I am extremely delighted to welcome my dear friend and member of Rave Reviews Book Club who is stopping by from her Book Tour to grace us with her presence today.
Say Hello to Jan Sikes!
MY GIVEAWAYS
(2) e-book copies of GHOSTLY INTERFERENCE
FIVE BEST BITS OF WRITING ADVICE
Hello, and thank you so much for hosting me here today as I wind down my Ghostly Interference blog tour. It’s an honor to be your guest. Also, I want to announce that Ghostly Interference is on sale through January 22nd!
Someone in an interview once asked me if I had any writing advice to share with others. I had to think about that for a while. Over the past seven years as a published author, I have learned SO much. So, yes, I do have some tips I’d like to share with you here today. Not everything works for everyone, but I hope you can take away some tidbit to encourage or validate you in your writing process.
1. Trust in yourself is the number one bit of advice I can give. You’ve been given a story idea for a reason. Trusting in yourself to turn that idea into a wonderfully told story is vital. Doubts can plague us and tell us we aren’t good enough or smart enough or that we don’t have enough time. Ignore all of that. Nothing could be further from the truth. Trust the process and trust yourself to deliver.
2. Don’t look at a novel as a whole once you have the story’s main plot firmly in your mind. If you do, it can be overwhelming and can stop you in your tracks. Instead, focus on one line, one paragraph, one chapter at a time, and before you know it, you’ll have a complete book. It’s sort of like putting a puzzle together. When you dump a thousand jumbled pieces out onto a table, it can first appear as an impossible quest. But when you just start and fit one piece at a time, you will make progress. The scene will come together before your eyes.
3. Try to work on your story a little bit every day. I know sometimes life can get in the way. That’s normal. But if you can’t physically work on it, at least work on it in your mind. Envision scenes and how you want them to unfold. Listen to your characters and flesh out nuances that will deepen them. Live with your characters and their emotions. Let the story consume you.
4. Some say write and don’t edit until you are finished. I don’t do that. I exchange chapters with my sister and with my critique partners as I go. While I’m not sure it qualifies as editing, feedback can be invaluable in the story plot or character development throughout the process. It is what I prefer. It’s much easier to fix a plot hole as you go rather than having to do a rewrite. It’s different when I write short stories, as I complete them before sending them for critique. But for novels, I prefer the critiquing as I go method.
5. Let your manuscript rest once you finish it. This is probably the most valuable piece of advice I can give. It is amazing what you can see with fresh eyes. The experts recommend that you let your finished work sit for at least a week before returning to edit it. I prefer two weeks to let my brain totally disengage. Taking this time guarantees a more polished and more in-depth story.
I hope you took something away from my hard-earned lessons in writing. There are so many other aspects that I could include, like making sure you hire a professional editor and creating a cover that conveys a promise to your reader. But I wanted to focus on the creation part of the writing process today.
I’d love to hear from you. What have you learned that we can benefit others?
BOOK BLURB
Jag Peters has one goal in his quiet, comfortable life—to keep his karma slate wiped clean. A near-miss crash with a candy apple red Harley threatens to upend his safe world. He tracks down the rider to apologize properly. Slipping into a seedy biker bar, he discovers the rider isn’t a “he”, it’s a “she”, a dark-haired beauty.
Rena Jett is a troubled soul, who lives in a rough world. She wants no part of Jag’s apology, but even while she pushes him away, she is attracted to him. When he claims to see a ghost—her brother—can she trust him? And could her brother’s final gift, a magical rune stone with the symbol for “happily ever after” have the power to heal her wounds and allow opposites to find common ground—perhaps even love?
BOOK TRAILER LINK: https://youtu.be/NHaLVSe_flI
BOOK PURCHASE LINKS:
AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/Ghostly-Interference-White-Rune-Sikes-ebook/dp/B08KW1KFMW/
BARNES & NOBLE: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ghostly-interference-jan-sikes/1137871003?
KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/ghostly-interference
iTUNES: https://books.apple.com/us/book/ghostly-interference/id1535082886
GOOGLE PLAY: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=PCwNEAAAQBAJ
JAN SIKES
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS
http://www.facebook.com/AuthorJanSikesBooks
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00CS9K8DK (Author Page)
To follow along with the rest of the tour, please visit the authors’ tour page on the 4WillsPublishing site for the additional stops that are all going on today. If you’d like to book your own blog tour and have your book promoted in similar grand fashion, please click HERE. Thanks for supporting these authors and their work!
