• About My Blog
    • About Me
  • Covers
  • Otherworlders – Preview
  • Portfolios
    • Art Portfolio
    • Code Samples
    • Game Portfolio
  • So Many Free Stories!
    • Stories A-C
      • A Lost Journey
      • Boss
      • Brimstone Canyon
      • Checkmate
      • Cocoon of Madness
    • Stories D-G
      • Déjà Vu
      • Faithful
      • The Farm
      • The Four
    • Stories H-K
      • Heaven High
      • Indecisive
      • Island After
      • Justice
      • Knowing
      • The Heist Job
    • Stories L-S
      • Letters
      • Orphan
      • Sacrifice
      • Silence
      • Sink or Sail
    • Stories T-Z
      • The Wicked One
      • Treasure
      • Two Shots of Whiskey, with a Splash of Death
      • Valentine
      • Vaniety
      • Xmas Trouble
      • Zombiesapien
  • Works – Past, Present, and Future

Angela Cavanaugh

Angela Cavanaugh

Tag Archives: writing

Writing Wednesday – There isn’t always a happy ending

29 Thursday Jan 2015

Posted by angelacavanaugh in Writing Wednesday

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

advice, how to, how to write, not all stories have happy endings, writing

Last Week’s WW: Finishing

And they all lived happily ever after.  Or, maybe not.  These days it seems like most books have a hero’s journey.  Or, at the very lease, a happy ending.  People like stories that make them feel good.  But that doesn’t mean that it’s the only way.

I’m currently working on a series of short stories, and I’ll be honest, I’m a little worried about them.  Why?  Because they don’t all have happy endings.  Sometimes, the protagonist fails.

Their used to be a time when tragedies were common place.  And there are a great many people who like a drama.  But most people want to have something to root for.

And that’s fine.  Give them that.  While your story doesn’t necessarily have a happy ending, there should probably be some small victories along the way.  Whether that’s the protagonist getting something they’ve always wanted, or learning some truth, or just dying happy.  If you give readers a little something, maybe they won’t hate you quiet as much for making them sad, and making your protagonist fail.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

Writing Wednesday – Trying for Success

15 Thursday Jan 2015

Posted by angelacavanaugh in Writing Wednesday

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

advice, book launch, how to, make your book stand out, publish, tips for a good release, writing

Last Week’s WW: The Hardest Part

What a week.  I’ve been so busy and distracted that I’ve more or less lost track of what day it is. (as is evident from my missing a few days on here.)  But now, let’s get back on track.

Did you know that there are roughly 6,000 books published every single day?  I’m not sure on the exact numbers, but I think of those, less than half are fiction, and I’m sure that a great deal less are in your specific genre.  Still, that’s a lot of competition.  It’s no wonder that many people gather the courage to hit the publish button, and then nothing happens.  So how do you stand out?

Continue reading →

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

Writing Wednesday – The Hardest Part

08 Thursday Jan 2015

Posted by angelacavanaugh in Writing Wednesday

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

advice, agents, amazon, ARC readers, author, beta readers, edit, editing, edits, first draft, hard, hardest part, how to, how to write, kindle, marketing, promo, promos, publish, publishing, query, reviews, revision, self-publishing, the hardest part of writing, write, writer, writing

Last Week’s WW: For Love or Money

Some people will tell you that writing the first draft of a book is the hardest part of the process.  Others will tell you that it’s doing revisions, or waiting for your book to finally come out.  Everyone has an opinion on which part is the hardest part, but in my experience, everyone is wrong.  Continue reading →

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

Writing Wednesday – Writing a large cast

24 Wednesday Dec 2014

Posted by angelacavanaugh in Writing Wednesday

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

balance, ensemble cast, how to, how to write, large cast, lessons I learned, lots of characters, multiple POV, point of view, writing

Last Week’s WW: Finding A Story In A Universe

My new novel, Otherworlders, has a large cast. I’d say there are 6 main characters, 2 secondary characters, and around 5 supporting characters. I think that I executed it well. Or so I’ve been told.

