Wednesday 25 January 2012

Guest Post: I'm a scrawler by Coral Russell

Today I'm delighted to welcome another visitor to Dag-Lit Central: The amazing Coral Russell.

Coral is another one of those tireless promoters of other indie authors, as well as an accomplished writer (or should I say scrawler?) in her own right.

So, without any further ado, over to Coral.

I'm a scrawler by Coral Russell

I'm not entirely sure, but I've heard stories where people who write become offended when you call them a writer. As in,

“Are you a writer?” an innocent asks.

“No, I'm an author,” says the offended.


I'm not going to profess to be either a writer or an author. I'm a scrawler. I don't know anything about writing. In fact, I probably know the least about writing than most other writers/authors. If it wasn't for wonderful people who are so free with their expertise and sharing information, I would still be at square one. My friend complemented me on working my butt off, but it's more like a stumble around in a blind panic until one of my writing friends points me in the right direction. Then, off I go until the next obstacle.

As a scrawler, I'm all about this Indie movement in writing. I write what I want. It has come to my attention that my favorite reading genre is anti-genre. If you're an anti-genre fan, join the anti-genre group on Goodreads. It makes sense that I don't really think too much about genre before I start writing something. If I want to throw something in that goes against the grain, oh yea, I'll do it. I don't mind giving away my scrawl because it comes back to me ten-fold. I'm surprised people pick up my stuff. I'm surprised when people buy it. I'm surprised I have fans who say they love what I write. I even created my own personal scrawl font, but I seem to be the only one that likes it.

One of the best experiences I had as a scrawler was when some Brazilian ghost hunters got a copy of two of my short stories and an excerpt from Amador Lockdown and we tweeted back and forth as they started and finished reading the stories. It was so much fun, lasted three hours and got me hooked on Twitter.

Scrawlers can be found anywhere in the world, from all walks of life. All you have to do to be a scrawler is believe in yourself and write.

Coral Russell reads/reviews Indie authors on alchemyofscrawl.wordpress.com  Check out her Stalker Package to connect. She has written The DIY Guide to Social Media Marketing and eBook Publishing, Playing with Fire, Twelve Worlds, Peace on the Peninsula, and Amador Lockdown.