Andrew Toynbee's Blog, page 12
August 2, 2013
Why a writer needs self-discipline – and a schedule
Well, my writing seems to be getting back on track, although it’s definitely early days yet
Last week, I decided that the time for change had come. I’d been in a quandary for a while, constantly churning out profitable short stories and novellas, but at the expense of my sequel to ‘A Construct of Angels.’
I was writing, yes, but not getting anywhere with my long-term projects. I’d released one book, but my peers were on their second, third or more and I was merely treading water. I was also upset that some indie authors had ten or even twenty books in their back catalogue
I had one – and I needed to prove to myself that it wasn’t a fluke. Not only that, but I was being (politely) nagged about my lack of progress – thanks Peter.
So changes were made. Towards the end of last week, I created ‘Angels week.’ During this time, which would repeat on the fourth week of every month, I would put aside all other projects, completed or not, to concentrate solely upon ‘A Vengeance of Angels.’ The word count for this project can be seen at the right-hand side of the page (beneath the cover for ‘Construct’). It has shown no change since I posted it there about two months ago.
Not any more. With ‘Angels week’ in place, it should begin to grow steadily, being updated at the weeks end.
This sort of self-discipline has been long-overdue, but in my defence, I have been very busy trying to keep the wolf from the door. Short stories write and sell quickly, novellas almost as fast. They bring in much-needed funds and cannot simply be ditched. But they are short-term and will quickly be forgotten, lost amongst the ocean of small tales that appear every week. Larger projects, such as novels, are the slow stones that grind steadily away, producing small, but steady rewards that include not only currency, but confidence, credibility and that faint sparkle of a dream that is discovery.
Another blogger commented that this confusion is fairly common amongst writers and authors as they develop their craft. They must not only find their own voice, but they also need to integrate their writing into their lives so that it neither takes over nor gets swamped and lost. The metaphor of ‘finding the right jacket’ was suggested (thanks Jon!) and it works. There is a jacket for every situation in life – and every writer needs to find one that fits and will work for their lifestyle.
Has your writing life become a muddle? Are you always starting but never finishing? Are you so busy helping others or churning out short stories and fragmented scenes that you are creating nothing in real terms?
Perhaps you need to develop an ‘Angels week’ too…or just set aside that much-needed ‘me time’ that will get your writing back on track.
July 30, 2013
July 29, 2013
How to accept editing feedback
Within the last few weeks I have been on both sides of the editing fence, in a non-professional capacity, and it’s been a fascinating and emotional experience.
It’s surprising how much this editing lark tugs at the heartstrings…probably because I was working with friends’ MSs, not an ‘author unknown’ whose work I could have viewed more dispassionately.
At first. there’s the realisation that I am holding someone’s hard work in my hands. I handle it like fine china whilst wearing thin white cotton gloves. Eventually, once I have carefully tip-toed through the copyright page and the dedication page – pages that look uncannily similar to my own – I get down to reading the actual story.
Fairly quickly, I begin to read it as an editor, albeit an amateur one. I discover small errors. There are the obvious typos, misplaced words that the spell checker skimmed past, stray aspostrophe’s 
Those are all straightforward and easy to highlight. At this stage, I feel no guilt for messing with someone’s hard work.
But then there are the ’clumsy’ sentences; the ones that find you circling the same spot on the page like a buzzard as you consider rephrasing; ‘The stars appeared in a velvet sky along with the shining object that as a child, the cow had jumped over – the Moon – just before the clouds began to roll in.’
I should emphasise that no-one actually committed that sentence to ePaper. It’s just an example…but it’s awkward, right?
But I’ve stared at many similar sentences, wondering if I’m just being mean, picky or plain British-awkward by even considering the idea of changing them. If I correct it, will it then jar with the rest of the MS? Will I have ruined the artistry that the writer sought to inject into the words?
Will it change the mood if I type it up as; ‘Clouds mushroomed along the horizon, building quickly, threatening to swallow the moon - my childhood inspiration – and spoil the cobalt, star-spotted beauty of the late evening sky.’ That’s more my style – but do I have the right to impose it on another writer?
Guilty questions begin to rattle my brain;
‘Do I leave that alone?’
‘Is it actually wrong – or do I just not like it personally?’
It’s the same thing when I read ‘Phil pushed himself off of the table.’ Brits hate this – but it seems to be normal in the US.
