Curse Words in Writing
I really have never addressed this topic. It is funny that I have not talked about it since I quite simply love to curse. There is little else that makes certain type of point than a well placed “fuck” or a perfectly timed “bullshit.” And in the work I do, I am certainly well adjusted to hearing swear words, including some very nasty ones directed at me personally.
So when it came to swearing in writing, I never really gave in much thought. I like to write stories with believable characters, and we live in a world where people curse. But when it comes to telling a story, cursing can be off putting to some readers, and there has to be a balance. There are many things to consider when you type that first swear in your fiction. Let’s take a look at some:
Audience
Who is this book intended for? It might be most obvious to eliminate, or at the least tone down, cursing in a Young Adult novel. You will likely have none in Middle Grade. And I am certain your children’s book will be swear free. But it is more then just the category of your novel. Are you writing to diehard Sci-Fi readers? Grandmas? Church goers? Parents of young kids? Military readers? and on and on. Each of these needs a consideration as well. If this group of readers will be easily offended by the content of your novel, including swearing, you either need to change your audience or remove the words.
Is it Fitting?
Does the curse words fit the story, the world, and the context it is used in? If you are writing a book about an alien world who have never met humans, I highly doubt they would use the word “shit” in any way. If you are writing about a character that is getting shot at, I can almost be certain they will swear. If you are writing a military or police novel, they swear. Do they all swear? No. But I’ve been around enough of both to know that when things get ugly, a swear might slip out. You have to find out if the swear belongs in the world, the environment, and the type of story you are telling.
Characters
I touched on this a bit above. If you are writing about the military, there may be curse words. But if your Main Character is a very mild mannered person who was drafted into the army, s/he might not be prone to swearing. If you are writing about a priest who is trying to help a teenager get out of a bad situation, he is unlikely to swear. But then again, he might slip in a minor curse word if the teenager has just pushed the priest too far. Or the priest feels that is the only way to get through to the kid. Think about each of your characters. As you are developing your character, did you ever think of them as the type to swear a lot? If not, then it might be best to leave them out. Consider the character’s background. Growing up rich with a lot of servants and proper etiquette might yield a different swear result than the inner-city bully.
Vulgarity
To some the word “fuck” is vulgar in itself. I am sure if that is the case they stopped reading my blog a long time ago. But to others, the way it is used determines the level of vulgarity. There is a big difference between yelling out “fuck” in an adrenaline rush situation and saying you will “fuck” someone. The vulgarity of the use of a swear ties in to the character, the suitability of the use, and your target audience. I swear a lot, but there are certain words, when used a certain way, that even I take offense to. In the end if you are going for shock value, it should be removed. Shocking your audience in a vulgar way, will likely knock them right out of your story. Sometimes to the point they won’t keep reading.
Is the word distracting/excessive?
When you read the text, is the word distracting to the action? Do you, or your beta readers, seem to notice the word more than the actions of the overall scene? If so, it probably doesn’t belong. Have your characters done nothing but curse the entire novel? If so, you may be taking away from the character and that will only hurt the story. The most obvious test is if you notice. The second test will come from beta readers.
Excessive is hard to define. You can’t say that a certain number of curse words is the limit in any novel. You have to test it with a sample audience, the beta readers. See what they say. See what your editor says. Consider all of it to decide if it works for your novel. In Dissolution of Peace, we have a military setting, with aggressive and stressed out characters, in a world on the brink of war. I can tell you that there is cursing in the novel. My friend asked me if the novel would be appropriate for a 14 and 9 year old. Before I could message him back and say, “Probably not.” He told me that he searched the novel. The word “Fuck” came up fifteen times and “shit” twenty plus times. When I first saw that, I was surprised. I hadn’t thought it was so much. And that really does seem like a lot. But not one beta readers, or my editor, made a single comment on the cursing. The fact that neither myself or my beta readers noticed proves the fact that it is not excessive.
Of course, others might consider it very excessive. That goes back to audience. So far, in both editorial reviews and customer reviews, there has been no mention of the cursing. So far, it seems, that no one considers it excessive. As I go back and read the novel, the curse words fit the situations they are used in. You almost don’t notice them.
To curse or not to curse. The debate.
Curse words are a big debate in the writing community. I’ve not noticed forum discussion on the topic that did not have strong opinions on both sides of the debate. Many have argued that if the right way to use a curse word is to leave it unnoticed, than what it the point of using it anyway? I often argue that sometimes not using a curse word can be more distracting. I read a detective novel, very well written, but I just couldn’t see this detective yelling out “dang!” when he got shot at. To me that was deliberate censorship and it stood out far more than a “shit” or a “damn it” would have. If the author was against cursing, simply leaving it off might have been better.
And that sort of sums up the use of curse words in a novel. They will never make or break a story. I’ve seen excellent novels based in various settings that both use and didn’t use curse words. But even in those that used the curse words, it wasn’t the curse words you remembered. You remembered the story. Curse words are like many other character and story accents. If used correctly, no one will remember them but they will love your characters and story.
Swears are a lot like sex scenes. In many cases the story will work just fine without either. So the choice is entirely up to the author. But when used correctly, swears are no big deal either. Only the writer can decide if they belong or not.
Do KDP Select Free Promotions Work?
Yesterday I did my first KDP Free Promotion. For those that don’t know, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) has an option to sign up for KDP Select. This is a 90 day period where you allow Amazon (and by default Kindle) to be the only electronic form of your book sold. Some people balk at the exclusiveness this implies. But there are some pluses. You get to be part of the Kindle Prime Lending Library. This means that people can borrow your book for free and in return you get a part of the collective “pot” of money. I’ve not had any borrows yet. Some authors have told me that you get more borrows for higher priced books, since prime users can only borrow one book per month. I don’t know about that.
The other thing you get to do is pick five days per 90 day period to make your book free. You don’t have to do that. You don’t even have to pick the days when you publish your book. You can go back and set up your days when you want. You can do all five together or pick and choose a few days spread out. The choice is entirely up to you.
As you probably saw in yesterday’s post, I made Dissolution of Peace free in honor of Veterans day in the United States. It was free on all Amazon sites globally. I did this for two reasons. First, I wanted to see how well this KDP Free Promotions thing would work. Second, I have a special place in my heart for those that serve in the armed forces. It may even be why I enjoy writing military fiction. So I decided to honor those people in a way that was important to me.
The real question is, do promotions like this work?
