The Word Cloud

 

Why is Simple so Complicated

 

                                                  A simple argument leads to a complicated result

 

The complicated heart is always simple to find

 

A simple love overlooked by complicated genes

 

Complicated situations resolved by simple gestures

 

Lives made simple, never offer complicated one's, relief

 

Complicated religions that share the simple belief in one

 

Simple politicians making help so complicated

 

The complicated diseases that take simply without reason

 

A simple hunger shouldn't be complicated to feed

 

Complicated feelings made simple with song

 

A simple piece of paper, or currency makes life complicated or not

 

Complicated addictions supplied a simple belief in faith

 

The simple grasp of complicated questions of life

 

 

GOD IS COMPLICATED, BUT ALWAYS SIMPLE TO BELIEVE IN

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DO YOU BELIEVE

 

 

It's world cliche day today, so I'm going to be sprinkling these on the blog like decorations on a trifle - mainlining on metaphors is another way of putting it. Here comes the first one: The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. There, that didn't hurt did it? Nothing wrong with that little cutie and I think it's something we can all agree with. Now let's move on. In my last blog I made a mission statement, bolted on a few positive vibes and took that first step. That was a week ago and I've not taken the second step. Let me repeat that quite clearly: I have not taken a second step. "I'll leave it until after christmas," and all of a sudden the motivation is mush. I've seen this film before. Christmas will come and go, but taking that second step will be like wading through treacle. How many know the feeling? The envelope sits there pining for a postbox, but going nowhere. If you don't try then you can't fail is a ridiculous statement, but I suspect more than a few of us subscribe to it at times. It's fear and it has more flavours than Baskin-Robbins. The fear of failure; the fear of being found wanting; the fear of... well fill in your own details there. We're all different, but a common thread runs through us. We all send our stuff off and for the most part, we all get our stuff back again. Our lists are full; it's not for us; we wish you luck in placing this elsewhere. Well blah-de-blah and scooby do - we've been there and I'd decribe rejection letters as the death of a thousand paper cuts. Another way of putting it is that you are abrading yourself on the rough edge of their indifference, because after a while, even the thickest of skins wears away - and in walks fear. Now although fear is about as welcome as a fart in a spacesuit, feigning tiredness or showing it last years holiday snaps will not make it go away. It is ever present and man, don't we hate ourselves for feeling like this? In some ways it creates a self-fulfilling prophecy as the negative stuff takes hold: I'm not good enough; an international best-selling babe-magnet author? What was I thinking - I'm definately not good enough. Thus any ambition you once had has been tied in a sack and drowned in the canal. Well you wait ages for a cliche and two turn up together: "A life lived in fear is a life half lived," is one and, "You have nothing to fear but fear itself," is t'other. Now these might kick-start the motivation, but we need some fuel in the tank - we need constructive anger. It's the anger that fuels the resolve; that allows you to take that second step and then the third. Like I said, fear is ever present, but with constructive anger, it is much diminished. I lied and a double portion of apology for that. I lied because this afternoon I took that second step. I got good and angry as I loathed the self-loathing, causing it to gobble itself up. Then it was out with the old grey tracksuit, cue the Rocky soundtrack and, with envelope in hand, jogged down to the postbox. Job done - sorted.

I'm the next big thing waiting to happen and I'm sick of waiting. Other cliches - If at first you don't succeed... Well blah-de-blah and scooby-do, but you get my drift.

It wasn't always thus. I used to write for magazines with some success and I once beat 17000 others into first place in a short story competition. Not only that, but after publication I released the film rights to it. But all that was a while ago and each day that passes takes me further away from it. Sometimes I curse the day I set my sights higher and went for the big one.

 Job done - sorted, I thought as I sent it off. That was then. The now of it is that I've been on the receiving end of 53 rejection letters. FIFTY THREE! Shouldn't that tell me something? Am I talented? Heck, talent oozes from every pore. That mindset has hardened like concrete, as it should for all of us. No self doubts in this boy's mind.

But I should have done my homework. I wrote a hard-hitting self-help book for men that invites them to reconnect with chauvinism's core values and then found that 90% of the publishing industry has been taken over by wimmin. I didn't do the math, lesson learned.

