Good afternoon!
Yes, it has been a long time since I entered a post on this blog. I've been incredibly busy and not disposed to spend much time actually writing anything to speak of.
I have entered one of my novels in a competition and while I don't expect to win anything, like anybody else, I have high hopes or I wouldn't have entered the contest.
It's odd, but I have encountered more support from people that I have barely known than I have from people that are supposed to be my closest friends. Members of my family have been supportive, but it's the people who have claimed to be my best friends that have disappointed me the most. If you can imagine, people that I knew but who rarely noticed me in school, and haven't seen for forty years have displayed more support for my writing career than 'friends' that I see on a regular basis. It makes me wonder if jealousy has reared its head. I have noticed that they evince more support form people that they barely know than they have for me, and I believe that it's the old familiarity thing. You know, "familiarity breeds contempt". All I can say to any of that is that if they are jealous, they had their chance to attempt to make a name for themselves. If it's contempt they feel, then if I am successful, they will have missed their chance to be a part of my life that has been rewarding for me.
It just goes to show that it takes all kinds to make a world.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
Coincidences within a plot
Good afternoon!
So, you pick up a book and find coincidences in it that are unbelievable? Examine your own life and you'll find that coincidences are much more common than you thought. I have traveled, not widely, but enough that I was in places where the last thing I expected was to encounter someone from my hometown; but that is exactly what happened. Not just once, but several times. And, I have met people who at first glance seemed to have nothing in common with me, but on getting to know them, found that they were well-acquainted with people that I had known my entire life. Then there are the people I have met who turned out to be related to me in ways that I could never have imagined. How did these people manage to find me among all the millions of people they had a chance to encounter. Coincidence. Bit in the butt by fate.
By putting coincidences in a plot, you make a nod to the unexplainable in life. Coincidence is a part of "real life", and I try to write in a realistic manner. There is no reason to make apologies for such things, or, really, to try to explain them. The reader either gets it or he/she doesn't. Life is full of coincidences and those of us who ignore them are doomed to live in a world that is dimmed by the absence of the wonder that they can produce.
Thank you,
Derek A. Murphy
Author of Gulf of the Plains, Congruencies and others.
Available on Kindle
So, you pick up a book and find coincidences in it that are unbelievable? Examine your own life and you'll find that coincidences are much more common than you thought. I have traveled, not widely, but enough that I was in places where the last thing I expected was to encounter someone from my hometown; but that is exactly what happened. Not just once, but several times. And, I have met people who at first glance seemed to have nothing in common with me, but on getting to know them, found that they were well-acquainted with people that I had known my entire life. Then there are the people I have met who turned out to be related to me in ways that I could never have imagined. How did these people manage to find me among all the millions of people they had a chance to encounter. Coincidence. Bit in the butt by fate.
By putting coincidences in a plot, you make a nod to the unexplainable in life. Coincidence is a part of "real life", and I try to write in a realistic manner. There is no reason to make apologies for such things, or, really, to try to explain them. The reader either gets it or he/she doesn't. Life is full of coincidences and those of us who ignore them are doomed to live in a world that is dimmed by the absence of the wonder that they can produce.
Thank you,
Derek A. Murphy
Author of Gulf of the Plains, Congruencies and others.
Available on Kindle
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
How much attention do you pay to critics?
Good morning!
I know, I know, it's been a while since I posted on this blog. Things happen and I get distracted and am unable to post. If this was my actual job and I was paid to do this, I would be more diligent. As it is, this is just what I do in my off-time.
Back to the title of this post. I pay little attention to critics. It's their job to criticize and they get paid to do it, so they criticize other people's work. Too many of them take it to heart and simply work at finding fault with the work of others who may or may not deserve some of the crappy reviews they receive. I would hate to think that my livelihood depended on being negative about the creative efforts of others. I mean, how can anyone keep their mind and attitude on an even keel when they spend their lives looking for the bad in works that they may not even comprehend or understand? How much of a toll can such unrelenting negativity take on a person's life? Never mind the effect it may have on the writer who may believe that he or she has written the next Great American Novel. Bad reviews can be a soul-crushing blow that some people cannot recover from, and to think that a reviewer may simply have written such a bad review because they thought the phrases they came up with sounded 'cute' or tripped lightly from the tongue, is simply too cruel a thing to think of. Maybe the critic thinks that by ripping the work of others to shreds, they can catapult themselves into 'stardom' the way that a well known 'judge' on one of my least favorite talent contest/reality shows did. (I don't like reality shows because they bear little or no resemblance to reality and deprive writers of opportunities to make a living.)