Success is truly something only you can decide. But, I will show you what it did for me in just the one day since the promotion. You can decide from there if it could be successful for you.
I would also like to point out that I did not market my free book on anything other then this blog, my Twitter, and Facebook. I didn’t announce it on one the the many free eBook blogs. I just spread the word myself.
Getting Books in the Hands of Readers
The point in writing a book is to have it read. I’ve stressed that making money is not my goal in writing. My goal is to get readers and maybe get a few fans who want to read anything I write. So did the promotion get my book in the hands of readers. With out a doubt it is a huge success in that fashion.
In Amazon US, I had about 19 times more downloads yesterday then I have had since my book was released. Nineteen times more readers in one day then in the four weeks since my book was released.
In Amazon UK, I had 88 times more downloads yesterday then I have had since my book was released. The UK was phenomenal in this free promotion. I’ll get to more on that soon.
In Amazon Germany, I had 7 times more downloads yesterday then in the four weeks since it was released.
I even had my first download in Italy.
In comparison to other promotions I have done, this was by far the most successful. My own eBook giveaways resulted in only around 10 free eBooks being given away. This includes those sent to reviewers. But if I wanted to get more readers, this was certainly a great way to do it. They may not read it right away, I am sure there are people who just won’t pass up free, but there a whole lot more people with copies of my book now. This means there are a lot more people in the pool to write reviews, tell their friends, and look for future titles I release.
Creating Awareness of my Book
This is a really hard thing to do. Getting your book noticed by potential buyers is very hard for any author, especially the indie author. You are fighting an up hill battle with major authors, major publishers, and the rest of the indie market. It is not easy to be noticed.
One way to get noticed is on Amazon’s Best Seller Lists. The thing that always frustrated me about many “help” sites that talk about these best seller lists don’t let you know the secrets to getting on the lists. The truth is the secret is simply getting sales. But Amazon does one great thing here. The Best Seller Lists of the Top 100 eBooks sold is listed right next to the Top 100 Free eBooks. Number 5 in sales is right next to number 5 in free.
This means that when someone is looking for the best sellers on science fiction ebooks, they are also seeing the best sellers in free science fiction ebooks. You still have to get the downloads to get on the list, but you can get a lot of benefit once you get on the list. If nothing more than getting the cover of your book seen by more eyes.
I mentioned how great the UK was in this free promotion. The first time I checked my Amazon UK page yesterday was at 10:16 in the morning. My book had only been free for ten hours, which is a fair amount of time, especially considering the time difference. But at that point I was #48 on the Top 100 Free Science Fiction eBooks. And by the end of the promotion I was #19. In that time I had been on the same page as H. P. Lovecraft, Jules Vern, Philip K. Dick, Isaac Asimov, and more. I was even next to George R.R. Martin at one point. That is some good company to hang out with, even on a virtual level.
UK Best Sellers of Science Fiction on 11/12/2012
In the US, it was a slower start. This, in part, has to do with two factors. First, the US site has a much larger pool of shoppers. They include India, and many other places that don’t have their own sites. But, KDP free events also start at 12:01 am Pacific time. Right when most of the US is still asleep. But by 12:45 pm, twelve hours into the the promotion, I was on the top 100 list at number 61. And by the time it was over, I had made it to 28. So while the UK really came through on the Best Seller’s list, the US still put me along side the great names of Science Fiction past and present.
US Best Sellers of Science Fiction on 11/12/2012
I would say that overall that is a successful way of gaining exposure to my book. I don’t know how many people browse the Top Sellers list. But I do know that I often look for books online this way. So overall even if I didn’t get downloads, people saw my book cover. And book covers are the brand image of books. Like all brands, the more the image is seen the more it becomes known and in some cases trusted.
You might be wondering where my book ranked at in the over all ranking for Free eBooks. In the US it was #779 and in the UK it was #425. Not bad considering how many thousands, probably millions, of books are on Amazon.
Word of Mouth
Word of mouth advertising is probably some of the best. People often choose books based on the recommendations of friends and family. While I doubt anyone recommended my book the same day they downloaded it. I got far more downloads then I have Facebook, Twitter, and Blog followers. This means people had to hear about it from other people. So people were at least mentioning my book. I also noticed that many people were downloading my book in the US before it broke on to the top 100 list. So they had to find it some other way.
But this huge pool of new readers who downloaded my book will contribute to the word of mouth advertising that will continue to increase traffic to my book. And will hopefully increase my sales volume.
Reviews
I don’t know if this will increase my reviews. Before the promotion I had two Amazon reviews, and one Amazon UK review. But, the increased reader pool also means an increased reviewer pool. So that has to cause a higher chance of being reviewed. But only time will tell on this.
Increased Sales
Again, only time will tell on this. But my point has never been to get money. Some people see the free book giveaway as nothing but lost revenue. But to date, nothing has got Dissolution of Peace in the hands of more readers than the Amazon free promotion. I’ve never thought of writing as a way to make money. For me it is has been about readers, and maybe making enough money to cover the costs associated with publishing it. Would I complain if my book starts flying off the shelves? Of course not. That is the goal of most writers, but not for the sake of money but for the sake of the volume of readers.
From what I have heard from others, the sales will increase but that takes time.
Summary
I can’t really see it any other way. KDP has hit a home run with the idea of allowing authors five days to make the book free. And if you use those days through out your 90 day period as a promotional tool, you can really gather a lot of new readers. And many readers who might not have otherwise picked up your book. I’ll likely do another two or three of these free promotional things in the next few months. I see nothing but success here. And if I enjoyed this much success with limited announcement outlets, imagine if I branched out from my circle of followers.
Of course, many people are turned off be the exclusiveness of KDP Select. They feel like they are excluding a market of readers that use other eReaders. Personally I have had little request for ePub format. But, 90 days is a relatively short time. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to renew it. Personally I think it is worth a try.
Dissolution of Peace is on Sale Now!
As of this morning Amazon.com has officially begun selling Dissolution of Peace! It is one week early, but I am over joyed to see all this hard work finally amount to something.
I hope people enjoy the book and spread the word about it. I’m still offering signed paperbacks for only $5.99 for the next week. You can get that from the BUY BOOKS tab at the top of my blog.
Here are the Amazon.com Links:
Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0615706851/
Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009N3BFIG
Don’t forget to add it to your shelves on Goodreads!
Here is the trailer again, just to get you a psyched up as I am.
