Sunday, October 17, 2010

Ghosts: Mr. Nicholson

G H O S T S

Tap tap tapping.

You hear a tap tap tapping behind the door over there.

Oh curious souls are we.

Shall we take a look at what's in that room...

~-~-~-~-~ guest ~-~-~-~-~
by Scott Nicholson
~-~-~-~-~ guest ~-~-~-~-~

I’ve largely avoided the “writer speak” stuff that’s a tempting topic when you’re a writer and you have to write about something. But it’s lazy, and precious, and conjures up images of inspirational books like “Bird by Bird” that can make you feel like a writer without having to do anything.

Writers are generally pretty boring. That’s why movies and TV shows often have writers as characters, because writers have all this free time to solve murders, stake out the local vampire nest, or infiltrate a terrorist cell. Because writers don’t have real jobs that would take up most of their day.

Personally, I get offended every time I see another writer on TV, or worse, starring in a book. These characters are always either a bestseller or a hard-working writer who just got that big break. Yeah, the kind of writers everybody hates. Stephen King has been guilty of this several times, possibly because it’s the only reality he knows.

I’ve used the writer-as-protagonist in a few short stories, and except for the crazy, paranoid writer in “Do You Know Me Yet?,” the writers usually are just dabblers who will never make a living at it. Writers also make terrible action heroes, though they come in handy if you need someone to return to their old home town and snoop through old newspaper files and unearth history. Usually the clips or headlines will be shown, in what Mystery Science Theater 3000 called “the backstory database.” Digging up files or clippings, or the ever-useful diary, saves the real writer of the novel from having to work hard and make his writer character actually do some exploring.


My one foray into letting the writer be part of the book is As I Die Lying, which is billed as the worst novel ever written. It’s written by Scott Nicholson writing as Richard Coldiron, though it was actually written by an evil, soul-hopping spirit. Read the book and it will all make sense. Or maybe not.

My own writing life revolves around typing, formatting, organizing, and what the whiz kids like to call “platform building.” Since I struck out on my own as an indie in January, I’ve worked 10 times harder than I did while publishing in New York. It’s not just that there is so much more to do now; I am excited to freely follow my vision and publish as many works as I can compile. There are no artificial restrictions on my production, like there was back in the old book-a-year days when the contract basically wouldn’t let me publish anywhere else and I was merely part of the bigger wheel.

Now the typical day might be two or four pages of writing, a dozen tweets, maintenance of my various blogs, a little reading, some formatting, and getting files to comic artists, layout artists, proofreaders, or the upload sites. There have been times when I’ve been publishing two or three books in the same week, since it’s dumb to let old stories sit around idle. I think it’s pretty cool that a morning can be “Answered e-mail, had coffee, published a book.”

Writing is a lot of hard work. But the rest of it is even harder. You have to possess a certain peculiar set of talents and personality disorders to pull it off for the long haul. It requires the arrogance to think you have something important to say and the humility to realize you will never be finished, perfect, or widely known.

Maybe that’s the reason many writers drink themselves to death or blow their brains out. As for me, this is the kind of insanity I can live with.

~end

The Writing Life by Scott Nicholson
http://www.hauntedcomputer.com/
© 2010. All rights reserved.

-------------

Scott Nicholson is author of 12 novels, including the thrillers:

Speed Dating with the Dead

Drummer Boy
- on the amazon for $2.84

Forever Never Ends
--> signup for this ebook giveaway

The Skull Ring
- on the amazon for $2.39

As I Die Lying
- on amazon for $2.99

Burial to Follow
- on the amazon for 89 cents

They Hunger


His revised novels for the U.K. Kindle are:

Creative Spirit

Troubled
--> signup for ebook giveaway

Solom


He’s also written four comic series, six screenplays, and more than 60 short stories. His story collections include:

Ashes
- on amazon for 89 cents

The First
- on the amazon for 89 cents

Murdermouth: Zombie Bits
- on amazon for $1.99
- my review

Flowers
- on the amazon for 89 cents
--> signup for book giveaway


Under his alias (L.C. Glazebrook) he has this sweet piece...

October Girls: Crystal & Bone
- interview with Crystal and Bone at Larissa's Bookish Life
-->signup for ebook giveaway


~*~

W I N
A
K I N D L E
F R O M
S C O T T

To be eligible for the Kindle DX, simply post a comment below with contact info. Feel free to debate and discuss the topic, but you will only be entered once per blog. Visit all the blogs on the tour and increase your odds.

