I.H. Laking's Blog, page 6

“You are a Writer.”

“Ian, you are a writer.”

And with those words, I decided: I was going to give this writing thing a real crack. I wasn’t anywhere special when someone told me I was a writer; it was the lunchroom at my workplace, and a colleague of mine had read my story and liked it. What made it special was her background in publishing, and how much I value her input. Those five words broke through a barrier of doubt that had subtly plagued me: was I good enough to pursue writing? Should I not bother and sink my energy into something else? A year on, I still have doubts, but I know my writing continues to improve every time I work.

I’m not saying that I needed someone to tell I was a writer before I could kick on and create more stories; it was the affirmation that I needed – to break through the initial walls I had started my writing career with. You see, I think it takes a certain amount of ignorance to begin writing. That might be ignorance of the work that ahead of you, or ignorance of how what you’re about to write may well fail. When I wrote my first novella, I was looking for a challenge, but I was unaware of the work required to craft a story and then polish it to perfection. I simply knew that I wanted to write, and so I wrote.

Affirmation is a funny thing – coming from a random person, it’s nice, and helps me feel good about my craft; but when someone who’s walked the same literary path gives me a compliment or some solid advice, it can carry me for weeks. I love hearing from people who’ve read my work, and I cherish those interactions, but now I’m getting to the pointy end of the publishing process, I’m seeking out professional feedback and advice to see if I can get my manuscript published (hence why I’m going to the Writers Victoria Publishing Intensive this weekend). I may get knocked back, but I’ll keep coming back to what first got me started: I am a writer, I can do this, just tell me how I can improve.

I have no doubt that the road ahead will be tough, but along the way I know I’ll come across kind words and gestures that will keep me going. I wrote a thank you piece a month ago, and I continue to be grateful for the ongoing support of so many people. The same person who gave me the words I opened this post with also told me once that a completed book is the culmination of the efforts of dozens of people – and she’s right.

So if you’re just starting out on your writing journey, let me encourage you to find those people who can give you honest encouragement. Find the ones you can trust with your writing, and let them in on your world. The affirmations of those you trust will get you through the tough times. As the saying goes:

If you want to go fast, go alone.

If you want to go far, go together.

You are a writer.

Melbourne Writers Festival 2015 Review.

I’ve never felt so alive.

As an emerging writer who spends a lot of time interacting with other writers online, walking into a room full of people who share my passion for the written word is always a special treat. I’ve spent several days over the past two weeks at Melbourne Writers Festival 2015 surrounded by thousands of readers and writers, and I can safely say that #MWF15  was a triumph of programming and performance.

I attended a mixture of industry specific and author events, and found great value in most of them. I especially enjoyed hearing from Graeme Simsion on the realities of promotion for mid-list authors, and Jenny Darling, one of Australia’s many great literary agents. I’ve picked Graeme and Jenny as my industry favourites because they were down to earth, honest, and insightful. Hearing about the publishing industry from their perspectives was outstanding.

There were many other outstanding sessions that I attended as well. Inside New York Publishing, and Editors at Work were both fascinating in their insights, which were provided by a range of local and international guests – I’d recommend checking out Jonathan Galassi’s new book, Muse, for more insight on the New York front. (Special mention to Aviva Tuffield – you’re the kind of editor I’d love to work with!)

I also enjoyed hearing from well-known authors, and getting a glimpse into their methods and thinking. Rob Thomas (Veronica Mars) and Daniel Handler (Lemony Snickett’s A Series of Unfortunate Events) were entertaining, giving anecdotes and insights in equal measure, but it was Eleanor Catton who stood out to me. Maybe I’m being biased as a fellow Kiwi, but her thoughts on the importance of reading were on point. “When you read, you see what has not been written, and see how you can join that conversation.” and “Perhaps in the end, the purpose of reading is to simply love reading, and want to read on.” were among her better quotes of the morning.

One thing has stuck with me as a result of attending the festival: I’m extremely proud to be a part of Melbourne’s literary community – I think I hadn’t fully realised that until I met so many passionate Melbourne writers at the festival. Every session wasn’t necessarily a home run, but with such a packed schedule, that’s to be expected.

I’ve walked away from this year’s festival full of ideas and with a much longer to-read list than I had a week ago. I’m inspired to write more, and to write well. I know that my focus is to continue refining my work to be the best it can be – and that’s a wonderful goal to have.

Thanks to everyone who was part of pulling together this year’s festival – you’ve done Melbourne’s literary scene proud.

Take a bow.

Thank you.

“Thanks.”

It’s not something we’re encouraged to say a lot these days. The myth of the self-made person is quite pervasive in Western society, and the pressure to pull yourself up and succeed is immense. I was reflecting on how I’ve got to where I am now, and I want to pause and thank a few people.

One of my colleagues made a comment to me the other day that a completed book is never a solo effort; it’s the result of the hard work of numerous people, both directly and indirectly. That got me thinking, so here (in no particular order) are a few of the people who have helped me on my writing journey:

Simon: The first person to read any of my work. He kindly delved into the Inspector Ambrose stories, and has been the first person to see any of my work as it’s come out. Thanks, Simon.

Laura: Someone who has given me lots of excellent feedback, along with many small adjustments to my copy edits. Her eye for detail and upbeat analysis has always been amazing and insightful. Thanks, Laura.

Lisa: As someone with experience in publishing, Lisa has helped me plot my journey from here. Her wisdom and insight has been necessary to help me get through my uncertainty. I don’t take it for granted, and I know she means every work she says. Thanks, Lisa.

Tanya: As a published author, Tanya was able to give me insight into he novel-writing ways before I was even close to starting on my manuscript. Thanks, Tanya.

All my beta readers: There are quite a few people who have read my work in its unpublished form, so I won’t try to name all of you! But the insights of my friends, colleagues, and family have helped me round out my work as I’ve gone along; each person brings a new perspective and notices different things. Thanks, beta readers.

My wife: Without my wife’s support, I wouldn’t have got far. I can’t even begin to express my gratitude for the support I’ve received from my wife over the past couple of years. I know she doesn’t give compliments lightly, so I’ve appreciated every piece of feedback she’s given me. Thanks, Tiff.

So there you go. If you’ve made it this far, you may be thinking “that’s nice, but what’s your point, Ian?” Well, I’m glad you asked. Go back to the top of this post, and you’ll see what I mean: a book is the result of the hard work of innumerable people. If it takes a village to raise a child, it certainly takes a family to write a book.

Thanks. :)

Novel Writing 7: Back on the Editing Wagon.

Back to it!

Full disclosure: I am not a fan of editing. That’s fairly obvious if you read my Twitter feed, actually – my activity often spikes when I sit down for a heavy session of copy & narrative editing. However, I’ve come to a point where I need to get back into editing my novel manuscript, as I’ve now let it sit for a couple of months since finishing my first draft.

There’s a lot to be said for giving you writing space. Now that I’m coming back to what I’ve written, I’m finding things that really impress me (yay!) and a bunch of things where I’m like “what was I thinking writing it that way?” Overall though, I’m happy with where the novel is at in terms of story and character arcs – this edit is all about the copy.

I’ll be using the Hemingway App to do my edit this time – I’ve used Hemingway before, and you can see the results in this post from last year. Overall, I’m looking to eliminate overused crutch words and cliches from my manuscript, and tighten up a couple of narrative pieces that need work.

On the publishing front, I’ve been attending the Melbourne Writers Festival this weekend, which has been a blast. For me, the weekend has been about connecting with other authors and learning more about the publishing process – both of which I managed to do in spades! As a result of the sessions I’ve attended, I’ve settled on getting another Manuscript Assessment done with Writers Victoria. I did one last year, which I found invaluable, so I’m looking forward to seeing how this one goes.

I’m convinced that there’s always a publisher out there for an outstanding manuscript, so I’m going to be making my work shine as this year draws to a close.

Wish me luck. :)

 

Novel Writing 6: The Next Chapter Cometh.

And so I plunge on through wind and snow, sleet and silence.

That’s a dramatic way of saying the first draft of my next novel is springing to life. That’s not to say that I’ve finished work on my first novel, but I’ve decided to leave my previous work to stew for a couple of weeks while I get the next part of the story out of my head.

I’m almost 20,000 words into the new novel, with my aim being around the 90,000 word mark this time. That total will come down in editing, but there’s a lot of content I need to get through so this story really sings. I mentioned in my last post, I’ve got quite a few options for where I could focus my time, and I’m keen to make sure I give my full attention to one project at a time. For the next while, that will be my second novel; then I’ll return to editing my manuscript as per my beta reading feedback.

There’s a lot going on, and I’ll keep you to date as things progress! Thanks for staying with me on the journey.

The Lull: A General Update.

The calm after the storm.

July was a quiet month on the writing front for me. I spent the first half of the month twiddling my thumbs whilst waiting on beta readers to send me feedback on my manuscript, and then moved on to more detailed planning for my second novel. Even though July officially marked the one year anniversary of my entrance into the world of self-publishing, I was more focused on the future than the past.

I was reflecting on the fact that this is the most in-between time I’ve ever experienced in my writing career so far. When I finished each of my Inspector Ambrose novellas, I had a plan for what I was going to write next. In my current situation, I’ve finished my novel manuscript, and now face a choice around where I place my focus. It’s a lull, and one that has me considering my next moves. The stories that are waiting to be written include two Inspector Ambrose mysteries, the full transcript of my Twitter story (Qan’s Training being the working title for that), and of course, my second novel, which follows on directly from the first.

