Getting started – the newbie authors guide to living the dream! by Craig Deegan

Every author had to start somewhere. They all had to sit down and jotted down their opening sentence. No doubt with shaking hands and riddled with fear, but they did it anyway. And guess what?   They’re people, just like us.  They’re no different.  They just had an idea that they wanted to share.

I am a newbie.  I’m proud of that.  My journey started a few years before I ever got published.  In May 2019 I met one of my favourite authors at Comicon. It was something he said when I floated the idea of perhaps writing one myself.  “If you don’t have a go, you’ll never know.” It resonated with me; I’d had the idea for the Cracklocks in all but name for a number of years before then.  But could I? Could I be a writer?

It was like ‘the little engine who could’ to be honest. Took a while to get into the swing of it, but fast forward a few months and I’m 20K words into my first novel!  I thought, “I can be a writer if I want to be!”

So, why would you want the advice of a newbie? Well, we all have pretty similar journeys I think; and I have spoken to a lot of authors! For me, the following is what I’d tell you:

1) At some point, you’ll look at your story and think ‘trash’. Every writer does.  But don’t stop.  Fix the bits you don’t like, and have another look.  You’ll think ‘Yeah, this is alright.’ 

2) Don’t agonise about getting an opinion. Ask an honest friend or family member.  But pick the right person; Great Aunt Elsie (blatant plug!) isn’t going to want to read your erotic space romp, and your mates ten year old isn’t the best target audience for your serial killer scribbles. 

3) While you’re doing all this try and put a little bit of money away.  You’re going to have to have a little war chest to tackle things like editing, covers etc 

4) Finally, don’t worry too much about how you will publish at first. You need something good to publish after all.  You will have a choice to make about this eventually – traditional publishing, self-publishing or a hybrid publisher.  Those are journeys of their own.

Good luck.  You can do it.

Written by C A Deegan, Author of the Cracklock Saga

Author Bio

C A Deegan lives in the East Midlands, right in the centre of the UK, and when he’s not writing or working, he’s with the family or walking the dog in the local woodlands seeking those ever-elusive Fae.  “The Cracklock Saga” series of books came about from reading some pretty awful fairy books to his daughter over the years – she’s in her teens now and has now (with more than a little relief!) left those behind.  But as he ploughed through them with gritted teeth he always wondered what would happen if someone didn’t like fairies, what they would do about it, and could anybody stop them? This idea grew, and the Cracklocks were born.  C A Deegan liked the idea of people who hated the Fae and everything they stood for.  And who knew just how wicked those people were? He certainly didn’t until Anastasia and Agatha got their claws in!

You can keep up to date with the happenings in the Cracklock world at the following:

Website: www.thecracklocksaga.com 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheCracklockSaga

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CracklockSaga

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecracklocksaga/

Book 1 – Fae or Foe?  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09G9RNMMS

Book 2 – The Lost and the Departed.  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09KNDM9YZ

Come along and join the adventure!