Writing creatively is very important, write and let it come out as it pops in your mind. Always put your words on paper or keyboard -- editing, grammar, arrangement can be done later and should be done after you have written your masterpiece.
Think of a blank page as a blank canvas ready for the artist's brush -- that page is ready for your words, fill it up. Just as an artist paints and adds highlights later to a painting -- as a writer -- you go back and critique the words you have creatively written.
Writing creatively is very important, write and let it come out as it pops in your mind. Always put your words on paper or keyboard -- editing, grammar, arrangement can be done later and should be done after you have written your masterpiece.
Think of a blank page as a blank canvas ready for the artist's brush -- that page is ready for your words, fill it up. Just as an artist paints and adds highlights later to a painting -- as a writer -- you go back and critique the words you have creatively written.
You want to write but nothing comes to mind?
Think of something that you like and a subject you are knowledgeable about.
Place a large poster board on the floor, using a red marker write that subject down in the center of your poster board; now, draw a circle around the word or words.
Use a black marker and draw eight evenly spaced lines extending about four inches out from the circle (looks like a spider).
Use different colored markers and at the end of each extended line write a word or words that is descriptive or anything that pops in your mind about the center word or words. Do this at the end of each of the eight lines. When finished cirle each of them.
Now from each of the new eight circles draw four lines extending about two inches out and write about the words in the extended circles.
Once those have been written repeat only adding two extended lines from the newly created circles and write again describing the words you have there.
Time to stop and reflect -- count the words you have written.
It will amaze you how many descriptive and storytelling ideas you have created from something you know about.
The big task -- create your story or poem or essay.
Remember to be creative - later worry about grammar and editing.
Be sure when finished to edit and check for grammar. Another good idea is to have three or four people who you know will do an honest critique read and check the grammar. Listen to their suggestions -- but always use only the ones you feel will not take away from your writing. (Sometimes we need slang and unwanted grammar to make the story fit the setting or culture we are writing about.)
When you have completed your writings whether they are spontaneous or life long stories, you are ready to share them. The ideal situation is to have them picked up by a major publisher. We all dream of that and making it big like "Harry Potter" etc.
Well it happens, but sometimes it takes years and may never happen. If a writer has tried this route without success, today thanks to technology self publishing is readily available and offers a very good alternative and sometimes more profitable.
Search and find someone who offers reasonably pricing for developing your writing into a book format and get printing pricing (very important). Some publishers offer no fees up front but you pay $12 or $13 a copy for your book. You will never make a profit this way. Paying a fee up front and then paying for the books you print will probably allow you to pay only $5 or $6 per book or even less depending on the quantity you order (which is a continued printing price throughout the selling life of your book). Front publishing fees should never be over $500 unless you have an exreme number of photos or you need artwork for the cover design.
A few years ago self publishing was considered "vanity press" not anymore. More and more people are self publishing and marketing their own books very successfully. Technology has made this possible just as the music industry has changed with CDs and itunes -- very few folks buy CDs today -- they download from the Internet.
Many musicians are controlling their own songs and sales. The movie industry is changing with more independent movies making top box office sales. We have evolved into a new digital world that has changed "the old school of thinking" and paying many middle men to publish a book, sell music and making movies.
The writer has many choices and it is at their fingertips -- just remember to write it down -- you can't remember everything.
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Written by fellpony (1749 comments posted) 15th June 2008 |
Some good ideas here for creating fresh topics for written works. I like the spidergram idea and will use it some time with a writing group that I lead.
On content, I'd take issue with the somewhat sweeping statement, "A few years ago self publishing was considered "vanity press" - not anymore." It depends on what you self publish. Book shops are wary of taking stock of self published books, because it can be (note, I don't say it always is) the warning sign of a book being utter rubbish. Nobody other than the author is going to have any say in its publication, and let's face it, the author is hardly an unbiased judge of its merits. I've seen locally authored stuff, sitting on the shelves in bookshops, which clearly is just being given space out of charity and has not been purchased by the shop - and it is going to sit there forever. Rubbish will not sell, even if it is self published.
I agree that self publication can be a good route for genres that are hard to sell, such as poetry, where it is likely you'll print a run and then see the majority sit under your bed unsold. It comes out pricey per copy, in that case, and a service such as Lulu, which prints on demand, could be the best bet.
But my motto is to aim for quality, every time. Don't publish just for the sake of publishing. |
Written by Fledermaus (3506 comments posted) 15th June 2008 |
Some nice tips.
Maybe it could be in advice from the community some time? although of course it also includes opinions.
As for publishing for the sake of publishing. Why not? I have thought about it, and I guess it would make a nice birthday gift for a friend to give them one of your own books  |
Written by fellpony (1749 comments posted) 15th June 2008 |
Fledermaus asks: "publishing for the sake of publishing. Why not?"
No harm in giving friends copies of your writings, of course. This may be the height of one's ambition. But self publication can be a warning light; if I were an agent or a publisher I'd be wary of someone whose work had never found any other home. In other words, it's a risk to be taken - that it may prejudice your later works' chances with "legit" publishers. |
Written by Phil (7001 comments posted) 15th June 2008 |
I've used the spidergram idea quite a lot with ten and eleven year olds. They sometimes need a little more direction, but it works well. As for self publishing, it works for some, not for others, depends what you want out of it. I guess there are very few who make a living from self publishing - except self publishers like yourself. However, just the thrill of seeing your work in print can be enough of an ambition and as FP says, some genres are almost impossible to sell to mainstream publishers. Quality can exist without a market for it.
