By Way of Introduction

When I started my original blog, the idea was become a better writer by exploring writing as an outsider. Each entry would explore different aspects of writing, and over time I would be a better writer due to that research. I also decided to throw in some business tips as well; a lot of writers tend to forget the business side of writing. Thus, it would combine the craft and business of writing, giving me lots to explore.

This idea would become the Webcomics Reviews & Interviews podcast.

The Craft

Exploring the craft of writing has been all sorts of fun. There are a lot of moving parts for even the simplest books: There's world-building, character generation, and even cobbling together the plot by combining the main plot, sub-plots, and any running gags. A lot of writers are more worried about grammar and proofreading, but they forget about the characters and the setting. Thus, you see a lot of writers sling stuff at a wall hoping it sticks rather than building a world whose parts work together. Because of that you get a lot of books that look like a Jackson Pollock painting more than a da Vinci masterpiece; they look interesting but they aren't pretty.

They just don't connect with their own parts and so aren't connecting to readers.

The Business

Writers forget that there is a business side to writing. This is most evident by the sheer number of writers who can't figure out why they aren't successes but see that less-skilled writers are riding around in yachts; the frustration of the former about the latter is almost palpable. Writers need to do their own marketing, learn how SEO and advertising works, and then apply all of this to their own books. If they did, they would have a greater chance of riding around in yachts of their own.

The Podcast

WCRI seeks to incorporate all of this into a single source. Writing well needs to be backed by good business in order for the writer to be successful; talent by itself will not be heard, while a bad product will become famous for all of the wrong reasons. By combining something great with great marketing it is possible to become famous for your writing while at the same time actually making some money from it; a writer needs to master at least the basics of business even while getting better at his own craft.

I hope you'll come along with me on this journey and see where things end up. Let's go!