Discovered Wordsmiths

Overview

Guy's main focus is swords - which includes translating and evaluating old texts and teaching the information in there. Yes, he's written multiple books - but does that mean he's a writer?

We have a good discussion on what can make the difference to say you're a writer or that you want to write. This can be a different answer for different people for different reasons, but it's a good distinction.

YouTube

https://youtu.be/abDuTxgVm5w

Transcript

[00:00:47] Stephen: let's talk a little author stuff, actual writing and that for the authors.

So what are some things. You said 14 books out. What are some things for your writing that you're doing different [00:01:00] now than you did when you first started?

[00:01:02] Guy: Ah, okay. My first book took me four years and it was really hard because I was starting from scratch and there wasn't I started it in about 1999, 2000.

And it was published in 2004. Yeah, it was brutally difficult, partly because I was, I just didn't know how to write a nonfiction book and a friend of mine who is a technical writer doing technical writing stuff. The documents come with a device, tell you how to work it, instruction, language, things like that.

And he's basically sent me a, like a template or, okay, this is the thing, this is the name of the job. Number, the drill out like this. And he, he gave you this template. I was like, oh my God, that is. As a friend of mine, Martin page, he's also now enough. And that really helped. And again, [00:02:00] into the way of how do you express these things on the page.

But the really critical thing was eventually I figured out that you should just talk, right? So if somebody sends me an email saying guy, I've got a long sword and when somebody tries to hit me like this, what am I supposed to. So I'll write back saying you start like this, and then you swing the sword like that.

And then you hit that. So I'd like to ask, and then you hit them like that. And top of the bat, and that is the tone that actually works in the book. I basically, I got out of my own way. So the first book to of four years, the second book took two years. Then my kids came along. So that was a bit of a hiatus in the whole thing.

And then for me, it's never been my main. Gig. I don't, it's always been that. I teach historical martial arts. I people need these books so they can learn to start the martial arts. And it will actually save me a lot of time if they've read my books before they even come to class, that would speed things [00:03:00] up enormously.

So I'm producing these books as part of the broader project of getting historical martial arts out to the people then. Okay. Likewise, in my online course, I started those in 2016 and. It was basically, oh, okay. Here's a skill we learned. I like to pretend I have a student there or something like that. I actually do have a student that, and I just teach them this stuff when we video it and we stick it up online and it works.

It doesn't have to be that hard. So if I have to ask you a question, so I went off

[00:03:33] Stephen: track there. Yeah. That's one of the things I was going to mention to you too. Cause I've heard you on other podcasts and I've looked through your website and that, and I like. The writer, author of you is part of your life, but it's part of the whole, you've got multiple things in your life that you do for a living, for a job,

Overview

You may have heard Guy on another podcast because he is pretty popular and the authority on fighing with swords. He is The Sword Guy - pun intended. He studies historical books on how people use their swords and he translates them for modern audiences. Plus he recreates and teaches their style of fighting.

He discusses his newest book - The Windsor Method - and tells us about how things were done different. There's a bit of a discussion on how movies get it right and wrong.

If you like swords, we have a good discussion on several and in the YouTube video he shows us a couple.

His Book

https://www.amazon.com/Windsor-Method-Principles-Solo-Training-ebook/dp/B098TRXPB9?&_encoding=UTF8&tag=mindarchitect-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=804345a973a88d6127a41b38ed3e39b1&camp=1789&creative=9325

Website

https://swordschool.com

YouTube

https://youtu.be/wtorg-r9tcA

Transcript

[00:00:43] Stephen: Hello, welcome to episode 1 0 5 at discovered word Smith. This is going to be a great episode. If you are a regular listener to author podcasts, I'm sure you've heard this, uh, person it's guy Windsor. He's the sword guy. [00:01:00] Aha. Um, it's really a fun talk. I like hearing all about the swords and what he does.

