, that’s scarily close 😅)

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go hyperventilate in the corner!

[writingonscrappaper]

i think we as a society need to start accepting that fictional love stories need to be a bit toxic for us to go insane over them… like, sometimes you kinda need the two parties to be obsessed with each other and fucked up and willing to bring each other back from the dead instead of moving on and go to therapy i’m sorry😔

[writingonscrappaper]

Weak Words To Cut

Here are some weak words than you can often remove to strengthen your writing. I have made these changes as I edit my own novel, so I included examples from my writing to show you the difference.

When editing and cutting words, we are not talking about dialogue because everyone has a unique way of speaking, and it’s important to keep true to their voice.

Note: these are all general guidelines, and you don’t have to use all or any of them. Creative writing gives you a creative licence to choose how you write. Do what works best for you. Always.

Suddenly: technically speaking, everything happens suddenly, so use the word sparingly or it will lose its effect.

I don’t remember ever seeing a man in such little clothes before, and I suddenly despised the one piece left. I don’t remember ever seeing a man in such little clothes before, and I found myself despising the remaining piece.

Keep: When it disrupts your character’s life, and you want your reader to really take notice.

Cut: if removed and there is no change, then it’s not necessary

Then/Next: this is typically a filler word. All events happen in a sequential state, so it’s not always needed.

Then She was gone, her steps echoing through the halls.

Keep: You want to keep the word typically when something is changing in action, description, etc.

Cut: If removing the word does not change the meaning, then cut it. Typically if this word starts the sentence, it’s unnecessary.

Just: this is a filler word, and can almost always be removed.

I was just a game to him, nothing more.

Keep: if removing it makes your sentence confusing or changes the meaning, then keep it. Usually using the word words well as a limiter word. (Eg. it’s just me and my dogs tonight)

Cut: when it’s unnecessary and changes nothing.

Really/Very: these are weak qualifying/descriptive words, and you can absolutely find a better synonym

Your mother is really nice lovely.

Keep: typically these words are fine to keep when not used to enhance an adjective. (Eg. very next day, really think, very back of…)

Cut: if it’s being used to enhance a weak adjective, cut it and find a better word.

Is/Was: this is usually a passive voice, which isn’t usually the best for fiction novels, active voice is always preferred. Naturally this is a verb that you can’t cut from all places, so here are some tips.

Everyone was too busy focusing on their shopping to notice a human sliding between sales booths. Buyers and sellers occupied themselves with their shopping, too focused to notice a human sliding between sales booths.

Keep: when delivering information quickly its always best to just state the facts, so don’t worry about trying to find flowery words to describe everything.

Cut: If you can show what the person or object is doing instead of simply saying it, then change the sentence.

Started: every action has a start, so don’t write it unless you can tell me why it’s important now to know that’s it’s started.

The boy started to rant in his native tongue. The boy ranted in his native tongue.

Keep: if your scene is being interrupted or is still unfinished, then go ahead. This one is a little harder to see sometimes, so just see how you feel with it in vs removed.

Cut: it’s it’s unnecessary information, and nothing changes to the story or sentence when removed, axe it.

Seemed: again, this is more of a show don’t tell kind of thing

Time seemed to slow slowed as I held Vera tight against me.

Keep: if a character knows something intuitively

Cut: if you can show why the character is perceiving what’s happening

Definitely: this is typically just confirming facts that are already known to be true. Repetition is unnecessary without a purpose.

He definitely saw me, but I wasn’t mad about it. (This instance can for sure be removed, it’s unnecessary. However, I want this emphasis here, so I chose to keep it)

Keep: if it’s your character who is confirming facts as 100% accurate and ridding previous doubt

Cut: remove and nothing changes

Somewhat/Slightly: usually this is used when only trying to use a partial effect of a word, so the easiest fix is to change the word that it’s describing.

I looked away, slightly embarrassed.

Keep: if the words is truly the best way to describe what was happening in the sentence.

Cut: when you can use a better word to describe your action/emotion/whatever to be more accurate or it’s unnecessary.

Possibly/Likely/Probably/May/Might: much like some of the other weak words, these are just filler. Something either is or isn’t, and it’s best to describe here you can.

