S.K. Thomas's Blog, page 8

Simply Write

For a moment, let go of the days agenda. Yes, you heard me right, the list of things that need to get done. Release the tension and stress that has built up internally. Inhale a deep breath and forcefully exhale while letting it all go.

Release the list of errands, shuttling the kids around, the list of marketing for your book, calling an agent, publisher or another author friend.

Remember what got us here in the first place. Our love and passion for writing. The very thing that makes you tick.

Which brings me to remind you, Simply Write:



Is there any greater satisfaction in the world than to just simply write? Like a mini vacation, without all the expense and stress of traveling. I can see it now, settling in behind the keyboard and just let your imagination take you away. Who needs Calgon? That place we all love to go, away from all real world stresses and responsibility, creating a world that takes us to another level. An enchanted state of happiness, of just being. A level that balances, completes and heals us all at the same time.

Some of the most soothing times in my life are when I'm writing. Don't you feel as if something is missing or off balance when you haven't partaken in writing for a while? It can get to the point where it feels odd or strange, like your directness of purpose is gone.

Of course, it's not, there has been too many other distractions. To me, writing is better than any drug I can get on the streets and when your done there is no rehab waiting for you in the wings.

I will wrap it up with a few last quotes, as I bid a fond farewell for now as I must go and simply write.



You write because you must. You had a vision. Or because it's your business. -Quote, Alan Kealey

There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.
-Quote, Maya Angelou








Simply post a comment to start a conversation.


SK Thomas is a writer, author, book reviewer and the curious creative complex brain behind this blog. Connect @skthomasauthor or http://www.skthomasauthor.com to learn more about her Pawned Queen Thriller Series.

Evolution of Writers

Whether we want to call ourselves writers, storytellers or authors, we can all agree there is an evolution process that takes place not only in our writing, but also in ourselves.

If you are writing for cathartic reasons, to create something unique or simply because without it you feel incomplete, there's a reason.

Regardless of the reason, evol-ution happens:

Professionally speaking, it might not be to write the next great novel, but simply to write your next one better than the last. As we write our books or blogs, we should see ourselves improving as we hone in our craft. Hey, Rome wasn't built in a day and neither is a writer.

Personally speaking, it can be to give yourself balance, face your fears or even just to create a world that's maybe not so humdrum.



We evolve in how we view the world, challenging us to see how great our lives might actually be, in the relationships we nurture or decide not to nurture and possibly to find a deeper meaning within ourselves along the way.

Writing is so much more than about sales, statistics and becoming the next great author. Although, none of us would shy away from any of that I'm sure.

I write to give myself strength, I write to be the characters I am not, I write to explore all the things I am afraid of. ~Joss Whedon



Simply post a comment to start a conversation.






SK Thomas is a writer, author, book reviewer and the curious creative complex brain behind this blog. Connect @skthomasauthor or http://www.skthomasauthor.com to learn more about her Pawned Queen Thriller Series.

All In or Diversify

I've been listening to authors ask the question we would all like an answer to:
All In or Diversify?

That is an age old question, especially for an indie author. But is there really a right or wrong answer?

There was a time on this blog when I promoted diversifying over Amazon's Kindle Unlimited, more websites equals more people seeing it, right? Well, that's not always the case. Every author has to make this decision.



But I learned a thing or two along the way. Like for instance, if you have reviews on all different sites there is no concentrated reviewing place to thrive. The reviews are getting scattered all over the web. The more of these you have in one concentrated area, the more your book rises up the charts and gets noticed. All in, also means the less an author has to direct traffic when marketing and promoting. And it's very beneficial when an indie author has to make changes and updates, on one site can really be a time saver.

I was one of those hesitant indie authors, as I watched and waited trying my hand at diversifying first. As time and frustration went on, I looked more into that one spot option that would work for me, knowing fully the idea of selling on only one particular site is quite scary. Honestly, I kind of felt like a sellout. But I also knew I really needed this experience to see which would fare better for me as an indie author.

After several months, I really began to utilize all the benefits and opportunities and saw positive results. For me, it's a much easier way of doing business. It's an opportunity that has benefited me in my writing life, especially for a start-up author. Everything is targeted to one specific area, for the most part. And the better news is, I believe for indie authors it's a good start for rising to the next level in the writing world while making it a little easier.

In the end, everyone needs to decide for themselves. What will be better for you as an indie author? Are you going all in or is diversifying the key?


You want to talk, I will listen. Post a comment to start a conversation.




SK Thomas is a writer, author, book reviewer and the curious creative complex brain behind this blog. Connect @skthomasauthor or http://www.skthomasauthor.com to learn more about her Pawned Queen Thriller Series.

