As I mentioned in my Allauthor interview, while my first book was only published last year, I've been writing for decades. It's simply my curiosity that drives me to explore new genres and styles.
My love for film and theatre bled into the cinematic books Vanished Echoes and The Ghosts of the Past. My focus on kids and obsession with absurd worlds inspired me to write children's books and short stories. My love for my native hometown and its people makes me write about Naples and the pariah of that town.
Every day, I get out of my comfort zone just for the fun of doing something different and trying it—no need for reasons.
This curiosity extends to my unpublished works as well. I will soon venture into hard science fiction, psychological plots and sci-fi thrillers. I read widely, almost omnivorously, so I am often inspired to start new writing projects.
One aspect I enjoy, though, is the research. Before even considering sitting at my desk, I must learn new concepts, especially for the science fiction book. It took months to grasp some concepts and translate them into ideas and the words I wanted to write about.
Nevertheless, what ultimately drives me to experiment across genres is the excitement I feel from creating within different worlds and styles. With every new project, however, I can grow as a writer and stretch my thinking while working there again.
Yes, I definitely dreamed of becoming a writer when I was young. As early as elementary school, I loved writing stories, poems, and keeping journals. I was an avid reader from a very young age, and that passion for books inspired me to want to create my own stories someday.
In high school, I considered becoming a journalist or author. I kept journals religiously throughout those years to document my daily life and experiment with different writing styles. I also worked in a radio for a couple of years and that allowed me to write, quickly and efficiently my full shows and, don't tell anyone, even the radio chairman's editorials and speeches he used to hold pretty often.
Although I ended up pursuing a different career path, my childhood aspirations to become an author never fully went away. Writing has remained a hobby and creative outlet for me over the years. I may not have published any books with a publisher yet, but it was such a big dream of mine as a kid that I keep still alive. I'm thankful for all the writing practice and encouragement I received in school, which sparked my lifelong love of writing.
There are unfortunately some shady and unscrupulous practices in the book publishing and marketing world that authors should be aware of and avoid. Two of the biggest unethical schemes are vanity publishing and buying reviews and likes.
Vanity publishing, also known as a subsidy publisher, is when an author pays a fee to a publishing company to publish their book. The author typically covers all or most of the costs, including editing, printing, marketing, and distribution. Unlike traditional publishing, vanity publishers do not screen manuscripts for quality or potential sales. Their business model relies on making money from authors rather than book sales.
Vanity publishing often preys on new authors who desperately want to see their work in print. But authors only have themselves to market the book, which rarely sells many copies. Vanity publishing gives the misleading impression of being a “published author,†but in reality the author has simply paid to print their book rather than going through the validation of being chosen by a publisher.
I have recently submitted two manuscripts to an Italian publisher that states on the conditions "to be accepted, the author has not previously published with similar publishers"
The other unethical practical is related to buying Reviews and Likes
This may involve paying a service or click farm to generate fake online reviews on sites like Amazon and Goodreads. The goal is to boost the book’s ratings and make it appear more popular than it really is.
Similarly, authors may buy likes and followers on social media to inflate their fanbase and draw more attention to their book. But fake reviews and fabricated social media followings are misleading to potential readers. This practice violates most sites’ terms of service.
So, my bottom line is that vanity publishing and buying reviews or likes deceive readers and go against publishing ethics. While marketing a book ethically can be difficult, authors should focus on building genuine fans and earning publicity through traditional media coverage, blogger reviews, book giveaways and other honest means. Remember that quality writing and hard work are still an author's best path to success. And if you don't succeed, at least you can sleep tight
As a writer, I've learned that inspiration and creativity don't always follow a predictable schedule. When those lightning bolts of inspiration strike, I've trained myself to stop whatever I'm doing and capture the ideas immediately before they vanish.
Many of my best storylines and characters have come to me during random everyday moments - while walking my dog, commuting to work, cooking dinner, etc. I always keep a notebook or my phone handy to jot down notes whenever a new thought pops into my head. My poor dog has gotten quite used to my frequent pauses during our walks! Between him stopping to sniff every few yards, and me pausing to write down notes, our strolls stretch on.
With my demanding day job, finding extended writing time can be difficult. But I've worked out ways to integrate it into small pockets of time. My two days a week train commute provides a solid 40/60 minutes of uninterrupted writing time in both directions. And on weekends, I dedicate a few hours to writing, usually on Sunday afternoons.
Rather than force a rigid schedule, I've learned to fluidly adapt my writing time around the ebbs and flows of inspiration. Some evenings, the words just pour out rapidly, writing late into the night. Other nights, most of them, I barely have the energy to jot down a few sentences. I've stopped beating myself up when I can't stick to a perfect routine. As long as I capture those sparks of inspiration when they come, I can nurture my passion for writing amidst a busy life.
The key for me is being ready to write whenever and wherever creativity strikes. By keeping tools handy to record those metaphorical bolts of lightning, I can compile all those ideas into manuscripts over time. It may be an unconventional process, but it allows me to pursue writing on my own quirky schedule.
You're right, my writing process is far from consistent! Some stories seem to pour out of me rapidly, while others take shape slowly over many years.
A prime example is my latest unpublished book which felt like it almost wrote itself. The concept had been brewing in my mind for some time, but the actual writing came together in a burst of inspiration over just two weeks. Nearly the entire draft was written during my commuting time - I'd put in my earbuds, get lost in the story flow, and before I knew it, I had a complete manuscript drafted in only about 8 total hours.
On the other hand, I have another full book I've spent over 15 years revising, setting aside, restructuring, and rewriting. The core concept has remained, but I continually refine the execution, modify plot points, or play with new character angles. It's been an ongoing labour of love, regularly revisited and polished over a decade and a half. And, I'm still not happy about it!
For me, there's no definitive template to my writing process. Sometimes ideas pour out fully formed in intense bursts of creativity. Other times, they are painstakingly sculpted and perfected gradually over many years. But that variability keeps things exciting! My passion remains bringing these diverse stories to life, no matter the time investment required. The joy comes from nurturing the ideas wherever they may start.
Writing has been a passion of mine since childhood. I still vividly remember filling notebook after notebook with stories as a young kid. I was always fascinated by the ability to create worlds and characters through the power of words.
Though I ended up in the field of finance, writing remained a constant refuge for me. It was never a conscious choice to step away from writing professionally. Still, life circumstances led me down a more traditional career path.
Over the last 25 years, I've made writing a consistent part of my life, always finding time to put my thoughts, ideas, and stories down on paper. I've filled journal after journal, ultimately compiling over 20 volumes containing short stories, poems, vignettes - essentially mini-books of my collected works over decades.
My writing draws inspiration from the incredible people I've met and places I've been fortunate to visit during my travels around the world. Each person's story and unique perspective provides endless inspiration. The sights, sounds, and experiences from the different cultures and cities I've encountered stay with me and often make their way into my tales.
Now, in this stage of my life, I felt compelled to revisit all my old volumes of stories and select some to develop into full manuscripts. It's been a laboir of love fleshing out these long-forgotten yet meaningful narratives that have been years in the making.
This current work represents the accumulation of a lifetime spent recording observations of the human experience through a writer's lens. Though I never expected my hobby would lead to publishing, I'm excited to finally share these passion projects that are deeply personal. The journey of writing has made my life infinitely richer.