Probably Not with the way he was speaking to her.

Keep: if your character isn’t sure of something

Cut: if you can describe what’s happening, or it can be removed without changing the meaning

Somehow: this is usually an indicator of missing information

I thought I was an average girl in every way, and now I was somehow the first human to ever survive. (I don’t use somehow often. I am keeping it in this instance because none of the characters know how it happened yet.)

Keep: if your character is missing the information and doesn’t know how something became true or transpired

Cut: if you can explain how something came to be.

Adverbs: this is a great category of words to use in writing, but if used too often, it can distract from the story. A good rule is finding an even balance between adverbs and active verbs.

I squeezed her cold hand tightly in mine and made a promise to save her. Clenching her cold hand between mine, I promised to save her.

Keep: if it improves your writing by making it more clear and efficient.

Cut: if it makes more sense to use active verbs to describe what’s going on.

Totally/Completely/Absolutely: all filler words

He grinned at me, his plate almost completely full while mine was near empty. He grinned at me, his plate still full while mine sat devoid of even a crumb.

Keep: if it’s important to the story to know with 100% certainty, and this word gives the most accurate description

Cut: whenever it’s not needed

Thing/It: missing information/ lack of description

I was just accepting all the things they said as truth. I was just accepting all their fantastic explanations as truth.

Keep: if your character doesn’t know what it is

Cut: whenever you can find an actually description or name the object

Have any more words you think should be added to the list? If something does not make sense or you have questions, let me know down below.

If you’ve found this helpful: comment, like, reblog & follow for more :)

Happy Writing!

[writingonscrappaper]

If you want to write a dumb little story with a dumb little plot and ridiculously silly characters. No one's stopping you. Genuinely, no one should be allowed to stop you. Write that dumb story with your whole heart and don't hold back.

[writingonscrappaper]

here’s to closeted people. here’s to the closeted transmascs hiding their binders in between folded band tees. here’s to trans people spending three hours on baby name websites. here’s to young gay kids in sunday school being told marriage is between a man and a woman. here’s to young trans boys trying to carry three chairs with the rest of the boys when the teacher says to put them away. here’s to young aromantics and asexuals hearing that love and sex are what make you human. here’s to bisexuals who grew up hearing jokes about people like them but never once heard the word bisexual. here’s to people who use obscure labels to explain their gender. here’s to the neopronoun users. here’s to the she/theys who only get called she and the he/theys who only get called he. here’s to nonbinary people. here’s to people who knew when they were young. here’s to people who figured it out later in life. here’s to the people who know they’re queer but can’t find a good label & here’s to the people who don’t want a label. here’s to people who still don’t know. here’s to the closeted people seeing the pride sections in stores and feeling safe until they see their mother’s scowl. here’s to the closeted trans people going by five different names and trying to balance it all. here’s to queer kids with pride flags hidden in their closet. here’s to queer adults who thought they’d be out by now but aren’t. here’s to the people who came out too soon. here’s to the people who never will come out. here’s to disabled queer people, neurodivergent queer people, queer systems, and mentally ill queer people. here’s to queer bipoc. here’s for middle schoolers looking for the rainbow safe space stickers on their teacher’s doors. here’s to transsexuals and homosexuals and queers and fags and dykes. here’s to each stripe on the original pride flag (sex & life & healing & the sun & nature & art and magic & serenity & spirit). here’s to the homemade pride pins hiding in the bottom of a high school freshman’s backpack. here’s to the loud queer people. here’s to people who radiate queerness. here’s to people who make cishets uncomfortable. here’s to the elder queers. here’s to people in countries where being queer is outlawed. here’s to every single queer person. you’re loved & accepted & even if you’re not part of it yet somewhere there’s a community of people who will support u. happy pride <3

[writingonscrappaper]

Happy Pride Month - Celebrate with some Sapphic Shifter Slowburn!

Tired of seeing corporations who don’t care the other 11 months badgering you to buy their product during June? Well how about buying from a queer author who has no proper marketing skills and just really wants you to like her book?? 😆

A sapphic love story about revenge and healing—emotional AND physical, chock full of queer characters, including an asexual vampire lawyer, a nonbinary bar owner, a vampire/shifter lesbian couple, and of course the disaster bi characters the story centers around.

