I have not been silent on my support of the Black Lives Matters movement and I’ve been doing that by one action alone; sharing and retweet the voices of those it affects most.
Today some of those words were lost. A clear screen shot on Taia Dominique’s Twitter can be seen that she posted the whole poem, but that later other parts of it were taken down.
This is not right, the words she’s spoken are true to what she feels and those are the words we need to hear right now.
Take the time, read the words, learn to listen.
This is an essential read for any author, regardless of your path. The actions of Red Sofa in the wake of the George Floyd murder and subsequent riots is terrible, but this is its own kind of awful. Many writers aspire to getting an agent, but please keep in mind that the actions of Red Sofa both now and then, is not acceptable behaviour.
This is not a post I ever thought I’d be writing, and I certainly didn’t expect to be writing it now, when there’s so many terrible things going on in the world. But the SFF writing and publishing community is not an island: we impact and are impacted by the world in turn, and it’s because of this relationship that I’m speaking now. This is a small matter in comparison to the ongoing protests over the extrajudicial murder of George Floyd and the egregious police brutality with which those protests have been met, but it is still, to me, an important matter, as how the SFF community responds to racism and bigotry in other contexts will always relate to how it deals with internal gatekeeping. After what’s happened, I don’t feel that I can in good conscience continue to remain silent.
Last week, Dawn Frederick of Red Sofa Literary, who…
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I started writing a seriously in 2014 and consequently, self-published called the Last Prophecy Series. My reason remains sound; it was a twenty-one novella and book fantasy steampunk series. Not exactly a trendy topic, succinct series, or the kind of project that would be over in a few years.
But I was determined and it remains to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Getting an editor taught me a lot about my writing and how to write better. I moved on from the series to do other work. My scripts outside that series since then have had requests from agents. I have a publishing contract with Literary Wanderlust for Behind the Veil. I’ve gone on to self publish another series called Queen of Spades – a sci-fi action romance trilogy.
Here is what you need to know about this process and why it’s not something that lasts a year or two, but a lifetime.
The Product
Writing books take time. With many successful self-published authors who you may have never heard of, they attribute the full-time writer dream to releasing a book every six months. But when you have to write the damn thing, spend ages editing, and then get others to help with that process too it can be daunting. With families, jobs, and other things taxing time the idea of a book in a year let alone two is impossible.
The second thing to consider is do you have a stand-alone book? Is it a good fit for a specific genre? Is it the ONE book inside you? Many writers find once they have written a book that’s it, they’re done, and there is nothing wrong with that. Many writers have dozens of stories, can write often, and do. The thing to figure out is what kind of writer you are, and what you want from your stories.
Don’t kid yourself on movie deals and insta-fame; like any artistic endeavor, this should be about the soul. Because without a lot of luck, marketing, and constant work, and time, that’s not realistic.
If you have just one book you love and have spent years working on, why not query it? Don’t be scared of querying or an inevitable “no”, because I’ve seen authors with no social media presence and no contacts get agents. Research carefully and if you’re sure this is THE book, and you want to get it to a traditional publisher, then do try querying first. You’re going to know the quality of your work and the marketability of your idea pretty quickly with their reaction.
Do you have a lot of ideas? Can afford the time, savvy, and dedication needed to self publish? Because it requires a lot of work and that’s one of the most underestimated parts of self-publishing.
It’s a piece of creative work, but you are the person who decides the right path for you, and because they’re side by side you can move between the two, just be sure you know what you’re getting into.
The Work
I often see authors publish with self-made covers, no editing, and no marketing plan wonder why their book isn’t selling.
Imagine going to a café and seeing sandwiches on the shelf; are you going to pick the pickle and anchovy on lumpy weird looking bread, or the focaccia with smoked salmon, cream cheese, baby spinach, and capers? I mean, maybe not, that’s my favourite and I’m hungry but you get the picture.
Getting a professional-looking cover is not hard with research into the genre, some good stock photos, and getting comfortable with programs like GIMP. Having a good developmental editor is easy with many authors on social media offering beta and critical partner readings if you don’t want to hire a professional. Seeking out places that advertise your book, creating social media platforms, and avenues to advertise is easy with a bit of research.
But all this takes work, and it’s endless, it never stops and you are never not doing that.
