Author Archives: crymsynhart

Self Editing

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Crymsyn Hart

Oh the joys of editing. I’ve been doing that all week. In between all of that I have been self editing a new book that I am preparing to send into a new publisher. The easiet thing or me is writing the book. Self editing is torture, shoving splineters underneath my fingernails, pulling out teeth with a spoon, and other manners of horrible ways to cause a horrible death.

Well it’s not that bad, but sometimes it seems that way.

I’m sure all authors have their certain words that are the bane of their existence. Mine are as, like, hard, and, but. So the first thing I do is scour my manuscript for these words and try to delete as many as I can. I figure if I have at least half of the amount word per pages, then I’m doing good.

The next thing I make sure is all the puncutation and formatting is correct. I work between two laptops, my phone, and my I-pad so it can get kinda crazy. Once that is done, then I work on to the main body of the manuscript. That is always the fun part because after the first draft then you have to refine it. I normally end up deleting about 3-5k words from the first draft that I have. It all depends on the lenght of the book. Everyone has their on system on what they do, but I can only imagine that self-editing is torture of everyone.

Just another perk of being an author.

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The Way of Words

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Crymsyn Hart

The English language never ceases to amaze me. Recently, I was browsing through the television channels, hoping to find something interesting to watch while I was writing. Instead, I was hit with the same commercial on two stations. It was nothing more than a store advertising different electronics, but they made a comparison to the word jam, one in the sense of the jelly you spread on toast and another meaning in regards to music. And it yet it also means to wedge something tightly between two surfaces.

There are many other words that have dual or multiple meanings that are spelled the same and others that are slightly different spelling, but still sound the same. Think of all those words. Then think of the poor author who has to use the right word, with the correct meaning, and hopefully the property spelling. Do you feel bad for us now? 🙂

As a reader, I take in what an author puts down on the page and hope to maybe pick up a word or two. As a writer, I find myself writing a sentence with the word that I desire to use, but I most of the time it never comes out. Think of it as having the word on the tip your tongue when you want to speak and just doesn’t work. Then, during the editing process, I am likely to find that perfect word. But sometimes, it evades me so I have to choose another that means the same.  And then the editor gets involved, and finds another word to use for you. It can all be very frustrating.

But that is the way of words.

 

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Tis The Season

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Crymsyn Hart

It’s getting close to Christmas. Snow has blanketed part of the country, but in my neck of the woods, all we are getting is rain. It’s fifty degrees outside and balmy. It just doesn’t feel like the holidays are upon us. Lights twinkle in windows and wreathes adorn doors. Some cars sport antlers and displays of lights are numerous around neighborhoods. The next town over from me lights up all of main street and shuts down the main road by my house because they get so many visitors every year. Stores are in full swing for the holidays and families are hearing up to travel or make plans for their holiday plans.

I’ve done all my shopping and wrapped all my presents. My small purple tree is up and decorated with Looney Tune characters ornaments. Hubby has started to get into the spirit. For him that is a huge step. The dogs have already poked their noses into my tree searching for food or something they find appetizing. Of course their presents are stowed away where they can’t find them until the big day.

With all the holidays, come holiday books. The publishers as well as the stores start early putting them out before Thanksgiving. I don’t normally write the holiday stuff, but this year I had a great idea that centered around making meatballs. And behold, a book had evolved that I had no idea where it would come from. But that happens a lot. I plan one thing and then something else pops up. That seems to be the way with life. You never know what you’re going to get. Tis the season to share and bring holiday cheer where you can. Whether you get there by making meatballs, being with your friends, or finding yourself delving into an intriguing story.

How do the holidays play a role in your life? Do you celebrate? Do you cook or go over a friend’s house?

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Where has the month gone?

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Crymsyn Hart

Where has the month gone?

I keep looking at the calendar and saying that to myself. However, the calendar doesn’t give me an answer. Instead, it shows me that I only have twenty-five shopping days until the day here the man in the red suit comes and delivers presents with all of his reindeer. Between my husband and myself, I’m the only one getting into the spirit of the holidays, but he finds it hard being away from his family and all, but I digress.

So looking back at the calendar, I can say this month saw me finish two books, one novella and another short. And I have had edits for three books this month too. In between that, I cooked a 14lb turkey for Thanksgiving and the assorted condiments that went along with it. Between all that, I balance the day job, which has been getting busier and that is a great thing. Before that, I had a birthday and turned thirty-three. That kinda put things into perspective. So I took a long, hard look at my life and said well I gotta do something to turn my life around so that’s what I’ve been striving for. And that also means playing Playstation and killing things to pull me away from the worlds that are in my head. I like to think that my muses enjoy me playing video games because it gives them some wonderful inspiration (insert evil laugh here).

