Likability in heroines

Likability in heroines

by RefinedMind ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

When I read, I try to sympathize with the main character as much as I can, as long as they’re not a brat, stuck up, or not self-aware. If the character is like this, I love when there’s character development but if there isn’t, I can’t say I’m a fan.

There are some books where I’ll understand where the heroine is coming from, understand the thought process, the stress and anxiety that would play into her making a certain decision, no matter how stupid it is, but there are other times where I kind of wish she just used her brain.
For example, in a recent book I read, “Passion & Venom”, the heroine was kidnapped and held in the basement. Down there, she is with another prisoner and at one point, she expresses her need to pee but the bathroom door is locked. He advises her to just piss in the corner but instead, she called down one of the mafia members and proceeds to ask if they could open the door for her. *Spoiler* he doesn’t unlock the door and does something worse.

Shouldn’t she be trying her best to stay out of their way and not attract any attention to her? These are the same men who killed her husband after all. Throughout the books, there’s little character development.

She is, in fact, a very strong female lead but it just comes off as…snobby.
And oh my goodness, don’t get me started on suddenly forgiving the completely horrible hero who is such a shitty person all around but suddenly, his backstory is revealed for sympathy point and all his previous actions are forgiven because, boohoo, he has such a bad past. That does not give anyone a pass to be a horrible person, especially if they refused to change. In Passion & Venom, it’s to be expected as he is a mob leader and while we weren’t exposed to his back story in book one, it was hinted at and I know it will be revealed in book 2 but I can’t be bothered to find out because I know he’s going to continue to be a shitty person and the heroine is going to fall in love. Bonus, he’ll continue to be a horrible person to everyone but her. Go figure.

But there have been books where I understood where the heroine was coming from and despite the stupid mistakes, they were understandable. The character themselves were likable too but after I’ve finished and gone onto Goodreads to see what other fellow readers had to say, only to be disappointed in what I read. Some readers absolutely despised the heroine but the funny part is, they would love the hero (who’s an absolute jerk, mind you).

A mild example I can give is ‘The Stand-In’ by Lauren Campbell. I loved this book with all my heart and soul. I couldn’t stop reading, recommended it to everyone I know, and had a good laugh while reading it. When I opened Goodreads, expecting that there couldn’t possibly be people who didn’t like it, I was disappointing. Of course, in my moment of excitement for this book, I forgot that not everyone has the same opinion as me. The heroine was great; she was funny, a little crazy, made questionable choices, and even had me frustrated a few times but I did try to see where she came from. After all, what would a book be if the hero/heroine was perfect? There were a few comments I read that say they found her to be self-absorbed and selfish (understandably) but I never considered that perspective until I read that review.

I consider this a mild example because I’ve seen way worse on other books that I can’t remember at the moment.

Is there a book you’ve read where you’ve found yourself criticizing the heroine a little too harshly and giving the hero one too many passes?

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E-book vs Paperback

E-book vs Paperback

by RefinedMind ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Which do you prefer?

E-book

For the most part, I tend to read on my phone. Ever since i started reading, which was in middle school, i would always be on my phone, reading obsessively, especially past bed time. I ended up with glasses 😦

There’s just something so simple and easy about reading on my phone whenever and wherever I want that makes it so great.

  • It’s anywhere and everywhere as long as you have your small cellular device, charged and ready to be used
  • It cost a lot less than a tangible book does!
  • You can adjust font size, background color, lighting, etc
  • You’re not wasting trees!
  • You can stack them up all you want and don’t have to worry about lack of storage!
  • If you don’t know a work, all you have to do is press on the word and it’ll take you to the dictionary
  • Links can be attached and convenient to open up

Paperback

Who doesn’t love a good, classic paperback? Seeing them on your shelves and having those wonderful memories of reading it, staining the pages with food, gripping the edge with anxious fingers and white knuckles in anticipation of what will happen next…ahh, can’t be beat.

  • You know that feeling of cracking opening a fresh new book, softening the spine, and breathing in that fresh new-book smell? – can’t be beat
  • Getting to have your own mini library, if you buy it of course
  • Can be free! Just go to the library!
  • Getting to buy a cute book mark and using it relentlessly
  • Admiring the book design – some are even 3D
  • Easier on the eyes
  • It’s different when someone seems you actually holding a book and reading rather than looking like your just on social media
  • Sharing! – ‘You have to read this book. Here, take it!’ – Your own little book club
  • Second hand books! – there’s a story written in ink and another story written between the folds and cracks that the previous owner left behind (maybe it isn’t always for the best but the written in side connects can be great!)
  • Doesn’t it feel amazing when your done reading for the time being so you put your bookmark in and close the book – now you can see the progress you made and how much you have left. I feel satisfied

Despite these differences, i think we can all agree that reading overall is just an amazing thing and isn’t it so great that we have multiple options? Each have their own benefits and drawbacks but at the end of the day, reading is reading.

