Bill Ward's Blog - Posts Tagged "writing"
All is best though we oft doubt!
Since studying Milton's Samson Agonistes at school this has always been my favourite quote:
All is best, though we oft doubt, what the unsearchable dispose, of highest wisdom brings about.
I am not terribly religious but I do believe in Fate. So when a few months back I didn't get a new job after what I thought was a positive interview, I was a little disappointed but saw it as my fate and as an indication that the future held something different for me.
Having always wanted to write a book I decided the time must finally be right and at approaching 60, I turned my back on the corporate world and produced my new thriller Revenge. I have no illusions I will become an overnight sensation as an author but writing this book has fulfilled a lifelong ambition and made me a very happy man whether it makes any money or not. (I do actually hope it makes money because that is an indicator people have enjoyed my book.)
I feel happier inside than for a long time and so I guess writing Revenge has been good for my soul!
The point of my blog is to remind everyone in a job that has overtaken their life that while material things and your finances are important so is nurturing your soul.
And to quote many before me it is never too late to change direction and you should never give up on your dreams. You can't change the past but you can alter the future. As we all know, if you carry on doing the same thing you will get the same result. I decided rather belatedly to stop what I was doing and try to have some success as an author. I actually consider I have already been successful just by publishing my book even if I miss the secure income from a job!
I will finish with a famous quote by Lucille ball:
"I'd rather regret the things that I've done, than regret the things which I didn't do."
Thanks
Bill
All is best, though we oft doubt, what the unsearchable dispose, of highest wisdom brings about.
I am not terribly religious but I do believe in Fate. So when a few months back I didn't get a new job after what I thought was a positive interview, I was a little disappointed but saw it as my fate and as an indication that the future held something different for me.
Having always wanted to write a book I decided the time must finally be right and at approaching 60, I turned my back on the corporate world and produced my new thriller Revenge. I have no illusions I will become an overnight sensation as an author but writing this book has fulfilled a lifelong ambition and made me a very happy man whether it makes any money or not. (I do actually hope it makes money because that is an indicator people have enjoyed my book.)
I feel happier inside than for a long time and so I guess writing Revenge has been good for my soul!
The point of my blog is to remind everyone in a job that has overtaken their life that while material things and your finances are important so is nurturing your soul.
And to quote many before me it is never too late to change direction and you should never give up on your dreams. You can't change the past but you can alter the future. As we all know, if you carry on doing the same thing you will get the same result. I decided rather belatedly to stop what I was doing and try to have some success as an author. I actually consider I have already been successful just by publishing my book even if I miss the secure income from a job!
I will finish with a famous quote by Lucille ball:
"I'd rather regret the things that I've done, than regret the things which I didn't do."
Thanks
Bill
Characters or Plot?
Which is most important?
In reality both need to be good to write a best seller. But I would suggest that after finishing a book we have really enjoyed, it is the characters who remain with us, rather than the details of the plot. We miss spending time with the characters.
When I read books, and I read loads, I sometimes find a clever idea for a story but poorly developed characters. Less often, I also find examples of really interesting characters but very weak stories.
As writers we need to know our characters inside out. We need to know their habits and quirks. I would suggest before we start writing the book, we need to have spent time understanding our main characters, so that during the writing process we know how they will react in any given situation. For me this involves a process of making notes about each character, which I can refer to later.
While writing thrillers, I find the characters can often decide for me how the plot should develop, which may be different from my original thought process. I know the characters well enough that they dictate what should happen next. I rarely change my characters too much to fit the plot but will more often find the characters shaping the plot.
We introduce our characters a little at a time to our readers throughout the book rather than write everything down the first minute we introduce them. We should try to reveal our characters more through their actions rather than just describing their characteristics.
For me it is essential at least some of the main characters are likeable. I have read a couple of books recently where I just didn’t like any of the characters and thus didn’t really care what happened to them.
As we progress in our writing skills we develop the ability to reveal characteristics in less obvious ways. For example, we may have a character who on the surface is a good man and we reveal he thinks of himself in that way but small actions reveal to the reader a different truth.
Bad guys can be particularly fun to bring to life. Often the most memorable bad guys are not obviously so. They may have normal families and love their dogs but there is a motivation that turns them bad. I particularly like writing characters such as this as they are often the main ingredient of the twists that make a great thriller.
So for me it is essential to scope our characters before commencing writing in even more detail than the plot. The essence of a great book is the memory of the characters.
In reality both need to be good to write a best seller. But I would suggest that after finishing a book we have really enjoyed, it is the characters who remain with us, rather than the details of the plot. We miss spending time with the characters.
When I read books, and I read loads, I sometimes find a clever idea for a story but poorly developed characters. Less often, I also find examples of really interesting characters but very weak stories.
