All Things Writing

In this episode I am going to talk a little about the big influences in my writing life and how I got to where I am now.

Good Afternoon good people of the podcast world, I am your host, Bryan and before I get too far into this, I want to make sure and send a shout out to all of the mother’s out there. This is Mother’s day weekend so remember to call your mother, mother type equivalents, and mother analogues. If you can’t be with them, send them a virtual CORONA hug. 

In this podcast we are going to delve into my own personal writing journey.

I have oft gained some very irritate glances in high school English classes when I said in front of a room of impressionable young people that there is absolutely nothing they can do to become creative writers in school. While I mean this statement, left to its own devices, it gets misconstrued.

I truly believe in education. But I truly do believe that schools only teach us how to form decent sentences and proper paragraphs. In no way do schools teach you how to think and feel about the world around you. Only experience can do that.

It is life that makes us good story tellers and writers. It is that experiences that I call up when I am trying to write how a person thinks and feels. If I hadn’t had experiences, it would make it impossible for me to write that aspect of a story. 

That is not to say you can’t write as a young person, but as you get older and have more life experience, you become a better story teller.

I was always a creative kid and that got me into trouble. I was considered unusual as a child. So much so that my parents and teachers had me go visit the school councilor twice a week for thirty minutes at a time. 

Mrs. Sone, I think her name was. Nice lady and actually I liked going to see her. Smoked way too much and her breath smelled like what I imagine the mythical Kraken’s breath smelled like. It think it is Master Gibbs in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie that says it reeks with the smell of a thousand rotting corpses. Yeah, her breath was amazingly bad.

But she sat me down and gave me the opportunity to write for the first time. Schools can be problematic for budding writers. Look they tell you to write and they want you to write, but only what they think you should write, for how long they proscribe, and when you should write. 

Don’t get the wrong idea here. I am not anti-teacher at all. They have one of the hardest jobs on the planet which is made far more difficult by their dark overlords in school administration, but that is another discussion for another time. But they do have to stay within the strict cinctures of their pre-programmed schedules. They have a tough job. And they had to teach my kids! 

I mention the name of Ronald Malfi in the podcast as being one of those authors I admire. Find out more about him here. http://ronmalfi.com/

For more information about Bryan the Writer:

www.Bryannowak.com 

https://www.amazon.com/Bryan-Nowak/e/B018GX2I20

Thanks for listening.

Thank you for listening. Consider supporting an indie author by signing up to Patreon today. After you sign up, I will send you the book of your choice.

Make a decision: Are you going to be a traditional author or go indie? Both have their advantages and disadvantages. If you have specific questions, send them to me at [email protected].

Beware of these sites that tell you they are publishers and will make you a New York Times best seller in six weeks. They can’t and they won’t. These predators pray on new writers and are chiefly responsible for people getting out of writing before they have had a chance to really do any real work. 

There are all kinds of things you need to do to submit, but I will tell you that there are literally tons of sites out there who deal with how to prep a manuscript for an agent and how to write a letter to the agent. 

Instead of trying to walk you through all the rules, I am going to send you to a couple of useful websites. https://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/the-10-dos-and-donts-of-writing-a-query-letter and https://www.janefriedman.com/query-letters/. Both have some great information.

Remember that. An agent works for you in the sense that they get a percentage of what the book sells for. 

You need to make sure your manuscript is in whatever format the agent tells you to put it in. Agents get a gazillion submissions and they don’t have time to waste on a manuscript where the author demonstrates they don’t want to follow the rules.

Indie publishing is a whole different taco. You are in the driver’s seat, and responsible for the success or failure of your work. It pays to keep a weather eye on everything you do.

Go to Amazon and scroll all the way to the bottom you will see a link to Kindle Direct Publishing, or KDP. There is a reason Amazon is the big boy on the indie stage right now. They made it easy. I won't post a link to Amazon.

