Tracey Alley's Blog - Posts Tagged "witchcraft-wars"

Now it's entirely possible, no make that probable, that I've bitten off a little more than I can actually chew but it just feels like there's not enough hours in the day. I'm starting to feel like one of those mad authors you read about who stay glued to their keyboard pumping out one story after another but I've just go so much going on in my head right now that it's like I can't get the words down fast enough. I'm so excited about my new series of children's books - three so far and the artwork I've seen [all preliminary stuff] is just amazing. Then there's Slade's Destiny which I cannot wait to be ready for release - can't nag the beta readers though, very bad form. Then there's my non-fiction work which seems to be almost writing itself - of course, two years of research probably helps :)

Then I'm redecorating my house - believe me this is a project that is long overdue but I'm so hyped about it that I want to get every little thing exactly right - yes my husband is being driven slowly crazy. Plus I recently got back into my charity work which had fallen a little by the way side of recent times. Even though it takes up a big chunk of my time I absolutely love it - I guess you could say the charity was more for me :)

Anyway before I start to sound boring I'll sign off. Hope everyone is having a wonderful day.

Cheers,
Trace

So I'm trying to get all the Kaynos work finished up for publication before Christmas. The work on Slade's Destiny is going well and the short stories for the History Tales compilation are still flowing but I keep getting distracted by this other story that seems to desperately want to be told.

I almost feel like I'm being haunted by a ghost of manuscript future. This one will be a big leap for me, set in current times it's a paranormal, mystery, thriller with one hell of a twist at the end. Even when I'm trying to concentrate on my other stuff these characters keep clamouring for my attention with fascinating tidbits about their lives, their backstory and why this will be such a great story to write.

I'm usually a much more disciplined writer than this so this is a new experience for me. Normally I'll get a vague concept, build some characters around that, play around with the plotline for a while and then start committing words to paper. With this it almost feels already written and it's just waiting for my lazy typing fingers to catch up.

Has this ever happened to anyone else or am I just having a 'muse' moment?

I will have to write the story if only because I've gotten so sucked in that I have to know how it turns out - I'll keep you informed as well, unless it turns out rubbish of course :)

Hi all,
Well I knew it would happen eventually - there's not an author alive who doesn't get a bad review but I have to say for my first one I was actually kind of pleased. Pleased? I hear you say - well if I can post some of the comments made in the review you might see why. Obviously he didn't like the story itself - thought it was a little too D&D and S&S - that's ok as they happen to be fantasy stories and games that I really enjoy so I can hardly be surprised if that type of style crept into my books.

He also said however, "This is an author with a strong, free flowing, natural command of English, who produces language that is very easy to read, and read quickly." and went on to say "whenever the author does switch to description or narration, the reader is carried along rapidly by the clarity and flow of her English." There were other very complimentary comments but I'll leave that for now. If you'd like to read the whole review here's the link - http://indiefantasyreview.blogspot.com/

As a writer I couldn't help but be secretly pleased by his judgement of my writing skills. It would be one thing to say he hated the story and I wrote like a seven year old but this wasn't that kind of review.

So while I'm not exactly bragging - who brags about a bad review? - I am encouraged and feel like a real writer for maybe the first time. I've joined the queue of all other writers who get both good and bad reviews.

I know that bad reviews are supposed to bring us down but I have to be honest and say this one just encouraged me to keep putting proverbial pen to paper and keep writing.

Cheers,
Trace

I've been reading through a thread on another forum where a reviewer was scathingly attacked by the author who felt they'd received a bad review. Unfortunately this is not the first time I have seen this type of behaviour.

As authors we need to develop a fairly thick skin - no matter how good your book is and it may even be a masterpiece there will always be someone who doesn't like it. This happens to EVERY author. A bad review, for an author, might sting a little, might even bring you down for a while but it's actually NOT the end of the world. Even a bad review from a 'professional' reviewer shouldn't be the end of the world either.

