Japanese wisdom for writers

A while back, I came across an article in a writing magazine that quoted a Japanese saying about the power of quietly repeating the same activity. 

継続は力なり
Continuance is strength

It got me thinking about how daunting many tasks and projects can seem,  to the extent that we can become so overwhelmed we don't actually start, or give up halfway through.  I've been working on some really big, ambitious projects over the past few years - mostly non-writing related - and this saying really hit home.  Of course, as the author of the article, Robert Paul Weston, points out, feeling overwhelmed can be especially  relevant for writers embarking on a novel.  

"Typing that last sentence can feel so far away, you may as well be trying to scratch it out in the sands of Mars. As such, dwelling on that ultimate goal can become an intolerable distraction, perhaps intolerable enough for you to give up. If you believe in this old saying, however, the only thing to do is forget that the end even exists. Just keep going."

A profound insight, and one that we should apply to life itself. 


Article: Japanese Wisdom for Writers by Robert Paul Weston in Writing in Education, issue 65, Spring 2015
http://www.nawe.co.uk/DB/wie-editions/articles/japanese-wisdom-for-writers.html
http://www.nawe.co.uk/DB/wie-editions/editions/nawe-conference-collection-2014.html

Horsey paperbacks!

For readers who prefer the feel of paper rather than reading a digital screen like a kindle or ipad, you can now buy 5 of my pony novels in print versions!  These are Beware of the Horse, The Perfect Horse, Valentine Horse, The Horse in my Heart and Joyrider.  All at just £4.99.  Perhaps it's too early to be thinking about Christmas (!) but these would make great stocking fillers for pony mad teens and nostalgic older horsey lovers!  Just saying.....(end of sales pitch!)

Buy links:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Horse-my-Heart-Jane-Ayres/dp/1505773881
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Valentine-Horse-Jane-Ayres/dp/1505774349
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Joyrider-Jane-Ayres/dp/1505773512
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Perfect-Horse-Jane-Ayres/dp/1505774594
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1505427495

Pony magazine: two part story by Jane Ayres in August issue

I'm delighted that I have another two-part story in the wonderful Pony magazine. Amongst the excellent features, articles and gorgeous photos, you will find Katie's Promise, Part 1, in the August issue.  It's about teenager Katie who gets the chance to take care of a stunning Welsh Cob called Parsifal - the snag is, Katie doesn't think she likes horses...(I know, hard to imagine!).  I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Related posts:
http://janeayres.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/the-horse-on-balcony-out-now-plus.html
http://janeayres.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/pony-books-in-print.html

"A must for cat lovers."

I can hardly believe it is now more than 18 months since I made a book trailer (my only one so far) for my cat charity book Coming Home.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aweX0y3lvL4&feature=youtu.be

I wrote a blog post about it which has received nearly 500 views, so hopefully it has proved useful for other writers!  Anyway, I've had lovely feedback on the trailer, which is a bit of a tearjerker!  I hope you enjoy it and feel inspired to take a look at the book - all my royalties are donated to charity Cats Protection.

From the many Amazon 5 star reviews:

"Wonderful story"

"A must for cat lovers"

"Couldn't put the book down. Make sure you have time to read it right through before you pick it up. A lovely story."

"A touching tale for all ages" 

"This book is a very good read for cat lovers of any age. I downloaded it today and could not stop reading it until I reached the end.."

Buy book link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Coming-Home-ebook/dp/B00AGZV9WM/ and http://www.amazon.com/Coming-Home-journey-special-cats-ebook/dp/B00AGZV9WM and also in all Amazon territories.

Related post: http://janeayres.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/making-book-trailer-20-steps-i-took.html

Saturday School for writers on 16 May: self publishing your e-book on Amazon

On Saturday 16 May I'm running a day school in Canterbury from 10am - 4pm called Self Publishing your e-book on Amazon: The Business of Writing.  This is the most popular of my day schools for Canterbury Christ Church University and guides you through the process step by step, dealing with issues such as formatting, pricing, cover design, author pages and book blurb. Whether you want to publish for personal satisfaction or to earn income, this is a chance to find out what is involved so you can do it yourself. 

Cost is just £29.50 and you can book via the link below.
https://www.canterbury.ac.uk/cae/day-schools/spring-2015/the-business-of-writing-2.aspx

What previous students have said about my day schools:

“Jane is very knowledgeable and has a wealth of experience.”

“Fabulously engaging tutor, enthusiastic about her subject, spoke with passion and authority.”

“It was more than I imagined.  Very informative and interesting.”

“Knowledgeable about the topic.  Excellent to listen to. Inspiring.”

“Obvious sound knowledge base and good clear delivery.”

“Useful hand-outs with links that can provide even more information after the course.”

“Inspiring and informative.  Lots of ideas to work with now!”

 “Jane is clearly very experienced.  She has a good relaxed style and is very enthusiastic.”

“Very useful and clearly put across.”

“Excellent content.  Covered more than I expected.”

“Very clear information.  Very generous with the information. Helpful.”

“Very good at answering questions, very clear targets and direction, well prepared.” 
"Jane was honest and enthusiastic. Course was well thought out."
"An energised tutor who inspired me."

 “It was excellent – very informative, well organised, encouraged questions. Engaging.”

CUT - a new opportunity for short story writers!

If you love reading and/or writing short stories, then check out this new resource for readers and writers
http://www.cutalongstory.com/

It is described as "a writer’s e-publishing community platform, where professional and semi-professional writers can freely get their work digitally published and marketed to a global reader audience, giving writers a ‘voice’ to their readers. This enables writers to spend time on their creative output, in the certain knowledge that they can simply upload their work and CUT will do the rest: create a beautiful e-book and market it to a global reader audience....CUT has a simple model which gives writers a fair deal, where each writer receives 50% of the sale proceeds, after deducting minimal transaction costs."
 

Saturday 21 March Day School :How writers can stay visible

On Saturday 21 March I'm running a day school in Canterbury from 10am -4pm called The Business of Writing 2: Now you see me - how writers can stay visible .  This may be of special interest to indie and self published writers.

With more opportunities than ever before for writers to get their work out to a public readership, how do you stay visible? Is an author also a brand? And what does this mean for a writer? How do you promote yourself?

We will explore ways writers can stay visible, including author websites, book trailers, blogging and blog carnivals, social networking, book signings and launches, readings, interviews, visits, getting reviews, and ways to showcase your work. What is most effective?

We will also look at creating a personal promotion plan.
Cost is just £29.50 and you can book via the link below.
https://www.canterbury.ac.uk/cae/day-schools/spring-2015/the-business-of-writing-2.aspx

What previous students have said about my day schools:

“Jane is very knowledgeable and has a wealth of experience.”

“Fabulously engaging tutor, enthusiastic about her subject, spoke with passion and authority.”

“It was more than I imagined.  Very informative and interesting.”

“Knowledgeable about the topic.  Excellent to listen to. Inspiring.”

“Obvious sound knowledge base and good clear delivery.”

“Useful hand-outs with links that can provide even more information after the course.”

“Inspiring and informative.  Lots of ideas to work with now!”

 “Jane is clearly very experienced.  She has a good relaxed style and is very enthusiastic.”

“Very useful and clearly put across.”

“Excellent content.  Covered more than I expected.”

“Very clear information.  Very generous with the information. Helpful.”

“Very good at answering questions, very clear targets and direction, well prepared.”

 “It was excellent – very informative, well organised, encouraged questions. Engaging.”