Strategies and wishful thinking:-
As August threatens to dawn there is the sudden realization that Russian Redemption hasn't yet been published a full year, in fact it's only ten months since it was made available - and yet it seems like an eternity ago. OK - I have been doing a lot of writing, invested a lot of time in website and FB development and generally building a solid base. So, a lot has been crammed into that ten months, but it still seems like an eternity.
I've learnt many lessons over that time, some good, some not so good, and have tried to share those experiences to enable others to learn from my own mistakes.
The 'Year One Strategy' was designed to manage my own expectations (which weren't that high to be honest). There was no 'publish book, become rich, sell movie rights etc etc - although that would of been a bonus - the truth is I honestly didn't know what to expect, so I expected nothing.
Russian Redemption is a story of brutal times, times that most would much prefer never happened, and even more like to remain blissfully ignorant of, and that is fine; I knew this was the case before the book was published. It mixed up a few topics that a lot of people didn't like; graphic violence, child abuse, murder and some very dodgy human rights infringements. The story was never going to be a 'popular' read with the masses because it contains too much of the stuff that people don't like. If there is anyone from a marketing back ground reading this you're probably thinking that I was stupid to publish it as it could never be 'successful' if it didn't appeal to the masses, and I can understand that thought process. But, and this is a big but, I don't care. In the greater scheme of things, main stream commercial writing is not where I see myself as an Author. Russian Redemption is not a cheap book to buy in either format because I don't want people buying it for $0.99 and then complaining it's too graphic, or too 'dark', or suing me for scarring them for life. I want my readers to have given serious consideration to its purchase, to have researched it a bit so they know what they're getting into. Again, this is not a strategy designed for short term success.
I spent a lot of time monitoring the Amazon forums, contributing to the discussions occasionally, but mainly just watching. Like any society there are some unpleasant characters that loiter around these forums, but there are also some top people! The whole Ann Rice thing with her petition to force reviewers to give up anonymity that just happened to be around the same time as she was launching her new book has pretty much fizzled out, she's ridden that PR wave as far as it will take her. In fact the whole BBA (Badly Behaving Author) and BBR (Badly Behaving Reviewer) argument seems to be the lifeblood of many a discussion, even if it isn't titled as such. I learnt a lot, and am very grateful that I am in the second half of a century of age, I'd hate to have found the forums when I was younger and far more impressionable.
People have been very kind and offered advice by the bucket load, but the vast majority seems to be based around mass marketing preferences. I agree that a book has to be 'out there' to find it's reader base but at the same time I don't agree with forcing it down peoples throats. I'm quite happy to stay well under the radar as I develop as an Author, as I slowly and deliberately grow a customer base of like minded readers. I figure that by the time I've published my tenth novel I should be in a position to break even on it's costs, anything more than that will be a bonus. And this is where I consider myself lucky; I don't rely on my book sales to pay bills - and this is probably just as well as I'd have no electricity or gas connected, and the cupboards would be fairly empty! And that brings me to the one question that I believe EVERY Author should ask themselves before they even think about publishing - What is the motivation?
In simple terms I would answer that as follows:
'I write because I have a passion for writing. I publish because I want to share my stories' And that's it! Anything and everything else is a total bonus.
I would be really interested to hear from other Authors on this subject and offer a 'guest blog' spot for any that want it - just drop me an email ajwilsonbooks@gmail.com
As an entirely unrelated thought for the day - I believe in life after death, if, when I die, I'm wrong then who's going to tell me?
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Monday, July 21, 2014
A couple of random thoughts:
Something I've noticed of late, well more NOT noticed of late to be truthful? Advertising banners. Certainly when using my Facebook homepage or reading the 'wall' I have become oblivious to the flashing banners. OK, so apart from the fact that I apparently won't be seeing your ads if you use FB, it appears that the actual value of those ad's is questionable as an avenue to market. It's not just Facebook, it's pop up's, the surveys etc. This would indicate a shift in the marketing dynamics, it's like on-line adverts are so yesterday. Now, if someone could just tell me what will be the new marketing medium of tomorrow I'd be very happy.
