While looking up topics I could write about this month, one question that seemed to pop up in many interviews asked writers about their greatest writing achievements, as if there's a scalable way of determining what's good and what's better. I think it all comes down to how it makes the writer feel, which is why I don't have one - I have three.
The first should be obvious: the writing and publishing of Balor Reborn in a week. It was a tiring week of trying to keep everything on camera, writing and editing a book, creating a cover and a book trailer, setting up the sales page, and sending out a press release.
The main thing is, I managed it. I managed to write the book, and it was my first step into the land of independently published authorship. It's set a precedence on my writing, of what I can accomplish in a short period of time, and it's been the standard to which I try to work as a bare minimum since.
That week led to the second great writing achievement: having an article published in Writing Magazine, about the process of writing the book. While the actual article didn't take long to write, and while I was perfectly happy writing it, it was a professional stepping stone, and it showed me that I can write something that someone would actually want to publish.
The third achievement happened way before that, and rather than being a work-standard achievement, or a professional achievement, it changed the way I look at the word. It was the writing and performance of my first play, The Rest is Silence, a play that dealt with depression and suicide at a university level, performed by my friends in the Drama Soc, with two of my best friends taking on the lead role(s).
The actual writing of it meant a lot to me, to get to tell a story that highlighted what depression could feel like, but the consequences of the play were huge in a different way. From ticket sales - and some merchandising - we raised over €750 for a suicide charity in Ireland, Console. It was the first play I'd seen in my college to sell out, and it was the first original play to hit the stage for as long back as anyone could tell me. As far as I'm aware, it was the first time an original play had been performed by the Drama Soc, and not the last.
I can't pick any one of those three achievements as being greater than the other two. Each meant something different to me, and to different people, but each one shaped the way I write and work today. In the six months following the staging of The Rest is Silence, I became a published author, with a book and an article to add to my credits.
Showing posts with label writing magazine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing magazine. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Friday, September 21, 2012
Been a While
I should apologise for the absence, but my problem was largely laziness. I have ideas for posts that I just haven't followed through on. Largely I could blame Teaching Placement, but I've managed multi-tasking in the past. I could say I was sick, but again that hasn't stopped me in the past.
The past few weeks have supplied a lot of fiction. I wrote quite a bit of flash fiction, which has helped me keep up the writing when everything else got too busy.
There's also been my appearance in Writing Magazine, which has managed to continually surprise me with tweets. I love people.
This post isn't really for much else than to say I'm going to try write more blog posts. I have a few plans for them, and a lot of fiction to write for my website. In the meantime, I wish you good tidings.
(Spoiler alert: the next post may contain a mock argument between my twin and I!)
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Writing Magazines and Why You Should Read Them
If you want to write and you don't think you can get all the info yourself through trial and error or from the experiences of your friends, you need to check out the writing magazines in your country (Ireland and UK share most magazines). These magazines are not only a good read, and they not only provide work for writers, they contain information across genres and formats that writers can afford to miss. As well as that, there are valuable submission opportunities in the pages of many writing magazines that would likely get lost among the years-old search results Google spews out every now and then (it's not their fault those pages are still popular!)
In the UK and Ireland, the two magazines that stick out for me on the shelves are Writing Magazine and Writers' Forum. While the former is my favourite of the two, WF does have it's benefits, especially given the fact that editors take different directions each month and have different writers. Even if both magazines covered the same topics, most of the time the writers will be saying a lot of different things that readers can make use of.
Unfortunately, the latest issues of both magazines had the same sort of articles on women's magazines. The market for women's writing is stronger but more competitive, and both magazines focused on the decline in magazines accepting short stories. There's not much else you can say on that, except for the writers to offer advice on submitting to the remaining magazines - and identifying what they want!
Both magazines also offer features on using the Internet as a writer. For Writers' Forum, Alison Baverstock occasionally takes up the position, but not every month. Baverstock's articles are also limited to a page most of the time, so they're more of an overview than anything else. Over the past few months, Rebecca Woodhead has been taking over two-three pages of Writing Magazine with in-depth guides on how to use Blogger, Wordpress, Twitter, Facebook and more; each network is divided by issue, making them valuable and still short guides to these sites. For these guides, WM is the one to look for. (As a side note, Baverstock does have three excellent books to check out, on publishing, marketing and whether or not you have a book in you).
If you can spare the money - £3.60 for WF and £3.75 for WM, though it's longer and has more submission opportunities - these magazines are worth getting from the shop. If you want to subscribe but can't afford both, your best bet is to look at an issue of both and pick one after seeing how you like the writers and the content. Couldn't be simpler.
