4/3/2020 2 Comments Camp NaNoWriMoHey guys! Welcome back to my blog. I know it's been a hot minute since I posted something on here. I've been so busy between work and life in general that I haven't thought about writing a new post. Oops.
But today I've decided to change that. I'm doing Camp NaNoWriMo for the first time! I'm super excited about it. I've always wanted to do NaNoWriMo but never joined in. I'm not sure if I could do 50,000 words in a month, honestly. But Camp is different. I set myself a goal of 10,000 words for a secret project. And honestly? This book has been easy to write so far, which I'm surprised about. I haven't finished a book since 2014 I believe. It's been a while, unfortunately. It's only April 3rd and I've already hit 5,137 words. I'm halfway done! I didn't expect to breeze through my word count so fast. It's an amazing feeling. In my book I have 10,163 words total. How are you doing? I'd love to hear about your experience!
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1/7/2020 0 Comments Goal Check!Today I'm doing a goal check. Let's see how far I've gotten so far this year, shall we?
My goals:
Here's what I've accomplished so far... Well...first of all, our trip ended up being cancelled. I've read twelve books so far this year. Here's what I read: 1) Twisted Fate, Twisted Gift, Twisted Desire and Twisted Devotion by Jessi Elliot 2) A Higher Calling by Caption Harold and Rachel Earls 3) Podcasting: How to Start a Podcast and Create a Profitable Podcasting Business by Amanda Mayo 4)Book Sales That Multiply by Mandi Lynn and Bethany Atazadeh 5) Song of the Dryad by Natalia Leigh 6) A Thousand Perfect Notes and The Boy Who Steals Houses by C.G. Drews 7) The Girl Who Steals Christmas, which is a short story, also by C.G. Drews. 8) Remaining Aileen by Autumn Lindsey I've written a draft of TLT. I'm currently writing a new book, which is a Young Adult paranormal story. :) The Last Night, my upcoming novel, is with my editor. Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! Feel free to check me out on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. I’d love to interact with you! Sign up for my newsletter to be the first to know all of my announcements! 1/2/2020 0 Comments 2020 GoalsHey guys! I can't believe it's already 2020! That's so crazy to me.
Today I figured I'd share my goals for this year. I'm dreaming big for my life, and I'm super excited to accomplish everything! One step at a time. Goal #1 Publish a new book. Or two. I have one that's almost ready. I've been working on this particular story since 2012! I'm hoping to have a cover reveal and release date soon. Goal #2 Launch my secret project. My project is still in the beginning stages, but I'm hoping to reveal it late 2020! Goal #3 Write. I have a lot of book ideas that I want to publish! Of course, they still need to be written. I do have some I plan on writing next, though, and I'm really excited to dive in. Goal #4 Research! I want to learn how to market my book and how to build a business. Not to mention work on my platform. Goal #5 Go on vacation. My fiance and I plan on going to Washington late 2020 to visit a friend of ours. She moved there over the summer, and I'm really looking forward to seeing her again! Goal #6 Save money! Oh, I have so many things to save up for! I'm getting married in 2021, so that's at the top of the list. We also want to buy a house within the next ten years, and I need a new car. Mine is getting old and has messed up a couple times this past year. Plus I want to go travelling so badly. Goal #7 Eat healthier and go on more walks! Goal #8 Read more! There's so many books I've been wanting to read but haven't yet! So I plan on reading them all next year! I may do a post about the books I want to read in 2020. I have so many things I want to do! My dream is to work from home, and I plan on accomplishing that in this decade. Wish me luck! What are your goals? I'd love to hear them! Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! Feel free to check me out on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. I’d love to interact with you! Sign up for my newsletter to be the first to know all of my announcements! 12/29/2019 0 Comments 2020 ReadsHey guys! Today I've decided to talk to you about my 2020 reads! There's so many books I've been wanting to read, and I didn't get to them all last year! Or previous years...oops.