Scott is also giving away a Kindle 3 through the tour newsletter and a Pandora’s Box of free e-books to a follower of “hauntedcomputer” on Twitter. Thanks for playing.

Complete details at http://www.hauntedcomputer.com/blogtour.htm

~-~-~-~-~ guest ~-~-~-~-~
by Scott Nicholson
~-~-~-~-~ guest ~-~-~-~-~


Other deals and steals of Scott's Kindle editions at the amazon:

The Red Church - for 99 cents

Write Good or Die - for 99 cents

~*~

AND, check out these amusing Scott-isms:

<-- Interview with this dude, the Digger at The Neurotic Book Affair

How to Catch a Ghost at Luxury Reading.

Love Scenes: Kissy Face or Full Monty? at Fantastic Books

The Mating Habits of Monsters at Wag the Fox

Hillbilly Horror at Lost for Words

Read more Scott goodies at various blog tour stops.

~*~

* if it's your first time here, WELCOME and feel free to check this month's giveaways on my sidebar for...

-+0+o+ October Trix-n-Treatz schedule +o+0+-


67 comments:

  1. Getting ready to take off for the airport. I'll leave the jokes to Monster A Go-Go, who is so much better at it. My own take on writers (I'm one myself). You have to be crazy, lazy (pretending to be busy), whining a lot about how hard a life it is (try collection garbage for a living or cleaning someone elses dirty houses), and hiding the fact that you have moments of elation when something you write actually turns out to be good and even published--but don't admit it, because authors are those poor, misunderstood souls like all artists. We are a bunch of narcissists but enough of that.
    "As I Die Lying" is one of the best worst novels ever written. Believe me.
    Cherioh, I'll "talk" to you again from the old country.
    Christa
    cpolkinhorn@msn.com

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  2. Interesting post. I know an author that's not crazy yet, well, the author is a bit crazy normally so I can't really say the author is totally sane but is crazy in a differnt way. Hope you understood that one. :| lol
    Love to have a Kindle! :D

    LaQuiet(at)gmail(dot)com

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  3. What an intelligent, insightful interview! Scott's wry summation "...you have to possess a certain peculiar set of talents and personality disorders to pull it off for the long haul" struck me as both hysterically funny and brutally honest LOL

    I like this guy! :D

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  4. I think being an author would be terribly hard and time consuming, so I like to leave it to those who choose to do it. As for me, it takes me an awful amount of time to write even this little blurb, and then when I reread (or is it re-read?)it, it makes little sense ... and I wrote it! So, I hold you guys up as gods (I guess that I can write fiction from time to time).

    Crista, you're off to the Swiss, right? There's no place like home, especially if you can still get on the internet. Have a nice flight.

    Jeff White whitejw@ameritech.net

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  5. Having a good time following you on your blog tour Scott! I'd love to win a Kindle and well, I always love a good ghost story, so your books are right up my alley :) What book are you reading now ( when your not writing or tweeting that is )?

    emily_erickson@yahoo.com

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  6. Scott wrote: "many writers drink themselves to death or blow their brains out."

    You think you are fine and coping with the writer lifestyle and artistic struggle. You don't even realize that you also have an addiction...a SEX addiction...a SEX addiction with GOATS!

    Normally I'd have more to say...but it's FINALS WEEK in my microbiology course! Eek! 3 tests (2 of which are FINALS), one short research paper and one lab packet left to go. No time to expose your sordid little secrets. (Though, as a hillbilly nudist, you are pretty good at "exposing" your own "little secrets"! Oh my!)

    Catch ya tomorrow!

    CHEERS!

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  7. By the way---to further back up my claims of your sordid sexual appetites, this is lifted verbatem right from your Shelfari profile:

    "I'm an author, musician, gardener and goat breeder" (Breeding with goats!?! He admits it, FINALLY!!)

    http://www.shelfari.com/scottnicholson

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  8. AS I DIE LYING is one of the best worst novels I've ever read. As I said before, I've never read anything quite like it. Signature Nicholson quality, but different than any of his other books. It's a mind-twisting thriller.

    And all the times you say you write because you're lazy make me laugh, Scott. I know writing is quite difficult for me, because I'm never satisfied with what I write.

