Chris Ward's Blog, page 8
May 23, 2013
Man Who Built the World is a bestseller
Thanks to the Tuesday's promotion on Kindle News and Tips, The Man Who Built the World became my first book to reach #1 in a paid category. It achieved #1 in Dark Fantasy books and held the position for about a day.
It's total peaks were -
#1Dark Fantasy books
#4 Dark Fantasy ebooks
#50 Horror books
#2691 overall
The Tube Riders holds the record for my highest overall peak, at #1075, which it achieved back in April during it's own promo, but it didn't reach the top spot in any single category. It's on promotion again in June and hopefully with the imminent release of Exile it'll get another chance.
While I'm keeping quiet about my sales figures for this one, I'm actually not far short of a decent sales milestone across all my books. I'll let you know ...
Okay, back to editing ...
Chris Ward
May 24th 2013
It's total peaks were -
#1Dark Fantasy books
#4 Dark Fantasy ebooks
#50 Horror books
#2691 overall
The Tube Riders holds the record for my highest overall peak, at #1075, which it achieved back in April during it's own promo, but it didn't reach the top spot in any single category. It's on promotion again in June and hopefully with the imminent release of Exile it'll get another chance.
While I'm keeping quiet about my sales figures for this one, I'm actually not far short of a decent sales milestone across all my books. I'll let you know ...
Okay, back to editing ...
Chris Ward
May 24th 2013
May 21, 2013
Man Who Built the World is on discount
In the rush to get the next Tube Riders book done, I tend to forget the others a bit. However, for the next two days The Man Who Built the World will be reduced to 99cents in the US and the equivalent elsewhere.
It's currently featured here on Free Kindle Books and Tips, and the added exposure has helped it bounce up to #6 in the Dark Fantasy Top 100 on Amazon USA. I've been as high as #4 so I'm hoping it'll have a bit more wind and get a couple of places higher. I really like Free Kindle Books and Tips because they're keen to promote bargain books as much as free ones because while of course we write for love it's always nice to get paid once in a while. They'll be featuring Tube Riders with it's shiny new cover on June 10th, so look out for that.
Okay, over and out. Got to finish off revising Tube Riders Exile. I have two chapters to go. Added in almost 10,000 words so far, roughly 30 pages. No idea where it comes from, but it's actually not much shorter than volume two.
Also, had a couple of hours free up at a mountain school yesterday so I got down to brainstorming ideas for TR: Revenge. I actually ended up doing more on my side novel, set in London after the Tube Riders escape. I've decided to rename it Tube Riders: In the Shadow of London, and I'm hoping to get a bit of time on it this year. I've also decided it might be fun to write a novel about the Governor's backstory. It'll be pretty much one for the fanboys (assuming there are any ...) because the central character will basically be the bad guy from the main series and therefore the story won't have mass appeal, but it does mean that the Tube Riders world could expand to FIVE books. And that coming from a guy who hates writing series ...
Anyway, back to it ... go buy Man Who Built the World and Head of Words while you're waiting, because they're both awesome. Just had another five star review come in for HoW, and there's plenty of critical praise out there for MWBTW that I don't have to say anything.
Laters ...
Chris Ward
22nd May 2013
It's currently featured here on Free Kindle Books and Tips, and the added exposure has helped it bounce up to #6 in the Dark Fantasy Top 100 on Amazon USA. I've been as high as #4 so I'm hoping it'll have a bit more wind and get a couple of places higher. I really like Free Kindle Books and Tips because they're keen to promote bargain books as much as free ones because while of course we write for love it's always nice to get paid once in a while. They'll be featuring Tube Riders with it's shiny new cover on June 10th, so look out for that.
Okay, over and out. Got to finish off revising Tube Riders Exile. I have two chapters to go. Added in almost 10,000 words so far, roughly 30 pages. No idea where it comes from, but it's actually not much shorter than volume two.
