Unexpected Inspirations

Welcome, and happy Wednesday! Just two more days until we hit the weekend. Yay! My son is getting married on Sunday, and two of my grand babies are having a birthday party on Saturday, so it should be a good time. :) BUT! That's not why we're here today, is it? Nooooo, sir. Today, we're talking about unexpected inspirations for stories. Man, have I got some doozies. I'm hoping this post will get you all looking around you and at the news to find something you can twist on its head and write.

Ready? Grab your cup, fill it up, and let's get right into it!

So, I'm the kind of writer who takes inspiration from weird shit. For example: I'm riding in the car with my husband one day, and I see an old house. I think, Wow. I bet that house has some serious stories to tell. Then my brain was flooded with all the things that house might have seen in its lifetime. An epiphany hit then, and my brain went full stop. Perhaps the house fits into my PPSK series somehow. It certainly looks creepy with all the windows busted out and the porch falling down...

That's when I wrote The House. It came after Intensification, but I knew it had to be linked somehow. If you read all about our dear Hank, you know he was in a mental hospital for a number of years. That house ended up being the reason. Boom. Story inspiration.

If we back up, we can look at Emancipation. That story idea came from an episode of 20/20 where they were talking about a lady lawyer trying to get a man out of prison. He didn't do it! We all know that story, right? I thought, What if he did do it, and he wasn't shy about admitting it? What if her story isn't what she's portraying it to be?

You gotta have the what if, right?

I spent months figuring out what her true motive was for the book, learning about prison life, and asking questions of people around me who know more than I do. My release date was timed so readers would get to the last page on or around the final date in the book. Boom. Story inspiration.

If we go even further back, we come to Yassa: Genghis Khan's Coming of Age Tale. Did you know that book came from a college essay I had to write? Yeah. I became enthralled with the story of Temujin and Jamuka, and I started to wonder what could've broken such a tightly woven friendship. Well, it had to be a woman...

Boom. Story inspiration.

Somewhere between those two lies M. I was having a casual chat with my kiddos about DNA and altering it, and one of my sons mentioned how cool it might be to have a pill that would do that. I dove into research on DNA myself, and I learned what else might be altered if you did what I wanted. That story is plausible because of the research, but it never would've been created if not for the conversation. Boom.

I tell you all this to get here: There are stories all around you that need telling. You just have to be paying attention. Perhaps there's a painting that you find intriguing. Why? What if it came to life? What if it's a long-lost relic belonging to the vampire race? What if it's the only object in the world that can awaken their princess?

THINK. Twist. Believe.

This is how stories are made.

You know you have one in you, so find it in one of those unexpected places. It's crazy what can be used for story fodder. 

What titles has the world around you sparked in your soul? Drop me a comment and let me know. I might just pick it up and read it. :D

Well, that's all for today, folks!

Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Tools for Marketing - Author Edition

Happy Friday, everyone! If you happen to be in the Roanoke, Virginia, area tomorrow, pop on down to the Holiday Inn Tanglewood and say HI. We'll be there from 9:30am-2pm. If you don't have a ticket, you can get one here. It's a short and sweet book signing you'll have a blast at. Okay, let's get our scoot on.

Today, we're talking about tools on the market that will help you with book promotion and give you ideas if you get stuck in your narrative. It's mostly about the promotional side though. :) Grab your coffee or tea and let's get right into it!

There are a number of social media aggregators on the market that will help you schedule posts on your socials way in advance. All of them are different and give you different socials and options. We'll start with these, and I'll go over FOUR of them. There are others, but many want you to get a demo before you get a price or a trial run, and others not listed are astronomically priced. :)

For the sake of apples to apples, we'll assume each user has 10 channels they'd like to connect and one user.

Buffer

This is the only one of the four listed here that has a free option. 3 social accounts at no charge, 10 scheduled posts, and 1 user. If you're not running a company, this isn't a terrible value. From here, though, the price increases dramatically. For $60 a year, you get ONE channel. Each channel after that costs you an extra $5 per month. At our base of 10 channels, that's $600 a year with only ONE user. This can add up fast.

It does have a visual calendar where you can drag and drop your posts around, making it easy to fix when you screw up and schedule the right thing on the wrong day.

SocialPilot

7 channels are included in the base plan with one user. You have a content library where you can put things you use often like hashtag collections, images, videos, etc. You can add custom fields once you get to the premium level. This base plan will cost you $30 a month or $306 per year. 

There are no analytics on the base plan. If you want 11 channels (the closest to Buffer with 10), it'll cost you $50 monthly or $510 per year. Still better than 10 channels for $600. This 11-channel plan also lets you have up to 3 users.

Again, you have a calendar with days where you can drag and drop.

Loomly

This one is kinda funky on the pricing. There's a basic plan that's free, and you get the same as Buffer (1 user and 3 channels), but you can't see the other plan unless you email them for a quote. I hate doing this. Just be upfront with your pricing, please. Sheesh. It does have some cool features I've been playing with like instant post creation when your blog feed pushes RSS. Then it asks if it can post it. You can also see everything in one place like the others, and you can set posting times ahead.

Updating: I found out. It's $384 for two users and 10 social accounts, but there are a lot of things you don't get like analytics.

Hootsuite

This is one we all know and love but can't afford. They aren't for the casual user. Their basic plan is pro and starts at $99 per month. I know. For that $99, you get 1 user, 10 socials, suggested times for posting, and "so much more." At $1200 a year, I better get a gold sink with that. It used to be free, and then it went to like $5 per month. Pretty sure I have a post about it around the blog somewhere.

Now on to tools that won't cost you an arm and a leg for images or other fodder.

Adobe Express

This sweet nugget is free for the basics, and it includes a LOT of stuff. Here's the link if you'd like to see for yourself. If you're in the market for a lot more included stuff, it's $100 a year for one person. Worth it. No more buying stock photos. YAY!

Chat GPT

Be pissed if you wanna be, but this program can save you a TON of time coming up with social media share texts--yes, even on the FREE version. You tell it what channels you're pushing to, and it'll get all happy with the emoji and verbiage. Then you just copy and paste. I feel like it's not taking a job from someone else in this case; it's helping save YOU time. Be specific, and tell it if there's a specific hashtag you want it to use. You'll be cranking out content in no time.

It can also help you get unstuck if you're stuck by giving you ideas about what's coming next in your book. This isn't using AI to write; it's more like chatting with a friend and brainstorming ideas. Try it out! It gave me a wonderful idea for a twist in my newest serial killer novel (coming soon), and I'm sure it'll have you thinking outside the box in no time.

So, there they are! These tools will save you time, and for an author, time is everything. Get back every second you can.

I hope you enjoyed this post! If there are any tools you'd like me to mention in posts like these, let me know in the comments below. Yes, you'll need a Google account, but that helps me control SPAM and trolls. :)

Well, that's all for today, folks!

Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

5 Tools I Couldn't Publish Without

HUMP DAY! Just two days until the weekend. Wooooo! Welcome back to the blog, y'all! Today, we'll be talking about tools. You know, those things that help you along the way? These will be specifically for Indie authors, though any author could use them, I suppose. Trad pubbers don't really need the help though. Anywaaaaay, enough rambling!

Grab your coffee and a cozy blanket, and let's get right into it.

