Author: Nicole Luttrell

I'm a speculative fiction writer. That means I write about dragons, ghosts and spaceships. Sometimes I write about the ghosts of dragons on spaceships.

Ten toxic lies I believed about being a writer

I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was thirteen years old.

Thirteen years old is still basically a child, despite the insistence to the contrary by any thirteen-year-old. And some Republican lawmakers. Children don’t have a very good grasp of what their dream careers actually look like. When a kid wants to be a doctor they don’t imagine the paperwork or fighting with insurance companies. And when a kid dreams of being a writer, they don’t picture staring at a screen with a brain that can’t give them anything but the lyrics to the Carmon Sandiego theme song.

My perception of what a writer does and what kind of lives they live have changed dramatically in the two-plus decades since I was thirteen. My perception of a lot of things has changed, thank God. But some of these toxic beliefs followed me further into adulthood than I’d like to admit. Some of them didn’t go away until I started meeting and spending time with other writers.

Some of these still haunt me today. So I wanted to share them with you. To call them out for the limiting bullshit they are.

All writers are very serious people

I thought this about college professors, too. Until one asked during a Zoom convention panel if another panelist’s dog was ‘pickupable’.

I love that man.

This one really messed with me, because I am not a very serious person. I am a very silly person. I like watching children’s shows and painting with my cats.

But no, you don’t have to be a serious person to be a writer. Even if you’re going to write about serious things.

All writers are very smart people

All you have to do is meet a few writers to know this one’s bullshit. Or read some books that have been published by actual publishing companies.

This was great news to me, though, because I do not consider myself a very smart person anymore that I consider myself a very serious person. I am clever. I am smart about many things, but not everything. About some things, I am a dingus.

That’s kind of the human condition, though. So please don’t ever feel like you’ve got to be smart all the time to be a good writer.

Writers write all the time

And I mean, all the time. Real writers, as I thought when I was a kid, want to write all the time. They skip meals, don’t go out, have trouble keeping a day job, and make terrible partners because they just don’t want to do anything at all but write.

Or read.

And while that seems lovely in theory, it’s not exactly realistic. For one thing, most of us do not want to write and read all the time in the same way that we don’t want to eat ice cream and sushi all the time. It sounds fantastic until you do it. Then you realize you miss French onion soup.

You are allowed to enjoy other things and still be passionate about writing. This world is too full of amazing experiences to limit ourselves. Even if it’s our very favorite thing.

Writers are often tortured by their work

How often do we see this in the media? A writer is suffering from writer’s block. They can’t think of an ending. They can’t get their character right. Their plotlines are more tangled than secondhand yarn.

It’s tearing them apart, Lisa!

Look, I’m not going to say that I never feel messed up when my writing isn’t going well. But it doesn’t wreck my whole day. Rather, it’s a puzzle I’ll keep coming back to. A song that gets stuck in my head because I don’t know all the lyrics. But most writers aren’t chain-smoking because they can’t get a line of dialog right.

Writers focus more on their work than their family

Maybe this is just the inherent guilt I felt being raised in a church that discouraged women from doing anything for themselves. But yes, I understand this concern very well.

Let me tell you, it’s not going to kill your family to deal without you for an hour. And no, writing will probably not, as we already discussed, take all of your time away so you have no time to care for the people who depend on you.

Drinking makes you a better writer

I don’t know where this one got started. I can’t write well when I’m drinking. I can’t even string sentences together without using fuck like a comma. I’m sure not writing anything worth a damn.

Worse, being dependent on a muse that comes from a bottle (or other places) only kills you. You need to be healthy to write. Overindulging in drinking isn’t a healthy decision.

Stay safe, drink tea.

The only way to be a real writer was to be traditionally published.

Boy howdy, was this one wrong. And because I was so sure that this was the truth, I jumped in with both feet for the first company that would take me.

We see how that turned out.

Self-publishing used to be laughed at. But these days it’s a respected option and one that I am so glad to see.

Once you are traditionally published, your career is on lock

I think we also know that this one didn’t work out how I thought it would.

Anything can happen in the publishing industry. Your company can liquidate. Or drop you. Or decide to break your contract. Or maybe your book doesn’t sell as well, so they refuse to buy any more books from you. The point is, just because you have a published book doesn’t mean you’re set. You’ve still got to put in that hustle.

Writers don’t bother with social media

Maybe this is just because I’m a bit older, but I never thought writers would be on social media as much as we are. And honestly, I love it. I keep up with my favorite writers and my writing friends. Social media also allows me to let people know what projects I have going on.

Real writers only write books or poetry

This one is a killer. So many writers write screenplays, scripts, podcasts and blogs. There are some fantastic writers on Wattpad.

Yes, I am a novelist. But I’m also a scriptwriter. I’m also a professional critic and blogger. These are all also valid writing. And even if I didn’t write novels, I would still be a real writer.

Remember, all you have to do to be a writer is to write. Everything else is a bonus. But also, don’t develop a drinking problem.

We are still doing our Paper Beats World anniversary giveaway. Like this post and leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of Virus. See you tomorrow.

If you liked what you saw here today, please consider liking and sharing this post. Or you can support the site financially on Ko-fi.

