Derek Thompson's Blog, page 18

A critical mass

The purps of being a wallflower.In the last seven days I've had three really useful pieces of feedback. Okay, you could call them criticisms - as if that were necessarily a bad thing - but that wouldn't do them justice or reveal their true value.

Allow me to elaborate...

I talked before about how writers largely exist in a vacuum. Feedback, of whatever shade, can be our window on the outer world - that strange and mysterious place filled with inspiration and readers. Feedback can also be our guiding light and compass.

Here are three pieces of feedback I received this week.

1. A magazine editor contacted me to tell me that the piece I'd submitted didn't flow very well. 
She added that the first two paras tied up with the last, but it’s a while before the reader gets there by which time they’ve forgotten the beginning.  She also suggested it'd be better to start with the third para, and identified an inconsistency in the tenses I'd used.


How did I feel?
Delighted and humbled. An editor who's this engaged in the quality of your work is worth her weight in gold.
2. I pitched to a careers site and offered them a humorous piece. I wrote and submitted the article soon after, accompanied by an image of a tiny oak sapling - great oaks from small acorns grow. 
This is their verbatim response: This article has been rejected for the following reasons: - The article image is completely irrelevant. - The article content is too just a bit too ridiculous. No job candidate is going to say these things in an interview. This article cannot be resubmitted for review.


How did I feel?

Awkward - like the time I tried doing five minutes of stand-up at a comedy writers' convention (I lasted four and a half minutes, but at least 30 seconds of that was down to heckling). I wrote to them explaining the relevance of the oak tree image and explained that humour is very subjective. I won't be submitting material there again, but only because we're clearly not on the same wavelength. That aside, it's a great website.

3. I checked my books on Amazon to see if there were any new reviews. Turns out there was, for Covenant, with a score of two out of five: 'Downloaded it to my kindle but found it really wasn't my kind of book. Nothing wrong with the prose - the story just doesn't float my boat.'

How did I feel?

Disappointed. My average has been scuppered somewhat (note the well-chosen boating reference), simply because they didn't love it and not because they hated it.

And the lesson?

All feedback is useful because it tells you something, even if it's about the other person rather than your work. You can only write as well as possible and see what the tide brings in.  These days, everyone is a critic, and maybe that's a good thing in certain circumstances.

That brings me to our second feature. I recently watched a film, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky. I really enjoyed the film and, as always, I enjoy checking out the special features: deleted scenes, trailers, etc. I'm always curious about what doesn't get into the final cut and how the balance might have been changed if those other scenes had been included. The other layer of interest, this time, was that Stephen Chbosky wrote the screenplay himself. So, naturally, I nipped over to some book sites that offered reviews of the original debut paperback.

It's a book that polarises readers and draws fierce praise and equally fierce criticism. Some critics rally against the cult status that Wallflower has acquired (much like Catcher in the Rye, which some of the critics preferred), but their passion is interesting. Unlike my reviewer above, they really felt something about Wallflower and maybe that's the greatest testament to a piece of writing. Love it or hate it, if the story moves you, it's probably got something.

Story time

An early form of tablet, which wasn't very portable.
As the old joke* goes, "What's the difference between a short story and a novel?" Answer: The word count. Ask any creator of short fiction and they will tell you how much focus and effort and, well, creativity it takes to produce a work of short fiction that still manages to tick most the essentials off this list:
- Engage the reader and draw them into the story.
- Eliminate waste and distraction.
- Remove the author from the equation.
- Give the reader a satisfying ending that will still leave them wanting more.

In my novel, Scars & Stripes, Alex is walking down a street in the St Mark's district of Manhattan when he sees a sign on a window: What's Your Story? Led by curiosity, Alex winds up in an apartment where a bespectacled dude is hunched over a typewriter (it was the 1980s), working on a collection of other people's stories. For the sci-fi aficionados among you, this could almost be Alex's future or parallel self. It could, if it was that sort of novel.