With some phrases, I wonder;
‘Is that how an American would phrase it – or is it wrong?’
Take; ‘He dropped the tailgate of the pickup and drug out the fishing nets.’ Brits would throw up their hands in horror – but in the US? I honestly don’t know if drug is an acceptable past tense form of drag.
If it’s speech, then I leave it well alone. Characters can talk exactly as they want to – unless I stumble across someone suddenly saying ‘I did not want to…’ or ‘I shall not do…’ when they would normally contract their speech.
Then we have; ’The teenagers hung around the park most of the day, but one by one they began to slope off home.’
‘Would American readers understand that term? Is it too British? Should it be international-ised?’
It’s been pointed out to me that I use a lot of British English. Yes, that’s probably true, but short of avoiding all words that end in ‘-ised’ or changing them to ‘-ized’ and cutting out the letter ‘u’ from words ending with ‘-our’, I’m not sure of the best way around that issue. I am (mostly) English, my story is set in York, my main characters are (for the most part) English and at no point do they leave the country. If I was to convert my MS to American English, I would then be turning my back on the very ‘Britishness’ of my story. It’s a no win, no win situation.
I find myself thoroughly quandried, plus I feel a growing respect for editors who must straddle these intenational conundrua.
On the receiving end;
The edited MS arrives as an attachment – I download it and crack it open, wondering how much red I will see. The first comment pops up, and I instantly feel (in turn and within the space of a few seconds) the following;
Irritation
Annoyance
Anger
Resignation
Acceptance
Determination
Purpose
Is it just me? Am I unique in that I see red because someone has dared to question my writing? I mean – how dare they?
Oh, they’re editing it for me. Fair enough.
The ire quickly fades as my Muse nods sagely and persuades me (diplomatically) that the editor could well be right and that perhaps a small change would benefit the MS. So I sigh, I change it, I move on to the next comment.
It’s a hard thing, to accept the critique of another. If you’ve a thin skin, it feels as if someone is simply telling you; ‘No, you’re done that wrong.’ If you’re thicker skinned – and writers need to be – then it should be seen as ‘fine tuning’, as necessary as – for example – a haircut. The hairdresser may not actually hate your hair, but they still need to take off a little bit here and tidy it up there. It’s not personal.
But it can sure feel like it. >.<
Just think of it as the next little step towards presenting your best possible work to the world. Grit your teeth, thicken your skin, go get that haircut and let it happen.
So easy to say…so tricky to accept.
July 26, 2013
Blogging for Writers
The right to write
Everyone has a story worth telling. Writing helps you tell it, and if you learn how to write properly, you could even become a successfully published author.
Everything begins with words. Words make sense of a senseless world. Psychologists agree that writing is one of the most therapeutic exercises for any human being. I believe writing every day is important because it unleashes your creativity, it shows your determination, and it keeps your sense of wonder alive.
Good advice for anyone who has yet to start their own blog.
July 24, 2013
Reminder; Video clip competition – only a week to go!
Just a quick reminder to everyone that a week is left for entries into my Video Clip competition – entries will be closed on 1st August – and I’ve already been amazed by the response!
Keep them coming!
A signed and personally dedicated copy of my eBook ‘A Construct of Angels’ is up for grabs for every clip that I’m able to use in my promotional video for the same book.
In addition, the best ten submissions will receive a signed ‘Construct’ bookmark.
So if you have a camera or a phone, click on the links above or below and see if you can capture a short piece of video that matches any of the requested shots I’ve asked for. Alternatively, if you’re already read ‘A Construct of Angels’ and a different scene has inspired you, feel free to film that instead.
There’s also still time to grab a copy from Amazon.com / Amazon.co.uk / Smashwords / Kobo and see if you are inspired.
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July 23, 2013
OED – a very useful on-line resource
No, it’s not the Oxford English Dictionary, although the initials are an interesting coincidence. What I found was the Online Etymology Dictionary, a site that goes into extensive detail about the origins of words and phrases.
For fun have a look at the page I stumbled upon;
http://www.etymonline.com/baloney.php
I found this site whilst researching the origins of the word ‘shit.’ If I tell you this, then the page above will make more sense.
The reason I was searching? I needed to have a tenth-century mythological character (old Norse) swear correctly, without the danger of anachronism.
I DID find what I was looking for, but I think I have stumbled upon a very interesting site…interesting if you are writing historical fantasy or fiction.
