Writing A Book – It’s More Than Just Writing

/ T W Iain / Leave a comment

I’ve finally managed it! I’ve got a book out. I can go to Amazon (or Kobo, or a few other places) and see it, and it feels fantastic!

It’s taken over a year and a half, and it’s been a lot more work than I initially thought.

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Back in January 2015, when I decided to get serious about writing, I didn’t think I was being naive. I knew I couldn’t type out a first draft and expect it to be good enough to publish. I knew there would be rewrites and edits.

But there was so much more. I learnt about it gradually, and started to see just how much was involved in creating a book.

The first draft of this novel (Dark Glass) came pretty quickly. I’d had the ideas fermenting in my mind for some time, so the story itself wasn’t a problem, and I was working on it enthusiastically. Things were progressing well, and I thought I’d get the first draft finished in a month, take another couple of months to polish it up, and have it for sale by early spring.

Yeah, right!

 

I started editing. There were big chunks that needed changing, and the edits were more in-depth than I initially thought. I started reading more and more books on the craft of writing, and spotted more areas where I could improve my story. By the summer, I still wasn’t happy with it.

I also learnt about the business side of publishing. I wanted to go the self-published route rather than looking for an agent and a traditional deal. I knew it would be hard, and I started to listen to various podcasts and read books and blog posts about self-publishing. They talked about external editors, and covers, and all kinds of stuff I hadn’t even considered (like funnels, lists and CTAs).

I found an editor and nervously sent off my manuscript (by this time it was as good as I felt I could get it). I wondered how it would come back, almost dreading the amount of errors that were sure to be uncovered. It felt like being at school, waiting for the paper to be returned with streams of red ink.

There was not as much as I feared, though. There were mistakes — some I hadn’t even considered, and others that I was mentally kicking myself for not spotting. And I learnt through this. I found I enjoyed the process, and I felt my writing improve with what I learnt. Maybe it was my attitude, or maybe I simply lucked out and found a good editor to work with.

But good text does not make a good book. If there was one clear thing from all I was learning about marketing, it was the importance of a good cover. You know that stuff about never judging a book by its cover? Turns out this is exactly what everyone does. If I wanted this book to be good, I needed a well-designed cover.

This was something I knew I couldn’t do myself. I did some research on-line, and came to understand that a cover was not about the story itself, but acted as an advert for the book. I found a design company, told them what I wanted, and they gave me some professional-looking covers — exactly what I was wanting.

I got more than one cover, though. I’d already started working on other books, all part of the same series, and I knew that the covers needed to work together, branding the series. It made sense to get all the covers done at the same time.

See, I was already starting to think beyond writing. I was already treating this as a business.

 

So, where was I now? I had the text of the book ready, I had a cover. Now for the e-book.

I’ve read a lot of e-books, and I know what I like to see in them. I like chapter headings to stand out. I like justified text, like I see in physical books. I like an e-book to look like some care and attention has gone into its creation.

I knew there were people out there who could format the book for me, but I started reading up on the whole area and realised I might be able to do this myself. E-books can be formatted using HTML, and I’ve got some prior experience of this (one of the ‘useless’ parts of my degree course that has come in handy a few times since).

So I learnt. And I managed to format the book myself. I created an epub and a mobi, and both looked fine.

 

man-114437_1280But there was still more to do.

I needed to write a product description, something that would entice potential readers.

No problem, I thought. Just say what the book’s about, maybe hint at a few of the interesting bits, and that’s it. Half an hour, an hour tops.

There are people who get paid for writing things like product descriptions, and I soon understood why. In many ways, it’s harder writing a few short paragraphs of product description than writing the novel itself. Every word has to count. It has to be trimmed back to the bare minimum. It needs to excite and interest a reader, telling them what to expect without giving everything away.

I went over my product description I don’t know how many times. It’s still not great, but it’s the best I can do. I’m proud in a kind of ‘it’s the first time I’ve tried this, and I think it stands up with loads of others out there’ way.

 

internet-1028794_1280The book’s formatted. Now all I had to do was put it out there.