Arguably, that scene is a metaphor for one of the novel's central premises - Alex is one of life's observers, but he also remembers small things that other people forget. The novel, and therefore Alex's story, is actually filled with the stories of other people he encounters. In the scene I mention above, Alex sells some of his real life stories (albeit fictionalised by bias and ego) to the writer who then creates something new out of them for a magazine. Ironically, Alex encounters one of those magazines, further down the line, and barely recognises his own history in there.

We're all enthralled and enchanted by stories from an early age. The structure of fairy tales and traditional bedtime stories has been pawed over by mythologists and experts to reveal common threads and forms. I've also mentioned, elsewhere on this blog, how researchers like Joseph Campbell identified commonalities found in the mythologies of different and unconnected cultures.

Like many other writers, I do read online reviews of other people's work and I'm struck how often the critics denounce the typos and grammar, or the two-dimsnional characterisation, and how rarely they turn their attention to the actual story itself. It seems to me that if the story engages the reader and captivates them, even if the writing was deemed below par, the author as on to something. 

I'd argue that stories are a rich and vital part of our psyche, individually and collectively. Stories makes us feel, consider, react and yearn. Whether it's in a theatre, at a cinema, watching the soaps or Jeremy Kyle, or even reading a book (remember those?), stories bring us to life.

If you'd like to read some of my own short stories, here are some handy links:

The Silent Hills - a 5000 word tale of suspense and revelation.
Coffee Shop Chronicles - an anthology containing my story, Diner. 
Beyond the Horizon - an anthology containing my sci-fi story, Rogue.
Kissing Frankenstein - an anthology containing several of my really short stories.  

Saturday Night - a little slice of Americana for free (partly inspired by Raymond Carver).



*It wasn't an old joke - I made it up. Feel free to quote me on it.

Seven Painful Truths About Social Media

Best foot forward.
A Public Service Announcement

If you write books, you need to reach an audience. Preferably, one with a voracious reading habit and plenty of spare cash. After you've exhausted your relatives and friends (literally, in some cases), the internet seems to glimmer like a golden gateway to prosperity, success and authorial fulfilment. Hold that thought. Why don't you sit down? There are some things you need to know.

1. People will follow you on Twitter, so, naturally, you follow them back. And then...in the dead of the night...they unfollow you. It's like the kid at school who got you to share your sweets and then the next day they scoffed all of theirs without telling you. Sneaky.

However, there are online tools you can use, such as Tweepi, to decouple yourself from those finaglers (love that word!). Also, don't follow someone back without first checking what they're about. If you're trying to promote your writing, hot dates in your local area or I can get you 5000 followers for $15 probably doesn't reflect well on your creativity.

2. Many people may follow your blog (hurrah), and post comments (hurrah deux), just to lay a trail of breadcrumbs back to their own blog. This needn't be a bad thing if their blog interests you and / or you can add insightful or interesting comments on their blogs in return. However, that doesn't mean you have to accept every comment. Naturally, you've tweaked your settings to ensure you approve each comment before it's posted?

3. Facebook likes mean nothing. Okay, you might get a brief and warm tingly feeling, but if you're plugging a book - preferably on its own Facebook page, by the way - what you really want people to do is share your post and preface it with a comment of their own. 

You could use a tool like Networked blogs, although, in the interests of balance, not everyone agrees.

4. You can't be everywhere at once, all the time. Or, indeed, at any time. Experiment with social media, see what works and what's fun (which may not be the same thing), and keep in mind why you're using social media in the first place.

5. Once you have a prominent and active social media profile - one which hopefully brings your books to a wider and appreciative audience - your relationship with your audience will change. 

Ideally, any questions you're asked about your work will form the basis of further posts, allowing you to engage with your readers and supporters in, if not real time, then something fairly close to it. Just as, by definition, you can't have a dozen BFFs, you should not expect - or lead others to expect - an intimate connection with too many of your readers.

6. There are so many social media platforms and tools that it's scary. If you think I'm exaggerating, here's a handy list. A little discernment goes a long way.

7. Social media can cloud your judgement and waste your time. You can easily spend valuable writing time chasing popularity, joining other platforms because A N Other invited you and you don't want to disappoint them, and repeating everything you've already said on another platform just because the new platform is hip. (People see say 'hip', right?) 

