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Should I be a thin skinned Writer or a thick skinned Author?

26 Feb

In this post I want to touch on how I approach the wide world out there now I’ve been published.

Basically do I let all the snubs and rejections and cold shoulders get to me and be a thin skinned Writer… or put my big girl’s pants on, toughen up and just keep going and shaking my assets and trying to get my work some attention no matter what people say, as a thick skinned Author?

It’s one of the most common problems placed in anyone’s life. Do I take all the hardships and criticisms personally and crumble and sit there feeling sorry for myself and go nowhere in life? Or accept these negatives as well as positives and keep going? It’s not just something a Writer/Author faces, we all have moments like this in our lives and how we handle them decides not how the world then looks at us, but how we then look at what else the world has to throw at us.

Recently I’ve not only received a lot of new rejections to things from story submissions to Writing Societies feeling I fail to meet the grade as to what they’re looking for. I’ve also discovered (by Googling it) that my book Bonnie’s Story is being used by spammy  Malware sites to try and trick people into downloading whatever evil crap it is they are trying to push on people. So, do I fall to pieces as no one wants me and people are abusing my name and work by using it to spread malice?

I sort of wanted to at first as it was just so frustrating to not be acknowledged for being good at anything… except to use my work to spam people. And then I thought about it and went, hang on, I’m better than that. I chose to be an Author, to be out there in the public eye with my work. I need to toughen up, take this all head on and do something about it!

I couldn’t do much about the rejections, or the fact that these people couldn’t even be bothered informing me I was rejected, simply went with the ‘no reply means rejection’ approach. Now, I can understand this from a Literary Agent or Publisher as time is money to them and they will therefore not waste their precious time bothering with rejections… but when this approach comes from people who have been in my situation and who always prose on about how they can relate to the struggling emerging Author and all that. It may just be my near twenty years in Customer Service and therefore high standards for customer service… but if I was them, I would take the time to at least send a form letter advising of said rejection. Don’t say you sympathise if you’re then going to act just like the people you yourself have just posted a massive whinge on. I may be a nobody Writer, but I always take the time to reply to any questions, comments or emails sent to me. It is manners people!

Oops, that rant came from nowhere! 😉 Anyhow, what I was trying to say was I couldn’t do anything about the rejections… except obviously have a rant… but I could do something about the spam. I reported them to Google, to the website hosts, to whoever I could. Most of them are now gone and dealt with. So what I say to Writers/ Authors in the same position is don’t just sit and have a cry about it… do something. Our lives are what we make of them so do your best to make it better.

Similar to this is last week I had a heck of a lot of web traffic to my blog from people in the USA via Facebook. All traffic was to my Media and Reviews page and I had no idea why as it’s not directly linked to any of my Facebook pages. Being the cynical and mildly paranoid cow I can sometimes be I started to wonder what it was all about. Had someone shared the link to this page and people were going to check it out to be amazed? Or, more likely, have a laugh at my expense? Thin skinned Writer me thought the most negative from it and allowed it to get to me. I mean, surely these people could have the guts to at least say to my face what was so fascinating about that page… it even has the ability to leave a comment, but did they? No twenty something folks in the USA visited, not one of them said a damned thing to me.

Thick skinned Author me then stepped in and thought, hang on: This is my public image they’re looking at, my professional persona as an Author. Is there something there that deserves any ridicule I may be getting? I looked at the page in question, realised it was quite out of date and rather shabby and so I updated it and made it more professional. Weeded out what I felt were all the crappy bits. Coincidence or not, the traffic stopped. Either it was all in my head or I had removed what everyone felt was so funny to go read on and then laugh about behind my back. Heck, I took something that may have been a negative (may have just been in my head) and turned it into a positive. Took my whingey, paranoid, thin skinned Writer self, told it to toughen up and made it all better.

When I get a review, good or bad, I take from it what I can. Most of the reviews I’ve received have been good ones, I take from it that people liked my book. Yay! And yes I’ve had some bad reviews too, so what? Have you seen some of the bad reviews top sellers have gotten simply because the reader didn’t get the book? Sometimes I’ve wondered if the reviewer actually read the entire book and didn’t just base their review on the free sample… but hey! Everyone is entitled to an opinion and I thank them for having had the time and decency to actually leave a review. See, thick skinned Author. 😉

So, how do you handle the big wide world out there as it runs over your work, your public image and your blog with a fine tooth comb? Do you take every rejections, snub and criticism with an emotional breakdown and swear to never write again!? Or do you go ‘fair enough’ and do your best to make it better?

Me, I’m a no one, my work and talents are rejected and snubbed all the time. I fail to make shortlists in competitions, I’m not deemed interesting enough to appear at emerging writer festivals and talks and my last quarter sales consisted of four copies – two of which were bought by family members.

What am I doing about it? I’m looking at new competitions, I’m trying to get myself out there more to get more experience under my belt from the festivals that rejected me, I keep writing no matter what and, you know what? One of my whopping four sales was made by either a school or library in New Zealand via Wheelers. So what if I’m a no one, I’m a no one who is out there as an Author (no matter how small scale it is) and needs to keep at it if I want the world to notice me. I am, and always will be, a Writer and nothing will ever stop me writing. Who cares if no one else reads my work, writing it is such fun all the same.

Being in the public eye, no matter how small you are, is a harsh place to be. It is up to you to choose whether you face it as a thin skinned Writer or hold your head up high, square your shoulders and mutter ‘bring it on!’ like a thick skinned Author.

Until next time,

Janis XXOO.

 
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Posted by on February 26, 2014 in Writing

 

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How did I become published? Really? You really want to know?

31 Jan

Now, I know for a fact that this is a subject I researched a lot when trying to become an Author. I read blogs, FAQ, publishing sites and googled my little fingers off trying to glean just that little bit of extra magical info out as to how to make it happen.

And since becoming an Author I’ve had people asking me to pass on the sage advice I obviously found in my research. Unfortunately all this does is cause a hunted look to appear on my face and for me to think (occasionally, possibly even say aloud): “Oh God! They’re actually asking me as if I know! What do I say? If I say the wrong thing it’ll all be my fault!” and similar panicked thoughts along that line.

Yes I am a published Author, but no I don’t know if I have any good advice to give you. But I will give it a go and allow you to make of it what you will… as long as what you make of it isn’t to steal it as your own work and put it up elsewhere. Yes, I’ve had it happen. Aint being an online Writer grand?

The basic advice I would give is research the subject for yourself (heaven help you if reading my blog is part of your research 😉 ) and never be afraid to ask questions. I will also add that if you really want to become an author, don’t take the rejections personally and just keep trying. Then again I’m a terrible example as, despite being ignored by all the major publishing houses and all literary agents I approached, I got offered my first publishing contract within four months of starting to pitch my first book. And I got my second offer within four days of pitching my second book. Seasoned, clever and well known authors I sometimes chat with tell me this is a sign I’m a good Writer. I, personally, see it as a sign of being very bloody lucky! 😉

I fear I am maybe glossing over this all a bit too much, I tend to when I really don’t feel I should be seen as an expert. So will try and break it down to the following:

 

  • Look at your work
  • Consider your audience
  • Research – other people’s work, publisher’s and/or literary agents, the lot
  • Use common sense
  • Never be afraid to ask or try
  • Realise only the very lucky make it big with their first book

What do I mean? Here’s the waffle version of these points:

Look at your work

Now I don’t mean painstakingly read and edit it every single time you work on it. I honestly feel if you do that you’ll never get it finished and the most important thing to know, when seeking to be published, is to approach publishers with a finished manuscript! This isn’t a ‘shoulda, woulda, coulda’ moment. This is a ‘look at me, here is my complete work, love me’ moment. Keep the overall formatting simple (most places seem to like double spaced Times New Roman in twelve point font size – but do check their preference first). Don’t go for super duper fonts hardly anyone has heard of, intricately curved chapter headings or over the top page layouts. From my time as a technical document writer I can tell you that it doesn’t matter if it is a one hundred thousand word masterpiece or a one page instruction on how to change a password – keep the formatting simple! And finish your work before running over the words with a fine tooth comb.

That’s right, once the manuscript is finished, that is the moment you take to edit and proof it. Check for spelling and grammar mistakes as well as consistency and flow. If you’re using something like Word all those red, green and blue squiggly lines under your work can be annoying, but they have a function too. I will always investigate why Word seems to feel the need to add squiggles. Sometimes they are incorrect as it just isn’t used to you using it to write a story… but I’ve found eighty percent of the squiggles were saving me from looking an idiot. Oh for that last twenty percent! *sigh*

If you can, find a friend who is an avid reader and ask them to critique your work. This catches a lot of issues the squiggles didn’t. And please don’t be a diva to their feedback. Constructive criticism is your friend and there to help you become a better Writer.

Consider your audience

When you go to pitch your work, you really need to consider who it actually is you’re writing for. Is it a Young Adult audience? If so, are you sure the work is at a level suitable for them? Do you really know what Young Adult is or do you just have a vague idea? If you pitch your work but aim it at the wrong audience, you will fail as the publishers do actually know what that audience is and what they would like. Just like with feedback from your friend, don’t let your ego get in the road here.

Research – other people’s work, publishers and/or literary agents, the lot

This is a little like considering your audience. You really need to set out at being an author with your eyes open and research what it is to become one. Look out for the pit traps such as ‘vanity press’ sites. These are places that pretend to be a publishing house and will eagerly look at your work, accept it and then list the thousands of dollars you must pay them to make it happen. I believe vanity press sites are slowly fading out as self-publishing grows… but sadly some are just changing their spots to now appear to be a friendly eager group happy to help you self-publish… and then list the thousands of dollars this will cost you.

