The Trials Of An Indie Author: Making Connections

The Trials Of An Indie Author: Making Connections

With the popularity of Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Google+ and blogging platforms; in fact ALL social media, there has come a greater chance for other indie writers to become your friends and become part of groups that exist solely for us indies to promote and work together to get ourselves recognised. Just as those in the traditionally published world will make connections with other authors (indie or not), an indie author needs to have a number of people that she can count on to help her with promotion because you can't do it all yourself.

There seem to be a number of types of indie authors though, including the ones who make the connections but only seem to want to get what they can for their own personal gain, ignoring the idea that they should be helping others too. And there are others who will do whatever they can to help you sell a book or two or more, and will endlessly support you and help you in any way they can. Both of these types are extreme ends of a spectrum and there are many different ones in between. The point of this piece is not to call out those who don't help others, nor to praise those that do, but to say that as an indie author you need to make many connections. Connections can equal sales, recognition and they can help you sell your image, a topic I have touched on before (found here). So here are my tips to making good connections in the indie author world.

#1 - JOIN GROUPS
On Facebook and Goodreads, as well as other social media sites, there are a number of groups that have the aim of promoting and connecting with other authors. I am a member of a few whose purpose is just that. It's usually easy to join these groups and use their resources, but be aware that by asking someone to promote you, you will probably be asked to reciprocate and if you're not willing to do that, then some of these groups will not be the right fit for you.

#2 - TAKE PART IN EVENTS
There are numerous events going on in the indie world, from Facebook page takeovers to the Bunny Hop event that I took part in after Easter. There are also the "like for like" events that will help you to connect with other writers, editors, cover designers and many more people who make up the indie world. Sometimes you'll find that you are liking people who you will never talk to again, and that's okay, but other times you'll find that you're meeting people who really click with you and will help you move into private groups or other events that will help to promote your work. Along with takeover events, there are also the planned giveaways. These can help with getting your work out there and swapping books for reviews. I have taken part in these and can say that while I still don't have hundreds of reviews, they have helped me to make some good connections with other groups and people in the indie world who like my work.

#3 - REVIEW WHAT YOU READ
Sometimes when you pick up a book by another indie author, you won't think to review it because people usually only review when a book has blown them away or is really bad. However, reviews are an important part of being an indie author and as long as you don't attack the author and provide honest and constructive criticism (where needed), then there's no reason why you can't share your thoughts on their work. This also allows you to make friends, and connections. It was through a mutually agreed review swap that I met one of my favourite indie authors, as well as many others. This in turn has led to being asked to take part in events, being invited to groups, and more reviews on my own work.

And finally, #4 - GIVE WHAT YOU TAKE
The whole thing about being an indie author is that you're usually doing it alone without the backing of a team of supporters, at least when you first start out. So when someone offers to give you an honest review, or host you on their page or blog, try to do the same for them. Or pay it forward and do it for another indie author. If you're always taking from the indie community, then eventually the handouts and favours will stop. You have to reciprocate for it to work and to make good connections.

So, those are my tips for making connections in the indie world. Not every author you'll meet on Facebook or Goodreads is indie, some are traditionally published or with a small press and that's just as good a connection too. The idea is that we, as a community, should be supporting each other and not tearing down someone because their sales figures differed from yours. It's all about a give and take and also trying to remember that as far as traditionally published and indie go, it's not an us and them world. Your mileage may, of course, vary.

Follow Joey on Facebook or here on her blog to be kept up to date with the latest news regarding Joey and her books.

The Trials Of An Indie Author: Spreading Yourself Too Thin

The Trials Of An Indie Author: Spreading Yourself Too Thin

The big difference between an indie author and someone who has been traditionally published is the amount of responsibility that falls at the author's feet. Traditionally published writers usually only have one thing they have to do and that's write. They have a team of people who will take care of the marketing, the promotion, deal with events and blog tours and all of that. However, when you're an indie author, the majority of that work will fall down to you. I've spoken about this before when I wrote a piece about the many hats of an indie author (found here) but I felt like it needs to be brought up again, with a different message in mind.