If you're a writer, your first loyalty is to your work, so keep that in mind when you choose to do anything else on your computer. Your time and focus are finite. Meantime, social media is a 24 days a day, 365 and a quarter days a year phenomenon. It's a carousel and only you can decide when it's right for you to get on and when you need to take a break from it all.


In conclusion, using social media can be a smexi move if you want to tap into a global market. It can also be a frustrating and disappointing experience if you dont ask yourself some important questions before you start:
a) Which platforms might be right for me?
b) How much time do I have - or want - to spend on social media.
c) Am I clear about what I want to say?
d) Who is my target audience? 

I've been Derek Thompson, freelance writer, and you've been a lovely audience. Now, about my books...

Bonfire of my vanity

This may sting a bit...
Last year ended on a bit of a writing high for me. I felt as though my freelance business was extending its roots (granted, December was a slower month than the previous four, but hey, Christmas was coming), I was making headway with my work-in-progress, The Caretaker, and January was looking peachy. 
However, I've since discovered that January isn't the season for native soft fruit, although things have proved to be interesting.
One of my fellow authors at Musa Publishing discovered that pretty much all of Musa's books were being pirated - i.e. offered for free, without permission. That's a slap in the face, but the next kapow was learning that only one copy of one of my books had been downloaded. I know, I should be happy that my interests are not unduly compromised. I am, but viewed from another, albeit distorted perspective, this suggests that I literally can't give my books away. Now that I think about it, I also offered ten review ebooks of Covenant in January and only had one taker.
It would less than honest if I didn't also refer to my recent email tennis with a television producer who wanted comedy sketch samples, but who was less than forthcoming about rates and rights and whether, in fact, this was less of a golden opportunity and more of a rusty nail.
Add to the pile my most recent novel rejection, which concluded that they specialise in commercial fiction and have to be confident of significant sales - subtext: don't give up your day job, or, if you're writing full-time, get yourself a day job - and I find myself on the plateau of broken dreams and eating crisps. Let's face it, there are snacks for all occasions.
Now, I could - like the crisps - get eaten up by all the above and start to ponder whether the Universe has abandoned me and widdled on the fires of my literary dreams*. I might question whether my recent blog post about what a hell for writers would be like was just tempting fate. I could even question whether there is any such thing as fate (although I may be fated to do that, of course). Or I could just keep writing. 
It's tempting to see ourselves as the centre of our own universes, and that's necessary, to a degree, as part of the creative process. However, while writing is my life, it's an inner life and not indicative of anything going on around me. Creativity is, in part, a filtering process, and we can easily start to filter out the good stuff from our perception just because we're not getting the funfair ride we wanted. Other rides are available.
So, those metaphorical crisps taste a little of humble pie and vinegar at the moment. I could tell myself that 'not now doesn't mean not ever'. I could also remind myself - via an excellent and very funny essay by Johnny B Truant - that no one is forcing me to write, or indeed needs me to write. And, having reflected on what it is that drives me to write, I could get back to the stories still to be told and shared. 
Maybe I'll self-publish that novel further down the line. My friend, Sinclair Macleod, has successfully ploughed his own furrow. Maybe I'll find an agent or indie publisher somewhere out there, like Susie, Kath and Chloe have done. Heck, maybe I'll find a radio or film producer to bring it to life in some other way. (To any would-be dealmakers, Thursdays is my best day to get in touch.) 
My point is that even the experiences we'd rather avoid can be useful, to a writer. We are forced to regroup and ask ourselves the awkward but important questions. 
Does my view of myself as a writer change if I self-publish my work? (Actually, I'm bringing out some humour ebooks under my own banner, later this year, so that question only applies to my novels.)
Do I need to be any particular kind of writer to feel like a writer?
Will it stop me writing?

When you strip it all back, it's just you and the pen and the page. It's good to remember that, every once in a while.
* No dreams or ambitions were harmed in the making of this blog post.

