The Authorpreneur Blog
Amelia D. Hay is a virtual writing and business coach for fiction writers and the host of The Authorpeneur Podcast. Every week, on this blog, she will teach you how to develop a story idea, create compelling characters and outline your novel. Learn how to write your first draft, revise your story, self-publish, establish your author platform, and reach readers. In her, Behind the Scenes Podcast Diary (BTS) she shares an honest account of her journey to self-publishing her novels.
BTS002: How I’m Revising My Murder Mystery Novella
I’m going to keep this behind the scenes podcast diary short and sweet and just stick to all things writing, revision, and book related. So, this week, revision became my new reality. I stuck to my goals to revise Immunity and overcame a revision obstacle. Do you struggle with revision? Do you sometimes face a revision obstacle that seems difficult to overcome? If so, then this podcast diary is for you.
TAP011, Plotting vs Pantsing: How to Decide Whether to Plot or Pants Your Novel
Are you struggling to decide whether you should plot or pants your novel? If you’ve been a writer for longer than a quick minute, then you already know the debate between plotting vs pantsing is fierce. Before you decide whether to plot or pants your novel, you need to consider how you learn. It’s important to understand why these options for work for some writers and not others. If you’ve ever wondered, how to decide whether to plot or pants your novel, then this is for you.
BTS001: Writing Goals for October 2017
Over the past few weeks, I’ve noticed a disturbing trend in my productivity as a writer since I returned from my wedding in Australia. I’m becoming less and less productive. The reason for the decline in my productivity is simple. I’ve dropped a few great habits that served me well in the first half of the year.For the sake of productivity and developing great habits, today I’m going to share with you my writing goals for October.
Mistakes You Need to Avoid When Writing Multiple Novels at Once
Have you ever wonder how to some authors seem to have a knack for writing multiple novels at once? Well, I have a confession to make. I am one of those crazy writers. It’s not uncommon for me to have multiple projects on the go. In this blog post, I’m going to share with you my successes and failures, and I manage writing multiple novels at once.
Should you write a novel in 30 days?
Should you write a novel in 30 days? Or, in my case three days of outlining and eighteen days of writing. This week I performed the first ever read through of my prequel novel. And, let’s say there are some great scenes in the story and some not so great scenes. Unfortunately, there is a lot of the not-so-great variety.
How to Find Time to Write a Novel: 8 Tried and Tested Tips
So, you have a great idea for a novel but you’re struggling to find time to write. You have Work, children, family things, social commitments all vying for your attention but, you still haven’t found the time to write that novel. Months have rolled by and you haven’t started working on your story idea. Have you ever wondered how other writers and authors find time to write?
TAP010, How to Create Conflict in a Story (Part Two)
So, you’ve recently discovered that your story is lacking conflict. And now you’re wondering: how can I create conflict in a story? And, where can you add more conflict into your story?
TAP009, The 5 Types of Story Conflict
You’ve fleshed out your story idea and you’ve suddenly realised that your story is lacking conflict. Don’t worry this is normal. Right now, you’re probably asking yourself two questions. What are the 5 types of story conflict? And, how do you add more conflict in a story?
Top 4 Productivity Apps for Writers
Are you struggling to keep on top of your to-do list or even just, to get things done? Or, are you looking for productivity apps for writers? Perhaps it’s just old age talking, but every year we attempt to fit more things into our lives. We try to have it all, and as a result, we turn to the latest trends in productivity to help us achieve our goals. Sound familiar? If you’re trying to get more done in the same amount of time, then you’ve probably tried many different products with not much success. So, before you buy or download another product, I want to share with you, my top four productivity apps for writers.
TAP008, How to Flesh Out a Story Idea into a Synopsis (Part Two)
So, you’ve created an idea for your story that you can’t wait to write. But, you’re feeling stuck and don’t know how to flesh out a story idea. It’s at this point that you start to realise that writing a novel is a much harder task then you first imagined. This realisation is perfectly normal. It’s the result of focusing on a grand goal instead of the next step along the path. And, this is exactly what you need to do when you flesh out a story idea. You need to focus on the next step, not writing the first chapter of your book or even creating an outline for your novel. Before you start planning or writing by the seat of your pants, you need to flesh out your story idea into a synopsis.
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My Books
A Body is on the Lawn, and a Killer is on the Loose
When Will Thatcher, doesn’t show up for work, James Lalonde is forced to attend an afternoon tea with Alistair Carmichael in his place. The lovely autumn afternoon tea comes to an abrupt end when a body turns up on the lawn of the Carmichael Estate with strange markings on his neck.
But, something is missing, a priceless painting is off the wall. However, it’s no ordinary painting, it’s a Van Gogh purchased in an auction a few months ago. After discovering fresh tracks, most likely left by the murderer James realises the murder is still in the estate.
Can James figure out who the thief and murderer are before he or Alistair is next?
A Murdered Judge. A Dark Secret Silenced.
Rookie reporter James Lalonde is bored. And, he isn’t a journalist. He’s an all-round dogs-body, to editor-in-chief, Rhys Kelly. But, his luck has finally changed. After eavesdropping in on the morning editorial meeting, James learns he has his first-ever story. There’s one catch. If the story gets too complicated, it will be taken away from him and given to another journalist with more experience. Sure it’s a boring interview with the soon to be sworn-in magistrate, Albert Harrington, but it finally gets him out of his six-month slump as an editorial research assistant.
The following day, James turns up to his interview with Albert to discover a trail of blood smeared through Albert’s house, an empty safe, the murder weapon on the floor, but no body. Detective Anwar Khan turns up to the crime scene, puts two and two together, and believes James murdered the controversial magistrate. Can James clear his name and write his first-ever story before his editor takes it away from him?
$2.99
Excalibur is Missing. A Killer is on the Loose. One Reporter is Determined to Uncover the Truth.
James has a nose for trouble. But that’s nothing new. This time, things are different–his life is on the line. James is the chief editor of a small newspaper. It’s hardly captivating work. He’s bored. But all of that is about to change.
Late one evening, he returns home to discover his long-time girlfriend and journalist, Valentine, has left. Early the next morning, James fails to reallocate her assigned story. To avoid blank space in the culture section and losing his job, he decides to write the story on the local museum’s latest acquisition, Excalibur. But, there’s one thing he didn’t count on–Excalibur is missing, and a dead body is at the crime scene.
If you love gripping cloak and dagger mysteries with twists and turns, then you’ll love this first instalment in the James Lalonde Amateur Sleuth Mystery series. Get it now.
$2.99
What I’m Writing Now!
Final Draft
86,532 of 85,000 Words
Yesterday, I sent Duplicity off for proofreading. Yay! And I’ve set up preorders for this novel on Kobo, B&N, and Google Play with a release date of the 24th of November 2022. And, I will be making this novel available for free to my James Lalonde Insiders reader club. You can become an insider here.
Publishing Updates
First Draft
0 of 60,000 Words
I’ve decided to add an extra book between the second book and the start of the byline series, where James arrives in New York. Book Three will be set in a 24 hour period in London. This novel will be available in ebook on all major ebook retailers by the end of mid 2022. And, the paperback editions soon after. I will be making this novel available for free to my James Lalonde Insiders reader club. You can become an insider here.
Revised Draft
112,960 of 99,000 Words
Book Four the James Lalonde series needs one final round of revisions before I can hand it off to my editor. This longer novel will be published on all major ebook retailers in early 2023. And, the paperback editions soon after. I will be making this novel available for free to my James Lalonde Insiders reader club. You can become an insider here.
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