S.E. White

How to Survive the Querying Process; Or, Being a Stubborn Ball of Rock

2018-05-05

Blogging, Goals and Hopes, My Books, Query Letters, Recommendations, Silliness, Writing Process

Grit For this post we want the grit that means courage and resolve, or strength of character. The definition that is synonymous with bravery, pluck, mettle, backbone, strength of will, steel, nerve, fortitude, toughness, determination, and tenacity. All of that sounds . . . well, amazing. MUCH better than refreshing your inbox for the sixth time in five minutes and then curling into a ball, rocking and staring, because the refresh only brought you another rejection. (Not that I’ve done…

Write All The Tropes

2018-03-23

S.E. White

Blogging, Reviews, Romance Tropes, Silliness, Top 10 Lists

I spend a lot of time over at Books Rock My World bashing on tropes. And yes, they do deserve a bashing. Overused or done with a heavy hand, tropes smother and choke a story. Poking holes in them doesn’t mean that I dislike tropes, however! They are classic for a reason. Having that feeling of familiarity is comforting, and helps me invest with the characters as they go through their story. To me, tropes are both the foundation of…

The Magic of Manuscript Rejections: Part 5

2018-02-24

S.E. White

Blogging, Goals and Hopes, My Books, Query Letters, Silliness

The Query ship sets sail again this week! In batches of three, my latest begging letter will be heading out to seas unknown, trying to lure me in an agent. My first three letters for 2018 have already garnered me three rejections. Here be monsters (if you define monsters as a vicious cycle of hope and rejection, which I totally do.) In honor of the maiden voyage of my completed manuscript (New Adult, alternate universe, with a strong love story)…

Plotting, for Pantsers

2018-02-21

S.E. White

Plotters vs. Pantsers, Recommendations, Writing Process

Welcome to the 2018 #AuthorToolboxBlogHop and my first post for the hop! Come join in and post useful, helpful or interesting things for other authors. This blog hop is the brainchild of Raimey Gallant and you can sign up on her website. By inclination I’m a Pantser (Pantsers, Pantsers, Oi, Oi, Oi!) (That’s our motto) (I just made it up) I’ve read online about plotters who get their entire book, down to each and every scene, outlined to within an inch of…

Nevada: The Start

2018-02-17

S.E. White

Blogging, My Books

Welcome to the Silver State! A lot of my books are going to be set in Nevada, describing it in detail, loving all of its quirks (there are lots.) It’s a place full of contradictions, but empty of people. The terrain goes from high mountain dryness to arid, rocky sand. Although there is a lot of variation from end to end of the state, most of it is variations between different kinds of desert. Water is a precious resource, and…

When I’m a Millionaire, I’m Going to Spend it ALL On Books

2018-02-10

S.E. White

Blogging, Book Reviews, Goals and Hopes, Recommendations, Reviews, Silliness, Top 10 Lists

Time for some more new-to-me authors and a few bite sized reviews. If I ever win some sort of lottery, the money will go towards books, shelves to hold the books, more books, and if I have enough, a book barn. Like a literal barn, stuffed full of literature. Writers must read, and read a lot. Stephen King says so. I’m going to take him at his word, because something is obviously working for him and I just really love…

Why I Love Writing Romance

2018-02-07

S.E. White

Blogging, Insecure Writer's Support Group Post, My Books, Romance Tropes

As a romance author, February tends to be a pressurized month for me. It’s the time of year when you can’t move outside your house for fear of being slapped in the face by ferociously pink plastic hearts. I feel like I’m supposed to enjoy that sensation, or, you know, at least market with it. I do acknowledge the silliness behind memorializing, in gilt and silk flowers, the church gloss-over of a pagan fertility ceremony. Or, alternate option, celebrating the…

5 Steps For Encountering a Bookworm in Their Natural Habitat

2018-02-03

S.E. White

Goals and Hopes, Recommendations, Silliness, Writing Process

A Field Guide For Observers

When One Door Closes, Kick Another One Open

2018-01-20

S.E. White

Blogging, My Books, Query Letters, Writing Process

Impostor syndrome has been on my mind lately, partly due to that viral thing Neil Gaiman wrote about it and also because I follow Chuck Wendig’s blog Terribleminds and he just wrote a whole article on impostor syndrome and how to deal with it. Seriously recommended, especially if you want to hear a good solid technique. What he wrote really inspired me, at a time when I needed inspiration (i.e. my very first e-book will be coming out in the next few…

No Filter

2018-01-13

S.E. White

Goals and Hopes, My Books, Plotters vs. Pantsers, Writing Process

Did you know there’s such a thing as “filter words” when writing? I did not, but now thanks to the Tunnel of Rejection that was 2017, I do. In the course of a) submitting my manuscripts to RWA contests for judging and b) having my bits chopped off by the Axe of Editing the awesome staff at eXtasy Books wields, I have learned the stuff they teach you in creative writing. So take writing classes, is the lesson here. Alternate lesson: If,…