Broken Patterns is available now for preorder! You can order it now on Amazon.

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We need to talk about A Well-Trained Wife

Sorry, today’s post isn’t ten-themed. There will be more of that this week. But I just finished A Well Trained Wife by Tia Levings. And I need to talk about it.

Like, a lot.

For those who saw Happy, Shiny People on Amazon, Levings’s name might sound familiar. That documentary introduced me to her, as well as Fundy Fridays, one of my favorite YouTube channels. It also set off a very long journey into the anti-fundamentalist movement for me. A Well Trained Wife is part of that journey.

A gut punch part, but a part nonetheless.

I feel like I sat across from Tia over coffee and heard all of this. I delighted in her successes. I felt rage when people abused her. Honestly, after reading this book I kind of want to put her ex-husband’s name in a vinegar jar. The only thing stopping me is that I doubt Tia would be too happy with that.

This book talked about a lot of situations I have personal experience with. I was also in a physically abusive relationship. I was also raised in a high-control fundamentalist religion. I also escaped from both. Maybe that’s why I have such a strong reaction to this book. Maybe there are way too many of us who might feel that way.

And I have one more thing in common with Tia, which I’ll get to soon. In the meantime, I want to talk about why this book was so powerful, and why everyone should read it.

So many horrible, beautiful lines

When you read A Well Trained Wife, you might want to do so with a highlighter. Or at least the highlighter function on your tablet at the ready. Because there are so many lines that jump off the page and demand to be remembered. Of course, the best example of this is the tagline for the book.

“Today it hit me when he hit me, blood shaking in my brain. Maybe there wasn’t a savior coming. Maybe it was up to me to save me.”

Damn Tia, I feel like I got hit after reading that line.

Her healing hasn’t been easy

I thought Tia’s story was going to end after she escaped from her ex-husband and divorced him. But the story went on. She talked, openly and honestly, about her healing process. How it wasn’t a straight line. There were setbacks, backtracking. She got into a relationship too early. She had to go to several therapists before she found one who helped her. She got sick and had to help heal herself. She had to rest. She wasn’t able to be the mother she wanted to be.

I think too often we end stories too soon. We don’t see the emotional fallout. The monster is defeated, the hero saves the day, and we assume everyone’s going to live happily ever after.

This is fine in fiction, to a point. But it’s not how real life works. When we experience trauma, we have to heal from that. We don’t just bounce back. Especially after years and years of trauma.

When I left an abusive situation, I was very much in that movie healing headspace. I left that ex, left my high control group church, and thought life would be all good. After all, I was free at last!

But it’s not that simple. Leaving is, first off, not always safe. It’s not always easy. Sometimes some factors mean you have to keep seeing your abuser and smiling like we’re all friends now. Shouldn’t we be able to laugh about the time he shoved me against the wall and grabbed my arm so hard he left bruises? Oh, was I not supposed to tell the new girlfriend that story? Oh well, here’s that box of T-shirts you left in the back of the closet. See you later!

Healing is healing. And healing from emotional trauma takes time. I am still healing from my experiences. And Tia is as well.

We don’t expect someone who survived a house fire to be out to brunch with a smile the next day. We shouldn’t expect it of people healing from trauma either. And I hope that I’m not the only one who feels seen reading this.

Her message is terrifying, and it’s one that I can echo

As I’ve already hinted, I have a lot of the same trauma as Tia. However, I do want to point out that I never experienced anything as horrific as she did. I grew up in a high-control church, surrounded by women who toed the gender expectation line and insisted that I do the same.

Levings says that she wrote this book because she wants to warn people about the rising of Fundamental values in our country. The Joshua Generation is rising. And those of us who escaped that life, those who still carry physical and emotional marks, are terrified of it. And we’ve got to sound the warning.

We cannot force gender expectations on people. Especially the children coming up. It kills kids. Men and women suffer under this umbrella of expectations that most if not all of us fall short of. That none of us should expect of ourselves.

Look, I don’t talk about my faith a lot here because it’s very personal, but I feel compelled to say this. Gender norms are defined by people, not God. God does not care if girls wear jeans or boys wear skirts. God wants us to thrive, and care for each other.

As the prophets Bill and Ted say, be excellent to each other. That’s all that matters.

Making someone feel shitty because they don’t fall in line with made-up owner manuals our genitals seem to come with is not being excellent to each other.

Writing saved her

Finally, as this is a writing blog, I’d like to bring our discussion back to writing.

A lot of things came into Tia saving herself. Her maternal need to protect her children. Her friendships woven across the country across the internet. Her bravery. Her kindness.

It was also her writing, though.

Her writing was an outlet while she was trapped. Her writing gave her an outside community that her husband couldn’t control. Her need to create gave her the strength to stand up for herself. It empowered her to seek God in a new home.

Writing saved her.

Writing saved me, too.

Your art can save you. It can give you freedom in a cage. Sanity in an insane world. Quiet in a storm. Or a safe place to be the storm yourself.

I highly encourage you to read A Well-Trained Wife. It is a hard read, but so very worth it.

Be who you are.

Cling to your art with bared claws.

Don’t forget, we’re still doing giveaways for the Paper Beats World anniversary series. Like this post and leave a comment for a chance to win You Can’t Trust the AI. See you tomorrow.

If you liked what you saw here today, please consider liking and sharing this post. Or you can support the site financially on Ko-fi.

Broken Patterns is available now for preorder! You can order it now on Amazon.

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Ten kinds of books every writer should read

Before we begin, I just found out that Natalie Goldberg put out a new book in July. How did nobody tell me? And she wrote a whole book about haikus?

Don’t worry, reviews are forthcoming. Just as soon as I read them.

Today, though, I want to talk about a different kind of book. Ten different ones, to be specific.

Some of the best writing advice from Stephen King is to “Read a lot and write a lot.” Alright, fair enough. But what should we read?

There are many lists of books writers should read to be better at our craft. And while that’s great and all, these lists can be highly subjective. My original plan for this post was to write a list of books I think every writer should read. But there again, my list was highly subjective. I always suggest Dance Macabre, but that book isn’t going to do shit for you if you write historical fantasy.

So what we have instead is a list of ten kinds of books every writer should read. Feel free to fill in the blanks yourself.

Books everyone loves

The ever-popular books are popular for a reason. Well, sometimes. Sometimes things are popular just because they’re popular. But even then, it doesn’t hurt to know why everyone in your internet circles can’t shut up about a book.

Books everyone hates

Sometimes you hear about a book for very different reasons, because no one can shut up about how bad it is.

Reading a bad book can be incredibly educational. You learn all the things not to do. This is easier with a laugh track though, if you can get it. A great example of this is the Behind The Bastards episode where Robert reads a book by Ben Shapiro.

(Take a bullet for you, Babe. IYKYK.)

Books in your genre

This one’s a no-brainer, right? And if you’re writing in a genre, you’re probably already a fan. No one had to tell me to read Stephen King and Anne McCaffrey. I just wanted to.

Books as far removed from your genre as possible.

This is the one that seems to throw people. But we don’t learn to write just by reading our own genre. We learn by reading widely. We also open ourselves up to unexpected joy. For instance, I have no interest in writing historical fiction. But I read the hell out of Philippa Gregory.

A brief understanding of other genres can greatly help your understanding of your own. And there’s always a chance you’ll be inspired by it. While I’m not likely to write historical fiction, I might write a historical fiction slasher.

That’s a pretty good idea.

Books that teach you about writing

I love books that teach you about writing. Mostly because I love to hear other writers talk about writing.

Even if you don’t agree with all of the advice, it’s great to get someone else’s perspective on the craft. Some of my favorites are On Writing, Elements of Style, and anything Natalie Goldberg writes.

Books that teach you about anything else

Anything you learn can feed your writing. I mean anything. I’ve toured coal mines my whole life (I live in Western PA) and this has influenced my writing. You can see it even in my fantasy work, like in Starting Chains.

Read about history, science, and politics. Read about anything that sparks interest in you. I often find I don’t even try to intentionally write about things I learn in my books. I just do it. The book I’m writing right now is going to have a character who likes bugs because I like bugs.

Learn about anything that brings you joy.

Books that teach you the history of your genre

I mentioned Dance Macabre earlier. It’s an overview of the gory history of horror.

I’m sure it isn’t the only one like that. And I’m equally sure that there are books that go over the history of other genres. I just haven’t found them yet.

Understanding the roots of your genre is imperative. Even if you don’t love the classics (and some of them are dry AF) it’s important to know them.

I’ve read Dracula. I’ve read Frankenstein, Dr. Jeckle and Mr. Hyde, Beowolf, The Oddessy, and Lord of The Rings. Some of these these were fantastic. Some were a learning experience. None of them were ever a waste of my time.

Short story collections

Every story has something to teach us about writing. Short stories are a different form of storytelling than novels. So if you want to write short stories, and there are many reasons to write short stories, it stands to reason that you’d want to read enough of them to see how a smaller plot and smaller cast are achieved.

Poetry collections

Writing an eloquent, beautiful line is a joy. Conveying an emotion that seems brand new and also impossible to deny. Like dust brushed off a desk flutters in a sunbeam, dancing fairies who might have attracted the muses if we weren’t so intent upon our cleaning.

You can picture that, can’t you? I certainly hope so.

The best place to find this sort of writing is in poetry. Poetry is like a sketch of an emotion. It should make you feel like you’re standing in a certain place at a certain time.

If you can convey this in prose, you’re doing alright.

Comic books

Finally, I’d like to make the suggestion that you read some comic books.

Comic books, first off, have some fantastic stories. Especially the indie ones. Bone was fantastic. So was Transmetropolitan, The Boys, Maus, and Preacher.

Reading comic books lets you focus on the dialog. I read a lot of comics when I’m working on AA scripts because that’s all dialog. It was a great education. And, frankly, it was fun.

We are on day five of the PBW Anniversary celebration. Like this post and leave a comment to be entered to win a copy of Quiet Apocalypse. And I’ll see you back here again tomorrow.

If you liked what you saw here today, please consider liking and sharing this post. Or you can support the site financially on Ko-fi.

Broken Patterns is available now for preorder! You can order it now on Amazon.

