Starting a Writing Career

Where to start a writing career...

This is a question that is not simply answered. One does not simply put pieces in odd places and call it a Picasso.

In English, we try to, calling things a Picasso in reference to his unique art style, but this simply does not fit the description of a Picasso. And so, this is what we try to do with the idea of writing: define it as something that it is not.

For those who do not know who Picasso was, he is a famous painter with well known pieces that you may have balked at.

He was renowned for pieces that just seemed odd and awkward, like the body was a puzzle and he realigned the pieces in a way that does not make sense.

For this reason, we name a lot of things as a Picasso style.

But it's not a Picasso unless it truly is a Picasso, by the hand of the man himself.

So, I come back to this question with this in mind and wonder, who am I if I am trying to be Picasso? 

Stop trying to be Picasso.
 
Those who want to start a writing career have but one task in mind: to write.
 
Questioning how to start this career is a very interpersonal conversation. It would be something similar yet so different from the conversation you will have with yourself over Picasso's Guernica.



This is not something answered very simply.



There are many questions that you have to ask.

When looking at the Guernica, I might question every detail I see.

Or, I might simply ask, what does all of this mashed together really mean? 

So when you start to write, what inspires you?
What drives you?

What gives you the momentum?

Because that momentum is what is going to keep up the career you start, for if it fails it will falter out of existence and have no further effect on your life.

So when you choose to start it as a career, you have many many questions to ask yourself.

You have the details and you have the broad picture.



And in the end, what does it mean?


Sourcing yourself to that which gains most attention, the most money, is not the way to start a career by an artist's viewpoint.

But that is just me.


I take writing as an art form and benefit where I can from those who enjoy it.

I am not Pablo Picasso, but like Picasso's brush, my words will make a piece that I hope will someday move others.

That is my inspiration.

That is what started my writing career.

But when it comes down to the money, I suppose I have long since been disillusioned to the art world, as this is not my financial career.


But, I suppose there are still dreams, to which finances can be earned through a richly written plot or a fully functional article that serves the people better than the writer had hoped.



That is for you to decide.

What Makes a Writer?

A writer is a writer, no matter how you put it.

But...lately...I have noticed a lot of writers coming out to announce that they are writers...

But, then they stumble backwards.

They take back what they said.

They put out that they only dabble. They only blog. They only do a little something.

It is not in a fishing way.

Rather, it is in an authentic sense of embarrassment, as if they made a mistake by trying to claim that they were a writer.

Why?

Because they aren't...professional?

I would like to approach that now, because there are so many people trying to strive for achievements and success within writing, but they are not understanding what is a writer.

If you have a pen and paper, a typewriter, a computer, or some other thing that you can make words with, then you can be a writer.

This does not sully the title. This does not make it mean less.

Whether you are good at it, or are seemingly incapable of a full plot and character development, you can be a writer.

Because writing, while it is telling the story of some person's journey, is the writer's journey.

Sounds like a book! ha!

Maybe I'll write a book about writing...

Sounds boring...

Anyways...

The problem that is also becoming imminent is the view that readers and reviewers have of writers.

It is no longer in the control of writers as to what makes a writer...or even what breaks a writer...

There are bullies out there, snobs too, who claim high sophistication in a sense that they are entitled to making their opinions into a fact that writers have no control over their title or their book's self worth, because it is published.

For those of you who have never published a piece of work for the whole world to read, knowing that copies of it exist that can no longer be altered for the sake of making it better, and the art style is something you have cultivated over the years like a plant...

Where was I going with this? I zoned out.

Oh yea.

Those of you who have never felt this connection to a literary piece crafted by your own mind, the feeling of publishing a story for everybody to see...it's frightening.

Some authors are completely paranoid about their work.

Some authors are pretty chill.

I have to tell you. I have become...okay at best.

It's not to say I am paranoid.

But I cannot help but look upon my older work...and the farther I go along my works, the more I want to alter and fix things in my older works.

I cannot though, because it is out there. It is done.

