{PROGRESS + ACCOUNTABILITY} LAURYN'S RECONSTRUCTION: GETTING TO 50 SHADES OF PAID

[Lauryn]

LMDAO OMG.... I have to come back with my updates on book sales and Ricochet and stuff... Sorry.

 

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[Rainy_TX]

Degrees mean nothing and I'm not entitled to anything simply because OF them

It used to be that degree = good job, but not anymore. It sounds like you have a lot of work ahead of you, but I am confident that you, of all people, can do it!

 

[PeeVee]

You can do it and it sounds like that blade to your throat is now pressing harder. The pressure is on. If even one tiny step, take a step today that gets you closer to your goal. You may only have an hour or two to spare. Hell you may only have half an hour. Grab that shit and make it yours. An hour today, tomorrow, next day, and the next adds up to lots of shit getting done.

You have experienced success before. You can do this.

 

[Lauryn]

Currently I've been sharpening the opening structure of the novel. I plan to have a couple of chapters ready for release and preview by Friday in time for Valentine's Day.

In terms of slowness to push harder into the Fastlane, I've considered whether fear of loneliness or "nothing to do" and "nobody to do it with" is holding me back from going harder. I'm already in a lonelier place, but have been there for a minute. It feels like if I fall back and interact with the BS, I'll have company and people who "get it" because we're all trying to survive in the same boat. But I can't deny that I'm tired of being controlled by someone else's schedule. I know the freedom of my own schedule but not without some financial dependence... now I need to make the best of both worlds collide... and try not to let the fear of what's to come ice me because I don't want to be isolated.

 

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[Lauryn]

I'm only here to say that Ricochet is FREE today and TODAY only.
I went ahead and put it on KDP select because I am not interested in putting it on Smashwords right now.
Or ever really.

So please, by all means, click to get your copy of this tiny prequel... Ricochet.

 

[COSenior]

Got it.

 

[Lauryn]

Thank you! I sincerely hope you enjoy it.

 

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[AroundTheWorld]

Just One Clicked It

 

[Cruor Vult]

I'm only here to say that Ricochet is FREE today and TODAY only.

Got it too.
Also, first post

 

[AroundTheWorld]

Got it too.
Also, first post

Welcome

 

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[Lauryn]

Got it too.
Also, first post

Thank you and welcome!

 

[Lauryn]

680 free downloads today. No reviews on Amazon yet but privately people have been raving about the prequel.

Funny thing is, this morning my roommate, who is also a coworker, liked my FB status about the book and her cousin hit her up and asked if she knew me or about me. Long story short, this person is a fan of my other previous work and was all types of excited to see her cousin not only knew but lived and worked with me.

Because I don't always talk about what all I do... my roommate didn't know. She came up to me at work a little mad (in a good way) that I never told her all of this. I smiled and laughed and this made my day, because this is a perfect example of grinding in silence and letting your success speak for itself.

I've been up since 3 am, working since 3:15 and it's almost 11pm. I'll be working as early as 5:30 in the morning until 10 pm again, so I'm going to bid adieu now... I have 3 active clients and 2 jobs to juggle while writing. I'm not even mad at the busy season.

 

[Thriftypreneur]

this is a perfect example of grinding in silence and letting your success speak for itself.

This. Well done, and keep going! You grind hard... Only a matter of time before you reap what you've sown.

And that kitten looks exactly like my kitten (well, she's not a kitten anymore. she's a fat a$$ and rules the entire house, but still! Looks just like her as a baby!)

.


Edit: Yes, I love my kitties. I'm lame.

 

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[Cruor Vult]

Read the story and posted a review on Amazon (it has to be reviewed by them before it goes live, I think).

Very good and vivid writing. Very believable, with little details that make it easy to picture Carmen and her surroundings. I really like the part where she goes to the cloud. I was worried that you would not revisit that, but then it turns out to be a very important piece of foreshadowing. Well done. It adds a new dimension to the whole story and the series.

I hope you have something nice in store for Travis, because she doesn't treat him that well, I think.

The end works as a good cliffhanger, making me curious for what comes next. And I'm miles away from being even in the outskirts of your target demographic.

I'm no expert at all, but I wonder if it's wise to use "Playgirl" in the series title from a legal point of view. Could it be trademarked by someone else?

I think this is a very promising (and intense!) start to your series. The supernatural element gives it an extra edge, both story-wise and in the marketplace. You're clearly gifted.

Just a reader's opinion

 

[Lauryn]

This. Well done, and keep going! You grind hard... Only a matter of time before you reap what you've sown.

