I realise this sort of blog would be of great interest if one had an immense loyal readership, fans even, but I do not (yet?). What most writing blogs do is provide useful advice about the writing industry,on this I have fallen down terribly.
I suppose I could offer writing advice a la Stephen King, but why should anyone take the advice of an unpublished novelist? What do I know? I have read some writing advice books, but ultimately it's "apply appallingly spreading bottom to a chair by a laptop and stay there until novel is complete. If stuck, go for a walk.".
I couldn't tell anyone how to write - although I have a few useful tips about how not to write. Then again, all these would simply be a reflection of my own literary taste. Well organised self-promoting writers invite other writers to write guest blogs on how to write - and leave all the heavy lifting to them.
Most of the advice on other writing blogs is fairly repetitive - a regurgitation of creative writing classes I guess, but still useful to people like me who have have not actually "learned" how to create realistic characters, or to heighten a sense of tension/emotion/fear - but have been vaguely struggling in that direction through trial and turgid error.
I think that while this blog does not provide useful advice as such, it does show what an appallingly lengthy process it is to get oneself established as an author - and how lucky one has to be. Writing well (see Dan Brown, passim., is a very small part of it). There are ups and downs and near misses and rave rejections, and still one does not get published. I think TMoF will - but I doubt if the known agents will necessarily snap it up.
I suppose I could offer writing advice a la Stephen King, but why should anyone take the advice of an unpublished novelist? What do I know? I have read some writing advice books, but ultimately it's "apply appallingly spreading bottom to a chair by a laptop and stay there until novel is complete. If stuck, go for a walk.".
I couldn't tell anyone how to write - although I have a few useful tips about how not to write. Then again, all these would simply be a reflection of my own literary taste. Well organised self-promoting writers invite other writers to write guest blogs on how to write - and leave all the heavy lifting to them.
Most of the advice on other writing blogs is fairly repetitive - a regurgitation of creative writing classes I guess, but still useful to people like me who have have not actually "learned" how to create realistic characters, or to heighten a sense of tension/emotion/fear - but have been vaguely struggling in that direction through trial and turgid error.
I think that while this blog does not provide useful advice as such, it does show what an appallingly lengthy process it is to get oneself established as an author - and how lucky one has to be. Writing well (see Dan Brown, passim., is a very small part of it). There are ups and downs and near misses and rave rejections, and still one does not get published. I think TMoF will - but I doubt if the known agents will necessarily snap it up.
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