So, just how much attention should one pay to critics? However much you can stomach. Just keep in mind that the only effort critics make at being creative is what they put into tearing the heart out of writers who have come under their eye. And that's not creative, that's just being cruel. They know no more than you or I and earn a living from being negative and cruel with a drop of actual appreciation for the efforts of others now and then. Anyone you meet on the street can do as well.
No. I have not received a bad review from anyone regarding any of my works as yet, so this post is not a reaction to such a review. It's simply the way I feel about the topic.
Thank you,
Derek A. Murphy
Author of Gulf of the Plains, Congruencies, Taken Apart and others.
Available on Kindle
I know, I know, it's been a while since I posted on this blog. Things happen and I get distracted and am unable to post. If this was my actual job and I was paid to do this, I would be more diligent. As it is, this is just what I do in my off-time.
Back to the title of this post. I pay little attention to critics. It's their job to criticize and they get paid to do it, so they criticize other people's work. Too many of them take it to heart and simply work at finding fault with the work of others who may or may not deserve some of the crappy reviews they receive. I would hate to think that my livelihood depended on being negative about the creative efforts of others. I mean, how can anyone keep their mind and attitude on an even keel when they spend their lives looking for the bad in works that they may not even comprehend or understand? How much of a toll can such unrelenting negativity take on a person's life? Never mind the effect it may have on the writer who may believe that he or she has written the next Great American Novel. Bad reviews can be a soul-crushing blow that some people cannot recover from, and to think that a reviewer may simply have written such a bad review because they thought the phrases they came up with sounded 'cute' or tripped lightly from the tongue, is simply too cruel a thing to think of. Maybe the critic thinks that by ripping the work of others to shreds, they can catapult themselves into 'stardom' the way that a well known 'judge' on one of my least favorite talent contest/reality shows did. (I don't like reality shows because they bear little or no resemblance to reality and deprive writers of opportunities to make a living.)
So, just how much attention should one pay to critics? However much you can stomach. Just keep in mind that the only effort critics make at being creative is what they put into tearing the heart out of writers who have come under their eye. And that's not creative, that's just being cruel. They know no more than you or I and earn a living from being negative and cruel with a drop of actual appreciation for the efforts of others now and then. Anyone you meet on the street can do as well.
No. I have not received a bad review from anyone regarding any of my works as yet, so this post is not a reaction to such a review. It's simply the way I feel about the topic.
Thank you,
Derek A. Murphy
Author of Gulf of the Plains, Congruencies, Taken Apart and others.
Available on Kindle
Friday, December 31, 2010
Competition?
Good morning!
It's been a while. I've been torn between living and writing and this blog suffered in consequence because of the struggle. I won't bore you with what has been going on, it can only matter to the people involved and has nothing to do with writing except that it prevented me from indulging myself. I will say that in the past week I had two fairly productive days and that I wish I could be more productive.
The reason is that I've decided to enter one of my novels in a competition and I need to prepare the submission materials. Writing a synopsis, blurbs, an excerpt and etc.; you know, the usual thing. And speaking of usual; I usually don't even think of entering my work in any sort of competition. Having it published and placed where people can purchase it is competition enough for me. But it's time to take the next step in my evolution as a writer and get my work into the hands of people who can make a (hopefully) objective evaluation of it and learn if it is worthy of wider distribution.
You see, networking and getting your work where influential people can see it is part of the game, and I've not taken the steps necessary to do those things. I am not an especially social person and find myself standing on the edges of any group, looking in. I know this about myself and while I worked at altering my personality to help further my career before I was retired, I gratefully relapsed when I began writing.
I don't expect to set the world on fire with my work and never did. I don't believe that anything will come of my entry into this competition and while I will do my best to present my work in the best light, it is unlikely that I will be making any trips to the venue of the awards ceremony. Some people may see that as defeatism and self-fulfilling prophecy of failure, but I am being realistic. Aside from the things I learned in school, I am a self-taught writer and couple that with my lack of networking skills and you can see that there is little chance that I will succeed in winning anything in this competition. I will do the best that I can and hope for the best. If anything comes of it, then that will be good. If not, then I've lost nothing.
Thank you,
Derek A. Murphy
Author of Gulf of the Plains, Congruencies, Questionable Interests and others.
