Authors Challenge 2019 - April Edition

The AuthorsChallenge2019 (April edition) writing challenge was hosted by Debra Torres. You can check out her IG page and DM her if you wish to join the current challenge. She hosts it every month.

The video selfie for day one can be viewed on my IG profile at the IGTV link (or just watch it below...). I don't know how long those videos stay up. I linked them to the IGTV videos in my profile, but I don't know if I did it right and the signal is too iffy to check. If it doesn't work, I'll be uploading the bio video to YouTube as soon as I can get it stitched together with the one from Day 3 of the #wwfchallenge2019. We had terrible weather yesterday and it knocked out our internet service.

This challenge is hosted by @debratorreswrites and here's the list of prompts for days 1 - 4.

• Day 1 - Video Selfie - Introduce yourself in a video selfie. (I did a part 1 and part 2 since I had another prompt similar to this one in another of the challenges I took on.

• Day 2 - WIP Pet or Animal - I chose to highlight the griffi and the drakmaugh for this challenge. My griffi differs from a gryphon in that the back end is still more like a bird than a lion.
• Day 3 - What if...? - While editing last month, I thought, "What if Ili and Tam are Liha's brothers or cousins or something? They are also gold...it's a possibility.
• Day 4 - Short Scene or Segment- I shared a scene from Ripples, so I'm only sharing the cover photo here.
• Day 5 -  Ecourage a Writer - I tagged several of my author connections on IG. You should check out their websites & blogs. Mrs. D.K. Miller, Mrs. D. Davis, C.H. Knyght, Willow Editing, Brandy Henry, Elizabeth D. Marie, & Regina Felty. They are all writers, creatives, and multi-talented ladies who have encouraged me immensely. I've linked to their websites where I was able. Otherwise, their names are linked to their IG accounts, except for one person.
  
  • Regina Felty has written a lovely fiction book which I'm in the middle of right now. And CH Knyght & Elizabeth D Marie have written some awesome independently published fantasy novels. You should definitely check those out. You can find their work on their websites or Goodreads pages. Just click on their names.
  • Elzevera of Willow Editing offers help with self-editing, which is such an important part of any writing project. She offers a mini course you can ask her about, as well as a brand new (as of the time I'm updated this post -- 2020) self-editing course that helps take you through your whole novel to find any problems that need to be fixed.
  • Dori Davis used to write a blog. I'm not certain if she's still doing that because her focus these days has been mostly on home school and teaching French. Still, she's been a joy to have as a friend and has been a great encouragement to me to keep the faith as I keep on going on this life journey.
  • Brandy Henry has written a memoire and is a motivation speaker and social media coach who I had the pleasure of meeting on Instagram. If you need direction in presenting yourself to your audience, definitely visit her site. She's a lovely person who enjoys sharing what she has learned with others.
  • Mrs. Miller taught my 12th grade Language Arts & Literature class. She made slogging through Shakespearean tragedies more fun that it would otherwise have been. She's also been a big help in my writing journey, suggesting helpful books I could check out. Mrs. Miller has written many articles for publications and is also an editor, You can read her blog and check out the info about editing on her website. 
• Day 6 - How I Refuel - YouTube; family; Pinterest; & Coffee Ambiance

•  Day 7 - Writing Mentor - Mrs. Miller has definitely been a helpful mentor, as has my mother. 
• Day 8 - A Favorite Dessert - I love, love, LOVE cinnamon rolls. However, since I'm on a low FODMAP diet, they are off limits for now. At least, they're off limits until I learn how to make them myself.
  
• Day 9 - WIP Theme - I guess the theme of 'Over Land & Under Stone' is mainly to keep walking your path and do it as well as you can, regardless of circumstances surrounding you -- learning how to be an overcomer.
• Day 10 - I wish I wrote that. - I hated this prompt. All our lives we were taught not to covet and envy and I feel like this kind of prompt invites envy and bitterness when it's not necessary, at least where I'm concerned. Each person has their own story to tell. Just because more people enjoy one story and prefer it above others doesn't mean the rest, including mine, are terrible. I just want to write my stories and enjoy what I can do and see how far I can go.
• Day 11 - Odd Book Collection - I don't know how odd this is, but these are the reading books from when I was in 2nd or 3rd grade up to 7th or 8th. The most challenging word was 'Popocatepetl' which I managed to pronounce and wow some of the others in our class. :/ I don't like being put on the spot but I feel like a lot of them just didn't try because it sounded different than anything they'd heard before and they didn't want to sound 'weird'. 
• Day 12 - What I'm Reading - I'm currently reading a Regency romance and a steampunk-ish series. So far, I'm not completely sold on the latter. We'll see.
  
