Insidious lies in the Indie community

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Kai

We interrupt your regularly scheduled fluff for a bit of a rant. And I wouldn’t be doing this during Nanowrimo season, but it *really* needs to be said.

I’ve been reading a lot of ‘I don’t need to worry about grammar and editing, all that matters is I’m writing’ or ‘you’re jealous because your book isn’t out yet’, or ‘would YOU accept a C from your kids if they came home with it on the report? Then why accept a three star review?’.
All of this has kicked off since I started working as an editor – and a lot of it comes out when people discover that it’s going to cost money to edit their books.
There’s two insidious lies I’d like to address today.
First – Editing and grammar ain’t important. O’rhyleah? (sorry, been looking at lots of Lolthulu lately). Seriously? Would I have gotten away with that in a very post ironic way on my degree, or, would my tutor have kicked me from here to next week about run on sentences, and the occasional tense mistake? I think I’d have been kicked. I know I would have been – in fact, I was.
So, while I don’t agree with the idea that we need to be locked to rules (and I’ll talk about that more a bit later) if you’re not at least flirting with the acceptance that mistakes aren’t acceptable, then you’re not a professional writer.

There – I said it – it’s not the idea that you can’t afford to hire an editor that doesn’t make you a professional writer – it’s the idea that you can excuse your behavior by HIDING BEHIND not being able to afford a professional editor.
Can’t afford an editor? – I’m writing a book, and I teach classes – check them out.

The other insidious lie is that we’re not all on the same side as writers and readers. And while that’s true, in some cases (you can’t be ‘on the same side’ if you’re buying something from someone), when it comes to literature, readers and writers ARE on the same side. We all want good literature, and the best stories.

So – there’s a second element to all of this:

If you are charging for your work, you have an obligation – a paid service provision – to be professional.

Again, I said it. If you’re going to publish your work – and people are paying you – for heavens sake, act like a professional. That goes beyond the presentation of your work, but in the end, that’s all that matters to your reader.

Hack cleaning, and Psycho Killers

Posted on September 25, 2011 by Kai

Something that I don’t think is very evident from my writing is that I’m very music oriented. If I can get away with it, no matter where I am, in the house, or out and about there’s either music, an audiobook, or crime programs on in the background somewhere. Music starts my morning, and audiobooks, or more rarely now, TV shows finish out my day. I’m constantly somewhere where there is noise. To the point that if I ever end up catastrophically brain damaged or otherwise unable to instruct it myself, or am in a coma, I’ve got it written into my living will (kinda sad that I’ve got one at 32, but the books go one way before a certain point in my life, and the rest belong to my other half, to do with as he pleases, and the kids need to be taken care of too) that there is always to be music wherever I am, even if it’s only just loud enough to be heard by me. Even if it means bringing my phone and speakers into the hospital.

But, unless you knew an old incarnation of this blog, you wouldn’t know that – I used to open out posts with the music that was influencing me – either a lyric, or a song title. I’m going to start that again, because this blog, and to a lesser degree Kai-q is going to be about me. All of me.
Which means this blog is going to get a bit frenetic for a while I’m difficult to define at the best of times, without actually looking at what I get up to, or even, what’s on my desk, my Kindle, my Goodreads list, my camera, my phone… I am a complicated, complex, multiple type geek, and probably very rarely, I’m a multiple type geek that has several strong focusses.

Basically – what you think you know about me – it’s probably mostly true, but there’s probably more to me than most people realise. And more than I’ll ever probably be able to express.
One of the things I do know right now is I’ve got a plan – finally. I’ve also got a very clean workspace, and the freedom to actually work for myself now. Totally and utterly, I’m free now, and that’s a good thing.

As for the title – the blog was hacked this weekend – and had we not already been keeping a vague eye on the site anyway, I think that this could have been a lot worse than it was. I’m still working on cleaning the residual issues that I’ve been left with, but most of them were temporary. The reason – the main reason, I took the blog offline is because I couldn’t apply the fix while people were trying to access parts of the site. So, we put the temporary redirect up, fixed the blog, voila . Well, kinda, cause I’ve not finished the blog design yet, so for now it’s a bit bland…

The psycho killers thing – well, that means one of my characters has decided to stop being such a huffy little pain in the ass and is talking to me again – his two favorite bands happen to be Talking Heads and Nickelback, though he’s taken a shine to Mazzy Star lately too. Mostly I’m just glad Elliot is back from wherever he vanished off to. I’ve still got yet more planning to do, to the point of paralysis, but I’m finally in a place where I can actually see the light at the end of the tunnel – and apparently on my keyboard. It does mean less time downstairs vegging with my other half at night for a while, but I think, if I can make it work, it’ll be more than worth it.

Of bright lights and disappointments…

Posted on September 22, 2011 by Kai

We are, to all intents and purposes, one month after ‘the Watershed‘

And there’s a couple of things that have changed since then – some for the better, some in a different way and with no impact. One for the worse.

As the last post explained, I finally graduated. What the last post barely touches on is why it’s taken so long to get to that point. And, y’know, I wish I could point at everything I’ve been up to recently and say ‘see, good reason’, but the truth is, the reason, though, probably, a valid one, isn’t a ‘good’ one by any stretch of the imagination. Focusing on the positive though – I graduated. I’m delighted that I graduated. I’m trying to decide if I want to go to the ceremony where our degrees are officially conferred – right now it’s looking at least an option.