Available on Kindle
It's been a while. I've been torn between living and writing and this blog suffered in consequence because of the struggle. I won't bore you with what has been going on, it can only matter to the people involved and has nothing to do with writing except that it prevented me from indulging myself. I will say that in the past week I had two fairly productive days and that I wish I could be more productive.
The reason is that I've decided to enter one of my novels in a competition and I need to prepare the submission materials. Writing a synopsis, blurbs, an excerpt and etc.; you know, the usual thing. And speaking of usual; I usually don't even think of entering my work in any sort of competition. Having it published and placed where people can purchase it is competition enough for me. But it's time to take the next step in my evolution as a writer and get my work into the hands of people who can make a (hopefully) objective evaluation of it and learn if it is worthy of wider distribution.
You see, networking and getting your work where influential people can see it is part of the game, and I've not taken the steps necessary to do those things. I am not an especially social person and find myself standing on the edges of any group, looking in. I know this about myself and while I worked at altering my personality to help further my career before I was retired, I gratefully relapsed when I began writing.
I don't expect to set the world on fire with my work and never did. I don't believe that anything will come of my entry into this competition and while I will do my best to present my work in the best light, it is unlikely that I will be making any trips to the venue of the awards ceremony. Some people may see that as defeatism and self-fulfilling prophecy of failure, but I am being realistic. Aside from the things I learned in school, I am a self-taught writer and couple that with my lack of networking skills and you can see that there is little chance that I will succeed in winning anything in this competition. I will do the best that I can and hope for the best. If anything comes of it, then that will be good. If not, then I've lost nothing.
Thank you,
Derek A. Murphy
Author of Gulf of the Plains, Congruencies, Questionable Interests and others.
Available on Kindle
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
What!?
Good Afternoon!
The title of this post pretty much says it all for me today. I've watched one of my novels climb into the Top 100 Kindle Genre Novels nearly every day this past week and I wonder why I've not received as much attention from critics, producers and even Big Publishing, if it sells so well.
Let's put the rankings into perspective. Out of the hundreds of thousands of books that Amazon sells in its Kindle Store, they are all broken up into genres; sub-groups. While my novels may work themselves into the Top 100, or even Top 10 in their genres, they may only rank several hundred out of the Top 100 overall. Or, even several thousand out of the rankings overall. There. That explains it. While my novels receive attention from readers, those people have the time and inclination to browse the Kindle Store looking for something worth their while to read. The critics, producers and publishers aren't looking for something worthwhile to read. They are looking for something worthwhile to review, convert into a movie or TV show, or to publish. They're looking for something that will make them some money. Something that they believe has a ready-made audience who will pay a few bucks to read or watch. With my limited efforts at promoting myself and my work, they just aren't ever going to see my stuff.
But, I am still writing and still feeding my addiction to producing stories that people might like to read and find entertaining. If I ever get the breaks needed to reach a wider audience, then that will be great. I'm not going to hold my breath.
Thank you,
Derek A. Murphy
Author of Gulf of the Plains, Congruencies, A Taste For Blood and others.
Available on Kindle
The title of this post pretty much says it all for me today. I've watched one of my novels climb into the Top 100 Kindle Genre Novels nearly every day this past week and I wonder why I've not received as much attention from critics, producers and even Big Publishing, if it sells so well.
Let's put the rankings into perspective. Out of the hundreds of thousands of books that Amazon sells in its Kindle Store, they are all broken up into genres; sub-groups. While my novels may work themselves into the Top 100, or even Top 10 in their genres, they may only rank several hundred out of the Top 100 overall. Or, even several thousand out of the rankings overall. There. That explains it. While my novels receive attention from readers, those people have the time and inclination to browse the Kindle Store looking for something worth their while to read. The critics, producers and publishers aren't looking for something worthwhile to read. They are looking for something worthwhile to review, convert into a movie or TV show, or to publish. They're looking for something that will make them some money. Something that they believe has a ready-made audience who will pay a few bucks to read or watch. With my limited efforts at promoting myself and my work, they just aren't ever going to see my stuff.
But, I am still writing and still feeding my addiction to producing stories that people might like to read and find entertaining. If I ever get the breaks needed to reach a wider audience, then that will be great. I'm not going to hold my breath.
Thank you,
Derek A. Murphy
Author of Gulf of the Plains, Congruencies, A Taste For Blood and others.
Available on Kindle
Friday, December 17, 2010
Explanations in the "Afterwords"
Good evening!
Well, it's been a couple of days since I posted on this blog and I thought that today might be a good time to let people know that I was still alive.
