Encouraging Others

I love writing. But it can be lonely. You’re sitting at your laptop, staring at the screen, wondering where the words will come from.

It’s part of the reason why I’ve joined so many writing groups, to meet like minded people. Because we are all alone on our computers, trying to write the next best selling novel.

And I’ve met some really lovely people through this experience.

This week I’ve been in communication with a lovely lady in California who is still working her way through her first novel. It’s had several iterations, but she’s happier now with where it’s going. She just needs to finish it.

We have a deal going. If she doesn’t finish writing it by the end of February, she is going to send me a $1. And while it would be nice to have a US$1 bill, I’m going to do everything I can to encourage her to finish her novel, because I want to see her happiness at succeeding, rather than have that $1 note.

I’m that kind of person, I like to encourage others, not just with writing. Just before Christmas, we were at Rai Valley having a coffee when I saw a lady walk past with these most amazing boots. I complimented her on them. She was gruff and not very happy looking, but I smiled and told her I loved her boots. When she came out of the shop, she told me to have a lovely Christmas and smiled at me. It was a beautiful smile.

Sometimes someone needs to hear that they look good, or they did something pretty awesome, because our inner selves are telling us otherwise.

So next time you see something you like, or something that was a kind act, tell that person. They might just need to hear it.

Trying Something New

I hinted that I would be trying something new earlier this year (was that only three weeks ago?). I wanted to see if I could do it before I told you about it.

And I can actually do it, so what have I been doing? I’ve been writing two stories at the same time.

And it isn’t that hard either. With one exception.

I knew that I had three months to write some stories, before I had full time work for a couple of months, so I wanted to see if I could write three stories at the same time. I had a Racing Harts story to write, an Urban Fantasy story, and a fairytale.

The only reason I wanted to try this, was because I can only write for about an hour a day before my brain goes to mush. It was a gamble; would I be able to write three stories?

The answer is no. And here is why. The fairytale and the Racing Harts story were both contemporary romances, so I couldn’t switch between the two stories comfortably. But I am able to switch between a contemporary romance and an Urban Fantasy with no issues, so I have been writing two stories a day since 5th January.

It’s been an interesting experience, but it also gives me twice as much to think about and plot out before my next writing session.

And then I got news, I have a part time job, working 20 hours a week, mostly in the afternoon, which meant that my original idea of focusing on my writing this year is still happening.

I’m looking forward to my new job, I’m moving back into office work, which is somewhat scary, but also exciting. It means that I’m inside all day, even in winter, so no more finding sunny spots to start the day.

I hope to continue writing two stories at a time, with plans to write the fairytale next, then the Men in Kilts series, so there could be a few new books out next year.

My publishing plan this year is to publish Finding Sam Healey (tentatively April 2025), Carol’s Christmas (July/August 2025) and Faith’s story in Racing Harts (October/November 2025).

I’m looking forward to sharing my successes with you all.

The AI Controversy

Lately, I’ve been seeing a lot of ads that proclaim that writing a book and making money through Amazon is quicker and easier now than ever.

But here’s the thing. It’s written via AI.

And here’s another thing. Amazon require you to say whether the book was written, in part or full, with AI.

Can you tell if a book is written by AI? Here are some things to look out for:

  1. Consistency in Style: AI-generated text often maintains a consistent style throughout the entire book. While this can be a strength, it might also lack the subtle variations and unique voice that human authors naturally incorporate.
  2. Repetition: AI might inadvertently repeat certain phrases or ideas more frequently than a human author would. This is because AI relies on patterns in the data it was trained on, which can sometimes lead to redundancy.
  3. Lack of Deep Emotional Insight: While AI can generate text that mimics human emotions, it may not capture the depth and nuance of genuine human experiences. The emotional arcs might feel somewhat flat or predictable.
  4. Predictable Plot Structures: AI tends to follow common narrative structures and tropes. If the plot feels overly formulaic or lacks unexpected twists, it might be a sign of AI authorship.
  5. Technical Perfection: AI-generated text is often grammatically flawless and free of typos. While this is generally a positive trait, it can sometimes make the text feel less “human” and more mechanical.
  6. Lack of Cultural and Contextual Nuance: AI might struggle with cultural references, idiomatic expressions, and context-specific nuances that human authors naturally incorporate into their writing.