It's the pits

If Gustav Dore did photography.
According to Dante, the Great Inferno has nine circles (I checked on Wikipedia - such is my commitment to this blog). 
It's pretty standard fare: Limbo, Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Wrath, Heresy, Violence, Fraud and Treachery. Notable residents, of interest to writers, apparently include Homer, Ovid, Lancelot and Guinevere.
Having detoured from that to the awesome artistry of Gustav Dore (have I mentioned that I've been into his work for decades?), I started to ponder what a Hell for writers would consist of.
Here are nine circles of hell that every writer will relate to, to some extent:
1. Writer's Block.2. The first draft.3. Editing.4. Negative feedback.5. Plagiarism.6. Rejection.7. Comparison.8. Circumstance.9. Neglect.

Writer's BlockYou know you want to write, or even what you want to write. But every time you pick up a pen or face the keyboard, it's all white noise and a blank mind.
The first draftIt's like the muse's way of testing your commitment and stamina. That shitty first draft is a hard won treasure, a holey grail (plot holes, usually) you will overcome monsters and challenges to acquire. And it hurts almost every step of the way, especially at 10,000 words and at the halfway point.
EditingThis level of hell has a lot in common with house renovations. Go too far and all the character and charm that first attracted you is destroyed (or covered by MDF - it's the same thing). Too little effort applied, or not enough attention to detail, and the whole thing will look like a rush job. 
Negative feedbackIt can mean different things to different writers. For some, it's anything short of high praise and the trumpeting of angels. For others, it's anything that's not actually constructive - i.e. the feedback gives you something to work with. I was recently told by a friend that the published version of my fantasy, Covenant, was much harder to get into than an earlier version. I was pleased with that because he went on to explain why. Any feedback that sounds like it has come put of the mouth of a petulant three year-old probably falls into this hellish category.
PlagiarismThree forms of this one come to mind. One: you inadvertently discover you've closely followed someone else's style, past the point of homage. Two: you've copied parts of the text or an entire plot. Three: someone has copied you. This can happen accidentally in writing groups.
RejectionAh, the bee sting of every writer's existence. Submitting your work is an act of faith and courage. Rejection says that, on this occasion, you wasted your time. It does get easier with time, and these days at least you save on printing, paper and postage, but it's still a door being slammed in your face.
ComparisonMostly, this is a self-inflicted hell. You can research the ages that other famous authors either wrote or got a life-changing contract (or any contract!). You can also find out how well your friends are doing. And both Bookseller and The Author are great sources of potential discontent. If the question is, "Why me, Lord?" then the answer is surely, "Why not?" (And vice versa.) However, wherever you are on the writing continuum, someone is doing worse than you. Trust me.
CircumstanceThis is a tricky one to define, but essentially it's obstacles and reverses that are totally outside your control. Think along the lines of 'my dog ate my homework' and you'll be getting close. Every writer knows someone with a vignette to share, even if it's a friend of a friend. My own, oft quoted tales of this nature relate to:1. The editor who died before the contract could be signed (and the replacement editor who then rejected the book instead). A double-whammy of writer hells.2. The indie publisher who went out of business just before my book was set for launch.3. The publisher who asked for a full, only for me to find out it had been an over-enthusiastic intern and the package was returned to me two days later.
NeglectTo my mind, this is the deepest, darkest circle of writerly hell. It's the not knowing and creeping back into the pit of your own self-doubt. It's the publisher who took over a year to respond, and the ones who never did. It's the agents and editors who replied 'very interested - send more', only to be too busy (even for an email) seven months later. And who, when chased, say their books are full for at least the next year. It's the bookshop that happily takes your samples and never calls you. 

Despite all those hellish pitfalls, redemption is available. It's simple, but it's not easy. 
You write until you finish. You edit diligently. You seek out meaningful feedback and you act on it. You target your submissions intelligently, and you don't put all your eggs in one basket. You accept that you're only in competition with yourself, and even then it's about how you grow as a writer. Perhaps, most importantly of all, you don't neglect yourself as a writer. You nurture yourself with inspiration, well-being and perspective. Remember, you're a writer - who said it was supposed to be easy?

