Then once that’s done, placing the story and getting it published is all part of the process. You have to learn to sell yourself and your work, even shamelessly sometimes.
However, I always caution aspiring writers that very few authors make an actual proper living solely from writing. I certainly don’t. Unless you’re J. K. Rowling or Dan Brown, you might do well and sell a short story for GBP 100 and a novel for an advance of, say, GBP 3000 to GBP 10,000. That’s all a great and just reward, of course, but — well, a hundred quid will pay your gas bill for the quarter. Three grand? Three months rent or five months mortgage. Ten thousand? Britain is an expensive place to live and unless you’re holed up in a beach hut and not registered for council tax, at that rate, you’d have to write and sell two or three books every year to feed, clothe and shelter yourself. It ain’t gonna happen. Most writers — i.e. those who are not household names — have to supplement their income by teaching, lecturing, journalism, reviewing, temporary jobs … whatever comes along.
In a moment of self-realisation — if that's doesn't sound too poncey — I asked myself the question Kurt Vonnegut posed, which is, "Who are you writing for?" I eventually decided that I was actually writing to impress my 14-year-old self, writing the sort of exciting, innovative New Wave-influenced work that I simply lapped up when I had the time and energy to read 150 books a year!
Going back to my earlier point about finances, I also made the compromise many years ago that I would “keep up the day job”. The beauty of this is that because I’m not relying on selling any given story for a four or five figure sum, I can experiment and write what I would like to read, not what a certain publisher demands … and not the same old tired Tolkien copy or Stephen King rip-off that Johnny Hack is churning out.
This is not to in any way suggest a lack of ambition on my part. I want to gather as many readers as possible. But I must stay true to my internal voice. Kafka did so. Enough said.
What are your main concerns as a writer?
On the technical side - developing and maintaining an individual voice. I don’t want to sound like anybody other than Allen Ashley. All the great writers are recognisable even without their name on the page; that’s the height I’m aiming for, too.
Article comments
1 - T. Michael Testi
Wonderful interview! It gives real insight into the author!