Sunday, March 29, 2020

How to start your fiction writing career

Prepare your writing environment: click here

Have you always dreamed about becoming an author in the fiction genre? Do you sit and daydream about doing book signings and seeing your handiwork being sold in book stores all across the world? If you answered yes to any of these questions, this article will help get you on the path to obtaining your goals!

Writing Down Your Ideas
Go out today and buy yourself a notebook that will only be used for your story ideas. While you are at it, buy the matching pens, sticky notes, and page tab holders to go with it.

Set Aside Some Time
After you have your notebook and accessories all set and ready to go, pencil in about thirty minutes to an hour on your busy calendar to sit down and write out your story ideas.

Consider Taking a Free Writing Course Online
Chances are you already have some type of writing skills or you would not be interested in writing a fiction book. However, one is never too old or established to learn! Take an online writing course to sharpen up your writing skills. One course in particular that will get you ready to write is The Crafty Writers Creative Writing Course. This course will teach you how to take your story ideas and turn them into the fiction novel you are dreaming about.

Creating Your Characters
This is a very important part of creating an enjoyable novel. You have to breathe life into each character as if they are real people living real lives. A good idea to achieve this task is to take bits and pieces about people you know and combine those traits with your fictional characters.
Not all characters can be good guys. You should have your “good guy” characters, but you also need to have the antagonistic characters (the “bag guys”). The antagonist will help to bring the struggle into your story.

Proper Story Layout
A book, as well as a movie, should have three main sections: The introduction, the struggle and the overcome. Think about your favorite movie. It has a short beginning, a lot of drama in the middle and the happily ever after in the end. Now, think about a movie that you did not like, chances are this movie started off way too slow and that made it feel boring. Ever watch a movie and after it ended you thought, “It ended just as it was getting good?” The reason for that is because the introduction was way too long and the struggle and overcome were way too short. Writing books work the same way. The introduction and the overcome are to be shorter than the actual struggle (the meat of the story).

Now that you have some really good and basic ideas about how to write a fiction book, take them and run with them. Get started today. Do not delay. The quicker you get started, the quicker you will get your first book completed.

Setting Reasonable Goals
Always remember to set reasonable goals for yourself. Writing a two hundred and fifty to a three hundred page novel is going to take you more than a week to write. It is good to have goals, but make them reasonable. If after looking at your calendar you feel that you will be able to dedicate three hours a week to writing, set your goals accordingly.

Some of the bold headlines in this article have links attached. Click on the links to learn more about that particular subject.

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Spreading cheer and encouragement during COVID-19


https://www.amazon.com/Deanna-Martinez-Bey/e/B00N4O44QK%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

Hello, world! So many of us are struggling right now with either sickness, financial hardships,  depression, or maybe even all three.

I am using this blog as a platform to share some happiness! If you are sitting home with extra time on your hands, use this time to focus on things that make you happy.

I have a food blog you might enjoy...as food brings joy to many of us: www.thefierywhisk.com 

And if you are a writer or have always wanted to be, I have written several articles that will help you on your journey:

Prepare your writing environment 

One of the best writing tips around: Set reasonable goals for yourself

How to stay accountable to your writing: Don't make excuses and share your project

What is the first draft and what do I do after I write it?

Writing a novel: How to come up with story ideas and plot twists

Organization tips for writers: Writing down ideas



Sunday, March 8, 2020

To the lady who handed me her dirty tissue...


free Adobe images

Oh, the joys of working at a fitness center! In addition to writing books, copy editing and social media management, I also work part-time at a local gym. It's an easy job, scanning membership tags, doing laundry and some easy data entry. But, the customer service aspect of this job gets me in some way, shape, or form every day.

Take today for example...

When someone walks up to the counter, I automatically extend my hand to take from them either their key tag, car keys or locker key. It is a natural reaction for me to reach out as someone approaches the counter.

I was busy chatting with a colleague as a lady approached. I stopped talking and reached my hand over the counter and this lady proceeded to hand me her dirty tissue! I can't even make this stuff up. First of all, why? Second of all, with all the worry over the big, "virus" going around, why? Thirdly, why?

I realized what was happening just before I touched her snot rag and pulled my hand away with the quickness of Spiderman. I looked at her like she had three heads and her response was, "I didn't see a trash can."

I pointed in the direction of the trash can, which was all of three feet away. I was disgusted! What if I would have touched it?

To the lady who handed me her dirty tissue: Why?

More from Author Deanna Martinez: 

Easy book writing tips

How to stay accountable to writing

My interview: The Average Joe podcast