There are a few Facebook sites that I am a member of from which I receive e-mail alerts when people post. My problem is that I am getting bored of individuals seriously over posting, announcing free downloads of the same book, over and over again. (Gary Starta!) Remembering I have an interest in these sites and even I am at that point where I am cancelling memberships. If I feel like that imagine how those with only a passing interest must feel - again bringing onto question the value of such overkill. Obviously there are some organisations that charge for their services as 'Social Media Advertising Specialist', but all they do is cluster bomb FB sites that have the remotest Author/reader link. Again I would suggest that the value of such marketing campaigns should be considered before parting with your hard earned cash.
On a completely different thought process, I've started compiling 'Character Dossiers' to help me with character development. The funny thing is that I can almost hear someone saying "well that's what you're supposed to do ya Muppet". I can see the logic in that now but when I was writing Russian Redemption everything just flowed. That said, maybe that is why the character depth was picked up by far more learned people as a flaw. So anyway, onto these 'dossiers'; I've searched the net and there are lots of examples out there, but I just took a few ideas and built my own. I've also had to compile 'building dossiers', particularly the hospital and the Kremlin, just to ensure continuity should I require either building in a future book. Now I am convinced a few of you will be shaking your heads - how obvious can it be?!
This being an 'informative' blogpost I'd just like to suggest that using these dossiers to develop characters can be very useful, or at the very least are great as a point of reference, good for continuity. From the off I have always vowed to be honest about my writing/Author development, hopefully others can learn from my mistakes - and this was just another one.
I've also decided to push back Russian Redemption2. Thirty thousand words into it, and based on the advice received, I am revisiting most of those thirty thousand words. I suspect that this could be fun. I think that very phrase encapsulates where my head is; a willingness to take criticism, a thirst for knowledge and a want to do the very best for my books (and ultimately any readers).
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Meaty feedback to get my teeth into
After a brief email exchange I have received the feedback for my Wishing Shelf Awards entry 'Russian Redemption' woo hoo.
Well, maybe not so much a 'woo hoo' moment, more of a 'whoop'.
Here is the unedited response with my comments:
Author: Andrew J Wilson
Title: Russian Redemption
COVER: 6/10
The readers views on the cover were very mixed. Many thought it was excellent: the strong red background, the powerful image of the handgun and the easy-to-read font. But a few of the readers felt it was too simple for such a complex, well-plotted novel and needed ‘jazzing up’ a little.
In one of the more recent posts I mentioned 'There will never be a book that is loved by everyone' and this holds true. The same applies to every aspect of a book, including the cover, here is the proof - some loved it, some didn't like it at all - it's an uphill struggle from the off. Personally I thought that the raw simplicity of the cover reflected the content.
CONTENT 7/10
I would not say the readers ‘enjoyed’ this book. In fact, a few of them, after reading part way through, slammed it shut and went to have a shower. But even the readers who did not finish it understood that such terrible events – even in a fictional novel – must be remembered (but, perhaps not on a Sunday night just before bed!)
With such a wide range of topics covered: torture, brutality, politics, living under communism, medical experiments on living humans etc etc (and written in such a graphic manner) it is not surprising that the market for such a book is slightly limited to readers with a strong stomach. One reader put, ‘I finished this book and, I must say, it had a lasting impression. The author did not pull a punch and, for that, I’m grateful.’ But another reader put in her feedback, ‘If the author had spent half as much time developing the characters as he did killing them off in horrific ways, it would have been a stunning first novel. There’s talent here; I
just hope the author’s only fondness is not bloody violence.’
Temporarily ignoring the character development part, it seems that some found the content more Quentin Tarantino than Steven Spielberg, it took them outside of their comfort zone. I understand that and it makes me smile with a degree of satisfaction, I've put warnings all over the place "An Adults ONLY story that contains some graphic and shocking violence..."
