How To Gain The Attention Of An Award-Winning Director
I’ll cut to the chase. Pitching to a director is relatively easy. You just walk up to them and introduce yourself. Having said that, preparing to act on your intentions is where the real trial lies. It is not dissimilar to the act of writing itself. You must swallow a...
How Transforming Into A Refugee Drives Creativity
I have spend just over two weeks as an artist in residence in Bajesdorp and the village keeps throwing up surprises. Not everyone here is an artist, but that does not mean they don’t do other inspiring things. I have learned that several members of the community are...
Celebrating Becoming An Artist In Residence
I’m not entirely certain becoming is the right word. In the case of the artist part, I am already one. I reside in a world of creativity. There you go. A statement I never thought I’d proclaim. I reside in artistry. A World on its End I have had a tumultuous time over...
A Change Is Better Than A Holiday
I’ve had a mammoth week of change. I moved house three times, went to a writers’ conference in Dublin and started a new life as an artist in residence. I’m exhausted, but happy. Some weeks are much better than others. Change beats holidays hands down. Ireland It was...
Going In Search Of Wonder Woman
For Father’s Day I wanted to do something with my kids. I decided to go to a movie. I wanted to see a specific movie which I had heard had touched people. We went to see Wonder Woman. The Cinema We went to what I consider Amsterdam’s best cinema. It is a masterpiece...
Pantsing Your Way To A Plot
To pants or to plot? That is the question. It does not really matter now. The main thing is I made it to the end of my third novel. I don’t know what it was, but getting to the end seemed like climbing Everest. Not that I have climbed Everest, but writing the novel...
Author Aloud: Chatting With Richard White And Stephen Pearl
I recently took part in a live author chat with writers Richard White and Stephen Pearl on Authors Write Aloud. It is the first time I have done a live streaming as an author. The entire experience was a lot of fun It also helped me gain further insight into how...
Stream Of Consciousness And Writing At The Speed Of Light
I’m doing an experiment. I am trying to put as much down on the page as possible in the shortest amount of time. I am hoping it will also make sense and not be mindless dribble. A lot of the blogs I write use a technique called stream of consciousness. They are...
The Importance of Reader Opinion
As an independent author, where the online realm is my bread and butter, a reader’s opinion is crucial. Reviews on online stores are extremely important. They give other consumers a better impression of the books they are interested in. It’s called social proof. The...
First Live Author Interview: Chatting With Lisa White
This week I was interviewed by fellow independent author Lisa White. It is the first time I have put myself out there on film as an author. Not only do I think filming interviews like this helps an author to get more exposure to readers, it can also assist other...
Attempting to Dissect a Bad Review
I recently received a rather confronting review on Amazon about my novel Loreless. Some of it was positive, some bordering on an insult and, in part, outright scathing. At least that was how I read it and I feel compelled to react. As an author, I have been advised...
Is There A Secret Weapon For Writing Great Stories?
Recently I attended a free online writing course. It proposed to solve the common problems which most writers encounter. It also promised to increase writing productivity. It sounded like getting the keys to a secret weapon. Naturally, as a writer, I was inquisitive...
How To Make An Old Year New Again: Part 2
In part one of this post I looked back on my independent author experience up to now. My journey is not influenced by the ringing in of a so-called new year. Just as with the old year, in the new year I will be celebrating a growth and not a rebirth. I am aware my...
How To Make An Old Year New Again: Part 1
It’s the wrong way around. Old is not new. Every year we celebrate the so-called new year. It is not new at all, it is a year older. We should be celebrating a growth and not a rebirth. The commonly held idea is that we can make a new start with the beginning of...
Should Patti Smith have won the Nobel Prize?
A few months ago, in March of 2016, I saw Patti Smith perform for the first time. Before seeing her live show I knew her music but nothing about her background, nor anything about her real personality. I was both impressed and moved by her performance. At the Nobel...
How To Write A Really Big Story
I find myself in unknown territory. A year ago I started writing a story about a witch. It almost grew by itself. At some stage I decided the story had the potential to be bigger than just one book. This is when I realised I should write a series. I put the idea aside...
Taking Stock Of Where You Are As An Authorpreneur
Not that long ago I began writing in earnest. I plunged into it and along the way discovered I have a talent which had laid buried for most of my life. I made a change. I decided to pursue my creativity. It has opened doors for me. It has introduced me to a whole new...
A Witching We Will Go: Time To Celebrate A New Novel
Very soon my second book, about a whole other witching world, will hit the stores. Even though I have been through the process once, it still feels like the first time. My writers journey started in earnest in July this year. At that stage I set up my own publishing...
Dear Amazon: Exclusive versus Independent
Dear Amazon, It’s been a hoot, but I’ve done some soul searching and decided that I am doing my readers a disservice by abiding by your exclusivity agreement. A few months ago I started my first independent publishing venture with my book Loreless. At the time...
Writing From An Indigenous Perspective: Part 2
The feeling that I didn’t have the right to write from an indigenous perspective was a major obstacle for me for a long time. It prevented me from finishing a musical around the original idea for Loreless. It held me back with writing the novel. No matter how many...
The Hell Ride To Get Books On The Shelves
I got there! Probably one of the hardest parts of distributing my book has been achieved. It was a hell of a ride, but well worth it. Last week I felt like I crossed yet another finishing line. There seem to be so many of them on the publishing journey. This time...
A Croatian, An Australian, And A Dutchman Walk Into A Studio
Locked together for a weekend in Sing Sing Studio, they discussed the state of world affairs, exchanged life experiences and shared personal insights. They listened intently to a songwriter screaming his lungs out and tried to formulate a cunning plan. After three...
Is Writers Block A Figment Of Your Imagination?