• Day 13 - Urban Setting - The Genzetti who live in the north have built cavern cities which, to be honest, were inspired by every story of dwarf culture I've read about. Being honest again, there weren't that many which I read, but the ones I did inspired me.
  
• Day 14 - Author Shoutout - I'm tagging my daughter on this one. You can check out her poetry on Wattpad by clicking here! 
• Day 15 - This Inspires Me - I created an aesthetic board packed with some pictures which inspired me while writing OLUS. Check out my Pinterest page to see the things which inspire me and spur on my creativity.
  
• Day 16 - My Dream Writing Life - This would consist of a running stream nearby, a cozy house with windows that I could open for fresh air and nature sounds, a fireplace I could nestle beside in the winter to read and drink my evening tea, and a good supply of writing space and books. 
• Day 17 - Favorite Poet - I have a few. Longfellow, Prelutsky, Poe, Shakespeare, and S.M. Kittles top the list.
  
• Day 18 - Paperbacks or ebooks? - Hard back copies, whenever possible. Paperbacks tear and bend too easily. Either way, I prefer physical copies to electronic ones, but the latter are generally more affordable. I definitely have more of those and have built them up over far less time. 
• Day 19 - My Book Pitch - Since I'm self-publishing, I don't pitch my book to publishers. But I do pitch it to potential readers, I suppose.
  

  If you've ever wanted to read a novel before it goes out in finished form, or if you've ever wished you could help an author get rid of those unsightly typos or crazy plot holes, then here's your chance! I'm now uploading chapters of Over Land & Under Stone to Wattpad. (The book is no longer available on Wattpad, though I do have three other stories set in Y'Dahnndrya there.) You'll have the chance to leave feedback on the paragraphs and chapters as you come across issues. And I express my thanks to you most heartily for your help! To those that would say 'I like it' or 'I hate it' and leave it at that, it's nice to know how you are receiving it. But short statements like that don't help me improve my writing much. So if you would, please include a short statement about what you liked or hated and why, and I will endeavor to always improve. Thanks in advance!

• Day 20 - Today I'm Writing... - I read through my novel and noticed there's a lot missing that readers would probably appreciate knowing. I'm trying to fill in those holes in the current revision. That's why the feedback on Wattpad is so important to me right now. I need to know how it all comes across to a reader.
• Day 21 - An Easter Memory - Interestingly enough, I don't have any Easter memories that stand out more than others. Traditionally, we woke up early and went through our baskets. Then we ate breakfast and went to Easter Sunday services at church. When we came home, we usually feasted with family. It was rare to actually hunt eggs on Easter. We always did that at school when there were more children to compete with.
• Day 22 - Join our May challenge!
• Day 23 - Platform Building Tip - Be yourself. I've answered this question before and I'll answer it the same way every time. Don't try to do what others have done unless that fits with who you are in regular daily life. Just be yourself. 
• Day 24 - Word Count Goal - My goal is to get as close to 100k as possible.
  
• Day 25 - Series or stand alone? - I'm writing a series of books that should be able to stand alone until the final book is written. That final book, should pull everything together and complete the story arc. 
• Day 26 - WIP Opening Line - "A mewling cry pierced the air in the grotto." is the opening line of chapter one. However, my story starts with a poem about my MC.
  
• Day 27 - Encouraging Review - I haven't had any reviews yet, but I eagerly await them.
• Day 28 - Dictation - yea or nay? - I'm not against it but I haven't done it much.
  
• Day 29 - Stargazing - I assume this means to 'cast my characters' in which case you can check that out on my Pinterest boards.
  
• Day 30 - Join my email list! - You can do that now if you haven't yet, by check the side bar menu for the link. Or you can click here to open the sign-up page. 

And now for the slideshow!