Updates: June 2012
Book Release Announcement
I am pleased to announce that I finally have a release date for Daddy is Tired, the children’s book my son and I wrote over a year ago. On June 28th, Daddy is Tired will be officially released for sale on Amazon.com. But, I got good news for you all. You can order now on Createspace and get a special discount (see below). Everything the book makes goes directly to Cinco and I really hope to encourage him to continue his pursuits of writing and the arts. So take a moment to share the links below and share this wonderful book. It is a great, fun early reader that I feel parents and children can relate to. Now, a little about the book:
Daddy is Tired
Authored by Richard “Cinco” Flores V, Illustrated by Lorikitty, Authored with Richard Flores IV
Full Color on White paper
26 pages
ISBN-10: 0615659144
BISAC: Juvenile Fiction / Readers / Beginner
Daddy is Tired is a children’s picture book about a dad who wants to rest while his son would rather play. Dad hopes for a little nap, but his son just wants to play.
This book was written by Cinco, at five years old, in one of his own quiet time sessions. Of course his dad didn’t get to rest either, he had to help.
Purchase Links:
Use discount code: 78VZNJ65 to get 10% off. This code will only be good until the book is released officially on June 28th, 2012. Feel free to share the link (https://www.createspace.com/3671972) and discount code with everyone you know.
Amazon:
Click here for the Amazon Listing.
Other updates:
In other news, I have been hard at work getting the Print Edition of Plasma Frequency Magazine Issue 1 ready for it’s release. I am working on advertising spots now, and there are still a few spots available for this issue. We have been hard at work on the layout. And, once the print edition is final, we will begin work on the Kindle Edition. One great thing in the subscriptions are coming in all over the world. We have subscribers in the US, Singapore, the UK, Denmark, Canada, and elsewhere. So I am excited about the release of Issue 1. Here is the cover art by Tais Teng and it is inspired by “Frequencies” by Michael Hodges.
Of course, we are hard at work on reading for Issue 2 now. And this has left me little time for much else. I suppose the if I wish to get more of my own writing done, I will need to seek more volunteers to help me with the reading, artwork, layout, and advertising. All of which take a lot of work.
I still don’t have cover art to show you for Dissolution of Peace. But, I suspect it will be released in Late August. I plan to have an official release date in the July updates.
My novel in progress has ground to a halt. Mostly because of all my other life commitment. The Magazine, my volunteer activities, and my job keep me pretty busy most of the time.
No new short story acceptances to report either.
So that is the June Updates. See next week for my next blog post, not sure what Topic I will choose though.
Missing in March
I need to start with an apology to my subscribers and regular blog readers. You may have noticed I have broken my own rule on successful blogging. Blog on regular schedule. While I am sure none of you have been waiting to make life altering choices because of my lack of posts, I feel as though I have some how neglected my responsibilities here. It’s not just here, I have not been very active on Twitter or Facebook either.
Frankly I hate this month. I have seen a lot of commercials for Buffalo Wild Wings about “What month would you give up for more March?” It makes me cringe just thinking about have to do March twice a year. It seams I have terrible luck in this month. Last year, I lost my job in March. Years before that have been even worse. Well, this year my own personal March madness continued (see even my puns are bad in March).
It started off well enough. As some of you know from my previous posts, I started a new job. It doesn’t make much but it gets me off unemployment. Of course I started this job in February along with a move back to my hometown in Vacaville. All great ways to end February and start off March. Of course, they all led to me neglecting my blog.
In the middle of March, my wife’s employer decided to make a sudden drastic schedule change. This caused me to have to beg and plead with my boss for a schedule change. My employer was very understanding, unlike my wife’s, and they made the change. Only three hours later, my wife tells me they changed the schedule again. My wife asked to remain at the same schedule, but she’s the forth most senior dispatcher there and they wanted a senior person on each shift (four shifts). Never mind the fact that the person she was switched with, didn’t want to switch (and is more senior than my wife). Well we got through that. My employer was understanding and made some more changes.
Things got better, because immediately following that I got to attend the wedding of a friend of mine. They will be a great couple and the wedding was outstanding. It was a lot of fun and I was very happy to share this event in their lives. I extend my congratulations to Logan and Tessa Bryce. I hope you enjoy life together. There is no greater journey in life then marriage.
Right after that I attended my first San Jose Sharks regular season game. I am a huge hockey fan, and an even bigger SanJose Sharks fan. After so many years of wishing I could go, it was great to finally be able to go. The arena is great and while we had great seats, there probably are not many bad seats at HP Pavilion. I got to meet Randy Hahn and Brodie Brazil from Comcast Sportsnet. I have been listening to Randy Hahn call Sharks games for as long as I can remember and to meet him was great. Brodie Brazil is new to the CSN team, but he provides great rink side commentary and he is very interactive on Twitter. So meeting them both was a great start to the game. Everything about attending the game was great, accept the final score.
Left to Right: Brodie Brazil, Me, My wife, Randy Hahn
Two days later my wife started her new schedule after her days off. The unnamed local ambulance company she works for did not schedule enough ambulances to adequately cover the area. As a result an ambulance was late to a call. And my wife was fired the next day. She has not had an issue there for over nine months, but they were quick to terminate. I can’t believe a company that puts “Family Values” on their letter head, would fire the main provider of a family of five on an issue that is ultimately their own fault. This company has little regard for their employees and has created a hostile environment, in which most all mistakes result in suspension and/or termination.
In any case, her income was three quarters of our family income. I don’t even make enough to pay the rent. Fortunately quick thinking will likely help me keep a roof over our heads for the next few months. But, we pray that either her union comes through for her (though that is not likely) or that unemployment kicks in quickly. God willing, she will find work before this really matters.
As a result I have been trying to pick up extra hours at work. I’ve also been burying myself in my office so that I can try to get this novel out for all of you. And, hopefully if you folks like it, I can sell a few copies. I also had a great idea for another story, with potential for novel length. So with any luck you may see a few novels from me this year. Of course, I prefer quality over quantity so we will see what other tricks life has in store for my timelines.
So, March is my least favorite month. And despite my wife and my Irish heritage, we can can’t see to find the luck of the Irish. They say when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. But I am so sick of drinking lemonade (This cliche brought to you by Country Time Lemonade, which I am drinking as I write this).