Also, had a couple of hours free up at a mountain school yesterday so I got down to brainstorming ideas for TR: Revenge. I actually ended up doing more on my side novel, set in London after the Tube Riders escape. I've decided to rename it Tube Riders: In the Shadow of London, and I'm hoping to get a bit of time on it this year. I've also decided it might be fun to write a novel about the Governor's backstory. It'll be pretty much one for the fanboys (assuming there are any ...) because the central character will basically be the bad guy from the main series and therefore the story won't have mass appeal, but it does mean that the Tube Riders world could expand to FIVE books. And that coming from a guy who hates writing series ...
Anyway, back to it ... go buy Man Who Built the World and Head of Words while you're waiting, because they're both awesome. Just had another five star review come in for HoW, and there's plenty of critical praise out there for MWBTW that I don't have to say anything.
Laters ...
Chris Ward
22nd May 2013
May 14, 2013
Tube Riders new covers
As Exile gets closer and closer to being released, here's a little something to get excited about. These are the new covers for The Tube Riders. There are again the work of Su Halfwerk at Novel Prevue, who as always did a fantastic job.
We went for a more subtle fear approach this time, with a Huntsman looming over an approaching train. Tube Riders is far more dystopian than straight sci-fi, and this cover gives it more of a sinister feel.
On the paperback you have a picture on the back of a city engulfed in blue fire. The fire not only symbolizes the chaos and anarchy that is overtaking London but can also be related to the electricity that powers the London Underground trains that are such a big part of the novel.
This is the third main cover for Tube Riders, and while I liked the first two I think this is the best of the lot. And wait until you see the cover for Exile .... you'll get your first look at one of the major characters in the series. It's an absolute stunner, believe me.
Chris Ward
15th May 2013
We went for a more subtle fear approach this time, with a Huntsman looming over an approaching train. Tube Riders is far more dystopian than straight sci-fi, and this cover gives it more of a sinister feel.
On the paperback you have a picture on the back of a city engulfed in blue fire. The fire not only symbolizes the chaos and anarchy that is overtaking London but can also be related to the electricity that powers the London Underground trains that are such a big part of the novel.
This is the third main cover for Tube Riders, and while I liked the first two I think this is the best of the lot. And wait until you see the cover for Exile .... you'll get your first look at one of the major characters in the series. It's an absolute stunner, believe me.
Chris Ward
15th May 2013
May 13, 2013
Cover reveals coming soon ...
The new cover for The Tube Riders is almost done. It looks cracking. I'll be revealing it very soon.
You'll have to wait a little longer to see the cover for Exile, but I promise it's worth the wait.
In the meantime, go take a look at my self-publishing blog here for some more info on the revision of Exile. It's going great, I just don't have a lot of time, ever. Got about 150 pages to get through, then I'll be correcting the types of errors mentioned in that post, reading it over one more time and then getting it out to my beta readers.
Over and out for now,
Chris Ward
May 14th 2013
You'll have to wait a little longer to see the cover for Exile, but I promise it's worth the wait.
In the meantime, go take a look at my self-publishing blog here for some more info on the revision of Exile. It's going great, I just don't have a lot of time, ever. Got about 150 pages to get through, then I'll be correcting the types of errors mentioned in that post, reading it over one more time and then getting it out to my beta readers.
Over and out for now,
Chris Ward
May 14th 2013
May 7, 2013
Tube Riders: Exile cover news and general news
Okay, so I've got the cover back for Exile. It's an absolute stormer, and if ever I needed a push to make this book excellent it was this.
However, you're not getting to see it just yet. Once I've got the book's revisions done and its in the final stages of editing/proofing, I'll let you see it then. Soon, soon ...
In fact, the cover is so good that I've decided to have the cover for Part 1 updated to push it up to the same standard. That one I WILL show you, once I'm happy with it.
So just hang in there.