That said, AI is constantly improving, and distinguishing between human and AI authorship is becoming increasingly challenging. The best AI-generated texts can be quite sophisticated and engaging, blurring the lines between human and machine creativity.

I asked AI to tell me how to tell if a book was by AI. The above is what it said. Scary isn’t it that it can look like something a human wrote.

While I’m not happy about books being written by AI, I’m happy to use it as another tool in my writing tool box.

I use it for brainstorming ideas. I might ask AI to come up with ten ways for a character to do something romantic, or ten story ideas for a Scottish basketball team. I then use those ideas to form further concepts from there. Sometimes the ideas are fantastic, and I want to use them as they are, but I always write the story in my own words.

Other AI tools that writers use, and might not be aware of, is Grammarly and Pro-Writing Aid. Both of these grammar programs will make suggestions for any errors it finds in your writing. Sometimes it is correct (yes, I do need a comma there) and sometimes it isn’t (This speech is in present tense, but the rest of the sentence is in past tense). It is the writer who has to decide which one to use and accept or ignore.

As things progress further, it will become harder to determine if a story is AI generated or not, as computers become more self-aware (I’m sure there’s a movie there…) If you aren’t comfortable with AI generated stories, then stick to the writers you know who write their own words and support them and their work.

Understanding Catherine Mede

It was a big year for me last year, I learnt a lot of things about me. Stress and I don’t work well together, I let anger build until it gets too much then blast everything around me, and I’m a relator.

Let me explain. A big thing in the writing industry at the moment are Clifton Strengths. Becca Syme (all hail Becca Syme) teaches that you need to write to your strengths, and how to work out your strengths. She’s a business and writing coach, and I got to meet her at the Romance Writers New Zealand Conference in Christchurch in August last year. She is amazing, so insightful and full of inspiration and lots of other things. So, I did my strengths. My top five are: Relator, Intellection, Learner, Positivity and Consistency. A lot of you out there will be nodding your heads, either knowing that is exactly me, or knowing exactly what that means.

Pretty much, I like to develop relationships with people, but I have a boundary system. Only one or two get to the inner sanctum. Everyone else fits into the remaining rings, either as friends or acquaintences. When I’m writing, I like to get indepth with the relationships that people build. Intellection is about enjoying mental activity, intellectual discussions. I like time alone and I am my own best companion. Learner, means I like to learn. Not necessarily about the learning, but the process of learning. I like to continuously improve myself.

Consistency means that I need to treat people the same. I crave routine, structure, rules and procedures. I don’t like unfairness or inequality. And lastly, positivity. I have contagious enthusiasm, generous with praise and encouragement. I like to celebrate achievements.

Many people are probably wondering why this blew my mind. Perhaps because I took a test, and these were the results. There are 34 different strengths, and these are my top five, and they pretty much sum me up. And looking back, I can see how they have affected me this year and the decisions that I made.

Going forward, they will help me with my writing. I already use Relator in building the relationships with my characters, and they with each other. The learner in me, has me studying NZ Small Business studies so I can run my business successfully. The positivity and consistency mean that I need to write every day and be happy with what I’ve done and celebrate the achievement of having written. And intellection? Well, that explains the need for cryptic crosswords in my life.

2025 Goals, Dreams and Wishes

Welcome to 2025! Did you set any resolutions? I didn’t. I don’t because I can’t keep them. But I do make small changes in my habits throughout the year, which culminates at the end of the year with a fitter, healthier, slimmer me. I’m pleased with the changes I made last year and hope to make more this year.

I do set goals for my writing, and I have purchased Joanna Penn’s Your Author Business Plan because this year, I am going to take my writing seriously.

I was out for a walk on Friday and decided that since I’m not working (at present, I have work for about 12 weeks over apple picking season), I will write until my fingers bleed (okay, maybe a little bit less dramatic than that), and work towards building up my writer business, platform and products. If I can build my writing business to make at $50,000 then I won’t need to look for full time work.

Of course, this is a big leap for me. I made my first $100 last year, from the previous 9 years of writing. So, I haven’t even reached my first goal from last year of making my first $1000. It’s a huge leap to expect me to earn $50k from my books this year, but if I don’t try, then I won’t know if I can do it or not.

I also want to write at least three books this year, again, and stretch for that fourth book. I did write three last year and published two books. This year I want to publish at least three (Finding Sam Healey, Carol’s Christmas and the first of the Racing Harts books).