And, just in case you're wondering if you've read Rebecca Woodhead's articles: yes, I did use her tips to make my website, set up my Facebook page and set up my LinkedIn profile. The only thing I haven't done is a book trailer. I think I'm missing the word "yet" from there. Whatever the case, they were in-depth enough to teach me almost everything I need to know about using the different sites, and that's just one reason to go looking for these magazines. (There's also the tips from different writers on all genres and, in WF, a magazine-submission guide for different topics each issue: Law magazines, Religious magazines, Parenting magazines; consider what you want to do as a writer, then see which magazine is most helpful to you!)
In the UK and Ireland, the two magazines that stick out for me on the shelves are Writing Magazine and Writers' Forum. While the former is my favourite of the two, WF does have it's benefits, especially given the fact that editors take different directions each month and have different writers. Even if both magazines covered the same topics, most of the time the writers will be saying a lot of different things that readers can make use of.
Unfortunately, the latest issues of both magazines had the same sort of articles on women's magazines. The market for women's writing is stronger but more competitive, and both magazines focused on the decline in magazines accepting short stories. There's not much else you can say on that, except for the writers to offer advice on submitting to the remaining magazines - and identifying what they want!
Both magazines also offer features on using the Internet as a writer. For Writers' Forum, Alison Baverstock occasionally takes up the position, but not every month. Baverstock's articles are also limited to a page most of the time, so they're more of an overview than anything else. Over the past few months, Rebecca Woodhead has been taking over two-three pages of Writing Magazine with in-depth guides on how to use Blogger, Wordpress, Twitter, Facebook and more; each network is divided by issue, making them valuable and still short guides to these sites. For these guides, WM is the one to look for. (As a side note, Baverstock does have three excellent books to check out, on publishing, marketing and whether or not you have a book in you).
If you can spare the money - £3.60 for WF and £3.75 for WM, though it's longer and has more submission opportunities - these magazines are worth getting from the shop. If you want to subscribe but can't afford both, your best bet is to look at an issue of both and pick one after seeing how you like the writers and the content. Couldn't be simpler.
And, just in case you're wondering if you've read Rebecca Woodhead's articles: yes, I did use her tips to make my website, set up my Facebook page and set up my LinkedIn profile. The only thing I haven't done is a book trailer. I think I'm missing the word "yet" from there. Whatever the case, they were in-depth enough to teach me almost everything I need to know about using the different sites, and that's just one reason to go looking for these magazines. (There's also the tips from different writers on all genres and, in WF, a magazine-submission guide for different topics each issue: Law magazines, Religious magazines, Parenting magazines; consider what you want to do as a writer, then see which magazine is most helpful to you!)
Friday, April 8, 2011
Wanderings Through Dublin
So I got off college yesterday and the wonderful time of a quarter to eleven and as soon as I'd paid a quick visit to the college library, I headed into town with a friend. Of course, no visit to the library is complete without a glance at the books for sale for one euro, and of course I cannot resist buying books sometimes. I ended up buying a book about counselling children, just because I have an interest in psychology. I have no idea when I'll actually get around to reading that book. On top of that, I also got myself copies of Willingly to School by Paddy Devitt and The Experience of God by Dermot Lane, because the latter had been recommended for an exam, and copies of the Junior and Leaving Cert English syllabi, and the Junior Cert English Teacher's Guidelines.
We bused it into the city centre going to one of the most famous bookshops in Dublin, Chapters. I made sure to head straight to the Classics section, looking for a copy of A Sentimental Journey by Laurence Sterne. I did not find one, though I did pick up a copy of Tristram Shandy. Our lecturer mentioned it several times in the past, so I figured I'd give it a shot at some stage. Not content to leave without some sort of back-up plan in case I couldn't get a copy of Sterne's other book, I grabbed copies of Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe and Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift, which I was going to get anyway in work, except there was a Wordsworth Classics edition here, so it was much much cheaper. I made sure to flee the shop before I spent yet more money.
We got lunch before moving on to Eason, where I had gone to get one thing and one thing only: Writing Magazine. And why..?
So yeah, my face is in a magazine. I'm also quoted quite a bit. That was fun! There's also the added benefit that I really like reading the magazine anyway, so I just had more incentive to buy it than usual.
