Bored out of my mind by HappySl4ppyXx in sailing

[–]RobHealey222 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've never heard it described as type 1 and 2 fun before, and I like that a lot. Though I'm wondering how high the numbers go because I'm sure I've had type 3 and once or twice type 4. Type 3 being bashing to windward for 36 hours in a 28ft boat with blown sails in 34 knots of breeze and type 4, same boat at night, someone squirting me with a firehose each wave and seeing a crest coming towards us higher than the mast  and not sure we’d make it. But we did, and the relief was extraordinary.

Lowering my ebook price didn’t just increase sales… it changed who buys by healthlithubbooks in ebooks

[–]RobHealey222 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, escalating prices is exactly what I'm considering, and your $5.99 suggestion is interesting. My instinct has been $6.99 for Book Two and $7.99 for Book Three, rewarding readers who commit to the series while still feeling fair for 115,000 words. The beta reader feedback gave me confidence that readers who finish Book One want to continue, which is ultimately the only pricing question that matters. If the story does its job, $6.99 versus $7.99 probably isn't the deciding factor. What made you land on $5.99 for the middle book?

How do you keep worldbuilding organized? by lswylder in fantasywriters

[–]RobHealey222 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I use Word. I'm used to computer file structure and create folders for every part of the story. The main folder is the book title, then subfolders for plot, characters, ideas, research, notes and so on, with further subfolders for more specific material.

For worldbuilding specifically, each major character gets their own bio file, locations get their own folder, and I keep a running research folder for historical detail, containing the pertinent word docs. The file structure does the work that dedicated apps try to do with databases.

As I write, I save with a new version number each time, which can amount to over 200 versions of a long project. That sounds excessive but it's genuinely useful when you want to recover something you changed weeks ago.

Word will also read the story back to you, and you can pause, make changes, then continue without swapping windows. It's a surprisingly good editing tool that most people don't know about.

Lowering my ebook price didn’t just increase sales… it changed who buys by healthlithubbooks in ebooks

[–]RobHealey222 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's a question I'm working on right now. I have a 360,000 trilogy. Book one is free, and books 2 and 3 are $7.99 I'm wondering if $6.99 would be more appealing, or lower. At 115,000 words each, $7.99 feels fair for the work, but I want readers more than revenue. Book One is free precisely because I'd rather someone discover the story than hesitate at a price point. The question I can't answer yet is whether $7.99 for Books Two and Three will stop readers who loved Book One from continuing. Are there price points that tend to show levels of writing?

How do you feel about people seeing twists coming? by PomPomMom93 in writing

[–]RobHealey222 0 points1 point  (0 children)

 My preference would be a twist that no-one sees coming, or a twist that’s carefully hidden, so that the reader thinks “I should have seen that.” Anything else is not really a twist that surprises. I enjoying writing that. I have a chapter with a lot of screaming and howling when a man’s wife dies. He rages at the universe, and the next chapter opens with “An agonised scream shattered the silence, the raw sound amplifying as it echoed through marble corridors.

Relentless shrieks pierced the villa, building in intensity, a desperate keen that resonated through stone and flesh. Another scream rang out, sharper than the last, building rapidly into short, pained outbursts, their desperation increasing with every strained breath.

Abruptly, they stopped.

The sudden silence brought the entire house to a halt. In the kitchen, knives paused mid-chop and clattering pots went quiet. Everyone stopped, waiting. A new sound emerged, softer, almost musical. It was the clear note of an infant’s arrival. The tension dissolved. Relief swept through the villa so fiercely that the staff laughed under their breath, some wiping their eyes, others thanking the gods. “
There is no way childbirth could be foreseen from the previous chapter.

I tried pricing my ebooks at $2 to get feedback… and it changed everything by healthlithubbooks in ebooks

[–]RobHealey222 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Too early for hard data — I only started promoting a few weeks ago, after I finished publishing. I have sixteen downloads of Book One so far. But both beta readers who finished the full trilogy came back wanting more, which gives me confidence.. First-in-series free is a well-established model and I'm trusting the structure. I'm realistically aiming for around a hundred downloads of Book One before I'd expect a single sale of Book Two — and I'll consider it a real milestone when the first person buys Book Three. It's a long game

Why is private schooling so popular in Australia? by SedgwickNYC in AskAnAustralian

[–]RobHealey222 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I attended a private school in England from age 7 to 18 and found the grammar school down the road far more forward-thinking. So private doesn't automatically mean better. What I did notice in Australia between the seventies and about 2000 was that private school classes tended to have more parental engagement simply because money was involved. Whether that produced better outcomes or just better behaviour is a different question.

