writers

Digital Gifts for Writers under $10.00

Are you a last minute shopper? Do you not like waiting for things to arrive on your doorstep? Who doesn’t like instant gratification every once in a while?

Most of us have writers in their lives, heck, I am one. I know it’s hard to shop for us, because most of the time we’re hidden away in our caves. However, I’m here to assist you in getting a quick and dirty gift for your writer-loves.

Please, be aware that your writer (or you) must have access to a Kindle or E-Book reader app to take advantage of these gifts. Once you get to the buy page, look underneath the “One Click” button and you will see “Buy for Others” . Clicking this button will allow you to purchase these digital books for others.

Disclaimer: Please note, this post contains affiliate links. I may receive a small commission when you purchase through these links.

Happy shopping!

First up: The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi

I absolutely love this book. The entire book is a reference list as to how to describe emotions and how certain emotional issues your characters may have are expressed in their actions. Just reading the book can spark ideas that you probably wouldn’t have otherwise.

Click below to gift writer-love this gem of a reference book.

Next up is 2k to 10k: Writing Faster, Writing Better, and Writing More of What You Love….and who doesn’t want that? This is a little book I discovered when I was looking for a way write faster. If you have ideas on where you think your story may go, but when you sit down at the keyboard or with your journal, you feel stagnated, try this book. In addition, any writer will appreciate some tips and tricks on how to write faster, and at 2.99, it’s an inexpensive gift that keeps on giving.

Are you a plotter or a pantser? Doesn’t really matter, does it, as long as you’re getting those words down on paper. The key to writing and keeping on writing is to understand and internalize the essence of story structure and world-building. This book: Plot Gardening: Write Faster, Write Smarter by Chris Fox can give you the tools to kick your writing up a level. Click below to purchase:

Any romance writers in your life? Do you want to become a romance writer? Not only should you be reading in your genre, but picking up Gwen Hayes’ Romancing the Beat, will definitely help you get those romance beats just right. She even dissects one of her own stories as an example, and the eighties song references add some fun to the book.

Click below to purchase/gift:

At 99 cents (at the time of this blog post, please check prices before you click), Libbie Hawker’s “Take Off Your Pants” is both a fun and informative read. Learn how to create a character arc, plot, theme, antagonists and allies for your book, no matter the genre.

There you go! Don’t worry if you’ve waited until the last minute. These digital gifts are high in content and information. I’m sure your writer-love (or you) will use these book way beyond the holidays.

Until next time,

Dahlia

Who’s in Your Tribe – Motivation Monday

Hello! Thank you for joining me today on the blog.

Today, I’m naming names!

If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a thousand times: Writing is a very lonely pursuit. I’m not speaking of the times spent on social media talking/posting about writing; I’m talking about those long stretches of time where you’re either pounding furiously at the keyboard, staring at a blank screen, or slowly but surely plugging away at your goal. It’s a solitary pursuit, to be sure.

This is why, in those times where you need advice on a plot point, a pointer about advertising, or just a jump start to your creativity, you go to your tribe. If you don’t have a tribe, I highly recommend getting one.

Every tribe is different. People play smaller or larger roles, but all your tribe members are important, because they are in YOUR tribe and they help you get through this writing life.

Note, I specifiy writing life, because your writing tribe may be different from your work tribe, which in turn may be different from your family tribe (or Fam Tribe, as my 13 year old daughter says). Point is, they are a cornerstone of that area of your life.

Today, I want to talk about my Writing Tribe, my Mermaid Squad, my Unicorn Legion. These are the writers (and “civilians” lol) who have helped me in some way throughout my writing career.

Kassanna Dwight – She reached out to me when we were both at Evernight Publishing, showed me how the “new” type of e-publishing worked. (I was running on the “two books a year” model, and she set me straight pretty quick.) She now runs the Interracial Author and Reader Expo down in Florida every year. She really gave me the boot I needed in the beginning to get started and keep going.

Lynn Chantale – Lynn was and is always up to hash out plot points. I can message her with the wildest plot: Say, a cat, who’s a shifter cat, like a Maine Coon. So, if they met a werewolf, how do you think they’d get along? No plot twist is too outrageous. She will work with me until it’s hashed out!

Mya Lairis – I met Mya when I got on with Loose Id (which is sadly, no longer in existence). I was so impressed with her body of books, and found her werewolf books to be refreshing different. She’s also good for a “what if” scenario and is super encouraging. Plus, she crochets and has great cats! She is the driving force behind Colors in Darkness, which is a group that focuses on horror, dark fantasy, and speculative fiction by people of color.

Eden Royce – Another publisher match – I “met” Eden when I had a book with Mocha Memoirs Press. An editor as well as an excellent short story writer (her work has appeared in magazines such as Fiyah and Strange Horizons), she’s also good for a fast turnaround beta read. Like within a day on a short story. I mean, we know how that goes, the story is hot from our twitching little fingers, and boy, we need someone to read it RIGHT NOW!!

Shyla Colt – Who doesn’t love a crafter? Shyla writes, makes soap, corrals children, and still finds time to offer encouragement on the (sometimes) weird stuff I want to write. Who gets messages where they have to clarify as such: “Okay, so he’s a unicorn shifter who works on a cardboard factory at night and is a vigilante on a motorcycle by night? Yeah, that works! Write it! LOL No plot or creature is too strange for us writers!