But, while March is typically a rough month. I have many blessings in my life. I have a lovely wife, who loves me for richer or poorer. I have three great boys, who could care less about bills and just want to play with their Daddy. I have great family and friends who have put my family in their thoughts and prayers. I have a job, the start up of a successful writing career, and I volunteer free time to my community. So while March has got me down, I have 11 other great months to enjoy.
So, you can take my face off the milk cartons of the blogging world. Though I was missing in March, April is just around the corner.
Updates: March 2012
I can’t believe we’re already six days into March. A lot has happened since my last updates and as a result my regular scheduled blogs had been disrupted. I hope to start posting every week again, but instead of Sundays it will be on Tuesdays. So keep an eye out for regular blogs posts again, hopefully I can keep up the advice blogs.
Let’s start with some personal updates. I spent President’s Day weekend moving. I didn’t move far, just back to my hometown of Vacaville, but the move still took three days. My advice… DON’T USE BUDGET. I reserved a truck with Budget Truck rentals, and AFTER I confirmed the reservation they decided to tack on a $200 deposit. Had the online reservation tool mentioned that prior to confirmation I would have canceled. So, I called Budget and told them I wanted to cancel. They charged me $50 to do that. I can’t possibly believe that the 10 minutes from the time I pressed confirm to the time I canceled, inconvenienced them that much.
Well, that took away half my moving truck budget and made it impossible for me to rent from anywhere else. So I had to move my whole three bedroom house with my minivan. That made the move tiring, exhausting, and LONG. But we got everything moved but we are still working on unpacking.
I finished that move on a Monday and started my new job on the Wednesday after I had been out of work for just under a year. I know many other people have been out of work even longer so I feel blessed and fortunate to have found work. That being said, it is still hard to get back into the rhythm of working full time after so many days off. I hope to get a schedule figured out soon so that I can fit in my scheduled writing and gym time. But it feels good to have a reliable income again.
On the writing front, I haven’t got much done. My January short story is still in it’s infancy. I think it is just short and it needs to be developed more. I didn’t get one done in February, but I may start in on another novel based on the Characters and world of “Dream Job” (you can read it here in the first issue of Cygnus Journal).
The two short stories I have out are still making their rounds. “Miles from the Future” recently received another rejection. However it was a rare personal rejection explaining that it made it all the way to final stages, but was apparently just nudged out by other works. I am debating on where to send it next. I have a very promising story called “Compassionate Death” that is currently still circling with some Pro Markets. I haven’t got much feedback on it from editors, but my trial readers really seemed to enjoy it. I think it could still be some time before either one is published, but I look forward to when I can share them with you.
My son’s Children’s Book, Daddy is Tired, has hit yet another road block in its journey to publication. The illustrator has developed a medical issue that has impacted her drawing arm. While it is not anything major (as in life threatening) it is very painful. I hope she can get the treatment she needs and gets well soon. There is one plus side. I did get this sample image to share with you all:
My recently completed first draft for my untitled novel, is still resting. I plan to get to the first rounds of edits this month, schedule permitting. I am excited to get that one out to you guys as well. I know it is a bit premature but I already wonder about cover art for that one. I also hope the sample readers like it. It will be a ton of work, and I do intend to use professional help for the final draft. But that is still a long while away. If I can think of a good title, I will certainly share it with you guys.
On this blog, I plan to work on another help piece for authors on the subject of properly critiquing other writer’s works. I have found that helping others with their works has helped my writing improve more than any other method. In any case, I am not sure if that post will be out next week or the week after.
But, I will have something to share with you next week. So, until then, happy writing. As always you can follow me on Facebook and Twitter.
Quality Versus Quantity
Recently there was a post in my writer’s forum on Robert A. Heinlein’s Rules for Writing Speculative Fiction (Appeared in his essay On Writing Speculative Fiction in 1947). The poster argued that the rule; “You must refrain from rewriting, except to editorial order.” was no longer a valid business practice in today’s market. His argument is sound, and I have already blogged on my thoughts on the rewriting circle several times (mentioned here), so I don’t plan to do into it.
But it did involve lengthy discussion about the need to constantly rewrite and ensure you put out high quality work. The argument was that, in the 1950s, there were so many pro rate markets that there was far more demand then supply. Therefore established authors (and new ones) could quickly turn out a high amounts of manuscripts and be able to sell them. So I thought I would elaborate on the quality versus quantity debate
Quantity
If you throw darts at a target, one at a time, you might hit the bulls-eye but it may take a while. But, if you throw 1,000 darts at the target, surely one of them will hit the bull-eye and quickly.
Obviously, simple statistics would show that the more works, you put out the more likely you should be to get published faster. And the slower you put out works the longer is should take. But, if there is one thing I have learned, math has little place is art.
But the truth is you have to submit works to ever get them published. And very few people are ever satisfied with one published work.
Quality
If you take time learning how to throw a dart. You study how darts fly, how to aim, and the correct throwing techniques. Then you take that one dart, and throw it at the target, you are more likely to hit the bulls-eye.
There are a lot fewer pro rate markets out there. It would be a good idea to understand the craft, and write well, before you cast your dart. However, when is a manuscript ever perfect? I’ve never written one.
But the truth is you have to write well, and edit them well, to ever get published.
The Debate
So do you throw 1000 darts or cast that one best shot? I think it is a bit more complex then that. After all, you could throw 1000 darts and they all miss the bulls-eye. Or you could spend years studying darts, only to miss that one best shot.
There is really a fine balance between the two. If you throw one dart a year, you won’t hit the target much (maybe with blind luck) but you also won’t get better. But if you throw darts regularly, slowly you will get closer to your bulls-eye. You need to submit often and you need to do a few rewrites. How many? Well that depends on your target.
I think the first thing you have to do is define your bulls-eye. If it is just getting published, then there are a ton of markets. If you want some type of payment, there are still a lot. And, if you want a pro-rate payment there are only a few.
This is why I use the Darts analogy. Because I think you should have a target, with a bulls-eye in the middle. That bulls-eye is you best case scenario, the big deal for you. Mine looks something like this:
So, make your target. After all you need to know what you are aiming for. Always aim for your bulls-eye. You may not hit it, but keep throwing those darts. Throw your darts often enough that you learn each time, but not so fast that you sacrifice accuracy for the odds.
New Short Story Out
Today Cygnus Journal of Speculative Fiction published Issue 1, which features my story “Dream Job”. I am excited about this publication for two reasons:
First, this is the first short story I have written since my choice to be a published writer. I did write a short story in High School that people seemed to like, but its long gone. So really, I consider this my first short story. I am blessed that it was published. I know many very talented authors whose firsts are still awaiting the acceptance letter.
