I recently delved into the realm of non-fiction, and wrote a short ebook called The Ten Minute Jumpstart.

In fact, it is so short, you could probably finish it in ten minutes! But that was always the goal - after all, jumpstarts should be quick.
 
The premise behind writing the Ten Minute Jumpstart was to share a technique I use when I know I am procrastinating, and need  a quick boost to get things done.
 
What is procrastination?
 
In its modern interpretation, procrastination is the act of avoiding or delaying taking action. A typical example of procrastination are those lazy Sundays spent on the couch in our pyjamas binge-watching Netflix, when we know we have other important tasks to attend to.
 
If we break down the roots of the word procrastination, we can see that it does not always have to be a dirty word:
 
Pro – meaning to advance, or move forward (i.e. provide,  program, protect, progress etc). You get the idea, all of these words support action and doing.
 
Crastinus – Latin for “belonging to tomorrow”.
 
Putting something off until tomorrow can be quite useful, especially if an important decision needs more time to be contemplated. But the key here is that action is still being taken, as the mind continues to dwell on the task. This is good procrastination.
 
E.g. The president procrastinated as to whether or not he should give the order to invade [INSERT COUNTRY], as he needed more time to consider the consequences. After a good night's sleep and much thought, he decided not to invade [INSERT COUNTRY], and played a round of golf instead.
 
However, more often than not, we put things of until tomorrow because we do not want to contemplate them. This is bad procrastination.
 
E.g. Chad knew he needed to spend a few hours on his homework, but the first episode of season 23 of Game of Thrones was about to start. He decided to start his coursework some other time.
 
How to overcome bad procrastination
 
This is in essence what the 10 Minute Jumpstart aims to help you with. The method is quick, and you can use it straight away. Like jumpstarting a car, it’s not something you will need to do every day; only when you find your own batteries running flat.
 
Feel free to check it out on Kindle here:

BUY THE E-BOOK ON AMAZON (US)

BUY THE E-BOOK ON AMAZON (UK)

BUY THE E-BOOK ON AMAZON (AUS)
 
Enjoy :)

I'll be releasing a new book within the next fortnight, and it will be very different to my usual stuff. It's my first step into the realm of non-fiction, but I've really enjoyed writing this one. More to come soon, but let's just say my new book will hopefully save people a bit of time.

I also think I'm ready to start writing Hallow part 2; it's edging towards winter here in Sydney. I always find that blustering wind, driving rain and cooler weather helps to get my fantasy juices flowing (did that sound weird?)

I'm also playing more guitar, and will post a video of something I've been jamming too for the past week or so.

One of the many joys of writing fiction is creating new realities and building upon existing ones. As a writer you have complete control of the world you are creating, including anything from the weather, architecture, food, geography etc.

Most of my stories share common themes, or have Easter eggs linking them to one another. One of the less subtle links is the location of New Eden. New Eden is a small town where lot of strange things happen. It is referred to in my short story collection [six] in The Jeweler and the Witch, and Lady of the Snow. It's also the focal point of Hallow part 1.

But this got me thinking about how people create their own realities in the REAL world.

We do it every day, mostly without realising it. The things we eat and drink, the people we hang with, the art & media we consume/create, the way we dress, the job(s) we have etc; all of these things summarised create our own reality.

Whilst we can't fully control every aspect of our lives, most people have a LOT of control over their own realities. Most of us are fortunate enough to be able to buy our own food, dress ourselves, apply for the jobs we want, make new friendships and cultivate existing ones, show love and gratitude where it is due, and travel to places near and far.

We can decide to alter our realities at any given time. Some changes can be minimal, and others drastic and labourious; and there may be some bad habits to break along the way. But our lives are our own stories, and we shouldn't forget that we are the authors.

I’ve been meaning to write a blog on writing for a short while now, and thought I’d share my thoughts on the laborious, sometimes daunting, yet very rewarding process.

It is said that everyone has at least one novel in them, so if you’re thinking of unleashing yours sometime soon, here are 7 of my top tips on writing:

1.     Learn the rules and then break some of them

There are some basic principles when writing which you really should pay attention to; but not necessarily follow religiously. Grammar, pacing, structure, tone and vocabulary are all important tools for any writer, but only by bending and sometimes breaking some of these rules will you find your own unique style.

There are some rules however which you should really stick to. Such as ending sentences with full stops, and putting spoken dialogue in speech marks.

There’s no need to reinvent the wheel, but also no harm in modifying it slightly.

For example, Dan Brown (The Da Vinci Code etc) and E L James (50 Shades of Grey etc) are both authors who could be criticized for their writing skills (or purported lack thereof), but they both have their own unique styles which have made them recognisable and successful authors.

Whether it’s Dan Brown’s fast pacing, simple sentence structures and short chapters, or E L James’ suspect internal dialogue (oh my!); both authors broke the rules and managed to tell popular stories in the process.


2.     Take your writing seriously, but don’t be too serious

Writing is often a solitary and thankless task which will require a lot of dedication and concentration. It will be almost impossible to finish multiple works without taking your writing seriously. Treat it like you would any other job; educate yourself in the craft by reading as much as possible. Research the industry and the mechanics of publishing & self-publishing. Let those close to you know that you aren’t doing this half-heartedly, but that it means something to you and you are dedicated to it.

But at the end of the day, don’t become a dullard. The best stories describe multiple characters, scenarios and locations with extraordinary conviction. Your own life experiences will make your writing richer and more believable; so don’t forget to live a little. Spend time with your family and friends, travel, meet new people, fall in love/out of love, and do all the other things your characters may one day be doing on the page. The more you experience, the more believable the experiences you write about will become.


3.     Decide what kind of writer you are

I once read somewhere that there are two types of writers; gardeners and architects. Gardeners let their stories take a life of their own, then they begin the pruning process; removing all weeds and bugs to unveil their finished work. Gardeners have a rough idea how the story will turn out, but are open to deviations and ad hoc alterations if necessary.

Architects plan before they begin. They have each chapter already outlined; and the beginning, middle and end of the story is predetermined before the first sentence is written.

There is no wrong or right method to adopt, and you may find each to be quite useful depending on the type of story you are trying to tell. You may even be a hybrid of the two; starting a story loosely before planning out how the rest of it will turn out. But I say once you have determined which way you would like to write your story; stick with it.


4.     Don’t forget – you’re the boss!

One of the best parts about writing is realising that you are in complete control of the story you are trying to tell. You don’t like Sarah’s hair colour? You want to change the motivation for Andrew’s murder? You want Erica to own a black Labrador instead of a Siamese cat? Fine, make it happen; you’re the boss.

It can sometimes seem laborious to make extensive changes to a first draft; but if it makes the story better, get it done!


5.     Write the kind of story you’d love to read

Don’t try and follow trends in order to ride whatever wave is currently trending. If vigilante vampire ballerinas are a smash hit this year, the chances are they won’t be next year. Just write the kind of story you’d love to read and hope that others dig it too.


6.     Take the time

There’s no rush. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to get something finished just for the sake of calling yourself a writer/author. Once the first draft is done, you will need to re-read it several times and make many, many, many alterations before your story is finished (unless you’re amazing and can finish it perfectly in one go).

Even if your story isn’t that great, at least you can take pride that you gave it your best shot.

 
7.     Just do it.

Like most things in life, the key to getting something done is to…get it done! Take action, and remain dedicated. If you get burnt out, take a break. You can’t constantly drive at 100mph without eventually crashing; so look after yourself. But understand that each word builds a sentence. Each sentence builds a paragraph. Each paragraph builds a chapter. Each chapter builds a book.

It sounds simple because it is. But you need to just do it; one word at a time.


There are loads of great resources out there dedicated to writing tips: here are a few of my favourites:


Stephen King’s On Writing (a great book, part memoir, part essay on King's advice on writing).

Nathan Bransford’s blog on How to write a novel

Nathan Bransford’s Writing advice database (this is a very good).


I hope this helps  :)

MLM

I recently decided to revamp my website in an attempt to make it more simple and easier to navigate. I'll probably keep tweaking certain things for the next few weeks, but so far I'm happy with how it looks.

A quick update regarding writing etc. My novella Hallow is about 70% done and still going. This will likely be the first book in a series, but I wanted to get the first part out first before completing the whole thing.

I'll try to update this new blog more frequently, and hopefully with worthwhile info (the old blog still exists here). In the meanwhile I'll leave you with something I saw in the city recently: