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To Clear The Air

Posted by D.A. Roberts - Author on April 24, 2015
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atkinson grimshaw harag 52

Hi, folks. DA here again…and it looks like I’m about to climb the old soapbox, once again. I think I’m going to go on a bit of a rant, here. There are some things that need to be said…both about the writing industry and about my own personal career as a writer…and I plan to let it all out. Bear with me.

I’m going to go after a subject that might make me a little unpopular in some circles. I debated not even opening this can of worms, but I decided to not shy away from it. This is a problem that I’ve observed and experienced on a personal level. The sad thing is that there are other writers out there who seem to delight in tearing you down. They will go after you, your work and your reputation. Why? Well, that’s a tricky one. I’m not really sure why they would do it. To me, that’s beyond reprehensible. It’s just plain wrong.

For the most part, the writers and authors I’ve met have been amazing people who want nothing more than to share their work with the world. That’s awesome. That’s what we should want to do. For those of you, who have been so good to me and to each other, thank you. This isn’t intended to be about any of you. This is only a very small percentage of the community. I won’t bother pointing out who they are…we all know at least one. If this bothers you, maybe you should re-examine the way you treat other writers. If it doesn’t apply to you, then it’s not about you. I didn’t intend to single anyone out. We’ve all done things we’re not proud of. The thing is, do we keep doing those things….or do we try to do better and be better than we ever thought we could be? I just hope that by bringing this up, we can call enough attention to this to make it stop. Authors have enough stress to handle without being bullied by other authors.

First, the personal stuff.

I have not, nor will I name names when it comes to who has done what and to whom. That’s not my style. The people who have done these things know who they are and we’ll leave it at that. Karma can handle it. Taking potshots at me in a public forum is their style…not mine. So, I won’t dignify their existence with a name. Suffice it to say that I once thought of them as a friend…not just someone I knew from Facebook. No, I knew this person for years.

Not only did they do the unthinkable as a writer…stole from me…then they had the audacity to go onto a forum where they knew I wouldn’t see it and bash me to their new circle of friends. To me, that shows the true character of a person. If I have a problem with you, you’ll know it. You won’t hear about it second hand. They acted dishonorably, despicably and cowardly; that’s the only way to describe what they did. I won’t say anything behind you that I won’t say to your face. I’ll either stand by my word…or fall by it. That’s just me.

If you know me, you know I will bend over backwards to help someone. I did for this person, too. I got them interviews on radio shows, tried to help them with marketing, even warned them about the bad experiences I had so that they wouldn’t have to go through them on their own. The reward I get is to be ran through the mud and slandered; all to “get ahead” of me in their writing career. Watch your back, people. If they stepped on me to get what they wanted, don’t think that they will hesitate to step on you. After all, that’s the kind of person they are.

Listen to my interviews on Blogtalk Radio or check out my pages. I constantly tell new writers that if they want to ask me anything, shoot me a message. I mean that. I firmly believe that by helping other writers to achieve their dreams that we help ourselves, too. I will gladly offer advice, tips or even share information with anyone who asks. Even if all I can serve as is a bad example, there’s a lesson to be learned. I know that I’ve gotten some amazing help and advice from some incredible authors along my journey. The least I can do is pay it forward.

There are far too many people out there who seem to think that they only become successful as a writer by stepping on the competition. They will steal, lie, post nasty comments on your book reviews, bash you in social media and anything else they can think of to make themselves look better by tearing you down. This is just insane. I can’t fathom why people do this, but they do. The truly horrifying part is that it is becoming more and more commonplace.

I saw just the other day on Facebook that an author was going to quit publishing his work and yank all of his current titles from print. All because someone has been bullying them, saying that their writing is derivative, they shouldn’t be allowed to publish, and worse. All I can say is, “Why?” Why do that to another writer. So, you don’t like their work. That’s fine. Don’t buy it. But it’s not up to you to decide who can and can’t publish. By bashing that person until they were ready to quit writing entirely, all you’ve done is shown the rest of us that you’re a thug.

The author who has been bullied won’t name the person who did it, but I wish he would. Frankly, I’d make damned certain that I never buy one of their books. That’s just being a jerk, for no reason. Sure, there are writers out there that I don’t like their work. You know what I do? I don’t read it. Period, end of story. I don’t go after them to make them quit writing.