Number one on my list is Microsoft Word. There. I said it. I use this program to write all my stuff. Not only is it an awesome word editor, but when my computer crashed, it kept my most recent file. #MadLove for Word. I tried other writing tools (looking at you, Scrivener), and when the program died, so did 14k words. Never again. Ever. Ugh.

Second is Adobe Photoshop. Because I went to school to learn design and how to use this beautiful program, I can use it to make covers like these:

Third on my lovely list is Adobe InDesign. Again, because I went to school, I know how to make interiors that look like these (print books only):

HINT: Click on them to see them larger.

Fourth is Jutoh. This is what I use to create my ebooks and output them in a myriad of file formats. It does PDF, Word document, and used to do .mobi before it became obsolete. I can make pretty books like this:

Fifth on the list, and because there are now SO many options, is Amazon Author Central. I also publish to Smashwords (now Draft2Digital). Author Central just gives me the ability to do everything from publishing my paperbacks to ordering them.

So, there are the five tools I couldn't publish without. Marketing is another conversation we'll get into on Friday. I have time savers I plan to share with you all. :)

What tools could you not live without?

Thank you so much for showing up and reading. I hope you got something out of this post. If not, I hope it was a lovely read either way. No, I don't create covers for other people, but I edit and typeset for IBGW because those are the things I'm willing to do. My covers are my own. :)

Well, that's all for today, folks!

Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

What I Wish Readers Knew About Self-Published Authors

Happy Monday, and welcome back to the blog, y’all! I’m getting a little deep with the readers today, and we’ll be talking about all the things I wish y’all knew about us self-published authors. Up until very recently, and in some cases still, we were considered the red-headed stepchildren of the publishing industry. We produce crap, right? We have terrible editing and shite covers, right? Well, allow me to clear a few things up. :)

If you’re ready to hear the ramblings of a crazy person, hunker down with a doughnut and a cup of coffee, and let’s get into the nitty gritty.

Those books you see with homemade covers and bad editing are usually an example of an author that doesn’t know what they’re doing. That’s all it is. As they grow and learn to be a person in the industry, they start to understand what it takes to make a great book people want to read and will tell their friends about.

If you think the first things out of Stephen King’s fingers was the brilliance it is today, you’re mistaken. He even talks about it in his book On Writing. He says the first things you write will always be absolute shit, and you should put it in a drawer and forget about it until you’re an established author. Then pull it out and laugh about it. First drafts should lay in a drawer until you forget what you wrote so you can come back to it with fresh eyes for edits.

New writers don’t start on a level that’s Christine worthy. They start somewhere around the I-want-to-write-and-have-drive-but-don’t-understand-what-to-do-next level. Then they write, and they rush to publish (because it’s so easy now and they’re excited).

Does that mean they shouldn’t be given some grace? No. It means they need to learn how to do and be better than they were day one. I mean, I started here, and I now have over fifty books published. That first stuff wasn’t the worst, but it also wasn’t the first thing I ever wrote. Those stories will never see the light of day, and I’ll certainly never publish them. Beg all you want. You’ll never see them. Nope.

Even my first book, Yassa, wasn’t great, as I said. I was one of those beginners. I grew.

Let me tell you a little something else you may not know:

Indie authors pay from their own pockets for editing and cover design. Unlike a traditional publisher, which handles every aspect of the publishing of a book (think: audio, editing, cover, different languages, etc.), an Indie has to do all that themselves.

There’s no team of people there. It’s usually just one person footing the bill for all of the above.

Now I invite you to listen to this podcast where I talk about what we make when we sell a book. I get very deeply into the numbers. Tell me, if we make just around $0.35 for each book we sell, how long it takes us to recoup a $3,000 edit? I’ll wait.

That’s right, $8,571.5 books sold. Most readers don't want to pay more than $0.99-$1.99 for a book, so here we are.

Add in marketing tools (because no one can do all this stuff alone) and the cover, and you’re looking at an Indie needing to sell TEN THOUSAND books to BREAK EVEN.

Most just think it’s not worth it and quit. Those of us who’ve been around a while know that we need to learn to do a lot of this stuff ourselves OR get a less expensive edit, which is where a lot of those nagging errors come in.

Even if you don’t think a book is worth five stars, maybe a nicely worded note to the author along the lines of “Hey, I noticed a number of grammatical errors, but I really love your writing style, and once you get your feet under you, I’d love to read some more! Keep me on your list for new releases, please” might just go a long way. Just don’t smack it with a one-star review.

Because they’ll improve. We all do. You want to be there to see that happen, right?

If you’re an author, be sure you listen to that podcast. It’s telling.

If you’re a reader, try to keep some of this in the back of your mind as you navigate the book world. Please.

I hope you all enjoyed this post! Which author have you seen come a long way? Colleen Hoover isn’t an answer. Hahaha That woman has always been the diamond she is now. No one truly discovered her until recently though. I'm talking about an author that started in the doldrums and is now doing very well. Do you know of a breakout author (one who hit with their first book)?

Well, that’s all for today, folks!

Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

How My Writing Has Evolved Over Time

Welcome back, good people of the blogosphere, and happy Monday. We're going to have a beautiful week, so prepare yourselves! Today, we'll be taking a look at some of my earliest writing (both here on the blog and in my first novel, which coincide, weirdly) and see just how cringe we can make the experience (for me, obviously). This should be a riot. I haven't visited my early blog posts for a long time. haha

If you're ready to get going and laugh alongside me, grab some coffee and settle in. Here we go!

My first-ever blog post can be found here. This was back when I didn't understand what the hell a blog was or how to run one. I literally thought I could write a gabillion posts on one book. Boy, how naive was I?

Bold as I am, my dumbass posted a snippet from my book, and when I read it now, I want to slap myself silly. Let's just grab the first paragraph and have a looksee.

*********

He screamed, louder this time, as Temujin cut off another one of his fingers. I involuntarily flexed my own in response to the act. I had never seen a man fight like my friend had last night. It was like something other than his own mind was working his muscles, causing him to strike and slash like a harbinger of death. It made me appreciate that I had made a friend of him and not an enemy. When he began to peel back the man’s skin from his body, I almost vomited. I took a few steps away and turned my head.

*********

While this isn't terrible, it's not great, either. How would I write this today? Let's just see...

*********

He screamed again, louder than the first time, as Temujin removed another one of the man's fingers with the swift strike of a blade. 

I involuntarily clenched my fists. I'd never seen a man fight like Temujin had last night. It was as though he was possessed, a demon from Hell working his muscles, causing him to strike and slash like a harbinger of death. It made me glad I'd made a friend of him and not an enemy. When he began to peel the man’s skin back from his body, I took a few steps away and turned my head, nausea roiling. 

*********

This is how I'd revise. New character, new paragraph, and staying in one tense (first-person past). While Jamuka is the person from whom we're getting the story in the prologue, it's still about the other man. Not a bad opening line for a book though.

Now, let's go back and take a peek at my first advice blog. You can find it here. It's not exactly advice, but it is book-world news about closing bookstores.

All I can think of as I read my rambling diatribe is the sad loss of contractions. You'd think, someone who writes like I do now would've been into contractions from the start. Nope. I suppose I loved writing everything out formally. *vomit* It also sounds so transactional. Like, who the frack did I think I was? Zero humility. Though I still have very lofty opinions of myself, they're much more focused than they were back then. hahaha

Okay, those two were from 2012 (I've been around a while), so let's jump forward to 2014. Check this one out. We're talking about fun writing exercises, and I seem to have adopted my style for a greeting by then. I also have become far more comfortable with my readers, and even went above and beyond by making printable things for y'all.