So, thinking along the ‘buyer beware’ line of things – Writer’s beware! If it looks too good to be true, as with pretty much everything on the internet – it is!

Other things to research are other already published Writers. See how they write, how they lay out the story, how it is formatted and so on. No, not saying attempt to write just like them, hell no! Be yourself at all times is my biggest motto. But do look at how it is done in published books to ensure your writing style is true to the saleable format. Because when it all comes down to it, becoming an author means becoming a seller of your wares. The best part about this line of research is all you really need to do is read. How good is that? And, yes, if you don’t already know this… the best way to be a good Writer is to be an avid Reader.

Why do you need to research all this? So you know how to sell yourself and your work… which is what being an Author is all about. You don’t want to sell, stick to being a Writer. Want to be an Author? Time to sell, sell sell! And to do this you need to know what publishers are looking for, what types of things they publish, how they want your work submitted to them, and so on. Some publishers only accept pitches on certain days of the week or month, you need to know when this is to ensure your pitch is at least seen and not rejected as you obviously didn’t research their prerequisites.

The thing to remember is that publishers, like literary agents, have to be very strict with what they ask for. This is because there are millions of us Writers out there, we outnumber the publishers – just like we do the literary agents – and they are there to make money… not help us achieve our dreams. Sometimes they do help us, but that’s only when we’ve learnt to sell ourselves juuuust right and they can make money from us too.

Use common sense

Yes I know the saying common sense is not so common anymore, but do your best. Using common sense is basically required to sift through all the information you’ve gathered via the other points I’ve made. Research it all, look over it all and use common sense as to what you will then do with this information. I mean, if you’re like me, you will have read a lot of conflicting information… Sort through it and take from it what best suits your needs. Remember – there are millions of people out there trying to get published and seeking advice on how to make it happen. Therefore, in typical human nature, there are nearly just as many out there who will try and make money from those wanting to get published.  Common sense is, if you have to pay for advice… is it really worth it? I wouldn’t pay to learn how to write or get published unless I was interested in one of those university degrees, or what not, in creative writing… I’m not, I am self-taught instead. And I’ve gotten a lot of good free advice from Writers and Authors alike, so just think before you do anything. Find what fits you as you’re the person who knows you best of all.

Never be afraid to ask or try

I know a lot of people don’t like my cynical attitude when I say ‘How will I know I’ve failed if I don’t at least try’ but it’s the truth. If you don’t try, and aren’t prepared for the possible rejection, you will never know and never learn how to do it better the next time. They’re not wrong when they say we learn from our mistakes.

This goes for competitions, pitches to publishers, enquiries to literary agents – try your best, and don’t take their rejection as the end of it all.

A perfect example of this is when I first started pitching my first book. After all my studious research I decided to pitch to a literary agent before I went to the publishers. First person I sent an enquiry to replied to me within a day. Asked for a bio, synopsis and sample of my work.

Now, I thought I had studied it all and you know what? I had no clue as to what a synopsis should look like. How green was I? In a mad panic I googled and got conflicting answers. As I had to get this information back to the literary agent ASAP I turned to twitter for help. And a twitter friend (who I had just discovered was also a Writer) Ann Cleeves stepped up to the plate and coached me through it all. With her prompting I gathered more information from the agent as to the length and detail of the synopsis. Ann also talked me through the dos and don’ts of synopsis and away I went…

I was rejected at the second hurdle by the literary agent as, despite my skill at writing, my work was not in a tone that they felt they wanted to represent. Their words, not mine.

So yes I was disappointed as I had such a quick flurry of interest… only to be turned down as quickly as I was picked up. This has happened to me several times now by publishers, newspapers, Writing groups, the lot. To me, it’s all part of the dance. And I have learnt so much from these experiences simply because I wasn’t afraid to ask or try.

Heck, another example is with my second book. From what I had learnt pitching my first, I sought out independent publishers more than the major publishers and what an ego boost it was to not only get two offers, but one within four days of starting my pitch. If you don’t know, you’re lucky if you even get a rejection within a month of pitching, let alone being accepted so quickly. I tried; I succeeded and actually didn’t go with that publisher after all. Not because there was anything wrong with them, but because I decided to go with the offer from Hague Publishing as I was already signed to them with my first book. But I wouldn’t have had this good experience if I’d been too afraid to try after all the bad moments.

Realise only the very lucky make it big with their first book

Although I never expected to make a lot of money out of my first book, I was arrogant enough to think it should have been snapped up by one of the major publishing houses for being so good. Yes, I do cringe over that now as yes it’s a good story… but come on! It got the attention it deserved and earns me the brownie money I crave. I do wish it would sell more often as I do believe it’s a great story… but I’m happy with the attention I’m getting from it so far. It’s a first book, it’s an eBook of commercial fiction and I’m a no name who’s a Writer and not a Salesperson. Realise this could pretty much be me summing you up when you get published.