Memorial Day Weekend

In honor of Memorial Day weekend...
Let's remember all those who fought for our freedom.

And then I give you permission to take a load off, relax, breathe, and kick off the weekend in grand style.

Today until May 26th, absolutely FREE is my novella, Pawned Queen.

Snatch your free-dom here:
http://www.amazon.com/Pawned-Queen-SK...

Pawned Queen, a mystery/thriller novella that's fast paced to keep you on your toes wanting more.



Please stay tuned and be ready for the next article on May 28, 2015.

Don't forget to enjoy my earlier blog posts as well.

And always remember that I thank you for all your continued support while I cannot wait to be reconnected with my readers on May 28th.



SK Thomas is a writer, author, book reviewer and the curious creative complex brain behind this blog. Connect @skthomasauthor or http://www.skthomasauthor.com to learn more about her Pawned Queen Thriller Series.

Fragile State of Mind

I've been witnessing authors and writers on social media lately who are scared to get reviews. More importantly, freaked out when they get a review they hadn't anticipated. Or better yet, what most would call a bad review. This made me wonder, what is it really all about?

There's no such thing as a bad review, as long as you're an honest, straightforward author and not trying to scam the readers! Did you know bad reviews get more looks and hits than all of the five star reviews combined? And constructive critiques will make you a better author and writer, if you listen. They could actually help book sales or cause others to come to your rescue, read your book and decide the other person is wrong. And did you know that every review is important to give you validity as a writer and author? There are a lot of writers and authors out there who couldn't pay people to review their books. Be happy you are getting reviews and there is movement.



I will be the first to admit, sometimes when things happen not expected in this business regarding my books, it does shake my confidence to an extent. I start to question all the things that other authors and writers question when fear rises and insecurity takes over. We all do it on some level or another. I must say, I am very grateful to those people who take the time to point out certain aspects maybe I should think about changing. Because without their constructive critiquing, I might never be the wiser. And then, there are those times beyond constructive critiquing when you get a review that is just plain mean with loads of criticism. What then? Nothing, you must rise above with the understanding this person probably has more going on in their lives than we're privy to. They were able to say their peace, whether the book simply wasn't their cup of tea or whatever their reasoning.

Most people of the world understand completely, this is your baby and you've worked so hard doing the very best you could at that particular time.

In the grand scheme of things, this is what you signed up for. This is the process of moving forward, learning from your mistakes and growing as a writer and author. This is the process to make us better and represents movement, movement represents life.

*Being an author or writer as with any business, you have to acquire thick skin.
*Have conviction and know who you are, not only as a writer but as a person.
*You have to take the good with what we perceive as bad.
*Looking at the whole picture, it's just the journey we must go on to achieve greatness while conquering our fragile state of mind as creative individuals.
*There is light at the end of that dark tunnel, but you have to make your way through the tunnel first. I have found lots of good resting places along the way to recapture and be renewed by that light before trudging back into the tunnel.





You want to talk, I will listen. Post a comment to start a conversation.




SK Thomas is a writer, author, book reviewer and the curious creative complex brain behind this blog. Connect @skthomasauthor or http://www.skthomasauthor.com to learn more about her Pawned Queen Thriller Series.

Spotlight: The Dreamer by Richard Steinitz

The Spotlight this week is on Richard Steinitz. He is an author of Murder Over the Border and Kaplan's Quest. Although he would much rather be called a storyteller than an author because the title "author" seems a bit grand to him.

Richard never thought seriously about writing a book until the Army stepped in! One of his jobs was to sit in a little bunker on the side of the hill, with a tin roof over their heads to keep the sun off and a huge telescope inside it. The job was to watch the movement of Jordanian Army vehicles, going up and down the road that parallels the border on the Jordanian side and keep a journal of every one that drove past. The job was boring, to say the least, since only half a dozen or so army vehicles drove down that road in a given day. But this is what prompted him to start writing, and thankfully so.

So without further ado, I present Richard Steinitz:


How did this happen? Did I dream all my life of being a writer? Was this my life’s ambition? Did I make many attempts at writing before these books? Well, the answer to all these questions is NO!

I was a terrible pupil in school (I would probably be diagnosed with ADD if I were a pupil today), and not much better at University. Besides being bored and really uninterested in what my teachers were trying to teach me, the physical act of writing with pen and paper was for me an effort beyond belief.

I did, however, enjoy reading and spent most of my school days with a novel hidden behind the textbook I was supposed to be reading. To this day, I am a voracious reader, it takes me around one day to read the average detective novel.

