Those pre-launch jitters - What to do

My last book, Inspector Kirby and Harold Longcoat - A Northumbrian Mystery went down well with those who read it.  There just weren’t enough of those readers.  A familiar story to many out there I’m sure.  It was fun to write and everyone said it was fun to read, which is great.  However, it was still just one book and everything you read tells you as an indie author you need a series.  Well, I’ve done it.  I’ve written books two and three and the early feedback has been positive.  So what now? 

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Story settings and the reader's mind

For me the setting of any book if it’s pivotal to the story becomes a character in the story.  The reader has to be able to see the setting in the same way they vision the characters.  This means giving enough description to convey a frame work for that character/setting without being to prescriptive and depriving the reader of the fun of having their own vision of what the person/place looks like. 

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Brexit and the writer - reality is stranger than fiction

I guess even if you don’t live in the UK you’ll be aware we’re going through something of an upheaval called Brexit.  Now, before I go any further I emphasise in this post I am not taking sides, or expressing a political bias.  These are my feelings, on those elected to represent us in this matter and how that relates to my own work.  I am intrigued as to how these political characters and the stories they are telling compare to any of my fictional characters and my stories in general. 

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30 things one writer learnt in 2018

At this time, in early January, I’m looking forward to what the new year might bring.  However, it’s always good to look back at the year just gone and see what nuggets of wisdom it left behind.  So here goes:

1. It is possible to have a writing blip.  It’s not that I’ve fallen out with writing it’s just that other things have been going on and the thing that’s suffered most is my blog.
2. How much stuff two people can stash in one kitchen.
3. Those tins at the back of the cupboard are likely to many years out of sell-by.  Our record was 2005
4. You never stop learning as a writer.  I’ve been back over my first book.  Tempted to do the same for the rest.
5. I can enjoy relaxing on the beach (as long as the sea’s warm, there’s a sun lounger and a taverna which brings you coffee).
6. Get those stories out!  They’re no good sitting on my/your hard drive.  For me I’ve got two follow-ups to the first book I published which have been sitting there for a years.  A 2019 resolution?
7. I still don’t like playing golf in the rain and mud.  When you see it on TV they’re always playing in warm sunshine.
8. Sometimes you can’t have too much of a good thing.  In the UK we had a glorious summer, fingers crossed for 2019.
9. Most of the time you can take out the word “that” in your writing – try it.
10. Beware the passive voice.

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That next book - to plan or not to plan?

First to regular readers of my blog, apologies.  I know I haven’t written a post for some months now.  Nothing dreadful has happened, it’s just for various reasons it’s been, and still is, a busy time (OK not all of it).  I haven’t stopped writing, sometimes I think it’s the only sane place to escape to.  In fact I have two more Kirby books waiting for proof reading completion (bit of a snag there as well) and a fourth one started, more of that later.  I’m also trying to edit two follow-ups to the first book I wrote that have been sitting on my hard drive for a few years (I know, I know….).  So you see lot’s going on.

The other reason I haven’t posted for sometime is that, to be honest, I haven’t come up with anything I thought worthy of posting.  I’ve had a bit of a drought, post wise.  Then, the other day I read an article extolling the virtues of planning your novel, to the extent that it implied to write a good book it was essential.  I’ve written before on the pitfalls of some writing advice and I’ve always maintained take it on board, be self-critical, but in the end do what works for you.

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Ideas - where does that next great book come from?

I write this now because I’m struggling.  I’ve finished revising books two and three of my Inspector Kirby series and I’m searching for ideas for book four.  I’ve got two other books to revise, however, I feel I need the inspiration of attacking something new.

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What's wrong with a nice story?

The prompt for this post was a film I watched recently, Salmon fishing is the Yemen.  I knew it had good crits and it’d been on my “to see” list for a long time.  From the first few minutes to the end I enjoyed it.  It was a gentle tale, with an element of humour and even a bit of romance.  There was some violence, however basically it was a “nice” (and I know as authors the word “nice” is something to be avoided) story well told.

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Another year as a writer - time to reflect

Well, that’s almost it for 2017.  I don’t know whether it's because I'm a writer and there never seems to be enough time, or it’s just that I’m getting older (as everyone does of course).  However, I sure someone is sneaking days out my years while I’m not looking.  Still, it’s time to reflect, which I think it’s important, especially for an indie-author.  What have I done well and what could have done better?  Where have I stepped up to the plate and where have I shirked or side stepped issues?