New Releases #1 The Cursed Hunter by Bethany Atazadeh You guys. This series is amazing. And they're all retellings! Bethany does such a great job weaving the storylines together! The Cursed Hunter is the third book in The Stolen Kindgom series, bvt it's a companion novel. I can't wait to see how Bethany does this story. It's based off of my favorite fairytale, Beauty and the Beast. I've been patiently waiting for this book to release since I found out about it! The final book is a Sleeping Beauty retelling, and I'm pretty sure it's coming out in 2020 as well! Also, the covers are gorgeous! #2 Get Out of Your Own Way by Dave Hollis I love Rachel and Dave. Rachel's personal development books are amazing, so I'm excited to read Dave's! His is from the skeptic point of view to growth and fulfillment. I've been loving personal development books the past couple of years. I can't wait to read more! #3 Marketing for Authors book #4 by Mandi Lynn and Bethany Atazadeh I've read the first two, How Your Book Sells Itself and Grow Your Author Platform and loved them! I still need to read the next one, Book Sales That Multiply, but I'm excited to read it. Books I've been meaning to read... #1 The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer This book released a couple years ago...and I haven't read it yet. I plan on changing that next year. #2 She's Not Here by Mandi Lynn I've been wanting to read this book since it released in 2018. I'm super curious about the premise and can't wait to dive in! It has to do with Alzheimer's. I've been wanting to write a book that has to deal with this topic as well, so I'm looking forward to reading Mandi's story! #3 Be Your Own #Goals by Kristen Martin I can't wait to see what Kristen has to say in this book, and in Soulflow. #4 Truthwitch by Susan Dennard Really excited to read this series! #5 Keeper by Kim Chance I've heard great things about this book! #6 The Savior's Champion by Jenna Moreci I want to read this book before the next one comes out! #7 The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead Richelle Mead is one of my favorite authors, but I still haven't read this series yet. I also haven't read The Ruby Circle yet...may need to reread the series before I can do that one! I have so many books on my TBR list, but here's a few I'm planning on reading in 2020! Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! Feel free to check me out on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. I’d love to interact with you! Sign up for my newsletter to be the first to know all of my announcements! 6/28/2019 0 Comments Life UpdateHey guys! My name is Heather Kirchhoff, and I'm a Young Adult author.
12/19/2018 0 Comments Should You Write Every Day?Hello! My name is Heather Kirchhoff. I am the Young Adult author of Fading and The Last Night. Today I’m wanting to talk about how often you should write.
There’s so many authors that say you need to write every day. I also see so many say something along the line of’ “if you don’t write every day, then you’re not a writer.” I don’t think that’s true. Just because someone doesn’t write every single day doesn’t mean they’re failing. It just means that have a life as well. Now, I’m not saying anyone who does manage to write every day doesn’t have one, but that doesn’t work for everyone. Some authors have a full-time job, or a family. Some have medical issues. Some may be going to college. Some may only be able to write at night. You never know what that person is going through. I’ve heard of an author who writes crazy fast, then takes a long break. I’ve heard of an author who can only write when their baby is asleep. I’ve heard of an author who stops writing after a certain time so they can be with their family. You have to do what works for you. It’s like outlining, or revising. Or even writing in general. Some people are able to do a lengthy outline, and others can’t go by one. Also, don’t compare your writing speed to someone else’s. Some people write a lot faster than others. That’s just how it is. There’s no need for you to make yourself feel bad because this author already has another story done, or that one is getting ready to publish a new book. Take your time with your project. Of course, you need to write more often than not if you want to get your book written, but don’t feel bad if it’s not every day. Don’t feel bad if you miss a week or so. Everyone needs to take breaks. Everyone has obstacles. Just be happy. Do what you feel is right for your story. Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! I post every Wednesday. My debut novel is about a girl struggling to cope after a love one dies. It deals with depression, suicide and bullying. You can check out The Last Night here! Feel free to check me out on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. I’d love to interact with you! 12/6/2018 0 Comments I Finished A Book! Now What?Hello! My name is Heather Kirchhoff. I am the Young Adult author of Fading and The Last Night. Today I’m wanting to talk about what to do after finishing your book.
I know a lot of writers wonder what they’re supposed to do once they finish writing their book. And that answer is simple: rewrite what needs to be fixed. Add in whatever your story is missing. Don’t rush the process. I know it’s so exciting to finish a book. I know there’s a temptation to publish it as soon as possible. But that’s not what you should do. You need to take a small break from your story once you write the end. That’s so you can have a new perspective once you open the document again. Jumping into editing immediately after writing isn’t a good idea at all. You will still have what you think the storyline is, and not what it actually sounds like. It’s your book, so you’re going to know what you mean by everything you wrote. This is why you should give yourself some time from it. Definitely send the manuscript to your critique partner. Feedback is very important. Consider the response you get back. You don’t have to change whatever may be suggested, but think about it. Look closely at the scene and try to figure out if you think there’s a problem or not. You also should probably send your manuscript to beta readers as well, so you can know if your story flows or not. Especially if you add to or switch scenes. And then there’s the edits. You have to edit a lot. On your own and with an editor multiple times. Hire a professional editor. Trust me, it’ll save you a lot of frustration down the road. While you’re working on polishing your book, don’t forget that it will never feel perfect to you. There’ll always be something you will want to add. You can’t work on it forever, otherwise it’ll never get published. Always remember to take your time. Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! I post every Wednesday. My debut novel is about a girl struggling to cope after a love one dies. It deals with depression, suicide and bullying. You can check out The Last Night here! Feel free to check me out on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. I’d love to interact with you! Hello! My name is Heather Kirchhoff. I am the Young Adult author of Fading and The Last Night. Today I’m doing a collaboration with Jacinta Hudson. We are talking about the mistakes we made when we first started out with our writing career. Don’t forget to check out her great post.
Self-publishing started to become a thing when I was a teenager. It’s super easy to do, so I decided to jump in. I realize now that I should have waited. I should have researched and talked to other authors about their experiences. But I didn’t do that. When I published The Last Night I didn’t stop to think about the fact that I should do some research where self-publishing is concerned. It’s important to research everything—from the editing process, to marketing, to beta readers. Book structure is another good one. I’ve had plans to write a book about suicide in hopes of saving some lives since I started writing. It wasn’t until I almost lost someone to suicide that I decided I should get to working on a book that’ll show readers what can happen to someone after one commits suicide. Once one of my classmates killed himself sophomore year of high school—about eight months after I almost lost someone to that—I realized I needed to get to it as soon as possible. I wasn’t following any of the YouTubers I am now for advice. I didn’t know that what I was doing was wrong. I didn’t have anyone in my corner in the publishing world. I was young and didn’t know any better. I was just so excited to publish a book dealing with depression, anxiety and bullying. Now I wish I didn’t jump instead of crawl. The only thing I can do, though, is fix my mistakes. I went through all of my books and fixed them up. I’m slowly learning about how to make an author platform and market my books. I made a lot of mistakes when I started this journey. Not only did I fail with researching, I also didn’t market my book. I talked about it a little on my author page and in a few groups, but that was about it. That doesn’t cut it. You need to have constrictive feedback, and a lot of it. That’s something I didn’t do before I published. I sent TLN to beta readers, but didn’t get a response back from any of them. I figured that meant I was good to go. I was wrong. Next time I publish a book I’m going to be doing things differently. I’m going to market it like it deserves. I’m going to make sure I get plenty of feedback. I’m going to get reviews and people interested before the book is available. If you’re thinking about self-publishing, I strongly encourage you to do your research. You won’t be sorry. Also, make sure you get feedback. Make sure you put your book through critique partners, beta readers, a cover designer, formatter, and a professional editor. Don’t take the short cut. You’ll regret it in the end. Trust me. It’s what I did, and now I’m correcting it. Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! I post every Wednesday. My debut novel is about a girl struggling to cope after a love one dies. It deals with mental illness. You can check out The Last Night here! Feel free to check me out on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. I’d love to interact with you! 11/21/2018 0 Comments Writing Community TagHello! My name is Heather Kirchhoff. I am the Young Adult author of Fading and The Last Night. Today I decided to join in with the Writing Community Tag that was created by Brittany Wang and Peggy Spencer.
