Don't you love it when a book is so different from anything you've ever read, yet so compelling and enticing that you just can't put it down?

Today I'm going to give you some tips on writing a unique book. Please note that these aren't ride or die tips, or must-haves. Every writer is different. This has been my own personal experience with writing my trilogy. 

Ooh, bold move am I right? But cross-genre books are becoming more and more popular. Blurring lines between two different genres is so fun to do. 

Using my book, How We Rise as an example, I took dystopian and contemporary, mashed them together, and my precious baby was born. So many genre lines can be blurred and it's so fun to do that. You can take fantasy magic and put it in the modern day world (aka The Raven Cycle, which I'm still reading and screaming about), or you can take a classic and make it something new (aka the retelling of the Greek myth, Orpheus and Eurydice, in Hadestown. Not a book, I know, but still a good example.)

Mashing up genres is not only fun, it can help put a unique spin to any story.

Quite an evil thing to do to your readers is giving them a villain that they can actually relate to. Make them do the wrong things for the right reasons. Make them have hard decisions that people would suffer trying to make. 

Make your villain human. No one truly realizes they are the bad guy. Everyone is the main character in their own story, and your villain is truly only seeing his side of things. So make him think he's doing the right thing. 

Not only does that make him more hated, it makes him more loved. Confused? Readers will hate the decisions your bad guy makes, but when they think about the hard reality of if they had to make the same choice... what would THEY do?

It's a brilliant way to make your book unique. Blur the lines between good and evil, while still having some distinction.

Okay, okay, this one is a little out there. But imagine writing a book from the bad guy's POV (point of view). Imagine you're following along with everything the villain is doing. And he's morally gray. And he's doing the wrong things for the right reasons.

And near the end, you learn he's the bad guy. And he's been fighting against the real hero all along. 

Bending the roles and leaving your readers stunned is a surefire way to really shaking up a book's plot and premise. 

You make the rules to any book you write. 

So those are my top tips to shaking up the book industry. No go forth and write amazing books!

 

If you're an avid writer, you may have heard of something called NaNoWriMo or Nation Novel Writer's Month. This year, this is also a Non-Nano, which from what I understand is similar to NaNo but not affiliated with the actual NaNoWriMo website. 

I did NaNoWriMo once. Last year. I wrote the entirety of book two of the How We Rise trilogy, which I am currently editing. 

So I am not participating in either NaNo or Non-Nano. 

But I am editing, which is also very serious work. And I'm also working on a few other novels that I have yet to mention. I won't be announcing anything on those quite yet, but as a writer, I know there are a few things we need to remember when we're in that writing (or editing) groove. 

It can be very tempting to skip your shower so you can pound out those words before you climb into bed or before you go to work (depending if you take showers at night or in the morning.) BUT, showers are honestly very refreshing and helpful to your process. 

Sometimes you may be so into the writing that you just want to keep going and skip the things you need to do, such as shower, but taking the time to get away from the screen can be so beneficial to your overall writing process. 

Breaks are a must. I know a lot of people think they have to get as many words in as fast as they can with no rest stops along the way. It's just not true. Breaks are a part of good mental well being. You may be thinking, "What does mental well being have to do with writing."

Everything. 

I know it's tempting to write for hours on end, and I'm not saying that's bad. But don't do it all the time. Have breaks. Get some fresh are. Walk around the house. Clean a few things. The book will still be there when you come back. If you burn out too quick, you won't have any words being put on the page. Taking just five minutes every 25 minutes (the Pomodoro affect) is going to be super helpful.

I know my best friend is probably laughing as she yells at me to drink water as I write this, because I am the QUEEN of dehydration. 

BUT, don't follow my footsteps. Don't almost pass out at work from dehydration. Just drink water. Have a water bottle you take everywhere and fill it up every time you finish drinking.  (I'm really stealing what bestie told me because she was yelling at me about my water intake. So thank you, Faith, for that helpful tip. 😏😏)

Also don't skip meals. I am also the queen of that. Don't do that. BASICALLY, don't do what I do. Take care of your body!!

It's easy to get lost in the rush of competition and trying to write 50K in a month. And I'm not going to say it's impossible to do. But be proud of whatever you accomplish because it still brings you closer to your initial goal. 

Writing is a joy and if you're aren't doing it because you love it, you might want to rethink your purpose. Remember why you started. You have a story to tell. You have something to offer to the world in your words. That's a HUGE power and a wonderful gift. We can influence so much with our words.

We are the new writing generation. One day, some of us will be immortalized by our books. Some day, our books will be considered classics. What type of book do you want the future reading from our generation?

Remember your goal. Remember your purpose. And don't be afraid to take time to figure out what that might be.

That's all I have for you today. I hope this inspired you as you gear up for NaNoWriMo or any Non-NaNo activities. I personally will probably never do neither of those again. While my first and last NaNo in 2019 was a wonderful experience, I know I like going at my own pace. Challenges can be fun, and I will definitely take up other challeneges.