I’m not saying don’t be afraid to dream and aim high – I still pitched to the major publishers. But don’t go all diva and angry when you get rejected. And never turn down considering a legitimate offer from a smaller publisher. A break is a break! Don’t pout  when your work makes a pittance. You just need to try harder, work harder on your next book and keep at it.

One thing to remember if you’re becoming an e-published author is this: You’re earning more from your royalties than paper authors do on their first book. Seriously, author friends of mine (mostly via twitter) like Ann Cleeves, Cath Staincliffe and Michael Jecks all became authors in the age of only paper. An era where an author got between three and five percent of the sale of a book as their royalties. Me, as an e-published author, I currently get about forty five percent. No, that doesn’t make me a gazillionaire as my book is only sold for five dollars or under and I’ve maybe sold forty of them… do the maths. Per quarter I have been able to just scrape together enough for my brownie and hot chocolate but now all my friends and family own several copies I’m sure that amount is going to drop. 🙂

Becoming an Author isn’t instant fame and fortune for the majority of us. Some very, very lucky writers win the literary lottery and make it big first time… but that is a minority. The rest of us just get the privilege of being able to call ourselves an Author and then get on with our normal lives.

But don’t be disheartened by this, oh no… A very sage Writer (yes one I’ve mentioned a few times in this post) sat with me over coffee one day and said it’s better when you start small, keep at it, keep adding the books to your name and slowly get there. You learn the ins and outs of being an Author, of publishers, the lot. We absorb it over time and grow and get better. Those who do get lucky and get the major book deals for their first books start at the top end of the scale and then must work their bums off to stay there. The rest of us just keep plugging away at it to climb to the same rank.

And what happens to these Author starlets who make it rich, spend all their royalties and advancements on houses and cars and things but then fail to make their next book do so well? They are dropped like hot cakes and next to no one in the publishing world wants to meet their eye from that point on. They plummet well below where we struggling brownie seeking Authors are and then need to relearn everything and start all over again while carrying the weight of their instant success and sudden failure around with them.

This is why I am happy just aiming for brownie. 😉

Okay, so there it is! All my wise and sage advice on how it was I became an Author. Someone with a published book, who still struggles to pay the bills, is rarely ever recognised in the street and has only ever been asked for my autograph by a well-meaning friend. Hey, as long as those who read my book (soon to be books plural!) and enjoy them as much as I want them to… and I get my brownie money – I am honestly happy. I did it, I achieved my dream, I learnt it is an awesome thing to be… While really not making me any different than how I was before. I highly recommend anyone who wants to be an Author to become an Author. And I do hope my advice helps… even if it is once more the type of advice to take and do the total opposite of for success. 😀

Until next time,

Janis. XXOO

 
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Posted by on January 31, 2014 in Writing

 

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Letter to a Literary Agent – (and possibly how NOT to do it).

18 Jan

Now the title of this blog post may seem odd or even a desperate cry for attention. It’s not really and, as serious as the letter is, posting here is done with a mixture of sincerity and humour.

Basically, I will be posting my standard letter that is sent to literary agents… or, to be more precise, the type of letter I want to be able to send to a literary agent, if such people would give me the opportunity, ability too or even the time of day. As most places seem to need you to have been published, never been published, about to be published, never have looked a publisher in the eye, wear pink socks today, purple tomorrow and so many other requirements that, quite frankly, I’ve found it near impossible to find one to let me send this letter to them.

Not that it’s their fault they must be so restrictive, I fully understand why they must be extremely strict on what they look at and spend time on. Look, literary agents are running a business and are trained to glance at submissions and make snap decisions as to whether something will make them money or not. It’s business and I’d like to think it’s nothing personal.

We mere Writers will of course tend to take it personally and see it as another slight to our fantabulous work. But dear writers remember there are millions of us who do fantabulous work… and we out-number the Literary Agents by a great deal. This means only a very few lucky of us Writers, those who know how to pitch said work in such a way as to make it glitter like gold in the eyes of a literary agent, actually make it through the glance inspection. I am, obviously, not one of these. My work is either not to their style, in the genre they seek but not the right mood of that genre, that I am geographically challenged, that no one has heard of me or would want to… Oh, I don’t know, I made half of those excuses up as Literary Agents are even less likely to provide feedback with their rejection than a publisher is. It’s not their fault; they have a lot of us to wade through and only so many hours in the day to do it. I get that and wish them luck. 🙂

Do I expect literary agents to read my letter posted here and start emailing me, begging me to let them represent me? Pfffft, no! I mean, it would be nice, but I really don’t see it happening as I may be cynical, but I’m being a realist too.

