yoruk.co.uk

Writing

Why?

I ask myself this every time I start to write. Writing isn't easy; it's hard work but I write because I have the itch and scrivening is how I scratch it. I see the house burning down and no-one is bothering.

Most people want to read something to make them feel better - a palliative - while society sinks into a mire of corporate greed and profit, military and government aggression and control. Murderous wars are fought for oil and world domination, politicians behave stupidly for short-term gain and fame, etc., etc., and I ask myself,

Is it me or has humankind gone crazy?

I guess that is why I write and in my fiction, I try to make the lurking horror humorous along the way but none of us are waving; we are all drowning.

The Future is You (Nonfiction)

This book had to be written. After reading, studying, observing and talking with people all of my life I simply could not ignore the call to write this book. It is the book from my life and a serious book for all intelligent people to read. Society is in a parlous state and getting worse every year. Most people know this but refuse to look into it. This book does look into the problems and points out why we are in this state. It goes on to show what could happen if some of us don't do something and then suggests a legal, simple, achievable way of putting all the problems right. Put simply and honestly; if you read this book intelligently and understand it and act on it then this will not only change your life but also the lives of people around you and most of the people on this Earth. Can you do that?

On the Beach at Findhorn (Nonfiction)

An account of my time with The Findhorn Foundation community in the Highlands of Scotland.

Travels in Turkey (Nonfiction)

An account of my independent travels around Turkey.

Bizarre Central (Fiction)

A satirical look at serious issues that affect us all although most people prefer not to think about them. The issues won't go away and by the time most people see this it will be too late. The story is told in a light, bizarre way, which I think, makes it more palatable for those who don't like to be upset too much by reality. (Bizarre Central is the first book of a trilogy called the 'Miles Island Trilogy'. Only this first book is completed at the moment. Book 2 will only be written if there is enough interest from readers of book 1. Books are long and life is short.)

The journey

I spent three years writing my first three book type-scripts, then almost as much time and a lot more effort trying to find a main-stream agent or publisher who would publish my writing. Many didn't bother to reply, some did briefly, a few were rude, most took 3 months to respond, some 6 months and a few 9 months. I gave up.

There was a big change in publishing. They wanted mass-media TV celebrities who were well-known cooks, chefs, talk-show hosts, sportsmen and women, newsreaders, not unknowns with ideas. I was one of thousands of unknowns. That was before ebooks came along so in one way it has done a lot of good not getting published by an industry that panders to the masses of people who, in the main, simply want diversions. Call it sour grapes if you want but it was an ill wind that blew somebody some good.

It wasn't until I wrote my fourth TS that I realized that I did have a way of getting my work out there into the reading section of society without begging the conservative, profit-based, mass-market industry of big publishing. I started converting them to ebook format, which wasn't an easy task but not beyond a serious writer.

I will have my first ebooks ready for publishing early 2013 and the others will follow throughout 2013. I don't expect to make much money, in fact, I could never earn enough to cover the time I have spent learning to be a good writer (innumerable writing courses, 6 years at university studying language, grammar, linguistics, writing skills and writers, etc..) but I do want people to read my work - especially the more serious work. Some might even find it interesting and useful.

The bad side of Self-Publishing

Of course, self-publishing has a bad name and often deservedly so. Some of the books I have seen were written by people who had no idea about the basics of grammar: inconsistent punctuation, no idea what a paragraph is for, bad syntax, tautology, ambiguity, using pages of expository dialogue to replace good plotting. If someone sets out to paint a work of art then that person at least should know how to use a paint brush and how to mix paint and yet people write books without any real understanding of the basics of grammar. This gives self-publishing a bad name. These people should stop publishing ebooks and go on a basic grammar course to 'learn the tools of the trade'. They give everyone involved in self-publishing a bad name. What self-publishing needs, to be taken seriously, is quality. A similarly consistent quality that publishing houses insist on for their work. Then self-publishing will be a serious threat to the established publishing houses and the unknown men and women will get their voices heard.