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Using Writing as Therapy

I believe that writing is just as good – if not better –  than any therapy I’ve ever received, and I’ve had my share of therapy over the years. I’ve seen counsellors mostly for the hard stuff, like the death of my mother, dealing with family trauma, separating from my husband, etc…

But weaving these traumas can be useful for writing.

When you hand your pain over to a character, you can let all that anger, grief, denial, etc free. It can feel like a weight has been lifted.

I read a novel recently titled THE LAST LOVE NOTE by Emma Grey. She writes beautifully about grief. As I was reading the novel, my own novel, THE DECISIONS WE MAKE, resurfaced in my mind. I, too, write about grief, writing about the loss of family members in all forms, and how it affects those left behind. I’ve woven this into a couple of my novels now because I’ve learned that grief is different for everyone, and writing about it can help you understand and empathise with others.

It took me a while to recognise that I weave my personal traumas into my writing.

When writing my first novel, BENEATH THE SURFACE, I wrote about one of my own traumatic experiences without realising I was doing it. I couldn’t understand why I felt so heavy as I typed out the words. I felt distraught and, ultimately, depressed. I was writing about a parental relationship, and while the main storyline wasn’t mine, some of the emotional elements were. I used my own experiences to bring out what the character was feeling  – love and attachment, but also guilt, shame, and helplessness. And, ultimately, the overwhelming feeling to flee.

In another novel, I wrote about not only my own empty nest, but also my mother’s experience of having her last (*favourite*) child leave home.

The year after I moved away, my mother took an English class at the local high school. In one of her assignments, she wrote a letter to me about how she was feeling my absence. She wrote about the empty cork board in my bedroom being a reflection of her heart, when it was filled with images of Tom Cruise, pinned concert tickets, sketches I’d drawn, and dream lists. She wrote about my stuffed animals sitting on the bed, they’re longing for a hug. She wrote about her sadness of childhood days gone by, as I was her last to leave home. And she wrote of her dreams for me. I found the assignment after she died. (She got an A, by the way.)

When my own daughter left home to go to university, I was sad that her childhood was over, but I was happy for her too. She had a bright future and I was relieved to know her rollercoaster childhood would be behind her. But, I was different from my own mother in how I dealt with the empty nest. As she began her new chapter, so did I, donating all but the sentimental, then packing the car to travel full time.

All of this was useful for a storyline.

People often ask me if I’m just fictionalising my own story.

When writing my latest novel, a friend asked me if I realised I’d written my own childhood abandonment into the storyline. She is an early reader, one I have used and trusted over the years. By the time she pointed it out, I had already knew what was happening, and I was using it to my advantage. But what I didn’t realise – and what she pointed out – was the antagonist was based on a family member. (After the character was much easier to write! LOL!)

I had a friend once say to me: “Girl, you need to write this shit down, because no one is going to believe it’s true anyway.” There’s that. I have had an interesting life so far, with a lot of ‘plot twists’. And, in truth, there has been lot of my story in my novels. But they are all fiction. At least the main elements are.

But I have encompassed things from my own life. Things like: Looking for what’s next, after a divorce. Giving a voice to a relation’s abusive marriage. Gaslighting. Questioning whether to have a baby. Questioning the doctrines of a religion. Emotional trauma from parental figures. Dealing with a colleague’s DUI while on a business trip, only for an advancement in their career shortly after (w-w-what?! How?!). Depression. Asking yourself if your marriage can be saved, if only you looked at it from a different perspective. Sexual harassment. Tapping into one’s creative self. Breaking away from judgements of society. Living in a city and feeling alone. Abandonment by family members. Moral bankruptcy of family members. Suicide. The list goes on.   

All of it is great fodder for a novel –  or ten.

I mean, why wouldn’t you use your own experiences?

“They” say, write what you know, after all. And, as I do that, the less heartache I feel and the more healed I am.

Photo credit: Aaron Burden/Unsplash

Getting sneaky with ‘Easter Eggs’

I attended a book launch in July 2023, for a debut novel set in Tasmania. When Q&A came around, I asked the author: “what’s next?” She said she was already working on a new novel, but it wasn’t related, although she may put one of the characters from the last book into the next book. 

“Like an Easter egg,” the moderator said. “Where you bring other characters from another book into a completely new story”. 

The lightbulb in my head went on. It’s like someone finally explained to me how my brain works.

First, let me explain first what an ‘Easter Egg’ is, in case you’re not aware of the term. In literary terms, ‘Easter eggs’ are a little extra something that authors hide in their books for their fans to find. It can be a character, a place, an object, or a bit of dialogue.

But I’ve never thought of ‘Easter Eggs’ in a literary sense. Some of my themes, motifs, whatever you want to call them, would be classed as ‘Easter eggs’. For example, when I use the nickname “sweetness” in every book, it’s technically an ‘Easter egg’. 

When I wrote THE DECISIONS WE MAKE, I was on the fence about joining the novel to CAMINO WANDERING. 

THE DECISIONS WE MAKE is not set on the Camino de Santiago, but in Tasmania. The Camino wisdom is woven into the story, but not in an obvious way. There are characters from CAMINO WANDERING in the book, but they aren’t the primary characters. The book is a standalone novel. 

But I kept being told that I had to write a series. “It’s the only way to be successful as a writer,” I was told – repeatedly.  My intuition was telling me otherwise – and you know something? I should have listened to my instincts.

When I did some research of my own, I discovered that writing series is popular with fantasy, science fiction, thrillers… but not so much with women’s fiction. When I look at some of the authors I love, whose books I devour, I realised that most of them are standalone books.

Plus, I’m beginning to realise that I’m not a series writer. I love standalone. When I think of my novel FINDING THE WAY (2024), I don’t want it to follow the same path (no pun intended) as CAMINO WANDERING. I need Merritt (the main character) to find another way for herself. There may be other characters from other novels (hello ‘Easter Eggs’) but it will be a standalone novel. Not connected to CAMINO WANDERING. Not connected to THE DECISIONS WE MAKE. And now I know that, I’m finding strength in the story now. 