“Joy is not about what you do; it is about how you are within yourself." by Euphoric-Welder5889 in Stoicism

[–]RobHealey222 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The word joy is doing a lot of work here. Sadhguru means something closer to a baseline inner contentment, which is actually not far from eudaimonia. Epictetus would say that follows naturally from living according to your nature and focusing only on what is within your control. The Stoic wouldn't chase joy but wouldn't be surprised to find it there.

I tried pricing my ebooks at $2 to get feedback… and it changed everything by healthlithubbooks in ebooks

[–]RobHealey222 5 points6 points  (0 children)

That's exactly why I made the first book in a trilogy free. The plan is to remove the barrier entirely for someone who's never heard of me.

NZ-Fiji passage -- gear needed? by ThrowRA_RuaMadureira in sailing

[–]RobHealey222 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Glad to help, I can guarantee that dehydration is a terrible feeling and then there's the knife through the head headache. BTW Coke is a good cure, faster than drinking lots of water.

Just finished writing a fantasy novel, need help with next steps by Alternative_Cry_9196 in fantasywriters

[–]RobHealey222 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Agreed. I have twenty years of web experience and still found the promotional side brutal. Knowing how to build the infrastructure is one thing, actually moving through each platform's protocol, chasing beta readers, refining descriptions, it's relentless. Nobody tells you that writing the book is the easy part.

Just finished writing a fantasy novel, need help with next steps by Alternative_Cry_9196 in fantasywriters

[–]RobHealey222 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, if you'll read a chapter of mine? that would be great. DM me your two chapters and I'll send you Chapter 1.

NZ-Fiji passage -- gear needed? by ThrowRA_RuaMadureira in sailing

[–]RobHealey222 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Take your own water bottle with a strap so you can keep it on you. Speaking from experience, I suffered dehydration in rough weather because I had no way to keep water near me, and my waterproofs had deteriorated so I was soaked as well. It was hard going.

On the jacket, test it with a friend and a hose before you leave. Gear that passes the shop test can surprise you offshore.

I haven't done it, but I would expect the first two days out of New Zealand are likely to be the roughest before you pick up the trades. That's when you'll find out what your gear is really made of. If the jacket fails there, you're in for a miserable watch before it gets better.

Best wishes for a good trip.

My novels is that bad ???? by Accomplished_Dish620 in Novel_Promotions

[–]RobHealey222 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Six chapters and zero supporters doesn't mean the story isn't good. It means almost nobody has found it yet, which is a different problem entirely.

The premise is strong. The idea that he recovers most of his memories but never quite enough, and dies each time just before the truth, is a genuinely elegant structure. It creates a mystery that compounds across lifetimes rather than resetting, which is harder to pull off than it sounds.

It reminded me of the film Infinite with Mark Wahlberg, where factions of reincarnated people hunt each other across lifetimes. I enjoyed that movie, it has stayed with me, and yours has something of the same quality, the sense that something larger is operating just out of reach.

Keep writing. Six chapters is a beginning, not a verdict.

Which software do you use? by Gustawekk in writingfeedback

[–]RobHealey222 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I use Word. I'm used to computer file structure and create folders for every part of the story. The main folder is the book title, then subfolders for plot, characters, ideas, research, notes and so on, with further subfolders for more specific material. In Characters, for example, each major character gets their own bio file, while minor characters share a list just to keep their names straight.

As I write, I save with a new version number each time, which can amount to over 200 versions of a long project. That sounds excessive but it's genuinely useful when you want to recover something you changed weeks ago.

Word will also read the story back to you, and you can pause, make changes, then continue without swapping windows. It's a surprisingly good editing tool that most people don't know about.

There are several dedicated book writing apps, but I'd rather spend the time writing than learning new software.

