I’m grown up now and living in the big city which has me too busy to much care about either one of those things. I get out and run my wolf when I can, trying like hell to stay out of the local pack’s territories. Belonging to a “family” just sounds like too much work. I honestly don’t have time for such things. Besides, I was told when I was young the color of my wolf was all wrong. Too silver I guess. Metallic. I thought it looked cool in the full moon. “An Alpha would kill ya soon as look at ya.” My grandpa used to say. Course he wasn't my real grandpa. Just an old man who lived down the street. But he was a shifter too and I thought he knew it all. He probably knew diddly shit either but a guy can’t be too careful.
So romance? Way off the radar.
But then someone started killing wolves. Started leaving lined up broken bodies all in a nice little row next to the high school in my home town and it got me to thinking. If a shifter is killed in his or her wolf state, does he/she stay that way? Were these dead wolves like me?
I had to see what I could do. Kind of like a super hero. Oh yeah. Probably forgot to tell you this. I can turn invisible.
Yep, Ghost Wolf to the rescue.
Eight helpful tips for becoming a better writer
by Hurri Cosmo
To be fair, these are eight things I have identified as being helpful for ME. But I also think these are things that are generic enough that some version of each will be helpful for you, too. They are in no specific order or importance.
Be yourself. I have made the mistake of really liking the style of certain authors and I have tried to mimic that. Nope. Don’t do it. It will end up showing in your work and honestly, you may not like how it looks on you. It’s like choosing a fragrance. What smells wonderful on someone else may not be great on you. So how do you “be yourself”? Start by liking yourself. A few key elements in that is to be GOOD to yourself. Listen to you, forgive you, be okay with where you are. Even if you are staring at that dreaded blank screen.
Figure out what works best for you with this story. Do you use an outline? Do you need a synopsis? A clear ending? Do you start with the climax of the story and build from there? Whatever it is that works, do it. But remember that it may not be what works for you next time. Just as your stories change, so will you with them.
Research. Yep. Not a four letter word but it may just as well be. It is totally not the fun part of writing, at least it isn’t for me. But you have to do it. You cannot know everything and that’s okay! In fantasy worlds you can make stuff up, but not in a real world story. Get the facts. Always, always do the research.
Re-read. And re-re-read. And re-re-re-read. Why? To make sure everything is still flowing. You also catch things, like typos and grammar errors and plot holes.
Allow your characters to grow and take on life. But beware. They will oftentimes take off in directions you had no clue they would. It happens to me all the time. That is when you know your story has life, too. Because now the characters have control and you just go along for the ride.
Show, don’t tell. Yeah, I know. Everyone says that. But it’s important. There are large sweeping ways to do this but some of the simple ways that are not overwhelming are using different words for the word “look”. For instance, instead of writing “He looked at me and I could tell he was mad, so much so, I felt a shiver chase down my spine.” Try “He glared at me, sheer hatred in his gaze, and I felt a shiver chase down my spine.” Sometimes little changes take on big life. In fact, go back through your manuscript and change as many of the word “look” as you can into something else, like gaze, glare, glance, whatever the emotion is you are trying to convey. You will see a huge difference.
Same thing for the word “said”. With the elimination of the word said you can deliver a more powerful story. For example, if you want to have a character say something in anger try using the word snarled, hissed or growled. So instead of “Get out!” John said, it is much more powerful when you change it to “Get out!” John roared.
Here’s a very good tip I learned AGAIN just recently. Reviews, especially bad reviews, can often seem cruel, crushing, and cause you to question why you are putting your work out there. Some will tell you that you can learn from these bad reviews. What I learned is to stay away from them. If you feel you must at least see if they just might be constructive, might help you hone your craft, have someone else filter them for you. Here is what a brilliant writer friend told me, “Some people will love your book, some people will hate your book, most people will just like your book. But at the end of the day, you will have still done something millions of people have not, YOU WROTE A BOOK!”
Happy writing!
Be yourself. I have made the mistake of really liking the style of certain authors and I have tried to mimic that. Nope. Don’t do it. It will end up showing in your work and honestly, you may not like how it looks on you. It’s like choosing a fragrance. What smells wonderful on someone else may not be great on you. So how do you “be yourself”? Start by liking yourself. A few key elements in that is to be GOOD to yourself. Listen to you, forgive you, be okay with where you are. Even if you are staring at that dreaded blank screen.
Figure out what works best for you with this story. Do you use an outline? Do you need a synopsis? A clear ending? Do you start with the climax of the story and build from there? Whatever it is that works, do it. But remember that it may not be what works for you next time. Just as your stories change, so will you with them.
Research. Yep. Not a four letter word but it may just as well be. It is totally not the fun part of writing, at least it isn’t for me. But you have to do it. You cannot know everything and that’s okay! In fantasy worlds you can make stuff up, but not in a real world story. Get the facts. Always, always do the research.
