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Angela M Caldwell

~ Author

Angela M Caldwell

Tag Archives: #writers

THE YELLOW HOODS: Along Came a Wolf (Book 1) and The Hero’s Journey

24 Wednesday Sep 2014

Posted by Maiden Ink in writing

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

#AdamDreece, #alongcameawolf, #angelacaldwell, #archetypes, #authors, #books, #BreadcrumbTrail, #dontgiveup, #dreaming, #dyslexia, #dyslexic, #dyslexicwriter, #freechapters, #happygilmore, #JosephCampbell, #monomyth, #Steampunk, #theherosjourney, #theyellowhoods, #writers, #writetip, #writing, #writingproces, #youngadult

On my resource page, you’ll find, The Hero’s Journey, or monomyth, which was devised by Joseph Campbell. The Hero’s Journey suggests the idea that all great stories have the same characters. When I started reading THE YELLOW HOODS: Along Came a Wolf (Book 1): An Emergent Steampunk Series by fellow twitter writer, Adam Dreece, I realized within the first few chapters his characters fit within the Hero’s Journey archetypes.

THE HERO: Tee
THE SHADOW: Andre LeLoup
THE HERALD: You’re going to have to read the book to find out.
THE MENTOR:Nikolas Klaus
THRESHOLD GUARDIANS: LeLoup’s henchman
SHAPESHIFTER: There is one
TRICKSTERS:The Cochon Brothers
ALLIES:Tee’s friends

Click photo to buy on Amazon

I really enjoyed Adam’s book because he has a knack for storytelling, and he followed Joseph Campbell’s archetypes by instinct.

Photo credit

Photo credit

 

What book or movie do you love? Does it follow the Hero’s Journey? If you’re a writer does your current work in progress follow this model?
My favorite example of the Hero’s Journey is Happy Gilmore.
Here are some links that use this example.

The Hero’s Journey-Happy Glimore Prezi

The Hero’s Journey-You tube video featuring Happy Gilmore

Young Adult written for everyone

Book 1 – Along Came a Wolf at Amazon, Amazon.ca, Kobo, Smashwords, The Yellow Hoods Store
Book 2 – Breadcrumb Trail at Amazon, Amazon.ca,  Kobo, Smashwords, The Yellow Hoods Store
3 Chapter free samples available
Blog: AdamDreece.com
Twitter: @AdamDreece

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Do you have the writing blues?

13 Saturday Sep 2014

Posted by Maiden Ink in writing

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

#angelacaldwell, #angelacaldwellphotography #LorenNeal, #art, #author, #authors, #ballandchain, #books, #dontgiveup, #dreaming, #dyslexia, #dyslexic, #dyslexicwriter, #editing, #figment, #grammar, #gustaveflaubert, #melindahaynes, #nevergiveup, #photoessay, #photography, #rejection, #thewritingblues, #writers, #writetip, #writing, #writingproces

What are the writing blues? I’m not sure. I just made it up. I wanted to address the blah I feel from time to time about my writing. You know when the passion and excitement seem to have disappeared and you don’t want to even open the story you’ve been working on? I’ve found out part of the problem. I’m not writing for me.

 

celebratewritinghayes

 

Maybe you’ve been querying and gotten a few rejections and it’s made you second guess yourself. Or maybe you’ve worked on a novel for over 2 years and you’ve become burnt out. Why is that? Art needs to be seen. Take my photography for example, I get the most joy when someone views a photo and it touches them. It makes all the hard work worth it.

 

©AngelaCaldwell from my photo essay Ball and Chain.

©AngelaCaldwell from my photo essay Ball and Chain.

 

But, with writing, it may be years before more than a few people read your manuscript. Writers want to be read. They write to share the stories, feelings, ideas, adventures, mysteries, and fears. 
What does this have to do with the writing blues? 

If no one’s reading your writing, that defeats your purpose, right? You wish to be read. And if you’re like me, you try to make people feel something or take them on an adventure. And if you’re constantly getting rejections to have agents or editors read your writing it’s like slowly taking all the air out of your balloon. Or for me it drains the passion from my soul.
How do you overcome the writing blues?

 

write for yourself quote

Write for you. Write what you love, a story that you can’t put down. Do not seek to follow trends or what’s popular. For me, that means I need to quit trying to please an imaginary person that may or may not read my work. However, what I need to do is make my story the best story possible. Sharing with trusted critique partners and beta readers to challenge me.

 

As for getting your work out there, develop a plan for your novel. Self-publishing is one option that many authors are considering. However, if you don’t want to self-publish you can join sites like Figment and share your work. Various writers on there will swap stories and give feedback. There are some really serious grammar people on there too, who are willing to contribute too. Figment is where I tested the first chapter of my novel. The feedback I received gave me the push needed to finish writing my the novel. Do not forget to be professional, no matter where you are talking and posting work. 

Have you ever had the writing blues? What do you think caused them and what changes can you make to protect your writing from joy thieves?

