Zen in the Art of Writing

The title of this post comes from the greatest book on writing that exists: Ray Bradbury's Zen in the Art of Writing.  It's a fantastic book that does not purport to teach people how to write since such a task is impossible.  It does inspire readers, however, and offers tips to help jumpstart the muse on days when getting the first word on that blank piece of paper seems excruciatingly hard.

Bradbury tells the writer sit down at the keyboard and start typing without necessarily worrying about what comes out.  Let the fingers and the keyboard make a direct connection and before long, you find yourself "in the zone."  This is basically a writing exercise (even used by English teachers), but Bradbury's thesis is that even while hitting random keys, the brain will suddenly and unexpectedly engage and wonderful things will start to happen.  Words and sentences and stories begin to take shape.  I've tried it, and it works.

Bradbury also advocates finding something you feel passionate about--a character or a situation--and then "shoot it out of a cannon."  Sit down and start pounding out the story without worrying overly much as to the outcome.  Don't worry--the characters will tell you where to go.

All of this sounds very mystical, but it happens to be the truth.  Show me a writer who heavily outlines his or her own work, and I'll show you someone who turns out mediocre work.  Writing is inherently a mystical process, and practitioners need to be able to be vehicles for what needs to be said.  In this sense, writing becomes a spiritual act in which the writer, if imbued with enough humility, can step aside and let a larger truth be communicated.

~ William Hammett 

Index of Articles

Believe in Your Work
Children's Nonfiction: It's Now More Popular
The Craft of Writing
Daily Transit Public Ridership
The eBook Revolution
Fifty Shades of Boring
George Clayton Johnson: Fictioneer by Vivien Kooper
Ghostwriting: The Decline of Professionalism
How Long Does It Take to Write a Novel?
Is Journal Writing Worth the Effort?
Literary Agents
Kindle Direct Publishing (Select)
The Novella is Back and Thriving
Print-on-Demand
Promoting Your Book
The Quest for Literary Representation
The Rewards of Being a Writer
Short Fiction
Smashwords
What Is Developmental Editing
Why Do People Write?
Writing Celebrity Memoirs
Writing a Novel
Writing as a Full-time Job
Writing as a Mystical Process
You Own the Copyright to Your Literary Property
Zen in the Art of Writing

Children's Nonfiction: It's Now More Popular

In the juvenile market, children's fiction has always dominated the genre.  Picture books, early readers, middle readers, and young adult novels occupied most of the children's section at the bookstore for the past fifty years.  A few nonfiction titles were crammed near the dictionaries and encyclopedias, and what child really wanted to go near them?

In 2012, nonfiction sales in the juvenile market rose by 5%.  This is encouraging.  With the digital age impacting books and the popularity of e-readers so profoundly, children are now beginning to read more nonfiction--and read more in general.  Topics related to sports, geography, social studies, science, and biography are starting to sell.

Educators are enthusiastic about this trend since they believe, and rightly so, that it might better prepare students for college, giving them greater reading and writing skills in addition to a wider base of knowledge by the end of high school.  Publishers are naturally excited about the trend because it means more sales.  It's a win-win situation for both groups.  It's an even bigger plus for literacy and learning.

~ William Hammett

Index of Articles

Believe in Your Work
Children's Nonfiction: It's Now More Popular
The Craft of Writing
Daily Transit Public Ridership
The eBook Revolution
Fifty Shades of Boring
George Clayton Johnson: Fictioneer by Vivien Kooper
Ghostwriting: The Decline of Professionalism
How Long Does It Take to Write a Novel?
Is Journal Writing Worth the Effort?
Literary Agents
Kindle Direct Publishing (Select)
The Novella is Back and Thriving
Print-on-Demand
Promoting Your Book
The Quest for Literary Representation
The Rewards of Being a Writer
Short Fiction
Smashwords
What Is Developmental Editing
Why Do People Write?
Writing Celebrity Memoirs
Writing a Novel
Writing as a Full-time Job
Writing as a Mystical Process
You Own the Copyright to Your Literary Property
Zen in the Art of Writing

The Craft of Writing

People ask me how to become a writer.  It's a difficult question to answer.  I taught writing for over twenty years at colleges and universities.  But I don't think it's really possible to teach anyone to write.  Let me explain.

