Alex Laybourne's Blog, page 114

Doing My Part

I have made a big point every since I started writing that I didn't do it for the money or because I wanted to be recognized, but rather because I love writing. Today I am backing up my words and am pledging 50% of all sales of The Musings of a Hideous Mind to the Japanese Relief effort.

For just $1.99 you too can play your part and help an entire country in a time of great need.

Stretching Is Important

When we wake up in the morning we don't just go gallivanting off into the day at top speed, no we do not. We get out of bed, we stretch. Some of us may just stand up and give a little back flex, forward bend and that's it, while others may have a real routine, stretching each part of the body separately.

How you stretch is of no real important, but rather the unavoidable fact that we all do it. It should therefore go without saying that we cannot just get up and dive right into a meaty mid-novel scene or a heavy chapter edit. Sure you can do it, but just think about those days when you sleep in or are forced by some other means to make an immediate start to your day … go on, just think about it, for I bet I can guess the word you are thinking of… Sluggish. Was I close?

Well, whatever word your thinking of, your writing will be just that and unless you are deluded enough be thinking the word (or any variants thereof) professional, this just is not acceptable, and ultimately a waste of your time.

We are always better served to take a few moments of every morning, as close to waking as possible I find works best for me, and just sit down and allow your mind to enjoy that waking stretch. Whether you write down whatever you remember about the dream(s) you had the night before, or a quick bullet list of the first 10 things that pop into your head (a very fun little exercise especially when still sleepy) or even something as mundane as a to-do list. It doesn't have to be about your Work In Progress, just anything that gets your mind thinking and loose.

Even if you don't have to fight the urge to run to the keyboard each morning and start writing (maybe that's just me and my over enthusiasm) try it nonetheless. Just for a couple of weeks. You may be surprised at how much more focused you find yourself when it comes time to sit down and bring those characters back to life.

Business Trip Blues

Well, I have just returned from my first business trip. It was only one day, but I haven't seen my kids for two, given that I left in the morning and came home after bed time. Still, it was a nice experience for me. Not because I was travelling for business, far from it, but because I got to indulge myself in fantasy for just a few hours. I allowed myself to think that I was travelling to Dublin, Ireland for a book signing.

Sure I knew it wasn't true, but it was nice to think it was, just for those few travelling hours… ok and maybe one or two speeches in front of the mirror and during the shower, but shhh don't tell anybody.

I haven't had a chance to writer / edit anything all week, and I am dearly hoping tomorrow I can get some things done.

I did however enjoy having the free time to do some long overdue reading. Only a few hundred pages but I am hooked back into the story I am reading, after 6 long books they are finally getting close to their level of the tower and I am as hooked as ever. The other great thing about reading is that not only does it relax me but keeps me humble. Reading the words of another, whether Stephen King of a fellow new Indie author, I am constantly humbled by the skill of others to weave a tale, and am driven even harder to polish up my work and make sure that I bring out the best in myself.

Up to 19 sample downloads now, and ok no sales, but it really doesn't bother me.

I would write more, and I have several ideas I would like to put down, but sadly sleeping in a hotel wasn't as rewarding as I had hoped, well waking up at 4am was the problem, not the hotel. I bid you all a long days and pleasant nights.

Stay True to Who You Are

Writing is a personal job. Whatever anybody says there is always at least one character in every book that is based on a real person. You guessed it … it's us.

I do, you do it, every writer out there does it. We pour our heart and soul into our books, and it would be foolish to think that we don't insert part of ourselves along way. Note I don't believe in the phrase 'lose a piece of ourself' because I don't believe it is possible to lose part of yourself. We simply find out more about who we are. Sure sometimes it may feel like a loss but that isn't how it should be viewed.

The reason for this self-inclusion in my view is not some hidden (or not so in some cases) narcissistic personality trait, but because we know ourselves. Maybe not completely, but we know how we react, what we think, we know our mannerisms and no matter how much we refuse to admit it, we know our faults and weaknesses. In short we know our character and can create someone vivid from it.

This is a subjective business, and I am sure this is not a foreign concept especially if you have been rejected by as many agents as I have over the years, but that doesn't mean we should ever change who we are. 

Writing is natural, sure you can learn to write, but the ability to 'spin a yarn' is part of us, we are born with it, and just because heartbroken vampires is the current hot thing to write about, it doesn't mean we should all jump on the lonely undead bandwagon. Before people complain, I am a big fan of this variation of the genre, but do I see myself writing something in a similar style? No, because it is just not me. Sure, maybe the market is more open to this genre (at the moment) but it just isn't my style of writing.

The key is for us to understand who we are as writers, and not to allow ourselves to be swayed by external pressure. I had a very clear thought of what I wanted to write when I first sat down and put pen to paper as a foolish 15 year old some 11 years ago now. Yet I have never actually written a single piece in the style, for the simple fact that the natural flow of my words, no matter how much meticulous planning I have done does not take me to that destination. At first I was a bit devastated because all of my favourite authors at the time wrote in that genre, but looking back I am glad. I found my own natural niche very early and am settled in it.

At the end of the day I write for me, if I am blessed enough that other people can enjoy my work then all the best, but I do not write every day for profit or recognition but for myself, and maybe that makes me selfish, but I am big enough and ugly enough to admit it.

This doesn't mean I have no variation in my work, or that you should be the same, but rather I know my strengths and my natural style. That is important if you want to be able to push yourself out and into this industry.