When an author reacts badly, especially in a public forum, to a negative review it simply gives all authors a bad reputation. Most reviewers today, on the internet at least, are doing their reviews in their own time, out of their own love of books. So what if they didn't like your book? It's just possible that the reviewer made some very valid comments - in that case a good author should learn from them, they'll probably write an even better book next time.

As a writer I love getting glowing reviews but I'm also not so egotistical [yes I'm using that word] to believe that I've written the greatest novel ever in the history of publishing. Personally I think my books are good, I think a lot of people would enjoy them but I cannot demand that they do, any more than I can vilify someone who didn't like it.

We, as authors, need to remember that reviewers are putting themselves out there just as much as we are by publishing our novels. Reviews, to readers, are extremely important and serve a vital function - I know many people who buy books by previously unknown or unfamiliar authors solely based on the reviews written about them.

I don't write reviews of every book I read - there's only 24 hours in a day - but when I do write a review I try to be honest and fair and if that means I didn't like it or noticed some plot errors or whatever the case may be I will point them out. Because I'm pretty busy I usually only write reviews if I either really liked the book or if I wasn't that impressed.

So to the more dedicated and braver reviewers out there than I am - I take my hat off to you and offer you a very big thank you.

To the author's whose books receive negative reviews I suggest, respectfully, that you take a long, hard look at the review - you might learn something from it or it might just be one person's opinion but try and remember we're supposed to be professionals - not kids in the school yard.

Cheers,
Trace

I'll be honest - prior to publishing my books online I'd never spent any time in internet forums or chat rooms and really knew nothing about the electronic world. The internet, to me, was basically Google, Internet banking and email. However, when I published my books that all began to change. I joined a few forums, got a Facebook page and Twitter account and at first it was all very exciting. I'd had no idea this world existed.

Now, however, I'm becoming a little saddened and jaded by some of the behaviour I'm seeing in different internet forums. I had a couple of friends who used internet dating sites and would tell me horror stories about people's rude and bad behaviour on those sites and I tended to think they were exaggerating. Now I know better.

While there's a vast majority of people who participate in internet sites that show manners, decorum and class there is also, unfortunately, a small minority who seem to have no idea or do not care about how they behave. Rudeness and bad manners are still unacceptable behaviour even if it is done in the privacy of your own home. Think for a second - would you really speak that way to someone you met on the street or to someone who invited you into their home?

The anonymity of the internet does not give anyone a license to engage in aggressive, rude or poor behaviour. Obviously there are people in the 'real world' who do behave badly. Yet I cannot help but think it appears that the internet offers a kind of security blanket to people who would, perhaps, otherwise know and behave better.

There are still many forums, Goodreads among them, that I would highly recommend but sadly there is a growing list of those that I would not. Perhaps it's just a sad indictment on the society we find ourselves living in.

I've read quite a few comments lately about whether or not writers should review other writers work; particularly in the Indie industry. Obviously there's no cheap yes or no answer to this question because some people, writers or otherwise, just don't write reviews - ever.

If, however, you are the kind of person who will write a review for a book then I don't believe your profession should enter into the equation. Writers, or at least in my opinion good writers, should be first and foremost readers. That means that it's perfectly ok to write a review, good or bad.

Some people have said they couldn't write a review just because the book wasn't to their personal taste but my question is why did you read it in the first place? I've bought and borrowed many books that I thought would appeal to me only to find that aspects of the book weren't to my liking. If I review that book, even if I give it a 1 star review I should be able to tell people what I personally didn't like about the book and why.

I've only really started reviewing books since my own novels were published - because I know how much they mean to the author but that doesn't mean I should sugar coat it. A book may be very well written technically but have aspects to it that I personally didn't like - if I say that in a review another potential reader might just think 'wow I'd really enjoy that'.