But this is what I love about self-publishing. I can make changes when it makes sense to do so. Sure, I have books already published that will need updating. New covers, disassociating them from each other etc… And those are time-consuming changes, but it feels right doing this.

My footing feels solid with this plan.

Besides, maybe a reader will read one of my books and wonder, “I wonder what else she has written?”

Why There Are Heavy Themes in my Storylines

I have always written short stories. In fact, I got a Corona typewriter when I was 12 or 13. I drove my parents nuts with that thing! I still write short stories, but they aren’t the light, fluffy romance stories of a hormonal teenager.

Now they focus around decisions women must make in their lives around relationships, death, and everyday life. All of my main characters centre around women overcoming seemingly insurmountable challenges as they reveal who they are and what they’re made of.

That’s a brilliant line, isn’t it? Who they are and what they’re made of.

A fellow author, Lori Oliver-Tierney, who wrote a fantastic memoir titled “Trudge”, about her journey walking the Pacific Crest Trail, wrote that line. When I read her book, it was like someone had shined a spotlight on to the page. The line jumped out at me. I was writing CAMINO WANDERING at the time and struggling with it. Suddenly, that line brought it all together for me. I reached out to Lori and asked her if I may use it. She shared with me it was something her mother used to say to her, and she’d be honoured if I used it. Since CAMINO WANDERING has been published, that line is the undercurrent for all of my novels.

My novels share powerful messages, social issues I suppose, and tend to be raw and emotive, but nothing women don’t face in real life. Sometimes the imagery is vivid, as in BENEATH THE SURFACE (my first suspense novel), but I include trigger warnings when necessary… and isn’t that a controversial decision?!

But my novels aren’t completely dark.

Humour is always woven throughout because if we don’t laugh about stupid stuff, when can we? There’s always a character who offers a lightness to the story, or there’s a banter between characters that evokes a chuckle.

 

Friendships are key, especially friendships between women.

How I Wrote My First Novel

My writing journey has been slightly different to most. I like to think of myself as a bit of a crackpot writer (hence the name of my website), but once I explain this, you may understand why.

In 2016, I was working as a travel blogger, building an audience for when my husband and I would hit the road and travel full time in 2017. But one morning, I woke from a dream so vivid, I couldn’t ignore it. I thought, ‘Wow! That would make for a great scene in a novel!’ And so, I grabbed some coffee and headed downstairs to my home office to write.

Eighteen hours later, I was still writing.

 

That dream was the start of BENEATH THE SURFACE. Thankfully, my husband kept me ‘fed and watered’ during those eighteen hours because somehow, I couldn’t stop writing.

I didn’t publish BENEATH THE SURFACE until 2021, and that scene never made it into the published version. The book started as a romance novel, but in the end, I dug deep and took it in a whole other direction. I also realised then that I really wasn’t a fan of ‘white knights’ coming to save the day of the damsel in distress. She could save herself, thank you very much. She just had to find her confidence first.

 

 

Since then, I’ve been ultra-aware of my dreams. A lot of time, while I’m deep into the drafting process, I’ll often have my characters ‘chat to me’ in that period between asleep and awake. In fact, the twist in BENEATH THE SURFACE came through in a dream, and I also thought it fitting to use dreams as an element in the novel as well.

If you’re curious about how that book ended up, check out this link which will give you more information the book. 

Do you listen to your dreams?

 

7 Recurring Motifs in My Novels

 

After writing three books now – and now working on the fourth – certain topics are emerging in my novels. Some are intentional, but others seem to be born through the writing process.

To start, there is always a woman with gumption.

Gumption. It’s an interesting word, isn’t it? I LOVE this word.

Why? It’s because of a few scenes in one of of my favourite movies: The Holiday. It stars Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Jack Black, and Cameron Diaz (who completely overplays her character, but I’ve learned to ignore that). My favourite character in ‘The Holiday’ is played by the delightful Eli Wallach. The scenes between Kate Winslet and Eli Wallach (Iris and Arthur) are beautiful. You can feel their natural chemistry. In this movie, they talk about old movies of the thirties, forties, and fifties, and how so many actresses of that time had gumption. (And Iris – spoiler alert – eventually finds hers.)

I love writing about women, like Iris, like these older characters in movies, who face seemingly insurmountable challenges. I mean, that’s life, right? But it’s exciting to write how they find the way through the thicket to discover who they are, and ultimately, what they are made of. It’s this idea that keeps centred on what’s important when writing these stories. I know what I want to get across, but the journey, the path, is always different.

There’s always a mystery.

My books are classified as ‘Women’s Fiction’, even Beneath the Surface could be classified as that. No matter what novel I write, there will always be some kind of mystery. Something that hooks you in, prompting you to keep reading.

I always use ‘sweetness’, either as a nickname or an actual name in another language.   

In Camino Wandering, Ben’s husband’s name is Kanmi—meaning sweetness in Japanese.

In Beneath the Surface, Lowell’s nickname by his mother is Zaki. It means sweetness in Hausa, his mother’s native Nigerian language.

In The Decisions We Make, I use Danmus, which is the nickname Brooke’s Korean mother gives her.

I’m not sure why this word is important to me. It’s a word I find to be both beautiful and powerful. It’s a word filled with love and softness, and it brings joy to my heart. That’s why I use it in every book in some meaningful way.

The LGBTQI+ community is always represented.

In Camino Wandering, there are three characters who are a part of the LGBTQI+ community: Ben, Lee, and Simon (Aubrey’s son).

In Beneath the Surface, it’s Lowell and Claire (Daniel’s best friend).

In The Decisions We Make, Dae & Jase are two men who have a lovely marriage. There is also another character I can’t give away just yet.

So, why do I do this? To start, because I’m a strong ally for the LGBTQI+ community. This incredible community is a part of our everyday life — everyone’s life — whether we are aware of it or not. I don’t draw attention to the fact that the character is LGBTQI+, but write these characters into the storyline as I would any other character. For many in this community, being LGBTQI+ is part of their identity, who they are. But whether they are ‘out and proud’ or just living their life, they fought hard to be accepted, and I want to honour that by including them in all of my novels.

There are always coffee snobs/addicts in my novels.

