Category: Indie Author

Tips for Surviving NaNoWriMo

Posted on by staceyjaine in Indie Author, NaNoWriMo, Stacey Jaine McIntosh, Writing

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Yes. It’s October and you know what that means. NaNoWriMo is coming.

It’s October 15th which means there’s just over two weeks until November is upon us.

Eek! Don’t ask me what I’m writing cause I don’t know yet.

Having participated in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) since 2005, I like to think I’ve picked up a tip or two along the way.

So, I’ve decided to share.

Tip #1: Pace yourself. Writing 50,000 words in 30 days may seem like a massive undertaking and leave you feeling completely overwhelmed, but the truth is it doesn’t have to. 1,667 words per day is completely doable, and if you break it down into even smaller goals… say 834 words in the morning and 834 words at night it’ll be an even easier goal to smash.

Tip #2: It’s never to early to kill off a character. In NaNoWriMo… anything goes. I once killed of a main character in the first chapter. Surprisingly, it worked and pushed the other characters forward. Death scenes take up a lot of words. So, does sex.

Tip #3: Editing is for December. Turn off your inner editor. Yes, it’s hard, but completely doable.

Tip #4: Turn off distractions. Procrastinating is the worst enemy to any NaNoer. If it helps set a timer, and turn off the WiFi. Research is fun, but time consuming.

Tip #5: Have fun. Because if you’re not having fun while writing, there’s really no point.

And there it is. I hope you find these tips helpful.

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Week Four | 2020

Posted on by staceyjaine in 365 Challenge, Indie Author, publishing, Stacey Jaine McIntosh, Updates, Writing

It’s the final week of January and I’ve accomplished the following:

  • Written 1003 words across three of my bigger projects.
  • Finished two drabbles

Bring on February, where I hope to up my word count.

Here’s to another week!

Happy writing!

Week Three | 2020

Posted on by staceyjaine in 365 Challenge, Indie Author, publishing, Stacey Jaine McIntosh, Updates, Writing

It’s the third week in January and I’m slowly getting into the swing of things.

So, what have I accomplished in the past seven days?

Let’s list it shall we and find out!

  • Written 1029 words across three projects.
  • Finished two short stories.
  • Edited one story.

I’m hoping to push the words in February when the kids go back to school. So, for now I’m happy averaging 1000 a week.

Here’s to another week!

Happy writing!

Week Two | 2020

Posted on by staceyjaine in 365 Challenge, Indie Author, publishing, Stacey Jaine McIntosh, Updates, Writing

It’s a new year and a new challenge.

So, what have I accomplished in the past seven days?

Let’s list it shall we and find out!

  • Received an ACCEPTANCE for a previously published story into Stories of Hope anthology.
  • Written 1100 words across two projects.
  • Written and submitted a poem.
  • Edited 3 short stories.

I realized after I posted last week that I was a long way off my target of 3,500 words but as a friend reminded me tonight… it’s better than no words at all. And you know what? It really is!

Here’s to another week!

Happy writing!

Week One | 2020

Posted on by staceyjaine in 365 Challenge, Indie Author, publishing, Stacey Jaine McIntosh, Updates, Writing

It’s a new year and a new challenge.

So, what have I accomplished in the past seven days?

Let’s list it shall we and find out!

  • Received an ACCEPTANCE for my story White As Snow into Twisted Fate vol 1.
  • Written 1506 words across four projects.
  • Submitted a story to the Stories of Hope anthology.

It feels like a slow start to January but given the amount of words written it’s definitely not.

I wonder what next week will bring?

Until then… Happy writing!

New Years Resolutions

Posted on by staceyjaine in Indie Author, Stacey Jaine McIntosh, Updates, Writing

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Well 2020 is upon us and I had exactly four goals last year. So, for those of you wondering how I did, here’s a recap.

1. Write 300 words a day.

I did it! Over the last year I averaged 386 words a day.

2. Publish… something.

No, I didn’t publish any of the novels in my series. But I did manage to publish a few shorter works and get a bunch of short stories and poetry accepted, as well as publish four anthologies under Iron Faerie Publishing.

3. Write weekly blogs.

Yes! And sometimes daily blogs.

4. Read more.

I’m not sure I read more but I read. So… yes?

So, what am I embarking on this year?

Well for 2020 I’m going to…

1. Write 500 words a day.

2. Publish Book One of the Eldritch Series.

3. Finish Books 7, 8 & 9 of the Eldritch Series.

Now that my goals are out of the way, what are your goals? Writing or otherwise… feel free to list some or all of them in the comments.

And… HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I hope 2020 brings you everything you wish for!

Smashwords’ Summer Winter SALE!

