What is failure for a writer

The average yearly income for an actor is below the poverty level. That is because for every successful actor you see there are hundreds not so successful. The same is true of writers. Not everyone has a following like Stephen King. I would wager most writers, especially in the e-book revolution, also have incomes below the poverty level. I know mine is. Does that mean those of us writing for a few dollars here and there are failures?

Thomas Edison, or rather those who worked for him, had over 10,000 attempts before the light bulb went on and stayed on. One could say that Edison failed 10,000 times, but as he told a reporter, “I know over 10,000 ways that a light bulb will not work.”  I would hate to write one page 10, 000 times before I got it right, but for writers it is different.

A light bulb will work one way and over 10,000 ways it won’t, but in writing, there are many ways to write. First person, second person, or no person (don’t’ ask). Many genres to write in, many ways to approach a story, rules to follow, rules to break-as many as you can- and critics be damned. Writing is not a science, it is an art, and as such is open to interpretation.

I haven’t had many reviews, but they were positive; though I have not checked lately, and things could have changed, but it matters not. Even if you get bad reviews it does not mean you are a failure. Many famous writers received bad reviews on books that are now considered classics.

Since bad reviews do not indicate failure, and book sales do not indicate failure, what does?

Quite simply it is the failure to write. To get lazy, discouraged, lethargic, to put it off when you know you should be at the keyboard. You don’t get reviews-good or bad-by not writing. You don’t get sales-few or many-by not writing. The point is to create something. So quit reading and get to work. After visiting my Amazon page of course, then you can write.

http://www.amazon.com/Terry-Nelson/e/B00EEVHN38

Most prolific author in world, inspiration, and resolutions

It is easy for writers to say we are working on a novel, whether it is actual writing or researching, but after reading about Jose Carlos Ryoki de Alpoim Inoue, I am shamed by my lack of work ethic. He was born in Brazil in 1946 to a Brazilian woman and Japanese father. At the age of forty he left medicine to become a writer and between 1986 and 1996 he wrote 1,058 novels, about one every three days. He has slowed down a bit, but last I read he was at 1, 075.  Perhaps writers cramp, or writers brain cramp, slowed him down.

He apparently has no concept of writers block, nor does he follow one of my writing rules: Never put off today what you can put off for a week, if not longer. Putting something off until tomorrow is too must pressure. It means I have to think about tomorrow and that means lack of sleep as thinking keeps me awake. But by putting something off for a week means plenty of rest and dream filled sleep.

I read Ryoki writes police stories, mysteries, thrillers, romances, spy stories, and westerns, and has at least 39 pen names. According to his profile 999 books were written during a six year span and accounted for 95% of books published in Brazil. He has also ghost written for other people and worded as an editor. He claims he has on occasion written three romance books in one day by working all night. I get the feeling he does not eat, go to the bathroom, sleep, has neither friends nor family, and does not watch TV. Something is wrong with this guy. Has he not heard all work and no play makes other writers terribly upset. He has upstaged us all.

Of course I have no idea of the quality of his work. Bu there is something to be said for being prolific and he is the current Guinness world record holder for most published books.

My resolution for the new year is to spend more time writing my new novel. I wrote Ryoki’s name on a Post- it and stuck it to my computer as inspiration. I will map out a schedule, write long hours, edit with precision, and rededicate myself to my craft. I have not set a schedule, but I plan on working on it next week. Inspiration is often slow during New Years Day bowl games.

In the meantime here is my Amazon page. http://www.amazon.com/Terry-Nelson/e/B00EEVHN38

 

How writers should handle criticism

I don’t understood anything in the sciences, but to rewrite what I think is a maxim from physics, “For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism.” By that I mean for every good review a writer gets there will also be a bad review. No artist wants negative reviews; to lay their soul bare only to have the soul skewered, stomped on, ridiculed, and to have their heart pierced by the slings and arrows of outrageous criticism.

I read of an artist, I can’t remember who, but I think it was a writer, who said he did not mind bad reviews. His feeling was that most books never got reviewed and for him to have someone read his book and to review it meant it was good enough to be talked about, even with negativity, because most books are ignored. He is a courageous soul.

My three e-books do not have a high volume of sales, but they have gotten good reviews, though one to four reviews is certainly a small sampling. I do not know who wrote them, but they are certainly intelligent people. I was more afraid in the beginning when I placed my books on Amazon that I would get bad reviews. I was not concerned about sales. Getting a few good reviews to me means I am doing something right.

