I like what I do... usually.

It’s finale day!

I’m always a little bit sad when this day comes, because it’s always the end of a series that I’ve greatly enjoyed. It also usually means that I have to scramble for a new topic for the next month… which is exactly where I am now. (if you have any ideas, let me know! I love suggestions!)

I think, however, that for this series, I’ve saved the best for last.

Sometimes, I don’t like to tell people about my books.

Yep. I said it. Sometimes I don’t even want anyone to know that I’m a writer. Seriously. I don’t. There are many circumstances in which I won’t even tell anyone what I do for a living, simply because I’d rather talk about anything else.

There are days when, even as a writer who greatly loves what I do, I would rather sit in the background and be nothing more than another person in the room, another professional here to learn, another human here to enjoy the show.

You know what though? (I’m sure you do by now)

That’s completely okay.

We don’t have to be professional writers all the time. Even if that is our day job, even if that is the way we make our living, it doesn’t have to be the only thing that defines us. In fact, it shouldn’t be. Writing is what you do, it’s what you love and what you enjoy, but that doesn’t mean it’s the entirety of who you are.

See, I’m a writer. You knew that. I’m also an editor. I’m a daughter. I’m a sister. A friend. A Christian. I’m snarky. I’m silly. I’m happy. I laugh even when it’s inappropriate to do so, and I don’t know how to stop. I’m a volunteer, an employee, a person. Writer is the main thing I tell people I am, yes, but it’s not the only thing I am. It might be one of the the biggest parts of me, and the part people see the most, but it’s not the only part of me.

It shouldn’t be the only part of you, either. And you shouldn’t let it be.

So, on those days when you don’t want to tell people about your books, don’t. Leave it as something in the background, something you do, something you are, but not everything you are.

Sometimes, those times are the nicest of all, because in those times, you don’t have to be the writer, the thing everyone expects of you. You can just be you. And it’s pretty great to be yourself, no matter who or what you are.

[love]

{Rani Divine}

I like people... right?

Hey all! I hope you’ve hopped on over to RAD Writing or Amazon to order your copies of Mynidd: People of the Hills. I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to have this book on the market. It’s one of my favorites that I’ve written, and I’m looking forward to finding out what you all think of it.

But for today, we’re back to our series on the human side of being a writer.

Thus far this month, we’ve talked about not liking to write, read, edit, or really, work in general. And I have two more things to share with you this week, before we close out the series.

Sometimes, I don’t like to be social.

Okay, I’ll be honest. There are a lot of times when I don’t like to be social. I’m an extroverted introvert, so though I do like to be social sometimes, after a while I can find it incredibly draining and taxing. And we all know how horrible taxes are. ;-)

For authors, there’s a big portion of life that has to be social. Whether it be online or in person, we have to be the social butterfly who’s constantly sharing information about their books and events they’re doing… and it gets old, really fast.

Many of us are introverted. In fact, I would go so far as to say that the majority of writers are actually introverted, which means that it can be a lot harder than you might think, for us to get out there and do the things we need to do to promote our books.

You know what though?

That’s okay.

Promoting our writing is the way we’re going to work on getting ourselves out of our boxes, but it’s completely okay to go back into your box when you’re done. Finish your event and go curl up on your couch with a good book. Go hide for a while, in a place where you can’t see anyone and no one can see you. Go do something that involves nothing of a social nature at all. Go binge watch a television show.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with being introverted. It’s a facet of who and what you are, and it’s not something you should even try to change.

Work with it. Use it. I’m guessing it’s probably easier for you to be social online than it is in person, so try to do as much online marketing and events as possible. Be a face on a screen, rather than a face in person. Do as much as you can from your box, and then go outside it when you can.

Nobody’s asking for anything more than that. And if they are, you probably don’t need them in your life.

Just being honest here.

[love]

{Rani D.}

Tell me something...

Hey guys!

With Mynidd coming out this week, I thought we might as well take a week off to do something fun. 

Below, I’m answering some of the top questions I’ve been asked by fans and friends, concerning the Druid Novels.

Read on!

What was your inspiration to write Mynidd?

If you’ve read Cedwig, you know that I discovered the Mynidd while writing it (don’t worry, that’s not a spoiler). I dreamed an image of Hythdor, the witch of the Mynidd, one night, and the next day she popped into Cedwig. From there, I was itching to write the book. I actually wrote this one before I wrote Dwr, but I thought the progression would work better to release them out of writing order. 

My biggest inspiration for the Druid Novels in general though, was my Viking Mythology class in college. I know, that either sounds lame or weird, but it worked! The teacher said something about the druids, I can’t even tell you exactly what he was talking about, but I rolled with it. I’d been wanting to write something new. I’d been trying to write a story about a city under the ocean, but it just wasn’t working the way I wanted it to. Then that day in class, I ended up writing a few thousand words of text. That text (now edited and tweaked many times over) is the first few pages of Coetir.

What’s your favorite Druid Novel?

That’s like asking what child is your favorite. Seriously. How do I choose? I love all of them, and I like each of them to different degrees. At the moment, I will say that Mynidd is my favorite. But I do usually say that whenever a new book comes out. If I’m being totally honest though, my favorite will be Cayau. It isn’t Cayau right now, because I’m dreading having to edit it, but it will be. The book is an amazing and perfect conclusion to the series, which I cannot wait to share with you.

What Druid Novel should I read first?

Whichever one you want! Honestly. I designed the series to be non-continuous, a series of standalones that link together into one unified story. The more you read of them, the more pieces of the puzzle you’ll put together, but they in no way have to be read in any order, nor do you have to read the rest of the series to understand what's going on (though I think you'll want to, after you've read one). What I will say, is this: 

If you like a love story, start with Coetir.

If you like intrigue, start with Cedwig.

If you like thrills, start with Dwr.

If you like battle, start with Mynidd.

How did you get started in writing/editing?

I got bored. At least, that’s what I tell people. I don’t have a ton of memories from growing up, but I’ve been told that I was always writing as a kid. I remember writing a series of short mystery stories with my best friend when we were in our tweens (they were awful), and I recall writing a few flash fiction pieces in junior high, along with an attempt at a novel shortly after Fellowship of the Ring came out on DVD, but I can’t tell you how writing really began. I think I just always loved to tell stories. I used to make up my own bedtime stories, and tell myself a tale to help me fall asleep at night, when I was very young. As for real novel writing, I started in my first year of college, out of sheer boredom in an English class I should've tested out of but didn't for homeschooling issues.

As for editing, that started in college. My English teacher asked me to help a fellow student, who was only barely fluent in English. I helped her pass the class with high marks, and went on to help several of my fellow students ace their papers, for payment in food (because, college).

What other books do you recommend, for fans of the Druid Novels?

I can’t tell you what books to read if you liked the Druid Novels! I can’t! I’ve never read anything like them. I know, I know, for shame—but I haven’t. I do a lot of reading, but I don’t read the genre in which I write. I will say that I highly recommend the Circle series by Ted Dekker, and the Ender’s Saga by Orson Scott Card. Two very differing options, yes, but both very good series’ and well worth a read. I wrote the Druid Novels, and those two are a couple of the best series’ I’ve ever read. Hopefully that answers your question.

If you guys ever want to know anything else, drop me a comment or send me a Facebook message! I’d love to answer questions, take requests for blog topics, or chat about writing, editing, and the publishing world in general.

[love]

{Rani D.}