Skip to main content

(Unsolicited) Book Writing Advice

I haven't written one of these things in a while, so I figured it was time to do another one: more unsolicited advice for those who want to write a book!

Write your book first and foremost.
I know I am one to talk about getting ahead of myself (Hello, imagining a possible future all alone in a cramped apartment, or imagining a possible future in a big house with tons of uneven compromises, or broadly imagining something nowhere near that -- and hopefully all for the better), but I can't stress how important it is to write your book first and foremost instead of worrying about stuff like what to call the book or who will put the book out.

With the two projects I'm working on right now, I have a title for one and no title for the other one. I have a pretty clear idea about what I want to write about with both books, so I'm not worried about that. But I do wonder if I'll have to fight for the title of When We Were the Kids if I decide to go with a name publisher. I hope I won't. My attitude is, if somebody else can come up with a better title and I think it's good as well, then that will just have to play out.

In the case of the European horror flick book, I'll let Richard decide more on its title since it's more his book with contributions from me. Hopefully we'll have some ideas soon. As much as people have laughed at me for helping write a book on horror flicks, I'm totally committed to it. This is not the first time I've been laughed at for doing what I want to do. I call it most of my life.

How I suggest one keeps the writing in mind over all other possibilities with the book release, book release date, and so on, is to just keep in the habit of working on the book. That doesn't necessarily mean spend eight hours a day on the book or eight minutes a day on the book. Just find a good routine and keep working. Once again, it's like exercising. And I'm firmly aware that there are plenty of people who have a hard time of sticking to a routine. But if you really want to put your book out there for anyone and everyone to see, I say it's very necessary.

Comments

Richard of DM said…
I wish people would laugh at me for writing a book on horror movies. Usually they just sigh with disappointment and then vomit, also with disappointment.

Popular posts from this blog

Go Where You Wanna Go

It's been a year since I moved away from Lakewood, and even though I could relocate to a new place as a newly-single guy, I've chosen to stay where I am. I enjoy living in North Dallas/Richardson given its central location, being not too far away from places I have enjoyed going to in my fourteen-plus years living in Dallas County. Living in Lakewood for nine years was critical for me, but I am glad I don't have homeless people going through my garbage, my street getting shut down like it's Mardi Gras on Halloween night, and I don't have to answer to the not-so-friendly landlords who bought my old place. I have a new housemate moving in at the end of the month and I have many reasons to be excited as he's been a friend for many years. Couple that with a humongous  new record store opening in nearby Farmers Branch , shows to see, and a quick trip to Los Angeles for something very cool (for which I reveal at a later date) and I'm happy to say fall is sha...

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Catherine Wheel

Originally posted: Tuesday, August 29th, 2006 Despite managing to release five proper albums, Catherine Wheel was one of those bands that always seemed to slip past the mainstream rock crowd. Yes, they got some nice airplay in their day, but people seem to have forgotten about them. You may hear “Black Metallic” or “Waydown” on a “classic alternative” show on Sirius or XM or maybe even on terrestrial radio, but that’s about it. For me, they were one of most consistent rock bands of the ’90s, meandering through shoegazer, hard rock, space rock and pop rock, all while eluding mainstream pigeonholing. Led by the smooth, warm pipes of vocalist/guitarist Rob Dickinson (cousin of Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson), Catherine Wheel featured Brian Futter on lead guitar, Dave Hawes on bass and Neil Sims on drums. They weren’t a pretty-boy guitar band, but they weren’t a scuzzy bunch of ragamuffins either. Though the band hailed from England, Catherine Wheel found itself more welcome on American air...

Socials

 Hey, everyone! You can find me on several other platforms: http:/ http:// themeparkexperience.substack.com http:// Instagram.com/ericjgrubbs http:// TikTok.com/@ericjgrubbs http:// threads.net/ericjgrubbs http:// ericjgrubbs.bsky.social Thanks!