PONDERING - The Realities of Being an Author (10 years in)

 

This is NOT a brag post, far from it. However, writing is easy for me. I love it. Stories come to me in that place between sleep and awake, and when the words flow out of me into my manuscript, it’s a special kind of magick. That's not to say I don't have my moments, though - those times where Self-Doubt creeps in or a character does something stupid. 

However, the rest is HARD!

There is always research, especially for my historical novels. Love in the Roses (my medieval book) took me two YEARS to create. But that’s its own kind of fun, even if one does end up in rabbit holes of The Internet discovering one exciting thing after another.

The hard part is what comes after. The editing; hacking away bits you love yet don’t drive the story.

The publishing – so many decisions to make from cover design to blurb writing and the myriad of options one must sift through; pricing, size, paper, platform/s etc. And the countless uploads into your chosen platform, ensuring the book displays as you intended.

Then there’s the marketing. That’s where the real work begins. Creating beautiful images and videos, deciding which quotes are enticing. And adapting according to which social media outlet you use; each has their own style expectation. And then one must do battle with the algorithms, trying against all odds to get a wide audience to see the wonders you’ve spent hours creating. It can feel like you’re screaming into the void.

But increasingly, there is The Fear.

Not only is it incredibly nerve-wracking to push the big, scary publish button (which in itself is terrifying). I mean, what if readers hate your precious book baby? This is perhaps the biggest hurdle and why so many potential writers don't meet their full potential.

But no, that's not fear enough on its own, says The Universe. We now live in an age of Cancel Culture – you so much as breathe in the wrong way and someone will decide to be offended and cry for your cancellation. And that’s before you even encounter trolls who just target you because they can and they’re bored. Or, dare I say, those who tear other authors down as they fear competition. Seriously, there are millions of readers out there – we can and should share.

The latter saddens me the most. Authors are often the only ones who know our lived experience, who understand this crazy journey. We should only be supportive of one another. Heaven knows I try to.

Then there is the endless sea of scammers. I block accounts daily. There are those who promise to garner thousands of followers if you just pay $xx (which they won’t). Or tell you they want to read your book, but ask for payment. And, of course, many authors get sent dick pics. Or end up on lists so you get tagged in those annoying posts pretending you’ve won something. Or folk who say they want you to be a brand ambassador. The list goes on.

Pirates sail those seas too. And if you’re unfortunate enough for someone to steal your book, and put it on an illegal site, if you’re in Kindle Unlimited and Amazon bots detect your book “on sale” elsewhere they’ll cancel your whole account, even though you’re utterly innocent. And you try arguing against The Mighty Zon!! 

There was even a raft of writers a few months ago who Amazon accused of being connected to a banned account – authors who had only had one selling account for years. Their accounts got closed with no initial explanation. Their protestations were met with unsympathetic representatives who insisted they were guilty. It took the assistance of big name influencers and many many emails to get their accounts reinstated.

Then there are hackers. I personally, lost my original author fb account which had a fan page and support groups attached to it. After 8 years, I had 6,000 followers. Lost! And no way to get it back.

Authors are NOT rich! Most of us have day jobs in order to pay the bills and keep a roof over our heads. On average, we receive £1 per book. And that’s not profit. Out of that, we have to pay for editors, cover designers, merchandising and advertising etc. etc. etc.

Like all creatives, we do not write for profit. There are far easier ways to make money, believe me.

I write because I love it! But all the stress caused by The Fear created from the above is making it increasingly hard to hold onto that love. There are only so many times you can hit your head against a brick wall before giving yourself concussion.

Look, this all sounds like I hate my author life. I really don’t. I’m just exhausted! The countless hours of creating videos/images along with all the writing bits mounts up. And I’ve been working a lot of temp jobs this year in order to fund my book launches and pay for the increasing cost of living that we’re all experiencing.

I was really ill repeatedly at the tail end of last year. To the extent that I went to my dark place, not being able to foresee a time I would ever feel healthy again. Yes, I'm saying I considered taking my own life - just being honest here. And even although I’ve recovered, my energy still gets easily sapped. And I know I’m not alone in this.

