@GaryTroia on Writing Quicker Than Your Doubts Can Form #AmWriting #IndieAuthors #SelfPub

1, The first tip is essential and obvious. If you want to be a decent writer: Read a lot and write a lot. If you want to be an athlete: Eat well and train hard.

2, Read excellent writers and classics. See how they go about the craft.

3, Read poor writers for no other reason than to feel better about yourself.

4, If you want to excel at anything, discipline is the key. Set achievable goals that can be reached every day.

5, There is no such thing as writers’ block. If you think you have it, write about your day. I have never heard of bricklayer’s block, or surgeon’s block, or…you get the point, don’t you?

6, Don’t force yourself to learn new words, you learn new words naturally by reading.

7, Don’t try to write like you think a writer should write, just write like only you know how to write.

8, Write quicker than your doubts can form.

9, Write a first draft with freedom and without a critical eye. Add a critical eye on all subsequent drafts.

10, The last tip is as important as the first. If you want to be a decent writer: Read a lot and write a lot.

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.

 Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre - Fiction, Short Stories

Rating - PG-16

More details about the author

Connect with Gary Troia on Facebook & Twitter

#shyfeetbook A Day in the Life of Frances M. Thompson @bushbirdie

A Day in the Life of Frances M. Thompson

It’s a bit embarrassing to admit how excited I am to write this guest post. Most people shy away from their routines and berate going through the “same old, same old” every day, but I happen to find routine quite a comforting thing. I think it has a lot to do with how much I travel (for work and pleasure!); it really makes me appreciate the time I have in my home, which is a two floor apartment in Amsterdam that I share with my Australian boyfriend.

I’m a morning person so I try to get up around 7 o’clock or earlier, though I rarely set an alarm; it’s one of the few self-indulgent rules I introduced when I went freelance two years ago – no alarms!

I leave my partner sleeping – he is definitely not a morning person! – and I go downstairs to do ten minutes of yoga stretching in my pyjamas. I then make a cup of tea and eat my breakfast while reading a few pages of the book I’m currently enjoying. The yoga and reading at breakfast is an attempt to ease me into my working day rather than get flooded by emails and notifications before I’ve even sat at my desk. I don’t think we cherish quiet mornings enough in our busy lives.

It’s time for another cup of tea to get me started attacking my To-Do list which I write out the night before. I try to clear all the admin and emails I need to do, any marketing tasks for my book, maybe write a blog post or two or I will maybe spend an hour or two working on some content for a client. 

At around 10 or 11 o’clock I get changed (yep, I’m still in my pyjamas at this point!) and go for a quick run along the canal near our apartment in Amsterdam. After I began work on my first book last year I realised how easy it is to not be physically active every day as a writer so I set myself the challenge of running at least a mile every day. I may not stick to it every single day, but it’s definitely a very easy and attainable goal because it doesn’t take too long. Even though I normally dread doing it, I normally end up feeling a bit like Wonder Woman when I push myself and return home having run a couple of miles. Of course, sadly I still look nothing like her.

After I’ve had a shower and got dressed (finally!) I get stuck into some client work – I’m a freelance copywriter and researcher – until it’s lunchtime. My partner also works from home (as an online software developer) so sometimes we’ll go for a ride on our bikes to find a nice café for lunch or we’ll eat together in the kitchen and talk about how our day is going. 

If I’ve got all my client work done, then the afternoon is when I like to do my writing work, be it editing, planning or working on a first draft. I try to write at least 1000 new words or edit 3000 words a day. It’s not a goal I always achieve but it goes a long way to keep me moving in the right direction. Alternatively, if I’ve got work to finish or a client meeting, then I’ll often end up saving all my writing work until after dinner. This isn’t ideal as I can be a little tired by then, but once I’ve started and I get stuck back in the make believe worlds of the weird and wonderful people that live in my head, it can be hard to stop, especially when I’m working on a first draft or a chapter outline.

I’m very lucky in that we live so close to so many great restaurants and bars in Amsterdam, so if work is quiet we can be quite spontaneous when it comes to just dropping tools and treating ourselves to dinner out or a meet up with friends. Before I added author to my many list of job titles (I’m also a blogger and travel writer) I went out a lot more. I now work more hours than I ever have, but I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t enjoy it so much. It also means when I do go out or have a night off, I really, really appreciate it much more.

I try to be in bed before 11 o’clock and I always try to read a little before I switch the lights off, but sometimes neither of these things happen if I have a lot of work on. That said, I’ve just signed up to the Goodreads Reading Challenge where I hope to read 52 books in 2014. Wish me luck!

Buy Now @ Amazon & Smashwords

Genre – Short Stories, Contemporary Fiction

Rating – PG13

More details about the author and the book

Connect with Frances M Thompson on Facebook & Twitter

Website http://www.asthebirdfliesblog.com