I am a self-professed coffee snob, as many Australians are. Our vast Italian immigrant population greatly influenced us! In fact, we mostly drink Italian coffee at my house, so there you go!

Georgina leads the quest for a decent ‘cuppa’ in Camino Wandering. She even gets teased about it by her camigas! As a café owner, she has her reputation to consider, of course. While I walked in Spain in 2018 and 2019, I can attest that finding a decent coffee on the Camino was a challenge at times.

Grace is more of a caffeine fiend than a coffee snob in Beneath the Surface. Grace will take any coffee and plenty of it! I’ll stick to my one cup a day but, truth be known, I make it strong enough to go the distance.

In The Decisions We Make, Sam works in Georgina’s Café (Camino Wandering) so it’s hard to tell if it’s just part of the job. But when Sam runs out of coffee and scrounges for whatever she can, even instant, we feel the tragedy she endures. Lachie is a quad shot guy, so that automatically qualifies him as a snob.

Plus size characters exist!

I don’t know about you, but I almost never find realistically sized people in books. Why are they all skinny and athletic? Or slim and bookish?

As a plus sized woman myself, it’s an important element to bring reality into my books. We are all different shapes and sizes. Tall, short, skinny, curvaceous… We need realistic characters!

In Camino Wandering, Georgina, Pam and Aubrey all wear a size 14 or higher. It’s not just skinny women walking the eight-hundred-kilometre trek. In the first few chapters, I reveal how they all struggled to find hiking gear for their size. This was my reality when preparing for my first Camino.. It’s damn hard to find hiking gear that caters to the plus size market. In the end, I went with yoga pants and leggings (which are not attractive). Thankfully, there are more options available now (at writing, in 2022), which is great to see.

In The Decisions We Make, Georgina, Pam and Aubrey all appear in the book, but it is Merritt that is plus sized. She’s short, curvaceous, and fabulously styled.

As I write this, I realise I didn’t write a plus size character into Beneath the Surface. But that’s hard to do when you have a half-starved teenager and a hot yoga instructor as her best friend!

I include male characters who are supportive and but also flawed themselves. 

One of my readers highlighted this theme to me. I guess I do this subconsciously.

I am not a fan of the ‘white knight’ character. I believe in the strength of women and in finding their own way. The male characters I write provide support, but they never ‘save’ the main characters.

In Camino Wandering, Ben and Paolo are great examples of this. Ben struggles with a life-changing decision, but his true character proves he’s ready for that change. (He just has to realise it!) Paolo is goes kicking and screaming against convention, but underneath it all, he knows what his path is. But it’s Paolo and his roguish ways that teach them all that you need to enjoy every moment of your life, no matter what the path looks like.

In Beneath the Surface, the main character is Lowell. So many readers have said ‘we all need a Lowell in our life’. I could not agree more! I can’t write too much about Lowell without giving away the plot, but it’s by trusting Lowell that changes the course of Grace’s life.

In The Decisions We Make, it is Lachie/Lachlan. And like all the other supporting men, it’s great when we have a Lachie in our lives. Lachie is there when we need him most, but he has his own baggage. He’s not a knight, just someone who really cares about the people around him.

Have you discovered any other interesting topics I’ve included in my novels?

Learn from My Lesson and Use a Book Outline!

 

I’ve been writing novels now for over two years and learning about the importance of an outline has been a eye opening experience for me. It’s a lesson I’d like to share with you.

I have posted about outlines before. Re-reading that article showed me how little I knew about the process in the beginning.

For my first novel, Beneath the Surface, I thought writing a book amounted to simply sitting my ass in a chair and banging on the keyboard while my brilliant ideas flowed. Sure, the story poured out of me. I remember being so excited when I was done and so determined to send my baby out into the world for all to gush over.

But the truth was, Beneath the Surface was a hot mess. It took ten rewrites and five years to write. It was a hard lesson to learn, but for the final rewrite of Beneath the Surface, I finally used an outline to get the story sorted. It was a ‘slap against the forehead’ moment for me when the outline revealed the clarity I needed.

 

 

Writing a book is like any major project in life.

There must be a plan. A builder can’t construct a house without architectural plans. A baker can’t create a masterpiece without a recipe. And think of the essays we all had to write in high school – there was always a beginning, a middle and a conclusion.

It’s all about structure.

With a novel, or even a short story, structure is essential. The reader will lose attention if the house you’ve created is on a wobbly foundation. Thoughts will wander and your reader will no longer be captivated by your words. They won’t be eager to keep reading unless those pillars of structure in place.

Once you know about the way outlines work, you’ll see it in every great story you read or watch. You will find an inciting incidence, some conflict, a fall of some kind, another struggle, to finally reach a climax and ta-da – the character(s) finds their answer, or the issue is resolved, and life can move on.

If you want some examples of how this works, check out this post. It uses famous movies to show you how the outline was done.

 

After I learned the importance of outlines, writing one became straightforward for me. Yet it takes a while for me to get to the outlining stage. Once I have an idea, I let the story percolate a while. As I think of scenes, I write them down. When I think of conflicts, I write those down. I create the characters using another template and all of those pieces go into either “Notes” on my iPad or Scrivener on my laptop – whatever is closer.

Once I am ready to write the outline – when all the characters have been created, when all the jiggly ideas have been wrangled – I can usually crank an outline out in a day or two. Granted it’s taken me a while to get to this place because…

Deciding HOW to write the outline – that’s where I’ve struggled.

I listened to a marketing podcast recently, where the podcaster said something that really resonated with me. The episode was around being distracted by the ‘bright, shiny tools’, hoping there is the ‘perfect’ tool to save time and make things easier.

Ah yes, the golden goose. We get sucked into the hype, the promise, hoping there is a dream tool that will solve all our issues. But let’s be honest, and this was her point, we use always use the bright, shiny new tool for a week, maybe or a month or two. But when our plan is disrupted, when something goes awry, we give up on that new tool and return to our fall-back solution.

Finding that solution – what works for you – is what you should be using. It could be bits taken from all kinds of tools. But whatever it is, that solution needs to work for YOU.

(I don’t know about you, but I felt like this woman knew me way too well.)

This could be the case with a lot of tools in business. Scheduling social media. Project management. For me, I have been searching for the Shangri-La of outlining tools.

Plottr is a relative newcomer to the space, so I found it particularly shiny. While many people have had success with Plottr, I tried it when I was initially working on The Decisions We Make. But the tool was still in beta, and it didn’t give me everything I needed. I was so, SO, frustrated by spending more time working out how to use the tool than getting the outline written.

I have also tried Scrivener, but basic Index cards are just as useful, if not more so. Scrivener is great for writing the drafts and corralling the ideas. But for outlines, it is seriously lacking.

After trying all those ‘bright shiny tools’, I realised that I kept going back to my old standby – my excel spreadsheet. Yep, good ‘ol Microsoft Excel.

 

When I started to outline The Decisions We Make, I realised it was time I developed a system for outlining any novel. So, I sat down and created a template. It worked great for The Decisions We Make, and I was able to smash out the next outline for the book after that – in two days.

 

My point here is two-fold.

  1. Always use an outline when writing a novel. Otherwise, you may be rewriting that story for the next decade, or you may publish a novel that doesn’t work, and readers will tell you that through poor reviews.
  2. Find a way to outline that works for YOU. It may be a tool like Plottr. It may be pen and paper. Mine just happens to be an excel spreadsheet.

Helpful links:

If you’d like a copy of my outline template, click here.

If you’ve written a novel, what tool do you use to outline? What works for you? 

 

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Deep POV: What it is, and Why It’s a Game-Changer!

I have an embarrassing confession: I wasn’t aware of ‘POV’ as a writer until five years ago. Yet, it’s kind of a ‘Writing 101’ technique all authors need to know – and master – before writing a novel.

My first writing class made me (painfully) aware of my horrible “POV switching” when writing the first draft of Beneath the Surface. Once you’re aware of POV, you will always be aware of it, in everything you read. (Try reading a Danielle Steel novel – she’s all over the place when it comes to switching POVs!)

 

Getting it all done.

 

What is POV? And what’s POV-switching?

POV is short for Point of View. It’s the narrator’s perspective in how the story is told.

In first person, the story is narrated directly by the character (using ‘I’, ‘me’, and ‘my’ as the point of view).

Using second person, which is fairly uncommon, the story is being narrated using ‘you’. It’s rarely used because it’s super hard to pull off.

In third person, using ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘they’, the lens is filtered for the reader through a single character at a time.

Writing from multiple points of view is tricky when first starting out. This is when POV-switching can get in the way. POV-switching is when the author flips from one character’s point of view to another, either either mid-chapter, mid-paragraph, and sometimes even mid-sentence. Another way of thinking of ‘POV switching’ is ‘head-hopping’ when the story jumps from one character’s head to another. Readers get confused and frustrated about who is currently talking or telling the story.

You can have multiple POVs in a chapter, but they need to be separated by creating an extended return, so the reader knows something is changing.

Let me give you some examples, using Camino Wandering as a reference:

First person: I had the idea of walking eight hundred kilometres across Spain, so I could forget my past.

Second person: You’re walk eight hundred kilometres across Spain to forget the past. You put one foot in front of the other and just ‘be’ for a while.

Third person: Aubrey knew walking eight hundred kilometres across Spain would help her forget the past.

Multiple POVs:
Aubrey figured walking eight hundred kilometres across Spain would help her forget the last two years of her life.

(New Chapter/section) Pam was excited by the prospect of finally walking the Camino de Santiago. It was just what she needed in her life.

(New Chapter/section). Georgina needed to sort out her life, so walking across Spain sounded like the ticket to do just that.

 

When I first drafted ‘Camino Wandering, I wrote from three points of view: Aubrey, Pam, and Georgina. They all had a story to tell. But I quickly realised the reader would be throwing the book across the room by the fourth chapter – if not sooner. Even I was bored by how it was coming along. How many times do you need to read how anxious people are with the prospect of walking eight hundred kilometres across Spain? After writing about ten chapters into the draft, switching POVs in each chapter, then trying separate chapters for POV, I went back and started again. I wrote the final novel from Aubrey’s point of view, in third person.

The tricky part of writing Camino Wandering was to not bring Pam or Georgina’s thoughts into the story. It all had to come from Aubrey, either by discovering it for herself, or bringing it to light through dialogue. The challenge was to figure out how to weave the storylines, but all from Aubrey’s perspective. I found myself slipping a few times, only to pull myself back and work out how I could reveal something without it being from another character’s point of view. (Now wouldn’t Camino Wandering be interesting from Pam’s point of view?! But I digress…)

Beneath the Surface was written from third person as well, but it was always Grace’s story to tell. There were times I wanted to bring in Lowell’s point of view, and I did ponder what it would look like from her father’s point of view too. But ultimately it was always Grace’s story.

 

 

Deep POV – Why It’s a Game-Changer.

Most popular fiction these days is written in the third person. Good fiction employs the Deep POV concept. But what does ‘Deeper POV’ mean?

Let me start with this: Third person POV can be either subjective or objective. Deep POV is subjective.

Objective POV is when you are witnessing something. You are watching what’s happening. You can see and hear the characters, but you have no idea what they are thinking or feeling. The reader can only assume based on mannerisms or actions. For example, when you see ‘she wondered’ or ‘she felt’ in a book– those are objective POVs.

Let me give you an example of objective POV:

Aubrey lay on the bed and felt her heart pounding out of her chest. She wondered if this was what anxiety felt like. She worried about who would help her if she injured herself.

Subjective POV (or deep POV) is when you are in the character’s head. You know everything they know, feel, see, and understand. The author conveys that in the storyline. Subjective POVs is when you strip out all of the ‘felt’, ‘saw’, ‘thought’, ‘watched’ and ‘wondered’ when writing your story.

Now an example for subjective (or deep POV):

Aubrey lay, heart pounding and suffering from an anxiety level she’d never experienced before. What the hell was she thinking? Did she honestly believe she could walk the entire length of northern Spain? What if she injured herself? Who would help her?