That Which Shan’t Be Named had a massive impact on us all (spot the obvious statement of the year!). But it did. Has. We’re still feeling the aftermath of that horrific time. We were all put into flight or fight mode for a prolonged period, even if we did not get the lurgy itself. And that alone is exhausting.

But trying to be creative under such duress was nigh impossible. And for people like we authors, that’s incredibly frustrating. We feel like we’re failing, and panic that we’ll never write again. That we’ve lost that magick spark which lights us up. *NEWS FLASH* we haven’t lost it.

We’re at midsummer right now as I write this. We’re supposed to be at the zenith of power for the year. However, in the UK, we have oppressive heat. Our hot weather comes with incredibly high humidity and we live in homes designed to trap heat in as we used to be a cold country. Most of us don’t have air conditioning. And we feel like we’re being baked like potatoes! This can make us grumpy, miserable, aggressive, frustrated, unwell, fatigued – any/all of these. It does not help us find our happy thought!

After ten years of being a writer, I’ve learned a lot. I wrote down all the things I wish I’d known at the start of my author life in order to pave the way for others; to make it a little easier for them. How To Write A Historical Novel And Love It is its title. There is even a checklist to work through for when writers reach the publishing stage.

Stories still come to me, and so still I write them. And love it. I just wish all the harassment and bleurgh of life would stop so I could get on with the job I love.

What makes it all worth it? Good reviews! Knowing there is someone out there who enjoyed all my effort lights up my soul. I write for them. To bring someone else a little joy in this ever darkening landscape.

(fellow indie author, Wendy Hewlett and me)

Why did I write this post? Maybe partially to vent all this frustration. But also so other authors know they’re not alone. This life can be very isolating, and it’s all too easy to feel we’re failing, and the only one experiencing obstacles. But we’re never alone. I've seen the worried posts - I've seen you and heard you.

Also, I really wanted readers to appreciate all the challenges we writers face.

We don’t expect everyone to love everything we write. You’re never going to be able to please all of the people all of the time, and all that. Your opinion is valid. But please, don’t be spiteful in reviews. I’ve seen far too many authors crumble from hurtful words. All I ask is for a little compassion, a fair and balanced view of your reading experience.

Authors need support. Yes, don’t we all? I know. But it truly is important. Now more than ever. If you did enjoy a book, please do leave a review and/or share it with your friends and social media. After all, what is a writer without a reader?

If we get more readers, we can afford to write more books – it’s that simple.

(yes, me with Sophie Kinsella; name drop!)

Anyway, thank you for listening. I hope this post has shone a light on some things. And you don’t think I’m just being a moaning Minnie. I just wanted to be honest.

I want to leave on a more positive note. So, I’ll say thank you to all my lovely readers who do leave reviews and/or share my bookish news – I truly appreciate you.

Always in love and light,

TL

Indie Book Chat - a safe, supportive community for writers

 

The Internet can be a harsh, cruel place (as well as a wonderful one). 

One of our indie author community recently took their own life after suffering from online bullying 😥

CC Sullivan and I felt very strongly about wanting to avoid something so terrible happening again. We wanted to create a safe, supportive corner of The Internet where people can come for advice, promotion and encouragement. 

So, Indie Book Chat was born. 

On the first day of each month, we will host a Live Chat on Instagram. 

Our first broadcast will be on Thurs 01 Oct 2020, at 9am CST/MST - that's 4pm in the UK. We will explain more in our first episode, so do come along - follow/like/share 💓

If you can't make it live, it's OK, we'll be recording and sharing so you can watch at your own convenience. Recordings will also be shared in the Facebook group - Indie Book Lounge. 

That is a closed group where members are vetted before they join, so we may talk freely. And self-promotion is limited to the Flood It Friday threads only so discussions aren't cluttered with spam. 

Always in love and light,

TL

WRITING TIPS - What Are Trigger Warnings? ~ Should I put a trigger warning on my book?

