Michael Davies's Blog, page 4

Short Listed for Indie Spotlight

I’ve been out of the country a while, so it was very cool to return and find out I’ve been shortlisted for an Indie Spotlight over at the Literary Lightbox blog. This spotlight has thousands of readers so I’m excited about the possibility.

Why don’t you check out the blog.

I haven’t been chosen yet, but even if I’m not, the spotlight is well worth a look to find some bargain novel’s and great up and coming authors.

In other news, I’ve also been invited to the Fort Worth library reading program in August for authors of books for children and teens.

It’s a happy time.

A Taste Of Pangea

I sent this text to a friend last night.

“Just figured out how the trilogy ends! I was driving along listening to music and BOOM the scene came to me and then I started piecing together what led up to it and then some sentences came to me and the emotions of the time and now I just need to write two books to get there.”

This is going to be more breath taking than I had first imagined, my mind just exploded. I can’t wait to write it!

If you’ve not bought book 1 yet you can do do at http://www.theworldofpangea.com or simply find it at Amazon. 

 

How to become a better writer

A writer is always learning and developing their craft. I recently threw out a tweet asking others how they improved as a writer. I received some great responses. Over the next few blog posts I’ll explore each one of these more in depth, but for now here’s a list. If you’re looking to improve perhaps there’s one you’re not doing yet.

1.Find some editors. 

While every writer should be able to edit, every editor will find something different.

2. Take some short courses.

Several of the people I’ve interviewed on this site have taken writing courses in the past and will do so in the future.

@CiaraBallintyne recommended the guys over at @Saavyauthors

I’ve not taken this course myself but perhaps you want to take a look?

3. Reading

The more you read the better you become at knowing what good writing is like.

4. Create or find a dedicated critique group

It’s true with anything in life, but the more you’re critiqued the more you’ll improve. There’s a right way and a wrong way to do this.

5.  Meet with  fellow authors

This is different to a critique group in my opinion, but authors can be part of your critique group.

More on all of the above in a future blog, I promise.

In the mean time, are any of these helpful to you?

A Child’s Imagination.

I discovered this post earlier today.

It reminded me very much of C.S.Lewis’ quote:

“When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty, I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.”

― C.S. Lewis

There is something in a child that dares to believe. As we grow older many of us forget what it feels like to know that anything is possible, that the world is larger than we think, and if you pause for just a moment you may hear the barest whisper of something beyond the prison of this physical realm.

Listen.

Can you hear it?

DecemWrites

Continuing from yesterday, some nice simple exercises to create a habit of handwriting and improve your overall writing ability.

Alice’s article with ideas is here:  Source: DecemWrites

Try a little writing…

‘

I don’t think we should avoid typing. I do think we should write a little more.

There are many benefits.

Writing activates different parts of the brain.

Several studies show that writing activates different parts of the brain to merely typing. Here’s one for you to read:

 

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/dec/16/cognitive-benefits-handwriting-decline-typing

The benefit? If you hand write part of your piece, and type, then your article or novel should become a little more holistic.
Writing allows for a more deliberate process.

Writing is a little slower for most people, and it takes more care to complete. Sometimes when I type I don’t have time to change the sentence structure mid flow, but when I write in ‘ye olde cursive’ I do.
Writing improves your spelling.

We automate so much of our lives with computers. There’s nothing wrong with that, but think back to your last text or email. How many words were auto corrected or predicted so that you hardly thought about the spelling and formation of the words you were typing? Hand writing doesn’t make you a perfect speller, but it does provide more time for thinking about word formation and actually making the writer ponder the words he is scrawling. Over time this leads to being a better speller.
Writing is an art.

There’s a whole discipline based around the way letters are formed, which pens to use, and even considering the color ink and where it is derived from. There’s a pleasure in writing a well formed letter that isn’t quite the same when it’s typed.
Writing leaves more room for emotion.

There’s a way of expressing emotion through writing that you just can’t do with caps lock and exclamation marks. It can slant more, or loop, perhaps be scratched out furiously or leave behind indents on the paper and parchment. Let’s be honest, there’s something different about scratching a word from paper rather than highlighting and hitting strikethrough. It’s just a little more expressive and intimate as the pen becomes an extension of your hand.

All this is not to say typing is bad. It isn’t. It’s just to say, let’s not rush into forgetting the craft of handwriting too quickly. It has its benefits.

A book should…

Yesterday I tweeted something simple.

I think this is a lie.

There, I said it. I didn’t even retweet a lie. I tweeted a lie.

A book should inspire.

That’s it.

No one cares how informative it is unless they are inspired to read it. Or they’re at school and forced to read it.

As for entertaining, the best entertainment, as with the best fantasy, also inspires. If it doesn’t, is it really worth the hours of your life it will take to read it? Watch Netflix instead.

A book should inspire.

A

BOOK

SHOULD

INSPIRE.

 

 

Frosted

Woke to glistening,

dawns early welcome waving.

Choose today your love.

Get Path Of The Warrior FREE

Path Of The Warrior will be free on the Kindle for 3 days in November, from the 19th to the 21st!

If you want to receive a reminder about the give away then please sign up and we’ll let you know.

By the way, book 2 is coming along nicely.

Artist Interview – Levi Gibbs

Today I want to interview an artist who particularly excels with music. He’s a young man called Levi Gibbs who’s at the very beginning of his career. What I love about what he does, is it’s not about himself. His focus is on how his art can help others, provoke people to think and help them connect to their own creativity and story. First, here’s a short video of him performing with some others at a small Cathedral in Norway.

