My New Year's Resolution: Self-Publishing

Countless times in the past I've made grand plans for New Year’s resolutions, which in reality haven't lasted past the halfway point in January. However, this time I'm really determined to achieve my goal – to self-publish a novel.

Why self-publish? Through my brief work experience in a couple of literary agencies in London, I've seen how frustratingly difficult it is to get a novel published through the traditional means, especially in a genre like science fiction or fantasy. However, self-publishing seemed to be a cop-out in comparison – lots of work and risk, with little chance of reward. Recently though, I've been researching self-publishing through ebooks and have been astonished by the success that a skilled and motivated writer can achieve. In particular, the science fiction author Michael R. Hicks has been a real inspiration – through hard work, perseverance and brilliant stories, he's living the dream!

Here’s my plan in brief:

• Start work on a new novel idea – plan in detail and begin writing (‘This Dark World’ is shelved for the moment)
• Redraft my science fiction short story collection – written for degree, 10,000 words
• Publish collection as a trial run – test the waters, generate interest, maybe earn some pennies!
• Eventually publish novel!

I’ll try to keep you all updated on my progress with regular posts. I’ll have to balance this new project alongside Tweet RPG, but I’m sure they’ll feed and support each other. If you have any advice, insights or opinions on self-publishing, feel free to comment below or send me a tweet!

Writing a novel - tips from an amateur

I've been writing my novel 'This Dark World' for about eight or nine months now, and have learnt so much about the process of novel writing in that short space of time. Obviously I've only discovered a microcosm of what there is to know about writing, through my university education and personal experience as a writer. Nevertheless, I think the knowledge I've picked up during my creative process is worth sharing, and will hopefully be useful to other budding novelists out there.

Don't be perfect - I'm terrible for redrafting before it's required. I could probably spend an hour or longer trying to shape a paragraph into perfection, rather than pressing on with writing. It's more time-efficient to keep going regardless of the 'quality' of your work, because redrafting can wait until you've got a finished first draft. I remember reading a quote from an author, who said that her protagonist could switch genders multiple times during any of her first drafts, but she wouldn't worry about it until she had finished, which I think illustrates the point that you need to just slogging on!

Start with the bare bones - This tip kind of leads on from the previous one. It can be really easy to include details in your novel which aren't necessarily relevant to the story, but help you as a writer to understand the narrative and your characters. Try to catalogue these particulars in a journal so that you have them to draw upon if necessary, but don't worry about adding the flesh to the skeleton until the second or third draft. For example, my first chapter of 'This Dark World' contained loads of detail about my protagonist and his environment, but didn't drive the plot at all. I therefore cut this chapter, but I still benefited from writing it because I can use those details when adding the muscles and skin to the text later on.

Generate inspiration, don't wait for it - It can be really hard to make yourself write when you're not in the mood, especially when writing doesn't have a clear/definite financial incentive at the it's conclusion! When you start your novel, you'll probably be brimming with inspiration and drive, but inevitably this will fade. Don't wait for the honeymoon period of writing to magically return; find ways to regenerate it. I often find that my favourite music, books and films can be good catalysts to spark my creativity, so listening to an album whilst I do the washing-up generally gets me in the right mood to crack on with my novel when I'm done! 

Use your time effectively - Achieving progress in novel writing is a difficult task if you aren't organising yourself effectively. I'm not just talking about making time to write - I'm talking about your whole 'life' organisation. Even if you're not in full-time employment or education, you've probably still got loads of different elements of your life demanding your attention. If these responsibilities aren't being addressed properly, you shouldn't try to focus yourself on writing. I say this because there is a real danger that you could turn writing into a sin, something you do when you should be taking on your higher priorities. Once everything else is addressed, find your best time-strategy to get your writing done. You may find it easiest to set aside a certain time of the day/week to write, or you may work best by writing whenever you get a scrap of time. Whatever approach you choose, make sure your family/friends/job/etc doesn't suffer for the sake of your art. At the moment I'm juggling part-time employment, job hunting, youth work and music responsibilities at church, freelance proofreading, spending time with friends and family and being a good husband, as well as writing my novel! It's not easy and sometimes I may fail, but if I can do it, you can too.

Chart your progress - It's really important to feel that you are getting somewhere with your writing, so that the task doesn't become a monotonous grind. Set yourself some targets and try to stick to them - but don't beat yourself up too much if you don't! Remember also that your word count isn't always the best indicator of progress. For example, after showing my incomplete first draft to a small publisher, I was advised to cut a large amount of my writing, so as to speed up the flow of my narrative, and to adjust some of my fantasy concepts. This was a bit soul-destroying, as it felt like I was taking massive leap backwards, but now I can see that even though I had to go from 26,000 words back down to about 10,000 words, the whole event allowed me to improve my story and the overall shape of my novel. Make sure you chart these points in your writing progress, so you can look back and see that regardless of how many words you have on the page, your idea has been growing and evolving.

I've been quite fortunate recently to be experiencing the twin blessings of time and inspiration, which has helped me make a lot of progress with 'This Dark World'. I've now written 20,315 words, which is about 43 pages of A4. This is roughly a third of target word length (50,000 - 60,000). I've separated my draft into seventeen chapters so far, which vary from being less than a page in length to being four or five A4 pages long. I've really been focusing on the 'bare bones' of the novel at the moment, knowing that the incidental notes can be added at a later stage. I'm currently writing a section during which Paul has to face a set of trials, each of which relate to taking up a different piece of the 'Armour of God'. These chapters have been fun to write, as I can let my imagination run wild whilst being inspired by the Word of God.

Click here to see a sample chapter from my novel!

Let me know if this has been helpful or interesting by commenting below or on my twitter/facebook page, I'd love to hear about any writing or other creative ventures that you're taking on at moment!

'This Dark World' - sample chapter

Paul pushed open the glass doors, exiting the building onto the angular concrete steps. The evening had a chilly edge, but was dry and still, darkness beginning to settle in the clear sky. Warm light illuminated the interior of the church building, groups of people visible within, chatting amiably and drinking cups of tea and coffee. Paul stood on the steps, looking down onto the street that passed by in front of the church.

Why did it feel so pointless? He'd been doing this ever since he was a kid, but now it just seemed like empty words and meaningless actions. Where was the blind belief he'd professed as a five-year-old? He turned back and looked at the people within the building. It meant something to all of them. He just felt hollow, wishing he had the guts to stand up to his parents, to say he wasn't going anymore. An even bigger part of him, a gnawing emptiness within, just wanted to know the truth.

“God,” he began quietly, his words resonant against the hushed atmosphere of his surroundings. “If this is real, if you are real, then show me. Not in words or pictures, actually show me. Or, I don't think I can carry on with this. I don't think I can believe unless...”

Paul stopped. A young man, possibly in his early twenties, was leaning against the railings next to the church's wrought iron gate. He was wearing an immaculate grey pinstripe suit, which seemed to shimmer in the darkness. His jet-black hair was slicked back, giving him the appearance of an eight-ball with a handsome chiselled face. His eyes stared at Paul, who felt like he was being consumed in their gaze. The man smiled, breaking the tension.

“Hey, how's it goin'?”

“Alright I guess.”

Paul walked down the steps, hoping the stranger hadn't overheard him talking earlier.

“I'm off to a party,” the man informed him. “It's 'gangster' themed. You think I look good?”

“Um, yeah.”

Paul was about to open the gate and get away from this quite possibly drunk man, when he noticed something in his hand. He walked away from the gate, transfixed by the object. The man smiled from the other side of the railing, the corners of his mouth curving wickedly.

“You want some?” he asked, holding out the greasy hamburger.

Paul looked at the fast-food snack. For some reason he couldn't comprehend, the burger looked like the best item of food he had ever laid eyes upon. His stomach twisted longingly, consumed with hunger. He felt as if all would be right with the world as long as he could sink his teeth into that soft white bread and fill himself with the rich meatiness of the flame-grilled beef within.

His hand reached out.

The stranger's grin widened.

Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.

The voice seemed to be simultaneously the softest whisper in Paul's ear and also a clap of thunder. The man's smile faded instantly, replaced by a look of inhuman rage. He threw the hamburger to the ground, stamping on it aggressively. Paul looked down at the trampled object. It didn't look so appetising anymore. He could see bits of green mould on the bun, and the meat wasn't even cooked in places. When he looked back up, the man was smiling again, his teeth perfectly aligned and plastically white.

“Wanna see something cool?”

Paul nodded, intrigued. The man raised his hand high above the his head, then brought it swiftly down onto one of the pointed ridges on the railings, the metal tearing through his hand. Paul jumped back in shock, his colour sucked from his face at the sight of the blood gushing out of the man's hand.

