Bonus Episode with Desirae Gracyn

Hey friends! Welcome to another Indie Author Spotlight Bonus Episode! Hopefully you read the feature on Desirae over on The Writer's Workout website, where I'm a volunteer. If not, well what the heck are you waiting for?! Go--read--learn more about this very cool Indie Author!

What does your writing ritual look like?

I’ve made one, and my OCD would love for me to follow it, but things always get in the way or take longer than I suspect, so I don’t always follow it. However, I do have a routine for my writing, editing, and finalizing process.

1. Normally, or at least with my last seven novels (two of which won’t see the light of day, and one I’m publishing anonymously), I finished between 8-15 days.

   1. I usually write fast, but I edit slow, really slow.

2. Now I need to reread the story. When I do this, I make my first outline. So I’m a pantser, and I usually just write as it pops into my head. And at some point, once I feel like I know my characters well enough, I’ll develop a GMC for each of them, but I don’t usually plan out anything else. So that second read is creating an outline. 

   1. This outline is detailed. Everything worthwhile in the chapter, character descriptions, things I like in each chapter, things I don’t. I also write down what I want to change, what I think happened too often, plot holes, problems, want to add, and so on.

3. Then I do a third edit that fixes all grammar, punctuation, spelling, and things like that. I usually write so fast, I have a lot of typos. So now I go back and fix this.

4. Not rereading, I then fix the plot holes.

5. Fourth reread, I make sure the plot holes are better, and add or remove the things I wanted from the outline.

6. Fifth reread, make another outline: what I like and what I don’t.

7. Sixth reread, fix this.

8. Seventh just reread.

9. Eighth reread, add better words.

10. Now I’m ready to send it to the editors.

11. Then it will go through an entirely new process.

Each time I make a change, I have to reread it. Then once I place it in Atticus, I have to reread it. I end up rereading every work between 15-20 times.

My routine I try to follow when I’m writing, editing, or reading my novel, is as follows.

From the moment I wake and after I immediately eat breakfast, I try to work for 8-12 hours, depending on what I need done that day.

I have a desk with a computer on stilts, a monitor attached to the computer, and an iPad.

On my left (the big monitor), I usually have the manuscript. In the middle (my computer), I have the notes or outline. On the right (iPad), music and a timer. For the music, I usually play classical or a mixed playlist, depending on how badly I need to focus or how stressed I am. For the timer, I pause it anytime I get out of my chair. I get really intense about my timer. I won’t do anything fun until I’ve made at least six hours on the timer. But I don’t like doing six hours, I want more.

All of this will change, though, once I go back to work full-time.

What’s the worst advice you’ve ever received as an Indie Author? 

I am sure lots of people have different responses to this question. And I’m sure one person’s response to something could be different from someone else’s. Just like one person might like to read three novels at a time, and another might not. So this advice could be amazing for someone else. But to me it wasn’t good, not at all.

Remove every was, were, to be verb, would, could, can, ing word, ly word, and passive phrase.

Now, I have OCD, autism, and a lot of other diagnoses, one of them being chronic generalized anxiety. If you tell me to remove something, I go all in. For me, I take what someone says very literally. It becomes the word on which I stand. It’s LAW. So before I met my amazing developmental editors, whom I mention in most of my novels, I had worked with a few others. I had multiple people tell me to remove these words. I even heard it at a conference. So, I did this. My story then no longer read naturally. It sounded so odd, formal, and very stiff.

Sometimes, these words are important. I mean, when I write this interview, I’m using all of them. I get that if you can remove them, then do so. If you can make a sentence more active, then one hundred percent do it. If you can find a better word, then replace it. But don’t kill yourself for it, like I did.

What’s your go to book, movie or musical artist when you need some inspiration (or just a break from the keyboard)? Why? 

1. Books: So I don’t really like rereading books, as there are so many out there that I want to read. And all the books I love are series with four or more. So, then it takes a really long time to reread them, and I’d never get to read the new stuff. But if I do reread a story because I just really need inspiration or to get away, it’s usually out of four series that I choose.

Twilight – I love this story. It gives me so much hope. I also feel all the feels when watching/reading. There are many things to admire in Stephenie Meyer’s work. But the most important thing for me about this story is that I ESCAPE when I read it. And so I use Twilight to break free from the keyboard.

Harry Potter – I am obsessed. My living room is HP. I have flying keys, floating candles, and so much more. So this is a big escape. Also, Mina&Lima came out with the popup Harry Potter books. This popup version created such a wonderful escape for me.

House of Night – Escape. Oh, and inspiration. I write a lot with element wielders (fairies, witches, vampires), so this book is perfect for me to read when I need to get my juices flowing. It is also just a really cool and creative book series. I mean, it lasted over fifteen books. It’s good!

Elite- Inspiration

2. Movie:

Twilight – which I answered above in reading.

She’s the Man – I’m not sure why this one makes me so happy, but it just does. So any time I need to be uplifted or I’m very angry, I watch it.

Stick it – The same thing as She’s the Man. I also get inspiration for my sassy characters that I love to write.

Pirates of the Caribbean – Escapism, motivation, creative juices, happiness. I can achieve so much from watching Johnny Depp.

3. TV Show:

ONCE UPON A TIME – This is usually the thing I go to above movies or books. Once upon a time is just the most creative thing I have ever witnessed. So, anytime I need inspiration, it’s this TV show. I’ve rewatched it five times, all the way through. I even have an Excel spreadsheet. I also just get so happy watching this show, but now I skip seasons 1 and 7. The rest I’ll rewatch. I love everything about it. And I always feel better after just getting even ten minutes of the show in.

4. Music:

This is Power-Haus – It’s mostly instrumental. And the songs have really good beats. I just discovered them, but they really help when I need to focus and get inspired.

If you could snap your fingers and be “known” for one piece of your writing, what would it be?

If I could snap my fingers and be known for one piece of writing, it would be the book I’m editing now, which I’m still debating on if I’ll publish it under Caroline Crews or Desirae Gracyn. This book hits every aspect I ever wanted in a book. I get excited just thinking about the book. The only reason I wouldn’t place it under Desirae Gracyn is that it’s a spin-off of A Bond of Blood and Lavender. Technically, if you wanted to think about it, A Bond of Blood and Lavender is a prequel to this series. But anywho, I love this book so much, and I want everyone to fall in love with it, too.

Any other tidbits you wanna share? 

I like games in everything, right? So…

Two truths and a lie.

I have three bachelor’s degrees, a minor, and a certificate in cosmetology.

I was joining the military, but got in a terrible accident before I ever could.

I’ve traveled the world.

Don’t look below until you answer. 

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I have a bachelor’s degree in business Management, a bachelor’s in business Marketing, a bachelor’s in nursing, a minor in leadership, and a certificate in cosmetology.

I was the Valedictorian at my high school. I got into any Texas school I wanted. I chose A&M because I got accepted into their engineering program and loved their military program, called Core of Cadets (I had always wanted to join the military. I even had a trainer for years helping me be fit enough for it). Well, I got in a severe car accident before I was to start college and ended up in a coma, with multiple holes in my heart, and a traumatic brain injury. So, now I can’t join the military.

I have not traveled the world. I want to, though. I’ve only been all over the EU and UK. I loved it. Now I hope to go to Australia next, but it will be many years before I can. Eventually, I want to visit every Disney park as well. One is in Tokyo.

Do you have a newsletter you want people to sign-up for? Link it here: 

No, I don’t have a newsletter just yet. But I have a website, where you can click a link and give me your email for when I do set up a newsletter. This is my main website: https://www.startreebooks.com/