Why My Teenage Characters Swear

Hi all,

This week's post is a bit of a different one - revolving around swearing in YA fiction. I didn't realise it was an issue before I joined Twitter and I stumbled across a series of tweets asking if it's okay to have characters use bad language in YA.

My opinion?

It is.

All of my books are filled with crude language and mild sexual innuendos. There's nothing wrong with including it. When writing about teenagers you have to make sure that your characters are actually believable teenagers. Whether you like it or not, a lot of teenagers swear.

Although not all teenagers use bad language, most of them do from time to time. When they've just learned these words they will use them in any way they can, as it makes them feel grown up. Older teenagers tend to use them less.

All of my characters swear.

An example of swearing in Blood and Water - no, she isn't really a vampire.

Blood and Water was even rejected by an agent because I included swearing, and I was told that I should take it out or I would never get published.

She also said that it's unrealistic as teenagers do not swear.

When I was teenager, I swore profusely. I still do now.

To say that teenagers never swear is a false statement, and not one she should be telling authors who are hoping to get a few with her.

I've published Blood and Water by myself, and I have not removed the language.

Some authors get around this by inventing new words for their characters to use in place of swear words. You can do this if you want to, but I didn't want to invent new words to replace swearing. When your target audience is YA, it's okay to use swear words. I'm sure 99% of your readers swear, they're not going to hate you for it.

I don't think it should be as big of an issue as people make it out to be. If you want to include swearing, fine. If you don't want to include swearing, also fine.

Do what's best for you and your story.

Personally, I prefer having my characters swear as it makes them feel more human to me. At the end of the day it's just words anyway, and just because you don't write about it in your books doesn't mean that people will stop doing it.

Do what you want to do, and don't let anyone shame you for your decision.

That's it for this week! Next week I will be talking about how I'm feeling about self publishing, as Blood and Water is due out in nine days!

See you next week!

How Doodling Can Help Your Writing

Hi all!

This week I'm going to talk about doodling and how your writing can improve by doing it.

The good thing about doodling is that you don't need to be an amazing artist to do it. Whether you can draw anything and everything or can barely manage a stick figure, it doesn't matter. I'm not a great artist by any means, but I have a sketchbook filled with drawings and symbols from my novels, written and to be written. I mainly use mine to draw symbols or markings. For example: all eight elemental markings from Elemental Dragons are in there.

Elemental ice markings from my sketchbook

Visual art can help with descriptions.

When coming up with ideas for symbols or markings, it can be good to see them on paper. This will help you when writing your descriptions. You can then also visualise them on characters or covers to see if you like the design and if it fits with the story.

It can give you a break.

If you've hit a rut with your novel you can still work on it by doodling. Actually putting designs on paper may get your creature juices flowing and you'll feel better about writing your story.

Creative designs.

Doodling your ideas gives you the creative freedom to draw them however you want. You may have certain elements that you want in your designs. For example: I use a lot of swirls in my designs because they're simple but still pretty.

You can share them with your readers.

While waiting for the next book to come out, readers will still want new content from you. Sharing your sketches is a good way to engage your readers and they may even draw your designs themselves.

Sketch from Damaged Goods

You can design creatures.

Drawing your creature out can be a good way to visualise them, you can then see what parts of the design works and what doesn't. I've drawn a design of a spider hybrid in my sketchbook, which really helped me decide what features to give it and how I can describe it in my story.

You don't have to be good at art.

Most of my drawings are terrible, but that hasn't stopped me from continuing to sketch them out. You don't need to be an amazing artist to draw.

You don't have to show anyone.

It can be for your eyes only if you want it to be, other people don't have to see it if you don't want to.

You can see what works and what doesn't.

Sketching out a certain symbol on paper may look completely different to what you had in mind. This way you can alter the design or scrap it and start afresh.

That's it for this week, hope you enjoyed.

See you next week!

Ways to Overcome Writer's Block

Hi all,

As promised, this week I'm going to discuss ways you can get through writer's block. Every writer gets writer's block, it's an unfortunate reality of writing. There's nothing wrong with dealing with it, it could take months to come out of. Below are a few ideas that have helped me when I've hit writer's block.

Take a break.

Sometimes writing every day can cause burn out and you can hit a block with your writing. Take a few days off to relax and come back to your project with fresh eyes.

Work on another project.

Writing, editing or planning another project can help overcome writer's block. It means you can continue writing while taking some time away from your current project.

Read.

Take some time away from your project and read books in your genre. Not only will it help you relax, but holding an author's book in your hands could inspire you to keep going.