Gonna jump forward to 2016 and see how we fare now. Surprisingly, I found a post where I talked about my MS diagnoses. Didn't think I'd done that before. Don't I look stupid? LOL! You can see it here, and you'll notice I was putting a lot of images in my posts back then. Scroll down to the comments section, and if those don't make you tear up... Yeah, you don't have a heart. 

I also noticed a BUNCH of my 2016 posts were cover reveals and new releases. How freaking dull am I? Jeesh.

Okay, now we'll go to 2018 and see where I was...

44 posts that year compared to 71 the year before and hundreds the years before that. You could literally see me slowing down. *cries in my coffee* I even remember the troll who caused me to halt the blog. Boy, was that frustrating. I got nasty comments telling me how I wasn't doing enough... I wrote a whole post about it. Well, to hell with them. I was doing what I could at the time. Ugh. Don't sign up for that newsletter!! It's dead and gone. Also to be resurrected sometime in the future!

I did come across this beauty of a post while I was digging. It's still how I write today and how I'm able to crank out thousands of words in just a few hours. Go enjoy it because I seem to have honed my blog voice by then.

I've gotten awfully wordy today! I hope you had a good laugh and were riveted to the page long enough to get down here. I'm excited about what Wednesday will bring, and I hope to see you all back here for that. This was fun and cathartic. :)

That's all for today, folks!

Until next time, WRITE ON! <----this has stayed with this blog since day one. *happy tear*

Jo

Navigating Big Life Changes

Happy Wednesday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, we're talking about something that's hitting me hard right now, and that's Big Life Changes. Not only am I moving for the first time in over ten years, but I've also gone back to a previous job that's very demanding on my writer self. How the hell am I managing to also come back here and blog?

Well, that's the topic for today's post, silly. This is how I'm feeling about everything I have going on:

I know I can get wordy up here, but not today, gosh darn it. Get cozy and get scrolling!

Let's start by getting a rundown of things considered to be Big Life Changes. 

• Death of a loved one
• Changing careers or major career shifts
• Marriage or divorce
• Having children or becoming an empty-nester
• Major illness, injury, or health diagnosis
• Retirement or planning for retirement
• Starting or ending a significant relationship
• Financial gain or loss (bankruptcy, inheritance, winning money, job loss)
• Returning to school or significant educational pursuit
• Relocating to a new city, state, or country (separate from moving houses locally)
• Launching a new business or creative venture
• Significant milestone birthdays (turning 40, 50, 60, etc.)
• Becoming a caretaker for someone ill or elderly
• Pets passing away or adopting new pets
• Significant personal accomplishments (publishing a major work, reaching a personal goal)
• Spiritual or philosophical transformations

I don't know about you, but I'm going through a number of those right now:

• Relocating to a new state
• Becoming an empty nester
• Major career shift
• Pets passing away
• And I'm always struggling with my illness, so... Yeah...

It's a lot, but scheduling and planning helps a ton. One thing you have to keep in mind as you go through these things is carving out time for yourself. If you get sick or worn out, you won't have the energy to keep up with anything else. It's imperative you take care of you.

Steps I take to take to navigate huge task dumps:

• Talking it out over coffee with a friend
• Breaking tasks into smaller pieces so I can easily get my head around them
• Sorting and planning, realistically, time to do each task
• Writing everything out in a planner with time slots
• Using a timer to ensure I stick to the plan and wrapping up super quickly when it goes off

These not only save my sanity, but they allow me to accomplish things in smaller pieces so I get both a sense of pride and a sense of accomplishment. Checking things off a list feels SO GOOD, doesn't it? Not only that, but I make sure to work in time for friends, family, and my own leisure pursuits (y'all know about the new Hunger Games book--enough said).

If I sit down and try to do everything at once, it all becomes a jumbled mess in front of me, but by breaking it down and scheduling it, everything suddenly has a time and a reason. It's much easier to accomplish little things than big ones.

My other job is rather demanding right now because I'm trying to clean up and get my team on a new path. Researching tools that will help us do our job was a big part of that, and properly utilizing the tools we already had, and are paying for, required a lot of up-front work. It was overwhelming, but I took a stand-back-and-examine approach, and I think I have our priorities sorted. That was a huge step. It's frustrating to see tools that aren't being used, but we've gotten our bull by the horns now.

Revitalizing this blog is a huge personal goal of mine, and because I'm unapologetic about what I post or if I miss a day, I feel like that turns a lot of people off. However, I refuse to change that about myself. If I can't do it, I can't do it, but I hope you all know I give it my level best. It's important to me, so I make it as much of a priority as I can. :)

Bear with me through the changes. We'll find our footing. I promise you.

What kind of Big Life Changes are you dealing with right now? Any advice to add?

I hope you all took something away from this post and enjoyed the read. Unsure what the next post will be about, but we'll get through it together! I hope. hahaha

Well, that's all for today, folks!

Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

AI and Writing - A Series of Looks Inside: Part Six - Type.ai

Hello, and happy Monday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, we continue our journey of looking at the AI writing tools (or LLMs) on the market. We're looking at Type.ai, which so far seems to be a generator, but that's yet to be seen. Copy.ai was the next one on our list, but they wanted to do a demo and all kinds of crap, and besides that, they seemed like a social media copy generator tool. Boring, and not what we're looking for here.

So, let's dive on in and get to creating. Grab a cuppa and a blanket to weather this freaky cold snap, and start your scroll journey. I got to the signup page to assure we were where we wanted to be, so here's the info I've given. Very simple to just click sign up and choose a password. Now come the questions. :)

I clicked next and ended up here. 

I chose to make money and entered fiction in the bottom box, and to my surprise, there was another box below that asking what I needed help with. I typed in creative fiction. That took us here.

I clicked continue, and it took me to the place where you enter card information. Y'all, you know I love each and every one of you, but I'm not giving anyone my card information. I apologize. I don't trust that they won't steal it or honor my cancellation.

This sucks. It's okay though! We'll move on to a different writing AI Wednesday and hope they don't need payment information up front to try something.

I'm sorry. I'll have another for you Wednesday! We'll keep going until we find another one we can use. At least you know this one won't work if you're unwilling to hand over payment info up front, right? Also, Copy.ai gives you NO option to even start doing anything until you've contacted them for a demo. Avoid these two, is my humble advice.

Do any of you know of any AI writing tools that don't require you to pay before you use them? Let me know, and I'll add them to the list here.

Well, that's all for today, folks!

Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Book Reviews 101 - Where to Start When You Don't Know How to Start

Happy Friday, good people of the blogosphere! Today we'll talk about something interesting in the realm of books. I've had so many people come to me and ask where they should start when writing a book review. I figured I'd answer somewhere everyone can see it and take something away. If you're ready, grab a cuppa, and let's get rolling!

Book reviews are subjective. I said it. You know it. It's gonna be okay.

That's not all!

There's more?

Of course there is. There's subjectivity, yes, but there's also having a good baseline to start from. You want to rate on more than feelings. Those are still important, which is why they're in the list below, but they're not the end all be all for most people.