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My ten favorite writing content creators

Writing isn’t a team sport. But it also kind of is. We’re not all shooting for the same goal. We’re not all scoring the same, or even using the same metric to define what scoring means. We’re often competing against each other for spots in magazines, podcasts and publishing companies. Some of us are showing up for practice every day, some are more weekend contributors.

But we are all on the same team, even if it feels like some of us are playing football while others are playing lacrosse. Because every time one of us hooks a new reader, that person will be a reader forever.

Since most of us don’t live in a big lovely writing commune, our main way of interacting with our fellow writers is online. And it feels like there’s a new way to do that every week. It should surprise no one that what writers want to talk about the most is writing.

Today I want to share with you a list of my top ten favorite writing content creators. Some of these people are educational. Some are inspirational. Some I follow because they say out loud the things I was already screaming in my head. While most of these are Instagram accounts, there are some YouTube and even podcasts included as well. Inspiration can come from anywhere.

Ursie.writes

Rory Ursula’s Instagram is so aesthetically appealing. It’s all pinks and grays and tans. I love it.

Aside from the aesthetics, you’ll find mini moments of writing frustrations and joys. I don’t so much learn from this Instagram, but I feel seen.

Bert Slenchner

Bert’s Instagram writing inspiration comes in the form of his personal goal-setting. He shares his progress, his cooking, and his cats. It’s a friendly feed.

Escape Pod

This is an aspirational podcast for me. It’s easily some of the best short fiction around. And they will sometimes do interviews with the authors, which is wonderful.

Mary Robinette Kowal

Following Mary Robinette on Instagram is like following an auntie who writes. She shares her work, writing tips, and videos of her cat Elsie.

Nanowrimo

Specifically, I’m talking about the Nanowrimo Instagram feed. It’s full of writing joy and inspiration. And while it usually updates more around November, April and July, there’s always something going on.

Write as Rain

AKA Rain Sullivan, this Instagram feed is so funny. It shares Rain’s frustrations and joys along her writing journey. These are so relatable it feels like she reached inside my head to pull them out.

John Green Writes Books

Yes, that John Green.

While he doesn’t post often, Green’s quiet determination about his writing career is amazing. He is the steadfast voice we all need.

Behind the Bastards

Yes, this is a podcast. Yes, it’s mostly about bad people doing horrible things. However, they sometimes read books by horrible people. Horrible people who write horrible books.

These book readings are masterclasses in what not to do when writing a book. They’re like an inoculation against shitty behavior on the page.

Writing Excuses

I know I’ve mentioned this podcast before, but it continues to be a fantastic place for writing inspiration. While the hosts change over time, the writing advice and career comradery do not. And I appreciate the homework given every episode. Because learning about writing is all well and good, but it means nothing if you don’t put it into practice.

Writing With Jenna

Finally, we’ll end on a twofer. Writing With Jenna has a fantastic and informational YouTube channel. She also has a fantastic Instagram feed. Both are full of great advice on writing, marketing, and living as a professional writer.

Don’t forget, that today is day four of the Paper Beats World Anniversary giveaway. Like this post and comment for a chance to win a copy of Man in The Woods. Check back tomorrow to find out the winner.

See you tomorrow.

If you liked what you saw here today, please consider liking and sharing this post. Or you can support the site financially on Ko-fi.

Broken Patterns is available now for preorder! You can order it now on Amazon.

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How do you know when your series is done?

For most of my writing career, I’ve worked on three book series. Woven, Station 86 and AA. All three series were planned out, with a specific number of books and a specific storyline in place.

Woven ended up being one book longer, with a prequel novel. Station 86 was supposed to be three books. Then it became four. Then five. Now I’m working on the last one for real this time. And at this point, I have no idea how many seasons AA is going to have. I think I know how it’s going to end, but I guess we’ll see.

Long-running book series, TV shows and comics can feel like institutions. It can very much feel like they will never have an ending. Some shows, like Star Trek, Dr. Who and The Simpsons, really feel like they could go on and on forever. Book series aren’t as prone to this, but we all know there are some series that will probably go on even after the original author passes. Looking at you, Rita Mae Brown.

So how do we know, as writers, when to stop writing? When do we know that the story, and the series, is finished?

While every story will ask something different from a writer, here is the best advice I can give regarding the matter.

Start with an outline

This isn’t a safe space for pantsers, sorry not sorry. If you’re writing a story that is going to span several books, you need to at least have some idea of where the damn story is heading. You need to have a destination in mind. That way, even if you take a winding path to get there, you at least have some direction.

When I wrote Woven, I knew how I wanted the story to end. And I stayed pretty true to that. It was going to originally be one book, but ended up bloating and growing so much that it needed a whole trilogy. Then, of course, Grace had to sneak into my mind and refuse to let go, so I had to give her her own story.

The thing is, I could write more in this world. And I might yet. But for right now, I had a specific story in mind, and I told it.

If you stop having fun

I know I harp on this, and I’m not likely to stop. Writing is supposed to be fun. Not all the time. There are some times when it’s absolutely a nightmare. Sometimes writing will shatter your soul and your will to exist. But your passion for the work cannot wain. It cannot feel like a slough.

When writing starts to feel like work, it might be time to set this series aside. Maybe just for a while. Maybe forever. But if it’s work to write, it’s gonna be work to read. And nobody wants that.