    -Neal

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  9. I'm gonna be lazy because this cold is kicking my butt. But I am enjoying this tour.
    teawench at gmail dot com

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  10. UMMM DO YOU HAVE TO BE CRAZY TO BE A WRITER OR DOES WRITING MAKE YOU CRAZY.

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  11. I think writing is the healthiest way to channel and enjoy one's insanity to it's fullest. I'm glad you shared your normal indie day, because I can see that a scattered day is how you have to handle all those different tasks. Thank you for sharing. varbonoff22 at cox dot net

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  12. O, if only "As I Die Lying" were a physical book---I'd have it by now... (HINT! HINT!!)

    By the way, as I already told you, I officially started "The Skull Ring" yesterday. With school, it will take me a long while to meander through its pages. BUT, I wanted to THANK YOU now for ending my bout with constipation. Your books do something magic to me "down there" and the bowels just open up and let loose! THANK YOU so much! :)

    PS I went strolling through your MySpace pages recently. I saw you still had the little Animoto video I made for you up

    http://animoto.com/play/pF5CHV8dsQiQVaC52z3iQA

    but I could NOT find your little changing picture thing of you and the goats with all of the hearts. Did you take your goat love thing down? Waaaagh! I was just going to "out" your goataphilia further.

    CHEERS!

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  13. Love it!


    josephafisch@gmail.com

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  14. I am still enjoying the tour!

    kissinoak at frontier dot com

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  15. It sounds like writing is the "easy" part of self-publishing! I'm imagining formatting headaches, and never-ending self promotion...

    Indie authors really should get more respect.

    Stefanie647@msn.com

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  16. Oh, what the writer really needs is the ability to go without sleep. Write faster, get some sleep.

    dwdorow@gmail.com
    ThrillersRus.blogspot.com

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  17. If I tried to write for a living, I think I'd go insane from trying to translate my 200-mph thinking process onto paper in English, a language that's not my primary language. At the same time, I'm trying not to go insane from not writing down my thoughts - so much to say about the world! I truly respect and admire writers.

    -Jesse
    conrad.jd (at) gmail (dot) com

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  18. Interesting post. Thanks for sharing some of the insanity writers choose to live with.

    bacchus76 at myself dot com

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  19. Great post Scott!

    coriwestphal at msn dot com
    @coriwestphal

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  20. Count me in, please.
    Thanks for the chance to win.

    lkish77123 at gmail dot com

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  21. The writer characters that appear all over TV and books seems to be to be merely writers writing about what they know :D

    lesly7ch(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  22. Like beauty...madness is in the eye of the beholder. Great post--don't hate me for enjoying Castle. :D

    jamesemr(at)gmail(dot)com

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  23. Great review. I enjoyed reading it. ....Tiffypoot @ (aol.com)

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  24. Many people do seem to think professional writers have it easy. But writing isn't easy, as any writer can attest to, and you have put it very well here.

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  25. This is an interesting take on writers. I never really thought about how hard it must be.
    twoofakind12@yahoo.com

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  26. Thanks for the chance to win a Kindle! :)

    kt1969 at comcast dot net

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  27. I am not a writer so I have no idea what you guys go through, but I am glad you do!

    sstogner1@traid.rr.com

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  28. I'm an awful literary lover since I have yet to read any of Scott's works.
    I do agree with his Stephen King statement, though at his success, is he not able to do pretty much as he wants?!

    freda.mans[at]sympatico.ca

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  29. Newsletter subscriber

    eddiem11@ca.rr.com

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  30. I knew a screenwriter who was crazy. He haunted the local Barnes and Noble and asked people to read a few pages of his work and then ask them their opinions.

    Not a King fan so I can't comment on him. Oh, well.

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  31. Like Freda, I haven't read any of Scott's works yet, but I'll do it soon. Great post! :D

    Giada M.

    fabgiada (at) gmail (dot) com

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  32. Love this blog and love ghost stories!

    skeltons3 at hotmail dot com

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  33. Okay we're going to have to remember to refer back to this post when you get your big breatk :)
    hmhenderson AT yahoo DOT com

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  34. I love that pic :)

    inannajourney at gmail.com

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  35. "Stephen King has been guilty of this several times, possibly because it’s the only reality he knows." Nice.
    (and yay! V, for being part of the tour, too. We are so awesome. ;p)

    ~Misty
    mbradenwf@gmail.com

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  36. @Jeff anybody can call themselves a writer--but living a writer's life is a different story

    @Freda, Kind DOES do whatever he wants and he's earned it!

