Writing during the pandemic has been really different. I know some writers who have felt productive because they’ve had more time to focus on writing (lucky them!), but many others, like parents, who haven’t been able to fit in writing time. Then there are the writers who may have the time but can’t find the focus.
This was from the days when I used to write at the cafe…the good old days!
I totally get it! At the beginning of the pandemic when the of five us were home all the time, I thought it would be a long time before I figured out a way to fit in writing.
This was back in June 2020, and since then I’ve basically written and revised an entire 59,000-word middle grade novel and worked on a few smaller pieces as well. It’s a level of productivity I couldn’t have imagined achieving this time last year, but I’m not here to brag about this (even if I am proud of it!).
I’m here to say that it’s okay to be unproductive, especially when facing a global pandemic. I basically did a whole webinar with tips on how to be more productive as a parent writer (which is good for any busy writer) where I also tried to help listeners feel okay about not writing. You can watch it for free or check out any of the other Indie Author Project Expert Sessions if you have the time. đ
One thing that has really helped me to focus has been listening to some kind of white noise. I find music with lyrics can be distracting while I’m writing. But instrumental music that has the right mood to fit what I’m working on or white noise is perfect for keeping my internal editor in check and my mind on task.
So let’s get to those white noise recommendations already!
Spotify is my go-to app when I want thematic instrumental music. There are a ton of pre-made playlists that you can use search for. For my witchy middle grade, my favorite was “spooky instrumental”. When I write fantasy, I’m partial to this “Fantasy Board Gaming” one.
For something more like white noise, I turn to YouTube. For spring, I’ve been listening to this “Spring Rain Sounds” one. When I want to feel cozy, I enjoy fireplaces and thunderstorms, like this Royal Library one.
My most recent discovery is a site called I Miss My Cafe where I can channel those cafe writing sessions I used to have. You can choose which sounds to listen to, from the barista calling out orders to other customers chatting in the background to street ambiance, and pick your volume. There is also Coffitivity, which isn’t as customizable but good nonetheless.
What do you like to listen to while writing or working?
The big news this week is that I’ve set up a bookstore right here on my website! Now you can order signed copies of any of my four books directly from me, simply visit the Purchase Books page. If you’d like them personalized, follow the instructions on the page.
For those of you who may not be familiar with my books, here’s a little bit about each one. I think you’ll be able to find something for every young reader!
The Bedtime Knight – picture book
When the lights turn off at bedtime, a young mouseâs imagination runs wild. Daddy Knight charges in to the rescue and sheds light on what the shadows really are. Then he empowers his daughter to turn the scary shadows into fun imaginings. Written by Katie L. Carroll with illustrations by Erika Baird.
Pirate Island – middle grade fiction
A thrice cursed island, a legendary pirate treasure, and one not-so-brave boy. What could possibly go wrong?
For centuries, the whereabouts of Captain William Kiddâs lost pirate treasure has remained a mystery. When Billyâs best friend, Andy, proposes they look for it on nearby Pirate Island, Billy thinks itâs just another one of their crazy adventures. Itâs usually Billy who ends up in trouble as a result, but he goes along for the rideâŚlike always. The more he delves into the life and death of Kidd, the more he thinks the treasure is real and that it might be buried on the small island in Long Island Sound. Billyânope, call him Williamâbecomes obsessed with the captain of the same first name. He even believes heâs possessed by Kiddâs restless soul. Now he and the spirit of a long-dead pirate are leading the crazy adventure on Pirate Island. And what they find is far bigger than the treasure they imagined.
Elixir Bound – young adult fantasy
Take an epic journey in this award-winning young adult fantasy, winner of Best YA Book for the 2019 Connecticut Author Project! A young womanâs quest to become the next guardian of a secret healing Elixir is perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Sarah J. Maas
Katora Kase isnât the firstborn son nor does she possess the type of magic that can conjure spells or bewitch others. In the land of the Great Peninsulaâan epic fantasy world ruled by the Great Mother Nature and her offspringâthose things arenât a measure of oneâs worth. And what Katora does possess is the subtle magic running through her blood that marks her as the next guardian of a secret healing Elixir that is her familyâs legacy. It is such a highly guarded secret that Katora doesnât know of its existence until a rare snowstorm blows through with a message for her father, the current guardian.