First, I think the job of a writing teacher is to teach students how to teach themselves.  Writing is a deeply personal experience, and everyone has something different to say, a unique take on life and a unique style to convey the story.  How can anyone possibly teach a student the proper sequence of words to put on a blank page?  The best we as teachers can do is to guide and inspire through the wise and judicious use of critique over and above correcting overt grammatical mistakes.

Second, I think that, while many people can indeed be inspired to write well, truly great writers are simply born with the skill.  They have a natural facility with language that is nurtured by reading and writing constantly.  These last habits are the most crucial elements in honing one's craft, and successful writers are those who have developed a lifetime love affair with letters.

We are now a visually-oriented culture.  Text is being replaced by photographs and streaming video.  people text or tweet in 140 characters or less.  Is it a wonder that fewer and fewer people know how to write a decent sentence?

~William Hammett

Index of Articles

Believe in Your Work
Children's Nonfiction: It's Now More Popular
The Craft of Writing
Daily Transit Public Ridership
The eBook Revolution
Fifty Shades of Boring
George Clayton Johnson: Fictioneer by Vivien Kooper
Ghostwriting: The Decline of Professionalism
How Long Does It Take to Write a Novel?
Is Journal Writing Worth the Effort?
Literary Agents
Kindle Direct Publishing (Select)
The Novella is Back and Thriving
Print-on-Demand
Promoting Your Book
The Quest for Literary Representation
The Rewards of Being a Writer
Short Fiction
Smashwords
What Is Developmental Editing
Why Do People Write?
Writing Celebrity Memoirs
Writing a Novel
Writing as a Full-time Job
Writing as a Mystical Process
You Own the Copyright to Your Literary Property
Zen in the Art of Writing

Why Do People Write?

I've published under my own name, and I've also been a ghostwriter.  I also know quite a few published writers.  But why do we all want to write books, short stories, or poetry?  Why do people want to hire a ghostwriter?

Many people are looking for "big money."  The reality is that publishing does not bring in millions.  Sometimes it brings in nothing at all.  In fact, most books break even or make little money--or even lose money.  Most aspiring writers and laymen, however, make the following false assumptions: 1) if a book is written, it will be published; 2) if a book is published, it makes a huge profit.  After all, authors are celebrities, right?

Most books that are written will never see the light of day, although many books can now be self-published thanks to Print-on-Demand, the eBook explosion, and direct publishing from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, and other companies that publish online books at no charge.  But when books are published, they usually don't make a great deal of money.  There are always exceptions, however.  If a book is written well--and most are not--and the work is then properly promoted, the author might well find a greater or lesser measure of success and satisfaction.

The best reason to be a writer is because one is compelled to take up the craft.  It's in the DNA.  Or there's a story that needs to be told, regardless of potential royalties.  A writer writes because he or she has to write.  It's that simple.

~ William Hammett

Index of Articles

Believe in Your Work
Children's Nonfiction: It's Now More Popular
The Craft of Writing
Daily Transit Public Ridership
The eBook Revolution
Fifty Shades of Boring
George Clayton Johnson: Fictioneer by Vivien Kooper
Ghostwriting: The Decline of Professionalism
How Long Does It Take to Write a Novel?
Is Journal Writing Worth the Effort?
Literary Agents
Kindle Direct Publishing (Select)
The Novella is Back and Thriving
Print-on-Demand
Promoting Your Book
The Quest for Literary Representation
The Rewards of Being a Writer
Short Fiction
Smashwords
What Is Developmental Editing
Why Do People Write?
Writing Celebrity Memoirs
Writing a Novel
Writing as a Full-time Job
Writing as a Mystical Process
You Own the Copyright to Your Literary Property
Zen in the Art of Writing