Of course, I was thinking I might get Sterne's book in Eason... so I went downstairs only to find myself disappointed. However, I couldn't stop myself picking up a copy of Moby Dick by Herman Melville, because I think I need it at some stage for my course, and because I was trying to convince myself to be a good little reader and attempt more classics. I also couldn't stop myself picking up 50 literature ideas because we only ever had the physics and maths ones in work. Delighted. I'd paid for them when my friend pointed out Rory's Story Cubes at the till, and I'd been looking for them for a while. I bought them... I'm so weak sometimes.
We moved on swiftly, avoiding the rest of the shop lest our bank accounts suffer more, but not before stopping for a cup of tea in the cafe upstairs. We headed towards the South Side, stopping off in Forbidden Planet but not having the money to buy anything from it. We just nerded out for a bit. Following that, we went to Tower Records on Wicklow Street, the only shop in Dublin I have been able to find a selection of Mountain Goats albums. I bought one... I was quickly becoming poor.
We ended our journey through the city centre at St Stephen's Green Shopping Centre, where I managed to find a copy of Writers Forum magazine in Hughes and Hughes. With a heap load of stuff weighing me down at this point, I said my goodbye and headed for the bus.
The day was mostly boring after that, though I did have a short chat with a friend having discovered he had a phone again (long story, not mine to tell) and I began to write a short story in response to a call for submissions in Writing Magazine. I announced the details of my story on Facebook, and professional help has been advised. This is a good sign.
I'm off college for a few weeks, now, before the Dreaded Exams begin. At that point, I will turn from eccentric to downright insane, unless I learn to procrastinate a couple of times. That was always fun last year. After that, we're into the summer... I can't believe how little time, relatively speaking, there is before that.
We bused it into the city centre going to one of the most famous bookshops in Dublin, Chapters. I made sure to head straight to the Classics section, looking for a copy of A Sentimental Journey by Laurence Sterne. I did not find one, though I did pick up a copy of Tristram Shandy. Our lecturer mentioned it several times in the past, so I figured I'd give it a shot at some stage. Not content to leave without some sort of back-up plan in case I couldn't get a copy of Sterne's other book, I grabbed copies of Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe and Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift, which I was going to get anyway in work, except there was a Wordsworth Classics edition here, so it was much much cheaper. I made sure to flee the shop before I spent yet more money.
We got lunch before moving on to Eason, where I had gone to get one thing and one thing only: Writing Magazine. And why..?
 | ||
| Oh my God! |
Of course, I was thinking I might get Sterne's book in Eason... so I went downstairs only to find myself disappointed. However, I couldn't stop myself picking up a copy of Moby Dick by Herman Melville, because I think I need it at some stage for my course, and because I was trying to convince myself to be a good little reader and attempt more classics. I also couldn't stop myself picking up 50 literature ideas because we only ever had the physics and maths ones in work. Delighted. I'd paid for them when my friend pointed out Rory's Story Cubes at the till, and I'd been looking for them for a while. I bought them... I'm so weak sometimes.
We moved on swiftly, avoiding the rest of the shop lest our bank accounts suffer more, but not before stopping for a cup of tea in the cafe upstairs. We headed towards the South Side, stopping off in Forbidden Planet but not having the money to buy anything from it. We just nerded out for a bit. Following that, we went to Tower Records on Wicklow Street, the only shop in Dublin I have been able to find a selection of Mountain Goats albums. I bought one... I was quickly becoming poor.
We ended our journey through the city centre at St Stephen's Green Shopping Centre, where I managed to find a copy of Writers Forum magazine in Hughes and Hughes. With a heap load of stuff weighing me down at this point, I said my goodbye and headed for the bus.
The day was mostly boring after that, though I did have a short chat with a friend having discovered he had a phone again (long story, not mine to tell) and I began to write a short story in response to a call for submissions in Writing Magazine. I announced the details of my story on Facebook, and professional help has been advised. This is a good sign.
I'm off college for a few weeks, now, before the Dreaded Exams begin. At that point, I will turn from eccentric to downright insane, unless I learn to procrastinate a couple of times. That was always fun last year. After that, we're into the summer... I can't believe how little time, relatively speaking, there is before that.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Fixing Mistakes
Editing is an annoying part of the writing process, but something that can and will be of great importance to every writer. It helps to remove all those annoying little grammatical errors that you didn't notice when you wrote the piece, it helps to make the piece flow better, and in my case it helps to cover up the stupid little mistakes I made.