Just because your style takes you one way, it doesn't mean you have to change what you like to read. I read books across all genres, and encourage everybody to do the same. If you write romantic novels but enjoy reading Stephen King and Poe, Lovecraft, it doesn't matter.

I found, back when I was first starting, that it helped me no end by enjoying authors in a different genre, because it stopped me from copying their style, their ideas, and forced me to concentrate on finding my own way, my unique voice and not some flat packed style that is not really much more than changing the character names and continent they live in.

We are who we are, we have nothing to be ashamed of. We should be proud of everything we produce and the only way to be truly happy is to be honest with ourselves, and to do that we have to do what comes naturally to us. I embrace my natural style and I hope you do too, for it is our voice, it is that which we pour into our work, our soul and passion, and it isn't something that can be taught to you or forced upon you just because it fits better at the point in time.

What a Week

It's getting late, kind of, I should say it's almost time to feed my daughter her bottle and after that it will officially be 'getting late' and so I want to get this post up now. I want to make a habit of this What a Week post and so welcome to the second round.

It was a crazy week, I can honestly say I have never known one like it. Work – I mean the ghastly day job rather than my writing a this point in time – was a bitch! Every day brought with it new urgent problems which were not fixed by the end of the day but rather superceded the following morning by the next problem that came along. Thankfully Friday was a bit quieter and I managed to get a lot of small things taken care of, and actually allowed me to take a lunch break for the first time in the week. Sadly however, this busy work schedule did not leave me with much time for writing. Especially as by the time the kids were in bed each night and the house was tidy – who am I kidding, I have three kids, tidy just isn't a work that I can use in general conversation – let me re-think… and the house no longer looked like a small war had been fought in each room and had begun to resemble a home once more (that's a bit more accurate ) I was just exhausted and writing just wasn't something I felt fully capable of.

I did my best to post something every day, and I have managed to edit the first chapter of my novel, but it certainly wasn't the sort of week I had imagined this time seven days ago.

I want to get some editing done tonight, but not sure how long I will last. The kids were up at 05:10 this morning so a repeat tomorrow makes me seriously consider an …. early night (flinch)

Next week will see me take my first business trip, heading over to Ireland (Republic of) for just one night and one day but still it should be nice. I wish I had a laptop of something I could take with me, but alas it is not so. Still, it will give me some time to catch up on my writing as well as maybe go a bit old school and write on paper … with ink.

In terms of my writing life, as mentioned above I didn't achieve as much as I had anticipated and my goal to sell one book before the end of February didn't quite come true, although I am sure it will come. My site passed the hundred views mark so that was another small victory that I marked down and cheered my day up no end.

While I haven't written much (or edited) this week, my mind has found itself inspired and has churned up almost a constant stream of scenes, potential plots and novels, not to mention characters and random lines of dialogue so I am sure once I get the time to sit down and write again I will have some great things to work with. No doubt a lot of crap too but the gems are there. I know they are.

Once again I would like to thank each and every one of my visitors and may I be presumptuous enough to say fans, for sticking with me and reading my posts. It means a lot to me that there are people out there who read what I spill onto these virtual pages.

If I could pass on any advice to take you into the second half of the weekend it would be to keep writing. I know I will.

I would like to end this post today by saying a big BIG thank you to the wonderful L M Stull who published a guest post of mine on her blog. I am forever grateful.

Ideas can come and go freely.

Don't let them

Ideas are slippery little buggers, and they always come to you just at the wrong moment or so it often seems. 

If I had a cent for every time an idea came along at an inopportune moment then well…I'd have a few Euros but let's face it a cent is that much.

Ideas are important. No novel, story, character biography or piece of scrap material was ever written down without an idea being there to spark it all off so it is imperative that we, as writers get accustomed to recording our ideas as they come to us.

The traditional method, and one I stand by as being the best is the notebook. A small journalists pad and a pen, you keep them in your jacket pocket. Hell why not have one in every jacket you own, that way you won't ever be caught out.

Find yourself in the office and an idea for a new serial killer story comes to you… no problem just note it down, and you have the beginnings of a plotline or a scene at least.  

On the bus and see some interesting character jump onboard… no problem, just note it down, and you have the makings of a character, maybe even several if you deconstruct it enough.

Overhear (accidentally of course) somebody's conversation and feel inspired by the flow of their words… no problem, just note it down and you have a reference for some great and believable dialogue. 

Are you noticing a pattern here? I am 

The importance of having a pen and paper at hand cannot ever be overlooked or undervalued.  The world around us in an incredibly rich and vibrant place. Even sitting here at my desk I have am surrounded by potential characters and have two different views out of the two windows in my vicinity and each one constantly offers new images for me to tweak and twist into any shape I want. Just as long as I write it down to use later when I have time.

If you don't feel like carrying around a pad of paper every time you leave the house then not only do I slightly question your literary desire, but I also have a solution. Mobile phones are no longer just for calling or texting. I can't think of a mobile currently on the market (please no comments advising me otherwise I am not a mobile phone expert) that doesn't have the ability to save a bit of text, whether in a word file as offered by a BlackBerry or even just as a simple draft text message. Hell even text it to yourself if you really need to.

The real point is not the implements you use to record these potentially valuable epiphanies but merely the fact that you are aware of their importance and ensure you record them somehow. You may not use all of them. I dare say a great many you will throw away when you read them back later, but even if you take one thing at the end of the day / week then it was all worthwhile.