So, I’m not eating my words… not exactly. I still don’t know if I would self-publish; I really like the old fashioned idea of seeing my own book on the shelf or in the window of a bookstore before I see its digital twin on a website but I do have some new insights:
Thanks to the likes of the Kindle and its competitors, digital publishing has become a popular and accessible means for an author to publish their work. I am in two minds about whether this is a good or bad thing for first time authors and with our upcoming Writer’s Circle meeting dealing with this very topic, I thought I would do some digging.
Reasons why authors self-publish
Last night I went to a song-writing workshop led by Brad Klynsmith (aka the Gangs of Ballet lead vocalist). I’ve always been a bit of a closet song-writer, writing only when the emotion urges me and never showing anyone but I know Brad and always enjoy his informal style of teaching and of course, his great song-writing skills so I thought I’d go along.
One of my talented brothers (I have three of them – all of them talented) is a 3D Designer. We live in different provinces but we chat on Skype almost every day. He is one of those rare people who doesn’t just listen when I ramble on about problems I am having with a story, or new story ideas, he also gets excited about them.
While I’ve been busy with re-writes and competition pieces I’ve been interested by this idea of narrative point of view which is the angle from which we see the story unfold. It gives the reader a certain perspective of a story (usually that of the protagonist) and often sets the tone.
What is Point of View?
“Don’t do it! I’m serious. Don’t do it unless you know that this is what you really want to do. Writing will take up a lot of your time and your family’s time. There will be a lot of disappointment along the way and getting published is an incredibly elusive dream…” Eugene Black (See the rest of this interview on the Interviews section of the website)
After another Writer’s Circle meeting I realised yet again how vital it is to connect with other writers. I met two women today, both in varying stages of their writing journey’s, who write under the speculative fiction umbrella. It was great to finally meet some people in the circle who write in a similar vein – it made me feel a little less alien there.
When I woke up on Wednesday morning (30 March) it was with an uncharacteristic knot in my stomach Live-interview day had finally arrived and I was petrified. It had been busy week, with me packing for a family holiday, trying to tie up the final bits and pieces at work before I left, and preparing for this interview… in all the chaos I felt as though I couldn’t get into any kind of headspace where I could ask insightful or intelligent questions about writing – hence the knot in the stomach.
I am doing something completely out of my area of expertise on Wednesday (the 30th of March). I’m going to be conducting a live interview with two authors in a bookstore for a book club event. This is a position I never expected to find myself in.
As I prepare to ask these authors some questions, I find myself becoming just as daunted and as I am excited. I would never have imagined that I would have these kinds of opportunities and yet, here they are, presenting themselves.
Sometimes you read a book and a certain passage jumps out at you because it is so extraordinary. As a writer, I have begun to look at passages that show me things I am not yet doing successfully. I read them over and over so, hoping to absorb some of its genius. Here are two passages, followed by some questions I asked myself when I read them. I use them as writing exercises from time to time.
Passage from: Fly by Night by Frances Hardinge (on personification)
