SURVIVING THE FIRST
DRAFT the one
So, you want to be holding the
Red Pen
KELLY
Author
ANNE
BLOUNT
Shamim Sarif
WRITE THE BOOK, MAKE THE MOVIE, CHANGE THE WORLD AUTHORS MAGAZINE | 1
ditor
A message from the
Mid-Year
Musings
With the first half of 2016 behind us, I’ve started reflecting on the books I’ve already read this year. Partly because some are worthy of remembering, but mostly because I’m obsessive about my Goodreads Reading Challenge and I wanted to check I was still on track. Turns out I am. In fact, I’m 2 books ahead of my mid-year goal… go me!
Rebecca Ferguson (Mission Impossible) with the title song by Ella Henderson and score by Oscar winning composer Rachel Portman (Emma, Chocolate). Shamim is not only an author, but a talented film director, and one of Britain’s brightest stars, with her first two film adaptations winning over 30 film festival awards between them.
A few books that have really stood out for me this year are Two Brothers by Ben Elton (historical fiction), Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (fantasy), Afterwards by Rosamund Lupton (crime mystery), Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard (fantasy) and Scarred by Joanne MacGregor (YA romance). Last week I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC of a book called Nevernight from Harper Voyager UK. Feeling rather important to be selected to have one of the few paperback book proofs doing the rounds, I settled in to read it. A few hours later, my eyes burning with lack of sleep and my heart racing, I had to take a few steadying breaths. This dazzling new novel by UK author Jay Kristoff (he of Illuminae fame) is nothing short of spectacular. A gritty, dark fantasy by a merciless author who may be loved or hated but certainly never forgotten. There was pure magic between those pages!
Other bright stars in this issue are our Budding Writers! We are currently open to submissions in this age 7-12 category, so keep those gorgeous stories coming, children!
Of course, in honouring my best books of 2016, I feel The 5th Wave trilogy deserves a mention. I cannot wait to see the movie adaptation, despite a few negative reviews I’ve noticed on social media – you can’t believe everything you read online, right? Speaking of movie adaptations, our cover author this month is none other than Shamim Sarif. The major motion picture of Shamim’s latest novel, Despite the Falling Snow, released in April this year, starring Charles Dance (Game of Thrones) and
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Also in this issue, Nerine Dorman shares her experience as an editor, and Tallulah Habib coaches you through the dreaded “middle” of your manuscript. Ameera Patel, who splits her time between the stage, the page and the television set, is this month’s International Focus Author, following the release of her new book, Outside the Lines. So grab your coffee, put your feet up and enjoy! What has been your favourite read of 2016 so far? Tweet us @ authorsmag and let us know! As always, happy reading! Much Love
Melissa Delport
Contents COVER FEATURE
04
SHAMIN SHARIF Write the book, make the movie, change the world
ARTICLES
PUBLISHER Lesiba Morallane
12 16 18 20
SO YOU WANT TO BE THE ONE HOLDING THE RED PEN SELF PUBLISHING IN SOUTH AFRICA ITIN, Tax and How To Get Paid WATTPAD AUTHOR Kelly Anne Blount SURVIVING THE FIRST DRAFT
EDITOR Melissa Delport COPY EDITOR Ian Tennent ADVERTISING COMMUNICATION Dineo Mahloele LAYOUT AND DESIGN Apple Pie Graphics
REGULARS A Message from the Editor.........................................................02 Sallys Sanity When I was a little girl......................................................................22 Budding Authors.............................................................................26 International Focus Ameera Patel.......................................................................................28 Authors Flash....................................................................................30 Justin Fox Dada and the beautiful absurd....................................................32 Recommended Reads...................................................................34
Tel: 079 885 4494 CONTRIBUTORS Melissa Delport Nerine Dorman Rachel Morgan Tallulah Habib Sally Cook Justin Fox
AUTHORS MAGAZINE: PO Box 92644, Mooikloof, Pretoria East Email: team@authorsmag.com To advertise online please email team@authorsmag.com or contact Ms Dineo Mahloele on 084 299 6812 DISCLAIMER The views and opinions expressed in this magazine are intended for informational purposes only. Authors Magazine takes no responsibility for the contents for the contents of the advertising material contained herein. All efforts have been taken to verify the information contained herein, and views expressed are ont necessarily those of Authors Magazine. E&OE
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Shamim Sa
WRITE THE BOOK, MAKE THE MOVIE, CHAN In Britain less than 10% of film directors are female and Shamim is one of Britain’s brightest stars, with her first two film adaptations winning over 30 film festival awards between them. Shamim’s debut novel The World Unseen won two prestigious literary awards; the Betty Trask and Pendleton May. Shamim adapted the book for film herself, both writing the screenplay and directing the film, alongside her partner Hanan who produced the film which went on to win 23 awards internationally. Her second novel I Can’t Think Straight was also made into a film, winning 11 awards. Her latest release, Despite the Falling Snow, is a cold war spy thriller and romance set between 1950s Russia and present day America. In April this year, Altitude Films released Despite the Falling Snow as a major motion picture staring Charles Dance (Game of Thrones) and Rebecca Ferguson (Mission Impossible) with the title song by Ella Henderson and score by Oscar winning composer Rachel Portman (Emma, Chocolate). Shamim has spoken at TED events in London, Jerusalem and India. In 2008, Shamim received the AfterEllen Visibility Award as International Lesbian/Bi Woman of the Year. Shamim and her partner Hanan are founders of the Sarif-Kattan Foundation, focusing on empowering and educating women and children across the globe. Hanan works alongside Shamim producing all of the films that Shamim directs. Melissa Delport of Authors Magazine was honoured to interview Shamim for our July Cover.
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Shamim, your achievements to date are truly mind-blowing! I spent hours scouring your website, and the internet, and the more I dug, the more intrigued I became. Let’s start with your latest book. Despite the Falling Snow is a breath-taking story of love and betrayal in Soviet Russia. What inspired this particular story? The book began when I started to think about two people on opposite sides of the political spectrum being in love. When you love someone, you become more open to seeing the world differently – but when changing your outlook can mean putting yourself in danger, the stakes go up and of course the story is more compelling. It was also interesting to me to consider whether two people who really love each other can survive a betrayal. I think I am often drawn to political backdrops for that reason – the pressure it puts on characters can be very dramatic.
Tell me a bit about your writing process
and the research that goes into a book like this? I did a ton of research while I was writing the book. I have always learned from books and I did a tremendous amount of reading about the period – both Khruschev’s time and the Stalinist era before that. There was a marked difference in tone and outlook after Khrushchev took power – and it struck me as the kind of atmosphere in which an idealist like Alexander might feel a sense of renewed belief in Communism. That said, the most helpful part of my research was taking a trip to Moscow. It was 2001, but there were still strong vestiges of communism around and I was fortunate enough to meet a lot of people who had lived through that Cold War period and that was incredibly useful in providing a lot of the detail I needed to write the novel. In terms of process, because I write and develop movies and help out my wife, Hanan’s, other businesses, no two days are the same, so I might not write every single day. But I am definitely a morning
Sarif
NGE THE WORLD
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person. I like getting up early, going for a run and then retreating to write. One of the best presents I’ve ever had was from Hanan last year – a cabin in the garden, perfectly insulated from the outside world. In a few hours there, I get a lot of writing done. Running, walking, or some physical activity, ideally listening to music, helps get my mind working and ensure I have something ready to start with when I sit down. Did you always know you were going to be a writer, or was it something that developed over time? I always knew I wanted to be a writer, but I don’t think I had the confidence to announce that until I had published some short stories and then found an agent for my first book. What has developed, of course, is the writing itself, because it is endlessly evolutionary and challenging as a vocation. Also, I’ve loved learning to write across different media in the past twenty years, from novels and short stories, to film and television. Reading great writing is a wonderful way to remind yourself how much you can still stretch yourself. I love the title, Despite the Falling Snow. For me, it invokes a sense of resilience and victory. How did the title come about? The title is from a poem by Robert Graves and when I read it, I knew it encapsulated everything I wanted in a title. There is a sense of loss to the word ‘Despite’ as well, I feel, and a gap that opens up and that I hope gets answered in the book. What message are you hoping readers will take away from this story?