Shirley Harris-Slaughter 
Pingback: BOOK TOUR Ended – GHOSTLY INTERFERENCE @WildRosePress – Writing and Music
Hi, Jan! I love following your blog tours because I learn something each time. I wrote my first five books without any feedback from anyone, and it WAS a pain to have to practically rewrite each of them. I’ve learned to love the process of sharing chapters as I go, getting great feedback and catching plot holes before they become sink holes. All your advice is great! Thank you. And I loved your book!
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Hi, Patty. It’s so much better when we don’t have to walk this journey alone. I’m so glad you stopped by and that you enjoyed the post!
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Great blurb for Ghostly Interference, Jan! 🙂 Thanks for the writing tips too!
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Thank you, Bette!
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Your blurb is certainly enticing, Jan, and your output is simply amazing! When I entered Barnes & Noble (masked, of course), for the first time in over a year, I noticed that suspense thrillers and paranormal are all the rage now. You have the right genre, a super cover, and superb content. That I know from previous books. Yay, Jan!
I like the advice to letting the writing settle for awhile. I just wrote an essay for publication and gave it to my husband to read. Although he is not a NYT best-selling author, he witnessed the events. I guess that counts for something! @martabeaman @RRBC @JanSykes3
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Hi, Marian. Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment. I haven’t been inside a book store since the pandemic hit but would love to browse and see what is selling. I’m glad you enjoyed the cover and blurb. I appreciate your support!
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Hi Marian. Thanks for stopping by and adding to the conversation.
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Great advice! I hope you had a great tour. I’m catching up from yesterday as my day job got in the way.
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Hi, Charles. Thanks for stopping by. I totally understand about the day job. 🙂 Necessary, but often annoying. I appreciate your support!
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Great advice here, Jan! As an editor, I especially appreciate #5. Letting the book “sit” for awhile is important. So many writers are in a hurry to get their book out there. Rushing the process never ends well!
Thanks for hosting, Shirley!
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Hi, Susan. Thanks for stopping by! #5 is a lesson I had to learn the hard way. It’s amazing to me how different a story appears if we distance ourselves from it for a little while, then go back and read.
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Hi Jan, Hi Shirley,
Jan, I agree, I agree, I agree!!! What else can I say. Yes, life does get in our way and hit us hard, but don’t stop writing. Sometimes the stories that I write are my sanity.
Let your manuscript rest. I mean after finishing, put it aside for a month and start your revising afterward. I am always amazed at how my story begins to shape up and even take another surprising turn.
Shirley, thank you so much for being a host to Jan.
Wishing both of you a great 2021.
Shalom aleichem
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Hi Pat. Good to see you. Resting our minds make good sense. We have to take a break. That goes with anything we do.
Thanks for being so supportive.
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You said it, Pat. I’ve had that happen as well – the story taking a surprising turn after letting it rest. That’s part of the fun and excitement of writing! Thank you for stopping by!
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Shirley, thanks for hosting. And Jan, loved reading all that wonderful advice. I know I do find it helpful to let a story “sit” for a few weeks when I am done writing. Then, editing and rewriting can begin. Thanks for being so generous with that hard-earned advice!
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Thanks for stopping by Maura Beth.
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My pleasure, Maura Beth. I appreciate you stopping by and leaving a comment!
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Hi Jan, I totally relate to your comparison with the jigsaw puzzle!!!
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Thanks, Wendy. It definitely paints a picture. I appreciate you stopping by!
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Thank you, Shirley, for hosting Jan’s new book today. Congrats, Jan, on your new accomplishment!
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Thanks so much, Joy!
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Joy thank you for always being so supportive.
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I share your views! I am working on my book even if it looks like I am vacuuming or washing dishes or doing laundry. When particularly good ideas strike, I take a second to jot down notes so I don’t lose my train of thought. 😊
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I love that, Marie! You get what I’m talking about! Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment! I appreciate your support!
