Quote of the Moment

"What's Past Is Prologue." - William Shakespeare

Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Writing Prompt #4: Turn Back Time

I've decided to stick to the time theme for a bit. Life really does revolve around time, and it's fun to explore the different facets. So, here we go with a Writing Prompt -- the first in a long time! Heh.

Any past Tips & Prompts can be found on my website: Writing Tips & Prompts.

Writing Prompt #4: Turn Back Time

Turning back time. Are we in a science fiction story? Nope, not quite. Though you could always convert this prompt into one if you'd like.

Almost everyone has regrets, and those regrets usually stem from decisions we've made -- decisions that hindsight indicates were wrong (though hindsight isn't always right either). Confused yet? Wondering what this has to do with a writing prompt? No, sorry, I'm not delving into your psyche. This isn't a therapy session. Though, like the science fiction story, you could always make it into one. After all, writing can be quite therapeutic.

Therapy aside, delve into your memories and pick a time when you made a decision that you feel was the wrong one. Now, think about what would have happened if you chose differently. First, write down the immediate difference. Then go from there. What would your present look like if you would have done something differently in your past? Follow the dominoes as they fall, each change leading to a new one.

Or if you don't want to explore a regret in your life, pick a time you made the right decision and your life was better for it. Then consider what would have happened if you'd chosen a bad path instead. What other occurrences and decisions would that have led to?

This is a great way to explore cause and effect, which is so important in fiction. Every action has a reaction, and every choice will change the path of your character. Since you know yourself well, it's easier to map out the possible differences due to a changed decision, which you can then apply to your fiction.

In essence, writing out how much your life would have morphed due to different choices is fiction itself. With a few tweaks, you could even change it into a story in whatever genre you'd like.

You want me to give it a whirl? Let's see...

In my 20s, I had a bit of an obsession with Mage Knight (if you don't know what this is, Google it). I wanted to collect all the rare figures in every set. To do this, I bought Mage Knight booster packs by the case. And I told myself I'd actually play the game as well. Of course, I never actually played, and I still have a bunch of Mage Knight figures packed away in a closet.

What if I never sunk all that money into those Mage Knight figures?

I would have saved hundreds of dollars. True, I could have just spent it on another silly obsession. But what if I'd spent it more wisely? Put it toward my student loans, perhaps. I'd have much less debt right now. Invested it for the long term -- money saved for retirement (though, let's face it, I'm a writer, I'll only retire when my brain truly comes unhinged).

Or... and here comes the true fantasy. I could have spent it all on lottery tickets and hit it big! Today, I'd live in my dream re-modeled Victorian and be able to hire someone to clean my house and watch my kids while I write until my heart's content. Ah, if only.

Then a fairy would come along and steal it all.

Go on, give it a try. You don't need to be too serious. Turn back time and explore how different life might be. And write!

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Mini Mind Splat #4: Time

MINI MIND SPLAT WARNING: Nothing I comment on is meant to offend. It's simply my opinion and how I feel about certain things (mostly inconsequential things). I'd love to see thoughts from others in the comments. Just remember, have fun with it. This isn't meant to be super serious.

Time. Such a fickle thing.

When we're kids, we feel like we have all the time in the world. It's awesome, freeing. And when we're eager for something to arrive or be done, time always slows to a crawl. At least that's how it was for me when I was young.

Now? Time speeds by as fast as light. You blink, and an hour's gone. Working on a project that you think will only take an hour? Look at the clock, it's been three.

Am I right? This can't just be me. It seems the older I get the quicker time ticks by. The long list of things I should do added in with the list of things I want to do just never seem to get done because time is gone with the snap of my fingers.

Maybe it's because more things demand our time as we get older, but when I think back to college even, I wonder how I had so much time then and so little time now. And I feel like I squandered that time I had. Why didn't I write more? Why didn't I read more? Why the hell didn't I fill it up with all of the things I want to do now?

Time is supposed to be measured precisely, every second, every minute the same length, immutable. But for me, it shifts and changes, and laughs at me when I think I have more of it than I truly do.

What I'd give to be a kid again, ignorant, seeing the hours stretch before me, endless.

Instead I need to parcel out every second and make sure I'm using my time wisely.

How long did it take to write this post?

Thursday, February 14, 2019

Free Books! Reviews! (Click Bait Title? Lol.)

OK, I wanted to have a little fun with the title because... I can. =P Although, there is a possibility of free books, which are also connected to reviews, of course.

I'm currently looking to add people to my ARC Readers List. What the hell does that mean? (Some of you may wonder, but some of you probably know already.)

ARC stands for Advanced Reader Copy. Now, traditionally this means that an author offers copies of her book before it's published (it could still need a final proofreading pass, in some cases) to people for review.