You'll also want to consider the following:

Pacing - Were you bored to tears during the first 3/4 of the book only to have the last quarter fly past? Were you bogged down in the language the author used? Was there too much dialogue and not enough action? It's a fine balance to get a book to carry the reader at just the right pace from page one to the end. Consider how well that balance was achieved.

Characters - Did you give a shit about them? Did they have a nice arc (experience change in a profound or minor way)? Were there too many? Were their names impossible to pronounce which caused you to trip over it every time you read it? Take all these things into account. Building complex characters that people can care about is difficult and part of the skill of writing a great novel.

Feeling - How did you feel as you read the book? If it's a suspense novel or murder mystery, were you on the edge of your seat, wondering what was about to happen? If it was a love story, did you feel all gushy and gooey at the end? Same with every genre--the feeling the words in the book give you should match the classification.

Overall Writing - Were sentences constructed in a way that didn't throw you out of the narrative? Were there a lot of typos? Was the overall story built well with a beginning, middle, and end (or cliffhanger)? Did it keep you interested? Think about the prowess of the author when considering this point. I feel like it's important even in trad pub. I mean, they have in-house editors, and many of them are supposed to be the best in the business. I've read Indie books with fewer errors than trad books.

Because I'm me (editor), and grammatical errors throw me out of a good story, I tend to give a full two stars of consideration for overall writing. You may assign feeling two stars. It's totally up to you.

Here are a few things most reviewers don't do:

• Complain that there's too much sex.
• Complain about too much violence.
• Consider price.
• Talk about specifics of the plot.
• Summarize the book.

Why don't they do those things?

I'm so glad you asked!

If you pick up an erotic novel... Yeah. Or even spicy romance can fall into that category. I mean, you know what you're getting into. It's bad form to complain about it in the review. This also goes for level of violence. If you've picked up a hard-boiled detective novel or a thriller, chances are, there's gonna be violence. To buy the book then slam it in the review for fitting into the genre it's classed as is rude. 

Price is what it is. If you were entertained for a day, that cost you less than a movie that only lasts a couple hours. Think about it before you yap about it. Authors have to make a living, too! If they don't, you won't have more books to read. We'll all quit.

Then what?

Specific plot points might have been planned as surprises. Don't ruin it for everyone else, please. This also goes for summarizing the damned novel. It ruins the book! Stop. It.

Here's a review for a series I haven't yet finished as an example:

Oh, man! Just when I thought I had the twists figured out, I was sucker punched from a mile away. I love this author's writing style, and her characters leap off the page and into my lap. Tension was kept high throughout the whole series so far, which is a plus for me. My fingers are itching to get hold of the last two. Love triangles with dire consequences for the choice made are the order of the day, but I still kinda want the MC to choose the guy I want. Yes, they're both amazing men, but I have my heart set on one, and nothing is going to talk me out of it. What a beautiful story arc for the MC. I've loved seeing her grow from page one. I look forward to what else she may do or discover about herself along the way. If you love magic, romance, and a good fade-to-black scene cut, I highly recommend this series. Loved it. Highly enjoyable read with few errors. Five stars.

As you can see, I didn't go into specifics, but I still managed to touch on every point I made above. It's possible if you consider the four topic sections and just talk about that. Insert yourself into your review because of the subjective nature of what you're writing, and you'll always write something that tells others what to expect.

Anyone wanna guess the series? :)

What do you think? Ever see a review that pissed you off? Have you seen some great ones? I'd love to know. Drop me a comment below and tell me.

I hope you all enjoyed yourselves today! Next week, we'll get back into the AI stuff. I needed a break from the monotony. :)

Well, folks, that's all for today!

Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Book Marketing

Happy Wednesday, everyone! I hope you're all adjusting better than I am to the time change. I could've slept another six hours or so today. Haha. So, we'll be talking about book marketing, scams, and what NOT to do. I saw a very timely post on Facebook the other day where someone was talking about getting taken advantage of, and I thought it might be a good topic for a post. Now, here we are!

If you're ready to dive in, grab your drink and get comfy. Let's rock and roll!

I think we'll start with what NOT to do when marketing your books. 

My top nine:

1. Don't throw spaghetti. This means don't just toss everything at the wall and hope something sticks. Do your homework, track things, and know where your efforts will pay off before diving in.
2. Don't hire an expert who's never marketed your genre. Self explanatory, no? Readers of different genres enjoy different things outside the book world. Your expert should know where to find them.
3. Don't spend all your free time marketing. Break it up, or you'll experience burnout. You won't even have the will to write any longer. It will destroy you. 
4. Don't pay for courses unless you've fully vetted the person giving them AND they write in your genre (see #2). Assure you've checked their sales ranks (now and past), and see if they give you a glimpse into their method before you pay.
5. Don't expect friends and family to share or help you. If they do, that's great, but nothing will kill your vibe/love for your friends and family faster than them not living up to your expectations. Maybe they meant to and didn't, but that's neither here nor there. Just no.
6. Don't try to do everything yourself. Whether this means hiring someone or finding automated tools to help you along the way, you're one person, and a well-marketed book needs many.
7. Don't quit. It can be daunting when you've spent hours and hours doing research on keywords, posting online, and running mail campaigns only to get one sale. I get it, I do, but don't quit. If you quit, there's no way you'll succeed.
8. Don't hire anyone without a contract in place. Ever. This protects you AND them, and it should have a clause stating that they're not eligible for any of your profits from the sale of your books.
9. Don't talk about hot-button topics in public. Just don't. Sure, you may win some folks over now, but the ones who leave will never come back. Maybe just be a good person in general. *gasp* Oh my gosh! Yeah, it's possible.
   

Now that you know the don'ts, what are the dos? 

Easily, they're the opposite of the don'ts. If we go a little deeper...

Every marketing person isn't the same, so be sure you're checking out who you hire. If you have a PA, then you should be meeting with that person at least once a week to go over numbers. Make sure they're doing what you pay them to do, and assure their role was outlined from day one (contracts). At that point, you're an overseer as well as a doer. If they can't operate independently, you should hire someone new.

Make sure you get along with the person. I cannot stress how important this is. You'll have to work with them weekly, so you better enjoy his or her personality. They need to own up when they make mistakes and be prepared to apologize, with a plan on how to do it better moving forward. We all screw up, but when you're paying someone to do a job, that's your time and money, and you're owed a resolution.

In today's landscape, you may also consider your alignments. Be on the same page. You don't need bad blood down the road because you have differences of opinions.

Not least on this chatty list at the bottom: Be careful. There are crazy people out there. You're a public figure. Maybe you write under a pen name, but if you do, and you write things that may be considered taboo, do your level best to protect your anonymity. Maybe you're not that popular, and you think you'll be okay. No. Protect yourself as you can.

Do you guys have any tips to add to either of these lists? I'd love your feedback! Drop me a note below.

I hope you enjoyed this post and that it helped you (even if just a little). Be sure and come on back Friday. We'll be digging into yet another AI model. :)

Well, that's all for today, folks!

Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

AI and Writing - A Series of Looks Inside: Part Five - Rytr

Hello, good people of the blogosphere! Today, we're continuing our look inside AI with Rytr. I hope you've all been enjoying my journey through these services over the past month, and I hope you're learning things along the way. Be sure and subscribe so you get all the new goodies whenever they're published! You can also follow me on Facebook or Goodreads, where every blog post is shared.

Enough of all that. As you know, these are long, so I won't waste time up here. Get cozy, grab a cup of something warm, and let's get right into it.