Even so, there is still this connection I have to it. It was my creation. It has my name, my feelings, my inner turmoil and in a way it's my baby.

Yea...I wouldn't really call A Dragon's Curse my baby...but you get the point.

The point is that when you write something like that, you put a piece of yourself into it. When you put that out there for people, it is frightening.

Great artists back in the day were trained to deal with criticism. Leonardo da Vinci was trained just like any other painter. He went through many challenges of criticism of his works (which were usually finishing touches of the teacher's work until he started painting on his own).

So, when is it that the snobs can call themselves professionals with all the rights to judge these books?

Yes, criticism is a good thing.

But slamming an author's work is terrible.

Slamming an author for defending a work is terrible.

I am getting to a point here.

This is not to say that authors should be allowed to remove, delete or rebute negative reviews. On the contrary, they should be able to read them.

But with the way many trollish reviewers have acted, it has given authors more reason to reject the common reviewer in lieu of normal and actual readers.

Given that writing is not something you can do to try and receive love from fans, it is not a cop out when an author makes a stand against a negative review claiming that a book slanders things that are never ever ever ever ever mentioned in the book.

Example?

Can't remember the author name, but story she wrote. Her first story...pretty controversial...

She got slammed by a trollish reviewer who stated that her book made a mockery of PTSD, laughed at domestic abuse and shamed victims of rape.

With what I know of the book, these things are bullshit.

1) Character A has PTSD, it is a character issue that is dealt with through the book, not mocked.
2) Domestic abuse is mentioned as a minor piece in the story's plot, not a joke.
3) There was never any rape. How do you get rape from no rape?

I need to read that book thoroughly. Because what else I've heard about it was that it was awesome. Wish I remembered author's and book's names.

FUCK!

Anyways...where was I again?

Ah yes, troll reviewers.

These reviewers defend their words with statements such as "Reviews are for readers! Not for writers!"

This bothers me...

This fucking bothers me...

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

I really just need to chill with this, but it bothers me too much. I can't not be bothered by this injustice.

If I ignored it, I would fall into a nonsensical trap of allowing this to be.

Though, actively there is nothing I can really do about it.

This makes me feel kind of helpless.

But, the fact that reviewers think this way, and that readers (whatever number of them have responded) agree with them, means that authors have no chance in the stance of what is right and wrong with reviewers who don't know what the fuck they are talking about.

I mean, these are bad apple reviewers.

But, when you look at the way these people review books, with ridiculous thoughts and nonsense...

You begin to grow afraid of the tragedy that they might get a hold of your book.

They might find and slander your name.

Because it does not stop at reviews.

Authors who stand to defend their books, much like the aforementioned author did for the aforementioned book, you become a Black Listed Author...

I believe the initials are BBA...

What the fuck does that stand for anyways?

Blacklisted

Book

Author

or...

Blacklisted

Blasted

Author

Blacklisted

Bananas

Association

Boring

Blacklisted

Authors

Bassline

Blacklist of

Authors

I have no idea...this shit is stupid...

Update: Vesuvius' Revenge Picture...maybe?

Okay...so I finished this picture of a zealot helmet.



SQUEEEEEEEEEEE!




It's going to be a "chapter starter" for Vesuvius' Revenge.

I won't be sharing it yet because nothing is official.

I am sharing my excitement cause I'm too excited not to tell somebody.

I still have this one last step...

Because the zealot lore came out of Andrew Gray's head...there is a bit of artistic distinction that needs to be made with it.

So...in the next few hours, I will be waiting for his response regarding the picture's "accuracy" to actual zealot helmets.

I have a feeling it will not be quite what he had in mind.

But...it's got artistic value. So, who gives a fuck right? :P



But, I'm a formal coworker with this coauthor, so I'm going to wait for his response before I start turning this into actual paperwork.

In the end, I have been trying to work on this for months. It has been really hard for me to do. Visual art isn't really my best...style?

I can make some stuff easily...but some of it just doesn't come easily to me.

...

What? You want to see it?

No...I probably shouldn't...

...

I...I dunno...

