Idea to Pages: The Inspiration & Jewelry

Kicking off a new blog series called Idea to Pages! You get to witness my novel-writing process, first hand! Each post won't be in sequential order, mostly because the process takes some time, and I'll be blogging as I accomplish each task.

Without further to do: The Inspiration & Jewelry.

To be honest, I have no idea where I came up with the idea for my next book. It might have been when I was half-asleep (I get a lot of ideas then, not all good). Or when I was driving to work and listening to music.

Regardless. I got an idea. And the idea came with a title (as they usually so helpfully do): SECOND-HAND SCAVENGERS.

I'd love to tell you guys the ins-and-outs of the soon-to-be book, but I don't want to give any spoilers. Yet.

So, I've been inspired with an idea. What next? The characters shove their way into my brain. At the moment I've got four characters solidified: Dimitri Protea, Elle, Jane Grey Laselle, and Glitch. More will follow. In the mean time, I've made a Pinterest Board to keep all my inspiration in one place as my ideas develop.

Then comes the jewelry! With every book I write, I buy a necklace that represents the story. I wear the necklace throughout the Idea to Pages process. It makes me feel more connected to the book and characters.

Well, I've already bought SECOND-HAND SCAVENGERS necklace--it's beautiful, let me just say! In fact, I'm so excited about this book, I bought myself a ring too.

Though it might seem like the jewelry isn't a huge step in the Idea to Pages process, it is! Buying a necklace is a monetary form of committment. SECOND-HAND SCAVENGERS is going to be written. No. Matter. What.

Up next is Prepping My Muse!

Lessons in the Outdoors

Summer Bucket List item number two officially gets a line through it!

On July 2nd, I pitched my tent, grabbed the junk food, picked up the scary library books, and wrangled my sisters. Then we camped out.

We did the whole shebang: hot dogs roasted over a fire (then marshmallows!), scary stories, even the midnight trip to the bathroom.

Throughout the whole process I relearned a very important lesson: I hate camping.

It's not that I don't love the outdoors or being huddled in a tent while crickets chirp outside and lightning bugs dance. Those things were major pluses of the evening. More like I dislike being cold and having my sleeping bag stolen by an over-snuggly miniature poodle. I also happen to scare easily. So maybe those scary library books weren't in the best taste.

Still. The first item on my bucket list is finished! Since this is the first "adventure" accomplished this summer, I decided to dedicate a blog post to it. Make sure you periodically visit my Summer Bucket List page to keep up with the others!

Summer 2015 is going to be amazing, guys. I can just feel it.

Guest Blogger Renezmai Talks Writing

As a blogger, I get asked often if you have to be a really great writer to write for a blog, and the honest answer is no. Personally, I am a terrible editor. I write really well, and can make things flow and have intense detail, but my problem is editing. As you read this you might be thinking that that can't be true--after all, there are no errors here. There are no errors, not because of me, but because of my hubby. He edits everything for our blog, and everything I write, including what you are reading now.

The truth is that there is no way to be a perfect writer; all we can do is work hard to get better at it. So to help you all become better writers, I have written out my top 5 writing tips.

Don't go off on a side note

It's easy to get distracted, especially when writing, so it's important to remember to focus on your subject. If you're writing an article about the best makeup removal methods, you don't want to start talking about the dishwasher you own, because it obviously has no place in that article. Staying on topic is hard, but extremely important.

Make sure things flow

You don't want to sound like a robot, so it's important to have flowing sentences. This is an art though--it's not something you can focus on while writing and it automatically works. This is something you have to practice at and have someone else read to tell you if it flows. Practice makes perfect, especially when it comes to flowing sentences.

Details details details

Leave nothing to the reader's imagination! You need to describe everything wonderfully so that the reader sees exactly what you see. You want to really paint a picture with your writing. This keeps your readers focused, as well as entertained. The more details you add, the better.

Have a fantastic editor/edit great!

Lucky for me, I have a wonderful editor who fixes all my little mistakes. If you are good at editing yourself, don't ever skip this step in writing. It's the part that really makes your writing great. What use is being a fantastic writer if the readers can't get through a single sentence? So get an editor to help you out or be your own editor;you won't regret it.

Write write write, as much as you can!

Practice makes perfect, even in the writing world. The more you write, the more experience you get. When you write a story and read it over, you can find your weak points and build on them--you can expand as a writer and become better. I recommend you write for at least 10 minutes a day. This can be something as simple as a diary entry, blog post, poem, or short story. The important thing is that you write.

Writing is a wonderful skill to have. Anyone can become a great writer, even if at first you are terrible. Remember that at one point, even the best writer didn't know how to write at all.

About the author

Renezmai is a blogger on http://www.renereviews.com reviewing movies, books, video games and TV shows, as well as interviewing interesting people. You can get in touch with her on twitter.