About Don Swann II:
I am the reflection of my past, as I go thru the present and create my future.
I’m fun, serious, strange, intensely laid back (yep, I just said that) whom (said with a public school education) enjoys what he does.
Exploring the world of indie writing, authorship and publishing (learning the differences between being a writer & an author) From a guy just trying to be heard, hoping to be appreciated & maybe get paid. Writers gotta write!
Creatively open to trying new things, while complacent in being set in my ways (Yeah, I’m complicated… but aren’t we all). If you know me you’ll probably agree.
What inspires you to write?
The opportunity to string words together, creating a story from beginning to end, somehow not only make sense and entertain adults, give children a good memory and learn something too, is not without its challenges. The thought of making someone smile, laugh or filled with the tensions of the descriptive paragraph as their eyes scour over, examining the roller coaster of emotions, eager to turn the page as that last word awaits… hoping it will be well received and recommended.
Tell us about your writing process.
I use Google Keep to write down the idea, or thought… a few words, a title, synopsis, etc. Sometimes when I’m really lucky the whole story is already played out in my head and I just type it out. I have written out characters for some, before the story, or the actions of the nameless putting it all together as it comes and goes.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I’m new at this… it seems that I can imagine the conversations, the interactions and possibly empathize with the situation, but then it is a strange thing to have an argument with the fictitious people inside of one’s head, without being crazy…
What advice would you give other writers?
To write.
Be comfortable with what’s being said, be uncomfortable, let it flow and worry about punctuation, spelling, format, etc. later. Don’t allow yourself to become discouraged, or feel compelled to need the opinions of others until you like where its headed. Write for you.
Don’t be afraid you are wasting your time… Your writing is for you and when you have finished, then it will be for the reading audience. “We are confident in the solace of our minds and insecure when the rest of the world can see.”
How did you decide how to publish your books?
After trying the query letter path to a few publishing houses, I felt I could use the new world of self publishing to put my short stories and novels out there. Its a tough market, competitive and everyday is learning something that I didn’t know yesterday and how it held me back from my goal. I spend each morning checking sales and views of disappointment and before bed to find a show of good faith to continue.
It’s not for someone expecting quick riches, no matter how good the story. On rare occasion a lucky individual sees success. Learn everything about marketing and using social media, etc.. you can. Find and use great services like Fiverr, Fourrer and others to make good covers, edit your work, honest reviews, advertising, unless you are lucky enough to have a large amount of money to budget.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
Hard to say… but I believe we’ll see growth in the self pub industry. It’ll be considered the standard, as well as improvements in publication houses, trying to catch up, but it will be the authors and their success, that will dictate who will have more control and that is where the edge for self pub, plays out both in content and profits.
What do you use?: Professional Editor, Professional Cover Designer, Beta Readers
What genres do you write?: All. I write everything from kids books, satire, mystery, thrillers, short stories, poems, etc.
What formats are your books in?: eBook
Website(s)
Link To Don Swann II Page On Amazon
Link to Author Page on Smashwords
Your Social Media Links
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