...

Okay, you twisted my arm. I'll show you a draft version of what I am working with!

 This is not the finished piece though. This is just a draft version...

It's one of more than ten drafts that I went through to get to the final piece...

Don't hold your breath, Andrew Gray is pretty busy. So, we'll just have to wait and see what he thinks of it.

...

Again...not the final piece, so it is a bit more refined than this blocky piece.

What do you think of this draft piece?

Story Revival

I remember my early pony stages...

Back when I first saw MLP Generation 4, before I actually became of a fan of anything involved in it, it gave me an idea for art.

I was looking for some visual art to create, something that was simple but with a little extra time could be made complex. I wanted something to compliment my writing.

I never found anything for my already original work...so I thought about making a children's book...

I tried the children's route, and that did not go so well.

So, I started freehanding...

I would draw a picture and then write a segment about it...

It became a full fledged story, subject to small segments that went with each picture.

Well...eventually, I got really bored of drawing it.

And then I gave up.

I looked at the pictures again and felt only disgust for my work.

So I trashed it...except for on deviantart.

Now...I don't visit my deviantart page often, so I had not thought about this little story I had been creating.

But...today I looked at it.

Hate the drawings.

But the writing I did...it has potential.

It is marred with problems, no doubt. Even I can see that.

But, there is some sort of potential there that I can't let go. I was going to delete these...but I can't just delete them!

So...I am going to do a revival!

Wish me luck!

Steam Punk

I'm unfamiliar with the genre of steam punk...but I recently read a little bit about it.

And  what I read was very intriguing.

I am looking into more research for literature of steam punk.

Have any pieces you would suggest a fellow reader to read? I would like something to get a general idea of steam punk on.

But, I am thinking about incorporating the idea into a segment in "World of Shadows"

In case you missed it, World of Shadows is the latest mix of subseries that includes Accursed Love and Academia de Diversidad.

I am not just going to throw it in there like a jackass.

It would be rude to just upset the original plot.

So, instead I just want to take it smoothly with one or two characters from Academia de Diversidad.

I won't say more, because that would give away some of the plot. I was planning on doing the spin off anyways and a steam punk setting (being in another country this character hasn't been in) might prove interesting.

What do you think?

I am an Indie Author...and damn proud

The times are changing...and big publishing companies are dying.

I have to admit, I felt a little pride when I read this article.
 
I am an indie author after all, and with that comes more work than the average big publisher contracted author.
 
I think even some indie authors have less work. They hire people to do the work I do. But I would rather not hire somebody to do my work...I enjoy it!
 
Makes me happy to think about after months of working a job I really did not like.
 
In the end, I think I made the best choice. I own the rights to my work, I choose what happens to it, and I get to manipulate how it looks and where it goes. I am happy as a clam.

Oh...right...by the way, this all came from an article I was reading...

It is rather interesting to hear about indie authoring from a previously published author who was in the big leagues.

I feel like that is all the justification I need for my work.

Think about it this way too...there are tons of great musicians, dancers and other artists who can be justified in their work simply through sharing it online. Like a youtube video.

So, why do people scoff at the idea of indie publishing for books? Writing is an art style, so we should be moving forward away from the single-mindedness that only the few write books while the rest dabble in nothingness.

Of course there are going to be bad books that come out of indie authoring, but there were always books that should not have been published, before there was indie publishing.

Today, anybody can get their work published.

With their own cover.

Their own title...

Their own story...

What is missing is the confidence to follow through with the project. That comes from within the author.

Although...maybe there is some know-how missing.

I know it can be scary to get an editor on one's work.

Spirits know that I haven't gotten a single family member to actually read through a single piece of my work.

So, when it comes to the general works being good...it is a matter of perspective.

70% of people on youtube will comment negatively/horribly on a video. Some comments will be made about somebody's voice. And a lot of dislikes will come the video's way.

But in the end, somebody will have liked that song, that dance routine, or that compilation of artistic compositions set to a certain mood of music. And that is because it is art...beauty is within the eye of the beholder... 'tis it not?