Second, it was chosen to be in the first issue of a new publication. This may not seem like a big deal, but when a magazine starts up, there is a lot of pressure to be good (if not great). Editors have to choose the stories they publish in their first issues carefully, as they set the bar for the entire publication. That doesn’t mean publications don’t grow and become better. It just means that you want to make a good first impression when you start up. So I feel privileged that “Dream Job” was chosen to be among those stories that represent the start of Cygnus Journal of Speculative Fiction.
The Editors have also chosen to provide the electronic copy of their first issue free on Smashwords (Kindle, Nook, PDF and more). It is also available on the Amazon Kindle Store for 99 cents, but I am sure you would prefer free. So please, click here and check out “Dream Job” as well as the other works published in Issue One of Cygnus Journal of Speculative Fiction.
Then come back here and let me know what you thought of the story and the Characters. I would love to hear from you.
Marketing for Writers 101
A Brief Self Help Guide for Writers
One of the things that I failed to understand when I started out as a writer, was that writing is a business. And if you want any business to succeed, you need to market it. I don’t think many people understand the importance of writers to market themselves. It is one of the only ways you will gather readers, reach out to your readers, and let them know when new works are coming out.
You may be thinking that you won’t need to market because you plan to publish in a traditional fashion. You may assume the publisher will handle all the marketing. Or you may simply think your works will sell themselves.
Well, I believe you are wrong and you can do so much to promote yourself for little or no money.
Social Media
Social media offers the best way to connect with your readers and fans. If you are not much for technology it is relatively easy and helps.
You really need a presence on the three major Social Media outlets: Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. They all have their advantages and disadvantages so all three is almost a must. Also, you need to use them. I try to post something each day. I certainly check them every day.
Facebook:
With Facebook, you really need an Author’s Page. Pages are separate from your Facebook Profile. Creating one is easy, relatively fast, and pretty effective. You can visit my Page to see what they look like. You may even want to create a separate page for a book you may be working on, or recently published. Robert S. Wilson has one for his book that you can look at as an example.
Why use an Author’s Page instead of your regular Facebook Profile. Well for one, you may not want to share personal matters, photos, and friends with your fans. Second, it is far easier for your fans to click “like” then it is for them to send a friend request and wait for your response. Third, Facebook offers a TON of tools for pages that help with promotion. Tools you simply don’t get with a standard page.
You can create a page by visiting any page. In the top right corner there is a link that say “Create a Page”. Once you have a page post links to your other accounts on social media. Also, post information about upcoming releases and the like.
Twitter:
I never found much interest in Twitter. But at the advice of other writers I made a Twitter Account for myself. I have found it far more fun then I thought it would be. I have more followers on Twitter then I do on my Facebook Author Page. I think Twitter gets its appeal because anyone can follow anyone.
Setting up and account is easy.
Use Twitter to share all sorts of things. RT (Re-Tweet) posts that you like. Reply to Tweets you like. Here is a little help with Twitter from one novice to another:
“#” is a hash tag. It is used to make searching for posts on a particular topic easy. People add it to the tweet to help with searching. Keep the terms together versus spacing out words. Example “#amwriting” would be used; not “#am writing”.
RT is Re-Tweet. This usually is used if someone replies to a tweet and wants to put it to context.
Example: “I wish I had ur motivation. Can a walk to the fridge count as cardio? RT @megselizabeth86: Cardio and legs. Yay. Gonna be sore as hell tmrw.”
And last, as you see in the example above is the @sign. It represents the profile mentioned. @Richard_Flores4 is mine. When people mention you, this allow their followers a quick click to see your profile. It results in great exposure.
Some will tell you to do your best to get a Re-tweet or a reply for major celebrity/business page just to get the exposure to a lot of potential fans. I don’t go that far. But I do reply to celebrity posts as appropriate. I mention profiles when it is appropriate to. And I always try to give a shout out to fellow authors.
Google+
I think this will be the most difficult for the social media novice. I consider it the love child of Twitter and Facebook. It does have a lot of the best of both worlds. You can post things to the public or just to certain circles. My fellow writers are in one circle, family in another, friends in another, and those I am just following in a fourth. Once you understand it, and Google has good videos on it, you can start sharing certain posts with certain circles. Or you can share with all your circle, or the general public.
Google+ is probably the one I use the least. Mostly because I don’t have many people on there. But, that is changing over time. The one major disadvantage to Google+ is that they are taking down profiles that are not “real”. While I support removing fake profiles, this may pose a problem for those authors that use Pseudonyms. I don’t use one, so I don’t know how hard they are being on it.
Website
You need a website. I have one right here. I choose to combine my Blog and my Website. Its free to use WordPress, Blogspot, and most other blog sites. It gives you a free web presence and combines a blog.
Eventually, I will have my own .com, but for now this works. And all of the social media sites let you place a link to your website on them. So there is some good cross promotion of your sites. Here are some things your site should have:
Blog:
You should have a blog too, even if you have your own .com. Your blog can be hosted on your own site or separate from it. Just make sure the two are linked together. Blogging can be fun, it gets you writing for one. It also inspires discussion and hopefully inspire new authors. There are whole articles on blogging and what you need to do with your blog. Here are some ideas:
- Pick a schedule and make sure to post something on it. For me it is once a week. For some it is once a month. It just gives people a chance to know when to look for new posts.
- Announce new posts on your social media sites. This will bring readers.
- Allow comments. Allow commenting to encourage discussion.
- Have a Follow tab. This allows people to set up email alerts when you post something.
- Establish some blog rules. Having some rules will ensure there is less backlash should you have to remove a comment.
- Use HTML tags so people can click the word, and see what you are talking about.
- Respond to the comments you get.
About Me:
You need an about section on your website. Tell a little bit about yourself. This allows readers to know if they found the real you (Imagine how many Richard Flores there are in the world). It also establishes some of your qualifications to blog on the topics you choose to blog about.
Bibliography:
Put a Bibliography down if you have works published (or have publishing dates for them). Put links to purchase them and/or read them if you can. Think of it like your resume.
Contact:
Put a way to be contacted. Most blogs have a contact us form you can use so you don’t have to share your email if you don’t want. Also you can link your social media there. Facebook and Twitter have profile badges you can add to your site homepage. WordPress even has widgets to use for that too.