Taige Crenshaw – I’ve only recently met Taige, but the effect she has had on my writing life has been simply phenomenal. For the first time in yeeeeeaaaaarrssss, I’ve got a writing schedule that makes sense. I’ve got books that actually relate to each other. No idea is too far fetched for Taige. She has an answer for nearly every writing issue, and is overflowing with tips, tricks, and encouragement. Didn’t have a good writing week? Taige will give you exactly one pat on the head, and say “Now, how are you going to change going forward?” It’s all about taking action to improve the future instead of wallowing in past writing mistakes. She gives her time, and her vast, vast, VAST experience in the publishing world. She is a prolific writer who knows how to put words to paper and I am so happy to have met her. (Check out her site Designer’s Edge Ink for information on coaching and courses etc. You won’t be sorry.)

So, there you go. My writing tribe. The people above are important because they either held my hand and nodded or put a foot in my behind when I needed it.

Having a good tribe of positive people around you is more important than you can imagine. They drag you over the rough spots and cheer when you succeed. This is so important when you’re working by yourself most of the time.

So…who’s in your tribe?

Till next time,

Dahlia

For Writers Only: Coping with Criticism

Writing is not a profession for the faint of heart. Sure, you wrote a paragraph or two about how the end of The Walking Dead should have been, or an alternate version of Breaking Bad’s nursing home scene (I’m still sick sick sick over that) , but when you REALLY take the plunge, you’ll know.

The Degraded Life of a Writer
Let’s look at the downward spiral you will take. First, you have to complete a story, a task in and of itself. Many different endings will present themselves to you, if you’re lucky to get that far. Otherwise, you’ll dilly dally around the middle, adding in a character, or three, perhaps a death or some kind of natural disaster to get you through the classic “center of story” slump. Or, you’ll shilly shally around the beginning, crafting that perfect first word, sentence, paragraph, chapter, over and over again. Whatever way you choose, you’re doomed. DOOMED. (Can you hear Hector Salamanca’s bell?)

Second, once the piece is finished (again, if you get that far), you either give it to a beta reader or an editor. Prepare to be humiliated. Not that your beta/editor is doing it on purpose (usually), far from it. They are there to help. But about your lovely golden-y words, your figures of speech and witty conversations between your perfect, perfect, characters? They’re going to be cut, slashed and twisted. Shall I tell you why? When you sit in front of a blank screen and fill it with words, you are the wittiest, smartest, creativest (not a real word) person in the world. In fact, I feel exactly that way now as I type this. No one can write a blog post like I can! Bwuahahahaha! Bow to my wit and abjectly funny sentences.

Two Types of Criticism
This is where we come to the criticism part. There are two types and sometimes, it’s hard to tell them apart. In the previous paragraph, I speak about a beta reader or editor cutting and slashing your words so they are more cohesive and make sense. If you’ve selected your partners in crime carefully, they have nothing except positive thoughts, daisy, and hearts in their souls for you. They want you to do well. And while you weep at your precious words and sentences writhing on the floor, deep in your trembling heart, you know it’s for the best.

That’s constructive criticism. And if you get someone who is willing to read your stuff and give you clear-eyed and on point critique? Tie them up in the basement and never let them go. Well, maybe not the basement. Add an extra bedroom. These people are precious, and will you tell you like it is. We writers CRAVE this.

Then, there’s the other kind of criticism. This type if from people who don’t really know your voice, don’t know/understand your background and either don’t want to “get” you or don’t care if you succeed or not. These are the people who will read your stuff, then want you to change the name of a character because “they don’t like it”. Or, they don’t like both characters being in the same profession. Note: If a person gives a valid REASON as to why these things rng hollow in your writing, then that’s a different story (see what I did there?).

Now, none of this is as obvious as “I don’t like your writing”. It’s a more insidious form of criticism. It’s designed to tear you and your choices down, under the guise of “critique”. You want to know if your story resonated with people, not if one being an elementary school teacher and the other being a professor raises someone hackles. If it doesn’t make a difference in the story, then what of it?

Even better when they say “this story reminds me of xxxx”. Well, NATCH! There’s only so many stories to write, so many plots to twist, so many character traits to combine. Though the idea may be similar, the story is YOUR story and YOUR story only.

Dealing with Criticism
So, after all this chitter chatter, how are you to deal with this?
Keep your emotions in check. After all, even with the meanest (in your eyes) criticism, something good may be lurking in the wings. Don’t take it personally.

Ignore it and find another beta/editor. Not all beta/editors are created alike. Find someone who walks a balance between understanding what’s “popular” and understanding your way of creating. Sometimes they dovetail, sometimes they don’t.

Ask questions. Nothing stops someone in their critique tracks than asking the reasons behind a particular criticism. Sometimes you get something you can use, sometimes….yeah, you guessed it, you don’t. If you hear “I don’t like so and so’s name”. You ask, “Why don’t you like it? What effect does that have on the story?” If they can’t answer the second question to your satisfaction, then shine that ish on.

Be respectful and thank them. Even if you think what they said was more fit for a farm field than your ears, listen calmly and thank them for their feedback (after you’ve asked some probing questions). This is where your acting skills come into play!

All it all, it’s not SO tough being a writer. You get to wear what you want and if you’re like me, use writing time as an excuse to write the movie and TV shows you wish someone would write. For reals, tho, right?

Keep your head up and pen to paper. Until next time.

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