If you start repeating yourself

I mentioned Rita Mae Brown earlier. I used to love her books. I also loved The Cat Who series by Lillian Jackson Braun. But even though Brown is still around and writing, I’ve stopped reading. Because it became repetitive.

There are only so many stories one person wants to read about a cat and corgi who solve mysteries. Especially when it doesn’t feel like any of the characters change or grow. Given that, it’s easy for all the books to feel the same. So if you feel like you’re on repeat, it might be time to give that story a rest.

When all the loose threads are accounted for

Even in continuing series, there are some overall plots. Maybe it’s just a running gag or a long-standing irritation. Maybe one character is constantly one-upping another. Think of Lucy and Charlie Brown with the football.

I certainly suggest having things like this in your writing. It’s fun. But when you think you might be ready to stop writing your series, it’s time for some payoff. It’s time for Charlie Brown to get to kick the football. Or, just become savvy and self-assured enough to walk away from the situation.

Now that I’m working on the last Station 86 book, I’m re-reading the whole series. Because I want to make sure I don’t leave any of these loose ends

When you feel passionate about a new project

Sometimes it’s easy to get in a rut, even with our creative work. We sit down and start writing a story in the same way we’ve always written stories because it is the same way we’ve learned to write stories.

Then, something new comes along. A new idea. Maybe a whole new genre. A new character steps into the light and asks for your attention.

Then demands it.

That might be a sign that it’s time to put your current tale to rest. I’m not suggesting dropping the story mid-draft, or if you have a cliffhanger out there. But if the muse is tempting you with new, exotic tales, they might have a very good reason for doing so. And you might have a very good reason to listen.

Don’t forget, we are on day three of the Paper Beats World’s tenth anniversary giveaway. Like this post and leave a comment for the chance to win a copy of my 2024 Preptober Planner. Check back tomorrow for the winner.

If you liked what you saw here today, please consider liking and sharing this post. Or you can support the site financially on Ko-fi.

Broken Patterns is available now for preorder! You can order it now on Amazon.

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Ten things I’ve learned in ten years as a working writer

I have been a working writer for ten years now. That means that I am actively producing content to sell it. Or, at least put it somewhere people might see and enjoy it.

Being a working writer is a weird job. You spend years practicing only to realize that you will never master it, you’ll just become a better apprentice. But there are certainly some things I’ve learned over the last decade. As I said yesterday, I hope I’ve learned something after ten years of working at it. So here are some hard-won pearls of wisdom. I hope they help you.

A yes to one thing is a no to something else

I have a too much gene. What, the person who decided to write a ton of extra content and host ten different giveaways in ten days does too much? I’m sure you’re surprised.

The problem is that I want to do everything. I want to submit to every magazine and enter every contest. I want to write so many novels and produce so many podcasts. So this is a lesson I have learned the hard way by trying to juggle too many projects at once.

If you decide to write one book, you don’t have time to write a different one. If you enter one contest, that means you have to turn down another. Everything you say yes to means there’s something you’re going to have to say no to.

There is just no other way around it. Our time is finite, our energy is too. So pick your projects carefully. Because when you pick something, it means you’re going to have to reject another thing.

You can push yourself only so hard

This one gets more true as I get older. Just as you only have so much time in a day, you also only have so much energy. You only have so many spoons, as the kids say. And yes, we all know that we can push through exhaustion and get things done. I at least was raised with this toxic work ethic. It doesn’t matter if you feel like it. It doesn’t matter if you feel sick, or if you’re in a funk, or if you did a whole lot yesterday and are still recovering. You have work to do, damn it.

Yeah, we all need to stop this. Especially when it comes to our creative projects.

Listen, I get that deadlines are a thing, but there is only so much you can push yourself before you burn out. I have pushed myself too hard for too long many times. And what happened wasn’t that I persevered and created great art. What happened was that I put out work that wasn’t as good as if I’d been well-rested. What happened was that I burned myself out and had to spend months recovering. What happened was that I got myself to the point where I hated the work, hated myself, hated everything. And that is not how I should feel about my writing. It’s sure as hell not how I want to feel about my life.

Most people do not give a damn that you are a writer

I tell people I’m a writer. Of course, I do. But the older I get, the less I tell people. Because most people, sadly, do not care. The average response I get when I tell someone I write books is, “Oh, that’s cool.” And then we move on.

Or worse, I’ll be informed that they self-published a poetry collection on CD twelve years ago, and that’s basically the same thing.

So if you think you’re going to wow someone with the fact that you’re a writer, I’m sorry to tell you that you’re not. Unless you’re Sarah J. Mass, most people do not care.

You have to love your writing the most

I have read Series of Unfortunate Events the whole way through at least five times. I have read Woven the whole way through ten times over. Many writers have read their work even more.

When you set out to write a book, you are committing to spending a lot of time with that book. Probably years, if it’s a series. Maybe years if it’s just one and you’re a slow writer. No shame there. And your passion needs to stick with you through every rewrite, line edit, revision and maybe even reading the damn thing for an audiobook. The only way that’s going to happen is if you are just wild about your story. I was, and still am, wild about Woven. I am wild about Station 86. I am wild about AA. And I have to be because I am going to spend more time with these stories than anyone else ever will.