This summer, along with write a whole load, I plan on editing the three novellas I wrote last summer. By and large this will just be for myself so that I can clear the books of a certain feel to them, too real to be fiction and too fictional to be biographical. I want these books to be my own, and so during the edits I'll be making them different, adding people here, removing people there, twisting the already twisted lying memories into something truer than ever before, true in its fiction, not in the anecdotes the books twist into full-blown stories.
Unless a writing career develops that calls for need for these books, they'll largely just be something for myself. They'll be mistakes I've made and corrected, practice in writing and practice in editing, and that is something I can be proud of. Fixing the mistakes of my past seems to be a continuing theme of my life, making sure all those little things I did get made up for.
A year ago, and since, my blog has been a forum of discussion of many of the affairs of my life. I have been comfortable talking about some things, uncomfortable talking about others and expressing my anguish poorly and indirectly, and while I have moaned to some extent about certain people publicly I have kept their names a secret; I understand the importance of being somewhat discreet in these matters and know that public defamation, all legalities aside, is just plain wrong.
So my blog is transforming into what I want it to be - a place where I can review books, a place where I can share anecdotes about my life, and a place where I can talk about the writing I am doing. I'm liking it more this way. Obviously if something drastic happens that darkens my mood and I feel the need to complain in some way, I will probably resort to my blog for that, but this is my way of maintaining contact with my sometimes-few readers.
Official housekeeping stuff: I know I missed my review on Wednesday. I'll post it this coming Wednesday instead. And I will explain why I missed it in a future post, as well as explain why I didn't explain why sooner in another post. It's been a busy few days.
Super cool announcement: Way back when (I can't quite remember how long ago - not too long - so I'm over-estimating... it was last month) Rebecca Woodhead put out a call for people to answer some questions about Facebook. She was writing an article for the May 2011 issue of Writing Magazine. I answered her questions on her blog (http://rebeccawoodhead.com) and Rebecca, being such a lovely person, got back to me shortly afterwards and said she was going to quote me in the article. Yes, that's right: thanks to the ever-brilliant Rebecca Woodhead (whose début novel is coming out in a matter of days! Go to her site, now!) I will be making a cameo appearance in a national (and the best selling) UK writing magazine. How cool is that?! I can't wait to go into town right after college at the end of the week to get it!
That's it for now. I'll be back tomorrow or Tuesday to write about last Wednesday, a review will be up this Wednesday, then I'll be writing about Thursday just gone and Monday coming over the next couple of days after that. They almost became one big post, but I figure the events were significant enough for me to separate them in worded-awesome. Until next time, take care!
This summer, along with write a whole load, I plan on editing the three novellas I wrote last summer. By and large this will just be for myself so that I can clear the books of a certain feel to them, too real to be fiction and too fictional to be biographical. I want these books to be my own, and so during the edits I'll be making them different, adding people here, removing people there, twisting the already twisted lying memories into something truer than ever before, true in its fiction, not in the anecdotes the books twist into full-blown stories.
Unless a writing career develops that calls for need for these books, they'll largely just be something for myself. They'll be mistakes I've made and corrected, practice in writing and practice in editing, and that is something I can be proud of. Fixing the mistakes of my past seems to be a continuing theme of my life, making sure all those little things I did get made up for.
A year ago, and since, my blog has been a forum of discussion of many of the affairs of my life. I have been comfortable talking about some things, uncomfortable talking about others and expressing my anguish poorly and indirectly, and while I have moaned to some extent about certain people publicly I have kept their names a secret; I understand the importance of being somewhat discreet in these matters and know that public defamation, all legalities aside, is just plain wrong.
So my blog is transforming into what I want it to be - a place where I can review books, a place where I can share anecdotes about my life, and a place where I can talk about the writing I am doing. I'm liking it more this way. Obviously if something drastic happens that darkens my mood and I feel the need to complain in some way, I will probably resort to my blog for that, but this is my way of maintaining contact with my sometimes-few readers.
Official housekeeping stuff: I know I missed my review on Wednesday. I'll post it this coming Wednesday instead. And I will explain why I missed it in a future post, as well as explain why I didn't explain why sooner in another post. It's been a busy few days.
Super cool announcement: Way back when (I can't quite remember how long ago - not too long - so I'm over-estimating... it was last month) Rebecca Woodhead put out a call for people to answer some questions about Facebook. She was writing an article for the May 2011 issue of Writing Magazine. I answered her questions on her blog (http://rebeccawoodhead.com) and Rebecca, being such a lovely person, got back to me shortly afterwards and said she was going to quote me in the article. Yes, that's right: thanks to the ever-brilliant Rebecca Woodhead (whose début novel is coming out in a matter of days! Go to her site, now!) I will be making a cameo appearance in a national (and the best selling) UK writing magazine. How cool is that?! I can't wait to go into town right after college at the end of the week to get it!
