Category: 4theWriters

The Little Synology that Wasn’t

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Recently I did an inventory of the tech that powers the writing empire. You’ll probably notice a change of the site URL to parrydox.com, because I got tired of trying to convince people that .co was a valid domain (.co.nz and .com being most people’s mental search/replace). As a part of this process I ensured I was using the best tools for the job. In my writer’s stable I need: A good suite of writing software (currently Scrivener + Vellum, but likely to move to Atticus – to be covered in another post once I’ve thoroughly kicked the tyres); A website (you’re probably looking at it – props to FastComet, who offer excellent service – they actually respond to support tickets!) that showcases my books and how to get in touch with me; Some kind of mailing list provider; and Read More …

On Existential Angst

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Steph over at Bookshine allowed me to sully her blog with a topic near and dear to me after editing The Splintered Land. You can find it here: [Writer Angst 101: Continuity] If you like what you see on this site, maybe join my mailing list or become a patron!

How to Find an Editor

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I’ve had a few people ask recently for how to get an editor. I don’t know why I’m getting these questions – I figure it’s either because: My editing is so pro people want a slice o’ that ass, or They’re trying to drop a subtle hint that I should look into getting an editor. Let’s go with column A. I typed out a long-ish response to a query yesterday, so replicated it (mostly) below. It’s timely, as I’ve just started editing 377,000 words of The Splintered Land – so, reminders are always good, hey? Requests for editors circle around three issues. How to find one. What a good one looks like. Getting one at a fair price. The short answer is Tiffany is amazing and you can find her and ask for a quote here: https://writenowcreative.com/. Now, the longer version. Read More …

Amazing Covers with Rebekah Haskell

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My internet homegirl was interviewed on the SPA Girls Podcast. It’s worth a listen if you’re: an author, and have an interest in covers, how to work with a designer, and/or how to start doing your own without fucking everything up. [SPA Girls Podcast – EP224 – Amazing Covers with Rebekah Haskell] Side note: excellent use of non-North American accents in here. It was wonderful to hear the Queen’s English spoken by professionals. Like this post? Check out my mailing list for shit that’s off the chain. Or, at least, mildly amusing.

The Pursuit of Readers 📚

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I’ve been thinking: how do you find your ideal reader? There’s a lot of advice on this, most of which is using personas. This is an old trick I learned in IT Land™️ Way Back When™️. The idea is you work out who uses your product, and/or who you want to, and design services around those people. If you’re writing a mobile banking app for retirees to check their account balances, you damn Skippy better make sure you take into account their tech familiarity and ability mismatch scenarios, or it’ll crash and burn (…and/or no one will use it). My deep, introspective* thoughts suggests there are two interlinked parts: Who you write for, and Who you market to (or, perhaps, how you market to them). * In the shower last Tuesday. A friend and I talked about the different types Read More …

Choosing Your Cover Artist

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Authors-only post follows, but y’all may like it anyway. Many cover artists are good, but the crucial thing I’ve found is how well they gel with you. Choosing your preferred artist should be one of your principle business relationships. It’s all about the fit, and I’ve developed a set of five criteria for assessing this relationship that should save you time and money. I had an opportunity to give my covert artist a testimonial for her site today, and it got me thinking: how should authors choose a cover artist? You might think it’s an easy decision to grab an artist from the web, maybe hunt around by price, and viola! Job done. If your goal is to not sell books, that’s a great approach. If you want to get your stories into readers hands, you need to refine a Read More …

Scapple: Meet Boundless

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I’ve been doing a chunk o’ worldbuilding and plotting for the revised Boundless. While my World Anvil is pretty sparse (spoilers, people), my internal notes are growing. Yesterday, I dug up this super-old relationship wireframe: Dug up this super-old relationships concept (this is like 0.1 ALPHA, and there's 600 others, with far more detail) for Boundless. It's funny how some of these stick with me and others are dead and buried. #WritingCommunity #indieauthors #amwriting #amworldbuilding pic.twitter.com/Ifa3XhLGu7 — Richard Parry 👾 (@ParryForte) April 10, 2019 I figured you might get a kick out of seeing what the current story scaffold looks like. I’m a mix of outlining and discovery writing; I like to have an end state in mind, but freestyle the rest of it. The approach gives a structured tale while letting the characters tell their own part of it Read More …

Is Writing Everyday Really Necessary?

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I see this one a lot. Is writing everyday really necessary? from writing The short version is no, and the longer verison is that it might be harmful to your creativity, depending on how your brain works. Let’s get into this. The prevailing advice from the world is, “Yo, you should write every day. Every! Day! And twice on Sundays.” I’m not 100% sure where this craziness comes from, but it could be misguided thinking around the power of habituated behaviours. Habits can be good! Humans love habits. Making and breaking them takes effort, and while a crack cocaine habit is most likely bad, a fitness habit is probably good. You’ll have heard how habits take 21 days to form, and while it’s a little more complicated than that, doing something often, perhaps on a schedule, can be good for Read More …