I am not sure in todays age where anyone can write a review, how that aforementioned writer would feel. Reviewing is no longer the domain of intelligentsia, but has moved into the digital world with egalitarianism. Anyone can post a review. It is fair because everyone has an opinion, but it also opens itself up to paid reviews, reviews from friends and well wishers, and also from people who just like posting bad reviews because they like to trash people, finding amusement in being the bad guy.

The best a writer can do is take the good with the bad, do your best to be objective in reading both, and remember, whether good or bad, it is just one voice in the crowd. Or do what some do and don’t read them. In the end keep writing to your voice and not to the crowd. A writer should be far from the maddening crowd anyway.

 

Writers inspiration from a cow

I have heard and read that writers block can be devastating, a doctor even said it exits, but he was probably convinced to do so by a writer friend of his. It is sad when a writer faces an empty page and does not know how to proceed, or can not proceed.

Maybe the writer is waiting for inspiration, but like the characters in “Waiting for Godot” it won’t show up. Forget about waiting for that electric bolt of lightening to strike you with inspiration. All a writer has to do is write a simple sentence. The sentence need not make sense, may not have anything to do with what you want to write about. It is like warming up before taking a run. Write something as an exercise.

Here is an example. The cow jumped over the moon. At first I think about how strong the cows legs were to jump that high, but what interests me is what happens on the downward flight of the cow. Does it dawn on said cow, hereafter named Bessie, that she had clearly not thought things through as she falls through space to burn up in earth’s atmosphere. So I write the cow was jumping over the moon Christmas eve and as the cow is falling, Santa sees the cow, changes direction, flies underneath the cow, Bessie landing in the backseat of the sleigh, directly on a now squished elf, who is knocked unconscious, and good old Bessie grabs the elf, puts his mouth to her udder where the elf is force fed magical milk that saves his life.

This is what happens when you write a simple sentence then ask yourself what’s next. It can be silly, it can be serious, it can be anything you want. The point is to just use that simple sentence as an exercise to kick start your creative milk.

Writers block is simply an excuse to not finish something, a lack of will or desire, perhaps an unhealthy need for perfection, or simply depression. But sitting down, writing an innocuous sentence can and will work. As someone once said, the hardest thing to do as a writer is the simple act of sitting down and starting.

Jack and Jill went up the hill and reaching the top they looked into the valley below, amazed at seeing. . .

Santa’s sleigh catching a falling cow?

If books could talk, what would they say?

If you imagine yourself as a book as I have, perhaps a book would say things like the following:

“Some Americans are proud to trace their ancestors to the Mayflower. Big Deal, I trace mine back to papyrus.”

“Fact or fiction, I can’t tell the difference, I just am.”

“I am better than  a boyfriend, husband, girlfriend or wife, because when they are not there for you, I am.”

“You see me in a bookstore all bright, clean, spine straight, but you should see what happens to me in a warehouse. The horror!  Speaking of bookstores, I love having people pick me off the shelve, put there nose in my creases, and take a deep sniff. Intimacy between book and reader is good. And I don’t mind being on a bargain table as long as someone buys me and gives me a good home.”

“I am like a car. I can take you on whatever adventure you want to go, you just have to find the model that suits you.” 

“I hate it when they ban books. What did I do?

“For all you tree huggers who like to read, how do you reconcile saving tress with me? I came from a tree you know. When you save a tree, you kill a book.”

“Be careful how you flex me, a damaged spine causes me anguish and I have no medical. And be careful not to leave me where a dog and grab me with his teeth. That’s a pain you don’t want.”

“I don’t mind you taking me into the bathroom to read, just as long as you don’t leave me in there when you are done. It really is unpleasant.  But I do love it when you take me to bed, but make it worth my while and read a few chapters. Being read, then bookmarked and put down, open and close, open and close, open and close; readus interuptus kills the mood. And if you do read me in bed and like to snack, remember to watch those crumbs. I hate it when they get in my creases. Remember to floss me.”

These are things my books have actually said over time. What do your books say?

Which type of procrastinator are you

In 1997, July 23rd to be specific, I clipped an article from a newspaper about the six types of procrastinators. And the answer is no, I have not put off reading this article until 2013. A writer, especially me, needs to know why he is not writing, so I thought this might be helpful to all of us.

One type of procrastinator is the perfectionist, reluctant to start or finish any task because of high expectations. This type is highly detail oriented, hoping to avoid mistakes. This is not me, as I avoid starting tasks for the simple reason that, like Bartelby the Scrivener in Melville’s short story, ” I prefer not to.” But if you are a perfectionist, then say ‘I could’, not ‘I should.’ At least the article says that. If it doesn’t work, don’t blame me.