Currently, I’m leaping into the second novel, which has arrested my attention somewhat, but I’ll be looking at umping out one of the Inspector Ambrose stories at some stage when I need some light relief!

The Melbourne Writers Festival is on this month as well, so I’ll be down there checking things out. Sing out if you’re around!

525,600 Minutes: A Year in Review.

Well, that escalated quickly!

It’s been a year since I published my first novella on Amazon. So much has happened in the past 525, 600 minutes – but as the song from Rent asks: how do you measure a year? They suggest love. Here are a few of my suggestions on how I might measure my first year writing fiction.

How about blog posts?

I wrote a lot on my blog this year – my first post ever was about writer’s block. Since then, I’ve blogged on a mix of topics, with my most popular post being a reflection on how well J. K. Rowling paces her writing in the Harry Potter series – something I can only hope to emulate. There were also practical posts about Twitter, self-publishing, and Amazon keywords. In total, I wrote 75 posts, which were read by over 7,500 people.

How about works I’ve published?

Over the past year, I published three novellas, a short story, and a story on Twitter:

What Went Wrong with Mrs Milliard’s Mech?
The Vanishing Villa
The Murder at Mansfield Manor
Qan’s Adventure
And my story for the #TwitterFiction Festival: The Last Lesson.

Finally, let’s not forget that I completed the first draft of my debut novel last month as well! That’s a crazy feeling, and is easily one of the biggest achievements of my year.

How about downloads?

More than 12,500 eBooks from my Inspector Ambrose series were downloaded last year – that’s about 35 eBooks a day on average! It’s also worth noting that in my first few months on Amazon, only 500 copies were downloaded. Once Mrs Milliard’s Mech became permanently free on Amazon, a lot more people started reading my writing.

How about the quality of my writing?

On reflection, the thing I’m most proud of from this year is how I’ve grown as a writer. I started last year with an idea that I wanted to flesh out. In fact, the whole concept of Mechs started with one line in a song I was listening to. After jotting my thoughts down, I proceeded to write the Inspector Ambrose stories as a way to explore the Empire and learn about the nature of Mechs.

I think the quality of my writing has improved with each story. I look back at cringe at where I was when I started, and I wonder if I’ll feel like that in a years’ time, too. My novel manuscript has received positive feedback from my beta readers, and I’m adjusting my writing as I learn from what readers are telling me.

Maybe it’s all of those things, and more.

When I hit publish on my first eBook, I never thought I’d be sitting here a year later in this position. I’m still really humbled that people are reading what I’ve written, but I’m realistic as to where I’m at: I need to keep writing in order to improve. So how do I measure my first year of writing? I’m going to go with what Rent suggested: love. I love writing. I love hearing from readers. I love the challenge of completing a manuscript. And I love being able to share my passion for all these things with the world.

Thank you for helping me live this dream.

Novel Writing 5: Beta Readers Unite!

Was it meant to feel like this?

Last night I hit send on a bunch of emails to my beta readers. It’s been a few day since I wrapped up the first draft of my debut novel, and after a solid edit, the text is now in the hands of real people for its first road test. I won’t lie – it’s a nerve-wracking thing to hand over a manuscript. I’m not sure what I was expecting to feel like at this moment, but I think the overwhelming sense I have is that the job’s half done.

When I finished the draft, I knew that I’d have plenty of editing to do; I think what surprised me was the number of things I wasn’t entirely satisfied with, even after working on them throughout the edit. So there’s a real lack of satisfaction as I’m sitting here, despite having actually got the manuscript finished. I think that’s why I feel like there’s lots of work yet to come: I refuse to do a half-hearted job with this novel.

Despite feeling somewhat restless, I’m excited to be telling the story I’ve wanted to tell: the culmination of all my novellas so far. The Inspector Ambrose series gave me a chance to explore the Empire before I kicked in to writing this longer story, and I spent a lot of time writing character sketches, plot lines, and ideas about the Empire during the past year. Now that I’m in the midst of telling the story of the Empire, I find myself trying to juggle several ideas, attempting to make sure that I give each one sufficient air time in my writing.

There’s a bit of a lull now whilst I’m awaiting reader feedback. If this novel turns out to be complete claptrap, then I’ll head back to the drawing board, and get started on my next Inspector Ambrose novella as I lick my wounds – then I’ll get going with a re-write. If the novel is well received, I’ll get cracking with suggestions and changes before moving forward towards submitting it to a publisher (yikes!) Whatever feedback comes out, I’m looking forward to people having the chance to check out my first full-length novel; it’s been a year in the making, so it’s nice to finally be getting somewhere. I’m not sure how I’m supposed to feel with each step I take, but I’ll keep moving forward no matter what.