Look people, writing is a journey. It’s just like life. We’re all on this journey together. My journey in no way means you don’t get to take one. The same goes for your journey. It in no way invalidates mine. When we apply that to our writing, it becomes a shared journey. When I write a book and you read it, we’re now taking that journey together. It goes both ways. I feel the same thing when I read a book. I get to share the vision that the writer wanted to show. The truly amazing part is that we can experience that journey again and again. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wondered the paths and pages of Middle Earth, finding new things each time I visit. Thank you, Professor Tolkien, for bringing us that world.

I have a bookshelf in my room. On that shelf are literally hundreds of books by dozens of different authors. I read books I enjoy. The point is that I don’t know anyone who only reads one author. So that means that we have room on our shelves for many different authors. Not just one. We have room on our shelves for many different books, not just a few. I don’t even know anyone who reads just one genre. Good stories show you to new worlds in your mind. Great writing makes you feel like you’re there.

Writing is not a competition. We don’t win or lose by “beating” the other writers. My success does not depend on someone else’s failure. Your success does not depend on my failure. The only person I am in competition with is myself. I strive to be a better writer today than I was yesterday. Nothing more, nothing less. I hope that you gain all the success you can achieve as a writer. I honestly mean that. I don’t feel like I can’t ever reach the New York Tmes Bestseller’s list because someone else already did. You shouldn’t either. Reach for that star.

Honestly, I don’t even wish bad things on the people who did these things to me. I still hope they succeed and do well with their work. I just wish they felt the same way about me. I won’t stoop to attacking other writer’s works, belittling them in public forums, or trying to turn other people against them. That’s not my way. That’s not the way that anyone should act.

Don’t forget that writing is a journey that we take together. Writer and reader, we experience the same story in different ways. I’m proud that I get to share it with you. I hope that I can continue to share it with you for many years to come.

I meant what I said before. If you have any questions for me or would like to know what things worked for me and what didn’t, feel free to contact me. I, by no means, am an expert or the authority on anything. I just know what did and didn’t work for me. That’s information that I would gladly share. After all, there’s room on the shelf for both of our books.

After all…there’s a reason I chose the tagline that I did for my work. I truly believe it.

The End is Only the Beginning.

DA

Dealing With Negative Reviews

Posted by D.A. Roberts - Author on March 24, 2015
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This is a bit of a touchy subject with some writers. Some of us take on this problem in different ways. I won’t go into who (if any) of us is right or wrong. The right way is however you decide to handle it. Just remember, you will have to be the one who deals with the consequences of how you react, no matter how you handle it. The trick is making a decision that you can live with.

So, bearing that in mind, I’ll jump into this topic. I’m not going to go into all the different ways to approach this. Frankly, there are too many ways to take them all in a single blog topic. What I will do is try to explain how I’ve handled it, based on my on experiences. I’ll leave it up to you to decide if it will work for you or not. The choice, after all, is always yours.

First thing, you need to accept the fact that there will be negative reviews. It’s going to happen. It does to all of us. For one thing, no one can write something that appeals to everyone. It just can’t be done. So many people have so many different tastes that there’s practically no way to please everyone. At least, I haven’t heard of any way to do it. Honestly, I wouldn’t even try. Write to your audience, whoever they are.

Negative reviews are part of the job description. How you deal with them will be just as important as how you deal with the positive reviews. Both will affect how you are perceived by the public. Personally, I don’t want to be perceived as argumentative or having a negative attitude of my own. How your readers see you is almost as important as how they see your writing. Don’t paint yourself in a bad light.

Some negative reviews will be honest criticisms and you should take them as such. Read your reviews, both good and bad, with an open mind. We all love to read the praise when we get a good review, but how many of us are willing to actually listen when someone honestly doesn’t like our work? I’m just as guilty of that as anyone. No one likes to hear bad things about their work. It’s human nature.

An honest negative review can make you think. Don’t take it as a personal attack. I’ll get to those later. Honest negative reviews might say something like “bad characters” or “poor pacing of story” or any of a million other things that they might not like about your work. Take these types of reviews as what they are, criticisms. Use this as an opportunity to self-examine and evaluate your work. Who knows, they might just be right. Use it to improve. I’ve told other people before, “You can let this make you better or make you bitter.” Only you can decide which it will be. I prefer to learn from my mistakes and try my best to not make them again.

