03Feb 2015 by Dianna L. Gunn

Passing it forward — at every level of success

Inspirational, Writing
Have you successfully finished the first draft of a novel? Gotten your first short story, poem or even a novel published? Built a solid network of writer friends to help propel you towards success? If you've accomplished any or all of these things, you're ahead of thousands of other writers. You might not feel like a success--it's hard to feel successful in writing if you're still relying on that day job--but you've actually already achieved something or potentially several things thousands of other writers are struggling to achieve. And along the way you probably learned something that can help other writers achieve the same thing. Now, I'm not suggesting you try to help all of those writers. I'm not even suggesting that you start a blog about writing. There are already thousands…
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18Nov 2014 by Dianna L. Gunn

Tuesday Tips & Tricks

Nanowrimo, Writing
Week three of Nanowrimo is already here and if you're anything like me, you're filled with a combination of excitement and fear. Can you actually reach the lofty goal you've set for yourself? Is your novel garbage? Will you ever actually want to look at it again? Are you going to cross  the finish line? It's completely normal to doubt yourself at this point, and it's completely normal to think you'll have to throw away your novel. In fact, I'd go so far as to say throwing away your novel is fairly standard among Nanowrimo participants. I'm certainly not trying to salvage every single novel I've written during Nanowrimo. Whatever your feelings are about your novel, you can overcome them and you can write a novel in a month. All you need…
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11Nov 2014 by Dianna L. Gunn

Tuesday Tips & Tricks

Nanowrimo, Writing
Can you believe we're already in the second week of Nanowrimo? It's amazing how time flies when you're having fun--or when you're freaking out about an upcoming deadline... With any luck you haven't actually started freaking out yet and your word count is soaring well above where it's supposed to be at this point in the month. Either way, I've got a tip, a trick and a quote that should help see you through to the other side of this crazy novel writing adventure: A Tip If you keep stopping to edit, maybe it's time to turn your monitor off while you write--or at least tape a piece of paper over it so you can't see most of what you've written. This will help your words flow more freely and…
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23Oct 2014 by Eric James Spannerman

Eric James Spannerman Discusses his Experience with Nanowrimo

Nanowrimo, Writing
2014 was the year in which I made the jump from hopeful writer to published author. My first book, Applied Natural Magic, was released by Musa Publishing in August of 2014 as part of the Darkside Codex series of steampunk stories. NaNoWriMo 2013 was a big part of getting me to that point, and Dianna has asked me to share that story. Although writing a NaNoWriMo draft was difficult, producing the draft was not the most difficult part of the process. My biggest obstacles emerged during the four months I spent hammering the raw material of the first draft into submittable form. Fortunately, there are some things to do prior to and during NaNoWriMo that make the transition from draft to usable manuscript easier, and I'm going to focus on those.…
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16Sep 2014 by Dianna L. Gunn

5 Great Resources For Writers

Writing
As September draws to a close the time has come for me to really start planning for Nanowrimo--and to help other aspiring novelists do the same. Next week I'll be diving into the subject of how to plan a novel and prepare for a crazy month of quick writing. Of course, not every writer wants to do Nanowrimo. Some people are naturally slow writers, other people are deep in edits, and others simply don't like the idea. And some of you will simply want to continue reading about other topics. Since I know you all have different writing processes--and different goals--I've compiled a list of writing resources to keep your mind busy while I'm focused on Nanowrimo(after signing up for my newsletter  so you can be reminded when it's over). The…
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07Aug 2014 by Dianna L. Gunn

Author Spotlight: Lizzie T. Leaf

Author Interviews, Reading Related
Today you have a very special opportunity: to learn about the writing process of an award winning contemporary romance author, then check out one of her books for free to see it in action. Please give Lizzie T. Leaf a warm welcome, and don't forget to grab your free copy of DEAD Awake here. 1. Can you tell us a bit about your most recent novel? For Musa Publishing, my most recent is DEAD Santa. Santa and Mrs. Santa like you probably never thought of them. The one prior was DEAD Hot. They are the last two books in the DEAD series at Musa that deals with vampires and the unusual beings that hang out in their club. There are a total of six books in the series as of…
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24Jul 2014 by Dianna L. Gunn

Author Spotlight: Lynn Rae

Author Interviews
Today's author, Lynn Rae, recently published her first contemporary romance, Return. She's already got some interesting insights into publishing and some helpful writing advice to share, and she's also been great fun to work with. Please give her a warm welcome and feel free to ask any additional questions in the comments section below. 1. Can you tell us a bit about Return? Return is a contemporary romance set in a small Ohio town. My hero, James Winchester isn’t your typical lead in one of these stories; he’s kind, quiet, and an accountant! But that doesn’t mean he's not a passionate guy. It just takes him a little longer to admit to how he feels about Evelyn Prentiss. There’s a church ice cream social, a county fair, a mystery, and…
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21May 2014 by Dianna L. Gunn

Author Interview: Karen Kennedy Samoranos

Author Interviews, Reading Related
I actually had the opportunity to interview Karen back in 2012, when Road Apples, her first release through Musa Publishing, was fairly new. Since then she's published four more novels through Musa Publishing. So I thought I should get all caught up with her and see how things have changed--and how her approach to the writing process has grown. Please give her a warm welcome. 1. Can you tell us a bit about your books? The five novels released through Musa Publishing fall under the genre of Adult Fiction, which call “Fiction Noir.” The books were written stand-alone, with interconnected characters and events, and in the fictional setting of an actual rural town—Susanville, located in northeastern California. Many of my themes address religious dogma and interracial romantic relationships. In Road…
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24Mar 2014 by Dianna L. Gunn

Before you finish that draft

Novels, Uncategorized, Writing: The Process
After an excruciating process taking anywhere between a few weeks and several years, your first--or second, or third--draft is almost finished. Your adrenaline's pumping and you're ready to power through to the finish line. As antsy as you might be to finish it, I suggest instead you pause and take a deep breath. It's time to create a plan for after you've crossed the finish line. Start by scheduling a couple says off. You can write, of course, but jumping straight from one book to the next isn't a great idea. Give your brain some time to relax and refill the creative well by enjoying somebody else's book or doing something fun. You might want to focus on stories very different from your current WIP so you can get out…
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20Nov 2013 by Dylan Madeley

Advice from a Caterpillar

Nanowrimo, Writing
Hello, author. A brief introduction should be in order. I'm Mr. Caterpillar, and I first tried this NaNoWriMo thing in 2008. I had been aware of the event since many years prior to that, but 2008 was when I finally tried in earnest to do what I had been pretending to do since I was in single digits of age. Using an electronic typewriter, and a lot of encouragement, I would put up to one single paragraph on a sheet of paper and consider that a "page" of writing. After ten "pages" or so, I had written a "book". The rest of the page was left open for illustrations. I was usually the star of this story, and various friendly talking caterpillars of different shapes and sizes were something I…
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