I was talking to a new writer for New Writers Club this afternoon, a person by the name of Von Ryan, who is working on some stories for smashwords. The conversation came around to a short story writing competition that Von once took part in and one thing led to another and a Von told me that it was theoretically possible to write a story from scratch. Apparently I remember (I think - but don't quote me on it) that Stephen King in his earlier heyday of story writing would start off with just an idea for a start of a story... not the plot as such, sometimes just maybe the first line and find a story lurking there.
So anyway, Von went off and less than an hour later, I kid you not, came back with a perfectly good first draft of a story... which is going to be typo checked and given a quick rewrite and will then be up on smashwords before the weekend. So just from that conversation, we will have a new story to be talking about on NWC... now I just wish that I could do that, don't you... or maybe you can...
Wednesday 3 November 2010
Tuesday 26 October 2010
New Writers Club reviews Four Thousand Miles
I've just finished reading the exciting new book Four Thousand Miles by Jesi Lea Ryan, who I guess we can now call a new member to New Writers Club, and we're just delighted to have her along!
It's published by Dark Castle Lords Publications and it's about a woman whose world falls apart on her one day but who eventually... well I'm not going to give the plot away!
Jesi Lea has that unmistakable ability to take a reader and bring them along with her as she takes a journey that explores the innermost thoughts and feelings of her characters. She develops her characters in such a way that you find it impossible not to be rooting for them as you wander with them through their lives.
As well as Jesi Lea's ability to tell a good story and to make you care for what happens to her characters, her use of language to provide vivid pictures of places, seasons and times, is amongst the best you will find in writers in this genre. It's not unusual to believe that you're there with her characters; watching the same views, feeling the same winter chills tugging at your coat or the damp of a sudden shower that catches you out without an umbrella.
The story bowls you along and along rapidly to it's breathtaking conclusion... and you may find, like me, that you've hardly put it down since you started it. Somewhere, a film director and producer are looking for the perfect script for their next big film, and one hopes that they find Jesi Lea's book.
It's published by Dark Castle Lords Publications and it's about a woman whose world falls apart on her one day but who eventually... well I'm not going to give the plot away!
Jesi Lea has that unmistakable ability to take a reader and bring them along with her as she takes a journey that explores the innermost thoughts and feelings of her characters. She develops her characters in such a way that you find it impossible not to be rooting for them as you wander with them through their lives.
As well as Jesi Lea's ability to tell a good story and to make you care for what happens to her characters, her use of language to provide vivid pictures of places, seasons and times, is amongst the best you will find in writers in this genre. It's not unusual to believe that you're there with her characters; watching the same views, feeling the same winter chills tugging at your coat or the damp of a sudden shower that catches you out without an umbrella.
The story bowls you along and along rapidly to it's breathtaking conclusion... and you may find, like me, that you've hardly put it down since you started it. Somewhere, a film director and producer are looking for the perfect script for their next big film, and one hopes that they find Jesi Lea's book.
Thursday 21 October 2010
The Patricius Enigma - what some people said...
This is what some people have said about Sean Marshall's first novel, The Patricius Enigma, which tells a story about the theft of the Irish Crown Jewels... well not really, to be honest...
"Simply the best book you'll ever read" - the author
"A thrilling who-dunnit, comedy, tragedy, thriller, unputdownable read!" - a good friend of the author
"Not worth the money or the time it takes to read it" - a not-so-good friend of the author
"As if you'd know a good book when you see one, and I never knew you could read anyway" - the author
"A**hole" - the not so good friend of the reader
okay, you know that those comments are just the back cover... but here is an actual comment from a reader, I promise!
"Just finished the book, I started this afternoon at 2PM and couldn't put it down (due to enjoyment not due to an unforeseen adhesive issue). I had to keep my leg elevated for the day and you made this chore all the more easy - thanks."
Are they right, well why don't you check it out on http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/21520 or http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/the-patricius-enigma/12286156 or search for it on amazon.com and see what you think... there's a free sample on both smashwords and amazon that you can read but I promise, you may not be able to stop!
"Simply the best book you'll ever read" - the author
"A thrilling who-dunnit, comedy, tragedy, thriller, unputdownable read!" - a good friend of the author
"Not worth the money or the time it takes to read it" - a not-so-good friend of the author
"As if you'd know a good book when you see one, and I never knew you could read anyway" - the author
"A**hole" - the not so good friend of the reader
okay, you know that those comments are just the back cover... but here is an actual comment from a reader, I promise!
"Just finished the book, I started this afternoon at 2PM and couldn't put it down (due to enjoyment not due to an unforeseen adhesive issue). I had to keep my leg elevated for the day and you made this chore all the more easy - thanks."
Are they right, well why don't you check it out on http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/21520 or http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/the-patricius-enigma/12286156 or search for it on amazon.com and see what you think... there's a free sample on both smashwords and amazon that you can read but I promise, you may not be able to stop!
Wednesday 13 October 2010
Wikipedia rocks
As a new writer trying to gain recognition for a newly published work, whether it's indie-published or published by an publishing house, you might think about getting yourself a Wikipedia page.
Okay, the normal way for this to happen is for a grateful fan to take your work and want to share it with the public by putting up a Wiki page for it, but it doesn't have to be like that... no, not at all.