You Found Out There’s a Book Similar to the One You’re Writing. Now What? | Writing Advice

You Found Out There’s a Book Similar to the One You’re Writing. Now What? | Writing Advice

by RefinedMind ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Do you know what the most frustrating thing about writing a book? Spending hours putting together characters, an outline, writing several pages, only to find out that there’s a book out there similar to yours.

When i found out, i wanted to chuck my whole story out the window and return back to calculating university loans, which seems a lot more fun than dealing with the reality of sharing the spotlight of your book with another book similar to yours. Major problem: that book is already published while i’ve had my idea in mind for a few years and just recently decided to tackle it.

I forced myself to weigh the pros and cons of continuing with my book and decided whether it truly is something i want to publish. After all, i would just end up looking like a copy cat but let me present to you the following evidence:

The Lion King was stolen.

Romeo and Juliet have been recreated over and over again, in terms of books and movies.

Stephen King’s book ‘Under the Dome’ is similar to ‘The Simpson’s Movie.’ He said he never would have published it if he knew about the movie before hand but it brought him great success.

My point is, despite the similar plots, people will read and re-read it over again and then search for something similar because they love it that much and more. I hate to break it to you, i really do, but the odds that you’ll come up with something completely original and new is…well, the odds are slim.

You didn’t copy it word for word, nor did you have the same names and destination and conflicts. Readers will be more engaged in how you tell the story and your goal is to tell it to the best of your ability.

It will hurt when someone asks if it was a spin off of said book but you’ll just have to suck it up because at the end of the day, you worked on that book and you tried to make it as original as you could.

What you’re not going to do is stop writing. You have a unique way of writing that is different from the author that wrote the book you found similar to yours.

The plot may be similar but its not the same and everything else is unique in it’s own way.

**Also, you’ll get over it eventually. I wrote this post a while ago and forgot about it until now. During the time, that other book had been front and center for a few days, maybe even weeks but now, I hardly think about it. You’ll do okay.

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell | Book Review

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell | Book Review

by RefinedMind ♥ 2 Comments
Image result for then she was gone by lisa jewell

BLURB

THEN
She was fifteen, her mother’s golden girl. She had her whole life ahead of her. And then, in the blink of an eye, Ellie was gone.

NOW
It’s been ten years since Ellie disappeared, but Laurel has never given up hope of finding her daughter.

And then one day a charming and charismatic stranger called Floyd walks into a café and sweeps Laurel off her feet.

Before too long she’s staying the night at this house and being introduced to his nine year old daughter.

Poppy is precocious and pretty – and meeting her completely takes Laurel’s breath away.

Because Poppy is the spitting image of Ellie when she was that age. And now all those unanswered questions that have haunted Laurel come flooding back.

What happened to Ellie? Where did she go?

Who still has secrets to hide?

REVIEW

I’m honestly the worst when it comes to predicting anything that happens in books. It can be the same plot over and over again, just different ways of writing it and i’ll always wondering if something different will happen. Sadly, that was not the case for this book.I predicted what happened pretty early on but that didn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it!

The relationship between the characters and the characters themselves were interesting and well flushed out. You see how Laurel self destructs and ruins her relationship with her family, causing a divorce and lack of love from her children. Despite how terrible she acted with her family, you can almost feel her pain through the pages and sympathize with her. Poppy had to be my favorite, mainly because she was an interesting nine year old who acted a lot older than she was and wise beyond her years.

For the most part, it was written in third person p.o.v from Laurel’s perspective but we often got to see Ellie’s perspective as well. We also got to see Noelle (her tutor) and Floyd’s perspective, written in first person – it seemed more like they were writing letters to each other even though that wasn’t the case.

Overall, the book was great but I never found myself gripping the book, and on the edge of my seat, which is disappointing. The wrap up/explanation at the end felt rushed and maybe a little lazy. There was a few loose strings, like the introducing one of Floyd’s other daughter, Sara-Jade, who we hear her life story and crisis about but never end up finding out what happens with the issue she was dealing with at the time.