“What are doing? Are you mental?”

The man slowly removed his hand from the raised metal that had skewered it, making Paul feel faint and nauseous.

“Look,” he commanded, holding his palm up to Paul.

The youth studied it incredulously. There wasn't even a mark. The flesh was clear and unharmed.

“You can do that too.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. You're protected. Nothing's gonna happen to you.” The man pointed up into the sky.

“The big guy's got you covered.” He smiled his toothy grin. “Give it a try.”

Paul looked at the metal tips of the railing. Could he?

Do not put the Lord your God to the test.

“Oh come on!” shouted the stranger angrily, striding out into the road in frustration. “I nearly had him with that one.”

Paul looked at him with confusion. What on earth was going on? He noticed a blotch on the man's suit trousers. His hand was bleeding, the drops staining the cloth a rich scarlet.

“Hey,” shouted the man, walking back over to the railing. Paul looked at him. His face appeared youthful, but on closer inspection the skin seemed stretched and mottled, the bones of his cheeks a little too sharp, his eyes a little too dark.

“Hey,” the stranger repeated, snapping his fingers in front of Paul's face, causing the youth to jump. The man laughed, a hollow rasping sound.

“What do you want?” asked Paul, his voice quavering nervously.

“What do I want?” the man echoed him, chuckling. “I want to give you everything. I have the power. You want money? I'll give it to you. You want women?” The man laughed again. “What a stupid question. What teenage boy doesn't? Well, they'll be queuing up for you. I can do that. You want respect? Power? I can give you all these things.”

“What's the catch?'

“Catch? There is no catch.”

The man turned away, whistling tunelessly to himself. Paul pondered his words. Money. Power. Satisfaction. Who didn't want these things? The stranger turned back to Paul, smiling his unnerving grin.

“There is one, tiny, insignificant thing you'd have to do for me in return.”

“What is it?”

“I would need you to bow down to me. It's just an ego thing, it wouldn't mean anything really – ”

Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.

This time the words were like a shock-wave slamming into the ground, causing Paul to tremble, fully aware of the terrible power the utterance contained. The man howled in agony, his hands clawing at his ears. He fell down onto the tarmac, writhing in pain. Paul watched as the stranger began rise. Terror gripped him, rooting him to the floor. The man seemed gloriously handsome, but his beauty was at the same time the most horrific thing Paul had ever seen. The angles of his bone structure, the arch of his back, the density of his shining hair. It wasn't human.

“OK, OK,” the stranger said, his voice grinding, his breathing heavy. “I guess you must really want this one.” He looked at Paul, his eyes glinting viciously. “I've got one more thing to show you,” addressing the young boy. He clicked his fingers.

Everything changed. Paul looked about him in panic. The buildings of the street seemed to be crumbling and shifting, but somehow managing to stay standing. The sky had morphed into a dense black shadow, a sunless expanse, the complete absence of light.

Something grabbed at his leg.

Paul turned to see what was clutching at his ankle, his eyes widening with absolute terror.

A creature, a bony humanoid, its bulbous head vacant of features except for a gaping maw, was crawling towards him, its jagged hand scrabbling at him. Paul kicked out at the monster, knocking it away. The creature reeled back, but continued to advance. The youth turned to run but was surrounded by more foul ragged bodies, some shuffling awkwardly towards him, others dragging themselves along the ground, all attracted to him, sightlessly searching for him.

“Get back! Get away!” he screamed, kicking and punching frenziedly.

Cold hands latched onto his limbs, pulling at him, relentless against his strength. He was dragged down, pulled to the ground.

The man watched, grinning hatefully at Paul.

“

You're hopeless. Lost. A failure. He isn't going to save you this time. It's too much. You're done for.”

Darkness was almost upon him. He could feel the dank fetid breath of rotten mouths upon his skin, could feel razor-sharp teeth preparing to sink into his flesh.

“Help me.”

The darkness was nearly complete.

“Save me. Jesus, save me.”

Light. Unadulterated light. A supernova of whiteness. The creatures burst apart, disintegrating into dust, blasted into nothing. The man screamed with rage and was gone, disappearing in a flash of dark energy. Paul felt peace lap over him, the fear instantly replaced by calm. He eyes were closed, but he could sense the light surrounding him like a blanket of pure power. A voice spoke to him, the words falling into his mind without sound.

