Hey folks. I wanted to take a moment to ask you all a question. Recently, I posted two pieces of writing to the blog. One called “Beast of the Lake of the Ozarks” and the other was “A Piece of Flash Fiction – Panther.” I received some good comments on those and people seemed to enjoy reading them. The question that I had was would you all be interested if I were to serialize those as ongoing stories, maybe adding about a chapter at a time?
I was thinking that maybe once a month, I might add about a thousand words to one or both of the stories, depending on response. Would you prefer one over the other or both? I honestly don’t mind continuing both, if there is a following.
The plan was, to release the updates here on the blog, for free. Yes, I said free. These would just be short pieces of writing to show you all how much I appreciate you all. You’ve followed my writing and read my books, so I wanted to show you all how much it was appreciated.
Anyway, I know this is a short blog entry, but all I planned to do was to ask you about this. Please let me know in the comments or through any of my social media. You can even email me direct at DARoberts@daroberts.net .
We all have those moments when we know exactly what we’re trying to say, but we just don’t quite express it well enough to make other people fully understand. Sometimes, it’s the same with writing. It’s an easy trap to fall into, without even realizing that you’ve done just that. We, as writers, have the luxury of knowing exactly what we’re describing, because we see it in our mind’s eye. The problem lies in the telling. Are we using enough words? Are we using too many? Are they even the right words?
Whether you’re describing a particularly amazing sunset, the taste of a well-cooked meal or the surface of an alien world, the rights words make all the difference in the image you convey to your readers. For example, you could simply say the food was delicious and your reader would likely accept that. Now if you were to say that the food was perfectly seasoned, with hints of different spices and just exactly the right amount of heat, it changes the image completely. Descriptors are everything in writing. You can simply say the food was delicious if that was just a detail you were passing over, but it your main character is a chef, then we’re going to assume it was delicious. We want to know how it was delicious. What made it stand out? Especially if those same details play a significant role in the story.
The same can be said for virtually any details. Is it important to the story and will it have a defined presence in said story? If so, then you might want to add in more descriptors than simply saying the house was old. You’re painting a picture with your words, for the readers to see in their minds. While their own experiences and memories can fill in some of the details, some of those need to be provided in order for them to have more to go on than simply “the building.”
The other side of the coin is providing too many details when it isn’t relevant to the story. I tend to go this direction. I add in details that I find interesting that not all of my readers do. Then again, some of them like it just the way it is, so it’s a balancing act. You can chose to make some of the people happy or none of them. Making everyone happy is impossible. Someone will always find fault with something. So, find the balance that makes you, and hopefully your readers, happy. Put in the details you want in there, describing the things you find important to the story. After all, it’s your vision you’re describing. Just take a moment to consider if you’re providing enough details for your audience to see the picture you’re painting.
I’ve seen some writers who could spend four pages describing a table. By the end of those pages, you’ll know where it was built, what color stain was applied, who has owned it over the years and how it ended up where it is at that exact moment. The thing is, do you really need to go into that level of detail? Is it necessary to the telling of the story or did you put it there to flesh out a chapter? Only you can answer that question with any degree of certainty, but you have to be honest with yourself.
Details are the mortar that hold the bricks of your story together. Not enough details can leave your reader confused while too many can turn them off entirely. It’s really quite the balancing act that you have to walk, as a writer. A good editor can catch these instances and point them out to you, even if you hadn’t realized what you had done. They can highlight an area and ask for clarification or caution you that you put in too much detail. Editors offer much more than merely fixing grammar and syntax. They can make or break a story.
Choosing the wrong words can do much more harm than good. No one wants to be the guy that says we’re seeing too much bird deification when the word you wanted to use was defecation. A well-planned courtroom scene can be ruined when you meant to say the subject was found “incompetent to stand trial” but use the word “incontinent” instead. Or maybe they say that the district attorney is waiting on the results of the coroner’s incest instead of inquest. You laugh, but I know someone that made those exact mistakes. I, along with a couple of friends (Nate and Brian), gave him a thesaurus for Christmas that year. Of course, we did it anonymously.
All joking aside, the words you choose not only paint the images in your story, they reflect on you as well. So, choose wisely. The goal is to provide the best possible reading experience for your audience so that they want to come back and read your work, again and again. As a writer, words are your stock in trade. Your paintbrush on the canvas. What you say is just as important as how you say it and the words you use. Take the time to invest in your craft and constantly strive to be better than you were yesterday. It will pay off in the greatest of dividends…happy readers.
The words you write become the sentence which becomes the paragraph, which turns into a chapter and so on. Build those stories on the best possible foundation. You can study your craft not only through taking classes but in every book you read. Each book, story and poem is research for your own writing. We gain knowledge of our craft by observing how others have done it, before us. Study your craft and keep learning more about it as you grow. Learning something new every day is not difficult. You just have to always be on the lookout for ways to improve and grow as a writer. I try to learn something each time I sit down at the keyboard.
Enjoy the process and keep reaching for the stars. Choose your words to paint the best possible pictures for your readers. Remember, sometimes what you say is just as important as what you don’t say. Both can speak volumes, even more so than you realize. Choose wisely.
Not every word you write has to be for publication or for public consumption. You can write personal journals, diaries, blogs and even fiction/non-fiction, which was never intended to be written for anyone but you. I’ve done it, myself. Sometimes, the best way to work through things is just to put the thoughts into words so you can see them and address them in your own way. They were never meant to serve any purpose but allowing you to release something that was pent up inside of you. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, either. If it helps you work through things, then so much the better. Writing is deeply personal, as well as a way to share thoughts. Sometimes, those thoughts are only for yourself.
Writing is as unique as we are, allowing us to say things we might never have said out loud, or to articulate thoughts that otherwise might not have found substance. Ask a dozen writers and you’ll get a dozen different theories about how the process works. All I can tell you is what works for me, and that might not work for you or for anyone else. What I can tell you with absolute certainty is that no one can tell you how your writing should be except you.
Harlan Ellison has his “ten rules of writing” and there are others out there as well. So many authors, some of them quite famous, who have a definitive guide to how writing should be done. I might not have had the level of success of Ellison, but that doesn’t mean I have to listen to him. Say what you will about the advice, I will never deny the talent of the man. He’s an incredible writer. However, Ellison isn’t me and I’m not Harlan Ellison. I couldn’t be him, if I tried. The thing is, I’m not trying to be. I’d fail, if it did. I am only trying to be me. Nothing more, nothing less. I will write how I write and I make no apologies for that.
While there are certain rules of language that we should all follow. For example grammar and syntax. Those are the most basic building blocks of the language. However, having said that, your goal is not to be an English professor. It’s to write. If your writing is understandable and you know how to use spellcheck and an editor, then your writing is as valid as anyone else’s. All writing should stand on the merit of the story and nothing more. Everything else is just someone’s agenda. Tales should be judged by the content of the tale, not by the teller. It’s the same with songs. There are plenty of songs that I thoroughly enjoy despite the fact that I don’t care much for the artist. I can enjoy the song without being a fan of the singer. It works the same with writing.