Somehow I find this section more amusing than I probably should. But it also leads to a question: How much choice did the panel have over which books they read and reviewed? I would question the logic of giving my book to a person to review IF they wouldn't pick it off the shelf for themselves. That said, it certainly seems to have generated opinion, reaction and left an impression. I may be slightly biased, but as this is a debut novel, I'd give me 12 out of 10 just for that! :-)
Now, onto that 'character development' bit. I am noticing a pattern here and I have to sit up and take notice. As I have said before, I have no formal writing training whatsoever so this is a golden nugget for my own development.
EDITING 8/10
In generally, the readers discovered not punctuation, spelling or grammatical errors. They felt it flowed well and had excellent pacing. A few of the reader suggested a good editor might have suggested curtailing the violence slightly to open the book up to a larger readership.
This is more contentious. Judi at ProofreadNZ has proven to be superb at what she does, but the question I have is what is expected of an 'Editor'? As the Author of the book the content falls to me, it's my responsibility, it's my say, it's my story? Part of the reason why Judi and I work so well together is that we both have clearly defined roles - I write, she makes sure it make sense, it's clean as far as the spelling and grammar are concerned. I wouldn't want an editor to tell me 'its a bit violent, you need to tone it down..' If that was the relationship it wouldn't take long before my story became our story, which is only one step away from her story - nope that doesn't work for me. However, I am reliably informed that in the upper echelons of traditional publishing the Editor will quite happily change content to make it more commercial...... and we're back to the money again. Judi is a great editor, she has proven that time and time again, what she isn't is an interfering editor, and that suits us both.
Apart from the editor bit I take some real positives from this section.
STYLE 8/10
This, the readers felt, was the strongest part of this novel. Overall, they liked the short chapters, the well-constructed and often intricate plot and the clear, easy-to-read narrative. One reader put in her feedback, ‘This novel is not for me. It is way too graphic. But, what I do like is the style of writing. Not only is error free, it has a lovely flow to it. When this author finds to the time to write a book that is not so stomach churning, I will be all over it.’
For the most, they also felt you handled the violence in the story well. One reader put in his feedback. ‘This novel is set during a very violent time in Russian/German history. Subsequently, the characters act violently and often with little remorse. It is shocking, yes. But it is the way it was. The author, I think, shows the true nature of humanity (or the lack of) with great skill.
There are some real positives in this section to, especially the last sentence, it made my heart burp happy bubbles! And if Judi ever needed confirmation of just how good an Editor she is then this section acknowledges her work as being 'error free'! I am however picking up on a trend, Russian Redemption is more for the male of the species - no real surprise there so again I have to question the selection process of the judges.
TO SUM UP 30/40
Hi, thanks for entering your book in the awards. I will now go and post 4 star reviews on Amazon.co.uk and Goodreads for you.
The readers seemed to very much appreciate your novel. It was only a lack of character development that stopped it from getting through to the finals. Also, although we ask the readers not to down mark a book simply due to graphic sex or violence (if it’s appropriate to the genre) I think a number of the older, female readers had a problem with the darker chapters,
Anyway, well done and good luck with your next novel.
Edward
I am over the moon with this, and I really do appreciate (and need) the feedback. As a debut novel I think Russian Redemption has proven itself to be exactly what it was intended to be, a hard hitting portrayal of very different times, times that most of us have the luxury of not having witnessed or lived through. I've always scoffed at the early war films where shot soldiers or civilians fell to the ground almost gracefully, clutching at the single bullet hole that signifies their untimely departure from this planet. The vast majority of the general public are very happy to believe this; they want to believe it because it makes the whole war thing much more palatable. Ask anyone that has served in an Active Theatre of Operations, a combat zone, they will tell a very different story. So yes, Russian Redemption is quite graphic, it dispels the niceties, and yes I totally understand that some people are uncomfortable with this. So, just in case you haven't got the message "PLEASE do not read Russian Redemption if you are easily offended, squeamish or want to continue to live in your happy place of blue skies and candy floss clouds" I do not want to be responsible for shattering any ones peace and tranquility.
It also indicates the specific demographic that had the most problems with the content. I have to be honest and say that this was never the considered target audience for Russian Redemption so I am not surprised by their reaction - so why give it to them?
STATS
Of the 19 readers:
16 finished the book; the other 3 felt it was too graphically violent.