Available in physical form at Barnes and Noble, and ebook at Amazon, Kobo, B&N, Smashwords and Apple Books!

Happy Pride!

[writingonscrappaper]

fuuuuuuuuck

[writingonscrappaper]

I Think My Neighbour’s A Mobster - Final Cover & Progress News

So I’ve been silent for a hot minute on here, mostly cause I’ve been buried in my writing lol but good news!

My mafia romantic comedy is now off to beta readers! Once it comes back and I polish it up a bit more, it’ll be ready for preorder!! Excited!

To celebrate, have a peek at the cover art!

[writingonscrappaper]

👀 this makes me feel a lot better about the fact that my shifter romance is 120k words, and the next five planned in the series are gonna be just as long 😅

ngl I also wish this obsession with all books being light, fast-paced reads would end. maybe it's just because I'm getting old and spend ages reading books these days but not every book is designed to be quickly consumed and easily discarded, some books want you to sit with them and ruminate a little more. and why is that bad? why are you in such a hurry to rush to the next one?

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I Think My Neighbour’s A Mobster - Cover Art

We’re about 60k into this story now, so we’re nearing the end! Then it’s editing hell, and eventually release day!!

In the meantime, have a peek at the (for now) cover art I’ve made for this story that has dog walked me for the last month 😆

I’m about 90% sold on it, still kind of eyeing it and debating possibly changing some things, but for now, it’s making me very happy LOL

Now back to writing!!

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TO THOSE MAKING NATIVE OCS

I see this a lot, no one has actual names, or any reference for names, that are legit Native American, varying among the tribes, for their characters.

Babynames.com and shit like that will give you names made up by white people.

However, I’ve got your solution.

Native-Languages  is a good website to turn to for knowledge on a lot of native things, including native names. If you’re unsure about the names you’ve picked, they even have a list of made up names here!

Please don’t trust names like babynames.com for native names, they’re made up and often quite offensive to the cultures themselves.

[writingonscrappaper]

Snippet Sunday Saturday II - I Think My Neighbour’s A Mobster

I initially had this queued up to post tomorrow, but I’m too impatient, I couldn’t wait LOL I’m having too much fun with this story!