Also, good news for Tube Riders fans is that I'm feeling so inspired by recent events that I've decided to start writing Part 3 straight away. I was planning to start it in September but while revising Exile and with all the cover stuff the Tube Riders world started swirling around in my mind and it's difficult to let you.
Can't promise I'll start today, but soon. In May for sure. I hate writing during the hot summer months but I'll deal with that as I get to it.
In the meantime, while you're waiting for Exile, why not check out my new book, Head of Words? It's a lot different but it shows my versatility as a writer. It also just received this storming five star review. Many thanks to Scott Bury for that one.
That's all for now. Happy reading!
Chris Ward
May 8th 2013
However, you're not getting to see it just yet. Once I've got the book's revisions done and its in the final stages of editing/proofing, I'll let you see it then. Soon, soon ...
In fact, the cover is so good that I've decided to have the cover for Part 1 updated to push it up to the same standard. That one I WILL show you, once I'm happy with it.
So just hang in there.
Also, good news for Tube Riders fans is that I'm feeling so inspired by recent events that I've decided to start writing Part 3 straight away. I was planning to start it in September but while revising Exile and with all the cover stuff the Tube Riders world started swirling around in my mind and it's difficult to let you.
Can't promise I'll start today, but soon. In May for sure. I hate writing during the hot summer months but I'll deal with that as I get to it.
In the meantime, while you're waiting for Exile, why not check out my new book, Head of Words? It's a lot different but it shows my versatility as a writer. It also just received this storming five star review. Many thanks to Scott Bury for that one.
That's all for now. Happy reading!
Chris Ward
May 8th 2013
May 1, 2013
The Tube Riders: Exile update
I'm very much a person who likes to spread their wealth but I decided last week that my writing time and energy was being spread too thinly, shared over a variety of projects and promotions. Therefore, in order to get the second book in the Tube Riders Trilogy out as quickly as possible I've scaled everything back. All other writing projects are currently on hold, while I'm attempting (somewhat unsuccessfully...) to withdraw from the social media world in order to concentrate on getting this book revised and out.
It's going fairly well. I've revised 190/542 pages at the time of writing, and the current wordcount stands at 147,393. I've added a couple of thousand words since I started revising, but that's mostly minor world detail. I've not come up against anything yet that stands out as being out of place.
All being well, I'm hoping to get through my own revisions by the end of May (I'd love to say the middle, but I have a day job and a family to look after so time isn't something I have an abundance of right now ...), after which I'll be sending it to a handful of beta readers whom I have already chosen to basically tell me where it does and doesn't suck. Once I've fixed up any common complaints (hopefully there won't be any ...!) it'll go to the editor and then the proofreader. All being well I'll have it published by the end of July, August at the latest.
The cover has been commissioned, so look out for that too. I'm going to try to get Marta on this one, but that's all I can say right now. Stay tuned.
While I'm here, The Tube Riders is currently still 99c, so if you have any friends you want to convert now's the chance, before the price goes back up. Remember, telling your friends and writing reviews helps me out more than you could possibly imagine. The more I sell of part one (and hopefully then part two), the sooner I'll be able to get part three (and four ...?!) out to you. I thank everyone of you who reads my books from the bottom of my heart.
Happy reading,
Chris WardMay 2nd 2013
It's going fairly well. I've revised 190/542 pages at the time of writing, and the current wordcount stands at 147,393. I've added a couple of thousand words since I started revising, but that's mostly minor world detail. I've not come up against anything yet that stands out as being out of place.
All being well, I'm hoping to get through my own revisions by the end of May (I'd love to say the middle, but I have a day job and a family to look after so time isn't something I have an abundance of right now ...), after which I'll be sending it to a handful of beta readers whom I have already chosen to basically tell me where it does and doesn't suck. Once I've fixed up any common complaints (hopefully there won't be any ...!) it'll go to the editor and then the proofreader. All being well I'll have it published by the end of July, August at the latest.
The cover has been commissioned, so look out for that too. I'm going to try to get Marta on this one, but that's all I can say right now. Stay tuned.