OMG, am I about to offend someone? Quick, put a trigger warning on it! 😲

Alright, calm down.
First, let us look at two different types of triggers.

Emotional Triggers

Someone may make a joke, but to you it hurts and can affect you, making you feel off-kilter.
You question whether the person making the joke respects you or not.

Feelings brought up can include:

• A sense of rejection
• Being left/singled out
• Disapproval

~ basically you feel inferior in some way

Reactions to this can include:

• Withdrawal
• Anger
• Self-medication (drugs/alcohol/food etc.) 
• Compliance

These are normal human reactions, and are often associated with things from your own past. It is your reaction based on previous experience, and not the fault of the person making the joke, which to everyone else is harmless. 

This does not mean in any way it is your fault either. It's just one of those less pleasant experiences of life. Good news is, there are coping mechanisms and people trained to help you with this. 

Emotional triggers are not what trigger warnings are about, as we cannot feasibly all foresee how every single person is going to react. We all have the potential to associate an infinite number of innocuous things with a negative reaction. 

Psychological Triggers

These go way beyond our feelings being trampled on (which is unpleasant enough, right?). These are so much more. 

These types of triggers can be set off with a particular sound, smell or sight which are associated with a trauma, and often cause flashbacks. Often used in conjunction with PTSD (and other anxiety conditions) , and commonly (but not exclusively) include post-war/combat soldiers and survivors of sexual abuse. 

Flashbacks are no laughing matter. They have oddly become more common since movies started. And it is a bit like watching a film, only this is the 3D, fully immersive kind. Your brain throws you right back into the traumatic event, and you relive it as if you were there. It is terrifying, debilitating and to be avoided. It is deeply traumatic in itself. 

These are the folk we need/want to protect, right? 

We do not want to drive anyone to despair. 

In all fairness to them, a little word of caution so there's no nasty surprises is a simple courtesy which can save severe pain and suffering. 

It serves as a warning for them to put their coping strategies in place and/or choose not to read a book they will find too difficult to cope with. 

By the way, they may well choose to read your book anyway. With the correct coping strategies in place, it may help them face/overcome their issue/s. 

What we are doing is offering them the information so they may make an informed decision. 

Trigger warnings give people the power of control and choice.

So, if your book (especially if it's unexpected) contains scenes of:

• Violence/war
• Sexual/physical/mental abuse
• Mental illness
• Oppressive/hateful language or behaviour
• Self-harm
• Eating disorders
• Death/suicide
• Pregnancy/miscarriage/abortion

...please put a trigger warning under the blurb to save long-term psychological damage.

It just makes sense, doesn't it? 

To clarify the 'unexpected': e.g. mafia romance books will likely contain violence or books set during war will likely contain death. 

But, if you've written a romance book which features mental health issues, that's not expected so should definitely mention it in the blurb.

If there are serious issues included in your story, it's nice to list available helplines/support in the back of your book. 

Your book description should give a good idea what readers can expect your story to be about. 

No, you do not need a trigger warning if there's something such as a cliffhanger. 

If book 1 in a series does not say, "And they lived happily ever after. The end." it is NOT going to inflict long-term psychological damage. It will not cause flashbacks. It might just cause mild annoyance/aggravation. 

Please learn this important difference. 

There are people with actual debilitating problems (hopefully seeking professional assistance to come to terms with their trauma).

Demanding trigger warnings for things which cause disgruntlement helps no-one. 

To help you further, the dictionary definition of trauma:

trauma

/ˈtrɔːmə,ˈtraʊmə/

noun

1. 1.

   a deeply distressing or disturbing experience.

   
   

   "a personal trauma like the death of a child"

   • 
     

     
     
2. 
   
3. 1a. mass noun Emotional shock following a stressful event or a physical injury, which may lead to long-term neurosis.
   ‘the event is relived with all the accompanying trauma’
4. 2.

   MEDICINE

   physical injury.

   
   

   "rupture of the diaphragm caused by blunt trauma"

   
   

   synonyms:

   injury, damage, hurt, wound, wounding, sore, bruise, cut, laceration, lesion, abrasion, contusion "the gallstone can be extracted without unnecessary trauma to the liver"

~ basically events outside the ordinary, expected human experience

~ experience which involves actual or threatened death or severe injury (of self or others)

~ involves overwhelming fear, helplessness and/or horror 

This has been a public service blog post, brought to you with concern for mental well-being.  

It is meant to inform and educate, not to criticise or belittle. 

My aim is to help authors decide whether or not to include a trigger warning under their book description, and the reasons why. 

And to bring a little perspective to the confusion that exists out there. 

Always with love and light,

TL

If you are affected by the contents of this blog please do seek help. 

There are so many people, trained, willing and ready to take your call. Don't be alone. 

Thank you.

Interview With an Author - Closing Thoughts

A huge thank you to all authors who took time out of their busy schedule to respond to my interview - you are all totally awesome 💗
Let's all give them a massive round of applause, folks:

Please do make sure you go back and read them all, and follow them on your preferred social media (links at the bottom of each interview). 

Thanks also to the wonderful readers and bloggers who have followed this interview series.
If you would like to see more interviews in the future, please leave a comment here. 

So, what have we learned? 

My observations:

💭 Writing is hard! 
Yeah, no surprise there. But we ALL go through times of strife. 
It can be solitary, furstrating, gut wrenching, BUT we love it! 
As hard as it can be, we are all passionate about sharing our books. 

💭 No matter how many millions of books you sell, you're still grateful for a spotlight. 
We love interacting with our readers and will grab the opportunity to do so when we can. 
(*everybody wave to each other*) 

💭 Writers support writers. 
Those just starting and those who have reached dizzying heights; we all appreciate the hard work involved. 
We want each other to succeed as we appreciate how much we put into our creations.

💭 We are all readers. 
Writers love to read too, and will do so as much as possible. 

💭 Given the chance, the preferred uniform of an author is pj's. 😁
One can sit in the same position for many hours; we have to be comfy! 
Our writing spots are our little creative nests, wherever they happen to be.

💭 We are never too big to take advice. 
Life is all about lessons, and we are forever learning. 
Read, write and carry on - kinda the basis of all the advice we love! 

💭 Huh, NOT all writers drink coffee. Who knew?! 😕
But many of us DO use it as writer's fuel, so it's not fully debunked. 

💭 So, readers; come say hello to us. Read our books, leave a review, follow us on social media. We appreciate you more than you can ever know. 
Writers; support one another. Whatever breed you are, we are all the same species...writer!

Interview With an Author - Number 10 - Amanda Prowse (last but by no means least)

Author Bio

Amanda Prowse is an International Bestselling author who has published twenty novels in dozens of languages. 
Her recent chart topping No.1 titles 'What Have I Done?', 'Perfect Daughter' and 'My Husband's Wife' have sold millions of copies around the world.

Interview With an Author - Number 9 - Julia Blake

Author Bio

I was born and raised in the lovely historic market town of Bury St Edmunds, where I live still with my daughter. I'm typical Cancer, in that although I like to visit new places and see new things, I'm always very pleased to get home again.

Author name: Julia Blake

Are you a traditionally publisdhe/indie/hybrid author? 

My first book was small press but I found that really wasn’t working for me, so the six books since then have been indie.

What was the last book you released?

The Forest, released on the 23rd of October 2018.

How long have you been writing? 

Ever since I was old enough to pick up a pencil really, but seriously writing novels since 2005. My first book was published in 2014.

What is the most challenging thing about writing for you? 

Finding time to write for a start. 

I have a very busy life and am a shocking procrastinator as well, so actually getting myself sat down in front of my laptop is a challenge. 

Once the book is published, promoting and marketing – I really struggle with these. Being naturally not a pushy person, I find it incredibly hard to put myself out there and promote my books.

And what is the best thing about writing?  

The beginning, when a whole world of possibility lies before you, full of characters and plot and twists and turns. I love that feeling, that anything, literally anything, could happen. 

