In case you are wondering who this little chap above is. he is my friend 'Caw Blimey' a cockney crow from the East End of London. He is studying to be an editor and likes to stick his beak in whats going on. I humour him cos I can't understand a word he says
......................................................................... The young lady on the right is my grand daughter, Ellie. She is a bright little girl and I love her to bits. ......................................................................... I would never tell anyone how to write, or offer advice. We each have our own methods and ideas which suit us, something often referred to as a 'voice' But these are just a few small tips I have learned to use whenever I write.
................................................................... |
People often ask me how I write a book. Do I spend months planning a beginning, middle and end.
Do I have a specific time in which I write, and a time I set aside for myself. How do I invent my characters. How many words do I need to write a full length novel. How far will I research a story. The book is finished and I'm ready for my first million Time for promotion. . |
The answer to that is no. I have a basic idea in my head where I want to go and let the words write the story. That way my mind is uncluttered with plots and themes and I don't feel as if I have to achieve a target.
No, I write when I'm happy, miserable, slightly drunk and well pissed off. Try writing comedy when when you are contemplating suicide, the result can be hilarious. I need a face before I can bring a character to life, and they are all around me. It is impossible to imagine a face, they can only come from memory. Whenever you need someone horrible and mean immediately your mind will swing towards someone you know or have seen. As many as it takes to finish your book. Coming Home has 134,000 words and I could have gone on. The Dancing Boy has just under 90,000 cos that all it needed. LIke a ferret down a burrow. One little factual error and your book could be in the bin. Oh yeah. passed it round to a couple of friends to read, well you ought to. Even top authors make big booboos. Then there is the most important person in your writing life, the editor. Most will throw in a proof read with the price, and they aint cheap. When you have your book back from the editor covered in blood red corrections you have to follow the instructions. To change things not mentioned by the editor can spell trouble. Of course, if you are unlike me and clever you can edit your own work, bravo. I wouldn't know what to do with a comma if I stared it at all day long. Use everything available, including Amazon MOA sites, Twitter, Facebook, Smashwords,Linkedin, Join writers clubs. But above all, do not stop writing. To produce a story in print that others will pay to read is a great achievement. Good luck. |