Friday, April 29, 2016

Thoughts

And so we come to the end of our series on facts and misconceptions about writers, and I saved one of the best for last.

I've heard this one before as well. People have accused me of it. I've laughed. And I've gotten glares in response, because they really think it's true.


Writers... Know What You're Thinking.



I'll save you some time here and just say we don't.

We have a hard enough time figuring out what all our characters are thinking about, without trying to determine what's going on in your head.

Remember that characters try to be as real and dynamic as actual people, but that they never quite measure up. That being the case, unless you're completely one-dimensional and utterly boring, we probably have no idea what's going on in that noggin of yours. Oh, and nobody actually has a brain like that, so you have nothing to worry about.

Simply stated, nobody knows what's going on in your head.

Sure, we're more likely to be able to tell when you're lying or when you're thinking about something in particular, but that's because we know how to read expressions, since we have to describe them on such frequent occasion. But you can't say from that, that we really know what's going on in your head.

Honestly, I barely know what's going on in my own head. Why would I want to know yours?

I might try, if you're important to me or if you're the person I'm basing a character off, but I'd never tell you if that were the case, and I promise to never let you know if I get good at reading your mind.

Mostly because it simply can't happen, and I occasionally enjoy teasing you into thinking I know more than I do. It's a writer thing.

[love]

{Rani Divine}

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Medium

Well, Wednesday is here again, and today I have a really fun topic for you. It's something I've heard from a few different people, and actually something I've joked about with my friends, here and there.

And I was very happy when one of you suggested it as a topic, because this is amazing.


Writers... Know the Future.



Okay, first off, I'm trying really hard not to laugh. I'm really not sure where this originated, nor am I certain why someone brought it up as a topic for this series, but I'm going to take it and roll with it.

My friends have joked, in the past, that I can see the future. They do this because I watch everything. Yeah, everything. I know my friends well enough to make a decent guess as to what they're going to say, what they'll do in certain situations, and what might happen in the future.

But that's all it is: a guess.

We laugh because we know it's not true. I'm wrong about half of the time, and I'd take a gander to say almost anyone could meet those odds.

Thing is, in a way, it's true. We know the future, sort of, because we know what makes a good story and what makes a bad one. We know that things in good stories are not often things that would happen in real life, and we understand that life and story are two different things.

So, we have a sort of foresight. But it's the type that anyone could develop, with time and patience.

We know the future in that we know the many possible routes it could take, and we know which ones are more likely to come to pass — all because of people's love of story. And yes, everyone loves story. You don't have to admit it, for it to be true. People love story, and they thrive on it. So we use that to get a better picture of what might be going on around us.

That's the best I can really do with this topic, because I'm still trying not to laugh at this notion.

Nobody knows the future, save One.

[love]

{Rani Divine}

Monday, April 25, 2016

Spinning

Happy last-Monday-in-April! Interesting, how the older we get the more the years speed by...

But that's not what we're here to discuss.

Today, we're talking about something that I know to be fairly true, because I've tried to make it untrue in my life many a time... and failed.


Writers... Never Turn Their Brains Off.



Nope. We don't. Mostly because we can't. Even when I'm sleeping, there are still stories going on, things happening that I should be remembering and writing down, things that intrigue and interest. During the day is worse, because there are stimulants to the ideas. People, music, sounds, people, television, animals, did I mention people?

We've talked about this a lot this month. Writers bring tools with them wherever they go, so they never have to stop writing. Even when we're not working on a story, we're working on some semblance of story. It's a major part of who we are, something that we ascribe a large portion of our time, and for that reason, we rarely stop thinking about it.

Even right now, while I'm writing this blog, I'm thinking about the story I need to go write. I'm considering how to word things, how to make you more interested in what my character has to say, and how to truly show you how much she's changed throughout this series.

Many of us have tried to shut our brains off, even for a short amount of time. I've already admitted that I've tried to do so. Trouble is, even when we try, it never really goes away.

Even with the best of efforts, with the strongest of attempts to make myself rest and make everything fade away for even a moment, it only gets worse.