People are different. We’re all unique. We all have our own opinions, dreams, goals and personalities. I can honestly say that on a personal level, I’m not exactly everyone’s cup of tea. I can be brash and a bit headstrong, but I get the job done. People either like me or not and I don’t go out of my way to influence it either way. I am who I am. My writing comes from who I am, equal parts experience and education. Experience in the real world and with all the hundreds of books that I’ve read in my lifetime. Education that comes from both a classroom and from my life. If you’re not continually learning something, then you’re not growing. I am who I am. I make no pretenses or excuses. As the old saying goes, what you see is what you get. I suppose that’s why my characters tend to have either military or law enforcement backgrounds. That’s what I understand and where my experiences come from. I cover the ground I stand on.
I tell you all of this as an example. Your writing is who you are. The sum of your experiences and personality. Don’t let anyone tell you who you should be nor should you let them tell you what your writing should be. Find the path that fits you and stay on it. You can’t be Harlan Ellison, so don’t try. So, if you can’t be Harlan Ellison, then why should his “ten rules of writing” be the guiding force behind your writing? If you read anything in those rules that you want to apply to your writing, then go for it. However, don’t let those rules dictate everything you do. Just as you can’t be Harlan Ellison, he can’t be you. Only you can do that. Be true to yourself and your creative style.
We can all keep working to improve our writing through continuous practice and study. We should always strive to be better than we were yesterday. That doesn’t mean that you still can’t be yourself. What that means is you try to be a better version of you, each day. It’s not fair to measure your writing or your success on anyone else’s. You are unique and your journey will be as unique as you are. No two authors have ever achieved anything in exactly the same fashion. Keep writing and keep showing your craft to your readers. After all, it’s the readers that we write for. Even if the intended reader is just yourself. You write for the intended audience.
Now, I have had my share of good and bad reviews. I evaluate each review for what it is. I know full-well that I can’t make everyone happy. Some people will never be happy. What I ask myself is if there is any truth to the review or was it just someone saying that they didn’t like/approve of something. If they point out a legitimate problem, I can fix that. If it’s something they just didn’t like, then I’m sorry that you didn’t like it…but I’m not changing it. When you start editing/changing your writing to fit the approval of small groups or individuals, you lose the integrity of your writing. You sacrifice your voice. You no longer write what makes you happy. That’s a tragedy, because too many people are doing just that today. Be true to yourself and your writing. The readers who enjoy your writing will thank you for it. When you give up your own voice, you risk losing the readers who did enjoy your writing. Stick to your vision and your audience will appreciate it.
So, remember that your writing is supposed to be unique, just like you. It’s part of you and only you can decide the path it takes. No one’s rules for writing should influence you more than as a learning exercise. You read the “rules” and decide what works for you and what doesn’t. We all share our writing with our audiences and those readers want unique stories. They will love you for you, not for who you’re trying to be. Tell your stories and always work to be a better you than you were yesterday. Don’t try to be me or Harlan Ellison or anyone else. By you, but be the best you that you can be. Tell your stories the way you want to tell them. Don’t be influenced by anyone who claims they know the “best way” to do anything. Find your path and walk it with pride.
As writers, we face harsh challenges each and every day. More so than anyone may truly realize. Writing isn’t just a matter of sitting down at a keyboard and belting out a bestseller. There’s so much more to writing than just putting words into print. Turning your thoughts into cohesive structured chapters that will both engage and entertain your target audience. There’s so much more to it than that. Let me point out just some of the challenges writers struggle with.
Finding Time to Write:
This is a big one. Unless you’ve already achieved a certain measure of financial independence, you have to have a “day job” until your writing pays the bills for you. You have to keep food on the table and a roof over your head, especially if you have a family. I faced working more than one job, working long hours, overtime, extended shifts and extended periods with no days off. That was just for starters. As a corrections officer and police officer, you don’t exactly make a lot of money. I took extra shifts, long hours, second (and even third) jobs and scrimped just to get by. That generally left me with little or no time for spending with my kids, much less putting words down in print. I love my wife and sons, so I worked more than was probably healthy in pursuit of giving them a better life than I had. Writing was just a dream and it had to take a back seat. Hell, for years, it took no seat at all. I simply didn’t have time. The big drawback to working all of those hours and jobs was the time it took away from my family. I missed a lot of things that I will regret until I die. There are so many things I could have, should have, done better. I did my best in bad circumstances, but wish I had done better. My writing only became a serious consideration once my boys were well into their teens and I found ways to write when they were either asleep or I should have been. But, I did manage to publish my first novel then. It took more time than I ever thought it would, but it happened. Then I did it again. The second book was a bit easier.
Staying Motivated:
Challenge number two, I suppose. Fighting through lack of sleep, struggling with things I needed to get finished on top of my normal job, getting enough done that I could slip over to the computer for a little while then discovering that I either didn’t have the energy to write or I just couldn’t find the words to type. My motivation was mostly gone for a very long time. Hell, I still struggle with it. Especially when you write books and then have to struggle with sales and marketing. I wanted to be a writer, not a publicist. I struggle with that, trying to get my books in front of my audience and into the hands of the people who would read my work. When you fight against that, sometimes it can kill what motivation you have to write. You ask yourself, why should I bother? What good is it really doing? I struggle with that, almost constantly. I have seventeen books in print but I still wonder what I’m doing. Am I doing what’s best for my family? I tell myself that once I hit the tipping point where my writing generates a large following, then it will all be worth it. Keeping my spirits high and my motivation levels up is a struggle, until then. I know it can happen. I see it all the time. Writers making good. All that takes is that one lucky break or the right person seeing your writing, then BANG. It happens, almost like magic. Getting there is the harder part. I tell myself that it can and will happen. It’s just a matter of time and of timing. Until then, I keep writing and keep dreaming the dream. I will find my motivation.
Negativity:
Yes, we deal with that too. Not just our own lack of motivation, but negativity from other people. No matter what you do or write, someone won’t like it. You can’t write something that everyone will love. It just won’t happen. Even JK Rowling who has had HUGE success as a writer, still has people who don’t like her writing for whatever reason. It’s just the reality of writing. Everyone has different tastes and you can’t make everyone happy. However, pissing everyone off is a piece of cake. In this day and age, it seems like people aren’t content to just ignore things they don’t like. They go out of their way to destroy them. If they don’t like it, no one else can either. That’s a horrible way to look at things. We’re all different and we all like different things. It would be a really boring world if we were all the exact same. It’s our differences that make this world interesting. Finding new experiences, new stories and new things to entertain us is the hallmark of life, itself. We all crave the new and unexpected, especially in writing. No one wants to read the same old thing, over and over. They want interesting new characters, new settings, new plots and new adventures. That’s what our job is, as a writer. To provide those new stories and adventures for our readers to enjoy. That’s why we should all be excited about different perspectives and styles in writing. Diversity comes in many forms, not just in the writer. Different styles of writing, types of stories and ways of painting those mental images is what keeps the writing fresh and vital. It’s the stories the readers are interested in, not just the writer.