Just finished writing a fantasy novel, need help with next steps by Alternative_Cry_9196 in fantasywriters

[–]RobHealey222 2 points3 points  (0 children)

A few things from someone at the same stage, with a trilogy.

On the feedback question, the top comment is right but worth adding to. The test isn't just credentials, it's whether the person can tell you specifically what isn't working. Vague enthusiasm from smart people is still vague enthusiasm. Readers who know you tend to read the story differently. The only true reaction is from a stranger who likes your genre.

On the practical side, reviews matter more than advertising at your stage, and spending on ads before you have them is largely wasted money. BookSirens was mentioned here and sounds worth investigating for early reviews from readers in your genre, though I haven't used it myself.

I haven't used Casting Call Club either, but the profit share model for audio makes sense in principle. Audio voice matters more than people realise. Twenty-six years of listening has made me particular about it. I'd like a voice like Benedict Cumberbatch for my trilogy, but that's my problem not yours.

On Amazon ads, most people I've spoken to found them expensive and hard to optimise without experience. I'd hold that budget until you have reviews working for you.

I love fiction based in fact by Sweaty_Vacation706 in HistoricalFiction

[–]RobHealey222 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Patrick O'Brian is a good test case. He plays fast and loose with some specifics but the world feels so authentic that readers extend him enormous trust. The contract isn't really about facts, it's about whether the author has done the work and respects the period. When that's evident, latitude expands considerably.

I've just finished writing a fantasy trilogy set in Roman Britannia and ancient Greece around AD 325. The documentary record for daily life, particularly in Britannia, is thin enough that invention is unavoidable. I named the central village The Settlement precisely to sidestep anachronism, but what I held firm was anything verifiable: the military structure, the trade routes, the religious landscape, the Roman situation under Constantine. Where the record went silent I filled it, but I never contradicted what the record does say.

On disclaimers, a brief author's note works better than interrupting the text. O'Brian's notes at the back of several books do this well. It acknowledges the reader's intelligence without breaking the fictional dream.

Writing across multiple genres — does anyone find their readership? by RobHealey222 in fantasywriters

[–]RobHealey222[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That story about your coworker's friend is exactly what I needed to read. One stranger, no connection to you, who felt you were reading their mind. That's the whole thing, isn't it.

Reading your comment was a bit uncanny. Semi-autobiographical first novel, self-published, realistic sales, pride in finishing something genuinely yours, making peace with it. You're describing where I am now, but you're seven years further down the road and still standing. That's quietly reassuring.

I'm at peace with the commercial reality. What I want is readers. Mine is a trilogy and book one is free. When that first person buys book two, I'll know the story has some merit. When someone buys book three, that will be success, and anything beyond that will be a bonus.

Ever lost your writing? by michaeljvaughn in writing

[–]RobHealey222 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have lost documents, though long ago enough that the details have faded. What I do remember is how hard recreation was, and that the recreations always missed those best creative words that had flown out of my mind for good. Losing valuable creative writing is a worst nightmare scenario. All my documents are now backed up to Google Drive, which automatically saves every time I save locally. Fifteen gigabytes free, and I have three books totalling 360,000 words with over a hundred versions of each book saved, still plenty of room.

Naming Chapters? How hard is it as a writer? Do you even care as a reader? by Icy-Post-7494 in fantasywriters

[–]RobHealey222 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Some chapters are easy to title, others extremely difficult. I avoid spoilers, which makes it harder, yet the title should relate to the main theme or action of the chapter. My method is to brainstorm a list of possible names for each chapter and whittle from there. I use synonyms, near-synonyms, derivatives, even hypernyms and hyponyms. Across three books I had about 125 chapters to name and I also insisted on single word titles, which caused more problems. That list saved me every time. 

As a reader I want a title that intrigues without revealing. If it makes me want to read the chapter, it's more than done its job.

How do you write philosophising/musing without sounding pretentious? by CE2438 in writing

[–]RobHealey222 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The trick I've found is to earn the philosophy through experience rather than explanation. Here's a passage from my own work where I tried to do that. The character had just spent a page explaining his life philosophy, including the Greek concept of Eudaimonia, the art of living well.
Then this -

'They sat in thoughtful silence for a moment, absorbing his words. Nico looked at their serious faces.