What is writers block? What is any form of creative block? Is it real or is it invented? I don’t know whether what I’m experiencing is a block. I only realised it when I wrote the title to this post. I gave it that name, but is it really what I think it is?...
The Self-Help Guide to Self-Help Gurus
Learning the ropes as an author and independent publisher involves gleaning information from all kinds of sources. Inevitably you are drawn into what the internet has to offer. There are thousands of experts and gurus out there who are more than willing to share their...
Perseverance Is Everything
I have been struggling. Perseverance is getting me down. Writing itself and being a dedicated author is not a problem. It’s more about coming to terms with finding an audience. Creating a novel is only part of my job as an author. I have to make sure others can...
A Publishing Aftermath and a New Beginning
A couple of weeks ago I published my first book. I sent Loreless out into the world. To use a well-worn cliche, it was a baptism of fire. Now in the aftermath I realise I am at the beginning once again. For months and months I had no fear. I was convinced of what I...
Adventures Of A Writer In The Wild
I’m sitting here alone. A writer in the wild. On a Wednesday morning I share a big wooden table with a group of writers. It is located in a yoga centre in a small side street in the old part of Amsterdam. Usually there are several of us scribbling on block pads or...
A Book Begins Its Journey
Twenty years of garnering knowledge, and four years of writing and learning to become a publisher, have led me to this point. A book on the market. I know it’s not the done thing, but if you need something to entertain your eyes, go buy a book. Preferably...
Being Unemployed Is Hard Work
I’m not unemployed. It’s not true. In fact I’m constantly employed. I write. I make music. I run two bands. I do historical research and take courses in marketing. I maintain a website. I blog. I soak up every snippet of information on writing that I can find. I am a...
Finding Your Voice Is A Balancing Act
In a couple of days the band will be returning to the recording studio for probably the last session this year. It’s mixing time! I have just been listening back to the first rough mixes of the recordings. We did them over six months ago during our first session in...
A Volcano, Lightning And A Big Change
Mount Vesuvius cuts an omnipotent black profile in the darkening sky. Forked lightning flashes on either side of it. I am watching it all and hoping a bolt will strike the edge of the volcano’s crater, near the pinnacle of the mountain. It doesn’t. That would be...
Never Lose Sight Of The Big Picture
I just discovered this stream of consciousness. I wrote it a few months ago. Sometimes, its good to have this kind of thing to put it all into perspective. Lack of a view of the big picture happens to be one of the biggest battles with writing professionally. The...
Anatomy Of A First Reading
Over weekend I broke new ground as an author, I did a public reading. It was quite an experience. According to one of my listeners, it was a world premiere. This was fortunate, as a small cross-section of the world was there to listen. The venue, if you can call it...
Overcome Your Fear In The Recording Studio
There was a time when I was afraid of the recording studio. I thought that it would show me up for my inadequacies. I thought I wasn’t good enough. I was wrong. Studios are friendly places. They are full of like-minded people trying to create something and you, as a...
Acting, Opportunities And The Advantages Of Persistence
I could have been an actor. It just didn’t pan out that way. Life doesn’t always give you the chance to take every offer that comes along. Fate hangs it tantalisingly in front of your face and then whips it out from under your nose. Then you are left with...
How To Make Yourself Creatively Accountable
If you are trying to make a living with a creative endeavour you need to hold yourself accountable for what you do. Writing requires enormous dedication. There is a large percentage of the population who have thought about writing a book. Supposedly this figure is...
Patti Smith Does The Paradiso
First off, it’s not called the Paradisio. It’s the Paradiso. Ok, it’s only one extra syllable, but if you know it, it’s irritating. I’m sure she knew it, or maybe it was just another one of those times when a tourist misinterprets something. She was in a foreign...
Hobby Is A Dirty Word
Yesterday, I had a bit of a moment. My so-called hobby was challenged. Over the past few months I have steadily been building up momentum as an author. I set up a website. I have had my book edited, I have had a cover designed. I have absorbed oceans of tips on...
We Can Be Heroes
The week that was, last week, was quite something. We lost, or I lost, I don’t know what your opinion is on this, two heroes. If I stand corrected, it was actually three. One was buried and the others actually did the passing on. I suppose you could consider them...
Hope Rules, OK?
Loreless is about hope. The tantalising thought that change can still happen drove me to write the book. I still hope. I still believe that change will come. The basic idea for the book came to me almost 25 years ago and my feelings have not changed. I continue to...
Trapped
I'm stuck, trapped. I thought I knew where I was going but I’m not so sure anymore. The future is dark. I can’t see it. A heavy curtain has fallen in my path. I try to push it aside but it has so many folds I can’t seem to find the opening and draw...
How To Become A Publishing Expert
There seems to be no end of people online with an opinion on writing. And not only about what the best methods are for putting words on the page, there are also literally thousands giving advice on publishing. I’m no publishing expert but it is clear to me that...
Writing The Message You Need To Deliver
I am on a crusade. I am a divine messenger. I have just discovered this. A few weeks ago I was just writing. Now I am experiencing it as a higher calling. I won’t say that it is truly biblical but the analogies are there. There has been a change in my thinking. I was...
Why There Is A Left And Right Way To Be Creative
As a child I had a learning disability. Somehow it was picked up at a very young age. I have very vague memories of it. I was sent to a specialist as there seemed to be a problem with how I used my brain. I was using both sides of it at will. I would do certain things...
Rainbow Wanderer
Rainbow Wanderer My whole life has been about the journey. I never know exactly where it’s leading, but that is of minor importance to me. I get off on the trip. I get off on going somewhere. Of course, I do have goals, but over time they change. Most of them...Discover a part of Australia you never imagined existed.
Read Loreless
Do you like stories about witches? Ghosts? Powerful entities? You must meet Anaïs Blue.