I’m almost 20k into this and showing no sign of slowing down LOL it’s so much fun, all the banter and playful cuteness that comes from the usual neighbours-to-lovers trope, but with the added spicy fun of one of them being a morally grey mafia member 😈 Carter is indeed proving to be a lot of fun to write, especially when I get to have moments where he interacts with his family, like this 😆

~~~~~~~~~~

"Alright, you got five minutes, then I'm throwing your ass out that window," Carter huffed as he shut the door, pointing to the open window behind his couch and watching as Liam walked around his home and looked the place over.

"Uh huh, like the way you threw me through Mom's garden doors last Thanksgiving?"

"If I'm remembering that night correctly, you spent about two hours that night picking glass and metal out of your skull," Carter reminded flatly, walking over to his counter and studying the platter of cupcakes on it before selecting one with blue frosting. "You've now got four and a half minutes."

"Mom wants you to come by for her birthday party," Liam spoke, flicking at the lamp that sat by the window he'd been threatened with, chuckling softly as he watched it light up at his touch. Tapping it a couple more times and watching it grow brighter before eventually shutting off.

"How is that news? She's been calling, texting and even emailing me about that for the last month."

"Yeah, and you haven't been answering them."

"My not answering is an answer."

"Come on, man, she's turning sixty," Liam insisted, walking over to the counter Carter was leaning against. He reached for one of the cupcakes, only for Carter to smack his hand, Liam yanking it back with a hiss. "Since when did you start baking?"

“I’m not going, Liam. Told you guys already, I’m out.”

“Yeah, you’re out, huh? That why Randall’s son was found dead in the river three nights ago?”

“Randall and his son are both pieces of shit, and whatever happened to Mikey was completely deserved,” Carter stated flatly, rolling his eyes as he finished off the cupcake and picked up the one Liam had reached for. Locking eyes with him as he took a large bite out of it.

“Right, so you’re gonna tell me that the son of a powerful drug dealer—“

“Oh please, that fuck is anything but powerful. He’s a smear on the bathroom floor.”

“—gets snatched off the street within twenty four hours of his right hand man going missing, and it’s got nothing to do with you?”

“Last I checked, that was Mom’s line of work, not mine.”

“No, if Mom had done it, we’d have found his guts stretched out along the road and a a warning letter stapled to his head after she stuck it on a fence post.”

“Hey, you sell drugs to teenagers, that’s what happens to you.”

“How’d you know he was selling to kids?”

That had Carter pausing mid chew, swallowing the mouthful of cupcake and setting the rest of it down with a heavy sigh. 

“Look, the fucker was told to back off. I gave him the same chance I gave to everyone else. He was told to get out of my neighbourhood, and he didn’t listen. I told you and everyone else, this is my part of the city, and I’m gonna keep it clean my way.”

“My point, Carter, is that you can’t sit there and act like you’re better than us, just because you chose to strike out on your own. We do a lot of good for this city, unburdened by all the bullshit red tape the law creates.”

“Holy fuck, you’ve got Mom’s speech memorized at this point, don’t you?”

“Why are you so damn insistent on cutting ties with all of us, if you’re gonna sit here and do the exact same thing yourself?”

“Because this way I get to decide what and how I do it, rather than having to follow Mom’s rules. I’m not her dog this way. I’m my own person.”

“Oh please. You’re just throwing a tantrum because you’re the youngest and therefore were rarely ever called on to do shit.”

“If I was so rarely needed, why are you all so desperate for me to come back to the family?” Carter demanded, watching as Liam scowled and looked away. Blinking a moment later and laughing sharply. “Oh shit, did Riley finally get herself offed? Have you finally been upgraded to eldest child, and now need to prove yourself to our mother, by bringing in the wayward son, in hopes of strengthening the family numbers again?”

“Riley’s not dead, she’s just in jail.”

“How in the fuck did Mom’s favourite end up in jail?” Carter froze, staring at the tense look on Liam’s face. “Oh shit, who’d she kill?”

“Valerie.”

“The fu—why?” Liam lifted an eyebrow, staring, and Carter groaned, burying his face into his hands.

“Oh, I’m gonna kill Declan.”

“Not if Mom finds him first. He bolted while Riley was strangling Valerie—“

“Wait, he was there?”

“Oh yeah, she caught them in bed together.”

“…tell me it was a motel.”

“Of course not.”

“So she found them both in her own bed…?”

“Yup. And while she was crushing Val’s windpipe, Declan ran from the room. He got his hands on a gun, but Riley managed to get a few good hits in on him and kept him from pulling the trigger. Did that little trick where she got the clip out while he held it. He busted her jaw with the gun and took off, but the neighbours had already called the cops since Valerie had been screaming bloody murder.”

“And with a dead body in the bedroom…”

“Yeah. Mom’s working her magic, but it’s all a huge fucking mess.”

“I’m sure she’ll have Riley out by the new year,” Carter assured, swiping a bit of icing off the half eaten cupcake and flicking it at Liam. Grinning as he flinched when it hit his cheek. 

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Snippet Saturday - I Think My Neighbour’s A Mobster

I’ve been recently possessed by an idea for a new original story, and have been writing almost feverishly for it LOL (I’ve also been screaming about it on my other tumblr, and figured I should finally put it here on my actual writing tumblr lol) Literally all other writing has been put aside, after reading a mobster story one of my friends is writing (and a fucking wonderful story it is 🥰 ) but my brain went, “Okay, but what if mobster ROMANTIC COMEDY???”

Which has resulted in me writing what has so far become a fucking adorable story about a woman who moves into a new apartment building and has some… concerns about her very polite next door neighbour and the odd things he gets up to…

~~~~~

“…I didn’t think people still brought their neighbours meals,” he admitted, and she couldn’t help smiling giddily at that low rumbling voice, shrugging her shoulders with a sheepish laugh.

“Yeah, I know, it’s kind of out of practice, but like I said, my grandmother was very particular about us showing our manners and being good neighbours. She’d have preferred I bring you a pie, but people can be picky about pie flavours, whereas it’s really hard to find someone who’ll turn down a chocolate chunk cookie. They’re out there, I’m sure, but I’ve yet to meet one!”