This is the Rytr homepage a little closer to the bottom. I figured you might like to see the pricing before we dive into the writing. Well, you get 10k characters a month free, so we'll try to make the best of it.

I clicked Start Ryting (the spelling of that is making me feel some kinda way) and jumped through all the hoops. One thing I find interesting about this one is the fact that you have apps you can install and use in several places. Check the graphic on the right.

It starts by asking me why I'm here. 

Options were:

I chose Articles and Marketing Content because... Well, there was no creative writing option.

Then, whoa. What? Okay. Maybe we'll add that in under this one, and maybe we won't. How strange. Instead, we'll click to continue.

I started by wading through all these choices then went with Magic Command. *shrugs* No idea what I'm doing, but we'll get there.

I was brought to this page. This is where I'll insert my prompt for chapter one. We may still backbrowse and check out that Frase one...

Here's what I input:

Write the first chapter of a fiction novel, approximately 3k words in length. The main focus is two supernatural creatures coming together to defeat something I haven't come up with yet. Over the course of the story, the two will fall in love and end up together. It will be a YA romance fantasy novel.
Our characters are Elara, a vampire, and Rhys, a shape-shifting unicorn.
Here's the plot for the first six chapters:
Chapter 1: Elara, a lonely vampire, hunts in the forest. She senses a strange presence.
Chapter 2: A unicorn, Rhys, shifts into human form. He's lost and confused.
Chapter 3: Elara finds Rhys. She's drawn to his innocence, despite her vampire nature.
Chapter 4: Elara takes Rhys to her secluded home. He learns about vampires and her solitary life.
Chapter 5: Rhys reveals his unicorn origins. Elara is shocked but intrigued by his magic.
Chapter 6: A growing attraction sparks between them. A threat from Elara's past emerges. 

Everything else was left exactly as you see it above. Now, time to click the button...

Here's what it gave me (as you know, I'll insert fun comments along the way in italics--1,821 words or ~12k characters which means I'm done with my free trial hahaha):

**Chapter 1: The Whispering Woods**

The moon hung high, a silver sentinel in the dark velvet sky, illuminating the forest with an ethereal glow. Shadows danced between the trees, and the air was thick with the fragrant scent of damp earth and rich foliage. Elara moved silently through the underbrush, her senses heightened by the thrill of the hunt. As a vampire, she had long since mastered the art of stealth, her pale skin blending seamlessly into the night.

This actually isn't terrible. I like the silver sentinel and dark velvet comparison.

For centuries, she had roamed these woods, a solitary predator among the whispering leaves and rustling creatures. Most nights were uneventful—just her and the soft murmurs of nature. But tonight felt different; an electric charge hung in the air, prickling at her instincts. She paused, cocking her head to listen more closely.

DAMN THAT BUT AGAIN! Also: Here we start with the em-dashes.

A sound—a flutter of wings? A distant growl? No. It was something else entirely, something that sent a shiver down her spine. Elara’s heart quickened; she could feel it thrumming in her chest like a caged bird desperate for freedom. Curiosity gnawed at her as she prowled deeper into the woods.

Heart? What?

As she glided between trees, she caught sight of movement ahead. It was elusive but unmistakable—something shimmering just beyond her vision. She narrowed her eyes, straining to make out what lay beyond the veil of branches. The forest felt alive, almost sentient, as if it were holding its breath in anticipation.

Then came a soft gasp—an echoing sound that bounced off the trees and danced in her ears. Elara froze. It was not a sound she recognized from her usual prey; it was innocent yet laced with an unfamiliar magic that pulled at something deep within her.

I guess we're also allergic to contractions. This is a pet peeve of mine. Okay, just read now. We'll discuss after.

Compelled by an invisible force, Elara moved forward cautiously until she reached a small clearing bathed in moonlight. There, standing awash in silvery light, was a figure unlike any she had ever seen—a young man with hair that shimmered like spun gold and eyes as deep as the ocean on a stormy night. He stood barefoot on the cool grass, his white shirt billowing gently in the breeze as if he were part of the very air around him.

Elara's heart raced not with hunger but with something else entirely—wonder mixed with disbelief. This was no ordinary human; she could sense it in every fiber of her being. The magic emanating from him enveloped her like a warm embrace despite its strangeness.

“Who are you?” she whispered instinctively, stepping into the clearing fully now. Her voice was barely above a breath but still carried across the space between them.

The young man turned abruptly at her voice, his expression shifting from surprise to wariness in an instant. “I… I’m not sure,” he stammered, his gaze darting around as if searching for answers in the shadows.

His confusion tugged at Elara’s heartstrings—a pang of empathy for this lost soul who seemed to have wandered far from home. “You’re not from here,” she stated rather than asked.

He shook his head slowly, golden hair catching the moonlight like threads of sunlight against his pale skin. “I don’t remember how I got here. One moment I was… somewhere else… and then I was here.”

The forest seemed to hum around them as they exchanged uncertain glances; Elara’s curiosity deepened further still—the way he spoke hinted at innocence that seemed almost otherworldly. “What do you mean ‘somewhere else’?”

He hesitated before replying, “It’s hard to explain… I think I might be lost.” There was a vulnerability in his tone that resonated with Elara’s own loneliness—a feeling she hadn’t allowed herself to acknowledge for centuries.

“Lost?” She stepped closer, sensing an urge to protect him blooming within her chest like an unexpected flower breaking through cold soil. “What are you? You seem… different.”

“I don’t know exactly,” he admitted again, frustration creeping into his voice. “But there’s something about me—something magical.” He lifted his hands slightly as if trying to conjure evidence of his claim.

As he did so, a soft glow emanated from his fingertips—a gentle luminescence that twinkled like stars scattered across the night sky before fading back into darkness. Elara gasped involuntarily; magic had always been foreign to her realm—the stuff of dreams and stories whispered among ancient vampires.

“Magic?” Her voice was barely more than a whisper now, filled with awe and trepidation.

“Yes,” he replied quietly but firmly, locking eyes with hers as though trying to convey more than words could express. “I think I might be… a unicorn.”

Elara blinked rapidly as disbelief washed over her; unicorns were mere legends among vampires—myths crafted to enchant children and tease adults alike. Yet here stood this boy before her—his essence radiating purity and enchantment.

“How is that possible?” she murmured softly yet urgently, grappling with both skepticism and intrigue bubbling within her mind.

“I can’t explain it,” he replied earnestly while running fingers through his hair in frustration once more. “I just know there’s magic inside me.”

Elara took another step closer; it felt as if gravity itself had shifted between them—a pull stronger than mere attraction or curiosity—it felt like fate weaving their paths together under this starry sky.

“I’m Elara,” she introduced herself finally after what felt like an eternity of silence stretched between them thick with unspoken emotions.

“Rhys,” he said simply but there lay weight behind the name—like it held secrets yet untold waiting just beneath its surface.

“Elara,” he tested softly as though savoring each syllable on his tongue before continuing hesitantly: “Are you… are you going to hurt me?”

The question startled Elara into silence—her instincts screamed ‘yes’ while reason whispered ‘no.’ She knew well how dangerous vampires could be—they were predators by nature—but standing here before this radiant boy made that predatory instinct feel foreign; it felt wrong even to consider harming him when everything about him drew out tenderness instead.