It's super interesting. So I think, uh, those of you that are interested in swords, those you, that like the sword fighting, he has a lot to say in his book, looks like it'd be something you should have. Uh, and possibly some of his other ones also. And as a reminder, if you do enjoy the author, if you enjoy this podcast and you're interested in his book, go to the sh the website, the show notes and click on the link there.

Yes. It's an affiliate link. It gives. Me a couple cents, uh, when you click it and buy the book so I can help support the podcast. The time I put into it, the cost of the software, the cost of the hosting, uh, et cetera, et cetera, but also it doesn't hurt guy. Uh, and he still gets his commission on the book.

So you're helping lots of people and getting a wonderful book. And that goes for every interview. Every author that's on here, uh, clicking the [00:02:00] link, helps out multiple people, including yourself for getting a great. And there are a few other links I've added to the show notes. That is the services that I use.

If you are an author or thinking of doing a podcast, go ahead and click these, check it out. It doesn't cost you anything extra and it will help support the show. The more people that do that. So, um, before we go too far, let's get into the interview with guy. Here you go, guy. Let me welcome you to today's podcast.

Discovered wordsmiths, how are you doing this?

[00:02:33] Guy: I'm fine.

[00:02:34] Stephen: How are you? I'm great. So usually when we get started, I asked people to tell us a little bit about you and what you like to do outside of writing. It's all

[00:02:45] Guy: part of one package. Basically my day job is I find theoretical sort of fighting sources. So books written a long time ago about how to fight with swords, by people who actually did it, or their students actually did it for real.

And I recreate systems of [00:03:00] fencing that those. Represent. And I organized those systems into still, uh,

Overview

Tricia reads a chapter from her book - Eight Was Enough.

Her Book

Eight Was Enough

Overview

Tricia has done very well with her first book, and she attributes that to building her author platform. She has great advice about getting reviews and getting the book out in front of people. She has reached out to other authors and helped them with selling by building their platform.

YouTube

Transcript

I appreciate you talking to me about all that. So let's go to some great authors stuff. And I love this because I always ask the authors, but when you're writing. Products and services that you use and you right away [00:01:00] have journaling as part of that, that you had years worth of material already written.

[00:01:06] Tricia: Right? Right. So it's like fodder for the grist, for the mill. You know what I mean? It was just there. So I think too, the habit was there. If that makes sense. The habit of writing, like one of the things people say, you really have to make it a habit every day, you sit down and you write I'm like, yeah. Yeah.

[00:01:30] Stephen: So were these journals like paper that you wrote in with a pen or did you do

[00:01:35] Tricia: those little journals that look like I'm the outside looks like a cow kind of black and white marble kind of thing. Yeah. That's all they were. They weren't anything special. They weren't any leather-bound whatever they were just journals.

And I actually, after I had a handful of them, I was like, I better start numbering these puppies. I'm going to get confused about everything. I'm going to have to go back and forth to figure out the chronology. So I started [00:02:00] numbering them and there were umpteen of them by the time I got to this. So

[00:02:04] Stephen: when you wrote the book, did you do it longhand or do you use a computer?

[00:02:10] Tricia: No, I typed, although I use Google docs. And that was fine. But now in hindsight, I should have used word because when it came right down to it, I ended up having to go. I changed toward for the editing arts and I think I would use Microsoft word if I went forward at this point,

[00:02:33] Stephen: I know some people do.

Google docs if especially if they work collaboratively because you can have people. So I've heard, I hear Scrivener a lot too, so I hear it all over. Is there any, you've you read that book and you found book launchers and they help with all that. Is there any other services you used for the writing or that you like for the

[00:02:58] Tricia: writing, [00:03:00] but I have my website.

Is done with word WordPress and flywheel. And then my email services through convert kit. I like convert kit a lot, trying to think of anything else that I have used just convert kit was really good about organizing email, come pick campaigns and stuff like that. They were. I like them. And

[00:03:27] Stephen: you're working with book launchers.