See how stronger that makes the sentence and, ultimately, the story? You are there, with Aubrey. You are connected with her. You feel her pain. You can understand her emotions. You’re not just sitting back and watching from the sidelines. As many reviewers have said of Camino Wandering, they feel like they’re walking the Camino along with the Lovelies. This is because of deep POV.

Learning about Deep POV was a game-changer for me. I always wondered why my editor was always on to me when I used ‘felt,’ ‘saw,’ etc. I didn’t understand. I’d read books written this way plenty of times, but this way of writing has only become popular in the last thirty years or so. Then I read this article, explaining what Deep POV was all about. It was then that something clicked for me. When I brought it up with my editor, they told me they’d been trying to tell me this for a year. I laughed. Sometimes you have to read it from a complete unknown source to finally understand.

Hopefully this has enlightened you too.

 

 

Here are some other posts that may be of interest to you: 

7 Apps All Indie Authors Need To Write A Novel

How To Write A Book Outline

Creating Complex And Believable Characters

How To Find And Work Successfully With Beta Readers

Reflections: 2021 was (surprisingly) an incredible year!

It’s been one year since I published my first book, Camino Wandering. 

Did you read that word? Published! I put a book out into the world! Check Amazon—it’s there. The local bookstores stock it on their shelves. They’ve even asked for more copies. How great is that!

I’ve always been a writer and had only dreamed of being a published author! But now, I can say the words: I’m an author.

Oh, but wait! I published two books! I can’t believe I did that – in one year. 

(Bubble bursting)

Ah, but it wasn’t easy. There was no magic wand involved. It boggles my mind how much I’ve learned in the last year, but there is still so much more to learn. As much as I would like to ‘just write’, I’m still trying to work some kinks out of the business side of things. It’s great to be on Amazon, but not so great if I’m the only one that knows I’m there. With the holidays approaching, I want to make sure that Santa knows where he can pick up a copy of Camino Wandering for Mrs. Claus. 

Santa holding Tara Marlow's novel, CAMINO WANDERING, with a Christmas tree in the background.

Speaking of the holidays, this is usually the time when we humans like to think about all the nutty stuff that happened over the last year. Lots has happened so let’s get to it.

Finding a silver lining in the pandemic

2021 was a stupid year for so many reasons. Melbournians suffered lockdown for months on end while the rest of the world went in and out of lockdowns at a dizzying pace. And, we’re still not even close to recovered from the horrors of 2020. Let’s get vaccinated people! PLEASE! 

Here in Tasmania, we’ve been lucky. Strict government directives have kept us relatively safe. Not safe from individuals that think the rules don’t apply to them, but we’ve had very few cases in 2021, nevertheless. For us, it’s been pretty much business as usual, except for travel. Our borders have remained closed for much of 2021 and for a person who loves to travel, that’s been tough for me. But I’ve managed to keep my itchy-feet syndrome in check by placing my bum in a seat and writing. The world is your oyster if you can keep an active imagination.

And write I did. I published Camino Wandering, Beneath the Surface and drafted another novel. I also wrote three short stories (two of which I’m still working on!)

A couple showing Tara Marlow's novels, BENEATH THE SURFACE and CAMINO WANDERING (original covers) as they kiss.

Understanding it’s an ever-evolving writing process.

Over the course of a year, my writing process has evolved dramatically. I learned a lot when writing Camino Wandering, even more when writing Beneath the Surface, and then more when I drafted my third book (late 2021).

When I wrote Camino Wandering, my process was whacked. I really had no clue what I was doing. “Just write the book,” resounded in my head. If only I knew then what I know now. But I wouldn’t know what I know now without those challenges.

It began by learning about POVs – Point of Views. 

Camino Wandering started out as being written from Aubrey, Pam and Georgina’s points of views, alternating the points of view with each chapter. I almost gave up early on, trying to keep it all straight. About a third of the way into writing the book, I knew the reader would toss that book across the room by Chapter Six if I kept writing that way.

So, I learned more about that piece of my craft. POV is something I’ll be blogging more about in 2022. 

I learned the power of structure.

Writing fiction is a lot different from writing non-fiction, which is something I had been doing for years.Structure exists in both forms, but the difference is like comparing an orange to a skyscraper. Switching gears took some serious mind grinding. I dug through the enormous amount of content there is online about writing fiction. Here are a few resources that worked for me:

Knowing the characters in depth, before writing their story.

I need to know my characters inside and out before I write an outline.

I take every character, no matter whether they are primary or secondary, through a deep character questionnaire, because you just never know who may shine in the story. (Hello Lee and Tom – Camino Wandering, & Lowell – Beneath the Surface.)

When writing my third book (untitled at the time of this writing), I learned that while I may have a clear idea of who the characters are, unless they have a name, I can’t ‘see’ them. Two of the characters had their names auctioned off before I began writing the outline. Even though I had their descriptions and detailed characteristics in black and white -I had to wait for their names to fully understand who they were.

Understanding the need for a solid outline.

At the beginning of 2021, I delved into a complete rewrite with Beneath the Surface. What was published in September 2021 is completely different from what was drafted in 2016. It was rewritten at least ten times and what saved me there was knowing how important an outline was.

In fact, I realised even a basic outline was not good enough. I was halfway through rewriting Beneath the Surface when my characters started (finally!) chatting to me. I had one character who was not coming through, but the other two were loud. I realised then that I needed to make that third character a tertiary character. They didn’t really need to be in the story, but they added some conflict for the main character, so they remained. That’s when I decided I needed to stop (re)writing altogether and create a solid outline for the book – and start over, yet again. With the solid outline created, I was able to complete the (final) draft two weeks later and I was thrilled with the outcome.

When I wrote my third novel, I didn’t start writing until I had a detailed outline. But, one day, I went completely off-script chasing the writing fairies. Then I spent almost a week trying to rein it back in. The characters were working but I had lost where the story needed to be.

Want to read a sample of Beneath the Surface?

Giving myself the space to mull over storylines.

I ‘nap’ a lot when writing. I lie down with my eyes closed and quieten my brain for a while. It’s usually in this relaxed state that the characters chat to me, or I can unravel a complexity I can’t resolve while staring at a screen.