So if I don’t expect a literary agent to read it, why post it? Well, basically as I want to. I want to have the opportunity to put my letter out there to show I tried. Yes I won’t reach the audience I originally wrote the letter for, but I hope those who do read if find it of some help. Even if that help is to teach them how not to write to a literary agent. 😉

Why do I have such a desperate need to get myself signed to a literary agent? Well, I wouldn’t say the need was desperate… but being signed would be nice. Why? Well it would mean I could truly get back to being a Writer and not have step into those shiny Author shoes and shake my assets all the time. I would have someone paid to do the shaking to let me get on with the writing.

And if I had a professional out there shaking my assets for me, I hope it would mean I could not only pay back my Publisher in kindness for taking a risk on me, but in the money they have risked on me too. And, although I’m not so much after the money as I am after people buying, reading and enjoying my work… it would be nice to ensure I’d be getting enough to pay the literary agent, the publisher and still have enough left each quarter for my brownie fix. 🙂

Plus, I want my books read, I want them enjoyed, I want to be the type of Author who ends a book on a suspenseful one line and makes the Reader desperate to get their hands on the next book in the series come hell or high water. The money would be nice too… but I really just want my work to be wanted, to be loved. Doesn’t every mother want that of their children?

Saying that however, I do feel I probably don’t really need to be signed to one right now as I’ve only got two eBooks to show as my Author portfolio. One published, the other to be published this year… and only about forty sales to my name (who knows how many actually count and how many were kind friends and family?) And this is probably the prime reason no literary agent would look at me right now. That and, as you’re about to see, my letter probably isn’t grabbing them in just the right place to glitter like the gold they need to make the risk on me worth it.

I also need to learn to write a decent synopsis as I am pretty sure I fail at those too. Mine either sound like a technical document talking you through the steps of the story, or the blurb you read on the back. I tried doing a workshop on it once, but well… I won’t be negative but not a lot of teaching happened while a lot of self-promotion of teacher’s work did. Ho hum.

And so here it is, in all its glory, my letter. Mock it if you will, I write fiction and always seem terrible when attempting to write fact. Just don’t mention this to the Companies I’ve written technical documents for as yes, they are factual, but it is a fictional belief that the staff will use them. 😉 I do ask you don’t steal it and use it as your own letter. Be a Writer and not a Thief.

You will notice I have added my own feedback to parts of it. They are, of course, absent from the real letter.

***

Dear [insert name of person or agency here],

My name is Janis Littleton, although I write under my maiden name of Janis Hill.

I’m writing to you to in regards to submitting a completed manuscript of… [insert word length, title and quick blurb of manuscript here… check out My Books to see my two current works].

I will admit now to having already starting to pitch the manuscripts to other literary agents and publishers, but am yet to receive a rejection. In fact two independent publishers have shown an interest in publishing it, which is why I am seeking the assistance of a literary agent. [This is really true for my most recent manuscript Isis, Vampires and Ghosts – Oh My! Not that it helped get me an agent.]

A little about me: I’m an emerging author who lives in the Adelaide Hills in Australia, I write commercial fiction under the wide umbrella known as speculative fiction. My first book (Bonnie’s Story – A Blonde’s Guide to Mathematics) has been bought by fans of Young Adult/ New Adult, light sci-fi fantasy and Chick lit and in reviews my writing style has been likened to Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams. My second book (Isis, Vampires and Ghosts – Oh My!) is a supernatural adventure and is part of a series. I am already working on the next book There’s no place like Hell and plan on at least one more after that titled We represent the Demon Guild. Yes, I have a whole Wizard of Oz quotes thing going on.

I have been writing all my life and, besides these two eBooks, have had minor success with articles and prose submitted to online ezines and competitions. Besides fiction writing, I am an ICT technical document writer/ User manual writer on a contractual basis – as the need takes us. I have also been a guest blogger to other sites, and have had my own blog reference by various sites too. Most recently I appeared as a guest blogger at The Book Geek Wear Pajamas (http://www.thebookgeekwearspajamas.co.uk/#!janis-hill/cutl).

Without current representation by a literary agent, I am very actively promoting my work and this has included holding a book launch for Bonnie’s Story during the Adelaide Writer’s Week in March 2013 as well as having my local library host a book launch for the same book on its release day in June that same year.  I have also arranged interviews/ articles in two local papers and have an internationally known local Magazine show an interest in also promoting me. My current publisher has had business cards created for my current book and I hand them out where I can to promote my work further. I shamelessly plug where I can to whomever I can.

I actively promote myself through a WordPress blog here: https://janishill-author.com/

Plus I have an author’s page on Facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/JanisHillAuthor

And a Facebook fan page for Bonnie’s Story, where I ‘blog like Bonnie’ on a weekly basis, here: http://www.facebook.com/BonniesStoryABlondesGuideToMathematics

Am also active as an author on Goodreads here: https://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard

While being a member of ASA (Australian Society of Authors).