If you're a reader than you're already a reviewer whether or not you make those reviews public. How many of us have ever discussed a book with friends or family and NOT commented on the things we liked or disliked? Probably none of us. Just becoming an author yourself doesn't change the fact that you have opinions, valid opinions and you have the right to share. Even if the book was so bad you couldn't finish it don't be afraid to say that - potential readers want to know and writers simply have to learn to take criticism, deserved or otherwise.

So readers of the world write your reviews without fear just be honest.

As a first time author, published that is, you wait with bated breath for that first review to come in with some feedback. You worry, you fret, you re-read the book yourself until the words no longer make any sense at all. Then it happens, the first one - with trepidation and half-closed eyes you brace yourself to read it and.... it's good. Sigh of relief, someone read and they loved it. 5 stars. I'm over the moon.

But it's like a junkie, now that I've had a little taste I want more. I have other books, short stories, people are buying them, why aren't they reviewing? Was it a one off, one time only shining star that you'll never see again? You worry, you fret, you bite your fingernails to the quick and then.... you get another one, this is also good. 5 stars.

But just like that junkie now I'm really hooked. I want more, more, more I say! More - you want more? But they start to come and bam.... 4 stars. That's ok, I can live with that, but then ... 3 stars, it's all right, she says breathing heavily trying to remember her yoga exercises... not everyone will love your book. But Why? I wail. Why doesn't everyone love my book and why, why, why don't more people write reviews????

I need another fix, another hit, another 5 stars... it must be out there somewhere surely? Or is, gulp, maybe I'm not that good.... another review 5 stars.... breathe again. But still I want more. I've become a glutton for reviews, even the bad ones because I'm telling myself it will make me a better writer... but what if it just makes me a bigger review junkie? Oh to rid myself of this obsessive curse. It's worse than the constant watching sales figures. Why, why, why did I ever get into this business?

Then I remember. Writing is what I love. Book, short story, poetry, blog post, flash fiction - give me a keyboard and I'm in heaven. Is it a blessing or a curse? I don't really know but I have so many words inside I have to let them out and you, poor reader, have to suffer them.... unless, of course, you don't read it?????

And the cycle starts again.

Cheers all,
Trace

I thought I was on the mend from my chronic anaemia problem and then took a very sudden, very dramatic turn for the worse. My red cell count, which should be between 120 and 140, dropped to 24 and my iron levels couldn't be detected at all.

I blame myself a little as the week before I collapsed I was feeling very tired and once again finding myself feeling short of breath at the smallest exertion but instead of going back to the doc's I kept working away - my thinking was 'I don't have time to be sick so I'll ignore this till I've finished the book'. Next thing I knew I wake up in hospital and I've lost two weeks.

It's way, way too easy when you're functioning to ignore the warning signs from your body that something's wrong - as I did. Because I could still walk and talk I figured I couldn't be too sick - wrong, very, very wrong.

Now I'm staying the in the luxury 2 star hospital being waited on hand and foot with the downside being because I can't get out of bed without fainting. It really isn't worth ignoring those little signs just because you're busy or it's inconvenient.

Anyway just wanted to remind everyone to take care of you first - only then can you be of any use to anyone else.

Cheers,
Trace

Hi all,
As I've been pretty sick I haven't done a blog post for ages. Just posted this one on my website but I thought I'd share it here too...
hope no one minds the double up :)

Let me say from the very beginning, it's tough being a writer whether you're published, traditionally or Indie, still unpublished and struggling. Either way it's a tough game. I've been writing for as long as I can remember and 95% of what I've written has been pure and utter junk. For twenty years I wrote poetry, short stories, novels and even a few magazine articles. To this day I have folders full to the brim of storyline ideas, plot outlines and even novel beginnings - much of which is pure rubbish and some, maybe, with some hard work could be something good. Had I bothered to keep them all I'm sure I could've wallpapered my whole house with rejection slips.

