Author Archives: Laura K. E. Jones

December Writing Pep Talk: When Your Wagon Is on Fire

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Once, over something completely unrelated to writing, I told my sister something like this: “I wanted to set the wheels in motion, not set the wagon on fire!” 

At a certain point in a draft, I always end up feeling this sort of panic. All of the careful thought I put into the plot, all of the careful work I put into wording things just right in the opening chapters—all has gone out the window. My draft is a burning wagon and all I can do is chase it down the hill with a fire extinguisher in hand and hope that once the wagon rolls to a stop, the framework can be salvaged. 

Here’s another comparison. I studied opera singing for my undergraduate degree, and for reasons that I won’t go into detail about here, I developed a paralyzing stage fright that severely impacted my voice. Usually, within the first few notes, I could tell whether I would be singing well or singing to survive. In the latter situation, I would shut down, enduring the few painful minutes from a detached place.

Sometimes, to finish a draft, you have to go into survival mode. Sometimes, despite careful preparation, the first note just isn’t supported, which means, oh no, the phrase isn’t supported, which means, oh god, the entire song might not be supported—

In that moment of panic, you have to make a decision. Will you abandon ship, or will you finish the song?

In the case of writing, I would argue that survival mode/my-wagon-is-on-fire mode is normal for a first draft. I’ve written several at this point, and there’s always a point at which the panic threatens to take over, because maybe the framework of the wagon can’t be salvaged, and maybe you’re just going to be left with a pile of burnt sticks.

I will say this: I have never regretted finishing a first draft. You may be able to arrange your burnt sticks into a cool, edgy modern sculpture about the fragility of wagons. You may throw the charred remains away and learn how to, you know, not set the wagon on fire next time. You may come back to the remains in a few months and see something that could be used to make a better wagon.

Okay, you’re probably getting as sick of this metaphor as I am, but the point remains. You can’t fix something that isn’t finished. You may not be able to see where you’re going until you’ve made a ton of mistakes getting there. Finish your draft for that one brilliant line amid the ashes that you can use in your next draft.

So, from my place at 94,000 words into Dragons! 2.0, I wish you luck finishing your own drafts, and I wish myself some luck as well!

12 Things I Wish I’d Known When I Started Writing

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Although I’d always dabbled in writing, I first became “serious” about writing during my undergraduate degree. I finished the first draft of my first book around Christmas of my first year of university, and then, the following year, I started writing what would turn into a 180,000-word work of fanfiction. 

It was during spring break of my second year of university that I realized that writing was something I may want to pursue more seriously, when I was in the midst of writing this behemoth of a fanfic. I was really enjoying writing, and I was doing it almost obsessively. To add fuel to that fire, I was studying music but realizing that I no longer enjoyed performing. My creativity was moving in a different direction that seemed to suit my personality better. Also, my fanfic was received unexpectedly well, and as people read and enjoyed my work, I first had the thought that maybe I’d find people who would enjoy my original work, too, and I could make this work.

If I could go back and talk to Laura from seven years ago, I’d definitely have some advice to give her!

1. Writing is so much more than writing.

Bad news. Writing the first draft seems like a huge task when you’re new to writing, but the truth is that draft one is a walk in the park compared to what follows. Enjoy planning and the first draft of exploration, because with each draft, things will only get more difficult! Once you finish the actual book, you’ll have to face even more difficulties: query letters, rejection, and attempts to find your audience. Which brings me to point two:

2. You’ll have to put yourself out there.

You mean I can’t just hide away and type? I have to actually market my book once I finish it?

Sadly, yes. If you’re like me and you’re a bit of an introvert, this may be the most difficult part. It involves facing all sorts of insecurities with each social media post and finding new and creative ways to frame your work to find your audience. It’s a ton of work, and sometimes it has little reward. But…

3. You’re playing the long game.

No part of writing is fast. There’s a lot of waiting and a lot of agonizing over different aspects of your book. I’ve heard that the process of finding an agent and publisher can take literal years, and writing/revising books can take years as well. It’s important to remember that if you write, you really have to write for the love of it. You’ll face a lot of rejection and struggle to maintain faith in yourself and your work, but it’s important to remember that this isn’t a fast process at all. If you’re doing this as a get-rich-quick scheme, you are out of luck. You will probably not get rich, and it will definitely not be quick.

4. You’ll have good days and bad days.

Sometimes the words flow. Sometimes it’s a struggle. 

You’re still a writer when you have bad days.

