X is for Making Your Mark

On Being a Published Writer
2012 A to Z Blogging
April 27, 2012
Day 24

Welcome to the 2012 A to Z Blogging Challenge. This year I’m focusing on things I’ve learned, observed and experienced in the nine years I’ve been published. If you’re a reader, I hope to offer an inside glimpse into the writer’s world. If you’re new to writing, I hope I can provide an insight or two. If you’re an established writer, maybe you’ll see similarities to your experience. Whatever path you walk, I welcome you to mine and hope you’ll enjoy the 2012 A to Z Blogging Challenge.

What do you want to accomplish as a writer? What mark, if any, do you want to leave on the publishing world? There are as many responses to the questions as writers. It doesn’t matter if no one else is privy to your reply. This question is just for you. For a lot of people, myself included, one easy answer won’t suffice, and I can only speak for me.

I think it’s important for people to understand what motivates them to do something. I constantly examine the ‘whys’ of my actions, but I don't feel compelled to share all my answers. I don’t have to. My reasons are specific to my own path.

I’ve passed the half-century mark and I know that writing fame isn’t what I want. It’s been a fun ride to get to today, but somewhere along the line I realized that whatever mark I make on the publishing world (or not) isn’t anywhere near as important as the mark I make on myself. That’s the one that counts, and at the end of the day, the one I have to live with. I want it to be a good one.

KC Kendricks
website at: http://www.kckendricks.comblog: http://www.kckendricks.blogspot.comTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricksmailing list at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betweenthekeysGoodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1989106.K_C_KendricksFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Kc-Kendricks/1439574042MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/kckendricks

W is for Websites and Wine

On Being a Published Writer
A to Z Blogging 2012
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Day 23

Welcome to the 2012 A to Z Blogging Challenge. This year I’m focusing on things I’ve learned, observed and experienced in the nine years I’ve been published. If you’re a reader, I hope to offer an inside glimpse into the writer’s world. If you’re new to writing, I hope I can provide an insight or two. If you’re an established writer, maybe you’ll see similarities to your experience. Whatever path you walk, I welcome you to mine and hope you’ll enjoy the 2012 A to Z Blogging Challenge.


Your website is the most important promotional tool in your arsenal, and you need to have complete – and I mean complete – control over its content. Even if you pay someone to be your webmaster, you need to know what questions to ask to make sure your web presence is what you want it to be.

Is creating and managing your website yourself difficult? Yes, it is, but it’s not impossible. Software abounds. I call mine Software for Dummies. It came free from the company I buy my domain name and webhosting from as a marketing tool. It works well and that’s the important thing. But how to make the most of? How to get it listed in all the search engines?

Often times the answer is as easy as putting the question into a search engine. Whether it’s a good thing or not, Google handles the biggest chunk of the search engine business, so let’s talk about Google.

Obviously I can’t cover everything in this one little blog, but I have a few tips I want to share that I hope will help. First up, how many pages of your website and blog can Google find? Go to Google.com and type in this: site:kckendricks.com. Now try it for your website and your blog. If Google is missing pages, you might need to verify your sites with Google. It’s easy for the brave, but the faint of heart (like me) might need a glass of wine first.

As strange as this may sound, check out YouTube for tutorials. I once took a workshop in SEO (search engine optimization) but after the week was over, I still had questions. I found those answers on YouTube. Type “tutorial” as your first word in the YouTube search box and prepare to be amazed.

Probably even more important than having your site registered with Google is the use of key words. Google found my website for years before I verified and registered it. How? By the use of key words.

It took me awhile to get on right track with key words. I thought adding them to the meta tags was enough. Turns out, it’s not. Those words should also appear in the text of the webpage they’re in the meta tag for. Really good key words for what KC Kendricks writes are “gay” and “romance.” So every page of that website has “gay romance” somewhere on the page.

More wine? I like Sutter Home White Merlot.

I know a lot of freebies are out there, but if you can afford it, consider going “dot.com.” What’s the first thing we do when we want to check out a company? We type in [company name].com. I want the publishing world to know I’m a serious writer, and I think owning your dot.com projects that.

All this might reads like a lot of work, but doing your own website is fun, too. You control the content so add a page of vacation photos if you like. Have a banner exchange page. Plant a few Easter eggs. Create a wine list. (Why didn’t I think of this sooner? I’ll get to taste the wine!) Share your free reads.

Whether you create it to be all business or throw in some fun, your website is your home on the Internet. Use it to showcase your work, and who you are as a writer. The future is already here and the Internet is not going away. Claim your unique space and make it your own with no apologies. You’ll never regret it.