Then after publication holding my book in my hands. There’s no greater feeling. 

I also love any feedback I get from readers, when someone takes the time to write a review or even contact me to say how much they enjoyed one of my books, that’s pretty special.

Where is your favourite writing spot?

My little desk in the corner of the lounge. It’s the only place in the house that’s truly “my spot” apart from my bed. No one else goes near it and all my writing tools are there. 
When I sit down at my desk, it’s as if I’m sending a signal to my imagination that it’s time to wake up and shake up.

What do you do during times of self-doubt or (goodness forbid) if “writer’s block” strikes? 

I don’t tend to suffer from writer’s block. 

Time to write is so rare that when I do finally sit down to create, the words have been building up in my mind to such an extent it’s like the floodgates opening and they pour from my imagination. 

As to self-doubt, I think we all suffer from that to some degree or other, I just try to block out the negative thoughts and concentrate on all the positive things people have said about my books.

What is the most frivolous thing you’ve purchased with your royalties?

Nothing, literally nothing. I haven’t spent a penny of my royalties in the four years I’ve been receiving them. They go into a separate bank account every month and I pretend that they’re not there. 

The plan is for them to be a little extra for when I retire. You never know, by the time that happens there may be enough saved up for a weekend away somewhere.

What is the best writing advice you’ve ever received?

Don’t take advice. No, only kidding, although sometimes I think it is easy to get bogged down in well-meaning and not so well-meaning advice. 

You should learn to listen to the knowledge that experienced authors pass on and turn a blind eye to those writers who are at the same stage of the journey as you, but think they have the right to tell you how it’s done. 

Every author is different, and we all write in different ways. For example, I never plan or plot out my books and I don’t have time to write every day, so according to some “experts” that means I’m not a proper writer, but with eight books out there I beg to differ on that score. 

Someone once told me to write from the heart and the gut and everything else can be fixed in the edits, and I think that’s probably the best thing you can do.

Do you prefer tea/coffee/hot chocolate?

Tea first thing in the morning, I like it strong and unsweetened to kick start my brain. 

If I’m writing that day, then a coffee mid-morning to reboot my flagging energy. 

Hot chocolate is only for treats or on the snowiest days in the middle of winter when I have time to make it properly and savour it.

Is there anything you’d like to add…?  

Being a writer is such a hard road to take, it’s thankless and soul destroying and can be incredibly lonely. 

You need to develop a hide like a rhino and tunnel vision tenacity to ignore the negatives and focus on the positive. 

It is so much easier if you’re not doing it alone. 

No matter what you feel about social media it can be a warm, supportive and helpful place, but it’s one of those situations where as you sow, so shall you reap. 

You can’t expect help and support unless you give it in return. Don’t be one of those authors who are all about themselves. Connect with others, interact with them, support them, and offer assistance where needed, and don’t just restrict it to other authors. 

Readers span all walks of life and you never know where your biggest potential fans could be.

*You can follow Julia here:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13428242.Julia_Blake
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Julia-Blake/e/B00TN9C5IY/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
https://www.instagram.com/juliablakeauthor/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100017784841349
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyAI8Dxs4Nx611g1IK02aJw
http://juliablakeauthor.co.uk/

Interview With an Author - Numer 8 - Ysa Arcangel

Author Bio

Ysa Arcangel is the author of the Moments to Remember Series, Underneath It All and Love at First Sit. She has also written an urban fantasy novella, "Nexus Series Book 1: Anathema". She is based in Manila and is a loving partner to a very talented chef. She is also a fan of tattoos, a lover of giant dogs, and an enthusiast of extreme sports.

Author name: Ysa Arcangel

Are you a traditionally publisdhe/indie/hybrid author? 

I’m a hybrid author. Indie and published with Limitless Publishing. 

What was the last book you released?

I have a new book titled Love at First Kiss. It’s the second book under my Single Moms TribeCollection. It is now up for pre-order! 