It's all too easy to take on too much and commit yourself to many different responsibilities, because as I said, YOU are the only one who can get your name out there. As an indie author, you'll be aware that your image is pretty much everything. I wrote a piece about how you have to sell your brand (found here) and this piece is relevant to that. In keeping an air of professionalism with your readers and other writers, you need to also understand that being unable to deliver on promises because you've oversold yourself doesn't help your overall image.

For some indie authors, it's a piece of cake and they know what they're doing straight out of the gate, but for others, like me, you make a few mistakes and you learn from them. When I was first starting out as an indie author, I made the mistake of spreading myself too thin. When you add in my health issues, it was only a matter of time before I had to pull out of something, and that's when the crap really hits the fan.

When someone has organised an event and asked you to take part, your initial response is "YES!" because someone, somewhere is taking a chance and believing in you to hold up your end of the bargain. It will hopefully lead to promotion and a chance to carve a name for yourself in the big world of authors. Now, sometimes it's far too easy to keep saying yes because you don't want to come across as uninterested or for people to think that you don't appreciate being asked. That was the trap I fell into. I said yes a few too many times and then the inevitable happened. I was over-booked, over-stretched and coming down with a chest infection. I had to cancel.

Now, as someone who has spent the majority of her adult life living with a chronic illness or two, I can tell you that the first time you cancel with someone, they're understanding. The second time, they're less so and by the third, they stop relying on you when you say yes. From the perspective of someone organising an event, it's slightly worse, because if they have planned for you to attend and you have to say no at the last minute, they could risk taking a financial hit, or they could stand to get flack from people who were only coming to see or speak with you. It makes them look bad as well as you.

Before you think that I'm saying that you should never cancel events, I'm not. I'm simply saying that as someone who's had to rebuild from the bottom up because of stretching myself too thin, be a little bit more careful with what you say yes to. You can find a piece I did about learning to say no here. Building a name for yourself takes time and the last thing you want to do is get a reputation as someone who is not reliable. Of course, your mileage may vary.

Follow Joey on Facebook or here on her blog to be kept up to date with the latest news regarding Joey and her books.

The Trials Of An Indie Author: Selling Your Image

The Trials Of An Indie Author: Selling Your Image

One of the things I have struggled with as an indie author is having to sell my image, or my "brand" as it were. Whilst the Bug Books label is my own, it's still something that I find difficult. Image is everything in the indie world, and that means keeping a certain level of professionalism with everyone you work with. Especially on social media, because all it takes is one slip up and you'll have to rebuild from scratch and hope that it sticks.

It's not just fans that you need to sell your image to, but other authors, editors and assorted professionals in the indie world. Sometimes, you'll find it easier to market yourself to the readers of your books than to your fellow writers, especially when you come up against the traditional/indie divide. That's a barrier all on it's own and may one day earn it's own piece, but for now I'll develop it a little here.

There's always been a big divide between traditionally published authors and those who fall under the indie/self-publishing umbrella. With the rise of e-books and publishing options that are free and easier to distribute, there has been an increase in those of us writers who choose to go the indie route. As it states on my blog, I am a proud indie author, and while it may not be the right choice for everyone who goes into writing as a career, it's the path I chose and I'm happy with it.

However, for some people, the indie world is one to be avoided, which can be a difficult mindset to overcome. Independent authors have no reason to be ashamed of the fact that they're without a big publishing house. Some of us use small presses and others self-publish with their own press, like I have with Bug Books. When you step out into the world as an indie author, you've got to be ready to sell your image, show people why your books are worth buying, create your own fanbase, deal with your own giveaways and book tours and you've got to do it all while remaining professional. Some readers hear the word "self-published" and cringe. They think that because you haven't been lucky enough to be picked by the Big Six, you must not be that good an author. They think that your book will be littered with errors and that you just write and hit 'publish', with no additional steps in between.