I also bake, paint, or doodle. Not at the same time, of course. It’s another way to ponder storylines.

I’m different from most in that I can’t write every day when I’m working on a book.

There’s a train of thought in the writing world that you must write every day, even if you force yourself to do so. That works for many people, but it doesn’t for me. It’s not to say I’m not thinking about my current work in progress. That’s constant. But I need to have all my ducks in a row before the story flows out of me.

With NaNoWriMo, November is all about getting words on the page. For me to be successful, I need a plan, a solid outline, my characters complete, before I can churn the words out.

 

My love/hate relationship with marketing.

Before I could do any marketing, I needed to understand who my reader was. Who was I writing my books for?

Camino Wandering was easy. Beneath the Surface was not.

Marketing practices for these books are completely different. I had to know where the readers were.

Camino Wandering, while easier, has limitations. I can jump on Facebook and delve into the Camino groups and pages, but I can’t promote on those. When people ask if ‘anyone recommends a good book on the Camino?’, I can’t raise my hand… and that’s challenging. So, I stay engaged in the groups and advertise on Amazon, promoting the books to people looking for Camino books.

Selling Beneath the Surface has been like looking for needles in a haystack. It’s not YA, but the protagonist is a teen. It’s a thriller, set in Sydney and Melbourne. It’s a book amongst a million others just like it –even the title gets buried on Amazon. I’ve had to be creative with marketing Beneath the Surface. (Facebook Ads have been the thorn in my side, but they’ve been necessary.)

I also learned that consistently posting on social media is key to selling books.  

I have one day a week where I focus ONLY on scheduling marketing. I’ve streamlined this process and now I spent two days a month on it. But I still check in every single day on my social platforms, to comment, like, share. Engagement is key, but it can be time-consuming too. 

I’m going to spend some time in 2022 to look at what’s working and how I can be more engaged with my readers.

Want to read a sample of Camino Wandering?

The hard lesson: Where can I sell paperbacks?

Seeing my book on the shelf of local bookshop has always been a dream for me. I guess it’s validation that not only did I write a book, but bookshops want to sell it. The buyers deem the book good enough that they know there’s readers will buy it. 

I discovered that the Tasmanian bookshop community is very welcoming to local authors and everyone one I approached were eager to stock my book within minutes of looking it over. The mainland bookshops too – but only with their own locals.  The reason: The pandemic. I can’t do book tours at the moment other than in my own state because of closed borders. The pandemic is also bringing writers out of the woodwork.

I did not have success selling paperbacks in mainland Australia. I queried over two hundred bookshops. Two replied. One was open to commission and ended up sending books back to me, so I lost money there. The second one tried to order through Ingram Sparks (distributor) but Ingram price their shipping so high that I have to discount my books so deeply, that I end up making literal cents on each paperback. In Tasmania, most bookshops opt for direct distribution. It works out much better for them and for me financially.   

Selling to large booksellers internationally, like Barnes & Noble or Waterstones is a tough nut to crack. Unless you’re traditionally published, it’s rare to find your book on the bookshelves unless several people request it. I have had one bookshop in the U.S. interested and it’s only because I know the owner personally.

I will say it: Thank God for Amazon.

Tara Marlow's novel, CAMINO WANDERING sits on the shelf at a local bookshop, tagged Tasmanian Authors, alongside Hilary Mantel's love, along with many other authors.

Constantly learning about the Amazon Advertising game.

For better or worse, many people buy their books from Amazon.

As an Indie Author, you can easily get buried in the mix. Enter: Amazon Advertising. I love it because it brings in about 75% of my book sales. But understanding how it works is an ongoing endeavour. I learned a lot through Bryan Cohen’s 5 Day Challenge – the basics, anyway. The rest is trial and error. We’re just trying not to bleed money.

Investing in Amazon advertising allows my book to show higher in the rankings and get in front of people looking for similar books. They may not see it otherwise.

Wow, there are a lot of snake oil salespeople out there.

Trying to navigate through the immense amount of information there is about marketing can be daunting. I’ve signed up for several webinars this year. At one point I was doing one a week. I can usually get some new tip out of them. The one certainty is there is always a sales pitch at the end about how this program will solve all your problems and you’re on your way to the life you’ve always wanted. 

Since I know the basics now of marketing, I’m ready for the next level. I want to know more. I want to do a deep dive. This is where the snake oil salespeople live.

We invested in a $600 course this year (I heard your gasp! Trust me, I had heart palpitations hitting that ‘buy’ button!). It seemed like everything we were looking for. The reviews were positive, and by all indications, the guy looked like the real deal. I signed up KNOWING there was a 30 day return policy. It was a good thing too. I went through the detailed course outline, the course material, and the additional offerings, and thought, there’s nothing new here. I either knew most of it already or it was everything he’d covered in the webinar. The clincher was, he kept saying, ‘but we’ll get to that’… and never did. I was two days from the deadline, but I sent that email requesting a refund. Thankfully, they honoured the money back policy…not all of them make it so easy.

Having a supportive writing community is key.

When I moved to Tasmania in 2019, I was eager to find ‘my people’. It just so happened that by the time I was looking, NaNoWriMo was just around the corner. I met with the NaNoWriMo chapter in Hobart, and what an incredibly supportive community! Not only is it a place to talk freely about writing, but we share ideas about what we’re learning too. If it wasn’t for this community, I may never have discovered Vellum or the local Indie Author community.

I look forward to continually learning more next year, and I’ll keep sharing as I go!

PLEASE NOTE: Affiliate links were used in this post. I do not promote anything I have not used or experienced myself or had recommended highly to me. All opinions are my own. Please follow our advice at your own risk. By clicking these links allows this website to continue running. For that, I thank you.

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The Secret to Writing Books and Staying Focused

Writing a book is bloody hard. 

No, that’s wrong. Writing a draft is easy. Easy-ish anyway. Thoughts flow like water and the words magically appear on the page. (A solid outline helps.) 

After a time, the draft emerges from the drawer for a fresh look. The masterpiece that Reese Witherspoon will have on her book club list is finally revealed. You can’t wait to read what you’ve got. Coffee is poured, eyeglasses sparkling clean, and you begin to read in horror the hot mess that’s supposed to take you to the best seller list. 

Here is where the real work begins. Everything that comes after writing the first draft is hard. Revise and polish. Repeat. Repeat until your eyes burn, and your fingers bleed. Revise and polish until you’re so sick of the story you want to poke your eyes out with your red marker. But finally, a work is produced that you are proud of. 

Then comes the harder part. You have to sell the book to keep the lights on and the dream alive.

So why the hell do I put myself through this? And how do I stay sane? That’s probably the more important question. 

Being an author is an invigorating, stressful, frustrating, exciting, emotional rollercoaster.

Within one year, I will have published two novels plus a short story epilogue for one of those books. Some writers can churn out multiple books in a year. I’m not sure I would even try to do that. Finding balance is a serious enough challenge for me. 

When I published Camino Wandering in December 2020, I never in my wildest dreams would have thought I’d put out Beneath the Surface nine months later. Nine months… yes, it does feel like I’ve given birth!

Want to know how I did it?  

I created a solid book outline and stuck to a publishing timeline. 

As an Indie Author/Publisher, I’m always juggling multiple balls at once. Staying focused is paramount. It’s been a roundabout journey for me to discover that I’m deadline driven. I have the flexibility to set my own publishing dates. But with that flexibility, comes, well, temptation. A pile of books to read, a garden to potter in, a lovely state that itches to be explored… Ironically, my kryptonite is social media, which can be a total time suck, but I rely on it to spread the word about my stories. See? Juggling while performing a high wire act is hard!

If I know I have to get something finished by x date, I’ll stay focused. Without that, I’m jumping in the car and disappearing for a few days. Anything to avoid the editing process. I would rather clean a toilet than edit my own writing. Oh! But I love editing other writer’s work. But my own? Hate it. 

But I know it has to be done. So, I build it into my process, knowing there are days or weeks when I will want to storm away from it. And I do initially. After that first draft is done, I put it away for a few weeks or a month, then come back to it. But THAT is built into my timeline, knowing I need to do that. Giving me that space revs me up and gives me distance so I can look at the work objectively. 

So, what does this publishing timeline look like?  

Well, it’s an excel spreadsheet. Yeah… sexy, right? 

Listed on this spreadsheet are things like:

  • Creating characters.
  • Creating the world they live in, if it doesn’t already exist (like for Camino Wandering). 
  • Time to write the first draft, then leave it for a while. 
  • Providing enough time for the editor to red-line it. Then time for me to review their suggestions, make changes and send it back to them again. 
  • Remembering the other tasks I have to complete, like writing the blurb, the acknowledgements, and various marketing tasks. 
  • Giving myself enough creative time to create a compelling cover.
  • Providing time for the beta readers, then advanced readers to read the book and provide their feedback or reviews. 
  • Setting pre-ordering timeframes. 
  • Setting up marketing pre-release and post.

That’s just a rough idea. 

I picked up the idea somewhere when I was looking for some guidance. I’d love to give credit to the person I borrowed the idea from, but I honestly don’t remember the source. The timeline has been butchered and revised many times since. I tweak these things to fit my work style. (But if you are the original creator, please let me know. I’m HAPPY to give the well-deserved credit!)

This is the document that keeps me on track. The document that holds me accountable. 

The best part, when I’ve accomplished every task on my timeline, I can take time for that road trip…. Or, when the pandemic is over, maybe I’ll return to the Camino.

If you’d like a copy of my publishing timeline, click here. 

(Just a note, by clicking, you’ll be added to my monthly newsletter list. You can unsubscribe, but I hope you won’t.)

PLEASE NOTE: Affiliate links were used in this post. I do not promote anything I have not used or experienced myself or had recommended highly to me. All opinions are my own. Please follow our advice at your own risk. By clicking these links allows this website to continue running. For that, I thank you.

37 Kick-Ass Tools & Resources for Authors

As an author, I use a lot of tools and resources. I’d love to say that writing a book is as simple as banging out the words, doing a quick edit and then sending it off to a publisher. As an Independent Publisher, it’s a lot more complicated than that. As a control freak, I wouldn’t have it any other way. 

2021 will see me publishing two books within a year. I published ‘Camino Wandering’ on December 24, 2020. ‘Beneath the Surface’ will be published on September 28, 2021. Yes, there have been a lot of balls in the air over the last few months. Not only have I been writing and editing the next book, getting that marketing and advertising organised for its release, but I’ve been continually working on advertising and marketing ‘Camino Wandering’ at the same time. 

I think I now have two heads. 

The good news is, it’s made me streamline my writing and publishing processes. (I was a process improvement analyst in a previous work life, so the skill is ingrained.)

I’ve tried a lot of tools already, so I’ve ruled out the time wasters. These tools and resources keep me on track, writing books and selling them. And, of course, this is a living, breathing list, so it may change as I go. 

I have talked about some of these already on my blog, but it made little sense to omit them from this list as they are imperative to the larger picture. 

Today I’m sharing the tools and resources that I find MOST helpful.

WRITING

I’ve written about this part before throughout a few posts on my blog, so I’ll just summarise here: 

Plottr 
I have just discovered Plottr, and while it’s a great tool, there are learning curves since it’s still fairly new. I’m planning a four-book series, the first two books to be published in 2022, and with this app I can see the finish line. This tool has already helped me ‘plot’ out the outlines of the first two books and I’m keen to continue using it. This process is imperative while writing a series, particularly this one, as timelines interchange and the stories weave throughout the books. 

There is a free trial for Plottr but join the FB group (listed below) and you’ll see how much this tool is still being developed to incorporate the needs of authors. Until then, I’m plodding ahead with it, to see how it goes.  

Scrivener 
The app to get the scenes written and to ‘bang out’ the initial storyline. I put all kinds of stuff into Scrivener: character outlines and questions, ideas for lines to include, setting, scenery, images, etc. 

ProWritingAid 
This is an amazing tool, but as a writer, you have to be careful not to lose your voice. ProWritingAid will keep you honest with grammar and spelling and offer you help with sections that could be better written. But if you have a certain style, it can see your style as ‘incorrect’. That’s where knowing who you are as a writer and being clear on your style helps steer you away from ‘accepting all’ the changes ProWritingAid offers. Still, I LOVE this app and use it for many things. My writing has improved as a result.  