Interview With an Author - Number 7 - Tamara Geraeds

Author Bio

I was born in 1981, in a small village in the south of The Netherlands.

I started writing books at the age of 15 and my first book was published in 2012. After 6 books in Dutch, I decided to start writing a young adult fantasy series in English: The Cards of Death.

The first book in this series will be published February 2019.

Updates on this series can be found on my Facebook page, and if you're also looking for tips, Q&As with other authors, and inside info on my writing process, please subscribe to my monthly newsletter.

Author name: Tamara Geraeds

Are you a traditionally published/indie/hybrid author?

My Dutch books are all traditionally published. I have switched publishers a couple of times, so my work is divided over 7 different publishers.

In February 2019 I’m publishing my first indie book, in English. It is the first in the YA supernatural fantasy series Cards of Death, of which the first three books will be released in 2019.

What was the last book you released?
That was the 3^rd book in my Christopher Plum series, a Dutch fantasy book for 9- to 12-year-olds about the modern Knights of the Round Table. They are tasked with finding magical objects and beings and keeping them safe. Book 4 in the series will be released March 2019.
If you live in the Netherlands, you can buy it here 

The Cards of Death series will be available through Amazon.

How long have you been writing? 

I wrote my first poem just after I learned how to write, so at six. Later on, I wrote some short stories at school. 

At fifteen I wanted to try to write a whole book. It took me nine years to finish because of school, college and work, but after that I was hooked. My first book was published in 2012, so I have officially been a writer for almost seven years.

What is the most challenging thing about writing for you?

To create believable, lively characters. 

The hardest thing about that is imagining what people who are different than me feel, think and do. We all have a tendency to make all our characters behave the same way we do. But in real life everyone is different. In a book it should be that way too. So as a writer you have to try to really get into someone else’s head.

That was especially hard when I wrote Echo, a heart-breaking story about abuse, that was based on several true stories. To make the mother believable, I had to try to understand her, which was the hardest – but probably most interesting – thing I ever did as a writer.

And what is the best thing about writing?  

When characters decide to throw all your plans for their lives overboard and just do whatever they want to do. This behaviour started when I was writing the book that eventually became my debut, and thankfully it hasn’t stopped.

When I was writing my second book Jasper, I had planned the last ten chapters. This makes it a bit easier to write, because you have a basic idea of what is going to happen in each chapter.

But Jasper didn’t want to do the things I made up for him. Where I wanted him to go right, he turned left. I decided not to force it, but just go with him on his journey.

Since then, this is the way I always write. When characters want to do something else than what I planned for them, I just go along with it. I let them lead me. This way the characters behave according to their personalities, and I have more fun, because they keep surprising me.

Where is your favourite writing spot?

My favorite writing spot is in the mountains in Germany. Somehow they always inspire me.

I do however like to sit inside to write, with a cup of hot chocolate and a snack in front of me and a view of the mountains.

What do you do during times of self-doubt or (goodness forbid) if “writer’s block” strikes? 

Feel really bad mostly. When I get insecure, I remember everything that was traditionally published and all the great reviews I got.

A writer’s block can be broken by writing somewhere else or talking about the story with someone. If that doesn’t work, I probably need a break.

What is the most frivolous thing you’ve purchased with your royalties?

I really don’t remember.

What is the best writing advice you’ve ever received?

Keep going.

Most authors that make it, have been trying for years (to get published or to get more readers). You have to keep going and keep learning. Practise and never give up, if you really want to get published and/or be successful. 

Do you prefer tea/coffee/hot chocolate?

Well, I prefer hot chocolate, but I try to stay away from it as much as I can, because my tummy is already not so yummy anymore. ;-)

I don’t like coffee and I sometimes drink tea, but usually not at home. While writing I drink water, then milk and in the afternoon and evening diet coke.

Is there anything you’d like to add…?  

Thanks for having me and to the readers of this interview: thanks for reading this. J

If anyone wants to beta read book 2 in the Cards of Death series (in January) or the next one, please contact me through my website: www.tamarageraeds.com