Life, in general, isn’t a thing to easily grab by the horns and turn around. It always has pitfalls and sudden twists you never expect. So far I’m on the upswing and riding life pretty good for the moment and I’m thankful for that. However, that could change sooner rather than later. It kinda reminds of a good plot of a novel that I’m writing… no wait. Not writing that one, but I’m sure that someone or something considers my life part of the big book of life so maybe I’m a chapter or a page. Either way, I decided to become the pen at least for a little while and write my own fate.

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A Day To Be Thankful

by Crymsyn Hart
With today being the day before Thanksgiving, it’s time to take a moment, step back, and give thanks. I’m thankful for the people in my life who are there for me and love me unconditionally even if I get angry and sometimes say things I don’t mean. I’m thankful for my family who has always encouraged me to keep on writing and pursuing my dream no matter what obstacles get in my way. I’m thankful for the awesome husband I have to puts up with me when I’m sick and bug him to do the dishes and the housework for me.

I’m thankful for life in general and how precious a thing it is. I could be snarky and say I’m grateful for the muses who implode my head with ideas all the time and for the characters who drive me crazy all the time and never really stop talking to me.

But what I’m thankful for the most is that I can get up everyday and live the life I want to live.

Plus all the people who take a moment and buy one of my books. You are all awesome. Thank you for taking a moment to look me up.

Tomorrow I’ll have a couple of friends and my mother join me around the table and we’ll eat. But that doesn’t stop the longing for me to be back home with my family. Living away from them for a decade now has taken its toll, but that’s okay because I’m with the in spirit. The same with my husband. He misses his family too and he’s been away from them longer. My husband is a man of few words, but when he does talk he people normally listen. And I’m glad that we have been together for so long

So hopefully everyone will have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Because after that the countdown to Christmas begins and store will lure you in to buy. Those shiny sales papers will entrance you and your mind will slip away and belong to them. So be careful and guard your wallets because the Christmas monster is lurking right around the corner.

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A Ghostly Story

Come one, come all and gather round the campfire for a story that will scare the socks right off you. Since it’s so close to Halloween, I thought I would share a ghost story that I had experienced.

It’s been a while since I’ve had major ghostly activity, but that isn’t a bad thing for me. I used to hunt ghosts back in the day, but that was a long time ago when I was a teenager. Yeah…the stupid things we do when we’re kids.

Anyway, me and some friends of mine would go into a local cemetery at night and take our cameras and see what we could capture on film. We never got anything really maybe an orb or two, a couple of strange lights, now and again, but nothing concrete to make us go woohoo. It was more the personal experiences that we came away with.

A group of three or four of us usually went together. One night we were heading toward the back of my graveyard, where we normally didn’t venture, because it was always creepier and the oldest part. We were quite familiar with the newer section and the vibes I got weren’t the best. But my friends wanted to explore so we walked back there, away from the watchful eyes of the Jesus statue that seemed to follow us no matter where we were. The deeper we got into the older part of the cemetery the creepier the atmosphere grew. Something didn’t want us there.

Still we went further toward the back until pavement had designated to mere gravel. A weight descended on the group and we kinda stopped and looked at one another. From the corner of the bone yard, something came out of the shadows and was barrelling at us. We weren’t sticking around to find out what it was. So we hightailed it back to my car and piled into it. Whatever was after us, hit the car.

I turned the car on and we left, but the darkness that followed us was thicker than anything. Needless to say it was one of the scarier moments of my ghostly experiences. It also stopped me from going ghost hunting along with a couple other things.

Any one have any stories you want to share?

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Setting the Mood for the Dark and Scary

Hey all,

It’s October. Time for ghosts and ghouls to be haunting the darkened streets. Vampires and werewolves are prowling the night trolling for victims. Let’s hope we’re not one of them. People dressed up like dead presidents and horror movie serial killers are getting ready to party while their children hunt for candy along deserted streets.

You happen to find that your friends have abandoned you to hit some happening party, leaving you all alone in the creep old house. But what they didn’t mention was there used to be a funeral home in the basement. The remanants of the creamatoriam linger along with a few dead bodies. And as you are all alone in the house, no one can hear you scream when the creatures of the night come alive and decide they want to eat you.