While I'm here, The Tube Riders is currently still 99c, so if you have any friends you want to convert now's the chance, before the price goes back up. Remember, telling your friends and writing reviews helps me out more than you could possibly imagine. The more I sell of part one (and hopefully then part two), the sooner I'll be able to get part three (and four ...?!) out to you. I thank everyone of you who reads my books from the bottom of my heart.
Happy reading,
Chris WardMay 2nd 2013
April 21, 2013
Dark Days WIP snippet
I've been working on a horror novel and I thought i'd give you a little snippet. I wrote this passage a couple of days ago and quite liked it. Of course it may never make it to the final novel but there's a good chance it'll survive in some form or other.
One of his teeth felt loose from where the guy had slugged him. Millward had started it, glaring at the man until he got up and came over, then hitting him once, twice, three times in the face before the guy could say a word. The man’s brawny neck had soaked up the punches like a boxer’s training pad, then he had hit Millward with what felt like a sledgehammer. Bar staff had broken it up then and Millward had stumbled outside and fled in case the man wanted a second round.
Why do I keep doing this to myself?
It felt strange to say it, but he had enjoyed being hit. The guy had probably outsized Millward by thirty kilograms and at least three inches in height. He hadn’t wanted to hit the guy, only to incite the guy to hit him, because pain was the only way to make himself remember that he was still alive, that blood still pushed its reluctant way through his veins.
He pulled the phone from his pocket and glanced at the clock. It was 1.47 a.m. He couldn’t remember what time he had got back to the police station with Welch, but it had been no later than nine.
Sometimes the time just disappeared.
There were three missed calls from Welch on his phone, and a voicemail, but he ignored it, shutting the phone and putting it back in his pocket. She would just be hassling him again, either about work or wanting to fuck. He didn’t want to know about the first and the last would make him feel too guilty, even though it was tempting at times. Welch was a desperate, hollow soul like himself, but he feared that if he got too close to her they would simply dissolve into each other, disappear.
Yeah, I know either disappeared or disappear will have to change but I like both of those sentences at the moment. We'll see.
I'm up to 77 pages now (29,000 words) and hope to finish it around June or July. Of course, it might never get there but so far it's going well.
For anyone who's wondering, I'm also editing Tube Riders: Exile and its going okay. These are my two big projects at the moment. I have a couple of older novels I want to edit up into shape for possible future publication but I don't want to overload myself too much right now.
One of his teeth felt loose from where the guy had slugged him. Millward had started it, glaring at the man until he got up and came over, then hitting him once, twice, three times in the face before the guy could say a word. The man’s brawny neck had soaked up the punches like a boxer’s training pad, then he had hit Millward with what felt like a sledgehammer. Bar staff had broken it up then and Millward had stumbled outside and fled in case the man wanted a second round.
Why do I keep doing this to myself?
It felt strange to say it, but he had enjoyed being hit. The guy had probably outsized Millward by thirty kilograms and at least three inches in height. He hadn’t wanted to hit the guy, only to incite the guy to hit him, because pain was the only way to make himself remember that he was still alive, that blood still pushed its reluctant way through his veins.
He pulled the phone from his pocket and glanced at the clock. It was 1.47 a.m. He couldn’t remember what time he had got back to the police station with Welch, but it had been no later than nine.
Sometimes the time just disappeared.
There were three missed calls from Welch on his phone, and a voicemail, but he ignored it, shutting the phone and putting it back in his pocket. She would just be hassling him again, either about work or wanting to fuck. He didn’t want to know about the first and the last would make him feel too guilty, even though it was tempting at times. Welch was a desperate, hollow soul like himself, but he feared that if he got too close to her they would simply dissolve into each other, disappear.
Yeah, I know either disappeared or disappear will have to change but I like both of those sentences at the moment. We'll see.
I'm up to 77 pages now (29,000 words) and hope to finish it around June or July. Of course, it might never get there but so far it's going well.
