Author, Wife, Busy Mom, A Woman after God's Heart.

Tag: journeyofwriter

To All the Words I Loved Before

“To all the words I’ve used. To all the words I’ve had to do without. To all the words I’ve not used yet.  You are loved.”

This blog was inspired by Willie Nelson’s song: To All the Girls I Loved Before. Click here for the video.

Words. I love words. I fell in love with words back in middle school, reading books like “The Hardy Boys” and “Nancy Drew”.  In high school, Danielle Steele was the queen of words, and she still is today.

I’ve written poetry, short stories, novellas, and novels. In all those writings, words have been with me. They offer an emotional outlet for creative expression. I can’t get enough of words. But, sometimes I’ve been without.

For example:

“I’m speechless.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“There are no words to describe this.”

“I’m at a loss for words.”

Getting me now?

A very important step I’ve learned to use when I’m editing is identifying and removing meaningless and redundant words that don’t necessarily move the story. Over the years, I’ve kept a running list of words from my previous publications: Love’s Perfect Surrender, and Petrella, the Gillian Princess.  This “word list” has helped me create more concise content especially since I’m working on my third novel, Make it Right; Make it Matter.

I’d like to share that with you. Click Redundant and Meaningless Words_List.

I am not one of those gifted writers that can pump out an imperfect, error-free draft and call it “final”. I am a writer who is learning to recognize her flaws, identify and use the correct words to capture the tone, emotion, and description whether it be in a scene, a chapter, and a paragraph.

“Anyone can write, but it takes a lot more to be a storyteller.”

The Story Behind the Story…Behind the Story: Publishing My First Middle-Grade Fairy Tale

authorinterview

What constitutes a successful book launch?

How does one write a compelling story that readers will fall in love and read over and over again?

What type of discipline is involved in writing a book of any length?

Why did you write what you wrote in the first place?

How long does it take to write a book?

There are so many questions to how a book is written, drafted, produced, and published. But, one needs to go back to the root of why a writer writes in the first place.

Today marks the launch of my very first middle-grade fairy tale: Petrella, the Gillian Princess. A story about a courageous young princess who defies rank and authority to follow her heart. Click here for full synopsis.

This short story was written in the fall of 2012 with the intention of it being part of an anthology. It never made the cut. Placed in a drawer, it sat patiently, waiting. I didn’t find it until the fall of 2014 while rummaging through old paperwork. After rereading it several times to myself and then to my daughters, I decided to bring the magic and imagination of Petrella, the Gillian Princess back to life. I spent the better part of 2015 and 2016 enhancing and streamlining the story, which I now have 47 versions of the tale.

NOTE: So, to answer the question on how long does it take to write a book? Well, as long as it takes to make it right in the writer’s mind.

Recently, I sat down with Michelle Rene Goodhew from Mundus Media Ink. We worked together on creating the paperback and ebook format for the book.

Click here for the interview.

Until next time…

Be well. Be safe. Be happy.

 

The Journey of a Catholic Writer

Writer1

Once in a while an opportunity comes along and as much as it is difficult to convey an emotion of expression, you do it anyway. I learned long ago to take a risk, and leave it all on the table. Because in the end, it’s not what you take with you, it’s what you leave behind – what you did, but most importantly, how you treated others.

It may be April 1st., but it isn’t an April Fools joke. I am proud of my Catholic-Christian faith and I am more than humbled and honored to share my story as a Catholic writer through the Christ for Hope Magazine, which is part of the Diocese of Joliet.

Enjoy the story. I would love your feedback. Please leave a comment.

http://faithdigital.org/joliet/JOL0416/#?page=16

 

Until next time…

Be well. Be safe. Be happy.

 

 

© 2024 Chiara Talluto

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