self-publishing – Page 4 – DEE HARPER LEWIS

A writer’s corner: Writing for fame

In the Reddit writer’s group I frequent, an author made the statement: “I stopped wanting to be a famous writer; now I can actually write because I want to tell stories.“

This resonated with me immediately. I’m in this space right now. I never started writing for fame, but I want people to read my book, and I want feedback.

I write because the characters are in me and are waiting to get out. I have a long habit of daydreaming and building characters and scenarios in my overactive imagination.

I had pandemic years to develop them, and now I am beginning to release them onto the page.

Writing for fame or money is like becoming an actor because you want to be a star rather than because you love the craft. Wrong motive and doomed to fail. You gotta love your craft, not the eyes on you. Wanting accolades, ratings, and reviews can be rewarding and, at the same time, discouraging, but mostly, they will be distracting. This is something I must always keep in mind.

A writer’s corner: Productivity

An author in the Reddit writers group posed the question: “When do you feel the most inspired or productive in your writing?”
They went on to ask is it morning? Afternoon? And they asked if we ever dream about our characters and get up to write more.

I had a good laugh out loud at that. I would love to dream about my characters. I used to dream about work all the time. Why can I not have a lovely nocturnal fantasy about the ever-fascinating characters I want to create?

The truth is, I am most productive two times during the day.
I am very productive early in the morning with a clear head and no distractions when my mind has not yet been cluttered with the minutia of daily life.

But many times, I’m super creative when I’m just about to fall asleep. From a very early age, that has been a time filled with fantasy. I have a long habit of creating other worlds in my mind as a way to erase the clutter and dream.

The more complex and detailed these ‘nocturnal daydreams’ are, the faster I will fall asleep. Now that I am writing regularly, this is a time when I grab my dictaphone and start rattling off dialogue or descriptions. To produce the best work, I can’t have anything else in my head. I immerse myself in the mindset of the characters, and that happens best when there are no distractions.

A writer’s corner: Characters

An author in the Reddit writers group I belong to posed the question: “How do you develop characters?”
They had a method to develop characters concentrating on four things: The character’s function, personality, physical attributes, and family background.

Many writers responded, some revealing that they concentrate on backstory first, others stating that they jump right into the scenes and let the character develop organically, a kind of character role-playing.

One author had a very different approach. They decided on a ‘theme’, which they likened to a ‘mission statement’ for the book. And then, they determined the types of characters that would support the theme. I love this approach and will definitely try it sometime.

Right now, my approach is very close to the OP’s, except that I don’t care what the characters look like unless they have a feature that’s important to the story. Function and personality are key, and I spend a lot of time figuring out what kind of childhood or life experiences the character had in order to become who they are. I do this for minor characters also, even though their backstory may just be hinted at in a sentence or two. The backstory of every character informs their dialogue and actions. With this approach, I make sure they are never acting out of character.
It was very interesting to read about different approaches and what works well for other writers.

Character inspiration

Once in a while, you see something that screams for a book to be made or a movie to be written about it. I saw this clip on Reddit and want to create a character as badass as this woman. What would her backstory be? How would she meet her love interest? My writing focuses on the Victorian era, but I will do post-WWI just to have characters like this.

She belonged to the Thirteen Black Flying Cats, and they deserve their own miniseries.

A writer’s dilemma: Is it worth it?

A writer in a writer’s forum posed the question: “To all the writers out there, be honest. Is writing really worth it? If yeah, how did you realise that you wanted to be a writer?”

I enjoyed writing from a very young age and have had teachers and one publisher tell me I have a ‘voice’. But I am also an artist, and the love of art was stronger, though I never made it a career.

I’ve tried my hand at writing books a number of times and did finally self-publish a non-fiction book.

I turned to fiction writing more seriously during the pandemic when I was building so many characters and scenes in my mind that I had to get them out of my head and onto paper. The ideas were never-ending, so I finally decided it was time to be serious about writing a book. 40,000 words into a contemporary romance, I hated my character so much that I started a historical romance instead, which is a genre I have always loved and have done an incredible amount of research on over the years.

I will continue until the characters are exhausted, which will be no time soon. I hope people read and enjoy my books. I am not doing it to become a best-selling author and make a lot of money. I want my characters to come alive and for their challenges to resonate with readers.

So far, it is really, really worth it. It is a labor of love.

A writer’s dilemma: marketing

In a Self-publishing support group, writer Elizabeth Conte says:
“We writers write. That is what we love and do. But, in today’s marketing people want to know you as a writer and a person. Many of us don’t like to talk about ourselves, or put our faces in 5 sec. videos. We just want to write and for people to buy our books. Unfortunately, that doesn’t cut it in today’s social media world.” Elizabeth Conte

She goes on to emphasize the importance of connection with readers. And although some writers focus solely on their craft, today’s landscape requires a more multifaceted approach. Social media is necessary, but it shouldn’t be painful. One can ‘engage comfortably’ by showcasing the writer’s interests and writing. Writers should take up this challenge to share their ‘writer’s persona’ through social media.

This post resonated with me in so many ways. It was a piece of excellent advice for those who have a burning passion to write but don’t want to ‘brand’ themselves. Many, many writers are natural introverts, and the thought of exposing themselves is more than just a little daunting. It’s a hard NO.

My head is too full of characters that want to escape to the page. Revealing them and weaving a story around them gives me joy. But I have found a few social media avenues I’m comfortable with: Facebook, Reddit forums, and daily blogging. Community is important and exciting to engage in. That is not marketing but may yield the same result.

A writer’s dilemma: a true voice

An aspiring author posed a complicated question about writing in the English language when that is not your native tongue. They had a story they passionately wanted to tell and wanted opinions about the pros and cons of using Chatgpt or having an editor help ‘beautify’ the text.

What a dilemma! I do think the best approach is to publish in one’s own language first. The problem with using Chatgpt or even an editor is that the writing will likely end up flat and soulless. Whereas in one’s own language, the writer’s voice will come through.

I can not stress how important this is. People need to read more than pretty words.

After publishing in the native language, a good translator could be found to translate the book. An excellent translation will not come from Google Translate. A good translator will understand the nuances of the language and the hidden meanings. Artificial intelligence tools can never do that.

Write with passion and be true to your voice.

Sinclair sees Rosie for the first time-A Misalliance with Love

“His eyes swept the room, taking in the fetching bouquet of debutantes in their brightly colored afternoon party frocks. Their hues mimicked those in a garden—rose pink, mossy green, bluebell, lilac, sunflower yellow, and water blue. His eyes came to rest on the champagne curls of the girl sitting beside Lady Penelope Haverford.”

Excerpt From: Dee Harper Lewis-A Misalliance with Love.