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A friend of mine just told me that someone she knows was reading ‘Despite’ on a plane and cried so hard that the pilot asked her if she was all right! Apart from being emotionally moved, my wish is for people to feel a little inspired by Katya’s journey. She is an heroic character but also a lonely young woman who finds love – just in the most unexpected place. And the transformative power of that emotion is life-changing for her, but also lifethreatening. We can experience that openness and transformation and when it can happen without the sacrifices that Katya has to make, it’s a wonderful process. Despite the Falling Snow was released as a major motion picture in April this year starring incredible actors, including Charles Dance and Rebecca Ferguson, what was it like to direct them? The actors really responded to the script (and book) of Despite the Falling Snow. I love working with actors. I am an actor’s director who enjoys that process of building a character from the ground up with an actor’s input. Doing that with the cast of ‘Despite’ was a pleasure. Particularly, working with Rebecca Ferguson, because she plays two characters – Soviet spy Katya and her niece, Lauren, thirty years later. Apart from make up and hair, I wanted Rebecca’s way of holding herself and speaking to be very different for both characters; for Katya to have a 1950s softness and deference to her, despite her strength, and for Lauren to be a more confident, modern American woman. Charles was great to work with – he is super professional and a great storyteller during quiet moments. Alexander goes through many vulnerable moments
towards the end, and it was great to have an audience see a side of Charles we don’t often see. Shamim, let’s talk about your relationship with Hanan. You not only have a director-producer professional relationship, but you are also married with two teenage sons. What is it like to live and work together? Does work ever creep into your family time or influence your time together outside of the office? Because we work creatively together and because we are both passionate about what we do, there is rarely a time when we just switch off and say ‘no work’. What we do is too bound up with who we are for us to even enjoy not discussing it for a day! So, yes, the lines are always blurred and there are times it is stressful when we are both under pressure, but overall it is a dream. I get to work with someone who believes in me and my stories enough to move heaven and earth to get them made, and who is fun to work with. It is always a juggling process with our sons too, but the flexibility of not having a 9 to 5 job means we can be around a lot. The flip side is we work a lot at weekends and evenings though. In 2008 you received the AfterEllen Visibility Award as International Lesbian/Bi Woman of the year. In fact, both you and Hanan are active advocates in the LGBT community. Have you ever personally faced any obstacles or criticisms for your lifestyle, or as a result of your activism in this cause? I never saw myself as an activist, just as someone who wanted to live with integrity. But it is amazing how that permeates through to other people
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who want the same thing, and Hanan and I, almost by default, became a role model couple in the lesbian community. I never expected it but I am humbled by it and I know how much it helps for people to see that it is possible – and also ultimately more fulfilling - to live in a way that is true to yourself even if that might upset those around you.
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You are also both fierce defenders of women. The Sarif-Kattan Foundation was established with the aim of supporting women and children in particular, with a special focus on health and education. What prompted you to open this charity? There are so many parts of the world where women are still second class citizens. We have equal intelligence
and ability to be productive so it feels utterly ridiculous that some women do not have a choice about whether to be financially free or productive or to choose whom to marry or whether to have children. In effect, we are wasting the resources of half the world, and even worse, those women are being abused far too often. So it felt like a natural progression to us to support charities that focus on women and
children. Education is such a huge help in breaking taboos and opening our minds to other possibilities – that’s the first step in seeing the world as place of more possibility and we love the idea of helping women to achieve that, even if it is in a very small way at present. In 2010 Hanan co-curated the TEDxHolyLand conference. The conference itself was produced through the Sarif-Kattan Foundation, and brought together Palestinian and Israeli women in East Jerusalem. What was the primary aim of this conference and do you believe it was successful? The aim was to focus on dialogue and commonalities in a region that generally focuses on what splits the two sides apart. It created a tremendous amount of emotion and goodwill. Many of these women had never met the ‘other side’ in the conflict, despite being professionals and highly accomplished women in many different fields. It was an exciting event and it was also a political minefield. Some of our Palestinian speakers had trouble getting permits to come into East Jerusalem from outside. Some people were against any kind of dialogue while there is occupation – but in the end, Hanan and I have to believe that dialogue is better than estrangement from the other side. We went on to make our only documentary, The House of Tomorrow, based on TedxHolyLand and exploring the history of the conflict in as balanced a way as we could. Let’s talk about Enlightenment Productions, which creates, produces and distributes entertaining independent feature films, television content and books of integrity and individuality. You and Hanan founded
this business together and it has gone on to win 34 International Awards. Your first feature film, The World Unseen, was selected to debut at the Toronto Film Festival. Did you ever envision the company would enjoy such stellar success? My first screenplay was optioned by a Hollywood production company. It was a story of unrequited love, and they raised $15 million to make the film. Then they called me and said they needed two sex scenes. I reminded them about the unrequited love part, but for them, it was a formula. It was at that point that Hanan encouraged me to hold onto my integrity and I challenged her to produce films…and the rest is history. It has been a challenging road, always a new mountain to climb – but so worthwhile too. We’ve had some incredible support from friends, investors and fans, and we have been totally overwhelmed by the response to both The World Unseen and I Can’t Think Straight from women all over the world, who took the time to write to us and tell us how those stories changed their lives. That’s something I never believed could happen on the scale that it has. You have two teenage sons, who I am sure keep you quite busy! How has being a mom impacted your career decisions and your general outlook on life? The boys are amazing. And typical teenagers too ☺. One of the wonderful aspects of working together is that when we make a film, we are not separated as a family. For The World Unseen, for instance, we moved to South Africa for nearly a year. The boys went to school there and experienced a whole new culture, while we were filming. They’ve
also appeared in each of our films, though neither wants to follow in our footsteps. Generally, having children is the most challenging thing – you reach levels of exhaustion and self-awareness that I am not sure you reach without them – but as with most challenges, the rewards are incredible. I can’t imagine life without my family. I can imagine more writing time, but it’s a small price to pay! It seems you have your hands well and truly full, although I can only imagine the self-worth these projects inspire. You are changing perceptions, uniting against old-world prejudice and quite literally making a positive impact on a global scale. What next for the SarifKattan power duo? I am working on my next novel, The Artemis Protocol. A thriller with six female protagonists, I am really enjoying writing it. I’ve already completed a screenplay of it and Hanan is working on producing it right now. On top of that, she is opening a new restaurant in Soho in London – a Jersusalem Street Food concept called Tabun Kitchen…so no rest for us – in fact, we just seem to get busier! Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us, Shamim. We at Authors Magazine would like to wish you every success! Shamim Sarif currently resides in London with her wife, Hanan Kattan and their two teenage sons. For more information, please visit www. enlightenment-productions.com.
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Read an excerpt...
“Just rip it open, Uncle Alex. It’s a portrait,” she admits suddenly, unable to wait. “A portrait of whom?” She smiles and they continue unwrapping together, leaving curls of gold paper all over the floor. He is about to ask the question again, but now enough strips of paper are removed that what was initially just swathes of textured paint now reveals itself as a white blouse, a neck, a throat… then a chin and a mouth – a familiar mouth. The smile freezes on her face as she sees his watching eyes change from anticipation to shock. Or is it horror? “Uncle Alex?” she says, taking hold of his hand. She has stopped peeling away the paper, but his free hand reaches up and pulls it loose, an impatient, urgent movement. He must see the rest of it at once. He gasps for air, an alarming sound, for in its shock, his body has forgotten to breathe. Lauren’s hand is on his forehead, stroking, panicking. “I’m fine,” he whispers. “Are you sure?”
After dinner they sit in the living room, almost stupefied by the food. “I can’t believe I ate that much. I can’t move,” Lauren tells him. He offers her a chocolate truffle. “Are you trying to kill me?” she asks. “Certainly not. I want my present first.” She struggles up with looks of exaggerated anguish, but refuses his offer of assistance. With difficulty she slides her package into the living room. He comes to where she holds it upright, and glances to her for permission to open it. She nods, an edge of anxiety scoring into her, as she watches him pick at the tape.
