Ask the Author: Larry Kollar
Answered Questions (4)
Larry Kollar
Funny thing, how words can have inertia and momentum. Sometimes, I'll sit down to write, and nothing happens. I'll start pushing words into the keyboard, and maybe get a few dozen words for the first half-hour of my trouble. But if I keep pushing, more words come. Maybe 100 or 200 in the next half hour. Next thing I know, another hour passes and I have 700 words!
Sometimes, that's what it takes. Get started, and refuse to stop.
Sometimes, that's what it takes. Get started, and refuse to stop.
Larry Kollar
You can always go to my blog, and check out the progress bars at the top right of the page.
The next two things I'm working on are an anthology, tentatively called "Marginalia and Other Stories from the World of Accidental Sorcerers," and the fifth Accidental Sorcerers story "Lost in Nightwalk." This one's pretty intense toward the end…
The next two things I'm working on are an anthology, tentatively called "Marginalia and Other Stories from the World of Accidental Sorcerers," and the fifth Accidental Sorcerers story "Lost in Nightwalk." This one's pretty intense toward the end…
Larry Kollar
If you have a story, write it down. That's the first thing. You have to finish the story before you can do anything else with it.
Next, I think the best piece of writing advice is from Kristen Kathryn Rusch: treat your writing like a business. Those six words imply a lot, though!
First off, it leads to the big question: traditional or self-published? That's a question everyone has to answer for themselves. Advantages include (if you break in): money up front in some cases; distribution can go to bookstores; you focus on the writing and let the publisher and agent handle the rest. Small presses don't require an agent, but research carefully before submitting… some don't do a very good job. If they require money up front, RUN!
If you're self-publishing, *you* are the publisher. You need to identify what you're good at, so you know what you can do (or learn) yourself and what you need to outsource. (Everyone needs to outsource the editing.) You should research your genre, to get a good idea of how well it sells. Romance, erotica, and horror are all popular right now; literary fiction gets awards but few sales. It gives you an idea of how much you can invest.
Either way, you're expected to do all the promotion yourself. If you aren't comfortable with that, there's another thing to outsource. :-P
But first, *write the story*. None of the above amounts to anything without the story!
Next, I think the best piece of writing advice is from Kristen Kathryn Rusch: treat your writing like a business. Those six words imply a lot, though!
First off, it leads to the big question: traditional or self-published? That's a question everyone has to answer for themselves. Advantages include (if you break in): money up front in some cases; distribution can go to bookstores; you focus on the writing and let the publisher and agent handle the rest. Small presses don't require an agent, but research carefully before submitting… some don't do a very good job. If they require money up front, RUN!
If you're self-publishing, *you* are the publisher. You need to identify what you're good at, so you know what you can do (or learn) yourself and what you need to outsource. (Everyone needs to outsource the editing.) You should research your genre, to get a good idea of how well it sells. Romance, erotica, and horror are all popular right now; literary fiction gets awards but few sales. It gives you an idea of how much you can invest.
Either way, you're expected to do all the promotion yourself. If you aren't comfortable with that, there's another thing to outsource. :-P
But first, *write the story*. None of the above amounts to anything without the story!
Larry Kollar
Sometimes, the best thing to do is just go with the flow. Close the book, walk away, do some other stuff. Give the ol' subconscious a little while to chew on things while you take care of other things.
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