Re-read. And re-re-read. And re-re-re-read. Why? To make sure everything is still flowing. You also catch things, like typos and grammar errors and plot holes.
Allow your characters to grow and take on life. But beware. They will oftentimes take off in directions you had no clue they would. It happens to me all the time. That is when you know your story has life, too. Because now the characters have control and you just go along for the ride.
Show, don’t tell. Yeah, I know. Everyone says that. But it’s important. There are large sweeping ways to do this but some of the simple ways that are not overwhelming are using different words for the word “look”. For instance, instead of writing “He looked at me and I could tell he was mad, so much so, I felt a shiver chase down my spine.” Try “He glared at me, sheer hatred in his gaze, and I felt a shiver chase down my spine.” Sometimes little changes take on big life. In fact, go back through your manuscript and change as many of the word “look” as you can into something else, like gaze, glare, glance, whatever the emotion is you are trying to convey. You will see a huge difference.
Same thing for the word “said”. With the elimination of the word said you can deliver a more powerful story. For example, if you want to have a character say something in anger try using the word snarled, hissed or growled. So instead of “Get out!” John said, it is much more powerful when you change it to “Get out!” John roared.
Here’s a very good tip I learned AGAIN just recently. Reviews, especially bad reviews, can often seem cruel, crushing, and cause you to question why you are putting your work out there. Some will tell you that you can learn from these bad reviews. What I learned is to stay away from them. If you feel you must at least see if they just might be constructive, might help you hone your craft, have someone else filter them for you. Here is what a brilliant writer friend told me, “Some people will love your book, some people will hate your book, most people will just like your book. But at the end of the day, you will have still done something millions of people have not, YOU WROTE A BOOK!”
Happy writing!
“Do you… belong to a pack?” I asked.
“Of course. I’m the Alpha. We are three hundred and sixty strong and have been in this area for three generations. The wood, the one where you… um, how should I put this… left your calling card in several places… is mine, too.” He readjusted again, edging closer. “You?”
I could feel the hard blush rush up my neck and sting my cheeks. I couldn’t stop it. But then I saw the edges of Ryan’s mouth go up as well, in what could have been a smile. He was obviously enjoying making me squirm. “I don’t have a pack and I’m not going to join yours. I know what happens, especially to Omegas. My grandpa told me.”
“Omega? You’re an Omega? How do you know if you don’t belong to a pack?”
“I’ve been told by someone because of my… stature… and color, I was an Omega.”
“Color? Wait. Who told you all this shit?”
I took a step toward the door. If I could get out the door, I could shift on the stairs and be out the front entrance in less than a half a minute. But, of course, I ran the risk of someone seeing me. For the second time that day I wished I had my damn ring. First thing after all of this I was going to get the ring back on. For now, though, I could outrun this guy, especially since he would be moments behind me even shifting. “Someone…”
Ryan rose from the chair. “Who?”
I hesitated now that he was on his feet. I met that beautiful blue gaze and all I wanted to do was walk toward the man, not run away from him. “A guy by the name of Keith… somebody.” Figures. I couldn’t remember his last name. Turned out I didn’t have to.
“Keith Karlack? You’ve been with Keith Karlack? You’re kidding me!” Ryan took two large strides and grabbed my biceps in his iron grip again. Shit. That escape plan was blown all to hell. “What did he do to you? Did he… fuck you?” His hands went to the waist of my pants and his fingers dipped inside, a possible intent to pull them down. I wasn’t sure what he thought he would find concerning anything about Keith by doing that, but it didn’t matter. I wasn’t going to allow it.
“What the fuck?” I shouted as I batted his hands away and pushed him hard. This time he fell back due to my effort and not due to his being any kind of a gentleman listening to the word ‘no’. “Are you serious? He did not fuck me! Why would you even ask something like that? Even if he had, it would be none of your fucking business.” I kicked out as hard as I could and got Ryan right in the shin. Fuck, I was mad.
Shocked, Ryan grabbed his injured leg and hopped back another couple steps. “Ouch! What the hell are you doing?”
“You fucking jerk! Get out of my house! What right do you have breaking in here anyway? Get out!”
“Yeah, that’s right. I broke in! But you’re the one who went trying to mark up my woods! You’re the fucker who tried claiming something that wasn’t yours and you don’t even have a fucking pack?”
“And I don’t want one! Now get out!”
