Welcome to my blog

Hello visitors. On my blog I'm talking about my books, but also about what I'm currently working on and, maybe, some other stuff. Browse through my posts and don't forget to check out my older posts in the archives. If you are interested in my books, please, visit my website Fictitious Tales for more information and a few excerpts. Also, take a look at my second blog Herbert Grosshans, where I talk about fun-stuff and things that concern me.

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Should I write more Science Ficition or not?

Before I published anything I wrote just for fun. At first it was supposed to improve my command of the English language. Since I loved Science Fiction it was only natural to write in that genre. Later on I added a bit of erotica. I didn't worry too much about being morally or politically correct. I just wrote what popped into my head. Every story was an adventure and a journey that  took me away from mundane life. Then I published my first story. It was exciting. I was even more excited when my first novel was published, even with all the erotica in it. I dug up all my other stories, rewrote them and added more erotica, since that was what apparently sold.

Of course, with all the excitement came a downside. Suddenly, I wasn't just writing for my own entertainment, now I wrote for an audience. I had to follow certain guidelines, be morally and politically correct, use proper English, make certain the sentences were correct and no words misspelled. There had to be consistency in the story and it had to be believable. As believable as one can make Science Fiction and Fantasy. Instead of writing I had to spend (waste ?) a lot of time editing and rewriting. But it was still fun. And I was hoping for the big reward for all my hard work: fame and, maybe, a small fortune. One is allowed to dream a little ^_^.

But now, after having published 28 books, two as an indie publisher, I am a bit disillusioned. Actually, quite a bit. Fame has eluded me, so far. And fortune? Pardon me if I take time out to burst out laughing. It is a lucky thing that I don't have to depend on the money I make from my writing.

The internet is a wonderful thing in many ways. It allows writers, who would never have had a chance to ever get published, to share their work with others. However, with every positive side there is a negative side. Now there are so many books being published that it is nearly impossible to get noticed among the huge offering. It is a dream come true for readers. Books can be bought cheap, some even downloaded for free. A writer has to advertise, possibly even put out a lot of money, for his (her) book to get noticed. And then there is no guarantee the books will sell.

The title of this article is 'Should I write more Science Fiction or not?' Actually, it should read: Should I keep on writing anything? Or maybe I should replace writing with 'publish'. Because that's what it really boils down to. Writing is part of me; I can't give it up, but should I keep on wasting my time with rewrites and editing just to make a novel ready for being published when only so few people actually read the story? It doesn't make much sense. Can I stop trying to publish my books? It won't be easy, because there is a bit of an ego trip involved here. It is nice to see my name on a book cover. I don't have that if I just write for myself. Besides, I like to share my stories with others.

I wrote a few non-Science Fiction books, hoping they may sell better, but was disappointed. A couple of years ago (or was it just last year?) I published a 3-volume contemporary novel (180,000 words): Web of Conspiracy. It took 2 years to write it. I firmly believe it is a good story; my publisher thought so, and yet, sales were pitiful. The same with 'Mark of the Cobra', a contemporary novel full of adventure and plenty of erotica. Bullet of Revenge, featuring a tough detective, Frank Hummer, didn't do that well, either. I am baffled when I see similar books by other authors sell. I've read a few of them just to see what I may be missing, and some of those books are badly written, yet they seem to sell. Maybe I'm writing the wrong stuff, but how can I write something I don't enjoy? Should I write about vampires, werewolves, zombies?

Right now I'm at around 12,000 words with my new novel. It is detective story. The protagonist is Mark Canon, a private investigator. I'm intending to write this one tongue-and-cheek, with a bit of humor. Some people think I have a sense of humor and I can tell funny stories. I'm trying to use that in this novel. We'll see. If you are interested in reading the first draft of the beginning, go here:
Mark Canon.

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