Menu

Blog Category Drop Down–>>

badge

#IWSG SEPT 3RD, TO AI OR NOT TO AI

Insecure Writer’s Support Group

Sign Up And Become a Member

Our Twitter handle Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.
Every month, we announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG post.
These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience, or story.
Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say. Sign Up HERE.

The awesome co-hosts for the September 3 posting of the IWSG are Kim Lajevardi, Natalie Aguirre, Nancy Gideon, and Diedre Knight!

September 3 question – What are your thoughts on using AI, such as GPChat, Raptor, and others with your writing? Would you use it for research, story bible, or creating outlines\beats?

AI=Artificial Intelligence

I’m a bit on the fence, but dabbling with it to learn about AI. I’m finding out it can have some uses and be quite fun. There are many AI tools out there. You can use it for headlines, outlines, story beats, analyze your scenes for weakness, theme…

I had it analyze one of my scenes and I was surprised at what it saw in my scene. It made me feel good about my writing. Will I keep using it? For Outlines and Analyzes, maybe. The writing NO.

First, I had fun naming my ChatGPT “Inky” and talked to him conversation style. Yes I enjoyed personifying my Chat just like I named and personified my MUSE (Raven) and inner EDITOR (Hook).

I gave Inky my plot points. A one sentence logline and three sentence summary of novel. I also upload a story bible doc with a lot of my world building and story development beats to give Inky an idea of what I wanted the novel/series to be about, and the richness of the world I had already built.

I am analyzing my story scene by scene for editing purposes for a complete rewrite, as my story changed a little and I learned new elements I wanted to expand and add in.

I originally did a short form 150 word scene outline on Medium as experiment (82 episodes) to tell myself the story. I wrote another expanded zero draft of the first novel once that was done.

I uploaded my full scene. I told Inky this is my Opening Scene. I ask him to analyze it for scene purpose, pertinent facts, character emotional arc, tie-ins and connections for overall plot and structure in this scene.

Below is what I got. Now this is work I have been doing for the the last two years on my novel series, Ghostwalker: The Katje Storm Chronicles.

Example: My Scene (c) Juneta Key
Some spoiler info in presentation

Scene Title: Katje’s Apartment Over the Garage

Beat Type: Opening Image / Ordinary World

🎯 Purpose of the Scene

– Establish Katje’s current reality: post-separation, low on resources, emotionally bruised but standing.
– Set emotional tone: betrayal, resilience, and the simmering edge of change.
– Show contrast between her mundane world and the paranormal storm about to hit.
– Hint at the strain between her and the Easley family and the power imbalance (money, control).
– Introduce Macy Stanton as a warm, stabilizing presence—and potential magical figure.
– Lay the emotional groundwork for the inciting incident.

📘 Pertinent Facts

– Katje now lives in a small apartment above The Raven’s Root, a New Age shop.
– Macy Stanton owns the shop and is a maternal, intuitive figure who gently looks after Katje.
– Katje and Shamus are separated—he cheated with his exotic personal assistant.
– He has closed her bank account and canceled credit cards out of spite.
– Shamus’s twin sister calls to inform Katje she’s disinvited from Sunday family dinners—framing her as the villain.
– Katje is getting dressed to attend dinner with Shamus to discuss the divorce—he still lives in Haven House.

💔 Character Emotional Arc

– Katje begins in quiet exhaustion, emotionally bruised.
– She shifts from weary to resolved—angry, betrayed, but determined to walk into that dinner like a queen in silk and stilettos.
– She wants to show Shamus exactly what he lost.
– Still clings to some dignity, but her hurt bleeds through in little bursts (wallet not fitting, hair sticks memory).
– Her confidence is wobbly, but this is the first hint she’s not going to stay broken.

🧵 Tie-Ins and Connections

– The black silk dress and opal hair sticks subtly foreshadow her transformation—she’s still tethered to her past but reclaiming power.
– Macy’s character will grow in significance later—her early warmth signals a deeper connection to Katje’s future.
– Katje’s isolation from the Easley family sets up themes of found family and identity reclamation.
– This moment is echoed later when she dresses for herself, not for anyone else—mirroring her arc from betrayed wife to empowered Ghostwalker.

