@GaryTroia's #WriteTip for Writing Fiction (#AmWriting #ShortStories)

Since I was a child in primary school I have always had a yearning to create stories from nothing. I left school without qualifications, but with some encouragement from certain teachers concerning a few stories I had written. Now I was out in the big world, and having to earn a living. I thought it was about time to forget the big idea of writing; but that yearning, so deep within me, just wouldn’t let it go.

I finally relented to the yearning and bought myself my first computer. I was so excited. Now I could write stories to my heart’s content. But there was a problem, a big problem. Every time I sat down in front of the computer, the blank white screen in front of me stared me down, winning every time. I had some ideas, but I just could never get beyond the first chapter. My first chapters were always quite good, which is not surprising, given the amount of time I worked on them, tinkering around and pondering essentials, such as should this be a comma, or perhaps; a semi colon? I ended up with a whole pile of excellent first chapters.

I decided that I would never know how those first chapters would turn out in the end, because I was far too fearful to let myself go and find out. If I ever did let myself go on the very infrequent second chapter, my ego would soon shut down proceedings by bombarding me with ideas of doubt, ridicule, and unworthiness. So I ended up giving in to fear and shutting the lid of my laptop on my dreams of writing.

One fine day, I was walking passed Richmond College, and there was an open day, so I decided to walk in and have a look. I naturally gravitated towards the literature side of things. I picked up a little booklet of courses, and saw immediately a course that was titled, How to write a…novel in a month. Needles to say I signed my name on the dotted line.

When I turned up for my first day, the class was packed. And no wonder, who would not want to learn of a way to write a novel in a month? I think many of those in the class thought they were going to get magical fairy dust sprinkled on them, but of course, it wasn’t that easy.

The idea of writing a novel in a month consisted in pledging oneself to write 1,677 words each day, so at the end of the month you would have 30,000 words of a novel, at least a first draft. I did it, and realised that the magic consisted not in fairy dust, but the magic of writing faster than your doubts can form, and making a pledge to keep you sat in the chair every day and write those 1,677 words. It is quite amazing what can be achieved with daily discipline.

For the first time ever, this collection of short stories by Gary Troia brings together, in chronological order stories and memoirs from Spanish Yarns and Beyond, English Yarns and Beyond and A Bricklayer’s Tales into one complete volume.

“Excellent! A collection of short stories about depression, alcoholism and drug use. Very compelling reading. I read this short story collection all in one go.” (Maria, Goodreads.)

A Bricklayer’s Tales is the ultimate “I hate this job” story, written as a collection of short stories and memoirs, each one revealing a snapshot in the life of Ray. Troia captures the tedium of working in a low paid, menial job and living hand to mouth. This book of short stories is sad and questions the reader to ask questions about their own life. This book achieves clarity without trying.

Ray has three expensive hobbies: drinking, drugs, and running away. Without the income that Bricklaying provides, he would not be able to maintain his chosen lifestyle, so he compromises his principles and continues with his trade.

A collection of short stories and memoirs that include:

The Cuckoo’s Egg. Boyhood antics lead to tragedy.

My Grandfather’s Shed. The making of an English key

No Comb on the Cock. Gypsies, champion fighting cocks, and career choices.

What I Did In My Summer Holidays In 1000 Words. Could having an idea ever be considered a criminal act?

My Best Mate’s Head. Did a weekend of boozing save Ray from certain death?

The Shetland Isles. A trip to sunny Benidorm, a chance meeting with some Glaswegians, and a cold, miserable job in Lerwick.

Pointing a House in Islington. Too much alcohol and cocaine don’t mix well on building sites!

Angel Dust. The peculiar story of a man whose new life in America leads to conversations with Ancient Greek philosophers

Peyote. Hippies, LSD and an idyllic refuge

Return Ticket. Handcuffed and ready for deportation. A sad departure from the States

When I Joined a Cult. Sober dating as Ray discovers religion.

Bilbao. How very, very English!

Teaching Other People. The grass is always greener-the escape from bricklaying.

A Week in the Life of Ray Dennis. With the prospect of no money for food or alcohol this Christmas, Ray has to find work quickly.

Catania. A meeting with a Sicilian fox, some Neapolitans, and a man with a camel haired coat.

Advert In The Art Shop Window. Will a new building job in Spain be the start of a new life?

Gaudi. A flight to Barcelona for a kebab, and a look at the Sagrada Familia.