Katora sets off on a quest into the wilds of Faway Forest to find the flowers that give the Elixir its potency. Even though she is accompanied by her sister, her brother, an old family friend, and the handsome son of a mapmaker, she feels alone. For it is her decision alone whether or not to bind herself to the Elixirâs magic to serve and protect it until a new guardian is chosen. The forest hosts many dangers, including wicked beings that will stop at nothing to gain power, but the biggest danger Katora may face is whether or not to open up her heart to love.
ELIXIR SAVED – young adult fantasy
Three lives saved by the Elixir; three lives bound by it.
The Elixir entwines the lives of those it touches. Once upon a time, Kylene, Zelenka, and Devon tasted it and escaped death. None were left without scars. Now, a shocking message from the Ice Queenâone of Mother Natureâs higher beingsâsends each survivor on a quest. Kylene travels to the frozen depths of Blanchardwood, Zelenka heads back to the wilds of Faway Forest, and Devon journeys to a reclusive mountain temple. The three paths converge in a war against an ancient and tricky foe. And even the Elixir cannot save everyone. The fate of the world balances on the edge of a sword, and the outcome depends on whether the survivors will sacrifice their second chances.
Escape back into the world of the Great Peninsula in this much-anticipated sequel to the award-winning ELIXIR BOUND.
With the popularity of my Self-Publishing Resources page, I’ve decided to share some self-publishing tips and tricks on the blog as well. First up is the trick of sending your ebooks and documents to show up directly on your Kindle ereader.
You can upload a file directly with the Send to Kindle feature. The types of files compatible with this method are PDF, DOC, DOCX, TXT, RTF, HTM, HTML, PNG, GIF, JPG, JPEG, BMP, and EPUB. Note that MOBI files are not included in the list. Alternatively, you can email these compatible file types to your Kindle email address, which includes instructions on finding your Kindle email address.
For readers, this is useful for when you purchase or download ebooks from somewhere other than Amazon–like from an author’s Bookfunnel link or itch–and want to read them on your Kindle. You simply download the book in a compatible file form and follow the instructions in the links above.
As a writer, I like to do this for when I’m doing my own copyedits on a manuscript, but it can work for any point in the editing process when you feel like you need a different perspective on a story you’ve already read a bunch of times. Similar to printing out a physical copy of a manuscript, taking a look at it in a new format can do wonders for catching things you might have missed.
This is also useful for seeing what the actual ebook will look like in the Kindle ereader when you’ve gotten to the formatting stage. It’s nice to be able to see what a reader will actually experience before uploading those final files.
I’d love to hear if there are any specific topics self-publishing topics you’d like me to cover here on the blog.
Crows are an important part of my witchy middle grade book, so it felt very serendipitous when I connected with Sara Webley, author of ZO IN THE ROOSTING TREE. Let’s give a big welcome to Sara and and her clever crow character Zo!
Besides writing books for young readers, Iâm an editor of texts ranging from academic writing to consumer health to kidsâ books. Iâve also worked in the zoo and aquarium field as an animal technician and zookeeper. I love fiction and nonfiction about animals and nature. So when I decided to write a fantasy about a young girl who switches places with an American Crow, I wanted to combine the real with the magicalânature with fantasy. Write what you know, but…twist it! I wanted my readers to view nature from the perspective of the animal.
So I had to decide: How to construct Zo in the Roosting Tree? How to bridge reality and fantasy?
I began by researching crow behavior, crow myths, crow intelligence. Write what you knowâand anything you donât know, educate yourself about it! So I was continually checking: How would a real crow act in the scene Iâm writing? What cool example of crow behavior can I include? This research gave me a framework for creating my plot and characters. What I aimed for was a fantasy close enough to reality that it would pull my readers in and make them wonder…Could that really happen? Would the crow I see outside my window every day be able to do that? And…Is that crow watching me?
The crow and human needed to switch places, so they could each learn about the otherâs world. Because of my own bond with nature, I created a human character who loves birds: a young girl named Jae, who would live inside Zo the crowâs body. And the crow would live inside Jaeâs human body. Thatâs the magical âSwitchââgirl and crow, crow and girl. I hoped to excite young readers about a bird they probably see every day and donât think much about. I wanted them to care about animals by being one for a while.
I made choices about plot, scenes, conflicts, and fun based on what I know about real crows. Planning my storyline, I wanted the magical crow Zo to behave in ways that reflect reality. Crows are smart, social, playful, adaptable birds. So I made Zo clever, fun-loving, family-oriented. Crows recognize human facesâpeople they like, and people they donât. Crows are also problem-solvers, comparable in intelligence to monkeys and dolphins. They can use tools to find hidden food, slide down a snowy windshield just for fun, or surf the clouds by gripping a big piece of bark with their toes. So I set some problems in front of Zo to see how she might solve themâlike being hunted by a scary owl at dawn. Zo may live in a fantasy world, but her behavior reflects the skills of a real crow.
