Winston Churchill once said, “The problem is not to find a solution, but to choose from the dozen possible solutions.” I don’t claim to be another Winston, but do share this affliction with him. So, I ALWAYS have more projects than I could possibly work on.
However, writing is more than composing, but a process from concept to publication, and even more: promotion is also creative.
So, let’s go through the steps I’ve been playing with.
Planning
A reviewer of From Depression to Contentment suggested that I should write a version with the same message, and much the same tools, but aimed at people who don’t suffer depression. This is challenging, because the two books need to be sufficiently different to justify having both.
At this stage, I’ve manufactured several bullet points, and have been reading references.
Composing
My wife woke from a very vivid dream a few weeks ago, and we have written it up as a short story, eventually titled Rough Diamond, which we have submitted to a contest. One of the rules is that it must not be made publicly available anywhere, including on my blog, but at least you can read the start.
My longer term project is the fifth volume of the Doom Healer series: The Invaders. You can also read the start of this book. The current part is a murder mystery. In this reality, three gods are the judges, so the criminals need to fool them to avoid being tortured to death and eaten.
Editing and polishing
I’ve submitted the first volume of the Doom Healer to two publishers, one British, the other American. So, I super-thoroughly edited it in real English, then translated it into American, and super-thoroughly edited it again.
This is Renata, pole vaulting.
Rewriting
My third book was published in 1999, and has finally run its course. It is Anger and Anxiety: Be in charge of your emotions and control phobias, which is now only available directly from me. If you suffer from emotional problems, you’ll still find it useful.
The publisher of Loving Healing Press, Victor Volkman, has told me that current readers look for a single issue, so I should write these two problems up separately. I’ve started on this… sort of. That’s not anywhere as much fun as writing a murder in a different universe, though.
Publicity
GROAN.
This has taken up a lot of time and effort. Latest has been an interview on a radio show, The Author Show. My 15 minute attempt to inspire people to buy From Depression to Contentment is due to be available on the 23rd of July, for 24 hours. I assume this is from midnight to midnight, US Eastern Time. I’ll post the specific link as soon as I have it. Well, I tried to do it earlier, but for some reason was unable to.
[PS An hour after writing this, I got an email: The link to use on July 23rd from 12:05am to 11:55pm EDST (New York City USA Eastern Daylight Savings Time) is
https://wnbnetworkwest.com/WnbAuthorsShow3.html.]
The interview is free. I was sent a list of 7 questions to think about, and provide answers to; and to generate 5 to 10 questions the interviewer should ask me. This was definitely creative work, and took me about 9 or 10 hours of intensive effort. Can you hear me still panting?
Then I had to call a number via Skype, which connected me to a recordable Zoom site. We were connected for well over an hour, of which the interviewer talked for about 40 minutes, and actually conducted the real thing for 20.
I must say, I learned lots, so there is some benefit regardless of outcome.
What I get for free is that 24 hours of exposure. If I want some real publicity, reaching new people beyond sending my friends along, I’d need to pay $US300. Given the exchange rate, that’s about $480 Australian, which is not on. As my friends know, my wife and I have lived a deliberately low income, low cost lifestyle since 1978, as our contribution to slowing the destruction of the life support system of our little planet. It is also a major path to contentment, and is covered in my book.
The best I can do is to post the document I’d prepared for the interviewer, which I’ll do after the interview has been and flown.
So, there you have it. This is my recent and current writing activity.
Please comment below, then visit my fellow conspirators in Rhobin’s rounds:
Skye Taylor
Marci Baun
Beverley Bateman
Connie Vines
Helena Fairfax
A.J. Maguire
Victoria Chatham
Judith Copek
Fiona McGier
Rhobin L Courtright
Bobbing Around 
You are such a deep thinker, that your voice must come through in your fiction as well. We all put a bit of ourselves into our characters. Since you are adept at getting people to examine their own lives (“The unexamined life is not worth living.” Not sure where that quote is from, but I live by those words!) then they will learn from you, even as you entertain them. Win-win for everyone!
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Thank you, Fiona. I’ve never thought of myself as a deep thinker, but will accept the compliment.
Yes, every character is the author in some form, even the villains and the walk-ons. That’s a scary thought, isn’t it?
🙂
Bob
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Dr. Bob, a radio interview. What great fun! Have you listened to the radio station’s past interviews?
Perhaps you’d be willing share your personal experience in a later post. I was interviewed at a small cable station and experienced ‘brain-blank’ the first time the camera was pointed at me :-). I did manage to become coherent.
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Thank you, Connie. At least, this doesn’t involve a camera. In the last century, I used to lecture to students, and more recently had Toastmasters experience, but even that was years ago. Still, all I need to do is chat to someone and pretend to be a storyteller.
🙂
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Hi Bob, I admire your energy and the number of projects you have on the go. As for the time you have to spend promoting, I feel for you. Your US interview sounds a great way to reach a wider audience. Wishing you best of luck with it – and best of luck with your writing!
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Thank you, Helena. I have a radio interview aired next Tuesday, for only 24 hours, so I hope people send others along. https://wnbnetworkwest.com/WnbAuthorsShow3.html
The day after, I’ll be talking on radio with a nice man in Seattle. He hasn’t sent me any list of questions or topics, so it’ll be off the cuff. Is that scary, or what?
🙂
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From Depression to Contentment remains on my Kindle, thank you! Having projects gives us purpose and keeps our minds working and imagining. And your Magog person has my imagination working. How do they move, do they use all legs in a rhythmic pattern, or do different leg sets work depending on whether the body moves in a vertical or a horizontal manner? Just curious.
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The Magog people are ideally designed for a Universe focused on power, greed and cruelty, but there is good in them, just as in our Universe, focused on metta, there is greed, power and cruelty. My 12 invaders from Earth have the task of leading them to enlightenment — a tough task for a species genetically designed to be cannibals.
They are about 3 meters long, but have hollow bones like our birds, to make them lighter. Each foot has a suction cup and 6 tentacles, so they can walk on walls, and even upside down on ceilings.
When walking or running, the legs work in pairs. Each foot can be used as a hand, because 4 shoulder-like joints allow them to be positioned anywhere. They can rear up on the back 4 legs, and often carry things in the front 2, or for heavy weights, front 4.
They evolved as forest predators, hence the yellow-green mottled appearance.
I’d better stop…
🙂 🙂
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Thanks for visiting, Skye. We all have our strengths. Yours is riding around in cop cars when you want to know how cops think. Wonderful.
🙂
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You are amazing to be able to divide your energy in so many very different projects at the same time. I’m having trouble keeping up with just one. I tell folk that the learning curve for switching from romance to mystery is like climbing the warp wall on American Ninja Warrior. But I’m determined to press that buzzer and get Bullseye done in time for release in December.
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