I only keep thinking about it.

I only get more ideas.

I only want more to sit down and write.

And so, I do. And I've stopped trying to stop my brain from doing so.

[love]

{Rani D.}

Friday, April 22, 2016

Attached at the hip

Guess what?

It's my mommy's birthday!! She's not in town to celebrate with me today, but you're all here to witness in my saying how very much I love her, how happy I am that she's having a great time on her birthday, and how much I look forward to seeing her again.

Mom, you've been an inspiration and the best of friends to me over the years, and I wish you the happiest of happy birthdays, blessed and highly favored as you are! <3


But, sorry mom, just because it's your birthday doesn't mean we don't have a regular post.


Writers... Are Never Away from their Laptops/Notebooks.



Okay. You got us. We're not. If we are, we have our cell phones, which also serve at notebooks. There's always a way to write, and we're never far from it. Even when we promise that we're here and that we're not going to work, we're still thinking about work.

It's not to be rude, really, it's just that we enjoy writing that much, and it's that much of our lives.

See, story is all around us. As writers, we see it in literally everything. No matter where we look, no matter what we're doing or what's going on around us, we see story. Sometimes we see things that could be used in stories, funny people that could be written in, images that we need to remember. There's almost always something, and we don't want to forget it.

So we keep a device on hand, to make sure we'll still be able to write.

Whether that means we always have our computer, or that we keep a notebook in our back pocket, there's always a way.

We're sure to never go far from one.

There was a time that I tried. A day that I went somewhere, away from home, with no phone, no computer, no notebook. And I regretted it. I found so many ideas that I went to a coffee shop and grabbed a napkin and a borrowed pen. It's true.

Story is everywhere.

Writers are opportunistic enough to grab it.

And really, we're not sorry if that causes you a little bit of frustration. You'll thank us later, when you read what we created.

Trust me.

[love]

{Rani Divine}

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Shiver

Wednesday has arrived! I'm excited for that, for some reason. Don't ask me why. Honestly don't know.

How many of you guys have your copies of Cedwig? I've been hearing from a few of you over the past week, and I'm so excited to hear what you have to say! I worked hard on this story. I actually fought this story. But that's a tale for another time. *wink wink*


Want to know what else a lot of people think about writers? They think...


Writers... Are Afraid.



Seriously, people? For the record, I got most of these topics from you, from readers of Too Many Books to Count and people who frequent my Facebook page.

Apparently, a lot of people think that writers are afraid. That or one of you lied and just wanted to see what I would say about this topic. I know who gave me this topic. I will speak to you about this.

To the point though, I don't think writers are any more afraid than any other group of people. Honestly, I'd be more inclined to say writers are stronger and far braver than average. See, we're willing to put our characters through hell time and time again, and we're strong enough to stand there and watch while they die, over and over, until everything is worded just right.

We can't afford to be afraid.

If you think writers are just afraid in life, then I'd say you're mistaken. Our work in writing carries over into life. It has to. It always does, between work and everyday life. The two can't stay separate forever.

We're strong in what we do, we're brave in what we do, and that relates to our lives.

Maybe sometimes we're afraid. Most people are. I don't think that's reason enough to say that all writers are afraid, all of the time. But there are, as with nearly everyone, things that give us pause.

Misconception, I say.

[love!]

{Rani}

Monday, April 18, 2016

Peeps.

Hi everyone! Don't forget, if you want to get a copy of Cedwig for 75% off, you still have time! Offer ends at midnight TONIGHT (check out the details in last Friday's post, here)!


For now, let's continue on our series.


Writers... Don't like People.



Okay, I can see how this one happened. A lot of writers get this weird look in their eyes when they're talking to actual people, like, we don't see you being a successful character and you should just buzz off. People take that to mean that we don't like them. And honestly, it might be partially true.

See, writers have been brought up to think about character and story, about how to develop characters into something that people will actually want to read. We really can't help but take that into our daily lives as well. So when we look at you, sometimes we're going to see a rendition of a character. Don't be offended by that, really. We can immortalize you in fiction, if we like you enough. *wink*

So we know what makes a good character.