And that kitten looks exactly like my kitten (well, she's not a kitten anymore. she's a fat a$$ and rules the entire house, but still! Looks just like her as a baby!)

.


Edit: Yes, I love my kitties. I'm lame.

Awwwww I love kitties too. I have one of my cats as my phone background. It makes me look weird, but I don't even really care! I hated cats until my parents got 2 of them to kill the beginnings of a rodent issue. I've learned cats force you to love them.

 

[Lauryn]

Read the story and posted a review on Amazon (it has to be reviewed by them before it goes live, I think).

Very good and vivid writing. Very believable, with little details that make it easy to picture Carmen and her surroundings. I really like the part where she goes to the cloud. I was worried that you would not revisit that, but then it turns out to be a very important piece of foreshadowing. Well done. It adds a new dimension to the whole story and the series.

I hope you have something nice in store for Travis, because she doesn't treat him that well, I think.

The end works as a good cliffhanger, making me curious for what comes next. And I'm miles away from being even in the outskirts of your target demographic.

I'm no expert at all, but I wonder if it's wise to use "Playgirl" in the series title from a legal point of view. Could it be trademarked by someone else?

I think this is a very promising (and intense!) start to your series. The supernatural element gives it an extra edge, both story-wise and in the marketplace. You're clearly gifted.

Just a reader's opinion

OMG thank you! Thanks so much.

The ending was something that upset and excited a few people. I had to tell one person a small spoiler because they were very upset and saddened by the ending.

The inspiration for the series title is an R&B mixtape called The Playboy Diaries by Lloyd - here's the intro/title track. The concept of the story is something I've had in my head for a while - "faithful wife gone beserk" in a sense - but I had no clue what to call this until I saw the cover I chose for Book 1 and thought about what happens if the series starts out with a bang. I certainly hope I don't have legal issues. I don't think I will but I'll be prepared for alternate titles in the event I do.

The most compelling part of your post:

"I hope you have something nice in store for Travis, because she doesn't treat him that well, I think."

This is quite interesting. Care to share more about this perspective?

 

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[Cruor Vult]

My pleasure

Note: Spoilers below!

This is quite interesting. Care to share more about this perspective?

Of course. Travis (to me) comes across as a very decent man who treats his wife extremely well, except that his addiction gets her down and ruins their entire marriage - but that also has a lot to do with Carmen's reaction to it. It's not like he beats her or cheats on her (disputable, I guess) or gambles away their money or commits crimes. You do a superb job of explaining his addiction from his POV, and then you have him go through that ending, which must be darn traumatic for him. I just thought he deserved something better, he is not an evil man. You write him with considerable sympathy, which on reflection I think is one of the strongest points of the story - Carmen is not necessarily right in everything she does, feels and thinks
Again, just my understanding of it.

 

[Thriftypreneur]

I've learned cats force you to love them.

Do more research, they are fuel for much more... depending on what you read, of course

For me, they're just cute, furry, little, (blank), that I have yet to learn how to overcome... They just always own me, lol! Soft, mine to protect, etc... it's not a story worth writing, but I <3 them.

 

[Lauryn]

My pleasure

Note: Spoilers below!



Of course. Travis (to me) comes across as a very decent man who treats his wife extremely well, except that his addiction gets her down and ruins their entire marriage - but that also has a lot to do with Carmen's reaction to it. It's not like he beats her or cheats on her (disputable, I guess) or gambles away their money or commits crimes. You do a superb job of explaining his addiction from his POV, and then you have him go through that ending, which must be darn traumatic for him. I just thought he deserved something better, he is not an evil man. You write him with considerable sympathy, which on reflection I think is one of the strongest points of the story - Carmen is not necessarily right in everything she does, feels and thinks
Again, just my understanding of it.

This is an interesting perspective. A lot of the story pulls from personal experience. A lot of what Carmen felt, at times, I - and those I researched - felt. And in looking back there is a very distinct responsibility she holds in her reactions. One of the things she'll grow to learn is that things happen to you but you always have a choice.

This feedback and these thoughts you've shared provide something to really work with as I develop the book. I didn't feel Travis would really see the other side of the series, but now he just might.

 

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[Cruor Vult]

This is an interesting perspective. A lot of the story pulls from personal experience. A lot of what Carmen felt, at times, I - and those I researched - felt. And in looking back there is a very distinct responsibility she holds in her reactions. One of the things she'll grow to learn is that things happen to you but you always have a choice.

I don't doubt any of her feelings, she is obviously very genuine. But she's only human (or sort of, anyway ), and I think you bring that across very well by letting us see things from Travis' perspective.