All of the other non-writing challenges:
This is a catch-all category. It covers all of those things that writers have to do that aren’t actually writing new stories. The editing, the layouts, the marketing, the promotion work, the submissions of manuscripts to publishers and editors… and that’s just a start. I wish I was kidding, but I’m not. Once you reach the point where you’re trying to publish your work or already have, there are a million things that you have to do just to try and get your writing noticed. Most publishers require you to do all of your own promotional work, unless you’ve got a large enough following that they can justify spending money on advertisement. For most of us, that’s just not the way of things. We have to do all of our own promotions, marketing, publicity and press work. I don’t know about the rest of the writing community, but I never figured on that when I first set out to be a writer. I never knew it would be so much work and time spent just trying to get your name and work in front of an audience. To build and cultivate that audience into a following and then transition that into consistent sales. It’s a nigh insurmountable task, comparable to one of the great labors of Hercules, himself. What I wouldn’t give to hit that mark, where my only real worry as getting the next manuscript to the editor and then on to the next one. I dream of that day. I pray for that day. One day… maybe… hopefully.
While this certainly isn’t an all-inclusive list, it does paint a picture of the struggles that writers face. It’s not just a matter of saying “hey, I’m gonna sit down and write a bestseller.” I wish it was that easy and simple. Then again, nothing worth having ever is. Working hard to build something, anything, is the struggle that we all face. We work hard to reach our goals, our hopes and our dreams. It takes hard work and determination to get there. It won’t be easy. I wouldn’t expect it to be any other way. Nothing in my entire life has ever been easy, why would this be different? I will keep trying, keep writing and keep working so long as there’s breath left in my body. I’ll just put on another pot of coffee, select some good music and get back to work.
Writing has been a difficult journey, but it’s still one worth taking. I’m happy that so many of you have chosen to take it with me. So many of you have written to me or left reviews or sent messages via social media, encouraging me to keep writing. That’s the plan. I will keep putting one foot in front of the other and see where this journey takes us. Thank you for taking it with me.
I just wanted to take a few minutes and let you all know that my new series, Code Name: Wild Hunt has officially been released in paperback and kindle on Amazon. Book one is called “Odin’s Call.” You can find it by following the link below or from the Code Name: Wild Hunt page on this website.
When the US Air Force loses contact with an experimental drone carrying a classified weapon system over a remote section of the Ouachita Mountain Range of eastern Oklahoma, a team of elite Pararescue personnel are sent in to recover the asset. After the entire team and the helicopter sent to extract them vanish without a trace, it is discovered that a highly-aggressive, hairy, bipedal hominid is responsible for the attack. Code Name: Wild Hunt is called in to handle the paranormal threat.
The Wild Hunt is a covert group of Special Forces operatives that are recruited from all branches of the US military for highly specialized and classified missions pertaining to paranormal threats to humanity. With the increasing frequency of attacks, the Wild Hunt is split across four zones of the United States, with four teams operating in each zone. Teams are named after Hunting Deities with each zone representing a different pantheon. Due to the volatile nature of the missions and potential for panic in the general populace, the Special Operations Group known as the Wild Hunt does not formally exist in any government or military records.
Dispatching Team Odin, they soon discover that it wasn’t just one creature. They find themselves caught in the middle of a conflict between two clans of Bigfoot-like creatures embroiled in a territorial dispute. Creatures that they quickly learn are far more intelligent than originally anticipated. To make matters worse, they find themselves trapped by one of the worst snowstorms on record.
Can Team Odin locate any survivors of the original Pararescue team, as well as secure the missing drone? Or will they, too, fall prey to the same creatures?
Hopefully, this will be the first book in a long series of novels.
World Building: Your Setting is More Than Just a Place
Whether you’re creating an expansive fantasy series, a horror novel, a science-fiction epic or even just something set in modern times, the world you build is a key part of your reader’s immersive experience. For example, you say your main character is in Paris and leave it at that. Now, I have read a lot of books and watched the Travel Channel, so I can picture in my head a decent image when I think of Paris. If your readers know nothing of Paris, then you failed to paint a picture for them. That’s what we’re here for, as writers. To show our readers the big picture through our words.
In order to do that, we need to say more than just things like “the building.” If it’s an important part of the story, describe the building. It doesn’t have to be anything lengthy, just a few words to mention the architecture or style of construction. You don’t have to do a six page history of the building and its architectural influences, but you can give enough minor details to let the reader’s imagination fill in the rest. Saying “the building” is fine if it’s just a background piece, but if it’s important then maybe give it a few words of description.
Now, if you’re building a world outside our modern one, then you’re going to have to get far more creative than just a basic building description. You have to decide the topography, the physical characteristics of the land and what types of plants there are. You need to develop that world into a living thing, at least in your mind. Details of that world only need to be revealed as called for by the story, but knowing and understanding them are key to telling a truly solid story.
Drawing a basic map is a great way for you to begin to formulate the world in your mind. You can decide where the rivers, lakes, oceans, mountains, deserts, cities and towns are all located. You get to build the entire world. Is it hot or cold there? Do they have normal seasons? What technological level are they at? Are there more advanced places than others? Where are your strongest powers and the lesser ones? What are the politics of this place? The list goes on. The point is, when you’re building an entire world, there’s more to it than just the location where the characters are at during the scene you’re writing. What lies over the next hill or around the next turn in the road?
Have fun with the creation of your world. Toss in a few Easter Eggs for your fans to discover. Like towns named after characters in other books. Shops named after places they might have been. Unique animals based on legends or tales. There really isn’t a limit because you’re building it all. You can run with it, just remember to keep it logical. Certain types of terrain don’t go together. You won’t find a rain-forest in a desert. You won’t find a major city where there’s not source for water. Things like that.
There are a ton of cartography programs out there available that can help you design your world. It can be as immense or small as you need it to be. It’s your world. You even get to decide the rules that the world lives by. Do the normal laws of physics apply there? Is it a world ruled by magic and magical energy? Is it high technology? What are the primary means of transportation?
The thing is, the more thought you put into your world, the more lifelike it will appear. The more lifelike, the more the reader can find themselves immersed in that world. They can see the adventures taking place there as if they were watching it on a screen. That, my friends, is a truly immersive reading experience. That’s exactly what we want for our readers. To involve them so much in the stories that they feel as if it were real and the characters were alive in their minds. We want them to feel connected to the places and people in the story. That’s how we build our fanbase. We bring them a world where they want to be lost in the location and characters.