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All those writer courses - shop wisely

Now up front I want to say I’m not against paid on-line writer courses.  I can only comment on the ones I have looked at and in a couple of cases paid out good money for.  They are full of useful content that, if you are in the right place with your writing and prepared to put in the time and effort I’m sure they can have a major impact.  However, what they are not (in my opinion) is a magic bullet.  For the vast majority of Indie-authors success will not be instant and when it comes will probably be modest.  But hey, modest is good and I’ll be happy with modest when I get there.  And yes any better than modest, I admit, would be great.

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Indie authors - relish cross genre fiction

I enjoy my science fiction and my fantasy.  When I pick up a book (or these days download) in one of these genres I guess I know what I’m getting, I’m on safe ground.  Also, as a writer if I stick to a genre I know where I’m going with my books.  I know where they will “fit”.  This is very much the case with the Bleak books and Project Noah.  They are very firmly in the science fiction camp.  There’s nothing wrong with that.  I enjoyed writing them and from the feedback I’ve had people enjoy reading them.

The first book I published and whose sequels are written and waiting to be finalised (they occasionally nag at me to be published) is a little different.  While still very much science fiction it has an element of fantasy in that I give a “scientific” reason for the existence of Fairies (you’ll understand if you read it).

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The publishing dilemma of the indie author

I recently went on holiday for a week (yes, again for any regular readers of my blog).  It was a very chilled trip to the Greek island of Cephalonia, I recommend it.  So I had plenty of time to think amongst reading, eating, boat trips, watching the world go by and the odd cocktail or two.  And for me that means about my writing and inevitably publishing because:

Here I am again.  I have a book almost ready to launch and I know I’m prevaricating.  I have sent it to eight or nine agents back in February and so far I have had a "thanks but no thanks" from two of them (and I’m not holding my breath for the rest).  I guess like most self-published authors the lure of a publishing deal is still the dream no matter how much I tell myself that I am good enough to make it as an indie author.  And I know that agents receive hundreds of manuscripts a year and at best they take on one or two new authors.  So my chances are slim. 

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Why as an author I love to blog

I don’t deny that I started blogging as a way to build a profile as a writer and thereby promote my work, although not in a “buy my book, buy my book” sense.  I also hope that for those that read my blog it helps you as authors, or that you at least find it interesting and hopefully at times thought provoking.  Then yes, maybe you'll buy my books.

However, blogging has delivered a personal bonus I didn't anticipate in the beginning.  Why as an author I now love to blog is how it makes me think about issues that relate to my writing.  Also, not just think but about them but write them down in a hopefully coherent and succinct way.   It’s this that then often finds its way into my fiction.

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It's tough being an indie author?

The question mark in the title is deliberate.  That’s because although it may be tough to become a successful indie author, it’s not tough to be an indie author.  There are pros and cons and perhaps what are overlooked are the consequences.  Let me explain:

The Cons

You are on your own.  Yes, you can pay for services (and I would advise you do, at least for some of what you need).  However, all the drive and motivation has to come from you, from the desire to first put finger to keyboard to going out there, running a marketing campaign and finding your audience.  You, unless you are very lucky, are the only one investing time energy and money in making your book a success.

When it comes to those services you may wish to use, editorial, proof reading, book covers, marketing etc. all those have to come out of your own pocket up front on (at least for most indie authors) the hope that you will have pay-back in time.  Oh, and that time may well be several/many books down the road, if you’re lucky and you keep at it.

Like it or not a lot of the reading public will view your books as an inferior product.  It is a view that I believe is changing, albeit slowly.  However, I feel it is a view still promoted by many in the traditional publishing industry, which is natural I guess as it can been seen as a threat to their livelihoods.   There are authors who have overcome that perception and are successful.  However, it is a battle I believe indie authors face and we do not always help ourselves (see consequences).

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Science Round up Inspiration 14

As anyone who has read my science round-ups in the past will know I peruse a number of sites on a regular basis.  These are fascinating in their own right, however, as a scifi writer (and even if you’re not) I believe they are a great source of inspiration.  I know I haven’t done one for a while so I thought it was about time.

I normally start with items from beyond our planet and then come down to earth.  In this round-up however I will concentrate on efforts to solve some of the pressing issues that face us here on good old terra firma.

Trapping CO2 and turning it into stone.

