Novel Writing – Page 13 – Write on the World

A friend of mine is sketching out some ideas for the cover of With Envy Stung: Valley of the Bees #1. What do you think?

I don’t remember having this much trouble writing the outlines for books one and two. I’ve made a list of all of the loose ends that need tied up, and now I am trying to figure out how to tie them together. It’s getting very complicated!

I thought I was ready to publish book one, but as I play with all of these loose ends, I think maybe I’m not ready after all. What if I need something to happen in book three that won’t work due to something I wrote in book one? I won’t be able to go back and revise it once it’s published!

Maybe I need to at least have a first draft of book three before I publish book one. I want to start my pre-launch of book one, but what if I don’t have it ready in time? What if I think it’s done, but it’s not? I have thought it was done many times throughout the process, only to find that it still needed more work.

What if, what if, what if? Sometimes – a lot of times – writing is just a whole lot of “what ifs!” Continue reading “Planning the final book in a series” →

Memes, Novel Writing, Valley of the Bees

Is your novel stuck? How to write your way past the flashing cursor

February 19, 2016February 19, 2016 Mandy Webster

One of the most important lessons I have learned about novel writing is that the worst thing you can do when you’re stuck is to sit and stare at a flashing cursor on a blank page. In my experience, when I have done this in the past, the longer I stared at that cursor, the more stuck I became. Instead, I have learned that the only way to get unstuck is to write through it.

writing meme

This may sound like a crazy idea.

“I’m stuck,” you’re thinking. “How do I write through it when I can’t think of anything to write?” Continue reading “Is your novel stuck? How to write your way past the flashing cursor” →

Novel Writing, Writer's Block, Writers on Writing

Writing the boring: How to write transitional material between novel chapters

February 12, 2016February 12, 2016 Mandy Webster

I struggle to set up each new chapter in my novel. I want to jump right into the dialog and action and keep the story moving along. While writing the first installment of Valley of the Bees, I did just that. I wrote the story in the throes of momentum and didn’t slow down for anything as uninteresting as setting up my chapters properly. When all was said and done, my story came out to around 25,000 words and was in desperate need of transitional material between chapters. Imagine how I felt when I realized that I was going to have to sit down and write all of that boring stuff at once.

back to basics - writing with the five senses

Lesson learned. Continue reading “Writing the boring: How to write transitional material between novel chapters” →

Novel Writing, Writers on Writing

Setting goals and reaching them late… one way or another

February 3, 2016February 3, 2016 Mandy Webster

I always plan to write over winter break, but somehow it never happens. I work at a University that closes for almost two whole weeks the end of December. Perfect time to get some writing done, right? Apparently not!

So then January came along, and I buckled in and started writing regularly. I have been scheduling it into my day, but not giving myself too much grief if I occasionally get off track. And I must say, it has been going pretty well for me. I am writing at least three days a week (while working a full-time job and single-momming two rowdy boys in the process) and hacking out the first draft of book two of my Valley of the Bees series a few pages (and sometimes a few sentences) at a time.

My goal was 20,000 words by the end of January. Of course, that didn’t happen, but I did get close. And today – three days into February – I ALMOST made it finally. Of course, I typed the final word of the chapter I was working on, looked down at my word count, and saw this:

19,999 words toward my 20,000 word goal. Seriously?

Of course! I was one word shy of my goal! Seriously? Continue reading “Setting goals and reaching them late… one way or another” →

eBooks, Novel Writing

Publishing thoughts tumbling around in my mind

June 30, 2015June 30, 2015 Mandy Webster

I’ve been thinking a lot about my fantasy novel WIP lately. The story has grown far beyond the scope of a single book. In fact, I’m pretty sure at this point that it has grown beyond the scope of a trilogy. It has reached such epic proportions, I feel I should stop searching for the end of the journey and instead start looking for a wayside stop with a magnificent view to share with my readers. In short, I am thinking about serializing my story and releasing the first part at some point in the next month or two.



