Mike Reuther's Blog, page 11
December 3, 2013
November 24, 2013
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September 9, 2013
Write a book as fast as you can
I just got done writing more than 4,000 words of a novel.
Now some of you out there might be thinking: My God, 4,000 words. How does anyone write that much in a week, let alone in one sitting?
Well, boys and girls it’s easy if you just allow yourself to do it. Repeatedly, I’ve pounded on this theme of writing fast and from the heart.
That’s really all it takes. You can let loose with a torrent of words and still be writing a story of some kind. Yes. You really can, and I don’t mean a garbled mess of words and phrases that really don’t add up to much.
So what’s stopping so many authors from taking this route to writing? Why don’t more people who aspire to write books sit down and surrender to what’s waiting to come out them?
Are we reluctant to give up a couple hours or so a day to something we fear will turn out to be a vast waste of time?
I think so.
You know, fear constricts us in so many ways. And yet, this is such a minor fear, one certainly easy to push past. Once you overcome this fear, you’ll have won half the battle toward becoming an author.
Grab a piece of paper or sit down in front of that computer and let the words come. Don’t stop and think how to proceed. Don’t edit, for God’s sake. Just write, in a free-flowing natural state.
It’s the best way to write.
September 2, 2013
How to Write a Book Without Going Crazy
Look for my upcoming book, “How to Write a Book Without Going Crazy.” This book helps aspiring authors learn to write that novel or other work that’s long been simmering inside them. It’s full of advice and inspiration and includes stuff from my own writing life. Look for it on Amazon. More details to come.
August 19, 2013
Your book sucks … or does it?
So. Someone said your book sucks and you bought into it. You’ve spent the last few days picking up the pieces of what’s left of your ego. You’ve allowed a single person to sit as judge and jury of your talent, of all your hard work.
First of all, is the criticism legitimate? Chances are, it might be the result of some deep-seated loathing that person has against you. It could well be that the person firing off the shot at you is doing it out of self-defense. In other words, his work sucks. Maybe he’s never even written a book.
Remember, someone can only make you feel as bad as you allow them to make you feel. And what is one person’s opinion anyway? The fact is, there are books out there that suck, and yet they still get published and even praised by people.
If you truly like what you’ve written, stand by it. Sure, there might be some things wrong with it, but that’s when you go to work to improve those problems.
As the old saying goes: Opinions are like butt holes; everyone has one.
Write the Darn Book: Be An Author (Volume 1)
May 22, 2013
Don’t just scream, write the book
What is it that drives you nuts?
What makes you want scream at or punch someone in the face?
Stay with me here. This is a writing blog. We don’t want anyone committing violent acts, shooting up towns.
My point is this: We all have things that drive us bonkers.
Maybe it’s right wing Republicans for some of you out there. Others may loathe liberals to the very depth of their souls.
You could be one of the those people who just can’t tolerate sloppiness or co-workers who don’t pull their share of the load. What is it your husband, wife, or significant other does that really gets on your nerves?
How about some of the stuff that really matters, like all the injustice in the world? The many people who go hungry every day. The war veterans who don’t get proper health care. The destruction of the environment.
Pick a topic and run with it. It just may be your next book.
Remember. Tapping the emotions, the very soul, can be like pricking a bubble that’s been waiting to burst. Go ahead and prick it. Let the writing pour out.
Anger can be a good starting point for a story. But so can hope, passion, sadness, and even fear.
Find your story. Run with it. You just may have a book.
May 10, 2013
Amazon rankings will drive a writer nuts
Are you one of those authors who spend far too much time checking your rankings on Amazon or Barnes & Noble?
Fear not. It’s perfectly natural.
We all want to be successful as writers, make a lot of money and so forth. But try not to become obsessed about how your book or books are faring.
Easier said then done, I know.
But think about this. You check the rankings, and the next thing you know, you’re looking at other books on Amazon. And then, forty-five minutes or an hour have flown by – time you could have spent writing that next book.
Ah yes. Writing. Why weren’t you spending that precious time doing that, or perhaps, marketing one of your books?
Have a great day.
May 6, 2013
Write like you’re Willie Mays
Author Mike Reuther in front of the Willie Mays statue outside AT&T Park, San Francisco.
Today is the birthday of Willie Mays. He’s 82.
Willie was my hero as a kid. Sure, he was a great player. But the thing that really set him apart was the unbridled joy and zest with which he played baseball.
Even as a kid watching him on television, it was something I could see.
I bring up Willie because he represents exactly what we all should be in our chosen pursuits. Since this is a writing blog, I’m speaking to all you authors out there. Bring passion to your writing. Bang out those words like Willie knocked out hits at old Candlestick Park and the Polo Grounds.
Write like you’d rather do nothing else. Get the words down fast, as if you’re the Say Hey Kid dashing after a fly ball in the gap with your hat flying off.
You see, we can all be Willie as we take our places behind our computers and writing pads each and every day.
Have fun … like Willie had fun all those years he played baseball.
Happy Birthday Willie. May you live another eighty-two years.
May 1, 2013
The top ten list of rules for writers
So you want to write a book huh? If you’re in it for the long haul, there are some simple rules to live by. I took the liberty of brainstorming some of my own. Take a look. Share ‘em with your writing friends. Feel free to paste them to the wall above your writing area.
The Top Ten rules to live by if you’re an author
1. Write fast and from the heart.
2. Write because you have something to say.
3. Don’t think when you write. (See number 1 if you don’t understand that).
4. Write even when you’re tired or don’t feel like it.
5. Try to write the same time every day. After all, good writing means getting in a rhythm.
6. Checking out Internet writing sites are fine, but don’t let them eat up your valuable time.
7. Don’t write to make big money. Some authors do (even bad ones), but they’re the exceptions.
8. Remember life isn’t fair.
9. Edit.
10. Keep writing.
April 30, 2013
I’m a writer, and I want to scream
One of the worst things about being a writer is the godawful frustration you find yourself up against with trying to draw attention to the words you’ve put out there before people.
I often write these blogs with the first-time author in mind, but I know there are also loads of you who’ve published one or two books as well.
You know the agony of marketing. You remember how hard it was just placing the fanny into the chair every day and writing. Then, you finished your first book, sent it out to the world hopeful as a young child on Christmas morning.
Alas, you made little if no money for all that hard work and time. You think of all the many things you’ve done in life that bore some type of fruit after so much labor. If it was a job there was at least a paycheck waiting for you.
I often compare the life of a writer to that of an aspiring politician. There’s just no guarantee after all that campaigning that you’ll actually win. In fact, second place brings you nothing.
Yes, it can be tough out there. So what keeps you going as a writer?
Ask yourself why you write. Look for little things every day to keep yourself going. Take pride in the fact that you’ve finished a book and stuck with this writing life as long as you have.
In the meantime, keep marketing your work. There’s plenty of ways to get noticed out there. Maybe you’ve tried all the usual methods – getting reviews from readers, going on blog tours, submitting to interviews, – and perhaps book sales have only trickled in.
Try something different. Be creative. Marketing can take a while to really take off, especially for unknown writers.
The point is, there was a reason you wanted to write books. Sure, if you’ve stuck with it this long perhaps you experience that crushing feeling of what seems to be the utter futility of being a writer.
Maybe you want to give up and concentrate your energies on something else. Then again, think how you’ll feel if you just give up. I mean, is that really an option?
I would love to hear from readers on this one.
