Outlining is for crime scenes

Most authors are outliners. They completely plot out a novel on paper before attempting to type the actual words. I am NOT one of those authors. Outlining, for me, is as painful a process as writing a book blurb. I don't enjoy it, nor is it how my brain works. I write in scenes, usually completely out of order, then I work to mesh them together into a story.

The best plot twists for me come at night, usually right before bed. This is equal parts awesome as it is annoying. If I’m beyond exhausted and don't bother to write the idea down, it floats away never to be remembered again. But when laziness fails to win, and the words flow into my bedside notebook, it almost always results in magic. 

My process has been different for all 3 of The Deceptive Lovers Series books.

With Web of Deceit I started in the middle. I know the exact scene I needed to perfect before moving back and forth to create the story. 

With Deadly Omissions I started toward the end. Those characters spoke to me about a certain scene that had to happen in order to set up book 3, Twisted Denial, so I wrote away. 

With Twisted Denial, my current work in progress and book 3 in The Deceptive Lovers Series, I started at the beginning. I knew how Morgan's story would start and felt that needed to be established first.  Then I jumped right into the middle, which is what I’m currently working on.

There is no specific flow that I follow, but I never, ever, ever write a story in chapter order.

Moral of the story: I'm a weido writer with a wacky process.

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Michael Myers is my homeboy

October has always been my favorite month of the year. Not only is it my birthday month, but it is also my Moms as well. The temperature starts it’s slow descent here in Florida, and my t-shirts get a much needed break from the sweaty armpit summer heat. With the cooler nights also comes a much needed cheaper AC bill.

These things all help build my love, but what really excites me about the tenth month of the year is Halloween.

No, I don’t mean the trick or treating with the neighborhood kiddos. I mean the movie Halloween.

I am a HUGE scary movie buff and Halloween, Halloween II and Halloween H2O are my absolute all-time favorites. All of the Scream movies and Friday the 13^th are a close second, but there’s something about the spine tingling, jump inducing, genius theme music of Halloween that gets my blood pumping like no other.

When AMC plays all day marathons right before the 31st, I feel the need to call in sick to work.

Seriously. My obsession is that strong.

My fiancé also shares my love of the horror genre, and we make Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights an annual event each year. Our favorites haunted houses this time were Halloween II and American Horror Story, but we really loved all 9 that they had.

Moral of the story: Michael Myers is my homeboy.

Halloween Horror Nights 10/12/16

 

www.laurenreign.com

Web of Deceit

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I now pronounce you stress free

I am convinced that any woman who raves that she loves the wedding planning process is a liar.

Yes, a LIAR.

Okay. Okay. Put your pitchforks down, stop the eye rolls and hear a girl out.

I’m accustom to dealing with stressful situations. I went to college, which was no picnic. I’ve given speeches in front of hundreds of uninterested students and not even broken out into a sweat. Hell, In my hotel management days, I battled guests who, unknowingly to me, had a gun pointed at my head from the other side of the closed door. Seriously.

Nothing, and I do mean NOTHING in my life has been as stressful as planning a wedding. I’ve never been that girl who dreamt about her wedding. There was no fantasy meticulously plotted in my mind, and maybe that’s the problem. I hate small details...actually ALL details. They are the devil.

But by far the most annoying battle yet has been the wedding cake. I was asked what kind of cake I wanted. My response was FunFetti. This was met with scrunched faces of confusion and rapid head shaking. First of all, Funfetti cake is the shit. Second, it’s my damn wedding and if I want to eat a Funfetti cake, then that’s what we are having! I couldn’t care less that it’s not traditional. I’ve been with my fiancé for over 6 years, and 4 years ago we bought our house. I think it’s safe to say that traditional isn’t our jam.

Moral of the story is ELOPE.

P.S. My rehearsal dinner party just became a book release party too!! Deadly Omissions comes out December 9^th, 2016. This is the day before my December 10^th nuptials.

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