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I’ve been chasing this idea around in circles for months. Maybe it’s just wishful thinking, but there’s this part of me that wonders if the added pressure of a potential readership anxiously awaiting the next installment will push me to get part two ready to publish. I have proven that I am at my most productive when I have hard and fast deadlines to meet. I haven’t missed a deadline yet. Continue reading “Publishing thoughts tumbling around in my mind “ →

Memes, Novel Writing

Writing a novel is like…

February 23, 2015February 21, 2015 Mandy Webster

novel writing quote from quozio.com — Writing a novel is like putting together a blank puzzle on whose pieces you must paint portions of a picture one at a time while simultaneously trying to figure out how to fit the freshly painted pieces together.

What is writing a novel like for you? Please share your thoughts in the comments below. Continue reading “Writing a novel is like…” →

NaNoWriMo, Novel Writing, Romance

2014 NaNoWriMo Trashy Romance Novel: The final challenge

December 1, 2014November 16, 2014 Mandy Webster

Now that your trashy romance novel is complete, what are you going to do with it? From where I’m sitting, I think you have a couple of options:

Trash it. It is “trashy,” after all. Every successful author seems to have at least one novel sitting in a drawer someplace that they never want to see the light of day. Maybe this one can be yours. If that’s the case, think of this as a rite of passage that even the greatest authors have endured. You are now officially one step closer to joining their ranks. So, toss that trashy novel aside and move on to your next great idea!
Polish it up a bit and sell it. Trashy or not, your manuscript might have merit. Review a handful of published romance novels and determine whether yours might be publishable with a bit of editing. Then, go for it!
Analyze the crap out of it. Pretend like someone else wrote this steaming heap and tear it apart. Use this manuscript to help you determine where your writing weaknesses lie. Then you can use the information to determine what strategies to keep using and which ones need work. Just remember to take some time to look for the good as well. The fun thing about fast writing is that, while a lot of what you write will turn out to be crap, once in a while you will stumble upon a gem of glittering prose that might be turned into a great literary novel with a bit of elbow grease. So, tear that sucker apart and see if there is anything worth keeping.
Develop your characters and turn it into something better. Honestly, ask yourself if this shallow tripe has any potential. What would happen if you gave your characters some not-so-romantic names and threw in a few real-life problems? Could you possibly develop your story into something a step above the average Harlequin and turn it into the next Nicholas Sparks-ish novel?

Continue reading “2014 NaNoWriMo Trashy Romance Novel: The final challenge” →

NaNoWriMo, Novel Writing, Romance

2014 NaNoWriMo Trashy Romance Challenge: The end is nigh

November 30, 2014November 16, 2014 Mandy Webster

Today is the day. I hope you are close to 50,000 words. You have until the end of the day today to hit that final word count goal and write your hero and heroine into their happily ever after.

Writing assignment

If you have managed to write your story through to its completion already but still need a few more words, then spend today writing an epilogue.

Epilogues are common in trashy romance novels and usually consist of a scene that takes place exactly one year after the ending of your actual story. Oh, and there is usually a three-month-old baby involved. Because of course your heroine got pregnant on their wedding night. Continue reading “2014 NaNoWriMo Trashy Romance Challenge: The end is nigh” →

NaNoWriMo, Novel Writing, Romance

2014 NaNoWriMo Trashy Romance Challenge: And now to get them back together again

November 29, 2014November 16, 2014 Mandy Webster

You tore your happy couple apart. Now, how to put them back together again? Don’t make it too easy for them. What has to happen for them to regain their trust in one another? Make a list. Then get those scenes written, because YOU are RUNNING OUT OF TIME!



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Continue reading “2014 NaNoWriMo Trashy Romance Challenge: And now to get them back together again” →

NaNoWriMo, Novel Writing, Romance

2014 NaNoWriMo Trashy Romance Challenge: In case you’re using your time off work to write instead of shop today

November 28, 2014November 16, 2014 Mandy Webster

To celebrate Black Friday, write the “black moment” in your novel. This is that “all hope is lost” moment where it appears that your hero and heroine are just not meant to be. Maybe they will even go so far as to tell one another goodbye forever. (Or at least they think they are saying goodbye forever.)



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OR, you could write a scene where your heroine drags her hero out shopping on Black Friday. Now, there’s a test for even the greatest of relationships! Continue reading “2014 NaNoWriMo Trashy Romance Challenge: In case you’re using your time off work to write instead of shop today” →

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