[Millard]

As far as some of the "Why you gotta be so negative, man?" comments, my issue is with the title of this thread and the idea in general that it's somehow an inspiring story, when I feel it's the complete opposite. There's no "negativity for negativity's sake," just a different opinion. Kinda like how five star reviews are AWESOME AND SQUEE, but one star reviews are by vengeful idiots who know nothing.

 

[ChadWilliamson]

Inspiration just once a day? Cripes. Mine comes any time of day or night. Morning showers or while doing the dinner dishes and blasting rock 'n' roll are particularly good times. Maybe water, suds and music are key contributors.

Mine likes to interrupt what I'm otherwise doing. I am never more inspired than when I need to be doing something that actually pays me.

 

[E.W. Saloka]

I prefer David Daglish or Modwitch, also successful writers but stories with heart.  I'm inspired by them. 

 

[summerdaniels71]

As far as some of the "Why you gotta be so negative, man?" comments, my issue is with the title of this thread and the idea in general that it's somehow an inspiring story, when I feel it's the complete opposite. There's no "negativity for negativity's sake," just a different opinion. Kinda like how five star reviews are AWESOME AND SQUEE, but one star reviews are by vengeful idiots who know nothing.

Fair enough. As I said - your mileage may vary.

Differing opinions are what makes the world honest and interesting.

Good luck to one and all.

 

[MonkeyScribe]

Regardless of where you stand, this is a useful conversation to have. There is a lot of ground between Patterson's "hire an intern to type 80,000 words, throw my name on it, buy another yacht" method and the guy who lives in his mother's attic and writes an absurdist short story every twenty-seven months on a roll of toilet paper and then mails it to the New Yorker one sheet at a time.

I used to get frustrated at this woman in my writing group a number of years ago. I was struggling to sell anything for more than a penny a word and every story she wrote ended up on the Nebula preliminary ballot. Thing is she only wrote a story every couple of years and had told several editors that no, she was not writing a book, and had no plans to ever do so. It seemed like such a waste of talent.

I eventually realized that different people have different motives for writing.

 

[jackz4000]

"I eventually realized that different people have different motives for writing."Michael Wallace

I think it is an inspiration that a guy without any training can write entertaining books that people want to read and can sell over a million copies of his stories.

He has a good idea of what his target market wants to read and he produces it. His marketing may be good, but if he didn't have titles readers enjoyed--they wouldn't continue to buy them and read them.

 

[Joseph Flynn]

…Patterson's "hire an intern to type 80,000 words, throw my name on it …

Patterson was the head of the ad agency I worked at way back when and one of his "interns" was the woman who one time turned me down for a job writing copy there and another time hired me for basically the same job. The interesting thing is, that "intern" was an administrative person not a writer.

 

[ThomasSandman]

I find the replies here interesting, in particular

I'm interested to know what you think makes a "real writer"?

For me a writer is someone who writes... is there a piece of the puzzle I'm missing?

Personally I think Locke is interesting and I admire him for the fact that he did achieve his goal. He writes books that are entertaining and that people want to read. For me that's what I want to do, I'm not interested in writing art or even the next "big thing" but I do want to write books that people want to read. Books that entertain and give enjoyment, a means of escape. Now If I can do that and make a living from it I'll be one happy bunny

Bilinda

well said. i'm not a fan of his work but kudos for going it alone and making it happen

 

[RMimms]

Inspiration just once a day? Cripes. Mine comes any time of day or night. Morning showers or while doing the dinner dishes and blasting rock 'n' roll are particularly good times. Maybe water, suds and music are key contributors.

I get mine during morning showers too

It also like to show up, when I'm winding down to sleep and have to get out of bed to write something down, or in the case of last night, sketch a potential book cover on binder paper.

 

[Guest]

I find the replies here interesting, in particular

I'm interested to know what you think makes a "real writer"?

As I say above: "I don't see any sign that he writes anything he feels the need to say."

That's what I think makes a real writer.

