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Maria McKenna

@mariamckenna.writes

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🖊️ Aspiring Author
🌏 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
💻 WIP - Contemporary Romance ❤️‍🔥
📖 WIP - Fantasy (banished to the bottom drawer)

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Hi 👋 I’m Maria!

I’m so thrilled to have you on this journey with me!

A little about me (with slide numbers):
1. I’m Maria (hi again!) I’m an aspiring author, I’ve written 1.5 fantasy drafts and I’m about to dip my toe in the contemporary waters (sounded a lil fun and a lil crazy so, why not!) ❤️‍🔥
2. I’m a dog mum to two stage 5 clingers. They might make an appearance in future reels 🐾
3. I love the beach, hate swimming in oceans (petrified, in fact). I will look at the water from a safe distance pls and thx 🏖️
4. Im a nerd (big time!) I run a Dungeons and Dragons campaign for my other author friends (go follow them too whilst you’re here 🫶🏻 @chelci_cox @lkgoodwin.writes @prernaashok ) and I have replica swords hanging on the wall in my theatre ⚔️
5. My favourite place to write is the train! Followed closely by a cost cafe with a matcha…actually if matcha is involved cafe first, then train 🍵
6. My favourite room in my house is my library. I’m a book goblin and aspiring book dragon who is a fiend for a special edition. My prized possessions are my riftwar saga and deep end which also happen to be a couple of my fav reads. 📚

Thanks for sticking around and drop a lil something about yourself below! I’d love to learn more about who’s in this lil community with me 💚💚🫶🏻

#writer #author #bookstagram #books #romance by @mariamckenna.writes

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4 months ago

🧬 This one is for my STEM girlies 🧪

I can’t wait for you to meet them 🫢

#romance #stem #thelovehypothesis #stemromance #science by @mariamckenna.writes

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2 months ago

🖥️ My (unfiltered) writing set up 🖊️
Ft. Things I can’t write without.

What’s your must have on your desk?

My top contenders at the moment are music; Scrivener (not featured), and CAFFEINEEEE, I live and die by the hand of my energy drinks. (Don’t @ me I’m a tired gal).

#writing #author #bookstagram #writer #booktok by @mariamckenna.writes

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4 months ago

What scene am I plotting? ✍🏼

Hint: I’m looking forward to it so much it’s driving me to write the rest until I get there.

Music is such a big part of my writing process and elicits so many feelings and emotions when I hear a song. When I heard this one I knew exactly what book idea it was for (I have about four book playlists at the moment for different ideas) and I know exactly where in the book it was going.

What vibes does this song invoke for you?

#writing #author #bookstagram #booktok #writer by @mariamckenna.writes

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5 months ago

These books are research…I swear 🙊

Any guesses what’s coming?? 👀

#author #bookstagram #writing #booktok #read by @mariamckenna.writes

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5 months ago

Something new is coming 👀

COMMENT: What do you think it is?

Hint: New look, New vibe 🔥 by @mariamckenna.writes

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5 months ago

✨ If I put it on the shelf before they get home, they’ll never know, right?

#fairyloot #bookstagram #writing #books #fantasy by @mariamckenna.writes

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8 months ago

❌ My non-negotiables in my writing ❌

What are some of yours?

1. Info-dumps

It’s so easy to fall into the trap of info-dumps in fantasy. We’ve created an entire world we want you to enjoy! With politics, and geography, and characters, and magic systems. Don’t you need to know all that to understand the story?

Sadly for us, no you don’t. But we do. We need to create those details because we need to know how certain things will react to events. If a royal dies, who’s next in line for the throne - is it by blood or is there an election process or a tournament. What happens when someone has forbidden magic and is discovered? What are the power dynamics between different races?

I have deleted entire paragraphs - chapters even - from my story to avoid. And if I really need it in there, I’ll find a way to bring it in through dialogue or something more active.

2. Cliches

Some people love them. I am NOT one of those people.

Cliches immediately throw me out of the world and make me cringe. For me, there is always a better way to write something and so if I write a cliche in my first draft just to get the words down, you betcha it’s getting axed in a future draft.

3. Telling instead of showing

This is often easier said than done. Almost every first draft will be a telling draft - and that’s fine! Your first draft’s only job is to exist!

But later, it’s time to take out all those looks, and heards and she was *insert emotion here* and replace them with, her nails but into her palms, or she pursed her lips, the thumbed the rim of her mug, and all those little details that make our characters real. Because at the end of the day, those little responses, the way our character react to situations is what makes us connect with them.

What have I missed you can’t stand?

#writing #fantasy #author #fae #bookstagram by @mariamckenna.writes

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8 months ago

Every pass I find something new that needs fixing 😭😭

It’s impossible to fix everything at once, but that’s what makes the journey so rewarding. With each revision, the edits get smaller - from entire character arcs to tiny tweaks. And honestly, that’s the progress that makes all the difference 🥰

#writing #author #fantasy #bookstagram #fantasybooks by @mariamckenna.writes

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8 months ago

✍🏼 WEEK 3 UPDATE ✍🏼

I FINALLY FINISHED THIS DRAFT! Whilst I’m a bit behind schedule, getting this done was the bare minimum I set myself for this four week period and that is now complete!

In a perfect world, I’d love to get the whole thing edited before I send it off this Sunday but I’m not sure six chapters a day is within the realm of reason 😅 but I’ll be giving it my best crack!

Follow along to see how I go and please send prayers for me as I get to the pointy end 😅😂 🙏

#fantasy #writing #author #fae #bookstagram by @mariamckenna.writes

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8 months ago

How many words have you added to your dictionary from your WIP?

I’m starting to lose count of mine 😵‍💫

#fantasy #writing #author #fae #bookstagram by @mariamckenna.writes

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9 months ago

🐕 On a scale of one to oodle how clingy is your writing companion? 🐕

Writing and editing would be so boring without them and I adore the way she naps in my lap. I think I’ll definitely need to add a future pet for my FMC 🙊

Credit to @isabelletaylor.writes for this cute reel idea!

#fantasy #writing #author #fae #bookstagram by @mariamckenna.writes

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9 months ago