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He does not reply. He is engrossed in the painting. He now realises that he had forgotten what Katya looked like, how she really was. The shape of her nose, the tilt of her chin, the lines on her forehead. Those details that get blurred in memory after months and years, that you find you can only recall by staring at the two photographs that you came away with, and that only return for sweet, ephemeral moments when the beloved’s face comes unsummoned into dreams or recollections. He feels he might cry if he speaks so he says nothing, and Lauren knows him well enough to wait in silence while they both look at the portrait. He forces himself to focus on the work involved, on Lauren’s achievement, as a way out of the labyrinth of emotion that has suddenly claimed him. His niece, Katya’s niece, has captured her aunt with such vivid clarity and life that he has to remind himself that she has in fact never even met her. “Was it the wrong thing to do?” she asks finally. He shakes his head to buy time, though there is a part of himself that is almost resentful of what his niece has done. How she has forced right before his
eyes, in unrelenting clarity, the vision of his lost wife. His lost love. She waits, sensing that he is displeased in some way – she watches him biting his lip slightly. Perhaps he is trying to regain some control. Then he speaks, as quietly and calmly as he is able. “Tell me about it,” he says. Still gripping his hand, she speaks, slowly, carefully, explaining how she worked from the two pictures that he has, and from a couple of Yuri’s photographs, taken when Katya was a teenager, the Katya that he knew before he left Russia. Her features and facial structure were the same, of course, and gave her different angles and expressions to work from. “And the eyes?” He looks at Lauren for the first time. “Are they good?” she asks gently. He nods. They are exact; so true. They look directly at him while revealing very little themselves. Katya could always have a hint of haughtiness about her, and Lauren had captured that too, but she had also placed in those eyes a fierce intelligence and an infinite sadness. “When I was thinking about this piece, and how to do it, I went through everything I knew about her, and I realised that basically, there were two Katyas. One was my father’s. You know Yuri’s stories,” she smiles. “The laughing, clever kid sister who was always leading him a dance and getting him in trouble with their parents. And then I knew your Katya. Or at least your stories of her,” she adds, to qualify any presumption he might feel she is making. He waits for her to go on. Tell me, Lauren, what she was like, let me try and feel it again, even though you cannot possibly understand it all. “That was the Katya I wanted to capture. The bold, strong, vulnerable, angry woman who chose to…”
“As long as you’re okay with it. I can always take it away.” “No, no. It was a shock, that’s all. I just need some time.” He sounds more like himself and she is immeasurably relieved. The self-control, the rationality is back, and she is no longer fearful that she has made a terrible mistake. She leads him back to his chair and pokes at the fire, which has settled down into small, licking flames that curl around the last, luminous log of wood. “I’ll get some tea,” she tells him. “Camomile?” “If you’re having some?” “Yes.” He watches as she goes out to the kitchen, leaving him with a precious few moments alone. He glances at the fire for comfort, but the logs are too dry and are spitting and hissing, putting out a violent heat that causes him to move his chair back a little. Closing his eyes intensifies his awareness of the canvas looming behind him. With conscious, almost ostentatious calm, he turns in his chair, and looks at it, at her, once more. She is watching him with an expression that is half-smile, half-frown, an expression that perhaps she never even had during life, but which captures her character perfectly. He feels a stab of guilt and swallows, but his mouth is dry. He looks for water, but there is only the remains of their wine. Lauren will come soon with the tea, he reminds himself. In the meantime, Katya is regarding him with that slight smile, without accusation or blame. He has always known that she would never have blamed him for what happened – his own pain and guilt have been punishment enough. But that knowledge has only ever reinforced the sense of exactly how much he lost when she died.
A quick movement of his head catches her eye and causes her to stop. “Anyway, that’s what I was trying for,” she finishes mildly. “You’re a genius, Lauren. It’s almost hard to look at.” “I’m sorry. The last thing I wanted was to hurt you… It’s funny, I was excited all the time I was painting it, varnishing, even framing just today. It was only when I got it home this afternoon that I had my first panic attack. Wondering if I was really doing the right thing. It must make you miss her all over again.” They are quiet together for a minute or two before he speaks. “It does,” he says. “I mean, it only sharpens what I’ve felt for the last forty years. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.”
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the
So, you want to be
Red Pen by Nerine Dorman
So, how do I become an editor? This is a question I get asked so often I should put up an FAQ. Now, here’s my answer: it’s complicated. If you ask every editor you meet how they got their wings, you’ll have a different story each time. Some work almost exclusively in academic publishing. For others its children’s books. Some focus on copy editing, while others’ forte is developmental editing, where they work with an author to revise the structure of their novel. Some editors will work predominantly on a particular genre of fiction, such as horror, romance or literary fiction. It really boils down to what their passion is or whether they’ve somehow worked themselves into a niche of the publishing industry in which they’re both knowledgeable and comfortable. (Or by mistake dug themselves into a very, very dark hole from which there is no return – send chocolate and hugs – lots of hugs.) There’s a certain glamour
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that’s attached to the word “editor”, and I’ll tell you until I’m blue in the face that the glitter wears off rather quickly after the late nights and mugs of cold coffee that reveal drowned roaches in the dregs. Hours spent peering at little black squiggles on paper and on screens takes its toll on your eyesight and, often, your feelings of magnanimity towards clients when they don’t appear to absorb or apply anything you’ve tried to teach them. Still here? Okay then… While a relevant tertiary education certainly helps, not all editors will have fancy university degrees. Some will have slogged their way up through the trenches of the industry as lowly interns, gaining valuable experience until they emerge to be awarded their vicious red pen. What is common to all serious editors is their dedication to and
passion for the written word.
My own path saw me duking it out for a decade in newspaper publishing where I worked as a sub-editor and writer, and where the stalwarts in the industry certainly didn’t pull their punches when it came to guiding me. On top of that, I cut my critiquing teeth by being an active member of an online critique group where I learnt that it’s not so much what you say to an author that counts, but how you guide them.
Bedside manner is everything. When you rip into someone’s story, always remember that there is a thinking, breathing, living person on the receiving end. Even if you have to suppress a strong desire to bop them over the head with a thesaurus.
e one
e holding the
n
Granted, you’ll always have your prima donnas who believe that their manuscript is precious and perfect, and who’ll throw full-blown conniption fits when you mildly suggest that they might look into improving certain aspects of their work. (Been there, suffered that – someone fetch me a spatula because my eyes are stuck to the ceiling thanks to the latest special snowflake’s juvenile behaviour.) So, yes, part of being an editor is learning how, to a degree, to get inside the head of your author, and being part life coach and counsellor on top of shaping their magnum opus into something resembling literature. Often you have to set aside your own likes and dislikes, because on top of everything you must remember it is not your job to rewrite the novel. You’re there to shape the work so that it becomes the best that it can be. You must be proud enough to have your name appear in the acknowledgements page. Realise also that not all your clients are going to be wonderful people. I’ve worked with some downright bizarre individuals, and I’m pretty sure I’ll see some pretty darn strange ones in the future. Most of the time, especially
when you have author clients, all you can do is make suggestions and take the money. In these cases the onus is on the author to make the relevant changes. Horses, water, you get the picture. There’s a little more leeway when you’re working with a publisher who sends the author your way for editing. The publisher will inform you of their house style (and often provide you with a style sheet of conventions to follow). If a publisher is strict on certain conventions, be it with grammar or content, the editor will be able to make stronger suggestions the author can’t really argue against (like the common small-press rule of no underage sex, no bestiality, no gratuitous violence, no golden showers … you get the picture). Though, as a freelance editor, I will pretty much edit whatever lands in my lap, though I give preference to YA, erotic romance, science fiction, fantasy and horror – because those genres are my specialities and, because I review these genres for media outlets, I can say with all honesty that I know the conventions of these genres pretty well.
editorial … the list is endless. My background in newspaper publishing means that I’m also a bit of a generalist – I possess a broad general knowledge that serves me well. Additionally, it goes without saying that an editor will have a love of reading, and will read many things during his or her life, and often outside of his or her chosen genres. I may not know Kanye’s music if I happen to hear it on radio, but I’ll at the very least know how to spell his name and know that he is (or was) romantically entangled with a certain lady whose name begins with a K, if you get my drift. An editor may also know the best way to remove a fish hook from a finger, and that bopping someone on the head hard enough to cause them to pass out for ten minutes won’t allow for them to bounce back and save the girl from the villain. (Nope, that only happens on telly.) Mostly, as an editor, you’ll know your stuff when it comes to grammar. You’ll know your dangling participles from your apostrophe abuse. Without hesitation you’ll know that the possessive case of “it” does not take an apostrophe. It will drive you dilly when you see “CDs” spelled “CD’s” on billboards. Comma splices will make you queasy. Some folks will whisper to each other that you are a dreaded Grammar Nazi. They might even post memes related to this on your Facebook timeline, and you’ll laugh quietly then sigh a bit. Then you’ll gently try to guide your authors to avoid ending sentences with prepositions, unless they have nothing else to end them with.
Yet… I’ve edited corporate documents, advertorial, property editorial, prefaces for art books, academic essays, travel
It also means that sites like grammarist. com number among your favourites, and that you’re never afraid to keep on
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learning. Still keen to become an editor? How do you get there? It’s not easy. You’ll need lots of passion for your craft. You’ll be a perfectionist. You’ll keep learning, keep improving. You’ll learn from your mistakes (no editor is infallible). If you’re of the lucky few who can afford to go to university to study languages and literature, bully for you. Do it if you can. If you can’t, don’t despair. There are many courses (some even free) available online and through colleges that will give you a good starting point. Most importantly, however, you need to get into working with the written word.
