Reb MacRath's Blog, page 27
November 15, 2013
Meet the Real Reb MacRath Part 4
True confession:
I just learned a lesson about talking shop. One of my strongest supporters had sent me a note to say how fired up he felt about getting--soon--a beta readers copy of the new Boss MacTavin book.
Well, writing does get a bit lonely at times. And at other times, more than a bit. I shot back a cheery note about some live alligators I was wrestling with in the form of technical issues: sustained imagery, rhythm and pacing, etc. He sent back another note of playful exasperation: he had no idea what I meant by these things since he was a musician who read books because he loved reading. He wasn't angry or even upset. But he gave me an epiphany.
If I were to hear him play one day, I wouldn't need to know how long he'd worked on a song's arrangement...or how hard he'd had to train to reach a particular high note...or how he'd altered the song's bridge from major to minor to gain an effect. I'd know when I listened if the song worked for me.
And that's what matters, isn't it? In fact, the less we blather about the creative process, the better. No possible good can come from revealing the number of hours we spent on a book or the extent of our labors. The effort is part of our pact with the Muse. And secrecy should be a part of it too. We may have to pay in blood to make the final product seem natural and effortless.
But, all in all, art's worth the price. And the Muse makes a wonderful mistress.
So...let's all smile and shut the hell up.
I just learned a lesson about talking shop. One of my strongest supporters had sent me a note to say how fired up he felt about getting--soon--a beta readers copy of the new Boss MacTavin book.
Well, writing does get a bit lonely at times. And at other times, more than a bit. I shot back a cheery note about some live alligators I was wrestling with in the form of technical issues: sustained imagery, rhythm and pacing, etc. He sent back another note of playful exasperation: he had no idea what I meant by these things since he was a musician who read books because he loved reading. He wasn't angry or even upset. But he gave me an epiphany.
If I were to hear him play one day, I wouldn't need to know how long he'd worked on a song's arrangement...or how hard he'd had to train to reach a particular high note...or how he'd altered the song's bridge from major to minor to gain an effect. I'd know when I listened if the song worked for me.
And that's what matters, isn't it? In fact, the less we blather about the creative process, the better. No possible good can come from revealing the number of hours we spent on a book or the extent of our labors. The effort is part of our pact with the Muse. And secrecy should be a part of it too. We may have to pay in blood to make the final product seem natural and effortless.
But, all in all, art's worth the price. And the Muse makes a wonderful mistress.
So...let's all smile and shut the hell up.
November 14, 2013
A Hot Tip for the Serious Readers
My reading interests vary, as do yours, from time to time. I love mysteries, thrillers, adventure...and also literary novels.
I've just finished a terrific contemporary take on the classic Wuthering Heights. And on the strength of this book, I'll be looking for more by this author.
The Book: Bird of Passage.
The Author: Catherine Czerkawska
My review:
http://tiny.cc/jd0j6w
I've just finished a terrific contemporary take on the classic Wuthering Heights. And on the strength of this book, I'll be looking for more by this author.
The Book: Bird of Passage.
The Author: Catherine Czerkawska
My review:
http://tiny.cc/jd0j6w
November 13, 2013
Hitting the Sweet Spot at Fifty...or Later
My new post on Authors Electric deals with Lawrence Sanders and other famous writers who succeeded later in life. Sanders's strategies may be of special use to some:
http://tiny.cc/iwwh6w
http://tiny.cc/iwwh6w
Success and the Older Writer
My new post on Authors Electric deals with Lawrence Sanders and other famous writers who succeeded later in life. Sanders's strategies may be of special use to some:
http://tiny.cc/iwwh6w
http://tiny.cc/iwwh6w
November 12, 2013
Reb MacRath, Action Manifester! Flash Bulletin #3
This flash is another game changer. Nearly six months into this adventure in manifestation, I had an insight that changed me:
The insights and tools I've made use of this far have all worked well: the rotations of five questions, the new 2 to three-day Playbooks, the list of 'inspired actions'...But, without abandoning those, I needed to sharpen my focus. Something to guide, even compel, me to take relentless daily action. Analysis was helpful. And planning was still groovier. But I needed a weapon to take to the field--one whose power would grow with each skirmish. And I needed a way to keep my sense of urgency ALIVE.