Because who knows where this road will end?

Novel Writing 4: First Draft Complete!

I’ve completed the first draft of my novel!

It doesn’t seem very long ago that I was writing about the twists and turns of working on my first novel. Today I’m happy to announce that (as of two days ago) I’ve reached the end of my first draft! For those who missed it, here was the Twitter announcement:

That's it! I'm calling time on my first novel draft! 65,818 words. #writing #amwriting pic.twitter.com/qzGx5r9BeN

— I H Laking (@IHLaking) June 16, 2015

Now that I’ve reached the end of my first draft, I have a few reflections on how things have turned out:

At the moment, the draft stands at around 65,000 words, which is a touch shorter than I originally envisioned. I’m fairly comfortable with this, though, because I have some extra pieces to add in which will tie up loose ends. One important addition will add extra length to the end of the book.
I’ve dived into a tidy up/first edit of the manuscript, and have found that I’m pleasantly surprised at the flow of the story. Reading through from the start has actually been quite refreshing. But…
It’s was challenging to remember everything that I put in at the start of the book, since it was so long ago that I started. I don’t mean this in relation to major characters or plot points, but in terms of smaller plot elements, I’m finding a number of things that I started and never elaborated on at the start of the novel. So I now have a growing list of things that I need to either tie up or cut out.
Choosing the point at which to finish the story has also been difficult, as there’s a lot to tell about the Empire. I’ll write a bigger piece on this later to give some more insight into the challenges I’m facing.
The way the story worked out surprised me a little, as the plan had been a little more involved. I ended up taking a few turns that I feel have made the story line stronger and will keep the pacing tight.

I’m not sure how I expected to feel once I finished the manuscript, but I definitely didn’t feel the accomplishment I expected. I think this is because I’m not really happy with some of the loose ends I’m facing, hence why I’ve gone straight back into editing to weed out what I can while everything is still fresh. I’ll be happy when I know my plot points are solid, and the conclusion of the book is more robust.

So here’s to more editing in the coming months, and then the next steps in my novel-writing journey. Thanks for joining me on the road so far. :)

Friday Focus: Writing on the Road

Writing a novel is a time-consuming labour of love.

Over the past year I’ve learnt that the process of writing a novel involves lots of ebbs and flows. To write 80,000 words is a challenge for anyone, and it takes dedication and determination to make it happen – it’s the marathon of writing challenges.

To help facilitate a smooth writing process, most writers I know have a place they like to write. It’s somewhere they can get into the “zone” and focus. George R. R. Martin is famous for his strictly regimented writing environment: he only writes on one computer, using an old MS-DOS based program. Since Martin isn’t keen on writing on the road, it can be challenging for him to get work done whilst travelling – but hey, he’s George R. R. Martin, so he can do what he likes!

For me, however, the road is a gift. Since I work full time alongside my writing at the moment, I’ve had to learn flexibility around how I write, so I’ve found a way to bring my writing “zone” with me wherever I go. I hope that in sharing my experience, I can help you find ways to write more often, too. Here are my chosen tools for writing on the road:

My mobile writing setup.

My laptop. Nothing fancy here, just a laptop with Microsoft Word & some software for editing photos if required for the website.
A notebook. I always have two notebooks with me: this is the larger one, which I use for plotting/character maps. It means I always have my plot information to hand, and can continue planning work, even if the power runs out. My smaller one holds the key background for the world of the Empire, including detailed histories, and in-depth character work.
Noise cancelling headphones. This is the most crucial piece of my writing kit, enabling me to focus even in the middle of noisy places. I use Bose QuietComfort 15 headphones – they’re pricey, but do an amazing job of blocking out ambient noise and distractions, allowing me to tune in to my writing. I also use them for the other crucial thing that I use on the road…
Music. For me, my writing zone isn’t a place, it’s a sound. I listen to music when I’m writing to immerse myself in the environment I’m envisioning. There are songs that have inspired cities, characters, and places for me – sometimes I’ll listen to songs on repeat to really drill into a scene. The only caveat for me is that the music I’m listening to can’t be a distraction – it has to be part of the destination.

So that’s my setup. When I’m in an airport, on a plane, or sitting in a library, I crank my music, tune out the world around me, and focus on writing. This approach has enabled me to keep my momentum going while writing on the road. I know my setup isn’t the answer for everyone, but if you’re travelling a lot whilst writing, I’d encourage you to think of how you can take your writing zone on the road with you.

I’d love to hear more from you about this, too. What’s your writing zone?