1. What drove you to find a writing community? So I can have support from those who understands what I’m talking about and is willing to help. 2. How did you first start getting involved? By being supportive to other authors. 3. What has been your favorite online platforms for writing community? I love using Instagram. I love all of the pretty pictures. 4. What are some best practices for connecting and interacting with other writers online? Be yourself. Be encouraging. Be supportive. Share your experiences as well. 5. Are there any other platforms or ways to connect that you want to try next? Nope. I’m happy with the ones I have. I don’t need a bunch. 6. Have you made any writing friends in person? If so, how? I haven’t made any in person, but I’ve met a few of my writing friends. It was an amazing feeling. 7. How has the community helped you in your writing journey so far? It shows me that I’m not alone. I have author friends I can talk to who understands my struggles. 8. On what other platforms can people connect with you? (Share your handles/accounts) I’m on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. 9. Shoutout some friends and positive forces in the writing community that you think we should connect with! I love Nadege Richards, Bree Vanerland, Kate Marie Robbins, Line F. Nielsen, Genevieve Scholl, and Rue Volley. 10. Promote writing community by tagging friends to do this tag next! I tag anyone that wants to join in. Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! I post every Wednesday. My debut novel is about a girl struggling to cope after a love one dies. It deals with depression, suicide and bullying. You can check out The Last Night here! Feel free to check me out on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. I’d love to interact with you! 11/14/2018 0 Comments What Keeps Me InspiredHello! My name is Heather Kirchhoff. I am the Young Adult author of Fading and The Last Night. Today I’m wanting to talk about what inspires me to keep going with publishing.
Writing is hard. Writing is like trying to pull teeth sometimes. It’s very frustrating and can make giving up seem like it’s the better option. You shouldn’t. Someone out there needs your story. I have days like this as well. Every author does, honestly. So what inspires me to keep going? First of all, the readers. I want to make readers feel all the feels. I want to inspire them to never give up. I want to show them another world. Another thing is my dream. I want to become a full-time author. I also want to be in a bookstore. Let's not forget my fellow authors. I enjoy following authors I admire on social media, and not just for their books. I love seeing where they’re at in the publishing process. I like seeing their real life mixed in with the books they have worked so hard on. But what I really want to see is what they are struggling with. I want to know I’m not the only one who is having a hard time figuring out what this character should do, or how to make the story come together. I also want to see their successes. I always feel so proud and happy for them when I see that this author sold her book, or that one has a book coming out soon. I truly love it. Don't you? It’s nice to be able to know that you’re not alone. Whenever I struggle, I like reminding myself that I’m not the only one who’s been through this. I’m not the only author who’s had to rewrite a book. I’m not the only one who’s started and stopped a lot of ideas. I’m not the only one who procrastinates. I’m not the only one. Neither are you. We can do what we set our minds to. We can write that story. We can edit it a thousand times. We can rewrite as many times as needed. Your book is not going to be done quickly. If it is, then it’s not going to be the best draft possible. No book is ever finished, honestly. Doesn’t matter how long you worked on it. It’ll never feel like it’s perfect. But it is. We just can’t see that. It’s also okay to take your time. You don’t need to publish five books a year. Do what you feel is best for your work. Remember that when you think giving up is the only option. It’s not. Keep trying. Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! I post every Wednesday. My debut novel is about a girl struggling to cope after a love one dies. It deals with depression, suicide and bullying. You can check out The Last Night here! Feel free to check me out on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. I’d love to interact with you! |
About Me:Hello! My name is Heather Kirchhoff. I am a Young Adult author. I want to give out writing advice and help other authors avoid the mistakes I made. I post twice a month for now. Archives
April 2020
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