Writerly Wednesday Welcomes Bob Nailor who is Co-author of “Ancient Blood: The Amazon” and author of “Pangaea, Eden Lost,” “Three Steps: The Journeys of Ayrold” & “2012: Timeline Apocalypse” available now! Also a contributing author to “Mother Goose is Dead,” “The Complete Guide to Paranormal Novels” & “Dead Set: A Zombie Anthology” plus many other anthologies.
With all of Bob’s credits I am pleased he took the time to be a guest and even forgave me for getting this post up a week late. Thank-you Bob.
Interview
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What is your favorite marketing task that has resulted in a sale?
Is there such as a thing as “favorite marketing task,” Sally? I guess I would have to say book signings since I get to interact with the reader, meeting them face to face. Most of the time it is fun.
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What do you like about your publisher or why did you decide to Self Publish?
I decided to go “indie” because I wanted to make sure it got out in a timely manner. One of my books took almost 2 years to find a publisher.
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What do you have under your bed?
Intriguing question. As the years have passed, what is ‘under the bed’ has changed. Originally it was toys, then it was my trainset. As I matured, there were the proverbial magazines that most young males collect and when I married, at first it was storage and now, in my later years, if you were look under my bed — uh, do make sure you don’t get too close when you lift the bed skirt – I don’t want you to get scratched or bitten. Some of those dust bunnies are notoriously mean.
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Are you a plotter or a pantser when you are writing?
- 99% of the time I’m a plotter. I do outlines so I have a vague idea of where I want to be and where I should be going. BUT… if the story takes on its own life, then I have to follow where it wants to go and see what comes. In once incident I wrote five chapters before I got back on track with the outline. Strangely, it was some of the best stuff written, and that from a beta reader.
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Do you write in a bubble or do you prefer critique groups, writing buddies or other companionship during the process?
I wouldn’t call it a bubble but I do prefer to be alone when I’m writing. Just let me put on the headphones, crank up the tunes which is very eclectic from Mannheim Steamroller to Liza Minelli to Iron Butterfly to Imagine Dragons and everything in between. I do have a group of friends who help me edit but that’s when I’m finished, for the most part. Of course, when I’m writing with my co-author, well… actually, I write alone during that time, too. Yup. A loner.
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When do ideas come to you and how do you capture them?
Most of the time ideas come to me at the worst moment. But I’ve learned to handle that and always have a notepad or blank sheet of paper and always have a pen to write down any ideas or thoughts that come up. Before Smart Phones, I always carried a small cassette recorder in my car so I could dictate ideas or storylines. Worst moment? Let’s just say I used toliet paper to jot down the idea.
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What is your favorite word processing program and what other tools do you use, pen, notebooks, white board, index cards, finger on fogged bathroom mirrors?
Right now I use Word for writing but I’ve been playing with Scrivener to test it out. As stated above, I never go anywhere without pen and paper.
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Bio
Bob Nailor is an author in several books that span many different genres including fantasy, science fiction, horror and more. He lives in a ranch home nestled on a quaint wooded acre in NW Ohio. He and his wife have four sons and eight grandchildren. Bob enjoys traveling in his RV which allows him to absorb the ambiance of different locales for his stories. When not traveling, he can be found gardening during the summer and in the winter, snuggled in the warmth of his home, watching the snow and wildlife outside the windows. Although retired, Bob is constantly busy with speaking engagements, writing or editing.
Email: bob@bobnailor.com
FB: https://www.facebook.com/bobnailorauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bobnailor
Blurb
52 Weeks of Writing Tips.
A collection of 52 writing tips and innovative suggestions to empower you and increase your writing prowess.
These tips will assist both the newbie and the expert — we all learn as we move forward and I am sharing secrets and how-to ideas I’ve discovered as I learned the craft. Topics cover multitutde of topics including editing, marketing, sales, characters, dialogsand much more.
(Because of my delay on getting this week’s post live I am offering to buy a copy of 52 Writing Tips for a random reader. We’ll work out the ‘how’ later. So, please leave a comment this week if you’d like your name to go into my virtual hat.)
Excerpt
By Zombies
“That’s passive voice!” With that, my editor slash
ed away at the document using her red pen with wild abandon.
It looked right to me and it sounded okay. My whole body screamed “So who cares?”
I attended a seminar with one of the offered sessions being something like “about Active vs. Passive Voice” so I decided to sit in. The speaker bounced across the front of the classroom in near ecstasy, expounding on the failings of a passive voice story.
I was poised to ask a question when another brave soul interrupted the speaker and asked bluntly, “Who really cares?”
Dust motes froze in time. Those fuzzy balls in the corners snickered. Yes, it was that silent in the room you could actually hear them.
“Why, your reader cares.” Her eyes reminded me of those children’s paintings from the 1960s, the ones with the large eyes.
I nonchalantly scuffled around in my seat so my poised hand now rested in my lap… nobody the wiser that I considered the identical question. Like the others in the classroom – I stared, shocked, at the hapless victim who asked an innocent question.
With hands flailing in the air, the speaker ranted. “Your reader wants action! Your reader wants to be included. There is no reason to tell your reader, let them experience the moment.”
Huh?
It’s simple! In Active Voice, the subject of the line does the action. In Passive Voice, the sentence is turned around. Simply put:
• Active: Jack hates Jill.
• Passive: Jill is hated by Jack.
It is really easy to tell Passive from Active. Usually (almost always) the sentence is definitely more concise when it is Active Voice.
Now, as I learned just a few short weeks ago. The easiest way to decide if a sentence is active or passive is very simple.
… buy the book to learn the secret.
Bonus Question!!!
Do you have any writing goals?
My goal this year is to get at least four books published. I have spent many years writing novels during NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and I’ve moth-balled almost 14 novels in cyberspace. I decided they aren’t going to earn me a penny unless I clean them up and get them published. I am half way to my goal with the release of “52 Weeks of Writing Tips” and am now finishing up my edits on the third novel.
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Other buy links to other titles.
Pangaea, Eden Lost – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JH8MKMM/
Three Steps: The Journeys of Ayrold – http://www.amazon.com/dp/1466448636/
Ancient Blood: The Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/dp/161572771X/
Eternally Be Mine, Valentinus – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GS8AKP8/
Thanks again Bob!
(Because of my delay on getting this week’s post live I am offering to buy a copy of 52 Writing Tips for a random reader. We’ll work out the ‘how’ later. So, please leave a comment this week if you’d like your name to go into my virtual hat.)
If I Should Die and Milk Carton People by Sally Franklin Christie are available at your favorite book-seller in print and e-formats for your favorite e-reader.
Comments
2 responses to “Writerly Wednesday Welcomes Bob Nailor”
Fionamcgler: Sometimes I find music with words more a background buzz. I listen to classical, I listen to solid rock. Each sets a mood for me. As strange as this sounds, I discovered I was more “creative” listening to a Liza Minnelli album “Results” which I still don’t understand why. It is probably just my mind. LOL. Complete silence means my ears are ringing and I find that distracting. Go figure.
Interesting interview. I dream of being retired, so we can go camping more often. For now, working multiple jobs means that it’s always difficult to get time off…then add in trying to get our schedules to jibe with our kids’ and their work schedules? It’s exhausting.
I find it odd that you can write listening to music. I have to have complete silence or I can’t “hear” the voices in my head telling me the stories. Even when I’m reading, I can’t listen to music unless it’s classical music with no words. To each their own, I guess. It apparently seems to work for you.
Good luck with your publishing goals for this year.