Dwayne’s Comments (group member since Apr 01, 2017)

Dwayne’s comments from the Support for Indie Authors group.

J.D. wrote: "I didn't mean that writing is "easy" as in effortless."

I'm not sure what you mean by "easy", then.

By comparison, marketing is much, much easier than writing, especially if you have the time, the money, and the patience for it. What makes it feel difficult is the expectations. If you set your expectations too high, expecting to sell a thousand copies tomorrow and you only sell two, yes - you're going to feel like a failure and you're going to perceive marketing as difficult. From time to time I see authors expecting to have a "following" before their first book is published. To them, yes, it may be a tough battle. The reality is, you may have to publish several books before you start gaining a following.

So, we come back to writing books. Several books. And taking care to make sure they are of quality or you'll never gain that "following". Writing is certainly not the "easy" part.

The Overlord wrote: "1) Where's your favorite place to write?"

It varies by my mood, but generally it's a coffee shop on the other side of town called Java Creek Cafe. They have two rooms. The front room is generally filled with people who are chatting with friends. The back room is favored by students and business people. And me. There's a fireplace and bookshelves full of classic novels. I like being in the back corners the best, furthest from the noise.

There are days, too, when I enjoy writing at home or at the public library.

The Overlord wrote: "2) What's your favorite season to write in?"

Summer. I'm generally in my best moods in the summer and have the most energy and my creative juices are flowing best. Writing is good in the winter as it helps to keep the depression down, but it's a struggle to get in the mood sometimes.

The Overlord wrote: "3) What makes writing fun for you?"

Developing dialogue is my favorite part. A close second is kind of like G.G.'s. My stories and novels (especially the novels) often begin as a lot of disjointed, almost unconnected scenes and I love sewing them together, making them into a solid story.

J.D. wrote: "Writing is the easy part."

Not for everyone. Certainly not for me.

It's cool, V.M. Maybe you can join us at the Broadway premiere of Suckers & Rogues: The Musical.

Oh, yes. That will happen.

Sure was.

And we used the bones to build a totem and we called it Porky.

I have tried to do a cover with Porky on it, but I can't get it to look right.

And we're back on topic.

Mmmm... hog sandwich.

*glances around*

I hope no mod gets upset with how off topic this thread is getting.

Sam (Rescue Dog Mom, Writer, Hugger) wrote: "*wraps G.G. and Dwayne in a fierce hug*"

Monday morning hug sandwich!

Jane wrote: "Hey guys. I even argue with myself...."

I do too. No I don't. Yes I do!

In my little circle of betas - one has not even started to read the book, one had issues with health and work and has been slow to read. One has finished and indicated that while she loved the book, she won't be reading it in the second round of beta reads. One dropped out without a word. Several people I asked had no interest in even starting the book. And so on. I'm grateful to each and every one of them and would never think to complain publicly about how unprofessional they are or how they owe me some kind of courtesy.

Life happens, people. Betas are not put on this earth to fall in love with our work. They have lives to live. They have families, work, health. If someone doesn't want to read your book or gives it up after a while, if someone stops communicating with you, whatever the situation - let it go!

Work interferes with my writing. Taking care of my house and my wife and my dogs gets in the way. Some days I don't even feel like looking at my book. If we cannot be constantly devoted to our own work, why expect anyone else to be devoted to it at all?

Move on and let it go.

I thought that's what writing is, in a sense - talking to ourselves.

No worries. I thought it was kinda funny.

I'm guessing your comments are to someone who deleted their posts, G.G.? Or are you talking to yourself? Hee hee...

Garfield wrote: "Sorry to hear about your ordeal. I think maybe because it was a free..."

Maybe, maybe not. All of my beta readers have been free thus far. All but one have been helpful. I had one vanish on me without a word. I sent one email to softly ask if she was coming back or if she'd lost interested and received no response. I moved on.

So, Erica, I would probably ask your betas if they are planning to continue or not, give it a few days and if you receive no response, assume they are not going to continue and look for more. I know it's frustrating and I'm sorry all ten seemingly bailed on you. That is strange.

is there a reason you have to upload the book soon? Could it be put off a while? Going forward, I might suggest you get the beta reading side of it out of the way before you set a date to publish. You need that time to edit your book.

Noor wrote: "Somehow whenever I try to edit my novel I end up adding more chapters to it, haha."

Same here. At the same time, though, I usually find parts that I can cut down a bit or cut out completely.

Then how about:

The Vela have invaded the earth. Feisty seventeen-year-old Rhyan is thrust into the madness...

G.G. wrote: "What would you suggest, Dwayne? That she keeps it to the minimum?"

I don't know the character, so I can't really make a specific suggestion. All I can say is that I see words like "normal", "average", "unremarkable" and so on and it makes me think the character is uninteresting. Funny, bright, spunky, stubborn, awkward and so on would all be adjectives to make the character sound more interesting.

Unremarkable, like ordinary, reads "uninteresting". Is she truly a dull character?

C.B. wrote: "A novel is as long as it is."

Agreed. Write a compelling story with interesting characters. Write it as long as it needs to be to tell the tale, be it 5,000 words or 500,000. Pay attention to the important stuff and don't sweat the small stuff - and word count is small stuff.

So, you raise the ante. You make sure the plot twists are a bit more than "uneven ground in the same sword fight". Perhaps the stakes are more than just trying to stay alive.

Interweave plots and subplots. Let them support one another instead of treating them like separate stories.

Of course the writing must be "wonderful". That's true of a five pages short story or a thousand page novel. If the writing isn't strong, it doesn't matter what the word count is.

X. wrote: "Not hating but not loving this blurb. Any feedback / suggestions would be great."

Well, you had a vote for "had me at aliens". I have to say you lost me at "ordinary teen". It's cliched. I see it on so many blurbs and I never know how to feel about it. "Ordinary" makes me think, "bland", "boring", "ho hum". Would you write about an ordinary year in the life of a character? I hope not. If not, then why write about an ordinary girl? Tell me what is interesting about her!

The whole family being killed in some apocalyptic alien raid and the teenager must seek revenge is very cliched. That does not mean you shouldn't write a book about it. After all, this kind of thing is very in right now. But, please, tell us what is unique about your book. Give us a hint as to how your take on such a story is different from everyone else's.

No links of any kind, folks. Please read the rules. Thanks.