Pictures:
In the world of websites, people like to see pictures. So I urge you to add visual elements to your site. Its something I still work with all the time. I also think you need your picture up on the home page. People like to see who they are talking to. But that is more of an opinion of mine.
Store:
Put a store up on your site of some kind. Even if it is just links to Amazon.com’s listing of your book. I don’t have any books out yet, but when I do, you can rest assured there will be a store up.
Links:
Put up links to other bloggers you enjoy, sites you use regularly, and to other writers you enjoy.
Examples:
You have see my blog as one example of a Wordpess site. Here are some others:
Robert S. Wilson’s Blog on Blogspot.
Michael R McDuffee and Karen T. Smith uses a blog format on a .com
Orson Scott Card and Jeffrey A. Carver have more elaborate web sites.
Now What?
You have the web presence now in Social Media and with a Website. Best yet, it can all be done for free. Now how do you draw attention to yourself. Well, that requires the real work.
Cross Promote:
Get together with your fellow writers and share their sites. Share them in blog posts when you can (as I have done here), link them in your social media site, announce when they have books coming out, share their sites in your LINKS page, and promote them as much as you can. You will be surprised how many will do the same for you.
Comment on other posts:
Comment on blog posts, twitter, Facebook, and Google+. Use your pages to make these comments and drive readership to you. Reply to all the comments you get. People like to be acknowledged and it gives everyone a sense of participation.
Link your website on everything:
Put a link to your website on everything within reason. Any comment form that asks for it, any profile you fill out, add it as a signature to your emails, and post it for your friends. The more you post it the more clicks you might get.
Brag:
Tell everyone everywhere of your site. Writer’s Groups, Facebook Pages, Twitter, and other places. Just make sure you don’t violate Terms of Service and get flagged as SPAM.
Network:
Networking is big business. Its also hard work. When you meet new people, you have to be willing to admit you write. I do it almost every time I meet new people. I let people know any time the topic comes up. Go to conventions, writers workshops, and any other place where writers are gathering. Put together some simple (and usually very affordable) business cards. Pass them out like candy at every convention, workshop, and function you attend. Have your name, website, and contact information on there. You never know who’s hands it will fall into. Word of mouth is the biggest advertiser out there.
Advertise:
If you have some money to spend, you can advertise your Facebook Page, website, and more. There are some cheaper ways then others, but this cost money. If you self publish a book, you may want to spend a bit of money on advertising. But the rule I always follow for advertising is this: Never spend more on advertising then you would make if someone buys what you’re selling. That is to say, if you make $1 profit on every book you sell don’t spend $2 per flier to advertise it.
Summary:
There is obviously many avenues for marketing your work. Each of these I mentioned could be a whole course of study by themselves. My hope is this will bring you to a good starting point. Get you going, and then you can fly on your own from here.
Questions, Comments, or more? Feel free to comment.
Novels or Short Stories
I wasn’t sure what I was going to go with for this weeks blog post. John Miller posted on my Facebook page about a survey he has out now. Of course I had to check it out, but it got me thinking about something else. What do people like to read? How does an author decide what they want to write? Is it better to write a novel, or a short?
First, lets set some definitions here:
People have trouble defining fiction length. This seems to the widely accepted standard. Probably the most disputed will be Flash, as the definitions seems to vary from publication to publication. Here are the SFWA guidelines.
Short Story: less than 7,500 words;
Novelette: at least 7,500 words but less than 17,500 words;
Novella: at least 17,500 words but less than 40,000 words
Novel: 40,000 words or more.
SFWA does not have a “Flash Fiction” definition, but I will go with what I believe to be widely accepted which is anything less then 1000 words.
As a Reader:
This is where I would love to hear for you guys. Leave me a comment below and let me know what you like to read. Do you like short works (Novella, Novelette, Shorts, or Flash) or do you prefer a Novel? If so, why?
Go ahead, scroll down to the comments and let me know. I will be here when you get back.
Thanks for you comment!
For me, I have found a recent love for Flash as a reader. For one, I subscribe to Daily Science Fiction. So I get short fiction (not always Flash but always on the shorter side) in my email Monday – Thursday with a longer one on Friday. I don’t have a lot of time. Flash fiction is a short entertaining read for me.
As I have mentioned before it is important for Authors to read. So this is a good way for me to get a lot of reading in from different Authors. This gives me diversity in my reading, as far as styles go.
I also subscribe to The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction as well as read several e-publications.
I love a good Novel too. So I wonder if there is any advantage to one or the other. If you are an author, read both.
However, strictly as a reader the advantage to short is growing with our impatient world. But I think people still like a good novel. Something they can get connected with, live in the world for a while, and really savor.
Shorts can be really moving and powerful too. But there is a lack of time there to really bond the reader with the story. And it can be easier to read shorts when you like to read during those brief breaks in your life (doctor’s waiting room, ect.).
So my suggestion is that if you like quick stories, with a wham and bang type impact, go for the shorts. If you like going for gold and really bonding with a story go for the Novel. If you like both, like I do, read both.
For Writers:
I never gave a thought to writing anything other then a Novel when I started taking up writing as a hobby. I didn’t really know anything of the craft and didn’t think there was much of a short story market. And really it had not ever crossed my mind. When I began my self study in writing and professional writing, I learned that speculative fiction has one of the strongest short story markets in the industry.
So I gave a short story a try. That first short story will be featured in the upcoming issue of Cygnus Journal of Speculative Fiction. I liked it a lot. It allowed me to get the immediate satisfaction of writing, editing, and eventually publishing in a relatively short amount of time. Of course short amount of time depends on a number of things.
Well, I liked writing that short so much that I wrote my first Flash piece. “Death Watch”, which is out now on Liquid Imagination Online, did well based on what readers have told me. I have since written a third piece which is making its rounds at markets and I have a fourth one in the editing phase.
So I have three going on four shorts completed in a matter of around ten months. This is a lot slower then I want, and I hope to pick up the pace. But considering I was learning the short story market at the same time, I feel I did well to get started.
In any case, lets compare this to my Novel in progress. While I have written out two and half novels, many years ago, those where not publishable novels. They were things I put on paper to escape stress in my real job of the time. Anyway, I probably still have six to eight months before this novel is ready. I think I am may even be giving myself too little time. We will see. Since I have not completed a publishable novel, this is really more of a guess. Now once it is done, it has editing, rewrites, and then query. After query, which can take forever, I then have to submit the full manuscript. My point, Novels take a lot of time.
So what should you write? Well write what you like. If you don’t like to read shorts, don’t like to write them, and don’t like anything about them, then don’t write them. If you don’t like taking time on a Novel, then don’t write that.
I write both for the same reason I read both. I like that shorts give me imediate gratification while Novels give me the satisfaction of crafting an in depth world and a longer work.
Please don’t misunderstand me at all. My short stories get my entire heart and sole, just the same as my novel. Shorts can be deep and meaningful, they just don’t have the length that a Novel has.
Of course I would be foolish not to bring up the money side of things. So call me foolish. (Actually since I have not sold a Novel, I can’t really compare them for you).
Final Verdict?
Well in the battle over Novels and Short Stories, I don’t really think you get a winner or loser. It is really all about what you like. The market for both is strong.
Leave me a comment and let me know what you prefer. Let me know if you are a writer, reader, or both. What do you like?
Getting Published (Get Used to Rejection)
So you want to be a published author? Well, me too. Many writers do. There are many ways to get published. There are short works, there are novels, and of course there is the “traditional” way and the “self-published” way. I am going to talk mostly about the Traditional Publishing Method, with a focus on short stories.
A Quick Mention to Self Publishing:
I am not downplaying self publishing, but I don’t have experience in it. You certainly don’t have to deal with the rejection of an editor if you self publish. It is relatively easy to get the story published in self publishing, but hard part comes in reaching an audience. You likely don’t have an audience, and getting people to read your stuff is harder then you think. Don’t think you avoid rejection either. You have to get rejected by the audience and that can often be a lot worse then an editor. At least an Editor rejection is between you and them, the public often posts it’s rejection on the web for the world to see. Ouch!
Traditional publishing is the opposite. Hard to get published, but most publications have an established readership.
The Cycle of Getting Published
Some of you may have recently seen my post on Twitter:
“Write, submit, get rejected, submit again. Rinse and Repeat.”
This is a pretty accurate cycle to expect when trying to get published in the vast market of short fiction available to Speculative Fiction writers. I might modify it now to add “edit” after write. Its a vicious cycle and it can be a damn discouraging one. However, when you get that first acceptance letter, it can be really rewarding. You just have to get past the discouragement and press on. Hopefully this can act as a guide to getting past that discouragement and get you to the acceptance letter.
Step 1: Write
It seems obvious that if you want to get published you need to write. But you can’t sit around on one short story and wait for it to publish. You need to write and you need to write a lot if you ever plan to get published. When you are done with one, move on to writing something else. Keep writing. Write in blogs (you can start by leaving a comment on this one), write in writers groups, but above all write in your Works in Progress (WIP).
Your WIP is your ticket to getting published. I don’t know of any author who’s blog was seen and they were offered a publishing contract. It is your WIP that you have to get out to the editors. Find the time to write and do it.
You will improve with each completed story. You will improve with each submission. You will improve. Every author has only been improved over their years of writing.
Step 2: Edit
This is where we separate the hobbyists from aspiring artists. Editing is where most writers give up, put the WIP aside, and never touch it again. Editing is where most people give up on their dream of being published. There are two reason for this:
First, is perception. They either look at their work and see it as garbage, worthless, and unfitting. They are harsh to themselves and they get discouraged and they shelf it. Or, they look at their WIP and see it as gold, the best thing ever written by man kind. They don’t change a thing.
Second, they get stuck in the editing cycle. They never stop editing.
Lets go back up to the first. Perception. You really need a combination of both these perceptions. You must be your toughest critic and your biggest fan at the same time. It is the toughest thing to do. You have to know what works and what doesn’t. Truthfully the writer is the only person who knows what’s best for their story.
But your own perceptions can easily get in the way. You need that second opinion. This is where your writers groups come in handy. Share your work with others. Take a look at their opinion. Don’t be discouraged by a “bad” critique. They will make suggestions and point out things you may not have seen. Then you decide what works for your story and make the changes needed. Remember you don’t have to accept every suggestion. But even suggestions that don’t work are more valuable then you think.
The editing cycle is dangerous. I know many writers on their eighth or ninth draft of a work in progress. To tell you the truth, they will continue to edit from now to infinity. They will not stop editing, as a result they will never move on to the next step to get published. You have to know when is enough.
It may be different for each of you. But I strongly urge you to set a limit. For me it is four drafts and done. I write it (draft 1). I edit it (draft 2). I get other writers to critique it and I make changes (draft 3). I give it to my Grammar Cop and make changes (Draft 4). Then I go to Step 3.
This is not a hard and fast rule. If there is a major change made in Draft 3, I may resubmit it to my writers group for critiques again. However, the point is, I know when is enough. You won’t please every reader, you probably won’t even please yourself. It will never be “perfect”. When I read my manuscripts for my published works, I still find things I would change now. Because I have learned a lot more since I completed those. It is part of your growth as an artist.
Move on, its best.
Step 3: Submit
Submit your story to a publisher. Since I am focusing on Short Works that means a magazine, ezines or anthologies. There are so many of them it is difficult to know where to start. My tip is to aim high. Start with a professional market. A market that pays six cents a word or more. They pay more, tend to have more subscribers, and what is the worse they can say?
I always start with SFWA approved markets. It is my quest to join them someday. After that I go to other pro markets. Then Semi-pro, then others.
A little research goes along way too. I use Duotrope. A free submission tracker program that has tons of markets listed. If they don’t have them all they are pretty damn close. They track everything from response times to acceptance rates and everything in between. They can give you a lot of information about a market.
After pay rate, you should take a look at response times. Most markets will not accept stories that are awaiting a decision from other publications. So if you send it to a market that takes five months to reply, your story will be tied up for at least that long. So keep that in mind when you send out a piece. It takes time to hear back. Fast markets take 10 days, slower ones can take up to a year to reply.
Next, look at acceptance rate. Some markets are very challenging and have less the 1% acceptance rate. Others, have acceptance rates in the 80-90% ranges. In my opinion, the latter is worse. I avoid markets that seemingly accept everyone. It doesn’t make it a very strong credit in your portfolio. Often they have small readership because the quality of story is low. Remember Editors act as a filter to filter out what is either poorly written and, more commonly, what doesn’t work for their readers. With out a good filter, the quality and identity of the publication goes down.
Last, you may consider electronic or print publication. Ezines are taking things by storm. But, some people just really like seeing their name in print. For me this is not really a factor. Ezines are a creditable publishing venture now. However, it may matter to you.