Room for a Review

All writers love feedback. Granted, some of those early nuggets of insight may have stung like a somersault into a wasps' nest; and even some of the later, apparently well-meaning critiques were as welcome as a phone call to discuss your gas supplier when you're desperate to reach the loo.

But a review that gets the essence of your novel and still finds positive things to say about it to other people? Well, that's worth its weight in alchemist's gold.

This review for my magical fantasy, Covenant, is from Pentacle - The UK's leading Independent Pagan Magazine. In many ways it marks a milestone for my book and for me.

How so?

Well, it's a review in a respected magazine - with readers who would likely enjoy Covenant. It's also a golden opportunity (there's that metal again) to promote not only those all-important sales links, but Covenant as a contribution to the Western Mysteries.

More importantly, it allows me to stop and reflect back on the work that went into Covenant - both the crafting of the story and the characters,  over many years, and the design of the esoteric elements. 

Sometimes, in the rush to get started on the next book, especially if the previous book has been slow to reach its audience, we can become dismissive of our achievements. I feel fortunate indeed to have received recognition from one of my peers. It feel like a nod from the Unseen for continuing with the book over its many adventures (deceased editor, 15 month wait for a response, publisher going under, etc).

The review pretty much says everything that I would want to say about Covenant. Whatever else happens with the book, I can feel confident that my aim was true. (At least until someone hates it!)

In fairness, there are practical benefits to a review like this as well:

1. My local branch of Waterstones promised to get in some copies, so I can now contact them to make good on their word. I'll keep you posted on how that goes.
2. A couple of independent bookshops have offered to display copies of Covenant alongside the review.
3. I've already had emails and given away review copies. In fact, tell you what, to celebrate the mag review, I'll give a PDF review version to the first five people to email me on asabovesobelow(at)btinternet.com, using the title: Covenant blog review.
4. I can add this review to my social media broadcasts.

Now, what was I saying about that next novel...

Son of a Beach

Although, like many writers, creating and reading stories was a passion from a young age, I also had another favourite activity. If we were on holiday in Norfolk, I could happily spend an hour or three on the beach at Cromer, examining stones and looking for something special. Away from Norfolk, I made do with the back garden at home. And, while the geological pickings were slim in East London, I did find interesting things in the garden, but that's another story. (Oh okay then: a rusty bullet, a lead soldier and a City of London Boer War Volunteer Corps badge.)
However, Cromer was the place for me (with East Runton, West Runton and Sheringham as back-up). Soothed by the sea sighing across the shingle, I'd collect different colours and so searching for that elusive magical flint stone with a hole through it. I don't know if other children did this (or writers, come to that), but I'd invent rules. For example, I could only pick up seven stones and so I'd have to compare my new find with my catch. The limitation somehow made me appreciate my selections more. By the time we got back to the tent, there'd be another treasured collection of minerals in the boot of the car. 
I was always fascinated by the way a stone could look bland and ordinary until it was dipped in a rock pool. Then it gleamed and revealed depths of colour I'd only imagined. When I was 13, mum and dad bought me a stone tumble polisher for Christmas. After that, I had a UK minerals poster on my bedroom wall and figured out that Cornwall would be a goldmine (pardon the pun) for rock collecting. Who knows, maybe that was part of the reason I moved there.
It seems to me that writers and their stories are a little like those pebbles on the beach - many are similar but each one is unique. The right environment, opportunity or genre will allow us to show our true colours and, like it or not, the smoothest among us have only been made so by a gradual process of attrition.
So, whether you find yourself and your writing, know that it's all part of a process, a journey of becoming. Right, who's coming to the beach?

Sign of the Times

I believe it was the Roman philosopher, Tacitus Bloggas, who decreed that the 31st of December (or whatever they called it back then) should be marked with a blog reflecting on the year that has been. Also, let's face it, list pieces are easy on the eye.

Like many writes I start each year with a set of goals - some are carefully considered SMART goals, while others are the equivalent of me shouting up at the starry night sky in the hope that the Universe is listening.