You are forgiven.

You are clean.

You are a new creation.

In your weakness, you doubted me.

I will turn your weakness into strength.

You asked me to show you...I will allow you to see.

Your sight will glorify me.

Paul awoke with a start, sitting up in bed. He was sweating, breathing heavily. His bedroom was cloaked in darkness, the bluish hues of early morning feeding in through the curtains. He lay back, catching his breath.

What on earth had happened? The man, the creatures, the voice? His mind felt foggy. He seemed to remember coming home, reading for a little while, and then going to bed. Was it all a dream? Something he had made up in his head? The memory of it didn't seem like a dream, but at the same time it didn't feel tangible, like some kind of disturbingly realistic illusion.

He let his body sag back into the covers, rolling over to find a comfortable position. Something did feel different. He felt...encouraged. Regenerated. Like he actually wanted to get up and face the dreary Monday that awaited him in a few hours time. He rolled over again, shrugging off these thoughts. It was just some wacky dream his over-active imagination had conjured up, probably from some comic or film he'd seen. However, as sleep seeped back over him, the words still echoed around his mind – “you asked me to show you...I will allow you to see.”

Writer's block, RPG fun, and the first definitive test of whether a person is good or evil!

You may have noticed that after devoting an entire post to the topic of my current writing project, 'This Dark World', I haven't mentioned my novel idea for a while. The reason for this is that I am suffering the dreaded writer's block. Everytime I try to sit down and devote some time to my creative endevour I seem to hit a mental brick wall. All inspiration and motivation drains out of my mind, leaving me an ineffective husk of a man. That might be a slight exaggeration, but you get the picture.

However, I think I've discovered the root of my writing issues. After reworking the fantasy concept of my story, I went through my draft and cut out everything that definitely wasn't useful anymore, leaving the parts that could possibly be cannibalised into the new form of my story. I don't think I went far enough in my purging actions. I'm getting caught up in reworking my old draft and combining it with my latest work, and making no progress. I am therefore turning a new page and starting over. I'm keeping my first six chapters because these aren't causing me any problems, but the rest are gone.I have kept hold of all my old drafts, but only as a reference of my progress. I'll let you know how my fresh start goes, but I think it's safe to assume I won't be finished by Christmas!

As a result of my writer's block, I've been doing a fair bit of gaming recently; role-playing games in particular have been my source of solace. I finally completed the main story quest of Fallout 3 the other day, after getting bored with the myriad side missions. There were some really interesting twists and turns in the narrative, getting you caught up in some awesome battles and interesting puzzles before the end. I'm playing through the Operation: Anchorage DLC now, which focuses on the FPS aspects of the game, offering the player a high-paced, guns-blazing version of the Fallout 3's action.

I also, to my shame, recently downloaded a ten-day trial of World of Warcraft. In my defence, I wanted to give the game an objective look, rather than dismissing it out of hand, and I have to admit; it's actually quite fun. I found it very easy to pick up as a beginner, although the demo did limit me to the basic quests, which all boil down to the same process - run to an area, kill a certain amount of enemies and loot their corpses, then return to the quest-giver. However, the landscape of the game is pretty in a cartoonish way, but also very involving and deep, allowing you to get lost in the world. The character customisation options are also extensive, allowing players to craft an unique avatar with specific skills and traits. It's fun to be playing alongside other human players as well, although I can see how the game can be a time-drain if you commit to questing with other people. I don't think I can justify getting into a game that requires me to pay subscription fees, and so although I have enjoyed my brief experience of World of Warcraft, it will remain a game that I don't regularly play.

Finally, here is a video that will separate those whose souls are filled with darkness from those who cling to purity and virtue. It shows two kittens who have 'fainting goat syndrome', meaning that they go rigid if they hear a loud noise or are shocked. Watch the clip; if you laugh, you are evil. If you cry, you are good. It's as simple as that. Enjoy!

'This Dark World' - the story continues...

A few posts ago I informed you that I had started to write a novel. There's been a fair bit of progress within the past couple of months, so I thought I'd bring you all up to date, and go into a little more detail about the concept of my story, 'This Dark World'.

Paul Highcroft, a disillusioned Christian teenager, has reached the point where he needs some clarity. Why is he still going to church when it's just boring and pointless? Why does life seem so unfulfilling? Why is he the biggest female deterrent in the Southwest of England? So, he challenges God. Show me that all this 'Christian stuff' is real, or I don't think I can carry on. Put it right in front of my eyes, or I don't think I can believe anymore...