Only I still wasn’t ready. I needed to let people know about it. I needed to get my name out there — or at least the name I’d chosen, TW Iain. I knew this would be hard. I’m not good at talking to people. Put me in a group of even a few, and I’ll slide into the background, listening but rarely making a noise. I’m happier on my own. So telling others about this book would be outside my comfort zone.

Even worse, I’d need to convince people to buy it. I’m fairly introverted, and I’m British (so I have the whole ‘ keeping quiet and not blowing my own trumpet’ thing). I can always spot flaws in what I’m doing, and see where others are better than me.

It’s something I’m still struggling with, but I realised I needed to do something. I needed a space where I could be myself, but where people who might like my books and my writing (and me?) could come.

I sorted out a website. I know it’s not great, but it’s fine for the moment (see what I mean about not blowing my own trumpet?). I’m blogging, and also putting up short stories. The stories are fun — not only are they something I can offer visitors to the site, but by limiting myself to 1000 words I’m also forcing myself to concentrate on my writing.

There is so much more I need to do here, though. I’m not great on social media. I’ll get into this, but not yet. I can’t do everything at once. There will be time later.

 

So, I’m ready to publish.

I already have an Amazon account, but I don’t want to limit myself. I’ve read all the Kindle Select pros and cons, and I’ve gone back and forth in my mind. But I’m looking long-term. I don’t want to be tied to one vendor. I want as many people to have the chance to discover this book as possible. So I need to go wide.

I sign up with Kobo and Draft2Digital (I’m in the UK, so using an aggregator like D2D is the only way to get into Barnes & Noble, and I don’t have a Mac so I can’t go direct with iBooks). And, over a couple of evenings, I get this book out into the world. Kobo’s a breeze (it almost feels too easy), D2D’s pretty simple, and Amazon’s more involved, but I get it done.

Then I wait for the e-mails telling me the book’s live. I click on the links.

There it is — my book, for sale in the biggest bookstores in the world. I’ve done it.

I started writing this book in January 2015 and now, at the start of September 2016, it’s a real thing.

And it feels great.

Of course, I’m not going to get complacent. I know this is only the beginning. Now the real work starts. Now I have to market and promote, and all those other scary words that make me realise this is a business, and I’m not even good at talking to people, so how the hell can I do this?

I know how I can do it. I can do it the same way I got the book out there — by learning from others, and by working at it. I’ll make mistakes, but that’s part of learning. I’ll only fail if I give up.

And I don’t want to do give up, because I’ve had so much fun bringing this book from idea to finished product. I want to keep on doing this.

When I think of that, I feel like a writer.

Dark Glass (Dominions I)

And now for a shameless plug: click here for more information on Dark Glass (Dominions I)

The Power Of A Story – The Tale Of Beddgelert

/ T W Iain / Leave a comment
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The tombstones at Gelert’s Grave

I’m on holiday in Wales at the moment. It’s a place that I find myself returning to every now and then. It holds a lot of memories for me, and I still find it a fascinating place.

I’m writing this while I watch waves surging up a beach, with a mountain in the background, just visible through the low cloud. Even in ‘bad’ weather, the place is impressive and dramatic. And if I turn, I can see the remains of a castle, stones still standing strong against the elements, hundreds of years after its construction.

There are different layers to Wales. There’s the physical landscape, and then there are the signs of human intervention. Obviously there are the old castles, but there are also earthworks, and cairns, and other stone structures. Some have a written history, but others have none, their creation and purpose shrouded in mystery.

These are the stories that sit just beneath the surface. Where something appears out of the ordinary, it is natural to attempt to understand, and stories grow. They might be based on truth, or on myth, or maybe they are interpretations by vivid imaginations, like certain mountains being the resting places of giant warriors who will one day rise again to protect the land.

There are so many tales, and variations on these tales. One of them, maybe one of the best known in Wales, is that of Gelert the hound.

If you go to the village of Beddgelert, deep in Snowdonia, under a tree in a field, you can find a large stone. It is now surrounded by a metal fence, to protect it from the many visitors it receives every year, but you can easily read what is written on the two tombstones also within the fence, one in English, the other in Welsh:

“In the 13th century Llewelyn, prince of North Wales, had a palace at Beddgelert. One day he went hunting without Gelert, ‘The Faithful Hound’, who was unaccountably absent.

