by Roland Yeomans, @rxena77
Isn’t Elizabeth brave and gracious to let me borrow her blog for the day? Give her a hand by commenting at the end of this post, will you?
“I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.” – Oscar Wilde
Let me tell you of some sensational reading that I am asking you NOT to read. Yes, this is my first stop on my DON’T BUY MY BOOK Blog Tour!
I mean, if you buy it, you’ll just encourage me.
You know how many thousands of Indie Books are published EVERY month?
As Midnight, my kitten, says, “More than the grains of litter in my box, and most smell as bad, too!”
That is the fault of those writers who do not hold themselves to the fire of doing their best with every sentence.
We can write good novels faster than we think we can. The past has shown it.
“If you’re going to doubt something, doubt your own limits.” -Don Ward
We can do more than we think we can.
James Horner was given TWO WEEKS to compose the soundtrack to ALIENS.
Two freaking weeks. Yet, he wrote music that is so stirring that it is still used in movie trailers to this day.
Sam Watterson wrote and drew CALVIN & HOBBES daily for 10 years straight, setting the comic strip world on its ear with his originality.
Think of the creativity involved to craft a world that still holds our hearts and minds 21 years later.
In 1943, Steinbeck served as a World War II war correspondent for the New York Herald Tribune and worked with the Office of Strategic Services (predecessor of the CIA).
During the war, Steinbeck accompanied the commando raids of Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.’s Beach Jumpers program, which launched small-unit diversion operations against German-held islands in the Mediterranean – all the while writing daily dispatches.
At one point, he accompanied Fairbanks on an invasion of an island off the coast of Italy and helped capture Italian and German prisoners, using a Tommy Gun.
His daily dispatches are works of art. Read ONCE THERE WAS A WAR and discover this for yourself.
THE GRAPES OF WRATH? He wrote that in FIVE months shortly after the death of his brother-in-law,
and it was a time in his life when he was plagued by doubts about the prospect of war and worries over the sale of his house in California.
So I write two original books a year? They both can still be quality. And you can write multiple quality books a year, too.
My Quality Book for Year’s End is a mix of surprising true historical facts inter-mixed with Steampunk intrigue, betrayal, love, revenge, and death-traps straight out of GAMES OF THRONES.
Doubt me? There is a chapter in it entitled, RED WEDDING, which occurs in the catacombs beneath the infamous Rouen Cathedral,
Involving Sidhe, the werewolves of France, and the deadly Worms of the Earth.
Oh, did I mention that there are dragons at the beginning and, of course, at the end in a dizzying, wild fight above the Eiffel Tower with the Sire of All Germanic Dragons and his coven.
And this is a story of a honeymoon!
But when the new husband is Samuel McCord, undead Texas Ranger, and his bride is the immortal alien Empress, Meilori Shinseen, what else can you expect?
Well, you can expect:
An insane Abraham Lincoln, 11 year old Nicola Tesla, Captain Nemo, Mark Twain at the start of his fabulous career, a vampire Benjamin Franklin, the mysterious Swan Maiden, the cursed Lucanus (the still alive St. Luke), the Sidhe High Queen, Oyggia …
Clashes of Vampire Kingdoms, intrigues of Louis Napoleon, deadly tours of the Louvre with its hidden chambers, and so much more.
What are you waiting for? Buy my book!
Yes, I know the name to this blog tour is DON’T BUY MY BOOK. Haven’t you heard of Reverse Psychology?
***
Roland Yeomans was born in Detroit, Michigan. But his last memories of that city are hub-caps and kneecaps since, at the age of seven, he followed the free food when his parents moved to Lafayette, Louisiana. The hitch-hiking after their speeding car from state to state was a real adventure. Once in Louisiana, Roland learned strange new ways of pronouncing David and Richard when they were last names. And it was not a pleasant sight when he pronounced Comeaux for the first time.
He has a Bachelor’s degree in English Education and a Master’s degree in Psychology. He has been a teacher, counselor, book store owner, and even a pirate since he once worked at a tax preparation firm.
So far he has written thirty-four books. You can find Roland at his web page: www.rolandyeomans.blogspot.com or at his private table in Meilori’s. The web page is safer to visit. But if you insist on visiting Meilori’s, bring a friend who runs slower than you.
Quick writing can still result in quality writing (by @rxena77 ): Click To Tweet
Thanks, Elizabeth, for being gracious and kind enough to let me borrow your blog today. This was a great birthday present for me. To reciprocate, I will let my random name selector I used in teaching pick two commenters on this post to receive 2 mystery gifts. Thanks again. :-)
Roland–Happy birthday to you, Roland! Thanks for the great post and giveaway, and hope you have a great day!
Hi Elizabeth and Roland – great to see you both … and what you’ve said re quick writing I’m sure is true – it’s a matter of heads down and getting on with it – totally makes sense. Good to see the photo too … I like putting being able to see bloggers … cheers and good luck – you’ve inspired me … cheers Hilary
I thought it time to put a face to my name after all these years. :-) Elizabeth is a fount of knowledge and an oasis of kindness to all of us struggling to become better writers. It is always good to see your comments, Hilary.
Has it really been twenty-one years since that comic strip ended? I feel so old.
Great works can come in a short span of time from both intense inspiration and pressure.
Alex, to those of us who find laughter in the antics of Calvin & Hobbes, we will never grow old!!
With perseverance and focus, two quality books a year is possible. Even more if they are short.
I believe so. It is why I also do collections of short stories. It helps with the algorithms of Amazon & Google to put out a novel or publish a short story or collection of them every four months … according to recent research, Thanks for having me on your blog on the 24th of this month!! :-)
I didn’t know that Steinbeck wrote The Grapes of Wrath in 5 months. Amazing! Which you are to in your own unique way! Congratulations, Roland.
And Steinbeck wrote daily reports while being shelled on or in the heat of the front lines! Me? I would busily be digging myself a foxhole!! I look forward to trading blog posts this 7th with you, Bish. :-)
Don’t tell anybody, but… I have finished the first draft of eight novels this year… yes, I took a break for September, working on overhauling my website and other ventures. But November is Nanowrimo, so it’s time to prep for another…
It is not so much writing quickly to me, but writing steadily. Write two pages a day for a year, and you will have completed TWO novels!! NaNo is the rabbit; writing 2 pages a day is the turtle. :-) Best of luck with NaNo, by the way!
I can write quickly sometimes, too. Trouble is, 99% of the words will have to be thrown away later. Better for me to take my time and increase my word retention rate.
You are right: good is better than quick. But Like I wrote to P.D.: Steadily writing 2 pages a day will still get you TWO novels in a year!! Best of luck with your writing!!
These are such interesting facts! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for liking them, Gina!
Thank you, Elizabeth, for being such a gracious hostess. I gave away 2 of your Kindle mysteries as prizes to two randomly selected commenters today. If any more comment, I will randomly select one more mystery prize from them — this time an audio book. I fear my post cost you visitors. Sorry about that. :-(
Lovely to ‘see’ you, Roland. AND Happy Birthday!!! I really want to meet 11 year old Nicola Tesla – I wonder if we share any ‘name traits’ :)
Thanks for hosting, Elizabeth.
If you love cats, Nicola, then you do share a trait with that precocious eleven year old. He had a black cat, Macak, who followed him like a dog! The feline is very much a character in this adventure.
Macak even does a guest post for this tour on Shelly Akton’s blog come this 28th where he scares the shivers out of her poor dogs. You see Macak is … not what he seems. :-)
Thanks for visiting. Your odds of winning that audiobook are really good right now.
I like that!
I’m still working on ‘getting it done’ but that’s because I’ve had a lot to learn!! :)
Don’t we all, Jemi! :-)
I can write fast enough. It is the editing and polishing that gets me. I think every 9 months for me is as much as is reasonable. Best of luck Roland! Sounds like a fun one!
For me, editing IS writing … at least the most important part. You have a lot on your plate, Hart. Sometimes you can only do what you can do. I still believe we are capable of more than we think. Didn’t your epidemic series come out more often than every 9 months? My mind tends to blur these days. Thanks for commenting!
[…] Quick Writing Can Still Result in Quality Writing: – Elizabeth Spann Craig […]