Ryan narrowed his blue eyes again. “Fine. I’ll get out. I honestly have to take care of something before we can do this, anyway.” He motioned between the two of us with his hand then put both hands on his hips. “Actually, I need to take care of someone.” He glared back at me. “But you and I are fated to be together. You need to understand that right now! That means you belong to me! Not Keith! You stay away from him.” He strode toward the door, those thick thighs moving that large bulge in the front of his pants from side to side. Damn, I wanted to taste that, my own arousal taking back over my body. I suddenly realized where my gaze had wandered and quickly blinked back up to Ryan’s face. He was flushed. “Don’t tease me. I will take you right here and now.” His voice was gruff and rumbly.
My heart thrilled. Yes! Take me! But that was just my wolf and my dick trying hard to take over my brain. Luckily, I was still pissed. “Like I’d let you.” I glared hard at him.
Once again, the man’s countenance relaxed. “I suppose we can do this right.” He closed his eyes for a moment and when they came back open I could tell he was back under control. “I, as Alpha, need to do this right. First Amanda, then you. Expect me to call on you tomorrow night.” And he was gone.
Amanda? Who the fuck was Amanda?
And call on me? Are you kidding me? Like what, a fucking date?
Crap.
“Of course. I’m the Alpha. We are three hundred and sixty strong and have been in this area for three generations. The wood, the one where you… um, how should I put this… left your calling card in several places… is mine, too.” He readjusted again, edging closer. “You?”
I could feel the hard blush rush up my neck and sting my cheeks. I couldn’t stop it. But then I saw the edges of Ryan’s mouth go up as well, in what could have been a smile. He was obviously enjoying making me squirm. “I don’t have a pack and I’m not going to join yours. I know what happens, especially to Omegas. My grandpa told me.”
“Omega? You’re an Omega? How do you know if you don’t belong to a pack?”
“I’ve been told by someone because of my… stature… and color, I was an Omega.”
“Color? Wait. Who told you all this shit?”
I took a step toward the door. If I could get out the door, I could shift on the stairs and be out the front entrance in less than a half a minute. But, of course, I ran the risk of someone seeing me. For the second time that day I wished I had my damn ring. First thing after all of this I was going to get the ring back on. For now, though, I could outrun this guy, especially since he would be moments behind me even shifting. “Someone…”
Ryan rose from the chair. “Who?”
I hesitated now that he was on his feet. I met that beautiful blue gaze and all I wanted to do was walk toward the man, not run away from him. “A guy by the name of Keith… somebody.” Figures. I couldn’t remember his last name. Turned out I didn’t have to.
“Keith Karlack? You’ve been with Keith Karlack? You’re kidding me!” Ryan took two large strides and grabbed my biceps in his iron grip again. Shit. That escape plan was blown all to hell. “What did he do to you? Did he… fuck you?” His hands went to the waist of my pants and his fingers dipped inside, a possible intent to pull them down. I wasn’t sure what he thought he would find concerning anything about Keith by doing that, but it didn’t matter. I wasn’t going to allow it.
“What the fuck?” I shouted as I batted his hands away and pushed him hard. This time he fell back due to my effort and not due to his being any kind of a gentleman listening to the word ‘no’. “Are you serious? He did not fuck me! Why would you even ask something like that? Even if he had, it would be none of your fucking business.” I kicked out as hard as I could and got Ryan right in the shin. Fuck, I was mad.
Shocked, Ryan grabbed his injured leg and hopped back another couple steps. “Ouch! What the hell are you doing?”
“You fucking jerk! Get out of my house! What right do you have breaking in here anyway? Get out!”
“Yeah, that’s right. I broke in! But you’re the one who went trying to mark up my woods! You’re the fucker who tried claiming something that wasn’t yours and you don’t even have a fucking pack?”
“And I don’t want one! Now get out!”
Ryan narrowed his blue eyes again. “Fine. I’ll get out. I honestly have to take care of something before we can do this, anyway.” He motioned between the two of us with his hand then put both hands on his hips. “Actually, I need to take care of someone.” He glared back at me. “But you and I are fated to be together. You need to understand that right now! That means you belong to me! Not Keith! You stay away from him.” He strode toward the door, those thick thighs moving that large bulge in the front of his pants from side to side. Damn, I wanted to taste that, my own arousal taking back over my body. I suddenly realized where my gaze had wandered and quickly blinked back up to Ryan’s face. He was flushed. “Don’t tease me. I will take you right here and now.” His voice was gruff and rumbly.
My heart thrilled. Yes! Take me! But that was just my wolf and my dick trying hard to take over my brain. Luckily, I was still pissed. “Like I’d let you.” I glared hard at him.
Once again, the man’s countenance relaxed. “I suppose we can do this right.” He closed his eyes for a moment and when they came back open I could tell he was back under control. “I, as Alpha, need to do this right. First Amanda, then you. Expect me to call on you tomorrow night.” And he was gone.
Amanda? Who the fuck was Amanda?
And call on me? Are you kidding me? Like what, a fucking date?
Crap.
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