Now doesn’t this sound like a great beginnings to something dark and spooky.

Something like this has been running though my head this past month, mostly because tis the season for the spirits and spooks, but also because I’m working on a ghost story. Taking a step aside from the paranormal hotness of the romance I normally write. It is very freeing and in doing so, my brain has been working double time in order to find the right words to set the mood for the horror novel. Of course you need that

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The World I Live In

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Crymsyn Hart

The world as I know it is surrounded by the people who care about me, the pets who use me for pillows and give me the brown eyed stare that tries to hack into my will and force me to take them out and stop writing, and the hundreds of books that make up the universe in which I plow through every day. I have a coffin that has become a character in my head named Jerry, who is turning out to have an affinity for eighties horror movies. My collection of bookcases house the volumes I use to escape the world that I live in.

The universe I survive in lingers in my mind, divided into separate and yet blurring realms where heroes and heroines traipse hoping to catch me off guard when I have nothing going on or might be in between worlds. Sometimes I traverse two or three realms, balancing several at a time. People ask me how I can keep everything straight with all the different projects I have going. The answer is I’m insane.

I have three different devices I work in and each of them I have a different book going on. Others ask how I keep from the worlds not crossing over. Well the ideas are kinda compartmentalized in my head the characters don’t seem to socialize with one another. I guess they don’t want to ruffle any feathers especially when you might have a vampire talking to an angel or a werewolf noshing on imp. They are busy living in their own minds maybe carrying on their own inner monologues with people in their minds. So there are worlds within worlds, universes within universes and now I am starting to sound like Men In Black Two.

But this is the world I live in, working on the day job, slaving in the house and making dinner for the hubby. I write to relieve the screaming in my head and create more realms with monsters and hot hunks who have fangs or tales. It keeps me busy and makes me wonder who is writing me.

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Why I do what I do

by Crymsyn Hart

Have you ever sat down and said, yup I know what I am going to do today? Then you get started on it and something comes up. Or the unexpected happens. That was me this morning when I turned my phone on and it wouldn’t turn on. It just kept rebooting. So at this point I start to panic because without my phone I can’t do anything because its my link to the Internet and since I have no home Internet and bounce my computer off the phone as a hot spot the first thing I had to do was get the phone fixed. The Sprint guy looked at the phone and also had no idea what was wrong with it so they fiddled with it and got it back to factory settings, but they ordered me a new phone and told me not to turn off my current one in case it happens again.

After the heart stopping moment of the day, I looked to see if there was any work from the day job and there wasn’t. So I was back on schedule. I could write for the rest of the day and work on the three books that I have going at the moment.

While I was writing, I got a great email from someone who had read one of my books and she said that it had made her cry. But in a good way because she had identified with the characters so much. Reading that made the rest of the frustration of my morning and the day fall away. It’s emails or short acknowledgments like that which help me get through the rough times in my day.

So I wanted to take a moment to say thanks to all those readers who acknowledge us authors. You are the reason why I pick up my pen every day or pound away at my keyboard or argue with my characters because they are not cooperating.

Thanks for reading whatever authors or genre you read. We really do appreciate it.

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Picking a Publisher

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Crymsyn Hart

Over the years, I’ve had some really good experiences with different e-publishers and I’ve had some really bad ones. Some have gone under and left me high and dry. Some have stumbled into ambiguity with the higher ups not getting back to me. And then others I would stay with until the world burns up. I’m not going into any specifics, but I am sure that others have had the same experience with e-publishers, but I’m speaking from personal experience.

It’s hard for a first time author to figure out who they should go with. You definitely want to speak with other authors and see who they are with. Check out the Predators and Editors website to see if there are any warnings or notes on a particular publisher. But then again, you can get involved and then something happens and boom there goes the publisher. Obviously, if you hear about a publisher who is not paying royalties you want to avoid them.

But if you find a place where everything looks good, you have talked to authors and things are great, then you gotta go with your gut feeling. Say you find two or three different places where you want to submit a novel and one feels better than the other or you like the cover art better than the other then you follow the publishers guidelines and see what happens. I’ve done that very thing, picked a publisher based on their cover art just because I didn’t find their covers appealing to me. But hey that is just my two sense on how I picked and looked at publishers. I wish any luck trying to pick a publisher because there are so many out there and new ones popping up every day so you have to be careful.

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