This feedback and these thoughts you've shared provide something to really work with as I develop the book. I didn't feel Travis would really see the other side of the series, but now he just might.

Nice

 

[COSenior]

Note: Spoilers below!

Thanks for the warning! Now I need to go read my copy, so I can read the rest of this thread.

 

[Lauryn]

Thanks for the warning! Now I need to go read my copy, so I can read the rest of this thread

Yes!!!!

Okay so I've had a total of 721 free downloads. I made it to the top 500 in Kindle's free and #4 in Kindle's free African American romance. If it means anything to you, my homegirls are in the top 5 in the paid category (Secrets of a Side B*tch) and (I am that B*tch).

I feel refreshed and motivated by the wonderful feedback and support I've gotten from this forum and the readers overall. I have NEVER had that many free downloads when giving away non-fiction. And I did NO marketing at all. Not really.

I've been reading 2k to 10k and I realize not having a full understanding of the plot is what's been sticking me in PGD. I'm so working on that now, and I cannot wait to just get to writing.

In the "real" life front, I stopped killing myself with hours of overtime at the job. I do it when I want to but I decided to live within my means of a 40 hour workweek. There's so much crap going on there, that I have no true interest in being a casualty of it. Besides, I got too comfortable with the overtime money and that's never good.

One thing I see is there's NEVER TOO MUCH fiction if the audience is insatiable. Non-fiction can be trickier because you need authority. Fiction requires a vivid eye for storytelling and plot development. Emotional crafting and tension. Things that make you feel some kind of way.

 

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[AroundTheWorld]

Lauren,

I downloaded the book and got it read this afternoon. First of all, thank you for sharing your title here. Many don't do that and I'm glad you did. (Having said that, I'm not sure that I will!)

Are you on goodreads? I'll post a review, on amazon, but just wanted to check in with you re: goodreads too.

Also, how many words was this story?

 

[Lauryn]

Lauren,

I downloaded the book and got it read this afternoon. First of all, thank you for sharing your title here. Many don't do that and I'm glad you did. (Having said that, I'm not sure that I will!)

Are you on goodreads? I'll post a review, on amazon, but just wanted to check in with you re: goodreads too.

Also, how many words was this story?

Hey ATW,

Thank you for reading! I'm on GoodReads but I didn't post the book there - I should though, huh?

And this story was less than 15k words. I was thinking 50k but I decided to let this story flow and end wherever it ended.

 

[ChickenHawk]

Great numbers! Congrats on your progress!!!

 

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[Held for Ransom]

I feel refreshed and motivated by the wonderful feedback and support I've gotten from this forum and the readers overall.

Glad to see you hanging in there!

I have NEVER had that many free downloads when giving away non-fiction. And I did NO marketing at all. Not really.

Impossible! Right @ChickenHawk?

 

[Lauryn]

I've been battling indirect energy attacks at home and at the job. I'm seriously looking to make drastic changes in the next 2-3 weeks. This isn't a game, but it's slowed my progress.

Today, I read some more of 2K to 10K. I realize that it's all in knowing how the story will end and being excited to see things unfold as you write that makes the writing go by faster.

My challenge? I just have NO idea how I want the story to progress. I'm brainstorming that, but it's just not coming together for me.

In GOOD news, however, I got another review for the story. One 4 star and one 5 star. I have people who know me on Facebook hitting me up because the story "makes them feel some type of way" (hip hop slang for "confusion and raw emotion" in a sense). In fact, one person was so upset that I had to sneak up and push the prologue of the story on them so they wouldn't be in such grief.

My Number one goal is not to figure out what happens to Carmen, but to figure out how to transition her from the tragic ending to recovering... and becoming who she becomes... in a realistic fashion. It's amazing because she's shaped after myself and there are things she does that I don't like.... it really is somewhat cathartic because it helps me heal from some events I've been through, yet it helps me exaggerate and make up some wild things that never happened... but should have (or maybe never need to).

So this week's goals:

- Finish 2k to 10k
- Outline the first book and major events
- Write at least 60 minutes per day

 

[AroundTheWorld]

- Finish 2k to 10k

Pardon my ignorance.... Is this a book you are reading?

 

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[Determined2012]

I just ordered your book. Excited to check you out!

 

[Boyd]

Pardon my ignorance.... Is this a book you are reading?

I believe Lauryn is referring to the book by Rachel Aaron:

"2k to 10k: Writing Faster, Writing Better, and Writing More of What You Love"

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009NKXAWS

You can find the most of the information in the book on the author's website, as well:

http://thisblogisaploy.blogspot.com/2011/06/how-i-went-from-writing-2000-words-day.html