That's it for now. I'll be back tomorrow or Tuesday to write about last Wednesday, a review will be up this Wednesday, then I'll be writing about Thursday just gone and Monday coming over the next couple of days after that. They almost became one big post, but I figure the events were significant enough for me to separate them in worded-awesome. Until next time, take care!
Friday, February 11, 2011
Opportunity Knocks
As some of you may know, I have a habit of buying writing magazines. Mostly I don't read them. Today, I bought two. I know, bold of me. Still, I went through them and marked all the things that are immediately of interest to me. I might read the rest, but for now I'm focusing on these parts. I don't buy them unless I can find at least one thing of interest in them to me. Normally if I find that one thing, I find another thing, too.
Today... a grand total of 16 pages marked for reading. Okay, pages means the double-page, not a single page. And it doesn't necessarily mean I'll read the whole thing. These are just places where there could be just one tiny section of interest to me, highlighted again. But other times there are a couple of articles on these pages that are of interest. It was kind of worth the money, this time!
What I hope to do, as a result of finding a few of these things, is take advantage of the opportunities available in them. There are competitions and submission opportunities highlighted that I want to actually do something about. I just felt the need to tell people about this. And really, bothering my friends with texts that are only of interest to me feels a bit weird. (Especially since about three people would get the same text, and one of them might reply...)
In other news (that was news?), I've begun to bother the people of Twitter for my new feature - I'm looking to "interview" people every Friday. This will entail a discussion of 1. them, personally (who they are, where they live, what they do for a living, etc.) and 2. the creative thing they do that has me getting in touch with them in the first place. I'm more drawn to writers, but as I'm also a fan of music I won't turn that down. This is to replace my Friday Friend feature from last year. Well, it's to change it. The old archive is about people I know, with nicknames I gave them for this blog. This new feature will have people's real names - if they use them online - but I won't specify if I know them or not. It occurs to me I'll be able to bother some people I do know, but that's a different matter.
So, why am I doing it? Well, firstly I want to network. I figure the best way to do that is to get a chat going. Through the personal discussion, I'll get to know the person better (and may continue to talk to them privately after the post) and through the other discussion I'll be showcasing new and interesting people to my readers (it feels weird to say I have readers, when it's mainly friends from college who aren't sick of my blog posts). The hope is that the people I interview will also link to the interview they're in, and maybe come back to see who else is being interviewed.
Secondly, I want a feature on my blog that actually interests me and won't dive into people's privacy without their permission. Bold Paul was bold last year. This new idea has me excited already, and I'll be bothering people who I think are suitable for this pretty soon!
Thirdly, I want the practice. As I plan on writing for a living, doing interviews and stuff like this early on will show that I'm fully capable of doing it later in life. I'll be working around college, too, so things will be a little bit busy for me throughout the year. And I'll have basically nothing to do in the summer...
So, if you're interested in being interviewed, please get in touch - if you comment, make sure that I can follow a link (either by including it in the comment or submitting it with your name when you post) so that I can see how suitable you are, and please have some way of being contacted through that - even a Twitter page will do! What I ask in return is that you answer the questions, keep in touch, link to the post (it's showcasing YOU anyway!) and maybe suggest other people afterwards (so I can keep the feature going).
Now, time for me to start answer the door to opportunity. It's raining tonight... must be soaked!
Today... a grand total of 16 pages marked for reading. Okay, pages means the double-page, not a single page. And it doesn't necessarily mean I'll read the whole thing. These are just places where there could be just one tiny section of interest to me, highlighted again. But other times there are a couple of articles on these pages that are of interest. It was kind of worth the money, this time!
What I hope to do, as a result of finding a few of these things, is take advantage of the opportunities available in them. There are competitions and submission opportunities highlighted that I want to actually do something about. I just felt the need to tell people about this. And really, bothering my friends with texts that are only of interest to me feels a bit weird. (Especially since about three people would get the same text, and one of them might reply...)
In other news (that was news?), I've begun to bother the people of Twitter for my new feature - I'm looking to "interview" people every Friday. This will entail a discussion of 1. them, personally (who they are, where they live, what they do for a living, etc.) and 2. the creative thing they do that has me getting in touch with them in the first place. I'm more drawn to writers, but as I'm also a fan of music I won't turn that down. This is to replace my Friday Friend feature from last year. Well, it's to change it. The old archive is about people I know, with nicknames I gave them for this blog. This new feature will have people's real names - if they use them online - but I won't specify if I know them or not. It occurs to me I'll be able to bother some people I do know, but that's a different matter.
