Just got back from a fantastic weekend at a delightful bed and breakfast called Ravenwood Castle that is located in the south eastern part of the state among lovely hills. It's a wonderful place to just get away from it all because the cell phone reception is lousy and the internet is nonexistent. Sometimes, it's just nice to unplug yourself fro the busy society that we're a part of and just get back to the basics.
Such as sitting in a very comfortable chair, chatting with family as the little princess runs around playing with the grandparents from both sides of the family. Both sets were delighted to play with her in between huge gossip sessions where we got caught up on life in general and our lives in particular.
I did take a notebook with me to scribble a bit in, but I admit that not much writing got done this weekend. A new idea for a story, yes, but not much writing *laughs*. I never leave the house without a notebook and a pen for just such ideas either for scenes or for ideas because the one time I didn't write down what seemed like a neat story idea, I completely lost it. Even now, I couldn't tell you what it was.
But I am now refreshed, revitalized, and rested and very ready to start writing again. Or at least I'll start writing tomorrow in the afternoon while the little princess is at preschool.
Sunday, October 23, 2016
Thursday, October 13, 2016
Writing Ramblings and Technique
I have to confess, that I was completely blown away by how many people actually bought my book the first weekend it was published. Compared to many, I made pennies, but I sold double digits worth of my story.
That's just flat out amazing to someone who hasn't really sold anything before. Of course, I haven't been resting on my bottom, waiting for the money to come rolling in. I've been busy working on the next few short stories while also pounding away at a novel that I hope people like.
Which is what surprises me the most about those sales. It means people like my little story enough to buy it.
I confess that I write things that I enjoy reading and not worrying too much about the "popular" market. I've got a couple of stories that are pure self indulgence while others make me giggle and grin as I write them, knowing that they're cotton candy fluff and I may never publish them because of that. Yes, I work on a lot of different stories at once because that's the easiest way for me to keep writing. I get stuck on a serious plot point of Story A, and I move to Novella B until I can figure it out enough to fix it or rewrite the plot to get rid of that point. Most of the time, I admit I scribble out various scenes and then string them together like pearls on a necklace, but often a story might suddenly take a left turn and render those later scenes useless. I've even rewritten scenes three or four times until they fit the current mood of the story. Then I just hope they continue to fit the story as I slide them into place.
So far, many of them seem to be working, and I enjoy stringing my little pearls together to make a story that I enjoy. I publish what I write in the hopes that others will enjoy it as well.
That's just flat out amazing to someone who hasn't really sold anything before. Of course, I haven't been resting on my bottom, waiting for the money to come rolling in. I've been busy working on the next few short stories while also pounding away at a novel that I hope people like.
Which is what surprises me the most about those sales. It means people like my little story enough to buy it.
I confess that I write things that I enjoy reading and not worrying too much about the "popular" market. I've got a couple of stories that are pure self indulgence while others make me giggle and grin as I write them, knowing that they're cotton candy fluff and I may never publish them because of that. Yes, I work on a lot of different stories at once because that's the easiest way for me to keep writing. I get stuck on a serious plot point of Story A, and I move to Novella B until I can figure it out enough to fix it or rewrite the plot to get rid of that point. Most of the time, I admit I scribble out various scenes and then string them together like pearls on a necklace, but often a story might suddenly take a left turn and render those later scenes useless. I've even rewritten scenes three or four times until they fit the current mood of the story. Then I just hope they continue to fit the story as I slide them into place.
So far, many of them seem to be working, and I enjoy stringing my little pearls together to make a story that I enjoy. I publish what I write in the hopes that others will enjoy it as well.
Wednesday, October 5, 2016
Hear Ye! Hear Ye! It has begun!
Greetings and Salutations! Allow me to briefly introduce myself. My name is Tazura Seiple, and I'm a beginning author as I have just published my first solo book, A Night Off and A New Dress. I'll get back to that in a minute. I enjoy writing a great deal and reading even more so with my preferred genres being fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, and classics. I have other hobbies and responsibilities as I'm a wife and a mother, and I confess that I do get distracted by rather shiny new plots that cross my mind. My parents inspired my love of reading at an early age, and I fear I did more extracurricular reading during school than paying attention to the lessons there.
Of course to be honest, calculus and algebra were never really an interest to me.
My parents also taught me that I can do and be anything I wanted to, I simply had to put my mind to it. I could be the princess and the knight who befriended the dragon if I wanted. I never had to wait for someone to come and rescue me. Occasionally pull me back down to earth when I started drifting off in a flight of fancy perhaps, but never rescue.
Which brings me to my story. It's a different take on Cinderella. Her family isn't Disney mean, and she certainly doesn't need a prince on a white horse to come and sweep her off her feet. It's my first solo work as I said, and I'm rather excited that it's published. I am also proud of the cover as I took the picture myself using an old shoe, a blanket, and the tiara I wore for my wedding.
Not bad for a camera phone and a bit of editing.
So, check my stories out, and if you want to follow me, I'll do my best to post once a week on just random things that cross my mind. Might drop a bit of a story I'm working on here for your reading enjoyment, might ramble about a story I've going developing, might grouse about a character that's being troublesome, or I might just shoot the breeze a bit. Who knows.
I hope to see you around the Kingdom...
Of course to be honest, calculus and algebra were never really an interest to me.
My parents also taught me that I can do and be anything I wanted to, I simply had to put my mind to it. I could be the princess and the knight who befriended the dragon if I wanted. I never had to wait for someone to come and rescue me. Occasionally pull me back down to earth when I started drifting off in a flight of fancy perhaps, but never rescue.
Which brings me to my story. It's a different take on Cinderella. Her family isn't Disney mean, and she certainly doesn't need a prince on a white horse to come and sweep her off her feet. It's my first solo work as I said, and I'm rather excited that it's published. I am also proud of the cover as I took the picture myself using an old shoe, a blanket, and the tiara I wore for my wedding.
Not bad for a camera phone and a bit of editing.
So, check my stories out, and if you want to follow me, I'll do my best to post once a week on just random things that cross my mind. Might drop a bit of a story I'm working on here for your reading enjoyment, might ramble about a story I've going developing, might grouse about a character that's being troublesome, or I might just shoot the breeze a bit. Who knows.
I hope to see you around the Kingdom...
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