My August catch up starts with the book trailer I made...
I am still writing. I have literally just released my latest book: Rot, which actually has some good reviews. Which is a huge weight off my mind. I have several on Goodreads and 4 reviews on Amazon. There has been a mix up with the printed version of Rot unfortunately. The copies that went out before have all been recalled because they sent out an unedited version. It’s all been fixed now, and the new printed copies will be back on the shelf soon. In the meantime, if you can not wait, you can pick up a copy of the Kindle version.
If you do happen to buy a copy of Rot, or get a copy some other way. I'd be very interested to find out what you think, because I'm trying to work out who my fans might be - if I have any at all. I want to know who I'm writing for. Of course I'm writing for myself, mainly. It’s just, whenever I read a bad review it gets under my skin, as you could imagine, it’s hurtful. You know, you work really hard on something, and then somebody shoots it down in a second. But, I've just sort of concluded, as a way of coping with hostile reviews, I will focus on the people who do like it. And this means that I am writing for you guys. Don’t get me wrong, I’m fine with constructive criticism, but in very small doses.
I am writing for the people that do like how I write - that do enjoy what I do. And the ones that don't, and want to be nasty about it? Well, they can just stop reading my stuff, that’s fine. Maybe they’ll like me later, who knows. There's no benefit in writing for people that will never like your work. So I've kind of come to terms with that, of setting my mind at ease so that I can just focus and not be put off.
But yeah, I would be very interested in anybody that reads my books, or even my blogs, and likes them, telling me what they like about them and what they hope to see in the future… that kind of thing. I just want to kind of get to know my audience.
As for other things I'm doing in August. Is I have an interview coming up with Talk Radio Europe, which I'm looking forward to. I've never done one of these before so I'm going to practise like hell to make sure I do a good job of it. This is all to do with book promotion, which I have to say, when I've been self-publishing, I've not been very good at. I haven't got the first clue of how to make myself seem bigger and better than I am, because I'm quite insular. Contrary to how I behave around people in social environments, where I can come across like I have a lot of confidence. It is finite and comes in bursts. I just prefer my own company, and that of my close family. So putting myself ‘out there’ is not a natural thing for me to do. Talking about myself as if I'm amazingly interesting is also not a comfortable experience for me. But I do understand that in the medium that I have chosen and willing to operate in, it's necessary, and vital that I make myself more open and more approachable. I want people to like me, and if that happens, I might relax more and learn to genuinely enjoy the experience. Because deep down, I want to.
Another thing that I'm doing that I'm finding a lot of fun. Is I was getting quite down about the fact that I struggled to read books (probably ADHD related). I struggled to read all the way through a book. No matter how good it is, I struggle. So now I’ve started to listen to audiobooks. Quite recently, in fact. I'm halfway through my hardback copy of ‘Chasing the Light’ by Oliver Stone. Which is a fantastic book by the way. But, I'm also halfway through. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s biography, as well as a book about Lenny McLean. For some strange and oddly consistent reason, I just kind of, stop halfway through. I don't know why I do it. I just get so busy with other projects, art, writing, DIY ideas, gardening - who knows. I just get so distracted that I just don't have the time to spare for a good book. So what to do? Well, my solution is listening to audiobooks. I can do them while I'm doing the housework, or when I'm drawing or I'm walking. It's been a revelation and it's opening my mind.
So currently, I'm listening to the audio book of ‘The Exorcist’ by William Peter Blatty,
which I highly recommend by the way. Until recently I’ve been listening to audiobooks on YouTube. However, my wife’s got me into an app called Borrow Box, which is a UK library app. From there I can listen to free high-quality audiobooks. Because it’s a Library app, I couldn't get the book straight away. I had to wait for it to run out for somebody else who'd borrowed the book. But now I have it, the book’s mine until the end of August. Honestly, ‘The Exorcist’ is so well written I hope to listen to it twice before it goes back.
The other thing that I am training myself to do in August, is to dictate more using a microphone. As it happens I'm currently dictating this blog. I saw that the blog app had an AI option to write the entire thing, and perhaps some people might prefer if I did. But I feel strongly that it would demean me as a writer. So I’ll never use it when drafting stories or blogs, ever?
Back to ‘dictating with a microphone’ it’s really helped when I’ve had dreams, and this is usually how I tend to start off with my ideas. I’ll have a very vivid dream, and the visuals in it are usually extremely cinematic, if somewhat disturbing. They usually serve as inspiration as to where to go next. For example, yesterday morning I had a fantastic nightmare. I have to say, I really enjoy my nightmares; I know it's weird, and possibly creepy, too. Sorry. But I did have this cool nightmare. And, like most people, I have a bit of a habit of forgetting them straight away. So what I do, is I have to work backwards from where the idea/dream/nightmare finished, and then trace the timeline to how it all started. I've been practicing this for years. I even used to keep a notebook and pen next to my bed specifically for this reason.
So, I would wind up getting in front of the computer, or on my phone and start typing. But as you probably know, typing is quite slow. Yesterday morning, August 7th, I thought I’d try to dictate it using my microphone. I easily managed to get it all down before the memory faded into obscurity, and then I was able to edit it later, turning it into something a little bit better, as well as fine tuning it more. So now it's a fully legitimate idea that can be used and morphed into a short story, or as part of a larger story. Usually for a larger story though, I need way more nightmares. I haven't quite figured out the method for getting more nightmares. But when I do, I’ll be sure to let you know. I believe one method is eating cheese, but I'm on a diet. So maybe not. The other is drinking too much, which is what I used to do, and I don't anymore. I haven't had a drink for well, 2 and a 1/2 years. 3 in December. It has made me a far better person, I have to say.
So there you have it. That's my August catch up. It's quite long, but that's because I'm now dictating rather than typing, and I can get my thoughts down far faster. But yes, if you are a fan of what I do - if you do like the stuff that I write. It would be great to hear from you and hear your thoughts. Until then, have fun, try and enjoy your life as much as possible, and I will speak to you again soon.
Bye.
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