Would I recommend it?

Personally, I wasn’t a fan but hey, that’s just my opinion. It’s a Best Selling Psychological Suspense and got nominated for Goodread’s Choice Award for Best Thriller and Mystery!

Genera

Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Domestic Fiction

What To Do When You’re Overwhelmed While Editing| Writers Advice

What To Do When You’re Overwhelmed While Editing| Writers Advice

by RefinedMind ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

My god, where do I start?

I’m minding my own business, writing my novel, and living my best life. Then it comes time to sending it to my beta.

So, I finish my fourth draft, did a little more editing and hand the whole manuscript to my beta reader. She takes her time reading it, picking out every small detail before she gives a detailed analysis on what i need to fix. It was great feedback but now, I’m dejected.

Here I was, thinking i did my absolute best and there will only be minimal things to go back and fix. Instead, I get a four page feedback telling me what could be improved (as it should be). Now, I’m not saying i’m cocky and know i have the best work out there but after going back endlessly and fixing every mistake i could spot, I really thought I had it on lock. Turns out I didn’t.

As someone who used to open Word and work on my novel for hours on end, filled with excitement and ready to write the next scene and sharpen it up, I was now demotivated and lost.

I refused to open Word for several days straight and when I did open it, I would blankly stare at chapter 1, page 1 before switching to something else. I didn’t know where to start. I had no clue what to do. I’d rather pull my hair out, one by one, before i started editing and revising for the fifth time.

I was so overwhelmed with the feedback my beta reader gave me that I so desperately needed but now that I had it, i didn’t know what to do with it.

I finally started working on draft five. (My god, do the drafts ever stop?)

Where did I start?

Well, I started at the beginning but I didn’t go through picking out the nitty gritty, trying to fix up every conversation and every line. That’s the thing that demotivated me from the start so I decided to start with the big picture.

With each large, important scene, I went in and dumped in paragraphs of information that was missing, knowing I was going to come back and re-edit it but for now, i just needed to get it out. I described feelings using the five sense (but sparingly) rather than letting the page sit cold and hollow. If she was sad, I dimmed the humor that I was used to writing to set the tone. Piece by piece, scene by scene, I’m making progress and fixing the details i overlooked.

For example, in once scene, she and Cupid go her families house for dinner. At the end of the chapter, i mention how he won over her family but realistically, all we really saw was the main character (Sophia) arguing with her sister, being timid with her father, and loving with her grandma. There was hardly much of Cupid winning over her family. When my beta reader mentioned this, I went to that scene and fixed it up in the best way I could. That’s what i loved doing anyways; writing creative scenes. I just hate editing.

Once that’s out of the way, I can go chapter by chapter and start to polish it (hopefully for the second last time. Draft 7 has to be the charm).

When you’re overwhelmed, start with what you know best. I knew that chapter by chapter wasn’t going to cut it so I went through the scenes that needed to be fixed and did just that. Slowly work your way down to what you dreaded because by the time you get there, you’ll have untangled the mess and you won’t be dreading it as much anymore.

Disclaimer: I am speaking from personal experience (as I’m sure you can tell) and sharing the advice that helped me. As we all know, we are unique individuals and what works for me, may not work for you but hopefully this helped!

I’d love to hear what you do when your overwhelmed. This is the strategy i use for when I’m writing my novel but God knows i have no strategy when I’m writing essays.

Thanks for reading!

Overwriting vs Underwriting | Writing Struggles

Overwriting vs Underwriting | Writing Struggles

by RefinedMind ♥ 4 Comments

At least when you overwrite, you can go back and delete the unnecessary.

I recently got told that I tend to underwrite scenes in my story, which threw me in a loop. They say that I summarize the chapters and the readers won’t be able to feel submerged into the reading unless i add more details and I could not comprehend this information.

All this time, I’ve been reading online about not writing too much details because it gets boring and I took that to the next level. I just cover the surface when my characters are going through something, which doesn’t allow the readers to really get it. It just seems like their watching two characters from a third person point of view rather than actually feeling it. Do you get what i mean?

So now, i’m putting off writing my fifth draft until I can get my emotions under control and prepare myself to go in and change up nearly all the chapters to add more feel too it. It’s dreadful and exhausting but it must be done.

At least when you overwrite, you’re able to go back and delete what you feel may be dragging the conversation or chapter on but when you underwrite, you have to go back in and actually rewrite and add in details, which takes a lot longer than highlighting and backspacing.