When you add in details like history of the world, religions/deities, different peoples and races, believable characters… that’s when your audience finds their deepest connections. Immersive worlds are completely possible to build. George RR Martin did it. Tolkien did it. RA Salvatore did it. Brandon Sanderson did it. Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman did it. So can you. The thing is, it’s not something you can just jot down in a few minutes. You’re going to have to put some work into it, if you want it to really pay off.
Cartography programs are great because they can show you which terrain types go together and which don’t, but they can only build your map. You have to breathe life into it. The places, the people, the creatures, the plants and so on. Have fun with your world building but don’t expect it to be done in time for dinner tonight. You can do quite a bit of it as you go, but having a framework in place will help you keep a good mental image of where your characters are going and what they are doing. It will also help you plan scenes around locations, destinations around directions and so on. A complete world build can give you a lot of freedom as a writer. It allows you to focus on the characters more because the places are already designed. All you have to do is describe them.
For many, the path of author leads them inexorably towards the traditional publishing route. There’s nothing wrong with that, per se. Just be prepared for the reality to not quite match the image you’ve always had in your head. The publishing industry is tricky to navigate and difficult to fully understand. Let’s go over a few things that I hope might help you along on your journey.
First and foremost, I want any author out there to understand Yog’s Law. Yog’s Law states “Money should flow towards the author.” There’s a reason this law exists and that’s to warn authors of the dangers of certain aspects of the publishing industry. If you’re in contact with a “publisher” and they want money from you for any purpose at all, it’s a scam. Plain and simple. A legitimate publisher will never ask the author to front the cost of anything. If they want you to pay for editing, layouts, cover and etcetera, then run. Don’t walk, run. They are trying to scam you. This type of publisher is usually referred to as a Vanity Press or a Subsidy Press. No good will come from signing with one. That’s my two cents, so take it as you will. When in doubt, do a little research on the Press and find out what kind of reputation they have before you sign anything. Predators and Editors along with Writer Beware are great resources for checking this.
Now, if you’re signing with a legitimate press, be they a small publisher all the way up to the big boys, there are some things you really need to do before submitting. I’ll take this first part verbatim out of yesterday’s post:
First and foremost, you have to write a good, solid story. Nothing will ever cover for bad writing. If the product itself is bad, no amount of pretty wrapping paper will fix it. You might get a few initial sales based on good cover, but once a few people read it and the negative reviews start coming in, those sales will vanish. Writing a good story builds trust with your readers and makes them want to return again for future books. Well-written stories will be the foundation on which your writing career is built. Bad writing will only mark you as just another badly written/produced self-published author. No one wants that. It makes all of us look bad, even when you’re doing everything right.
Read that paragraph again if you need to. Let it sink in. The manuscript has to be well-written before a traditional publisher will even consider it.
Query Letters: You should never send a completed manuscript to a publisher unsolicited. You start the process with a query letter, unless you’re fortunate enough to have an agent. Just starting out, that’s unlikely. Most agents won’t touch you unless you’ve got a proven following. They work on percentages of your royalties, so to quote Jayne Cobb from Firefly, “Nothin’ into nothin’, carry the nothin’.” No established following equals no sales and therefore, no royalties to share with an agent. So, query letters will be your go to move. Go to Google and search query letter and you’ll find dozens of “expert” opinions on how to write one. I won’t go into the how, but I will tell you what needs to be in your basic query letter.
The Guts or the Housekeeping: This will be your book’s genre or category along with word count, title/subtitle and target audience
The Hook: This is the basic plot or description of your story and really is the most important part of the letter. It needs to be between 150 to 300 words, give or take. Don’t be too wordy or too brief. That word count is a good base range for most books.
Bio: This is a brief introduction of yourself. Don’t get wordy. Keep it simple. No more than a hundred words, give or take. Keep it brief. It’s just a basic introduction.
Include a thank you and salutation. This is just a sentence or two. Basically, thank them for taking the time to check out your query letter.
The entire letter should be about a page when completed. If the publisher wants more, then they’ll ask for it. A follow-up letter can be sent, but keep it brief and to the point. Don’t re-send the query letter. That won’t exactly endear you to them. If they don’t respond to the follow-up, don’t contact them again until they contact you.
If they do want more, they might sample a few chapters. Usually in the ballpark of 3 chapters or about a hundred pages, whichever is smaller. They will give you the specifics of what they want. When they do, go to their website and look for their submission guidelines. Manuscripts, even partials, that are sent in without following the guidelines generally get tossed in the trash or deleted. Pay attention to their guidelines. They’re there because that’s how they expect things to be done. If you can’t follow their instructions, they likely won’t even consider your work. Do this with EVERY submission you make to a publisher. Every publisher and press have their own submission guidelines. They’re not always different, but sometimes even a small change can make a big difference. Watch those submission guidelines.
Now, if they want the finished manuscript, send it in the proper format for submission. Again, this is crucial. This is how the publisher wants your manuscript set-up because that’s how it’s easiest for them to read, edit and leave notes in the margins. It’s part of the process. If you can’t follow their guidelines, they might not want to work with you. Pay attention to their posted guidelines.
Most, but not all, publishers have their own editors. They may want you to submit a ready to print manuscript. If that’s the case, you’ve already seen how that’s done in the self-publishing entry, but I’m nothing if not detail oriented, so I’ll copy it to this entry too. See below:
Next, editing is crucial. Poor or non-existent editing can kill what was otherwise a well-written book. Take the time to have your book property edited. It is possible to edit it yourself, but it’s always better to have another set of eyes look at your manuscript. Fresh eyes see things you might have missed. Also, you know exactly what you were trying to say. Does someone else? Let another person take a crack at the manuscript and see what you might have missed. Editing services are another possibility, but good ones are expensive. I see editing services offered on Facebook and other social media, but be careful and check them out before you pay them to edit your book. See if they have a good reputation. What do their previous author clients have to say about them? Have they ever actually edited professionally before? There are websites you can check, too. Predators and Editors is a good one as well as Writer Beware. Both of them have listings of the good and the bad in the industry. Do a little research before you pay anyone. It’s just good advice. Also bear in mind that it could take more than one round of editing to fix issues within the book. Food for thought.
If they do provide an editor, that’s awesome. You might want to run through your manuscript a time or two before sending it to the publisher anyway. The more you fix before it goes to the editor, the less red will be on the manuscript for you to fix later. Also, submitting a clean copy looks good on the author, as well. Make the editor’s job easier. Don’t worry, they’ll still find plenty of things that you missed and need to fix. That’s what they do.