Perhaps the opposite of the perfectionist is the dreamer. They are described as being vague, unrealistic, and romantic, unable to deal with details. They have to do lists, and think about lists; they say ‘soon’ or ‘someday.’ The recommendation is moving from passive to active, just do it, like the Nike ad said. I tried this approach, as the dreamer fits me. I tried it after putting it off for a couple weeks. It doesn’t work.

Then there is the worrier. They are easily overwhelmed because they have a small comfort zone. They lack confidence and avoid risks, saying, “What if. . .” I understand this as I worry a lot. The article says if you have a backup plan that answers the ‘What if’ question, you should be fine. I somehow doubt that, as you can worry about the backup plan as well.

Moving along we have the crisis maker. He can’t get motivated until the last minute. They like living on the edge for the adrenaline rush, so they avoid simple routine tasks. I have no understanding of these people. The recommendation is find an outlet for the rush. My adrenaline rush is talking a walk. I might do this later.

There are two types of defiers, one aggressive, one passive-aggressive. They promise to do something, but don’t follow through. The recommendation is to say what you mean and mean what you say. Have you noticed that the recommendations that come from the book, “It’s About Time” are easy to say, but not easy to do. This is because if you are a true procrastinator, you put off recommendations.

The sixth type are the overdoers. They are always busy, always working. They tend to make extra work rather than focusing on what needs to be done. They need to delegate. Frankly this does not sound like a procrastinator to me. More like a nut.

If you are a procrastinator I hope you found your type. I think there is some overlap as I see a bit of myself in two or three types. I had intended to publish this blog the other day, but we know how that goes. But now that this is published I can get back to procrastinating about more important things.

 

Missing quotation marks and lost socks

If you have done laundry then you know the mystery of lost socks. It is always one, not two, that disappear and where it goes and how it goes remains a mystery.  Either the washer or the dryer is the culprit and neither will rat out the other. However, after careful examination over the years of the two suspects, I suspect the washer is guilty of trafficking in human socks. I can’t give details as it is an ongoing investigation.

It has been brought to my attention, much to my dismay, that like lost socks, there is a mystery surrounding lost quotation marks. Rest assured neither the washer or dryer are suspects in the case.

The facts are these. A certain writer, namely me, in either the process of writing a story in Word doc. or in transferring said story to an unnamed formatter-unnamed until formal charges can be brought-has seen numerous missing quotation marks, most disappearing at the end of a quote, though a few are missing at the beginning, even rarer, both are missing. You can imagine the problems that causes.

I know what you are thinking. That during the course of editing and proofreading there is bound to be a few missing quotation marks, or periods, misspellings, other punctuation miscues and so on. It is true that the writer in question, namely me, during a fervor of creativity, where words are flowing into sentences, the sentences rapidly building paragraphs, the paragraphs quickly filling pages, that more errors are likely to occur. But such a hot streak of creativity for the writer in question, namely me, is as rare as two lost socks.

 More to the point is when missing quotation marks number well over 100 in a novel, it is clear a crime is being committed. In fact I took a lie detector test in which I stated that yes I had done a proofreading, had in fact did numerous checks. It did appear they were there in Word. doc-at least that is my believe, but the evidence is now missing. The fact that I administered my own lie detector test should not be held against me.

Clearly something is going on. And I am about to set a trap. I have a new collection of short stories, “Cemetery Tales and other Phantasms” that I have proofread in Word.doc and all quotation marks are accounted for. Now the manuscript has been uploaded to a formatter and I am soon to check it. I hope to be done soon, as the e-book needs to be published for Halloween. I will report my findings next week. Stay tuned.

 

Past, present, and future of new-fangled struggles for writers.

“I am trying to get the hang of this new-fangled writing machine, but I am not making a shining success of it. However, this is the first attempt I have ever made and yet I perceive I shall soon and easily acquire a fine facility in its use…I believe it will print faster than I can write…It piles an awful stack of words on  one page…Of course it saves paper.”

The person quoted above seemed pleased with his new-fangled machine. He claims to be struggling with it, and I believe him, as learning anything new is a struggle. He then indicates he will soon master it. Reading the quote again it could be a writer taking his first fling at writing in Word.doc. It does “pile a lot of words on one page” and “it saves paper,” and I do like the line of “print faster than I can write,” although my printer is not that fast. My mind, however, is faster than my fingers on a keyboard. Not a good thing for a person with ten thumbs and no fingers such as myself.

