Greetings from the cave! 

Can you believe that 2023 will be arriving in three short days from now? Like, the last time I emerged from the cave, it was still...October? 

*checks blog history*. 

Yep, October. 

This may be a long post, but it's an overdue one. If you have been following my newsletter, a lot of this may be repeats of stuff you've heard before. Treat this as an "extended edition", if you will. In it also is updates that I've been promising that I just...never got round to. hehe. 

On with the show! 

An Overall Update

In the beginning of the year, I was really focused on my author platform. I created a new public email, formally separated my personal Gmail, and started creating a much stronger social media presence. In April, I plunged headlong into my very own newsletter through Convertkit. As of this month, it has 26 confirmed subscribers. It doesn't seem like much right now, but I'm grateful for every single one of them. I created a new - and I will say, much more aesthetic looking - Pinterest page (@catherinefemwriter). I've also been steadily working on my Instagram, and decided to also join Discord in the latter part of the year.  

During the latter half of the year, I decided to put my toes in, so to speak, to self-publishing. What I found was that the jungle was much more dense than I thought it was. In August, I wrote a rather convoluted post about which vendors I should sell my books to. Unfortunately, now, this post is quite outdated. Since then, I have done much more research and...let's just say things are even less clear than what they were before. For example, I had said that in ethical concerns, Barnes and Noble seemed to have a slight advantage. I have since discovered that their stores actively (and I've seen this in person, unfortunately) push the occult (i.e. witchcraft, tarot, etc.) in their stores. Which really upsets me because while I want my books to sell, I don't necessarily condone the use of their kickbacks from my books to be used in such a fashion. 

However, I am not alone in this process. Besides having a team of friends who have been through this journey before, I am also seeking additional help. As of January 2023, I will be joining Thy Olive Tree's Self Publishing Academy. I heard about it through both Instagram and LegendHaven, which was an online Catholic writers conference that I attended in November. Using this and other resources will hopefully make 2023 the year I finally publish something. 

One of the highlights of my "writing" year has been to participate in Christine Smith's FallFicFrenzy. I had planned on giving you a proper update throughout the fall using her Know The Novel linkup, but unfortunately, grad school ate up what time I could spare in both November and most of December. As you can imagine, I did not manage to do much writing during that time. But the community was worth their weight in gold. I met many new friends through there, and I really hope that there will be a spring or even winter challenge very soon! 

One thing that has suffered in general has been my blog writing. While I'm certainly not alone in this (I've noticed that blogs have been making a very small comeback since COVID), it still rankles me a little. Probably because of all the hype and broken promises that I've made over the course of this year. And believe me, there has been a LOT of that. I found that with grad school eating up a lot of my time and attention, I was left with a lot of ambition that just couldn't go to fruition. Thanks be to God, I HAVE now graduated with my M.A., and so (for now, anyway), I have a little more time during the days to work on...other things. Including writing. 

Speaking of which...while my journey into publishing and platforms has been quite an adventure, it would be for naught if I didn't have something to show for it in the writing department. Let's see if I have, shall we? 

An Update on my WIPS

I worked on several WIPs this year, which considering the fact that I haven't had much time to write is pretty impressive. While I have given monthly updates through my newsletter mostly, it's great to look at the "big picture" as it were. 

Before we dive into the writing progress, I want to say a brief note about my screenplay idea The Wade Girl. In a previous post, I had mentioned that I had put it on hold because of research problems. Well, I have managed to get the other book I needed a LOT faster than I had hoped! That being said, The Wade Girl is still on hold until some of these other projects can be finished. 

As I also previously mentioned, many of my old WIPs (Ancora Spei, Plain and Simple Truth, and Rose of Culmore) were retired or were placed in hibernation. This left only 3 main WIPs left. They are as follows: 

The White Rose

This is Year 2 of implementing the edits given to me by my editor, Michelle. I started the year with 25,984 words in Draft 4. I ended the year with 34,726 words. 

Having just about 10k in a year - when I know that I can write 100k in that same time, in that same WIP - is kinda frustrating. But it would seem that editing a novel and an intense year of graduate school don't mix well. 

That being said, I have had some small successes. I'll share with you the latest favorite snippet that I have: 

“Just as long as when she is meeting the suitors, that you let her speak for herself.” Queen Carina nodded decisively as she adjusted the folds of her kirsaya.

“A wise piece of advice, my love. So wise, in fact, that I shall bind you to do the same.” King Reijo smiled.

An offended scoff came from the queen. “I do not speak! I may prompt, but...”

“My dear, your ‘prompts’ as you call them, are half of Janina’s speeches. No, I shall make yours and my silence the first “Rule” of our public behavior during this Tournament. After all, ‘what is good for the perch, is good for the bass’, as my father used to say.”

“Those are two different species of fish!”

“Well, men and women are different species as you know, my dear.”

“Scholars don’t say so.”

“My dear, scholars do not deal with commonplace realities.”

Queen Carina groaned as she leaned in close to Janina’s ear. “He will drive me to madness!”

“What, you aren’t halfway there already?” King Reijo said with a straight face and twinkling eyes.

Hidden Seeds

Back in October, I had announced that I was going to be working on my old Rooglewood WIP "Hidden Seeds" and placing it on Wattpad. This would be in conjunction with doing TWR edits for FallFicFrenzy. 

However, I only got about 300 words into the new draft before I realized that the flow was just not coming. My plot was even worse than I remembered, and my characters were less dimensional than I had hoped. I lost interest very quickly and thus decided to put it on hold *again*. Which kinda makes me mad because I know a lot of people were looking forward to seeing it on Wattpad, but I refuse to put out a story that has huge gaps in it. 

Fair Winds

Like I mentioned just a minute ago, I had planned for multiple WIPs during FallFicFrenzy. What I did NOT expect was that a completely different WIP would derail both of my WIPs that I had slated. One might say that they raided and looted the motivation right off the ship. Like a pirate would. 

One day in the car, one of my favorite sea shanties came on. Its one that I've heard several times, so I thought I was safe. But nope, the muse decided to run with it and gave me motivation to look at that draft again and actually do something with it. 

I managed to write 5261 words in this new draft of Fair Winds in about a week. Which is probably the most that I've written in one time for any WIP this year. And then I got a little second-hand depression from my MC's loss of her father and...I was not down for that. So I left it aside to figure out how to lighten the tone. 