Posted on by staceyjaine in Book Reviews, Indie Author, published, Stacey Jaine McIntosh

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It’s an awesome chance to stock up on free and discounted eBooks by your favorite indie authors.

Prices have been slashed by 25% on both Solstice & Lost. While, Morrighan remains at $0.99.

SALE ENDS ON JULY 31ST ONLY ON SMASHWORDS.

25% DISCOUNT! Smashwords’ Summer Winter Sale!

Discount codes can be found on each book’s page upon checkout!

Happy Reading!

And please, if you do pick up a copy of my short story, Morrighan, while it’s free, please consider leaving a review!

Le Fay to be Released August 9th

Posted on by staceyjaine in Indie Author, Stacey Jaine McIntosh, Writing

Le Fay

Yes! I have a release date! Le Fay is to be released on August 9th!

I have agonized over this for a while, and finally settled on a release date… one that I think is fair and gives me time to polish Le Fay into something great. Unlike with Morrighan, I didn’t have two test runs of this story to fall back on. All three incarnations of Morrighan have received positive feedback and reviews and I don’t want to disappoint anyone with releasing a subpar story in my haste and excitement to see another story of mine out in the world.

June and July are also difficult months for my family, as both mine and my husband’s mum’s are no longer with us. I have to say though he handles the loss of his mum far better than I handle the loss of mine.

So, I’ve pushed it back to give myself time to fall into a heap on July 24th and come out the other side. August 9th also marks what would have been my mum’s 70th birthday. It seems like a fitting tribute.

Watch this space… because I’m absolutely loving the roads these short stories are taking.

It will be available in eBook and paperback formats across all platforms.

In the meantime… if you want to read a snippet or two… check here and here.

No Rest for the Wicked or Weary

Posted on by staceyjaine in Indie Author, Stacey Jaine McIntosh, Writing

Okay, so I’m not that wicked, but I am weary.

As you can see, I spent April blogging up a storm, and I loved every literal second of it. (Pun intended) But, in doing so I wore myself out.

My plan before April… was that I would post daily throughout May, but obviously April happened and now we’re ten days in and I’m busy finishing short stories while editing others.

All that means is I’ll take a more leisurely pace until June.

So, on that note what I have been hard at work on is a paranormal romance short story that is just over 15k! It features faeries and woods and the turning of the seasons from autumn to winter and while it needs a little work before it can be submitted for consideration into a rather epic anthology that Juliet Marillier is featured in, I am hopeful. I’m keeping everything crossed that my story is good enough and that I manage to make all the edits in time, because it would mean the absolute world to me if it was published.

Week Sixteen

Posted on by staceyjaine in 365 Challenge, Indie Author, publishing, Stacey Jaine McIntosh, Updates, Writing

Today is the end of the sixteenth week of the 365 Writing Challenge and I failed dismally this week in way of words added to pieces of fiction and poetry. However, I did write an impressive 2,114 words on my blog. So, that’s a win in my book.

So, what have I accomplished in the past seven days?

Let’s list it shall we and find out!

  • Added 100 words to an Iron Faerie Publishing submission piece.
  • Added 100 words to Le Fay.
  • Submitted one drabble to Black Hare Press.
  • Wrote one poem.
  • Edited a couple of short stories.

And of course, the wait for contest scores continues, as does waiting to hear back on a few – 5 – submissions I’ve sent to publishers in the last month.

Of course, that list doesn’t include my work with The Horror Tree which can often be overwhelming or my work with Iron Faerie Publishing.

Until next week (or the week after that). Happy writing.

Week Fifteen

Posted on by staceyjaine in 365 Challenge, Indie Author, publishing, Stacey Jaine McIntosh, Updates, Writing

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Today is the end of the fifteenth week of the 365 Writing Challenge and I’ve managed to write 1156 words across seven days.

So, what have I accomplished over the past week?

Let’s list it shall we and find out!

  • Wrote a further 644 words and completed Of Blood and Fire. It comes in at 5,044 words and was submitted in the early hours of Thursday, 11th April.
  • Continued work on Le Fay, writing a further 300 words. It’s now sitting at 4,000/6,000 words. I had to push the deadline back two weeks.
  • Wrote two short poems.
  • I’ve sat staring at my untitled story for the Summer Splash anthology more than I would like but I’ve managed to get 156 words down.

Of course, that list doesn’t include my work with The Horror Tree which can often be overwhelming or my work with Iron Faerie Publishing. Or any of the blogs I’ve written over the last week.

Until next week (or the week after that). Happy writing.

Le Fay Has Been Delayed

Posted on by staceyjaine in Indie Author, Stacey Jaine McIntosh, Writing

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Oh, how I hate to be the bearer of bad news. I really hate to disappoint people. Although, I think in this industry it might be par for the course. Writing can be finicky and the muse even more so.