So, why am I doing it? Well, firstly I want to network. I figure the best way to do that is to get a chat going. Through the personal discussion, I'll get to know the person better (and may continue to talk to them privately after the post) and through the other discussion I'll be showcasing new and interesting people to my readers (it feels weird to say I have readers, when it's mainly friends from college who aren't sick of my blog posts). The hope is that the people I interview will also link to the interview they're in, and maybe come back to see who else is being interviewed.
Secondly, I want a feature on my blog that actually interests me and won't dive into people's privacy without their permission. Bold Paul was bold last year. This new idea has me excited already, and I'll be bothering people who I think are suitable for this pretty soon!
Thirdly, I want the practice. As I plan on writing for a living, doing interviews and stuff like this early on will show that I'm fully capable of doing it later in life. I'll be working around college, too, so things will be a little bit busy for me throughout the year. And I'll have basically nothing to do in the summer...
So, if you're interested in being interviewed, please get in touch - if you comment, make sure that I can follow a link (either by including it in the comment or submitting it with your name when you post) so that I can see how suitable you are, and please have some way of being contacted through that - even a Twitter page will do! What I ask in return is that you answer the questions, keep in touch, link to the post (it's showcasing YOU anyway!) and maybe suggest other people afterwards (so I can keep the feature going).
Now, time for me to start answer the door to opportunity. It's raining tonight... must be soaked!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
The Anonymous Writer Update
I've spent a few creative hours working on the magazine today, to see exactly how much work needs to go into this. Right now it's going fine - I got 4 of the 12 tasks done that I set myself, though the 12 may become 11, or even 10. Admitedly it was most of the easier tasks that I got done, but it was fun nonetheless.
I may spend the rest of the night writing an essay on positive thought and its ability to change lives, or maybe a piece on Social Justice, which I can ask my friend's dad, a lecturer in my college, to read before I publish it. Fascinating stuff, I have to say.
As the weekend approaches, I'll also be writing a short story for the magazine, and hopefully finding a couple of photographs to take. I'm thinking some stalking of my back garden may be in order... there's also some nice birds out there. I will need to wait until my family won't be around to watch me watching nothing. That would be awkward.
Then there's the book reviews! I need to find the books I want to review. I'm thinking of some now, even as I type - so exciting! I can't wait to get this thing published online. Which reminds me - cover design! Social Justice may have to take a back seat for that. My idea is simple, but I need to make sure it will work.
Writeranonymous - away!
I may spend the rest of the night writing an essay on positive thought and its ability to change lives, or maybe a piece on Social Justice, which I can ask my friend's dad, a lecturer in my college, to read before I publish it. Fascinating stuff, I have to say.
As the weekend approaches, I'll also be writing a short story for the magazine, and hopefully finding a couple of photographs to take. I'm thinking some stalking of my back garden may be in order... there's also some nice birds out there. I will need to wait until my family won't be around to watch me watching nothing. That would be awkward.
Then there's the book reviews! I need to find the books I want to review. I'm thinking of some now, even as I type - so exciting! I can't wait to get this thing published online. Which reminds me - cover design! Social Justice may have to take a back seat for that. My idea is simple, but I need to make sure it will work.
Writeranonymous - away!
Monday, January 18, 2010
Getting Ideas
Recently I've been getting ideas for things that aren't all related with writing fiction. That's a strange experience for me; normally my life consists of fiction as an escape from reality. Now I'm in the process of putting together a poetry book, organising my Sooper Sekrit Project, and considering taking on another task that would get my name out there in a different field... non-fiction!
Let's put everything in perspective first of all. My fiction isn't dead, just crazy. Actually, I'm the crazy one, would be more accurate to say. Instead of writing down my ideas for my books, I'm speaking out dialogue in a whisper in the bathroom every time I go in there. Gotta love showers for that - I can spend a few minutes waking up in the water in the morning, then when I'm drying myself, which I spend far too long doing anyway, I can go through plots and conversations and all sorts of stuff. I better start writing them all down though.
As for the poetry book... I need to organise the order of the poems still. I'm going to print them tomorrow before college to encourage me to do it. For now, though, I'm going to arrange promotion. Already setting targets for the followers of the Facebook page to meet in terms of getting new fans - 750 by Friday? Easy. 736 as I'm writing this. People are awesome at reducing World Suck (world suck, for those of you who don't know is a term used my the Vlog Brothers John and Hank Green to describe things that make the world suck.. fairly straightforward, you'll agree).