As writers we need to know our characters inside out. We need to know their habits and quirks. I would suggest before we start writing the book, we need to have spent time understanding our main characters, so that during the writing process we know how they will react in any given situation. For me this involves a process of making notes about each character, which I can refer to later.
While writing thrillers, I find the characters can often decide for me how the plot should develop, which may be different from my original thought process. I know the characters well enough that they dictate what should happen next. I rarely change my characters too much to fit the plot but will more often find the characters shaping the plot.
We introduce our characters a little at a time to our readers throughout the book rather than write everything down the first minute we introduce them. We should try to reveal our characters more through their actions rather than just describing their characteristics.
For me it is essential at least some of the main characters are likeable. I have read a couple of books recently where I just didn’t like any of the characters and thus didn’t really care what happened to them.
As we progress in our writing skills we develop the ability to reveal characteristics in less obvious ways. For example, we may have a character who on the surface is a good man and we reveal he thinks of himself in that way but small actions reveal to the reader a different truth.
Bad guys can be particularly fun to bring to life. Often the most memorable bad guys are not obviously so. They may have normal families and love their dogs but there is a motivation that turns them bad. I particularly like writing characters such as this as they are often the main ingredient of the twists that make a great thriller.
So for me it is essential to scope our characters before commencing writing in even more detail than the plot. The essence of a great book is the memory of the characters.
The importance of focus!
All through my corporate career I was taught the importance of focus. The need to focus on goals and what is important not just urgent.
I am writing a new thriller, which will be my third and frankly I am impatient to finish it and move on to my fourth and fifth books, since I recently read that for most authors it is the fifth book you write, which is most likely to become a best seller!
After my second book was published in March 2014 I became buried in marketing for six months, in particular trying to build my social media footprint and though I appreciate its importance I can’t say it’s much fun, so I am now very focused on writing and everything else will have to fit around my writing rather than the other way around.
At the beginning of this year I rather ambitiously set 100 books as my reading challenge for the year. I am currently at 78 books read and likely to fall about 10 books short by the end of the year but I still think I have done well. We all know the quote by Stephen King, “If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write…”
Looking forwards towards next year my focus for the first six months is going to be on publishing my third and fourth books. I will also continue to read a great deal as it inspires me in my writing and improves my writing skills. My social media footprint can shrink a size or two because while quite important it is not as important as writing.
My blog is just a cautionary note to not be swept along by the urgency of everything but to take time to set goals and focus on them above everything else.
I am writing a new thriller, which will be my third and frankly I am impatient to finish it and move on to my fourth and fifth books, since I recently read that for most authors it is the fifth book you write, which is most likely to become a best seller!
After my second book was published in March 2014 I became buried in marketing for six months, in particular trying to build my social media footprint and though I appreciate its importance I can’t say it’s much fun, so I am now very focused on writing and everything else will have to fit around my writing rather than the other way around.
At the beginning of this year I rather ambitiously set 100 books as my reading challenge for the year. I am currently at 78 books read and likely to fall about 10 books short by the end of the year but I still think I have done well. We all know the quote by Stephen King, “If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write…”
Looking forwards towards next year my focus for the first six months is going to be on publishing my third and fourth books. I will also continue to read a great deal as it inspires me in my writing and improves my writing skills. My social media footprint can shrink a size or two because while quite important it is not as important as writing.
My blog is just a cautionary note to not be swept along by the urgency of everything but to take time to set goals and focus on them above everything else.
Reviews
Let’s face it, Reviews are scary! Especially for a brand new author publishing his first book and full of doubt whether he is completely off his head expecting strangers to pay to read his book. (Yes that was me!)
Every positive Review helps build confidence in your writing ability and in my case led me to writing two further thrillers and I am now looking to write many more.
Even more importantly, Reviews help other readers decide to buy your book. There is no getting away from the importance of Reviews for new authors in particular.
I now have about a hundred and fifty reviews spread around various sites but still feel nervous each time I receive a new one. When I published my first book, I expected my friends and family to rush out and buy my book and quickly write glowing reviews and though a few did, it didn't add up to very many! The strange thing was the number of people who said they enjoyed the book and promised a review but never quite got around to writing one. I eventually just gave up reminding them about the importance of a review as I didn't want to appear completely obsessed by the subject.
I have had some funny experiences with Reviews. One person will love something specific about my book and someone else will dislike exactly the same thing!
I have had an American tell me I had a load of spelling errors and after further investigation, had to point out certain words are spelt differently in the UK to the USA.
What this has proved is, reading is a very personal experience. Do not, as a new author, be intimidated into thinking you must make massive changes because of your first negative review. The reader may not be the right type of reader for your book so was never going to enjoy the experience.