When you take into consideration that you still have to write a book every six months that’s a lot of work. It’s constant, you do some every day, and some times it sucks away whole weekends. I’ve dedicated weeks of annual leave from day jobs for this and I wouldn’t have it any other way because I’m happy doing what I do.
Be sure you’re ready for the kind of work needed, and what’s involved, and if you like the idea of it. Because if you don’t, or are finding it hard, it might not be for you.
The End Goal
What do you want out of life?
It’s one of those questions you get asked in random quizzes and occasional in job interviews when they want to be sadistic. Heck, lots of money, love, and to live happily ever after? You can’t magic those into existence. Money takes business savvy, luck, saving, and accrument few of us possess. Love even in long term relationships is not always an easy task or a life long one.
Happiness? The most annoying old adage of finding it within yourself is, unfortunately, true and nothing could be more right than when talking about your writing journey.
I’ve seen so many writers give up after their book didn’t sell. They throw the towel in and disappear. Many writers perceive it is a “make it or fail” industry. They forget that this is like any other hobby; a creative outlet. You need to decide what you want for you, for your stories, and for your time.
If you have a single story you love with your whole heart, have poured years of work into, and just want to see out there, don’t be afraid of querying. I saw one writer query seven hundred agents, over five years before landing an agent that got her enviable big five publishing contract. She had another book, but it was in its drafting phases and she was happy with that. But she didn’t quit on what she wanted.
If you have heaps of stories and you have the determination to make it work, self publish. It’s very rewarding to get your books out there, your way, on your time, and finally in your hands. Yes, it’s a lot of hard work, but my god nothing is better than waking up to messages stating people loved your book and can’t wait for the next one.
The other thing to remember is the tendency for emerging writers to think it’s either self-publishing or traditional publishing, without taking into account the number of small presses out there. Literary Wanderlust has been nothing but supportive and wonderful to work with, and I’m very happy to be publishing with them. There are hundreds of small presses out there that do sell books and a lot of them.
There is no one place for your book to end up, or your career, but the most important thing to ask yourself is what you get out of the time you spend doing it, and if it doesn’t make you happy then ask yourself why.
This doesn’t make me happy all the time. I’ve cried, raged, lost hope, and faith over my writing career.
Nearly given up a time or two myself.
But I didn’t because when I asked myself why sit down and go on it’s because I love what I do. Ask yourself what you want, because no one else is going to make you happy. You figure this out yourself, you don’t give up at the first sign of defeat, and you do it knowing whatever comes, it’s time well spent.
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In everything that’s going on at the moment I know some of you are more scared than you’ve ever been before.
There are a million things going on outside our control. Fear eats a hole in our stomachs as we twitch aside window curtains and wonder if just one more visit to the store will bring home a fatal virus.
We lived with our parents and grandparents dread of another global war, and this isn’t nearly so awful, but it doesn’t change that it’s a trial. Its hard. Its scary. And the most frustrating thing about this is that we are helpless.
We can stay at home but some of us have to work to pay bills.
We can lock ourselves inside but when you’re jobless, like I am, its stressful.
We can pretend that it will be alright even as we do all the right things and it doesn’t change the anxiety.
With all this time in doors we should be reading and writing and being creative with our free time.
Except everyone is stating they don’t have the capacity to write or create and then blaming themselves like they’re lazy or can’t be bothered.
So this is a nice reminder to all you to STOP DOING THAT.
You have a tank of emotional gas and you have run out.
That you have forgotten the emotional commitment to your projects is no surprise, so here is your reminder; you can’t invest what you don’t have.
Joy, sadness, grief, despair; when we can control these emotions and funnel them into our creation we are building on past trauma and experiences. We are dealing with these things in safe spaces. You don’t feel safe, you don’t even know what to feel anymore.
I know cause I’m there too.
I’ve been writing during the lock down but I have a confession to make.
None of it is on relevant projects.
Its all trash. Half baked ideas I’d never publish. A sex scene between two of my favourite characters. A conversation two of my characters wish they could have had and never got the chance. A random idea that I don’t think will go anywhere. I’ve started about six different novels. Written a novella.
And all of its trash.
Garbage words that I may be able to salvage but honestly, I just indulged in what I wanted to write. All of its in snapshots and time not well spent but it helped me to keep on creating, but more importantly give me something to do that isn’t worrying.