“No,” she said finally with conviction lacing each word carefully chosen after thoughtful consideration about who they were now sharing this moment together beneath twinkling stars above their heads entwined within shadows dancing around them where secrets lingered just out of reach waiting patiently for discovery ahead still glimmering faintly like promises waiting upon dawn's arrival after night fades away slowly welcoming warmth back into existence once more hanging delicately between two souls yearning for connection despite differences separating them apart seemingly too vast sometimes yet somehow bridging gaps left behind by past experiences molding futures ahead alongside each other forging new paths never tread before daring enough always willing enough perhaps even brave enough too—a chance worth taking indeed after all!

Rhys seemed to relax slightly at her answer though uncertainty still flickered behind those captivating blue eyes filled with wonder mingled together alongside fear creating beautiful chaos swirling beautifully beneath surface inviting exploration deeper still revealing layers hidden away safely guarded until now daring one another perhaps even wishing someone else might dare join journey forward together instead feeling less lonely facing uncertainties ahead united embracing possibility shaped by choices made along way learning lessons crafted beautifully illuminating darkness lighting paths anew leading toward brighter tomorrows waiting patiently beckoning hope alive once more fostering dreams unfurling freely alongside endless possibilities lingering forevermore…

As Rhys stepped closer toward Elara feeling warmth radiate outward enveloping both realms merging exquisitely blending colors unseen illuminating every inch surrounding them creating space shared becoming home somehow feeling right amidst chaos swirling around them inviting peace blossoming gently nestled between hearts eager discovering joys awaiting exploration alongside mysteries unfolding endlessly forevermore shaping destinies woven intricately connecting lives entwined together forging bonds stronger than time itself could sever whispering truths echoing softly ...

And so began their journey—the vampire and unicorn caught in an intricate dance shaped by fate drawing them together toward something greater than themselves…

Unbeknownst to either of them yet still lingering on horizon lurking just beyond reach waiting patiently hidden beneath layers shrouded carefully protecting secrets long kept safe dreaming perhaps fleeting memories murmuring echoes fading away slowly beckoning shadows creeping ever closer threatening peace found within newfound friendship forged amidst uncertainty blossoming beautifully transcending boundaries once drawn defining lives separate now intertwined forever growing stronger alongside each other learning love knows no bounds only hopes shining brightly illuminating darkness beckoning forth light guiding souls lost back home again embracing warmth found where hearts reside welcoming healing journeys beginning anew together seeking truth discovering strength hidden inside each other uncovering magic woven deeply within soul connections forged through trials faced bravely hand-in-hand navigating unknowns ahead trusting each other completely opening hearts wide welcoming everything life offers embracing every twist turn fate unfolds revealing adventures waiting patiently inviting courage step forward bravavely living dreams chasing after wishes soaring high reaching stars shimmering bright overhead lighting pathways leading toward brighter tomorrows awaiting discovery inviting exploration beyond realms imagined always dreaming endlessly anew finding peace found only alongside one another forging destinies intertwined forevermore promising hope alive shining brightly amidst darkness illuminating journeys undertaken hand-in-hand feeling alive again opening hearts wide welcoming everything life offers embracing every twist turn fate unfolds revealing adventures waiting patiently inviting courage step forward bravely living dreams chasing after wishes soaring high reaching stars shimmering bright overhead lighting pathways leading toward brighter tomorrows awaiting discovery inviting exploration beyond realms imagined always dreaming endlessly anew finding peace found only alongside one another forging destinies intertwined forevermore promising hope alive shining brightly amidst darkness illuminating journeys undertaken hand-in-hand feeling alive again opening hearts wide welcoming everything life offers embracing every twist turn fate unfolds revealing adventures waiting patiently inviting courage step forward bravely living dreams chasing after wishes soaring high reaching stars shimmering bright overhead lighting pathways leading toward brighter tomorrows awaiting discovery inviting exploration beyond realms imagined always dreaming endlessly anew finding peace found only alongside one another forging destinies intertwined forevermore promising hope alive shining brightly amidst darkness illuminating journeys undertaken hand-in-hand feeling alive again…

And thus began their tale—a story destined for greatness woven through love forged amidst chaos defying odds daring against all odds venturing forth courageous hearts beating wildly embracing magic unfolding before their very eyes beckoning forth adventures unimagined guiding souls lost back home again welcoming healing journeys beginning anew together seeking truth discovering strength hidden inside each other uncovering magic woven deeply within soul connections forged through trials faced bravely hand-in-hand navigating unknowns ahead trusting each other completely opening hearts wide welcoming everything life offers embracing every twist turn fate unfolds revealing adventures waiting patiently inviting courage step forward bravely living dreams chasing after wishes soaring high reaching stars shimmering bright overhead lighting pathways leading toward brighter tomorrows awaiting discovery inviting exploration beyond realms imagined always dreaming endlessly anew finding peace found only alongside one another forging destinies intertwined forevermore promising hope alive shining brightly amidst darkness illuminating journeys undertaken hand-in-hand feeling alive again opening hearts wide welcoming everything life offers…

It is here where their story truly begins...

*******************************BREAK BACK TO ME*******************************

Holy mother of all long sentences. Times several. Unsure if I've ever read a sentence that long in my life.

What the hell happened?

Also, there's a freaking TYPO in there. I think it meant bravely, but that's not what we got. Did any of you grasp that this sounds a LOT like the others AI output? Seriously, go read those posts and tell me if they aren't crazy similar. It's like the AI devolved into madness because it was too much. This was WEIRD.

Of course, it seems this isn't geared toward creative writing, so maybe we overloaded it. We'll have to check out the other one now. My damned list keeps growing...

What do you think? Could you even read those last few paragraphs? Drop me a comment and let me know.

I hope you all enjoyed this post and are enjoying the look inside AI. Nothing quite beats a human, but it might help with ideas. I do like the idea that he's just standing there all confused and beautiful. Hahaha

Well, that's all for today, folks!

Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Passive vs Active Work and Why Each Matters

Happy Friday, good people of the blogosphere! Welcome back. I know things have been kind of all over the place this month, but hey, you're not here for normal. If you wanted that, there are a ton of other blogs out there that'll deliver. Ha! One thing you won't get here are pre-written blog posts created by anyone, or thing, other than me. Despite my interest in AI and what it can offer writers, I prefer to tickle the keys and bring you my winning personality. :)

All that being said, today, we're diving into the differences between active and passive work and why you should be doing both. Why do they matter? Are they really both important?

There's only one way to find out! Let's stop wasting time up here and dive on in, shall we? Get that coffee, get comfortable, and get to scrolling.

Passive Work - This is most easily defined as learning. On a more complex level, you can call it a dabble (practice), gaining education, thinking about what you need to do, or setting up preparation to complete a task. Now, let's break those down.

Thinking about your task is the first thing you should do. While it does still matter, it usually comes in the form of considering what you need to complete the task, how you'll tackle the dabble, what books you'll read or videos you'll watch, and thinking about timing/making a schedule so you know when you're ready to prepare. You can also spend this time making a playlist or ordering/buying books you'll need for the education phase.

Dabbling gives you the advantage of basically trying before buying. This is where you try the skill or get used to the tools you're about to use to perform a bigger task. In the form of art, it's trying different mediums to see how they feel or react to whatever substrate you plan to use or getting the feel of different tools in your hands. In writing, it's things like blogging or journaling. Just keep in mind that practice doesn't make perfect, practice makes permanent, so assure you're practicing with the right form in mind. Either by holding that brush just the right way or using complete sentences.

