There Is no one right way to write. Let me repeat that: THERE IS NO ONE RIGHT WAY TO WRITE. If you want to write with pen and paper, or dictate into your phone, or peck at a manual typewriter, then do it if that’s what works for you. You may be a “plotter” who outlines your book then sits down to write it from start to finish; or you may be a “panters” who writes “ by the seat of your pants,” that is, you write scenes as they occur to you, regardless of their placement in the story, and connect everything in between as you go. You may need absolute quiet to write; you may do your best writing in a busy mall (hey, I do!). There is no right or wrong, there is only what is right for you… and don’t let anyone tell you different!
I’d suggest investing in a few good reference books. There are plenty out there, but if you need grounding in punctuation, for instance, or grammar, get a good grammar book. A good thesaurus is also a good investment, although thesaurus.com is my preferred go-to. Some of my favorite books are:
•The Emotional Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi
•Master Lists for Writers by Bryn Donovan
•Heroes & Heroines: Sixteen Master Archetypes by Tami Cowden, Caro LaFever& Sue Viders
Don’t over-think things. Don’t get bogged down in trying to learn everything about the publishing industry at once. There’s plenty of time for that. First, you have to get your book written, because everything else hinges on having a finished manuscript. Keep in mind this: While writing is an art form, publishing is a professional industry. When you get to the point where you are looking at publication, whether you’re talking agent and traditional publishing, or self publishing, you have to approach it as a professional. But again.. time enough for that later. Write!
Critique partners versus beta readers. In the early stages, what you want is a critique partner; someone who will read your work as it’s in progress and give you feedback. Usually you swap chapters at a time. A beta reader comes after you have finished your manuscript, and revised and polished it, until you *think* it’s about ready. Then you send it to beta readers, who read it with an eye to content, characterization, plot continuity. They are usually volunteers, and it’s a good idea to have them be readers of the genre in which you’re writing.
All other advice aside, it always comes back to this: Just write. There’s no easy way, it doesn’t happen on its own. So sit down and start writing!
A Cat for Troy
Wishes and Dreams
Book Three
Allie McCormack
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Date of Publication: March 4, 2021
ISBN: 9798580580678
ASIN: B08P2SMY52
Number of pages: 400
Word Count: 107,000
Cover Artist: Dar Albert
Tagline: Troy’s new roommate was loving, demanding ,possessive, sometimes even bad tempered. But he loved her anyway. After all, she was just a cat. Wasn’t she?
Book Description:
Veterinarian Troy Shelton has no idea what he's letting himself in for when he rescues a friend's cat from the shelter after a dog attack. The friendly but demanding calico soon has Troy and his pregnant collie wrapped around her furry paw. But strange things begin happening in Troy's home when he’s away, and he could almost think someone else was living there besides him.
Torn and hurting, Katerina appreciates Troy's gentle care. She also appreciates his strong form and handsome face as much as the way he cuddles her. She's trapped in her cat form until her wounds heal, but once she's well again she finds herself oddly reluctant to resume her human form and life away from Troy. But someone else is interested in Troy, and that someone else has already tried to kill Cat once.
“You did that on
purpose,” Troy accused, looking up from where he knelt on hands and knees to
look under the sofa for more cardboard.
She gave him her
best wide-eyed “who, me?” look, and blinked lovingly at him.
“I know you like
to play,” he told her. “I saw you in the yard that day. There’s got to be
something you’ll play with.”
Ho-hum. She
stretched, and yawned in his face.
Finally one day
Troy came into the house with a satisfied grin on his face. “I’ve got it!” He
dug in his pocket, and pulled out a slim cylinder. “You’re a tough nut to
crack, but I bet this one does it.”
He held the
gizmo in his hand, and suddenly a small red light appeared on the floor by her
paws. Oh, no! Not one of those laser pointers. Like she was going to chase a
dumb spot of light all over the place and wear herself out. He didn’t really
expect her to chase that, did he?
Troy pointed it
around the floor, back and forth, the light dancing about her feet. She watched
it. Back and forth. Back and forth. Her tail twitched. Oops, nope! She was so
not going to chase that thing. But it danced closer. Closer. Suddenly it
bounced onto her paw and then off again. Okay, that was it! She pounced on the
little red thing, then darted here and there after it. It disappeared into dark
recesses of the hallway and she crept forward on her belly, every sense alert.
It was there somewhere, hiding. There it was! She pounced, with a scrabble of
paws on the wood floor. Ah-hah!! She’d show it!
Up onto the sofa
she chased the tiny red light, then watched, whiskers a-quiver, as it traveled
up the wall, just out of her reach. It came down, slowly, slowly, then suddenly
flashed to the side. She was halfway across the living room after it when she
suddenly remembered... oh, wait! She was chasing a stupid light!
She sat herself
down firmly in the middle of the floor and turned to glare at Troy. This was
all his fault!
About the Author:
A former career medical transcriptionist and disabled Veteran, Allie McCormack is now writing from home full-time. Allie has traveled quite a bit and lived many places all over the U.S., and also a year in Cairo, Egypt as an exchange student, and a year in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia under contract to a hospital there, plus a short stint with NATO while she was in the Army. Allie now lives in the beautiful southern California with her family and her two rescue cats.
Allie says: "A writer is who and what I am... a romance writer. I write what I know, and what I know is romance. Dozens of story lines and literally hundreds of characters live and breathe within the not-so-narrow confines of my imagination, and it is my joy and privilege to bring them to life, to share them with others by writing their stories."
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