Time management

Currently I have four works in progress. Four.

1. Book one in the Amethyst Chronicles, my next sci-fi series. The actual title hasn't been decided yet.
2. The sequel to Color of Dreams, my crime drama/romance story. Also doesn't have a title.
3. A new historical romance I'm calling Belle of the Brawl. My pirate story. :-)
4. and lastly, another romance that I'm loosely retooling a wrestling fan fiction to create entitled Shadows in my Mind

And I'm not counting my third Mirror installment, Mirror Reformed, since I haven't technically started writing it. That makes five books I'm planning on completing this year. Plus, I've happily agreed to help one of my best friends turn one of her wrestling fan fictions into a publishable story.

I don't look at any of the writing, revising, or editing as work. This is something I'm passionate about. This is what I've wanted to do for a long time and honestly, I couldn't be happier.

But it does make some ask the question of how I find the time to do all of it.

First, I'm lucky to work in a call center so when I'm not on a call, I'm writing. Typically on an eight-hour work shift, I get about an hour of writing in. At home, I try to get at least an hour of writing in a night. Some nights that's not doable at all. I do have a loving, wonderful husband that I love hanging out with. Thankfully, Brad is very understanding that some nights I'm glued in front of my pc and some nights belong to us.

I can't stress enough the importance of time management. Every week, I set goals with each of my WIP. My publisher and editor with Distinguished Press would say that when I set a time table, I get mad at myself if outside influence keeps me from my goal. This is February 21st. I plan to have the rough draft in book one of the Amethyst Chronicles completed by May with a goal word count of 50K. Some may say that it's ambitious but it's completely manageable.

I get stuck in my stories to the point where my husband has to remind me to either eat or go to bed. I always have a white canvas bag with me that has at least two notebooks in it. For me, different stories get different notebooks. My bag currently has three notebooks and my purse has a mini notebook. I have a Star Wars tin in my purse that holds my various pens to suit my fancy. Anytime I have the inspiration or time, I'm writing. Transcribing is my least favorite part of the writing process but I would much rather do it than be sitting around a doctor's office or something wishing I had something with me.

Soon I'll have a laptop and I won't have to lug my canvas bag around but until then, I'm keeping my productivity.

It's a balancing act. I'm not going to write every day. Sundays are typically a big writing day for me but Saturdays are usually filled with wrestling shows and life in general that I may get an hour if I'm lucky. The important thing is to not let writing consume you. Remember that we're doing this out of love and try to relax. The characters are the ones who really tell the story anyway. Us authors are merely the vessel to which the story gets told from.

And on that note, I'm gonna wrap this up. My FMC from the Amethyst Chronicles is grabbing at my attention and she can be rather...forceful. (You'll see probably next year, my dear readers).

~K.G. Stutts

Science fiction romance

I was reading on a message board recently that they didn't like romance being in science fiction.

Now, I'm not one that feels like romance is a necessity in every story, regardless of genre. But this was point in fact that the poster felt like romance didn't have a place in science fiction. That's just not a train of thought that I subscribe to.

No, I don't think that romance is imperative, as I stated above. But not having a place? ...nah.

When I set out to write Mirror Image last year, I actually said that I wouldn't have a romantic component in the story. In fact, Maddie was told that she wasn't capable of falling in love, because she is a clone (rules of the clones, the book, of course, goes into further explanation). But characters grow and develop, introducing new things along the way. Maddie fell in love. I didn't expect it to happen. The original draft didn't have John Brooks or his two brothers. Including them changed the course of my story for the better.

I often feel that as an author, the characters are the ones that really write the story. I'm just a vessel. These characters take me on a ride which I do my best to translate. I've gone through rich emotional experiences with them that is the epitome of the human experience. The biggest of which is love and loss. What kind of author would I be if I left out the biggest part?

We even have a movie where robots fall in love. And that movie was moving. To say that one particular emotion doesn't belong in a genre to me is short-sighted. For me, I'll continue writing my stories with as much, or as little, romance as I want.

The first in my sci-fi series, Mirror Image, will be released by Distinguished Press in three months! Eager? Here's an excerpt: 

The elevator doors slid open, and Maddie was pushed into a long hallway. Jackson still held her by her arm and escorted her into what appeared to be a conference room. Maddie sat down in one of the chairs that surrounded the oval table and was left alone.