Edit your current project.

If you hit a wall with your project, go over what you've already written and give it a quick edit. It could help you move the story forward.

Free Write.

Choose a random prompt and write about what your characters would do in that situation. For example, Character A drags Character B into going hiking, but forgets to bring a map. This way you'll still be writing about those characters in a different scenario that could get your creative juices flowing.

Change your environment.

If you usually write at home, try going to a coffee shop and write. Sometimes a change in environment can inspire you.

Plot ahead.

Jump ahead in your project and plot what happens next, then keep going until you get to the ending. Work out how you can make it from where you are now to the end point.

Listen to music.

Listening to music is quite good for inspiration, as I can usually imagine scenes based on what music I listen to. If you're stuck on a fight scene, try listening to fast paced music. Love songs for romance scenes, etc.

Play with your pets.

This works for me quite often, as Rocky and Mishka are always happy to get some attention. Taking time away and thinking of something other than writing can make you feel better about your work and return to writing.

Next week I'm going to talk about why I chose dragons over any other mythological creature for my book series. 

See you next week!

How Pets Can Influence Your Writing

Hi all!

This week I'm going to talk about how pets can influence your writing, as promised in last week's blog post.

They help with animal characters.

The behaviour of the dragons in Elemental Dragons is based off the behaviour of my cats, Rocky and Mishka. Take Drea, Marco's dragon, for example; she likes nothing more than to sleep in the peace and quiet. She doesn't like being bothered by other dragons. This reflects on Rocky in real life, as he loves to sleep and hates other cats getting too close to his territory.

You can put them in your projects.

Rocky is a main character, as a human, in Elemental Dragons. This is because he inspired me so much and was always around when I wrote Blood and Water (asleep of course). I want to make sure a part of him will live on in my books after he's gone.

They help with designing creatures.

If you're having trouble designing creatures, aliens or monsters make sure you look to your pet for inspiration. The way they move, their personality and their looks can be integrated into a creature design. For example; a canine-like alien with twin tails and toxic breath.

Rocky, in one of his favourite sleeping spots

Giving pets to your characters can show their softer side.

Everyone treats their pets differently to how they treat other people. Your pet is a part of your family, your baby. Use your relationship with your pet as a base for how your characters interact with their animals.

They'll entertain you when you take a break.

Mishka starts meowing when I spend too long writing, she's like a furry timer. Whenever I step away from my writing I use that time to play with her and give her cuddles (until she's had enough).

They are a great distraction.

Getting frustrated with your work? Just go to your pet for a play session. Taking a break for a minute or so will give you some much needed time to think about new ideas and how to fix the problems in your stories.

Mishka, snuggled up in

They're great for stress.

Pets are amazing for stress. During my exams in secondary school Rocky was great, he would sit near me as I revised and did homework and let me pet him whenever. Mishka has been wonderful for when I stress about self publishing, hearing her purr and scratching her chin helps me relax.

Their antics make great stories.

With all the funny things animals do you can create so many stories. I once wrote a story about the time when Rocky went outside for the first time and how he explored his new territory. He kept trying to jump on the garden wall but couldn't quite make it because he was too small.

They will do the writing for you.

If your pets are anything like Mishka, they will walk all over the keyboard adding a bunch of random letters or words to your story. At least they're trying to help!

That's it for this week! Next time I'm going to write about what you can do when the dreaded writer's block hits.

See you next week!

Why Animal Characters Need Different Personalities

Hi all,

As promised, this week's blog post is going to talk about animal characters. I will be using excerpts of Blood and Water in this post, but it will be spoiler free and not mention the main story.

Like people, no two animals are alike. So, they need to have differing personalities and traits that make them stand out. I've read a lot of books with animal characters that fail to do this, so all the characters are just different versions of the same character. It's disappointing.

Animals are different too.

For example, my cats are very different to each other. 

Rocky is lazy, and loves nothing more than to snuggle up on the sofa. However, when he goes outside he gets very protective of me and will follow me around the street to make sure I'm okay.

Mishka on the other hand, is nuts. She doesn't think before she acts, which often means that she ends up banging into something or timing a jump incorrectly. She hates to be picked up and cuddled, but will happily play for hours before falling asleep.

Two different cats, two different personalities. You can easily show the difference between animals in writing, such as this piece from Blood and Water:

Normie, the cat, is brash and confident until threatened. Aqueous tried to warn him of the situation by pulling his tail, being the voice of reason to his friend. Unfortunately Normie was too confident and got scared by Sadie. This showcases both ways of thinking and how they interact with each other.

