Welcome to Storyteller Heart.

Don't click away thinking you've hit the wrong blog. This was Chasing Dragonflies and I still LOVE dragonflies. But I needed a change. I've been hitting a wall. I don't like writing the cookie-cutter blog posts about writing advice. There are plenty of blogs- AMAZING BLOGS- out there for that.

Sure, those posts are helpful and I love reading what other people have learned on their own writing journey. But... it isn't me. It isn't my passion to talk about writing. My passion is storytelling.

My passion is sharing the gift of words through the art of the story.

I don't love writing advice posts. I don't love talking about stories. I love actually writing the story.

So I decided that there was something I needed to do. And that meant making a huge change.

I'm not going to change my URL right now because that could mean all the people who follow my blog are automatically deleted and then y'all will never find me. Besides that, I do want to have my own website at some point, when the bank account is crying.

But, the heart behind this blog has always been the story.

I got to thinking a lot about what my purpose in life is. And you see, while I am doing a LOT of promotion for my books, I've realized something... something huge.

I don't want to be famous.

I want my words to take center stage.

I want the story to take center stage.

Lately, I've been uninspired. Which is why I'm writing this blog post and working on graphics the very day before it's meant to go up.

My post for today had originally been about something else.

But the reason why I've decided to make this change is because you're coming for words. You're coming here for the story. You're going to buy my book or not buy my book based on the story, the characters, the plot, and the writing style. 

I want to share with you my writing style. I want to feel freedom in creative expression. I want this place to be my release, my safety.

Not every Wednesday will be a short story or a blurb from a book. It won't always be snippets. Sometimes I may talk about a W.I.P. Sometimes, you may get a short story or flash fiction piece.

You may get aesthetics and words and ideas.

Sometimes, I may just rant about people and life.

I need this blog to be my r e l e a s e.

And for a while, it hasn't been. I was all too eager to take a break from blogging in November, not just because of NaNoWriMo, but because I was so bored of this. And when November was drawing to a close, I wasn't really excited to get back into blogging.

But now I am.

I have ideas and goals for this coming year. And I can't wait.

To recap:

Writing advice posts are gone unless I learn something super life-changing and want to share it. This blog is all about the thing I love: the story. The heart. The hope.

I may talk about life.

Above all, it's about the heart of the story.

I hope this is okay with you, and if it's not, I understand if you want to unfollow since this isn't the blog you followed to begin with. It won't hurt me. I am doing something that I need to do, so I respect whatever you need to do.

Signing off for now...

~Brooke

Writing a book is a huge undertaking. Be it fiction or nonfiction, you are pouring your heart and soul into something magical.

The beauty of words on a page, words coming from the very depths of your soul is something unmatchable and priceless.

And as you type "The End" or "To Be Continued," you have just finished writing one novel.

Maybe you just finished NaNoWriMo about two weeks ago. You're still riding on that high, but as we move on into December, you may be thinking, "Okay, now what?"

That's where this post is here to help you out. Here are five things you can do when you finish writing a novel.

1. Celebrate...

Duh. You've done something AMAZING. Whether you wrote this novel in one month or one year, you've accomplished something so freaking wonderful. You started and finished a novel. Do you know how many people give up in the middle of writing a novel?

Celebrate! Go get some cake, ice cream, pie, WHATEVER THE HECK YOU WANT. Go buy that jacket you've been eyeing in the store or those pair of yoga pants you really want. (just me?) Reward yourself for finishing this big thing!

2. Set your novel aside...

You're excited and ready to get your novel in shape. Maybe you want to self-publish (a totally great option) or maybe you want to go traditional. You want your book out there. You worked hard on it and you want other people to see it.

Which is why I'm telling you to set it aside. You may be thinking, "Brooke, what the heck? I have to edit my novel now so I can get it ready for the next step."

Yes, every first draft novel needs to be self-edited first. Saves you money in the long run if you edit your own manuscript before passing it off to an editor later down the line. But here's the problem with editing your book right away... it can mess up your progress. Setting it aside will save you time. A lot of authors set their books aside for about four to six months. When I first heard this, I wanted to scream. How would this save me time? It only delays my progress.

Six years of writing my first book and here we are. You know why? I tried to edit the book right as I finished. And deleted basically entire manuscripts every time. You have to have fresh eyes that have not looked at the book for a long time in order to edit rationally. Otherwise, everything will look like trash and you'll have wasted time writing.

Don't be like me. Set it aside and you'll actually finish faster.

3. Focus on a new project...

You probably have some other book ideas swirling around in your head right now. They've probably come up when you were writing, so you wrote them down and set them aside to focus on your novel. Well, you're novel is done for now, and you have time to write something new. So go for it! Write a new novel while you let the other one rest.

Begin your outlining process or whatever your process is, be it outline or just sitting down and typing away at your computer, getting words down.

It's okay to begin a completely separate novel, actually, it's beneficial in getting your mind off the one you just finished. Write a new novel because, when all is said and done, you'll have a few manuscripts lined up so you're always generating new content for readers.

4. Pursue your other hobbies...

Do you like to paint? Read? Blog? Whatever you're other hobbies may be, chances are you've neglected it while writing your novel. Pursue one or more of your other hobbies while you let your book rest. Maybe you can't focus on a new writing project right now. This is the perfect distraction.

It's okay to not write all the time. I struggle with this, especially after writing for so many days in a row and creating a habit. (Totally fine to write non-novel things such as blog posts or even journal entries.) Nourish your other artistic and creative abilities.

5. Go on an adventure...

Go outside and do something new. Or just go for a walk. Ride your bike. Enjoy nature. You probably didn't go out much when writing because you were focused. So now's the chance to go do things you didn't do while writing. (Don't be a hermit like me, peeps.)

There's so much to be done when you finish a novel, but you have to let it rest. That is the biggest thing I can say about writing. And trust me, it's hard. I finished my second book EVER and all I want to do right now is edit like mad. But if I do that, I know I will trash the entire manuscript, wasting all the writing time I spent. And that's not okay.

So, I'm going to work on a novel that I've been really passionate about, one that I really haven't paid attention to. But I'm in no rush to work on it or write it. I have to outline first. Otherwise, things get messy.

*Author note: Lots of squealing and flailing will be happening beyond this point. You have been warned.



Hello, everyone! I'm back!

In case you missed the last post, (which you can find here) I went on hiatus for my first time doing NaNoWriMo. I knew there would be absolutely no way I could write 50,000 words and blog posts and work a full-time job and work on some other things.

But now that NaNoWriMo has come to an end, I am back to writing blog posts.

Today, I'm going to show you some aesthetics and snippets from my NaNo project. Of course, the big issue with sharing too much is that my NaNo project is a sequel to my upcoming novel, Rise. But, I am going to give as much non-spoiler information that I can. Plus, all snippets will be out of context so that's fun for you and even more fun for me because I know the context. 😏😏

(This post was inspired by my bestie who is a NaNo QUEEN. You can find her blog here. You should follow her blog. Totally non-biased. 😂)

First things first, let me give you the stats.

I started the first full week of NaNoWriMo with a vacation from work, which gave me a huge boost on word count goals.

First half of NaNo- 34,107 words written
Second half of NaNo- 16,334

Snippets:

~ Once alone, I feel the urge to scream. I grab a pillow and throw it over my face before screaming. I can see why girls do it. Therapeutic.

~ My mom grabs me, turning me to face her. “Are you all right?”
I brush her hands off me, stepping back. “Of course, I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”

~ I lean against the pillar at the entrance of the school. My mom is running late. Again. This has happened all week, and I’m not going to bother Spencer again. But as usual, his truck pulls up in front of me. “She’s working late again?”

~ “This is some deep crap you’ve been going through. You’re fifteen, right? Why would you worry about this kind of thing?”

~  “Linley, I told you all never to enter this room.”
Her eyes dance with a spark behind them, more than that, a flame. She’s proud of her feat, sneaking in here and startling me. 

~ I sit, hugging my knees to my chest on the small cot. It’s cold in here, or maybe it’s me. I don’t know. I let the tears fall, the ones I’ve held back for days. They come easy now.

Final Word Count: 50,441

Any Days missed?

Oh yes, plenty of days. Besides the fact on some days I just didn't feel it, I also got into a car accident, which prevented me from focusing on my writing. (I wasn't hurt, I just mentally could not do it.)

But on November 25th, I hit 50,441 words and also finished my novel.

Will this be the final word count?

No.

Often times when I go in to edit the book in about four to six months, I end up with a higher word count. I'm hoping to bring it up between 65k and 70k.

This is the second novel I've ever finished in my life, Rise being the first one. Speaking of Rise, I have some fantastic updates to share with you.

All right, time for what you came for. Here are three big updates about Rise.

1. The official Title for Rise is...



AAAAAAHHHHH YOU ALL KNOW THE OFFICIAL TITLE!!!

How We Rise is going to be my debut novel in 2020. Which leads me to my next update.

2. The official release date has been selected...

AAAHHHSDFGHJJKL WHAT??

How We Rise has an official release date, but I am not sharing what that date is just yet. Don't worry, early next year, you will know more.

and finally...

3. How We Rise is with an editor...

And we aren't just talking about any editor, either. We're talking about one of the best editors in the world.

Y'all know how I am obsessed with The Blood Race and 100 Days of Sunlight. Well, the lovely editor of those two books is working on my book. As. We. Speak. AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! *flails*

(FYI, I am not bragging, I'm just so freaking pumped right now.)

All these things have me so pumped and ready to take on the world!

I can't wait to tell you more about How We Rise and give you all the details.

I will be starting a street team early next year, and the street team will be the first to know all the details as well as spread the word about my book around their social media when they have the chance. There will be a post on that in January where you will be able to sign up. There will be limited places to be a part of the street team, so make sure you sign up when you can. I can't select everyone and it's a first-come, first-serve basis. (Unless you are one of those lovely spam accounts bothering me and my friends on our blogs. If you sign up, you won't be selected.)

Now, on to the aesthetics...