Like two ham radio operators, Clancy Tucker Down Under and I on the Eastern Seaboard found each other on the same frequency and playing the same ballad seeking recognition for indie writers. Here is his daily blog, set to appear July 17 (which is tonight at Midnight in Australia) in cyberspace. Note his plug for indiePENdents.org:
Quote
of the day:
'The
real essence of work is
concentrated energy."
concentrated energy."
Walter
Begehot
Writing
tip of the day:
G'day
guys,
All
writers have different approaches to writing, but generally there are
three methods of attack:
1.
Dream up an idea and shoot from the hip. That's me. Most of the time
I have no idea where the story will head or finish up. Fortunately I
find it an adrenalin rush and the story becomes self generating. It's
exciting and normally takes me three months to write manuscripts
85,000 to 100,000 words. A few years back I went overseas two weeks
after completing a manuscript and wondered why I was so tired. Mm ...
any wonder?
2.
Plan everything out before you start writing. I have been to an
author's home and found entire walls covered in A3 sheets of white
paper. Each sheet contained personality traits of the characters,
chapter points and other issues relevant to their manuscript. I found
it gob smacking, but that's the way she approaches a novel.
3.
Write everything by hand, then type it up. Many authors do this. I
certainly do. Why? Good question, but I think it relates to the fact
that many of us started writing early in life; well before computers.
Our mind was trained to write on paper. It's an odd connection
between the hand and the mind. However, as with most things, do
whatever you find best. There is no right or wrong way. Experiment
until you find a happy and creative space. Once you have typed it on
your laptop you can go back at anytime and add or delete any part.
Just
do it. Many people over the years have told me they'd always wanted
to write a book. My stock answer is, 'Do it!'. However, they usually
cringe and give some excuse for not having started. My simple advice
is this: writing a manuscript or short story is a draft in the first
instance, so just let it out, let it rip. You can sort things out in
the many revisions you will do; especially the first read when you've
finished it. Revision of your work is vital.
Be
brave. Try to be brave in each story, play or manuscript you write.
Step out of your comfort zone. Maybe use a different gender as your
main character, or write a story about something you have to
research. It can be an enriching experience. I wrote three
manuscripts in what I call the 'Kick Ass' series and the main
protagonist is a girl. She is 14 in the first manuscript, 18 in the
next and 32 in the third. That surprised some of my feminist friends.
On the other hand, 'Mister Rainbow' has a boy and girl as the chief
protagonists. Why? It allows you as a writer to give a male and
female perspective to whatever disasters or events occur in your
story. Also, it makes the book appealing to boys and girls.
f.
Retain your own voice. Retain your own voice at all times. Never try
to emulate another writer's style. Find your own and present it well.
It's great therapy.
A
message for all self-published authors:
Self
published authors! Looking for exposure? We think that to reach
readers, they should be able to see your titles in the first place.
The do-it-yourself marketing and social media publicity may pave a
way to some, but where most readers could see them is on display in
bookstores. We are trying to open the doors of independent
booksellers to indie authors. How? Look up The indiePENdents.org
-- a non profit, volunteer membership organization, set to level the
playing field. It is non commercial and free, with just one item on
the agenda: the interests of new literary talent, neglected by the
publishing industry.
Keep
writing!
Thanks
for listening.
I'm
Clancy Tucker
1 comment:
I must quote this succinct summary Clancy made in a recent correspondence:
"The big thing that disturbs me about mainstream publishers versus self publishers is this: members of the general public, in any country, (kids, teachers, librarians, parents, grandparents etc) are totally unaware of the quality of most self-published books that are available. They, the public, are the losers in all this. They only see those books that have been thrust at them by the big guns.
The first book I read to assess from Indiependents.org was absolutely brilliant in every way - grammar, presentation, storyline, spelling etc. I gave it the tick of excellence. It was based on a true story and so engaging.However, not all are going to be that good. Such is life. However, like all social issues, you need numbers to bring about change. If 100,000 writers sent an email to any politician, you would have their total, undivided attention. Why? The politician would be more worried about losing votes than the issue raised, but at least he / she would be listening. That's the way it works. So, I encourage all self-published authors to get in, buckle up and hold on.It's called survival - self-preservation."
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