Another way to showcase their personalities is through how other characters talk about them and their actions. For example:

This shows that Cerberus is a playful character, as Rocky doesn't say this with any malice. Instead he shakes his head, as if he's used to her doing stuff like this all the time.

Making animal characters alike is boring, they need their separate personalities. You want the audience to connect with them like any other character. People don't want to read about three animals that are the same personality as each other. It's boring. Treat animal characters like human ones, make them likeable and unique to other characters in the book.

That's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed!

See you next week!

Writing Characters with Anxiety

Hi all,

This week I'm taking a break from blogging about Elemental Dragons to talk about writing characters with anxiety. As I suffer from anxiety and depression myself, I want to see these characters portrayed correctly so people who may be suffering can recognise the signs.

When I wrote Blood and Water I was seventeen and I had no diagnosis. So I thought it was normal to worry about everything and second guess your decisions so I wrote Hazel the same way. It was only when I entered an early version of Blood and Water in a contest two years later did I realise that this behaviour wasn't normal. The judges loved how I portrayed Hazel's anxiety, and how real it felt. It all clicked on my mind that I had unknowingly given my main character anxiety. 

So, I want to share with you all how to portray anxiety as realistically as possible.

Have them second guess every decision they make.

Anxiety will make your character worry about every decision they make. They are terrified of making the wrong one, even if they eventually make the right decision. If you are writing in first person, you can have them talk to themselves about the decisions they make. You can also use this as a way of the character trying to motivate themselves to make a certain decision.

There's a difference between being shy and being anxious.

Just because your character is shy and quiet it doesn't make them anxious. Although people who suffer from anxiety in some cases can be naturally quiet and shy, like me, it doesn't mean that it's a sure sign. Characters can be quiet and shy around others but loud and excitable around their friendship group or family. Quiet doesn't equal anxiety.

Trust.

With my anxiety, I find it hard to trust others. I'm extremely conscious of the fact that they could break that trust any second, as many people have in the past. Especially when it comes to working in groups. I constantly worry that people won't do their part and mess everything up. Not everyone with anxiety struggles with trust though.

Appetite.

Some people with anxiety find it hard to eat at certain times due to feeling too anxious. Despite being twenty two, I still can't eat before ten o'clock in the morning because I get so nauseous. Unfortunately years of schoolwork and exam stress have left me with a weak stomach in the mornings. When writing anxious characters with appetite problems, don't make it cliche. Some anxious people struggle to eat around a certain meal time, such as breakfast. Don't have them never eat due to being anxious because some people overeat to combat their anxiety.

Treatment by other characters.

Not everyone is understanding about anxiety. It's only when I entered the workplace did I start to get treated like anyone else despite my mental health. Although some characters can be sympathetic to anxious characters and offer help wherever they can, be mindful that some won't. The following is a list of reasons why other characters may not help characters with anxiety:

- Feeling like they're just seeking attention.

- Finding them weak.

- Trying to 'help' by being tough on them.

- Bullying them for being different. 

- Not knowing enough about mental health.

Try to create a diverse group of characters. Some who will help, and some who won't. 

Self conscious.

So many people with anxiety struggle with being self conscious. You feel like people are watching you no matter what you do, and it can be choking. Be mindful that in some situations your anxious character might struggle due to feeling self conscious about how they look or how they're doing something.

Panic attacks.

Not everyone with anxiety suffers from panic attacks. If you are unsure how to write a panic attack, don't. They can be really hard to get right as not all panic attacks are the same. Not everyone rocks back and forth in a panicked state. Some other types of panic attacks are:

- Hyperventilating.

- Cursing.

- Self harm.

- Angry outburst.

- Violence.

- Running away.

Use either one or a mix of panic attack types to make them realistic.

Example of Hazel's anxiety in Blood and Water

This list is by no means the complete spectrum of anxiety, I just picked a few that I think are most important when writing anxiety. I hope this helps anyone who is considering writing a character with mental health issues.

Let me know if you enjoyed, and if you want me to do a 'part two' of sorts about characters with depression.

See you next week!

Listening to Music While Writing

Hi all!

This week I'm going to talk about the pros and cons of listening to music while writing. I've seen a lot of authors ask on Twitter about whether listening to music helps others write.

Pros:

It can help you concentrate.

Some authors need some background noise while they're writing, as it can help them concentrate. Instrumental or video game music is especially good for concentration as it isn't too overpowering.