While that may be true for some self-published authors (although I haven't come across any yet), the majority of us are just as talented as those who have landed contracts from big name publishers. The indie world is full of great writers who have a multitude of stories to tell, and as someone I know said recently, no one knew who Tom Clancy was at one stage either. Everyone has to start somewhere, and for indie authors, we have just as much of a battle as anyone else, because we have to start from scratch and build up a fanbase without the aid of a marketing department.

This is not a rub or a snub to traditionally published authors, they have just as much talent and have just as many wonderful stories to tell, but as an indie author, I know the struggle of having to personally sell your brand. In a sea of writers clamouring to be heard, sometimes you can make yourself hoarse trying to get your name out there. It's not easy, and while some of us wish to make our millions, the majority of us know that we'll be happy with just having our stories read. We can't do that without readers though and so the battle begins anew to sell our brand, our image and our work.

Follow Joey on Facebook or here on her blog to be kept up to date with the latest news regarding Joey and her books.

WAITING ON YOU had been released :D

WAITING ON YOU has been released! You can find it here on the Amazon UK site, and here on the Amazon US site.

There have already been two reviews posted on Goodreads, which you can see here. Please do add it to your to-be-read pile and leave a review!

Spoonie Writer: When You're Too Sick To Write

Spoonie Writer: When You're Too Sick To Write

One thing you quickly learn when you're a "spoonie" and chronically ill is that you have to choose how to spend your "spoons" wisely. Just as you have to learn how to say no (a piece about this is found here) and you have to learn how to write whilst actively having a flare or an attack (a piece about this is found here), you also have to learn that sometimes you're simply just too sick to do any writing - no matter how much you wish you could.

In my thirteen years of both being a writer and being chronically ill, I have learnt a few tricks for what can be done when you want to write, but are just too sick to do it. These things can be done alongside an ongoing project, or as a way to keep your creative juices flowing. They may not work for everyone, but they have, over the years, worked well for me.

#1 - IF TALKING IS POSSIBLE, TALK.
When I started going to college back in 2005, I was given a Dictaphone as part of my Disabled Student Allowance. The idea was that if I was too sick to attend a class, I could give it to someone and they could record all that was said. That would then give me the chance to go through the tape at a later date when I was more able to make notes. These days, there's an app for everything and most smart phones will have a note taking system that allows you to talk inside of type. I use this a lot when I'm stuck in bed to talk about an idea I have, or a writing piece I want to do. This piece was thought up during a recent overnight hospital trip and I was able to use my phone to record eveything I wanted to cover.

Now that I'm feeling able to sit at my computer, I can play it back and listen. Some of what is said is purely ideas that will go nowhere. Other pieces are bits I can use in my current works in progress as well as in this very writing piece. My advice to anyone who finds themselves unable to write on their phone or on a pad of paper, is to look into a free app (or use the phone's default if it has one) and play around with it until you get what you're looking for. It is also really useful for those late night thoughts. (I covered this idea in this piece here).

#2 - TAKE SOME TIME TO THINK
While the mind is not always reliable when it comes to recalling things at a later date, especially if you're overtired, in pain or struggling to breathe, it can be a useful tool when you want to plan something or write something that your conditions are preventing you from actually doing. Sometimes, slipping away from the reality of being sick can be a great blessing and a way for you to plot out the next chapter, or think about a blog piece you've been meaning to write. I find that when I am too sick to leave my bed, or stuck in hospital and too sick to write on my tablet, I can spend a good few hours just thinking about plot devices, blog pieces, character traits, anything to keep my mind off the pain or how crap I feel. You may not be able to look back upon a record of it later, but it can help you work out some problems with the plot or direction of your story that you possibly wouldn't have thought of, or might have spent time fighting with during an attack of writer's block instead. When you're sick, sometimes you need to have an escape and sometimes that escape can be just a mental visit to the set of your novel.

