hjvanderiet

Writing Prompt 10: Sweet Revenge

We are nearly two weeks away from the release of Otherside: The Serenity. It will be available in paperback, and for Kindle on April 24th, 2021, on Amazon. If you don’t want to wait you can pre-order the Kindle here.

I’ll be honest…I’m writing this the morning it’s supposed to be posted. Life often gets in the way of my writing process, and it’s hard to sit down and compose my thoughts with no distractions. I have three young children, and they are all quite demanding of attention. Each is highly creative and artistic (well, I mean, I’m ASSUMING the baby is based on his older siblings, but for all I know, he could be a sports nut…I guess time will tell) and EMOTIONAL. It’s that whole water sign thing, I think.

But my IDEAL writing retreat is to take the train. Yes, the train. Some of the best and most focused wring I’ve ever done is on a long train trip. You have all these interesting people coming and going from stop to stop, each with their own specific story, habits, and mannerisms. You meet them for a short time, and then they’re gone from your life. You are FORCED to slow down, because there’s no wifi or television on the train, unless you bring a device, and even that’s not guaranteed, because you are often out of wifi range. Not to mention you can’t just step off whenever…only when you reach the next stop. The windows allow you to look around at all the beautiful scenery, and just get lost in your thoughts. It’s the perfect place to write, because you have a TON of time on your hands and inspiration all around you.

I hope to take such a trip this year.

If you are new here, feel free to click the ‘Follow’ button to keep up with my writing prompts, and Otherside news. I’m also on Facebook and Instagram, so you can click those links in the footer below.

NOW: ONTO THE WRITING PROMPT, REMEMBER TO FREE-WRITE INITIALLY TO GET YOUR INSPIRATION GOING, AND THEN TURN THAT FREE-WRITING INTO 1-2 PAGES OF FICTION.

Have you ever plotted revenge on someone? Was it sweet and what did it entail?

For more content, follow and like H.J VandeRiet on Facebook to see my weekly Coffee Talk live-streams, keep up on Otherside news, and see other people’s writing creations from the prompts. You can also follow me on Instagram at H.J VandeRiet.

Writing Prompt 9: Time after Time

We’re less than one month away from Otherside: The Serenity being released live on Amazon ya’ll!!!!! It’s unreal…not gonna lie. This book is like…20 years in the making, so it’s a big deal.

I wrote the very first draft by hand when I was 15 years old. Then it sat in a folder, inside a cabinet for a couple years while I finished high school and went off to college. I had dreams of being a published author, but I wasn’t sure what book would end up being “the one.” Then one day, I was going through all my old stories I’d written, laughing at how bad most of them were, when I came across Otherside. I hadn’t looked at it in YEARS. I read through it, and while it still was not up to publishing standards, the bones of it were interesting. At this point, I’d grown as a writer and could better recognize which books of mine had potential, and which ones did not. I knew this one had it.

Many years and several drafts, headaches, bouts of writer’s block and a healthy dose of imposter syndrome later, and here we are. IT’S BEING RELEASED ON APRIL 24th, 2021, on Amazon.

Better yet, the Kindle is available for pre-order NOW.

The paperback is BEAUTIFUL. I’m seriously in love. Holding it in my hands, feeling the weight of it, the softness of the cover, it’s just makes me so happy that other people will get a chance to finally read it, and (I hope) fall in love with the world I have been nurturing for so long.

I would love to hear more from you, questions you have, or maybe about your own writing practice. I go live on Facebook each Tuesday for a coffee talk, and it would be so cool if you popped in to say hello. This week I’ll be talking about another one of the characters, Aimee Jonson.

Last week, we talked about Josh Linestone, and the week before that we talked about main character, Alanis Laundale — the heroine of our story. That video also had a funny anecdote about how Facebook Live HATES me.

Come on by and say hello! The links to my pages are in the footer below.

NOW: ONTO THE WRITING PROMPT, REMEMBER TO FREE-WRITE INITIALLY TO GET YOUR INSPIRATION GOING, AND THEN TURN THAT FREE-WRITING INTO 1-2 PAGES OF FICTION.

What do you think is the best use of your time?

Writing Prompt 8: Reset

BIG NEWS!!! The Kindle version of Otherside: The Serenity is available now for preorders on Amazon. It will be released live on April 24th, but if you’d like to go ahead and purchase it now, you can. You can find it here

I am seriously anxious with anticipation. I know giving people time to hear about the book is the right thing to do, but I want to release it RIGHT NOW, so bad, because I’m so excited for people to read it. This week I actually got a proof copy of the paperback version, and just holding it in my hands, the cover done with the title and my name, and flipping through the pages and seeing the words I wrote…it made it so much more REAL. It’s not just some social media post about a book anymore. I can hold it, tangibly, in my hands. SO. FREAKING. COOL.

Any way, I hope you are catching all the videos and posts about the book, and would love to have you comment and say hi on my Facebook or Instagram! Also, if you haven’t had a chance to start the writing prompts to get your own inspiration going, I hope you’ll start. I will be taking the prompts from the past couple of weeks, and putting out a new creation hopefully at the end of this week.

