Monday 31 March 2014

To stare at the screen ... what does it really mean?

I have just started writing my fifth novel. And for the first time ever, I have my story fully plotted from beginning to end. Usually I plot to about 2/3 of the way through, so that there is still an element of surprise when I write, but this time the ending was screaming at me. So all I have to do, is sit down and write it. I'm 5k in. Feeling proud.

Then the staring happened.

The staring, to me, means what? I'm not inspired? No. I don't know what to write next? No. Of course I do, I have it all plotted out. On cards. In front of me. That I don't know my characters well enough? Hmm ... I probably don't. But they always become more rounded as I write, and that's part of the joy. Watching them develop. And it has never stopped me from writing before.

So what, exactly, is it that makes me stare and stare, and procrastinate and procrastinate, when all I have to do is get the words on the page? I was thinking about it last night, and I came to the conclusion that it's fear.

Fear of:
1. It being crap.
2. It being all I think about day in and day out that I neglect my responsibilities. Let's face it, that is going to happen regardless, and is something I should accept.
3. It being bullshit.
4. Take more than a year to finish the first draft because of the fear and the procrastination.
5. It being stupid.
6. Doing this all for nothing. Why am I a writer? Why do I torture myself like this? Because I love it. Why? Because I love it. Why? Because I love it! Why? Oh, shut up!
7. It being crap, bullshit, and stupid.

So, that is why I stare at my screen. Because I am afraid of being who I am, essentially.

What causes you to stare at your screen?

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Wednesday 26 March 2014

The Artist Unleashed: THE 7 MYTHS OF VIRTUAL BOOK TOURS, by Pandora Poikilos

The Artist Unleashed posts have moved to a new domain. Please click HERE to read the rest of this post and for the opportunity to comment. Just search for the title of the post in the search bar on the new site.

Monday 24 March 2014

THINKING you don't like something, is not DISLIKING something, It's called SELF-DEPRIVATION.

I'm halfway through my very first Neil Gaiman book: NEVERWHERE.

Since puberty, I have avoided reading all and any fantasy under the false impression that I wouldn't enjoy it. I'm a lover and writer of literary and contemporary fiction. Unless it's Margaret Atwood, I very rarely pick books up that are "out of this world." And when I do, I almost never finish them. For some reason, I just can't get swept up in a world that I have no experience living in.

But I am a changed woman.

Neil Gaiman has changed me. Forever. I feel as excited to pick up Neverwhere as I did when I was a kid reading Roald Dahl and Enid Blyton.

I am devouring it.

I had known for years that I was probably depriving myself by avoiding fantasy, but it didn't seem to make any difference. I remained stubborn about it.

Until ... I started to write my own novel that is a little "out of this world."

This made me wonder. How many other things in this world am I missing out on because I think I won't like it? Can you imagine the amount of people out there who are missing out on fulfilling and enlightening experiences because they think they won't like something?

Here's some food for thought ... Why do you think we close ourselves up like that?

This has nothing to do with my question, but a friend of mine shared this video of Neil Gaiman with me on Facebook, and it is hilarious, and insightful, (and so true!) so I thought I'd share.



Have a great week!!!
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Wednesday 19 March 2014

The Artist Unleashed: THE GREATEST IDEA I NEVER HAD, by Dawn Ius

The Artist Unleashed posts have moved to a new domain. Please click HERE to read the rest of this post and for the opportunity to comment. Just search for the title of the post in the search bar on the new site.

Monday 17 March 2014

Let's have a bit of fun! Will you play? If you play, you can win $20 Amazon gift card + more!

Okay, let’s have a bit of fun with words. You in? It’ll be short and sweet and funny.

I promise.

And you can win somethin’ for just having a bit of fun.

Adam and I are celebrating the speedy progress of Degenerate Dictionary. And we are giving away two $20 Amazon gift cards.

I’m also throwing in any eBook of mine that you wish to have (i.e. ALL of them if you want them.)

There are two ways you can enter:

The FUN way:
Write an example sentence using one of our Degenerate Dictionary words and tweet it to @DegDic. The author of the sentence we like best will win a $20 gift card + my books. With your permission, we will also include it in the book when it’s published. With credit of course!

Example tweet:
Everyone saw my sparkly string while waiting in the *stationary*. @DegDic Join in to win here: http://ow.ly/uEvA8 #giveaway

Note: When you tweet your example sentence, make sure the word in question is inside two asterisks, that the link is included, the #giveaway hash tag is included, and that the @DegDic handle is included. Otherwise we won’t see it. Don't forget to replace the sentence with your own!

The CLINICAL way:
Enter the contest via the rafflecopter below. The winner selected via the rafflecopter will also win a $20 gift card + my books.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You may enter both ways to double your chances.

Good luck! Please spread the word!
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CLICK HERE to subscribe to Jessica's newsletter. Every subscriber will receive Book #1 of the Writing in a Nutshell SeriesShow & Tell in a Nutshell, for FREE. And be the first to know about new releases and giveaways!

Thursday 13 March 2014

How To Survive Writing In A Narrow Niche: Diversify!

Today I'm honoured to be a guest at The Alliance of Independent Authors Self-Publishing Blog talking about how I survive as an indie author writing in a unpopular genre.

I also share my sales stats. I know. Now I'm an open book. Eeek!

Hope to see you there!

*Comments here are closed, please comment on the other blog.
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Wednesday 12 March 2014

The Artist Unleashed: INVENTION, REJECTION, AND PUBLICATION, by Margaret Barnes

Although not all writers want to be published, most do. And they want to be published by one of the Big 5.

I am no exception.

But is all I want, as a writer, to see my book in print? Isn’t there more than wanting to hold the book in my hands marveling at the way it looks, feeling the shiny cover and the smell of new paper? Surely what a writer really wants are readers?

Stories told round the fire or at bedtime to a child, only exist if there is a listener and a novel only comes to life when it is read. Writers want to communicate their story to others.

Throughout my career as a barrister working in the criminal courts, I have told countless stories to juries. I would weave the evidence given during the trial into a story about a character, the defendant, interpreting his behaviour as innocence not guilt. A jury speech is immediate; the success of the story revealed within hours as the jury delivers its verdict.

But a novel? The only way I can tell that story is by making it tangible.
How do I get that to a reader?

The traditional way is to find an agent who likes the way you write and likes the story enough to want to sell it to a publisher. They will do that by finding an editor at one of the major publishing houses who likes the book as much as they do. The author will be offered an advance and the rights to the novel will be transferred to the publisher.

What they don’t say is that it must also pass a marketing test. Agents want to earn money, so if they aren’t sure where they can place your book they will turn it down. Similarly, if the marketing people at the publishing house say they don’t think they can sell it, they won’t want the rights to the novel, no matter how well written or compelling the story. In the current climate the publishing houses are in turmoil, they see their traditional marketing model being torn to shreds and their only response is to become more and more conservative. Now they only want to publish sure fire hits, cookery and gardening books, biographies of musicians and politicians, and novels written by celebrities.

I refused to be discouraged and sent my novel out to several agents, attended conferences where I got the opportunity to present my work to agents and publishers. I received rejection after rejection. They ranged from ‘I like this, but don’t feel sufficiently engaged,’ ‘You write well, but I am not sure this is for us,’ ‘I don’t know where I could place this book,’ ‘We don’t do legal thrillers,’ and finally, ‘We don’t think this will be a best seller.’

Hang on, I thought, I don’t think I’m John Grisham. I didn’t think I would be a best seller. I just wanted a few hundred, perhaps a thousand or so, to read my book and enjoy it.

That’s what I want, nothing more.

Today with the advantage of all that lovely technology, I can go directly to the readers and publish my novel myself. The problem with that is, I know nothing about how to produce a book and sell it to the public. I started looking at various websites for advice and soon realised if my book was to be published I would need the book edited, copy edited, a cover designed, and a publishing house with a distribution network. 

Not that easy then.

I began by getting the book edited. As the publishing houses have shed staff, a number of editors are now working freelance and will edit a novel for a fee. A full edit as opposed to a copy edit is a complex affair. I found that the editor I used wanted to alter my book to be more like the ones she wrote. I had to cling on to the fact that it was my story and I didn’t want to make all the changes she suggested. It may have made it more marketable, but it wouldn’t have been the book I wrote. She did however make some very good suggestions about enhancing the main protagonist, so I made those changes.

I then began to research the various companies who provided packages, and to compare the cost. In the end I decided to use one which although more expensive offered more by way of publicity rather than printed copies of my book. They have organised a copy edit, a great front cover, publication by a company that have a distribution network, and have formatted it for print on demand and for all the e-book platforms.

Have you self-published? What were your reasons? Are you happy to just be read by a few hundred fans, or do you want to become a best seller? Why?

Please note: This post reflects the opinions and experiences of the guest author only.
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Find out more about 
Margaret Barnes on her BLOG.





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Monday 10 March 2014

Do You Agree, Or Disagree? (#8) Topic: Self-Published Authors aren't worthy of the "Author" title now?

What a load of blubbering bosherkoolitafeckery bollocks.

I am usually very calm and 'professional' on this blog. I force myself to see both sides of an argument, for argument's sake.

But today, I bring you my full-fledged disgust at this article:

Self-Publishers Should Not Be Called Authors


This is a joke, right? My gosh. Please, go read it, then come back.

Let's discuss.
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CLICK HERE to subscribe to Jessica's newsletter. Every subscriber will receive Book #1 of the Writing in a Nutshell SeriesShow & Tell in a Nutshell, for FREE. And be the first to know about new releases and giveaways!

Wednesday 5 March 2014

The Artist Unleashed: THE SECRET TO MATURING AS A WRITER by Julie Musil

The Artist Unleashed posts have moved to a new domain. Please click HERE to read the rest of this post and for the opportunity to comment. Just search for the title of the post in the search bar on the new site.

Monday 3 March 2014

Dictionary: the feeling of air passing over privates when it falls out of pyjamas in the morning









Degenerate Dictionary stemmed from a party game my parents used to play when I was a kid. My mother and her best friend had so much fun thinking of them that they began to write them down. Unfortunately, that little maroon notebook got lost when we moved to Greece.

But I remembered a couple:

ARSENIC: A cut on the bum.
PROPAGANDA: Having a good look.

In 2013, I began posting these quirky, idiosyncratic, new definitions of familiar words on Twitter and Facebook with the hash tag #Jessicasdictionary.

And Adam Byatt soon chimed in with his own ...

The exchange went back and forth over a few days until I emailed Adam, fluttering my eyelids, despite knowing he couldn't see how pretty I was making myself look for him.

The gist of my message was: Would you like to write a dictionary with me?

Adam: *brief pause* F#@$ yeah!

And so, what once was a party game played by gothic musos in the 80s, and then became #Jessicasdictionary almost 35 years later, is now called Degenerate Dictionary and will soon become a BOOK.

Perfect for every school *cough* classroom *cough*.

So, here's how the degeneration process plays out:
  • Every day, we post a new degenerate word or two to this blog.
  • The same will be posted to twitter via @DegDic.
  • If you want to see one of your own whacky definitions in our book, with your name fully credited, tweet it to @DegDic. If we love your definition enough to include it, we'll let you know. (Keep in mind, it could be months before you hear from us.)
You can sign up to get the definitions straight into your inbox HERE.
And you can follow us on Twitter HERE!

We hope to see you join in the fun!

PS: I'm over at Writers Helping Writers today talking about how writing exercises that don't have anything to do with your novel, can keep you on top of your game. Hope to see you there too!
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CLICK HERE to subscribe to Jessica's newsletter. Every subscriber will receive Book #1 of the Writing in a Nutshell SeriesShow & Tell in a Nutshell, for FREE. And be the first to know about new releases and giveaways!