For anyone who's wondering, I'm also editing Tube Riders: Exile and its going okay. These are my two big projects at the moment. I have a couple of older novels I want to edit up into shape for possible future publication but I don't want to overload myself too much right now.
April 17, 2013
Blog News
I've been thinking about this blog for some time, and have now made a few decisions. This blog has kind of served as a multi-purpose blog since I started it a year or so ago, and while I have a handful of regular readers and followers I think that in order for it to become more popular it's necessary to break it up into its component parts.
There are three things I write about - my books, writing craft and business, and my life in Japan. While some people may have an interest in all three, others will only have an interest in one or two, so it seems counterproductive to write on a variety of topics which will interest people only 1/3 of the time.
This blog, A Million Miles from Anywhere, will remain the blog dedicated to my books and books in general. I'll be writing all about my own books, plus posting book reviews or news I find of interest about other authors here. This will also include interviews with other authors.
Everything specifically about my life in Japan will be posted in future on my new blog, Living in Nagano. I just started this blog today and it will be a photo-heavy online diary of my life and what I find of interest in Japan. I'll be attempting to post at least once a week, mostly just pics with short descriptions rather than the 2,000 word plus posts that I often put on here.
All my posts on writing craft and self-publishing will be moving to another new blog, Self-publishing for Beginners. I literally started this blog 45 seconds ago so there's no content there yet, but I have about twenty blog posts specific to the subject now so I'll be cross-posting them all over there in time as well as adding new ones.
People who are interested in what I have to say will therefore be able to pick and choose what they want to read while avoiding the parts that don't interest them. All my blogs will be linked from each other plus the two new blogs will be carrying ads for my books (because they're my books and my blogs haha) as well as links to my cover designers, editors and proofreaders on my self-publishing blog. In addition, assuming I'm allowed to, I'll also be monetizing the two new blogs with Google AdSense. I've avoided this up to now because I hate ads on websites, but if they're not too intrusive I'll let them stay. I don't make a lot of money from writing but I'm not doing this solely for love, either. I've been told by several blogging friends that I'm missing a trick by not monetizing my current blog already.
So there you have it. I'll need a couple of weeks before things are running smoothly but you can look forward to lots and lots of interesting things to read from me in the future. And lots of pictures of my cat, because, as everyone knows, cats rule the world and are allowed to go wherever they damn well like!
Chris Ward
18th April 2013
There are three things I write about - my books, writing craft and business, and my life in Japan. While some people may have an interest in all three, others will only have an interest in one or two, so it seems counterproductive to write on a variety of topics which will interest people only 1/3 of the time.
This blog, A Million Miles from Anywhere, will remain the blog dedicated to my books and books in general. I'll be writing all about my own books, plus posting book reviews or news I find of interest about other authors here. This will also include interviews with other authors.
Everything specifically about my life in Japan will be posted in future on my new blog, Living in Nagano. I just started this blog today and it will be a photo-heavy online diary of my life and what I find of interest in Japan. I'll be attempting to post at least once a week, mostly just pics with short descriptions rather than the 2,000 word plus posts that I often put on here.
All my posts on writing craft and self-publishing will be moving to another new blog, Self-publishing for Beginners. I literally started this blog 45 seconds ago so there's no content there yet, but I have about twenty blog posts specific to the subject now so I'll be cross-posting them all over there in time as well as adding new ones.
People who are interested in what I have to say will therefore be able to pick and choose what they want to read while avoiding the parts that don't interest them. All my blogs will be linked from each other plus the two new blogs will be carrying ads for my books (because they're my books and my blogs haha) as well as links to my cover designers, editors and proofreaders on my self-publishing blog. In addition, assuming I'm allowed to, I'll also be monetizing the two new blogs with Google AdSense. I've avoided this up to now because I hate ads on websites, but if they're not too intrusive I'll let them stay. I don't make a lot of money from writing but I'm not doing this solely for love, either. I've been told by several blogging friends that I'm missing a trick by not monetizing my current blog already.
