Ryan Casey's Blog, page 5

Ten Novels Later…

I realised something amazing when I wrote the final words of my latest work in progress, Sunlight.

I just finished my tenth novel.

It’s a really amazing realisation for me considering I started writing around five years ago. To be honest, I’d completely lost track of how much I’d written — I’m having so much fun creating stories that milestones and things like that rarely even come into the equation.

But wow. Ten novels. Taking a step back out of my own shoes and that really is something.

My drea...

Saturday Writing Prompt

Bit of a cheat post today because I’ve been busy formatting the two Blake Dent books for launch next week, but I’ve been reading a great book called Million Dollar Productivity by Kevin J. Anderson and wanted to share an excellent quote with you. It ties right in with some of the blogs I’ve done on finding the time and working hard these last few days.

“Do bank tellers or librarians get to stay home and wait for the muse to “inspire” them before they go to work? Nope.

Does a surgeon cancel his...

There is No Such Thing as “No Time to Write”

One of the most common reasons aspiring writers use for not writing is the“no time to write” excuse.

It comes in a variety of forms. “Oh, you’ve written a book? I’d love to write a book I just don’t have the time.”

Or even better, “I have an amazing idea for a book. Here it is. I can’t write it because I’ve no time to write.”

Really, the idea of having no time to write is a great big falsehood, and more than that, it’s an excuse.

Test one: If you’re reading this blog post right now, you have time...

Marketing a Book: How, When and Why?

Writing isn’t easy.

But compared to the business of writing, it’s an absolute breeze.

Because these daily topics have so far dealt with a lot of questions I’m asked, I figured I’d continue that trend and talk about something I actually get asked the most: how do I sell books.

Or rather, what do I do to market my books.

The short answer would be to go read my post on how to make a living writing fiction from back in April. In that post, I’ve piled in everything I’ve learned about writing and the b...

KDP Select: Is Kindle Unlimited a Perfect Deal Sweetener?

Over the last couple of years, I’ve written a few posts on KDP Select, Amazon’s publishing program offering benefits for 90 days of exclusive enrolment.

I’ve grown up with this system, so it’s only natural that my views on it have changed over time. I was there when free promotions caused a boom up the paid rankings. I was there when they became less effective. I was there when Countdown Deals launched.

And my views have continued to change. I spent all 2012 in KDP Select, half of 2013 out of i...

Writing What Sells: A Good Idea?

I have a confession to make.

Earlier this summer, I wrote a romance novel.

Now this isn’t too hard a stretch of the imagination. All of my books, even the darkest ones, have romance at the core. After all, romance is something that binds each and every one of us in some way or another. It is one of those universal themes that everyone can connect with, whether longing for someone or happily married.

But anyway, I wrote a full romance book with intentions to launch it under a pen name.

Why did I d...

Does Writing Lots = Rushing?

Being a writer, I get a lot of questions.

Most of these questions are the same: where do I get my ideas, how do I find the time, do I write every day. Harmless ones that I smile and answer as politely as I possibly can.

But a question that has cropped up over the last year or so, where I’ve been incredibly prolific, is something along the following lines:

How do you write so much?

Sometimes, this question varies. Sometimes, it reads: are you rushing your next book? Because I don’t think you shoul...

A Lot of a Little Adds Up to a Lot

Writing away on my work in progress, I didn’t think I was all that far into it.

It feels like I’ve had a pretty slow September for some reason. I’ve been averaging around a scene a day, maybe a scene and a half, which is pretty low to me. Figured I’d have to up my game in October, especially if I want to achieve my ridiculous targetsfor the next twelve months.

Funny thing happened: I checked my wordcount and I’m at the 40,000 mark. So just over half way, by the looks of things.

I’m not sure why...

The Mid-Book Struggle: How to Conquer it

So, day one of my new blog a day for a year regime, and I think I’ve got exactly the topic.

At first, I sat down with a pad and noted down a few blog ideas, but then I decided it’d be best if I just tackle issues I’m experiencing, or things I’ve learned. I like to learn something new every day, so technically, this shouldn’t be hard.

And this particular topic is something that many, many writers struggle with, both amateurs and long term professionals: the mid-book struggle.

The mid-book struggl...

New Blog Happenings

Hi all,

I think it’s been quite a while since I blogged, which is strange considering I used to blog here three times a week (at least). If you cast your minds way back to April, I started and failed a weeklyoutline of my routine. Really, I just got bored of it. I felt uncomfortabletalking about myself and my routine, which may come as a surprise to some. I’m actually quite a private person, and I like to keep things that way.

Anyway, I wanted to hit a reset button. Inspired by one of my person...