While I fully support all efforts to reduce our global output of CO2, progress in setting and complying with any limits that will reduce the amounts we send into the atmosphere is painfully slow.  So to my mind we have to look at other ways of reducing CO2 in the atmosphere.  Researchers have succeeded in turning carbon dioxide (CO2) into solid rock.  They inject volcanic basalt rock with pressurised liquid CO2, chemical reactions then trigger the transformation.

This at least gives scientists another option for capturing and storing the excess CO2.   It might even be possible to scale up the process to take significant levels of carbon out of circulation.

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One writer's resolutions for 2017

I do this every year and yes looking back I don’t always follow all my resolutions.  However, at the beginning of the year it’s not a bad idea to review what you did last year (my last blog) and think of what you might like to change / achieve / try in the coming year.  For me writing them down, whether you call them resolutions or not, makes them more than just a passing thought.  So here are mine for 2017

Finish and implement the Slight Edge.

I mentioned this in my 2016 round-up.  It’s a book by Jeff Olsen which is all about doing to those small things consistently over a long period of time that will make a big difference.  Also not giving up on them.  Obviously there is more to it than that, after all it is a book.  However, I admit that over the holidays I have let it slip.  For me it’s all about my profile as a writer and of course selling more books.  I need to decide which of those “small actions” are the ones that are going to make the difference and then stick to them for long enough to tell if I’m right.  At least if I follow the advice I will be taking positive steps and not just letting things drift.

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Writing - location,location, location.

Recently I’ve been completing my latest project, working title:  Inspector Kirby and Harold Longcoat, a Northumbrian mystery.  The comments from beta readers are good and although there are a couple more to feedback I’ve sent it for proofreading/editing.  Now, if you’re familiar with my other books you’ll know that I write science fiction and as the title of my latest creation suggests, it isn’t.  Yes, it’s a detective story with, as I hope again is hinted at by the title, a supernatural/magical edge to it (it can’t be that straightforward).

This presented me with an interesting challenge.  It is the first time I have used a contemporary location that some people at least will be familiar with.  It also set me thinking that the location is as much a character, as important, in the book as are the people. 

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Science round-up inspiration - 13

Welcome to my end of month round-up of science items that have piqued my interest as they’ve flowed across my social media stream.  As a science fiction writer (and scientist) I keep track of these for both a personal fascination and writing inspiration.  I never cease to be amazed at the advances and discoveries that are happening around the world and I know I’m only aware of a small minority.  Anyway, here’s this month’s selection:

Mars

Every month there are new plans/ideas as to how we will reach and colonise the red planet.  Although it seems the most notable event this month was the failure of the European Space Agency ExoMars lander.  It appears that it’s parachutes did not open early enough and it crash landed into the surface.  Helpfully NASA has released images of the disaster (follow this link – it’s the fourth item down).  This is on the Popular Science site – well worth a look if you don’t know it.

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Blogging - am I wasting my time?

In a recent series of blogs I described my experience of taking the James Patterson master class on writing.  This was triggered by the simple fact that I’m not selling many books, despite the fact that those who have read them have enjoyed them.  And yes, taking that master class has changed the way I think about my writing and book construction.  So having, I feel, made positive progress in that direction I am now looking at the other activities surrounding my writing.  Top of the list is marketing and part of that is blogging i.e. this blog.

For three years now I have blogged every week on writing, science and science fiction and a few other things.  Recently though I have read other blogs that are making me question what I’m doing and why.  

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My monthly science highlights - 10)

I can’t believe I have now been producing these monthly blog round ups of what’s caught my eye in science for 10 months. From the feedback they 
seem to be appreciated. So here we go with this month’s selection:

• Space missions to look forward to

• More earth like planets found

• Umbrellas in the sky,

• A little hope for a long and healthy life

• The GM crops argument

• Some weird facts and more:

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My writing - back to basics 5)

I’m nearing the end of the James Patterson Master class set of videos.  I have a routine for them now, I watch them in two’s.  I watch the second one I watched the previous time and a new one.  The first time I watch one of them I take notes, yes to refer to, but for me it also helps plant what I consider those important nuggets in my head.  The second time through I try to just listen and it’s amazing how you then latch onto new words of wisdom.  I’m now onto his thoughts on the thing that we writers must consider besides the actual mechanics of writing (some are perhaps more relevant than others – you’ll understand).  I’ll skip over working with a co-author, only because at the moment I’m not even remotely considering it.

The next three are all things that are perhaps the most difficult for the new/self-publishing author: Getting Published, Book titles and Covers, Marketing i.e. marketing yourself and your treasured work.   

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