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New Gay Romance Short Story! (5 Minute Read)
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Tag Archives: writer’s life
The Dark Side of Romance: Abusive Relationships in Fiction
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a sucker for a dark brooding romantic interest. (Team Edward forever.) But I’m also a survivor of multiple abusive relationships, some of them legitimately dangerous. As a romance writer, I’d like to look at the problems with these fictional relationships, and how we can address them in future stories.
Here are the three main issues with dark romance:
- They’re just… misunderstood? Okay, I fall for this one myself, but it’s a serious problem. Oftentimes, the romantic interest in these cases has some traumatic backstory, and this is used as the reason they act so toxic. Yes, a traumatic backstory and conflicting or complex emotions can add to the depth of a character, but if at any point you wonder if this person is capable of actually hurting you… that’s not depth. That’s a red flag. Unfortunately, when we see enough of these fictional relationships, we can ignore red flags in the real world because we have been conditioned to think that our partner is just complex and misunderstood, when really they are just plain abusive.
- They’re doing it because they love me. Controlling behavior in fiction is often seen as a sign that they are protective and they just go about it the wrong way. Like the obsession with knowing where the main character is at all times and even breaking their car or following them when they go out is just a way to keep them safe. Good intentions don’t make stalking and control okay, and if we see enough of this in fiction, it’s easier to dismiss it in real life as just a sign that they are just overprotective. In reality, these behaviors lead to dependence on them and the need to look over your shoulder at all times.
- But I can save them! No, you can’t. And you shouldn’t have to. Of course we should be there for someone we love, even if they are going through some emotional upheaval or processing trauma. But their trauma shouldn’t give you trauma of your own. Too often in fiction, the main character makes extreme personal sacrifices to make the love interest comfortable. In the end, the love interest heals their trauma and it all ends up being worth it. But that’s a fictional story. In the real world, making all these sacrifices will often lead to you giving up more and more of yourself to make the relationship work, and your partner probably won’t work on any of their trauma either. The relationship might end up working, but it won’t be because you saved them. It’ll be because you sacrificed yourself for the relationship.
As writers, we can change these toxic narratives.
We can still have some of the dark traits in the love interest, but we have to include accountability, working on themselves, and the main character should set and enforce boundaries that need to be met for the relationship to continue.
I know, this doesn’t sound as sexy and fun as the usual dark romance relationships where sometimes the danger can be the spark of it, but fiction is a powerful medium, and we should try to be more careful what we write and the repercussions it might have for our readers.
How to Be a Successful Writer: The Secret I Learned in Writing School
What is the secret to being a successful writer?
It’s the question every aspiring author asks themselves. And while personal definitions of success are different for each person, there is one universal rule that you need to succeed in any writing genre.
They never told us this was a rule. They slipped it in, silently every week, until it took over our writing.
What is writing school like?
I studied creative writing for both my bachelor’s and my master’s degrees. And while we were allowed to choose a writing concentration as well as a literary specialization for our reading courses, the classes were, overall, the same.
Each week we had some reading to do, discussions, and some writing assignments. We were writing stories weekly, and sometimes it required writing every day.
And that was the secret skill. The skill that many writers forget how to do:
We were taught how to write anytime, anywhere, and on deadline.
It’s a well-known fact that most writers never finish their first book. Most estimates put it at less than 5% of authors that complete their manuscript.
So, by those odds, you are a successful writer by simply being able to sit down and write.
I’ve met so many writers who tell me they struggle to sit down and write unless they are “in the mood.” But the secret to being a successful writer is to write.
Any day. Any time. Any mood.
Now, go write something.
Happy writing!
My Greatest Fear (As an Author)
I have mixed anxiety and depression, so almost anything can make me anxious. However, there is one thing that cripples my mind and my writing more than anything else.
I only recently started working on this fear, and so far it’s been going well. I’ve been writing and posting more, and I’ve felt more creative and more like myself lately. But even so, this fear still sits heavily on my chest.
So what am I so afraid of?