 

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Editing is like trying to fix a bad hair dye job

29 Friday Aug 2014

Posted by Maiden Ink in writing

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

#angelacaldwell, #angelacaldwellphotography #LorenNeal, #author, #authors, #badhairdyejob, #dyslexicwriter, #editing, #haircolor, #nevergiveup, #selfediting, #writers, #writetip, #writing, #writingproces

I recently tried to color my hair red again. The red turned out way too intense, not the color I wanted at all. But, it’s what I did the next day that reminded me of editing.

photo credit

photo credit

I had two options. Option one, leave it alone and let it fade, but eventually I would have to fix the shade. I chose option two, to pull out the red, knowing my color would get worse before it got better. I was right. My hair was now orange and patched with blond. There may have even been some blue tint on some of the blonde pieces. Even worse my hair was damaged. And the brief thought that I should shave my head crossed my mind.
What happened next surprised me though, I didn’t cry. I’d been through this before and I knew orange hair was part of the process to get my hair back to a more natural shade. I conditioned my hair with coconut oil and made a second trip to the beauty supply store with all my hair tucked under my cap. I needed help.

 

Photo credit

Photo credit

 

Editing is much like this process. You’ve finished your manuscript but it’s not right yet. You need some advice, some critiques, and feedback. Finally the email arrives with what you hope are praises. You stare at pages and pages of overwhelming notes. You may even cry. You may want to quit writing all together. Your manuscript looks like a bad hair color. A really bad hair color and you feel like you may not be able to fix it or are even qualified to fix it. You want to ignore all the comments, and say forget them I’ll just leave it. But, how will you ever learn. I was able to laugh at my orange hair because I knew it was part of the process. And so is this mess of notes you now have.

So now what? You fix your manuscript, just like I fixed my hair. To be a writer you have to be willing to edit and change things. The secret is to know what you are willing to change and what you can’t live without. My hair is now a color, not the best color, but it’s way better than it was. I still have a few more steps to get it back. First, I need to condition it every few days and wait 3-4 weeks before doing anymore coloring. And getting a trim is necessary. I may lose an inch or two, but it’s better than having dead ends and unhealthy hair. Your story probably needs some trimming. You may loose characters and cut scenes, but if you want your story to be done well, this is part of that process. Even worse you have to change the whole story line. Editing is a big part of what makes you a writer. You have to be willing to strip away pieces and pour in the new gems if you want to become a stronger writer.

 

photo credit

photo credit

So now you edited and worked hard on the plot holes, built up relationships, and enhanced your world, it’s time to send your baby out again. But, hopefully when you get your notes back they will be way less frustrating and you can add the highlights. Just like my hair will need to be highlighted in a few weeks.

perfection

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My Writing Process Blog Hop

19 Tuesday Aug 2014

Posted by Maiden Ink in writing

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

#authors, #bloghop #angleacalwell #paigeran, #writers, #writetip, #writing, #writingproces

I was tagged by J. Davidson to attempt to explain my writing process to you. Please check out his blog post as well at: aboyandhisdreams.com 

Let’s get right to the questions.

 

  1. What are you working on right now?

A magician never tells her secrets. But I can say, I have two projects going on. I am focusing on the YA one. And you won’t believe I met a girl who is going through what my MC is going through, and I’m going to be her wedding photographer. That just blows my mind. You don’t even know. I told her about the story and she was so excited.

rabbits

 

  1. How does my work differ from others in the genre?

I don’t do surface level stuff. I want to dig deep into the emotional lives of my characters. I worry maybe they come across too raw at times. I remind myself to be fearless every time I write.

stephen-king-writing-quote-fear

  1. Why do I write?

Writing is my passion and I can’t allow that to ever be taken away from me again. I write the stories inside that claw their way out. I also write for the people who will love my stories, not the ones who won’t get it. Reading is a form of entertainment. And I write to entertain not only myself, but the reader. My goal is to hook the reader and take them on a journey that will keep them wanting more. I go with my convictions and write what I, as a reader, would want to read.

quotable-maya-angelou-quotes-on-writing

  1. How does my writing process work?

I grew up on movies of all kinds, and film influences my storytelling as much as books. My stories start with an idea or a scene I visualize in my head. I know the beginning and ending of the story and my writing process takes me on the journey. I constantly work on the plot of the story in my head before I sit down to write. I only know so far ahead at times, but things really get moving when the characters take over.

I don’t believe in writer’s block. Gasps. If I’m stuck, it’s because I don’t know my characters well enough or I haven’t broke the story. So, I’ll stop writing and do more thinking until it clicks. If that doesn’t work, I’ll print out what I’ve written and start reading and editing from the beginning. This helps me bond with my characters, and my writing will start moving forward again. I could probably edit my book once it’s finished and in print. I have no problem editing, because I’m a perfectionist. If it doesn’t work I’ll do what is needed.

perfection

 

I’ve tagged Paige Randall read about her process by clicking here.

I also invited Susan Kicklighter to join the blog hop. Click here to read about her writing process.

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