In my case, all of my ARCs are usually sent once the title is published. This is mostly due to the fact that you can't post reviews on Amazon until a book is available for sale, and I prefer not to screw around with giving people a copy early only to have them forget to post a review once the book is on sale.

I guess I could call it an RC (Reader Copy or Review Copy), but ARC is so widely used in the publishing community that it's just easier to keep it that way. Lol.

Anyway, are you interested in receiving a copy of some of my titles in exchange for an honest review? If so, read on!

Here's the rundown of how it works. If you're interested, you fill out my ARC Readers List Form. At my discretion, I'll decide who to accept as an ARC Reader. Either way, you'll be contacted within a week or two of your form submission.

If I accept you as an ARC Reader, the email will include a link to sign up for my ARC Readers Newsletter. I know, another newsletter, but it's the easiest way for me to distribute review copies of my books. The newsletter will only be used to send review copies as well as reminders to review one month after I've sent the aforementioned review copies. Oh, and sometimes a status update if I don't send anything for a year because life exploded on me. Heh.

Once you're on the ARC Readers List, you should get a welcome message with a Books2Read link to my current permafree story, Dreams in Shadow (Fortunes of Fate, 1). This will be the first title you're asked to review! The Books2Read page will list which retailers you can snag it from (and if you notice one isn't set to free, please email me to let me know and I'll get it fixed).

After the welcome message, when I release a new title that I'd like reviewed, I'll send the newsletter with direct download links in MOBI, EPUB, and PDF. Please remember this is just a review copy for personal use. Do not share or distribute this copy.

Once you read the title, you'll leave an honest review on your retailer (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, etc.) or website (Goodreads, Blog, etc.) of choice. I then ask for a quick email to let me know you've posted a review (since, you know, I don't stalk my reviews, but I do like to know when my awesome ARC Readers leave a review). I'll send a review reminder one month after I send the review copies to those who haven't left a review yet.

Also, I will remove people at my discretion, but most reasons will include one of the following: if I find anyone distributing copies, if anyone is receiving copies and not leaving any reviews (I know each person may not review every title I send, but some are expected -- otherwise, why are you on an ARC List?), and if I need to trim the list.

And remember, a review is just your opinion. All you need to post is what you liked or didn't like about the book, and reviews don't need to be long -- they can be short and sweet.

So, are you still interested? Then pop on over to my ARC Readers List Form and fill it out!

If you have any questions or need any clarification you're welcome to ask in the comments or send a message via my contact form. Happy reading, all!

Thursday, February 07, 2019

Mini Mind Splat #3: Sleep

MINI MIND SPLAT WARNING: Nothing I comment on is meant to offend. It's simply my opinion and how I feel about certain things (mostly inconsequential things). I'd love to see thoughts from others in the comments. Just remember, have fun with it. This isn't meant to be super serious.

Sleep. Lovely, beautiful, torturous sleep.

I have so many things I can comment on about sleep, that I'm not even sure where to start. That I'm a night owl and love sleeping in even when the sun's rays are filtering into the room? Or how many of us take this glorious activity for granted? Possibly how when I was younger I could get away with far less sleep than I do now? So many possibilities!

Focus. I need to focus. I can always have a Mini Mind Splat: Sleep, Part 2, right?

I'll talk a little about college days first. All-nighters! Who's pulled some of these to get projects done? Or even to play video games? Yes, yes, sleep is super important, and we shouldn't be depriving our bodies of it, but admit it, you've done it at least once in your life (and if you haven't, that means you are awesome at time management, plus have stellar self-control -- I envy that).

When I was young, this wasn't too hard. I mean, as long as I didn't do it several nights in a row. And I wouldn't want to because I love sleep. It's seriously one of my favorite things, ever since I was young and conjured stories in my head to get myself to drift off. But that's a tangent...

Back to the all-nighters. Wasn't it great when you had the reserves to manage this (or great now if you're still young)?

Nowadays, the thought of an all-nighter brings me to tears. Heck, I stayed up until Midnight last night working on cover art for my short story collection, and I'm seriously regretting staying awake that long. An all-nighter would have me passed out on my keyboard the next day if I had to do it nowadays. I could blame the kids wearing me out, or that I'm not getting enough "quality" sleep on a nightly basis (cats clawing at closed doors don't help with this one), or even the lack of motivation to even try it, but in all honesty, I think it's just because I'm getting too old. And I need more sleep.

I'd blather on, but I think I'm going to take a nap instead. ;)

How much do you or did you used to abuse all-nighters? Never, minimally, way too often? How'd you feel afterward, and what were your reasons for avoiding the necessity of sleep?