Constructive reviews are very useful in helping us learn to improve our writing skills. I have had some excellent feedback, which continues to improve my writing. I remember an early review of Revenge where I was criticised for too much "tell" and not enough "show." I had never given any thought to the difference and the review was a revelation!
So take the occasional bad Review on the chin and realise your book just wasn’t right for that particular reader. I have recently read a couple of the most successful thrillers of the last couple of years and frankly didn’t particularly like either of them. It is all just a matter of personal taste.
Every positive Review helps build confidence in your writing ability and in my case led me to writing two further thrillers and I am now looking to write many more.
Even more importantly, Reviews help other readers decide to buy your book. There is no getting away from the importance of Reviews for new authors in particular.
I now have about a hundred and fifty reviews spread around various sites but still feel nervous each time I receive a new one. When I published my first book, I expected my friends and family to rush out and buy my book and quickly write glowing reviews and though a few did, it didn't add up to very many! The strange thing was the number of people who said they enjoyed the book and promised a review but never quite got around to writing one. I eventually just gave up reminding them about the importance of a review as I didn't want to appear completely obsessed by the subject.
I have had some funny experiences with Reviews. One person will love something specific about my book and someone else will dislike exactly the same thing!
I have had an American tell me I had a load of spelling errors and after further investigation, had to point out certain words are spelt differently in the UK to the USA.
What this has proved is, reading is a very personal experience. Do not, as a new author, be intimidated into thinking you must make massive changes because of your first negative review. The reader may not be the right type of reader for your book so was never going to enjoy the experience.
Constructive reviews are very useful in helping us learn to improve our writing skills. I have had some excellent feedback, which continues to improve my writing. I remember an early review of Revenge where I was criticised for too much "tell" and not enough "show." I had never given any thought to the difference and the review was a revelation!
So take the occasional bad Review on the chin and realise your book just wasn’t right for that particular reader. I have recently read a couple of the most successful thrillers of the last couple of years and frankly didn’t particularly like either of them. It is all just a matter of personal taste.
Two years as an author!
September will be the two year anniversary of publishing my first book Revenge. Six months later I published Encryption and after a further twelve months I published Trafficking, followed four months later by Abducted, which was two months ago.
Six months ago when I published Trafficking, I was excited to be selling 100 books a month but having serious doubts whether I would ever achieve my ambition of becoming an author who generated a decent income from my writing.
July was a landmark month for me as I sold 1000 books in a month for the first time. Over the last six months, since Trafficking was released, there has been a sharp upward climb in sales, which is showing no sign of slowing down. (I’m now touching wood as I write this!)
I hope to have my next book out in about four months and that will complete the trilogy started by Trafficking.
I share this news not to show off and anyway there are enormous numbers of authors selling far more books than me but if you are in the same position I was just six months ago, I want you to know that even greater success may be just around the corner!
I say greater success because all of us who live our dreams and self-publish our books have achieved a huge success but the reward of knowing far more readers are buying and appreciating our work is the next step in our journey.
So what is the secret to my improved sales? Have I simply written a better book? I don’t think so. I sat down before writing Trafficking and analysed what type of book I wanted to write and thought about the hugely successful writers in that genre. I adapted my style a little from my first two books and learned from the reviews of those books e.g. I was guilty of too much ‘show’ and not enough ‘tell.’ I ensured the plot would move at a very fast pace. I decided to write a trilogy featuring the same characters.
When I published Trafficking, I had no idea how it would be received whereas I was confident my first two books were worth reading. I was filled with self-doubt but the end result seems to be the commercial success I wanted.
I am writing the third book in my trilogy and feel I now understand better my audience and what they want to read. With practice I also believe the quality of my writing is improving.
I spend every waking moment writing and promoting my books so it has not been an easy ride. I take my new career as seriously as I did my previous corporate career.
Many of you who read this blog will be authors and I hope you take encouragement from my story. I don’t feel I have yet anything like fulfilled my writing goals but I have taken an important step forward. I wish all authors great success. We are not in competition but travellers along the same road.
Six months ago when I published Trafficking, I was excited to be selling 100 books a month but having serious doubts whether I would ever achieve my ambition of becoming an author who generated a decent income from my writing.
July was a landmark month for me as I sold 1000 books in a month for the first time. Over the last six months, since Trafficking was released, there has been a sharp upward climb in sales, which is showing no sign of slowing down. (I’m now touching wood as I write this!)
I hope to have my next book out in about four months and that will complete the trilogy started by Trafficking.
I share this news not to show off and anyway there are enormous numbers of authors selling far more books than me but if you are in the same position I was just six months ago, I want you to know that even greater success may be just around the corner!
I say greater success because all of us who live our dreams and self-publish our books have achieved a huge success but the reward of knowing far more readers are buying and appreciating our work is the next step in our journey.
