Like many of people writing fiction, I have a background writing non-fiction for my day job.
Over the years I’ve written lots of business reports, market overviews and policy outlines for public bodies, some published, some very definitely for internal use only.
I’ve always wanted to write fiction, but after a day spent toiling over a hot keyboard discussing the merits of different print technologies, further keyboarding really seemed like a bad idea.
I Only Started Writing Fiction Once the Mortgage Was Paid Off
So, like many others, I only really settled down to write fiction once the mortgage was paid off and the day job was being gently phased out. This means that many of the pressures people talk about writers facing simply don’t apply to me.
I don’t have to fit my writing round a day job – though there always somehow seems to be other stuff that needs doing. I don’t have to make money out of it, so the pressure that many writers face to type from dawn to dusk is something I have escaped. (What is dawn anyway? Remind me.)
If Writing Makes Me Unhappy, I Don’t Have to Keep Doing It
Colleen mentions writers suffering with depression, anxiety, self-doubt, and writer’s block. I have no excuse for any of these. They all bite me, of course. I think they bite all authors. (If you have never had a moment’s doubt about the quality of your writing, may I respectfully suggest that your inability to self-criticize may mean that your work isn’t quite as good as you think it is.)
But, in the end, if writing makes me unhappy, I really don’t have to keep doing it. (This is actually a lie: writing for me, like many authors, is a compulsion. But if it gets bad enough, I guess I’ll have to go cold turkey. Just as if an alcoholic complains of constant headaches and fatigue, the answer might not be aspirin and bed rest.)
I Have No Idea How Single Authors Cope
How do I cope with black thoughts when they arrive?
Many writers will mention their spouses, either in the dedication or somewhere in the acknowledgements. Many readers, I imagine, think, “That’s nice; how romantic.” It’s not romantic at all, as those poor long-suffering spouses will confirm.
The support of a partner who is not only loving and sympathetic but who can be harsh enough to tell you when you are writing rubbish and to make you write it again is what keeps many writers, including me, just on the acceptable side of madness.
Authors’ partners (like the colonel’s spouse and the vicar’s wife) do a job of work that is seldom properly acknowledged, but is often essential to their partners’ success. I have no idea how singleton writers cope. Drink, maybe.
The support of other writers is also crucial. It has taken me a long time to find a circle of supportive fellow-writers online. They have taught me a lot and I am incredibly grateful to them.
I’m Lucky to Have a Partner and Dance Space
Having written for decades, I don’t worry generally about health problems associated with writing. Usually I rollerblade and dance and go hill walking and that can offset a lot of sitting around.
This year, of course, has been different. I’ve suffered (for the first time) from sciatica, brought on when I put my back out (nothing to do with writing) but undoubtedly exacerbated by lots of sitting around. An orthopaedic cushion has helped a lot. I’ve also been taking Vitamin B12, which may help against Covid too, so why not?
All this has made me try to get an exercise routine going. Normally I avoid “exercise” as the activities I do provide plenty of opportunities to move about and work up a sweat, but this year I have had to start making time to stretch and work my core.
I’m lucky in having a partner and dance space, so at least we have been able to keep working on our tango, though I do miss dancing with others. Here’s an example of our efforts:
Practice at home, though, does mean that there have been clear technical improvements over the year. I’ve realized too that, with my beloved Wales off limits, just getting out and walking locally not only helps keep me fit but is an important way to stay sane in lockdown.
It Must Be Wonderful to Invent Totally Imagined Worlds
Colleen asks what makes me stay creative. I have no idea. I write mainly historical fiction and my son has suggested I like historically based plots because I can look up the history, so I don’t have to use my imagination too much.
My efforts at contemporary fiction also draw heavily on my own life-experience. It must be wonderful to invent totally imagined worlds. Fortunately I don’t have to.
The Amount of Energy That Goes Into Book Marketing is a Constant Drain
At the beginning of this post I listed some of the problems that Colleen suggests can afflict writers and pointed out that I have no excuse for letting them afflict me. The thing she mentioned that is just a perennial nightmare is book promotion.
Last year, noticing that my publishers had left my books to wither on the vine, I decided to (to coin a phrase) “take back control.” The result has been a gratifying boost to sales, but the amount of time and energy that goes into marketing is just a constant drain.
Social media are obviously crucial, but with Twitter and Facebook and my blog, the time spent actually writing is dwindling away. And that’s before we start talking about cover design and blurb writing and navigating the Amazon algorithms and, worst of all, paid advertising.
I’m the last person to give advice about this stuff – but there is lots of advice out there including fellow writers, Facebook groups (like “Marketing for Authors”) and free and paid-for online courses. (Try David Gaughran for example.) The Truth is out there – but often buried under a plenitude of not-Truth – and sorting it all out will involve hard work. Good luck!
Advice for a Young Writer: Don’t!
Finally I am often asked what advice I would give to a young person who wants to become a writer and my advice is always the same: “Don’t!”
You’ll never make any money. (There are exceptions, of course, but you won’t be one of them – that’s why they’re called exceptions.) You will face constant rejection and you will be filled with self-doubt. You will convince yourself that you are an abject failure, even if, by some extraordinary chance, you become a millionaire bestseller.
People will tell you that they’ve always wanted to be a writer and they are sure they have a book in them and if – quite understandably – you beat one of them to death with your keyboard, you could face a prolonged period of imprisonment.
If, though, there is any chance that you may make a life for yourself writing (or, more wisely, a life in which writing has a part) you will ignore my advice. In which case, welcome to the nut-house. Some of us are quite at home here by now. Good luck!
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Tom Williams used to write books for business. Now he writes novels set in the 19th century that are generally described as fiction but which are often more honest than the business books. The stories have given him the excuse to travel to Argentina, Egypt and Borneo and call it research.
The James Burke series are adventure stories about a spy in the age of Napoleon, while the John Williamson Papers are a rather more serious series looking at issues of colonialism in the age of Empire (though they do have quite a lot of adventure too).
Tom lives in London. His main interest is avoiding doing any honest work and this leaves him with time to ski, skate and dance tango, all of which he does quite well. In between he reads old books and spends far too much time looking at ancient weaponry.
For more information on Tom and his work, please see his website, or connect with him on Twitter and Facebook.
Burke in the Land of Silver: James Burke never set out to be a spy.
But with Napoleon rampaging through Europe, the War Office needs agents and Burke isn’t given a choice. It’s no business for a gentleman, and disguising himself as a Buenos Aires leather merchant is a new low.
Despite this, he falls in love with the country – and with the beautiful Ana. Burke wants both to forward British interests and to free Argentina from Spain. But his new found selflessness comes up against the realities of international politics. When the British invade, his attempts to parley between the rebels and their new rulers means every man’s hand is against him. Can he come out alive and still strike a blow against the French?
Available at Amazon.
Dark Magic: Baby’s blood… Virgin’s tears… Chainsaws… It’s remarkable what some magicians keep back-stage.
Two magic shows: the Maestros of Magic touring the country, playing provincial theatres; the Carnival of Conjurors successful in the West End. When the Maestros learn that the Conjurors are using real magic – Black Magic – to do their tricks they decide that they must use their own, distinctly unmagical, stage skills to stop them. Soon people are dying on stage – but can the Maestros really beat a team that has the devil on their side?
A darkly humorous thriller by a writer who knows the world of magicians and stage magic.
Available on Amazon.