Hi, I'm Lianna.
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Hi, Tialla! Can you tell us about your two novels? What are they about? Holding the Future Hostage: “A Mystical Bottle... A Teenage Beauty... A Criminal... A Universe of Pursuit. When a teenage girl finds an enchanting perfume Vial, her world is thrown into chaos. Friends become enemies; enemies become friends. Trust is what she needs most - and what she can't find. Through a series of deadly experiences, she discovers that this Vial plays a vital role in deciding the fate of many. Murder and betrayal surround her - hundreds try to claim her very life. A test of determination awaits.... Will she survive? Visions of the future, attacks, kidnappings, travel, explosions, and murder fill this page-turning novel with suspense and surprise.” Where Shadows Lie: “His dark past haunts him. His new life taunts him. After twenty years in the gangs and a hefty prison sentence, an early release gives Shawn the opportunity to turn his life around. But that isn’t so easy when gangs are involved. Only a year into his fresh start, the gang catches on and makes Shawn’s life miserable. After all, once a gang member, always a gang member. His very blood belongs to them. Threats become promises. Whispers become actions. Words become bullets. He must fight – not only for his life, but to save his honor, prove his integrity, and protect the woman he loves. An ember of hope glows in the darkness, strengthening his resolve. Will her support and his determination be enough to dispel the shadows of his past? A story of discovery and faith, love and perseverance.” How would you describe your newest work in progress in one sentence? A young woman drowns and as she takes her dying breath, transforms into a mermaid. Who was your favorite character to write? Hands-down, Shawn. He was my favorite since the beginning! When did you first begin writing? I began my first novel at age 13, but I’ve been writing various stories for as long as I can remember. What was the hardest part during the writing process of your first novel? All of it. ;) I didn’t outline that novel, so I had no idea where it was headed, thus the writing process was a mess, and the editing even messier. Even publishing was difficult because I had to find a company and weigh pros and cons and all that. What is your preffered platform to write on? I have a MacBook, so I enjoy using Pages. It also works amazingly for NaNoWriMo because the word count is always up on the screen. Who are your favorite authors/biggest writing inspirations? J.K. Rowling is a huge inspiration to me. Not only are her books incredible, but the entire world she created for Harry Potter is phenomenal. The more I read her work, the more I am impressed with all the research and backstory she put into it. Also, she’s the first billionaire author in history, so that’s incredibly inspiring. What/who gives you the most motivation to write? My husband is my greatest encouragement! He’s my biggest fan and always motivates me to write. Favorite books? The Auralia Thread by Jeffrey Overstreet, Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. Favorite movie? How can I possibly pick just one? If I absolutely had to...well I can’t, so I’ll say the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy. Can you give us an excerpt from either of your novels? Holding the Future Hostage: “Shawn and his buddies had broken into the laboratory, and there was a wild fight for the Ruby Vial. The Vial was accidentally dropped into a bucket of dry ice. The fight instantly stopped and they debated what to do. When Bryan whisked the Vial out of the bucket, they were shocked to find it sapphire in color. The Vial had an inscription on the side--revealing the nature of the Ruby Vial. The inscription said: ‘This Vial holds the life of the Universe. All life of the Past, Present, and Future is held in this Vial, and if it perishes--so does the very being of Earth. Guard against the many enemies who thirst for the power this Vial holds. Protect it!’” Where Shadows Lie: “My eyes flew open, and I shot upright. My lungs burned as I tried to catch my breath. Chills coursed through my body. A pool of sweat saturated my bed; the sheets choked me. My heart hammered against my ribs. I stood, placed my trembling hand along the cool pane of the window, and slid it open. I stared into the city lights, wishing I could forget these nightmares. Forget my dark past. Would they ever stop haunting me? As the warm night breeze caressed my face, my mind suffocated in turmoil. I leaned over the windowsill, gazing at the part of town I used to call home. It was the darkest part of the city, as if it was smothered in coal. A bitter taste filled my mouth as the terror of my nightmare tingled my memory. I thought I was past this. I had changed. I served time for my crimes and was doing my best to live a new life. What more could I do? Yet, my past life of hurt, anger, pride, and rebellion wouldn’t let go. No matter how far I tried to distance myself, it hung onto me, like shackles. Resolve began to settle in my mind. I straightened my back and narrowed my eyes at the city in disgust. I would not let it beat me. I had changed; I would continue to change, and I would not go back to that life—no matter how long my memories tortured me. I was not that man any longer, and I would not succumb to it.” Is there a story idea that you’ve had in the past but just never gotten around to writing it? Definitely. A few, actually, but I’m not sure they will ever make it into stories. What advice would you give to those who are new to the publishing process? Avoid vanity presses. If you have to pay for a “package” to publish your book, don’t use that company. You shouldn’t have to pay for anything to publish your book, other than to have a cover created/the book formatted, etc. When looking into a company, Google the term “{company name} scam” to read more about it. Also, decide on what you want before you even start researching companies. Do you want to self-publish or traditionally publish? Do you want to retain most of your rights, or would you rather not be in sole-control of your book? Answering these questions to begin with will help narrow the publisher search. What is your biggest piece of advice for writers (experienced and non-experienced)? Write like no one will be reading it. Write just for yourself. Allow yourself to have a horribly messy first draft because a messy first draft is better than an unfinished one. Don’t edit while writing, it'll just bog yourself down--just get the words down, and edit later. Thanks so much, Tialla for being here with us!
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This is some amazing advice that I received from a friend a while back. I was telling him how I'd love for my novel to be a bestseller once it's published. And he said it so simply -- "then write it to be one"
If you want to be the author of a bestseller...then write a bestseller. I told him that I would try. And you know what he said? Don't try, just do it. Think about your favorite novels. How do they begin? How do they end? How do they tie everything together perfectly in the middle? What makes the characters relatable? What makes them loveable? How does the novel intriuge you? Think about all of those things that you love about your favorite novels...and then write a novel that you would love to read. As you're writing each word, pretend you're the most famous author in the world. Pretend that this novel is going to be on most everybody's bookshelf, in libraries, in the news even for how well it's written. Think about what you'd love to read, think about what a bestseller would look like...and then go write one. Don't just dream it, do it. If you're new to outlining, then you're probably just as confused as I was when you look at all of the different terms for an outline. Now, before I begin explaining, I want to show you two different outline maps that I found that are on opisite ends of difficulty. This is a picture I found that was very detailed when it came to plotting your novel. To be honest, when I first saw this...I was completely confused. (click to enlarge) And this is another one I found that made me laugh because of how simple it explained everything. (click to enlarge) So if you're just as lost as I was...allow me to explain. Acts The acts of your story are just used to separate your story into three parts: Beginning, Middle, and End. Hook/opening This is the first thing that's going to be on your Novel plot (or story map). This is the first scene -- the introduction to your story world and characters. Inciting Indecent This is the part of the story that propels your characters into to the good parts of the story: the call to action. Plot Points Plot points are significant events in the novel that spins the story or the action in another direction. It's an important point in the plot. Thus called...the plot point. The first plot point is going to happen right after the inciting indecent and another is going to come later on. Rising Action From here we have rising action, mounting tension, obstacles, and second thoughts. As I've heard it been said, these scenes begin with the "we're not in Kansas anymore" scene. Mid Point This is the halfway point in your story. This is where your characters realize that things are going in a different direction than the inciting indecent had suggested. Complications & Higher Stakes This is where your protagonist decides to fight. They've experienced the complications and obstacles, they see the stakes, and they decide to fight. The second plot point comes right after this. Climax This is the most exciting scene of the novel -- the battle of battles. The most important scene where it seems they've hit rock bottom. Resolution This is where the action falls rapidly, everything gets resolved, and it ends in happily ever after...or whatever the ending of your story will be. Are they any other terms you're wondering the meaning of? Be sure to let me know! You can also look at the post I did for three different ways to outline your novel so you can get started on plotting that book! Let's get writing. xx The antagonist. A very important part to any novel. Through the many many years of world building and character creating, there has been a large array of different kinds of antagonists. There are the kind that the reader will hate with a burning passion...and there are also the kind that the reader has a sympathy for them deep in their heart and can relate and find a liking for them even though the antagonist is so sinister.
When writing the antagonist for our novel and deciding who the antagonist will be for that matter...there are two things we must consider. The first thing is... The Antagonist isn't always a villain. While there are many stories with the antagonist as a flat-out evil villain...we have to consider the mindset behind the villains evil-doings. When writing a villain we have to remember the popular quote: Hurting People Hurt People. Someone who is hurting someone else has some kind of hurt going on in their own lives. There's always something behind the mind of the antagonist. And this gives the readers a way to relate even to the person in your story who is causing all of the conflict. But this leads me to the next thing we must consider... The Antagonist isn't always another person. While the antagonist in a novel is quite normally another person, that isn't always and isn't required to be the case. What if we stopped with the normal and took a different perceptive to writing our antagonists. Sometimes the antagonist in a person's life...is themselves. Or maybe the antagonist is a thing. An addiction constantly tearing down the protagonist. Just a thought. The point is to be creative when going behind the mind of your antagonist and when choosing the antagonist in your story. Maybe your novel isn't about superheros and doesn't need a villain per se...or maybe your novel just isn't the right kind of novel for an antagonist that is, indeed, another person. Or maybe you have an antagonist who is another person in the story but you don't want to use the overplayed and overused backstorys that it seems every antagonist has. My suggestion to you is Kill The Clique Don't let your novel, or your antagonist for that matter, be a carbon copy of the average cliques that everyone uses. Write a novel that's going to be the next big thing. Write an antagonist with a backstory that no one's ever thought of. Kill that clique and write your novel to be the next New York Times bestseller. I know some writers are just naturally pantsers...but I am definitely one who needs some sort of an outline. I think my writing style falls somewhere between an outliner and a pantser. I don't use too much of a detailed outline unless it's NaNoWriMo. But I do use a basic outline normally because I need to keep track of all of all my ideas in one place. Whatever type of outline you prefer, here are three effective ways to outline your novel The Basic Outline This is for those of you who like to have a basic outline to keep track of what's going on but you like to just be a pantser for the rest. The In-Between Outline This one is not as basic as the first one but definitely not as detailed as the detailed one. I think I've found that I like this one best. The Detailed Outline This one is a lot more detailed for those of you who just have to have an outline and you can't stand writing without one. As you can see in the picture below, there are two parts to this outline. The first part lets you write all the parts and acts to your novel (you can even go deeper if you want and add all the plot points and pinch points but I kept it simple for mine.) The second part lets you keep track of your chapters and each scene that takes place in each chapter.) For each scene, you write the setting, the POV, the characters in it, and then what happens in the scene. I think that this detailed outline is a great one to use if you're participating in NaNoWriMo because you always know what comes next and you won't get stuck on what to write as much. I'm definitely going to be using this one for NaNo this year. Are you a pantser or an outliner? Or in-between like me? Let me know in the comments! xx |