So there you have it. I'll need a couple of weeks before things are running smoothly but you can look forward to lots and lots of interesting things to read from me in the future. And lots of pictures of my cat, because, as everyone knows, cats rule the world and are allowed to go wherever they damn well like!
Chris Ward
18th April 2013
April 16, 2013
Beware the Crutch
Recently I saw a post on a writer’s forum giving a link to an online tool which allowed the self-published writer to quickly add up their sales figures on their Amazon reports. There were lots of positive replies on the usefulness of the aforementioned online tool, because it meant you no longer had to add the numbers up yourself.
Hang on a minute …?
You need an online tool to add up a string of whole numbers? While I’ve come across a lot of evidence to suggest a brain isn’t always a requirement in the world of self-publishing, in general I’ve found that mine is usually sufficient enough for this task, often with the help of the fingers on one hand, or occasionally both on a good month. And if you’re one of the lucky ones who sells in the kind of numbers that might take more than few seconds to easily calculate, then there’s always that trusty tool known as a calculator. Most computers have them, as, often, do desks, drawers and pockets.
The paragraph above might come across as being a little condescending, but be assured it was meant to be tongue in cheek. However, this online tool is a simple example of a writer’s crutch.
Of these, the self-publishing writer should beware.
I see lots of posts on forums by self-published authors wanting programs to help them do things. “How do I keep track of sales/chapters/characters?” Um … Excel? Or failing that a pen and a piece of paper?
I see a lot of writers talking about a program called Scrivener. I don’t know what that is, but apparently it’s a computer program that organizes the hell out of your novel. Personally I’m happy with an old version of Word and a simple Excel spreadsheet, but even that is a crutch. A computer is a crutch to make life easier for writers who used to write on a typewriter, which was in turn a crutch for a writer who used to use a pen, which was a crutch for carving something on a rock, itself a crutch for your mouth, which was a crutch for your heart, which is where stories truly come from … whatever, you get it.
Just to clarify, I’m not trying to belittle Scrivener or those who use it or any other specialist writing program. I know far better writers than me who swear by it and sooner or later, if it’s as awesome as I’ve heard, I’ll probably be using it myself. However, as a noob starting out on a writing career today who has already decided to start self-publishing as soon as heavenly possible (which is probably too soon) then you could do worse than working with a pen and a pad of paper. Many moons ago that’s what I did. You’ll connect with the words a whole lot better and when you start out that is the only thing that is important.
My point is that you should beware over-reliance on something that makes your job easier. When you’re starting out on the quest to write as well as you can, you shouldn’t concern yourself with how to make it look pretty, or how to organize it neatly. Right at the very, very beginning, you shouldn’t even worry about plot. You should concern yourself with the WORDS AND THE WORDS ONLY, because if your words are awesome all the rest will come together in time.
The biggest crutch I see self-publishers leaning on is the editor/proofreader. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t use them because I strongly believe that you should – but knowing that an editor is waiting to correct your crappy grammar or your poor spelling is no excuse for not striving to get your book perfect before it is seen by anyone else. The old analogy that you can’t polish a turd is appropriate here – an editor might be able to round a turd into a more uniform shape so that it appears somewhat more like a mud pie … but it’s still a turd, and shame on you for sending it to them – for leaning on your crutch – in the first place. You should never have let it out of your sight in that condition.