Ah! The title of the post. I read recently that some authors consider an explanation after the story has wrapped up to be 'bad art'. I agree that an afterword isn't an idea that I can get behind, but I take exception to the reference to art. I'm not an artist. I write. Maybe poorly, maybe okay. I can't exactly be objective regarding my own work, so I only have an idea that I write well. But it isn't art. I don't think that my work sends anyone into rapturous admiration of the way my phrases turn and trip lightly off the tongue. Nor do I believe that my work makes people sit and think about the enormity of any inferences I may have made in my work. I write stories for people to read and, hopefully, enjoy.
Why do I think an afterword is a bad idea? Because if you have to explain what you have just spent 75,000 to 100,000 words laying out for them, then you didn't get your idea across. If you want to write an afterword to explain why you wrote what you wrote, then you are only craving attention and the writing isn't filling some need that you have. Maybe some writers dislike the anonymity of sitting at a pc and cranking out word after word with no cheerleaders to spur them on. I don't know. I write, I proofread, I edit, I copyright, I publish, I get paid for my work. Sometimes. What more is there? Oh, I admit that awards and recognition would be nice, but if I write well enough, then the recognition will come in time. I might be dead by that time, but who really cares? I have met my need to write and that is what really matters to me. I've never had cheerleaders, so I don't miss them.
These are my thoughts on the matter and they don't really matter to anyone but me. Take from them what you will.
Thank you,
Derek A. Murphy
Author of Gulf of the Plains, Congruencies and others.
Available on Kindle
Well, it's been a couple of days since I posted on this blog and I thought that today might be a good time to let people know that I was still alive.
Ah! The title of the post. I read recently that some authors consider an explanation after the story has wrapped up to be 'bad art'. I agree that an afterword isn't an idea that I can get behind, but I take exception to the reference to art. I'm not an artist. I write. Maybe poorly, maybe okay. I can't exactly be objective regarding my own work, so I only have an idea that I write well. But it isn't art. I don't think that my work sends anyone into rapturous admiration of the way my phrases turn and trip lightly off the tongue. Nor do I believe that my work makes people sit and think about the enormity of any inferences I may have made in my work. I write stories for people to read and, hopefully, enjoy.
Why do I think an afterword is a bad idea? Because if you have to explain what you have just spent 75,000 to 100,000 words laying out for them, then you didn't get your idea across. If you want to write an afterword to explain why you wrote what you wrote, then you are only craving attention and the writing isn't filling some need that you have. Maybe some writers dislike the anonymity of sitting at a pc and cranking out word after word with no cheerleaders to spur them on. I don't know. I write, I proofread, I edit, I copyright, I publish, I get paid for my work. Sometimes. What more is there? Oh, I admit that awards and recognition would be nice, but if I write well enough, then the recognition will come in time. I might be dead by that time, but who really cares? I have met my need to write and that is what really matters to me. I've never had cheerleaders, so I don't miss them.
These are my thoughts on the matter and they don't really matter to anyone but me. Take from them what you will.
Thank you,
Derek A. Murphy
Author of Gulf of the Plains, Congruencies and others.
Available on Kindle
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Inspiration
Good morning!
What is inspiration, how do you get it and what can you do with it?
It can be something as simple as hearing a song and feeling an emotion well up in you that you never considered before. Maybe you did consider it, but it never really stuck with you. Write about it. Write about how it makes you feel, how it moves you to take some action in your life or, how it has affected your life. Transfer those feelings and experiences to a fictitious character and you've got the makings of a story.
Many people experience inspiration but don't know what to do with it. Or, they shunt it aside as having nothing to do with what they are involved in at the time. I file mine away for later use. Cue the file to open with the advent of a song, a scent, a sensation, and you will have it available at will.
Thank you,
Derek A. Murphy
Author of Behind the Stone, Eggs of Empire and others.
Available on Kindle
What is inspiration, how do you get it and what can you do with it?
It can be something as simple as hearing a song and feeling an emotion well up in you that you never considered before. Maybe you did consider it, but it never really stuck with you. Write about it. Write about how it makes you feel, how it moves you to take some action in your life or, how it has affected your life. Transfer those feelings and experiences to a fictitious character and you've got the makings of a story.
Many people experience inspiration but don't know what to do with it. Or, they shunt it aside as having nothing to do with what they are involved in at the time. I file mine away for later use. Cue the file to open with the advent of a song, a scent, a sensation, and you will have it available at will.
Thank you,
Derek A. Murphy
Author of Behind the Stone, Eggs of Empire and others.
Available on Kindle
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