Microsoft Word
Once I have my final draft file, I copy it into Word and use this file to send to my beta readers. Most have this app and it’s the most universal app to track and review changes.

WRITING PROCESS

Related Words.org
For when your brain freezes. Kind of a thesaurus on steroids. 

One Look
Another fantastic tool for when the brain freezes.

Jane Friedman
There are a lot of authors out there who write about the writing process, or their writing process (me included), but I often revert to Jane’s incredible expertise. She offers brilliant suggestions that we all need to hear sometimes.

WritersWrite
A great website for writing tips. 

Morphthing.com
I mentioned this tool in my post Creating Complex and Believable Characters. It’s a quirky tool I use to create the visuals for characters. It’s fun and sometimes a distraction, but it helps to get the idea out of your head and on to a page. 

Pinterest
Another app I can lose myself in, but it’s great for character development. I talk about it in this post.

PUBLISHING PROCESS

Character Count Online
A great tool when advertising portals (like Amazon) have character limits and you need to maximise every letter.

Bklnk.com
For working out the best categories for your book, if you publish via KDP on Amazon. 

Kindlepreneur
Also handy if you publish on KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing). Offers some great tips.

Reedsy
A great resource for finding editors/book designers/PR folks. The newsletter is very helpful as well. 

Vellum 
I LOVE this tool. This is the magic wand of interior book design. I talk about it more here.

MARKETING – Creating

DavidGaughran 
The man is a marketing god. His books, his newsletters are FULL of helpful information. (His beard is on another level.)

Bryan Cohen
Brian hosts a ‘5-Day Amazon Ad Profit Challenge’ which took me from freaked-out to knowledgeable with advertising on Amazon. A free course that teaches you HOW to create Amazon ads that will save you a TON of money.

StoryOrigin
An incredible tool to expand your mailing list/subscribers, send reader magnets, review copies for ARCs/Beta Readers, create Universal links for your books. This is a great resource for authors.

MailerLite
I’ve tried several mailing list management sites and after ten years, find Mailerlite the best one. In my opinion, you need to have a mailing list. Consider this: I lost everything over a three month period on my Facebook Author page because of one simple mistake which I made. GONE. I have not been able to recover it. And before you scoff, all author’s need a mailing list because you never know what your social media moguls will do to your ‘followers/likes’.


MockupShots
This is the website I use all the time to create my marketing images. I’ve tried some others, like BookBrush, and found this one the easiest and most robust. 

Canva Pro
The app that creates my book covers, my promo images, my headers… the list is extensive. I love THIS app so much that I wrote a dedicated post for it. 

MARKETING – Implementing

AmazonAdvertising
When you publish directly on KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing), this is THE tool that will help increase sales. You can create hooks (see Bryan Cohen), link them to your book and select the specific places on Amazon to market your book. I’ve seen an increase in sales when I do this, and now I have ongoing ads on Amazon.

BookBub
BookBub is one of those deals that either works – or it doesn’t – and when it doesn’t, it’s a very expensive lesson. I’ve determined (through research) that it is better to have a backlist before plunging into the BookBub world. After doing extensive research, I’ve decided not to do a Featured Deal on BookBub but will invest in some strategic ad planning. BookBub is not cheap. 

Facebook Ads
Facebook is another resource that can be money waster. But with some smart planning and wonderful resources (Help! My Facebook Ads Suck! eBook is great), they can pay off. 

Goodreads
I’m active on Goodreads for a couple of reasons.

First, it helps me keep track of my ‘to be read’ pile. Before Goodreads existed, that list was kept on my Amazon Wish List. 

Second, as an author, I love to post updates for my followers. 

And finally, it’s great to watch people add my books to their own lists. And then leave reviews. 😉

YouTube
Yes, I have a YouTube Channel. I have found videos are a great way to convey what my books are about and what inspires me to write them. So, I funneled the videos I have been putting together – including Facebook Live events – and upload them to my YouTube channel. As an indie author, you have to be creative, so please check it out and let me know your thoughts! There’s even a snapshot of what’s coming for my next book, Beneath the Surface! 

TikTok
Okay, I’ll admit, I’m not a huge TikTok user. But BookTok is a real thing for authors. I’m TRYING to get on the bandwagon. And while I’m not a whiz, my intern is, so I’ve asked her to manage this tool for me. And good thing too, because I spent WAY too much time going down that spiral! It was better to hand it over to a professional. 

FACEBOOK GROUPS TO JOIN:

Writers Go Forth. Launch. Promote. Party.
For Australian authors and their readers. Authors can promote their books while readers can post reviews.

Alessandra Torres Inkers
A helpful group for asking questions and the admins run great webinars as well. 

Wide for the Win
Going “Wide” means selling online on other platforms, not just Amazon. If that’s you, this is the group you want to be in. 

David Gaughran
As I said, this man is a marketing god. He shares a lot of free information, but his books are also a wealth of knowledge. 

StoryOrigin Authors
If you sign up for StoryOrigin, you definitely want to be in this group. The app developer is very active and helpful.

Plotting for Authors with Plottr
A very interactive group, sharing their own tips. The developer is also part of the group and very responsive to questions and requests. 

Indie Writers Unite
If you go Indie, this is an amazing group for sharing information. I’ve learned a great deal here.

Writers Unite
Another ‘support’ group for authors. Lots of tips and tricks shared here. 

Fiction Writing
Another support group, with all stages of the fiction writing process.

NaNoWriMo 
I highly recommend connecting with your local chapter of NaNoWriMo or join your local Writers Centre group. Often these groups have Facebook groups that meet throughout the year.  I LOVE my Tassie NaNo group.

Is there a resource you’ve used that you find imperative to your process?

PLEASE NOTE: Affiliate links were used in this post. I do not promote anything I have not used or experienced myself or had recommended highly to me. All opinions are my own. Please follow our advice at your own risk. By clicking these links allows this website to continue running. For that, I thank you.

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