Everything will conspire to keep you away from writing

My ebook 'Compliance is Futile' is now out on the kindle. I got a kindle for Christmas and it was the first book I downloaded. There was a certain satisfaction in doing that.

The link to the Amazon page is: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Compliance-is-Futile-ebook/dp/B006LKWQR8

Now I need to get back to work on my novel. At the moment it is going quite slowly, I've got to about 20,000 words, but I keep editing away huge chunks of the story and I need to weave the sequences together and carry on with the writing itself. Finding time to do so is the hardest thing. Everything seems to distract me.

Everything will conspire to keep you away from writing.

I have the end in mind already, it's just a matter of trying to stop being distracted and getting down to the task.

It may take some time.

Demons

Top Ten Adventure Gamebooks

I always think those people who are keen to forget the past and only embrace the future are missing out.

So I'm going to indulge because Christmas is all about nostalgia (or something like that).

Adventure gamebooks - 

The first adventure gamebook I ever bought was a Fighting Fantasy gamebook called 'Deathtrap Dungeon'. I remember reading it in a caravan on holiday as a child. I have no idea where we were on holiday because I was mesmerized by the book.

I have no idea why these kinds of books aren't so popular anymore. If any kind of book could give the reader a sense of personal power, it is the adventure gamebook. So here is my top ten list of adventure gamebooks:

1. Return of the Wanderer from the three book series 'The Cretan Chronicles'. They were something else - set in a world of greek mythology they were addictively difficult. The downbeat ending of the series has all the elements of tragedy. It was simply brilliant.

2. Lost in Time from the Falcon series. (or was it The Rack of Baal?). Time travelling with a difference - even C.A.I.N the time machine gets anthropomorphic and goes wrong. It includes a sequence straight out of the genre of films such as The Thing. Superb.

3. The Seven Serpents. Part of the four book Sorcery! series. Atmospheric and difficult. Steve Jackson at his best.

4. Overlord. Part of the Way of the Tiger series. In this book you play a leader and have to decide which advisers to listen to. You can decide whether to keep your friends or your enemies close. You are the ruler.

5. House of Hell. Fighting Fantasy gamebook number 10. Atmospheric and at times very spooky.

6. Appointment with F.E.A.R. Fighting Fantasy. You are a superhero. The sheer depth of the storyline in this book is the clever thing. Engrossing and fun to read.

7. Beyond the Nightmare Gate. World of Lone Wolf series. There was just something about the nightmare gate which was so apocalyptic that it stood out from the other titles. You even get to go through the portal.

8. The Grailquest series. Set in King Arthur's Avalon this series has you playing the hero 'Pip' with his talking sword. The genius of this series is that you can take the items from one book to the next. You will need a lot of time to read the whole series, but it is worth it. Good for exploration.

9. Lone Wolf series. Set in the world of Magnamund. Again, in theory you can play these books sequentially and keep many of the objects. 

10. Creature of Havoc - Fighting Fantasy. The clever part of this book is that is so infuriatingly difficult to play.

What I can't understand is precisely why there are no mainstream publishers publishing adventure gamebooks anymore.

And what more could anyone need for everyday life-skills and the importance of making good choices?

'You enter a tavern, The Pierced Skull. Do you talk to the landlord? (go to page 29). Buy a drink (go to page 234). Talk to the mysterious hooded man sitting alone at a table (go to page 23)."

Don't forget my poetry ebook is free if you want it. Happy Christmas.

Free ebook

My poetry ebook Compliance is Futile is free up until Jan 1 2012. Just enter this code: QY92Y

See if you can navigate the confusing Smashwords page to download a copy free at the following site:

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/73333

'It's not about the money'

The Pen and the Sword

Back in 2009 I was reading through the media jobs section of The Guardian on a Monday and I came across this job ad. It was headed 'The Pen is Mightier than the Sword'. Reading the advert it became obvious that the job was to be a speechwriter for the Ministry of Defence.

The non-ironic tagline was 'A Force for Good'. I was so angry at the time. I cut out the job advert and stuck it in my diary with a few choice words of what I thought of it. It wasn't just that the Ministry of Defence were paying £66,389 (plus bonus and benefits) to the successful applicant, it was that they had appropriated the phrase: 'The Pen is Mightier than the Sword'.

I got over it of course. In this life you tend to do that - things will make you angry for a little while, but sometimes we are powerless to do anything about it and the anger goes away (and anyway, anger is such a bullying emotion).

The problem is, naive as I am (and believe me, I have my naive moments), I still can't get my head around the way that the pen and the sword work together. It seems to me that they are diametrically opposed to each other. The pen should promote peace. The whole point of having a principle like 'the pen is mightier than the sword' is to fight for peace using the written word.

I keep reading articles in newspapers or hearing news reports on TV which are so uncritical of war that I find the old anger coming back again and again. And what right have I? I'm naive - we live in a world where reports in newspapers about subjects like the arms trade or the latest war are completely uncritical. That's the way it is.

What is the point of writing? What is the point of journalism? Is it to work with the status quo? Is it to re-enforce the latest political agenda? Is it to write propaganda? Or is it to try to ensure peace - to question, to criticize wars so that lives aren't lost on both sides? What is the point of using a pen or keyboard? Is it to make things better or worse?

I hope the person who eventually got the job has job satisfaction. The job does stipulate that such a person should be 'imaginative', so maybe they could imagine their way out of the cognitive dissonance that doing such a job should cause? Personally I think it would have been a Faustian moment for him (or her).

Marketing Mania

I've been spending time working on my first novel and trying to market my poetry anthology 'Compliance is Futile'.

It's a frustrating business. I've managed to get a couple of press releases into local papers:

This is a story from a press release I sent to the local free paper 'The Chase Post'.

And this is the story written for The Sentinel, for which I was interviewed over the phone following a press release.

The rest has been internet marketing. I've learned a few things. The main lesson is that marketing is a frustrating business and every writer really could do with an agent to do it for him or her.

The novel is coming on very slowly. I've got the basic plot, theme and characters. It is simply a matter of writing it all out now. And that may take some time.

In the meantime I have to consider everything else as research.

Voices

Finally my book is available as a paperback from Amazon.com.
http://www.amazon.com/Compliance-Futile-Nick-White/dp/1463721811/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312460968&sr=1-1

I was interviewed by a newspaper from my home town, The Sentinel.
You can read the story online at:
http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/Poetry-helps-heal-Nick-s-pain/story-13062298-detail/story.html

It was strange being on the other end of the interviewing. The interviewer got my age wrong and knocked off six years (better that way round). During the phone interview I said:

"I once came into the Sentinel on work experience."
"That's what I'm doing here now," admitted the budding reporter. I imagine that she will do well because she was thorough and direct in her questioning. All through the interview I wanted to say: "Just make everyone a cup of tea or coffee - they like that."

The recent phone hacking scandal has had the usual effect on the perception of journalists. Any trust gained has been set back years because of the invasion of privacy of a few. Almost every rule from the NUJ code of conduct was broken. And the whole profession is about as popular as when Princess Diana died.

It is all about the way in which writers and broadcasters treat their readers and contacts. If readers and contacts are treated in a condescending and uncaring way then there is something wrong with the journalist. The writer has to listen.

So, over the past few months I've been thinking about the way I treat my readers (yes, that's you faithful reader!). I've realised that, even though I've never been involved in phone hacking or anything unlawful, I've not always had my readers' best interests at heart. Even if I don't have that many readers, I still think I could be more considerate. So, I'm sorry.

I draw the line at offering compensation.