Friday, October 31, 2014

Let the Holiday Giving Begin!

It's officially the holiday season, and what better way to gear up for cold days, friends, and family than winning some great prizes! Are you already a dedicated Endinger and you've read all these book? Tell your friends, or enter to win a copy for them!

Starting Saturday, November 1st through Saturday, November 8th...


20 participants will win an ebook copy of After The Ending!


Book One, The Ending Series

For each additional entry, you're entered to be the second place or grand prize winner!



Second Place Prize:

  • Audiobook copies of book one, After The Ending, and book two, Into The Fire.
Grand Prize:
  • Series ebooks, including the prequel novellas, After The Ending, Into The Fire, and Out Of The Ashes
  • Audiobook copies of After The Ending and Into The Fire

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Reading and Good LUCK!!!

Friday, October 17, 2014

....Authorship-ism-ology: Brainstorming and Outlining...

****PLEASE NOTE: This is an old post. I no longer post on this blog. For more information, to visit my new blog, or to contact me, visit HERE****

Brainstorming
I start with getting in the right mindset. It's hard when you've got another story and characters so prominent in your mind (The Ending Series). So, wading around in my ideas, sketching and observing while watching a show or movie sometimes helps inspire me to get into the "New Story" frame of mind. Thus, the birth of my new story notebook. While "Reilly" is only my working title, it's the only title I have right now, so...


Lindsey Pogue - Author Story Notebook Reilly
"Reilly" Story Notebook

The Basics
Reilly was the original title for the story I wrote when I was in high school. At the time, I deemed it a masterpiece and marked it "completed". Now that I'm older and have written a book or two, I've learned a thing or two that was glaringly wrong in my old Reilly manuscript:

  • A story with only 20,000 words isn't a novel, but a short story or novella.
  • Although I want my stories to be riddled with emotion, they've got to have a happy ending - otherwise I'm depressed writing the damn thing. So the originally Reilly story is getting a major face lift and rework, hopefully leaving plenty of grit and emotion in the mix while providing an ending that is satisfying to me and readers.
  • I've got to develop my characters more, hence the extensive outlining process below.

Key issues I've had while working on "Reilly":

  • Getting out of my own head. Just because I wrote a certain story line fifteen years ago, doesn't mean it's good or that I have to stick with it. As much as I know that, it's hard to work through something that's so solidified and concrete in my mind. no matter how horrible parts of it is.
  • Writing is a courtship, not a marriage. Things change, ideas come up, and characters take the story where they want to. Wait until you're finished or 100% certain of something before you decide to commit, it will make everything so much easier.
  • Keep exploring cover ideas and title ideas and series ideas, write them down, run with them, do whatever is needed in order to stay inspired and keep the creative juices flowing.

Lindsey Pogue - Author Brainstorming Outline Reilly
Ideas, characters strengths and weaknesses, etc.

When the Muse is a no show
In my world, libation equals creation. There's no better way to free your mind than a glass (or two) of wine. It may sound silly, but there's something to be said for getting out of your own head and letting your mind wander, most often stumbling across something magical that would've otherwise remained uncovered.


Fancy Pants Wine for Brainstorming - Lindsey Pogue Author
Fancy Pants, I show that story who's boss...

Outlining

This is a long process with lots of twists and turns, revisions and road blocks. I've spent a solid two months developing my characters, exploring the story, bouncing ideas off friends, all so I could get a solid outline. Let's be honest, outlining is a great intention to have, but things always change as I mentioned above. So, use it as a guide, but don't resist the desire to explore or take another, unexpected road.


Lindsey Pogue Author - Extensive Reilly Outline
Extended Outline - Chapters, setting, characters and notes

So, obviously there is much to learn when writing a novel by yourself. It's strange how different it is than writing a book with someone else. There are many elements that are very much the same, like brainstorming with friends, deciding what actions and situations are best suited for your characters, while others aspects are completely different, i.e. coming up with your own story line, deciding where you want to take the story, with the help of your characters, of course. Either way, it's the life of a writer, and I'm only beginning to scratch the surface.

I'll be posting my character story boards and character explorations next. Stay tuned!

***** 

If you're interested in my writing progress and other news, you can find me here:

Thursday, October 9, 2014

...NaNoWriMo, you say?...

I was just about to post something about the characters I've been working on over the past couple weeks in preparation for NaNoWriMo, when I realized some of you may not know what the heck that actually is. Since I'll be referencing it quite a bit over the next two months, I thought I'd fill you in.



For those of you who don't know or understand what National Novel Writing Month is, it's a designated time of the year where writers can challenge themselves to get large portions of their Work in Progress (WIP) written. 

Here's what you need to know about NaNoWriMo:
  • Purpose: Work on writing a project of your choice - novel, multiple short stories, articles, etc. Technically it's for novel writing, but I say use it for whatever you want to write as long as you have 50K words to set as your goal.
  • When: the entire month of November
  • The goal: 50,000 words or more to be deemed a "NaNoWriMo Winner"
  • Process: Everyday you copy and paste your WIP into the NaNo words counter and it generates and tracks your progress, thus also generating a breakdown of how much longer you have to meet your goal, your progress compared to other days, how many words a day you need to write in order to reach your goal, and so on. 
  • Completion: By November 30th at midnight, the NaNoWriMo elves will compute all data and deem those who have reached or exceeded their goal of 50K words or more WINNERS! Those who do not win don't get a loser badge or anything, at least not that I'm aware of.
  • Why: Because it's a great way to get your butt in gear!
The great thing about NaNoWriMo is that people who share your love and enthusiasm for writing and storytelling come together to encourage and support each other. Everyone is working toward the same goal--getting shit done! You have access to writing buddies and pep talks, live chats with authors, question forums, personal goal trackers, encouragement emails, brainstorming session, etc. Basically, NaNoWriMo provides writers the opportunity and excuse to lock yourself away and write-write-write.

If you don't make your goal, you're not flogged or stoned or reprimanded. This is for YOU! NaNoWriMo just helps get you motivated to do great things, to start or finish that book you've always wanted to write. 

If you have always wanted to write, but never knew where to start, check out their website and welcome kits!


Wednesday, October 1, 2014

...Move over Edward Cullen, Nathaniel needs his prune juice...

The Vampire's Housekeeper Chronicles, Volume OneThe Vampire's Housekeeper Chronicles, Volume One by J. Bennett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Move over Edward Cullen, Nathaniel needs his prune juice, ASAP

What do you get when you pair a geriatric vampire with a sarcastic, desperate, and unemployable mortal? You get witty banter, laugh-out-loud moments, and a perfect melody of imagination and cringe-worthy horror. Throw in some werefrogs and a ninja, maybe a few unsuspecting Mormons and ghosts, and you've got a recipe for comical greatness. This collection of stories will leave your mouth gaping, all while appreciating how clever it actually is.

Each tale is short, entertaining, and leaves you wondering what the inappropriate, old school Nathaniel will do next--who he'll eat and what he'll say. Deirdre is the yin to Nathaniel's yang. Her no-nonsense personality and sarcasm are truly enjoyable, making her and Nathaniel the perfect pair. The greatest part of it all is that each story is short, providing the reader with the perfect interim read between novels and a diversion from life in general. The Vampire’s Housekeeper Chronicles is a wonderful satire on the world of Vampires as we "know" them today.

I recommend this to everyone who doesn't take life too seriously and can take a joke, even if it's completely offensive, because let's face it, when you're a centuries-old vampire who thinks the television is a thing of sorcery and a woman over the age of twenty is a hopeless old maid, you're in for a world of "did he seriously just say that?"


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