I invented the weapon 11/7-11/9 and put it to use 11/10, hacking at enemy hurdles that stand between me and my goals: financial, artistic, personal, physical. And I began with a driving sense of the need for secrecy. This has never been one of my strong points. By nature, I'm inclined to share and answer almost any question. No more.
Among the things I won't discuss online: anything relating to my 'business office': release dates, numbers of sales, red hot links I use, etc...These things I'll share only with the most trusted friends and supporters
Among the things I will discuss? Oh, Lord, the blog won't die! It'll be livelier than ever here with posts about writing itself, writers I have known, reviews and more.
Timeline: This first version of the weapon has a 1-year timeline that will end 11/09/2014. At the end, I will share the specifics I've held back through the year--including sales. I'll list the goals I set--which I accomplished and where I fell short.
Keeping it honest: I have one adviser to help me gauge my progress and to keep this on the level. I'll report to her twice a month with actions taken and results.
All will be revealed in November 2014.
Once I've passed the finish line, I'll share the wealth will all.
The insights and tools I've made use of this far have all worked well: the rotations of five questions, the new 2 to three-day Playbooks, the list of 'inspired actions'...But, without abandoning those, I needed to sharpen my focus. Something to guide, even compel, me to take relentless daily action. Analysis was helpful. And planning was still groovier. But I needed a weapon to take to the field--one whose power would grow with each skirmish. And I needed a way to keep my sense of urgency ALIVE.
I invented the weapon 11/7-11/9 and put it to use 11/10, hacking at enemy hurdles that stand between me and my goals: financial, artistic, personal, physical. And I began with a driving sense of the need for secrecy. This has never been one of my strong points. By nature, I'm inclined to share and answer almost any question. No more.
Among the things I won't discuss online: anything relating to my 'business office': release dates, numbers of sales, red hot links I use, etc...These things I'll share only with the most trusted friends and supporters
Among the things I will discuss? Oh, Lord, the blog won't die! It'll be livelier than ever here with posts about writing itself, writers I have known, reviews and more.
Timeline: This first version of the weapon has a 1-year timeline that will end 11/09/2014. At the end, I will share the specifics I've held back through the year--including sales. I'll list the goals I set--which I accomplished and where I fell short.
Keeping it honest: I have one adviser to help me gauge my progress and to keep this on the level. I'll report to her twice a month with actions taken and results.
All will be revealed in November 2014.
Once I've passed the finish line, I'll share the wealth will all.
November 9, 2013
Coming Attractions: Next Week!
I know. This blog has seemed almost inactive, with little but touts for the three-day event (11/5-11/7).
But next week this blog will be jumping. You'll find throughout the week:
1) A summary of the free event, with my own impressions about what makes an event a success.
2) A new Action Manifesting Flash Bulletin, revealing a new strategy that I will implement on 11/15.
3) A review of a novel you really should read.
4) A post that I must keep top Secret.
And...more? I'm never working harder than when I don't seem to be working at all.
But next week this blog will be jumping. You'll find throughout the week:
1) A summary of the free event, with my own impressions about what makes an event a success.
2) A new Action Manifesting Flash Bulletin, revealing a new strategy that I will implement on 11/15.
3) A review of a novel you really should read.
4) A post that I must keep top Secret.
And...more? I'm never working harder than when I don't seem to be working at all.
November 4, 2013
It's okay to get excited now
Starting tomorrow, for three days, you can download a classic in horror--for free. And it's okay to be a little excited about your not paying a penny for an award-winning novel that's been streamlined and retailored for today.
It's quicker and clearer. And the ending packs more punch.
The 25th Anniversary Edition of The Suiting has real terror in every stitch. So do get a little excited today...then download for free tomorrow!
http://tiny.cc/g5u05w
Event dates are 11/5-11/7
It's quicker and clearer. And the ending packs more punch.