#3 - BRAINSTORM WITH A FRIEND
I am the kind of person who likes to plan and discuss plot lines with a few trusted friends. Sometimes I'll have an idea but nowhere to take it. Other times I'll have some semblance of a plot but no idea how to begin or flesh it out. It's times like these that I find that talking with my best friend about it, and discussing everything that could happen really fills the hours we spend at hospitals and with me stuck in bed. She's helped me craft some of my best ideas - and talked me out of some of my worst ones! So, if you're not up to writing, but you are able to talk, then this is a way to keep the flow of ideas going by discussing it with a friend, or another writer that you trust.

And finally #4 - NOT ALL WRITING IS WRITING
Although I may not be well enough at times to delve into my plot head-first and start to create, there are other aspects of writing that I am well enough to do. One of those is making notes about a new project, or planning a chapter or two. I can also do some light research or catch up on some emails. I can plan blog pieces and even write out an outline of what I want to do and where I want things to go. I can contact a few places for a review. Or I can read a book or two to give me some ideas that might work for my own novels. As discussed in the reading piece I did (found here), it's a great tool for any aspiring or published author. It allows you to see how others are doing things and work out how you would deal with the same situation.

So, those are my tips, and things I do when I'm too sick to actually sit at the keyboard and bang out a chapter or two. Everyone is different and every condition is different, so these might not all apply to you. In fact some of them may even just not work for your situation. So, if you have any of your own tips, please feel free to add them in the comments below!

Follow Joey on Facebook or here on her blog to be kept up to date with the latest news regarding Joey and her books.

Links, Guest Posts and other updates

Hi Readers!

Since I've been doing a lot of writing (just one chapter left to write of book twelve!) and going through the drug trial (half way now!) I realised that there have been a lot of guest blog posts and such that I haven't brought to your attention, unless you're following my Facebook and if not, why not?! So, to make it easier, here's a list of all that's happened since April/May time!

I did a guest blog piece for the wonderful, Brenda Perlin entitled "Writing The Dying Thoughts Series" which can be found here.

I also did a piece about called "Writing Whilst Disabled", for the ever lovely Laurie Boris found here.

I was also lucky enough to be part of Angie Martin's "Feature Friday", where I let Tara take the keyboard and write her own piece. This can be found below:

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Hi everybody, my name is Joey Paul and I'm an indie author. I have published six books, and almost finished writing my eleventh and twelfth ones. Normally when I do these kinds of pieces, I write about myself, but I figured you've all heard enough about me, so here's an introduction to my favourite, longest-running character - Tara Leverton. Before I hand her the keyboard, I'd just like to explain that she's the main character in my Dying Thoughts Series. She'll tell you the rest.

*hands keyboard to Tara*

Hi! I'm Tara and I'm not used to these kinds of things so you'll have to excuse me if I ramble a bit. I'm sixteen and although Joey's further along in my story than the rest of you, I'll do my best not to spoil you.

You see, I never thought that anyone would want to write a single book about me, let alone a series of more than three! I wondered whether Joey would do my story justice or if she'd just get bored and stop writing (which she has done at times), but mostly she's stuck with me and my world. You may be wondering what's so important and awesome about me that someone would want to write a whole series about my life? Yeah, I would've wondered the same thing too.

I have a... well... umm... gift. I see the last moments of someone's life when I touch something that used to belong to them. I know, I know, it's dumb, right? It's also super annoying and for the first nine years of being, well, gifted, I didn't know why it had happened or what it meant and my dad wasn't exactly forthcoming about it all. You may have heard of my dad, he was a big pop star when I was a kid. His name is Colin Leverton. If you've heard of him, you'll know what happened to my mum too. But if not, here's a little catch-up.

When I was six and oblivious to all things supernatural, and my mum was alive, we all lived happily together. Anyway, it turned out that Mum had the same gift as me. She'd gotten it from her grandmother when she died and she ended up working with the police to solve crimes. Cool, huh? I knew nothing about this though, and then things got a little, well, shitty. Dad was stalked by a crazed fan, who believed that I was really her daughter (I told you she was nuts) and she ended up stabbing my mum. Mum died, Siobhan (the stalker) was sent away and locked up, and then it was just Dad and me. He retired from the music business and devoted his life to making sure I was safe, loved and cared for. I don't really think he knew in the beginning that my mother's death had triggered the ability she'd passed on to me. I don't know for sure if he was even aware that I used to touch stuff on her dresser so that I could see her again (as well as her gruesome death, but for me that didn't really matter).