What are you doing to market the book? Are you doing the marketing or are they doing it? Is it a combination?

[00:03:34] Tricia: It's a combination. Marketing is hard. It's not something you should just dabble in. You really have to know what you're doing. And I struggled with it. At first. I was trying to make my own website.

It was shoveling sand against the tide. It was dickless. I was working so hard and so frustrated and [00:04:00] I just like oh my gosh. I've been so out of my depth all day.

Overview

Tricia lives in Cleveland with her family, where she takes advantage of all the great hiking trails.

Her book is kind of a memoir and kind of an inspirational tale that is based on her and her husband adopting kids. And yes, the title of the book is a throwback to the old tv show - for those that remember.

During all the times that were good or tumultuous or just plain wild and crazy, Tricia journaled the events. This journaling has led to the book about her experiences with adoption.

And her story of the first adoption is wonderful - truly an inspiration to listen to.

Her Book

Eight Was Enough

Website

https://trishakcampbell.com/author/

Favorites

Winter Garden

https://www.firesidebookshop.com/

YouTube

Transcript

[00:00:46] Stephen: Hey, and welcome to episode 1 0 4 of discovered wordsmiths. Good to have you. Um, today's a really interesting discussion. I have Trisha Campbell who her and her husband have adopted eight kids [00:01:00] in their lives and she kept a journal and has written about those adventures with adopting kids and the story of.

The first adoption, how she knew who she, what she wanted to do and who she was looking for is very interesting. So this is a really good, uh, discussion on a really inspirational book, uh, in, even if you're not interested in adopting, even if you're not interested in memoirs and that type of thing, this book is one you may want to check out.

So I encourage you to listen to the episode, see what she has to say about. Her adventures and her husband's adventures and all the kids and how they got started and all of that. Uh, if you have been listening to the podcast, uh, I'd like to ask you to take a look at the show notes. I am starting to put in some links to some of the services that I do use.

So if you're interested in doing a podcast, uh, and want to see what. It will be in the show notes, but also if you are starting [00:02:00] one and you click on those links, they will take you to the same places that I use. You'll sometimes get a discount because you use my link, but regardless, I get a little bit out of it from the company, nothing comes out of your pocket and it just helps support the show cause there's costs involved with podcasting.

So keep that in mind, if you are starting with. So before we go, before I start rambling and go any further, let me say welcome to Tricia. And here we go, Tricia. Welcome to discovered wordsmiths. Good to see you this nice snowy day. How you doing?

[00:02:34] Tricia: That's good to see you too, Steven. Very well. Very well. So

[00:02:38] Stephen: for everybody here listening, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself, where you're from and some of the things that you like to do besides writing.

Overview

Edward lives in Canada, though he did grow up in Texas. Not only does he write, but he is the editor for a sci-fi series, which we discuss on today's show.

Edward has been writing full time for almost 30 years and has won several awards and has his own publishing company. His stories range from sci-fi to fantasy and non-fiction.

Edward also runs a podcast and has gotten to talk with many well known authors. Many of these authors have had stories in the sci-fi anthologies that Edwards edits.

His Book

Shaper of Worlds

Website

https://shadowpawpress.com/

Favorites

Six of Crows

YouTube

Sponsored by:

I use Dreamhost for the website: https://www.dreamhost.com/r.cgi?2152744

I use Draft2Digital for most of my publishing https://www.draft2digital.com/r/Re1DJR

Transcript

[00:00:46] Stephen: Hello, welcome to episode 1 0 3 today. Have a special treat for you. Instead of an author that has just gotten started. We have an author that has been doing this for almost 30 years. Edward Willett. He writes Saifai, but he [00:01:00] also compiles and edits compendiums of scifi with some of the best Saifai authors out there.

And we talk about the latest book that's coming out. Uh, he also does a podcast where he interviews. Authors. And that's what part B is for talking to authors about podcasting and interviewing guests that are, um, bigger names, guests that, uh, everybody's heard of. We talked about how that might be different.