I’m still writing to find middle ground so i don’t bore the readers half to death while also making sure they can feel the scene and understand to their cores how my character is feeling, even if it isn’t the best thing.

How do you overcome this? Because i’m going to need a lot of advice to get through this next round of editing.

Writers Bloooooock | Writing Advice

Writers Bloooooock | Writing Advice

by RefinedMind ♥ 2 Comments

Having writer’s block is one of the most effective ways to make me close Word and resume wasting time on Instagram.

I don’t know if it’s just me but when I have writer’s block, I can’t focus on anything just what the next scene will be. I’ve heard a helpful tip on how to combat writer’s block, which is something along the lines of deleting the last ten or so lines because that just may be the problem.

Did I listen? Not in the least.

No, instead, I spent hours just thinking about what the next scene will be and how it can play out. I tried to conger up solutions and problems and words and flipped through the dictionary.

Did I solve the problem? Yeah. It just took a lot of brainpower.

Do I recommend this? I mean, if it works, it works, right?

There are better solutions on how to overcome writer’s block, such as just stepping back from your book and giving yourself a breath of fresh air.

Under no circumstance does that mean abandon your work for months on ends. Even if you have nothing to write…free write. As long as you write, ideas are bound to emerge from the dark corners of your brain and use them to your advantage.

You’re a creative writer after all and no one will have faith in you if you don’t have it in yourself.

How do you overcome writer’s block?

Guilt| Motivation?

Guilt| Motivation?

by RefinedMind ♥ 2 Comments

What’s the worst mistake you’ve ever made?

Do you think when a person murders someone, they feel intense guilt? Assuming they’re not a psychopath of course.

Yes, I think they do feel guilt. Why doesn’t that stop them from murdering again?

Over time, the guilt over our mistake lessens the often we do it until we no longer feel guilty. It just becomes apart of us. Do we feel guilty for letting ourselves get that far?

For example, lying.

We start as horrible liars with shifting eyes and mumbled words. Some of us try our best to tell the truth as we get older because honesty is the best policy (Unless your 6ix9ine…once he’s out of jail, the gangs are after him). Some of us continue to lie and over time, we perfect it, while no longer feeling guilty and being able to carefully manoeuvre our way around the consequences.

Point is, it’s okay to lie now and again.

For real though, try to right your wrong and cross that threshold where you no longer care.

KILL IT! | Writing Advice

KILL IT! | Writing Advice

by RefinedMind ♥ 2 Comments

My sincere apology. I hadn’t meant to be so violent.

In reference to ‘kill your darling,’ i bring good news.

You mustn’t kill them but rather, copy and paste into a file with the rest of a bunch of deleted scenes that you can use in another book.

By the way, ‘kill your darling’ does not mean kill a character. It means delete unnecessary words and scenes and actions that have nothing to do with the plot or current problem at hand. It’s hard, trust me I know, but it’s worth it.

That’s a lie. I don’t personally know if it’s worth it but I’ve heard it’s true. It’s like I’m physically unable to bring myself to delete my work of art. Don’t worry. I’ll get around to it after my beta reader forces me to.

Update On Being Motivated

Update On Being Motivated

by RefinedMind ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Alright, turns out that 600 dollar class I paid for is by far the most boring thing this semester, and that’s saying something (I’m also taking Stats). We also have to buy two books for that class, one of which he published. Can you imagine the money he makes every semester from students being forced to buy his book in addition to their ridiculous school tuition? That’s a subject I’m going to get into really soon…

On the bright side, I got myself out of bed and went to volunteer this morning and forgot just how rewarding it is. On the downside, I missed out on the first hour. When I woke up, I was already about a half-hour late and thought, ‘well, not it’s too late. I can’t go.” The other part of me reasoned that 3 hours is better than zero and I think that’s how we should all reason with ourselves, no matter what the case may be.

Don’t feel like…

Don’t feel like doing your class reading? Five minutes is better than zero.

Don’t feel like going to the gym? A jog around the house or block is better than eating chips in your bed.

Don’t feel like going to work? Too bad – you need the income.

Point is, you don’t have to feel like doing it, you just have to do it because it’s beneficial in one way or another. Even if the end result sucks, at least you know you put the effort in and that makes life suck a little less.

On the downside…

At this point, you can stop reading. The motivational part is over.

While I did manage to rise early and go volunteer, I ended up wasting the day away and wasn’t even going to post this, but I did. I was supposed to go to the gym but… I’m writing this instead after eating chips. Yes, some of those examples hit a little close to home.