Or if you just love words – which many writers do.
This site now joins my bookmarked sites listed under ‘Writer Resources.’
Enjoy!
July 19, 2013
Writers; Lets pool our resources – what do YOU know about?
Some time ago I posted Jack-versus Enistein – a post that discussed whether it was better for a writer to be an expert, or a Jack of all trades.
Whilst I’m quite happy to be the latter, it occured to me that many of us will still have some knowledge of a subject that others may find difficult to research. If I was to include a scene in my next book where a character baked…for example…cupcakes, I wouldn’t have a clue where to start looking. Alright, sure… Google would probably be my first port of call, but there’s only so much you can learn from trawling websites. Some scenes need the personal touch that only an experienced friend can provide.
This idea popped up whilst I was leaving a comment for Setsu (Hello and thanks for the follow!), an expert in martial arts. I wish I’d known Setsu when I was crafting my scene in ‘A Construct of Angels’ that involved a swordfight between Michael, the constructed angel and his Anakim foe, the self-styled Damocles. Instead, I had to trawl the interweb for sword-fighting techniques, finally chancing upon a gentleman who had written a book on sword-fighting and who was able to give me a few pointers.
Later, when I was writing a couple of triage scenes for the same book, I was lucky enough to be able to send the relevant passages to a paramedic I’d met in York. I’d done most of the research about the (serious) injuries on-line. He returned them with complimentary notes, but suggested some useful improvements – most likely stuff that I wouldn’t have found on-line.
So, what do you all think about this; listing what you consider yourself to be fairly good at.
Perhaps you’re not expert, but we’re not writing reference books here. We just need enough to craft a scene that is reasonably accurate and fairly thorough. I would be the last person to consider myself ‘expert’ in anything. I’m sure that I share that feeling with many of you (aren’t most writers self-doubting introverts, after all?). But I have amassed a fair bit of knowledge of a few disparate subjects in my twenty-five fifty years on Earth (who changed that line?).
So why not put that knowledge to good use?
For instance, I may be in a position to advise writers who are struggling to craft a scene that requires knowledge of *takes deep breath* quantum physics, or starship design – both subjects I love (yeah, I know. I’m a Geek. I admit it). I also love geology, cosmology, and a few other ‘ologies’ that I won’t bore you with here.
This is my proposal; Could you help a writer who was stuck for some details? Would you be willing to answer questions from other writers? Could you spare some time to read through some extracts and help them on their way? Could you at least point them in the right direction?
We could all benefit from this – and write better and stronger stories as a result. Think of this as a long-term project. It may not be something that would benefit your current WIP, but can you be sure that it might not come in useful for the next one?
So, to kick off, I’ll list what I can offer to other writers. If I can’t answer questions on these subjects immediately, I have a good stock of reference books to hand.
Here goes…
I have a good knowledge of;
Cosmology (star formation, beginning and end of the universe).
Quantum Physics (atoms, particles, energy and radiation).
Starship theory (drives, environments, construction).
Theory of time travel, plus cause and effect.
(Dare I say this?) Rocket Science.
Planetary behaviour including some aspects of geology and geography.
Some World War 2 history, mainly European Theatre.
And on a more day-to-day basis;
Mechanical engineering.
Vehicle mechanics, some military strategies, aircraft behaviour.
Chemistry, physics, engineering.
Movie-making (scene construction to post-production).
Factory production-line techniques.
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Perhaps you could add to the list and we might build a healthy database of subjects that would give our writing that ‘expert’ touch.
It doesn’t matter if your knowledge overlaps with that of another writer – we all know different facts about similar subjects. List what you know, and a writer who is stuck can always throw out a question to more than one ‘expert’…someone is bound to know the answer.
If this is successful, ‘experts’ might be able to advise on single scenes (like my sword-fighting scene) and tidy up the facts a little.
I read recently how many film-makers are simply ignoring physical laws for the sake of drama (don’t get me started on ‘Independence Day’ – although I still love it, or ‘Armageddon’ – which drives me craaaazy).
Let’s be better than that.
Let’s get it right.
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July 18, 2013
Video clip competition – only two weeks to go!
Just a quick reminder to everyone that only two weeks are left for entries into my Video Clip competition – entries will be closed on 1st August – and I’ve already been amazed by the response!
Keep them coming!