I personally feel I have progressed over the years. My skills at editing, formatting and even writing have gotten better.

I still find it strange that A Dragon's Curse comes out as a fan favorite so far...

But in the end, I can see my writing improving in its format and usefulness.

I hope I keep getting better. Because that is how I will have even better stories to share in the future.

And the better I get, the more I can help others, like my coauthor Andrew Gray.



While working with a coauthor sounds complicated and hard, it can be done. With a little practice, some cooperation, and fundamental ideas to stick to, any pair of writers can work together.

I have known Andrew a long time though. We practiced writing for years in the form of role playing. It was completely written out, with descriptions and actions included within the writing.



If not for this form of role playing, I might not have had the jumpstart on my writing that I did. I mean the actual writing. That is where the book starts, after all. You cannot even think about titles, covers and publication before you have a book.

If you are a writer, I would advise you to look into the idea of role playing. Larping works fine, but the more hands on you are with the written word, the better. Especially when you are in a larger group, where you have to type quickly to get your message out.

If you are a writer...don't cease looking for help. Look for that person who can review your work.

Don't stop sending out that manuscript. If you have that dream, stick to it.

If you have any questions about publishing and/or writing, feel free to ask!

Where O Where...

Where would I be without writing?

I am not sure what kind of person I might be if I was not a writer.

Some seem to think I would be a better person. I would be more "on task" and "focused" rather than what I am now.

I must disagree with them.

Rather, I am a much happier, much more pleasant person due to the amount of negative emotions I can expel through the written word.

I have always played make believe in my mind.

When I was a kid, my mom used to tease me, claiming I went into "Briana Land" when I dazed off into my imagination.

[My middle name is Briana, and my family used to call me that until I turned 10 and demanded to be called by my first name.]

So, I have been known to daydream and make believe...

A lot...

For many years...

Without ending...

Without asking...

Without limitations on where, when and whom...

And nobody who has told me to stop has succeeded in killing the dreams.

So what might I be like if I was not a writer?

Shame to ask...

But I think I would be fucking miserable.

To My Fellow Writers

If you write what you love...you will always win.

Whether you receive an acceptance letter or a rejection, you will always come on top...

Because it is never about the publisher's approval...

The editors who overlook hundreds of amazing stories, looking for the next bestseller...

It's about the passion in your heart...

The courage to write your emotions onto the page...

The whisper of truth that comes out of the characters' mouths...

The morals you put into each story...

The dreams you plant between the lines...

And the accomplishment that you feel...

Because, many people want to be writers, many think it is either really easy or too hard.

But you writers out there...those with the true passion...

You can finish that next story...

You can complete that next novel...

And it should never be for the damn publisher.

Why?

Why not aim for the publishing company that could either reject or accept your piece of art?

Because they are lost in corporate greed with the money they lose or win.

You are looking at art...you are making art...

Writing is an art and it should be treated that way. Just as we treat painting, drawing and sculpting.

So do not belittle your art.

For you, writers of fiction and nonfiction, are artists of a different mold.

If you have the passion, you can hone the skill.

That is where it all starts...

But I cannot tell you how to finish.

You're the writer...

Your story...

You tell me how it ends...

Edit: Dorm Haze

I took a look and saw that many of my chapters in Dorm Haze were getting too long...so I have rectified this, shortening the chapters, by dividing them up! I'll post the new chapters here! ^_^

Of course...looking at my blog...I think I'll post that after I am finished with the Were-Dragon, which is going to take through new years...

If you just want to read Dorm Haze, you can click this link and go to the blog itself.

Digitally Professional; Realistically Unpopular

Looking upon comments, or lack thereof, and the views in my statistics, it seems that while I am as profession as can without limiting my language proper or my style, I am unpopular...

(I won't pull a veil over your eyes about the chronic level of adult language, foul mouthed cussing and sexually explicit ideas I use in my literary works)






NOT ALL OF THEM!






But, it seems that not many people are interested in reading, or even leaving their opinion on something on any given blog.

