Author Tag - 10 Questions for Authors

Here's looking at me, Enricoh Alfonzo. 



Tried to do a YouTube video, yeah that didn't....beep.
Finally, a YouTube tag I can do!

• Where's your favorite place to write?

Mostly at my desk, which gets's uncomfortable when my butt falls asleep. Might take Jenna's advice and try the bed. 

• Coffee or tea?

Hmm depends on the night really, if I need to stay up longer a potent cup of coffee is what I go for. If it's the morning and I feel crappy, green tea. If I have biscuits, like the awesome ones my mum gets, then normal tea is the way. So it's really about the moment, I don't understand why authors have to explicitly state they don't like something. It's not a requirement for being an author. 

• Favorite book of all time?

Every Harry Potter book that has now or will ever exist! If you held a gun to my head (I would laugh first) then give you that answer. Generally, though I have a few in different Fiction genres. 

• NanoWrimo yes or no?

Never done it but I've watched a lot of videos on people who have, sounds interesting. For those that don't know NanoWrimo. It's the writing challenge month of November. It's like MoVember (growing out the 'stache or beard for throughout November). Really not sure what makes November so special plus it takes forever to get here. Anyway, this year I will give it a try.

• Genre you would write if you had no restrictions.

Haha don't know what restrictions I have now. Under Fiction, I would like to write for Middle Grade/Children, Young Adult and Adult. Think Harry Potter, Twilight & 50 Shades. Without Wizards, Vampires & billionaire fetish men. Science fiction & Fantasy. I've always escaped into books so now I would like to make my readers do the same. 

• If you could have any super power, what would that be?

Whistle* this actually ties into my current completed manuscript and my next one. I would choose Telekinesis! Hands down, the coolest power ever thought up. If you go here, you will see all the possibilities and more that I have in mind for this power. I just believe we've only ever seen the bad that people do with this power. It's time to change that. 

• Favorite author?

J.K Rowling! Seriously the first consciencious book I remember reading and falling in love with is Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire. Yes. Yes. I know it's the fourth book in the series but it was all my mum could get from the library. So I read four, then three, then two, the one. And then I went to five when it was released. She just opened my mind to the possibilities of writing. 

• What kind of music do you listen to when you write?

Back to Jenna again, I've never actually written with music. When I'm playing an RPG or surfing the net then yeah I listen. My mind just doesn't focus on the scene or chapter, if the music is in the background. But after watching her video, I came to look at it in a different perspective. For fight scenes or dramatic scenes I might just try it. 

• If you could live anywhere, where would that be?

Tokyo, Japan. Saved up and went there all on my own just after I got made permanent at work. It was the best vacation of my life. I just love the culture and people. Not to mention...Anime!!!

• What do you do when you get writer's block?

Ok sorry to disappoint, I've luckily never had it. If I am stuck on a scene or chapter it's more like I know, generally, what it's about I just need to fish out the details. So I will take an unnecessary shower or walk around my house like a military sergeant... Just so that I can think out the scene and then I sit down to write it out. Hopefully, touch wood I will never get actual writer's block, where I can't write anything. I highly doubt it, since I'm new to this and have soooo many ideas to get cracking on. 

Thanks for reading, I hope this inspires you to write or video your own Author Tag. It's a lot of fun and a really cool way for your readers to get to know you. 

Random sketch I did for my lil 'cuz:

You've Written a Novel. Now what?

The Dreamworld

Imagine What the World would be like if Martin Luther King did Not have a Dream?

After watching countless videos and reading countless blogs on writing/publishing advice, all I can say is...Huh? When did we start teaching people it's not ok to dream, or to dream but dream small dreams. When did we make that our common speak? Imagine you've just written a novel and log on the internet to look for advice, the first video you see, more or less says - don't expect anything major to happen next.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME? You just finished your very own novel! Do you know how impressive that is? I have so much Crazy Mad Respect for you! Well done! WOW.

According to Nathan Bransford here, about 15, 000+ people query an agent a year.... seriously? Out of 7.12 billion people....maybe that's just in the US but still! You wrote your book, never let anyone dim that excitement down. Yes, the hardest part might be what happens after you write your book. Yes, querying and getting published takes time. Yes, you might be rejected.
Say this with me:

Some Will, Some Won't
So What? Next!

We spend so much of our lives being told not to dream, not to take risks. I say DREAM! and dream BIG! Why shouldn't you? Why shouldn't you want massive success from your work? There isn't a reason, there's only an excuse. I've watched people both with insider knowledge and without, give brilliant advice but they always dim it with 'success is a myth' or 'don't expect the heavens to raise for you'. WHat? No. I believe in my work, I believe in people and I most definitely believe that success is solely possible by force of will.

It might have taken me only when everything shut down around me to write a book but I did and I'm insanely jazzed that I did. It flabbergasts me to think that so many words came out of my head and landed on pages. I never thought I would achieve that at this stage but I did. So I'm DREAMING now, I'm a big FAT DREAMER and I shout it to skies.

Some of the advice are based more on personal experience, but Veronica Roth or Rick Riordan can't really say from experience that massive success is not common or achievable. Yeah, they might have gotten some rejection but their epic talent and brilliant novel success far outweigh any of that. They can comment on it, yeah but they would be the people I would focus on. Because they DREAMED, they thought it up, wrote it and DREAMED.
Read this by Veronica Roth BEFORE she was famous, she dared to Dream it first.

So I'm going to listen to the advice but I'm definitely tuning out the whole, "Don't expect big things." speeches. Don't get me wrong those blogs and posts are amazingly helpful, especially on the "HOW TO" parts. I just believe that once we have written a novel, we should smile our cheekbones off and celebrate. Then with pride and hope, submit our queries.

Find Literary agents of fiction here.
Find awesome query examples here.

Have you been told not to Dream lately?
Reach OUT to me, I got your back.

Read The Story That came from a Dream

~Be Kind to One Another~ Ellen Degeneres