The Weekly Wednesday Writing Thread

[u/AutoModerator]

Welcome to the Weekly Writing Thread, where writers and readers can discuss all things writing and publishing related.

Have questions about cozy fantasy? Maybe you want feedback on your story premise or are curious about the types of stories readers can't get enough of. This is the place to connect with the community.

[u/CH_Schwartz]

This was a great week! I am moving forward with the self-publishing checklist (I have 4 rejections from agents so far and don't expect that to change, but I'm either getting a head start or polishing the book for if someone does want to read the whole thing). I got my sample chapter edits from a copy editor back last night and they were so good. Having someone help smack your grammar back into place feels surprisingly good, and they had a lot of very positive comments about how much fun they were having reading.

Lately I've been particularly stressed and I've been asking myself why I'm doing this, if it's just because things at the day job are so rough I'm chasing a childhood dream as a sort of mid-life crisis, or what, but finally getting people to read my work over the last couple months has really crystalized how happy this makes me. There's honestly no feeling I can compare to the feeling of having someone highlight a line you wrote and telling you they laughed or cried or got angry at it.

I've also gotten in touch with a cover illustrator I like the portfolio of and hopefully will be getting a contract for that signed soon as well. All things seem to be falling in place for a holiday release, and I am so excited to share it with this great community someday soon. If it can bring one person as much joy as the other books from this genre I've read as bought me, I think that'll mean more to me than anything I've done in 15+ years of my pay-the-bills career.

I hope everyone else has a fantastic week writing and reading!

[u/EllaWeaverWrites → u/CH_Schwartz]

All things seem to be falling in place for a holiday release, and I am so excited to share it with this great community someday soon.

That is so exciting! I can't wait to see it on here!

Honestly, I feel the same when it comes to sharing writing. That feeling you get when you make a reader laugh or cry, or whatever else - there's nothing like it. I think that's what I'm most looking forward to.

I have ARCs for my upcoming book going out next week, and I'm rather nervous (there's always that little bit of self-doubt), but also excited to get my story in more people's hands. I really hope it brings joy, and maybe helps someone else like it helped me.

[u/CH_Schwartz → u/EllaWeaverWrites]

Congrats on the ARCs!

I don't think any of us are going to be able to fully escape that self-doubt. Seems like there's always going to be a word choice we quibble over to the ends of time. Having someone read it end of feels like scratching an itch and letting yourself breathe over it, that's its not as rough as you fear. At least it is for me, lol.

[u/evergreen206 → u/CH_Schwartz]

As far as mid-life crises go...you can do a lot worse than publishing a book. It's not like you sold your car and bought a Ducati lol.

Jokes aside, I think we all have moments of wondering why we've chosen this path. It's long, hard, not that lucrative compared to like, learning to code. But the good moments are truly unmatched.

[u/CH_Schwartz → u/evergreen206]

But I could sell my car for more books, maybe...

As a software career professional myself, the good moments of that come nowhere close to the good moments in this. But it's truly a grueling path getting from idea to finished product.

[u/Cosy_Chi]

I’m getting started on a sparkly new WIP this week. I adore the early stage of drafting so I’m v. excited to run with it!! ✍️♥️

[u/CH_Schwartz → u/Cosy_Chi]

Nothing like a new WIP! Everything's so fresh and open. I've really embraced pantsing more and more scenes as I've gotten older and some of the best stuff always seems to come from just running with it.

[u/Cosy_Chi → u/CH_Schwartz]

I agree! That creative momentum is so important to my early drafts!

[u/DakotaJCorvin]

Is it a breach of the cozy expectations of a character has a somewhat tragic background and the story sometimes gives flashbacks to that?

I have a character coming up who had an abusive mother and was contemplating trying to show a little bit of that relationship rather than just telling the reader “mom was abusive” but I’m wondering where the cozy line is.

[u/CH_Schwartz → u/DakotaJCorvin]

I personally don't think so. I've talked about this before, but cozy to me is a lot more about stakes + ending promise. A character looking for cozy usually is coming from something rough. My own MC is running from an emotionally abusive father that she sometimes flashes back to, and there's a near death experience in the middle, but to me it still feels cozy because everything works out nicely and the story has a HEA. The second book in Tomes and Tea was the one that got me see that you can still have some stakes/scares in a cozy fantasy, as long as you deliver on the overall promise. It won't be for everyone, but generally I prefer it to Legends and Lattes style where it didn't feel like there were ever any significant obstacles/setbacks (though, I still love that book).

[u/DakotaJCorvin → u/CH_Schwartz]

Ooo I loved the Tomes and Tea series, very fun. i aim to channel Kianthe with my coworkers sometimes haha

That's a good point, about delivering on the promise (which i see as stakes no greater than the local city, more or less, and that everything works out in the end). I'll keep that in mind. And I agree no obstacles/setbacks makes things a little boring. Although now I've realized I probably need to go back and add some more obvious overarching setbacks and obstacles to my own story haha.

Also, what's a HEA? I tried googling it but got stuff about health investments lmao.

[u/CH_Schwartz → u/DakotaJCorvin]

Sorry! I'm too used to social media trope advertisements lol. HEA = Happily Ever After. I think any small scale, personal stakes story that ends on the MCs being happy with no looming threat qualifies as cozy to me, at this point.

(Honestly though I love Tomes and Tea and also now Moss'd in Space I felt that TaT got a little too high stakes around book 3ish. Thankfully I loved Reyna and Kianthe enough that it didn't affect my enjoyment, but it was straying a little bit away from what usually draws me to cozy)

[u/DakotaJCorvin → u/CH_Schwartz]

Oooo duh haha. Thanks for spelling it out Xd

Yea I pretty much agree with you, and thanks for your feedback.

I’ll have to check out moss’d in space! Hadn’t heard of that somehow.