We know what makes a bad character.

And we know very well that these do not correlate to what makes a good or bad person, a friend or an enemy in reality.

We do, I promise.

It's just that sometimes we're more focused on our work than anything else, or we're brainstorming for the next project, and you happened to show up.

Of course, it could also be that there are so many writers who just really don't like people, that it became a very common misconception, piled onto all our heads. It's possible. But hey, I'm not like that. So it can't be entirely true!

Me? I like people. I like people a lot. And no offense, but I really don't want to be around you all the time. I'd much rather be friends who see each other every couple weeks. It's less effort on both our parts, and less chance of me being too mentally exhausted to write. That's the introvert in me speaking. Ask me again when I'm at an event.

[love]

{Rani D.}

Friday, April 15, 2016

*type type type*

It's Friday! Time for the weekend, some time off, and a Star Wars movie marathon. Sounds like fun, doesn't it?
You know what else sounds fun?

Answering this misconception, and finding out what fun surprise I have in store for you!


Writers are... Always Writing



It's both true and false at the same time. I know, that doesn't make much sense. I'll explain, just keep reading. Don't fret.

See, writers are always writing in that in everything we see, we see story. When I watch people walking down the street, or I listen to people talking in a restaurant, I see their story. I imagine them as characters, as people in a story. Maybe that sounds harsh and like I don't care about people, but it's really quite the opposite. Seeing them as characters makes them mean more to me, and it helps me better understand them, because I understand my characters so well. That's beside the point.

So we're always writing, in that we constantly see stories and that we tend to think of the world in terms of story and we craft our words with more precision than the average person.

But.

We're not always actually writing.

Very frequently, in fact, many writers don't write. Many find it fruitful to take a break, to step back and work on some other art craft. Others take time off writing to edit (which, incidentally, is not always what I do). But because of that, we're not always physically writing, not constantly working on novels or short stories that we intend to someday publish.

But that doesn't mean we're not always writing.

You see what I mean?

We're writers, so it's what we do, but it's not always what we're doing.

Yeah, that might have gotten confusing.

[love]

{Rani Divine}



The Surprise!



Want to buy a copy of Cedwig but don't want to spend so much money? Now through Monday, April 18, use promo code OOPS to purchase a misprint for 75% off the purchase price!* And if you're worried about the book being a misprint, none of the text was incorrect — the graphics are just a little fuzzy.

This deal won't last long and we only have a few misprints in stock, so place your order while you can!


*Terms and Conditions: Limit one copy of Cedwig per customer. Offer ends 11:59 PM MST, April 18, 2016. 

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Hush

Happy Wednesday!

Have you ordered your copy of Cedwig yet? I'm so excited to even think of some of you reading this story, this wonderful novel I've crafted into the Druid series. You'll like it, I hope!


~

Oh, we writers... We have many misconceptions about us. Not the least of which:


Writers are... Quiet



This one, I'd say, is true depending on what we're doing at the time. But that's probably true of everyone. When we're busy at work, our minds focused on what we're doing, we don't say much. Mostly, that's because it's hard to talk about one thing and write another at the same time. That's true of most everyone, though.

In the same fashion, we can also be loud. Take last Saturday, for example. Deanna Leah and I got a bit loud at times, and the whole room was a mass of conversation from the thirty or so authors in the room. It got loud.

Tell those people they're supposed to be quiet. Just try it.

People have a tendency to think that writers are quiet because a lot of times, when we're hard at work or researching for a story, we are quiet. During those times, we keep our minds fixated on the task at hand, on research and craft and novel notions. And during those times, we try not to speak about the things that don't matter.

And there's also that whole thing with spoilers!

Sheesh.

A lot of people think I'm quiet, because they're hanging out with me right after I get off work and I can't tell them what I was working on because... spoilers.

I know how much people hate for stories to be spoiled, so I say nothing. I've a feeling a lot of us do.