10 thought the cover was excellent; 9 thought it was a little too simple.
8 felt the characters needed more development, except for Yarna who, they felt, was a strong, well thought out character.
4 thought that ‘description’ was the author’s strongest writing skill.
9 thought that ‘pacing’ was the author’s strongest writing skill.
3 thought ‘the structuring of the story’ was the author’s strongest writing skill..
11 would like to read another book by this author.
CATCHY QUOTE
‘A dark, horror-filled look at Russia in 1941. Powerfully written and fascinating.’ The Wishing Shelf Awards
I like this Quote - Great stuff
Overall this feedback has given me plenty to think about, plenty to work on which makes the entry fee for the competition worth every penny and I would heartily recommend the Wishing Shelf Awards as a sound investment. Ed (Billy Bob Buttons) has lined up some changes for the next one which will see a smoother operation and quicker turnover of feedback, which is fantastic.
Now I'm off to do some research on character development, any pointers?
After a brief email exchange I have received the feedback for my Wishing Shelf Awards entry 'Russian Redemption' woo hoo.
Well, maybe not so much a 'woo hoo' moment, more of a 'whoop'.
Here is the unedited response with my comments:
Author: Andrew J Wilson
Title: Russian Redemption
COVER: 6/10
The readers views on the cover were very mixed. Many thought it was excellent: the strong red background, the powerful image of the handgun and the easy-to-read font. But a few of the readers felt it was too simple for such a complex, well-plotted novel and needed ‘jazzing up’ a little.
In one of the more recent posts I mentioned 'There will never be a book that is loved by everyone' and this holds true. The same applies to every aspect of a book, including the cover, here is the proof - some loved it, some didn't like it at all - it's an uphill struggle from the off. Personally I thought that the raw simplicity of the cover reflected the content.
CONTENT 7/10
I would not say the readers ‘enjoyed’ this book. In fact, a few of them, after reading part way through, slammed it shut and went to have a shower. But even the readers who did not finish it understood that such terrible events – even in a fictional novel – must be remembered (but, perhaps not on a Sunday night just before bed!)
With such a wide range of topics covered: torture, brutality, politics, living under communism, medical experiments on living humans etc etc (and written in such a graphic manner) it is not surprising that the market for such a book is slightly limited to readers with a strong stomach. One reader put, ‘I finished this book and, I must say, it had a lasting impression. The author did not pull a punch and, for that, I’m grateful.’ But another reader put in her feedback, ‘If the author had spent half as much time developing the characters as he did killing them off in horrific ways, it would have been a stunning first novel. There’s talent here; I
just hope the author’s only fondness is not bloody violence.’
Temporarily ignoring the character development part, it seems that some found the content more Quentin Tarantino than Steven Spielberg, it took them outside of their comfort zone. I understand that and it makes me smile with a degree of satisfaction, I've put warnings all over the place "An Adults ONLY story that contains some graphic and shocking violence..."
Somehow I find this section more amusing than I probably should. But it also leads to a question: How much choice did the panel have over which books they read and reviewed? I would question the logic of giving my book to a person to review IF they wouldn't pick it off the shelf for themselves. That said, it certainly seems to have generated opinion, reaction and left an impression. I may be slightly biased, but as this is a debut novel, I'd give me 12 out of 10 just for that! :-)
Now, onto that 'character development' bit. I am noticing a pattern here and I have to sit up and take notice. As I have said before, I have no formal writing training whatsoever so this is a golden nugget for my own development.
EDITING 8/10
In generally, the readers discovered not punctuation, spelling or grammatical errors. They felt it flowed well and had excellent pacing. A few of the reader suggested a good editor might have suggested curtailing the violence slightly to open the book up to a larger readership.