Over the last few days one of our members has been busy putting his brand new novel up as a Wiki page, complete with full plot details, to make it just like any other famous novel on Wiki. Now due to the safeguards that Wiki have in place, there is a few days wait before they allow the page to be put up, but that's just because the account is a new account, so we're reliably informed that it will be there in a few days.
And though we couldn't say that it's as easy as blogging, it is quite easy and as soon as you've done one, well, then you know the secrets and there's no stopping you.
So, you can wait and see what it looks like when it's done, or you can jump right in now. New Writers Club will do a page for you. Just contact me on Twitter and I can give you our e-mail address so we can discuss when we need from you to be able to put your page up.
Okay, the normal way for this to happen is for a grateful fan to take your work and want to share it with the public by putting up a Wiki page for it, but it doesn't have to be like that... no, not at all.
Over the last few days one of our members has been busy putting his brand new novel up as a Wiki page, complete with full plot details, to make it just like any other famous novel on Wiki. Now due to the safeguards that Wiki have in place, there is a few days wait before they allow the page to be put up, but that's just because the account is a new account, so we're reliably informed that it will be there in a few days.
And though we couldn't say that it's as easy as blogging, it is quite easy and as soon as you've done one, well, then you know the secrets and there's no stopping you.
So, you can wait and see what it looks like when it's done, or you can jump right in now. New Writers Club will do a page for you. Just contact me on Twitter and I can give you our e-mail address so we can discuss when we need from you to be able to put your page up.
Tuesday 5 October 2010
First up... a short collection of stories...
The first new writer, well newly published writer that I've been working with in New Writers Club is Kevin Marshall who has published four stories on smashwords.com http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/KevinMarshall
The thing I love most about Kevin's writing is how it takes me back to the classic style of short story that I remember from when I first started reading grown-up stories... you know the type of story, the ones with a classic twist.
Of course, the true art to short story writing lies not only in the ability to have a good story and to get that story down on paper, but when you read Kevin's stories, you will see how he commands the English language to weave you into his spell in such a way that you are that highwayman in If There Be God, and well, if you aren't a little scared reading Pterodactyl Rising or especially The Scarecrow, well then I don't know what to say to you.
My favourite is The Time Of Leaving which Kevin describes as a SF story, 'sad and grim and lonely, but in its way beautiful and with a moral laced deep in the kernel'.
Do you know what? You're just gonna have to read them yourself and make your own judgement.
Enjoy and do drop back and let me know what you think on Twitter or Facebook...
The thing I love most about Kevin's writing is how it takes me back to the classic style of short story that I remember from when I first started reading grown-up stories... you know the type of story, the ones with a classic twist.
Of course, the true art to short story writing lies not only in the ability to have a good story and to get that story down on paper, but when you read Kevin's stories, you will see how he commands the English language to weave you into his spell in such a way that you are that highwayman in If There Be God, and well, if you aren't a little scared reading Pterodactyl Rising or especially The Scarecrow, well then I don't know what to say to you.
My favourite is The Time Of Leaving which Kevin describes as a SF story, 'sad and grim and lonely, but in its way beautiful and with a moral laced deep in the kernel'.
Do you know what? You're just gonna have to read them yourself and make your own judgement.
Enjoy and do drop back and let me know what you think on Twitter or Facebook...
Tuesday 28 September 2010
You have to start somewhere...
So you've written something... I don't mean like a letter or anything, I mean a story, book, novel, and you are going to get it published. Well, take it from someone who's been there before, this is where the hard work starts - and if you're not successful in getting a publisher and you decide to go it yourself, indiepublish, then the hard work goes on and on.
Of course, there's many sites out there who can help and this is another one of them... and we're free. In other words, this site is hosted by a small group of people sho've done this already - published their work on http://www.lulu.com/ for istance where you can get nice printed books that your readers can actually hold in their hot little hands; or on http://www.smashwords.com/ where you get all the possible varieties of electronic publishing; some have even gone the whole hog and got their indie-published book onto Amazon!
So when it's four in the morning and you just can't figure out exactly what the style guide requirements of Smashwords (for example) are, we'll help you just because we've been there and done that and bought the... well you get the picture.
So we're up and running.
You will soon see posts letting you know about new work published by new (and sometimes not so new) writers, so please follow and you can keep up to date... or follow us on Twitter or even join the group on FB - We really don't care how you do it, just KEEP UP TO DATE!
Of course, there's many sites out there who can help and this is another one of them... and we're free. In other words, this site is hosted by a small group of people sho've done this already - published their work on http://www.lulu.com/ for istance where you can get nice printed books that your readers can actually hold in their hot little hands; or on http://www.smashwords.com/ where you get all the possible varieties of electronic publishing; some have even gone the whole hog and got their indie-published book onto Amazon!
So when it's four in the morning and you just can't figure out exactly what the style guide requirements of Smashwords (for example) are, we'll help you just because we've been there and done that and bought the... well you get the picture.
So we're up and running.
You will soon see posts letting you know about new work published by new (and sometimes not so new) writers, so please follow and you can keep up to date... or follow us on Twitter or even join the group on FB - We really don't care how you do it, just KEEP UP TO DATE!
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