I think a lot of aspiring writers aiming to be "literary" often forget that almost all of the great authors of the past did not intend to become classics. They just wrote to entertain.
Also, your comment about the Amazon algorithm reminded me . . . strangely . . . of the Nubarrian gunnery bot from Contracts and Terminations.
Good sound advice...(other than the mayo misinformation)... one thing I'd note on the editor thing though.... we have good editors, but for every Gatewood there's 1000 idiots with an editor shingle hanging from their door post. The advice I give on editors is almost identical to what you said, but the one caveat is that until you know for certain you don't have an idiot editor, the changes they suggest should pass all variety of sniff tests. Even though we all hate the bloodbath, and after we have tears in our beers over the feedback, we should be able to go back and nod as we see the changes... they're not wrong. I've seen bad editors made a mediocre "final draft" worse.... so picking your editor is key. Bubba from down the street might be cheap, but he ain't doing you any favors.
You hit the nail on the head about your books (and books I read in general): when I get home from work, I want escapist fiction, I want a light read, no heavy lifting and no social justice propaganda or lecturing. I love the Transformers movies because giant robots and explosions. What, no plot? Nope, giant robots and big explosions.
Also, I almost didn't buy The Old Man and the Wasteland because of the cover. This was when it originally came out on Amazon and had that horrible cover with the destroyed building on it. Glad I did because first chapter in and I was hooked. I hope you write a fourth book, I would like to see what happened to the grand-daughter and the Savage Boy. Loving the podcasts. I rowed for 40 minutes listening to this one.
Interesting podcast for sure. Could be helpful advice down the road. I've written on and off in different formats for years. Writing has always been many things to me, my ultimate escape from reality, a tool to understand other people, a way to work out my problems, a reason to learn so I could enrich the worlds I create. Its very personal, personally entertaining. I've thought about the idea of trying to get something published. Having seen what passes for "good" on the best seller lists, has convinced me my writing isn't as crappy as I thought. I know I need to tighten my world, and get "technically good." But I always worry that turning a beloved hobby into a profession would eventually risk robbing me of its joy.
I think a lot of aspiring writers aiming to be "literary" often forget that almost all of the great authors of the past did not intend to become classics. They just wrote to entertain.
Also, your comment about the Amazon algorithm reminded me . . . strangely . . . of the Nubarrian gunnery bot from Contracts and Terminations.
When is the "How to write: the Nick Cole Method" coming out? Cause I'd buy that.
Lemme see what I can do. Right now I’m just giving it away. Freely I have been given. Freely I give.
Maybe one day... :-)
Miracle Whip is 100% mayo. Kid tested, Mommy approved.
Good sound advice...(other than the mayo misinformation)... one thing I'd note on the editor thing though.... we have good editors, but for every Gatewood there's 1000 idiots with an editor shingle hanging from their door post. The advice I give on editors is almost identical to what you said, but the one caveat is that until you know for certain you don't have an idiot editor, the changes they suggest should pass all variety of sniff tests. Even though we all hate the bloodbath, and after we have tears in our beers over the feedback, we should be able to go back and nod as we see the changes... they're not wrong. I've seen bad editors made a mediocre "final draft" worse.... so picking your editor is key. Bubba from down the street might be cheap, but he ain't doing you any favors.
Miracle Whip is NOT mayonnaise.
Thanks.
You hit the nail on the head about your books (and books I read in general): when I get home from work, I want escapist fiction, I want a light read, no heavy lifting and no social justice propaganda or lecturing. I love the Transformers movies because giant robots and explosions. What, no plot? Nope, giant robots and big explosions.
Also, I almost didn't buy The Old Man and the Wasteland because of the cover. This was when it originally came out on Amazon and had that horrible cover with the destroyed building on it. Glad I did because first chapter in and I was hooked. I hope you write a fourth book, I would like to see what happened to the grand-daughter and the Savage Boy. Loving the podcasts. I rowed for 40 minutes listening to this one.
Interesting podcast for sure. Could be helpful advice down the road. I've written on and off in different formats for years. Writing has always been many things to me, my ultimate escape from reality, a tool to understand other people, a way to work out my problems, a reason to learn so I could enrich the worlds I create. Its very personal, personally entertaining. I've thought about the idea of trying to get something published. Having seen what passes for "good" on the best seller lists, has convinced me my writing isn't as crappy as I thought. I know I need to tighten my world, and get "technically good." But I always worry that turning a beloved hobby into a profession would eventually risk robbing me of its joy.
Time will tell I guess.