I wonder how much interest there is in me producing a blog - is it just self-indulgence?


What do you really want to know? How the writer's mind (including what there is of mine) really works?
To be honest, writing has to have a set routine. Work out when the best and most productive part of your day is and then set aside half an hour to sit at the keyboard (or dictate into your A.I. system) and generate some words. Lock yourself away from distractions if necessary; you do not want a promising train of thought to be interrupted by a solar eclipse or a famous film star banging on your door to be featured in your forthcoming movie. If you are just starting a new work, it doesn't really matter what the words are; just get something down. Sometimes you stop after the time and look at a load of rubbish, others, you think that there might be a story there, and you find you have been writing for an hour or more.
Whatever happens, if you can force yourself to stick to this routine, you will be surprised what can be done and how much you can produce.

Of course, a completed work needs to have readers. One wonders sometimes if there aren't more writers than readers anyway. Certainly there is so much being put on the internet that it would take a dozen lifetimes to go through it all - everyone seems to have something to say, which you can agree or disagree with, but aren't all these observations killing off true reading? Is it worth writing anything? I've just finished formatting and editing the memoirs of a wonderful man who escaped the Indian partition and made a way for himself against all the odds. It might only be of interest to the family, but it is an historical observation on what can be done with life if you persevere.

Don't forget that if you need help with your writing or publishing, feel free to contact me, or the Inca Project. We will be pleased to give advice and support, and if you really need a major boost, put you in contact with like-minded folks.

RW - May 2024

"Never give up... but it's okay to have a day off now and then."

Notes

  • The first three Dan Provocation books have been rewritten and published in hardcover with new illustrations using artificial intelligence.

  • The third book in the Orinoco Voyages trilogy has been republished.
    The Mystery of Shark Island moves our adventurers out into the Greek Cyclades, tackling spies and dodgy tides and now with new illustrations by Natalie Dixon-Twigg

  • The eighth book in the Dan Provocation series is now complete, using AI to generate the pictures. Real Intelligence is one of the first novels to feature a cast mostly of sentient (if very attractive) machines.

  • The Ankerita books are all illustrated, and are available in limited edition hard cover from the author or if you want an unsigned edition, through Amazon.

  • All Dan Provocation e-books are available through major retailers, or direct from the author. An electronic box set may also be possible! Please contact the author for details.