NEVER SUBMIT TO A MARKET THAT CHARGES YOU A READERS FEE! All money should flow in the direction of the Author. You should never have to pay someone to consider your works for publication.
Step 4: Get Rejected
It will happen. You will get a rejection letter. It is more likely to be a form letter. You will likely never know why the editor rejected it. And you will be disappointed no matter how much you prepare yourself for it. It is just part of getting published.
I hate this part. We all do. I make it a game in some ways. I have all my rejection letters.
The form letters are the worse. There is no way to tell what the reason they have for rejecting it. Most likely it is a simply matter of the opinion of the editor and his/her own taste. It rarely has anything to do with the author’s ability to write. There people who simply can’t write, but think they can. But mostly editors reject stories based on their own subjective opinions.
Personal Rejections are nice, for being rejections. I have only got one. There you might get some glimpse into what the editor was thinking. In mine, the editor didn’t like the ending. While is was simply one line, it let me know one key thing… the editor got to the ending. They liked my writing enough to read to the end. So you might get a glimpse to the editors thoughts with a personal rejection.
Rewrite requests are even better, and rarer. There is much debate on if a rewrite request is really a rejection. To me it is. You can rewrite it send it back in and you are still not guaranteed to get published. If you get one of these, you have to make the choice to do the rewrites and submit again to the same market, or simply move on. It really depends on you and what the editor wants you to change. I have not received any rewrite requests.
Step 5: Submit Again
I get the rejection letter, and I submit to a new market. Always in the same day, sometimes in the same hour. Don’t dwell on the rejection. Submit again. I don’t even look at the manuscript again. Some authors do. However, going back to the edit step, may well trap you in the edit cycle. The one I personal rejection I mentioned about about the editor not liking the ending. I didn’t change a thing, submitted it to another market and they bought it. Point is, that changing for one editor’s opinion may not be wise.
Dwelling on the rejection is the part where many authors, who got past the edit step, fail. They get that first rejection, begin to think they are not good enough (or at least the story is not), and weeks go by and the story never goes back out. One editor’s opinion ruined their entire writing career. Writers have to know that getting rejected is part of the publishing world, and they need to push forward.
I suggest you just move on and submit again right away. Trying to analyze the form letter, or dwelling on the rejection, will never get you published. The only way to get published is to submit.
Step 6: Rinse and Repeat
Rea
lly you should do Step 6 right after you submit the first time. Rinse yourself of that story you just finished, and start at Step 1 with a new idea. But, I put it as Step 6 because it is just as important to Rinse yourself of the rejection. Rejection is something humans attempt to avoid. So in short: Get over it and move on.
Get to work on Step 1 again and get yourself published.
Muse (Where I get my Ideas)
Once people found out I was a writer, and more so now that I have this blog, the most common questions I get is this:
“Where do you get the ideas for your stories?”
My answer is always the same. Getting the ideas is the easy part. Taking that thought and making it into a story is the hard part.
I think the common misconception about writers is that we get the idea for a whole story in our heads in a flash of brilliance and inspiration. It has been my experience that is not how things really work. I have yet to have a sudden epiphany and instantly a whole story come to my mind. It is usually one line that come to mind, or even just a fleeting thought. Odds are you have had one too.
For example, you may have wondered “What if the sky was green?” or “What if I could visit Venus?” That’s all it takes for me to get started. I start thinking about it. How would life be different under a green sky, could it change our skin color? Could it change the way things look around here? I play with the idea in my head until I am either ready to write about it, or I throw it out.
That’s right, not all my ideas became stories, I’ve had to throw a few out. Throw them out is not really accurate. I keep a book of my random thoughts and ideas. Since I think of them a lot at night, and have a nasty habit of forgetting by morning, I write them down. Some have turned into stories, others are still sitting there. Some of them joined with other ideas in the notebook and their love child became a story.
So when do I think of all these great ideas. All the time. At night when I am about to fall asleep. Some come from dreams I have had. I have to write those down in my notebook fast since I forget my dreams easily. At the gym on the treadmill, I mull many a story idea over there. What else am I to do walking all that time and getting no where?
Ideas come all the time. Its the ones that stick in my head that become stories. The ones I can’t seem to stop thinking about. They grow in my head, until I am dying to write them down. I have to constantly ask myself, “So What?” The sky is green, so what? So, I can visit Venus, now what? As I keep asking myself what is next, the story just form in my mind.
However, that is hardly the end of it. The next challenge is getting the idea on paper. Developing the right way to say things; to paint a picture with my words.
What do I like to do to help me catch my muse, to keep coming up with those ideas and playing with them in my head? Music is always a good way for me to clear my mind. I mentioned above, the gym always works for me. Sometimes a long drive also helps. Some authors find reading helps them. I tend to get wrapped up in the story I am reading, and while reading is very inspirational, it doesn’t allow me the chance to play with my own ideas. But, I know it works for many.
So, while getting the ideas is easy, using them is hard. That is what really takes time. Good luck with yours, you just may have the next big idea just waiting to be developed.
I have entered the world of Blogging
Well that is not entirely true, I used to blog when I was running for Vacaville City Council in 2010. But that was a different kind of blog. It was a kissing babies and bragging about my community involvement. Of course, I love the City of Vacaville and still remain active in my community both as a Volunteer and in my shopping local pledge.
This blog is my entrance into blogging about those items that come to my mind. People think the hardest part of being a writer is thinking of new story ideas. I contest that. Thinking of the ideas is the easiest part. Almost anyone can do that. Taking that idea, turning it into a story, crafting the world in which it takes place, and then getting that all down on paper that is hard. Getting it in front of an audience of readers, well that is even harder.
This blog allows me to do three things. Write, write and write again. Writing is a craft and like any craft it needs practice. The best way to continue to improve myself is to keep writing. That is what I intend to do.
Now, if you would help getting it in front of an audience, I would appreciate it. First, subscribe to my blog by clicking the link to the left. You can also follow me on twitter and Facebook with those links to the left as well. Second, recommend my blog to everyone you know. Sure most of them will just get annoyed at you for sending them something they don’t care about, but a few of them might follow my blog, my Facebook page or even my Twitter feed. In the end, I don’t think I am asking for a lot.
I hope you enjoy my thoughts and blogs. There will be sarcasm, things I find funny (but you likely won’t), and of course the topic of writing.
Enjoy, Richard