Draft to Digital is another big one out there. https://www.draft2digital.com/ They will not only allow you to upload your books, but they will also distribute them to more than just Amazon. However, the downside is that they don’t do hard copy. KDP will and that is a big seller for them.

A big competitor with Amazon right now is Ingriam Spark. I have only had limited experience with them. They charge a set-up fee for each book. I can only say that a lot of people use them and seem to be happy. https://www.ingramspark.com/

Before posting though, consider using a professional formatter. I use one because I am not very good at it. 

My formatter charges thirty bucks and ten for revisions. I have been super happy with her over the years. Her name is Michelle Macqueen and she is an author of Young adult. Her website, if you want to contact her about her raft of services is https://michellelynnauthor.com/

But it all comes down to you as an indie. There are no shortcuts in the world of writing whether you go the traditional route or the inide. Do your homework and make sure you do your best writing. Most of all, remember why you got started writing in the first place.  

If you liked this podcast, consider subscribing so you can stay on top of whenever a new podcast comes out. If you heard anything which piqued your interest and want to know more, you can contact me at 

[email protected] 

www.bryannowak.com 

Thank you for listening. Consider supporting an indie author by signing up to Patreon today. After you sign up, I will send you the book of your choice.

Podcast #5 Shownotes!

Greetings intrepid listener. 

So, you’ve finished writing and wonder what to do next. Well, here you go. I will lead you though my editing process up to the point you shove it out to your editor (and yes, you need one).

Now, truth in advertising, this isn’t an all exhaustive list and I am sure I am missing things, but the advice is still sound.

Best free writing programs? I am going to direct you to go to a Tech Republic article at https://www.techrepublic.com/article/5-free-alternatives-to-microsoft-word/.

• I read it completely on the screen. I am looking for large plot holes in this step. Things that I started writing and forgot to continue. Stuff like that.
• Print the manuscript off and reading it again, in paper form. Make notes in the margins, correct things, etc. Still looking for plot holes, but also things which are obviously wrong.
  • Windows 10 came with a thing called ‘Read Aloud’. I think you can download it from their app store too. It is a great tool. 
• Let someone else read it. What you are looking for is someone who is going to read through it and give you their honest opinion.
• Share it with some trusted beta readers. A trusted group of super friends who would be willing to read through your manuscript for you. Avoid people who say things like, “Oh, I liked it.” And that is it.
  • Provide a word document with specific questions you want them to answer. I like to use from Writing Cooperative. You can find them on the internet, posted for people to steal and use. https://writingcooperative.com/15-questions-to-send-beta-first-readers-please-steal-3ff9fa198b5
• It is time to shove it into the realm of editors. In reality you can find editors that specialize in just about anything at all. The most common are copy editors who will just handle the grammar and anything glaring. However, consider the use of a developmental editor or a proofreader. The latter will shine a spotlight on your weak spots and a proofreader will assess it for overall content and clarity. I use http://editing.xterraweb.com/, but there are tons of great editors out there in the world.

It is usually during this time that I start working the graphics angle. There are millions of different graphics artists out there. My word of caution, and one that another author gave me when I was starting out, was to make sure they can provide examples of their work. My own preference has always been to use Aspire Book Covers. https://aspirebookcovers.com/. But that is just my preference. I have used major graphics companies and I have used some guy working out of his apartment in South Africa. He actually did a really nice job for me. Again, ask for samples of their work.

In the next show I will talk about that, ISBN’s, making an audio version. And other things. Make sure you join me and remember to subscribe to this podcast!

• My website: www.bryannowak.com
• My Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Bryanthewriter
• My Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Bryan-Nowak/e/B018GX2I20

By for now!

-Bryan the Writer

Thank you for listening. Consider supporting an indie author by signing up to Patreon today. After you sign up, I will send you the book of your choice.

In this episode of Bryan the Writer's Podcast on All Things Writing, I am responding to a friend's request for me to talk a little about where my creative ideas come from. I walk you thought each of my books and explain where the ideas came from.