So what is the secret to my improved sales? Have I simply written a better book? I don’t think so. I sat down before writing Trafficking and analysed what type of book I wanted to write and thought about the hugely successful writers in that genre. I adapted my style a little from my first two books and learned from the reviews of those books e.g. I was guilty of too much ‘show’ and not enough ‘tell.’ I ensured the plot would move at a very fast pace. I decided to write a trilogy featuring the same characters.
When I published Trafficking, I had no idea how it would be received whereas I was confident my first two books were worth reading. I was filled with self-doubt but the end result seems to be the commercial success I wanted.
I am writing the third book in my trilogy and feel I now understand better my audience and what they want to read. With practice I also believe the quality of my writing is improving.
I spend every waking moment writing and promoting my books so it has not been an easy ride. I take my new career as seriously as I did my previous corporate career.
Many of you who read this blog will be authors and I hope you take encouragement from my story. I don’t feel I have yet anything like fulfilled my writing goals but I have taken an important step forward. I wish all authors great success. We are not in competition but travellers along the same road.
What responsibility does an author have to his subject?
I choose topical subjects for my thrillers and as a result it isn’t really surprising that people will have a view on my subject matter. With regard to my novel – Trafficking, which has received generally excellent reviews, there have been a couple of negative comments accusing me of sensationalising and trivialising a human tragedy.
There is no doubt that human sex trafficking is one of today’s most abhorrent crimes and sadly is a growing problem throughout the world. So by choosing to write a fictional thriller have I tried to make money out of other people’s suffering?
I was keen to write about this subject for the very reason it is a terrible crime and I hoped that in some small way, shedding further light on the subject helps grow awareness. My book could have been darker and I have chosen a girl as the central character, who deals far better with her circumstances than would ninety nine per cent of girls faced with the same terrible circumstances. She ultimately escapes being trafficked, which very few girls will do in real life so perhaps the story is not a realistic representation of the grim reality most girls face. I certainly wouldn’t want to trivialise something grave but I believe I have license to portray the character who may only represent one per cent of girls if I so choose.
I do feel authors have a responsibility to our subject and that is to be generally factually correct so as not to mislead our readers but it is a fine line as we are by definition writing fiction! Personally, I see my main responsibility as to entertain my readers and perhaps educate a little.
I have given quite a bit of thought to the critical reviews and whether I am guilty of taking advantage of other people’s suffering. On reflection, I believe most of us who write crime thrillers are inevitably constructing stories around terrible crimes, which for some people will have a very personal resonance. A story about a family murder; a chilling story about terrorism or drugs; a story about abuse; are I believe no different to my story about sex trafficking but I do have a biased view!
In the end, reading is for most people a very subjective experience and what one person loves another will hate. Even with the same subject matter, it will often be a case of how the author handles a sensitive subject as to whether the reader has an enjoyable experience or not.
I wondered if anyone else has faced the dilemma of how to cover a controversial subject matter? Are there subjects we should stay away from because they are simply too raw? I would be interested in your views.
There is no doubt that human sex trafficking is one of today’s most abhorrent crimes and sadly is a growing problem throughout the world. So by choosing to write a fictional thriller have I tried to make money out of other people’s suffering?
I was keen to write about this subject for the very reason it is a terrible crime and I hoped that in some small way, shedding further light on the subject helps grow awareness. My book could have been darker and I have chosen a girl as the central character, who deals far better with her circumstances than would ninety nine per cent of girls faced with the same terrible circumstances. She ultimately escapes being trafficked, which very few girls will do in real life so perhaps the story is not a realistic representation of the grim reality most girls face. I certainly wouldn’t want to trivialise something grave but I believe I have license to portray the character who may only represent one per cent of girls if I so choose.
I do feel authors have a responsibility to our subject and that is to be generally factually correct so as not to mislead our readers but it is a fine line as we are by definition writing fiction! Personally, I see my main responsibility as to entertain my readers and perhaps educate a little.
I have given quite a bit of thought to the critical reviews and whether I am guilty of taking advantage of other people’s suffering. On reflection, I believe most of us who write crime thrillers are inevitably constructing stories around terrible crimes, which for some people will have a very personal resonance. A story about a family murder; a chilling story about terrorism or drugs; a story about abuse; are I believe no different to my story about sex trafficking but I do have a biased view!
In the end, reading is for most people a very subjective experience and what one person loves another will hate. Even with the same subject matter, it will often be a case of how the author handles a sensitive subject as to whether the reader has an enjoyable experience or not.
I wondered if anyone else has faced the dilemma of how to cover a controversial subject matter? Are there subjects we should stay away from because they are simply too raw? I would be interested in your views.