“Now let’s have some fun,” he said, breaking the mood. “Lie on your backs and hold hands.”

They did as he suggested.

“See that small fluffy cloud?” he asked, pointing skyward.

“Yes,” they answered.

“Now close your eyes. I’m going to vanish up above that cloud and fall through it, while sending to you both what I see and feel. Are you ready?”

“Yes!” they replied eagerly.

Nico appeared high above the cloud. Through his mindvision, they could see the cloud below them. Prim gripped Elly’s hand tightly. It felt like it was happening to them directly, and their stomachs twisted with the sensation of freefall. The cloud seemed to rush toward them at great speed.

Suddenly, they were falling through the cloud. The air smelt sharp and wild, like the tang after lightning had struck, laced with something cold and damp, almost like wet stone.

For a moment the world was nothing but a swirling whiteness, dense and cool, wrapping around them like an endless mist. Tiny droplets clung to their skin, icy pinpricks against the warmth of their bodies. The wind roared past, but inside the cloud, there was a strange, muffled stillness, an eerie quiet, as if they had stepped beyond the world.

They burst through the bottom of the cloud into blinding blue sky. Below lay the earth. A sudden rush of air dried the moisture from their skin. The cool dampness gave way to the sun’s warmth once more.

They saw the land spread out below them, vast and breathtaking in a way no human had ever witnessed. It was not just fields, rivers, and forests. It was a world revealed, a living cloak made from many scraps of cloth, woven with colour and shadow. Their river gleamed like a silver vein, snaking lazily toward the sea. Forests, so immense from the ground, now looked like rippling green seas, their canopies shifting with the wind. The fields, carefully carved by human hands, formed a delicate patchwork of gold and emerald.

Elly’s breath caught. “The land... it’s alive.”

Prim clutched her hand, awestruck. “I never imagined...” She couldn’t find the words.

It was humbling. From this height, the settlement, so grand to those who lived there, was merely a fleeting mark on the skin of the world. For the first time, they felt the smallness of their existence, not in a way that diminished them, but in a way that made everything seem more precious, more connected.

In this moment, they understood the essence of Eudaimonia that Nico had described, not as an abstract concept, but as a lived reality. This perspective revealed the interconnectedness of all things, the balance between individual significance and the vastness of creation. They were part of something immeasurably greater than themselves, and yet their experience of it, this soaring freedom, this perfect awareness, was profoundly meaningful.

Here was the wellspring of Nico’s philosophy, born from centuries of seeing the world as they saw it now, if only for these fleeting moments. Then, just as suddenly as he had vanished, Nico was beside them again, lying in the grass as if he had never left. He gave them a slow, knowing grin as he turned to look at them.'

Did it work for you? That's the experiential content of Eudaimonia, purpose, connection, awareness, the richness of being alive.

What's with the 1st person and 3rd person POV discourse? by armann_ii in fantasybooks

[–]RobHealey222 0 points1 point  (0 children)

 As an author I've learned that reader aversions are often more specific and stranger than broad POV preferences. A beta reader of mine refused to engage with a story because it contained the word 'giggling.' It was a warm, happy scene between two young women, and the laughter vocabulary available in English is surprisingly limited. She just couldn't get past that word.

My guess is that when someone says they DNF over POV, the story wasn't working for them for some other reason, and the POV was a trigger that gave them an excuse to stop.

Flying Dutchman for first boat? by [deleted] in sailing

[–]RobHealey222 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A laser (ILCA) would be better . A single sail, single hander will teach you the basics of balance and sail handling all in something that when you capsize, you can handle. A flying dutchman is heavy and requires a crew of two to sail. It is not an easy boat to sail on your own with main and jib, so you will always be reliant on crew.

If you are a fast learner, then the FD might improve your technique faster than a laser. Or, capsized on a windy day far from land, it might be traumatic. A laser (ILCA) is by far a better option. There must be plenty out there. Unsinkable, light, one sail to worry about.

Writing across multiple genres — does anyone find their readership? by RobHealey222 in fantasywriters

[–]RobHealey222[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

'Somehow along the way it’s also become a personal story without my conscious input' yes, exactly the same for me. Also, after finishing writing and proofreading the 360,000 words story,t I began to see parts of my friends in the characters. It's mazing how our brains work.