Charlene Perry
Trilogy!!!
Sweet mother of dragons, it's done! What started as a daydream I couldn't get out of my head has finally come together in the completed Wings of Fate trilogy! What I love most about these books is all they have taught me. You can learn all day about craft, study grammar until your head aches, and read the greatest novels ever written... but there is no substitute for the immense learning curve that comes with starting and finishing your own novel. Or three.
When I think about these stories, I think about all the things I would do differently if I could start over. Maybe they would be better, maybe not.
I'd write the description first. You know that little bit that goes on the back of the book, the jacket, or on the Amazon purchase page? Yeah. That little monster is a pain in the butt. Writing it first, however, has a lot of perks! It helps you stay on track, knowing the struggles and goals of your characters clearly and simply. It really is surprising how summing up an entire novel in a few chapters shows you plot holes you never would have spotted otherwise. You can hang it on the wall in your writing room (closet), for direction and inspiration! Writing it first also gives you something to share, which will hopefully get your future readers excited.
I'd secure my covers first. If you're buying your covers on a budget, you'll eventually find yourself scrolling through pages and pages of shirtless men, trying to find the one that matches your hero just right. Okay, so it wasn't the worst job I've ever had... but it would have been much more efficient to pick the model first, then design my hero in his image! Would have saved me hours... all those abs...
I'd write with the door closed. This is something I read in Steven King's novel On Writing. It has given me a new freedom that I hadn't known I needed. Write your first draft with the door closed... no one will ever see it, it is for you and you alone. Write the second draft with the door open... editing and tweaking to form your work into something your ideal reader will love. I spent so long on that first book because I was sharing it chapter by chapter, and because I was constantly thinking about what people would think when they read it. Now, I give myself permission to write pure crap with the door closed! Strangely enough, when I go back to re-read, the crap is kind of decent after all.
To those of you that have read these books... thank you!
To those that liked them... awesome; just awesome!
And to those that take the time to leave a review... your effort is more appreciated than you will ever know. Good or bad, thank you from the bottom of my heart!
https://www.books2read.com/Wings-of-Fate
https://www.books2read.com/Wings-of-Fate-Set