But if that makes us quiet, then that's not our fault, is it?

;-)

[love]

{RD}

Monday, April 11, 2016

2 + 2 = ...7?

Hey-O!

Special thanks to everyone to came by to visit me at the Authors Festival in Gallup, NM, this past Saturday! We had a lot of fun, and it was great to meet everyone.

Don't forget to go online to Goodreads and post that you're reading Cedwig, and to write up a review when you're done! I sincerely hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. :-D



But for today, we continue our series in facts and misconceptions about writers.



Writers are... Bad at Math




Okay, this is a common one. I probably hear it every day of my life. "Oh, you're a writer? You must be great with words and horrible with numbers." Oy. It gets a little old after a while, even though it is so often true.

But today I'm just going to explain why so many of us are bad at math. We all know it's a thing not everyone grasps, something some of us prefer to not spend much time doing. Numbers aren't my favorite things in the world — I'll be the very first to admit it. And with that in mind, here's why.

1. They're too logical


I like logic. That's not always a commonality for writers. Especially fiction writers. See, we're used to bending the rules and working in illogical fashions. We enjoy playing things out and seeing how far we can stretch things and what we can do to pull at the rules of logic.

Numbers aren't like that. They have rules to them, things that can't be bent or shaped to our liking. Everything we use them for is already set in stone, and that's weird for us. We like to be able to change things.

2. They're too strict


Okay, maybe this is the same point twice, but still.

Numbers have a certain strictness to them that words do not. With writing, we get to play around with word order and shape things into beautiful or grotesque figures that invoke imagery in the mind. But with numbers, we can't do it. It doesn't make sense to us, to take a bunch of digits and make them into something three-dimensional. Of course, we know it's possible to do, but we don't see how.

Essentially, it's that they don't work the same way, and it's hard to grasp both lines.

But I do happen to know one very talented writer who is also a mathematician.

Yeah, only one.

[love]

{Rani D.}

Friday, April 8, 2016

Oh, so many writers are...

Hellooooo Friday!

Tomorrow, I'll be in Gallup, NM for their Author Festival at the Public Library! Tonight, I'll be going to bed early. And right now, I'm celebrating the fact that so many of you have already purchased your copies of Cedwig!

But also right now, I'm thinking about this one near fact about writers:


Writers are... Procrastinators



I'll admit it, a lot of us are. It's something many writers struggle against, because there are a lot of times when we don't feel like writing or when we have very few ideas about which to write. Or sometimes we're just not in the zone, and so we do anything but write, and end up wasting a grand amount of time reorganizing our already perfectly organized desks, or choosing a new font even though we all know we're going to end up back in times new roman by the time the manuscript goes anywhere.

But I will not admit that all of us are procrastinators.

Some of us, like myself, have to get things done as soon as possible.

That's just the way we are.

I'll use myself as an example.

Throughout my life, up until college, I was homeschooled. A lot of the time, that meant I had to be the one to push myself to get my work done. And somewhere along the line, I discovered that if I did all my school for the week on Mondays and Tuesdays, I had Wednesday through Friday to do whatever I wanted to do. Almost a whole week of Saturdays.

From then on, I never could sit still long enough to be a procrastinator. Even in college, I always had to get everything done as early as possible. I don't even know how many teachers I utterly shocked by how early in the semester I began my work on term papers. It was a lot.

And even now, in my adult career, I work early. I write as soon as I have the idea, I read as soon as I have the time, and I get my assignments done as soon as they're given to me.

Simply put, I can't procrastinate. It bothers me, after a life of not doing it.

But I also know, very well, that the vast majority of my writer friends are rabid procrastinators — to the point that some of them have been known to get upset with me, for getting my stuff done when I said I would, leaving them falling behind.

So it's a semi-fact, this one. A lot of writers are procrastinators. And when I say a lot, I mean A LOT. But some of us, like myself, are not. We get our work done, when we mean to.

Honestly though, I think we're few and far between.

[love]

{Rani Divine}

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Not all writers are...