Yeah, I was messed up. I'd never really been one who was in touch with her feelings, and even now, a decade later, my father still gets teary eyed when we talk about Mum. I think when he realised I had the same gift, that's when his over-protectiveness came into play. See, when I'm having visions, to an onlooker it looks like I'm having a seizure and I often got dragged to the hospital where I was under the care of this really cool doctor. He knew I wasn't faking, despite what other people were saying, but there was nothing physically wrong with me. I didn't have epilepsy and I didn't know anything about my gift at that point, so I was just as confused as everyone else. I didn't tell them what I saw (for obvious reasons) and I never really confronted my dad although I know that on some level, he must (well he *did*), know what was actually happening to me.

Enter my best friend, Kaolin! When I got caught up in solving her father's murder and then got questioned by a police officer who I'm now really good friends with, Dad came clean and told me that yeah, he'd known what it was and that he'd only been trying to "protect" me. He said it was what my mum would have wanted. I was beyond pissed because he'd outright lied to me! He'd let me believe I was nuts! I mean, wouldn't you have felt the same way? I was so very very angry with him and it took me a while to forgive him for that.

Life moves on though, and the outcome of it all was that I got to follow in my mum's footprints and start using my gift to help people. That's pretty cool, and it means my life became interesting enough to be written about. So yeah, that's me, Tara, and that's why I have books written about me. Thanks for reading, I have to go and get on with a case coz... oops... I said no spoilers, so I'll leave it there!

*Joey takes back the keyboard*

You can read about Tara's adventures in the Dying Thoughts Series starting with Dying Thoughts - First Touch. They can be found on Amazon, Smashwords, iBook, Kobo, Barnes & Noble and many other e-book stores. You can also follow me on my blog or on Facebook and join in the fun as we count down to my seventh release and beyond!

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I was also asked to write about the moment I knew I had "made it" as an author, Jenny Milchman, which can also be found below.

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I was nineteen when I was diagnosed with both M.E and Fibromyalgia, on top of a few other chronic conditions, and I was in a wheelchair by the time I was twenty. I'd been told that I would probably never work again when I was medically retired from working life. Faced with a life of doing nothing, I turned to something I had loved as a teenager – writing - and with that, a career was born.

By the time I had two books under my belt, I started to approach traditional publishers and told myself that to "make it" I would have to have my book on someone else's bookshelf, that the only way to do that was to be published by one of the big names. I sent off my second book and got rejection after rejection. Sometimes, slipped in with the standard letters, were notes telling me that they loved my book, that it showed great promise, but that they were unable to publish it at that time.

It wasn't until 2005 when I was going through even more medical problems that I told myself it was okay to start looking elsewhere. So I decided to self-publish through AuthorHouse and got to see my book, Blackout, in print. It was the best moment of my life at that point. However, I didn't see it ever going past that. I couldn't afford to continue to pay AuthorHouse and although I continued to write, and had nearly completed five books, I felt disheartened as I got back into the sending off my book, receiving rejection letter cycle.

Fast forward to 2011, when I realised that with the rise of e-books and places such as Amazon and Smashwords, I would be able to turn my writing into something more. My dream was to see my books being read by other people, and after re-publishing Blackout, I started to release the next few books under the label "Bug Books". It was a full time job being an indie author. I had to do a lot of networking and a lot of it was an uphill struggle, but it was worth it.

Today, I have six books available to buy and my seventh book is due out in July. I am working on both my eleventh and twelfth books and have the next two planned. I employ an editor and an artist for the cover designs and I'm doing something I like with my life. I feel like I'm living the dream, because although it wasn't the path I had expected to go down - both in life and in career - I'm so happy doing it. I love creating, I love writing. I love thinking up new ways to fulfil plots and I love being an indie author. My dream was to see my books being read and I've more than accomplished it!