    @Hendy I've laready had my big break--i have the best life I can imagine!

    @Misty glad you stopped in

    Scott

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  37. I could never be a writer, I have the personality disorders required, just not the peculiar set of talents. I'm so glad you possess both.

    waitmantwillie at hotmail dot com

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  38. I love your qualifications for being a writer - talent and personality disorders. Yeah, that about covers it.

    Margay1122(at)aol(dot)com

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  39. I think talent should outweigh the personality disorders.

    byonge@lonepinetv.com

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  40. Been so busy...almost forgot to enter.
    dorcontest at gmail dot com

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  41. I would love to be entered!
    littlebearries@yahoo.com

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  42. i have some catching up to do! =)

    hancoci_s at msn dot com

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  43. a very enjoyable blog... thanks for sharing

    stephanie(dot)pridgen(at)gmail(dot)com

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  44. I resemble that remark about personality disorders.

    Boring? Hah! My disorderly personalities are quite entertaining.

    Twitter: MachineTrooper
    http://twofistedblogger.blogspot.com

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  45. Loving the tour and different posts!

    purposedrivenlife4you at gmail dot com

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  46. Great tour! Thanks for the chance.

    dlodden at frontiernet dot net

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  47. I have enjoyed following your tour. Each post is different and unexpected.

    kellysydow at yahoo dot com

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  48. Scott, count me in for the Kindle. Thanks for your writer's "advice"--which it is.
    Paul
    mrlucky@charter.net

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  49. Loved the post. Thanks so much for the blog tour.

    dulcibelle [at] earthlink [dot] net

    ReplyDelete
  50. sailorwind@gmail.com

    sailorwind at gmail dot com

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  51. rolling around laughing at what you said about personality disorders for writers .... a creative fertile mind goes in all directions.
    bmcbroom at gmail dot com

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  52. this tour is a great idea! i have also liked your "tweets"

    i.pearson@comcast.net

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  53. you have given me a lot to think about here :) I also hope this tour does well so you will be able to afford therapy for your little er goat issue :)

    deedeekm@gmail.com

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  54. Another great post, Scott! I really don't know how you're coming up with all of them, but I sure am enjoying reading them (when I don't forget to visit the posts, that is!).

    truebookaddictATgmailDOTcom

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  55. Great post, and interesting insight into your author mind.

    jlynettes @ hotmail . com

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  56. Dee, why would I ever want to be cured of goatitis?

    A reminder that there's a freebie writing manual on my site at http://www.hauntedcomputer.com/writegood.htm

    Scott

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  57. I would LOVE a Kindle DX. Thanks for the opportunity to win one! :)

    P.S. Click on my name for my contact info. ;)

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  58. Thanks for all the great posts...I write myself...children's books and poetry mostly, though I have started a short horror story recently.

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  59. Love your stuff, Scott...but you already know that! Would love a Kindle DX. Keep me in mind, dude!

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  60. I think everyone's mad or crazy in their own regard, I do not believe that one has to be an artist or writer to be labeled as such. However, it is true that they are more susceptible to such actions...

    starflower135@gmail dot com

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  61. Lots of fun. Count me in

    Barry
    anamchara@gmail.com
    http://gnostalgia.wordpress.com

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  62. I agree, writers do not make great action heroes. Although Richard Castle would probably disagree. :)

    Enter me for the DX, please.

    lydia (at) sbc global [dot] net

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  63. Sounds like a fun day of writing.

    dalelmurphy(at)gravesidetales(dot)com

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  64. Hi,
    I love following your blog tour...And just when I think you have said about everything I can think of you go and throw out there something completely different..I love how you write on so many different themes...Keep up the work and stay sane..
    :)

    baby_blackroze@yahoo.com

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  65. Thanks for enterying, everyone, entries here capped at 64--keep following!

    @Lisa, I think children's books are the highest form of fiction

    Good luck everyone, and thanks for hosting, Velvet!

    Scott

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  66. trying to catch up. spvaughan@yahoo.com

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  67. hufflepuffgrl13@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete

 
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