There is always the possibility that they might just not like it and were looking for an excuse to say something negative. That happens, too. The best possible outcome that you can get from this kind of review is just to look at it and have an open mind. Evaluate what they say and then see if it applies to your work. If they’re right, fix it. If you don’t see anything wrong, keep it in mind and keep writing. Really, that’s all you can do.

Then, there’s another kind of negative review. Believe it or not, there are people (some of them other writers) out there who like nothing better than to post negative things to lower your ranking and to try to make themselves look better by comparison. It’s dirty and morally reprehensible, but it does happen. Some writers have their friends attack other writers, just to lower their ranking and to encourage others to not buy their work. There are also people that do it, just to be malicious. Whatever the reason, I think this is a horrible thing to do.

I’ve said it many times, this is not a competition. Writing isn’t about “winners and losers”. It’s about telling our stories and sharing our work with the readers. It should never be about who isn’t selling as much as you are or who gets more reviews. If you wrote a book and got it into print (be it self-published or traditionally), guess what? You already won. You don’t have to turn it into a competition to be the “Best Author.” It’s not going to happen. There will always be someone out there who will sell more than you, have more fans than you, write more books than you…or whatever. The point is, be the best writer you can be. You don’t have to be better than anyone else.

The only person that I am in any kind of competition is myself. I work hard to be a better writer than I was yesterday. As long as I can do that, I’m winning. I may never be a multi-million dollar international bestseller, but I’m doing my best. What else is there? In the end, that’s all any of us can do. I’ll work hard to be the best writer I can and to promote my work. The rest will work itself out.

As for how I’ve dealt with negative reviews (and yes, I have had my share) is by not engaging them. I read the review and decide if there is any merit to their point of view. If there is, I factor that into my work. I try to use the criticisms for what they are…criticisms. If they are accurate, then it can only serve to make my writing better.

If they are the malicious type (no matter the source) then the best thing to do is simply not engage them. Don’t argue with them, especially in a public forum. That will only make you look unprofessional and petty. The last thing you want to do is to make your current and future readers think that you are no different from the trolls who baited you in the first place. Don’t feed the trolls. It’s just a good policy.

If they post negative reviews on Amazon or Kobo or any other sales site, all you can do is read it and move on. Don’t argue there. If they came to your Facebook, Twitter or other Social Media and posted negative things about you there…then that’s a different story. Don’t argue with them, even there. Just point out that they are entitled to their opinion and don’t let them draw you into an argument. If it becomes too bad, delete and block them. Or, worst case scenario, report them to the site administrators.

The bottom line is, some people seem to thrive on negativity. They feed off of people arguing with them and seem to take delight in saying nasty things. The best advice I can give you is….Don’t Feed The Trolls. If you feed them, they will continue to do it and they will likely multiply.

Accepting negative criticism gracefully and silently is the best way I know to handle it. If the criticism is correct, learn from it and move on. If they post negative reviews just to be mean, don’t take the bait. How you deal with the negative will speak volumes about you. In fact, it means just as much as how you deal with the positive. Again, this isn’t a competition. Be the best writer you can be and don’t fall into the trap of thinking you have to out-perform the “competition.”

Writing is a journey that we take together, reader and writer. Both are important, for without one, there’s no need for the other. There’s room on the bookshelf for all of us. There’s no reason to tear each other down to make ourselves look better. Strive to be better than you were, yesterday. It will pay off, in the long run.

Remember….Don’t feed the Trolls.

DA

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Writing, Faust and Bushmills Irish Whiskey

Posted by D.A. Roberts - Author on December 11, 2014
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Where do I begin? I guess I’ll begin by climbing back on to that soapbox that I was on with the last post. DA’s a preachin’, now. Bear with me while I rant on and on for a few, but I’ll try to keep it on topic. Well, mostly on topic. I may ramble a bit. Here goes.

When I began this journey that has become my writing career, I never thought it would take me so far so quickly. I first published book one of my Ragnarok Rising Saga in July of 2012. That means, in almost two and a half years, I’ve published four full-length novels and am working on the fifth. To me, that’s quite an accomplishment, since I have been trying to become an author since I was a kid. It only took me four decades, but what the heck. Here I am, anyway. It might have taken a bit longer than I hoped, but it’s not the destination that makes the dream worthwhile. It’s the journey.