On Llewelyn’s return the truant, stained and smeared with blood, joyfully sprang to meet his master. The prince alarmed hastened to find his son, and saw the infant’s cot empty, the bedclothes and floor covered with blood.

The frantic father plunged his sword into the hound’s side, thinking it had killed his heir. The dog’s dying yell was answered by a child’s cry.

Llewelyn searched and discovered his boy unharmed, but nearby lay the body of a mighty wolf which Gelert had slain. The prince filled with remorse is said never to have smiled again. He buried Gelert here”.

Such a tragic tale, and one that many read in silence, the words — and what they mean — sinking deep. It is easy to understand why the grave, and all that it represents, draws so many people. It is impressive that a grave for a dog, buried centuries ago, still has the power to move people.

Yet it’s all a lie.

Maybe that’s too strong. Maybe I should call it a fabrication, or a fiction. Or simply a story.

This is the story behind the story:

In 1793, a man named David Pritchard took over as landlord of the Royal Goat Inn in Beddgelert. He built up a small cairn and started talking of Llewelyn and his hound. The story spread, and it became understood that the pile of rocks marked the final resting place of Gelert.

Maybe Pritchard had heard a similar story elsewhere, or maybe he created it all. There was a Prince Llewelyn connected with a nearby abbey, and he would have most likely kept hounds for hunting. The name of the village can translate as ‘Gelert’s grave’, so it is likely that it was the burial place of someone important going by that name at one point in history.

But not necessarily a hound. And there are no indications that the hound saved a baby from an attack by a wolf, only to be cut down by his distressed master.

Pritchard invented the details to build a legend around Beddgelert, and to draw customers to his inn. He created a story because it was good for his business.

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Gelert’s Grave in Beddgelert

This fact‌—‌that the story is a fabrication‌—‌is well known, and yet the story has survived. Even today visitors stand round the stones and read the sad tale of Gelert. Even today, the story brings in the tourists.

Like so many myths and legends, truth and fiction combine, and we know we are in the presence of tales that have little or no basis in reality. Yet we are still drawn to them, because the stories themselves have power. They strike something deep inside, and affect us in ways that simple facts cannot. They talk to us on an emotional level, and because of this they endure long after the plain facts have been forgotten.

And this is why, in a way, it doesn’t matter if stories like that of Gelert are fact or fiction, because they are still true on a different level. They teach us lessons history cannot relate‌—‌in this case, the dangers of jumping to conclusions and acting in the heat of the moment. They teach us not of the land and its history, but of ourselves and how we should live our lives.

Of course, there is the other story here, the one where a savvy businessman draws people to his establishment through a finely-crafted tale, understanding how rocks and trees can be brought to life with a few simple words. It is also the story of a village that obtained a new meaning through his actions. Maybe his motives were selfish, but there can be no doubt that his story has become an important part of Beddgelert. Even though it is a lie, Beddgelert is the final resting place of the faithful hound Gelert.

Pritchard’s story has endured for over two hundred years, and will endure for many more. As his own name fades, his tale of Gelert lives on.

That’s some legacy for a storyteller.

A Book So Good, I Didn’t Want To Read It

/ T W Iain / Leave a comment

See if this sounds familiar.

You start reading a book. It promises to be good, and you settle into a serious hour or so of reading. And the book is good. No, better than that‌—‌it’s great! You’re rattling through it, and you don’t want to stop. Something tells you it’s getting late, or it’s time to do something else, but you can’t pull yourself away. Just one more chapter. You can’t leave it yet, not when you don’t know what’s going to happen on the next page.

I’ve read loads of books like that. I can recall the first time I read Lord Of The Rings, as a teenager, coming home from school and spending a few evenings doing nothing but lying on my bed, reading. When I bought a new Terry Pratchett, I would make sure I had nothing important to do for the day, and finish the book before I went to bed.

But one book stands out as different. There was one book that was so good I didn’t want to pick it up.

I know‌—‌that doesn’t make much sense. Surely if a book is good you want to read it?

Well, not this one.

The book was The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide To The Galaxy. It’s a small book, small enough to fit in my trouser pockets. That meant I could have it with me all the time, and I could read it pretty much whenever I had a spare moment.

I read the first half quickly. Not only is the book short, but the chapters don’t last long, and the writing zips along. It jumps from one thing to another, so there’s no risk of getting bogged down in tedious description or anything like that. It’s one of those books where ‘one more chapter’ quickly leads to the end of the book.

And that was the problem. I didn’t want to reach the end. Not because I didn’t want to find out how it ended. I think I knew this anyway (this was when the TV series was on, and although the book stuck closer to the radio show, I still knew what was going to happen). And not because I was getting bored. Far from it. Part of me wanted to read the book.

But a more forceful part stopped me.

I didn’t want to risk opening it up, because if I did that I’d start reading, and then I’d want to carry on for another chapter, and another, and maybe one more. If I looked at an open page, I knew I’d reach the end before long, and then the book would be over.

And that was why I didn’t want to read it. I was enjoying the book so much I didn’t want it to end.

Of course I did finish the book, and I’ve read it many times since. It’s a book I often re-read. I don’t need to read the individual words now — a glance at the first sentence, and each chapter practically unrolls in my memory. And now, I don’t take my time, but allow myself to read at whatever speed feels comfortable. There are more books, after all. And if a book is that good, I can always re-read it later.

But that first time still sticks in my head. The only book that was so good I didn’t want to read it.

Wayward Pines, Star Wars and the Structure of a Series

/ T W Iain / Leave a comment

 

I’ve just finished reading the Wayward Pines trilogy by Blake Crouch (okay, so it sometimes takes me a long time to get round to books), and I really enjoyed it. I loved the way Crouch evoked the feeling that something wasn’t quite right, and when the truth behind the town of Wayward Pines was revealed, it was not at all what I was expecting. The trilogy was well-paced, and although I read them fast, they didn’t feel rushed. But there was one thing in particular that I kept on thinking about, and that was how well the series was structured.

In fact, the series structure reminded me a lot of the original Star Wars films. I’ll explain this in more detail as I go on.

The first book, Pines, starts off like an amnesia thriller (with a main character coming to after an accident and not understanding exactly what’s going on around him), and for the first half things get stranger and stranger. When the ending does come, it works well, bringing the book to a satisfying close while still leaving enough open for a sequel.

This is one thing that struck me — although the book is part of a series, it is also complete in itself. If I had not gone on to read others, or if Crouch had not written them, this book would still work. It’s like that first Star Wars film (IV, not I) — the story ends, yet there is so much more that could be explored in the story universe.

Wayward, the second book, picks things up a short while after the first finishes, and it has a different feel. Where the first book is more of a mystery, as the main character uncovers the truth of the town, the second looks at what he will do now that he knows this truth. And it’s good that it feels different — it’s not like a big-budget film sequel, where the story is basically the same, but the explosions are bigger and the body count is higher. Instead, it takes the original idea and expands on it.

Where the first book comes to a definite close, things are different at the close of the second book. Although the main story arc is brought to a conclusion, there is a huge cliffhanger. The hero manages to win, but the final chapter stars to show the dire consequences of this, and it’s clear that he’s not out of danger yet — in fact, the worst is yet to come.

Back to the Star Wars trilogy, and The Empire Strikes Back. In that film, Luke has survived his duel with Darth Vader, but he’s lost a hand, and Han Solo’s frozen in carbonite. We know, as viewers, that the story is not yet over.

With Wayward Pines, if this had been the ending of the first book, I would have felt annoyed. I’m not a big fan of cliffhangers. Unless a book makes it pretty clear that there will be a cliffhanger ending (for instance, if it is clearly part of a serial), I expect some sort of complete story, and if the story is left hanging I feel tricked. Even if the story is good enough that I want to find out what happens next, a big part of me resents paying out for this. I’ve read too many continuing stories where, a few books in, it feels like the author has run out of steam, and I’m left reading something that fizzles out to nothing.

Yet I didn’t have a problem with this ending in Wayward. I think there’s two reasons for this. First, there was a full story, despite the cliffhanger. Second, it was the second book in the series, not the first. I’d read enough to know I was enjoying the ride, and I was invested in the series. I went on to get the third because I genuinely wanted to, and not because I needed to know what happened next.

So on to the third book, The Last Town. It starts off exactly where the second ends, and the initial third is pretty much non-stop action. Initially this concerned me — I wondered if the action was being used to disguise a weak plot — but the story is solid when it kicks in. And, again, it was not simply a rehash of what had gone before.

The ending of the book works well, and also brings the complete trilogy to a solid conclusion. There is a single-line epilogue that leaves scope for more books, and there are plenty of aspects of the story-world that could be developed, but the trilogy feels like a whole. Although I’d happily buy more Wayward Pines books, I don’t need them in order to feel that I’ve had a great reading experience.

Again, this is like that original Star Wars trilogy. Yes, there are all the other stories, either films or books, and more are planned. But the original three films work on their own. I can explore more of this universe, but I don’t have to in order to understand the originals.

The way the Wayward Pines trilogy is structured gives me something else — confidence that Crouch won’t write a follow-on simply because ‘it will sell’. If there are more books, I would imagine they will be thought-out, and will expand on rather than retread ideas.

So as a summary, what have I learnt about the structure of a series from these books? This is personal, and you might not agree with this, but for me, there are three main things:

  • I don’t like to feel tricked into buying more books, so for me a complete story, with sequel potential, works well (especially as the first book in a series).
  • If there is a cliffhanger ending, the book still needs an overall story arc that is satisfying.
  • Second and third books should not simply be ‘more of the same’, but should push into other areas.

I’ll probably write more at some point on what I think makes a good or bad series (or serial), but I’ll leave it for now.

(See what I’ve done there? I’ve come to the conclusion of this post, but I’ve left it open for a sequel. Maybe the next time I write about this topic, I’ll have to make it a two-parter.)

Coming Soon!

/ T W Iain / Leave a comment

It is still early days for this website, but I want to lay out what will be happening over the next few months. In part, this is to let you know what I’m up to, but it also helps with accountability. I’ve been writing seriously for about eighteen months now, and I know that this is only the start. I’m learning so much. There’s always more than I can do to improve my writing, and feel like I haven’t even scratched the surface of the whole publishing and marketing stuff. I want to get better, and there’s the urge to wait until I’ve improved just that bit more, or until the time feels right to upload an e-book file. But I’m procrastination, and if I keep waiting, these stories will languish on my hard drive and never have the chance to be found by anyone.

I don’t want that. As scary as it is, I want others to read what I’ve written. So I need to stop waiting. I need an incentive to get these stories out there, and making a public declaration of this intention will give me the kick up the backside I need.

So, here goes. This is the plan:agenda-1458537_1280

  • By the end of August, I will release the first two novels in the Dominions series — Dark Glass and Dead Flesh. I’ll get these up on Amazon, Kobo, and wherever else I can. I will bring out the third novel, Deep Water, some time in October or November. I already have covers, and you can see the first one here.
  • To coincide with the release of the first two books, I will have a free short story available on this website (Gatekeeper — A Dominions Prologue), either to read on-line or to download.
  • I will also start a mailing list. I realise I’m an unknown, and so I will offer a free, exclusive novella (Control), again set in the Dominions universe, for anyone signing up.
  • I need to keep this website live, so I’ll aim to post something every week, although I might fall back to every couple of weeks (I’d like to do more, but I’m working on another book, and there’s the day job, and the family, and all the other life stuff that gets in the way). Sometimes this will be thoughts on what I’ve been reading, or how the writing’s going, or something else connected with books and stories. But I will also write more short stories, between 500 and 1000 words, specifically for this website.

And that’s it. Four steps to start my publishing adventure.

When I put it down like that, it doesn’t look too bad. I can do this. I just need to get the novels formatted, sort out the back and front matter, write some of the web content and make sure it’s edited, sort out the mailing list, upload the novels, make sure all the links work, carry on with the next novel, figure out where I’m going to get money for more editing and covers, try to sleep, tear my hair out (oops, too late for that), make time for the family, and keep smiling.