A few things that I’ve learned writing ensemble casts: Continue reading →

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

Writing Wednesday – Finding a story in a universe

18 Thursday Dec 2014

Posted by angelacavanaugh in Writing Wednesday

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

advice, author, craft a scene, find your story, how to tell a story, how to write, scene, story, tell the right story, write, writer, writing

Last Week’s WW: Dealing With Rejection and Looking for ARC Readers

Recently, I was writing a short story, and when I finished the first draft, I realized that I was telling the wrong story.

Continue reading →

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

Writing Wednesday – Getting Attention

04 Thursday Dec 2014

Posted by angelacavanaugh in Writing Wednesday

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

advice, amazon, attention, booktrack, facebook groups, how to, kboards, kindle, kindle scout, market, marketing, publish, wattpad, write, write on, writing

Last Week’s WW: Scrivener

hotlist4

OTHERWORLDERS

Hey, look!  I’m on the “Hot and Trending” list! 🙂

But how did I get there?  Continue reading →

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

Writing Wednesday – Scrivener (1/2 price black Friday)

27 Thursday Nov 2014

Posted by angelacavanaugh in Writing Wednesday

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

50% off, author, black friday, half off, sale, scrivener, word processor, writer, writing, writing tools

Last Week’s WW:  The Only Way Through is to Do

When writing, there are a lot of options for what program you do it with.  Starting out, many people use Word.  I know that I did.  But then, my fella started using a program called Scrivener.  At first, it was a bit complex, and I didn’t fully understand it.  But, I played around with it.  The copy he had came with a household license, so I was able to put it on my computer.

Once I started using it, I realized how helpful it really was.  One of the best features is that it lets you make each chapter a folder.  This is really valuable with copy and pasting.  Sometimes, scenes have to get moved around.  Sometimes you need to find something quick but only have a vague idea of where it was.  I’ve had to piece together and reorganize things quite a bit.  Also, outside of the manuscript, I like to create a folder where I can put my “cut” words.  That way, if I’ve written something I don’t like, but find a place where it works later, I still have it saved.

  • Scivener can do so much that there are entire classes dedicated to sections of it.  I can’t describe all of its functions.  But here are a few: You can set word goals for your day, your project (and if you’re on a mac, it’ll analyze it based on the days you plan to write and tell you how much you need to do to get to your goal)
  • Its got a customization full screen mode so you can block out the rest of the cyber world while you work.
  • Its got spell check
  • You can import research and full webpages into it, so that way your notes are there and you don’t have to brave the distraction climate of the internet to look something up.  You can look at it unplugged.
  • When you go to publish, there are so many file options.
    • you can do: .rft .doc .docx …
    • but what’s really cool, is you can export it as ebooks
      • including fully customization Kindle books.  you can make a clickable table of contents, you can format it however you like, include whatever pages/data you want, something that some people pay others hundreds of dollars to do for them.

There can be a bit of a learning curve to the program.  And I’ve yet to tap all of its features.  But there are free online tutorials to help you with whatever you’re unsure about.

I think it’s a great program.  And, when I saw that it was going to be 1/2 off on Black Friday, I wanted to let you all know.  I don’t know much about the link that I’ve pasted.  I saw author friends sharing it on Facebook, and they usually know what they’re talking about.  So, if you don’t have a copy, I’d say it’s worth looking into.

Have a great Thanksgiving, a safe Black Friday, and Happy Writing!

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

Writing Wednesday – The only way through is to do

20 Thursday Nov 2014

Posted by angelacavanaugh in Writing Wednesday

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

advice, author, blank page, blank screen, how to, how to get through, how to write, motivation, stuck, writer, writer's block, writing

Last Week’s WW: Good Science Leads to Good Fiction

While working on my current project, I’ve run into some tough writing times.