Schedule writing time

The best piece of advice I can give anyone starting to write is to block out time to do so.

But, you might say, it’s writing. And writing is art! You can’t schedule art, man.

Well yes, you can. It might surprise you that I schedule my hobbies, too. Otherwise I’d never actually do them.

Writing is something that takes a lot of time. And if you have an already busy life, it’s easy to keep putting it off and putting it off until we’re putting you in a coffin. So if you want to write, the first thing you should do is get a planner. Mark out all the time you already have committed to things. Your day job, child care, appointments. Then take a good hard look at the time you have left. It doesn’t matter if you’ve got fifteen minutes every other Saturday, mark it out and commit to those fifteen minutes.

But I bet you have more time than that.

Writing friends are wonderful friends

I have many friends who I love. But writing friends are the best friends. Not just for networking. I find that kind of gross. But it’s amazing to have someone who understands the writing process. Who gets the joys and nightmares of the craft. Who’s read the same writing books and been irritated at the same NYT bestsellers that weren’t worth the paper they were printed on. Having writing friends to talk to about the craft and the business is a godsend.

Covers matter!

We judge books by their cover, it’s just a fact. We are visual creatures and pretty pictures get our attention. There’s nothing wrong with that. I have bought several books because the cover caught my eye.

So if you’re going to self-publish, invest in good cover art. Unless you are a graphic artist, don’t do it yourself. I’m in the process of relaunching all of my books with professional covers and let me tell you, I am so glad I am. They look so much better.

You can never predict what’s going to happen

This might also be life advice. Nothing is ever certain, and you just don’t have any way to predict how your career is going to turn out. I never thought my first completed book would sell, because everyone tells you your first book won’t ever sell. I never thought my publisher would drop me. I never thought I’d start writing for a horror review site. I sure as hell never thought I’d produce a podcast that I wrote.

While having a plan is lovely, it’s best to understand that this plan is never, ever set in stone. Things will change, and people will get sick. New people will come into your life and people you thought would always be there will leave. You might land your dream agent only to have them retire. You might sign with someone you aren’t sure of and then have them launch your career into space. You just never know.

Hold on tight and enjoy the ride.

Post more than you think you need to

This is on social media, specifically. And it’s something I’m still struggling with. Because I always feel like I’m bothering people. Especially when I post about my books. No one wants to be bombarded by ads on Instagram. People want to see my cats and dog, not my book covers.

But, that’s probably not true. If someone’s following you on social media, they probably do want to hear about your writing. I use Instagram to keep up with my favorite authors, and I want them to post about their books so I remember that they’re coming out.

So if you have a book you want to sell, let people on social media know about it. Repeatedly.

There is always another place to submit

If you’re a working writer, you’re going to get rejections. A lot of them. That’s just the way of things. There are only so many spots for stories, but there seems to be a never-ending stream of writers.

But here’s the thing. There are a ton of spots for stories. There are always new magazines, websites, podcasts, and publishing companies. And best of all, there are always new readers.

So every time you’re rejected, get your story back out there and submit it again. Write another story. Then write another one. Submit them over and over until they sell. That is the only way to break into this business, by writing and submitting over and over.

Don’t ever be afraid of rejection. It just means you’re out there doing the work.

Don’t forget to like this post and leave a comment to be entered into today’s giveaway. Today, one lucky reader is going to get a copy of Man in The Woods. I’ll post the winner here tomorrow.

See you then.

If you liked what you saw here today, please consider liking and sharing this post. Or you can support the site financially on Ko-fi.

Broken Patterns is available now for preorder! You can order it now on Amazon.

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10 things I’ve learned about blogging in 10 years

I’ve been writing Paper Beats World for ten years now. And it’s impossible to do anything for ten years without getting better at it. At least, I hope so. I’m always learning new things, trying new styles and doing what I can to make Paper Beats World a fun place to be on the internet.

So, today I want to share with you the top ten things I’ve learned about blogging after doing it for ten years. If you have your own blog, or you’re thinking of starting one, I hope some of this advice helps you.

People like hearing about how you screwed up

I messed up a book launch and wrote about it. That post got so many likes and views. My publisher dropped me, and my site traffic went up.

Posts where I talk about what’s going right don’t do have as well as the posts about when I’ve truly stepped in it. I don’t love that, but here we are.

I tell you this not to suggest you write a blog full of doom and tragedy. Rather, I want to encourage you to share your setbacks along with your wins. Instagram might be a highlight reel of your life, but your blog shouldn’t be.

The posts you don’t expect to do well take off

I try my best with every post. But of course, some come out better than others. Some I’m just more proud of, and some do better traffic-wise.

Those two things don’t always match up. They usually don’t. Posts like my series about using tarot for storytelling, which I spent so much time researching and writing, do fine. But posts about writing dark poetry, which I enjoyed writing but didn’t think anyone was going to care about, become literally the most popular post on the site of all time.

There is no telling what’s going to go viral and what’s going to end up forgotten. So you might as well just put out what you want to put out and hope for the best.

You never know what is going to be a huge drive for your blog

Do you know what I do that brings the most people to Paper Beats World? I post about them on Pinterest. That draws more traffic than anything else. It upped my traffic so much that the year I started doing it, I doubled my views from the year before.