We had to talk about what it's like to compile and edit short stories for other authors. So it's. Interview a great conversation. We did this, uh, in the snowy Christmas time, which I find interesting because here it is mid April for me and I'm looking outside and it is still snowing. So, uh, it was kind of a bookend here for that episode.

Also, a lot of people have said they love the podcast and I think that's great. I try and get them. Interesting authors and talk to them with interesting topics and good books. And one of the things that would be great is [00:02:00] if people left reviews, left some stars, some thumbs up, uh, to help out the podcast, the more people that listen the better it is for everybody, me as the podcast, uh, creator and the authors who are writing these great books.

But also if you would really like to help, uh, My time, I spend money for the hosting. I spend money for the publishing of the podcasts. There's various fees and costs to do this. Uh, what would be great is I'm including some sponsor links in the show notes and on the website. So if you're going to use one of these services, That I use like blueberry or using WordPress or hosting with DreamHost.

If you're going to use one of these, go click on that link and then sign up for it because it doe...

Overview

Edward has been editor for a series of sci-fi novels that include short stories from popular authors. He decided it made sense to do a podcast to talk with these authors.

YouTube

Transcript

[00:00:50] Stephen: Let's move on to some authors. And we're going to talk about podcasting, which I think is great because obviously we both do it. But before we do that, you've been [00:01:00] writing for quite a while. What can you think of that you did at one time when you started that you're doing different now that you've changed or learned from

[00:01:09] Edward: not that much has changed from very beginning of the way I wrote, I've always done a full first.

And then gone back and revised, I guess what's changed. The most of course is the use of computers. When I started, I was composing my first one, because it was done as a school thing is, is handwritten. But I quickly stopped doing that cause I had terrible handwriting. Uh, as soon as I started typing everything and I've always done a full first draft, I go back to the beginning.

I revise it once, twice. And then I send it off and I, that has not changed in all these years. The only difference now is that I write it on the computer, go back and revise it on the computer two or three times. And then I send it off. I don't use beta readers. I've never had anybody. I show it to the first person who sees it after me as an editor.

And yeah, that's nothing has changed [00:02:00] really.

[00:02:02] Stephen: You don't, if you have a good process, it doesn't mean you have to do the newest, greatest thing that's going on or change what you're doing. If

[00:02:11] Edward: one of the great things about my podcast is asking basically that same question to all these other authors and you find out that everybody does it differently and there is no one way to write.

[00:02:21] Stephen: Yeah, I've heard that a lot. Also the most people use word, what do you use? What do you use the right with software services?

[00:02:30] Edward: I downloaded Scrivener cause I'd heard good things about it. And I have yet to use it. I don't want to learn how to do all that stuff. I just want to type, and of course, word itself has its own foibles and things, but that's what I use.

And it mainly because it's a standard for submitting manuscripts and stuff is word. So when I first started on computers, it was Commodore 60 fours. There was a word processor called paperclip. And it was very good, except it just wrapped. It [00:03:00] didn't have, it was just, it just kept typing it. We get to the end and then you'd get returned to make a new paragraph.

And it was limited to 499 lines of text per file. And as a result that turned out to be about nine to 10 pages in actual manuscript format and all the books I wrote on paperclip have chapter. How about nine or 10 pages? I started trading myself to write chapters that were the same length as the files I could fit onto a paperclip.

And that may have carried over. That still seems to be, oh, I feel like I'm about at the end of a chapter. If I look it's typically, oh, that's about 10 pages. So I think I've got it in my head back in counter 64 days, I

[00:03:37] Stephen: used a speed script, which was a type in from compute. But you actually had that, enter it by hand.

That's totally foreign to the kids nowadays. Let me

Overview

MK studied the market for her kids books, because marketing MG is different than most. Her books are STEM based and enjoys using her background to write her books.