When you're passively tackling education, it's all about reading or watching someone else do what you're about to do. Taking classes to further your education in one area or another is also considered education. Lots of folks dive into this before they start to dabble. Yeah, there could be a set path, but sometimes, you dabble, educate, then do, so nothing is really set in stone. I know I started dabbling in writing when I was about twelve, and I didn't dive into the education side until much later. :) By the way, those first stories never saw the light of day. They were just mine. I shudder to think about the reviews... You also practice here because that's learning. Read, paint, do whatever until you're good at it.Something a lot of people don't know is that MailerLite has an education course where you can become certified. If you're thinking about that newsletter, go take the course and practice using their platform.

Now, with preparation, this is your woolgathering stage. You set the circumstances, get everything together that you need to perform the task, and make a plan or schedule to get things done. A lot of folks might call scheduling active work, but it's not. It's passive. 

Active Work - This is the doing. We can break it down into creating the thing; making sure others create the thing; or diving, well prepared, into that task.

When you're creating the thing (whatever it may be), you should know exactly what to do next and be well prepared to do it. You know your stuff because you spent passive time learning how to do the task(s) needed. You're familiar with the tools. All that passive work leads to the doing.

If someone else needs guidance (if you're a manager or foreman), you're the one with the skills to show them how to do it, and you can keep people on task because you have a schedule you created during your passive time.

Active work will be a small percentage of your day unless you're already well versed on the things you need to accomplish and how to get them done. Every time you're learning a new skill, you'll have more passive time in your workflow.

I've heard of some companies giving employees up to two hours a day to spend on learning so they get better at their jobs. Something to think about. When we know more, we're more productive and have to spend less time stopping to learn what we're doing when we come upon something we're not sure how to do. You know it ahead of time.

Spend the time learning how to do everything related to the tasks you know you'll be facing, and you'll be more productive and have fewer hours of downtime from having to backtrack or look something up (which is oftentimes where writers get lost in the internet). Ha!

I feel sometimes too much emphasis is put on the active side of things because that's where actual results can be seen, but passive work is equally as important, or you lose a lot of production hours. I know you know what I mean. :P

I hope this post was informative! Do you find yourself engaged in more passive or active work? How do you find the balance? Drop me a comment and let me know. :)

Well, that's all for today, folks!

Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

MS Awareness Month! What MS is and How Diagnoses Happens

Hello, and happy Wednesday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I'm getting a little personal with you all and discussing MS. So many folks don't know what it is or how it behaves, and since March is Multiple Sclerosis awareness month, I thought it was a good time to get into it. If you're not interested in learning more, feel free to move on. However, if you are wanting to know a little more about this disease and my journey with it, grab a blankie and scroll on.

Let's get into it.

Multiple Sclerosis, better known as MS (or Mister Sinister in many circles) is a nerve demyelination disease. Myelin is the soft covering over your nerve endings, and MS causes the body to attack these soft parts and destroy them. That's the simplified version. We'll get more in depth here in a minute, but first, I'd like to tell you about my personal journey with this disease.

I traveled via airplane to see my son graduate high school in Iowa. When we were airborne, I fell asleep on the plane. This isn't something I usually do--naps don't happen for me and never have, but I passed right out. I simply could NOT keep my eyes open. I did the same thing in the car on the drive to the hotel. Weird.

I figured it was just my new glasses. You see, I'd been having some weird vision problems and assumed I just needed a bit of help. I was like that the whole trip, and I'd just fall asleep in random situations. Okay...

We came back home via airplane. It was the next day when all Hell broke loose. I woke up feeling like someone had put me on a Tilt-a-Whirl, hit the start button, and left it running. I was dizzy as all hell, nauseated, and exhausted. My husband urged me to see the doctor.

Doctor A (PCP) put me on steroids and antibiotics, assuming I had an inner-ear infection. A month later, I was still dizzy. I went back to see that doctor again. He told me to find a neurologist and make an appointment. I looked up reviews and found the best neurologist in my area. Keep in mind, I was at the height of my career and suddenly couldn't write. I was in a bad place and was sleeping all the time. It took another month, but I got in to see Doctor N.

SHE said she thought it might be MS, but she had to do a lot of tests to confirm it. Here are all the things we did:

• Bloodwork (to rule out Lupus and other autoimmune things)
• Infectious Disease Doctor (to rule out Lyme)
• Vestibular Testing (to rule out that inner ear)
• MRI (to check for lesions on the brain)
• Spinal Tap (to check for: WBC count, neurofilaments, and Oligoclonal bands [the most important])

Only then could she say, with 98% certainty, that I had MS and could start treatment for it. You see, there's no test for MS. You have to rule out everything else it could possibly be, and even then, there's a slight chance that's not what it is. However, every single one of my ducks were in a row, and my lesions were mid-brain, which impacts speech, hand-eye coordination, and several other things creatives need. There was a need to be super aggressive, so she started me on a popular drug that worked wonders.

My fatigue went away, my dizziness subsided, and my hands started to cooperate a bit better. I finished the books I was working on. Yay! I felt like a human again. Through the years, I've had a couple of flares and med changes, but overall, my MS is under control. This was in 2017. This September will mark my eighth year fighting this crap, and thank goodness for intelligent doctors. I'm not sure I would've survived everything that was happening to me.

Now, back to the potential things MS can cause.

I know you've probably put it together by now, but MS can cause a ton of things to go wonky in your body. This is one of the reasons it's so difficult to pin down. It can be literally anything because of the nervous system. If something goes down, it can seem like it's related to something else (see vision problems and inner-ear crap above). Some people lose the ability to walk suddenly, and some folks simply have a weird rash.

It varies from person to person, but an intelligent neurologist will be able to discover what's going on.

If you met me, you'd wonder whether I have a disease at all because it's so well controlled. That's one of the reasons they call it an invisible disease. Sometimes you see it, and sometimes you don't. When I'm in a flare, you see it. I can't write; hell, I can't even sign my damned name (an automatic thing your brain does). Nothing gets done because I'm just tired all the time. Not tired like someone who's sleepy, but it's massive fatigue--almost like narcolepsy. I can't hold my eyes open and can sleep for days. Pain is a constant friend, and my scale probably is at a one when yours is at an eight. I've acclimated.

Many people with MS also take a lot of OTC pain medication. Don't judge them.

So, if you know someone struggling with this disease, be gentle with them. They can only do so much. You probably won't see the pain, but trust it's there, and try to be understanding. Mister Sinister is a quiet, vicious beast.

I hope you all learned something from this post! If you have questions or comments, feel free to drop them below. You do have to have a Google account, and I apologize for that, but the SPAM has been horrendous here. Help a sister out and just log in, mkay?

Well, that's all for today, folks!

Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

AI and Writing - A Series of Looks Inside: Part Four - HyperWrite

Happy Monday, everyone! I did end up missing my Friday post, but that's okay because I had a suuuuuper busy day getting back to Georgia. I wanted to sleep all day Saturday. Sadly, I have a hubby that drives me from slumber with promises of coffee. I didn't complain too loudly. Okay, I did, but that's neither here nor there. Let's get on with today's topic, a part of our AI and Writing series. Today, we're looking at HyperWrite, and we'll use the same parameters we used for the others. If you missed the first post (where all other posts are linked), you can check it out here.

That post talks about how AI (Artificial Intelligence) and ML (Machine Learning) works. It's a great read.

Without further gabbing up here, let's get our coffee and blanket and snuggle in for the journey. Ready? Let's do it!

I'm not going to make you wade through screencaps of the signup process. I did it, and when I verified my email, these are the options I got:

We'll choose Create Document. We get this screen:

I'm going with Write It For Me. It gave me these questions:

Now, we'll answer the questions, plug in our prompt/outline, and see what turns up. Again, I'm just asking for Chapter 1. 

Here's what I input:

I need the first chapter of a YA Fantasy novel about two creatures, a vampire and a shape-shifting unicorn, who meet and fall in love after defeating an evil I haven't decided upon yet. I have a rough outline of a few chapters, and I only need chapter one written. It should be about 3000 words in length. My audience is teens between the age of 15 and 19. There are no other restrictions. Here's the outline of the first six chapters:Chapter 1: Elara, a lonely vampire, hunts in the forest. She senses a strange presence.
Chapter 2: A unicorn, Rhys, shifts into human form. He's lost and confused.
Chapter 3: Elara finds Rhys. She's drawn to his innocence, despite her vampire nature.
Chapter 4: Elara takes Rhys to her secluded home. He learns about vampires and her solitary life.
Chapter 5: Rhys reveals his unicorn origins. Elara is shocked but intrigued by his magic.
Chapter 6: A growing attraction sparks between them. A threat from Elara's past emerges.

It output it all in chat, so I had to click Add to Document, but it did so seamlessly. Here's what it looked like:

Here's what we got (all 877 words of it). We'll also dive into the actual writing. :) Italics are mine, as always.

Chapter 1: The Hunt

The moon hung like a broken fang in the violet twilight sky, casting weak shadows through the ancient oaks of the Blackmire Forest. Elara moved between them with the silence of falling snow, her boots barely disturbing the carpet of dead leaves beneath her feet. Three hundred years of hunting had taught her patience, but tonight something was different. Tonight, the forest held its breath.

This part actually isn't terrible, and I do like the way it compared the moon to a broken fang. Nice name for the forest, too. I'd like some mention of death to grab reader attention, but other than that... *shrugs*

She paused, lifting her nose to the wind. The usual scents were there—decomposing leaves, damp earth, the musty fur of small creatures that knew better than to cross her path. But underneath it all lurked something else. Something that made her centuries-old blood sing with curiosity.

"What are you?" she whispered to the darkness, her voice barely a thread of sound in the growing night.

Honestly, I'm not a fan of anything other than an action tag or dialogue tag. Mixing them has always felt off to me. It's like a stutter in the story. Decide. Editing wise: We need to get rid of the em-dash, shorten the second sentence, and combine sentences two and three. Sentence four isn't even a whole sentence. I'll shut up now and let you read. :)

The hunger gnawed at her insides, a constant companion she'd learned to live with but never truly befriended. Elara had sworn long ago that she wouldn't become like the others of her kind—the ones who haunted cities and treated humans like cattle. She chose the forest instead, feeding only on what she needed to survive: deer, wild boar, the occasional wolf that grew too bold.

I can't help it. I never said she didn't feed on humans! Why is every AI doing this?

A twig snapped somewhere to her left, and Elara's head whipped toward the sound. Her enhanced vision cut through the shadows, but whatever had made the noise was already gone. Still, that scent lingered—like summer rain and starlight, if starlight had a smell. It was maddening.

She pressed her palm against the rough bark of an oak tree, its age nothing compared to her own. The forest had changed so many times around her, generations of trees living and dying while she remained. Lonely? Perhaps. But loneliness was safer than the alternative.

The strange scent grew stronger, and with it came a pulse of energy that made her skin tingle. Elara's fangs extended involuntarily, pressing against her lower lip. Not from hunger this time, but from something else. Something that felt almost like... fear?

She almost laughed at the thought. What did a vampire have to fear in these woods? She was the apex predator, the nightmare that kept other nightmares awake. Yet here she was, heart racing like a newborn vampire's, all because of some mysterious presence that danced just beyond her perception.

A flash of silver between the trees caught her eye—too bright to be moonlight, too pure to be natural. Elara moved toward it, her preternatural speed carrying her across the forest floor in silent bounds. But each time she reached the spot where she'd seen the light, it appeared again several trees ahead, leading her deeper into the Blackmire.

"If this is some kind of trap," she muttered, "it's not a very subtle one."

Still, she followed. What choice did she have? Three centuries of the same routine—hunt, feed, retreat to her solitary cabin, repeat—had left her with an insatiable curiosity for anything new. And this? This was definitely new.

The silver light led her to a clearing she'd never seen before, which should have been impossible. Elara knew every inch of the Blackmire Forest, or thought she did. Yet here was this perfectly circular space, where the trees stood guard like silent sentinels around its edge, and in the center...

Nothing. The light was gone, the strange scent faded to almost nothing, and Elara stood alone in a clearing that shouldn't exist, feeling, for the first time in centuries, completely out of her depth.

She circled the clearing slowly, her enhanced senses straining for any clue about what had led her here. The ground at the center was disturbed, as if something large had recently lain there. When she knelt to examine it closer, she found a single hair that gleamed like liquid moonlight between her fingers.

"Curiouser and curiouser," she whispered, tucking the hair into her jacket pocket. The hunger that had driven her out to hunt in the first place was forgotten, replaced by an entirely different kind of appetite—one for answers.

A distant howl echoed through the trees—a normal wolf, nothing supernatural about it—and Elara realized how long she'd spent chasing shadows. The night was half gone, and she still hadn't fed. With one last look at the mysterious clearing, she turned and headed toward the areas where deer usually gathered at this hour.

But as she moved through her familiar hunting grounds, Elara couldn't shake the feeling that everything had changed. That single strange encounter had awakened something in her that she thought had died centuries ago: hope. Hope that perhaps she wasn't destined to spend eternity alone in these woods. Hope that magic still existed in the world that could surprise even a creature as old as she was.

And somewhere in the back of her mind, a small voice whispered that this was only the beginning. The silver light, the impossible clearing, the otherworldly scent—they were all connected to something bigger. Something that would shatter the careful solitude she'd built around herself like a fortress.

For the first time in three hundred years, Elara smiled as she hunted, her fangs gleaming in the darkness. Change was coming to the Blackmire Forest.

And she was ready for it. 

*******************************BREAK BACK TO ME*******************************

For the love of the em-dash. Ten is too many. That's more than one for every 100 words. No. What's up with AI starting sentences with but or AND? Does it realize there's a comma and a lowercase b or a in there in 99% of cases? What writing is it studying to get these ideas?

Also: Now I need someone to tell me what starlight smells like...

If you check this model out, be sure and click over to the tools section. Marvel at the sheer number of tools available. I nearly peed my pants. This is just a few of them (click image to enlarge).

Overall, HyperWrite did an okay job, but so did the others we've looked at so far. It's a start of something. It's wasn't overly flowery, which is good, but it also left a lot to be desired. I asked for 3k words and got 877. That means I have to find places I can insert things. :(

I hope you all enjoyed this post and learned a little! Wednesday, we'll be back on the train with Rytr. 

What do you think? Are these snippets getting better? Worse? Do you have any answers to my questions above? Drop me a comment.

Well, that's all for today, folks!

Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo