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Monday 1 February 2016

Should I commit to being a full-time author?



Different people write at different rates. I go through periods where I write for days at a time, purging all writing desires and instinct from my system, then I do not write for months! I'm a very sporadic writer and only write when the mood takes me.
Knowing your writing habits will help you to decide whether or not you should commit to being a full time author. There are authors who treats writing like a full time job, there are those who only write on weekends or in their spare time.
Before you decide to take the plunge and commit pen to hand on a permanent basis, make sure you do your research and you'd be able to survive (physically, emotionally, financially and mentally) the rigors that full time writing demands.

Here are some things to mull over:


1. The money ain’t what you think it is 
When you dream of being an author, you probably imagine the million-pound advances commanded by the big hitters. But what does an average author get? The Authors’ Licensing & Collection Society said the average annual income for a professional author in 2013 was just £11,000 – which is £5,000 below the level of income regarded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation as the minimum required for a socially acceptable standard of living.
2. The isolation and interruptions
To be an author, said Martin Amis, “you have to have a huge appetite for solitude”. But how many of us really do? Like a lot of authors, I find myself resenting my isolation but then snapping like a territorial Doberman the moment anyone dares interrupt it.
3. You’re impossible to please
If you can’t see your book in a shop, you’ll be disappointed they aren’t stocking it. If you can see your book in a shop you’ll be disappointed they aren’t shifting it. Even when my biography of Simon Cowell reached number two in the WH Smith chart and they stuck huge posters of it in their windows, I stood there thinking: “But the sticker on the jacket is covering up my name – and why isn't it number one?”
4. People bother you with their ideas
“Hi Chas, you remember me - we met for two minutes at a party last summer. So, I’ve written a sort of semi-autobiographical novel about a dog called Jessie who is overlooked by this cruel, jealous world. But then she goes travelling for a year and everything changes. It’s sort of a kids’ book, but I like to think it would appeal to all ages, really. I’ve spent the last eight years trying to get it published – to no avail. Anyway, I’ve taken the liberty of attaching the manuscript to this email. Could you take a look and help me find Jessie a home? Best wishes, Jessie.”
5. Everyone’s a writer nowadays
If you’re older than 35 you grew up in an era when wordsmiths were rare creatures, held in awe. But thanks to e-books, blogs and self-publishing, everyone is a ‘writer’ now. You may think you’re a pro, but you’ll end up being lumped in with amateur and part-time writers, meaning you’ll be expected to do ancillary work for free to “get your name out there”.
6. There’s no ‘team’ in ‘I’
As an author, you’re on your own. That means there’s no office underling to delegate or pass the buck to.
7. Reviews
Whether a review is scathing, fawning or lukewarm, you’ll become convinced that the critic didn’t read your book properly. Your family, friends and pet will learn to listen politely as you rail on and on and on about this. (But lucky you for getting a write-up of any kind – nearly all books are ignored.)

8. People say annoying things
When you meet people and they find out you’re an author you face a familiar range of irritating comments and questions. People will mock your vocation:
“But isn’t that more of a hobby? What’s your real job?” They will try and diminish you: “Written a bestseller yet?” If, like me, you have, they’ll simply up the stakes: “Oh… won a Booker prize yet, have we?”
9. You have to sort out your tax
You people with your cosy office jobs have no idea how much us authors crave a monthly payslip, with all the tax and National Insurance already deducted. As my treasured accountant tells me, it is the authors among his client list who are least adept at managing their own affairs. Beware the ides of March? No - beware the slides of January.
10. The dreaded ‘nul points’
You also have no pension or steady income. You never know if your next royalty statement will bring good news, which boosts both your bank account and creative self-esteem, or the fingernail-gnawing ‘nul points’.
11. The truth about book launches
You think your book will be launched at a glittering, star-studded bash, don’t you? Bragg, Rowling and Rushdie will smile fondly as you arrive to fawning applause and flashing cameras. The truth is that most books don’t have launch parties. As for in-store signings, I’ll always remember when the then-manager of my local Waterstones branch approached me on the high street, begging me to come in and buy a book from the household name who was doing a signing session. “It’s so embarrassing,” he whispered, “she’s been sitting there for an hour and no one has even talked to her yet.”

12. Your book will never be the right one
If you write non-fiction books, someone will ask you why you don’t write a “proper book”, like a novel. If you write fiction, someone will ask you why you don’t write a “proper book”, like an academic or history title.
13. You’re inside… yet outside
You are, simultaneously, at the centre of your career and staring in at it from the outside. You write what you want to write and it’s your name printed on the cover of your book. Your publisher may even run an author photo of you touching your chin and looking all highbrow. But on the other hand, you are very much outside the process as well: you don’t go to the sales or marketing meetings, and oodles of significant decisions are made without you.
14. You may go nuts – or die
It’s not always easy completing a book. A novelist friend of mine became so convinced that she was the ghostly heroine of the horror story she was writing that she had a nervous breakdown. French writer HonorĂ© de Balzac needed industrial levels of caffeine to get his writing done. He would neck up to 50 cups of coffee a day and eventually died of caffeine poisoning at the age of 51.



Try Something New

Oft times in the life of a writer the dreaded condition of writer's block will arise in various forms of severity. From a mild "I don't know what happens next in the plot" kind of writers block to a complete "I can't write" author shut down.
It's my opinion that when we get stuck in repetitive patterns our minds are no longer stimulated, thus creativity diminishes. This can lead to writer's block, or perhaps to sub-par writing.
Routine is important, without it we would never get anything done! I'm not dissing routine here. What I am advising though is to go out of your comfort zone once in a while. Switch things up a little. If your usual hangout over weekends is the sofa at home, then take the time to meet some people in a park, club, bar, book launch, movies...the list is endless. Try experiencing new things and new sensations. If you have never been on a roller-coaster, now is the time to try it!
The change in routine and the stimulus of new experiences will definitely spark your creative side that leads to better writing.

Wednesday 27 January 2016

Odd Starts

The best stories starts from the oddest things at times. Today I was frantically searching for the TV remote. My brother noted that we are so used to a remote that we could walk by the TV several times and not change the channel manually. This got me thinking about our dependence on technology...and...
 BAM!
...its a story in the making.

The point of that little drabble is that as writers we need to be aware. Even the most mundane things (like a lost TV remote) can spark a story.

Writers have the dubious task of constantly being aware and "spying" on the world around us. It is a privilege and a skill that needs to be developed, those little nuances leaks through in your work making it much more compelling.

Well, thats my two cents for now.



Tuesday 26 January 2016

Steve Harvey-- Jump






A little motivation for all you writers out there! Your parachute will open, but you have to jump first like Mr Harvey said.

Zimbell House Publising



Zimbell House publishing offers anthologies leaning more to the novella and novellette categories. Entry is free and selected submissions receive payment. They welcome international authors, but require submissions to be in English.
These guys are perfect to try out if you are itching to write a longer story (but don't feel like a full-blown novel).

Click HERE to view their current anthologies open for submission. The link is as always on the right hand pane as well.

Coffin Tree Hill









Coffin Tree Hill is a blogging site that offers a treasure chest of info regarding anthologies and ongoing submissions. This site is a MUST to bookmark if you want to get your writing game on. All the anthology submissions I spotted offered some form of payment (whether it be token payment, or part of the royalties) which is great motivation if you are starting out.

Click HERE to go to their site. The link is also on the panel to the right.

Monday 25 January 2016

The Blessing of Dropbox











Any writer's worst nightmare is having your laptop/computer crash and taking all your hard work with it! You know your hard drive is on its way out when your run a disk check and the screen displays the infamous "bad sectors". Not a nice feeling.
Running a disc check buys you some time as it helps to stabilise a failing hard drive, but ultimately it will go. In a previous post I discussed various methods you can use to back up your work, but for those of us who wants to keep writing on the go, despite hard drive failures, Dropbox is a blessing. It allows you to edit your work directly and from anywhere. So, if push comes to shove, you can even continue working on that novel or gripping short by typing away furiously on your phone. Your work is safe!
This option is a bit data-intensive.  Dropbox requires a continuous Internet connection and this is a double-edged sword. It means your latest editing and writing is being backed up automatically, but it also means a constant data leak.

The link to download Dropbox is below and on the panel to the right under "Interesting Links".
Dropbox