So, this year, my list included these gems (with additional, helpful commentary after the fact in blue):

1. Write a certain number of articles and, equally importantly, get a certain amount publishers. Ideally, those two amounts will match. Although I wrote the pieces and although I had no direct control over their publication I did meet my quota by and large. Some articles are still in outline, ready for next year.

2. Get a book contracted. At the time of writing, I am awaiting feedback on a book proposal I was invited to submit (after I pitched something). It's a different kind of book and I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

3. Experiment with Amazon's giveaway and price reduction functionality on Kindle Select. I had a play around with the pricing - which I written about elsewhere on this blog - and learned more about marketing and the value of Twitter. Sales went up a little, freebies were taken in their hundreds and I got one new review.

4. Complete the first draft of new novel-in-progress, The Caretaker. I have to report [solemn, Churchillian voice] that I only reached 38,000 words. I'm disappointed - and so is my champion beta reader, Sarah Campbell, probably, but it was hard to commit fully to book three in a series while still trying to place book one. Plus, I was also trying to work as a freelance writer and find a home for transatlantic comedy drama, Scars & Stripes.

5. Write more gags and sketches for performance. I had some comedy material performed this year and got paid too. In addition, one of my gags was used on BBC Radio 4 Extra's Newsjack, which was a bit of a treat.

6. Produce another 'Little Book' for publication. This one is a bit of a fudge actually because I already have four additional Little Books in development. What I did do was explore acquiring the rights to the original Little Book of Cynics and look at branding for the other little books. Chances are that I'll be creating more ebooks in 2014. Get your cash ready!

7. Decide how and where to specialise in my writing. For a long time I have struggled with the idea of branding as a freelancer. Here's a pen picture of what I write, at different times and to varying degrees:

Fiction (short and long) - sci-fi, fantasy, thrillers, children's stories, crime, comedy dramas and contemporary fiction.
Non-fiction - green living, business, human interest, Mind, Body & Spirit, and writing about writing.

I know, it's starting to look like a CV post. My point is that the lack of a brand or clear specialism troubled me. And then, just this month, I read Write. Publish. Repeat and then I had a rethink and a mini epiphany (a miniphany?).

It's hardly revolutionary, but here it is: I WRITE WHAT I RIGHT. In fact, arguably, that very flexibility and diversity is my brand. 

Anyway, that's this year all wrapped up. I really want to thank all my readers and clients for your custom this year, especially those who left reviews or comment on freelancing sites, this blog or the Strictly Writing blog, or on sites for book reviews and sales.

Stick around - next year is going to be interesting.

Derek

One year on

It's tempting to see the world of publication - and self-publicaton especially - as purely a numbers game. That makes for a simple equation: 'n' sales = 'n' success. Likewise, using that logic, small sales = small success. But is that always the case?

It's a little over a year now since I took the plunge and self-published Covenant, my fantasy, in ebook and paperback. I was always upfront with others and myself that it was never just about the money. That didn't even register on my top five list:
1. Get Covenant out there.
2. Get reviews.
3. See whether readers got the essence of Covenant, given its mystical and magical heart.
4. Learn about marketing (another form of mysticism and magic, as far as I was concerned), and what works for a book like mine.
5. Go into a bookshop and see Covenant on the shelf.

Okay then, maybe sales / money was hovering around six or seven.

So how did I get on and what have I learned?