If you require further information, please don’t hesitate to email me.

Kind regards,

Janis Littleton

 ***

And there it is, my pitch. Probably explains why I am a no name little fish still swimming solo in the literary ocean but hey. As I tell people: You can’t say you’ve failed at something if you don’t at least try first.

Until next time,

Janis. XXOO

 
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Posted by on January 18, 2014 in Writing

 

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So, am I a Writer or am I an Author?

11 Jan

Those who actually read my blog posts may notice that I often chop and change between calling myself a Writer or an Author. So, which am I?

Well, both actually. I have been writing stories since I was taught how to construct a sentence, and I’ve been a published author since 2013. And for a time I basically went about as proud as punch telling people I was an Author – note the capital A. I made myself that glittery badge and all… well, at least I told people on here I did. 😉

Now, although I said I did go around telling people I was an Author (and I still sometimes do if there is the hope of drumming up a sale – a shaking my assets moment) I don’t anymore. No, I’ve reverted to being a Writer – yes with a capital W – and am rather proud of it too.

You see, not all Writers are Authors, but I would like to think all Authors are indeed Writers. Though, does this include those who write just to make sales and money? No, I don’t think they really are Writers with a capital W… merely someone who writes. As we Writers are people who have to write to get the stories out of our heads. Getting published and having people (who aren’t friends of family) actually buy and enjoy our books is just an added bonus. Those Authors who just churn out cookie cutter style stories simply to make money aren’t Writers; they’re Business People, as they are doing it as a business rather than as a way to keep the voices happy. 🙂 Now, I’m not saying all Writers are loopy and have voices in their heads that need silencing with a good few hours of typing madly away at a computer. I just know there is a good whack of us who are like this, and I get along with such Writer’s quite well.

In plainer terms, I am a Writer as I live and love to write. I am only an Author when I am trying to sell what it is I have written. So, on this blog I am still ‘an Author’ as, you see, I am still trying to sell myself to you and encourage you to like me and my books. Another shaking my assets moment, but one done in such a way I was kind of hoping you wouldn’t notice. I’ve ruined that now, haven’t I? 😉

Isn’t it better to be an Author than a Writer? I suppose so, in a way. It was my dream to become an Author and now that I’m living in the anti-climactic limbo of it all, I wonder what else I could dream to achieve. Yes, the blatantly obvious answer is to become an even better Author, perhaps even one people have actually heard of? One who has sold more than forty odd books? Maybe I’ll get there, maybe shaking my assets – now getting a little sore from all this shaking – will help? But that takes time, effort and a lot more blogging, shaking and writing. And so I am officially returning to the title of just being a Writer.

Being a Writer is far more fun. You don’t have to do book launches, smile cheesily at photographers to appear in the paper, shake a damned thing (unless you want to) and all you actually get to do is – write! Yippee! As that’s all I really want to do – and leave all the shaking and what not to someone else – I am far happier as a Writer.

Would I still be a Writer if I’d never been offered a publishing contract and made into an Author? Oh hell yes. But I would have also still tried to be an Author too. I may possibly have gone down the path of being self-published to become an Author, but I would not have learnt as much nor had as many experiences as an Author as I’ve had by doing it via a Publisher… Experience that has made me satisfied to be just a Writer. Had I not been offered the contract, I would have still been a Writer and will be one forever. But I would have been one wanting to be an Author… and now I am one, I may only be an Author for the next five years that my work is under said contract. See, being a Writer is the far better choice. If only I’d known. 😉

What, if anything, would I do differently as an Author now I know more about what it is to be one? Not a thing, as I wouldn’t have known half the stuff I do now, or be able to be happy with my ‘Writer’ badge if I changed my past experiences. What we do and how we react is what makes us what we are and makes our lives what they become. I needed the rejections, the snubs, the encouragements, all of it. That is what makes a good Writer into any sort of Author.

Will I keep starting every paragraph with a question? Sure, why not, it’s amusing me and that’s one of the main reasons I am a Writer. I enjoy it, it amuses me and it stops those damned voices in my head. So why not?

So, remembering to use the all important capitals, are you an Author or a Writer?

Until next time,

Janis. XXOO

 
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Posted by on January 11, 2014 in Writing

 

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Friends of writers know we’re weird, but love us all the same.

16 Nov

This week I’ve picked up various social media types, what I call ‘follower fodder’. As in companies/people/ spambots that hook on to something you’ve said, referenced or inferred to somewhere within social media (blog, Twitter, Facebook, you know – that stuff) and basically follow you in the vain hope you’re gullible enough to not only follow them back but buy whatever it is they’re selling (which is usually not much to nothing at all but now they have your money they don’t care).