Paul gets a lot more than he bargained for when his prayer is answered. God opens his eyes to spiritual battles he and all Christians face day by day, as a part of the struggle to live out the victory that Christ won on the cross. He must enter the spiritual arena and face Satan's onslaught, taking up his armour and slaying his enemies though the power of God's word. Anger, doubt, pride - all these opponents must be faced. And when the fight is done, there's still dull homework, annoying siblings, bullies and young-love's cruel sting to be dealt with.

Phew! There's my pitch out of the way. I really want to get people on board with the concept, because I think if people can be seen to get behind that, you know you're on a good foundation. As I said before, I want this story to be a really exciting look at spiritual warfare, that will encourage Christian teenagers to take hold of their beliefs and help them tackle the issues they face as they grow up. I also aim to make this a book that will generate an interest in Christianity from non-Christian youths, who will want to know more after reading the story.

There have been a few major developments since I last wrote on this topic. I had emailed the author of the article that was the catalyst for this project, stating my purpose to undertake the task of writing a fantasy novel for Christian teenagers, and asking if the publisher they worked for would be interested in seeing the finished product. To my surprise and elation I received a message back saying they would like to see the first three chapters in their initial draft stage! This was a massive confidence boost, and a real encouragement that I was on the right path with my idea.

I sent off a submission to the publisher, and continued to write, reaching 26,000 words before received a reply from them. I also let one of my friends from church, who is an English teacher and avid literature fan, have a look a section of the draft. She really enjoyed it, in terms of the concept, plot and writing style, and has been pestering me to write more every time I see her!

The week after our church youth camp, I opened my emails to find a response from the publisher. It wasn't good. They liked my writing style and thought some of the sections were very vivid and imaginative, but had found huge doctrinal issues with the fantasy aspect of my story. I was initially very disappointed and frustrated, because I think I had elevated this situation to being 'my shot at the big time'. This taught me to be realistic however, and not to peg all my hopes on one opportunity.

After studying the criticisms and issues raised, I determined that while the publisher was completely within their rights to make these statements against my novel, my early draft have not shown that I agreed with them on all the points raised. I emailed them back, arguing my case but without being rude or big-headed, because let's face it, they know a lot more than I do about publishing. I asked if they would be interested in a finished draft that covered the issues raised, and thought I'd leave it at that.

Once again, God really reaffirmed that I am on the right path with my story, because the publisher sent me another message, saying they were pleased I had taken the issues raised into account, and would definitely want to see a finished draft in due course. They also gave me a couple of really useful tips and recommendations, that have helped me reshape my plan and my story. As a young author, this experience has been invaluable to me, because I may have already avoided one wave of rejections through having this dialogue with the publisher.

I went back to drawing board, because I wanted to sort out the Biblical issues that the publisher had raised. The last thing I want to do is lead young people astray with dodgy doctrine and fictional ideas that don't mesh with the truth of God's word. So I've shelved my original fantasy concept, but I'm keeping it in reserve because I think it could work really well in another form. My new concept involves Paul being transported into an arena, where he faces his spiritual battles in gladiatorial combat. Without going into too much detail, the elements that make up this new concept fit with the Bible's teaching, and work really well as a fictional concept, so the fantasy nature has not been compromised to crow-bar the correct doctrine into the story.

I received another encouragement, and I believe this was all God's doing as well, when I met an employee of a large secular publisher at my cousin's wedding a few weeks ago. He was also a youth leader, and was very interested in my story and my progress so far. We chatted for an hour or so, and he gave me loads of advice on the publishing world and suggested a few avenues for me to pursue. I don't think all these events have come about by chance. I really feel God's anointing upon this venture, and want Him to be glorified as a result of this process.

So all that's left is to actually write the book! I had to go back and take out a lot of the content from my first draft, but I still have about 10,000 words that I can cannibalize and add into the new version of the story. One of the recommendations the publisher gave me was to make the story more concise and cut down my target word count, which I've decided to do. Now I'm aiming for the novel to be 50,000 words in length, and have set myself the target of finishing my first draft by my birthday, December 14th. I will keep you posted on my progress (13,000 words at the mo), and hopefully we'll be seeing 'This Dark World' in a bookshop near you very soon!