By Kristy McCaffrey
I always appreciate advice from other authors, so here’s a few bits I can offer.
Keep writing to learn your
baseline
Every writer is different in how they approach a new project. Some outline, some don’t. Some write in a linear fashion, some don’t. If you compare yourself to other authors, you’ll likely become frustrated. Be patient and learn your own process.
(Mine tends to be free writing followed by
periodic outlining. I build a story in layers, so it will take about 8-10
revisions of a manuscript before I’m done.)
Trust your instincts and intuition
Follow your creative impulses—they’ll always be right and true. But be more business-like and discerning during the editing process and the subsequent marketing of a book. Don’t crumble at the first sign of criticism.
Learn the craft
This will be an ongoing process that never ends. You’ll make
mistakes. Learn from them and move on.
A side note regarding AI
Writing is a skill that grows in direct proportion to the effort expended. If you allow AI to do the heavy lifting in your story, those writing muscles will weaken. However, AI can be an important tool in research, administrative tasks, and marketing, freeing up more time to be creative in the work itself.
The 80% Rule
If a story is 80% good enough, I send it off to the editor.
With good editing, I strive to bring it up to 95%. It’s impossible to reach
perfection, so stop tweaking and release your creation to the world.
Be authentic
As an author, as a writer, and as a person. You are your writing. At the same time, your job is to be as invisible as possible within the work itself. Dig into your characters and plot. Embrace research.
Surround yourself with people better than you
This is how you’ll improve. And you can always improve.
Have fun
If playing with words and stories wasn’t buried deep in your bones, you wouldn’t be doing it in the first place. There are no limitations, really, so don’t place any on yourself.
Be humble. Be curious. Be grateful.
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Josie Ryan’s connection to Texas runs deep, from the land to an almost preternatural kinship with the animals in the wild. This bond has led her to the edge of life and death, from saving a boy caught in a fire when she was eleven years old to being struck by lightning to a mountain lion attack that almost ended her life. The discovery of an abandoned falcon chick leads to a fierce attachment, but with only intuition to guide her, Josie struggles to train the wildest creature she’s ever encountered. When she learns of a man who could help, she’s determined to gain an introduction.
Mateo Almirón, El Halconero—The Falconer—and Argentine gaucho, is tasked with delivering two prized purebred Criollo mares to Matt Ryan, a man whose reputation casts a long shadow. Years ago, Ryan saved the life of Mateo’s father, and the horses will settle the longstanding debt, but when the exchange goes wrong, Mateo is entrusted with protecting Ryan’s daughter, Josie. Now Mateo and Josie must hide in the mountains of Northern Mexico where stories abound of Josie’s mother, a woman who lived among the Comanche and rose from the dead.
But in a place alive with superstition, Josie and her untamed falcon will give rise to a new legend …
Josie is the youngest child of Matt and Molly from THE WREN.
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(It will also be available at Amazon, Kobo, Google Play Books, and in paperback on release day.)
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