Tag: Writing Community
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Point of View (Podcast Episode #5)
I’m super excited to be back with another podcast. In this one, I chat about why I write in deep third point of view and how I choose characters for each scene. I hope you enjoy it! Links mentioned in this one: A Study of Ash & Smoke purchase links: https://yolandiehorak.com/books/a-study-of-ash-smoke A Trial of Sparks […]
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My Publishing Journey (Podcast Episode #4)
In this episode, I talk about why I chose to indie publish my books, and some of the obstacles I’ve faced along the way. 🙂 The links mentioned: Nerine Dorman, author and editor: https://nerinedorman.wordpress.com/editing/ My Patreon (LuminLore): https://www.patreon.com/luminlore Episode 4: And just in case you’d prefer to read the episode: *Music* Hello, and welcome to […]
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A 2021 Writing Update
This is a bit weird, I’ll concede. It’s mid-August and I’m posting a writing update that will cover all of 2021 so far. The timing is wonky, but it’s been a wonky kind of year. For the greater part of 2021, I was unable to write. There were moments in between, a week here and […]
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Why I Write (Podcast Episode #2)
I’m really excited about this second podcast episode! I had so much fun recording it for you, and I hope you love it too. So, we’re talking about what drives me when it comes to writing, but let’s keep the conversation going! What drives you to chase your passion pursuit? Please let me know in […]
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On Gaslamp Fantasy and Steampunk (Podcast Episode #1)
It’s official, I’ve started a podcast. I recorded a test episode for my patrons (who will receive an exclusive episode every month) and worked up the confidence to record my first ‘public’ episode. I really hope you enjoy it! Just in case you’d prefer to read it rather than listen, this is how it goes: […]
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Writing During a Pandemic
After writing for over a year, I finally finished A Curse of Venom & Scales on the 6th of May. Once I’ve finished a book, I’m usually a bundle of excitement. I almost immediately start plotting the next book in the series, and I gush to everyone who will listen about my upcoming novel. This […]
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My First Buddy-Write Session
I mean, not my first. I’ve written in sprints and have had accountability partners before, but this was the first time I wrote during a zoom sesh. My partner was the ever-fabulous J.R. Rainville, one of my fellow Skolion members, who remains one of the greatest sources of encouragement and support during my writing (and […]
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Down the Rabbit Hole, We Go
As a writer, I have to know about writing, tropes, self-editing, working with professional editors, and that kind of thing. The obvious stuff. What they don’t tell you when you enter this rabbit hole, is you also have to know about cover trends, blurbs, sensitivity readers, trigger warnings, marketing, and how to unravel the algorithms […]
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Hello
It’s me. I’m still on a high after Friday’s release of A Trial of Sparks & Kindling. I honestly still can’t get over the fact that I now have two books out there. Two. It’s surreal. Maybe it’s because of this high that I have the energy to blog. 🙂 I’m not going to lie, […]
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About Yesterday…
So, yesterday. One of my author buddies, Suneé le Roux, posted the book trailer for her upcoming novel, Myth Hunter, on Facebook. Seeing the video reminded me that I started working on a book trailer for A Trial of Sparks & Kindling aaaaaages ago, and promptly forgot about it. Here’s a disclaimer for you. This […]
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Growing Out a Pixie Cut & Other Random Tales
Hey, I’m growing out my pixie. My hair is now at that awful stage where it’s really thick in the back and not yet long enough to make a ponytail–which, by the way, it the only reason I’m growing it out. I love the pixie cut, make no mistake, but short hair is a lot […]
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Art Inspired By A Trial of Sparks & Kindling
I mentioned a while back that I’d commissioned the epic Doodleeeeeeeee to create a doodle artwork inspired by my favourite line in A Trial of Sparks & Kindling. Doodleeeeeeeee (check out this awesome insta account) worked fast, and I got to see this artwork last weekend. And let me tell you, it blows my mind. […]
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I Haven’t Left the House in 9 Days
What I miss is walking. Up until last Friday, I walked every single day. Making my steps was important to me, so I made sure I made them. Then my kid woke up sick. Last Sunday, while I’d been up since before dawn to write, the house had been quiet. I’d expected just another day, […]
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Tales from Self-Isolation
Honestly, as someone who spends the greater part of her day typing away in the basement and avoids going out as far as possible, this isn’t much different than business as usual for me. Sure, my kid isn’t going to school, so I can now get up at odd hours to write and pass out […]
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Fangirling
You know the writing is at that intense stage when I can’t sleep in on a weekend. For the third morning in a row, I was up at 5. On Friday and Saturday, I tried (in vain) to fall asleep again, and finally got up at 7. This morning, I held out until 6, then […]
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Rot – An Illness Based on the Bubonic Plague
A major plot arc in A Study of Ash & Smoke is about a mysterious plague that breaks out in the kingdom of Aelland. Under normal circumstances, it shouldn’t be strange that an unknown illness spreads to a new kingdom, except Aelland is closed off from the rest of the world by an impenetrable forcefield, […]
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This Post Comes to You in Four Parts
Totally paraphrasing John Green there. 🙂 DFTBA, people. Anyway. Part One – Writing By last Tuesday, I had five complete chapters written for Book 3. By last Friday, I’d rewritten all five. That’s all fine and dandy, but now I’m stuck on chapter 6, which I’ve rewritten no less than three times, and poor chapter […]
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Five Easy Ways to Combat Writer’s Block
Ah, writer’s block. The bane of many a writer’s existence. It’s that feeling of shock and having no direction when the inspiration suddenly runs out. It happens to all of us at one point or another, so we all know it’s real. Personally, I just don’t believe in it. Yes, having no inspiration is a […]
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On Perspective
Just the other day, my fellow blogger and author, SM Mitchell, asked me for my thoughts on impostor syndrome for a blog post. This is the quote she included from yours truly: “No critic can tell you how much is wrong with what I’ve written better than I can. It’s so hard for me to […]
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Let’s Write – Common Mistakes
Welcome back to another post in our self-editing miniseries. It’s been a hot minute since we last talked about this, so if you want to catch up on the first three posts, here are the links. The Basics of Self-Editing The Structural Edit (pt 1) The Structural Edit (pt 2) Today, we’re going to have […]
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How AHA moments changed A Study of Ash & Smoke
We all have little aha moments while writing. Those moments come to us either through brainstorming, talking to others about our work, feedback from betas or editors–heck, even the most random of places–but those aha moments spark the changes in the story that pull everything together. You could probably guess I had plenty of aha […]
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Wake Me Up When September Ends
Well, I’m back. I’m happy to inform you the two blog-free weeks haven’t been spent in vain, as the first draft of A Trial of Sparks & Kindling is officially done. Did that read first draft? What I really mean is first complete draft. You see, it’s the fifth version of the document on my […]
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My Favourite Character Trope: The Lovable Rogue
The way to hook this reader is easy. Write a character who is always dressed to impress, has the wildest charm and self-confidence, flirts with everyone, says things the protagonist thinks but would never utter, and is willing to take the quickest route to get the job done–even if that means doing morally questionable things. […]
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So You Got a Bad Review
Or maybe your beta reader/s had some less than ideal feedback. You’re freaking out, and don’t know how to handle this negative take on your book baby. I wrote a post about writing a review the other day, and I’ve also written something about being a beta reader and how to give feedback. Then, last […]