The 25th Anniversary Edition of The Suiting has real terror in every stitch. So do get a little excited today...then download for free tomorrow!
http://tiny.cc/g5u05w
Event dates are 11/5-11/7
November 2, 2013
Three-Day Free Event: The Suiting!
'One of the 100 most influential horror novels' will be free three days next week:
11/05-11/07
The Suiting: 25th Anniversary Edition is a streamlined, retailored version of the Stoker Award-winning novel that went on to be optioned for film.
Brad Strickland wrote of this anniversary version:
Twenty-five years ago Kelley Wilde wrote 'The Suiting,' a Stoker-award-winning horror novel that made quite a splash. Now Reb MacRath, the man behind the Kelley Wilde pseudonym, has reissued it in a somewhat revised version. It still packs a terrific punch. You might say it swings a mean--a real mean--bat. As for the story, it is mystical and horrific all at once, engrossing and involving in the same way that Stephen King's work is when King is on his game.
An old horror has come back with a new name and a hot new hair-do. Do your Kindle a favor and bag it for free. My way of thanking you for letting me return under the name Reb MacRath.
Cheers!
http://tiny.cc/mkdx5w
11/05-11/07
The Suiting: 25th Anniversary Edition is a streamlined, retailored version of the Stoker Award-winning novel that went on to be optioned for film.
Brad Strickland wrote of this anniversary version:
Twenty-five years ago Kelley Wilde wrote 'The Suiting,' a Stoker-award-winning horror novel that made quite a splash. Now Reb MacRath, the man behind the Kelley Wilde pseudonym, has reissued it in a somewhat revised version. It still packs a terrific punch. You might say it swings a mean--a real mean--bat. As for the story, it is mystical and horrific all at once, engrossing and involving in the same way that Stephen King's work is when King is on his game.
An old horror has come back with a new name and a hot new hair-do. Do your Kindle a favor and bag it for free. My way of thanking you for letting me return under the name Reb MacRath.
Cheers!
http://tiny.cc/mkdx5w
October 31, 2013
Reb MacRath, Action Manifester! Flash Bulletin #2
I've taken some big steps since starting this adventure in manifestation. And I'd learned the importance of focusing on what I do want and not what I don't want.
But two Don'ts resisted stubbornly:
1) I don't want to work the graveyard shift, beneath a tyrannical boss who blocks my every effort to transfer or get promoted.
2) I don't want to continue to suffer from low sales and few reviews on Amazon.
Lightbulb:
I can't compel the specifics of change: when I find a better job, when my book sales start to spike. But I'll continue to suffer as long as I think of Don't Wants. Since these two were the trickiest, they were the ones to beat. If I couldn't succeed overnight, I could start--overnight--by taking bold, decisive actions.
What were the two countering Do Wants?
1) I do want a Monday-Friday day job working for positive, challenging peeps, at a salary that frees me to pay my bills, live a little and advertise my books.
2) I do want keep putting out 1-2 books a year, while gaining steadily in mastery of the ebook business: effective launching of new books and hustling of the back list, obtaining more reviews, etc.
Inspired actions taken:
1) I began to look into some new Twitter followers, checking out blogs if they asked me to look. I looked for those that entertained, but also those that nurtured: reviewing books or touting events.
2) I approached one author whose blog, I thought, was dynamite--and offered her a gift copy of The Suiting, which is still low in reviews.
3) I refused to accept defeat by the tyrannical boss. I contacted one past night manager who'd escaped--and, through him, another. I now had two of the three glowing professional reviews I would need to move on. I found a third from a coworker, whom I promised to help if he helps my escape.
4) I finished the third draft of my third Boss MacTavin novel and then began the fourth draft, while starting to drum up initial interest on Twitter.
5) I decided to stage a three-day free event for The Suiting, date to be announced.
6) I solicited help from a colleague, asking for the names of 6-10 free book sites I should contact.
7) I decided on a new, bold as brass strategy to maximize my Amazon assets--and to work, from here on in, from a position of strength. Others, with only a couple of books, have proven more gifted naturally at networking and hustling online. I needed a plan that was fueled by the force of the 6 ebooks I've already published...the 7th coming by next spring...and a back list of at least 5 more. In a bold fit that stunned me, I swore what I'd do.
