Guest post by Christopher G. Nuttall, author of the bestselling 'Schooled In Magic' series
I
was asked, at Ravencon, just what makes an indie writer successful. I think they were hoping I’d know some great
secret to success that I could tell them.
The truth, unfortunately, is that the key to any form of writing success
is nothing more than hard work. For some
reason, no one wanted to hear this <grin>.
It’s
a blunt truth that the first work of any writer, me included, is awful. Writing is a skill that can only be learned
by doing. Eric Flint asserts that the
first million words a writer produces is worthless and he’s probably right - I
have several completed manuscripts on my hard drive from my early years that
will never see the light of day. The key
to turning your desire to become a writer into actual success is practice,
practice, practice … and learn from your experience. Get beta readers, get editors; I cannot
stress enough just how badly you need someone looking at your work, someone who
doesn’t have any interest in keeping you happy.
(Your mother may say you’re the next JK Rowling, but treat her opinion
with extreme caution.)
I
know, I know; it hurts to have your work criticized. There’s a strong urge to start telling the
critics just why they’re wrong, because you know they’re wrong. But you’re the one responsible for explaining
to them just what’s happening in your world - if they don’t get it, the fault
lies with you, not them. Grow a thick
skin - believe me, you will be savaged out there - and learn from the
critics.
Far
too many indie writers have self-destructed because they have not taken that to
heart. They get out on the review forums
and blast reviewers, rather than learning from them. Most of them, as far as I can tell, put their
first work online, then expect the plaudits, movie deals, etc to simply start
rolling in. That, alas, is an
unrealistic expectation. It takes time
to build any sort of reputation - and failing to learn from the critics is a
good way to lose any reputation (or gain a bad one).
About the Book
Title: Trial By Fire (Schooled In Magic 7)
Genre: Fantasy
Author: Christopher G. Nuttall
Website: www.chrishanger.net
Publisher: Twilight Times Books
Sample Chapter HERE.
Three years ago, Emily killed the Necromancer Shadye before he could sacrifice her and destroy the Allied Lands. Now, the shadows of the past hang over Whitehall as Emily and the Grandmaster travel into the Blighted Lands to recover anything Shadye might have left behind, before returning to Whitehall to start the fourth year. For Emily, it is a chance to stretch her mind and learn more about new and innovative forms of magic … and to prepare for the exams that will determine her future as a magician.
But as she starts her studies, it becomes clear that all is not well at Whitehall. Master Grey, a man who disliked Emily from the moment he met her, is one of her teachers – and he seems intent on breaking her, pushing her right to her limits. In the meantime, her friends Alassa and Imaiqah are acting oddly, Frieda seems to be having trouble talking to her and – worst of all – Caleb, her partner in a joint magical project, is intent on asking her to go out with him.
As she struggles to cope with new challenges and to overcome the demons in her past, she becomes aware of a deadly threat looming over Whitehall, a curse that threatens her very soul. And when she makes a tiny yet fatal mistake, she finds herself facing a fight she cannot win, but dares not lose…
About the Author
Christopher Nuttall was born in Edinburgh, studied in Manchester, married in Malaysia and currently living in Scotland, United Kingdom, with his wife and baby son. He is the author of twenty novels from various publishers and thirty-nine self-published novels.
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