Writing | Karavansara

There is something I think I never mentioned so far, and might come as a help for any writer or hack out there.
And you know I can’t resist the idea of sharing my spurious wisdom on my blog.
So, here goes.

We all know that if you want to write, you must read.
You must read as far and wide as possible, so that it is OK… no indeed, it is absolutely essential to read science fiction if you want to write historical romance, and hard boiled mysteries if your genre is actually sea stories, etcetera.
And essays, of course. Read non fiction, too.

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But never, never forget to read cheap, poorly written, amateurish crap. Continue reading →

16 July 2017
by Davide Mana 5 Comments

Ideas everywhere, and a new story

OK, new project going – because really ideas can be found everywhere.
Where will I find the time to write it, I wonder?
But anyway, good ideas should be pursued, and what I have here now is a great idea!
I am still putting together all the pieces and things, and I’m doing a nice bit of research, but I’ll work double-time to make this new thing ready for Halloween.
Because it’s horror.
Supernatural horror.
Maybe with a little touch of occult.

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As usual I’m thinking in terms of mid-length, say a novella, and possibly the first in a series. But that’s long in the coming.

It is also something really different from what I usually write, and this is the exciting bit, because it’s always good to try new concepts, styles, structures and plots.
I’m also considering the option of publishing the story in both English and Italian at the same time, which makes it even more work, but it would be nice.

I’m not giving away anything else for the time being, but I promise that, if it will eventually work out, it will be quite fun. And different.
So, wish me luck

In other news: the BUSCAFUSCO ebooks are about to be re-priced at 1.99. I know this will cut my royalties drastically (70 cents instead of two bucks), but I write to be read and to sell (not necessarily in that order) and a higher royalty on a book that does not sell is meaningless.
So, keep an eye out, in a few hours the prices will drop.

11 July 2017
by Davide Mana 5 Comments

Buscafusco is (almost) back

buscafusco ghosts & shadows small And with an extreme delay, the second BUSCAFUSCO story is done, and is currently being lovingly manipulated by Mr Bezos’ gnomes.

This one is called Ghosts & Shadows, and is set during the Montferrat Winter – following the Autumn exploits of the first story in the series.
The idea is to do four volumes, covering four seasons – the next one therefore should be Spring.

As in Women & Children, once again Buscafusco will be tackling two cases at the same time – a kidnapping and a haunted house. Continue reading →

7 July 2017
by Davide Mana 9 Comments

Tools of the freelance writer: spaghetti

I was telling my brother this morning that noodle days are back again.
With summer, work dries up – more time to write my stories, but a lot less translation gigs and articles, that are still the backbone of my meager income.
So, we cut expenses – and that means going back to that long-time staple of writing life: spaghetti.

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Cheap, quickly prepared, and with a wide variety of possible seasonings, traditionally a freelance writer can live indefinitely on a serving of spaghetti per day.
And believe it or not is cheaper, healthier and more fun than burgers or chicken nuggets or deep-freezed microwave pizza.
It’s the sort of cooking that does not require a degree, won’t take up too much time – about 15 minutes tops – and yet it requires a modicum of discipline. And discipline for writers is important. Also, it gives you extra swank points when you are cooking for your friends, and it’s a great conversation item.

So, as a tool for my fellow writers, game creators and freelancers, here’s some quick and easy spaghetti wisdom to help you through those dry spells.
Continue reading →

28 June 2017
by Davide Mana Leave a comment

Writing Advice

As you probably know – or maybe you don’t – I collect books about writing.
I have over one hundred, and in truth I can tell you, there’s a lot of good advice in each and every one of them, even if not a single one is the final world, The Book, the stone tablets of the Law, dictated by the God of Literature Himself.

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Right now, I’m having a lot of fun reading Chuck Wendig’s 250 Things You Should Know About Writing that, like all of Chuck Wendig’s writing books, is fun, informative and filled with the sort of common sense and down-to-earth advice that a lot of writing courses seem unable to muster. Continue reading →

24 June 2017
by Davide Mana 2 Comments

An unusual writer’s resource – QI

It started because I wanted to dust off my English – because reading and writing is all right, but you need to keep your ear trained for the spoken language.
So I went for a few BBC programs available on Youtube. People talking, with a variety of accents.
Talk shows, comedy shows, and panel shows.

Now, panel shows are something that does not exist in my country.
Basically it is a bunch of guys and girls – usually TV personalities, stand up comedians and actors – sitting around and talking about some kind of subject, following some kind of loose TV game show format.
It was as I was looking for these shows that I discovered one of the best – and most idiosincratic – writer resources on the web.
It’s a show called QI (short for Quite Interesting) and it’s simply great. Continue reading →