I’ve recently realized that many things have changed since I began writing as a little girl, including my eagerness to share my work with others. When I was younger, I always shared my ideas and my stories with my parents. As I grew older, I began to share my writing with my friends.

My parents were always very supportive, and because they understood my passion for writing they  never tired of hearing me talk about it.

In middle school, swapping stories with friends was what ultimately led to my books. My friends motivated me to finish my story because they asked to read more, whereas before I met these girls I rarely finished anything. (Side note: I realize now that “finishing” should not be my main goal when I am writing. At least when I was younger I wrote consistently and frequently, and with great joy, which allowed me to improve.)

Anyway, nearly everything I’ve written in the past year or so I have kept to myself. I’m extremely secretive about my writing. I think maybe I’m afraid of criticism.

Something I read recently on Veronica Roth’s blog, (an old post of hers), caught my attention. I love reading about my favorite authors, and I often check their websites for writing advice. Roth’s first piece of advice to young writers is this: “Learn to love criticism.”

I see Roth’s point. If a writer cannot embrace criticism, they should probably look for another career. However, if you are writing for the right reasons, and “being published” isn’t your sole motivation, it’s important to stick with it and seek out constructive criticism. After all, embracing criticism and taking it to heart is the only way to improve.

I think it is going to be a struggle to share my writing again. The self-doubt that breaks through whenever I sit down to write has me convinced that nobody else is going to like what I’ve written, because it’s most likely terrible.

But maybe it’s not…there’s only one way to find out.

*Do you share your writing?*

– Brooke 🙂

Veronica Roth’s writing advice 

This past weekend, I watched J.K. Rowling’s live global webcast, which is posted on her website. (I have a link below.) Harry Potter: Beyond the Page, A Virtual Author Visit with J.K. Rowling, was broadcast on October 11 to certain schools. (How did I miss this!?)

I am a big Harry Potter fan, as well as a HUGE J.K. Rowling fan, (yes, there is a difference), so naturally I was very excited to watch this webcast to learn more about the woman behind the spectacular world of Harry Potter. Although I have seen many interviews with Rowling, I always seem to learn something new from her each time I discover another video.

Here is a quick list of the things that stood out to me from this webcast:

 1. Characters are so central to the story. 

“I think it was the characters, fundamentally, that made people fall in love with the world,” Rowling said. “Some writers say character is plot, and to a large extent I think they’re right.”

• A hero is “set apart.”
• The protagonist must be given friends/characters in his/her life that balance out their personal strengths and weaknesses.
• The characters must be given room to grow.

2. It takes great perseverance to finish what you’ve started. 

“Beginning stories is often very easy; finishing them, not so much,” Rowling said.

3. Forget about the reaction of readers.

• A writer can’t be worried about what the reader will think of his/her work.
• As a writer, you are “too busy creating [your world].”

My favorite quote of the video:

Host: “Complete the sentence: If I wasn’t a writer, I would be…”

J.K. Rowling: “…depressed.”

J.K. Rowling’s live webcast

National Novel Writing Month… for those of you who haven’t heard of it, yes, it does exist. (Why oh why have I not discovered this before now?)

NaNoWriMo takes place during the month of November, beginning on November 1st and officially ending at midnight on November 30th, and encourages anyone and everyone to write a 50,000 word novel.

Sounds impossible?

It’s really not.

Actually, it sounds like a lot of fun, and I am a girl who likes a challenge. Whether or not I succeed in writing a 50,000 word novel is beside the point; for these 30 days I plan to write as much and as frequently as possible.

NaNoWriMo gives writers a chance to flex their muscles, to take themselves out of their comfort zones in order to strive for something they might not ordinarily believe they can do.

Are YOU going to participate in NaNoWriMo? 🙂

A couple of months ago I blogged about the availability of my first book, De Couleur Pale, on the Amazon Kindle e-readers. Now, the entire trilogy is available for purchase!

As I wrote in my last post, all three books are newly edited and much cheaper than the paperback copies sold on Amazon.com. (Each book is $.99!)

It excites me that I’ve had this opportunity, and live in an age where the sky is truly the limit. Who could have ever guessed authors could self-publish or sell digital copies of their books by 2012?

If you’re interested, search for my books on the Kindle!

– Brooke 🙂

P.S. I am currently working on a Nook version.

One week from today, I will be participating in a local Barnes & Noble book signing at the Tallahassee Mall. I am so excited to be a part of the event, and I encourage you to come out and join me. 🙂

The book signing is specifically for local self-published authors, and for the first time I will have the privilege to meet these other local authors. We will be signing books between 2:00 and 4:00 PM.

If you have any interest in my books, the books of these other local self-published authors, or books in general, I’d love to see you there!

Book signing: November 10, 2012, Tallahassee Mall Barnes & Noble Bookstore, 2-4 PM

– Brooke  🙂

I love reading Writer’s Digest articles. I receive emails from Writer’s Digest nearly every day, and while I send many of them straight to the trash, I usually keep the ones with links to interesting articles.

This is because I read more about writing than I do actual writing.

Anyway, these articles usually make me laugh, or offer extremely useful tips when it comes to crafting characters, plot, and conflict. I recently read the article “5 Things to Stop Doing (If You Really Want to Finish Writing Your Novel).”

If you are a writer, this article is a must-read. Because you will probably find yourself nodding at the screen as you read through the list.

1. Nix the excuses.

2. Stop trying.

3. Stop the Inner Critic’s crazy rants.

4. Don’t overdose on caffeine.

5. Stop thinking it should be easier. <—- This is totally me.

I think the only one of these “5 things” that doesn’t accurately describe my current writing life would be #4. I can’t stand coffee, so I would be more likely to overdose on hot chocolate. Or tea. (Is that possible??)

5 Things to Stop Doing (If You Really Want to Finish Writing Your Novel) by Brian Klems

So I’ve been reading lately.

A lot.

And I was surprised to find that the books I was reading (the books I enjoyed the most, that is) were dystopian fiction novels. I say I was surprised because I had previously written-off dystopian fiction as a genre I would not enjoy. (Why? I’m not really sure. Probably because I sometimes enjoy having strong opinions for no reason. And also possibly because I did not know what dystopian fiction was, and associated it with vampires and werewolves.)

Anyway, I have found that dystopian fiction is really, really good, and just because there is now a ‘dystopian fiction’ book genre, does not mean that every dystopian fiction novel is the same. (Like vampire and werewolf books.)

I have created a new poll to gauge the popularity of some of my new favorite authors, so scroll down and check out the sidebar to VOTE for your fave dystopian fiction author. 🙂

~ Brooke H.

Exciting news!

Book 1 of my Sky City Trilogy, De Couleur Pale, is now available for purchase on ALL Amazon Kindle e-readers for only $.99!

The book is newly edited and much cheaper than the paperback copy sold on Amazon.com. I have been working on this for the past several months and hope to have the next two books (A Battle of Fate and Scharred) available for purchase soon, as well.

E-readers are so popular now because they present avid readers (like myself) with a more convenient way of collecting and transporting books!

If you own a Kindle, check it out. 🙂

And PASS IT ON.

~ Brooke Harrison