This is more contentious. Judi at ProofreadNZ has proven to be superb at what she does, but the question I have is what is expected of an 'Editor'? As the Author of the book the content falls to me, it's my responsibility, it's my say, it's my story? Part of the reason why Judi and I work so well together is that we both have clearly defined roles - I write, she makes sure it make sense, it's clean as far as the spelling and grammar are concerned. I wouldn't want an editor to tell me 'its a bit violent, you need to tone it down..' If that was the relationship it wouldn't take long before my story became our story, which is only one step away from her story - nope that doesn't work for me. However, I am reliably informed that in the upper echelons of traditional publishing the Editor will quite happily change content to make it more commercial...... and we're back to the money again. Judi is a great editor, she has proven that time and time again, what she isn't is an interfering editor, and that suits us both.
Apart from the editor bit I take some real positives from this section.
STYLE 8/10
This, the readers felt, was the strongest part of this novel. Overall, they liked the short chapters, the well-constructed and often intricate plot and the clear, easy-to-read narrative. One reader put in her feedback, ‘This novel is not for me. It is way too graphic. But, what I do like is the style of writing. Not only is error free, it has a lovely flow to it. When this author finds to the time to write a book that is not so stomach churning, I will be all over it.’
For the most, they also felt you handled the violence in the story well. One reader put in his feedback. ‘This novel is set during a very violent time in Russian/German history. Subsequently, the characters act violently and often with little remorse. It is shocking, yes. But it is the way it was. The author, I think, shows the true nature of humanity (or the lack of) with great skill.
There are some real positives in this section to, especially the last sentence, it made my heart burp happy bubbles! And if Judi ever needed confirmation of just how good an Editor she is then this section acknowledges her work as being 'error free'! I am however picking up on a trend, Russian Redemption is more for the male of the species - no real surprise there so again I have to question the selection process of the judges.
TO SUM UP 30/40
Hi, thanks for entering your book in the awards. I will now go and post 4 star reviews on Amazon.co.uk and Goodreads for you.
The readers seemed to very much appreciate your novel. It was only a lack of character development that stopped it from getting through to the finals. Also, although we ask the readers not to down mark a book simply due to graphic sex or violence (if it’s appropriate to the genre) I think a number of the older, female readers had a problem with the darker chapters,
Anyway, well done and good luck with your next novel.
Edward
I am over the moon with this, and I really do appreciate (and need) the feedback. As a debut novel I think Russian Redemption has proven itself to be exactly what it was intended to be, a hard hitting portrayal of very different times, times that most of us have the luxury of not having witnessed or lived through. I've always scoffed at the early war films where shot soldiers or civilians fell to the ground almost gracefully, clutching at the single bullet hole that signifies their untimely departure from this planet. The vast majority of the general public are very happy to believe this; they want to believe it because it makes the whole war thing much more palatable. Ask anyone that has served in an Active Theatre of Operations, a combat zone, they will tell a very different story. So yes, Russian Redemption is quite graphic, it dispels the niceties, and yes I totally understand that some people are uncomfortable with this. So, just in case you haven't got the message "PLEASE do not read Russian Redemption if you are easily offended, squeamish or want to continue to live in your happy place of blue skies and candy floss clouds" I do not want to be responsible for shattering any ones peace and tranquility.
It also indicates the specific demographic that had the most problems with the content. I have to be honest and say that this was never the considered target audience for Russian Redemption so I am not surprised by their reaction - so why give it to them?
STATS
Of the 19 readers:
16 finished the book; the other 3 felt it was too graphically violent.
10 thought the cover was excellent; 9 thought it was a little too simple.
8 felt the characters needed more development, except for Yarna who, they felt, was a strong, well thought out character.
4 thought that ‘description’ was the author’s strongest writing skill.
9 thought that ‘pacing’ was the author’s strongest writing skill.
3 thought ‘the structuring of the story’ was the author’s strongest writing skill..
11 would like to read another book by this author.
CATCHY QUOTE
‘A dark, horror-filled look at Russia in 1941. Powerfully written and fascinating.’ The Wishing Shelf Awards
I like this Quote - Great stuff
Overall this feedback has given me plenty to think about, plenty to work on which makes the entry fee for the competition worth every penny and I would heartily recommend the Wishing Shelf Awards as a sound investment. Ed (Billy Bob Buttons) has lined up some changes for the next one which will see a smoother operation and quicker turnover of feedback, which is fantastic.