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Now onto more updates! I have announced that WAITING ON YOU will be released on JULY 26TH on Amazon Kindle exclusively! There is an event on Facebook where you stand to win a host of prizes including copies of other young adult books, mostly those within the romance genre, as well as swag and Amazon giftcards!

On top of that DYING THOUGHTS - THIRD WISH is now available from Smashwords and will be trickling down to the other sites soon!

In other news, I have added the Ask The Author tab on my Goodreads profile, so be sure to go over there if you fancy asking me anything!

And that's it! I have some writing to do, and new projects to start soon! I hope to be announcing more fun things soon, so watch this space!

Spoonie Writer: Learning To Say No

Spoonie Writer: Learning To Say No
 
When you're first diagnosed as having a chronic illness and you face the prospect of having  to live your life counting spoons, you quickly realise that there are going to be some things that you just can't do no matter how much you want to. When you add in a job like being an indie author into the mix, you'll find yourself running into problems as you try to achieve all the things you need to do. What do you do when your career needs you to do something, but your body is saying "nope!"?
 
The first thing to do is to face the fact that you will probably never go back to the person you were before you got sick, and realise that if you're going to accomplish things on both your good and bad days, you'll need to have some idea of just how far you can push yourself before it all comes back to bite you in the arse. For me, it was a big thing to accept that despite how much I wanted to take part in a blog tour or convention, I just couldn't do it all. I had to learn to listen to my body and I had to learn that I could say No.

If you're anything like me, you'll know that saying No to someone can feel like a bad thing. It can feel like saying no is telling that person or that opportunity that you never want their help again. I know in reality it isn't like that, but it's taken me a long time to get to this point. Before, saying no just wasn't something I felt comfortable doing. It felt like I was being rude, like I wasn't grateful for the opportunity being offered to me. But of course, it's not that at all, it's about knowing that if I do this thing or this promotion or push myself to write those chapters, in a few hours I will pay for it dearly.

My body will rebel and I will end up spending precious time either in bed, or worse, in hospital where I'm too unwell to do anything. The feeling of wasted time, for me at least, is worse than the feeling of saying no. So over the past few years, I have learnt that sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and tell someone that it was great to be thought of, but you just can't commit to that event. It's not a bad thing, it doesn't mean that you've let someone down and it's all part of being a spoonie.

There will be some people who won't see it that way, and honestly, those people are not worth the worry and anxiety. Those who understand will see that you need to have time to rest, to take some time away and that you are unable to commit to something that may make your condition worse, cause a flare or land you in the hospital. No one else can tell you how you feel, it's your body and your conditions and you will get to know them oh-so-well, and it's about learning to read the signs and know that although you are desperate to do a book tour or a book signing or a guest blog, you just can't at that moment in time. As someone more insightful than me said, the people who matter won't mind and those who mind...they don't matter!

Follow Joey on Facebook or here on her blog to be kept up to date with the latest news regarding Joey and her books.

The Trials Of A Crime Writer: How Violent Is Too Violent?

The Trials Of A Crime Writer: How Violent Is Too Violent?

As a young adult author, I sometimes find myself asking how violent is too violent? I mean, with adult books you can go into gory detail of what you do to a character and how badly they were injured, maimed or killed. You can describe the flow of blood and each individual cut you make to their body to drive home just how horrific their injuries or death are. However, when you're writing for a younger audience, there must be a line somewhere that states that the description of cutting someone's fingers off or burning them in acid are too much, right?

I don't always agree that that's true. After all, young adults probably see more violent things in video games and on the big screen than are written in some books. But I was doing a scene in one of my current works in progress the other day and it revolved around torture. While I wanted to hammer home just how bad the pain would have been for my characters, as well as how deranged my killer was, I was struck with the thought that maybe it was a tad too violent.