It would seem the case of popularity, as anything popular on a blog or network (i.e. facebook) earns likes and comments from fans.

So, do you approve of my writing?

Or do you just click the g+ button for kicks?

Or perhaps you're just passing through?

It has occurred to me that to earn more popularity for my books, to feel the worth of having made these achievements, there needs to be more advertising.

That doesn't come so cheap except for showing off online (hint hint).

So, I am thinking about joining the following sites:

• Tumblr
• Writer's Cafe
• Word Press
• LitLift

Any thoughts?

Any suggestions?

Any questions?

Writer's Block

The rare moment is upon me...

What to do next?

Red Dragon is near it's finish...but it doesn't feel like an ending...

Should it be a cliff hanger? Should I explain something new?

I know you guys aren't up to speed since you cannot see the chapter I am working on...but the conflict! So heavy!

Not sure whether I should end it at this chapter or go on to the next!

Grr can't decide!

I'm Busy... Gotta Publish!

It's official! I and my partner have finished "Sins of an Empire!"

Phew! What a relief!

Or not...

I'm writer and publisher U_U

That means my job isn't done.

I have to format and layout everything...

I have to check and double check font and spacing in each chapter...

I have to set up the page numbering so that it lines up and looks the same as well as footers and headers...

I have to make a new copyright page for this book...

I need a new set of first pages...

I finally made chapter starters for this...very simple...kind of elegant...but the same thing for each chapter by proxy...

But now the biggest thing of all and its a great challenge with every book I publish...

It's the cover art...

I can't just google stuff and throw it together...

1) it has to look nice

2) it has to be eye catching

3) it cannot be something with a copyright that arguably belongs to somebody else...

4) it needs to be large enough to fit the cover page...

5) it needs both author names and the title of the book...

6) ISBN!!!

7) I have to make sure none of the words will bleed off the cover...I had that issue with the hardcover of Devil's Grace for a time...

8) most importantly...the cover has to actually hint at the scenery, ideas, themes, etc. of the story



So as you can see, I am very stressed out...I have a lot to do for this book.

In the mean time, that has put a lot of stalling on books. So I am apologizing for those...

• I Am Woman
• Red Dragon
• Dragon's Blood
• A Boy Named Cy
• Blood
• Dragon Girl
• Ed
• Jatova
• Love Me Til You Leave Me

I'm not apologizing for Dorm Haze...that one is on a roll and there is no stopping it. It's basically what I do during my relax time.

You should be getting the next chapter in the next week or something like that...

If you have any questions, comments, worries, concerns, troubles, increments of doubt, necessary quarries, qualms, digital unawareness, kindly/unkindly thoughts, judgments, reviews, inquiries, displacements, or anything else you need to get out of your system....

Please to use the comment box...

Brain Crash...

So my website (is not down) but there are some changes I am working on. So please people, hang in there with me.

If you have problems loading it, check your network connection.

I use internet explorer and mozilla firefox. Others have reportedly used chrome and have no issues with the site. So, no it is not the site, so please stop telling me to "upgrade the website" it's not happening.

The site is actually pretty complex as it is. Working with an upgrade would be pointless, only for a custom url and maybe some more data capacity. It would not be any better.
So I'm not throwing money on that.

Anyways, the reason for this recent site change is because I have hit a "Master Page Data Limit."
Master pages take longer to load, so I try to keep it within one master page. But, my data is going over the limit, so I have to expand.

Lately I've gotten reports asking me to go two different directions.

Some say simplify it.

Others demand more information upfront in their hands where they can see it rather than making them go to the simple pages.

I'm having trouble updating every piece of the site so it's hard to please all.

What do I do then? There is one way to condense it, but it will lose a lot of content and information. That would simplify it.

However, if I go with complicated, I am forced to endure the complications of updates and people demanding a simpler solution to all of these buttons.

Oh boy...so many buttons.

I try to make everything available. It's just difficult to keep up with it all.

I mean...I could just shut it down and I would still be writing, wouldn't I? Yea.

