Goals: Progress since Jan 2019

A plea for your help…

About the competition:

So, I entered Jewel of the Sea into a competition. I am in Group One for SciFi, Fantasy Paranormal, Werewolf and Vampire stories.

The competition has six rounds. Each round, the stories will be judged for different things.  Each round the contestants will be halved so that by the final (sixth) round there are only two contestants competing to win. The criteria for each round is:

1. Title, Cover, Blurb
2. First Chapter
3. Characters
4. Plot
5. Overall Story
6. Judges’ Review

Round One for Group One Starts On: 27 March 2019 to 5 April 2019

I have ten days to spread the word and encourage my followers to visit the competition and comment on why they like my novel’s title, cover and blurb.

Jewel of the Sea

Blurb:

One kiss is all it took to wake Mariah’s weather manipulation powers.

Mariah is crushing on her best friend, rivalling with the swim team star and Gwyn in meddling in her life using spells. With no idea what she is, this mermaid could lose control and kill!

When your deadly powers are connected to your emotions, it gives a new meaning to “It’s complicated.”

How you can help:

Please can you visit the Cliche Press Competition and comment on what you like about my novel’s title, cover and blurb. Click here to visit the competition.

Also, if you have time to give me feedback on my project it is always welcomed. I’m constantly looking for ways to improve so please don’t hesitate to let me know what is working and what is not.

Please let me know if you are on Wattpad as I would love to follow you.

        

Advertisements

from WordPress https://ift.tt/2TGvR8L

Thank you to my followers

This month my blog reached 250 followers.

I am really proud of myself for keeping it going. Life with a newborn is super busy but I just try to write one or two articles a week. I easily could have let this go but since starting my blog I love it.

My blog is mainly about writing, sharing tips and my journey to publication. I also share some personal posts on my other interests (being a mum, organic beauty and Netflix recommendations).

I am so thankful for everyone who has not only taken the time to read my posts but to also subscribe to my blog. I hope you continue to enjoy my content.

My blog picture is from when I was modelling and taken by Natalie Collins (Instagram @neotheartist) who I hope to work with again one day. She is an amazing photographer and this shoot was extra special as I am wearing my wedding dress.

View on Instagram https://ift.tt/2O4NnCq

Advertisements

from WordPress https://ift.tt/2V15BHy

A Group For Writers with a Side Hustle

Writers starting out often are juggling other responsibilities. They may be a student with assignments gobbling up their time, or full time employed to pay their bills, or a parent with young children that demand their time. Whatever their hustle, they still want to write.

Every time life gets in the way of their dream, they feel like a failure. Plust writing can be quite lonely experience with nobody to talk to when things aren’t working out. Often, you will feel like you are the only one struggling to find time to write unless you find yourself a writing group.  

That’s why I am so pleased to have connected with Sabrina Sheldron @midnightstarlightwrites on Instagram. She invited me to join her Facebook group The Hustling Writers Community.

Why I think this group is so awesome:

This group encourages everyone to support each others achievements no matter how small. Sabrina sets weekly goals that are easy to achieve but help people to keep writing and moving onwards. Currently, there is an Instagram daily photo challenge #hustlingwriterscommunity.

Why did Sabrina start the group?

I asked her and she said:

“I wanted to start the group because I was sure there were people out there, like me, who hadn’t quite met their writing goals yet. People that dream of being full time authors but are still needing to work other jobs or study before they reach those goals.

And, I wanted to create a space where we could sympathise and encourage each other, as we all have similar struggles and similar goals. Social media tends to make everything a bit of a rat race, so I wanted to create a nurturing space, where it’s ok to not be perfect and productive 100% of the time.

I often beat myself up when life gets in the way. There’s comfort in knowing people are going through the same things, and I hope that other people in the group feel the same comfort and encouragement”

Well, I certainly feel that Sabrina met her goal here. With the support of her group, and her passion to write, I hope she achieves her dream one day soon to be a published author.