I used to do proofreading on the side, but I gave up because people were sending me the kind of junk I would be embarrassed to allow off my computer and expecting me to fix it up into a quality book that people would want to pay money for. I molded a couple of mud pies, but that was the best I could do. Then, surprise, surprise, aforementioned turds later appear on Amazon with five-star reviews from friends and family and the evil beyond all evil, the paid-for review service. So it looks great, and it sounds great. But what has really happened is that turd has been allowed to get all the way to the reader before it’s been flagged as a turd, but by then it’s too late, your turd is in the hands of someone with the power to smash your sales into smithereens, simply by pointing out in a nicely worded one-star review what you should have realised long before you self-published it that what you have on your hands is nothing more than a turd. All those fake reviews are like a paper umbrella – it’ll protect you from the rain for a while, but sooner or later the rain is going to break through and then you’re going to get drenched. But whatever, it’s each writer’s personal choice. There is a school of thought that self-published writers can “grow up in public” as it were, improving their craft with the public as the ultimate judge. Each to their own, but as a shy, fragile kid who’d been pushed around a bit at school I know without a doubt that had I self-published those novels I wrote at 18 and 19 in the form they existed in then, I would have got deservedly hammered by reviewers, and that would not have been good for me. It would not have been good at all.
But, whatever. Each to their own. Personally I don’t enjoy getting punched in the face, either in real life or on the internet, not until I’ve developed a chin to take it.
It says a lot about a writer who leans on crutches too much. First and foremost a writer is an artist. After he (or she) has created something worth selling he then becomes a businessman. Review that phrase “worth selling”. This is the key. It is your responsibility to produce something worth selling. After you have done that it’s perfectly acceptable to get someone else to give it a shine and then put it into a nice packet ready for sale. But don’t cut corners or those corners will reappear sooner or later to bite you in the ass.
Beware the crutch. We all use them, but know that you’re using them and always strive, where possible, to do without them as much as you can. You’ll be a better writer for it.
That is all.
Chris WardApril 17th 2013
Hang on a minute …?
You need an online tool to add up a string of whole numbers? While I’ve come across a lot of evidence to suggest a brain isn’t always a requirement in the world of self-publishing, in general I’ve found that mine is usually sufficient enough for this task, often with the help of the fingers on one hand, or occasionally both on a good month. And if you’re one of the lucky ones who sells in the kind of numbers that might take more than few seconds to easily calculate, then there’s always that trusty tool known as a calculator. Most computers have them, as, often, do desks, drawers and pockets.
The paragraph above might come across as being a little condescending, but be assured it was meant to be tongue in cheek. However, this online tool is a simple example of a writer’s crutch.
Of these, the self-publishing writer should beware.
I see lots of posts on forums by self-published authors wanting programs to help them do things. “How do I keep track of sales/chapters/characters?” Um … Excel? Or failing that a pen and a piece of paper?
I see a lot of writers talking about a program called Scrivener. I don’t know what that is, but apparently it’s a computer program that organizes the hell out of your novel. Personally I’m happy with an old version of Word and a simple Excel spreadsheet, but even that is a crutch. A computer is a crutch to make life easier for writers who used to write on a typewriter, which was in turn a crutch for a writer who used to use a pen, which was a crutch for carving something on a rock, itself a crutch for your mouth, which was a crutch for your heart, which is where stories truly come from … whatever, you get it.
Just to clarify, I’m not trying to belittle Scrivener or those who use it or any other specialist writing program. I know far better writers than me who swear by it and sooner or later, if it’s as awesome as I’ve heard, I’ll probably be using it myself. However, as a noob starting out on a writing career today who has already decided to start self-publishing as soon as heavenly possible (which is probably too soon) then you could do worse than working with a pen and a pad of paper. Many moons ago that’s what I did. You’ll connect with the words a whole lot better and when you start out that is the only thing that is important.
My point is that you should beware over-reliance on something that makes your job easier. When you’re starting out on the quest to write as well as you can, you shouldn’t concern yourself with how to make it look pretty, or how to organize it neatly. Right at the very, very beginning, you shouldn’t even worry about plot. You should concern yourself with the WORDS AND THE WORDS ONLY, because if your words are awesome all the rest will come together in time.
The biggest crutch I see self-publishers leaning on is the editor/proofreader. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t use them because I strongly believe that you should – but knowing that an editor is waiting to correct your crappy grammar or your poor spelling is no excuse for not striving to get your book perfect before it is seen by anyone else. The old analogy that you can’t polish a turd is appropriate here – an editor might be able to round a turd into a more uniform shape so that it appears somewhat more like a mud pie … but it’s still a turd, and shame on you for sending it to them – for leaning on your crutch – in the first place. You should never have let it out of your sight in that condition.
I used to do proofreading on the side, but I gave up because people were sending me the kind of junk I would be embarrassed to allow off my computer and expecting me to fix it up into a quality book that people would want to pay money for. I molded a couple of mud pies, but that was the best I could do. Then, surprise, surprise, aforementioned turds later appear on Amazon with five-star reviews from friends and family and the evil beyond all evil, the paid-for review service. So it looks great, and it sounds great. But what has really happened is that turd has been allowed to get all the way to the reader before it’s been flagged as a turd, but by then it’s too late, your turd is in the hands of someone with the power to smash your sales into smithereens, simply by pointing out in a nicely worded one-star review what you should have realised long before you self-published it that what you have on your hands is nothing more than a turd. All those fake reviews are like a paper umbrella – it’ll protect you from the rain for a while, but sooner or later the rain is going to break through and then you’re going to get drenched. But whatever, it’s each writer’s personal choice. There is a school of thought that self-published writers can “grow up in public” as it were, improving their craft with the public as the ultimate judge. Each to their own, but as a shy, fragile kid who’d been pushed around a bit at school I know without a doubt that had I self-published those novels I wrote at 18 and 19 in the form they existed in then, I would have got deservedly hammered by reviewers, and that would not have been good for me. It would not have been good at all.
But, whatever. Each to their own. Personally I don’t enjoy getting punched in the face, either in real life or on the internet, not until I’ve developed a chin to take it.
It says a lot about a writer who leans on crutches too much. First and foremost a writer is an artist. After he (or she) has created something worth selling he then becomes a businessman. Review that phrase “worth selling”. This is the key. It is your responsibility to produce something worth selling. After you have done that it’s perfectly acceptable to get someone else to give it a shine and then put it into a nice packet ready for sale. But don’t cut corners or those corners will reappear sooner or later to bite you in the ass.
Beware the crutch. We all use them, but know that you’re using them and always strive, where possible, to do without them as much as you can. You’ll be a better writer for it.
That is all.
Chris WardApril 17th 2013
April 15, 2013
Tube Riders bargain book promo push
My bestselling dystopian novel The Tube Riders will be featured on two big bargain book promo sites today. If you want to do me a massive favour and help give it a lift up the charges, go grab 200 or so copies for all your friends. Anyone who does that can have a signed photograph of me sitting in my new Merc.
Saying that, on a more annoying note some b•••••d keyed my car while I was in a family restaurant yesterday. It might just have been a kid with a coin and douchebag parents, but it put a dampener on my whole day.
So if you want to make me feel better, go and grab a copy of Tube Riders. It's just 99c, which is 27c less than the bottle of Orangina I bought in the 7Eleven near my house this afternoon. I like Orangina.
;-)
Another good thing about buying Tube Riders this weekend - if you read at the same speed as me (a book of this length takes about three months) then you'll have finished it just in time for part 2, which should be released in the summer.
Happy reading,
Chris Ward
15th April 2013
Saying that, on a more annoying note some b•••••d keyed my car while I was in a family restaurant yesterday. It might just have been a kid with a coin and douchebag parents, but it put a dampener on my whole day.
So if you want to make me feel better, go and grab a copy of Tube Riders. It's just 99c, which is 27c less than the bottle of Orangina I bought in the 7Eleven near my house this afternoon. I like Orangina.
;-)
Another good thing about buying Tube Riders this weekend - if you read at the same speed as me (a book of this length takes about three months) then you'll have finished it just in time for part 2, which should be released in the summer.
Happy reading,
Chris Ward
15th April 2013
