Author Inspiration and This Week’s Writing Links

This week I finally (huge stress on that word) got back to my WIP. I had been so busy updating my site, doing beta reads, editing, submitting to an anthology, and marketing (not to mention dealing with all my “real life” stuff), that it took a back seat for a while.

The time away gave me a fresh perspective. I ended up changing my outline, which is tedious work in and of itself. It also took more time away from my writing, but that was okay, because when I got back to it, the plan was more solid and I didn’t have to try to figure out where I was or what went next. Time well spent, all things considered.

One thing I did notice, though. I somehow forgot how to write romance. Or rather, romantic scenes. None of the words I chose were right. Everything sounded stilted and forced. I was vexed. (I vented in my Facebook group, which I’d love to have you join. If you’re interested, click here.)

Talking about it helped. Hearing commiseration and advice helped, too. It was probably just a bad day, because all is right in my Medici world now. (Well, actually, $#!% has hit the fan and all is going wrong, but that’s “right” in the writing process.)

Once I got the scene fixed, all the other words began to flow. It was beautiful. (Sure hope my readers agree!)

This book marks the end of this particular series, and it may be my last romance novel, at least for a while. The project I have in mind for my next series is darker in tone. If that’s the one I go with, I won’t have to worry about “those” scenes.

That’s not to say I no longer enjoy reading or writing romance novels. I do. But I’m not a romance writer. I’m a writer. Period. I have lots of stories to tell. And romances have their place. Just consider this week’s quote, and you’ll understand why I like them so much.

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And now, this week’s writing links:

Short Fiction/WP DP Challenge Links

• Saturday | The Case of the Disappearing Socks
• Sunday | Novel Excerpt from Body Armor
• Monday | A Tall Tail… er, Tale
• Wednesday | Fog
• Thursday | Not Exactly Classic Symphony

Links to My Posts/Posts on Sites I’m Affiliated With

• Monday | Story Empire | Drip Campaigns
• Tuesday | The Write Stuff | Excerpt Week—Medici Protectorate Series
• Wednesday | Story Empire | It’s in the Stars… or Not
• Thursday | AIW Press | Research—A Necessary Evil
• Friday | Story Empire | Curated Writing Content

Once again, thanks for visiting. I hope you find these links entertaining and/or useful.

In the meantime, before you go, if you had a favorite story or post, tell us why. If the quote of the week spoke to you, we’d like to know. Feel free to weigh in on any of this content down below.

Enjoy your weekend!