8) After the sudden death of a sister, I decided that life was too short for anything less than much bigger and far bolder action.
Results:
1) Almost immediately after deciding to stop being beaten at work, I got a call from a staffing agency I'd approached months ago. I interviewed with them today and decided on the spot to accept a temp-to-hire position, if offered, at a salary we agreed on.
2) From the rekindled commitment to succeeding at my writing has come a re-Kindled new goal: to inspire, entertain, move and delight...to think of my readers constantly and to try to enrich their lives.
3) You can verify this for yourselves: It's simple and it's almost instant: from the moment that you shift your focus, with conviction and intent, to the things you Do Want...the world within you starts to change the world that is without. This doesn't happen through voodoo. It happens because you no longer stand in the way of the magic. And it happens because, through your actions, you greatly assist in the birth.
But two Don'ts resisted stubbornly:
1) I don't want to work the graveyard shift, beneath a tyrannical boss who blocks my every effort to transfer or get promoted.
2) I don't want to continue to suffer from low sales and few reviews on Amazon.
Lightbulb:
I can't compel the specifics of change: when I find a better job, when my book sales start to spike. But I'll continue to suffer as long as I think of Don't Wants. Since these two were the trickiest, they were the ones to beat. If I couldn't succeed overnight, I could start--overnight--by taking bold, decisive actions.
What were the two countering Do Wants?
1) I do want a Monday-Friday day job working for positive, challenging peeps, at a salary that frees me to pay my bills, live a little and advertise my books.
2) I do want keep putting out 1-2 books a year, while gaining steadily in mastery of the ebook business: effective launching of new books and hustling of the back list, obtaining more reviews, etc.
Inspired actions taken:
1) I began to look into some new Twitter followers, checking out blogs if they asked me to look. I looked for those that entertained, but also those that nurtured: reviewing books or touting events.
2) I approached one author whose blog, I thought, was dynamite--and offered her a gift copy of The Suiting, which is still low in reviews.
3) I refused to accept defeat by the tyrannical boss. I contacted one past night manager who'd escaped--and, through him, another. I now had two of the three glowing professional reviews I would need to move on. I found a third from a coworker, whom I promised to help if he helps my escape.
4) I finished the third draft of my third Boss MacTavin novel and then began the fourth draft, while starting to drum up initial interest on Twitter.
5) I decided to stage a three-day free event for The Suiting, date to be announced.
6) I solicited help from a colleague, asking for the names of 6-10 free book sites I should contact.
7) I decided on a new, bold as brass strategy to maximize my Amazon assets--and to work, from here on in, from a position of strength. Others, with only a couple of books, have proven more gifted naturally at networking and hustling online. I needed a plan that was fueled by the force of the 6 ebooks I've already published...the 7th coming by next spring...and a back list of at least 5 more. In a bold fit that stunned me, I swore what I'd do.
8) After the sudden death of a sister, I decided that life was too short for anything less than much bigger and far bolder action.
Results:
1) Almost immediately after deciding to stop being beaten at work, I got a call from a staffing agency I'd approached months ago. I interviewed with them today and decided on the spot to accept a temp-to-hire position, if offered, at a salary we agreed on.
2) From the rekindled commitment to succeeding at my writing has come a re-Kindled new goal: to inspire, entertain, move and delight...to think of my readers constantly and to try to enrich their lives.
3) You can verify this for yourselves: It's simple and it's almost instant: from the moment that you shift your focus, with conviction and intent, to the things you Do Want...the world within you starts to change the world that is without. This doesn't happen through voodoo. It happens because you no longer stand in the way of the magic. And it happens because, through your actions, you greatly assist in the birth.
October 28, 2013
Coming Thursday: Flash Bulletin #2!
Exciting things are happening on the Action Manifesting front. In fact, to condense them into proper Flash length, I'll need a couple of days.
This one, I believe, is worth its wait in gold.
So put it on your calendars:
Thursday, 10/31
This one, I believe, is worth its wait in gold.
So put it on your calendars:
Thursday, 10/31
