Guest Post: Reyna Hawk on Writing
Hi everyone! Today I´d like to welcome author Reyna Hawk back here on Nyx Book Reviews. Promoting her last book she wrote a guest post about Character Creation, and now she is sharing her writing advice with you guys as celebration for the release of her third book!
The Progress of my Writing
by Reyna Hawk
When I first began writing I will admit I re-read portions of it and thought, “WOW, that is horrible.” Many words were repeated or the description of items were bumpy and jerky at best. However, one thing I have discovered is that a thesaurus is and will always be my best friend. There were many tricks I had not discovered until book three. For example, entering a word and then taking a suggested word and entering it to get an entire new list of a variety of words.
When I first started writing I felt it necessary to describe everything; however I have found out by trial and error that is something that is not always necessary, unless it pertains to the story line.
I keep my writing on what I call the average Joe style. When someone reads one of my books I want the experience to be as if they are sitting in a room with me as I tell them the story. I want them to feel comfortable within the pages. This has really improved from my earlier writings and book one, Looking Through Blind Eyes. Even though, the manner of my writing has stayed the same; there are a great deal of improvements. I believe one can see and feel the improvements in book two Reflection of Secrets and by the time they get to book three Shattered Visions Haunted Memories the writing is smooth as silk.
The biggest piece of advice I can give anyone just starting out is to continually re-read their work until it is perfect. Do not always think the readers will understand your thought processes. Make sure there are no holes in the story or areas of ambiguity. These can kill a great book. People want detail, but not overkill. Just enough for them to be able to envision the scene or the person. Another word of advice, many readers like to know the manner in which a character speaks or says something. However, they do not want to know that with every dialogue between characters. Adding their mood or manner is only relevant if it sets the tone for that scene of the book. The last bit of advice, do research. Do not go by what you’ve heard from people. Make sure it is factual; for someone will surely point out the flaws.
Just when Janie thought she had all she ever dreamt, the powers that be would suddenly change her course; throwing Janie head long into a world of uncertainty and casting a puzzling shadow on all this life she’d grown to love. Janie would soon discover nothing in her world was what it appeared. Leaving her confused, broken, and determined to find the answers in a new but familiar realm filled with secrets and deception.
Memories and turbulence lead Janie on her quest to discover the truth concerning herself, her past, the Petrilo crime family, and her brother’s murder. Is Rico’s unfinished business in Cherokee to finish the hit the Petrilos put on her? Is Malachi willing to take a bullet for his new love; or will he walk away from the danger and free himself of the drama Janie has brought to his once peaceful life? Love and deceit will lead them all to the truth.
Shattered Visions Haunted Memories is the third book of the Valentine/Petrilo series. Book one is Looking Through Blind Eyes; book two is Reflection of Secrets.
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