This Author's Got Weird Writerly Quirks 🖋️
Apr 03, 2025 5:01 pm
It's about time for another update on C.L. Carhart's writing progress. And maybe a peek at her writing PROCESS. You know full well she's proud of being weird, and that translates into her writing in a number of ways.
But she doesn't feel like writing this entire email in 3rd person. 😜
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Progress is steady on Claimed by the Undead. Yesterday I finished writing Chapter 12, and I've got 33,712 words in the document so far.
On that note, WHY does literally every writer who blabs on social media always measure their progress with word count? "I wrote 2091 words today!" "I beasted out 8,359, rah rah!" "Only managed to squeeze out 530, whyyyy?"
Like...what? You could have typed the same word over and over for all I know. How about chapters? How about scenes?
I digress. There's your first inkling of my Writerly Weirdness. 😉
For now, let's admire another artwork I found that reminds me of Helena exploring an Alpine forest in springtime. I hope you enjoy it!
You can pre-order Helena's adventurous love story with the Black Priest Konstantin at your favorite retailer—or my book shop—by clicking the button below. Remember, the eBook is only 99¢ in celebration of the start of my FIRST lengthy series following the same main characters since 2021! 🥳
This Writer Is A Weirdo
I'll admit I spend too much time scrolling social media every day, because my weirdo brain craves new-to-me information. Since 2020 I've observed the woes echoed in online writer communities, and I'm often reminded that I apparently don't work the way "most" writers work. Let's take a look at common "writer blabs" I've seen, and the respective differences in my writing process.
Blab 1: Don't edit while you write! Just let out a GIANT 💩 of words without using your brain whatsoever! Maybe even do it drunk or high! You can clean it up when you edit your book AFTER it's finished!
Me: Okay. Well. I suppose that sort of writing works for some writers. Maybe even most writers. And that's awesome because everyone is different. 💖
But the way my brain is wired, I literally CAN'T write without thinking. In fact, I'm not a "fast" writer at all. I might write a paragraph or two, and then I'll go back and read over them and tweak the wording. If I step away for a break in the middle of a chapter, I'll read the entire chapter again before I start writing again. And tweak the wording. Maybe cut some stuff. Maybe add some stuff. Whenever I finish a chapter, the process happens all over again.
Then I read the chapter aloud to my husband. And tweak wording AGAIN.
After that I likely won't go back to that chapter ever again unless I'm looking for information pertinent to the plot. When I do the final edit, that involves simple stuff like changing overused words. Then that book is hitting the retailers!
Yep. I know. That makes me super, duper weird. Let's continue.
Blab 2: Never, ever, EVER use an adverb! There's always a stronger word to show the same concept in a better way! We hate -ly; we're writers!
Me: How about don't OVER-use adverbs? Wouldn't that be insightful, since the English language includes adverbs? If they weren't supposed to be there in certain situations, pretty sure they wouldn't exist. I'm not a fan of dumbing down our language, anyway. Simple isn't always better. At least for me!
(If you're a writer yourself, feel free to slash all those adverbs. Write the way you want; don't take what this weirdo says as gospel.)
Blab 3: OH NOOOOOOOO, you can't even THINK about using a dialogue tag unless it's 'said'! Said said said said said said said said! Wheeeeee!
Me: To be honest, that idea seems like yet another attempt to dumb down the English language. It's an expressive language, so why don't we lean into that when writing? Sure, not every writer might want to do that, but I do. So I'll keep dropping the occasional 'observed,' 'queried,' 'hollered,' and 'mentioned.'
While making good use of 'said' along with all of those. Most of my published novels have 200+ uses of the word 'said,' so I think we're in good shape. 😉
Besides, sometimes we don't need dialogue tags anyway. As long as it's incredibly obvious which character is speaking!
Blab 4: Third person limited is the best POV ever because...well, because it just is. First person sounds like you're a girl, LOL. And "head-hopping" (a.k.a. third person omniscient) is too hard for readers to follow. Readers are idiots, ya know? That's why they read!
Me: Admittedly those last 2 sentences above are my reactions to the anti-omniscience among the writing community (obviously). 😅
That being said, third person limited seems exactly like first person to me. The only difference is that you have to keep writing out your main character's name again. And again. And again.
