The Artist Unleashed: HOW TO BE A GREAT WRITER, by Jarod Kintz

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The Artist Unleashed: WILL I GIVE UP? by Helena Duggan

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Should Authors Post Negative Reviews?

As much as I like to review books efficiently and honestly, since becoming a published author, I've had to hold myself back from posting negative reviews.

Of course, there are books out there which I don't like, but as an author, I don't think it's in my best interest to publicly voice negative opinions about others' books.

If I don't like a book, I don't review it. Full stop.

But that's just me.

There are other authors out there who believe otherwise, and that is their choice, and I completely respect that. But if you are going to free yourself to voice negative opinions about books, I think you need to accept the consequences that come with such a bold choice.

Now, I know, first hand, how hard it is to receive a negative review. And I've heard horror stories about authors lashing out at reviewers, and seen these situations turn nasty and destroy careers. But FANS of authors can also lash out at a reviewer that has posted a negative review. This is scary. Because if they discover that you are an author, they could very well decide to seek your books out and review them negatively for revenge. And if the author's fan base is huge, this could mean the end of your career. I know that sounds a little over the top, but can you imagine 100+ fans on a rampage to destroy your reputation?

It can happen. And when it does, it's devastating. I've seen it with my very own eyes.

I know how it feels to want to write an honest review about a book that isn't so great. I have felt like doing so on many occasion. And I know how silly it seems to play these 'games'. But this is business. It's one big popularity contest, and the tiniest thing can set you back. So in light of this, I've decided to avoid posting negative reviews. Not only because of the possible consequences, but because I really don't believe in putting another author down no matter how bad I think their work is. It's just NOT NICE. And as an author, I think you should be able to put yourself in another author's shoes, and understand how horrible it feels.

If you hate a book, whinge about it to your close friends over the phone or email, not in a public place. As authors, I think we need to look out for each other.

My advice is, if you're an author, DON'T post that negative review. Play nice. And if you just MUST, create a pseudonym, so it doesn't come back to bite you in the face.

What do you think about authors posting negative reviews?
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Let's Pee in the Corner ...

Honoured to have an Undercover Soundtrack post on Roz Morris' blog, in which I talk about how the misunderstood lyrics of songs inspired my five-year-old character, Bonnie, in THE BOOK. Would love to see you there!

"When I was a kid, I remember getting song lyrics wrong all the time. The worst misunderstanding I can remember is from REM’s Losing My Religion where the first line of the chorus became ‘let’s pee in the corner’. This gave me the idea to show the reader some quirks in Bonnie’s personality through the way in which she misunderstood lyrics.  However, in the end, this is not what I focused on. Because I wanted to emphasise Bonnie’s overly logical perception of the world, I made her comprehend the lyrics perfectly, and comment on how they didn’t make sense."

Click the screenshot to read the whole article ...

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The Artist Unleashed: HOW TO OVERCOME WRITER'S BLOCK, by Chris Miller

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The Artist Unleashed: SLAP ME IN THE FACE by Dan Holloway

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Dealing With Categorization On Amazon For Multi-Genre Works

Upon the release of muted, I had a dilemma. How to categorize it. But I should start off by telling you that muted is a science fiction, cyberpunk, dystopian short story written in verse, which means it’s ultimately a very long poem. So is it poetry? Or is it a short story? I could only choose two categories on Amazon. If I just put it under poetry and short stories, it wouldn’t be very discoverable, because really, who searches for those? So I put it under “Cyberpunk” and “Dystopian” Fiction. You may argue that this is silly, because ultimately, muted is an epic poem.

But did you know that epic poetry stems from the Greek word “epos,” which means to speak or to tell a tale? Homer’s Iliad is an example of an epic poem. So is the Odyssey. And they are stories. For the sake of discoverability I did what I had to do to be noticed. Muted is a story, despite being written in verse. And ultimately, does it really matter what category you put your work in? Writing is art. There are no limits to art.

Do you write in multiple forms and genres and not know how to categorize your work? If so, just ask yourself this: Does it evoke emotion? Does your writing keep me engaged? Does it make me want to read more of it? Does it use vocabulary creatively, avoid cliché, kick me in the gut and make me want to write like you? Does it make me email all my friends and tell them to check out this new and upcoming genius? Yes? Then what have you got to lose?

When the time comes to release your work, put it where it’s going to be seen (within reason of course—i.e. don’t put a hardcore science fiction book in the romance category). Be open-minded. Just because your work is one thing, it doesn’t mean that it can’t be considered another.

Be creative with how you categorize your work.

Get noticed.

Get readers.

Get fans.

*For detailed information on how to get your book categorized in Amazon subgenre bestseller lists, check out Let’s Get Visible, by David Gaughran. I highly recommend this book!

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The Artist Unleashed: WRITING TO MUSIC, by Eliza Green

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On the fear of growing old, and how I decided to capture my youth.

For years, my mother, the talented musician, photographer, and video editor, has been hassling me to make a music video for one of my songs. I think she has actually been bugging me to do it for about five years. Yes, that long. And I kept saying no without regret.

I'm shy in front of the camera. And the fact that I would have to "act" in front of my mother made me even more reluctant to do it. How would you feel about acting all rock-starish and sexy in front of your mother? ... Haha. Exactly.

But this year I turned 32. This year the lines around my eyes have started to become more noticeable. This year, I've noticed that it takes more effort to keep the weight off. I'm aging. And although I don't have a fear of getting old, I did sorta freak out about it not being long until the flesh on my body began to head south. I need to capture myself while I've still "got it", I thought. :-)

So I bit the bullet. I shut out my fears and became a rock star for a day. In front of my mother. And you know what? Once I let go, it wasn't bad at all. My mother made me feel beautiful, and yeah, even a little bit famous. I'm so glad I did it!

Here's the result:



How do you feel about 'growing old', does it scare you, or have you embraced it?

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