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Marie I do the same thing when not writing. Even in my sleep.
I’m glad to see you.
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Jan, good advice! I, too, use my wife to critique each of my chapters and her feedback is always invaluable. I like your suggestion of letting it sit for a couple of weeks and then revisiting it with a fresh and clear mind. I’ll have to do that with the book I have currently in process.
Thank you Shirley for hosting this special tour day for Jan. You are marvelous!
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Thank you, thank you John. I’m so glad you are here to support Jan. You are such a supportive member.
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Hi, John! I’m so glad that something made sense to you. How wonderful to have your wife as a critique partner. I hope she is like my sister and brutally honest. 🙂 Oh, I can’t wait to see what new story you have in store for us! Thank you for stopping by!
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This is very good advice, Jan, especially the bit about letting a book rest. Even with short stories I feel I improve them a lot when I revisit them after a short period. Thanks for hosting, Shirley. I hope you are having a good week.
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Hi, Robbie. Thank so much for stopping by and I’m happy you enjoyed the post. It’s always good to read our work with fresh eyes and amazing what we can find. Have a great day and than you for your support!
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Hi Robbie. Yes, even though I’m multi tasking, which can drive me crazy, I am having a good week with my hubby. Bad one as far as our country goes, but hopefully, people in Congress will come to their senses and bring the country back to some degree of calm.
Thanks Robbie for being a wonderful support for Jan.
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This is such great advice, Jan. It’s terrific that you exchange your writing with your sister. Does she write as well? She’s a valuable partner. I also like the suggestion that we should put our writing aside for a short time when we think it’s “done.” I think the temptation is to wipe one’s brow and say, “Whew! That’s done! Hit the publish button!” Looking forward to reading your latest!
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Hi, Wanda. Thank you for stopping by. I’ll answer your first question. Yes, my sister is a USA and NY Times bestselling author, so she makes a great critique partner! 🙂 I’m glad you found my suggestion to let your work rest of help. You are so right in that the temptation is strong to his the publish button right away, but it’s wise to wait and read it again with fresh eyes. I hope you enjoy “Ghostly Interference” and thank you for your support!
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Hi Wanda. I also think the point about resting makes a lot of sense. I think the business of writing and doing your editing after you are done is up for debate. I’m with Jan. Do what is comfortable for you. I can’t resist the temptation to fix it when I see it, but I will re-think it.
Thank you for joining Jan today. You are so supportive.
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Pingback: BOOK TOUR Final Stop! GHOSTLY INTERFERENCE @4WillsPub @4WP11 @RRBC_Org @1rburkey @ChuckWesJ @SusanneLeist @shirleyharrislaughter @ @wildrosepress @RRBC_Org @RRBC_RWISA @Tweets4RWISA – Writing and Music
Shirley you posted an awesome piece. Jan, your advise is great! Thanks
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Roxy, thank you.
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Thank you for visiting, Rox. It seems I’m full of advice today. 🙂 I hope someone takes away a tidbit that is helpful! I appreciate your support!
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Hi, Shirley. Thank you so much for hosting today. Your support of other authors makes my heart warm. I am so happy to be a part of our RRBC family! I hope you have a blessed day!
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Welcome Jan and I am happy to host you. Have a great tour!
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This is great advice, Jan! Thanks for hosting her, Shirley! 🙂
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Good morning, Yvette. Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving a comment today. I appreciate your support!
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Hi Yvette. Thank you for being so supportive as always.
Have a great day and don’t fall off the bus.
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Jan, thanks for sharing your tips! There’s a newbie author out there who really needed to read this today and will be greatly helped by these!
Shirley, thanks so much for hosting but the 4WillsPub promo trailer isn’t part of this post…it’s part of the email signature. Would you please remove it from Jan’s post?
Thanks, Shirley! Have fun, Jan!
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Hi, Nonnie. I truly hope my hard-learned lessons can be of help to someone else. I would have valued this advice many years ago. Thank you for leaving a comment and a big thank you to 4 Wills Publishing for hosting this last leg of my blog tour!
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Nonnie i should have gotten a clue when I had to figure out how to post the 4WillsPub video. Usually, you provide the link. Oh well, I got carried away.
Thanks.
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