While I don’t believe in using social media I don’t like just because it will get traffic (There’s a reason I’m not on Facebook or Twitter) I do think you should try some things out. You might like the site more than you think at first. And you might find an audience ready and eager for what you have to offer.

Quality over quantity

When Paper Beats World started, I was writing three posts a week. It was exhausting. When I stopped, I had more time to focus on what I was posting. And my views went up. Because rather than blasting out posts, I was carefully putting out good work. Or, at least better work. One good post is always better than three meh ones.

Every time I change the style of the site, views take a hit

Occasionally I like to change up the style of the site. Use a different theme, change the font. And every time I do it, numbers drop. I’m not sure why, but the math maths.

Maybe it’s because people inherently dislike change. Maybe because the site looks different they can’t find their way around. Or maybe I make too many changes too fast and regular visitors find it unrecognizable. And I wish I could ask, but I assume the people who leave don’t come back. If you’re someone who left the site for a while after a style change but is back now, please let me know why in the comments. I am genuinely curious.

Don’t judge your numbers by last month, but last year

When I look at my stats for the month, I will sometimes be depressed if one month isn’t as good as the one before. But of course, that doesn’t make a lot of sense. People are spending more time online during certain parts of the year. When it’s nicer out, people want to touch grass, not their laptops.

My outlook got a lot better when I started comparing my numbers each month to that same month the year before. It also gave me a better sense of trends over time.

Pictures matter so much

I didn’t care much about my pictures when I started the site. I was writing, after all, not doing visual art. But when I wanted to post my work on social media, a graphic was needed. And it improved the overall feel of my site dramatically when I started taking that seriously. Rather than just throwing any old thing up if it kind of made sense.

Now I use a structured type of image, to convey the feeling of the post while still looking somewhat uniform. I hope most of you can spot one of my posts in your feed at once, based on the ripped paper title.

SEO makes no damn sense, but it works

I hate SEO. I hate it with every fiber of my being. I hate that if I use a header at the beginning of a new paragraph instead of just bolding it, more people find the page.

While some things about SEO make sense, some do not. Adding graphics helps your SEO. Writing longer posts. Linking to other sites. All of those things make your site more attractive to search engines. I wish I didn’t have to take any of that into consideration, but I do. And it’s, damn it, helped the traffic.

Every post is a new challenge, no matter how many you’ve written

You would think, after writing over a thousand posts for Paper Beats World, I’d have this down. But every time I sit down to write a blog post, it feels like I’ve never written one before.

When you think about it, though, this makes sense. No matter how many books I write, every one feels like the first. Every short story, every poem. Every time I commit words to the page, it feels like I have never done this before. It further feels like I cannot possibly do it again. Whatever muse I had has left me alone, and I am a dry old sock of a writer now with nothing clever to say.

Of course, that isn’t true. But it never gets less intimidating, the blank page. It never gets easier, you just get stronger.

Content has no expiration date

The most popular post so far this year is Three Creepy Podcasts I’ve Been Loving. I wrote that in September of 2019. That is a pre-covid post, and it has more popularity than anything I’ve written so far this year.

I should probably write an updated version of that.

The point is that you shouldn’t feel down if you write a post and it doesn’t get a lot of traction right away. There’s every chance that it’ll spark and go viral later.

Words are not milk to go bad. Words are not rocks to be washed away by the sea. Words are the sea, changing and returning over and over again. We still tell the story of Beowulf. We still read Shakespeare. We still read Rosemary’s Baby. It should be no surprise that blog posts written years ago will still get some attention.

Now, I’d love to hear from you. Let us know in the comments the best lessons you’ve learned about blogging. And don’t forget, everyone who likes this post and leaves a comment will be entered into today’s giveaway. Today, I’m giving away a copy of my Preptober Planner. I’ll announce the winner in tomorrow’s post.

Best of luck, and I’ll see you tomorrow.

If you liked what you saw here today, please consider liking and sharing this post. Or you can support the site financially on Ko-fi.

Broken Patterns is available now for preorder! You can order it now on Amazon.

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Celebrating ten years of Paper Beats World

I can’t believe we’re here, but here we are. Paper Beats World is turning ten next week.

Ten! We have been here for an entire freaking decade. Ten years of blogging, writing, showing up for myself and all of you.

It’s astounding. I used to not stick to anything. Do you know how many blogs I started before this? Two. I thought for sure this would be number three.

But we are here. And we are here because you are here. Because as astounding as it feels to me every day, you are here reading this.

Because of this, I wanted to do something extra special this year. After some thought, I decided actually to do three things. All three are for you because I cannot get over how thankful I am.

Bonus posts

I will be posting a blog post every day from now to August 30th. So stop by every day for some new writing advice and community.

Brand new microfiction

If you’re following me on Instagram or Threads, you’ll be able to check out a new microfiction every day, starting tomorrow. I meant to write some sci-fi and fantasy microfiction, but they all turned out pretty creepy. I hope you like them. I’m pretty proud of them.

Daily giveaways

Finally, I wanted to give you all a gift for sticking with me through the years. So every day, starting tomorrow, I’ll be doing a giveaway for either a book or my Preptober planner. All you have to do to enter is to like the post of the day and leave a comment.