So I thought of doing a blog post on how sick I am of such people, who take on the belief that everyone who uses the internet is gullible, stupid and has enough money to hand out to anyone who asks for it. I wanted to point out that not everyone who uses the internet is an imbecile and how I wish people would stop approaching me as if I was… and then I spent some time on social media sights this afternoon and read over comments and posts by perfect strangers out there voicing their own opinions on things and well… decided to let that sleeping dog lie. Not only did I not want to waste my precious weekly blog on a rather boring and froth at the mouth rant, I also didn’t want it to look like a snippet of some latest piece of fiction I am dealing with. 😉

As I have mentioned in other blog posts – It is better the remain silent and be thought an idiot than to open one’s mouth and remove all doubt… or something like that. In other words, I didn’t want to become another spouty all-knowing god of knowledge and come across an ever bigger idiot than I started out as by acknowledging I had been reading some of the tripe I had indeed been reading. 😀

And so instead, I thought I’d dedicate this post to letting you all know what I’ve been up to in the writing world. Yes, if you’re inwardly or outwardly groaning over how dull a topic this sounds, now’s the time to stop reading and go off and get on with your life. Byie!

For the rest of you, I’ll start by explaining the title of this blog. It came from a conversation I was having with a few friends via one of those notorious social media sites the other day. When asked what I was up to (meaning writing wise) I explained that I had had to redo my zombies, was thinking of doing something with Tasmania, was a little closer to killing my artist, hadn’t yet gotten to hell and was still uncertain whether dragons could be used to explain the true depths of mathematics. So… the usual.

They took this in their stride and wished me well and asked me questions about it, but a friend new to the conversation had to ask if this was all in the one book as it sounded complicated. To which another friend said ‘No, just in her head. She’s weird because she’s a writer, but we love her all the same.’ And yes, yes I did take that as the compliment it was meant to be. I have always relished in being weird, whether hidden in ‘normal people’ clothing (think wolf in sheep’s clothing) or just letting my weirdness show through wearing happy pants and odd (unmatched) fluro coloured socks. And the fact that friends accepted it, enjoyed it, understood it and proudly told me so was just the icing on the cake.

And no, that wasn’t all in the one book. I am a good writer and would never go that nutso crazy in the one book. 😉

In fact it was two short stories, two separate book sequels and my first attempt at a cosy crime fiction. Can you tell which was which? Do you feel I should stick my cliché of ‘being yourself’ in here somewhere?

No, I won’t put it in, but I will brag a bit about my writing projects. I just wanted to start it by mentioning my friends and their kind words when it comes to dealing with me having one foot in reality with them and the other dancing about in various worlds. Creative Hokey Pokey?

So, writing and what I am doing right now. Well, I’ve written a short story titled The last tenant of Adelaide set here in Adelaide of course, but after the all too popular zombie apocalypse everyone appears to be prepping for. I will admit here and now that short story writing isn’t my strong point, in fact the whole story is about as many words as I tend to spend on a chapter… so it was hard and I did have to do a re-write (rare for me). All the same, it has tentatively been accepted for an eBook anthology of short stories that are set in Australia. For more information on this eBook idea I strongly suggest you visit the blog of Samantha Stacey Bond where she explains it a bit better.

And, after chatting with Samantha, I got thinking about whether or not to try and do a short story set in each and every state and territory of Australia. So, that’s South Australia down and after a news article I read the other day about an exploration to Tasmania to see if they could find any more Tasmanian tigers… well, now I’m working on one for Tasmania too. Speaking to another writer, Leonie Rogers, about what it’s like growing up in the red earth of the north (her in Western Australia while I was in the Northern Territory) has had me start thinking of a story for my ‘home’ next. Just the simple comment from Leonie of ‘It’s the red dirt running in our veins’ has of course got those creative juices boiling over with ideas of where to take such a brilliant line. She knows I’m going to do it too!

Short stories aside, I think I may have mentioned I had started on a sequel to Isis, Vampires and Ghosts – Oh My!? And if I haven’t, I’m mentioning it now. The sequel is titled There’s no place like Hell. Yes, I’m sticking to the Wizard of Oz quotes and loving it. Basically my lovely and sarcastic Stephanie, who you will meet through IVG-OM! next year, has to save the soul of someone from her past… and to do so has to go to hell to do it. I won’t say too much as it won’t make sense if you’ve not read the first… but it involves the usual demons, Isis stuff, ghosts of a sort and further ‘Other World’ type fun being beaten into submission by her sarcastic but gentle touch. Well, not too gentle a touch really, but hey!