We discuss all the things that go into making a successful middle grade book. It pays to study the market and imitate what works.

YouTube

Transcript

[00:00:46] Stephen: All right. So let's talk some author stuff, cause we've got some similar interests in that. So before we delve into our marketing for middle-grade. What are some things that you learned writing your first [00:01:00] book that you're doing different with your newest, I'm

[00:01:03] MK: much more aware of what the market is buying.

So what kids are actually reading. So I looked at, so I've got like tier one, authors, them trying to model and see what makes them successful. What is, what do they have in their books that I don't have, or don't have enough of in mind. And I look at Rick reorder is hugely popular with all of his series.

Brian Johnson is another indie author who wrote the pro project. And that book consistently ranks up there top engineering books for kids. So what I've learned is. Okay. What did these books have? What did the covers look like? What do my, what feed to have more of, and I've concluded that mysteries and spy [00:02:00] content, those Chaunra sell to middle grade kids, mystery, adventure, and spy content.

So I've got to up the ante in some of that suspense and adventure and conflict, and I've finally figured out. What my covers need to look like, and I'm really thrilled with the illustrator hat. Now that's doing my covers.

[00:02:23] Stephen: Okay. So you mentioned covers a couple of times. What did you do for the first book compared to now?

So

[00:02:33] MK: my coach said, okay, for children's middle grade needs to have a cartoony cover. And I, in fact, I loved my first cover. I found a artists. The cover design got done in a week. The book took another year to, to edit and finish. And before I was ready to release it to the world, because I wanted it to live up to the cover.

But feedback I got later was [00:03:00] I look at that current. I think it's going to be a children's picture book. So when I started learning about here ones and really understanding different genres and what the covers look. I realized that like the middle grade mystery or the Nancy drew or the Steven Case Smith, they are drum covers, but they are not cartoony.

Just understanding that subtlety is okay. It's not a composite picture of a person, although I've seen some books that really, I can't tell if their artwork or their photograph, but. And one of my redesign attempts to was not fun and pleasant and went through a company and you're working through a middleman, who's farming it out to an artist.

And if you've done hardcover and paperback and ebook with [00:04:00] hardcover, you've got all this wrap around. You've got almost three quarters of an inch that you need to wrap around the. For the bindings. So you're, you gotta have extra margin on your artwork and communicating that to the art. So when she finally fixed it for the hardcover, he fixed it for the paperback.

So now I had all that extra margin in the paperback cover. So I just, and there was other stuff going on with my family and health and stuff at the time that I wasn't as. Checking all the files I thought, okay,

Overview

MK lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with her family and writes middle grade books. She enjoys keeping busy with many activities, which helped inspire her books. While vacationing at Hilton Head, she helped find a way to save baby sea turtles.

Her books are STEM based because she wants to inspire girls and it fits her engineering background well. Her series, Putney and the magic iPad were written with the idea of a girl MacGyver.

If kids like science and projects, these books are just the thing for them.

Website

https://putneydesigns.com

Book

Putney and the magic iPad

Favorites

Sarah Woodbury

YouTube

https://youtu.be/kenfytdN0ic

Transcript

[00:00:42] Stephen: today on episode 1 0, 2 of discovered Smiths. I have. Uh, VK Tuft, who is talking about her book Putney and the magic iPad, actually, it's a Siri. And this one I really loved for multiple reasons because she is a middle grade author, just [00:01:00] like me. We had a lot to talk about. Plus she made her books based on her engineering background.

So they are stem based. They have what she kind of talks about, uh, wanting to make a female MacGyver, which are all things near and dear to my heart. So it sounds like we had a lot in common and we did, and it was a great talk and we had so much fun. So I encourage you. If you've got kids check out these books, listen to the interview.

If you're an author and you've been wondering, how do you market middle grade listened to the second half? Because obviously that was something we could talk about and we did, and she's done even more than I have. So there's some great information in there for anybody. Let me get right to it. Here's VK, Marsha.

Welcome to discovered wordsmiths. How are you this morning?

[00:01:52] MK: I'm doing really well. Thank you, Steven. How are you?

[00:01:57] Stephen: Good. Good. [00:02:00] Not too bad. Did you get caught in the snow?

[00:02:03] MK: No, I was home when it snowed, so I didn't have the bad stuff. My, we spend time in health. And we came back, we're traveling back new year's day and January 1st and January 2nd.

And we got home, which is Cincinnati, Ohio for us ahead of the snow and my sister who lives in Virginia. She got on us. We dodged the bad snow bullet. And then yesterday we had more than I was expecting. Since I'm a retired engineer and I work from home on my book. I didn't have to go out in it.

[00:02:43] Stephen: Yeah. Same here.

So you live in Cincinnati cause I live up by Kent state. So both the pile. Cool. So why don't you tell us now that we know that where you live, why don't you tell everybody a little bit about you and some of the things you like to do besides writing,

[00:02:59] MK: [00:03:00] as I mentioned, I'm a retired engineer and from,

Overview

I talk with Diane about how to keep writing when things look bleak. Her book was written when her life was at a low point.

YouTube

https://youtu.be/epY74-yei5U

Transcript

[00:28:52] Stephen: Okay, let's move on to some author stuff. Now, before we get onto our discussion topic, a couple of questions. [00:29:00] You said that book took 12 years between initial concept to getting it published. So what were some things that you learned in that process that you're doing different?

Now?

[00:29:11] Diana: That's a great question. For this book in particular, I was working with a lot of things that really occurred to me in my own life at work. Difficult for me to meet at on the page. And a lot of times I was going into it and I was feeling all those feelings again, I'd have to move away.

And I think part of the reason why it took so long, where was that reason? But what I have learned is that we can be like doggy paddling in one chapter for a really long time. We do that a lot, especially at the very beginning. Of a novel or a short story. That's the first couple of pages.

We work them and we work them over and over again, but we don't know what the beginning needs to be until we have written the last word of that book or story. And that's what I'm telling everybody. Now do what [00:30:00] ever you have to do to move forward. Even if it's sloppy and messy, you need to know how your story ends before you can come back and really know what has to happen in the next.

[00:30:13] Stephen: Yeah. I something I've found myself having to write. Getting to midway point and go, oh man, I have no idea where it needs to go. Now I've rewritten that 20 times. Yeah, exactly.

[00:30:29] Diana: Exactly. And by the time you get to the end, you'll know what the book was really about. And maybe you didn't need that early scene.

Maybe that's not the right place for the story to begin until you get to the

[00:30:39] Stephen: end. Yes. You've gotten rid of the first chapter and made a different one. The first chapter switched chapter and all that. So when you're writing a, you mentioned you use your laptop and you've been in your car, what software and services do you use?

[00:30:54] Diana: I'm only using Microsoft word and Excel. I use Excel a ton. And I'll explain that in a [00:31:00] moment. Some people have recommended to me, my Scrivener and programs like that, and I've just never found them intuitive and think that there's a learning curve to them. And I just wasn't patient enough with, and I use word and I just go forward.

If I come upon a question that I find myself tempted to research. Something tempting me to slow down to tread water, doggy paddle for awhile. I've learned to park it in an Excel spreadsheet. And so I will acquire a list as I go of things that I want to go back. I know that word wasn't right.

What is the right word? I put that question in my cell, a document and back to where it and keep going. And for me, this is something that the writer, Elizabeth Strout says a lot. I have a morning of writing and I have an afternoon of right. In the morning, I want to keep moving forward in the afternoon.

I go back to that Excel spreadsheet and I'm doing my editing and there are two different ways [00:32:00] of using my brain and my writing time. And that's been really helpful for me to keep getting things done. Yeah,