Michael War's Blog, page 10

Are tablets a good tool for writers?

This is a question I get asked the most from fellow writers when I mention that I have an iPad mini. My answer to them is always a humongous yes. I’m actually writing this post on my mini without the use of my Bluetooth keyboard, though I’m sure everyone figured that out. What they really want to know is if an entire story can be composed on one, from inception to revisions. That’s where the answer gets a bit tricky.

Because yes, it can be done, though I wouldn’t recommend trying to do an entire novel ( or even a novella) with the on-screen keyboard. If you wanted to attempt that, I would definitely recommend using a Bluetooth keyboard. My wonderful partner got me one for my birthday and it is really convenient to have, especially when I travel. The combination of iPad mini and keyboard still takes up less space than my laptop, and even if I don’t feel like using the keyboard, I can still bust out the mini and open up Google Drive, which stores my current work and allows me to make revisions. So even while waiting for my plane I can actually be extremely productive; well unless Injustice has a new challenge, then all bets are off.

There are also plenty of apps such as Textilus that provide many of the functions you will find on most word processors, and can be linked up to apps like Dropbox. Of course you will have to pay to get those features, but even the free versions are worth checking out.

I doubt I’ll ever replace my laptop completely (though it seems like it is getting to that point sometimes), however it appears that my tablet has grown into a very important tool in my life; one that I use for more than just changing a word here and there.

Daniel Craig – The Perfect Older Man

If anyone has ever doubted my attraction to older men, here is a prime example. I dare you to look without getting turned on.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thank you to everyone who has supported my work and growth! And to all my other fellow authors for helping bring the joy of the written word into people’s lives. To all my fellow erotica and m/m writers, thank you for giving me some pretty good fantasies.

The New Bachelor -Juan Pablo

Wow, he is almost enough to make me want to watch.

My Kind of Hero pt. 3

Anyone who stands up to bullying like Ben Cohen will always be a hero.

My Kind of Hero pt. 2

Even in uniform Chris Evans is so damn sexy.

But then again going shirtless doesn’t hurt.

My Kind of Hero

No commentary, I just thought we all might enjoy looking at Chris Hemsworth in all his glory.

Roommate Adventures Update

As some of you may know, or not know since I haven’t written here in a while, I recently removed all Roommate Adventures from the shelves. Now, I realize that there was some panic regarding erotica and Amazon, Kobo and the like, but I can assure you that this had nothing to do with that fiasco. What happened was this: I submitted Roommate Adventures to Less Than Three Press, and it got accepted. So I immediately took the ebook down while it gets worked on. I am grateful and excited for this opportunity, and am looking forward to the finished work. I’ll post more updates as they come in. Thank you to everyone who has shown such great support. I really appreciate it.

Do Indie Authors Still Suck? I Don’t Think So

While browsing through the KDP community boards, I came across this interesting piece called “Why Indie Authors Still Suck.” It was supposedly written by someone in the publishing industry who could not believe the amount of crappy pieces being churned out by indie authors. Now, being an indie author myself, my first instinct was to rip this to shreds, but I decided to leave that for the active comments section that seemed to be filling up fast. Instead, I read through it carefully to see if they had anything new to say.

The main points of the post were that in order to be a successful indie author, you needed to be established, you needed a good, professional editor, and you needed to have money. Now, I’ll agree with the second point to some extent, but the first and last are not exactly true.

Just like with independent films, there are some authors who have always wanted to create something special. However not everyone gets a chance to play with the big boys, Some are talented enough to break through, especially if they write something a publisher finds marketable, but others are handed rejection after rejection. Does this mean their book is horrible? No, it doesn’t. It just means that a publisher doesn’t feel that they can sell it. So what do these poor souls do instead, they take what they have and use any available means necessary to create their vision. Usually this is done with very little money, and a lot of blood, sweat, and tears.

You know what, just because it doesn’t come in a nice, shiny package doesn’t mean it isn’t worth anything. Look at all the blockbuster movies and novels that have come our way, ones that have spent millions of dollars only to be utter pieces of crap. Throwing more money at something doesn’t make it good, it just makes people think it is. Should an indie try to spend as much as possible? Of course, because you want to look as professional as possible. But everyone was an amateur at some point, and we should all remember that.

So yes, indie authors should try to seek someone else to edit their work, A fresh pair of eyes is always a good thing. But just because someone charges an arm and a leg for their services doesn’t guarantee quality. Let me also get this out now before anyone thinks I’m out against publishers. I am not against traditional publishing. Nope, not all. Any writer who has found a publisher to put their work out there has my deepest respect. But so does an indie author who managed to make a diamond out of coal.

Now, I realize by writing this, my work may be torn apart by some, but that’s OK. I have sought out professional services to edit my stuff, and followed the suggestions of many as to how I should change certain things. I may not be perfect, but I like to think I am improving with each and every one.

Okay, rant over. Now back to some writing.

I’m back!!!!!

Hey everyone (all three of you), I’m back. After a long hiatus from writing, I’ve finally decided that I missed it too much to just stay away. Life happened and made me take a break, but after much soul searching I realized that I just couldn’t live without writing. So I buckled down and wrote another short, Roommate Adventures: Patrick’s Return

I also decided to combine the two stories, Roommate Adventures and Patrick’s Return into one complete story, Roommate Adventures: The Complete Story.

I’m actually very proud of the way the story turned out, and hope you will enjoy them too. Right now Roommate Adventures: The Complete Story is set at 99 cents, so you get two for the price of one. Shameless plugs aside, I’m really excited to be back to writing, and have much more planned in the future. If you get a chance, let me know what you think of the stories and the covers. That guy was so hot, I couldn’t help but use him in more than one cover. I think he has the attitude to either be Patrick or Javi, don’t you think?