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Experience is everything. This means critiquing authors – and the best way to do so is to be a beta reader. I promise you, if you offer free beta reading to your author friends, and make the effort to offer the kind of critique that will help them improve their writing, you’ll be well on your way down the path of no return (she says ominously). Even better is if you can find an editor who’s willing to take you on as an intern – don’t be afraid to ask. The worst that can happen is they’ll say no. What I’ve learnt, as I’ve immersed myself more and more in the literary world, is that greater involvement opens doors. The
more people you get to know, the more they get to know who you are and what you do (and what you want to do), the better chances you have for even more doors to open. But that won’t happen if you remain sitting on the sidelines wishing for things to happen. Bio: Nerine Dorman is a freelance editor and designer based in Cape Town. Her passion for the written word in only surpassed by her love for good coffee and Varric Tethras’s chest hair. Follow her on Twitter @nerinedorman
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SELF PUBLISHING in South Africa
ITIN, Tax and How To Get Paid ITIN (Individual Taypayer Identification Number) When I began self-publishing in 2012, Amazon required nonUS authors to provide an ITIN or EIN. If not, Amazon would withhold 30% of royalties for tax purposes. Not cool, especially when you have to pay tax in your own country. These days, things are a whole lot easier. Amazon asks you to take an online “tax interview” (which is just you filling in an online form) and you’re allowed to provide your South African tax number if you don’t have an ITIN or EIN. They then send you ALL your royalties, and you declare this as part of your income and pay tax on it here. Currently, the only retailer that still requires an ITIN is Smashwords (and possibly Ingram Spark, a producer of print books. They ask for “tax exempt documentation”, but I haven’t finished the set up process there, so I’m not certain). So you technically don’t have to get an ITIN, because you can choose Draft2Digital as your ebook distributor instead of Smashwords (if you use a distributor at all) and avoid the ITIN hassle. (Although Draft2Digital distributes to fewer channels. More details on that in this post.) However, if you would like to get an ITIN, here is the process: • print out and fill in Form W-7, using the IRS’s instructions to help you. Here is the main IRS page about the application, and here is some assistance from Amazon KDP. • visit a US embassy and get a copy of your passport notarised by a US notary (NOT certified. I found out the time consuming way that those two things are not the same) • mail the completed form and notarised passport copy to the IRS • wait for them to process the application and mail you your ITIN documentation (this took about 8 weeks when I did it)
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• fill in Form W-8BEN, which includes a section for you to fill in your ITIN, and send it to any retailer that requires it
Paying Tax in South Africa As a self-employed author in South Africa, you should then register as a provisional taxpayer. This means you will pay tax at the end of August, based on your income for the first 6 months of the tax year, and again at the end of February, based on your income for the second 6 months of the tax year. Then, when you submit your tax return later on after the end of the tax year, the assessment calculation will tell you whether you still owe SARS anything more, or if they owe you a refund. (Hopefully it’s the latter!) The provisional tax system is to ensure that you don’t end up paying a ginormous amount of tax once a year upon assessment, but rather spreads it out across two or three payments. (Please note that I am NOT a tax practitioner (thank goodness!), and if you need help with this, you should visit SARS or get yourself an accountant.) Tax-deductible expenses: While we’re talking about icky things like tax, and since it may not have occurred to you, I’ll just mention this: If you declare your legitimate expenses, that decreases your net income, which obviously decreases the amount of tax you have to pay. Yay! Again, I’ll stress that I’m not an expert in this area, but I’ve always been told that any expense incurred in generating income is a legitimate “business expense.” So keep all receipts, invoices and proof of payment! When you order 50 copies of your book from MegaDigital, that’s an expense. When you go to the post office and mail 5 print copies to the NLSA for ISBN registration purposes, keep the receipt. Did you buy a stack of A4 paper and toner for your printer so you could print out your gigantic manuscript for editing/proofreading purposes? I’m pretty sure that’s part of your “business” too. When BookBub chooses you for an ad
(WHEN, not IF. It will happen! Positive thinking!), make sure to save the invoice after you’ve paid. (And yes, you need to keep the actual proof of all these expenses. If SARS picks you for auditing (and I ALWAYS get picked! ARGH!), you’ll need to send them a copy of all these receipts, invoices etc.)
Getting Paid via Cheque I don’t recommend this option This used to be the way we’d receive our royalties from Amazon (unless you happened to have an American bank account, or a British or European bank account, for the other Amazon stores). The cheques would take at least a month to get here (and that’s when we WEREN’T having postal strikes), and then we’d have to go to our bank, fill in foreign cheque deposit forms, and pay whatever fees went along with that. You can still choose to receive cheques from Amazon (as well as from some other retailers, such as Smashwords), but why would you when there are now faster, easier ways to receive payment?
Getting Paid via PayPal Use for Smashwords Smashwords (and Ingram Spark, if you use them for print) pays royalties via PayPal. Set up a PayPal account and get it verified by linking a credit or cheque card to it. Smashwords then sends your royalties once per quarter to your PayPal account, after which you withdraw the money from PayPal to your local bank account. Currently, the only South African bank that plays nicely with PayPal is FNB. You don’t have to have an FNB bank account though; you can simply get an FNB online profile. (FNB has a PayPal guide here.) When you link your PayPal account to your FNB profile (again, check the guide for details on how), you have the option to specify a non-FNB bank account. So when you log into FNB to withdraw money from PayPal, the money will go to the bank account you choose (an FNB account if you have one, or a non-FNB account if you’ve specified those details).
Getting Paid via Payoneer Use for Amazon and CreateSpace Payoneer has become the saviour of South African authors! It’s an online American bank account, which means you can receive payment in the same way those with an actual American bank account do! (You can also receive payment in British pounds and in euros.) You’ll need to wait for your bank card to arrive in the mail before you can use the account, which takes a few weeks. (The card is so that you can draw money at an ATM if you wish, and the card number serves as a security measure each time you withdraw money). Once your Amazon and/or CreateSpace royalties have been paid into your Payoneer account, you can then withdraw them to whatever South African bank account you’ve linked to Payoneer. Payment usually gets to my local account in less than a week. Easy peasy! ANNUAL FEE: There is an annual fee of $29 (which may or may not have increased by the time you read this blog post). ADDITIONAL FEES: After months of using Payoneer, the only recurring fee I can see is 1% being deducted each time money is transferred from Amazon into the Payoneer account. There is no fee when I withdraw the money from Payoneer to my South African bank account (although it’s possible there is a fee worked into the exchange rate. I don’t know.) *Note: The Payoneer link is an affiliate link. If you use that link to sign up for a Payoneer account, you and I will both be credited with $25 from Payoneer after you receive your first $100 into your Payoneer account
Getting Paid via Direct EFT Use for iBooks, Kobo, Draft2Digital Hallelujah! This is the best and easiest way to be paid, and, fortunately, there are some retailers that now pay into South African bank accounts. iBooks, Kobo and Draft2Digital are amongst these enlightened retailers (and MegaDigital, of course, which is a South African print-on-demand company).
This sounds complicated, and it is a little bit when you first set it up, but it’s easy after that. I promise!
www.rachel-morgan.com
AUTHORS MAGAZINE | 17
KELLY
Author
ANNE
BLOUNT
Kelly Anne Blount joined Wattpad two years ago. Since then, her books have accumulated over 12 million reads, she has hit the USA TODAY Bestsellers List, she has become a Wattpad Star and Wattpad Ambassador, and two of her books featured on Wattpad, CAPTURED and UNDER, have been optioned for film. Kelly is incredibly grateful for everything that joining Wattpad has done for her. She was able to grow an incredible fan base and share a completely new side to her writing. Two of Kelly’s most popular books on Wattpad are CAPTURED, which has been read more than eleven and a half million times and UNDER, which has been read over 935,000 times. Last year, CAPTURED was optioned by Rami Rank of Top Rank Pictures. Rami, who has also optioned Apryl Baker’s successful series, THE GHOST FILES, has worked on successful horror shows like Dexter and has an amazing vision for CAPTURED. Just last week, it was announced that UNDER had been optioned by Komixx Media. Komixx has a strong track record in selecting and developing IP for the young adult market. UNDER will add to the raft of bestselling young adult fiction rights currently in development, which includes The Winter Horses by New York Times bestselling author, Philip Kerr, Fearless from award-winning author Emma Pass and teen-author Beth Reekles’ The Kissing Booth, which attracted 19 million reads on Wattpad. Komixx has already started development for both The Kissing Booth and Fearless. Kelly on signing with Komixx, “I knew from the moment I spoke to Andrew and Ed about UNDER, that
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they would be the perfect fit for my dark and twisted project. Their vision coupled with the talent they bring to the table is unbeatable. The icing on the cake is that they completely understand the impact Wattpad is having on the world of entertainment. I’m incredibly excited to see where they take UNDER.” One of the most important aspects of Kelly’s writing world are her fans. She has organized a popular event hosted on her Wattpad page called the Wattpad Block Party. Kelly hosts the Wattpad Block Party twice a year (February and August) for an entire month. The event brings together everyone from super star Christopher Pike to up and coming Wattpad writers. “It’s a great way for authors to have a special day to interact with their fans,” says Kelly, who recognizes that is can be challenging to respond to the 40,000 comments left by fans on one story alone. “When it’s my feature day, I’m all about my fans,” she says. “I answer all of their questions and respond to every comment they leave on my post.” What’s next for Kelly Anne Blount? “I am finishing the third book in THE NECOH SAGA, published by Limitless Publishing and I’m working on a new book over on Wattpad called, NOW WE’RE EVEN (Kelly plans on finishing both books this year). I’m also really excited about the upcoming Wattpad Block Party this August. Stop by and meet epic authors and enter the awesome giveaways!” If you’d like to read some of Kelly’s work, pop over to Wattpad or pick up a copy of her YA fantasy novel, GRISHMA, for free on Amazon!
