Writing for Yourself
Ray Bradbury makes such a good point at the end of this video about writing for one’s self that I think can be applied to all forms of art and creativity. This is especially true when feeling stuck or paralyzed in your work which lately I often do because that little devil on my shoulder is whispering nasty things like: “who are you going to pitch THIS one to?” and “nobody’s ever going to go for THAT” or “maybe if you make the character more like this THEN this one will sell.”
Yeah it’s a business I know (boy, don’t I know) but in the end you have to write, paint, draw, act, dance etc… for you.
Best,
Kwana
P.S. Ray where were your pants?
Makes me think a little of Ms. Rielle here. “Uh oh did Mummy forgot her pants today?”
Trailing Along
One promotion idea that is really picking up, thanks to a YouTube world, is doing trailers for books like you would for movies. Part of me goes against this idea since I’m all for having a reader (me) use their imagination when it comes to characters. How many times has your favorite book been turned into a movie and when you see it you’re put off because it’s not what you envisioned it would be?
But the other argument is hey do whatever it takes to get potential readers into the bookstore and the way to do that is create some buzz. To that, I really like this book trailer (thanks to Ondo Lady) for Step On It Cupid by Lorelei Mathias. It’s quick and funny and instantly draws you into the main character, Amelie. You want to hear her story and know you’ll be rooting for her all the way.
So, what do you think of book trailers in this video age?
Best,
KwanaGena Showalter Author Talk Interview
For a laugh check out this fun interview with Gena and fellow author (and Comedian), Jill Monroe. Enjoy.