In his book he says he writes what he thinks will sell, and if something doesn't sell, he switches back to what does.

 

[ThomasSandman]

As I say above: "I don't see any sign that he writes anything he feels the need to say."

That's what I think makes a real writer.

In his book he says he writes what he thinks will sell, and if something doesn't sell, he switches back to what does.

i can understand where you're coming from as a writer, and i usually appreciate a writer with your passion. however, publication becomes a whole different monster, and Locke has mastered what most indies would do anything for.

i do agree with you in that in some ways he doesn't seem like a 'real' writer with regards to his work.

 

[Guest]

It's always kind of funny how everyone reacts when John Locke comes up. Personal attacks are frequently the modus operandi, so I hope that doesn't happen this time.

Before he released his book on indie publishing last year, I picked him out as someone to study to see how he markets his books and how he does so well. I could never see how he did it.

Then he released that book.

The thing is, after reading it, he doesn't DO the things he says to do. Until recently, his website looked less than amateur. It was horrible. Now it looks like the work of a motivational speaker. He will go weeks and weeks without appearing on Twitter. His interactions with readers always strike me as insincere and transparent (especially after reading his book). His monthly blog posts are... well... lately they're all related to his books, but before that they were about shopping cart incidents and bad days and Michael J. Fox. Despite what he claims, people really believe his Michael J. Fox and shopping cart stories went into the internet bloodstream and triggered sales? It just doesn't add up for me. Never has. Go ahead and jump on me, that's just my gut feeling.

 

[Millard]

i can understand where you're coming from as a writer, and i usually appreciate a writer with your passion. however, publication becomes a whole different monster, and Locke has mastered what most indies would do anything for.

To a degree, but for most people here, I'd imagine that the sales part is a half that wouldn't fly without the other 50% of affecting the reader, or producing something you're truly proud of. There's been a lot of bluster about Locke, but everything focuses on the sales stats. In a decade, or even a few years, is his work going to have made enough of an impact to still be remembered? Not everyone wants to be the new Dickens, but this cynical way of breaking down literature to the base elements of what sells the most the fastest will only ever result in work that's completely transient. It's the boybands of writing.

 

[Guest]

I prefer David Daglish or Modwitch, also successful writers but stories with heart. I'm inspired by them.

EXACTLY! And I think their stuff will have a much longer shelf life because of that fact.

 

[Will Write for Gruel]

I know people probably will bite my head off for this, but Locke's story is the opposite of inspiring to me. It's artless, soulless marketing. Commerce over art.

There's a place for that kind of thing, and an audience, clearly, but it's not for me.

A lot of writing is commercial writing. Also, he's writing westerns now, not exactly a popular genre. I'd have to think he's doing that because he enjoys them.

 

[Millard]

A lot of writing is commercial writing. Also, he's writing westerns now, not exactly a popular genre. I'd have to think he's doing that because he enjoys them.

At this point, he's got such an established fanbase that he could be pumping out neanderthal erotica or stories about a horse that runs a detective agency and still be shifting copies.

 

[Will Write for Gruel]

At this point, he's got such an established fanbase that he could be pumping out neanderthal erotica or stories about a horse that runs a detective agency and still be shifting copies.

So work hard writing in a popular genre and build up a fanbase, and then write what you love is a bad strategy?

My first love is poetry. I don't see a big demand that.

 

[Millard]

So work hard writing in a popular genre and build up a fanbase, and then write what you love is a bad strategy?

I didn't say it was a bad strategy, just not something particularly aspirational.

 

[jackz4000]

At this point, he's got such an established fanbase that he could be pumping out neanderthal erotica or stories about a horse that runs a detective agency and still be shifting copies.

His readers would turn on him. You really sound like you are jealous of his success.

 

[Millard]

His readers would turn on him. You really sound like you are jealous of his success.

Yeah, man. Totes turning green right here.

Really though, you can't have a different opinion about something a successful person does without it being down to jealousy? OMG, I'm like, such a hater!