Speaking Topics
I don't know much but I do know...
Finishing a manuscript is hard!
If you're a fellow creative, chances are you have a ton of good ideas floating around in your head but you just can't seem to get them down on paper. Maybe you feel overwhelmed because you don't know how to get all these pieces of a story organized into a cohesive manuscript. Or maybe you've started your manuscript but are finding it difficult to stay motivated enough to finish it. Or life seems to keep getting in the way of you and your computer. Or that blank page keeps mocking you whenever you do find time to sit down and write. For whatever reason you're not writing, don't stress. You are not alone! Hop onto any writers' forum and you'll see that these are very common problems fellow creatives struggle with. I can't fix all of your problems but I can offer some tips that helped me complete 11 manuscripts all while juggling married life, being a mom to young children, and working full-time.
Writing realistic couples in fiction is hard!
There is definitely a demand for romance that speaks to the dreamer in all of us, that focuses on the hook up or the build up or the sweetness of relationships. In some seasons, I'm a sucker for that stuff! But I feel there is also a need for more realistic couple portrayal in fantasy. We all want to escape to some degree when we read fiction but, the more you consume something, the more you come to believe in it to some extent. Oversaturating our lives with unrealistic romance will only help us create unrealistic expectations in real life relationships. In my writing, I strive to create realistic couples who make selfish decisions, who hurt each other either intentionally or unintentionally, who have trouble saying what they truly mean, or who have petty arguments because their pride was hurt. In the end, though, all my couples choose to stay together, to love despite the hurt. If you'd like to create similar characters and relationships in your fiction, there are a few tips I can share.
Choosing one genre is hard!
There are some authors who create one world and thrive in it, crank out 12 books about the same characters battling the same evil in the same fictitious country with the same type of magic/special abilities/monsters/what-have-you. There are also some authors (like me) who have creative ADHD and can't stick to one genre, one world, one set of characters. For marketability, there are certain benefits to falling within one category of fiction. If you can do that, more power to you! But I firmly believe that writing in multiple genres has stretched me as an author, and forced me to go beyond my comfort zones. I discovered a lot about myself while writing my scifi/fantasy trilogy, which I never would've discovered if I hadn't taken the plunge. If you're passionate about multiple genres (paranormal and gaslamp fantasy, for example, or scifi and crime fantasy), why not try writing a short story in each one? Why not combine some genres? Why not incorporate elements or tropes from them all? As a reader, wouldn't you want to read a story like that? I may have some ideas for you on how to get started.
Upcoming Speaker Engagements
Fri, May 24PhoenixMay 24, 2024, 10:00 AM – May 27, 2024, 7:00 PMPhoenix, 100 N 3rd St, Phoenix, AZ 85004, USA
Sat, Jun 08https://www.facebook.com/groups/47967564327Jun 08, 2024, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PMhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/47967564327
Sat, Aug 31Renaissance WaterfordAug 31, 2024, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM PDTRenaissance Waterford, Waterford Blvd Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73118