1. Covenant is out there and I'm very proud of it. Both the ebook and the paperback versions benefited enormously from my having supportive friends with technical expertise of, on the one hand, formatting ebooks and negotiating the labyrinthine (to me) process of setting everything up on Lightning Source, and, on the other, turning a word doc into an actual book file. I also discovered that one more proofread is worth its way in gold (let me know how you do that). It's all fixed now, but early purchasers may find those few typos make it a collector's item in the years to come!
2. I have a clutch of reviews by people who clearly appreciate what Covenant is about. I mean the deeper stuff - the story behind the story. I can always use more though - just in case anyone is still holding back.
3. Some readers loved Covenant and wanted to discuss it with me. That was fun. Others found it too long and wordy (as opposed to numbery, which only applied to the top right of the page header). Them's the breaks, as they say.
4. What I learned about marketing and sales may be specific to me, but I'm the caring, sharing type:
a) Chain and independent bookshops are not that interested in self-published novels. You can chat for a few minutes, leave a paperback and an ebook on a disc, shake on it and still never hear from them again. They have a business to run and if you can't demonstrate the profitability of your book - or you get your timing wrong - you'd best chalk it up to experience.
b) Giveaways on Kindle help spread the word, but don't hound your Twitter followers with endless (if occasionally witty or ingenious) messages about your opus. Also, freebies do not automatically lead to reviews of any persuasion. I gave away about 300 copies and received a single review - but thanks anyway.
5. I regret to report that I'm still waiting to see Covenant on a shelf in a bookshop. I could sneak one in for effect and have someone take a photo of a delighted me, but that would just be cheating. 

So is that the end of the story then?
Not at all.

I know that Covenant will be a grower and I know that because my portfolio of books is growing. When I read about someone recently who'd written 20 books, I was envious of their productivity. And then I counted up my own books - published and unpublished, novels and others - and it totalled 13. Lucky for some. 

So, although at the moment Covenant is my only full-length novel in print and digitised, it won't be the last. And of course, at some point, there'll be the sequel.

I also know that tribe is really important and I struggled to find the ideal readership for Covenant. I didn't want fantasy readers to try it and find it too esoteric or occult, and I worried that readers of occult books would find it too lightweight to be considered a credible work on the subject.

To some extent I still have that argument in my head. I mean, is Covenant a mystical fantasy, an epic quest, a set of pathworkings, a spiritual allegory, or a book about magic?

The truth is that it's all of those things, and more. You see, that's the thing about a book - it's not just the characters that have lives of their own! It's true of any form of artwork: it is what it is. If you like it, that's genuinely brilliant for the creator. And if you don't, it's a bummer all round, so you'd best move on and find something else more to your liking.

However, if you do enjoy fantasy quests interspersed with ideas about reincarnation, the tarot, pathworkings, mythology, archetypes, magic, mysticism, allegory, the Western Mystery Tradition and the occult, Covenant could be just the thing. That also applies if you have a space in your bookshop!

You can purchase Covenant by clicking on the link: viewBook.at/Covenant 

"It's never about the thing that it's about."

You'd think that being a writer is all about two things:

1. Writing stuff.
2. Getting that written stuff published or at least read.

However, there's much more to it than that and I'll warn you in advance that I may get arty and soulful. To begin with, it's a helluva thing to even consider calling yourself a writer, never mind actually telling other people about it. Because, when it really comes down to it, every piece of writing contains a little bit of you in it - your memories, your perspective, your experience of the people around you, your hopes and also your fears.

It can feel like an indulgence to spend quality time away from loved ones and friends, especially when you're using that time to wrestle with people and situations that you've created in your head. Reading also takes on another dimension. What used to be a leisure activity now becomes a vital part of your craft. You still read for enjoyment, but you also look closely at style, plot, characterisation and all the other elements that already give you sleepless nights.

Or try this one on for size: A writer is an artist.
You write fiction? Congrats - you're an artist.

There's also a deeper, inner level to this writing journey. Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way is a brilliant resource (among others) for getting into the soul of writing. I believe there is a part of every writer that is secretly - and sometimes overtly, on the page - grappling with the big issues - life, death, justice, purpose, love, freedom, etc. 

Sometimes we not only express who we are on the page, we also explore who we wish we were. Read between the lines and it's as powerful as therapy and as real as it gets.

So, here's the thing: when someone tell's you they've written something, or that they're working on something, treat them with kindness. When you give feedback, make it constructive - it's fine to say you didn't like it, as long as you say why. Feedback on what you enjoyed - and why - is also welcomed. However, tell the truth.

Some writers will not get the recognition they deserve. For some, the only feedback they'll receive is the snipy kind on ebook sites or forums. But wherever writers are on that endless and invisible ladder of literary success (often in the eyes of other people) they stay true to their writing. Well, you wouldn't expect anything less from a writer, would you?