But to start the year off, I am embarking on a little secret project. So, secret that I can’t tell you otherwise I’d have to kill you. But all will be revealed. I should know in the next couple of weeks if I can do it or not. But I know that I can write a book in 30 days, so I plan to give myself a little grace and work on 45 days. I should be able to write just over 8 books a year if I mathed right. But I don’t want to burn out, and I know that at least two weeks in between in a good break, because I’m normally busting to keep writing again after two weeks off.

My dream is to be writing “full time” within 5 years (4 if I count last year). Is this achievable? Maybe, I have a whole dream board with my five-year plan on it, including what cars I want and when, and then I had to calculate in my partner’s Monaro as well.

It’s going to be a big year for me. One I am ready to tackle head on, because I can do this, I just need to put the effort and work in.

What are your goals and dreams for your future?

Moving Forward

A lot of reflection is done at this time of the year. Looking back to see what went well, what didn’t, how things can be improved, and a writer’s life isn’t any different.

What went well this year – the launch of Second-Hand Daughter. It actually went better than I expected, and I can’t explain why. I wonder if it was the topic, discovering your husband had a secret second life you had no idea about. Anyway, the book sold okay (not thousands, that will be in years to come) but it sold well.

What didn’t go well was the launch of Compromising Positions – this is a fun little romance, but for some reason, I didn’t sell many copies at all. Another writer friend of mine launched her contemporary romance at the same time (November) and she didn’t make many sales either. We both have to wonder if it was too close to Christmas, and people were looking at big ticket writers for their books. It’s hard to say.

As a writer, we often bombarded with so many mixed messages. Write to market / don’t write to market. Write from your heart / don’t write from the heart. Write what you know / write something new / don’t reinvent the wheel. This year, I followed my own thoughts and feelings, and now, more and more people are saying, follow your own goals. I published two books this year, the most I’ve published before. And I loved every minute of the writing and editing process, until I have worked on the piece entirely through and think it’s shite. Then I put it out into the world, and let it float away into the abyss of Amazon / Kobo / Draft2Digital to be swallowed up in the millions of other books out there.

I’m really pleased with both of the books I produced. I’m looking forward to putting more out there next year, which will include Finding Sam Healey, which I am currently editing, and then Carol’s Christmas. Whether I start publishing the Racing Harts series I’m not sure, but I intend to write three books next year.

I wrote three novels this year. The Dragon story, which is part of a five book series, and needs a lot of work, because it became a never-ending story. That doesn’t work in the publishing world, but that’s okay. It needs work.

I also wrote 2 other novels, in the Racing Harts series, Fatih and Hope’s stories. And I hope to have Grace’s started in January. I have ideas for about five other stories, which are all up in the air at the moment, so I’m not sure what will come next, but I’m hoping to write my Ice Planet sequel, featuring the son of Kelvaras and Vyvica.

I’m contemplating splitting off my fantasy / science fiction books under a separate pen name, but again, not something I am fully decided on just yet. If it happens, I’ll let you know, because you’ll want to follow one or the other, I don’t expect everyone to follow me on both. There will be the odd one or two of you, like me, who will read just about anything. I read a large variety of books, and can’t say I’m solely a romance reader. If I have a thriller, I will enjoy the storyline even without romantic elements. But that’s a whole other blog post!

I will list out my goals for 2025 on 6th January, I intend on having a decent break this year. No laptop, no notebooks, just 10 – 14 days of nothing but reading. We’ll see how that goes then aye?

Anyway, I hope you all have a lovely Christmas. Stay safe out there and look after one another. Look forward to catching up with you all in the New Year.

Looking Back to Look Forward

Last year I set some fairly high goals for myself. And now I’ll go over what they were and how I did.

  • Write Dragon Story – This I managed to do early on in the year. I plan on making this a series, however this was a neverending story, so I need to reassess this story and find a cut off point and decide what I want to keep and what can go into the next book.
  • Write Faith’s Story – This I achieved as well, in early October.
  • Write another story – in November I wrote and completed Hope’s story in the Racing Harts series, so really pleased with this.
  • Edit Second-Hand Daughter – not only did I edit this, but I published it as well in May 2024
  • Edit Compromising Positions – edits were completed and was published November 2024
  • First draft edit of Finding Sam Healey – These I started, but I haven’t completed them yet. I have a date with the editor for March 2025, so it will be published next year.
  • First draft edits of Carol’s Christmas – this hasn’t happened, but I’m not too upset about that.