It can help with fight scenes.

I know I'm not the only one who imagines cool fight scenes while listening to music. Certain songs could help you envision how the characters move and react.

Creating a soundtrack can engage readers.

If you create a soundtrack for your book and tell your readers, they will feel more engaged with you. You are sharing a part of your writing routine that may help them feel closer to you and your book.

It will help with editing.

Editing is boring enough already. Having some background noise will improve your concentration and you might edit for longer than usual.

Cons:

It can be distracting.

Depending on what you listen to, you can get distracted easily. 

You'll spend ages looking for the perfect songs.

Any time spent doing this means that you'll spend less time writing. Even creating a list before you start has taken precious writing time away.

You might accidentally write song lyrics down.

When editing, you might find a sentence that randomly contains a song lyric. Listening to music will make it harder for your brain to focus on your ideas.

Coming up with ideas may be harder.

It can be hard to come with new ideas with someone singing in your ear, so you might find yourself turning the music off so you can think.

Personally I need silence in order to write. I've tried listening to music in the past but I always end up writing less than I wanted.

The biggest problem that I had when listening to music while writing is that I daydream too much. Although music can help some writers, it didn't help with me. Make sure you give yourself time to discover if it's right for you. Don't give up after one song because you haven't written anything good.

That's it for this week! Next Sunday I'm going to write about the pros and cons of writing your own blurb versus getting someone else to do it for you.

How I Write While Working Full Time

Hi all!

Although writing full time is the dream, most of us aren't in that position. We need day jobs to pay for bills, food and other expenses. I work full time as an administrator Monday to Friday, so I know how hard it is to fit writing around work. But there are little changes you can make throughout the day to improve your writing.

After working all day I know how tiring it is to go home and write, but it can be done, even if it's only 100 words a day. But there's also other things you can do while you're at work to plot, edit and write your manuscript.

Just to clarify, I do these things during my breaks, I do not work on anything to do with writing during work time.

I do the following before, during and after the work day:

Plot ideas on my commute to work.

I know not everyone can do this because of transportation, but if you can it does help. I get the bus to and from work which takes about half an hour each time, so that gives me an hour to jot ideas down or come up with character names.

Plot during breaks.

I write a lot in my lunch break, which keeps my mind whirring and enables me to plot more extensively as I'm putting time aside to do it. I've plotted all my books on my lunch break, and I'm constantly swapping between notes on my phone to change plot points. The last three Elemental Dragons books were all plotted on my phone in great detail, down to character descriptions and dragon markings.

Write query and synopsis.

Before I decided on self publishing I actually wrote the first draft of my query letter on my phone, it went through several revisions, of course, but it was nice to be able to get my ideas down while they were still fresh in my mind. I also recently wrote the synopsis for Venom and Earth on my lunch break, which meant when I got home I could focus on editing the manuscript itself.

Research.

I researched on the bus and during my breaks. Mostly character names and settings. I do the bulk of the research for books at home, for example: Egyptian Gods and pyramids.

Character designs.

This is the easiest part for me to do on my break, as I've already envisioned the characters a certain way. I make sure to write down their descriptions for reference just in case they have a sudden makeover halfway through the first draft!

Small edits.

I don't do any major editing, just a few passages here and there. A lunch break isn't really enough time to edit an entire manuscript.

Write blog posts.

A lot of my post ideas come to me during the week, so I list them on my phone and write a rough draft. I then use my laptop for the editing.

Doodle.

Visualising dragon markings helped me describe them better in Elemental Dragons, as I had the designs right in front of me. I'm doing the same for Bitten as well, working on designs for the antagonists. For me, seeing something drawn on paper helps me while writing.

Write short stories.

My short story, Circles, was written during a few lunch breaks on my phone. Once I was happy enough with it, I transferred it to my laptop for editing and started sending it out. I was over the moon when From Whispers To Roars published it in their first issue. I've also written two other short stories during breaks, Hesitation and Purpose, which I hope to offer to anyone who wants to sign up to my future mailing list (I'm working on it, don't worry!).

I just want to show people that even the smallest things throughout the day can contribute towards your writing, and you shouldn't feel bad if you're too exhausted to write much after work. It's normal. The last thing that I want to do when I get home is write, but those little things throughout the day propel me to do it. It shows I've never really stopped working on my books, so I have more time to actually write.

Next week I'm going to post profiles about the dragon characters in Elemental Dragons. I will probably do the human characters in the future, but I love so many of the dragons that I want to share some of their quirks and personalities with you all.

See you next week!