The other sequel is merely an idea for now and would follow on from Bonnie’s Story – A Blonde’s Guide to Mathematics. Basically I feel there are some loose ends to be tied up in the first story… plus a little ‘What if’ scenario I would like to play with. This ‘What if’ was shared on Bonnie’s Facebook page last week. Besides tying up the loose ends, I just want to know how far down I want to delve into maths and physics to show the true origin of magic. And the reason magic is no longer used in our world is because… well, it actually is, if you know the right sums and equations. Who knows, this one is just a backburner thought for now. 😉

And finally, the cosy crime attempt – Mount Loxley Murder Mysteries and me bumping off the Autumnal Artist to kick this alphabetical series off. I’m almost there too! Just hired the artist… now just have to get her back to her place and bump her off in that locked room I keep talking about. Yes, this one leads back to my friends loving my weirdness and I have actually been asked ‘How are you, have you killed her yet?’ by those near and dear to me. Often daily. 😉

So, are you still awake? As that’s pretty much everything I am writing right now… or not writing as the case may be. As I am currently trying to get back on top of all the Haus Frauing and gardening that needs to be done around here as well as get back to full health. Plus with the summer Solstice coming, shortly followed by Christmas (and horde holidays)… I have a lot of other things to rudely get in the road of my writing. But still, school holidays can be a bonus as it means I can sit up until 3 in the morning writing and be able to ignore the world in my own zombie state the next day as long as I remember to provide enough food and water for the kids… and remember how many kids I am meant to have in my care that day. 😉

I hope this blog post has helped inspire you to do some writing of your own. For someone who dislikes short stories so much, I’ve actually become quite addicted to the concept of them and have even entered some of my shorter stuff into competitions. As they say, you have to be in it to show you tried, even if you still fail. The fact you tried still counts!

So go out there, blog, write, enjoy being a writer and possibly in being weird. Don’t just sit and sigh and want to waffle over the imbeciles on the internet and those who prey on them. Go make your own fun instead!

Until next time,

Janis. XXOO

 
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Posted by on November 16, 2013 in Writing

 

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How do I know I’m a writer? The proof is out there!

21 Sep

Okay, so we all know I’m an author – those who read my blog will anyhow. Some of you may have even heard of the “I’m an Author!” badge I say I wear. Yes the home-made one that’s got glitter that makes it look so official. 😉

But how do I really know I’m a writer? Not so much an author, as that’s just the icing on the cake, but a writer. That tormented soul that struggled so hard to actually write something long enough, decent enough and strong enough to be published and therefore transformed the little caterpillar writer into that beautiful butterfly of an author. Yeah, I can assure you my actual real writing isn’t that terrible. Just remember that until they create an internationally recognised sarcasm font that pretty much everything I write is sarcastic. I find warning people like that helps.

The proof I’m a writer came to me last night. See, I’ve just commenced a new job contract as an IT nerd type person for a great new place. What I’ve basically done there in my first week, besides the usual reading of essential induction documents and training papers, is write!

Yes it’s been SOP (Standard Operating Procedures) or WI (Work Instructions) that I was asked to read and ended up attacking with my professional eye and lovely new red pen. But it was still writing to me. I revelled in it, thrilled in it and got quite excited over exactly how much work there was that needed doing and trying to figure out how to get them to let me do it. It wasn’t exactly what I was hired for, but still did my little happy dance when given the nod to hack into it!

No, that’s not the proof I’m a writer. That’s just the proof that I breathe and exist, therefore I write. To me, what nailed down the lid on the coffin of doubt, was the fact I would come home after spending thirty eight hours of my week writing – to want to write some more!

However, I will freely admit that technical document writing is far different from fiction writing. For one thing, doco work is best when short, sharp and shiny with lots of useful pictures for those readers who want to get it done without having to do any real reading… While fiction writing, to me anyhow, is long and wordy works – always pushing to see if I can crack that one hundred thousand word count – and the only picture you’ll get out of me is the one on the cover. And thankfully that’s been done by a professional artist and, well, not me!

What gave away that I needed to come home and write fiction was the sarcasm slowly dripping into the Standard Operating Procedure I happened to be working on come Friday afternoon. Yes, I even had to leave notes in it for my boss to try and ignore the sarcasm as it would be smoothed out before publication. Hmmm, perhaps I should change my motto to – ‘I breathe and exist, therefore I must write sarcastically.’ What do you think?

And don’t think I write and must always write because I have no life. Have you not been paying attention to the fact I have those hordes, hubby and menagerie? All week I’d spend an hour and a half getting to work, eight hours there and then another hour to get home. Once landed, there was a good two and a half hours of Haus Frauing and Horde wrangling to accomplish before I was able to collapse on the couch, draw the laptop towards me and… write some more. Okay, well yeah. Perhaps that’s not having a fun life but it still meant I had more things to be doing with my time.

All in all I strongly feel I have proven I’m a writer. Yes it does sound cheesy when I tell people ‘I write, therefore I am’ but it’s true! Who needs a hobby when an obsession is so much easier to rub along with?

Oh, and a final note to all this is something my eldest came up with the other day. ‘Mummy’ she said, ‘When you sell one of your books, is that like getting Brownie Points?’
Yes my love, to me it certainly is. 😀

Until next time,

Janis. XXOO

 
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Posted by on September 21, 2013 in Writing

 

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