Kelsey Winton

As a baby author, I sometimes look at what others are achieving and think about what I haven’t done.

So, it’s time to celebrate my accomplishments and what I have done.

My first short story!

On June 30^th my original short story, “Magnetic Flames” was published in the charity anthology: Queer and Cute. I was honored to be one of the 30+ authors featured. “Magnetic Flames” is about two women who are in separate relationships but have an undeniable amount of chemistry when they meet in line to meet a voice actor at a comic con.

Queer and Cute had a limited 3 month run and all proceeds went to a charity supporting gender-affirming care.

I Hired a Writing Coach!

In May of 2023, I made my second investment in my writing career and hired writing coaching, Karena Akhavein. As a new author, there is a lot I’m learning about my process. Writing a novel is a science and a struggle. Karena’s guidance has helped me many times, but her support and the way she believes in me is invaluable.

Karena offers free resources like her How to be an Author podcast! I recommend checking it out.

Campfire writing software!

Speaking of investments, my first was to buy modules in my chosen writing software, Campfire Write. While using their free trials, I realized the ease with which the program helped me organize and store information.

I know this goes against the grain, as many authors use a program called Scrivener. Not me. I’m a Dungeon Master and world builder. Campfire is designed for people li8ke me. The best part is that I only must buy the modules that I need. So, I’m not paying hundreds for licensing.

Campfire Write is for novelists, for game masters, for world builders and more. It helps me organize my information and share elements between projects.

Mystery Parties!

I wanted to throw a “who done it” murder mystery party for my friends around Halloween two years ago. I was looking at their costs and decided I could write my own.

This year, I put the two I have written up on Etsy. I listed them at a low price because I want others to be able to enjoy it and not pay a lot out of pocket.

A New Job and New Career

In January 2023, I left a high-stress job to pursue my passion for writing as a copywriter. This was the right move for my mental health and has given me the flexibility to devote more time to my writing.

A win all around.

I FINISHED MY FIRST DRAFT!

I started seriously perusing writing my first draft of my first novel tentatively entitled Show Your Love. I’m combining my love of nerdy things with my love of Shakespeare. Show Your Love is based on Two Gentlemen of Verona and features a meet-cute in an JRPG-MMO video game.

Since finishing the novel, I took a break and began to plan out my second novel. In the new year I plan to revisit it.

Most Importantly

I’ve met several amazing people along this journey. This community has been wonderful and supportive. Thank you from the bottom of my heart I cannot wait to see what the next year brings!