I had good fortune one summer at a small outpost near the triangle border – the junction of Israel, Jordan and Syria, at the meeting of the Jordan and Yarmukh rivers. The physical location was beautiful when nature stepped in with a band of gazelles that wandered around the base. They were small and light enough so that they didn’t set off the mines that were scattered outside the barbed-wire fencing, and so they could come very close to where we were. The telescope was for us to be able to see whether vehicles coming down the road were military or civilian and to identify the units they belonged to. But I spent a bit more time watching the gazelles than I probably should have and really regretted not having a camera with me to photograph them.

This combination of gazelles, telescope and boredom rattled around in my mind for a long, long time. It seemed to me to be a great idea for a story of some kind, even though I had no experience in writing stories.

One day, that seed germinated and I started to write without any real plan or outline. It took me seven years to write what became “Murder Over the Border”, though I did do a few other things too.

The one thing that helped me get started on this was my first portable computer. It was a local, Israeli invention, by the makers of the “Targumon” electronic dictionary, and had a tiny screen that held four lines of text! However, it was a computer, it could save files and I could even transfer them to my main computer. For me, the big advantage of using this to write on was that I could avoid the physical act and effort that is involved in writing by hand or by typewriter. Plus, the added bonus, I could do it anywhere.

I still have this little computer and I keep it to remind me of where it all started. I would never have written the book without it. Digitally, I was now an author; mechanically, I would have remained a dreamer.




Join Richard on twitter @RichardSteinitz or see him at https://www.facebook.com/RichardStein...




Simply post a comment to start a
conversation.


SK Thomas is a writer, author, book reviewer and the curious creative complex brain behind this blog. Connect @skthomasauthor or http://www.skthomasauthor.com to learn more about her Pawned Queen Thriller Series.

No Money, No Problem: Humbled and Grateful

Thank you to all of my readers for your continued support. I am very humbled and grateful for all of you.

I believe in the give and take of life and always returning the favor. This is America after all where we are free to write, express our creativity and share it with others.

Readers, bloggers and book reviewers this is a perfect time to give your opinion, share your thoughts and let your voice be heard.


No shirt
No shoes
No money
equals
NO problem

Today until May 4th, opportunity knocks to be seized. Transcending Queen, the second novella in my Pawned Queen Thriller Series is now FREE with fast pace mystery and psychological suspense to keep someone questioning their belief and faith in humanity until the very end.

Snatch your free-dom here:
http://www.amazon.com/Transcending-Qu...






Thank you again for all your continued support.


SK Thomas is a writer, author, book reviewer and the curious creative complex brain behind this blog. Connect @skthomasauthor or http://www.skthomasauthor.com to learn more about her Pawned Queen Thriller Series.

Curious Creative Complexity

The circuitous definition of complexity is to characterize someone with many parts where those parts interact with each other in a multitude of ways. There is no absolute definition of what complexity means according to Wikipedia. Yes, you read that right, so in other words sky is the limit as far as your curious creative complexity goes as a writer and author.

Creative thinking is influenced by many factors as they come together and intertwine in each one of us. And according to researcher Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, "creative people show tendencies of thought and action that in most people are segregated. They contain contradictory extremes; instead of being an "individual," each of them is a "multitude."

So what does that mean to all us writers and authors out there creating these intricate story lines and complex characters weaving every detail in and out of each other with mighty taps on our keyboard?



It means you have everything you need within you to be that creative genius you're critical to find. It's all there. That smart and wise side of you that knows where the story is going instinctively and shares the deepest insights with rational, sound judgement. Along with the naive and childish side to make the story interesting and fun with visionary thinking. Creative people experience both extremes with equal intensity.

It means, like the color white that includes all colors, they tend to bring together the entire range of human possibilities within themselves. Creativity allows for paradox, light, shadow, inconsistency, even chaos.

As a curious creative complex individual, there is also a painfully self-doubting part of us that wonders if we've captured on paper what we imagine in our minds, if we did it justice and others can connect. This plagues some truly gifted and talented individuals. Yet, there is always a silver lining when one taps into their wildly self-confident side each and every creative individual possesses. Tap in it, be secure in your own creations. Find that excitement and positivity for what you've thrown out into the universe and share with others. Embrace what makes you who you are, a curious creative complex individual.





Simply post a comment to start a conversation.




SK Thomas is a writer, author, book reviewer and the curious creative complex brain behind this blog. Connect @skthomasauthor or http://www.skthomasauthor.com to learn more about her Pawned Queen Thriller Series.

Burning Books

In today's society, e-books are all the rage. You can find them almost anywhere online and they come a dime a dozen. So, wouldn't it make since to burn all paperbacks and hardcovers? Why are they still around? When will we stop paying librarians and supporting libraries in today's modern age?

Some may call it unconstitutional, where others can't wrap their minds around an age when hardcovers don't exist. Personally, I still like to get books from the library once in a while, reminiscent of childhood. I get really thrilled when an author takes the time to mail me a copy of their book for review. Why? Maybe there is something tangible about being able to turn a page with the paper actually between your fingers and feel the real book in your hands.

But, shouldn't we just burn them already and be done with it?

Richard Steinitz, a fellow author of fictional works such as Murder Over the Border and Kaplan's Quest has this to say on the following topic:

The advent of E-books heralded the arrival of the Digital Age in publishing and the emancipation of the author from the publishers’ slavery – at least in theory. Today, all you need in order to get published is a computer to write on and an internet connection! Through Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing you can upload a file that you have created, together with a graphic file for the cover and voila – you have an E-book. And at Zero Cost! All you need is to set the price and then let everyone know that you have published your book. It really is that easy and I’m not promoting Amazon’s services for them – there are several other similar options available. So yes, digital publishing has opened up a new world and has enabled everyone to be a published author. The growing number of e-book ‘readers’ is one good reason: Kindles, Nooks and dozens of other little machines are now available at a range of prices that make them almost universally accessible. And if you don’t want to buy another piece of technology, there is Kindle software which is 100% free for just about every type of computer, tablet and Smartphone available. Even conventional publishers have woken up and discovered the commercial potential in digital publishing.



Wait, say that again. Even conventional publishers have woken up and discovered the commercial potential in digital publishing.

We got it, so let's just burn all these paper books. But wait, is that it? Not according to Richard. He goes on to say:

BUT ... (there’s always a but). The internet, such as places like Amazon, makes your book available for anyone that knows about it and wants to buy it. BUT does little, if anything, to PROMOTE your book. Plus, you loose the fun of going to a bookstore and browsing through their books. You might not like to read from a screen, be it a small e-book reader. One thing is certain – this is the way things are moving and we will all have to get used to it sooner or later. Books, for now, that we buy for pleasure are still available in hard copy and as e-books. But printed textbooks are rapidly disappearing.

There you have it, maybe I should put my lighter down and let these hardcovers die of old age already. Let them run their course and give them the dignity they deserve until they disintegrate on their own time. There is something about the smell of a well-aged hardcover book, the feel of its texture in your hands and the idea that maybe some day we will no longer be able to enjoy such a pleasure.


Simply post a comment to start a conversation.






To learn more about Richard Steinitz and his books, go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Richard-Steinit...



SK Thomas is a writer, author, book reviewer and the curious creative brain behind this blog. Connect @skthomasauthor or http://www.skthomasauthor.com to learn more about her Pawned Queen Thriller Series.

Self-Imposed Limitations

Are we as writers limiting ourselves now in this day and age of so many distractions? This should be a revolutionary time when we can reach out and talk or socialize to anyone, anywhere in any country at any time. Are there limitations or are we just self-imposing limitations into our lives as writers and authors?

I found a few rules that can remind us how simple it can be, but is it truly that simple?

Because the world has changed so much and because these quotes are from a different era, is it still good advice or are we a different generation of writers and authors in much more challenging times? I’m not the first to note the challenge that modern computing presents to human concentration. Writing is a hard thing to do. When do you find that precious time to do it?


RULES:

Eliminate distraction.

Fair enough, I definitely am a fan of no distractions. However, at this time we have such nuances like the internet and millions of opportunities to stray on the internet, twitter, social media, email, texting, and Facebook. Oh, did I mention more social media? Is this really sound advice? Probably more than ever this is a timeless quote, although much harder to abide by. Let's face it, the name of the game is focus.

First write for yourself, and then worry about the audience.

I completely agree, however we still want our stories to be mainstream enough to find an audience. Go to town on all your creativity, but don't alienate your potential audience by jumping the shark so far that you're lost out at sea alone."

You have three months. “The first draft of a book—even a long one—should take no more than three months, the length of a season.”

This is a good guideline in this overly busy and stressed out world with insurmountable distractions, but is it really realistic? I think everyone writes at their own pace and has their own system. However long it takes, it takes. Writers and authors should use their own judgement and creativity wisely. Let your inner self navigate.

Social networking sites for authors and writers are priceless. We can converse about anything including the times we celebrate victories to fears, frustrations and questions we might have. Sometimes it's just nice to have a bent ear and someone who will listen or even help us make a decision on a book cover, synopsis or about marketing aspects. How much time is too much spent distracting ourselves with other things? If we spend more time writing, does that keep us from selling more books or undermine our precious marketing plan? Are we just making excuses instead of getting on with it already?

If there is no direction, this can be quite scary and paralyzing. How do you balance your time to get optimal results?


Start a conversation and leave your thoughts.


SK Thomas is a writer, author, blogger and book reviewer.
Follow her @skthomasauthor