KC Kendricks
website at: http://www.kckendricks.comblog: http://www.kckendricks.blogspot.comTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricksmailing list at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betweenthekeysGoodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1989106.K_C_KendricksFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Kc-Kendricks/1439574042MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/kckendricks


Tomorrow… X is for Making Your Mark

U is for Unswerving

On Being a Published Writer
2012 A to Z Blogging Challenge
April 24, 2012
Day 21

Welcome to the 2012 A to Z Blogging Challenge. This year I’m focusing on things I’ve learned, observed and experienced in the nine years I’ve been published. If you’re a reader, I hope to offer an inside glimpse into the writer’s world. If you’re new to writing, I hope I can provide an insight or two. If you’re an established writer, maybe you’ll see similarities to your experience. Whatever path you walk, I welcome you to mine and hope you’ll enjoy the 2012 A to Z Blogging Challenge.



Working as a published writer is without a doubt the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Published being the keyword. Writing is easy. I was given the talent. I merely tap into it. It’s being published that’s work.

My journey wasn’t the usual one. I didn’t have the burning passion for publication so many people possess. I merely wanted to see if I could actually write a novel. Once I knew I could, a new world opened up to me.

I had to get serious about writing. I had to set aside the time to do the work and acquire knowledge about my field. I have to constantly work to improve my basic skills. No one else can do these things for me. Writing truly is a venture where I am accountable to myself. I can think of no other field where “I” is more important to the finished product.

If I want to continue to be a published writer, I must be unswerving in my goals. I must know where I want to go and do the work to get there.

There are no worthwhile shortcuts to publication. There is a learning curve, and everyone is on it. The first few years were rather steep for me. I struggled, but looking back I wouldn’t trade any of it. I learned from every experience.

Of all the things I’ve done in my life, writing is the most personal and the most powerful. It’s a solitary pursuit where achievements are frequently intangible. For me, the road goes straight ahead. I’ve set my path and I won’t swerve from it.

There’s an old saying, “If it is to be, it is up to me.” When it comes to writing, those words are my unswerving truth.
KC Kendricks
website at: http://www.kckendricks.com/
blog: http://www.kckendricks.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks
mailing list at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betweenthekeys
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1989106.K_C_Kendricks
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Kc-Kendricks/1439574042
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/kckendricks

O is for Orgasm

On Being a Published Author
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
A to Z Blogging 2012
Day 15


Welcome to the 2012 A to Z Blogging Challenge. This year I’m focusing on things I’ve learned, observed and experienced in the nine years I’ve been published. If you’re a reader, I hope to offer an inside glimpse into the writer’s world. If you’re new to writing, I hope I can provide an insight or two. If you’re an established writer, maybe you’ll see similarities to your experience. Whatever path you walk, I welcome you to mine and hope you’ll enjoy the 2012 A to Z Blogging Challenge.

No matter what you call it - the Big O, climax, release, to come, to cum, get off - the sexual orgasm is an essential part of erotic romance. It doesn’t matter if you write straight het, man-on-man, or for the ladies, the orgasm matters.

We all like the romance, the building of the relationship. We root for the two (and sometimes three) main characters to find each other, and common ground. And we want them to experience the unique bonding of the sexual orgasm.

There are as many schools of thought about how the climax should be handled as there are readers. As a writer, how do we please them all? The short answer is - we shouldn’t even try. Above all else a writer has to be true to their own voice and characters.

When I first started to write, I bought a book by a very well known romance writer. As in very well known. I read it, then passed it on to my mother for her opinion. What I got was a comment I’ll never forget.

“I guess it was a good enough story, but this woman only knows one way to have sex and it’s boring.”

Yes, girls and boys, that was my Mommy’s comment. It set me back on my heels a bit, coming from her, but I got over it. Mostly. (Yes, it made me think things about my mother best unthought.) The thing is, she was absolutely correct. I reread the book and every sex scene was exactly the same, and Mother wasn’t talking about Part Boy fitting into Part Girl. She referred to the emotional intensity, or lack thereof, of the orgasm.

Is every time you have sex the same? No. At least for your sake I hope not. We make love slowly, or we have quickies. We’re full of energy, or not. We orgasm multiple times, or not at all. We do a little oral, or a lot, or not. We may like toys, or visual aids. We may be in the mood to go to bed early, and alone, for some private time.

It doesn’t matter which scenario we choose as long as we tap into the emotions present when the sex act happens. It’s that balance of feeling and action that most readers like and keeps them reading.

Is it easy? No, but no one said pulling pure thought from the air and turning it into a romance novel would be easy. Taking it one step deeper into erotic romance is even harder. But the best things never come easy.

No pun intended.

KC Kendricks
website at: http://www.kckendricks.com
blog: http://www.kckendricks.blogspot.com/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks

mailing list at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betweenthekeys

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kckendricks

Coming tomorrow - P is for Promotion.

N is for the Next Project

On Being a Published Writer
April 16, 2012
A to Z Blogging 2012
Day 14

When I finished my very first story, I wondered if I could write another one. What if I was a one-book-wonder? How did other writers keep coming up with ideas for the next project? I really did worry and it was a waste of energy.

Every story starts differently. Some begin with a tiny seed, a single word. Some arrive complete and it’s a rush to get everything down on the page before it flees the feeble human brain. I never knew I had so many stories inside!

The longer I’m at this craft, the easier it is to develop the next project. I believe it’s a matter of building on the successes and not anything magical. It becomes a way of thinking.

In the beginning, you search for the seed. Once you find it, you plant it and nurture it. After a while, you recognize a worthwhile seed without the search, and you learn the best way to grow it is to leave it alone until the harvest. Yes, it really can be that easy.

But never forget that you are the fertile soil the story must grow in. Spend more time expanding your knowledge and abilities and less time going crazy because your plot doesn’t fall into the perfect W-plot or plot worksheet. Be glad it doesn’t! How cookie cutter do you want to be?

Be open to those tiny seeds. They’re all around you. It’s not magic - it’s awareness. Channel it using whatever method works best for you because every next project is your chance to strut your stuff and show the world how good a writer you really are.

KC Kendricks

Tomorrow's blog - O is for Orgasm.

F is for First Person Fiction

Welcome to the 2012 A to Z Blogging Challenge. This year I’m focusing on things I’ve learned, observed and experienced in the nine years I’ve been published. If you’re a reader, I hope to offer an inside glimpse into the writer’s world. If you’re new to writing, I hope I can provide an insight or two. If you’re an established writer, maybe you’ll see similarities to your experience. Whatever path you walk, I welcome you to mine and hope you’ll enjoy the 2012 A to Z Blogging Challenge.

On Being a Published Writer
A to Z Blogging 2012
April 6, 2011
Day 6

Before you read this post, be advised of one thing - opinions like this will not win you friends. I suggest you leave this out of your blogging repertoire. Nevertheless, I believe this is something that needs to be said and I’m at the place in my career where I can say screw the naysayers. You might not be.

Make no mistake. Writing in the first person is very difficult to those who don't know how.

The author must immerse herself/himself totally into the character to create an intimate bond with him/her - and exploit it. The mental and emotional relief of shifting to another character’s point of view is unavailable. For only by that total immersion can the first-person story be brought to life.

There is a Great Debate about whether or not fiction written in the first person is saleable. Many authors boldly criticize first person fiction claiming readers don’t like it. Reviewers, many of whom are published writers themselves, will criticize from behind the anonymity of their reviewer persona. (Read another opinion that won’t win friends when we get to the letter ‘R’.)

Until very recently, all my stories were written in the first person. I decided to do a little experiment and write a story in the third person - Highway Nights. Sales of that book have not surpassed sales of the books I’ve written in the first person. By all accounts and opinions contrary to my own, sales of that book should have outdistanced my other books two to one based simply on the fact it's third person. It didn’t happen, which leads me to one singular conclusion, which will not be popular.

Those who can write in the first person do, and those who can't nitpick about it.

Don’t let anything said here - or anywhere else - dissuade you from writing in the first person if you desire to do so. If you want to try it, you should. It is, at the very least, an exercise that will strengthen your ability to write more depth into your character’s point of view.

And if your story reads good to you, don’t let anyone tell you that you shouldn’t submit it, or that it won’t sell. Believe me when I say “they” don’t know all “they” think they do.

Anytime your instincts tell you you’re more than a one-trick pony, listen and obey. You’ll never make a wrong move if you follow your voice. And if you decide you need to stick with the third person then you should.

But never cut yourself off from trying something new, and learning more about yourself and your craft, based on someone else’s inability to do it.

Never sell yourself short.

KC Kendricks

My home on the web- Between the Keys: 

http://kckendricks.blogspot.com

Visit my bookshelf at: 

https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/p/the-bookshelf-of-kc-kendricks-and-rayne.html

Social media links:

twitter.com/kckendricks

facebook.com/kckendricks

pinterest.com/kckendricks/boards

instagram.com/kc_kendricks

My country life at Holly Tree Manor: hollytreemanor.blogspot.com

Life through the eyes of Greenbrier Smokey Deuce: deucesday.blogspot.com

The 2012 A to Z Blogging Challenge Kick-off!

March 31, 2012

Tomorrow is the big day. I'm ready.

I've plotted and planned, set my schedule, written the entries and gathered the pictures. The exercise in discipline is complete. All that remains for me to do is make sure the daily post shows up properly. It's all good from here!

This year I'm blogging on twenty-six things that will give a glimpse into my writing world. I've titled the series, On Being a Published Writer. It's all about my experiences, and I hope you'll find some nuggets you can use in your own career.

Thank you for being a part of the A to Z Blogging Challenge 2012.

KC Kendricks
website at: http://www.kckendricks.com

blog: http://www.kckendricks.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks
mailing list at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betweenthekeys
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1989106.K_C_Kendricks
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Kc-Kendricks/1439574042
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/kckendricks