A Cup of Coffee & A Romance Novel With R L Tynes

 Hi! Welcome to my blog. I’m R L Tynes. Here you will find a collection of my thoughts on numerous topics surrounding the art of reading and writing books. Mostly romance books because that is what I write and what I love to read. You may also find some miscellaneous topics on the blog as well such as health/fitness and hobbies I’m into. I have created some helpful tabs for you at the top if you are on your own journey of writing and publishing as well. I wrote them for the me a few years ago who wanted an everything checklist. The best books on writing craft that have changed my life are also under my recommended reads tab for you.  Why did I choose to start a blog in 2023? I kept thinking about how I wanted a safe and cozy space to have an online presence in that was 100% positive and in my control.  A place that didn't leave my mind spinning and fill me with a ton of negative feelings like when I get on social media. A place to share longform content, and more informat...

A common question writers get is "Where do you get all these ideas from?" The truth is, it's different for every writer. Everyone's brain is different, and the way we create is all different. Which is one of the reasons it makes this writing journey so magical and beautiful.  It's also a reason there is room at the table for every single writer. Because no one can write a book exactly like you can. They will all be unique. Even if 10 writers are given the same story to write and the same characters, plot points, etc. You will still have 10 different books because everyone's brain will take a different creative journey to connect those plot points and get to "the end."  Today I'm sharing a glimpse into my process. How I get story ideas. Other authors may get ideas these ways too and others won’t. There is no wrong process in the ideation stage. It's whatever works for you. On that note, I want to share a quotes from Meghan March's Creativ...

Hey writers! Today I'm sharing the books that I've found most helpful to me this year on my writing journey. Before I read these books and actually learned some real writing rules, tips, and how to construct a fictional story, my drafts were all over the place.  They were very disconnected and had no point to them. I didn't even know the basics like character goals, motivation, and conflict. And I learned that all fiction IS conflict.  So here are the top 3 books I've found that made a difference in my writing this year. They now sit permanently on my desk. These books taught me the very basics and gave me a road map to craft a story that finally had a purpose, cohesion, and most of all, conflict.  I have these linked in my Recommended Reads Page at the top of the blog. I hope these help you on your journey as much as they have me!   1 .) Passionate Ink by Angela Knight - The new edition is now available, but if you can get your hands on the old edition, I recom...

Introduction: This is the first of a new series I’m super excited about sharing with you. It will be ongoing as I am constantly learning and growing as a writer, and of course I want to share that with you!  What sparked this series is that when I first started writing I didn’t have a clue about about the structure of a story, characters, motivations, goals…and you get the picture. I knew nothing. And now I know that you really need to know the rules before you break them.   I would get an initial scene idea and start writing. I wrote my first two manuscripts this way by pantsing with no plan at all and no thought. Of course this ended in two books that were a pile of disconnected chapters that had no point and didn’t make sense. Because even pantsing requires knowing where you end, or at least the main conflict or what a characters goal and motivation is. Just something that will drive the story forward, and I had zilch!  Now, after struggling for years, I found mys...

There’s something I saw recently from a video from author Meghan March shared in her Rebels & Runaways community that stuck with me. And If you aren’t over there, it’s free to join and it’s an amazing positive space to be! Here’s the link if you wanna head over.  Anyway, she said to let your self belief be bigger than your self doubt. And boy was my mind blown. I never thought to combat my imposter syndrome, doubts, fear, or any negative thought about my writing with the positive opposite side of it, and it’s the perfectly logical thing to do!  She said once you start telling the self doubt thoughts they are wrong and start combating it with thoughts of self belief, it will drown out the self doubt. The self doubt voice may always be there, but it won’t be louder than your self belief voice. And that is so comforting to know.  Your self belief voice will become more powerful than the self doubt voice. It just takes practice and habit saying the positive beliefs. White...

  I was able to cross something off my vision board for 2024, and that was attending Readers Take Denver. Or as I liked to call it Cygnets Take Denver, because the reason I went was to meet my favorite author, mentor, and icon to me, T L Swan and her team. Along with getting to meet some of my fellow Cygnets in person. It was a dream come true, and it has set the tone for the rest of the year for me! I am truly grateful to be apart of such a positive, supportive community of like minded women! The whole weekend was truly magical. I turned 28 the day she signed my favorite books, and it snowed. TRULY MAGICAL. There is no other word. A Lorelai Gilmore moment for this southern girl who never sees snow! Tee was even more amazing in person than she is online. Truly a wonderful human and I was starstruck all weekend! I know by now a lot of negative experiences have come to light about RTD24 and it has been cancelled for 2025. I'm fortunate enough that I had a fantastic experience, though...

  Today's quotes come from Meghan March's A Creative Rebel's Guide to Writing Amazing Fiction. This is one of my must read books on writing craft and i've read it twice already. I highly recommend it, and you can find it linked under my Recommended Reads page at the top of the blog.  It truly covers everything from story idea to hitting publish. Run to read it if you haven't yet! I loved the audiobook as well. Meghan narrates it herself.  The quotes below reiterate my 2024 focus quotes about focusing on the process and not the outcome. To enjoy the journey. The quote about checks waiting to be cashed was a game changer for me and is now part of my daily mantra! It was very hard to focus on only two quotes because I have highlighted this whole book. It truly is writer gold, and I will share more of it will you all. Enjoy! Let me know  in the comments below if you've read this book, if it's on your TBR, or what is your must read writing craft book?