The publisher should handle the interior layout and formatting. You’ll likely still have to write your own back-cover blurb. Copied from the last entry again. See below:
The back-cover blurb. Wow, that’s a tough one. If you think writing the book is bad, wait until you have to figure out how to describe that book in two to three paragraphs. Back cover blurbs need to grab the reader’s attention and do it quickly. You have to sell that book in those few paragraphs. No pressure there, right? Take your time and get input from friends and family on the back-cover blurb. Don’t just bang it out in ten minutes and slap it on the back of the book. Invest the time and thought into making it as good as it can be, because it represents your novel. It represents you. You’ve got to grab their attention and drag them into the book, making them want to read more. Make sure you edit the blurb just as thoroughly as you did the book. Errors on the blurb are magnified and will turn off a reader.
As for getting the manuscript ready for the printer/platform, the publisher should take care of that. Also, cover and sizing should be something they deal with as well. If they don’t do any of that, you probably should have just self-published anyway. If the publisher doesn’t provide cover art, editing, layout, formatting and all the interior material, then they really did nothing for you but upload it and take part of your royalties. If you have to do all of this on your own, anyway…. well, congrats. You are self-published with extra steps and less money.
Publishers are supposed to take on the task of everything but the writing. If they don’t or if they charge for any of those, you’ve got a huge red flag. Again, Writer Beware and Predators and Editors are great places to check the reputation of a publisher. Be careful and be informed.
No matter whether you self-published or went with a traditional publisher, odds are really good that you’re going to be doing ALL of your own marketing. That’s just a fact of life unless you’re with a big publishing house that has a large publicity budget. Even then, they don’t like to spend money on people that don’t already have an established name or following. That’s just a cold, hard fact of the industry. I won’t go into marketing because that’s another conversation. A long conversation.
Best of luck with whatever you decide in your publishing endeavors, be it traditional or self-pubbed. Do your research and be prepared. Don’t forget Yog’s Law. If they want money from you, the author, then it’s probably a scam.
It seems to be a common attitude within the writing community that self-publishing is somehow less valid as being traditionally published. I think that attitude is why the self-publishing movement is still growing. Too many people are mired in a way of thinking that unless it’s done “the old fashioned way” then it’s of no value. Well, if everyone published that way, there would a lot fewer authors in this world. Let’s discuss that, shall we?
Self-publishing has created a lot of new content that likely would never have been published before. Admittedly, some of the things that were self-published probably never should have been put into print, but that’s not the case with all of it. There are some excellent books out there by self-published authors. Authors who have done things the right way and made their books both quality works and presented them in a professional way. There are a lot of steps involved with doing it the right way. It’s not easy and you need to take your time to do it right. Otherwise, your book will be lost amongst all the others that fall into the category of poorly produced self-published books. Those are the ones that give the rest a bad name.
First and foremost, you have to write a good, solid story. Nothing will ever cover for bad writing. If the product itself is bad, no amount of pretty wrapping paper will fix it. You might get a few initial sales based on good cover, but once a few people read it and the negative reviews start coming in, those sales will vanish. Writing a good story builds trust with your readers and makes them want to return again for future books. Well-written stories will be the foundation on which your writing career is built. Bad writing will only mark you as just another badly written/produced self-published author. No one wants that. It makes all of us look bad, even when you’re doing everything right.
Next, editing is crucial. Poor or non-existent editing can kill what was otherwise a well-written book. Take the time to have your book property edited. It is possible to edit it yourself, but it’s always better to have another set of eyes look at your manuscript. Fresh eyes see things you might have missed. Also, you know exactly what you were trying to say. Does someone else? Let another person take a crack at the manuscript and see what you might have missed. Editing services are another possibility, but good ones are expensive. I see editing services offered on Facebook and other social media, but be careful and check them out before you pay them to edit your book. See if they have a good reputation. What do their previous author clients have to say about them? Have they ever actually edited professionally before? There are websites you can check, too. Predators and Editors is a good one as well as Writer Beware. Both of them have listings of the good and the bad in the industry. Do a little research before you pay anyone. It’s just good advice. Also bear in mind that it could take more than one round of editing to fix issues within the book. Food for thought.
Once your manuscript has been well-written and properly edited, you need to start looking at the internal pieces of the book. There will be certain extra pieces that you will need. You’ll need a copyright and disclaimer page. Look at the front of any book and you’ll find an example. You’ll want to put something together like that just as a legal disclaimer and to claim the work as your own. You also might want to look into an actual copyright, but that’s different. It’s also not free. If you can afford it, I’d definitely recommend it. It just protects your books from intellectual property theft and gives you legal grounds to stand on if someone tries to use your work without permission.
You’ll also want to add in title pages, table of contents, dedication pages, author bio/pic, a forward if you want one and so on. Look at several different books and see what all they have inside their covers before you decide what you want in yours. Some of it is crucial and others are up to you. But give it all serious consideration before you decide to add or remove it from your book. A thing to remember to add to your bio is your social media links and where to find you. This helps readers connect and to find more of your work. Connecting with your readers is of paramount importance in this digital age. You can get near instantaneous feedback for your writing and how to improve it. That’s something that writers who do things the old fashioned way have to wait months or even years for.
Interior layout is next. You’ll want to set your page size for the document to fit whatever your print edition page size will be. That’s just for starters. You’ll also have to adjust your margins based on your page count. The page count has a huge impact on the margins for print editions. If you don’t know how to do this, there are a number of free guides you can download and use in your formatting. Some of them are directly from Amazon, themselves. You’ll also have to set line spacing, font size, indent, page breaks, chapter headings, table of contents, and print versus kindle layout. Yes, they are quite different. There are services that will do this step for you. I don’t know what they charge. If you need help, feel free to contact me. I can either talk you through it or maybe offer additional help, time permitting.
Once the interior is done, then you need to look at a cover. You can use the free Amazon cover creator program, but you get what you pay for. Hiring a good cover artist is neither cheap nor quick. Covers take time. You might want to start kicking around the cover concept while you’re still in early story development just to be safe. There’s an old saying, “Never judge a book by its cover.” Well, that’s a great saying but when it actually applies to books, literally everyone judges the book by the cover. That’s what it’s there for. The cover is your first chance to grab their attention and pull them in, making them want to read the back cover and hopefully, the interior, too. There are cover artists that advertise on social media all the time. Do a bit of research and look at what they have to offer and their style before you decide. After all, you want the art to fit your writing. Choose wisely.
The back cover blurb. Wow, that’s a tough one. If you think writing the book is bad, wait until you have to figure out how to describe that book in two to three paragraphs. Back cover blurbs need to grab the reader’s attention and do it quickly. You have to sell that book in those few paragraphs. No pressure there, right? Take your time and get input from friends and family on the back cover blurb. Don’t just bang it out in ten minutes and slap it on the back of the book. Invest the time and thought into making it as good as it can be, because it represents your novel. It represents you. You’ve got to grab their attention and drag them into the book, making them want to read more. Make sure you edit the blurb just as thoroughly as you did the book. Errors on the blurb are magnified and will turn off a reader.