But the person was not talking about Word.doc. In fact he was long dead before it replaced the typewriter, the machine the writer was referring to. The person quoted above is Mark Twain. He was writing of his experience using the new-fangled machine around 1879. Four years later his manuscript for “Life on the Mississippi” was the first type scripted manuscript delivered for publication.

If you are wondering who the first writer to publish an e-book is, then you are as weird as I am.  Alas, my quick search has turned up only nit-picky confusion. Much depends on the definition of e-book. And the world is moving faster now than 1879. It was easier to determine who was first then.  Now so many people are doing the same type of work at the same time, by the time there is a first, it is already history, and something new is being discussed. I am not weird enough to pursue the first any further than this link to Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-book#2000.27s.

As for me, I am waiting to get a voice activated writing tool so I can dictate blogs and stories. Of course I will have to edit as I go, which can bring as much frustration as keyboard hunting and pecking. Now the curse words I emphatically utter are not seen or heard, but with voice activation I must be careful in proofreading, lest any “damn” should find its way into the story. Each invention brings its own new-fangled struggles.

 

How writing everyday can kill you

Writing can kill you.

If you spend hours at the keyboard writing, researching, marketing, being social, your health is at risk. Like a horror movie there is a silent killer stalking you, one you can not see or hear. But he is deadly. In fact you could drop dead as you punch away at the keys, like I am doing now. I hope I survive long enough to warn you.

From personal experience I can say that you must step away for a brief period of time, say an hour, in order to protect your health. You must exercise and I will tell you why.

I write everyday whether I want to or not, spending too much time at the computer. It is easy to get lost, not just writing, but surfing around with writing related tasks. When I had my annual physical last October my blood pressure was high. I changed my life by exercising on a regular basis and got my blood pressure down. It also helped that I had a job which required some degree of physical effort.

But then my company closed its branch office and moved half way across the country. Without a job I was free to write more and more. And exercise less and less. It was summer and while I went for occasional walks, writing became a daily priority. Too much of a priority as it turns out. I went to a wellness fair recently and had my blood pressure checked and once again it was high. Not dangerously high, but high enough to warrant concern.

Now I must get back to exercising to get my blood pressure lower.

I know what you eat can affect your pressure as well, but the vast majority of what I eat is low calorie, low or no fat foods. I eat lots of fruits, do not drink, do not smoke. I just do not get enough exercise. So while I stroke away at the keyboard, I could get a stroke myself. I hate exercise, but feel better after I do it.

In short, if you are a writer and spend a lot of time writing, also take time to protect your health. Keep your body active like your mind. This has been a public service announcement.

 

 

My e-book falls into what?

A writer of fiction can research what genre of e-books are selling, pick one he/she prefers to write in knowing there is a hungry audience and therefore has a better chance of making sales.

Or. . .

You can be like me, the loony oddball who tells a story because of interest in a subject, and whose story does not perfectly fit into a genre. The theory being that you write better if you are writing a story you yourself would like to read. It is only a theory, but I did have fun writing the stories, so I am content with that.

“Loonies in the Dugout” is historical fiction, at least that is the closest I can get. It takes place in 1911, is a fictional account of a true story revolving around Charlie Faust and the New York Giant baseball team in 1911. But it is also a satire on fame and celebrity, as well as a young man’s wondering about God, women, and the nature of luck. So it is baseball fiction, historical fiction, satire, and perhaps a bit of a coming of age story.

So how does a loony writer categorize all that?

Actress Mabel Normand holding a small round mirror which reflects her face in profile (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I come closer with my second book, “Loonies in Hollywood” a mystery to be sure. I take my two lead fictional characters from the 1911 book, Chet and Eveleen, and put them into a story set in 1922 where Chet solves the true life unsolved murder of William Desmond Taylor, a well known silent film director. But there are subcategories of mysteries and mine comes closer-if I read my definitions correctly- of a cozy mystery. However,  because one character, Mabel Normand, who in true life had a blue tongue,  and since I used language she would have used in creating her character, it falls outside of being cozy. Can’t use those words and be cozy. Besides there is an underlying satire to the story and satire is not cozy.

So once again my loony writing does not really fit snuggly into a category.

So if you are an aspiring writer you must make a choice. I don’t think I can pick a genre and write to specific guidelines. My personality does not allow that. There is a bit of maverick in me that says write what you want, how you want. I don’t want to be typecast. I enjoy flexibility and, good or bad, I follow my instincts. I suggest you follow yours.