I didn’t have to pull a Faust and sell my soul to the devil to do it, either. It just took a tremendous amount of work…not all of it my own. There have been some amazing people that have joined me on this journey, as well. My family, of course, came along for the ride. There are quite a few others, too. Matt Roper, my friend and confidant, has been both inspirational as well as helpful. He’s been a sounding board for a lot of ideas. Phil Morrissey, my best friend and cover artist, was instrumental in this transition from traditional publisher to independent author. Without him, I’d still be mired in the miasma that I thought was an insurmountable challenge…..Self-publishing. Phil made all the difference in the world.

There are many others, as well. People who gave of their time and energy…both emotional and real…to make these books come to life. Josh Jones, Katie Hughes, Brian Forrester, Johnathon Drake, Mike Mello, Chris Sowards….you all helped to turn this into the work that it is. Thank you all.

Now…it wasn’t my intention to turn this into an impromptu dedication page for the series. Far from it. What I really planned to do was to tell you all that if I can do this, then so can you. I made no strange contracts with shadowy underworld figures, either. It just took a lot of hard work. We’re all capable of that, right? Dig in, dig deep and write that story that is inside you, waiting to be set free and shared with the world. You can do it.

It hasn’t been an easy journey, either. Writing is work. Don’t let anyone tell you that it isn’t. I’ve spent countless hours at the keyboard turning ideas into words and eventually into books. If it was easy, everyone would publish. You can’t just set down and knock out the next Harry Potter series in an afternoon, then have an early dinner. It’s just not that easy. There is a lot of work to it, but it is more than worth it. Holding that finished manuscript in your hands for the first time is one Hell of a feeling (pun intended…see I know what Faust is about).

Chase your dreams. That’s why we have them in the first place. Dream those dreams and reach for the stars. Always remember that Rough drafts don’t have to be perfect. They just have to be written. You can fix the rough spots in the editing phase. That’s what it’s for. Write your tales. Only you can write it.

I know that it always bugs authors when they here someone diminish what they’ve accomplished when someone says, “Hey, you wrote a book? I was going to write a book, but I never found the time.” Yeah, that bugs me, too. If it was easy, then everyone would do it. But the thing is, it’s not easy. Hemingway said it best when he said, “To write a novel all you have to do is sit down at the typewriter and bleed.”

You pour yourself into your work, whether you believe it or not. Your ideas, your work, your very essence flows into every word. The finished manuscript is as much a part of you as your own children. It’s the child of your mind. It will take on a life of it’s own,too. When I hear people discuss my writing, it always makes me smile. I want them to remember the writing. That is why I write. To me, it’s all about the stories.

I’m not overly concerned with any kind of celebrity status or fame. I want the writing to say it all. To me, the writing is my legacy to my children. It will (hopefully) live on, long after I’m gone. Fame is fleeting. The stories we write could live on for generations, if we tell them well. I hope my grandchildren are fans of Tolkien and some of the other great writers that have been a big part of my life over the years. I could drop a lot of impressive names here, but I won’t. We all love good books and I’m sure you’d see a lot of the same names on my list as you would find on yours.

So, to finish up here and climb back down off of my soapbox….write your stories. Share them with the world. Finish that book and then start another one. I did and look where it’s taken me. I’m writing my fifth novel, now. Ten years ago, I never would have thought I would ever publish. Hell, five years ago. It happened for me, it can happen for you. Believe and achieve.

When you finish, celebrate. You’re in an exclusive club. Not many people write a novel. Even fewer publish one. So, write that book…don’t be like Faust…and celebrate your victory. I like to celebrate mine with a small glass of the finest beverage ever created by man. Bushmills Irish Whiskey. It really is the water of life.

Believe in yourself. Chase your dream and don’t ever give it up.

Sláinte

DA

Character Names

Posted by D.A. Roberts - Author on November 18, 2014
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Just a bit of warning…I’m probably going to go on a bit of a rant here. So, FYI. My thoughts here are just that…my thoughts. Take them with a grain of salt. This is just how I feel about the subject and nothing more. I have the distinct feeling that some people may not like what I have to say, and if not…I’m sorry. I’m certainly no expert on anything, but it’s my blog so I figured “what the heck.” Here goes.