Other improvements include taking on better paying work, in some cases. I *love* copywriting – but what I don’t love is the fact that I’m basically at the mercy of clients. Most are darlings – but some leave a lot to be desired. And when I’m having to be draconian about billing practices, I know something has gone wrong. And that’s the problem – there’s no give in my billing. And for those that know why, don’t even say it in public – it’s not necessary. I’ve taken steps to remedy that, in the form of http://indieunbound.com I’m now officially and formally an editor as well as a copywriter, using my experience as a writer and graduate to support indie writers in creating a product that works for them – and the market. It’s good, and in the last few days, I’ve already managed to book clients till our holiday in October, which is just stellar.

Other than that, I’m working on finishing up my websites and setting up regular spots for blogging, fixing my timetable to balance stuff (though, I’m slowly coming to the realisation I can either have a quiet life OR work really hard – there’s no doubling up and earning both) and slowly resolving everything that needs to be resolved.

The negative? other than a couple of outlines, I’m still not writing. And that sucks. But I think I have a solution to that too – one, that if I can keep up with the editing client bookings, will give me the best of all worlds and allow me to be the last piece of the puzzle that is me. I have to find my way back to fiction writing, or there’s no point in freelancing the way I do. I could, instead use my degree on something else, and let go of the idea of being an author – and to be honest, that all or nothing decision makes me more worried than any other choice I could ever make.

I guess the last thing I need to talk about is ‘what’s next’? I already miss university desperately – I’ve never felt more at ease in an establishment in my life, and I want to go back to that at some point. So, realistically, some of the money I make editing and writing is going back into ‘me’, and in turn, making me a better writer and editor, via my MA plans. Ideally, I’d like to do linguistics of some kind, rather than a wholly creative project, but ultimately, I guess I’ll need to see what is available to me, and how long it’ll take me to save for it. For now, all of my energy is going into clearing up the last of the server costs I was left with, sorting out new hosting for that secondary account, and building a buffer of savings for my family. Editing and copywriting together are a good combination, especially if I can keep streamlining my time and using it to the best effect.

Now though? Work beacons. Laters

Picking up where I left off and why the site has been quiet

Posted on October 23, 2010 by Kai

: Image by Writing On The Mall via Flickr

Ok, I know, I’m supposed to blog more than once a week, once a month, once in a blue moon, but it’s been kinda hectic lately. I’m still getting used to lots of things, but basically, since my last posting, I’ve sorted out my gap year funding for Uni, have handed in several essays to support my gap year, then even started back to my +1 year.

It’s been mad here – the youngest has changed schools – again – to a specialist unit. The eldest tried out for grammar school. My partner still loves his job, I founded an entirely new company, doing the same stuff (writing!), and for the first time in my life, came off incapacity benifit. I’ll probably talk more about that whole fun experience later (and I mean fun in the exciting sense, not the sarcastic )

Other than that – I’m still slowly expanding my library of ‘I wrote this, I really should share’. Slo-o-o-w-l-y, but faithful readers will know that this is the time of year that this changes.

Yep – it’s NANO time! Woooohoooo!

I’m so excited. So there should be more posts, from this blog and others about how cool things are going to get.
It’s good – great – to be back.

Picking up where I left off and why the site has been quiet

Free Chapter – Glass Block

Posted on April 9, 2010 by Kai

: Image via Wikipedia

And he’s the free chapter from Glass Block – let me know what you think, and whether you like it or not. Interested, not interested, I’d love to hear your views!

Glass Block free prologue

Glass Block Blurb

Sometimes games and reality shows just shouldn’t be revived – Elliot Peters, detective at Quadrant A, Downtown Darkness knows this best. When he’s plunged into a nightmare game show, he begins to realise that the religious element of the city might just be finally making their move and it’s a race against time to stop the release of a deadly virus that four of the prisoners had been carrying.

Available for Pre order July ’10.

Where would you be comfortable?

Posted on August 31, 2009 by Kai

Comfort, especially as a writer, is a funny thing.

Lots of people say that they’d be comfortable earning lots of money, and doing the things they love. Others are sure it’s not about the money, but want to share something with the world.
But how much of that is about actual comfort, and how much is expectation based on perception of success?

I used to think that writing was the be all and end all in my life – slowly though, other things have crept in – I’m learning lingustics which is language in one of it’s purest forms, because forensic linguistics is about the best thing I can think of doing with my life. But I don’t write nearly as much (for myself) as I’d like. I’ve cut back on my blogging – I’m not sure where my world actually *is* any more. I love writing to death, but at the end of the day, beyond uni, I don’t write. I never thought there’d be a day where I said I hadn’t written something beyond emails, but there are now whole groups of days when I don’t write. I’m too bone tired – too much on. And I don’t think I wrote nearly enough last year for Uni either….
I don’t read nearly as much as I used to either – but part of that, I think , is because I’ve put my ereader down *somewhere* and I can’t find it. Some of it is just because again, there’s no time in the day.

One of the biggies is that as a family, I need to contribute meaningfully – up until recently, we recieved enough funding from the University to just about manage that ‘meaningful’ support – but this last year saw them cut it back, again, which means I either have to find extra funds or cut back again – which isn’t a pleasant prospect to be honest. So money has an aspect in my comfort, because without it, unfortunately, I can’t AFFORD to write. But that makes me question whether I’ve got the right perspective on writing anyway. I can still write, just not as often – but for me, without that be a comfort, or would that cause more harm than it prevents? I mean, I used to tell people that if I didn’t write, I’d go mad. And in some ways it’s true. I don’t write and the thought of creating worlds torments me, but it’s a dull itch rather than an all consuming fire.

What are your thoughts? Where’s comfort for you, and what conditions do you have on it?

Insanity is contagious, Mk x

Funding my writing habit since 2004

Category Archives: Books and reading