Write... Write... Write...

On July 31st/August 1st, 2019 I published my debut novel, the first in my Children of Lilith Series: Ascend. Since then, I’ve managed to meet every goal I’ve had for my writing career. I intended to write a second novel by the time Ascend had been out for a year, and I wanted to sell at least three hundred books. I debuted Descend, Children of Lilith Series Book Two, on May 1st of this year, and at last tally, I have sold 348 books in ten countries. My goals for the next year? Write a few more books, sell a few thousand copies. Ambition of a writer, eh? 
As a result, I wanted to use this newsletter to offer some writing tips I’ve found extremely useful in the last year. I know we’re constantly hearing “Do’s and Don’ts of writing” but rather than tell you what to or not to do, I thought I would tell you what works for me. 

1. Sometimes it’s okay to write a scene and leave it as what I call “barebones.” You can flesh it out later, but by getting the story out, you are making progress. Don’t worry about it being a weak spot. Editing and revising allows us to strengthen those. 
2. Try to make small goals that are feasible. It’s okay if you only write a few hundred words when you sit down to write. Every session, every time you get to sit down, you are making progress.
3. Use all the words. I know we hear “don’t use adverbs” among other things. Words are brilliant and captivating. They illuminate what we want to say, and yes, sometimes that means the prose can be a little much, BUT I am Team Use-All-The-Words. Worry about which words to cut AFTER you write them down. 
4. Have alpha and beta readers. I hear negative things about them, whether or not people believe in them, but I know my readers make me a stronger writer, they encourage me and help me identify things I would otherwise miss. Let someone see your work. Let someone cheer you on. It helps tremendously.

So there you have it… just four little things that have helped me write two (international selling!!) books and is helping me write what I hope will be many, many more. I wish you all the best of luck in your writing endeavors!