Disclaimer: I am not a professional writer. I'm just a story teller who wants to help others by sharing my take on writing. Read on your own risk. :)

Chapter 1 – So how do you start?

Now that you're committed to giving this 'writing thing' a chance, where do you start? Well, whether with a pen and paper or a blank word page the first couple of sentences can be intimidating to say the very least.

So where do you really start? Well, no matter what platform you choose for your work, you need to consider your profile name. Make it something unique and easy to remember. You want your readers to be able to tag you, and easily commit to your memory. If you are brave enough, you can even use your real name. Whatever you choose a user name, pen name or write your own name, try to make it catchy, and easy to remember. Show of hands, how many of your chuckled at my SteamyHot name? Remember McSteamy and McDreamy from 'Grey Anatomy' (Any fans here? Don't leave me hangin')? Well, we can all agree they were both hot in their own way. So Hot and McSteamy, therefore you guessed it – SteamyHot. Cheesy, I know. But I giggled for days when I thought of it.

Profile Picture and setting up your profile – the more you tell your readers the better. Personally, if I come across a good find, I want to know more about the person behind the book (so yes, I read profiles!). Make sure you update it and make it your own hub of info about you, updates, etc. Choose images and you're pretty much done with the set-up. It took me years before I uploaded my own photo on Wattpad. Yes, my account was set up in 2012 and I started writing two years after I joined. 2018 was the year when I finally put my face, where my pen is... so to speak. It's a matter of personal preference. In my case, it was never about me, the author. It was all about my story ("The Change") and how different I wanted it to be compared to all of the clichés, and teen stories out there. I was just too 'old' to be reading teen werewolf stories, so I decided to write my own mature version of it, something that I would read/watch.

Now before you even start writing, accept your writing will change over time. Don't stress about whether or not the book is good enough or if it will gain traction or not. That's not what you should be concerned about. Write what matters to you, what would intrigue you if you are the reader. Selfisly write what you want. Then hit publish after you've read it three times. All drafts are rough around the edges, but you'll catch more mistakes and polish your work the more you read it. Allow others to give you feedback without being too defensive of your 'baby'. It's okay to have mistakes. As you grow and develop your writing, you will make less mistakes and have a more elaborate vocabulary. Remember, it's okay to go back over the first chapters and cringe at silly mistakes or weird wording, or to receive comments about grammar and editing. Try not to take everything to heart. I guarantee you over 90% of the people who mark your mistakes in the comments are actually trying to help you polish a story they already love. The few that are just petty mean haters.... Well, you know, just as the song goes 'haters gonna hate-hate-hate'. Just mute them or delete the comments. I personally don't take offense. English is not my first language, and I want to learn the intricacies of it. What better way than to write and practice? I often see author's notes how discouraged they are because so-and-so critiqued their writing. Welcome any critique, and find something positive about it. You are not born a writer. Life slowly shapes you to be a storyteller, and it will be up to you to develop and hone your skill. So take it as a learning experience, accept any feedback with gratitude, and learn whatever lessons others are willing to teach you.

One more thing to get out of the way before we really dive in – if you are not basing the book off personal experience, please, do you due diligence and research whatever you are writing about. Nobody is going to take your work seriously if it sounds phony, e.g you have no idea about the subject or details you are supposed to know. It's time for you to make besties with Google. My advice, Google the heck out of everything you're thinking of incorporating in your writing, then Google it some more. You can never be too realistic. So if your character is going to be a vet, a pilot or banker; try to see what it takes to have such a job.

If you can't feel it, don't write it. So many times we try to write outside of our comfort zone, and while it is incredibly rewarding, often it just reads fake. In order to be able to evict a specific emotion, you need to be able to feel it, visualize it and harvest it with your words.

The time you spend researching will pay for itself in the vivid scenes you'd be able to write and the life they will breathe into your story.

Now that is out of the way, let's talk about the story. It all starts with bits and pieces of a scene. Let's be frank, stories don't just get downloaded into your mind by the 'mothership' (or if they do, you're extremely lucky, and you should share your wisdom with me..wink-wink). The idea of a new story develops in your mind and comes in pieces. Sometimes you'd see a scene in a movie that replays different way in your imagination (of course, you as the lead!), or you'll have a really cool idea for a main hero but you don't know yet what to do with it. It's okay. Write it dow, then go about your day. If you start piecing together more of those gems then you're onto something. Be prepared to listen to your mind. You know how people say they have the greatest ideas when they are showering? That's when your mind is quiet, empty and you could make space for ideas to come to the front. Have you thought about werewolf shifting? It's explained as the wolf coming to the front or taking control or relinquishing control to your other part. Yes, I just went ZEN and all on you, but try it. Empty your mind and see what it has to tell you. You'd be surprised at your own creativeness.

Now that you are highly focused, motivated and inspired, let's see focus on your message. What do you want to share with your readers? Why would anyone care to read your book when they are so many out there, just as pretty looking as your own? What separates you from the pack? Is it an innovative idea in the genre, or is it the plot, the character backgrounds or personality? What makes you special?

In "The Change" my main focus was to make a parody of all the teen stories that crossed my path as a reader. I wanted to write about strong, independent women who took charge of their own life because that's the only way to get shit done in real life. So it only made sense that I would try to merge as many realistic details as possible into my werewolf tale. The heroes would be strong and fierce, but not to the point where they don't need a male in their life. On the contrary, they'll crave for their 'someone', and would not get offended by a healthy dose of possessiveness. It takes pride and self-knowledge to accept that everything in moderation is healthy. That's how the idea of 'The Change' came to be. The same idea carried over in all of the books of the Fated Series (The Change, The Monarch, Pack Law, Beta' Mate).

So now that you have a general idea of the book, it's time to get serious, and to develop it. How? You know the saying 'seeing is believing', so write it down. Yes, the whole story or as far as you have gotten. Read it out loud. If it seems interesting keep at it. You'll have a general play by play as how the story will turn out (I call this 'backbone' of the story).

The BackBone of the Change starts like this:

"Nessa attends a pack party. Greets the Alpha pair. The Alpha is her best friend, and her spouse - Brandon - Nessa's fated mate who rejected her. Insecurities start, only for Nessa to run and hide in the kitchen drowning her sorrow in food (yes I am a foodie and it's something that I would do if I am in her shoes). Meets a green eyed guy who she jokes with, and eventually he walks her to her car...."

Then I start developing each paragraph of the backbone of the story into a chapter. They should have some sort of beginning and end to them (Think TV series episodes, something happens to progress the storyline in each one, even if they seem unrelated at the time). As I write out the chapters, there are always ideas for plot twists in the backbone of the story that might require you to go back and edit it.

That's my way. It sure involves a lot of backtracking and might not be the most efficient way to write but it works for me. I'd love to hear how you put together your stories.

If you have any questions, please tag this paragraph so I can address them in the chapters to come.

Happy Writing!

SteamyHot

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