Maddie lost track of time while waiting. She had gotten lost in her own thoughts when the opening of the door startled her. 

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Jackson said upon entering.
"You''ve been apologizing a lot to me since we met," Maddie flatly said.
"It's not going to stop either."

Maddie paused for a moment, remembering what Jackson had said earlier.

"Alright, I think I'm owed an explanation."
"I'm afraid you're right."

Jackson paused right by the door.

"Again, I'm sorry, Madison," he said before knocking on the wood.

It swung open and a woman walked into the room. The woman had short, dirty blonde hair but there could be no mistake: she looked exactly like Maddie.

Learning as I go

I've been writing for three years. It took me one year to write Mirror Image mainly due to having so many re-writes before the story was right. I've been recently blessed with my sci-fi trilogy as well as a romance novel going to be published this year.

And now the editing process begins. I thought I've gone through Mirror Image with a fine toothed comb. Thankfully, I have a wonderful editor who caught a few mistakes I thought I had addressed.

The more I go through the editing process, I realize I have a lot to learn about the writing process. Change the Stars, my romance novel, is a great story. My publisher has expressed how much she enjoyed it , but I have a lot of clean up to do before it's ready to go.

I've heard from others who've gone through publishing before that I will begin to hate the editing process and my editor. That's actually further from the truth. Maybe my experience is unique, but I don't mind the constructive criticism. It's best I hear this now, while I can adjust and fix than reading it in a review from someone who may not buy my next book.

Going through both stories, I've learned I have several bad habits that come from being an inexperienced author. I haven't taken a writing class since I was in Creative Writing in high school. I may not be the most polished writer, but I keep being told I'm one hell of a storyteller. So the bad habits I can adjust and learn from.

My advice to any writer is to take any online class available. There are also hundreds of different blogs that can help you sharpen your skills. The past week, that's what I've been doing. I'm hoping by the time my wonderful editor and I go through Mirror Shattered, the next in my sci-fi series, there will be very little red marks in the margins.

LazyDay Publishing

I was worried that my romance story, Change the Stars, was too dark to be published. I was wrong. :-)

LazyDay Publishing (lazydaypub.com) has offered a contract and I've happily signed. My former wrestling fan fic that showcased wrestlers as 1930s mobsters in west Texas will be released as an e-book this summer!

I'm beside myself. Two books to be released this year. Change the Stars approximately June or July and Mirror Image, my first in my Mirror sci-fi trilogy in the fall.

I'll be working with my super smart friend, Will, on creating a website. Until then, news and updates can be found here, at facebook.com/kgstutts or Twitter @ KGStutts

Thank you for all your support!

~K.G. Stutts

Distinguished Press

The difference between a writer and an author is a publisher. Today, I am an author. I am pleased to announce that I've signed a contract with Distinguished Press to publish my Mirror sci-fi trilogy. I'm very excited with this partnership and to be a part of The Writing Network family.

Expect to see a ton of links popping up soon. I'm working with a friend to get a fully developed website up as soon as we can.

Thank you all for the support! Can't wait to share my books with the world.

~K.G. Stutts

To self-publish or not?

I went through my drama/romance story, Change the Stars, and realized just how dark it really is. This is a story that is far from a conventional romance. Maggie is kidnapped, tortured, and raped throughout the course of this story. But it's set in the 1930s with crime mob bosses. I think some of that is a little expected? Or maybe I'm reaching. There is heavy dark elements in it that I'm not sure a publisher can see past to really look at the whole story: Even in this dark time, Maggie and Dean really do find love and overcome a lot of obstacles on their way to happily ever after.

The question in my head of it being too dark or not leads me to a few questions: do I modify and re-write? Do I try to self-publish? Or should the word file sit on my computer for me to occasionally read and email to friends?

That's a question rattling around in my head. I'm still working through the fiction crime drama as well.

I've been checking into web hosts, trying to find a home. If anyone has a particular company to suggestion, please let me know. Wish that NaNoWriMo had better suggestions, but it's all subjective.