Again, I just cannot thank all of you enough. And I hope you’re ready for ten days of celebrating.

See you tomorrow.

If you liked what you saw here today, please consider liking and sharing this post. Or you can support the site financially on Ko-fi.

Broken Patterns is available now for preorder! You can order it now on Amazon.

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Waiting for the end of a series might kill the series

Who hasn’t felt this heartbreak? You get introduced to a series, and it’s love at first sight. The characters, the plot, the execution. Everything is just hitting that spot.

And then, you finish the first book or first season. So what is there to do but wait for the next one?

So you wait. And you wait. And you wait. Finally, one day, the dark truth is revealed.

Your series was canceled.

So many, many good series have been canceled before their time. Or, there’s so much time between one book or season and the next that it feels like it might as well have been canceled. And it sucks! I could just start listing off series that have ended without an ending for the rest of this post, and I’d run out of room before I ran out of titles. Just a few that still tear me up are Limetown, The Numair Chronicles, and of course the infamous Firefly.

No, Serenity doesn’t count as an ending.

And don’t even get me started on the extensive times between books or seasons. The last season of Stranger Things came out in 2022, and the next season isn’t expected until next year!

With all that being said, I understand why some people choose to wait until a series has ended before getting invested in it. Doing so would have certainly saved me from the heartache of the Santa Clarita Diet ending. And I didn’t like it, but I know Song of Ice and Fire fans probably wish they’d skipped the whole damn thing after waiting thirteen years and counting for the next book.

Here’s the thing though. Waiting to read a series or watch a show until it’s done, is just increasing the chances that it’s never going to get done at all.

The publisher is going to nope out

The publishing world is a business, like any other. And it’s going to produce what makes it money. Not what’s good, or what the editors like, but what sells. The same can be said for streaming platforms and TV networks. If enough people aren’t watching a series, there’s little chance it’ll get picked up for season two, if it even gets a chance to finish season one.

This is one of the things I hate most about the field. Storytelling is cutthroat, and I hate that creative endeavors have to be so. It’s like knowing fennec foxes will fight to the death with each other. It shouldn’t be in their nature, but it is.

The money is going to dry up

Unfortunately, we live in a capitalist society. And because of that, sometimes we have to make shitty decisions. So even an indie writer, like myself, might have to cut a project if it’s not making enough money to be worth the time.

Again, most people don’t want to do this. I love writing my stories. I want to see how my series ends as much as everyone else. Probably more. But when creative work is what’s putting food on your table and keeping the lights on, you have to make sure what you’re producing is what’s selling. Writers and creatives have to have some income from book one while they’re working on book two.

No one likes playing to an empty house

Okay, so what’s my excuse, you might ask. I don’t write for TV and I’m not traditionally published. I have a day job, so I don’t depend on my writing money to eat. So what’s stopping me from writing anything I want?

Nothing. I can, and do, publish whatever I want whenever I want. But what I want is to write stories that people read. Or listen to, in the case of AA.

If I didn’t care if other people read my work, I’d just publish it for fun and move on to another project. I certainly wouldn’t waste time promoting my books. I wouldn’t invest in cover art. I wouldn’t waste time with beta readers. I would just write whatever the hell made me happy.

But I want to put out work that other people enjoy. I want to put out work that people value. And the only way I can tell that people are valuing my stories is if they’re buying them. And if people aren’t valuing my stories, I’ll move on and write a different one.

To end today, please understand that I get the challenge. It is awful to have a story without an ending. And yes, if you jump on a new series right away, there’s a chance it might not have an ending. But if you never start, there’s even more of a chance that the story will never be able to end.

If you liked what you saw here today, please consider liking and sharing this post. Or you can support the site financially on Ko-fi.

Broken Patterns is available now for preorder! You can order it now on Amazon.

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Broken Patterns is now available for preorder

This post was almost just me typing look at this cover! in all caps. Because this cover is, let me tell you, astounding.

Isn’t that freaking gorgeous? Thank you so much, Getcovers, who did a fantastic job.

All of that to say, Broken Patterns is now available for presale. You can get it right here now, and be among the first to read it on September sixth.

Or, maybe re-read it. It is a relaunch, after all.

In Devon and Lenore’s world, magic is as common as turning a pot or fletching an arrow. What isn’t common is a man with thread magic. When Devon starts weaving prophetic tapestries, his royal family tries to keep it a secret. 

But the family can’t stay in the shadows when Devon’s uncle is assassinated and he becomes second in line for the throne. Especially when he weaves a vision of destruction for the dragon lands. 

Who is Broken Patterns for? It’s for people who love magic, dragons, and stories about people who don’t quite fit in. It’s a story about a boy who is clearly not his dad’s favorite, but holds within him the power to save a country. It’s the story of a young woman with the ability to bring light to the world, who has to fight against its darkest forces first. And, it has science wielding dragons. I cannot stress this enough, there are dragons doing science. I am so proud of that.

The journey from the start of this series to this point has been a wild one. It’s been ten years. Ten long years of learning, growing and watching the world catch fire around me. And I’ve never stopped being thankful for this story. I hope that you all love this new, updated version as much as I do.

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