Alas… now to rip the band-aid off.

Sadly, Le Fay won’t be ready in time for a April 15th release. I think eight weeks out from publishing Lost is much more reasonable than six with the way I’m tracking writing wise. So, it’s likely going to be an end of April release.

And, I’m almost there. I just forgot to factor in how busy I’d be in the last few weeks of the first school term. And now that my kids are off for two weeks it’s virtually impossible to actually score time on our sole PC during the day in order to write.

Roblox takes priority apparently. It gets old fast, believe me.

So, in an effort to appease those of you who may have been looking forward to news of a pending release, I’m going to share another excerpt.

And if you’re interested in the previous excerpts I’ve shared they are here and here.
Morgan stood at the base of the tree, having scaled the wire fence with only a little help from Arthur. There didn’t seem to be a doorway of any kind that would take them to the crystal cave.

“How do we get inside?”

“Magick,” Prince Arthur replied. “How else?”

Knocking on the trunk of the tree three times, they stood in silence, and waited, as right before Morgan’s eyes the trunk of the tree split open at its base and tore upwards forming a narrow doorway, just wide enough for the two of them to slip through.

With wide eyes, Morgan looked up at Arthur, trembling slightly. “Is it safe?”

“Do you really think that I’d lead you into danger, Morgan?”

“No,” she said, but neither her words nor her actions had any conviction.

“Come on,” Arthur said, holding out his hand for her. “I promised your brother that no harm would come to you and none shall.”

Week Thirteen and Fourteen

Posted on by staceyjaine in 365 Challenge, Indie Author, publishing, Stacey Jaine McIntosh, Updates, Writing

Today is the end of the fourteenth week of the 365 Writing Challenge and I’ve managed to write 5008 words across fourteen days. Hard to believe, I know. This of course, doesn’t count the words that go into my blog posts, if it did, I can guarantee you the word count would be higher.

So, what have I accomplished in the past two weeks?

Let’s list it shall we and find out!

  • Started work on Of Blood and Fire – I’m 4,408 words into the short story which is centred around King Arthur and Camelot. Complete with dragons and… vampires. Yep! You heard correctly. Vampires!
  • Submitted a poem, Raven Queen to Dragon Soul Press.
  • Edited two short stories.
  • Edited 9,000 words worth of articles for a client.
  • Submitted my short story, The Drowning Pool to Pixie Forest Publishing’s anthology At Death’s Door.
  • Wrote a 600 word scene that will eventually be included in the WIP Eldritch.
  • Wrote two more poems
  • Wrote two drabbles

Of course, that list doesn’t include my work with The Horror Tree which can often be overwhelming or my work with Iron Faerie Publishing.

All up it’s lead to a very busy, but productive two weeks.

Until next week (or the week after that). Happy writing.

Bye March

Posted on by staceyjaine in Indie Author, Stacey Jaine McIntosh

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Another month has come to a close. I spent most of it waiting on things that didn’t arrive and trying to write amongst the anxiety that came with waiting on those things that didn’t arrive. Suffice to say, March has been utterly exhausting.

Rewarding, but exhausting.

I was looking over my submissions for the quarter and I’ve subbed twelve stories and two poems. With five stories still pending completion. Not to mention I’ve written a whopping thirty-two blog posts. While I’ve had two rejections this year, on stories I felt had promise, I’m trying to not let that get me down.

And right now, I’m battling the clock on two projects. Le Fay is probably the most pressing, but another… so far untitled, is proving a mite more interesting. It’s what I like to call Arthurian Legends meets The Vampire Diaries. I couldn’t resist throwing vampires at fire breathing dragons and seeing what came about. Turns out even with Le Fay not quite finished, Morgan’s not letting go. Not that she ever has and I doubt if she ever will.

It’s early days but I’m hopeful I’ll be able to finish the third instalment, Pendragon, ready for a late May release.

So, that’s what I achieved. What’s something you achieved?

 

 

Week Twelve

Posted on by staceyjaine in 365 Challenge, Indie Author, publishing, Stacey Jaine McIntosh, Updates, Writing

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It’s goodbye to yet another week of the 365 Writing Challenge and I’ve written a grand total of 2,200 words… which is slightly up from last week.

So much has happened this week, most of which I have already blogged about. So, I won’t go into it again. Suffice to say, I’m looking forward to getting my hands on the poetry anthology from Dragon Soul Press that has my two little poems in it, when it releases in June.

I also received my copy of Spring’s Blessing in the mail, which featured my short story, The Dawning of Spring. If you haven’t gotten your hands on a copy you can do so here.

Well that’s about it for this week.

Happy Writing.