NOW: ONTO THE WRITING PROMPT, REMEMBER TO FREE-WRITE INITIALLY TO GET YOUR INSPIRATION GOING, AND THEN TURN THAT FREE-WRITING INTO 1-2 PAGES OF FICTION.

Do you wish you could press the reset button on anything in your life? If so, what?

Writing Prompt 7: Close Your Eyes

While I still don’t have a definitive date for pre-orders on Otherside: The Serenity, I feel confident I should be able to take them by the end of the week. Once I’m able I will post the link to do so on my Facebook Page, and again here on the blog.

Yesterday was an interesting day going live on Facebook. When kids interrupt your live video and technology hates you it makes for a very amusing time. I’m happy to have been able to talk about my main character, Alanis Laundale, and tell you a little bit about Sable, Massachusetts, where the book is set. Next week, I will do another live video and talk about one of our other feature characters.

NOW: ONTO THE WRITING PROMPT, REMEMBER TO FREE-WRITE INITIALLY TO GET YOUR INSPIRATION GOING, AND THEN TURN THAT FREE-WRITING INTO 1-2 PAGES OF FICTION.

When you close your eyes, what do you always dream about?

Writing Prompt 6: What is this junk?

April 24th is getting closer each day and I am more and more excited. This book holds a special place in my heart, and while I’m sure it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, I certainly hope the people who read it enjoy it and that it resonates with them in some way.

I have been insanely busy but it’s all in good ways. I think having one creation a month incorporating all the writing prompts works well for me to do with my personal situation. You find what works as a writer, and you stick with it. So, by the end of the month, I will have another creation to share.

Make sure you are following me on Instagram or Facebook (or BOTH!) to get updates on pre-orders when they’re available, and to see sneak peak pieces of the book every Thursday and Friday until April 24th!!!

NOW: ONTO THE WRITING PROMPT, REMEMBER TO FREE-WRITE INITIALLY TO GET YOUR INSPIRATION GOING, AND THEN TURN THAT FREE-WRITING INTO 1-2 PAGES OF FICTION.

What one invention do you find completely useless and why?

Writing Prompt 5: That’s Television, Baby

Last week I announced the release date for Otherside: The Serenity. It will be available on Amazon in paperback, and for Kindle download on April 24th, 2021. I will also be taking pre-orders soon, so stay tuned for that.

It’s been a hectic week, and I’m juggling a lot at the moment. All good things, thankfully, but it does mean that I’m not getting write very often. One of the things I’m most looking forward to about Covid ending is to take a long train ride where I can just read and write with no interruptions. I of course will document my journey when I do, so you all can keep up with me. It’s all fodder for the tell-all.

In the mean time, if you haven’t had a chance to see the posts I have going on Thursdays and Fridays, you can check them out on Instagram and Facebook. They include small portions of my novel Otherside, so you can get a taste of what the story is like, and about…plus they have some super cool images that I feel give you a picture of who our characters are.

NOW: ONTO THE WRITING PROMPT, REMEMBER TO FREE-WRITE INITIALLY TO GET YOUR INSPIRATION GOING, AND THEN TURN THAT FREE-WRITING INTO 1-2 PAGES OF FICTION.

What TV show, past or present — do you wish your life was like?

Creation: Moving Forward and Leaving Behind

A Creation based on the first four Writing Prompts, by H.J VandeRiet

My feet sink into the soft sand, toes burrowed beneath the grains. The waves rush up the beach and stop just a few feet short of where I stand, foamy bubbles dissipating, leaving green slimy seaweed behind. The salty smell is strong today, and somewhere in the distance I hear kids laughing, adults calling out to them…something about keeping close to the beach chairs. That life feels distant, the sounds of the voices mere background noise to the screaming in my mind.

My feet haven’t touched the ocean in ten years. Not since she disappeared beneath the surface and never emerged, since dad ran out into the water after her, shouting her name, and I stood paralyzed, watching it all unfold. I was a kid, picking up seashells out of the sand, and somehow I knew I had failed her. I was told to watch her, told to protect her. To make sure she didn’t wander too close. I froze, and have frozen ever since, too afraid to move forward because of what I may leave behind. Can I set that burden down? Can I leave it here on this beach where that one moment set fire to the rest of my life?

I look over at my backpack sitting in the sand, and think about the plane ticket inside it. A one way ticket to Mexico, where I will start to walk across the world. The smell of the burgers on the boardwalk call me, but I cross my arms and stay still, fixating my eye back on the ocean waves, moving back and forth, back and forth. The pull of the ocean is strong, and the rush of it sometimes stronger. What will I allow to pull me, to push me? What will define me.

I said goodbye to my dad at his grave yesterday, telling him that I didn’t think I would ever return. I explained that without him, there was nothing left for me here, no roots to keep me tethered, and that if I was going to be alone, then I was going to make the most of it. That I had allowed myself to be weighed down by his guilt, and my own.

“I love you dad,” I whisper to myself, wiping my eyes, hoping no one else on the beach sees me standing here crying, “I love you Moxie. I’m sorry I wasn’t there.”

I chuckle to myself, thinking of Moxie with her pigtails and boy shorts, throwing sand in the air and allowing it to fall around her. Dad would shout at her to quit it, but she loved the dirt. She loved the earth. He could never keep her totally clean for long. She was fearless.

I long to be fearless. And as I look to the ocean I know deep down that the only way to be truly fearless is to take the step. Don’t think, don’t question…just do. How long have I carried the weight of that day, allowing it to hold me still.

I lean down and reach into my bag. I take out my iPod and earbuds, and put them in. I pull up a song my dad would play for me: Just Be Held. I play it, and listen to the words, allowing them to take root in my heart for the first time. The ocean blurs behind my tears, and I reach down into my bag again, taking out five tiny seashells, worn with age.

I take the first one into my hand and pull my arm back, hurling it into the ocean. An exasperated sob escapes me as I pull back with the second one, and chuck it. It flies far, too far for me to see, and disappears. I laugh as I pull back with the third and send it away, cast away all my fears, all my pain, all my doubts.

The fourth one sails into the air and lands somewhere among an encroaching wave. I drop my hand to my side, the fifth one nestled in my palm. The water reaches for my toes, and this time touches them, cold and wet, and recedes again. I look at the seashell, smile, and toss it onto the beach.

For more content, follow and like H.J VandeRiet on Facebook to see our weekly Coffee Talk live-streams, keep up on Otherside news, and see other people’s writing creations from the prompts. You can also follow me on Instagram at H.J VandeRiet

Writing Prompt 4: You Probably Think This Song Is About You

Okay, so big news! Otherside: The Serenity has an official release date. On April 24th, 2021 you will be able to get it on Amazon, either for Kindle download or in paperback. Eventually, I’m hoping to get it in other places like Barnes and Noble, but for now, we stick with the monolith that is Amazon.

I AM SO EXCITED!!!! I’m not sure I can convey how big of a deal this is for me. I’ve literally been dreaming of being published since I was like 10 years old. I remember reading “Publishing for Dummies” when I was about 12, and mind you, this is pre-internet days people. Back when you had to snail-mail your manuscript to some agent whose name you found in a book somewhere, or in the yellow pages, and hope that they pick yours to send on to a publisher. Now all we do is set up an account on Amazon, upload our manuscript with a decent looking cover and millions of people can potentially read your book.

It’s intense, to say the least.

But in the meantime, keep following my social media for those special sneak peek bits of the book every Thursday and Friday, up until the release date. AND come by my Facebook page on Tuesdays when I do my Facebook Live videos. I literally sit there and talk to nobody for like seven minutes, so it would be nice if someone popped in to say hello and asked me a question like, “What’s your favorite type of cheese?” or “How do you deal with crippling procrastination as a writer?” And bring coffee because I want to imagine I’m sitting with you in a coffee shop.

NOW: ONTO THE WRITING PROMPT, REMEMBER TO FREE-WRITE INITIALLY TO GET YOUR INSPIRATION GOING, AND THEN TURN THAT FREE-WRITING INTO 1-2 PAGES OF FICTION.

What song old or new do you think could have been written about you and why?

Writing Prompt 3: You Won’t Know If You Don’t Try

Hey remember last week when I said I’d posted my creations for you to read? Turns out I was kidding, I haven’t posted any creations yet. I figure I’ll eventually segue into some kind of coffee-induced mania where I end up writing prolifically and posting like…10 creations in one day, so be ready for that when it happens.

It turns out life gets in the way of writing about 90% of the time, but I’m doing what I can, when I can. Plus, I’m not even really sure how many people are actually reading these anyway, so I could just be talking to myself.

If you follow me on social media, keep up with the posts on Thursdays and Fridays of the characters, along with short scenes from Otherside: The Serenity. I will be posting these up until the release date, sometime in April.

Now: Onto the Writing Prompt, which if you’re like me, you’ll get to when you feel like it. Remember to free-write initially to get your inspiration going, and then turn that free-writing into 1-2 pages of fiction.

What is something that you want to learn but are too afraid to try?

For more content, like H.J VandeRiet on Facebook to see our weekly Coffee Talk live-streams, keep up on Otherside news, and see other people’s writing creations from the prompts. You can also follow me on Instagram at H.J VandeRiet

Writing Prompt 2: The Perfect Summer

The first week of writing prompts is in the bag! I’ve shared my creation based on the first one, and I hope you enjoyed it.

It’s good to be writing again. I’ve been working on getting my book published for so long that I haven’t had much of a chance to sit and actually write. These prompts and this community are giving me more motivation to do so, and I love that.

The final edit of Otherside: The Serenity is done, and I will be posting a release date shortly. You will also be able to pre-order it! I’m excited to introduce the characters in the book each Wednesday and Friday. I have a great amount of love for each of them, and I sincerely hope you love them too.

Now: Onto the Writing Prompt. Remember to free-write initially to get your inspiration going, and then turn that free-writing into 1-2 pages of fiction.

What is your idea of a perfect summer?