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SURVIVING THE FIRST
DRAFT by Tallulah Habib
You have a brilliant new idea, you’re just itching to write. It’s so easy for the first few pages… and then it becomes gradually more difficult. So you give up. Sound familiar? Every author has been there. So how do you defeat the common foes in the journey towards a completed first draft? Strong foes like Sir Procrastination and the fabled beast Self Doubt?
Before you start writing... Like any decent soldier, you want to go in prepared. You need to accept that a time will come when this brilliant new story will turn on you. It will feel sticky and wrong and you will doubt yourself. That’s part of the process. You can head off a lot of these doubts by having a plan of attack.
fast you finish that first draft without having to push through or experience obstacles.”
Erika Bester, director of Fire Quill Publishing and author of numerous novels across genres under different pen names, says that she never struggles to finish a first draft, mostly because she knows the story she wants to write before she even puts pen to paper.
Joanne Macgregor, author of seven books for teens and young adults, agrees that often planning is the key to an easy ride, “Many writers experience that trial of the tough middle and are tempted to give up and start something fresh. I think it’s often a consequence of not having plotted the story and structure well enough before beginning, and of thinking that one idea or concept is enough to carry a story. You need multiple plot threads to interweave with your theme to give you enough impetus to carry the story to its climax.”
“Know your characters like you know your friends. Know the twists and turns, the conflicts. The beginning, middle and end and even the fillers in between,” she advises. “You will be surprised how
There are many writers who find that plotting doesn’t work for them (fondly known as “pantsers” because they like flying by the seat of their pants). For these writers, a first draft is less like
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instigating a well-organised plan of attack and more like entering a dark and gloomy dungeon, feeling the way forward towards treasure. You learn about the plot and the characters as you go. There is nothing shameful about this method, in fact the results can often be more surprising and organic, but it does mean that you need to store up an arsenal of weapons to combat the foes you know are likely to leap out at you from the dark.
Enemies to watch out for in the dark Even if you have plotted, there will be times that you find yourself fumbling in the dark, needing a link between scenes, to bulk out some characterisation or to reach the next plot point. This is where some of the first-draft-halting enemies
most love to strike.
forgotten that there was ever any treasure in the first place.
The Cliché Hunter
Luckily he has a couple of weaknesses.
When you’re writing a first draft, stumbling around in the dark looking for that mythical next plot point, the very last thing you need is to encounter the Cliché Hunter. Like all demon hunters, he has a very important job. He’s just not needed in a first draft. If he’s out hunting micro clichés - the kind that pop up in dialogue or description - you might get caught in one of his snares and that will slow your journey forward immensely. (Which is more than a little frustrating when you’re not even sure you’re on the right path and might end up rewriting this bit anyway). But he’s at his most dangerous when he’s out hunting macro clichés looking for overdone plot elements or characters or the very story itself. That’s when he puts his crossbow to your neck and demands to know “What the hell do you think you’re doing here?”. And when you can’t answer he might even kill you. Well, kill your novel. Sometimes clichés can be a useful means to an end - a way of moving the plot along. Keep them in as placeholders, and worry about them later. If you stress too much about being original, you’ll never finish that novel. Because the secret is, there is no such thing as true originality.
Sir Procrastination He sits at his campfire, frying up some delicious snacks. He invites you to sit with him. What you don’t realise is that he’ll never let you leave. He’s a crafty devil. Sometimes you won’t even realise that you’re stuck until months have gone by and you’ve completely
The most effective way to defeat him is developing a writing routine. The well known BOCHOK method has been proven an effective weapon (butt on chair, hands on keyboard). Force yourself to sit down to write every day - or at least every second day. It doesn’t matter if only a sentence comes out (and it’s a bad sentence), you’re moving forward and you’re sticking with the story on the path to that fantastic treasure. Macgregor suggests that when you do this, you turn off your internet connection (“BOCHOK doesn’t refer to procrastinating on the internet!”). She also suggests that if you’re really stuck, you can set a timer and challenge yourself to reach a certain number of words before it goes off (known as a “writing sprint”). If that doesn’t work, you might want to up the ante by visiting a site called Write or Die that will delete words you’ve written if you don’t continue to type. The less extreme version is Written? Kitten! that rewards you with a picture of a cute cat if you meet a wordcount goal. The other major weapon against Sir Procrastination is nagging. In other words, make sure you have some social accountability. Tell your friends, your writing group or random people online how many words you aim to write. You’re more likely to avoid that cozy campfire if there’s a chance that other people in your life will see you sitting there being all lazy. Nothing provides a kick in the pants quite like the question, “how’s that novel going?”.
The Middle Marsh About half way through the journey, there’s this vast marsh. It stinks. It’s full of quicksand. Every so often bubbles of methane rise to the surface - and we all know what that smells like. Welcome to the Middle. Every author ever will tell you that from the mid point to the three quarters point is a horrific no man’s land where the beast, Self Doubt, roams for prey. Perhaps the passion is dry, perhaps the plot is dry. Perhaps you’re just bored. Getting across here can be even more tricky than getting away from Sir Procrastination. But worry not. Many brave adventurers have faced these marshes before you. And while the skeletons of some do lie beneath the bog, plenty of others have made it safely across. If you’ve tried the methods you used to defeat Sir Procrastination and they haven’t worked, here are some other things Macgregor suggests you can try: ● Try writing in another mode (longhand in a notebook, or dictating into a voice recorder). ● Shift your brain from verbal to visual: lie down in a dark room and imagine the “movie” of the next scene, then capture it into words – quick! ● Read! A great book will inspire you, and a crappy book will motivate you because you know you can do better. ● Read some poetry before sitting down to write. ● Get a trusted writing friend or betareader to check what you’ve written so far – your block may be due to a problem with your story. ● “Interview” the character you suspect is causing you problems. I do this as a Q&A written exercise and it’s amazing what new ideas and character elements emerge. Continued on page 25 AUTHORS MAGAZINE | 21
When i was • We learnt to swim before we could count. • We learnt to climb trees before we could read. • We learnt to cartwheel before we could write. • Formal school began at 6. Before that, we played outside. Nature was our classroom and jislaaik what an education she gave us. • Strangers were friends we hadn’t met yet. • Our teachers didn’t only educate us, they were a shoulder to cry on, discreetly helped us with little ‘accidents’ and wrote us letters to keep in touch after we’d left their class. • Pocket money was doled out in coins. A bank account was for grown-ups. • Barefoot was standard attire. Shoes were for school. Or church. Or a trip to town. • We never needed an invitation to visit friends. • A photograph was forever.
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• Going to the cinema was as big a treat as a birthday. It happened once a year. If that.
• Dress-up was a simple as rummaging through mum’s cupboard.
• The TV was hardly ever on in the daytime – unless there was test cricket. Then it was on all day.
• We dried our hair in the sunshine.
• Running to answer the landline telephone was a huge deal. So too was the greeting. • Sport was compulsory at school and took up way more time than homework ever did. • There were winners and losers in school sports days. • We knew our academic aggregate and what place we came in class. • Riding bikes, skateboarding or rollerskating in the street was as natural as being outdoors in the first place. • Rain never stopped play. • Helmets, shinpads or kneepads didn’t exist. •
At birthday parties, the whole class was invited. There’d be a garden, a pool and a table of treats. No party bags, entertainers, bouncy castles. Games we made up ourselves. We’d leave barefoot, with wet hair, exhausted and mildly sunburnt yet happier than pigs in…well, you know.
• Air-conditioning was opening a window. Heating was wearing an extra jersey. • We ate meals at a table. • We drank milk or water. • Milk was full-cream. Butter was real. • Peanut butter sandwiches were a staple in many a school lunchbox. As were peanuts. • There were no frozen ready meals. • We never had takeaway. • Potato, rice and bread weren’t the anti-Christ. • Protein and fat were simply food groups as part of a balanced diet. • Gluten, dairy or nut allergies were very rare, almost unheard of. • Coming from a divorced family was the exception, rather than the rule. • Friends’ mums were Mrs ‘so and so’ and their dads Mr ‘so and so’. • Please and thank you were non negotiable, always.
A LITTLE GIRL By Sally Cook
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• We were hardly ever ill. Going to the doctor was so rare it was a novelty for us – as were antibiotics, plasters and medicine in general. • Roasties doused in Mercurochrome were badges of honour. • We spent every Sunday evening with our grandparents. It was family tradition. • Beach holidays were all about family. All of us swimming, frolicking in the rock pools, collecting shells and lying in the sand. • Eating out at a restaurant was only for special occasions, like birthdays or school awards. • Books were revered and treated with respect at all times. • Encyclopedias were the oracle of all knowledge. • A trip to the library was an adventure. • We kept in touch with friends who moved away by letter via post. • Our aunt and uncle were our second parents, our cousins as close as siblings. • We believed in fairies, unicorns,
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the Easter Bunny, Tooth Mouse and Father Christmas. And heaven. • We respected the rule of the wooden spoon. Or mum’s flip flop. Whichever was closest to hand. • The elderly were heard, their histories valid and stories relevant. • Wildlife was all around us – we simply had to step outside. • We said ‘I love you’ in person. My little girl is growing up in a very different world to this. A world where she’s taught to be suspicious of strangers, her school uniform requires three sets of shoes, she’ll most likely own a phone before a bra and exploring the wildlife in her own backyard is a challenge simply because there’s no wildlife and there’s no backyard. She can read, write, count to 100 and watch war being broadcast live on TV – yet she can’t swim, climb a tree, cartwheel or ride a bike. She’s four years old. As much as the digital era has connected us in terms of communication and access to information, it’s also disconnected
us from a much simpler way of life. One where we look each other in the eye, speak English in full sentences and give actual hugs. She’s missing out on a life where the outdoors is the ultimate entertainment. And it’s not just enough; it’s everything. Today she may be able to use an iPad, navigate my iPhone, channel surf on Netflix and scan my groceries in a self-checkout. Later, she can become prime minister, lead a trip to the moon or develop a vaccine for a flesh-eating virus. She can be or do anything she aspires to. And don’t get me wrong – that’s truly remarkable. But so too is looking back on a childhood rich in adventure where the memories last a lifetime: The fun of pulling fat juicy sticks of sugarcane from a passing truck, the joy of jumping into a silo stuffed with mielie kernels, the excitement of spotting a rhino in the veld or the sheer exhilaration of racing tractor tyres down the bank to the river. Memories like these are pretty remarkable too. Well worth their weight in all the free Wi-Fi hotspots in the world, in my opinion. I can only hope that one day she agrees. *Originally published on So Many Miles From Normal
Continued from page 21
● Commit to a deadline. If you want to be really serious about this, upload your (incomplete) manuscript onto Amazon’s KDP for pre-order. You’ll have about 80 days to submit your final manuscript, and if you miss the deadline, you’re banned from publishing there for a year.
The Siren of Other Project This lovely lady likes to strike you when you’re at your most desperate. Perhaps it’s while you’re having coffee with Sir Procrastination, or up against the wall with one of Cliche Hunter’s knives to your throat, or stuck on an island between quicksand and smelly bog water in the Middle. She will appear as a silken spectre of temptation and beckon you towards starting something new. Something new that won’t be as difficult as this is (she promises). She lies! Don’t listen to her! Macgregor suggests there might be a way to incorporate the essence of your new idea, character or emotional heat, into your current manuscript. If not, make a note of it somewhere and let it stew at the back of your mind. Ideas don’t expire. You might be afraid that if you don’t act on them straight away, you’ll forget them. But the best ideas,
the ones really worth something, will hang around. The other option is to try your hand at writing both at the same time. But beware: the shiny new story will want to take over all your writing time… until you reach the middle of that one.
Your Über weapon: Love In all great adventures, the hero discovers a weapon of great might. King Arthur has Excalibur, Harry Potter has the Hallows, you have… love? It might sound like the lamest weapon on earth, but the one thing that will never fail to keep you writing until the end of that first draft is love for the story you’re telling. This love can start to dim in the quagmire, so you will need to feed it. Here are some things you can do to make sure it stays sharp enough to slay Self Doubt when the need arises: ● Write down the idea that initially made you want to write the story. It might be an awesome twist, a gripping scene, a love affair, a character revelation. Write it down and stash it away to look at whenever you forget what you’re fighting for.
of visuals that remind you of your story and the awesome world you are creating. Stare at it whenever you lose faith in just how great your novel might become. ● Create a Youtube playlist of songs that capture the atmosphere of your novel. Listen to them with your eyes closed and your mind open when you’re stuck for ideas or your heart just isn’t in it anymore. ● Write down all of the compliments that beta readers and friends have made about your writing or about your story and pin it somewhere. If all of this fails, take a break. Sometimes, no matter how much you love someone, too much time alone with them can can become draining. There is no harm in taking a timeout, “filling the well” (of creative inspiration). But set a date for this break to end. That way it can be guilt-free and not an opportunity for one of the adversaries to lure you away from your love. As Macgregor says, “When you’ve been in this game for a while, you realise that the world won’t end if you complete your manuscript a few months later.”
● Create a Pinterest moodboard
AUTHORS MAGAZINE | 25
budding AUTHORS
Here at Authors Magazine we celebrate Authors young and old! Our Budding Writers section is a showcase of young talent across the globe. We accept poems and stories from children aged 5-12. To submit, please contact us through our website.
A Not So Fun Experience! It was one morning when I woke up feeling marvelously excited! Do you want to know why I felt excited? Well I’m going to tell you, wait for it …………don don dooooooonnnnnn… …….I have just won a seven day trip to Hawaii!!! We are going on the trip, and that’s the exciting part, from Friday to Thursday during school. Woo Hoo! Today at school I got all my maths sums wrong that’s how bubbly I was. I still don’t understand because Rachel, who sits next to me, keeps telling me that my teacher just loves me. I was like, what are you talking about lady? She says that they are actually kisses she is putting in my book! There is something wrong with that scallywag! DING DONG DING DONG! Yiiiipppppppiiieee, that is the sound of our school bell. Let the Summer Holiday begin. I had just got home from school and changed, did my homework, brushed my teeth and hair, packed my bag and finally rushed to the
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car to drive to the airport. It was a 6 hour flight in the plane and the service was horrible! I asked the waiter for an orange juice 5 times and she only brought it to me when we just got off the plane. Besides that, it was wonderful being in there and glaring out of the window watching the clouds drift by and the view was amazingly amazing! After that we went and hired a car. I was so eager to see what car we were going to drive in. When we got to the car my mom was not a happy camper at all. I wouldn’t blame her, the inside was the worst! There was half a rotten apple on the inside that the ants were biting on and it smelled like a dead rat that was covered in egg yolk. That’s not all, the outside had three huge scratches and there was a small little black splat that a bird had made! We were like, no way we are getting in this revolting car full of scratches. Anyway, we just decided to suck it up, build a
The Spider and the fly in the glass Once upon a time there was a busy little fly buzzing around an empty sweet smelling glass. The glass had two straws in it. Around the glass there was 1 window with a curtain with spots on. There was also a bright sun shining through the window. The little fly hopped on the glass. Then suddenly a spider came crawling down the wall. The spider said to himself: I’ve caught you now you are big, fat and juicy I am going to get you yummy yummy!! The spider went up to the fly and pushed the fly in the glass. The spider had an idea his idea was to spin a web over the top of the glass. Spider started spinning his web. But the fly said: I am cleverer than you spider. So fly crawled up one straw and sat on top of it. The fly laughed and laughed until he fell off the straw. Meanwhile, spider was getting angry. Spider thought he could undo the web but when he tried he got tangled. The fly was still laughing because he thought it was funny but spider didn’t think it was funny at all. Leah Stewart, Age 9
bridge and get over it! Besides how bad could it really be? When we got there it was amazing. There was a pool, a huge bar, hot tubs, an adventure place, awesome bed rooms and nice relaxing beaches to tan on. There were five bunk beds, three bathrooms and in each room there was a flat screen TV. My first word was WOWZER!!! We chose to go chill at the pool and order some nice cold drinks from the bar. I decided to swim since it was very hot. When I was swimming I noticed a familiar face in a designer dress walking like she was a model or something, and guess who that face was? Lisa Demon the drama queen! She is the example of nasty and awful, she is nastiful! I like to call her Moana Lisa, she always
gets what she wants and she always has a plan coming my way. It had been a lovely holiday besides Moana Lisa and the stinky old rat car and the bad service in the plane. Soon it was time to go home. We finally returned the stinky old rat car. Good luck to whoever gets it next. I was actually really glad to be back at school and home once again. Everything finally went back to normal and it was great to be back! Aimee Maritz, Age 10
AUTHORS MAGAZINE | 27
INTERNATIONAL FOCUS
AMEERAPATEL
by Melissa Delport
Ameera Patel is a Joburger through and through. She has lived, played, left and chosen to return to this city. Her housemates are her partner, Jaques and their child. She loves vegetarian restaurants, impractical shoes and late night conversations. Her days are split between the stage, the page and television sets. Best known for her role as Dr Chetty in Generations, she is currently working on a new TV show called Soap on a Rope and preparing to head to the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown with Scorched directed by Jade Bowers, Whistle Stop directed by Frances Slabolepszy and Rat Race directed by Kyla Davis. Ameera is also an award-winning playwright. She received a distinction for her MA in Creative Writing in 2013 from the University of the Witwatersrand. Ameera’s debut novel, Outside the Lines (published by Modjaji Books) was written as part of her Master’s Degree and is a novel that has the support of many, from other students to supervisors and lecturers. Outside the Lines is both a thriller and a family drama. It tells the story of two women: Cathleen, a troubled young woman living in the northern suburbs of Johannesburg; and Flora, the domestic worker at Cathleen’s house. Cathleen disappears and tensions and drama ensue. Outside the Lines is urban, edgy and speaks to contemporary Johannesburg. The characters live ‘beyond the lines’, breaking out of their stereotyped expectations. It deals with complex relationships as well as a kidnapping. The novel would also appeal to the youthful reader, as excited by dark twists and turns as they are moved by the emotional connections between characters. ‘Ameera Patel’s first novel is edgy, witty, fresh, engaging, moving, memorable. This is an important new voice in the emerging movement of new South African fiction, taking us to places at once familiar and defamiliarised by the sensitivity of the writing. A vivid portrait of contemporary Johannesburg, wideranging, passionately engaged and acerbic.’ - Craig Higginson, author of The Hill, Last Summer, The Landscape Painter, and The Dream House Outside the Lines is available at leading bookstores and on most digital platforms.
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Excerpt from...
OUTSIDE THE LINES His hand flicks upward at the wrist with the start of each new stroke. He breathes in time with the movement of the brush, inhaling as his hand slides up and exhaling as it comes back down. This movement is not new to him. It sits deep within his body’s memory and frees his mind, allowing him to find a sense of calm usually associated with meditation. The brush and his hand have become one, blending like the creamycoloured paint that coats the wall. The strokes are long and solid. They allow him to believe that beauty is simple.
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If only the broken cracks of the world could be covered by Dulux. He would use the whole range from Lemon Meringue to Midnight Blue. Craters would fill with velvet thickness. He has seen what his work does for people by watching his past customers, as their homes were transformed before their eyes. Colour speaks of character, colour is imperative. Mr Joseph’s choice of beige was automatic, without any thought or discussion. As he works, Runyararo can see it was a rash choice. It’s a band-aid attempting to cover a cracked heart cavity. Warmth is missing. Perhaps a touch of daffodil yellow would help. Yes, if this was Runyararo’s house it would be like a massive flower protruding from the cracked cement, claiming its space. He has often thought of his dream home while fixing other people’s houses. His house would be magnificent. It would call to people as they walked past, saying ‘Hello. How are you today?’ and ‘Please come in for a cup of tea’. It would be a polite house with no need for a mat to say welcome; the building itself would announce it to passers-by. People would find it impossible to walk past without feeling the need to knock at the door, just to be given the chance to see what is behind the alluring exterior. Spellbinding, his house would speak the words he has always wanted to. A chatty place, well versed in small talk and full of jokes. On entering, no one would want to leave the humour and comfort. It would be the complete opposite of this silent spread-out house. Is this the way that people experience his silence? Do they think of him as a vast empty vessel? Does he make them uncomfortable? Back home in Mutare, he longed for more space. It was claustrophobic. There were too many bodies and too many voices. The small space was drowned by the excessive noise. But this isn’t any better. Here, the Josephs live past each other. There is more distance than he had from his neighbours in Mutare. There, his neighbours were more like an extension of his family, except that Runyararo’s family loved gossiping about them. ‘Did you see what she was wearing? We know she doesn’t have anywhere to go.’ And, ‘He is getting so fat, if he was a girl the baby wouldn’t be far from arriving.’ He was certain that he was often the subject of discussion in the house next door. The Josephs look like they don’t even know their neighbours’ names, let alone enough information to gossip. What would they do if something happened?
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Storm
Little Buffoons
By Angelique Pacheco
By Mist Faer
The African bush was still. No sound could be heard and Cecil knew that could mean only one thing: A storm was coming. Wind became a breath, and even the birds were quiet as though anticipating something great. A slight rumble began far in the distance, not quite near enough to call thunder, but clear enough to summon the others. Clouds began to form with speed gathering for the orchestra that was about to be performed. Beautiful grey clouds covered the plains in shadows like a light show. Lightning began to play with small strikes, gaining size and power with each new strike. Thunder began to clap and roar gaining strength from Lightning. Rain began to pelt from Clouds and Hail decided to join in the fun.
The girl’s legs gave way, collapsing under her. She lay on the hard ground and sobbed. The other children called her a freak and made fun at her again. She couldn’t understand why they were so cruel to her. She had never given them reason to be. The worst part was that her peers did nothing to protect her from the bullying – when it happened they would send her to her room, as though she was the one at fault. That day she ran as fast as her legs allowed her to the cover of dense trees, hoping to find solitude.
Cecil and his pride ran for cover in the underbrush. The cubs cuddled up close to their mother. Cecil and the other lions watched the beauty of the storm’s orchestra before them. Crack! Lightning hit the tree next to them and the pride scattered. Fire began to spread, licking up the dry grass. Rain and Fire danced in unison, one trying to outdo the other. Locked in battle, Rain began to gain ground. Wind helped Rain blow out the fire and as quickly as the storm had come up, it died away. Gentle Rain soaked the earth and gave new life to plants, but for Cecil and his pride, nothing would be the same. Their home was destroyed.
“Because I’m different I guess.”
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“What’s wrong?” a small voice asked her, she looked up but she couldn’t see anyone. “Hello” her voice crackled. A small fairy flew into her vision. “What’s wrong?” she queried again. “Children were mean to me again” the girl sniffled. “Why?” “I wouldn’t take it personally. Humans are buffoons after all.” The fairy snorted which made the girl giggle. “Do you live here?” “Just flying through. The light around you stopped me” the fairy replied. “What light?” the girl asked and the fairy smiled. “One day you will see it too, but until then don’t take notice of little buffoons, they don’t know any better.” The fairy flew away and the girl stood up. She dusted herself off and wiped her face on her sleeve. She walked back towards the house feeling new determination – little buffoons weren’t worth her tears.
Every month we feature 250 word flash fiction pieces as submitted by our readers. If you would like to submit a flash fiction, please email us with “Flash Fiction Submission” in the subject line.
O’Flanagan’s Rip
The Lady and the Wolf
By Peter Holliday
By Helga Pearson
“Check this out,” Shane said pointing to the surf below. I looked; O’Flanagan’s rip was winding it. It looked savage.
Mother of Mary have mercy on me, I am so frightened.
“Damn!” A man and a woman floated in the currents grip towards the rocks. O’Flanagan’s rip had lined up two more victims. “Gotta get there or they’re gonners” I shouted as I leaped for the rope hanging on the cottage wall behind me. Down the bank; through the cool dune bush and onto the hot sand I ran towards the rocks. The current would take them sideways close to the rocks, tantalisingly close, and then swing them out to sea. If they rode it they’d climb out five kays south, it was easy; mostly they drowned. Onto the rocks I ran, jagged encrustations cut me. I had to get to Swine’s Head. Bleeding and exhausted I stood on top of the Swine, too late for the man. The woman came towards me, dog paddling, making queer noises and looking terrified. I must cast the rope just right, not too soon nor too late and hope like hell she grabs it. I flung the rope and watched it uncoil and fall. “Grab,” I screamed. She grabbed and the rope went tight. She stopped and held on; she washed onto the rocks–safe. The powerful rip had stripped the bottom half of her bikini off. Two years ago one grabbed her bikini bottom and let go the rope; lost her life rather than her dignity.
My name is Maria. I am ten years old and they are hunting me. They told me to run – and so I did. Through the fields and away from the place I once called home. I hid among the trees in this forsaken forest but I can still see the chateaux from here. I can’t run anymore I have lost a shoe and my foot is bleeding. I was once a gift. A rare curiosity the King of France bestowed upon my Lady. I believe she has tired of me. Perhaps my face is not as amusing to her as once it was. Why else would she do this? In the distance, I hear the horses and hounds, the laughter of the courtiers – they come for me. Saints! Someone, please save me! Mary Magdalen why do you forsake me? I am no animal or a monster. My body is covered in hair, yes, but this does not make me the devil’s spawn or a ‘wolf child’ as they call me. I am a girl, just a girl. Mother please help me! I run again and my heart beats wildly with every footfall. Unbidden, tears course down my face through the fur of my cheeks. I rest for a moment and when I look back, I can see flashes of my Lady’s cloak through the trees, red as blood. Red as my blood.
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Dada was a radical art movement created in 1916 as a response to the carnage and futility of World War I. It was initiated by a group of artists and poets – including Hugo Ball, Tristan Tzara and Marcel Duchamp – associated with the Cabaret Voltaire in Zürich. Its members believed that the logic and reason of bourgeois, capitalist society had led Europe into war. They expressed their rejection of that conservative ideology in art that embraced chaos and irrationality. According to Hans Richter, Dada was not art: it was anti-art. It was intended to offend. In a sense, it mirrored the annihilation and absurdity of trench warfare. The movement encompassed many aspects of culture, from visual arts and literature to manifestos, absurd poetry and bizarre theatrical performances. The influence of French poets and the
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writings of German Expressionists liberated Dada from the narrow correlation between words and meaning. The Zürich arm of the movement, with Tzara at the helm, published an art and literature review, Dada, with five editions produced in Zürich and another two in Paris. After the armistice of 1918, most of the Zürich members returned to their home countries where they continued to promote Dada activities. I’d often been drawn to the absurdity of Dada writing, and the random nature of its poetry. It seemed to be a perfect literary response to war. Take, for instance, their whacky, ‘cutting-up’ approach to poetry. Tzara describes the technique in his Dada Manifesto. To make a Dadaist poem, take a newspaper article, cut out each
individual word and put them in a bag. Then copy out the words in exactly the order you take them out of the bag. And voila: a Dada poem. In the face of war, literature and even language disintegrates. I began my Zürich meander at the National Museum, which was hosting an exhibition entitled ‘Dada Universal’, displaying an array of objects that embodied the revolutionary (and universal) spirit of Dada. Works included a flightless dodo bird, an African mask, a thousand-year-old depiction of Christ on a Palm Donkey and a video projection of an absurdist theatre piece. There was dark commentary on war in gas masks, ‘schrapnel poems’ and a trenchcoat made to look like a monk’s cowl. Pride of place went to the icon of Dadaism: the famous urinal – entitled ‘Fountain’ – by Marcel Duchamp.
On a narrow street in the medieval quarter, I found, the spiritual home of Dada and the site of its founding. With the reopening of Cabaret Voltaire in 2004, Dadaism experienced an upsurge, with the venue hosting regular exhibitions and events. In 1916, a group of artists began staging avant-garde performances here. And it was at Cabaret Voltaire that Hugo Ball recited the movement’s first manifesto: ‘How can one get rid of everything that smacks of journalism, worms, everything nice and right, blinkered, moralistic, Europeanised, enervated? By saying dada … A line of poetry is a chance to get rid of all the filth that clings to this accursed language, as if put there by stockbrokers’ hands, hands worn smooth by coins. I want the word where it ends and begins. Dada is the heart of words.’
I entered the little shop, wandered through to the darkened theatre and climbed creaky stairs to a secondfloor cafeteria. It was here that Hans Arp, Hugo Ball and other intellectuals gathered to question the very idea of art. To mark the centenary, Cabaret Voltaire was staging 165 themed soirées, each in honour of a particular Dada artist. I continued my walk through the medieval quarter and came to the Kunsthaus (Museum of Modern Art) which was hosting a Dada retrospective. ‘Dadaglobe’ brought together more than 200 artworks and texts sent to Tzara in 1921 by artists from all over Europe. They were intended for his vast book project, Dadaglobe, which remained unpublished at the time.
of André Breton, Max Ernst and Hans Arp, were reunited for the first time. I wandered through the space marvelling at the energy and weirdness, the utterly compelling absurdity of it all. There were self-portraits, photomontages and collages, bookpage designs, manuscripts, poems and essays. ‘Dadaglobe’ is an impressive survey of the rich diversity and sociopolitical relevance of Dada. Standing in a hall packed with unbridled creativity, I couldn’t help but feel that their absurdist assault to the world of politics and ideology was more sane and apposite than almost any reasoned and reasoning response I could think of. Justin Fox was hosted by Switzerland Tourism and Edelweiss, Switzerland’s leading leisure airline.
To mark the centenary, the widely dispersed original works by the likes
Justin Fox takes a walking tour of Zürich on the centenary of the Dada movement.
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Reads recommended
Title: Haunted Destiny Author: Heather Graham Supernatural thriller A historic cruise ship, a haunted ship, the Celtic American Line’s Destiny, sets sail from the Port of New Orleans—with a killer on board. He’s known as the Archangel Killer because of the way he displays his victims in churches. And how he places a different saint’s medallion on each body. No one knows exactly who he is or why he’s doing this. Jackson Crow—head of the FBI’s Krewe of Hunters, a special unit of paranormal investigators—is assigned to the case, along with local agent Jude McCoy. Then Alexi Cromwell, who works in the ship’s piano bar, is drawn into the situation when a victim’s ghost appears to her—and to Jude. She and Jude share an attraction, and not just because of their mutual talent. There are many suspects, but one by one they’re ruled out… Or are they? In the end, Jude and Alexi have to rely on each other to catch the killer and escape his evil plans for Alexi.
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Title: The Weekenders Author: Mary Kay Andrews Women’s Contemporary Some people stay all summer long on the idyllic island of Belle Isle, North Carolina. Others come only for the weekends-and the mix between the regulars and “the weekenders” can sometimes make the sparks fly. Riley Griggs has a season of good times with friends and family ahead of her on Belle Isle when things take an unexpected turn. While waiting for her husband to arrive on the ferry one Friday afternoon, Riley is confronted by a process server who thrusts papers into her hand. And her husband is nowhere to be found. So she turns to her island friends for help and support, but it turns out that each of them has their own secrets, and the clock is ticking as the mystery deepens...in a murderous way. Cocktail parties aside, Riley must find a way to investigate the secrets of Belle Island, the husband she might not really know, and the summer that could change everything. Told with Mary Kay Andrews’ trademark blend of humor and warmth, and with characters and a setting that you can’t help but fall for, The Weekenders is the perfect summer escape.
Title: The City of Mirrors Author: Justin Cronin Post-Apocalyptic Suspense You followed The Passage. You faced The Twelve. Now enter The City of Mirrors for the final reckoning. As the bestselling epic races to its breathtaking finale, Justin Cronin’s band of hardened survivors await the second coming of unspeakable darkness. The world we knew is gone. What world will rise in its place? The Twelve have been destroyed and the terrifying hundred-year reign of darkness that descended upon the world has ended. The survivors are stepping outside their walls, determined to build society anew—and daring to dream of a hopeful future. But far from them, in a dead metropolis, he waits: Zero. The First. Father of the Twelve. The anguish that shattered his human life haunts him, and the hatred spawned by his transformation burns bright. His fury will be quenched only when he destroys Amy—humanity’s only hope, the Girl from Nowhere who grew up to rise against him. One last time light and dark will clash, and at last Amy and her friends will know their fate.
Title: A Man Called Ove Author: Frederik Backman Literary Satire Meet Ove. He’s a curmudgeon—the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him “the bitter neighbor from hell.” But must Ove be bitter just because he doesn’t walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time? Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove’s mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents’ association to their very foundations. A feel-good story in the spirit of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand, Fredrik Backman’s novel about the angry old man next door is a thoughtful exploration of the profound impact one life has on countless others. “If there was an award for ‘Most Charming Book of the Year,’ this first novel by a Swedish blogger-turned-overnight-sensation would win hands down” (Booklist, starred review).
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