5. If you love it, it’s worth it.

You’re going to have days when the self-doubt is very strong, and it’s always important to return to why you write in the first place. It’s because you love it! If you don’t love writing, you’re not going to be able to withstand the waiting periods and the doubt and the rejection.

6. You have to find your audience.

No one is going to do it for you. I’ve heard that even in traditional publishing, authors have to do a lot of self-promotion. If you’re self-publishing, you’re going to have to work even harder at this. Your work is not going to naturally fall into the laps of your readers; you have to put in the work to find those people.

7. Every book is a learning process.

In literally every new project you start, you’re going to have the same crisis: Can I really write a book? Was the last one just a fluke? 

You’re going to have to re-teach yourself how to write a book every time. The process gets easier, and you’ll learn more each time to help you with your next project. But expect to have the same self-doubt with each book, and expect that…

8. You may have to give up on some books.

I’ve learned that sometimes it’s better to give up on something that just isn’t working and start something new. The thing you gave up on isn’t going anywhere, and you can always try again with more experience under your belt.

9. It’s okay (and healthy) to take breaks.

You are still a writer if you take breaks. You don’t have to write every day. You do have to write regularly, but at least take an occasional weekend off. It’s fun to write a lot, but you will burn out, and if you don’t take the time to recharge, you’re going to hurt yourself. 

10. It’s good to have eggs outside of the writing basket.

Rejection will be easier if you have many goals and many things that matter in your life. Don’t make writing everything, no matter how important it is to you.

11. Not everyone will understand why you spend time on something when you’re not getting paid for it yet.

This is a painful truth about writing. Some people don’t understand that you generally have to work on writing for a long time before you see any financial return. Most people don’t publish their first book(s) because they’re just not good yet. Again, you have to remember that you do it for the love of it, and if eventually you’re paid for it, awesome. People won’t always understand doing something just out of passion, and that’s okay. You’ll stick to it anyway.

12. If you love it, you’ll keep coming back to it.

If you’re like me, you will want to give up on writing multiple times a year, to the point where your siblings are going to laugh when you tell them you’re going to give up this time, for real. However, if you really love writing, it’s something you can’t help doing. You may want to give up, but as much as I hate to tell you this, you’re not going to be able to.

If you’re a writer, what things do you wish you’d known before you started writing?

Reflections on Dragons! 2.0 at 50,000 Words (About Halfway!)

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I have to preface this post by saying that this update was written in May. Since then, I’ve taken a step back from Dragons! 2.0 after reaching the 75,000-word mark and deciding something wasn’t quite working (but I’m hoping to resume writing it before the end of the year!). I still thought I’d post this now out-of-date update, though, because it’s a fun snapshot of the writing process, with its ups and downs and experimentation!

May 11, 2022

Today, I passed the 50,000-word point of my sequel for Into Shadow. This is actually a pretty big deal, because it means I’m almost halfway! It’s been a long road for this book so far, full of ups and downs. First drafts often are, but this is the first time I’ve queried a book while writing another, which means writing while my self-confidence is taking repeated blows. I started this book in November but have worked on it in spurts since then.

It’s been an interesting journey so far. Usually, when I write, I let myself ride my waves of inspiration and have 15,000-word days. This time, I’m trying to get better at pacing myself. I cut myself off after a few thousand words, and I’ve been averaging between 1,000 and 2,000 words on my writing days, while also allowing myself to take some days off!

Writing this book has also been an interesting process because this is the first time I’ve fully pantsed a novel. In writing, people often talk about plotting versus pantsing, with plotting being where you plan what’s going to happen ahead of time, and pantsing being where you make it up as you go along. Traditionally, I’ve been a plotter, but for Into Shadow, I pantsed the first half… and then panicked and planned the second half. Strangely enough, I found I wrote much better when I pantsed, and those pantsed sections—or the ones that I kept—actually required less editing. For that reason, for the first time, I am pantsing an entire novel. Weirdly, I’m loving it. There is a lot of insecurity and doubt along the way, but I feel more engaged with my characters and my world this way. I’m savouring the details. 

I should note that while I’m pantsing, I have some landmark points I’m aiming for. I know how I’d like this book to end. Also, I happened to write two pages of a notebook on notes for the second half, so maybe I’m starting to naturally… um… “plants”?

This is an exciting process for me. I’ve written a few chapters that have surprised me. The conflict is escalating. Things are starting to get intense, as they should in the second half of a book. Weirdly, the character arcs I expected to have an easier time with are proving more difficult to write, whereas the ones I expected to struggle with are surprising me by being really fascinating. 

In short, I think I may be a pantsing convert. I’m really happy with this draft so far. Dare I say that it’s a bit darker than the first, and a bit more intense? Holy subplots, there’s a lot going on. I can’t wait to introduce you to some new characters, as well!

And the excitement is lasting. I have days of anxiety, but the whole “I’m going to give myself days off” thing is actually working out well for me.

This is why I write. I love the rush of adrenaline, the nights when I’m so excited by what I’m creating that I can’t even sleep, the mornings when I’m up at 7 a.m. to write just because I love it so much. 

The downside of reaching 50,000 words is the NaNoWriMo part of my brain saying, “Wait, Laura, aren’t you done?” And I have to say, “Nope… not quite halfway there.” Since I’m pantsing, I’m basing this entirely on the length of Into Shadow. It’s really a marathon, but it’s so worth it. It’s revelation after revelation, exciting thing after exciting thing.

Writing a sequel is interesting. I’ve done it once before, for an earlier series that I didn’t end up querying because there were significant issues. It’s nice, because you’ve already set up the pieces and get to pick up where you left off. It’s not as hard to write the beginning of a sequel. Also, it’s nice, because you already know and are attached to the characters, so there’s less work to do at the front of the process. But there are significant challenges, too. You don’t want to just repeat your first book. The characters have to continue to grow and change (which I find they do quite beautifully and naturally when I pants). You always have to move forward. 

I’d love to write standalone things, but apparently I think in a very long-form sort of way, and the truth is that I’m really enjoying writing this sequel. I’m terrible at naming things, so right now it’s Dragons! 2.0, but I’m excited to give it a title once I’ve finished it. The goal is to finish by my birthday in July. I’m 12,000 words behind where I wanted to be today, but feeling oddly fine about it.

The hard part about writing a sequel while querying the first in the series is that if I can’t sell my first book, this time could be “wasted.” But as hard as querying is, and as much as my self-confidence is shaken every day of the process, the truth is that I have so much faith in Into Shadow. Even if it doesn’t sell, I’ll be a better writer for having written this sequel, and I’m enjoying living in this world and with these people for a little bit longer.

So, despite the emotional rollercoaster of querying, today I am thrilled to be a writer. I am thrilled to get to explore these complex people and their journeys and their fascinating world. I am in love with my art, and that’s the best way to feel.

Sept. 23, 2022 Addendum

As you may be able to tell from the fact that I had to take a step back from this draft, I’ve learned that pantsing—while exciting—may not entirely be my style. I love the initial exploration and the rush of pantsing, but eventually you do have to put your plotting hat on to make sure things work!

Reading Challenge 2022: Part I

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Before 2022, I typically read about thirty books a year. This year, I decided to up my game.

I wrote this post on June 28, 2022, when I was at seventy books out of my goal of one hundred. Now, I’m over one hundred! Here were my reading highlights from the first half of the year:

1. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Every November, an island has a horse race called the Scorpio Races, where riders and their water horses—basically big, fast, carnivorous horses—battle it out on a beach. Kate “Puck” Connolly decides to enter the race on her regular horse in an attempt to keep her older brother from leaving for the mainland.

Sean Kendrick has won the Scorpio Races the last four times, but he doesn’t have what he really wants. His water horse, Corr, is owned by Sean’s employer. Sean wants to be able to buy Corr, but Sean’s employer won’t sell him.

Both Puck and Sean desperately need to win the Scorpio Races to get what they want, but there can only be one winner.

I loved this book. I somehow missed it when it came out in 2011, and I tried it on a whim in April when I found it shelved under my library’s suggestions of great audiobooks. Since then, I’ve read it a second time, and I even purchased my own copy. I’m not really a horse person, so a book about a horse race is a surprising top book of the year for me, but I’m so glad I decided to give it a try, and it speaks to Stiefvater’s brilliance that I enjoyed this book so much even as someone who doesn’t love horses.

The audiobook is fantastic. Steve West and Fiona Hardingham bring this book to life through their excellent narration, and I highly recommend trying it on audiobook if you can.

I can’t praise this book enough. The book is a masterclass in plotting, and the prose is beautiful without being over the top. The tension is amazing, the characters are amazing, and the plot is masterful. The ending (which is perfect) made me weep, and it’s been a long time since I’ve cried over a book. It’s categorized as YA, but it’s enjoyable at any age.

TW: violence (including violence towards animals)

2. Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal

Nikki is a woman in her twenties who’s trying to find her footing in life. When an opportunity arises for her to teach a writing class to Punjabi widows in Southall, London, Nikki jumps at the chance. The class becomes an opportunity for the widows to share their often hilarious erotic stories, but Nikki soon finds herself drawn into a dark secret about a young woman’s murder, one that could put Nikki’s own life at risk.

This was such a great, surprising read for me. I picked it up because I thought the title was amazing, and I ended up really enjoying the book. It’s a book with a lot of heart and intensity. I loved the friendships in this book and the glimpse into a community that I didn’t know much about. I thoroughly recommend this book, although I will warn that there are many erotic stories in this book, so if that isn’t something you like, you may want to give this one a miss.

TW: violence against women

3. In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez

This is a historical fiction novel about the Mirabal sisters, four real women who fought against the Trujillo dictatorship in the Dominican Republic. It’s written from the alternating perspectives of the four sisters, and each one feels distinct and real. I enjoy a good historical fiction book, and this book was good. You really get to know each sister and her unique struggles intimately. It was such an interesting way to experience a time in history that I knew little about! I highly recommend this one as well.

TW: violence (especially violence against women)

4. Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver by Mary Oliver

Mary Oliver’s poetry is such a breath of fresh air. Every poem in this book left me with a feeling of deep well-being in my soul. I love the conversational tone and the wholesome themes. I highly recommend this one if you’re a poetry fan! It will leave you looking at the world a bit more lovingly.

Honourable Mentions:

I didn’t count any rereads, but I reread some books that I still love: Inkheart and Inkspell (Cornelia Funke), The Bad Beginning (Lemony Snicket), and Equus (Peter Shaffer). I also have to mention Inside the Montreal Mafia: The Confessions of Andrew Scoppa, which my sister translated. She did an amazing job!

September Update

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In April, I started some author social media accounts, started querying, and started drafting blog posts. It’s been long enough that I thought I should provide an update on my various projects, so here it is:

Into Shadow

I’m currently querying an adult fantasy novel, Into Shadow. In an earlier form, Into Shadow was a finalist in a publisher’s speculative fiction contest. I began querying agents in April, but I took a mental health break for about two months, and I used that time to do another draft of the novel based on further beta reader feedback. 

The good news is that Into Shadow is the best it’s ever been. Now sitting at about 125k words, this new draft has more depth than the last one, and I’m really happy with it.

Querying is extremely difficult emotionally. I’m trying to figure out a way to do this so my mental health is less negatively impacted. I’m going to see how this next round of querying goes and reassess my approach based on that.

Querying is a long process, and I’ve heard you should query at least one hundred agents if you have a project you feel passionate about. I’m definitely passionate about this novel, so I’m continuing to tweak my query letter and my first pages, and I’m continuing to send it out. I don’t have a lot of control over whether someone will click with my novel, so I’m trying to focus on the things I do have control over. For now, crossing my fingers that someone will be interested soon!

Dragons! 2.0

In the spring, I wrote about 75k words of the sequel for Into Shadow. Parts of it are going well, and parts are not, so I decided to take a bit of time off to puzzle out the parts that aren’t going as well. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about the project, and I expect I’ll resume writing it before the end of the year.

Audiobooks

I’m currently narrating the audiobook for What Have I Done? by Carrie Close. The book is a collection of stories and poetry, and I’m enjoying it!

Summary

I’m having a lot of ups and downs in my professional life right now, but I’m excited for what the future will bring. As tough as querying is, I’m trying hard to maintain the joy in words and stories that has always motivated me, and I have a lot of exciting projects on the go. Thanks to those of you who are following this journey, and hopefully I’ll have more news soon!

Introducing… the Author

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Hello and welcome to my website! I’m Laura K. E. Jones, a Canadian fantasy writer, copy editor, and audiobook narrator. Here’s a fairly recent picture of me (December 2021), so you can put a face to the name.

**Fun fact: I decided to use my middle initials in my pen name because “Laura Jones” is such a common name.**

I feel as if my genre chose me, rather than the other way around. I never made a conscious decision to write fantasy, but I’ve always been drawn to magic and other worlds, so it’s naturally what I gravitate towards when I write. In fact, I have trouble writing anything set in the real world! In terms of reading, I’m also a fantasy lover (although I’m very picky about the fantasy I read!), but I try to read a variety of things, and I really enjoy a good history book.

I’m from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, but I’ve also lived in Halifax (Nova Scotia), Fredericton (New Brunswick), and Mascouche (which is just outside of Montreal, Quebec). I’ve been lucky enough to travel a lot, and my travels have taken me from Angkor Wat to the top of Kilimanjaro. I especially love Prague, because stepping into the main square feels like stepping back in time, and I also love Paris and Venice. 

**Another fun fact: I love pigeons, which may be why I like Venice so much. I feel like pigeons and dandelions don’t get enough love, so I love them a lot to make up for it.**

I have a very old cat (seventeen years old!) named Ollie. He’s extremely cuddly and loud. He’s grey, with a white patch on his chest. This is Ollie:

I attended university in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where I got a Bachelor of Music. My instrument was voice, and my major was musicology (which is basically music history). My teachers all disagreed on whether I was a mezzosoprano or a soprano, so I’ve just accepted that I’m vocally divergent. In addition to singing very loudly, I also play piano. Chopin and Debussy composed some of my favourite piano pieces, and my all-time favourite piece is “La fille aux cheveux de lin.”

Because I studied opera, I sang regularly in French, Italian, and German. My spoken French is pretty rusty, though. I took a year of German in university, but I’ve forgotten just about all of it. Some of my favourite operas include Le Nozze de Figaro, Carmen, and Tosca.

I used to do a lot of theatre, with roles ranging from Carol in Black Comedy to Eponine in Les Misérables. I’ve also been in Grease, Legally Blonde, and Chat Blanc: Lost in Montmartre, an Edmonton Fringe show about the French composer Satie, which included a shadow puppet opera! 

During my undergraduate degree, I realized I didn’t like performing anymore. I persisted for a bit and was even a finalist in the Northern Alberta Concerto Competition in 2020, right before the pandemic hit. However, I had the distinct thought “get me off of this stage” during that performance, so I gladly accepted my loss and decided that the competition would be my last solo performance.

**Yet another fun fact: I’ve been vegetarian for fourteen years for ethical reasons, and I’m really glad I made that decision.**

I study publishing at Toronto Metropolitan University, and I do some freelance copy editing work. I also studied journalism for four months. While journalism definitely wasn’t for me, I did discover a passion for audio there, and I now read audiobooks!

I’ve always been a reader, and I started writing stories as a child. I began writing more seriously once I reached university, and I finished my first full-length novel at eighteen. I’ve dabbled a bit in fanfiction over the years, and I’m grateful that it provided the opportunity for me to build my skills and confidence. I first fell in love with writing through fanfiction and quickly realized that I wanted to do it forever! Writing is my passion, and I work hard at it. 

I’m currently querying my novel Into Shadow, affectionately known to me as Dragons!, which was its working title. It was a finalist in a publisher’s speculative fiction contest, and although it wasn’t picked in the end, I’m very grateful to have been a finalist, if only because it helped give me some confidence in my writing. I’ve also had the chance to continue improving Into Shadow since then, and I’m feeling good about the shape it’s in now!

I love the mountains and hate the ocean. Hiking and backcountry camping are wonderful. Mountains often make it into my book settings. I also love the prairies, maybe because that’s what I’m used to. However, I do love the big snowstorms in Eastern Canada much more than the extreme cold of the prairies. In Edmonton, we don’t get as much snow, but we do get a few weeks each year that are consistently colder than thirty degrees below zero. Yes, that’s as awful as it sounds. I love big storms, both the thunder and snow variety. 

Here’s a picture of the aftermath of a Halifax snowstorm:

And here’s a picture of the Rockies, so you can see why I’m a mountain girl! This is in the Tonquin Valley:

**Another fun fact: I collect rocks and mugs as well as journals. My favourite mug has a t-rex in it, which makes me laugh because when I have tea, it’s a “tea-rex.” The mugs come in handy, because I drink way too much coffee. I also have a quirky earring collection, with some of my favourites being pine cones, spoons, clocks, cats, and mini copies of The Book Thief (which is one of my all-time favourite books).**

I have a very eclectic music taste that no one understands, myself included. Why do I like One Direction and musicals, but also Bardcore, ’80s music, and opera? None of it makes sense. 

I have notoriously bad luck, such as falling into a mud puddle on my first real day of work. I kill every plant I touch, even cactuses. Seriously, never ask me to look after your plants, because they will die.

**One more fun fact: I wear glasses and can barely see without them. I’ve tried the contacts thing but my eyes hate them!**

I love poetry and occasionally dabble in writing it. Novels are my love, though! When I’m not writing, I’m often daydreaming about stories. 

If you’ve read this far, you probably know more about me than you ever wanted to, so I may end things here. Thanks for reading!