I read a lot of classics when I grew up, along with some older children's stories like The Secret Garden—which has instances of third person omniscient done well. I've also heard that third person omniscient is standard in some countries, so maybe it's just the primary English-speaking markets that seem to despise the very thought of that POV?
I don't know, but I'll likely keep writing in first person POV, even if it makes me "sound like a girl." 🤣 I don't feel like repeating my main character's name several thousand times in one document.
If you do, that's totally okay. You do you, and I'll do weirdo me!
And I'll silently weep about the fact that I may never publish a book written in third person omniscient. But who knows...it may happen....
Other Books You Might Like
Enough of my rants for the day. Let's take a look at two books and a hefty book bundle by other indie authors, because you need something to keep you busy while you're waiting for Helena's story to hit your e-reader. We've got a mystery newsletter freebie, an enemies-to-lovers romantasy available on all retailers, and a bundle of 10 witchy books for a massive bargain—about $2 each!
Meet Quentin Black: Private Investigator. Psychic. Possible murderer.
Gifted with an uncanny sense about people, psychologist Miri Fox works as a profiler for the San Francisco police. When her best friend, homicide detective Nick Tanaka, thinks he's finally nailed the serial murderer known as the "Wedding Killer," she agrees to check him out, using her gift to discover the truth.
But the suspect, Quentin Black, isn't anything like Miri expects.
He claims to be hunting the killer too, and the longer Miri talks to him, the more determined she becomes to uncover his secrets.
When he confronts her about the nature of her peculiar "insight," Miri gets pulled into Black's bizarre world, and embroiled in a game of cat and mouse with a deadly killer—who might just be Black himself.
Worse, she finds herself irresistibly drawn to Black, a complication she doesn't need with a best friend who's a homicide cop and a boyfriend in intelligence.
Can Miriam see a way out or is her future covered in Black?
Kyra Kozelski
"All men deserve to burn in eternal Abyss."
Every male disappeared. Turns out, I did that. Who knew I possessed Magik?
However, Jadox Griffin—a quiet, annoying soldier who definitely doesn't have eyes to die for—is still here. I need his help to return my nephew before it's too late. But Jadox is hiding something, and a whispered threat is creeping closer with each passing moment.
Jadox Griffin
Kyra is gorgeous, powerful, and a pain in my ass. Her wish turned the world upside down. Teaming up with her is necessary to find the answers I seek. I'm not her only option, so maybe she won't choose me. If that's the case, I might be the next to disappear. But time is running out.
Get the full 10 book series!
A forbidden love between a witch and warlock results in their children being hidden away, not knowing of their true magical heritage. This series follows sisters, Ava, Bella and Courtney as they discover their parent's secrets and explore their own powers. This series should be read in order, and each book leads into next.
April Book Fairs
I've got four book fairs to keep your reading addiction occupied this month. Every book involved in the first one is available on multiple retailers, so if you don't use Kindle, you won't have to scroll in sorrow looking for something you can actually read (yay!). Then we've got low spice fantasy with romance, dark fantasy romance tales, and a fantasy book fair that includes a paperback giveaway. Browse whatever captures your interest, and happy reading!
That's about it for me, because Chapter 13 of Claimed by the Undead is calling my name. This one's going to be from Konstantin's perspective, and it'll describe the first time he and Helena confront that "unceasing lust" he was cursed with when he became a Black Priest. 😬
Will Konstantin's self-control temper his undead urges, or will things get heated?
I'll find out today, and we'll all find out next month. Don't forget to pre-order Claimed by the Undead at the first link below. I wish you a wonderfully weird weekend, and I'll catch you next week.
Talk to you soon,
C.L. Carhart
Pre-order Claimed by the Undead:
https://bf.clcarhart.com/fd9deoy799
Go Wild For Wide Books (multiple retailers):
https://bf.clcarhart.com/gowildforwidebooks/y4b0mcqyzg
No Spice Fantasy With Romance:
https://bf.clcarhart.com/fantasywithromanceapril2025/ub189htm82
Royals & Rogues Forbidden Romance: