R is for...

 Reward....

The only reward most of us will get from being a writer and self published author, maybe even a trad published author is the satisfaction of publishing something that we have spent a long time perfecting, and loving. We won't be stinking rich (unless we somehow manage to write world rocking best sellers). We may not even be recognised or be left reviews of our novels. 

Some of us write our novels because it's something we love doing, and we know there are others out there that like our kind of stories, we just got to find them. We write because we have these stories in our heads that insist on being written, we have whole worlds and universes to transverse and take others with us. Readers who come to our books come to escape, to open pages and be transported to another world, and live the adventure with our heroines. 

Some authors can make enough to be comfortable, and they might even pay one or two bills. Some of us will go into teaching or facilitating, knowing that someone we are tutoring might become a  success.

It isn't my intention to dampen your parade with a thundercloud, heck I still hope to be up there someday, but we go into this knowing it may never happen. But if you want to be rich, it may take a bit, especially if you self publish and write what you want to write and not what the market is looking for. 

Rules...

I read someplace that there are three, but no one knows what they are (lol). 

Personally I go by these...

• Write what you love
• Write every day if you can
• Watch Capitals and try to keep them out of the story if they aren't supposed to be there.
• Anything goes, within reason
• You can't edit a blank page (or screen) 

Reward

Reedsy Blog

By Liner

Self Publishing

Write a Book hq

Rules

Custom Writing

The Write Practice

Writing Ireland

Create your own rules

Happy Weekend!

Q is for...

 Queers, Disabled, People of Colour and other Minorities

First things first, I'm Queer (the B in LGBTQ+) and I'm Disabled (degenerative osteoporosis lower back, and brand new hip). I'm also Pagan (witch).

With that disclaimer out of the way, we'll get down to the real nitty gritty. For years any book that I picked up that had LGBTQ+ characters in it, were erotica, or they were the villain or tragically killed off. Now days however they are adventurers (on this world and the next), detectives (my novel Sorceress), sports people, reporters, and the Queens of Hades (my Demon Blood novel still in production) and their love lives are full and lasting. They are still the villains and still tragically killed off, but my point is that they have richer lives and do many more things like the real LGBTQ+ people do.

As evidenced by the new Dr. Who, people with disabilities have finally arrived. For years we've been background characters, side kicks and quite possibly the butt of jokes (we still can be), but now like the aforementioned Queers, we are coming into our own within the pages of books. Even kids books have kids with disabilities in them, which is awesome for them to see themselves doing what they do every day.

Witches have always been in novels, so nothing new there, but still a minority.

I can't speak for people of colour, but I have noticed that there are a lot more books with them in them. This is I think a great thing, as for way to long it seems like the white or Caucasian type of person was represented as being the main character from kids books right up along the way. Now POC are the hero's and heroines, and what's more, they are being written by the people that they represent. Though for some like a lot of countries indigenous peoples (like the Mincéir here in Ireland), there is still a long way to go.

Minorities in novels can be a loaded subject, like who should have the right to write about them? What roles should they play (HINT...ALL)? Who should be reading them, kids or adults? What subjects can they tackle?

It is important when writing about a minority group you aren't a part of, that you get someone from that group to read what you have written and give you feed back. These people are called SENSATIVITY readers. For work going forward I agree with the concept of a sensitivity reader, what I don't agree with is revision of classics, as I believe that those works are of their time and should not be tampered with. These novels should remain as written, and show us, even teach us about our own biases and bigotries, and how we should all strive to be better human beings. So by all means, use them.

Qualifications

In order to be a writer or author do you need qualifications? The answer to that one is no, not unless you want to teach the subject or facilitate the subject to a group of eager students (young and older). There are lot of courses out there that offer degrees, or certificates, and diplomas in creative writing. You can even become a Doctor (PHD) if you so choose.

Just know that the only qualification that you need to be a writer is to write, and the only qualification that you need to be an author is to either Trad Publish, or Self Publish. Nothing else counts. 

