Today, I’m pleased to let Jim Webster hijack my blog with a bit of flotsam (or maybe it’s jetsam?) about how not to pace oneself. 🙂
You know how they always say that to get there I wouldn’t start from here? I’m feeling a bit like that at the moment.
I had a succession of bright ideas. Even now, in retrospect, I think they’re bright ideas. But I suspect that the secret of good writing is the same as the secret of good comedy, it’s Timing.
It started when I was trying to work out how to boost sales, link with my readers and suchlike. Anyway I was reading an article about the roots of Fantasy and Science Fiction, which was back in the age of pulp fiction. (No not the film.)
But the stories came out on a regular basis, as cheap as chips and there was almost always something new available. So I thought about this and that is where I had my first bright idea. Normally I write books about 70,000 words long. It’s the size that classic fantasy and SF books used to be, before the 500,000 word blockbuster became the norm. With seven of them out I knew I could do them and readers enjoyed them. But I can just about do two a year.
So how about I wrote six, 20,000 word short stories. Got them edited and ready to go and then released them at regular intervals?
Better still, I’d give them a series title, ‘The Port Naain Intelligencer’ which would stay the same, and then each would have its own title. And so to work; the deed has been done. From August 1st, ‘Flotsam or Jetsam’ awaits the discerning reader and the other five are on the stocks ready to roll.
But at the same time as this was happening, there was another bright idea with regard to the seven books already written. One, which was SF, written for Safkhet, was released in paperback and I was able to just go and sell it. What about the four fantasy books? I had a talk to the publisher, AUK, and they decided it was worth going into paperback. So these too will be available for the discerning reader as of 1st August.
Rather than clutter up this elegantly appointed blog with far too many links, I’ll assume you’re a reader of wit and discernment (otherwise why would you be here?) and just post one, which will set you off on a trail of joyous adventure.
What I hadn’t expected when I’d taken on the project of putting them into paperback was the publisher’s comment. “Of course, you’ll want to take the chance to proofread them again, won’t you?”
So on top of writing the six stories (which became seven because I’ve done a 6,000 word one which will appear as a freebie at some point) I’ve also had to proofread four novels.
Then there was the third bright idea. Mike Rose-Steel, my editor, was taken by one of the characters in the short stories. He, like Mike, is a poet. Mike asked to borrow him, and went off and wrote ten poems. Well you cannot waste stuff like that. So I added social comment and background information (using another of my characters to do it.) Mike then invented another poet from the same town to write the literary criticism, in a somewhat bitter manner, and ‘Lambent Dreams’ was born. It, too, will be available for sale from Amazon on the 1st August.
If I can manage it, I’d like to have Lambent Dreams free for a little while but this involves me being able to cope with the system. Who knows?
Oh yes, and I also, somewhere along the line, helped lamb 400 ewes, knocked in by hand about 500 fence posts.
So memo to self, just don’t do that again Jim. Pace yourself lad.
About Jim
I live in South Cumbria, which is as nice a part of the world as any to be honest. Too old to play computer games and too young to watch daytime television. I’ve got a wife and three daughters, no dress sense and a liking for good cappuccino.
To make a living I sort of farm, sort of write and sort of help out where I’m wanted. I suppose one day I’ll grow up and do something properly.
You can read more about Jim and his adventures on his blog. He also hangs out on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads, and you can find his books at Amazon (and Amazon UK) and Smashwords. You can also find out more at Safkhet Publishing.
The e-book version of Lambent Dreams is currently available for free at Amazon and Amazon UK, so stop on over and get your copy today! You can find Flotsam or Jetsam at Amazon and Amazon UK as well. While you’re there, don’t forget to check out some of Jim’s other titles – I can personally recommend The Tsarina Sector books as being well worth their prices. 🙂
And stay tuned, because I’ll be reviewing Lambent Dreams and Flotsam or Jetsam right here very soon!
(c) 2015. All rights reserved.
Suddenly they all died. The end. 