His mouth curved in that same grin he’d given Mrs. Neilson, and Eliza felt her stomach flip about, her own smile growing in response. 

“I’m certainly not one of them,” he assured, rubbing his hand on his pants for a moment before extending it to take the tray from her. She blinked at the sight of scars along his knuckles, and a particularly long slice that ran along the heel of his palm, but smiled and handed the platter over. 

“Don’t rush over returning the platter, I’ve got plenty of them.” 

“If these taste half as good as they smell, you’ll have it back by tomorrow cause they’ll be gone,” he warned, grinning at her in a way that had her giggling instinctively.

“Well, knowing me, I’ll have more baking done in no time, so if your sweet tooth is ever bothering you, just come knock on my door!” She smiled as he gave a strange look, one she couldn’t quite figure out, but he nodded as he pulled the tray into the apartment, setting it aside out of sight before offering his hand to her.

“I’ll keep that in mind. Welcome to the building.” Her smile was broad as she shook his hand, fascinated with the calluses and scars she could feel as she did so.

“Thank you very much, I’ll see you around!” With another happy laugh and a sheepish smile, she turned and trotted back to her own apartment. Appearing every bit the cheerful, happy neighbour until her door closed.

The instant she was out of sight, she collapsed back against the door, burying her face into her hands and groaning loudly. What the hell, she’d been giggling like a damn school girl at him the entire time!! She was a grown woman, what in the fuck? How did he have such an affect on her so easily?? She’d gone over there to make up for acting like a moron in the halls, and she’d ended up painting herself as the silly, ditzy neighbour!

A thought occurred to her that had her pausing before she groaned and tugged at her hair, grumbling loudly as she stalked over to her coffee machine.

She hadn’t even gotten his name!

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Carter shut the door and snapped all the locks closed. Staring intently at the plate of cookies that sat on the table beside his front door as he tucked the gun he’d held just out of sight back into its holster at the small of his back. Humming thoughtfully as he peeled back the plastic and picked up a cookie.

When was the last time he’d had a homemade cookie?

Bracing his free hand on his hip, he continued staring at the treat as he walked slowly back into his living room, a pensive look on his face.

“You know… I think that’s the first time in my life I’ve ever seen a neighbour bring over an introductory meal,” he mused in a thoughtful tone. “You see it happen all the time on tv, but I thought that was just a thing people made up. I didn’t think anyone in real life would actuallydo it.”

Turning the cookie over, he shifted his stare to the man tied to the chair that was centered in the middle of his living room, laughing gently. “I mean, you heard that whole conversation, right? I know your head’s likely pounding, but you had to have heard that, she was quite the talker. She’s a vast improvement over the last neighbour, that’s for sure.”

Carver leaned forward, smirking as the bloodied man in the chair cringed away from him in response. Waving the cookie near his face. “Seriously, smell that. Isn’t that fucking delicious? And she made these specifically for me. Do you know how long it’s been since someone made me a meal? I mean me, personally. Family dinners don’t count.”

Walking away a few paces, the plastic that covered the floor crinkling with his steps, Carver hummed again. “I was a bit irritated over having someone move in on this floor with me, cause it means I’m gonna have to be a lot more careful. But if she makes stuff like this on the regular?” 

He bit into the cookie and instantly groaned, leaning back against his kitchen counter and cursing as he chewed. “What the fuck, that’s so fucking good!” Staring down at the cookie, he shook his head, taking another couple bites. “Shit, I’m gonna get fat.”

Finishing the cookie off, he huffed, wiping his hands off on his pants before walking back over to the bound man, picking up the tenderizing hammer he’d set aside before answering the door. “Okay, so we’re gonna have to wrap this up real fast, cause those are delicious, and I’m gonna want more while they’re still warm. So you’re gonna start talking right fucking now. Cooperate, and I might even give you one of those cookies.”

He paused, glancing over and eyeing the tray for a moment before looking back at the trembling man. “…but it has to be really good information.”

[writingonscrappaper]

Month is nearly over, but no harm in trying!

Happiness Will Come To You.

[writingonscrappaper]

conducting an experiment