The Sooper Sekrit Project now has one draft of a List of Awesome, 2010. The list contains ten items that are awesome that will be included in the project in the year, assuming it ever gets going. If I don't get additional help on this, it'll just be me. Scary thought, but I think I can do it.
Then there's that new idea... I want to do a sort of magazine thing. It's going to be a monthly or bi-monthly piece with essays on different things in the world. So I'd have a piece of Theology, which could be discussion of the Church, or a journey of self-discovery, or a piece on Justice. Then there'd be a Poetry section, which might include a couple of specially written poems, maybe some Haiku, and a recommendation for some poetry too (as I'm studying Poetry in college right now, and I run a writers group, this part should be easy). I'm also thinking of a writing piece or two - advice from my own experiences to help people get past problems, a writing experiment or two, an interview with someone I know online, or just an essay on books. And a few reviews, if I have any I'd like to share. Recommended reading for different ages for kids, and stuff like that. I might even have a photography section, if it can be arranged.
As well as topical things like that, I'd also have a kind of follow-up on things happening in my life that are book related - the Den and anything we do, Poetry Against Cancer, the Sooper Sekrit Project, and any info, if any, on my publishing progress.
The entire thing will be in A5 on paper, but also available in e-format. I'd be charging very cheaply for issues after the first, if I go ahead with this, but the first one will be free to keep people coming back for more if they like it.
Which means I'd need a subscriber page, too. Maybe a giveaway...
Good thing I placed an order for some books earlier! I'm already planning one giveaway, but if this gets going I'll plan other stuff. Hopefully if I get a fairly decent reader-size the prizes will fund themselves. It'll be done through Lulu.com, so it'll be easy to manage revenue and whatnot.
Oh, I never told you my name for the magazine. Well, since it's my magazine, about writing and other things, The Anonymous Writer, to fit in with my Twitter and YouTube names. And if this actually makes me any money, I'll have to try get a website. That would be so cool!
Now.. thoughts, anyone?
Let's put everything in perspective first of all. My fiction isn't dead, just crazy. Actually, I'm the crazy one, would be more accurate to say. Instead of writing down my ideas for my books, I'm speaking out dialogue in a whisper in the bathroom every time I go in there. Gotta love showers for that - I can spend a few minutes waking up in the water in the morning, then when I'm drying myself, which I spend far too long doing anyway, I can go through plots and conversations and all sorts of stuff. I better start writing them all down though.
As for the poetry book... I need to organise the order of the poems still. I'm going to print them tomorrow before college to encourage me to do it. For now, though, I'm going to arrange promotion. Already setting targets for the followers of the Facebook page to meet in terms of getting new fans - 750 by Friday? Easy. 736 as I'm writing this. People are awesome at reducing World Suck (world suck, for those of you who don't know is a term used my the Vlog Brothers John and Hank Green to describe things that make the world suck.. fairly straightforward, you'll agree).
The Sooper Sekrit Project now has one draft of a List of Awesome, 2010. The list contains ten items that are awesome that will be included in the project in the year, assuming it ever gets going. If I don't get additional help on this, it'll just be me. Scary thought, but I think I can do it.
Then there's that new idea... I want to do a sort of magazine thing. It's going to be a monthly or bi-monthly piece with essays on different things in the world. So I'd have a piece of Theology, which could be discussion of the Church, or a journey of self-discovery, or a piece on Justice. Then there'd be a Poetry section, which might include a couple of specially written poems, maybe some Haiku, and a recommendation for some poetry too (as I'm studying Poetry in college right now, and I run a writers group, this part should be easy). I'm also thinking of a writing piece or two - advice from my own experiences to help people get past problems, a writing experiment or two, an interview with someone I know online, or just an essay on books. And a few reviews, if I have any I'd like to share. Recommended reading for different ages for kids, and stuff like that. I might even have a photography section, if it can be arranged.
As well as topical things like that, I'd also have a kind of follow-up on things happening in my life that are book related - the Den and anything we do, Poetry Against Cancer, the Sooper Sekrit Project, and any info, if any, on my publishing progress.
The entire thing will be in A5 on paper, but also available in e-format. I'd be charging very cheaply for issues after the first, if I go ahead with this, but the first one will be free to keep people coming back for more if they like it.
Which means I'd need a subscriber page, too. Maybe a giveaway...