A signed and personally dedicated copy of my eBook ‘A Construct of Angels’ is up for grabs for every clip that I’m able to use in my promotional video for the same book.
In addition, the best ten submissions will receive a signed ‘Construct’ bookmark.
So if you have a camera or a phone, click on the links above or below and see if you can capture a short piece of video that matches any of the requested shots I’ve asked for. Alternatively, if you’re already read ‘A Construct of Angels’ and a different scene has inspired you, feel free to film that instead.
There’s also still time to grab a copy from Amazon.com / Amazon.co.uk / Smashwords / Kobo and see if you are inspired.
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July 17, 2013
One year on from my first post – and look what’s changed!
A few days ago, WordPress sent me a reminder that I’d just published my 100th post – and I was taken aback.
I suddenly realised that it has been almost exactly one year since I first created my first ever post; The best rejection letter ever?
And what a lot has happened in those twelve months – just look at the stats;
Last July This July
1 post 100+ posts
2 WP followers 235+ WP followers (update?)
20 Facebook followers 900+ Facebook followers
no Twitter account 475+ Twitter followers
No eBook published eBook self-published
No paperback Paperback very close to completion
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This is all part of spreading the word, of building an author platform – and it’s looking quite good, IMHO.
Along the way, I have met some very talented people. Some of them are constantly beating a path for the rest of us to follow, whilst others are still following their aspirations to publish. Many are very, very close to that first eBook or printed book.
Then there are the non-writer bloggers who post recipes, amazing photographs or offer philosophical insights that leave me thinking ‘wow…’
I have learned a great deal since last July. Back then I had just exhausted my 102-strong list of UK-based Literary Agencies and whilst I’d received some encouragement along the way (notably The best rejection letter ever?), I was no closer to being published.
At that time I was on a knife-edge, wondering if I ought to begin querying US-based agencies – but electronically. I could never have afforded the postage costs. I was already several hundreds of pounds down (I still am) and further investment would have crippled me financially.
And then I began hearing, via Facebook and WordPress, about self-publishing. I was (at first) curious – and then intrigued. I wanted to know more.
The seed was sown. As the rejection letters continued to trickle in, I decided to learn all I could about creating and publishing an eBook, just in case none of the agencies picked up my book. They didn’t – so I launched myself into the world of ePublishing. The rest, as they say, is history. Very recent history – and something I could not have done without help from fellow bloggers.
Sharing – it’s the best part of blogging! It makes the lonely business of writing feel a lot less…well, lonely. We all get to read about other people’s experiences on a daily basis, both the good and the bad. Most notable is Ryan Casey’s runaway success with his short stories and novels and Michelle Proulx’s difficult journey with the publisher iUniverse. Both authors have flourished, but their experiences contrast greatly. But even bad experiences can teach us all something. Thanks for sharing, Michelle!
What’s most encouraging is the great feedback that I’ve received. Every comment makes me want to post again…and again. I love seeing that little orange star at the top of my dashboard. It’s encouraging to know that someone had read and ‘liked’ my words. But even more heart-warming is that little orange speech bubble. Whatever I was about to do, whatever words I had in mind…they get sidelined as I click on the bubble to see the message that has been left.
A blogger once remarked that comments are addictive. They were right. I love them! They have delivered support and encouragement in so many different ways. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to leave me feedback.
I wonder if my second year of blogging will be as fascinating and thrilling a ride as the first?
See you all in July 2014!
Keep blogging (especially Shay Starcaller)!
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Post Script;
What I hadn’t expected – and this came right out of the blue as I was preparing to post, was this;
I really had NO IDEA that I’d been with WordPress for so long. It’s true that I’ve chronicled my writing endeavours as far back as 1999 (see The Homeworld Saga), but that was all retro-written just to document where my modern writing began to coalesce properly.
But four years?
Wow…
Time does fly when you’re having fun doing what you love the most!
July 13, 2013
Guest Post: How Self-Publishing is Made Easy and Effective by Jasmine Roy
Reblogged from Self-Published Authors Helping Other Authors:
How Self-Publishing is Made Easy and Effective
Are you an author aspiring to undertake the big challenge of self publishing your book? Then it is indeed a great challenge to put your own efforts and dedication to publish your creation. Several authors, worldwide, try their hands at self publishing as it allows them considerable freedom to exhibit their research and skills.
A few tips for the self-publisher.