Another hard earned lesson was not to tell people what you are doing. This waiting game is limbo-land. You're not succeeding, but you're not failing either. Failure only swings by when you give up, but non-writers don't see it that way and after a while, they stop asking, "How's the book going and fix you with a look of pity. Believe me when I say that no man can stand to be on the wrong end of one of those.

That's why I'm succumbing to the siren call of self-publishing. The reasoning is twofold. Firstly, it's all about making a bigger splash; about shouting it from the rooftops and hoping that my tribituary gets picked up by the mainstream. Secondly, it's vanity - of course it is. We all have it to a greater or lesser extent and 'tis both blessing and a curse. In my case vanity is fuelling the motivation so I'll label it a blessing - at least for now.

I'm going to blog the process from soup to nuts - not only the hard facts of it, but the thoughts and emotions running parallel. Will it lead to a life of ease and plenty, or will I stumble and fall? I don't know. The only thing I do know is that nothing is going to happen unless you try it. So for those who are thinking of doing something similar, but might be fearful of the unknown, follow this blog and see what happens.

This article in the Times has Victoria Barnsley predicting the death of the book - or, to be a little more precise, predicting the rise of the e-book.

Rather cheekily, she also criticises authors for not engaging with the technological possibilities that are being thrown up.

Speaking as one of VB's huge stable of authors, I'd say - Vicky m'dear, if you PAY me to produce interesting multimedia content, I'll produce interesting multimedia content. But as far as I recall, no one at HarperCollins has ever asked me for such material, let alone ever got close to mentioning the ever-lovely subject of wonga.

Anyway - what do we think? The book is dead? The book is not dead?

This article in the Times is about the huge cuts being made in authorial advances.

The article doesn't quite get things right, but it's not far off the mark. The concerning thing is that the books trade is making it harder & harder for authors to make a living. Not exactly the best way to attract talent to your industry.

Heigh, ho. We all love it though, don't we, so we're not exactly going to give up this crazy game. In fact, I'm off to see a publisher about a book today ...

Everyone,

RFF | Request for Feedback

I've taken the plunge and put my own website together. I've started however, with my art. You may be aware that my background is illustration and design, but I'm now a computer consultant. How sad. Well when I make more money at art than I do at consultancy - I'll let you know. Who knows - I may make even more money at writing. Ha! We do it for the love of the craft. I digress.

So I've got a website a markervisuals.wordpress.com and I've set up a twitter account. I've run Twitter for a few days and I've building up my followers. Cool. There is a whole load of metrics I'm building up by using it. I've got some very interesting followers. I'm using Twitter as a way to attract people to my website. This seems to be working well. I also have a niche in my art. I do Star Wars.

Ok so you may switch off now. Those two people still reading this may say, cool, let's go see. Well that's great. But wait. I want to explain: I think that there is a highly useful tool in using social websites such as Facebook, Bebo, Twitter and so on, but you need a content hub to tie it in. You also need to see where people are coming from and looking at your content. And of course, you need the content in the first place.

So check out my website. I would love to hear from you all. Are you using Wordpress? What it like for you? Who's using Twitter and is there anyone using SecondLife?

Tell me your stories of using the internet for self promotion.

We've mentioned LuLu before and I will write an article about my experiences on this all but for the moment. Let's everyone share how we are self promoting.

Oh and if this sound all new to you, let me know and I will post a 101 on social media if people want it.

Thanks,
Mr Flibble

My friend Cynthia is an established illustrator and works for Lucasfilm and Topps in America she is one of the few people who actually gets paid to draw Star Wars and Indiana Jones! She is working hard on developing her own material and developing children’s literature. She works doing conventions and appearance, while trying to get the work done - we all know that one!

We had a conversation about one of my books I'm working on and what keeps coming up is the fact that if I get my book published I have no say in what illustrator I can use.

Now, if I had a friend who could not draw for toffee and I felt sorry for - I could understand that, but she works for Lucas from crying out loud! Surely someone at that level should be able to actually give my book some gravitas - some commercial impetus for a publisher to say - hey her work will really help sell this work. No?

What is the situation with this - does anyone know an illustrator partnership that's working today?

You can see Cynthia's work here: http://www.cynnarcisi.com/index.htm

Comments please. Cheers,
Mr Flibble.