Sabrina Sheldon likes to write YA Fantasy Romance and loves all things Fairy Tale. The best place to find her is @midnightstarlightwrites on Instagram.

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like:

My best kept writing secret of last year (Happily Ever Author)

I did #FebWritersChallenge

Handwrite to boost creativity

Apps for Writers — Ally Aldridge

        

Advertisements

from WordPress https://ift.tt/2TvwW3g

What theme is heavily portrayed in your story?

My work in progress, Jewel of the Sea, has romance, coming of age and friendship but one of the strongest themes is metamorphosis.

 

Mariah begins as a shy girl that hides behind her best friend but by the end she has matured and started to blossom into a young woman. In addition, she starts out unaware she is a mermaid. But, by the end she has mastered turning into a mermaid and controlling her emotions that trigger her weather manipulation powers.

 

Tell me about what theme is strongest in your story. 

 

View on Instagram https://ift.tt/2HmhXqR

 

 This is my pic for day 15’ s prompt #womenwritingfiction #wwfchallenge2019

 

Image from #Unsplash by artist Karina Vorozheeva https://ift.tt/2HBNxQu

If you enjoyed this, you may like:

Does your story have an antagonist/bad guy?

Creating a Catchy Novel Title

My best kept writing secret of last year (Happily Ever Author)

I did #FebWritersChallenge

Advertisements

from WordPress https://ift.tt/2OifaiQ

Do you keep notebooks of story ideas?

I use the Simple Note app for jotting down ideas as I always have my mobile phone with me. 

I do have physical notebooks but tend to use them more for development. For example when I sit down to flesh out an idea. This could be for jotting down research or for outling my plot or character development like their backstory. I also jot down useful tips I’ve picked up from reading blog articles or watching videos by other authors. 

How about you? Where do you keep you story ideas? 

View on Instagram https://ift.tt/2TezeUe

 

Image from Unsplash by artist Aaron Burden 
https://unsplash.com/@aaronburden

This is my pic for day 16’s prompt #womenwritingfiction #wwfchallenge2019

If you enjoyed this, you may enjoy:

Apps for Writers — Ally Aldridge

Do you use Pinterest?

Handwrite to boost creativity

More than 10 Affordable Ultimate Gifts for writers

        

Advertisements

from WordPress https://ift.tt/2JmBjhb

Does your story have an antagonist/bad guy?

I always feel that a well developed antagonist can be both good and bad. Most people have a reason for their actions. It depends of the perspective.

For example, Fallon is quite mean to Mariah. Some could accuse her of bullying. She keeps pushing Mariah until she triggers her weather manipulation powers.

However, in Kya’s story, Fallon is her best friend and she’s protecting her from the heart ache of seeing Jace and Mariah together. In Kya’s story she is more of a heroine.

Does your villain have a good side?

Here’s my pic for day 14’s prompt #womenwritingfiction #wwfchallenge2019

Collage made with images from Unsplash artists Becca Tapert, Riccardo Mion, Courtney Clayton, Kings Cichewicz.

View on Instagram https://ift.tt/2CkRl5r

Advertisements

from WordPress https://ift.tt/2ua3Tb4

Do you use Pinterest?

This is a screen capture of my board ‘Story Inspiration’. It’s where I save stuff I’ve found on Pinterest that sparks story ideas.

I have loads of boards. I have boards for character development, cover designs, mood boards, etc. I save useful articles for tips on writing, blogging, vlogs, etc. I’ve got boards with useful crafts, recipes and hair tutorials. I have used it for my sons homework, party planning and decorating rooms.

It is quite clear that I love Pinterest and find it incredibly useful. I haven’t used it much for socialising although I hope to get better at that.

This pic was for day 13’s prompt of the #womenwritingfiction #wwfchallenge2019 Instagram challenge.

There is a link to my boards in my Instagram bio.

View on Instagram https://ift.tt/2O1CsJR

Advertisements

from WordPress https://ift.tt/2UBInYx