Queers and Minorities

CBC Arts

Hamilton Education

Jane Friedman

The Guardian

The nerd daily

Ignited Ink Writing

Writers helping writers

Good Story

Self Publishing

Reedsy Blog

P is for...

Publishing Traditional Vs Self

As writers and authors we all aspire to being traditionally published, the only problem with that is that it is so damn difficult to get there, and so expensive. Some of us will get so frustrated with trying, that they will pull back from being told no, and either self publish, or vanity publish.

There are many advantages to both, with a Traditional Publishing House deal, you have an organisation that will take over every aspect of your novel being published. You of course will have to do the edits that they hand you, and adhere to the contract you are given, and maybe even do part of the publishing. You have someone to ask questions of, and someone to steer you in the right direction. This takes time, anything from six to twelve months from start of the process to the end. Some companies won't take your work to the slush pile unless you have an agent, some don't like you sending them work unless they are in a run of accepting work, best to check out their websites and directions before even attempting to send them anything.

Vanity Publishing has gotten itself a bad name, some companies say they will publish your book if you pay them x amount, and then fail to follow through. Not all of them are like this though, some will do the work for you, but once again, you will be left to publish the work, and also bring it around bookshops to see if by some remote chance they will take a box and sell them.

Self Publishing (Indie Publishing) consists of companies such as Amazon, Kobo, Apple Books, Google Play, Lulu etc. (see list). These all run step by step instructions as to how to prepare your manuscript, and load it as well as the cover you made (or had made), to their site where you can create an eBook and paperback, some even offer hard back editions. One or two will even let you upload picture books, and graphic novels. Like all of the above, marketing is all up to you, and if you have paperbacks you can try your local indie book shop (we actually don't have a local, or mainstream where I live, wonder if the library would take a copy). You can self publish anytime you want, the eBook may come out before you receive the paperback which might arrive in a couple of days or weeks depending on where you live.

In the long run it's up to you what you do, here in Ireland, we have something run by the Irish Writers Centre called the Novel Fair where an author applies to compete with other authors to get their manuscripts in front of industry professionals, have a look at the site and see if you qualify for the next round competition, if so it might be worth the effort. 

Plan (Authors Yearly)

Okay, now I know this might be a stretch for most of us, as sometimes we don't know what we are doing from one day to the next, but something that you should have in your Authors Notebook, or digitally saved is this plan, basically an outline of what you hope to be doing during the year, start out with the year: 

2024

January

Mon - Editing Vampire Chapter 3  10.00 am - 4pm

Tues - Editing Vampire Chapter 4 / 5  As above

Wednesday Editing Chapter 5 / 6   As above

Thursday Media Presence Updates   As above

Friday Editing Chapter 7   10. 12pm (food shop)

Sat Off

Sun Off

Don't forget if there are any workshops or conferences, or festivals that you know of, mark them down in this plan as well. 

Also note any advertising that you are planning on doing, book signings, or talks.

This plan can be as small or big as you like, just make sure you have room for adding in stuff at the last moment, or making notes. 

If you believe in structure, this is something you should get used to doing, even if you have a diary, or calendar just mark them in, though I'd recommend a date planner / diary for the length of writing, and calendar for festivals and conferences etc.,

This does assume that you keep track of the writers festivals, conferences, talks etc., that happen each year as they happen, something to maybe put in your authors notebook.

Traditional Publishing Vs. Self Publishing

Reedsy Blog

Writers Digest

Publish Drive

Just Publishing advice

Irish Writers Centre

Authors Yearly Plan

Thriving Scribes 

Create your author plan

Remember, don't download or sign up for anything you don't want to, you don't have to okay.

O is for...

 Organising Files

It can be as easy as the name of the novel for the main folder, then within it, one called outline, then story name draft one, then story name draft 2, then story name draft 3 etc., add in story name bad guy profiles, good guy profiles, Town bio, world bios, Aliens Bios, synopsis, cover art, marketing plan...or just as difficult.