Once you have all of this done, then you’re ready to think about uploading the manuscript to your platform. That’s an entirely other kettle of fish and I won’t go into it on this blog entry. I’ll save that for next time. Stay tuned.
What follows is an untitled piece of fiction I wrote a while back. I wasn’t really planning on taking it anywhere. It was more or less an exercise, just to keep the creativity flowing when I was stuck while working on another project. Sometimes, I’ll write something like this just to keep me writing and thinking when I can’t think of what to do next on a project. This is still in a rough format. It hasn’t been edited at all, so bear with me if there are a few mistakes.
This was based loosely off the Weapon X concept in Marvel Comics. For those of you who don’t know, Weapon X is the program that created Wolverine, Deadpool and Sabertooth.
This was just a bit of fun writing. I’d love to hear what you all think. Who knows, maybe it might lead to more, if I thought it might find an audience. So, with that intention, I present to you an untitled piece of fiction from my archives that I have. Let me know what you all think.
DA
Present Day
I awoke in semi-darkness. The bare metal walls of the room were illuminated only by the soft glow given off from the electrical barrier that passed as a door. The room, scarcely more than a closet really, was a bare ten by ten feet square. The cot was bolted securely to the wall and floor. Even the mattress, such as it was, was attached to the steel frame.
The facilities consisted of a steel basin with only one tap for water and a stainless steel commode. There were no moving pieces to remove. A sensor built into the wall turned on the cold water when you placed your hands under the spout and the toilet flushed automatically when you moved away from it. There was nothing at all with which to use as a weapon or a tool.
I lay there, only barely conscious, but my mind was acutely aware of my environment. I could sense every detail, no matter how slight. For example, I didn’t need to open my eyes to sense the movement of the guards who patrolled outside the restraint field with Swiss precision, every ten minutes.
As my mind eased towards full consciousness, the pain set in. It was intense, and seemed like every square inch of my body had been bruised, every bone broken. There was no release from the pain, either. No matter how I tried, the pain was a constant. Moving only intensified it, so I opted to lay still and hope for the best.
I could feel every breath I took as an intense misery. Every blink of my eyes was agony. The light seemed to pierce straight into my brain, so I kept them closed. The air was cool, almost cold. I could feel that I wasn’t allowed even the barest of clothing. Not even so much as boxer shorts. But, I could feel the cool metal of a necklace. I couldn’t worry about that, now, however. I didn’t want to risk opening my eyes. Outside the cell, I sensed movement. One of the guards had stopped to look into my cell. But, I refused to move to look at him.
“Not so tough now, are you, Panther?” he asked, snidely.
I made no move to answer him. I didn’t even want to stir. My memory was returning to me, slowly. The voice belonged to a guard named Brickhauser. He was a sadistic bastard who seemed to get his kicks from beating prisoners. I remembered kicking him in the face to keep him from beating another prisoner when she was down. That had resulted in several of the guards beating me until I passed out, and perhaps even after that from the feel of it.
When I didn’t reply, Bricks (as the other guards called him) grew bolder.
“I know you can hear me, freak,” he growled, “Answer me or I swear that we’ll beat you to death next time.”
“Go screw yourself,” I managed to croak.
Infuriated, he started to deactivate the cell, but a call from another guard stopped him.
“Hey, Bricks! Leave him be, for now. They want him deployable in the morning.”
“Looks like you got lucky, this time, Panther,” he sneered.
“Yeah, my lucky day,” I rasped.
With that, he left me to the silence that followed. I lay there and tried to sleep, but I knew it was in vain. The pain was too intense to allow any such luxury. I’d just have to endure.
What seemed like an eternity later, I heard another voice at the cell door…a calmer voice. The voice was that of a woman, Dr. Patterson I recalled. She was one of the project scientists who ran the place.
“Oh, my God, Panther,” she gasped. “What did they do to you?”
I made no move to answer her; actually, I made no move at all. I heard the energy field shut down and foot steps approaching me.
“Get him onto the gurney and down to the lab,” she ordered.
Two sets of hands lifted me and placed me onto the rough linen of the gurney. I almost blacked out from the pain. Next thing I knew, I was moving. Moments later, I was moved again onto a cold table and secured down with heavy straps.
“Panther, I’m going to deactivate your power inhibiter now. If you behave, I’ll leave it off long enough for you to heal, understand?” asked Dr. Patterson.
I managed a weak nod. A split second later, I felt my powers kick in. It was like a flood of intense pleasure. The pain was gone, instantly and I smiled, despite myself. I opened my eyes. The doctor stood looking down and me, smiling.
“Feeling better?” she asked.
“Yeah,” I replied. “Thanks.”
“That was a stupid thing you did, Panther, attacking a guard like that.”
“He didn’t leave me much choice. They had Cheetah down and were beating her to death. If I hadn’t intervened, they’d have killed her. And all she did was stumble in line.”
“The guards have been a touch… well, overzealous in disciplining the subjects lately. I’ll have to have a word with Colonel Keller about the guards’ behavior, but until then, try not to aggravate them, ok?
“All right, doc,” I replied.
“Now lay still. I have to give you a full exam. You’ve got a deployment tomorrow and we want to be sure you’re fit for duty.”
I lay there and closed my eyes to bare slits, and watched every move she made. The ruse paid off. She began to do the exam and turned the computer monitor where she could see it. First thing she checked was the status of the power inhibitor and tracer that they had implanted inside my body. For security reasons, we were not allowed to know where they implanted the chips to prevent us from removing them.
I remained as calm as possible as she began to run the system check. Patiently, I watched as she concentrated the scan on the chip and quickly memorized the location. Cleverly, it was hidden behind my right knee where it would be difficult to get at. I had previously wondered if it might have been on my back, but considering the muscle structure, I would have noticed it. I continued to feign sleep until she had finished the exam.
“All finished, Panther,” she said in a friendly tone.
“Hmm…” I mumbled. “Sorry, doc. I must have dozed off.”
“No problems, here,” she said. “You are approved for tomorrow’s deployment.”
“Where am I going, this time?”
“You know we aren’t allowed to answer questions like that before you are briefed, but I guess it couldn’t hurt. You’re heading for an assignment in Russia. That’s all I can tell you. You’ll find out more in the briefing, later today.”
“Thanks, doc,” I said.
“No problem. Just try not to aggravate the guards quite so much and you’ll get along much better.”
I nodded and they reactivated the inhibitor. Instantly, I felt weak and nauseated. I knew the feeling would pass, but I still hated it. Then the guards came to take me to my cell. It was a quiet walk and I passed the holding cells of six more “volunteers” for the newest generation of the program. All of them naked, negated and in bare cells.
As we reached the door to my cell, Brickhauser approached me. Menacingly, he looked me right in the eye and smiled.
“Want to go another round, freak?” he sneered.
I stared back into his eyes, not bothering to hide my hatred, but I refused to give the prick the satisfaction of answering. It only seemed to make him madder.
“Yeah, you’d love to take a shot at me, wouldn’t you freak?”
I still refused to answer. I knew that nothing I could say would matter to him in the slightest. He would still do whatever he was going to do. Bricks was nothing more than a normal human in light powered armor and wouldn’t stand a chance in hell against me with my powers active and he knew it. I guess it made him feel like a man to push us around. Knowing we were tougher than him but couldn’t do anything about it.
As he raised his shock-rod above his head to strike me, I stood my ground. I refused to even give him the satisfaction of flinching. I wasn’t afraid of the prick and he knew it. But, just as he was getting ready to strike a voice boomed from down the hall.
“Officer Brickhauser! You will NOT strike that prisoner and that’s an order.”
It was Doc Patterson. She came storming down the hall and stood between Bricks and me. Defiantly, she stared at him. For just a moment, I thought he might strike her, but then he slowly lowered the shock-rod.
“What did this man do in order for you to strike him?” she demanded.
“He was being insubordinate,” he replied. “I was just going to remind him of his place in the order of things around here.”
“His ‘place’, Sergeant Brickhauser, is more valuable than yours. We can replace a security guard. Panther is the best of this generation and therefore extremely valuable to this program. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he replied through clenched teeth.
“Furthermore, if I hear any more about you brutalizing the subjects while they are negated I’ll have you transferred to the Antarctica Facility so fast that it will make your head spin. Now put this man in his containment cell and leave him alone. He has to be in top shape for tomorrow’s deployment. If we have to scrub a mission because you got carried away, I can guarantee that the director himself will have your head.”
With that, they removed my restraints and shoved me into the cell. Once the cell was reactivated, the guards turned and walked away. Doctor Patterson watched them go, then turned and left without another word.
Returning to my bare bunk, I lay down and began concentrating on what I had learned of the negator/tracer. I could remove it, but without my regeneration, I would bleed a lot. The timing had to be perfect. I could extend my claws, remove the unit and let my powers kick in. Then all I had to do was try to clean up the blood.
The problem was, that the guards walked by the front of my cell every ten minutes and I wasn’t sure how long it would take to cut it out by feel, since I couldn’t see the back of my leg all that well. If it took too long, I could pass out from the lack of blood and get caught. But, I had to try.
I waited for the guards to pass by twice more to get my mental clock synchronized with their movements. As soon as the second guard had passed, I pulled my right leg up as high as I could. I began counting in my head down from 600, knowing I had 600 seconds until the next guard passed.
Setting my jaw against the pain, I extended one claw. The blood began to flow instantly down my hand where the claw came through. Ignoring that, I made a deep incision into my leg, behind the knee. Using the other hand, I began probing for the chip. At 505, I found it. I had been bleeding badly for over a minute and was beginning to get lightheaded.
As steadily as I could, I pushed the tip of the claw under the edge of the chip and twisted. My head was beginning to swim from the pain and loss of blood. My vision was getting blurry. The claw slipped and sliced open my free hand, to the bone. I gritted my teeth in pain, but felt the chip fall into my hand.
Tossing it onto the bed, I felt my powers kick back in. I closed my eyes and waited for the regeneration to take care of the wounds and clear my head. As my count reached 120, I knew I was running out of time. In the distance, I could hear the footsteps of the guard as he approached. He was right on time. At 35 seconds, my head was clear and the wounds were gone. Quickly, I placed my legs over the bloody areas and hoped that it hid it well enough. Then I composed myself back on the bed, exactly as I had been before.
I couldn’t help but smile. My powers were back. The guard stopped walking in front of my cell and I heard Brickhauser’s voice.
“What are you smiling at, freak?” he snarled.
Setting up, I looked at him.
“You,” I taunted. “I didn’t know they could teach chimps to wear armor.”
“Watch your mouth, freak. Your doctor friend ain’t around to protect you, now.”
“You’re not man enough to come in here without ten other guards. I know your type. All talk.”
“Screw you, freak.”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you, Bricks. I hear you and Snider like to go into the guard’s locker room after hours for a little quickie. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear you wanted to give it to a prisoner.”
“I ought to bust your face for that, freak,” he snarled, “But I got orders to leave you be. You’re lucky that I do, or you and I would find out how long you can take a beating and survive.”
“Yeah, that’s a great excuse. All they got to do is reactivate my powers and I’ll heal. They don’t care what you chicken-shit guards do to us, so long as you don’t kill us.”
That seemed to make him think. I could see the smile on his face and he realized I was right.
“You haven’t got the balls to take me one on one, Bricks. You’re just a big coward who likes to hit people when they are down as long as you have plenty of back-up.”
“I don’t need back-up to shut you up, freak,” he snarled as he turned off the cell and walked in, raising the shock-rod.
Swinging it like a baseball bat, he swung for my head, but I was already moving. I dove aside and he hit nothing but air. The power of his swing left him off balance, for a second and I capitalized. Stepping inside his reach, I gave him a quick strike to the throat. Unable to yell for help, he dropped to his knees as the shock-rod fell from his hands. I snatched up the negator chip and held it before is face.
“Know what this is?” I taunted.
“Oh no!” he mouthed, terror filling his eyes.
“Oh, yes!” I hissed, smiling into his face.
In one quick move, I turned his head around backwards with a quick crunching sound and lowered him silently to the floor. In seconds, I stripped him of his armor and slapped it on. Laying him on the bunk, facing the wall, I hoped that no one would look too closely. I put on Brickhauser’s hat and walked outside into the hallway. Using his keycard, I reactivated the cell and turned to leave. Down the hall another guard looked down and looked questioningly at me.
I gave him the thumbs up and he went back to his magazine. I walked down the hall to the guards’ station and in my best impression of Brickhauser’s voice, I mumbled, “Cover for me willya. I gotta go take a shit.”
“No prob, Bricks,” he replied. “Just be back before the next shift check.”
I walked off down the corridor and found the stairs. Going up one flight, I followed the scent of Brickhauser’s aftershave and opened the door. Down the hall, I saw the guard’s locker room. Quickly, I covered the distance and tracked the scent to locker 268. Using a claw to jimmy the door open, I scanned the insides. Bricks had a set of civilian clothes inside, but the jeans were too small for me. But the t-shirt fit and so did the workout pants and jacket.
I grabbed his wallet and keys and headed for the door. Keeping his hat on and my head down, I cleared two checkpoints without as much as a nod with his id attached to my jacket. On the ground level, I headed for the door. The front desk guard handed me the clipboard to sign out and went back to the sports section. I quickly scribbled a name and walked out the door.
All I had to do was find his car. Removing his keys from my pocket, I pushed the alarm button and heard the desired “chirp chirp” from a red newer model Chevy Camaro. Moving quickly to the car, but not too quickly, I thumbed the unlock button and got inside. The engine rumbled immediately to life. Brickhauser was an asshole, but he took good care of his car.
Careful to drive the designated speed limit to the gate, the guard motioned me on as he raised the gate and I was out. Turning right, I accelerated down the highway and kept a close eye on the rear view mirror. There was no sign of a tail, yet, but that wouldn’t last. They would find Bricks’ body soon and the alarm would sound. Then the chase would be on. I had to cover as much distance as possible.
I also had to keep the use of my active powers to a minimum, because once I was discovered missing, they would be able to track me by them. My best chance was distance.
Ever since our earliest ancestors created a common language, storytelling has been a big part of our collective conscience. From tales told over the communal fire to modern oral traditions, storytelling helped to shape our lives. Before there was the printed word, there was the orator, who would often travel from settlement to settlement, telling stories and spreading tales. Some were true and others were fantastical. Thus, the creation of fictional stories began.
Many early tales were just retellings of heroic battles or brave warriors who had done the nigh impossible. There are still stories of that sort that circulate today. I could tell you dozens of stories from my time in uniform. Tales of the men and women who I was proud to call brother and sister, doing impossible tasks for a public that would likely never know what they had done. But we did, and we remembered. Many of those tales are told to young officers, even today. The history of those who have gone before lingers still in the men and women in uniform and I pray it always does.
Originally, that was what fueled my writing. I was inspired by some amazing people who did a thankless job and put themselves on the line. Many of the characters in the Ragnarok Rising Saga are based on real officers that I knew while I was a Corrections Officer. Since then, I have worked as a patrol officer and security supervisor. My list of inspirations continues to grow. For those of you “in the know” a big shout out to Bret Taylor, Brian Forester, Tyler Clark, Matt Roper, Terry Branscom, Rich Tew, Corey Hart, Kate Hughes, Joe Mahan, Andy Benjamin, Kate Ross and many, many more that I could name. You all inspired me to do more and be more than I thought I ever could be. I learned so much from all of you and tried to emulate your example. Thank you all.
Epic tales were handed down through the centuries by our ancestors and the tradition continues today. Once the invention of the Gutenberg Printing Press arrived, it became much easier for written books to be available for everyone. As civilization and time progressed, the ability to print and the fact that most people had learned to read, the tales became easier to be retold and handed down to the next generation. Books on virtually every subject suddenly erupted into print once the printing press was established and made available to the world.
Modern writing, both fiction and non-fiction, are merely extensions of the original spoken tales and legends. Fiction, in particular, became the vehicle for telling tales of exploits that may or may not have ever really happened. New genres and styles emerged. New tales flourished and found their way into our lives. Where would we be now without some of the greats in the literary world who paved the way for the rest of us? We can all remember great stories that we felt deeply on an emotional level. Stories that told us that good could triumph over evil and there were still heroes in this world. We needed those stories, especially when everything else in the world seems bleak. In dark times, stories become all the more important.
Where would we be without the storytellers? The writers and dreamers? The spinners of tales and the singers of songs? We’d be lost in the hopelessness of despair and have no means of escape. The best stories have always been a vehicle in which your mind can experience virtually anything, go anywhere, be anyone, live in any time. Fiction is the heart and soul of human existence. We all experience it, every day and in so many aspects of our lives. Do you read comic books? Do you read books? Watch TV? Listen to music? Watch movies? All of those are products of a writer. Reality TV is, as well. That’s all scripted for ratings.
My point is simple. We need writers in our lives. We need to encourage the written word and encourage our children to read. Mark Twain said, “The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read.” Read that sentence again and really let it sink in. If you learned to read, you already have the literary world at your fingertips. If you know someone who can’t read, help them to learn. Reading is one of the greatest joys I know in this world. You can learn, experience, travel, share and feel so much that you wouldn’t otherwise. Reading can take you quite literally anywhere. And, the best part is, if you get a library card, the literary world is at your fingertips for FREE. That’s right, it’s all free. Reading is the ultimate achievement of man. Without it, nothing else we’ve done would have been possible. Without it, we’d still be scratching stick figures on cave walls. The written word changed the destiny of mankind and helped us to grow and learn and achieve more.
There are so many ways to improve yourself by reading. Reading is a skill and it gets easier with practice. Your mind is like any other part of your body. It performs better when it gets regular exercise. Whether you’re reading books on how to do specific tasks, reading biographies, reading fiction or whatever, reading is the vehicle that will take your mind to places you never would have known before. It can improve your life on so many levels. I was fortunate that my mother instilled a deep love for the written word in me at a very young age. I love reading to this day and I can’t thank my mother enough for that.
Reading is one of the greatest gifts that mankind has for one another. I read books on so many different subjects and genres. Unless I am searching for a particular author, I don’t pay attention to who wrote it. I read for the stories. Good stories are good stories, it doesn’t matter who wrote them. The best stories are the ones that move you, the reader, to new emotions and experiences. Those are the books that stay with you and you find yourself reading more than once. There are several authors who have affected me like that.
Open a book. If you like the story, read it. If you don’t, then put it down and find another one. There are millions of stories out there waiting for you. Millions of journeys out there waiting for you to go along with them. My suggestion, listen to the call and join them. Take the journey. Open the book and lose yourself in the pages. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Author’s Bio: D.A. Roberts
D.A. Roberts is an author of fiction, primarily in the horror/dystopian and science fiction genres. Born in Lebanon, Missouri, he now lives in Springfield, Missouri with his wife and sons. When not writing, D.A. serves his community in Law Enforcement. He has been in law enforcement for nearly two decades, serving as a Corrections Officer, Deputy Sheriff, Hospital Security Team Supervisor, and most recently Patrolman with the Walnut Grove Police Department.
Best known for his “Ragnarok Rising Saga,” he blends the zombie genre with elements of Norse Mythology. The series has been called “a thinking man’s apocalyptic world.” This is a unique approach that creates a new sub-genre in Apocalyptic Fiction. Debuting in July of 2012, the series has been featured on radio shows on three continents.
He is also known in science fiction for “The Infinite Black Series.” This series is based on the hit video game from Spellbook Studio. Approached by Spellbook Studio to create the history of their universe, D.A.’s series explores the rich tapestry that is The Infinite Black. Download and play the game for free at www.Spellbook.com.
His two most recent releases are Cold Hunger which he co-wrote with Author Catt Dahman and Apex Predator: Wolf Moon. Wolf Moon is a tale which explores Native American lore and creatures known as the Dogman. Both available now from J. Ellington Ashton Press.
In November of 2018, D.A. took on the challenging role of C.E.O. of J. Ellington Ashton Press. In March of 2020, D.A. was elected first president of the Horror Author’s Guild.
Find more about his work at:
www.jellingtonashton.com
www.amazon.com/author/daroberts
https://www.facebook.com/DARobertsAuthor/
https://www.haguild.com/