Then I wrote a halfway decent novel. It wasn't a masterpiece but it had a good storyline and seemed to flow well. I thought that was going to be 'the one'. I shopped around for agents and publishers and, to be honest, got some positive feedback but mostly outright rejections. I even had one editor tell me that I would be a good writer once 'I found my voice'. I didn't know what the hell she meant by that, I didn't even know my voice was lost. However, I'm not a complete dummy and eventually the penny dropped as to what she meant. I wasn't writing in the right genre for me. Well that wasn't a huge surprise in some ways as I'd tried practically every genre you can think of except for Westerns.

Then one day it happened. It was almost like magic in a way - I found a storyline that I really liked. I worked really hard and was, for the first time in my writing career, actually pleased with the end result. It was exciting and scary all at the same time. Again I shopped around for an agent or a publisher and this time, while I still got rejections, I also got an incredible amount of really positive feedback. Eventually I decided that if I couldn't get a decent contract via a traditional publisher - and I'd been offered a few real stinkers - then I would go Independent. I felt that confident in the novel. So, of course, was born Erich's Plea. I truly felt it was the best thing I'd ever written. I published and it started to sell, not huge amounts but slowly building over time and it's still selling.

Then I wrote and published the follow up, Ursula's Quest. I thought this book was even better than the last. It too slowly gained sales and even a few reviews. For the most part I've had hugely positive feedback on both novels and pretty impressive reviews. Mostly 5 or 4 stars out of 5, which I thought was excellent. Then I wrote the final in the trilogy, Slade's Destiny - still coming for release while I do all the final edits - and it was even better than the first two put together. And that's when I finally realised something that had eluded me for so long. Every time you put pen to paper you get better. Like a musician or an artist if you have the talent to begin with then your writing will continue to improve the more that you write.

Many of you are probably thinking 'well duh' at this point but I can be a slow learner at times. I thought talent and drive were more than enough to be a successful writer. I thought that if you had the gift then it would all just fall magically into place. It took me a very long time to realise that talent is only a small part of the life of a writer. Hard work, discipline, having a thick skin, getting real critical feedback and working at improving are all far, far more important than sheer talent or inspiration. Lots of people are talented but not everyone has the humility to work hard and keep learning. I hope that I have that humility, I hope that I will always continue to improve and yes, I hope that one day I make mega sales and become a household name. But mostly I'm realistic about the last one - I'm one of many, not the greatest but slowly gathering a following and I love each and every single reader I have. Without you, the reader, everything I've put into my work is worthless - both talent and hard work. So it's not an easy ride but it is exciting and a constant huge learning curve and I love every single minute of it.
Cheers,
Trace

As many of you will know from my last post all my life I've dreamed of being a writer. A real writer with real books available for people I don't know to actually read. Well I finally got there after a loooong journey but now it turns out that there's more.

I'd honestly never thought past that magic moment of seeing my words in print. I didn't realise that after that came all the marketing and promotion. And guess what? Turns out that I'm not very good at either. I always end up feeling slightly sleazy - 'here, wanna buy my book?'.

I know that I have to do it, especially in the modern world of Indie publishing but I just feel odd about it. A little like a used car salesman but without the credibility ;) Seriously though, how do you go about getting people to read your books without being a salesman, marketing and promotions expert?? I haven't figured that one out.

So, as is my habit sometimes when things are difficult, I have so far ignored it. I interact with people through sites like this, use Twitter, FB and have a website but I'm obviously not the marketer I should be or I'd have more sales [unless I just wrote a lousy book lol]. I know of a lot of other Indie author's who seem to be really good at promotion and I'm proud to call some of them my online friends but I'm not one of them.

Basically what I'm saying is that if you've written a book and now feel a little overwhelmed at the prospect of trying to market it - don't panic. If someone as bad at it as me can start to slowly get the hang of it then anyone can do it. True we're writers not salesmen but in today's world, realistically, we have to be both.

Cheers,
Trace