Cedwig. Is. Out. Now.

If you haven't already, go to www.RAD-Writing.com to order your copy! Or if you're going to be in Gallup, NM this weekend, you can get copies from me personally on Saturday! I'll be at the Public Library from 10am-4pm!

I seriously cannot wait for you all to have your own copies! The book is up on Goodreads, so go say you want to read it! (I'll also be answering as many questions as I can there through the month of April, so don't be shy!)


For today, we're back to talking about facts and misconceptions about writers. This one is one that somehow got attached to all writers, but should never have done.


Writers are... Shy



But are they really? I'll admit that there were a lot of times when I was a child when I would've preferred to hide than speak to anyone, but those times are gone. And I'll admit that there are still many times when I prefer to sit on my couch and read or write, over going out and talking to anyone, but it has nothing to do with my former state of shyness.

In fact, there are a lot of writers who are anything but shy.

To put us all in a box and say that we're all shy folk who don't like to talk to anyone, well that's just unfair. A lot of us are introverted, but just as many of us are extroverted. I'll take a wager and say there are plenty of shy writers out there, but there also must be a plethora of outgoing writers as well.

That's how the world works, you know.

People come in every vein, every shape, every size, every sort. So though yes, there are shy writers, there must also be outgoing ones.

Then, this must be a misconception.

The thing is, most writers who have any shyness within them, have had to learn to push it down. We have to talk to people, to enjoy people's company, in order to promote ourselves and our work. That's how this business functions.

Even if we are shy, you might not ever know it.

So please, stop saying all writers are shy. That's a misconception that should be blatantly disregarded, from this point forward.

But if you want to know why so many of us have our shy tendencies, I'll tell you:

It's because we'd rather be with the people in our heads than with those in the real world. See, we already know them. We don't always know you, do we? 

[love]

{Rani D.}

Monday, April 4, 2016

Writers are...

My book comes out tomorrow. 

Maybe you didn't hear me right. 

MY BOOK COMES OUT TOMORROW!!! 



Seriously, if I wasn't so devoted to actually writing things in here for you guys, I would just keep shouting about how excited I am. Cedwig was one of my favorite stories to work on, and I can't wait for you all to have your own copies!
Don't forget, if you're going to be in Gallup, NM this weekend, I'll be at the Gallup Public Library this Saturday!


But for now, I've promised to actually write about something... and this month, I picked something fun!

Facts and Misconceptions about Writers

#1: Writers are... Crazy



Yeah, we get that a lot. People say we're crazy, because we have so much going on inside our heads and so many things that we have to keep straight, that we have little choice but to go a little wonko sometimes. But you know, maybe that's how we like it.

At least, that's what they say.

Some of us like to ignore them when they talk like that, because we don't like to be seen as the crazy folks, the weird cousins no one really wants to hang out with. We'd much rather be the fun ones, the ones who have a lot going on in their heads but can use it to have some good times.

Instead, we get marked as being crazy.

But, in my head at least, I think there's some fact to it.

See, writers have to be at least a little be crazy, don't they? We have to be able to house dozens (or even hundreds) of different people and personalities within ourselves, and keep them all straight at the same time. We also have millions of plots running through our heads, playing out before our eyes in several different directions at a time, so we get to choose the ones we really want to follow.

So maybe that means we're a little crazy, in the eyes of non-writers. Maybe that makes us look like we're a little off, because we can go off in conversation with people who exist only within ourselves, and if you're not one of us, that looks downright weird.

But the truth is, for us, it's completely normal.

...isn't it?

[love]

{Rani Divine}

Friday, April 1, 2016

So. Excited.

I'm. So. Excited. 

Only a few days until the release of Cedwig. 

The same day, Mavguard Edition III becomes available. 

And that weekend, I'll be at a super fun event in Gallup, NM. 


Woo-hoo!!! 


To celebrate, check out these promo videos I made for Cedwig, Mavguard, and RAD Writing!









I had fun. :-D

See you guys on Monday!

[love]

{Rani Divine}