Good thing I placed an order for some books earlier! I'm already planning one giveaway, but if this gets going I'll plan other stuff. Hopefully if I get a fairly decent reader-size the prizes will fund themselves. It'll be done through Lulu.com, so it'll be easy to manage revenue and whatnot.
Oh, I never told you my name for the magazine. Well, since it's my magazine, about writing and other things, The Anonymous Writer, to fit in with my Twitter and YouTube names. And if this actually makes me any money, I'll have to try get a website. That would be so cool!
Now.. thoughts, anyone?
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Review Service
As you all know, I review books. Whenever I finish a book, I review it. It's not always full of praise (for instance, the most recent Andy Briggs books) but it's an opinion on the book based on my tastes.
I would like to make it clear, this service is open to anyone. In the future, I will be receiving books from Simon & Schuster Kids to review. If anyone else would like to avail of the service, it's simple: ask and you shall receive. Publishers looking for a reviewer, I'm your man! While Crime and Romance aren't my preferences, I will do my best with whatever offers are made to me.
All children's books from this will be donated or used as prizes for schools within the Den's magazine. Successful schools will receive a box of books, based on the amount of books I receive. Obviously, the more diverse the selection (publisher and genre accounted for), the better the prize. This is part of an active movement to promote reading and writing.
The adult books will be distributed fairly, maybe even to the parents of the pupils of successful schools, or as prizes for the magazine again. One thing that won't happen: I won't make a monetary profit from the books. In fact, taking postage into account, I'll be making a loss on this. I don't mind, it's my idea and my money.
If you're interested, be you a publisher or an author, please contact me at literary_mania(at)yahoo(dot)ie with the subject of Review Service. Thank you for your time.
I would like to make it clear, this service is open to anyone. In the future, I will be receiving books from Simon & Schuster Kids to review. If anyone else would like to avail of the service, it's simple: ask and you shall receive. Publishers looking for a reviewer, I'm your man! While Crime and Romance aren't my preferences, I will do my best with whatever offers are made to me.
All children's books from this will be donated or used as prizes for schools within the Den's magazine. Successful schools will receive a box of books, based on the amount of books I receive. Obviously, the more diverse the selection (publisher and genre accounted for), the better the prize. This is part of an active movement to promote reading and writing.
The adult books will be distributed fairly, maybe even to the parents of the pupils of successful schools, or as prizes for the magazine again. One thing that won't happen: I won't make a monetary profit from the books. In fact, taking postage into account, I'll be making a loss on this. I don't mind, it's my idea and my money.
If you're interested, be you a publisher or an author, please contact me at literary_mania(at)yahoo(dot)ie with the subject of Review Service. Thank you for your time.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Writing Magazines
Well, during my ventures yesterday in Dublin's City Centre, I purchased a few things. One is an album you're not interested in, and a couple of books that I'm not interested in telling you about at this point in time. I did, however, also make a couple of purchases in Eason. I don't normally like to do this, but it was a special case - magazines.
Two of them, to be precise, with another arriving in the post at the same time. Writing Magazine and Writers' Forum are now added to my collection, alongside my two-year subscription to The Stinging Fly. The latter is pretty much made up of short stories and poetry, and I received the subscription from my brothers for my eighteenth birthday.
The other magazines are all about writing. I'm experimenting with them at first, to see which I prefer. I might like them both, but for now I'm going to assume that's not the case, for my bank account's sake. Starting with Writers' Forum, I've already discovered some interesting things to help me in my endeavors that I will be partaking in, namely trying to freelance.
This is added to the multiple novels and short stories I'm already working on. And do you know, I can't wait.
While I'm here, I may as well remind the delightful public about the Literary Den magazine and giveaway. Click here for the full story, with info on submitting and the prize.
Two of them, to be precise, with another arriving in the post at the same time. Writing Magazine and Writers' Forum are now added to my collection, alongside my two-year subscription to The Stinging Fly. The latter is pretty much made up of short stories and poetry, and I received the subscription from my brothers for my eighteenth birthday.
The other magazines are all about writing. I'm experimenting with them at first, to see which I prefer. I might like them both, but for now I'm going to assume that's not the case, for my bank account's sake. Starting with Writers' Forum, I've already discovered some interesting things to help me in my endeavors that I will be partaking in, namely trying to freelance.
This is added to the multiple novels and short stories I'm already working on. And do you know, I can't wait.
While I'm here, I may as well remind the delightful public about the Literary Den magazine and giveaway. Click here for the full story, with info on submitting and the prize.
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