2023 Goals 

I firmly believe that 2023 will be the year. Before, I have given hopeful statements about being able to publish, but this is the first year that I can say it with certainty - what with the surprise for TWR coming and my growing support network. 

And so, I will be setting out some goals for 2023. Which of course, are subject to change at a moment's notice....as per the rules around here. 

Finish TWR's edits (Draft 4) 

As you may have guessed by now, I now have a deadline of August 2023. And with the graduate school out of the way, I now have a chance to get some decent headway in. Any additional steps to publication will be added on to this goal as I come to that bridge, so to speak. 

Finish Draft 3 of Fair Winds 

Maybe. I mean, I got a good start on it, so that's helpful. That beginning, though, whew. That's gonna take work. But I've learned from experience that it's always good to have a spare goal, just in case the first one goes way foul. 

And that...wraps up 2022!! I guess I should apologize that this post is so long...and frankly, a little boring...but this is what I get for not blogging for well over two months. Things kinda get a little pent up after a while. 

But I have talked for long enough. I'd love to hear from you guys! What sort of adventures have you been up to? 

Scribblingly yours, 

Catherine

Note to my dear readers: This was supposed to come out well before today. I had been working on this post for an entire week in between school and work and still somehow it never got published. So please excuse the future tense as we move in....

Greetings from the cave! 

Guys! The FallFicFrenzy is set to begin on Saturday!! 

And I am not ready for it. 

(Are we surprised?)

As I have mentioned previously, I'm alternating between two projects this challenge. You all know what the first one is (except maybe a few newcomers, which I will direct to my recent posts) but the second one is one that I haven't talked about in nearly two years. And so, it merits another introduction here on the blog. 

And what better way to do that than with Christine's Know the Novel Linkup??

And considering I haven't done one of these since 2020(?!), I say, it's high time! 

And so, let us commence with the festivities! 

1. What first sparked the idea for this novel?

The first spark for this novel was the Rooglewood Five Poisoned Apples contest in 2017, which was for an anthology of Snow White retellings based off the original Grimm version. Many of my blogging friends at the time were entering into this contest and I wanted to join in the fun. And maybe try to build the author platform a little. 

2. Share a blurb (or just an overall summary)!

This is a perfect opportunity to update the blurb that I have been using for years, lol

Queen Heulwin's death could not have happened at a worse time. 

Just shy of her majority, an angry Princess Eirwen is forced to watch as her father contracts another marriage in order to quell a rebellious people anxious for a male heir. However, the marriage falls apart in the most scandalous of fashions, and the Lady Ceinwen seeks revenge...by the form of blood. 

When a hunting trip turns deadly, Eirwen is forced to flee into a decaying orchard. With the help of a neighboring prince and a cadre of rogues, Eirwen seeks to take back her kingdom. But will the hidden seeds of her anger be advantageous for her cause or will it cause disaster for the kingdom of Glywysing? 

Still not my best blurb ever. 

3. Where does the story take place? What are some of your favorite aspects of the setting?

It takes place in Wales, which is a little unusual for a Snow White retelling. 

Unfortunately, I didn't document online why exactly I chose Wales as a setting. Which is an egregious offense for a novel-writing historian (of all people) to do. Most likely, it's hidden in one of the myriad of notebooks that's currently hiding under my bed. 

However, as I was doing a little bit of digging, I remembered something about...Welsh apples. And so I dug a little further and discovered that apples do get mentioned in Welsh legends, and were a valuable commodity. If I had to guess, I probably went looking into countries with a lot of apple production, and Wales happened to be one of them. Being that it was a semi-familiar culture but *just* different enough, I decided to go for it. 

My favorite aspects of the setting have more to do with the Welsh culture more than the physical setting. Wales is quite pretty though. 

4. Tell us about your protagonist(s).

Princess Eirwen is the oldest child of King Aneirin and the late Queen Heulwen, and she is just about to reach the age of majority. She has really long dark hair, dark eyes and a rather slender 5'5" figure. She may have a stern shell, but she does have a warm heart for those she loves. She is an avid hunter, but she is also a very talented needlewoman. 

5. Who (or what) is the antagonist?

Ceinwen is a suitor of King Aneirin, and the illegitimate half-sister of the Lady Lilliwen, another suitor of King Aneirin. Ceinwen is much younger than Aneirin, which infuriates Eirwen. She has straw-blond hair and is tall and willowy (about 5'8").

6. What excites you the most about this novel?

I think coming back to it has excited me a lot. There were a lot of good things in the snippets that I once wrote and I'm ready to incorporate a plot to this story. 

7. Is this going to be a series? standalone? something else?

This will be a stand-alone work. Unlike most of my other stories, this plot has no continuation - it really is a "happy" ever after. And yes, the "happy" is in quotes for a reason. 

8. Are you plotting? pantsing? plansting?

Plantsing, as usual. I have a working plot summary which I can then write off of. Which really needs to be updated, lol. 

9. Name a few unique elements in this story.

- Wales 

- Illegitimate siblings (which is...an interesting dynamic to deal with in a medieval setting) 

- a motherly step-mother figure

- Anger as a theme rather than just a character fault

10. Share some fun “extras” of the story (a song or full playlist, some aesthetics, a collage, a Pinterest board, a map you’ve made, a special theme you’re going to incorporate, ANYTHING you want to share!).

I've been sharing my avatars throughout the post, but I have a few more extras here. 

I have a shiny new Pinterest board that I can share: 

And then I have a Spotify playlist (fair warning, there is a lot of Welsh music in here): 

And that concludes the post! I'm very excited to start writing this story on Saturday, and for you to see it as it occurs on Wattpad rather than being in the background. 

And now, I would like to know....what stories are you working on this fall? 

Scribbingly yours, 

Catherine

Greetings from the cave! 

Yes indeed, the Motherly Writer has struck again with her motherly metaphors. I can't help myself, lol. 

Recently, I've been sprucing up my WIPs page. Those of who who have been around for a while know that for up to this moment I have 9 active WIPs. Some of these are novels, some are novellas and others...who knows what they were intended for. 

But 9 WIPs is a LOT to juggle for even a full time writer. And I certainly am not that. Heck, TWR alone is keeping the muse busy enough as it is, even if she's being sulky at the moment. 

So, I've made the decision to "retire" some of the old WIPs off of my WIP page. Many of them have had little or no progress in over five years, nor is there any plans in the near future to pick them back up. Therefore, it is not conducive or relevant for me to have them on the page. 

I think, if I must be brutally honest with myself, that I have been holding on to these past WIPs a lot more than I should have. I felt that since I talked about them, I should keep them. But keeping those stories around is like having a to-do list, when in my heart, I know that I don't have the capacity to do much with them. 

This is not to say that these WIPs couldn't be picked up at a later time, whenever the rebellious muse decides to strike. This just means that they're going down for a nap. They, like the little toddlers that they are, will decide when they will get up again. 

The WIPs I have decided to retire fully are: 

Ancora Spei: 

This WIP was created for a school project and it was basically an exercise in world-building. I did create a plot for it back in the day, but it has not aged very well. And, to be honest, my opinion of utopian literature has soured in that time period. So I very much doubt that it will ever grow up to be anything satisfying. 

Rose of Culmore: 

This story is an incomplete draft, part of which was on my Wattpad account. My downfall with this story was trying to turn it into a novella. If I had stuck with it being a short chapter story like I had done with the Snow Dancer of Iclyn, I betcha I would have finished it. As it is, I haven't touched this WIP in many a year, and recently I decided to unpublish it from Wattpad. There is still a lot of potential in the story, but I believe the time has passed for me to do anything decent with it. 

Plain and Simple Truth: 

Like with Rose, I believe the season for this WIP has passed. This story was a very old WIP from high school which I tried to resurrect while coping with some struggles at the dairy back in 2018. While I love the characters and the few scenes I have written, the plot was an absolute nightmare. Conversion stories are really tough to get right, anyway. 

The Wade Girl:

This one isn't from lack of interest, however, but a logistical problem. When I initially conceived the idea of doing this screenplay, I bought a couple of books: a general book about Jenny Wade (my subject) and a book of correspondence between Wade and Jack Skelly, her boyfriend. Unfortunately, Amazon screwed up the order for the latter book. Which leaves me only the first book to work with right now and I am not sure what the proper legal standpoint for heavily using one book as the basis of a screenplay (film rights, etc). So until I get that second book (and maybe some more research materials) in my hands, I'm going to table this project. 

But this is only four of the nine WIPs. What is up with the rest of them? 

Well, obviously, everyone knows what's going on with TWR. That one is not going away anytime soon. *sigh*. 

The other four have a slightly more...complex status. These are ones that I am much more motivated to publish in some shape or form. Therefore, they are staying on the WIP page, but the order is being switched up. 

There are two WIPs currently on active hold:

The Midnight Cave: 

This one has a simple reason for being on hold - it's the second in the Epics of Verden series after The White Rose. Obviously, it doesn't make sense for me to eliminate this WIP entirely, but I can't finish it until I finish the first one... 

Fair Winds

Of all my WIPs, even TWR, this story deserves to be published. Because this story was created in a creative writing class in college, and my professor wanted me to publish it. She still asks about it sometimes when I go out to visit. I want to place a copy of it in her hands one day (though that won't take place after TWR is published). Which is why I decided that this WIP is not destined to go onto Wattpad, although the idea is tempting sometimes. 

Speaking of Wattpad, that is a platform that I have pretty much neglected these past couple of years. Not that many people have been paying attention to it much. But I hope to change that very soon with these two WIPs: 

Shattered Chandelier:

Well, okay, SC was always ON Wattpad. I felt it was a little too zany to be published in any other way (although if I ever write those three sequels I have planned for it, I may do an anthology...). And this one is a little weird because it's "finished" in the sense that the first draft has been completed and published. However, that draft is in sore need of editing one day. 

Hidden Seeds: 

This story was originally conceived as an entry for Rooglewood's Five Poisoned Apples collection (wow was that a very long time ago), and has gone through a couple of reincarnations over the years. This one has a semi-decent plot, a great setting, and some halfway decent characters. Re-reading it has given me a smile, and I'd like to share that with others. That and I want to justify to Lia the obsession that I had with Welsh music at the time of creating this story. 

That being said, I don't think it's a good candidate for indie publishing, simply because of the older writing style I was using and the story seems to fit a short chapter story format than a full length novel or even novella. 

Therefore, I have decided to publish the story on Wattpad. And much sooner than you all probably expect. 

As some of my writing friends already know, I am participating in Christine's Fall Fic Frenzy Writing Challenge! 

As part of that challenge, I will be doing two projects: 

1) TWR edits. Of course. 

2) Drafting Hidden Seeds. 

You see, a few years ago, I tried doing the second draft of Fair Winds while I was working on one of TWR's drafts. This worked against me at the time, as I wanted to work on Fair Winds but ended up on TWR. I'm hoping to repeat this process, except on purpose. And if I work more on Hidden Seeds than I do TWR, I won't complain that much. 

The point is, I need to get back into writing more. And if that means that I need to trick or bribe the muse, by golly I'm going to do it. 

I feel like I should re-introduce this WIP on the blog because it has been SO LONG since I've talked about it. But this post is already really long, so I will save it for next time. In the meantime, do check out the WIP page, because I have some new mock covers to show off! 

But before I go, I have one last announcement to make....

Because I am participating in the FallFicFrenzy, that means....I'm on Discord now!! 

My username is RebellingLass71, and the profile pic is the same as my regular one. So if you're on Discord, I would love to be friends with you! 

Whew! That was a LOT to cover in one post. What sort of new (or old!) WIPs have you guys been digging into?

Scribblingly yours, 

Catherine 

Greetings from the Cave! 

While I have been deep in the throes of editing TWR, the major thing that is getting fixed is my plot. As many of you already know, plotting is my weakness as a writer. Characters and world building, I have down pat. Plot? Ehh, it's loose at best. 

As part of the solution to this problem, my editor suggested that I use the Hero's Journey model. I'll only give a brief view of the steps, as this model is extremely well-known in literary circles: 

1. The Ordinary World

2. The Call to Adventure

3. Refusal of the Call

4. Meeting with the Mentor

5. Crossing the Threshold

6. Tests, Allies and Enemies

7. Approach to the Innermost Cave

8. The Supreme Ordeal

9. The Reward/Seizing the Sword

10. The Road Back

11. Resurrection

12. Return with the Elixir

In recent weeks, I have attempting (or re-attempting, I should say) to replot my character arcs along this form. I have three primary character arcs that I'm currently dealing with: two protagonists and one antagonist. I found that for one protagonist (Ealdread) and my antagonist (Magda), the Hero's Journey gave a really nice framework for which I can then improve the pacing of those two arcs. 

While researching the Hero's Journey, I also came across the concept of the Heroine's Journey. It was branded as an alternative to the Hero's Journey, supposedly to better reflect a more feminine point of view and the actual growth process of a feminine protagonist. 

The Heroine's Journey model is relatively new - for many traditional stories, the female leads follow the Hero's Journey model. In fact, the Hero's Journey model modeled for villians worked the best for Magda's plotline. 

As Janina's journey was MUCH different that Ealdread's or Magda's, I decided that the Heroine's Journey was worth investigating. And right away, I found that the Heroine's Journey was a little more *nuanced* than it's male counterpart. For one thing, there are different models of the Heroine's Journey. I'm only going to focus on the two most common: The Murdock model and the Schmidt model. 

Murdock's model is the most common, and the most likely model you will see when conducting a Google search for Heroine's Journey. The stages are as follows: 

1. Heroine Separates from the Feminine. 

2. Identification with the Masculine/Gathering of Allies

3. Road/Trials and Meeting Ogres/Dragons

4. The Boon of Success

5. Spiritual Arridity/Death

6. Initiation/Descent to Goddess

7. Yearns to Reconnect with Feminine

8. Heals Mother/Daughter Split

9. Heals Wounded Masculine Within. 

10. Integrates Masculine/Feminine Perspectives

For a more detailed analysis of this model, please see this post HERE. 

Right away, I notice that Murdock's model has a major problem with it. It limits it's effectiveness to ultra-feminist leads. A main part of the model is the protagonist basically adopting "male" characteristics in order to move the story along. It does show a return to the feminine, which is rather appreciated. Because really, women are hard-wired to be feminine and fighting against nature only gets one so far *cough*. Reading the comments to that previous blog post, it is clear that this model is only useful when women are attempting to break free from an "oppressed" society, and leaves no room for a traditional feminine interpretation. 

However, what if you have a Heroine who never rejects the feminine?? As my alpha/beta readers already know, Janina never throws a punch nor does she act all tough. Rather, part of her story is growing in her femininity. Clearly, the Murdock model doesn't fit Janina's journey, but neither does the Hero's Journey. 

Enter the Schmidt model of the Heroine's Journey. 

One ESSAY I read said that feminine stories didn't focus so much on the conflict as it did the connections. I see this really reflected in the Schmidt model, especially as it connects to women's psyche's. 

How is this shown? Well, let's take a look at the individual steps in the Heroine's Journey. 

(Please note: if you wish to view a more detailed, and more specific, outline of these steps, please see this blog post HERE). 

1. Illusion of the Perfect World. 

        This lines up with the "Ordinary World" stage in the Hero's Journey, but with a twist. It's the inclusion of the a plot device called the Character Lie. The Character Lie is very often used in fiction in general, but it is extremely effective for a feminine character arc. Why? Because women's psyche is based on the concept of being cherished. Because of this, harmony with either persons or concepts is a common goal for women. Schmidt's examples in this stage often deal with so-called "coping" strategies, such as people pleasing, being protected, exceptionalism, etc. 

2. Betrayal/Disillusionment

        This is somewhat similar to the Call to Action, but it specifically exposes the Character Lie. It is a break with the normal, to the point in no return for the Heroine. Some may call this the "inciting incident" (gosh, how many plot structures can we fit into one post here?). 

3. The Awakening/Preparing for the Journey

        This lines up directly with the Refusal of the Call step in the Hero's Journey. The major difference, however, is that the pressure to change is more interior (harmony/disharmony) than exterior. Schmidt calls it an "entire change in life direction" for the Heroine. 

4. The Descent/Passing the Gates of Judgment

        The Heroine is in the most conflict about abandoning her old ways and taking up the new ones. This really brings out the connectiveness of women, and their psychological need to be cherished. 

5. The Eye of the Storm

       The Heroine has minor successes, but which are not sustained. The Character Lie may reassert itself in a new form. Schmidt compares it to Murdock's Boon of Success step. Quickly, however, the conflict becomes intensified.

6. Death/All is Lost

        This is the darkest moment of the plot. The Heroine knows her old ways don't work, and the new ways are very often only a short-term fix. With no relief from the conflict in sight, the Heroine reaches her breaking point. Schmidt compares this to Murdock's Spiritual Arridity/Death step.

7. Support. 

        This is when the Heroine's "pieces are picked up" either by friends or a spiritual force. While this does bring "Meeting the Mentor" vibes, the context is much different here. This idea of women being supported is actually reflective of how women solve problems. Men tend to think things out by themselves. Women, on the other hand, go and talk about them (usually to other women or their spouses).  

8. Rebirth/Moment of Truth

        Strengthened by support, the Heroine mentally prepares herself for the final psychological battle. They see the "truth" at last, which can extend to seeing themselves, their role, and the world in a different light. 

9. Return to a World Seen Through New Eyes

        Lining up somewhat with the Return with the Elixir step in the Hero's Journey, the internal journey of the Heroine is complete. With deeper introspectiveness, the Heroine's worldview is profoundly changed. The external conflict may or may not be resolved completely, but the Heroine is a better person because of the Journey. 

Looking at these examples, it's easy to see how Schmidt's model could easily be used for more traditional feminine character arcs. But what are some other reasons to adopt Schmidt's model? 

1. Schmidt's model shows Woman's true enemy

Man's true enemy is very often external forces, the dragon. Woman's true enemy, however, is....herself. At the end of the day, the strong internal presence of women must be reckoned with, even before the external conflict does. 

2. Schmidt's model provides a much better outline for internal conflicts

This is not to say that the Hero's Journey model could not be used for internal conflicts with a degree of success. However, Schmidt's model has a stronger outline of plot points that are more easily converted into easy-to-understand stages. 

3. Better reflection of reality 

By this, I don't just mean the biological and psychological elements. The nice part of Schmidt's model is just as the Hero's Journey can be adapted for women characters with appropriate storylines, so too can this model be used for male characters with strong interior conflicts. So, in this case, it's a much more worthy counterpart than it's more popular doppelganger. 

In short, I highly recommend using the Schmidt's model of the Heroine's Journey over the Murdock model, especially for those women writers who wish to write more traditional storylines. Let's reclaim true heroines away from the feminists, shall we? 

Scribbingly yours, 

Catherine

Greetings from the Cave!

Taggy Tuesday is back once again! I actually have one or two tags still stashed in the archives, but they shall be forced to remain there for a wee bit. One is a monster Spring tag, which is no good at all for this time when the air is getting crispy and pumpkins and apples start popping up. 

So I shall do this little gem instead. Sam @ Bookshire tagged me for the "I should have read the book" tag only a few weeks back (it must be a record, lol). You can read her original post HERE. 

Meantime, let us begin! 

A book that a certain friend is always telling you to read

For a long time, Lia was recommending that I read Heartless by Marissa Meyer. However, I got turned off of Meyer after reading Cinder (I found it very *ahem* left-leaning for my particular tastes). 

So she has been pushing Dear Josephine instead. Or was it Jo Loves Laurie? 

Great, now I don't remember. 

Actually, tbh, I've been doing more of the recommending to Lia, because SHE STILL HASN'T READ UNITED WE FALL. I'VE BEEN WAITING OVER A YEAR A YEARRRRR FOR HER TO READ THIS BOOK SO I CAN SQUEAL WITH HER. AND SHE'S NOT COOPERATING. 

I do feel a rather smol twinge of regret to send the wrath of the blogosphere on her head BUT REALLY WOMAN. A YEAR OF PENT UP SPOILERS HAS NOT BEEN THE EASIEST THING TO HOLD BACK YA KNOW. (really guys, I am astonished that I lasted this long). 

A book that’s been on your TBR forever and yet you still haven’t picked it up

Sylvester by Georgette Heyer

MK @ Sarcastic Scribblings told me about this book well over 8 years ago. And I haven't picked it up in all these years. Mostly because I haven't found a free copy floating around. 

I'm weird like that. 

A book in a series you’ve started, but haven’t gotten round to finishing yet

Oh goodness. I've started so many fantasy and historical series because of all the free ebooks I've picked up over the years. It's a major weakness I have. I literally don't know what to choose. 

I guess I'll choose the Redwall series by Brian Jacques because I actually do have 4 books of the series in print, and I would like more. Though I'm told that in the later books the plots tend to be recycled. We'll see. 

I do need to get extra copies of Mossflower because that book keeps disappearing from my shelf, lol. 

A classic you’ve always liked the sound of, but never actually read

The Song of Roland. 

Megan has been singing this book's praises for quite some time, which has piqued my curiosity. After all, who doesn't love a nice saga about knights?  

Recently, I was in an antique store, and I found a paperback copy of it for sale! So, of course, I bought it. 

I just...haven't read it yet. 

A popular book that it seems everyone but you has read

Romanov by Nadine Brandes. 

This was *almost* the answer for another question down below. But as Romanov has been around for longer, I suppose I'll go with this one.  

TBH, I don't know if I'm going to pick this book up or not. I mean, I like the premise of it, don't get me wrong. I love me a good Anastasia retelling. 

Butttt, I gotta admit, that I got a little burned reading Fawkes and so I'm hesitant to pick up another Brandes book. 

A book that inspired a film/TV adaptation that you really love, but you just haven’t read it yet

I was almost going to say The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, but I am unlikely to read that book because....content reasons.    

But then I went back through the archives and found that I had a much better answer: The Princess Bride by William Goldman. 

I have heard mixed things about the book, so we'll see, lol. 

A book you see all over Instagram but haven’t picked up yet

The Wonderland Trials by Sara Ella

This is a rather biased answer because this tag came about soon after Realm Makers, which is when Wonderland Trials got released....so....there were a lot of fellow authors screaming about it. 

Apparently, I don't follow a lot of Bookstagrammers. I tend to follow a lot of authors instead. And Catholic accounts. And homemaking/femininity ones. But not book ones. Guess I want actual thinking material and not pretty pictures when I go on Insta. 

Anyway, it's been AGES since I read anything by Sara Ella and so I'm rather overdue for something. I'm not much of an Alice in Wonderland person, but hey....it sounds kinda cool. 

That's all for this tag! 

I will tag......

anyone who hasn't done this tag yet. 

I know, I know, major cop-out. Buttttt....I'm pretty sure Sam tagged most of the active bloggers that I tend to follow soooo (though I am glad to see Faith and Keturah coming back, I have missed their stuff greatly :) ). 

Your turn!! What's a book you've been pestering other people to read? Do you Bookstagram? Tell me in the comments below! 

Scribbingly yours, 

Catherine

Greetings from the cave! 

I have good news for you: I am starting to move forward in the publishing journey! FINALLY. 

I am still knee-deep in edits (and probably will be for quite a while...), but I am starting to put out feelers for a cover designer. Which, has led me to research trim sizes and all that good stuff. 

Since the size does depend on costs, I decided it was high time to actually look at several POD companies and see what would be best for my book, The White Rose of Duventoliel. 

I give you fair warning, this post is one giant rabbit hole. But isn't self-publishing always a bit of a rabbit hole? 

This post is not necessarily one that examines the pros and cons of each platform in general, but one that examines it from my own perspective. If you want general information on each of these platforms, I will redirect you to YouTube, where many authors have already done this. 

I will be examining three platforms: KDP, Barnes and Noble and Draft2Digitial. 

One major platform that is missing from this list is IngramSpark. The reason why I am not currently considering Ingram is because of their ridiculous fees and their overall reputation. I would not be adverse to considering them in the future, but the other platforms on this list are *enough* for me to consider for now. 

I will also not be considering smaller publishers such as Lulu.com, etc. because of the higher costs and the lower royalty rates. 

With all those disclaimers out of the way, let's dive in! 

Kindle Direct Publishing

Kindle Direct Publishing, better known as KDP, is a really popular platform for indie authors. It has really great royalties, good quality, lots of people using it, and decent distribution. 

According to these qualities - and MANY indie authors - using KDP is a no-brainer. In fact, a couple of authors have even said to me that not using Amazon at all would be a "career killer". 

But the truth is, I'm hesitating to publish directly on Amazon.  

The reason is...of an ethical nature. 

*incoming rant warning* 

It isn't just because Amazon is a huge global company with a kazillionaire as it's head, which goes against my personal views on just/living wages. (and yes, apparently that's how that big word is spelled, I just had it autocorrected from gazillionaire and the dictionary supports it. Anyway, moving on.) 

It isn't just because Amazon has a nasty reputation for not treating it's employees well. Which regrettably, is reinforced by a very dear friend of mine who worked at a Amazon warehouse for several years. 

It isn't just because they publicly endorse leftist political and cultural causes including DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, for those who don't know) and LGBTQ, both of which I don't support. 

Rather. 

It is Amazon's rather ambiguous public stance on abortion that makes me hesitate a little. 

Ever since the Dobbs decision, major companies and even initiatives such as NaNoWriMo have made absolutely clear where they fall on abortion. Many, in fact, will either raise or allocate THOUSANDS for employees or other women to procur abortions. 

Amazon is strongly rumored to be one of those companies.  

The trouble is that it is difficult to find the truth of these rumors. Forbes and CatholicVote have put Amazon in lists of companies that offer "abortion-related services" and this was sourced from a leaked internal memo by Reuters. It's apparently wrapped up in their compensations for "medical costs" (SOURCE).  

Unlike the one shared by Dick's Sporting Goods, this memo from Amazon did NOT have widespread public exposure, nor made available to the public by the company itself - at least to my knowledge. However, if my memory serves me correctly, this policy may have predated the Dobbs decision by a couple of years (my friend may have told me, which has led me to wean off my buying on Amazon). 

This has led me to believe strongly that Amazon does indeed support abortion, but they do so very quietly. Learning the lessons that Dicks and Chobani have learned, Amazon has decided to keep it's public mouth shut. Which is all the more dangerous, in my opinion. 

Because of this - and all of the above issues as well - I've been participating in a "soft" boycott of Amazon-related products. Basically, I refuse to buy anything from them anymore. I still have my Amazon account, I still use my parent's Prime streaming and I will occasionally still shop for free e-books. 

This does put me in a moral bind when it comes to my fellow indies because I really really really want to support them, but I don't feel comfortable breaking my ban just yet. However, wide distribution has become a really trendy thing recently so maybe I won't have to worry too much. 

SO

Now that you have that convoluted context in the back of your mind, I will now truly explain why I have been hesitating to use KDP. 

It has to do with the level of cooperation with what Catholics call an intrinsic evil (such as abortion or LGBTQ ideologies). In other words, because Amazon actively supports these evil things, my use of these services could be seen as an endorsement for their use of my money to fund someone's abortion etc. 

Now based on what I said above, I believe that my own level of cooperation would be relatively remote if I choose to sell on Amazon, especially through an aggregator like Draft2Digital. Amazon grosses so much income and the expenses paid to women seeking abortions would be miniscule in comparison. A priest has also told me that what Amazon uses their money for is out of my control, and the intent would be to purchase the product, not to support the abortion. 

However, there is a different level of involvement with actively publishing via KDP (especially if I do go exclusive with them in the future) and having it be sold on Amazon via Draft2Digital. Selling a direct line via Amazon also seems rather hypocritical - here, buy my book from this company that I despise! 

To be absolutely clear, though, I am not entirely ruling out selling on Amazon directly, even with these serious reservations. I know that Amazon holds a big chunk of the book market and not having that market would be a huge financial mistake. Which I literally can't afford to make because I spent way too much on my editing expenses and I need to make that money up somehow. As many authors that I have talked to have said, eliminating Amazon entirely from my selling platform would be not only heroic but also detrimental. 

Plus, the idea of having my book on Kindle has been a dream since the very beginning. 

This is going to take some very prayerful discernment and a very painful wrestling match with my conscience, so I will be leaving this knotty problem to deal with later. 

Barnes and Noble

One of my dreams as an author - as I'm sure many have - was to have their book on the shelves of Barnes and Noble. After all, BN still is my favorite book store chain. 

So imagine my surprise when I discovered that BN also offered Print on Demand, with a similar reach and structure to Amazon. It is often marketed as an Amazon alternative, which makes me very interested. 

Upon looking at it....the royalties are comparable, but they're definitely not as good as Amazon's. This will cause a problem as I will have to price it higher to make any sort of profit. Which would not play very well with the idea of having a pricing incentive to buy from BN over Amazon. 

The other rather upsetting thing about BN is that the paperbacks are only available in the US, which kills my international market chances if I choose to exclusively publish the paperback through BN. I wouldn't have been so concerned about this, if I didn't have several bloggy and author friends in Canada, Ireland, and Australia. I would be really really sad if my international friends - some of which have been following this story since it's infancy! - would be denied the opportunity to buy this book. 

Nonetheless, Barnes and Noble is still one of my top picks to publish this book to. 

Draft2Digital

Draft2Digital was a top contender throughout this entire process for a couple of reasons. In fact, as of this moment, I am already a registered user with them. 

The first reason was the really wide distribution options. Draft2Digital not only distributes to the big platforms  like Amazon and Barnes and Noble, but also has access to many smaller and international platforms such as Apple, Kobo and others. 

Having a wide distribution for my books is extremely important for me. While exclusivity through a company gives good perks, it really shortchanges a conscientious buyer who wishes to boycott said company such as my own soft boycott of Amazon. Plus, I do want to make sure that my international readers also get access to the book, which I wouldn't be able to do if I went exclusively with Barnes and Noble. 

Currently, Draft2Digital is experimenting with a paperback POD option. It's been in beta for over three years, and it's....still got a lot of kinks. Mandi Lynn, an author and YouTuber, has used their beta option recently and her proof copy was reportedly $30. Which is massively overpriced and will probably drive some people away. However, I may apply to the waitlist and try it out for myself because I really really REALLY want more paperback competition to Amazon and even Barnes and Noble. 

So, what's the current verdict?

When I first started researching, I was looking for that "one" platform to publish to. However, I have discovered that as an indie author, I can indeed publish to multiple platforms (even if it's a little complicated with ISBN numbers and all that). 

I will, of course, be publishing both a print and an ebook version. 

For EBOOK, I am strongly considering Draft2Digital for the formatting and distributing to the international/smaller markets. While I have some good connections with some people who would be willing to do my formatting, the fact of the matter is....I can't afford it. So using that tool would be a godsend to me. 

I will definitely be uploading my ebook to Barnes and Noble for NOOK readers, most likely directly. 

I am strongly considering uploading my ebook to KDP, either directly or through Draft2Digital. 

For PRINT, I will definitely be selling through Barnes and Noble and will probably push this platform a little more because of my reservations with Amazon. 

I am still considering using KDP for print for the sake of my international readers. I will also investigate other avenues to sell a print book, including the Draft2Digitial print beta. Ingram may also prove to be a good option for this, but as I mentioned, I need to discern if it's worth the hassle or not. 

And so, I will conclude this post here, to be updated as the journey continues. I am most definitely open to suggestions/advice/kicks in the seat from my fellow indies and readers about this process in the comment box because let's face it, I have no clue what the dickens I am doing.  

In the meantime, there is an ongoing plot surgery going on in the next room, and I should get back to that. 

Scribbingly yours, 

Catherine

Greetings from the cave! 

I feel I should explain where I've been and what I've been up to, since I've been pretty quiet for so long. The long story short is - I've been spending a lot of time with my family and friends. If you want a more detailed account of those adventures, subscribe to my newsletter in the sidebar! 

And now, the blogging muse has struck again. And so, I've been going through my blogging archives to see if I could finish a post or two that have been lying around. 

Because, ya know, 13 draft posts are a little *much*. 

Many of them still need some research and some time to stew (like *hem* that post about dragons that I hinted at forever ago - still too controversial for me to touch!!) 

But I have two "mini" posts that are a little too short for my liking but were similar enough topics that I decided to throw them together. Call it a double-feature, if you will. 

The first feature is a post from late 2020 (!). Ouch, I did not realize this editing game was two years old. This is bad. Very bad. I need to get my act together. 

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Nailing the Age Range of Epics of Verden 

(originally written December 2020)

When reviewing my book, a common question my editor would ask was "what the ideal age of my reader was". I always answered 18-25, simply because of the content. Apparently, according to her, Young Adult is now considered 12-17, which is the equivalent of teen literature to the rest of us. 

My voice tended to ride the middle of two age ranges. Too clean for Adult fiction and yet too thematic for Young Adult. 

While The White Rose is written in an old-fashioned, light-hearted style, some pretty adult content happens. One of the main characters loses her purity. There is a band of ethnic nomads that engage in witchcraft and seduction. This isn't kids' stuff. And much of it....is integral to the story.  

What is a poor Christian author to do? 

Ironically, the answer would be found in another fiction book. 

I picked up the novel Chivalrous not too long ago, from the teen section of an outlet store. However, as I went through the book, it also had some adult content. There were affairs, desires, and even.....I shudder to even write this....an abortion. And this is supposed to be a teen book?????

Out of curiosity, I flipped over the book to see the review blurb on it (you know, the one below the actual blurb?)...and found that this book was marketed as a YA/Adult crossover. 

Interesting. I think I have found my marketing niche.....

=========

Ironically, had I been thinking ahead, I could have used this more effectively as an Instagram caption. Oh well. 

The next segment was written much more recently. However, I don't believe that my state of mind was very good when I wrote this one, as you will probably gather from the proceeding text. You have been warned. 

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How Line Editing and Developmental Editing at the Same Time Strangely Works

(originally written January 2022)

Greetings from the Cave! 

We're now a week into the new year and all of a sudden, my editing inspiration has come back. Don't know if it was the Epiphany blessing earlier this week or the fact that I'm starting the turn the corner from the horrible PMS I've been experiencing for the past two weeks. Either way, I'm not complaining! 

Now, this title is a little weird, even for me. I mean, you've heard me moan and groan about this whole system that my editor has tortured me with. And I'm sure that any editor friends that happen to stumble across this are giving me the stinkeye right now (for the heretical nonsense I'm sure to spew and the ridiculous grammar).  

Tell you what, you read the post and then you can judge all you want. No holds barred. (haha, I originally wrote that as "no bars held", and there were a few moments where for the life of me I couldn't figure out why that didn't look right).

1. It allows organic growth of the manuscript. 

While I am a big believer in making lists of editorial markings and scene ideas, sometimes the best improvements are those spontaneous moments that just solve everything. 

For example, today I was editing a scene in Chapter 13 when I suddenly got a brilliant idea that promised to fix a persistent plot hole that I've been dealing with. You see, sometime in the middle of Draft 2, this bevy of foreign girls just randomly showed up and plopped themselves in my story. Oh sure, they gave me their first names and their country of origin, a few anecdotes here and there, but...no explanation as to how this Tournament Court thing came into being or why they were there, or what. They threw my poor beta readers for a loop, especially when one of them paired themselves with one of my Suitors...yeah, that was kinda a surprise for me too.  

Until today that is, when it was revealed that my antagonist may have been doing some shenanigans. Which is about time, to be honest, that girl was starting to worry me she was so quiet. 

Now, would I have thought of the same idea doing the traditional editing route? Maybe. Pantsing is so unpredictable, that it's hard to know when it's going to strike. 

2. Learning how to prioritize things. 

One of the biggest objections that I had to line editing before development was the whole cut-and-paste business that tends to happen. After all, if I'm going to just cut the scene entirely, why would I spend all that time line-editing it? 

The answer is "Cut the scene, stupid, and have done with it." And don't ask me how long it took me to figure that out, for it's rather embarrassing (read: a long longer than it should have). Although to be fair, most major cutting and pasting like that is firmly in the developmental side of things, so it was really hard to reconcile the two. 

Editorial lists are really really helpful when dealing with this. They help keep track of what got cut and what's getting moved. 

========

Aaaaand the post ends there. Because there really was no other reason why this system works and really, even those two points are shady. I go back to my original position - line editing and developmental editing should be done at SEPARATE stages. And for pity sakes, find an editor that does that. 

I'd love to hear your thoughts! Have you thought of writing a crossover or marketing your book as one? Do you prefer to edit all at once or do it in chunks? Let me know in the comments below! 

Scribbingly yours, 

Catherine

Hello peeps! 

Just popping in to tell you all that I have a brand new short story - Struck by Sunshine. In which we follow the intrepid Karsten as he seeks to woo his lady-love Alvilda for the first time. 

I had such a good time writing this. And I really hope you all will love it too. 

To read it, please subscribe to my newsletter! 

Scribbingly yours, 

Catherine

Y'all, I never thought I would have to reverse engines so hard. 

I have loved NaNoWriMo for many years. It connected me to so many writerly friends, who in turn have helped my writing so much. The cabin conversations, the word wars, all of that are such fond memories for me. For many years, I promoted NaNo among my blogging circles. I helped host two communities on there and joined a third. NaNo was....a big part of my writing life. 

But now, I am quitting it forever. 

One day about a year or two ago, I had noticed that NaNo had quietly sneaked in a "Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity" page. I knew this to be the leftist equivalent of "Liberty, Equality and Fraternity", so I knew trouble was afoot. I remember talking to friends about it, and trying to find an alternative, but nothing came of it. So I decided to leave it alone. 

Then a few months after that, I got an email from NaNo decrying an incident concerning some Asian women that had been splashing all over the news. It was all political talking points, no allusion to the creative arts. It was then that I decided to unsubscribe from NaNo's email list. 

At this point, I had distanced myself from NaNo events. I had a good excuse - grad school is very intense and doesn't allow for much writing. I was used to skipping NaNo itself, but this when I started to skip Camp NaNo too. 

Fast forward to today (or actually yesterday, by the time you read this). 

I was on Instagram and this story pops up: #boycottnanowrimo

It turned out, it was from my friend Stefanie Lozinski. She related that she had received an email from NaNoWriMo with the following subject line: "Access to healthcare - like access to creativity - is a fundamental right". The contents had been enough to send her own NaNo account down the drain.

I felt as if the boom was lowered at last.  

Once it started making it's way around the 'Gram, another pro-life friend Victoria Lynn shared the actual email. 

That's when I learned for the first time that NaNo had set up a donation fund....to help fund abortions. 

As an unapologetically pro-life Catholic who has gone to the March for Life and volunteered at pregnancy centers....I cannot, in good conscience, support an organization that so blatantly wishes to kill it's own future writers. 

I hate to be this blatantly political. Writing novels shouldn't be a political concern. But NaNoWriMo drew their line in the sand. 

I beg you, my fellow writers, please delete your NaNo accounts. Communities can be rebuilt on other platforms. Your word counts can be tracked elsewhere.

And please, do not donate to NaNoWriMo, nor encourage others to do so. 

As of about an hour ago, RebellingCatherine is officially off the NaNo website. All the links to NaNo on my website, my bio links, and my computer are gone. Any links to NaNo stuff in my posts will be broken. 

As for the Siena Society, I hope to continue that through Google Chat/Hangouts. So if you're not on that chat, and you'd like to be, please let me know! 

And speaking of chat...I have a question to ask of you all. 

Would you be interested in a sort of Discord-like place where we can have our own NaNo style challenges? I have some ideas kicking around and I'd like to see what you guys think! 

Catherine

Greetings from the cave! 

Finally, the sun has come out, and a warm breeze is blowing. And despite a really weird snowstorm that blew in last week, I think spring is finally here to stay. 

And now, let's get on with the monthly wrap-up! 

*Catherine steps back* 

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*An empty stage is revealed* 

If you'd like to view April's monthly wrap-up, please sign up for my newsletter! It will go live in about three days! 

God bless, 

Catherine

Greetings from the cave!! 

As some of you have already gathered, there have been a few changes around here. And it is more than just the header above. I forewarn you now, this post is a chaotic mess of logistical changes that I'm still navigating, so have patience with me!  

The first major change that I will announce is that I have a monthly newsletter, which I hope will go live this month! The subscription form is in my sidebar on both blogs, so please do check that out! Due to this, my monthly wrap-ups on the blog will be phased out in the next couple of months. Included also in this newsletter will include updates regarding my upcoming podcast, Femininity from Scratch, and some extra goodies...once I figure out what those are.... 

The second major change that I will announce is that I now have a new public email: 

catherine.fem.writer@gmail.com

This email will host not only my newsletter and podcast for now, but also will be used as my main form of communication with my readers. You may also notice that there will be two different Google accounts controlling this blog with the same name. The old one - which includes my old Gmail - will hopefully be phased out from blog things within the next year. 

There will be some new social media pages coming also. I'm already starting a new Pinterest page because I want to share my aesthetic boards for my WIPs with you all. Before, only my alphas and betas got to see them. I'm trying to decide if I should separate the feminine stuff from the writing stuff, what do you girls think? I'm also looking into getting a Storygraph account. I will also be changing my bio links to a new Lnk Bio, which is connected to my new Gmail (not the old one that is currently attached to my Insta). 

Bloglovin will remain my RSS (Email) feed host, unfortunately, for the time being. You see, the RSS feed option is only available through a paid plan on Convertkit, which I didn't realize before I signed up. And since I am just starting out, I do have not the financial means for a paid plan just yet. 

Now you might be asking - why did I not just go for my own domain? Why did I go for another free account and why am I going through all this trouble, only to possibly change it over again in a year or so? 

The main reason why, unfortunately, money-related. I am cheap, as many of you already know, but I also don't have a lot of money to throw into this venture right now. I'm more concerned with paying off my other debts first. 

But I needed another email for the podcast, and I have discovered this year that I need to reclaim my old Gmail account. While explaining my pen name has avoided much of the awkwardness and probably helped with increasing my platform...the awkwardness is starting to become a *problem*. So there needs to be even more separation between the blogging part and my real life. 

*sigh* My little blogging venture is growing up and I don't know how I feel about this?!!

But if I really think about it....it was time. In five years, I've outgrown the old and it's time to grow into a new one. So please keep an eye out on this blog and my upcoming newsletter to stay on top of all the new things!! 

Scribbingly yours, 

Catherine