Give Your Writing the Gift of Time: A Friday musing.

This is something I have touched upon before - and it's the idea of time and writing. I often read interviews or look at fellow writers' websites and marvel at their catalogue of work; some seem so positively prolific that I can only assume that writing is pretty much all they must actually do. In truth the idea of this makes me slightly jealous - to have created so many fully formed stories and characters.

Then just when I'm feeling down on my self, thinking I should be dedicating more hourage to the writing and less to the sleeping, I find a fellow writer who also struggles with an 'efficient' output of work; whose every page and scene is laboured over, crafted and re-crafted; whose characters have to go away for a sabbatical or a conference with others and then come back to instruct their keyboard-slave on what to write.

I'm not implying that this somehow makes these works more worthy, or better crafted - it doesn't; some writers are naturally gifted with the ability to let it flow and pour and it still be well written - but it does mean these works are different; they're different in that these laboured, matured, time laden works are different to the books they would have been if they'd been published within months of conception.

It's taken me four years to write the Knight Trilogy - which isn't a bad pace at approximately a book every 14 mths and the last one has taken me the longest. Now of course that is because life of a working-mother-writer is quite full on, and writing has to be slipped in around the edges of a frenetic life -but just when the frustration of not being able to spend whole blissful quiet days of writing really hurts, I tell myself that my circumstance may have some writing advantages.

Because I am forced to set my work aside (often for weeks at a time) it allows a certain maturation to take place - like cheese. (Hmm, perhaps not the best example - let's say wine.) And it's amazing what transformations take place in this set aside time; illuminations regarding character, realisations of structural gaps, full 180 degree changes of direction, an avoidance of repeated word use (I seem to have words of the moment) and a greater clarity about style. You'd be amazed how many times you write a sentence one month thinking it to be the most weighted, poetical sentence you've ever wrenched from your mind, only to read it a month later and realise it sucks and clearly you were under the influence.

One day I am going to be 'brave' and 'free' enough to pound out a novel and get it out in a three month span; this is a personal challenge I have set myself. And, if you are a speedy writer / publisher maybe think about setting yourself the challenge of filling a whole year writing one work (that doesn't mean write it in January and re-visit it in December for edits lol!) You might just be amazed how your work shifts and changes.

I'd love to hear your experiences. Are you a super sprinter or a measured meanderer?

Flash Fiction Friday: A short fairytale.

A fairytale for grown-ups. I wrote this fairytale last week as a piece of flash-fiction. It was inspired by International Women's Day. It explores how some human beings deal with one another - how the value of people is sometimes lost. (This is a piece of pure flash, so please forgive any weaknesses of craft.)

The King and His Vase.

There once was a king who desired to own the greatest objects in the world. One day he brought a beautiful, rare and ancient vase. The king was much pleased with his object and he liked to sit and look at it from a distance everyday.

But the King was an angry, careless King; he had no idea that the way he angrily moved around his palace, shouting and stamping his feet, caused his precious objects to wobble and tip. Over the years the vase suffered many cracks and chips but always managed to stick itself back together so that from a distance, it still looked like the beautiful thing it had once been.

Then one day the King, hearing of another King with objects more rare and beautiful than his own, ordered an audit so that the value of everything might be added up and boasted of. As the King’s servants went around with their list of market prices they were horrified to find that on closer inspection many of the King’s beautiful things had become damaged and they had to value them low – including one of the King’s most prize possessions – his beautiful vase.

When the King heard of this he stormed into the room and shouted at the vase, calling it ugly and worthless, as if the cracks, the chips and the knocks had all been the fault of the vase. He raged and he raged, shouting so loudly and banging his fists so hard on the table that the fragile pieces of the vase could no longer hold and the vase shattered into a thousand pieces.

The King raged further accusing the vase of being weak and fragile but the vase couldn't hear the angry voice of the King any more, and it certainly wasn't able to find the magical power to fit itself back together.

The King ordered the servant girl to sweep up the pieces and throw them into the bin ...

... and where once a rare and priceless object stood, there now stood nothing.

Traditional versus Indie: The Debate Rages On.

So the indie debate rages on and for me on a personal level it's been an interesting week in the arena. Increasingly it appears that the indie publishing movement is gaining momentum with ever more positive articles and references in mainstream media. This week I stumbled across the following article,'Do We Still Need Publishers?' by Anthony Horowitz in the Guardian Newspaper.

It's a fascinating article which came out of a talk he delivered at a conference sponsored by the major booksellers 'The Book People.' It is a brave article too in which he levies open criticism of his publishers' 'services'. One of the most lasting impressions from the article are that his recently published (by Orion) Young Sherlock Holmes book has no less than thirty five type errors; stunning lack of quality control for a professional and established publisher such as Orion. Type errors are rarely tolerated by the discerning reader and can be damaging to a writer's reputation. This lack of quality control is often one of the main criticisms levied towards the indie publishing movement, and it is certainly something you would expect your largely commissioned publisher to protect you against.

So as Horowitz asks 'Why do I need a publisher?' Horowitz offers the following anecdote, "I asked my own publisher why I needed her and she came back with the reply that she'd ring me next Tuesday.'

A major publishing house has many benefits of course; expertise, tradition, contacts, marketing budgets, media contacts, quality control (although this is, it appears, sometimes questionable) There is no denying that there is something to be said for the expert mature hand of an elder guiding you through a scary process but...

There are also drawbacks - big drawbacks and increasingly it is something that successful, talented writers are learning and which is why many are tempted to turn their back on the traditional institution and strike out boldly alone.

Because the thing is, traditional publishing houses are just that - traditional. They have been surprisingly slow to take advantage of the social-media revolution, they have been slow to embrace the creative diversity and talent that e-publishing has allowed for. They have remained almost dogmatic in their screening process for new work - making massive assumptions about readership, and of course they have continued to demand a very large slice of the cake.

Now authors wouldn't mind this if they felt they were partaking in a balanced and fair relationship with their publisher but when you have to do almost all of your own marketing, organise your own book signings, even hire your own proof editors to proof check the publishing house's in-house edits, there has to be simple question - What am I paying them for?

A very dear and successful author friend of mine has informed me that this month she has waved goodbye to her traditional publisher and is determined to go it alone, publishing the second book of her series independently. Since making this bold decision she has been overwhelmed by the sense of community and co-operation within the indie movement. She has had offers of Beta-Readers, designers, typesetters, marketing blog-tours, reviewers and slots on various media platforms as well as many messages of support and notes of advice. As well as all of this she knows that she is going to be banking 70% of her own e-book sales - a nice way to earn enough for a print run.

So yes, back to publishers - there's no denying that for the lucky few who manage to be taken under the wing of a major publishing house and convert their relationship into one whereby the publishing house needs them rather than the other way around, there are massive perks. However there is another way... and at last it's being taken seriously.

Horowitz's article can be read online (edited version) at www.theguardian.co.uk