The Day My Soul Left Me. “To be or not to be? That is the question”

How Not to Travel to The Alhambra. Hung-over, the wrong fuel, the car breaks down. Will they ever make it to Granada?

The Road To Ronda. A terrifying drive to Ronda, was it worth it?

Poking A Carob Tree. A new home and new neighbours, just in time for Christmas.

Spain Reborn.No more commuting to London. Lets celebrate!

Home From Home. A parallel world where the Spanish have taken over Weymouth.

Three Common Carp.An epic battle with a whale and marlin it is not.

Mrs. McClintock. An absurd farce in which a Glaswegian couple retire to Spain

Steak, Egg and Intensive Care. A harmless dinner leads to hospitalisation.

The Unchangeable Chameleon. Can a leopard change it’s spots?

A Bricklayer’s Tale. The story of a disillusioned, alcoholic bricklayer

A collection short stories and memoirs of British dark humour.

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Genre - Fiction, Short Stories

Rating - PG-16

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Connect with Gary Troia on Facebook & Twitter

Avoiding the Rejection Blues with @MorganRichter #ChickLit #Fiction #AmReading

You know what’s the least helpful advice about how to handle rejection? “Don’t take it personally.”

That’s a ridiculous statement. Let’s say a literary agent just passed on representing your manuscript. In other words, someone read something you worked on for months or years, something that represents the culmination of your abilities, ideas and knowledge, and, for whatever reason or combination of reasons, turned it down. Of course it’s personal.

Here’s what it’s not, though: Important.

As a professional writer, you’re going to get rejected. A lot. All the time. More often than your non-writer friends will believe. So many rejections! I once decoupaged a coffee table with the rejection letters I received from agents and publishers, and that was but a tiny fraction of what was to come; these days I could probably wallpaper my apartment with them. There will be successes, of course, but they’ll be grotesquely outnumbered by the rejections.

I repeat: It’s not important. The successes are important; the rejections are meaningless.

Well, not always meaningless. Accept criticism with an open mind: If multiple rejections from agents or publishers bring up the same problems—your story seems unrealistic, your characters lack motivation, your prose is tortured and incomprehensible—you’ll have to concede their point. For the most part, though, all you can do is accept that your writing is not going to be to everyone’s taste, then go in search of a more receptive audience.

Easier said than done. I do realize that. Here’s my three-part strategy for weathering out especially bad rejections:

1. Commiseration. Again, every writer has been through this. Find other writers and talk to them; they’ll understand. They’ll sympathize. They’ll share their own stories. You’ll laugh about it—you will, I promise—and it’ll take the sting away. If you don’t know any other writers, hit me up on Twitter; I can provide boundless sympathy for this kind of thing.

2. Perspective. A publisher turned down your manuscript? A reviewer said some cruel things about your novel? Your book got booted out of the early rounds of a competition? Here’s the fastest antidote for that awful, ashamed, vaguely persecuted feeling: Search on Amazon for your favorite book in the world, one you consider flawless, one with unassailable prose and characters you adore. Then read all the one-star reviews of that book.

See? You’re in good company—all authors get criticized, regardless of skill, experience or prestige. Every book is hated by someone. Rejection is the Great Equalizer.

3. Productivity. This is the most important step: Keep busy. Sink yourself into multiple projects; it’s a whole lot easier to shrug off a rejection of one book if you’ve got four or five others out there.

I have a friend with a famous husband. He directs, he writes, he acts, he hosts shows. Everything he touches seems to turn to gold. My friend filled me in on his secret to success: Apart from being talented and creative, he keepsridiculously busy. A significant percentage of his projects end in failure; when that happens, he shrugs it off and moves on to the next one without looking back.

Rejection is never going to be pleasant, and it’s always going to be personal. If you chose to be a writer, you will be powerless to avoid it. How much it affects you, however, is entirely in your hands.

When struggling actress Charlotte Dent is cast as a leggy killer robot in a big, brainless summer blockbuster, the subsequent hiccup of fame sends a shock wave through her life. The perks of entry-level celebrity are balanced by the drawbacks: destructive filmmakers, online ridicule, entitled costars, and an awkward, unsatisfying relationship with the film’s fragile leading man. Self-aware to a fault, Charlotte fights to carve out a unique identity in an industry determined to categorize her as just another starlet, disposable and replaceable. But unless she can find a way to turn her small burst of good fortune into a durable career, she’s destined to sink back into obscurity.

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Genre - General Fiction, Chick Lit

Rating - PG

More details about the author

Connect with Morgan Richter on Facebook & Twitter