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There was a lot of stuff on my mind last week and over the weekend. Things that I saw online that bothered me, things that pertain to the publishing industry that bothered other people, and content for this blog. None of it’s bad… just stuff I simmer about while I’m taking a shower because I’m not writing a new book right now so something has to go through my head while I’m shaving. Yes, if you’re curious, I do shave all year around. I cannot stand being prickly. Anyway, we don’t need to get into that. The point is, if I’m not writing scenes in my head, there’s a lot of space in there for other things. And really, it doesn’t help that I scroll Threads while I’m drinking my morning coffee and trying to wake up. It just sets the rage-y tone for the rest of the day. That might not be a bad thing. I mean, how many of us just keep going out of spite? But, it can get a little tiring too. If you’re wondering if there’s a point to this, yes, there is, thank you for asking.

Spring is here, and for once it actually looks like Spring in my part of Minnesota. It’s dirty and wet, and big, grimy piles of snow are all that’s left. But, it’s proof that we made it through the blizzards and the wind chills. There’s something about the warmer temperatures and the sun shining that lets you breathe a little bit, and the longer days–of sunlight, I mean–aren’t so depressing. Not that I mind the dark so much. But you know, Spring is just a different vibe and it’s nice to get some fresh air in here after the windows have been frozen shut for four months.

Author Update
Not much has changed for me since last week–the second (and hopefully last) proof for Wicked Games came so when I have longer than a minute I can look over the formatting changes I did (I had blog posts and interviews in there that look better set off from the regular text) and make sure the cover is how I want it.

I’ve been making slow progress on my Cedar Hill Duet, but they are going to ✨ shine ✨ when I’m done. It’s always an aggravated pride when I re-edit a book. I’m annoyed I had to do it in the first place but I’m proud that I took the time. It’s strange, but I’ll be happy when those are done and republished with new covers. Proofing the proofs is slow going though, and new files probably won’t be ready until the end of April. It just takes a long time because I fight with myself between my natural voice and style and the conversational tone I’m now aiming for, but, fortunately, I’m not finding many actual typos. Just still smoothing out prose and finding the occasional discrepancy. Chunking out a timeline is a lot easier on paper. So, progress doesn’t feel like it’s being made, but it is, even if I’m grumbling about the whole thing.

It’s okay to have help
One of the things I saw on Threads the other day made me mad. She was saying how getting feedback and brainstorming was essentially “outsourcing” a skill writers need to learn for themselves. She brought AI into the mix because apparently she had read something where a writer used AI as a brainstorming partner. I disagree with her on so many levels. Not the AI part–I have chosen to be Switzerland when it comes to that–but the part where if writers ask for help, they’re keeping themselves from learning craft. I’m not quite sure where she came up with that idea, but seeing it on Threads made me mad and a little sad, too. New writers don’t need to be told that if they can’t do it alone they’re not building their skills. Writing is already so lonely.

So, yes, I think it is okay to have help. Get developmental feedback from an editor or beta reader. Brainstorm plots and twists with a fellow author. Read that craft book. Look up lists of tropes and mini-tropes for inspiration. My reader magnet exists because a long time ago back when she was on Twitter, Zoe York tweeted a list of tropes that included “ugly duckling.” It intrigued me–how could I write a MMC that didn’t sound like an arrogant, shallow bastard–and I wrote a whole book around it. Brainstorming with peers, reading craft books, and reading in your genre is how we learn. On top of writing and writing and more writing. It doesn’t matter where you get help, be it a friend or a writing class, you still have to sit down and write. But having support and someone to turn to if you’re stuck makes it a lot easier. There are a lot of gross takes out there, and yeah, I guess AI hasn’t helped, but pre-AI, there were always plot generators, trope lists, and writing prompts. I have no idea where all of a sudden having outside resources helping you write your novel is bad, but writing isn’t done in a vacuum and never has been. You can find a simple and fun plot generator here. I would mess around with it, but I have enough on my plate as it is. Likely, I have enough projects to keep me going until 2030. https://artisthu.com/plot-idea-generator/

Goodreads’ New DNF Shelf
This is another subject that came up last week on socials. Apparently Goodreads created a Did Not Finish (DNF) shelf for their users. Authors were a little perturbed by it, but I don’t see the harm. What does it really matter if readers don’t finish a book? I know authors wouldn’t like to see one of their books on that shelf, but more and more people read by mood, and I could see a DNF shelf turn into a Come Back Later shelf instead. I also think that authors just forget, or don’t want to admit, the sheer number of books out there right now, and readers don’t have to push through a book that doesn’t grab them.

I feel guilty if I don’t finish a book, so I usually try, even if that means skimming until I reach the end. I have to at least read the last chapter to know how the couple gets their HEA. Why I start skimming varies, but my top reason for skipping to the end is that there’s not enough male POV. I remember a while back that I really wanted to read a book two in a series. The premise sounded good, but being who I am, I needed to read book one first. Even though it was “dual” POV, there were too many FMC chapters in a row, and I didn’t keep reading. Unfortunately, I just figured that the author preferred writing the FMC POV and I didn’t make it to book two. You’re never going to please every reader, that’s just a fact, and whale readers will always keep track of their books. That’s just a fact too. Goodreads doesn’t tell you what readers are doing with your books, so it’s better just not to hunt for information you don’t want to know in the first place. If you want to read a little more about the DNF shelf on Goodreads, you can do it here: https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/entertainment/books/a70504162/goodreads-dnf-shelf/

Editor Series
A couple of weeks ago, I asked on Threads if there were any editors who would be willing to answer some questions about what it’s like editing for indies, common mistakes they see, their take on AI, etc. I got quite a few responses, unlike when I tried on Twitter a few years ago. So, I’m happy to say that I will be able to start posting those interviews starting next week! I like the idea of it because it seems like editing is a necessary evil. It’s expensive, you don’t know who to trust, and you need to find someone who’s a good fit. I’m hoping that these interviews will shed a little light on the process and maybe you’ll find your next editor.

I’m not going to post them all in a row, though. I think you would get tired of them, and you know me. I have too many opinions to be quiet for that long. So, I’m going to post one a month starting next week. I hope you enjoy reading their responses as much as I did!

That is all I have for today. Lots of talk about the Shy Girl debacle, but I really don’t have a lot to say on it. AI is everywhere, it’s not going away, and we just have to try to find our way around it. People are going to use it to write, authors are going to use it to edit, brainstorm, and research, and I’m not saying we have to live with it, but until there’s an infallible way to identify AI writing, it’s going to exist in the industry. If you want to read the Times’ article, you can here, and hat tip and big thank you to Cat Johnson and to various others on Threads for the gift link.

Have a great week!