But whatâs fun about writing nature fantasy is not having to be totally accurate! After editing academic writing for years, I needed a 180-degree turn. So I took liberties: A real crow would not be friends with a young cardinal. A real crow would not ride on a snapping turtleâs back. I enjoyed starting with what I knew about the true nature of crows, and then twisting that into fantasy.
My goal was also to get readers interested in the much-maligned crow (think: Hitchcockâs The Birds) by presenting a sympathetic crow who teaches us something about natural behavior. This winter, a friend told me that sheâd seen a huge group of crows gathering in a parking lot before they flew off to roost for the night. She said it made her think of âthe apocalypse.â Thatâs what I wanted to counter with Zoâs character, by showing readers how crows communicate, play, and care for each other. In that parking lot, those crows were probably discussing where to find food the next day, not planning the apocalypse!
Nicer beliefs exist about crows, too: theyâre famous for leaving âgiftsâ for humans. Thereâs some disagreement about that among bird scientists, but I wanted to use a shiny gift in the plot. I make silver chain maille bracelets, so I decided that Jae would have one. The real bracelet jump-starts the magical crow-and-girl Switch. Nature and reality…with a fantasy twist.
ZO IN THE ROOSTING TREE blurb:
Caw! Zo looks like a crow, sounds like a crow, and flies like a crow. But Zo thinks sheâs a human girl inside!
Zo in the Roosting Tree tells the story of a clever crow, through the eyes of a human girl. A girl who loves being a crow, but who must find the secret to being human. Follow Zoâs adventures as she wakes up one morning in the roosting tree, learns to fly, plays games with a goofy cardinal named Rufus, and surfs the wind with her wings in the clouds. Kahr! Kahr!
Being Zo the crow is fun. And Rufus has become her best birdy friend. But when Zo discovers the dangers of her new lifeâowls and bobcats and carsâshe misses her human family. Time is running out. Can a mysterious snapping turtle help Zo find the magic she needs to go home again?
When Sara Webley was ten years old, her grandmotherâs monthly magazine published Saraâs poem about a lobster…minus the final stanza. Not too happy with Grandmaâs editing, Sara became an editor and writer herself. She has helped others do their best work through her editorial company, JAS Group Writing & Editing. Saraâs poetry has appeared in Flyway, Cold Mountain Review, and Appalachia.
Also trained as a veterinary health technician, Sara worked at Bostonâs Franklin Park Zoo and New England Aquarium caring for seals, otters, porcupines, coyotes, snakes, monkeys, turtles, and other animals. Currently, she volunteers handling hawks and owls at a nature center, where she met one very special American Crow. As an author, Sara combines her love of animals with her love of books for young readers. She enjoys watching the crows gather at dusk in their roosting tree near her home. Follow Sara and Zo on Instagram @sara_webley_author and @zo_crow at facebook.com/zointheroostingtree.
Last year, after I got my YA fantasy ELIXIR SAVED finalized and up for preorder, the goal was to take a break. Not that I wasn’t going to write, more that anything I wrote would be without a plan.
I had started my witchy middle grade back in October 2019 when I did an Unworkshop at the Highlights Foundation, but I didn’t want to dive back into that one yet. I wanted to play around and not focus on a big project like a novel, and I wanted time to refill my creative well with reading, watching, and listening to music.
That was the plan at the beginning of the year, and I got ELIXIR SAVED ready in early March just before schools shut down. And, well, you all know what we’ve all been dealing with ever since. By the time I figured out how to fit in writing time again with early morning sessions (which didn’t happen until June!), I needed to have a plan instead of play, so I opted to work on the witchy middle grade.
Then I also got the rights to the illustrations for my picture book THE BEDTIME KNIGHT, so that became my play project as I taught myself to design a picture book. And now THE BEDTIME KINGHT is a real book out in the world and my middle grade is off to critique partners!
So I am truly ready for that writing “break” I meant to take (*checks notes*) almost a year ago. I have some STEM topics I’ll be exploring and I’ll be playing around with book formats I haven’t written before. Eventually I’ll be getting back to my witchy middle grade, and then I’ll have to decide what novel I’m writing next, but it’s all play for now for me. I’m really looking forward to it.
What kind of play or work (writing or non-writing related) have you all been up to?