It’s NOT bad book reviews, or rejection letters from agents.
I have a fear of success.
It comes at me from both sides: part of myself believes I shouldn’t bother trying because I will fail anyway, and the other part of myself believes that even if I did succeed it wouldn’t last long, or I wouldn’t be able to handle the big change in my life that success might cause (like quitting my day job and becoming a full-time writer).
So, I sabotage my own career.
I stop myself from writing, I delete posts and stories that I write, and I trash email submissions of my work.
Is it because I haven’t been successful before?
No.
During the free giveaway weeks for two of my novels, they both were downloaded between 2 to 4 thousand times and reader number one in their categories on Amazon.
I’ve had short stories published through my university, online journals, and one that will be published in an anthology in the UK sometime in the next year.
But, I’ve also had some traumatic publishing experiences, including my family’s attempt to silence my writing career when I published my first debut novel. I was so excited to share my stories, but now I have to write in secret and stay silent around those closest to me when it comes to my stories.
How have I been working on my fear?
By writing something small every day. I set out a schedule for myself that consists of small posts or writing only a page or so a day. The more I check off that list, the more confident I become.
Seeing that nothing bad happens, and celebrating small wins has boosted my confidence and my creativity.
If you suffer from the same fear as me, I highly recommend setting up a simple checklist so you can grow your career one step at a time.
How to Publish a Book on Amazon KDP
So, you’re ready to publish your first book?
First of all, congratulations! Writing a book is the hardest part. In fact, the percentage of authors who actually complete their first manuscript is estimated to be as low as 3%.
But books are made to be read, so if you’re ready to publish your manuscript, keep on reading. Below is a step-by-step guide to publishing your book TODAY!
What is Amazon KDP?
KDP stands for Kindle Direct Publishing. It is a self-publishing platform that is owned by Amazon, which helps your book to reach the audiences that order books and ebooks through Amazon and Kindle.
There is no need for paying for printing because KDP is print-on-demand, so the cost is immediately covered by their share, and you receive the money left over after production.
The percentage of royalties made by the author (you) depends on the format your book is in:
If you publish a paperback, you will receive 60% of the list price leftover after printing cost. That is WAY more than the average royalty for traditionally published paperbacks which usually hovers around 10-15%.
If you publish an ebook, KDP gives you two different distribution options which come with different royalty percentages. The first one is called KDP Select, and it comes with a whopping 70% author royalty. For a book to qualify for Kindle Unlimited it needs to be sold exclusively on Amazon and needs to be prices between $2.99 and $9.99. KDP Select also comes with perks like enrolling your book into Kindle Unlimited and having access to different types of book promotions. All other ebooks will receive a 35% author royalty, which is still considered a great cut for authors.
How to Publish Your Book on KDP
Before you start publishing, make sure you format your book. This should include mirrored margins with a .5 on three sides and a .75 on the internal side. Choose the right font and type size for your book to be easy to read and make sure you have any copyright pages, a table of contents, and any other book format requirements your book needs to be complete.
Once you are ready to publish go to KDP and create an account. When you get to your dashboard you will see options to create your book in either paperback, ebook, or audiobook. (This is a new feature they are still perfecting, and it can only be done with current ebooks for now.)
Here is a list of all of the things you need have ready to input when you publish your book:
- Title and subtitle or series name
- Names of authors, illustrators, editors, or others that worked on the book
- Description of your book (this should be at least 1-2 paragraphs)
- ISBN (This is basically the product number. You can buy your own at Bowker or you can let Amazon assign one to you. Note: If you use Amazon, this will automatically identify your book as being self-published to sellers.)
- Book cover. I recommend Self Pub Book Covers if you don’t want to make your own. If you are creative, Canva has great options for designing book covers.
- Book genre and key words
- Book blurb for the back of the book
- Price you want your book to be listed for
- Manuscript of you book (you should have both a Word document or Google doc and a PDF)
Hopefully, this guide can help you get started publishing today.
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Elizabeth Penn 