Now I'm off to do some research on character development, any pointers?
Does Facebook Advertising work - Take 2
A few post back I openly questioned the worth of using paid Facebook Advertising Campaigns. I provided screen shots to support my concerns. Actually, to me the stats that came from that $100 investment proved that Facebook Advertising Campaigns were very questionable with regards to both worth and accuracy.
When compared to the data from Google Analytics, there were a number of anomalies that suggested that Facebook Campaigns were being conducted in a fashion that was less than totally honest. For example the difference in the number of website visits, the amount of time the Facebook generated spike in 'visitors' actually spent on the homepage (not even long enough to register one second!) and so on.
I did complete a 'feedback' form and sent it to Facebook and have (to date) received absolutely no response. I'm not surprised.
Anyway, a friend of mine sent me the following link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVfHeWTKjag
Ironically, I had mentioned to a few people that during the FB Ad Campaign I had suddenly received 'site visits' from some very unusual countries: Portugal, India, Columbia, Sri Lanka, Romania, Guatemala, Philippines, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and so on. When I say 'unusual', the reason these stand out is because the campaign was targeted specifically at UK, USA & NZ!
So, it would appear that not all is as above board as we are led to believe.
Obviously each individual has to make up their own mind to throw money at one of these Facebook Ad Campaigns or not but be warned, the evidence suggests you are better off using your hard earned cash to buy a lottery ticket!
I'm off to the local corner shop to get a ticket.
If the people at Facebook ever read this I reckon they'll cancel my FB page - by accident of course :-)
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
A review to discuss?
OK - here is the latest review for Russian Redemption, posted today. Up to this point all of the other reviews have been four or five stars - shock, horror - a THREE star review. Is this a 'woo' or a 'wonderful'?
However that's not to say that there aren't any positives to the story because I did like the premise behind the novel,July 14, 2014
OK - here is the latest review for Russian Redemption, posted today. Up to this point all of the other reviews have been four or five stars - shock, horror - a THREE star review. Is this a 'woo' or a 'wonderful'?
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
However that's not to say that there aren't any positives to the story because I did like the premise behind the novel,
By
Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Russian Redemption (Kindle Edition)
The other reviewers have already covered the synopsis so no point in my rehashing. In all honesty I couldn't rate this novel above the three stars. I couldn't quite become as invested in the characters as others have done, I really didn't get any depth of emotion from them with the exception of the young woman Yarna. There was quite a lot of action/adventure scenes but not character development to make me feel invested in them as characters with a story to tell.
At times I felt this bordered on the horror genre, The mad, psychotic "Doctor" and his experimentation didn't quite ring true to me.
It is dark, violent and graphic in parts and certainly not for the squeamish due to the atrocities committed during a time of conflict.
I did feel that the dialogue to this novel also had a modern slant to it at times and didn't always gel with me.
However that's not to say that there aren't any positives to the story because I did like the premise behind the novel. I thought it had definite possibilities for a first novel. The craftmanship is there and I've no doubt based on this story that the author will get only get better and better. The novel is certainly well edited and if I recall correctly I only encountered one typo and that was "sheer" instead of "shear"
At times I felt this bordered on the horror genre, The mad, psychotic "Doctor" and his experimentation didn't quite ring true to me.
It is dark, violent and graphic in parts and certainly not for the squeamish due to the atrocities committed during a time of conflict.
I did feel that the dialogue to this novel also had a modern slant to it at times and didn't always gel with me.
However that's not to say that there aren't any positives to the story because I did like the premise behind the novel. I thought it had definite possibilities for a first novel. The craftmanship is there and I've no doubt based on this story that the author will get only get better and better. The novel is certainly well edited and if I recall correctly I only encountered one typo and that was "sheer" instead of "shear"
Without wishing to sound at all disrespectful to the other four & five star reviews it has received, this is a great review for me. Why? Well, mainly because it is observant, constructive, honest and gives me areas to work on.