But, the point of the site is to gather attention to my work...to bring in readers with fresh minds and desires to read a new book.

(People keep trying to give me pointers on advertising books. I'm not interested in the sales, I just want readers. And if that means selling print versions, then I will put as many buttons as necessary.)

So, in my mind...from my point of view, I can't just shut all of this work down.

I have worked two long years on this site...and as it has expanded from one or two series, it has been forced into different positions. (no pun intended)

So I am trapped. There are simpler ways of doing this. But then there are more professional ways...

How do you choose which one?

I don't have one of those sites where you find the background a simple color that kind of clashes. I don't have a tacky look.
Granted I like variation in master pages...
But I think my site has a professional look about it that should basically say: "Read all to your heart's desire!"

So, on top of issues getting the word out for my books for reading, I have to deal with this site.

Of course...there is one extra option...

Erase stories.

People are usually hinting at the newer stuff. But why the new stuff? That's what needs read the most. The stuff that hasn't been finished. The stuff that hasn't been written in stone...the stuff that readers can shape with their questions and thoughts.

So, I've pondered erasing The Were-Dragon completely from the site.

In the end, I decided against it. It's my best work, and my only finished work. (other than the prequel I was working on...I'll get into that another time...)

Not that many people really stop to comment here, but what do you think?
Have you ever drawn up a website before?
Do you do it in a professional format or with a free webmaker?
Which do you think is the way to go? Simple or elegantly detailed?

Writing Update

Whew, writing has been intense lately.

So, 16 GB of information was lost a week ago, leaving me to scramble for the information I had on every single unpublished novel. (Excluding a few exceptions.)

No, I didn't have a backup, that was the backup. I was working on dumping information from the computer for restoration of the harddrive. You know, clean it up.

So, while I was hoping to post chapter 22 of Red Dragon four days ago, the chapter is being entirely revamped.
The same goes for chapter 8 of I Am Woman, chapter 2 of Ed, chapter 1 of  Dragon's Blood, and chapter 2 of Jatova.

Sorry guys, seems like you'll have to wait longer for these and other stories that were coming your way.

On a better note, Loose Dagger is coming along well and chapter 6 should be up in a few days. And I suspect that chapter 19 of Sins of an Empire will be posted sometime tomorrow or Thursday.

Email comments, concerns and questions to christianbclason@gmail.com!

(Currently, no public contact information for Andrew Gray)

Sins of an Empire Update

Here's the most recent chapter of the story...
 


Sins of an Empire: Chapter 16 ~ Telemechus' Girl: Eleji was listening to the zealots discuss a battle plan when she heard music begin to play. There was a flute, accompanied by drums, ...

Looking for a good read?

I know I've been focused on the writing stuff lately...but please, just humor me for two minutes.

I have been working on my website, and I think the new format is much cleaner and easier to get through. Also, unlike many private websites for individuals, mine has retained color. So it's more enjoyable...

Now, about that read...

Caliri Du Aspiratorg

Series	Book 1	Book 2	Book 3	Book 4	Book 5
Half Blood Origins	Red Dragon Blog Buy	Dragon’s Blood Blog Buy	Tale of Two Sisters Blog Buy
Armageddon	Demolishing Democracy Blog Buy

Destined Hearts

Series	Book 1	Book 2	Book 3	Book 4	Book 5
War of the Zealot Empire	Entangled Hearts Blog Buy	Sins of an Empire Blog Buy

The Were-Dragon

Book 1	Book 2	Book 3	Book 4	Book 5
A Dragon’s Curse Blog Buy	Ambiguous Flame Blog Buy	Devil’s Grace Blog Buy	Taboo Blog Buy	Dragon’s Love Blog Buy

Demigods and Angels

Book 1	Book 2	Book 3	Book 4	Book 5
Glastica Blog Buy	Loose Dagger Blog Buy

Other Stories

Fantasy	My Name in Blood Blog Buy
Historical Fiction	I Am Woman Blog Buy	Ed Blog Buy
Romance/Erotica	Jatova Blog Buy