    Overall, that isn’t a bad year considering I was working fulltime for most of it. The results are pretty epic. At this stage, I have yet to find another job, so I now have to have a real think about what I want to achieve heading forward. I would love to be able to quit work and write fulltime, however I have some limitations as far as that is concerned (will talk about in a future blog post), and to start making money from my writing, I might have to write to market, which isn’t where my heart is. I want to write what I want to write, and that means that I need to find readers who want to read my work, and that proved elusive this year. I guess I could focus on writing in the first quarter of next year and really push my publishing timetable, but I also don’t want to burn out.

    It’s a fine line between doing something you love for money and doing something you love for the enjoyment of writing. I guess it is something I really need to work out over the next couple of weeks as we start the full on countdown to Christmas.

    Reading, Writing, Editing and Planning, Oh My!

    I finished Hope’s story on Thursday, much to my relief. Because coming up to Christmas things will start to get really busy, even if I’m not working.

    I’m hoping to start Grace’s story in January, because when I write, I like to keep the flow going by writing every day, and with Christmas, then New Years, there would be too many disruptions for me to keep the continuation of the story. And as I explained last week, Grace’s story is actually going to be the second story, even though I’ve written it last. There is an overarching story over all three stories, and threads of that will need to be woven in with Grace’s story and then continued on when I edit Hope’s story. This is the story of their dad, who left the girls when they were young, after their mother died. I also plan on writing a prequel novella and sequel novella to wrap up the story.

    And talking of stories, I’ve headed back into Finding Sam Healey and reworked my first chapter or two. The first part of the book are letters, so that part has been edited. And now I’m into the diaries part. I’m enjoying what I’m reading and sometimes surprise myself with how much I like what I’ve written.

    I’m toying with my next few stories and starting to think about my plan for next year. There will be at least two books published, possibly three, but we’ll see how we go. Planning the next twelve months will be fun.

    Winning at Writing

    November was National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and I took part, and won. I finished writing 50,000 words on 27th November. But I haven’t finished writing the story yet, there is about 5k left to go.

    I wrote Hope’s story, Hope is the eldest sister out of Faith, Grace and Hope. She got together with Thor (Thorndon is his real name, but he hates it), and their romance was instantaneous. Then it imploded, and imploded again.

    When I write a story, I like to have a general outline of how I want the story to go. This story deviated so far off that general outline, that to be honest, I’ve probably been pantsing most of it, or discovery writing is the new term for it.

    Hope and Thor have an interesting relationship, and its grown. I kind of had in mind that Hope would be devastated after a fellow racer is injured and that Thor helps her to find her way. But characters sometimes have a way of hijacking your story. But I have to say, I like where the story is going.

    My next mission is to write Grace’s story, and hers is a Second Chance romance. This one will be interesting, because I have already written about Lachlan being involved in her life in this story (because originally Grace was the eldest), and that means that they are already back together. Oh yeah, Spoiler Alert!

    I’m taking a break over the Holiday period, because a) I need to find a job and b) I need to work out how I want Grace’s story to go. Hopefully it will come to me, otherwise…eep!

    Visual Writer

    When writing, we often talk about pantsing or plotting, and now it’s starting to be recognised as a continuum, rather than one or the other. Which is kind of nice, because I don’t really fit in either camp. I do plot, yes, but I also only briefly outline my story, and allow the story to take me where it wants to go.

    Which brought me to another interesting fact. Some people are visual thinkers and others are verbal. What I mean by that, is some people think with words, others think with pictures. It is just one of those things that makes us all different.

    When I’m writing, the story will play out like a movie in my head. For an example, in my recent story, with Hope Hart and Thor, Thor was having an argument with another person (spoiler alert averted), and I could see them bickering back and forth, and my fingers honestly couldn’t keep up with the words that they were saying to each other. I felt like I was Hope, standing on the sidelines watching this bickering unfold before me.

    I also dream in colour. I remember because the colours are so vivid, and I have woken up a couple of times with a deep red dress or gold ring on my mind. I also dream every night, although my psychologist told me that trying to remember and interpret my dreams was a form of overthinking – which is a negative thing. While I don’t try to interpret them anymore, sometimes a dream will disturb me enough to impact me through the day.

    So, technically, I’m a plotting pantser, who see’s movies in her head when writing, and dreams in technicolour glory! Lol.