Prostitution and Writing
“First you do it for the love of it,
Then you do it for the approval,
And finally you do it for the money.”
I’m not entirely sure who is credited with having said that but a friend of mine once gave me a small sign to hang on the wall that said it. She told me that it was to keep me focused on why I write. She was a fellow writer and I was just beginning my career as a newspaper reporter. She was already jaded in that way that a newspaper reporter can sometimes get because they feel they are just writing to keep the lights on. It made me sad.
I have been writing for over 30 years now and I am pleased to announce that I never got to be like my friend. I kept focused and I tried to take some time every day to remember why I write. Sure I paid the bills with my writing and there were times over the years when I would get resentful because I didn’t seem to have time to do “my writing” but, in the end I never became jaded. I still enjoy writing.
It is really easy to get caught up in the money making aspect of writing. I have had some very good projects over the years and I have to admit the money feels really good. I am sometimes tempted to cash in on that and over extend myself – take on an extra job or two – but then I stop and I think about it and I realize that by over extending my work will suffer and, frankly, the money isn’t worth it.
You will get lots of advice over the years. Folks will tell you to write for the reader, write for your “audience”, focus on writing for a friend, write for the market… (publishers love that one) but there really is only one person you should be writing for…you. If you like what you have done, chances are there is an audience out there for it…count on that and write what interests you. If you are passionate about your work others will be too and you know what, you will also be a better writer. So don’t do it for the money and become a writing prostitute…do it for the love of it and be the writer you should be. The money will come and when it does, it will be that much sweeter.
© The Writer’s Advice, 2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.
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Tags: advice, author, book, healthy, inspiration, Inspire, Jai Colvin, Jai Farris, novel, novelist, publisher, publishing, telling story, writer, writers, writing, writing process, Writing tools
Like throwing a pebble into the water some writers put advice out into the ocean of hopeful newbies hoping the ripple effects will reach them and they will learn a thing or two. Fridays here at The Writer’s Advice is pebble collection time. I will post some of the pebbles of wisdom I discover and I encourage you all to do the same. Each Friday we will help each other.
So here are mine….show me yours!
Five Ways to Promote Your Book Without Paying a Penny – http://www.authorspublish.com/five-ways-to-promote-your-book-without-paying-a-penny/
10 Things I Wish I Knew As A Beginning Writer – http://www.authorspublish.com/10-things-i-wish-i-knew-as-a-beginning-writer/
What is the difference between a commercial and a literary plot? -http://writerswrite.co.za/what-is-the-difference-between-a-commercial-and-a-literary-plot
Why You Should Submit to Literary Journals – http://www.authorspublish.com/why-you-should-submit-to-literary-journals/
The Top 10 Reasons to Write Short Stories -http://writerswrite.co.za/the-top-10-reasons-to-write-short-stories
© The Writer’s Advice, 2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.
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Tags: author, book, inspiration, Inspire, Jai Colvin, Jai Farris, learning, novel, novelist, story, telling story, writer, writers, writing, Writing Pebbles, writing process, Writing tools
Okay, get your mind out of the gutter…I mean in chapter size. Let’s be honest, this has been an ongoing debate since the time of biblical writers. But does the size, of your chapters, really matter that much. Well, yes, but not for the reasons you think.
The size of your chapters has less to do with the number of pages you are trying to force and more to do with the way in which you write. When we write a story there is a concept called “pacing” and it is important if you are to write a good book. Everyone’s pacing is different but one thing that is the same is that the size of your chapters can be a key factor in who your pacing goes. The formula is simple…the shorter your chapters are the quicker is the pace of your story.
Now let’s think about this for a moment…if you are working in the garage and you are going along at a fairly decent pace, the garage will get done but you will also feel comfortable about how the job gets done. Your novel is the same way. If your chapters are short sometimes that makes for a tighter story. If your chapters are long but the pace is quick you can still achieve the tightness but detail will also be enhanced. Longer chapters may slow down while short chapters may influence the quality. Maybe now you see why it is such a debate.
There has been some argument over the years having to do with making all of your chapters exactly the same length. I personally thing think that this is lame. Some authors can, and have done this in the past such as Antony Trollope and Charles Dickens but I can’t make it happen. If the story is telling itself I hardly see how you can “make” it fit. I prefer to write and when it feels like a chapter has come to an end and there is a story shift, I take it. That feels natural for me.
So am I advocating one way of the other? Nope, not going to step into that trap…I am simply saying that you must do what is comfortable for you. Don’t let another writer tell you how long your chapters should be and for Pete’s sake don’t allow publishers to either. (they love to by the way) I believe that all stories create their own space and if you try and drop them into a box you are doing that story a disservice.
© The Writer’s Advice, 2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.
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Tags: advice, author, book, chapter, chapter length, creation of character, editing, editor, inspiration, Inspire, Jai Colvin, Jai Farris, learning, novel, novelist, organization, organize, publisher, size matters, story, structure, writer, writers, writing, writing process, Writing tools
Writing comes with more than a few frustrations. There is the whole give-me-time-to-write thing…and then there is the whole I-actually-have-to-market-myself thing…and who can forget the whole reject thing…yes there are more than a few frustrations involved in chasing this particular passion. Of all these frustrations I can handle most of them but there is one that irritates me to no end. In fact, after 30 some odd years of writing, it is the one thing that makes me want to go all “Out of the Mouth of Madness” on a publisher. (Great movie by the way, especially for writers) What is this thing that I speak of that turns an otherwise gentle writer into an ax murderer? It’s when other folks say, “hey great story but I have some suggestions…change it all.”