Phil |
writing is the goal
Written by writerme (12 comments posted) 15th June 2008 |
Great honest reviews --
witing is the main goal,
some folks just write with no desire to ever publish
it is a love and passion for them--
others like myself hope to break out into the world --
My strong recommendation is to submit to major publishers and hopefully get picked up by one of them.
However if this takes years and you haven't had any success -- self publishing is the next best route.
All bookstores only stock a few copies of any book - regardless of how it is published and they all have a return policy if the books don't sell within a 3 or 6 month time frame they have the option to return to the distributor. (another obstacle that even major publishers have)
Offering a similar service such as Lulu for friends and co-writers which was created by my own need to publish my own writings, has been fun and rewarding. At first I did it for myself only - and slowly friends - co-writers came to me for help wanting to put poetry, family memoirs and even full length novels into books and now a few laters over a 150 writes have had an opporunity to see it happen. Some had tried to submitting for several years with many rejection letters or they couldn't afford to pay an agent. However they had very good stories. One has written four novels and one was rated second in the State of Indiana for fiction writing in 2007. Several of us have received various awards for our writings.
Going the extra step depends upon the author and what they choose to do with their writing. Also their willingness to promote themselves. If books are setting under the bed - or in a closet -- that writer should have never printed them in the first place or has little ambition to sell them.
Again, writing is the main goal--
the spider web is great for kids
great for adults who never have written anything.
A photographer came to me with her photo. She wanted me to write a description of her photo (She is 45+). Her comment was "I cannot write, I just take photos."
I knew she knew her photo much better than I did - she had a title chosen, she just needed a description. I gave her the poster board and markers -- an hour later she had a prize winning description written. She was so thrilled. Her photo and description entered a local art exhibit of photographers and came in first place.
Anything that works and promotes the arts in any form should be done creatively. |
Written by DaleGorder (46 comments posted) 15th June 2008 |
This is a very interesting thread. Fortunately my brain comes witha built-in spidergram...lol
I think for anyone considering self publishing they should think of marketing to the big distributors. If the book is garbage, they won't distribute. Anything they pick up is usually sold easily to book stores because it's already passed quality control. I'm speaking of Baker and Taylor etc, and there's a host of others.
Also, pricing is important. The big wholesalers want to buy your books at 40 to 50 percent less than cover price. So make sure you price them so there's a profit for you. It's lovely when they buy your books many cases at a time.
And I agree with you writer...create first and worry about grammar and spelling later. The later is trivial stuff.
Okay I'll hush now because there are so many of you brighter than me on this subject. |
Written by fellpony (1749 comments posted) 15th June 2008 |
I have had time to go and look at your site, writerme, and see you actually offer this service. I'm curious to know if you apply any editorial judgement or whether, like lulu, you publish whatever a writer wants to publish?It would be interesting to have a few pages of each text available on the web site so that potential purchasers could see the quality of the writing and not just the cover and blurb. Do you advise on distribution, as Dale mentioned?
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Written by writerme (12 comments posted) 15th June 2008 |
Dale & fellpony
I do offer this service but I do go over all material a writer submits - I have had a few things that are not going to be marketed which are just for family and friends that if the author had suggested retailing the book -- I would not have pursued that venue.
Distributors are selective -- if you pass their requirements you do not have garbage -- even Barnes & Noble has a small press department that books have to be approved through. Not all books are approved but this doesn't mean the books aren't any good - it may mean they are flooded with that style or subject material and simply do not want to take any by an unknown author. This can happen with major publishers as well. If there is a demand and market for a book - bookstores are open to that book -- if not they will not stock it but only have it listed to order.
If someone in New York publishes a book and it is available to be distributed - that doesn't mean every Borders will carry that book -- it just means it is listed as in print and available and if someone in California should walk in and order the book then they will order it at a customer's request only. This is the part that gets sticky and is causing discount bookstores to pop up all over the country. A few years back the stores purchased a certain volume of new books in print for availability but with the new technology and more books in print than ever before the warehouses overstocked with volumes of books that could not sell - some had been pre-purchased. Now we have the discount bookstores to take care of this excess of books. And of course, only ordering as requested in areas that are not familiar with the book or author.
Now if you are Hillary Clinton, Obama, Bill Clinton or someone like Martha Stewart - or Harry Potter books -- they would stock your book in every outlet available across the world. (Unfortunately most of us don't have that kind of recognition -- but it is possible to happen.)
I like your suggestion on the few pages of a book - quality etc. I will have to follow that.
Distribution of books is good. However they do take anywhere from 40 - 55% of the sale. I recommend authors market on their own as much as possible through independent bookstores in their towns or nearby cities, do booksignings at those stores, at local coffee shops, malls, churches, schools - fairs, libraries, civic groups. Many Rotary Clubs have had local authors come - speak and do a presentation of their book which in return as brought sales of 100 or more books in which the author makes full profit over their printing cost which can be as much as $8 to $12 depending on the book and the suggested retail price. You can also do workshops and have your book be a part of the fee for the workshop if it fits some speciality service. Cookbooks can be done at having a cookbook party - serve dishes from the cookbook and sell the books at the event.
A lot of books depend upon the author and what they want to do to promote their book and if they want to make money with it or just say they have published a book.
I am not like Lulu in the sense they will publish anything just for the money -- I began with friends and co-writers and have actually turned away a few writers. Not every writer is an author of a book but they can still write.
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Written by Leigh (254 comments posted) 21st July 2008 |
| Very enlightening and inspiring. Your opening and closing lines sum it all up really. Makes me not want to procrastinate and just get on with writing my next masterpiece! |
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