There will never be a book that is loved by everyone - and that's just a fact. From this review I can see that he/she has taken the time to read my book, and that it has stimulated enough interest for them to have an opinion, and have cared enough to post their review. For me this is a huge tick. Whilst reviews are supposedly for would-be readers, this person has also taken the time to highlight a few 'weaknesses' in my writing. I can completely understand the points made, and probably agree with most of them, but what they have done is give me some direction. This is a massive bonus for me. As an Indie Author with absolutely no formal training in the art of writing, it's very easy to wander aimlessly in the proverbial wilderness. Four and five star reviews are great, they give me a warm fuzzy feeling, but there is so much suspicion around these that it seems most readers actually ignore them (the supposition being that they are from family or friends).
I also found this review to be very encouraging, it tells me that it's not perfect but, in the same breath, tells me that this educated and experienced individual sees promise in my writing - what more could I ask for?!
If you spend time on the Amazon forums you'll see that some 'Authors' consider 3 star reviews as detractors, I don't get that, especially when they are as constructive as this one. At the end of the day I am not arrogant enough to believe I know everything. In my mind I am only just starting this journey and welcome all feedback, it is the only way I am going to hone my craft! Writing is a passion, I want as many people as possible to enjoy my stories, so reviews like this are worth their weight in gold to me.
I'd also like to mention Judi of Proofreadnz and Santelepublishing - she is the one that deserves the credit for the reviewers observation "The novel is certainly well edited..." another person worth their weight in gold!
So, Cphe and Judi, THANK YOU!
Saturday, July 5, 2014
Strange times.
Writing Russian Redemption was surprisingly easy - a bold statement perhaps but for me it seemed I was just watching a movie in my head, trying to capture what I saw in words. The 'tap' of inspiration flowed full on, it gushed. Then a few months ago, for personal reasons, I took my proverbial cup away from the flow, unplugged my brain from the personal theatre where I had watched Russian Redemption unfold.
Now is the time to return to the fountain of stories, to sit in the figure hugging, row D, seat 16 of the personal cinema that exists inside my head and see what happens.
It's been a bit strange, a little frustrating but progress is being made.
Naively I think I expected to be able to return to said watering hole at any time to find the faucet still pouring ideas, but it had ran dry, been turned off. The surprise for me was that I wasn't surprised. The thought process was more about how to get it flowing again; I think I knew that I was fooling myself with my expectations.
So, where am I with this and how did I get there?
I tried forcing some script, taking a a random idea and exploring it's potential as the route of a storyline. It only took a few thousand words to realise that these were generally 'non-runners', but I persevered. I would often visit the 'tap' to see if there was any indication of restored flow, stick my head around the cinema door to see if there was anything on the screen. It's been five or six weeks now and what started as an occasional droplet has become a regular dribble of inspiration; all that was written in the 'drought' has been destroyed, unfit for human consumption. I'm looking to Russian Redemption, The follow on, with renewed vigour. The story map is not perfect yet but I'm still operating from a 'dribble', once the idea's flow as freely as they have in the past I know I'll be back on track.
I certainly wouldn't describe this phase as 'writers block', more of a temporary cessation of connection; remember it was my choice to leave the oasis of idea's. It's almost like I have to build the relationship again, earn the right to consume the inspiration - it sounds bizarre but that's honestly how it feels.
So, I'm guessing that a few of you now have me pigeon holed in the 'lunatic' box, and I probably wouldn't blame you, but that's the risk when trying to explain or convey the thoughts of this writer.
Some of you may be able to relate to this 'phase' of an authors development more than others. It never occurred to me to give up, it's not that dramatic, it was always about achieving a balance - life - writing - work, not there yet but I'm working on it.
As a person, this is also an adventure of discovery. At the ripe old age of 51 writing has brought me a interactive methodology to discover more about myself and to push myself. Fated Encounters is an excellent example of this; there is no way I would of contemplated opening my Pandora's box, acknowledging (even advertising) personal weaknesses. Writing allows me to not only reveal those 'demons' but also face them, challenge them and ultimately conquer them: I never expected that.
Anyway, that's where I'm at right now so I'm looking forward to the future; just the thought of it makes my heart burp happy bubbles. :-)
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