First off, character names are a VERY important part of your character. Unless you want people to not take your character seriously, you have to have a name that doesn’t sound stupid. Now I know a lot of you out there are fans of the Hunger Games books/movies, but I wanted to cite that series as a prime example. The name Katniss Everdeen has always bugged the crap out of me. I hate that name and most of the characters in that series have equally stupid names. I mean, come on…there’s a guy named Peeta for crying out loud. I know they wanted to be original, but I think they went the wrong direction. Seriously, would you have taken Captain James T. Kirk even remotely seriously if his name had been something like Captain Marvin P. Snorkel.

So be careful when you name your characters. Say the name out loud a few times…see how it rolls off the tongue. After all, a memorable name is important, but you want it to be memorable for the right reasons. A strong sounding name will make your hero/heroine character sound believable. A goofy name will give the wrong impression…unless a humorous twist is what you were going for. I can see a use for a good ironic twist, if done right. It might make an interesting character bit.

Next, decide what your character’s background is when you name them. For example, if your main character is of Italian ancestry, you might not want to name him something Polish or Russian. Do your background work on it. Google will find you a wealth of information on regional names. Find the right one for your character. Don’t fall into the trap of just tossing in a name as filler, and then forgetting to fix it later. Microsoft Word’s Find and Replace feature is a good tool to use for that.

Finally, there is the method of finding a good name then building a character around it. I’ve done that, myself. Thinking of a badass name is great, but make sure the backstory for the character fits the name. Again, do your research before you commit. It will save you a lot of headache in the future.

So, if you plan to create your awesome character for you writing…put as much effort into the name as you did in creating the character’s personality. It will pay off, big time. Don’t make your readers wonder what the heck were you thinking when you created a cool character and gave them a stupid name.

Again, a bit of a rant…but I hope there was something in it that you find useful. No offense to the fans of the Hunger Games or anything…that’s just one series that the names really bugged the crap out of me and really detracted from me liking the books To me, it’s the little details that make the story really come to life. Without the little things being right, the big things have no foundation to stand on. All the pieces of the puzzle must fit together if you want to see the entire picture.

End of Rant

DA

Dialogue

Posted by D.A. Roberts - Author on September 19, 2013
Posted in: Publishing Tips, Ramblings. Tagged: , , , . 1 Comment

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Dialogue…it’s far more than just words the characters say. Your dialogue defines the characters, conveys information, moves the plot forward and brings depth to both plot and characters. In essence, your dialogue will either make or break your story.

When you write your dialogue, you need to ask yourself, “Is this something they would say?” Is it out of character for them? Take Batman as an example (yeah, I know…I’m a nerd. What can I say?). Can you imagine Batman saying, “Well, Golly, Supes. I never would have thought of that?”

No…because it’s totally out of character. Now if Batman said something like, “Interesting. I hadn’t considered that.” It sounds more plausible. The same logic applies to your characters, as well.

One thing I like to do is to say the lines out loud. Speaking the dialogue lets you hear it and judge how it sounds. Now, if you write at your local library or coffee shop, this might get you more than a few strange looks from the people around you. However, in the privacy of your own personal writing sanctuary, you should be fine. Give it a try and see what I mean.

Another thing to decide about your dialogue is, “Does it add to the story?” If the dialogue adds nothing to the story, the character or the scene, then it’s not needed. Imagine an entire comic based on a conversation between Batman and Superman where they argue over a card game. Not only is it not interesting, it has nothing to do with the superhero theme. Dialogue for the sake of dialogue is just filler. In fact, it may take away from the story, not add to it.

Ultimately, you want your dialogue to serve a purpose. Even if it is just to reveal a detail about the character. Keep it vital, keep it simple and keep it on topic. If the character rambles on and on, you risk losing the interest of the reader. If you lose the reader, you are missing the chance to tell your story.

So, when you do write dialogue, remember. Keep it realistic and true to the character. Keep it on topic. Keep it simple…and read it out loud to hear how it sounds. If it sounds nuts, but it works…then it isn’t nuts.

Don’t forget that the dialogue isn’t just filler. It’s a vital and integral part of your story and deserves your attention. Writing good dialogue will add depth and believability to your characters. Master that, and you’re well on your way to great writing.