With that said, Levi, please introduce yourself to my blogging audience. 

Levi: Hello, Michaels blogging audience. My name is Levi Gibbs, a nineteen year old songwriter-singer (that way around), born in Manchester, England. Currently I’m feeling very self-conscious of my grammar and how proper I should be typing. Hobby-wise I’m not doing half as much as I wish, but I think about everything. I enjoy words. Even though they are empty. I find that music can make them full, sometimes.

Michael: I have to disagree that words are empty, but that’s a personal distinction. I do love the idea of music impacting them in a big way.

Can you explain how you became involved in music and why you love it so much?

Levi: I love it so much for what it means depending on which angle you’re listening from. You will get something different from me and the other way around. In those 3 minutes (Of a song) who knows what could happen? Music is kind of like the Power Rangers. You have lyrics, melody, the voice, the personality behind the voice, all the instruments, and they come together to fight for you. I started out in music by listening to S-Club 7 (watch the music video for “S-Club Party”, a modern classic.) and then I went deeper and deeper as I grew older, finding bands that I could really relate to. After not so long I found myself wanting to write songs. I’m not sure why. I suppose it’s because It’s what I’m meant to do. I started writing and writing and never really stopped. The more I wrote, the closer I felt to myself. Understanding. And through it I have met and worked with so many inspiring people. I love music because it’s always moving forward, together. Thank God for music.

Michael: I love that thought of finding yourself the more that you do it. I know many writers feel the same.

Can you share some of your lyrics? What is your favourite tune or song that you’ve created and why?

Levi:

“I’m a treasure chest looking callous,

passing by desire gallops.”

“I blanket and I can’t stand it,

to comfort casualties responsibly.”

“I’ve been concerning the purest far and wide,

I still haven’t found what’s mine, yet.”

“What do we value,

the people or there shoes?”

“Please me and be ok,

If you ask me I’ll always say,

I’m alright just a little tired.”

“Harmonize to the sound,

of the culture surrounds,

say something profound,

and drown with obsoletes.”

I don’t really have a favorite. It’s like picking my favorite child. I dislike them all. But seriously, It’s hard. It has to be the last one I wrote. Getting closer to what I want to say and how I want to say it. Always trying to evolve. And then, when all the Power Rangers come together, the satisfaction is real.

Since I know you personally, I know that you’re a very creative person. Some people struggle with creativity, seeing it as something elusive. Where do you get your creativity from? How do you become creative?

Levi: Without sounding weird, I fall in love with people. Not all the time, but every so often, people come along who touch me in who they are. And I write to them, for them, I’m telling them something. Lyrics come from fragments of conversations, experiences, observations and thoughts that cross my mind. They’re my inspiration. I believe you can’t become creative, because we were born so. That time when you tied the blanket around your neck and became a super hero, or had the ocean of lego’s scattered on the floor, or when your 5th grade math teacher was a witch, those moments were pure creativity. I hate the word creativity, because I’ve heard it said more than done, but it’s a thing that is done. You don’t become, you do.

Michael: I really really like that thought about creativity. It’s not something said but done. I think it ties in really well with what authors always tell new writers. Just write. Every day write something, even a little. You don’t talk about it, you do it.

Do you have any other creative outlets apart from music?

Levi: I wouldn’t say music is my main outlet, it’s definitely the most visible one. I have a lot of ideas scribbled in my notebook (and my head). I try whatever I can get my hands one, if i don’t know how to do it yet the better. Video projects, short writings, writing songs for people, creating one-off events, interviewing, acting. I love collaboration, also. I believe it’s the most important part of art, for me at least. My proudest moments have been shared. There’s something indescribable about it, so I won’t try. Words are empty.

Michael: I’m kind of laughing, because there you go with words are empty again, and here you are on an authors blog. I love the irony.

Now, in January you have an interesting artistic venture coming up, can you explain for our bloggers what that is and how they can get involved with it?

Levi: In January I’ll be leading a team of christian artist to the NYC area to go into schools, coffee shops, gig venues, streets, churches, wherever we can. Sharing Jesus and building a community who want to share Him. Simple. Our team isn’t full yet, so if you or someone you know has a strong passion for Jesus, evangelism and art this is for you/them. Go to paismovement.com and we can set up an interview. It’s my honor to be able to do this.

Michael: What I really love about this, is that you’re obviously someone who is passionate about music and faith and you put those together to connect with people and build community. Here’s a creative video Levi and Pais put together to invite you to join him.

Now, I always ask my writers for a writing tip to share with new writers, but since you’re a musician and creative in other ways can you share either a creative tip or an artistic tip for new artists?

Levi: One of my secrets when I struggle with writing a new melody is to listen to some music I’m into at that moment and block out the singing. Just take in the music and create my own song to it, without replicating of course. It’s helped me to get out of a rut even if I don’t play the song again, it’s just fun. I usually write Indie-rock-punk tunes, but If i sing over a Aretha Franklin songs something unexpected comes out. It’s scary.

Michael: I’m trying not to visualize that one too much.

Okay, thank you for taking the time out to answer these questions Levi, I greatly appreciate it. I’m thinking of launching a Vblog on youtube and if I do I’ll invite you back for a video chat so it’s not just these empty words.

For those wishing to connect with Levi you can find him on instagram @Itslevigibbsinit

Thanks for reading.