Maybe you have a novel folder with each draft of each novel in it, maybe you have a folder with all the characters, good and bad in it, or worlds folder, Aliens folders...

Your files can be either paper (print out everything you have on computer), or just all kept in the cloud, or on a memory stick or hard drive (portable).

Paper files might be in a folder kept in a filing cabinet. Personally I like both, I have hard copies (paper) and digital (Computer, cloud and memory stick). I like to be organised, just don't look at my office it's a total mess.

Office (home)

We have touched on this earlier, a dedicated space to write, that might feasibly be called an office, isn't really a must for some writers and for others it's deadly important to have a space where you can close the door, and turn up the music (if that is your thing) then get down to the task of writing. This is where your laptop, or desktop (tower) lives. This is where your books on the art of writing live, and where you have images plastered all over the lovely painted / wallpapered walls that spur you on, quotes that inspire you are pinned to notice boards and screen risers. Notebooks reside just beside the computer, or on one of the desk shelves, at hands reach if needed as is the dictionary and thesaurus (the ones that aren't online). Favourite, but chipped cups / mugs / jars containing pens and pencils that you got all over the world that were too cute to throw away when all used up, those pretty notebooks from the previous post, the filing cabinet, pins, white out, folders...all the lovely stuff that writers just adore live here, and so do you.

Here is where you come to in the morning, afternoon, evening or dead of night to put words on paper or the computer screen. Here you are alone with your thoughts, your husband, or wife is minding the brood, now and again they might ask do you need anything, coffee, tea...a biccie, lunch or dinner (damn, did I have dinner), anyway, they are all things that the home office is, and maybe there are two of you who share it, they get it for a certain amount of time, and you get it the rest.

It isn't necessary, but it is lovely, a dedicated space, for you and your imagination. 

Do you have one?

If not, where do you write?

Organising Files

File management

Office (Home)

Do writers really need...

The Write Life

The Fussy Librarian

NY Book Editors

N is for....

 Nom de Plume

Or as it's better known, a pen name or pseudonym, is basically using another name in place of your own. These are used if a writer is writing Romance after being an academic writer, or writing Fantasy after writing True Crime novels, or erotica after writing Thrillers. Simply put, if you don't want to use your own name for whatever reason, you choose a Nom de Plume (or name of the pen).

When choosing if you want to do this, make sure you know the laws around publishing under another name, and ensure that whatever banking institute you are using knows that it's you (look into this legally). I'm not sure of anything really to do with this as I've decided to use my own name. 

I'm going to list a few blogs and sites to help us both discover more about this part of the Authors Business, note of caution, please ensure before doing so, that it's okay where you are.

Note Book (Authors)

Authors tend to have a lot of notebooks lying around doing nothing, and hey, they are all stunning, and the paper is just amazing, the lines are perfectly spaced, or totally blank pages. The covers speak to us of promised works of amazingness, and yet when we want to write something, we leave them empty on the shelves because we can't bare to mark them, or break their spine. 

Some writers only use laptops, or phone apps so may not know what I speak off, which makes me a little sad as all those poor trees died for nada. 

Anyhoo, I digress (again).

Notebook, the one that Authors use, is the place that you keep all your notes in. Everything from your latest idea (if you don't use folders to keep them in alphabetical order), names of characters, names of towns and what they look like, ideas to put in your next novel, or the one you are writing, how the heroines journey works, genres...everything that is worth noting in various sections. 

These are two images of my writers Notebook, it's thick with lots of pages in it, that I took out of two old books and that I self bound (not very well) into this one book. I love it and need to schedule time to add more notes into it.

Some writers keep separate notebooks, each one with titles such as 'Names for Novels' or 'Names for characters' or 'Plot Ideas' or 'How to Tackle Writers Block' and 'marketing plan'. Others will keep these as folders on their computer, in a larger folder titled 'Authors Online Notebook'. 

Do you have one, or several?

NOM DE PLUME

The Darling Axe

Kindlepreneur

Invisible Ink