Index of Articles

Index of Articles

Believe in Your Work
Children's Nonfiction: It's Now More Popular
Circling Goes the Wind by William Hammett
Complaints About Ghostwriting Companies: Twenty Things You Need to Know
The Craft of Writing
Daily Transit Public Ridership
Dan Brown's ORIGIN
The eBook Revolution
Fifty Shades of Boring
Finding a Ghostwriter Capable of Writing Your Bestseller
George Clayton Johnson: Fictioneer by Vivien Kooper
Getting the Words Right
The Ghost of Richard Brautigan
Ghostwriters on elance and odesk
Ghostwriting: The Decline of Professionalism
How Long Does It Take to Write a Novel?
Is Journal Writing Worth the Effort?
Join Me at My Goodreads Author Page
Kindle Direct Publishing (Select)
The Latest Ghostwriting Scams
Literary Agents
The National Association of Independent Ghostwriters and Editors
New Books by William Hammett
New Poetry Collection: Day and Night
New Website Content
The Novella is Back and Thriving
Print-on-Demand
Promote Your Book with Short Stories and eBook Singles
Promoting Your Book
The Quest for Literary Representation

The Relationship Between Writing and Music
The Rewards of Being a Writer
Rimsky Rises by William Hammett
Short Fiction
Smashwords
Street Magic by William Hammett
What Is Developmental Editing
Why Do People Write?
Writing Celebrity Memoirs
Writing a Novel
Writing as a Full-time Job
Writing as a Mystical Process
You Own the Copyright to Your Literary Property
Zen in the Art of Writing

The eBook Revolution

In 1999, eBooks flopped badly.  There were no stable digital platforms on which to read books.  A lot has changed since then.  We now have the Kindle, Nook, the Sony Reader, iPad, Kobo, and mobile devices of all kinds.  Authors, new and established, are tapping into the digital market, and any book published by a mainstream or indie press will also make the work available in e-format.  I personally still love paper and ink books because I like the heft and the smell of a book.  I like to hold it in my hand and turn the pages.

But time moves on.  People such as Amanda Hocking, Joe Konrath, and Karen McQuestion are showing that writers can bypass conventional mainstream presses and literary representation and still make money--millions, in some instances--on their eBooks.  Most eBooks, of course, are poorly written and sell very few copies.  The average sale for self-published books--eBook or POD--is 148 copies.

I have predicted for years that the literary marketplace would jump the riverbank--that Literary Chaos Theory would prevail.  In other words, the New York publishing establishment was only going to be able to hold the status quo for so long.  It's a brave new world in publishing, and now is the time when people can make both careers and fortunes, assuming they are great writers.  Mainstream publishers are scrambling to appropriate the new technology, but at present, people are able to self-;publish through dozens of different avenues.  It's going to be a wild ride for the foreseeable future. 

~ William Hammett

Index of Articles

Believe in Your Work
Children's Nonfiction: It's Now More Popular
The Craft of Writing
Daily Transit Public Ridership
The eBook Revolution
Fifty Shades of Boring
George Clayton Johnson: Fictioneer by Vivien Kooper
Ghostwriting: The Decline of Professionalism
How Long Does It Take to Write a Novel?
Is Journal Writing Worth the Effort?
Literary Agents
Kindle Direct Publishing (Select)
The Novella is Back and Thriving
Print-on-Demand
Promoting Your Book
The Quest for Literary Representation
The Rewards of Being a Writer
Short Fiction
Smashwords
What Is Developmental Editing
Why Do People Write?
Writing Celebrity Memoirs
Writing a Novel
Writing as a Full-time Job
Writing as a Mystical Process
You Own the Copyright to Your Literary Property
Zen in the Art of Writing