Ask the Author: J.W. Murison
Answered Questions (10)
J.W. Murison
Yup, Federation One has just been released, that is the fifth istalment. If you wondered what happened on the Sir William wallace, then here is your chance to find out. jim
J.W. Murison
Hi Matt, the first company gave me my book back with about three thousand suggested corrections which I simply accepted and along with some editing suggestions to help the book more readable. The second proof reader I gave licence to clean the book up as he saw fit, with the punctuation, but asked for a list of any editing suggestions which we battered through. Don't really know what else to say here. Being dyslexic, there is only so much I can do myself. Friends and family have all contributed along the way. The two books that have been proofread are teardrops and the black planet. What I am going to start doing soon is adding a section to all of my books to help folk distinguish between the different dialects I use within my novels. Many Scottish words are similar sounding to their English counter parts and as such I haven't felt the need to explain them. However as my books are now beginning to appeal to a wider ranging audience then I think it’s about time I booted myself up the arse and got this project off the ground. I plan to provide any Scottish words in their native dialect along with their English equivalent. Common English/ American words will be ignored, simply because there are far too many. Traditional publishers have British English versions and American English versions of their books. Many just seem to publish their books in American English these days. Being a dyslexic actually helps with this, I generally can’t tell the difference between the two, if it sounds like that word then the chances are that it is that word and my brain simply accepts that. Of course I am discovering that many people find this annoying at least and infuriating at best. Personally I am at a loss at what to do next. I could of course approach a traditional publisher. That however would rob me of the right to publish just whatever the hell I wanted, when I wanted. Most of my friends who have gone down that particular route are now locked into contracts. From listening to them I find that these contracts are debilitating. They have to produce synopsis of their work before commencing on a novel and if the publisher doesn’t like it then they have little choice but to scrap the idea. They are locked into writing in one genre, you know stuff like that. This is of course all geared towards profit, cornering a market and maximising output and gain. It’s not my way Matt, yes it would be nice to make a living from my novels, but I really don’t give a shit. I write for the fun and for the adventure. I never know quite where my characters are going to take me and from that point of view it’s just as exciting as being a reader. Getting off the track here a wee bit. So if you have any suggestions then I am open to hearing them. Hope this has cleared things up a little for you.
J.W. Murison
Most of my books are read by friends and family and I normally get input from at least three of them before I go to print. Being dyslexic, it is difficult for me to proofread my own books. As they become more popular I am getting more of them proofread by professionals. To date, two have been proofread, teardrops and the black planet. Embers is being done now. I wish I had the money to have them all done, but unfortunately that just isn’t possible. It does mean that people are getting books that haven’t been professionally edited, but I try and compensate them by selling my books at a low price. It is a simple case of them having to pay their own way I’m afraid. I hope this answers your question.
J.W. Murison
Morning RSM, i am going to take the lads on a bloody good adventure, a wee dash amonst the stars
J.W. Murison
Yeah what? I only had writers block once and it wasn't actually writers block. While writing my first novel I discovered that the characters had came to life and were beginning to take the book over. The trouble was it would take the book away from that carefully crafted beginning, middle and end everyone talks about. After months of indecision I eventually tossed the book that I had spent my hard earned cash on "How To Write Your First Novel" into the trash where it belongs and gave the characters their head. I have never looked back since.
J.W. Murison
The journey of mind, to explore the world in a manner you wish to and then to have people enjoy it as much as you did writing it is a helluva kick
J.W. Murison
Check out my blog on Goodreads, how to write your first novel
J.W. Murison
Sequel to Teardrops in the Night Sky
J.W. Murison
I think if you are an avid reader its something that comes naturally. One day you are going to read a book that is insipid and uninspiring and think to yourself that you could do better. That's what happened with me.
J.W. Murison
My latest novel is Embers and hasn't been published yet, I got the idea from someone saying 'imagine what it would be like if you could come back and do it all again.'
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