Dave Johnston's Blog

Just found "Creative Writing" under the Community tab so thought I'd flag to anyone unaware of this.

I mean, you have to sift through the pile (weird stuff about gums and viagra), but there's some gems in there.

Anne (a Goodreads friend of mine) has a particularly fun little series:

Skeevy Emails


I've added some short stories here:

Don't Mention It


Ta
DJ

Writing is hard - I mean I find it really hard. Constantly questioning the structure of your sentences - does it flow correctly, does it read right? I could edit the same sentence every day if I kept looking at it.

I thought self-publishing would be the easy part. I'd just spent 12 months writing a Young Adult novel, I put the book on Amazon, I announced to everybody I knew on social media that I had done such a cool thing ... and then I felt like hiding under the duvet at the thought that people I knew and didn't know around the world (!) would read my book.

Confidence can ebb and flow. Friends will tell me they've read it and enjoyed it and I'll curl up in embarrassment inside. A stranger in America will give it 3 stars and I'll nod sagely and think maybe I should give up writing.

And sometimes I do. Give up that is. People will ask if I'm still writing and I'll say "no, its too hard, I don't have time" but what I should really say in all honesty is "my confidence has taken a hit, I panic that I'm not good enough, I need some moral support."

This week I started writing again :) I'd love to write books in every genre one day, but currently this one seems to be developing into a romance. Hey, I'm a big softie haha. I wrote 500 words today - it is exciting to slowly flesh out the characters and see where the story takes them. That's my usual technique, I don't like to plan out a novel in advance.

5 people bought my book this week and it just felt like the refreshing impetus I needed. Embarrassingly materialistic I know, but it enlivened me and sparked up that blank Word document full of promise.

How do you cope with confidence? Let me know ...

Ta
Dave Johnston
The Lot of a Nobody

Hi All

My new YA book "The Lot of a Nobody" is currently up for nomination on Kindle Scout - Amazon's new publishing house, somewhere between trad and self.

The Lot of a Nobody

You get to read the first 3 chapters. If you like, please nominate, and if it is selected you receive a free copy upon publication.

Any/all feedback welcome

Thanks
Dave Johnston

Hello, I'm a free book, come get me.

Atomic Number Sixty

I'm great for the daily commute or as a quick holiday read, I don't need regular walking, and I won't pee on the carpet.

I aim to thrill, can be read in sixty minutes, and am suitable for vegetarians.

Enjoy!
Dave Johnston