The same can be said with some of the DYING THOUGHTS books. Tara's gift allows her to watch someone die over and over. The whole idea is that she is able to see things that the police may have missed because they didn't get to witness the death and despite their best efforts, they can not talk to the dead. I have dealt with the murder of children, people being raped and abused, tortured and killed in the most violent of ways and sometimes as I write, I find myself wondering if it's too much. My editor is great and is of the same belief as me, that sometimes you need to show that gore and violence to really give the reader the feeling that they are watching and experiencing it as well.

I guess the difficulty is for me that while some things would be seen as too little in an adult crime book, they can be seen as too much in a young adult book. It's about finding the balance between the two because young adults are generally within the ages of thirteen and twenty-five, and at the higher end of the scale they can see eighteen rated films and see violence in the media. So, why shouldn't they be able to see it in books? I get that for some people they are of the belief that children and young adults should be shielded from the violence out in the world, but by toning down the scenes in my books,  I'm not giving them the full story.

So, yes, sometimes there is a line between how much violence and description to use when dealing with these matters, but at other times, it's the job of the writer to cross over these lines and show the reader the realities of life. When Tara is dealing with a grisly case, I try to make sure that I don't write things that will give the readers nightmares, but at the same time I want it to be as honest as possible, which means including some forms of violence. It's just about knowing where to draw the line, but that seems to be the case with the majority of writing. You need to know the rules so that when you break them, you know you're doing so in good faith. It's all a learning curve and I know I, for one, have a lot more learning to do.

Follow Joey on Facebook or here on her blog to be kept up to date with the latest news regarding Joey and her books.

Spoonie Writer: Writing During Attacks

Spoonie Writer: Writing During Attacks

One thing you have to get used to when you're chronically ill, is that sometimes you'll need to do things, like write, when you really don't feel well. Such as when you're having a flare or an attack from one (or more) of your conditions. For instance, right now, I'm working on a chapter whilst sucking away on my nebuliser. It comes with the territory and it's not something that you ever really get used to.

A friend of mine asked me once how I managed to be so social when I wasn't well. Their reasoning was that when they felt crap, they didn't feel up to talking with or doing anything work related. My reply was simple - when you feel like crap all the time, you have no choice but to keep doing stuff, to keep talking to people, or you'd live in a hole and never do anything or see anyone. I'm not trying to be a martyr here, quite the opposite. I'm trying to say that when your "normal" state is one of ill health, you learn that the new normal is to keep ploughing through even though you may not feel up to it.

There are of course, times when that's just not possible, and I'll discuss the majority of that in another piece, but for now I'll just focus on the fact that life does not stop, the world does not stop, just because your pain level is through the roof and you only got two hours sleep last night. For some people, it is easier than for others and while I am not here to make judgement, nor do I suggest that you pass judgement on others either, sometimes you just have to keep going. Sometimes what may seem as really sick to an healthy person may just seem to you as a bit of an annoyance.

So, as a spoonie writer, I have learnt that in addition to making sure I take the right things along with me for hospital stays, I sometimes have to work through my sickness and ill health to make sure that I meet my own self set goals. As I've mentioned before, I set myself four chapters a fortnight and generally I meet that goal. Other times I'll go beyond it and sometimes I won't manage it at all. The fact of the matter is that I have been told by many health professionals in my years as a spoonie that pacing is a big thing for people who are chronically ill. Their argument is that when you have a good day, if you attempt to do nine things off of your constantly growing to-do list and push yourself, then you'll have a string of bad days where nothing gets done and the list grows longer. The answer, I'm told, is to pace yourself. Do only three or four of those things and then manage to do a little more the next day. The idea is that you don't overdo it and end up with more manageable and good days than the bad and bed-bound ones.

I have experimented with this over the years and have found that as long as I am not stuck in bed and completely unable to work on my computer (a piece about that will be coming soon), I can usually do some work towards my writing. Whether it's a paragraph to a chapter or a small blog piece, an email answered or a review request sent, all these things add up to be part of my livelihood and that allows me to do about the same every day, sometimes a little more when I'm feeling up to it and other times a little less. I have yet to find the exact balance, and that's after nearly thirteen years. I'm sure the words "balancing act" in a piece like this do not surprise you, but you'd be amazed how much of my work and life is just that. Finding the sweet spot takes time, but when I get there, I'll let you all know!

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The Trials Of A Crime Writer: Sometimes Book Research Isn't Enough

 

The Trials Of A Crime Writer: Sometimes Book Research Isn't Enough

If there's one thing I've learnt from my years as a crime writer, it's that research is the key to all the wonders of the book world. You need to know exactly how certain things work and sometimes there comes a time when looking a subject up online or reading about it in a book just isn't precise enough for you to find the words to convey what you mean and leave no doubt in the reader's mind. So, sometimes you have to think outside the box and do a little practical research.

Now, before you get worried, I'm not suggesting that you commit a crime of any kind to check and see how it would work. Nor do I suggest kidnapping someone to play out your nefarious plot. Yes, there are some things that you will just have to use the internet and books to find out about - like murder, rape and other inhumane crimes. What I'm talking about is when you get to the point in the book where you plan to have someone escape from capture, or link the killer via some kind of forensic evidence or other such plot device.

I know it's pretty hard to work out forensic evidence transfer and there are other options which I'll cover shortly, but for the moment I'll focus on the rescue from capture because I can speak from personal experience. When you have your character tied up and trying to look for a way to flee you can find that some hands on experience will work best. You can look at how the criminal mastermind would tie them up, get a friend to do the same to you and work out what is possible to do from that situation whilst bound. You can do the same with breaking the bonds of a zip-tie - it is possible, but it does take some know how and it's not something that easily explained so may require you delving into your own little practice session.

You also have to be careful to be clear how your character knows this stuff. If you've got a teenager who has never come into contact with zip ties in that way before, then it's unlikely that they'll be able to break them apart in minutes and escape. The same can be said for anything with a lock such as handcuffs. Sure if they're the crappy ones from the Pound store then it's likely that they'll be easy to get out of, but you still need to have some experience with how easy, and how obvious it would be to the captor. After all, why would they be using something that is obviously easy to escape from?

Now, back to the forensic evidence that provides the very clue that will link your perpetrator to the victim and the crime. Whether it's something like a stray hair, or a fingerprint lifted from what was thought to have been a wiped down surface, or even DNA from a drop of blood. Whatever you choose to be the smoking gun, the procedure needed to link it back to your criminal may not be as straight-forward as you think. After all, while there are some centralised DNA databases, there isn't just one for everything, and not everyone will have their fingerprints/DNA/etc on file. While the internet is handy for those little facts that you need, sometimes you need to be sure that what you're writing is correct and that's when your next piece of research comes into play. Real life experience.

Wait, I don't mean you, I mean people who work in the field. I know that there are numerous associations you can join once you've been traditionally published (and some for Indie authors as well) that will give you live access to people in your chosen field to help you with those pesky titbits of information that will make your story all the more credible. After all, it may not be obvious to the average reader, but it will be to those who have some knowledge of the inner workings of the forensics lab. For me, not having access to those sites, I have used real people who have worked in real labs and had real experience with similar cases. I have been lucky to have been able to track down sources through people I've met online. It's not just what evidence you will need to solve your case, but also how you get a sample to compare the two. For that you will usually need a warrant of some kind and depending on how things work in your own country (as it will vary from town to town, state to state and country to country) will depend on how much information you need to be able to get one of those lovely pieces of papers that will allow you to take blood, samples or fingerprints to compare to the ones you have.

Basically, try to branch out. Not everything can be found online, and not all options are available to all writers. A lot of the writer's guilds for crime writers I've come across have excellent resources, but unless you're traditionally published or making x amount of sales a month/year, you won't be allowed full membership and access to their information. Make connections in the writing community and you'll find yourself with real life people to compare information with, and that's the easiest way to solve a riddle that isn't covered in reference books.

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