In the last part of the episode I talk about my "sound booth" and where the idea for it came from. I'll also explain how you don't have to spend a ton of money to build a sound booth for your recording needs.

If you like this episode, please follow me so you know when new episodes come out. If you want me to talk about anything specific, hit me up and let me know.

As always, you can check me out on my website at www.bryannowak.com or check out my Amazon author page here!

Thinking about starting your own podcast? Hit up the following link to find the best way to get your show up and running from a group just as passionate about podcasting as I am. https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=909964

Thank you for listening. Consider supporting an indie author by signing up to Patreon today. After you sign up, I will send you the book of your choice.

Hey everyone! In this episode I am going to talk a little about how I see a protagonist and antagonist in the story line. In addition, I will introduce you to my favorite brewery in the Northern Virginia area. To round things out, I have a special surprise for everyone in store that you just have to listen to believe.

If you like what you hear, please hit the subscribe button to find out when more of my podcasts are posted.

For more information about this or how to buy any of my books that I am talking about, hit me up on my website www.bryannowak.com.

Thinking about starting your own podcast? Hit up the following link to find the best way to get your show up and running from a group just as passionate about podcasting as I am. https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=909964

Thank you for listening. Consider supporting an indie author by signing up to Patreon today. After you sign up, I will send you the book of your choice.

There is a silver lining to COVID-19, if we choose to see it. We are social people and maybe we can choose to look at this as an opportunity to get closer to the ones we love, the people who we have relied or or the people who rely on us. Also, what the heck is mind mapping and how do we use it? Lastly, at what point do we examine what is the measure of our literary success?

Thinking about starting your own podcast? Hit up the following link to find the best way to get your show up and running from a group just as passionate about podcasting as I am. https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=909964

Thank you for listening. Consider supporting an indie author by signing up to Patreon today. After you sign up, I will send you the book of your choice.

Welcome to the show, All Things Writing. Your captain on this journey is Bryan Nowak.

No matter what the driving force is, welcome to the show and I am so happy you are here.

What is All Things Writing? 

Looking for any help at all seemed like a difficult task. So, I thought I might start to chronicle my journey into writing for other people to listen to. Sure, not all of my advice is going to be helpful, but lots of it will be. We are also lining up some amazing authors to talk with about their personal journey into the world and writing and what that means to them. 

My personal journey into writing started in 2013. It was then that I started working on my first novel, called No-Name. It still stands out in my mind is one of my favorite storylines. One of these days I’m gonna go back and rewrite the book.

The journey for me started one day while I was in a meeting. I really had nothing to do in the meeting, I was just there as a notetaker who didn’t have very much that he had to take notes on. So, I started working on my own story that I had bopping around my head. A week later, I had about 17 pages written. They were hand written notes, and not very good, but the story was there.

A good story comes from the heart. It’s a conglomeration of your life lessons, and so, a reflection of you.

My goal is always to entertain.

When I write a book, I want you to feel the thrill and exhilaration that comes with reading. I want you to ingest a story that is fun, and not a burden. And so too is the goal of All Things Writing. Each episode, is designed to be at least partially entertaining. Certainly, we get in the heavier topics of the writing world, but we have a little bit of fun to.

I want you to be able to ask questions, and I’ll do my best to answer them. send them to me at Bryan the Writer. I want you to listen to these episodes and ask yourself how the information applies to you. Once again, I’ll point out, not all of it is going to apply to you.

It is the willing expression of imagination that produces good fiction. I would also argue that a good sense of imagination is also critical in nonfiction writing as well. For it is that imagination that allows us to show our creativity on the written page.

So, join me on this epic adventure I call all things writing and you can learn, laugh, and generally have a good time along with me. And if it any point you want to ask any questions, I’m always here for you. Now, let’s get to it.

Check me out here!

Thinking about starting your own podcast? Hit up the following link to find the best way to get your show up and running from a group just as passionate about podcasting as I am. https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=909964

Thank you for listening. Consider supporting an indie author by signing up to Patreon today. After you sign up, I will send you the book of your choice.