For the Low, Low Price of NO DOLLARS...Some Advice on #Writing and #Creativity!

This was originally written for Wedbriefsfic.com on my Under the Table and Into His Heart blog tour. Published Mar 25th, 2014.

In my day-to-day life, I am a library lady and as such library things interest me. In a meeting with our programming department, we jokingly asked if we could get Neil Gaiman as the author for our NaNoWriMo after-hours party this November. Mr. Gaiman’s appearance fee is a well-earned $30,000—so, no go. But have you heard the man speak? He is SO motivating.

I am no Neil Gaiman.

But in my 20+ years of writing, I have developed a small set of advice that I keep close to my heart. For the low, low price of NO DOLLARS, I want to share it with you now.

Be brave in all things.

Writing is scary. Writing can be downright terrifying even. If you aren’t scared of writing, there is always sharing your stories, editing, soliciting for publication, blurb writing, release day, promo, reviews, self-doubt, and the NEXT story. There’s always something to be nervous about. That’s why you must be brave to pursue your dreams.

Write boldly.

The bolder the better. Don’t let anyone set limitation on your story. Write with the graceful wordcraft of an adult and the imagination of a child.

Write for yourself.

Money is awesome. Writing and getting paid to write? Awesomely awesome. But writing FOR money? It’s taxing. It’s draining. I don’t care if you are following trends or not as long as, at the heart of it, you are saying something meaningful for yourself. Speak with your voice, not the voice they want you to have.

You have a lifetime of stories, they don’t have to all be written today.

This is not my advice—it is my friend Lisa’s. She drilled it into my head. When you craft, craft with precision and care. The goal is not to write 100 mediocre stories when a little more effort and a little more time would produce five AMAZING stories.

You are a creative being.

Prove it! Write, draw, sing, knit, garden, dance, bake, design, sew, anything. Get your fingers moving and your brain flowing. Be creative in all things!

Dream, dream, DREAM!

We’ve all been told at one point or another that dreams are for babies and dreaming is pointless. SCREW. THAT. Dream big! Dream bold! Dream in defiance! DREAM. And then do something about those dreams.

I believe in you,
Raine O’Tierney 

"Somebody Nice!" *TOTALLY FREE* sweet novella w/ a touch of spice! #mmromance #freefiction

It's here! It's here! It's finally here!

I participated in the M/M Romance GR Group's Love's Landscapes event this year, writing a free fiction based on a prompt provided by one of the group members. This was my very first time writing for the event and I've been all nerves and excitement over it.

Somebody Nice! is the result of the following prompt, which the lovely Vera developed:

Dear Author,

NewYorkDating.com Profile 
Name: Danny

Age: 35

Location: New York City

Sexuality: Male seeking Male

Looking for: a nice person! Who loves dogs! And children!

About Me

This is Danny, he is a very nice person and he is very funny, but I think he is lonely. He helped me when my mom wanted to sell me to a reality show and now I live with him and I wanted to do something back for him so I want to find someone for him, because he has only me and Bunny, that’s his dog, who is really big. And I’m 7 years old and Danny is 35, which is really old, but that doesn’t matter he looks younger. Miss Portwood, my teacher said I need to say what Danny likes to do and he likes to walk with Bunny and work out and play football with me and Bunny and he works also, I think he is a police officer or something, he has a really cool car! And he has a ring in his nipple, which I think is really ouch, but he says people like it. I don’t understand why but Danny says I need to be older but I’m already 7.

Hugs, Melissa

Sincerely,

Vera

The story has been available to the group since June 3rd, but as of today, it is now made public and is available to download in .mobi, .pdf, and .epub!

Check out the M/M Romance Group site for more details!

NEVER Apologize For What You Read or What You Write! #IntellectualFreedom #ProudReader #ProudWriter

It started out as a worry. This will not surprise those who know me.

I worry often and about everything. This particular night I was worrying about what people would think if I wrote something totally fluffy. Would they like it? Would they hate it? Should I apologize for wanting to write fluff? I should apologize! I should get on Facebook and APOLOGIZE!

"Dear Facebook friends and fans...I'm so sorry this story isn't Sweet Giordan or Most Beautiful Words--it's JUST going to be fluff."

I started to write the apology six or seven times in different ways over the course of several days. I bit my nails to nubs. I fretted. I made myself sick over it.

And then, while writing another incarnation of the apology, this came out of me instead:

Please please please don't apologize for what you write or what you read. Don't apologize for writing too much sex or not enough, for changing genres and styles, for following your heart story to story. You are amazing, and your intellectual freedom is amazing!

As a library lady, I promote intellectual freedom all the time. READ WHAT YOU WANT AND NEVER APOLOGIZE! So why wouldn't this translate to writing? I shouldn't be--and I will not be--sorry for chasing the story that's on my mind. That may be angst angst angst or it may be cotton candy. Hell, it could be a combination of both! (Black cotton candy?)

I would not stand for ANY author apologizing for their story, why would I let myself get away with it?

Listen. Really listen. You are amazing. You are unique. You are an author or a reader or both. Your preferences are your own. Your loves are valid.

DO.
NOT.
APOLOGIZE.
FOR THIS.
EVER.

Proudly me,
Raine O'Tierney

DSP is having a #SALE! TIme to *~*BUY*~* #MMromance

If you can't tell from the banner... DSP is having a sale! I am a Year Seven author, so if you've been waiting to check out Under the Table and Into His Heart or Sweet Giordan, Please Remember, now is probably a good time. (Who doesn't love savings?)

Look at the beautiful covers... They are calling to you... OoooOOOOooooOOOOh! (Why do the covers sound like ghosts?!

Looking forward to hearing what you think! And if you've read them, why don't you drop me a line? :)

--Raine