One of the dangers in submitting your work to publishers is that you are opening yourself up to this kind of stupid logic. In my mind, if the publisher took a second look at your work then they must have seen SOMETHING that was worth publishing right? Still there are publishers out there who will look at your book and want to make so many changes that it is no longer yours but instead is theirs. My theory is that these publishers are frustrated writers and when they look at certain manuscripts they see an opportunity to create their own through you. Not okay!
Here’s where things get dicey though. If you are a first time writer you may be tempted to make all those changes. I mean, here is a publisher and they are saying that they are going to publish YOUR work…sort of…. I’m here to tell you fledglings…don’t do it. In the end you will regret every rewritten line. I had this newspaper editor once when I was first starting out who would do that to me. He would go through my stuff and change it until it was unrecognizable. At the end of my first year with this guy I realized that all of the “writing” I had done over the previous year was not actually mine. Writers have voices and if someone comes along and changes your words that much they are killing your voice.
So folks, when you submit something remember that there are those out there who may want to make your work their work; when you come across these folks walk away. It isn’t worth it to look back years from now and realize that the novel you originally wrote is no longer in your voice. It is important to note that as a writer you will be asked to make some changes in your work but that is okay…there is a difference between “direction” and a total rewrite though.
© The Writer’s Advice, 2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.
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Like throwing a pebble into the water some writers put advice out into the ocean of hopeful newbies hoping the ripple effects will reach them and they will learn a thing or two. Fridays here at The Writer’s Advice is pebble collection time. I will post some of the pebbles of wisdom I discover and I encourage you all to do the same. Each Friday we will help each other.
So here are mine….show me yours!
© The Writer’s Advice, 2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.
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Tags: advice, book, inspiration, Inspire, Jai Colvin, Jai Farris, learning, novel, novelist, structure, writer, writers, writing, Writing Pebbles, writing process, Writing tools
So here I am this morning wading into a debate that has been raging ever since the first e-book came out. Do we respect the traditional book…you know the ones made of paper that you can hold in your hands, or do we make the change to digital, the ones where no trees had to give their lives? For a long time I have been on fence on this issue but recently I was shoved off that fence by a documentary.
Keep in mind that I am, and always have been, a writer. As far back as I can remember I have been writing stuff down. I published my first piece when I was 9 years old and over the last 35 years I have been published again about a gazillion times. Along with that writing comes the reading and a lot of it. I read everything I can get my hands on most days…magazines, books, signs, cereal boxes…I read it all. I love the smell of a “real” book…the pages, the binding. I love the feel of a book in my hands and the way the words flow out onto the pages. I love to turn the pages. But do you know what I love more than any of that? I love breathing.
Our world is in a flux right now and the ecosystem is amazingly off balance. Our kind, man, has managed to over use everything from trees to the air itself and most of us have trickled along with no concept of what we are doing to the planet. Now we are being slammed in the face with the possibility that there may not be enough of the planet to survive into the future and that bothers me…a lot. I have kids and grandkids and I want them to be able to enjoy their lives too but that ain’t gonna happen if we keep squandering what we have now. What does this have to do with books? A lot.
We writers pride ourselves in being the windows of the future, the innovators of good, yet when the digital format books came out we all slammed to a halt and called foul. We wanted out traditional books and we poo pooed the concept of digital books. Never mind that a Kindle or a Nook would allow you to travel anywhere with your entire library, never mind that you would never have to lose another traditional bookmark, and never mind that moving to digital would help the planet…we just wanted to be able to turn the page. How sad are we?
So here is my challenge to all of you fellow writers…make the change. I know…I love the way the books look on the shelves too and if you need that library look head to a second hand book store and stock up but as far as what you read now…go digital. It will save some trees and possibly allow for more air in the future. It will save the beauty that is the trees whether they are lined on a beach, in the mountains or deep in the Amazon jungle. We are writers, it is our way to see the future and embrace it. Embrace digital books folks…your future may depend on it.
© The Writer’s Advice, 2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.
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Writer’s Note: First let me say that I am back after having recovered from a long and complicated surgery. I apologize for my absence but this was a tough one. I am on the mend now however and ready to jump right back into it so….let’s jump.
How many of you have picked up a book, or lord forbid bought one, and discovered that it wasn’t at all about what the title portrayed it to be? I know I have and it really irritated me. Let me first say that, as a buyer, we do need to be aware of what we are buying but if I am hanging out in a book store and a title catches my eye, it should at least be somewhat about what is between the pages….right?
These days I think that too many writers are trying to be “cute” with their title choices. They are either trying to play on words or trying to catch the reader’s attention. While this works with tabloids there is quite a difference between investing in a book at $12.95 and investing in a tabloid at .95 cents. If I am going to pay for a book I would much rather the title be reflective of what the content is. A book is an investment in time and money and by Pete I want to make sure that I am spending my money on what I think I am spending my money on.
This is not to say that you can’t get creative with your title, you can, but make sure that you are clothing your book, not just your demented sense of humor. Make sure that your title speaks of what the reader will discover within the pages so that…1. You don’t sell goods that don’t exist, 2. You don’t irritate your readers because the book is not what they think it is and, 3. that you aren’t trying to “trick” the readers into reading your stuff. People, especially readers remember stuff like that for a long time…chances are you won’t get that reader back a second time because they feel duped.
So when you get to giving your work a name, remember to give it a proper name that fits the story. Don’t try and be cute or shocking…just be honest and let your story speak for itself.
© The Writer’s Advice, 2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.
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