So, write that fanfic you’ve always longed to. Just start a fresh page and write about how angry, upset, and stressed out you are. Write that letter to your high school bully, or the first time you fell in love. Tell the person inside the words are still there, they’re just waiting for you to fill up the tank.
Th first few days were hard to do, but it’s been nice to be able to sit and know I’ve put in writing time. I’m not losing the habit. I’ve kept working despite everything even if it wasn’t specifically on the goals I wanted.
For all the time I’ve had at home I’ve also spent it doing things like the final proofread on Queen of Spades Awakening which has already garnered a few five star reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.
I didn’t want to do it but I had a release date, so I played solitaire and listened to the entire book twice to be sure there were no mistakes. It was good because I got writing related work done, ensured the script it was the best it could be, and distracted myself from the enormity of the task by playing solitaire. All the little wins made for a huge win on the day.
Don’t look for big picture wins.
Look for the time you did the dishes. Posted on your blog. Joined a Twitter event. Wrote a review. You are contributing to the joy in the world. You are refilling other people’s tanks with your attention and your time.
We’re all locked in our homes together, but we can do that, and doing that for many of you has made my life better.
You guys refilled my tank.
Tell me what I can do to help you, and we will get through this together.
Queen of Spades Trilogy by E.J. Dawson: Awakening, Darkening, Reckoning
The first book in the Queen of Spades Trilogy, Awakening, will be available 10th of April 2020 and the pre-order is only 99 cents!
A scifi action with a side of romance, it has all the violence, banter, and tension of great character driven scifi with psychic abilities giving it an edge that keeps the story on its toes.
Ayla is a villain. With a gift that allows her to see when anyone will die, she’s remorseless in her profession as the perfect assassin. When she wakes up in a cryo-tank three thousand years in the future, and no idea how she came to be there, all that matters is survival.
Rescued by Leith and the crew of the Nuria, Ayla discovers a far evolved world of space ships and galactic colonization. But everything comes with a price, and…
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I know everything is stressful right now and we all have stuff we need to focus on but I’m taking the wins, the little ones, and this is one of them.
The cover for Queen of Spades; Awakening is on All Author and up for cover of the month!
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| Thanks, EJDawson |
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Massive shout out to Violeta who worked so hard getting the trilogy of covers just right for me. For those of you who can, get her to do your covers she is amazing!
If you’ve got the time please give it a vote, I’d appreciate it!
We live in troubling times.
We all know this.
Which makes it especially important to stay inside, to work on what makes us happy.
Except it doesn’t always work out like that.
I’ve been without work for four weeks now and at the start I was very productive in the sure knowledge my situation was temporary. It has become evident over the last two weeks that this will last longer than any of us want it to, but worse still it’ll change our lives forever.
You know this, I know this.
So it’s become even more important to make positive changes in our world, the little ones that we can.
Queen of Spades was supposed to be released at the same time I was giving my very first paid gig as an author. A talk on self publishing. I’ve had to make some hard choices with what’s going on if I wanted this to be a success.
I dropped my book price down to 99c and you can help me by pre-ordering it here, or if you’re a book blogger hit me up and I can send you an ARC. Hell, if you read my blog posts at all I can send you an ARC, get to my contact page and send me a message.
I don’t have to tell you the crushing disappointment when the talk was cancelled. Chances are you’re dealing with your own crushing weight.
But I refuse to let all dreams die just because mine is.
A friend let me know she was struggling.
A lot more than me.
Nushie posted this tweet a few days ago.
The idea that a friend of mine might become homeless because of this damn virus shook me to my core with indignation. That people could be so callous to evict tenants with no where else to go. Most of us live with unfathomable financial hardships you will know nothing about – unless you are one of them.
I had a little tucked aside, a lot of determination, and years wrangling my way through social media.
So I sent Nushie a series of messages opening a dialogue that basically went like this;
Forget that. Do quick portfolios for US$25 a pop and you can start by doing one for me.
She came back within hours of a draft after we went back and forth on what I’d like Ayla to look like, and the result was this;
And it was Ayla. Down to the smug smirk cause it didn’t matter what you said to her, she knew when you were going to die. That kind of knowledge gives a girl a heck of a leg up when she doesn’t like you.
And Nushie nailed it.
The one thing I love most about Nushie is her ability to capture what I was describing from over a dozen images and a few paragraphs about the character. That might not sound like a lot but for a writer sometimes relaying the exact “look” you’re after is harder than it should be.
And we had our launching point.
I ran through some ideas with her, but as soon as I’d spoken Nushie was running with it, an unstoppable juggernaut of creative force that for the last few days I can only admire.
Within four days she’s got enough commissions to pay two weeks rent.
She’s making plans to make this a side business and in the midst of it all… was a flicker of worry.
Nushie is sick. She might have it. You know, it. The virus. The thing that was about to take away her damn home is now affecting her life. She has asthma.
AND SHE’S STILL DRAWING LIKE NOTHING CAN STOP HER.
Remember this. Remember that people out there are struggling, that there are bright lights who walk among us inspiring creativity as the overwhelming drive in our lives.
Find your artist friends, message your writing buddies, reach out and connect and do what you can to help.
You can find Nushie on her website here or if you can’t get a commission you can share and spread her work on Twitter, where she’s offering to draw anything you can imagine, from a face to a body to whole worlds. If you can create it, she can draw it, and nothing is stopping her.
What’s stopping you?
I’m not brave.
If I were being honest with myself, I’m a coward.
I fight when I know I can win and I’m defensive when I know I’ll lose.
That’s a hard thing to admit but this week its been so important to be able to say and here is why; you are rarely the presumption you put upon yourself.
Discussing the motivations of Letitia to my mother she criticized my analysis of the heroine of Behind the Veil.
“Yeah, Mum,” I replied. “Its because she’s a coward. She’s afraid and hiding behind self-preservation so she doesn’t have to face the truth.”
“No, she isn’t.” My mother cuts me off, and she’s adamant, she doesn’t give a shit it’s my story, she has her own theory. “Letitia’s so very brave. She’s willing to face what she’s most scared of, what terrifies her beyond all other things, in spite of her fear, that’s what makes her brave. No one else can do this but her, no one else risks as much as she does, and she does the right thing. She’s the bravest one of them all.”
I’d never heard my mother talk about a fictional person I created with so much emphasis. Or felt like my cowardness, my excuses, my depression and anxiety, mattered so little. It wasn’t because it didn’t matter. And it was because I was brave.
Bravery isn’t when you know you’ll win.
Courage isn’t there for the confident.
And valour isn’t for those who don’t doubt themselves.
But that didn’t change I was all of those things. And none of them.
I was a coward.
I kept a 9 to 5 job under the conviction that’s what it was to be safe. I wanted to be me, but I had to have someone else’s approval.
I was the lion in Dorothy’s story.
I was hiding behind the shadow of social media’s self-importance to pretend I had something worthwhile.
When all that time I had something more.
Do you know I’ve written over twenty books.
TWENTY BOOKS.
When I do a tally, novellas included, its closer to twenty five books now, but that’s not important.
Do you know I found within me the strength to self-publish three when I had no idea what I was doing?
And do you know that they sold well?
Being brave and courageous is never about the moments you’ll know you’ll win.
They’re about the moments you think you’ll fail.
I just quit my job without another one to go to because without details I thought I was doing the right thing. It turns out that wasn’t the case and I still don’t regret my decision.
I could be scared, terrified, left wondering if I’ve made the right choice.
Like Letitia, the coward. Except according to my mother she isn’t.
I’m a coward.
But I’ve let go of convention to do something I never thought was possible. I gave up security to find myself, and the part of me that knows my stories *MATTER*.
I was brave when the lights went out, the beasts are coming, the darkness has my soul and I don’t know if I’ll ever escape, if I’ve given the light up on a dream that will morph into a nightmare reminding me of all the stupid decisions I’ve ever made.
That’s what bravery looks like.
That’s what it is, to be a coward… and follow your dreams anyway.
The next time you’re scared, the next time you’re letting fear hold you back, you remember this, the grit in my teeth, the panic failure is at my door, and still is, the dread I will drag my life down into fiscal regret and half imagined dreams…
…and despite all this my stories matter. No one can take that away, from me, or from you, so while I’m down here, I’m smiling, because I have something no one else has, not hope or false promises.
I have conviction.
I am a coward…
…but I am still here.