🗝️ Plot & Structure

– Beat Type: Opening Image (Ordinary World)
– Status Quo: Post-betrayal limbo, emotional and financial isolation.
– Foreshadowing: Shamus’s control issues, Macy’s deeper magical ties, emotional stakes that will explode after dinner.
– Sets Up: The emotional fuel for the inciting incident in Scene 1

AI TOOLS
I use or have tried most of theses tools.
These are tools that can aid the writer not replace the writer.

Ecosystem Integration Productive Tools
e.g. Research, Marketing Focus, human-like writing, Task & Note Taking… All around tool

ChatGPT
Google Gemini
Microsoft Co=Pilot
Claude
Perplexity AI
Jasper

Grammer, Spelling, Readability (I use these

ProWritingAid
AutoCrit
Grammerly
Hemmingway

Editing, Proofing, Structure for Fiction & Non-Fiction
(a bit more advanced)

AutoCrit
Fictionary

SEO Optimize Headlines for Articles and Blog Posts

Co-Schedule
Capitalize My Title
TitleCaseConverter
Headline Capitalization

Social Media Management

HooteSuite
Loomly
Buffer
SocialBee
HubSpot

Predictive Analytics
(Helps with data driven decisions)

HooteSuite Insights
Predikt
Google Analytics
Zoho Social

It’s crucial to use AI ethically to avoid any negative impact on the readers or society as a whole. ~Megan Stewart

badge

#IWSG August 6th

Insecure Writer’s Support Group

#IWSG Blog Hop March 1st, 2023

Sign Up And Become a Member

Our Twitter handle Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.
Every month, we announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG post.
These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience, or story.
Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say. Sign Up HERE.

These are the awesome co-hosts for the August 6 posting of the IWSG are Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Natalie Aguirre, Sarah – The Faux Fountain Pen, and Olga Godim!

August 6 question – What is the most unethical practice in the publishing industry?

ANWSER:

I don’t really know nor thought about it much. I guess not wanting to pay authors what they deserve for their work. Taking away ways we make money and making it not work, or non-existent by creating a pay-to-play system. Taking away Indie friendly tools that have become nonexistent in a pay to play system. .

logo2019-768x768-STORYTIME

Storytime Blog Hop Bookmarked by Magic

Bookmarked by Magic

by Juneta Key

Pixabay.com

The witch had violet hair, a raven tattoo that blinked when she signed books, and the audacity to set her signing table between Self-Help and Spellcraft.

Julian had only wandered into the bookstore to find a copy of The Existential Brooding of Owls, but the table, the glittering pen, and the woman holding court with a line of enchanted customers distracted him.

“Would you like your fortune with that?” she asked the woman ahead of him, who squealed and clutched her newly signed copy of Midnight Hexes & Herbal Regrets.

Julian did not get in lines. Not for book releases, not for coffee, not even for stardust pancakes at his cousin’s elven wedding. But he stayed where he was, because the witch had laughed—and it sounded like bells ringing at a funeral. Mournful. Beautiful.

When it was his turn, she looked up.

“Let me guess.” Her gaze slid over him like a warm wind through the Veil. “You’re here for the owls.”

He blinked. “How—”

“The Existential Brooding of Owls. Section 3B. Last copy’s hiding behind a grimoire on sentient fungi.” She tapped her temple. “My familiar listens to regrets.”

A small black cat on the table blinked at him with one golden eye. The other was a whirlpool of stars.

Julian swallowed. “I’m not here for regrets.”

She tilted her head. “Pity. That’s my specialty.”

She offered a book. Her book. The cover was embossed in purple ink that shimmered when touched. He brushed a finger over the title: Book of Binding Hearts: A Witch’s Guide to Love, Loss, and Lesser Hexes.

“You expect me to read this?” he asked.

She shrugged. “Only if you want something to happen.”

“To me?”

“To anyone.”

Julian hesitated. “I don’t do witchy things.”

“Neither did I,” she said, “until my ex cursed my houseplants and my left kneecap.”

He opened the book. A slip of paper fluttered out. It was blank on one side. The other read:

He’s late, but he’s here. 
—Future You

Julian looked up, heart thudding. “Is this some sort of trick?”

“I prefer the term ‘invitation.’” She rested her chin on her hands, watching him like a cat sizing up a songbird. “Or prophecy. Depends on the paper stock.”

He nearly left. He should’ve left. But the bookstore felt suddenly vast and timeless, like a moment caught between heartbeats.

He sat down.

“I don’t know your name,” he said.

“I know yours,” she replied. “Julian, ghost-whisperer who refuses to acknowledge the family gift, drinks too much Earl Grey, and mourns a mother who isn’t dead but is disappointingly alive.”

The color drained from his face. “You’re not guessing.”

“Nope.”

He reached for the paper. “Who wrote this?”

“You did.” She tapped the blank side. Words appeared.

Stay. You’ll regret it if you don’t. 
—Still You

“I don’t write prophecies,” he muttered.

“Not yet,” she said. “But everyone bookmarks their own story eventually.”

The cat purred. A tiny spark of lavender magic curled around Julian’s fingers.

“Have you ever met someone,” he said slowly, “and felt like the story changed the second they entered the scene?”

She smiled. “Yes. Once.”

Julian swallowed. “What happened?”

“He left before the last page.”

They sat in silence. A laugh echoed from the next aisle—someone had accidentally turned themselves into a small flock of pigeons. No one seemed alarmed.

Julian glanced at the slip again. More words appeared:

She’s the one who stays, if you ask her to. 
—Maybe You

“What if I don’t know how to ask?”

She handed him a pen.

“You write it.”

He stared at the pen. “This isn’t normal.”

“Neither are soul-tied bookstores, cats with cosmic vision, or men who accidentally awaken latent magic by flirting with a witch at a book signing.”

“I wasn’t flirting.”

She arched a brow.

“…Okay, maybe a little.”

She took the pen and scribbled something in his copy of her book. He peeked over the top:

Chapter 13: Love Spells That Backfire Gloriously.

“Are you trying to curse me?”

“Only if you’re lucky,” she said. Then she added, “Or brave.”

He stood, awkward. Unsure.

“Do I—do I come back?” he asked, voice low.

“That,” she said, “is entirely up to you.”

Julian hesitated, then turned to go. He made it three steps before the cat meowed—a sound that cracked open something hollow in his chest.

He turned back.

The witch was still watching. Not smiling now. Waiting.

He returned to the table. “May I… buy you tea?”

Her smile bloomed like a spell catching fire.

“I’d be enchanted.”

As they walked away, the cat leapt from the table, pawed open the Book of Binding Hearts, and turned to Chapter 14:

On the Off Chance You Both Stay.

Pixabay.com

Holly Lisle’s Free Flash Fiction Course

STORYTIME QUARTERLY BLOG HOP
JAN/APRIL/JULY/OCT

Bookmarked By Magic by Juneta Key <—You are here!
Engraved by Barbara Lund
The Saga Of Pyscho Shannon by Vanessa Wells
Contract by Angelica Medlin
Petrichor and Roses by Chris Makowski
Pixels and Bytes by Katharina Gerlach

dog-4977599_1920

Newsletter 101: Essential Tips for Beginners

When I was an aspiring writer someone told me fiction writers needed a newsletter. The problem was I did not feel like a writer, but I wanted to learn. I also had no money, no budget. I was living on a small pension with no other income, so needed to find ways to do it for free.

I researched newsletter provider services. I tried MailChimp, but was not happy with it, because the free version offered no automated features. (Caveat)That has changed over time, and they do offer one automation for free now. 

I decided to pay for automation, so I switched to Aweber. It’s a good service, but in the end I just couldn’t afford it long term. 

Then Mailerlite appeared on the scene and offered automation with their free plan. I have been with them ever since. The free plan is very versatile with up to 1000 subscribers for free. 

I know, but you don’t want to do a newsletter, you have no idea what to say or do.  I didn’t either in the beginning, still struggle at times. My newsletter has just a little over 600 subscribers currently.

Having a newsletter is necessary. The newsletter is the only thing you own and control. It’s part of your author platform. 

Amazon and other such stores, social media platforms can and do go away, or change policies  that have a negative impact on authors. They don’t share emails and customer information

Your newsletter subscribers go with you where you are. They are your property because they said they wanted to follow you.  They gave you their email. They are your people/fans and they want to hear from you. 

Here are a few suggestions to help beginners get started and maintain a steady connection with their readers. 

Why Do I Need A Newsletter?

  • Your newsletter is your direct line of communication with your readers/audience. It helps build a relationship between you and them. You are having a conversation with them, it’s not about selling.
  • People don’t sign up to just hear about “buy my book” they want to get to know you, and the story worlds and characters you create. You do this with consistent contact and quality content that reflects you and your world/characters. 
  • You should keep the schedule that feels most comfortable for you, and your fans will be there for you, whether you send it out once a month, twice a month, or weekly. 

How Do I Start & What Do Say

  • Decide on your email provider e.g. MailChimp, Mailerlite, CovertKit, (list of providers).
  • You will need to provide a Domain for setup with your provider. E.g. My domain is junetakey.com  (List of domain services). My domain provider is Tigertech.net.  Personally I do not recommend Go Daddy but that is my personal opinion. 
  • Sign up and set up a sign up form. (Offer something for free in exchange for reader email. It can be, as simple as a checklist/character profile, deleted scene, photo of your pet, garden or character sketch, character recipe, short story, or book) 
  • Craft your first email (Keep it simple and personable, be authentic.Share only what you’re comfortable with sharing. What you write and why, your favorite authors/influences, a hobby you are passionate about, what they can expect, ask them a question or their opinion to encourage engagement)
  • Focus on engaging readers rather than increasing numbers and your email list will grow. It’s a slow process for beginners, but be consistent and authentic and you will see results.
  • I have been told this for social media posting. I think it can work for newsletters too:  Laugh, Quote, Laugh, Quote, Ask, Promote, which means exactly that. Share something funny, share favorite quotes, ASK questions that require a response, and lastly promote your book—it’s more about connection, relationship with reader rather than selling. 

Craft Compelling Subject Lines

  • Everyone’s audience is different. You need to try different things and watch what your readers respond to by checking open rates, and which emails or headlines they reply to. 
  • Avoid clickbait subject lines. Use action words, make it funny, or raise a question, touch authentic emotion and curiosity, short subject lines are better. 
  • Some people like to use emoji but don’t overuse them. 
  • When marketing you might want a subject line that is SEO friendly (Search Engine Optimized), and you can use a free headline analyzer to help you determine the best. (Headline Analyzer (Free)) You can Google for other headline analyzers too.

Where Do I Share It?

  • The main way to share your newsletter is via email. 
  • Build an engaging conversation with your readers. 
  • Share on social media via Instagram, Twitter, Facebook groups that allow it and have promo days, and other social media. 
  • Ask your friends, family, online buddies to share it for you. 
  • Put the link in the signature of your email.
  • Put the link in the back matter of your book.
  • Put a signup form on your website.
  • Include the link in your newsletter, and ask your followers to share it for you–maybe offer a gift or surprise for those who do.
  • Makeup business cards with the link address. Hand them out to those interested, or leave on tables, or in offices e.g. doctor etc. Take them to events such as conferences, retreats, book fairs… 
  • Some bookstores will allow authors to leave cards to share.
  • Author Facebook groups takeovers, or newsletter swaps with other authors of the same genre.

Are there people who don’t have newsletters or websites and are successful? The answer is yes but they are outliers not a majority. Big businesses rely on newsletters still for a reason they keep them connected to their customer/audience.  

Just be yourself and don’t worry whether yours is like someone else’s. Different approaches work for different authors. Find the one that works for you. Experiment. Be authentic and make it easy for you.

Remember:

  • Find a newsletter provider
  • Get your domain
  • Craft your first form and email
  • Be authentic
  • Seek engagement over numbers
  • Ask questions to engage response
  • Laugh, Quote, Laugh, Quote, Ask, Promote

mika-baumeister-LaqL8nxiacc-unsplash

Zero Drafting

A bare bones draft of your story from the beginning to the end.

BY JUNETA KEY

Photo by CJ Dayrit on Unsplash

Have you ever heard of Zero Draft? It is basically a way to draft your story that focuses on JUST telling yourself the story. This way of creating that first draft is giving yourself permission to write without corrections or proper grammar or punctuation.

You just write (tell it) until you get the story told. The first draft will be a revised version or it may be your final draft, just depends on your process and how well it works for you.

Use zero drafting to discover the bare basics, get an idea of what your story is about, beginnings of character and world building, the shape of scenes, or create a jumping off point for a strong outline.

Differnt Names For The Zero Draft

There are many styles, and different names for a zero draft that means similar if not the same thing.

  • Discovery Draft
  • Pre-draft
  • Initial draft
  • Blueprint
  • Original draft
  • Early draft
  • First Outline

The main distinguishing factor with zero draft for me is that you are giving yourself permission to tell instead of show, write crap, use bad grammar or no punctuation.

The goal is to get the whole story told so you have something to work with, and not having to imagine in “scene style” trying to figure it ALL out.

Once you have your zero draft and you start writing scene style, you have a good idea what the scene is you are writing and where it is leading because of the zero draft.

Rules Or No Rules

I don’t quite throw all the rules I use to the wayside (although you can — give yourself permission to throw them all out), however; I do tell myself the story first, rather than show. Sometimes I incorporate a traditional style scene into my zero draft, if I have a strong image in my mind.

So my zero draft may have pieces fully played out (shown) and others more like an outline (tell). The best part is I can do anything I want to do — –I gave myself permission because the ONLY GOAL is to get the story told, so I can startwith the real writing and polishing, molding and shaping.

After all, the revision is where the magic will really happen, but first I have to have something to work that magic on, right?

(BICW) Butt in chair writing!!!! Zero draft and just keep going until the end. The point is to finish. The persistent turtle crossed the finish line, while the unfocused rabbit ran a million circles and never made it to the finish line.

THE KEY

The key is — get it told. The zero draft is your clay, and revision is the place you create the final mold. Yes, I repeated that sentiment, more or less, because it is an important concept and writing process that helps you find your way through the meandering quagmire of the first story.

The interesting thing I have found is that by allowing myself to tell the story, the story structure, especially the five plot points, are always present in the zero draft.

Why? Because we humans naturally know how the story works because we have heard it, read it, watched it, and told our own all our lives.

Zero draft for me is easier than just coming up with thirty scenes per act, as is often done in the creation of outlines. I can also use the one sentence or paragraph method in the zero draft, which can be similar to outlines.

As a pantser, it has really helped me move forward in my writing, but even if you are not a pantser, you might find this method freeing, allowing you to create an expanded synopsis of your outline.

I have tried giving my EDITOR (Me) and my MUSE (me) their own identities, personifying them. At one time, I named my left brain the Editor Hook, and my right brain, the muse, Dark Muse.

I would send the crocodile (in my imagination) after Hook to chase him away, so Dark Muse could play. It works sometimes, but mostly I still have the same troubles. I also find myself floundering at about 20,000 or 25,000 words approaching that HUGE middle.

That is why I was excited when I learned about the zero draft. It is something I have been experimenting with and finding forward progress for my writing.

I hope if you try it; you find it gives you some freedom from the hamster wheel of never finishing, and moves you forward to the end.

Zero Draft Videos from YouTube

Here is my favorite video showing zero drafts, by Katytastic. I believe her approach is more like a panster sort of…

Here is another zero draft video, this one by Kim Chance, that I like, but her approach is definitely as a person who outlines, and has a lot of stress about the first draft. She helped her anxiety by learning the zero draft to finish her second contracted book.

ABOUT

Juneta Key writes speculative fiction in genres of Midlife (paranormal), Grumpy Mythic Humor, Sy-Fi Fantasy, Fantasy Adventure, and Space Opera with a little mystery and romance. She offers early access to her Midlife series here. 

WRITERS TALK BULLETIN WRITING TIPS, INFO, TEMPLATES https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/b0e9i8,

FICTION SUBSCRIPTION STORY SERIALIZATION: https://reamstories.com/junetakey 

SOCIAL LINKS: https://linktr.ee/JunetaKey

Load More

close

Enjoy this blog? Please spread the word :)

Follow

Get the latest posts delivered to your mailbox: