Victoria Kinnairds Top 5 Writing Tips - Red Sun Rises Blog Tour

Today, we've been lucky enough to have Victoria Kinnaird stop by to visit us. She's graciously written down her top 5 writing tips (and they are AWESOME!) 

Her new book, The Red Sun Rises comes out in just a couple of more days so until then, go check out the release party going on on Facebook (link at bottom of post) so you can be ready to grab the book the moment it comes out!

My Top 5 Writing Tips

1. Stick with it
It took me five years to write “The Red Sun Rises”. I started, stopped and walked away from it more times than I can count. The thing is, it wouldn’t leave me alone. I couldn’t let it go. If you are in the same boat, I recommend sticking with it - no matter how frustrated or insecure you are. If you can’t get the story out of your head, it’s safe to assume it’s stuck for a reason - so take it as far as you can!

2. Don’t be scared to share your work
One of the reasons I kept scrapping “The Red Sun Rises” was because I was so insecure about it. It wasn’t until I started sharing my work with trusted friends that I was able to move past that. They helped me with structure, made me explain my choices and cheered me on. Sometimes it’s just nice to know someone wants to know what happens next. When someone else invests themselves in your writing, it makes it more real.

3. Writer’s block isn’t the end of the world
The dreaded block. It sucks, doesn’t it? I used to be very melodramatic about writer’s blog - it really can feel like the world is ending. I think it’s important to know why you’re blocked - has your inspiration run dry? Has a certain character hit a wall? Are you under too much pressure? You can’t fix it until you know what’s broken. As time goes on, you’ll be able to identify and fix the problem really quickly.

4. Find what inspires you, and run with it

For me, it’s music. I have band tattoos and travel all over the world to see my favourite bands play. Before I even knew what my book was about, I knew what it sounded like. I knew what the movie soundtrack would be. So when I sat down to write the draft of “The Red Sun Rises” that became the finished manuscript, I put together the book’s play list and I listened to it constantly.

5. Your art, your rules

You will always be the biggest fan of your writing (very deep down) so you are the first and only person you should be writing for. If you’re not happy with your work, chances are no one else will be. So don’t think “I can’t do this…” or “my readers won’t like that…” - write what feels natural to you.

Links:
www.facebook.com/victoriakinnairdofficial - author page
https://www.facebook.com/events/204681176363539/ - release day party
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18332519-the-red-sun-rises - Goodreads
http://youtu.be/5hQXBonFYPE - Book trailer