Usually, I can sit down and crank out two thousand words in an hour.  Then I  finish my second or third cup of coffee while using my free hand to pat myself on the back, and I’m done for the day.

But for some reason, working on my Slumber Series, I’ve been overwhelmed.  I would sit down, write two sentences, and think, ugh this is so hard.  I’m never going to get anything done. And promptly switch to playing Hearthstone or watching people on Buzzfeed try foods from other countries.   Continue reading →

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

Writing Wednesday – Good Science Leads to Good Fiction

13 Thursday Nov 2014

Posted by angelacavanaugh in Writing Wednesday

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

advice, andy wier, big bang theory, crux, cyberstorm, futurist, how to, how to write, influence, insterstellar, nexus, research, science, science fiction, the martian, writer, writing

Last Week’s WW: Line Edits (nominate my book, please!)

It is my belief that good science fiction must be based in good science.  It’s easy to come up with some crazy, or innovative concept, only to find it fall apart when someone knowledgeable comes along and pokes holes in it.   Continue reading →

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

Writing Wednesday – Line Edits

07 Friday Nov 2014

Posted by angelacavanaugh in Writing Wednesday

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

advice, edit, editing, editor, examples, finished, how to, line edits, revision, write, writing

Last Week’s WW:  Narrative and Style

Sorry that this is a day late.  I meant to post yesterday, but I sat down to finish my edits and formatting on Otherworlders, and wound up at my computer until 5am.  By that point, I was a bit tired and cranky and just ready to be done for the day.

If you have a project, I highly recommend getting an editor.

I can’t imagine how impossible it would have been to do all that work myself.  Honestly, I probably wouldn’t have been able to.  There’s just still many technical things that I’m not skilled enough to know or I am too close to my project to see.

I sent mine off and when it came back it was beautiful.  But that doesn’t mean that I was done with it.    Continue reading →

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...
← Older posts
Newer posts →

Categories

  • Bus Blogging
  • Fiction
  • Life
  • Mention Monday
  • Random
  • Rants
  • Serial Sunday
  • Uncategorized
  • Writing Wednesday

Recent Comments

vlog on Writing Wednesday – Make…
Adan Ramie on Letters
Ron Baker on Letters
angelacavanaugh on Letters
connerys on Letters

Otherworlders

The Future Chronicles

The Z Chronicles

The A.I. Chronicles

Human Network – Available on Amazon

22 Short Scifi Stories

Auto

Sleep Saga Book 1 – Dauntless

Silo Saga: Witness – Kindle Worlds

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 1,080 other followers

Recent Posts

  • New Website, new city, new focus
  • My Books Are On Sale
  • The Assistant is Going to Be a Movie!
  • Updates – Feb 2017
  • Do me, yourself, and our world one favor, please.

Archives

  • September 2018
  • September 2017
  • February 2017
  • November 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • April 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013

Follow Me on Facebook

Follow Me on Facebook

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Start here

  • About My Blog
    • About Me
  • Covers
  • Otherworlders – Preview
  • Portfolios
    • Art Portfolio
    • Code Samples
    • Game Portfolio
  • So Many Free Stories!
    • Stories A-C
      • A Lost Journey
      • Boss
      • Brimstone Canyon
      • Checkmate
      • Cocoon of Madness
    • Stories D-G
      • Déjà Vu
      • Faithful
      • The Farm
      • The Four
    • Stories H-K
      • Heaven High
      • Indecisive
      • Island After
      • Justice
      • Knowing
      • The Heist Job
    • Stories L-S
      • Letters
      • Orphan
      • Sacrifice
      • Silence
      • Sink or Sail
    • Stories T-Z
      • The Wicked One
      • Treasure
      • Two Shots of Whiskey, with a Splash of Death
      • Valentine
      • Vaniety
      • Xmas Trouble
      • Zombiesapien
  • Works – Past, Present, and Future
Follow Angela Cavanaugh on WordPress.com

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • Angela Cavanaugh
    • Join 1,080 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Angela Cavanaugh
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: