Today we introduce a new monthly column by Jack Scott, who was a Random Nomad for the Displaced Nation way back when we started this site. After an expat experience that was literally something to write home about, he and his partner, Liam, have traded in the dream for a less pressured existence back in their home country. We’re thrilled to have recruited Jack as a writing guru for all of you wannabe authors who are hacking away at travelogues-cum-memoirs — perhaps even as I type this?!
— ML Awanohara
Do you think it helps to write a blog with the purpose of publishing a travelogue or memoir in mind?
It’s a good question — and for me, the short answer would be a simple no.
But the long answer would be a qualified yes.
Let me explain.
When Liam and I first flogged off the family silver, jumped the good ship Blighty and waded ashore to Turkey, we planned to put our feet up and watch the pansies grow. Twelve months into the dream, we began to feel, well, a little bored.
It was a benign type of boredom — not the terminal kind that leads to low self-esteem, heavy drinking, chocolate binges and serial infidelity.
But it was boredom nevertheless.
Life before expat-dom
In the wicked world of the waged, I had been a busy bean counter, mismanaging a large public sector service. Liam had been shackled to a cut-and-thrust slash-and-burn private sector company, with a grueling 12-hour day as his reward.
My boss was off with the fairies, his was Lucifer in lace. Work gave me a routine on auto-pilot, while it nearly drove Liam over the edge.
In quite different ways, we were both fully (if unhappily) occupied.
In our brave new world of idleness and long Anatolian summers, lazy days in Eden turned into one perpetual holiday. Our old life withdrew into the fog of a hazy past.
The trouble is, life isn’t supposed to one long holiday.
Like so many before us, we parachuted into paradise thinking entirely of the destination. We gave very little thought to what we might do once we got there.
Not another beautiful day!
It’s an all too common mistake. For every able-bodied emigrey (well, those with brains and bones still in reasonable working order), the trick is to find a meaningful occupation: something to break up the unending monotony and keep them off the sauce.
It really doesn’t matter what it is: turning water into homemade wine, feeding the five thousand street dogs or raising your sex life from the dead — whatever gets the juices flowing.
For me it was starting a blog to tell an unsuspecting world about our encounters with the mad, the bad, the sad and the glad along the highways and byways of the whitewashed ghetto where we lived.
A book really never entered my mind.
Then, quite by chance, my irrelevant ramblings became one of the most successful English-language blogs in Turkey.
You could have knocked me down with a feather boa, I was that surprised.
It was only then that I began to think there just might be a book in me.
Remarkably, there was.
Re-energized!
It’s quite amazing how the fear of terminal boredom can re-energize a novice expat. In just 12 months, I created the blog, designed and published a Web site, and wrote my debut book. For most of this meandering expedition, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. A combination of trial and error, intuition, intravenous wine, gentle encouragement from an inspirational publisher and not-so-gentle cajoling from Liam turned an unplanned and uncoordinated series of chess moves into the production of a well-received book that I’m proud to have written.
My probation was illuminating and taught me a great deal — about writing, process, content, plot, characterization, networking, promotion and engagement.
You see, hindsight is a wonderful thing. Looking back, it seems only too obvious that blogging was a great audition for my writing. I had never written before (unless you count a series of unread and unloved business reports rotting away on dusty book-shelves in municipal vaults). Writing my blog was a safe and fun way to experiment and to build up an audience at the same time. Reading through my back catalogue, I can see quite clearly how I evolved as a writer.
WRITING TIP FOR EXPATS NO 1 (aka the long answer to the question at the top of the conversation):
It might be useful to start up a blog if you want to write a travelogue-cum-memoir. It’s not the Law, but blogging can really help.
And what about Liam in all of this? Did he develop suicidal tendencies or did he cope better with the ever-constant Aegean vista and nightly sunset show?
Well, apart from re-discovering a love of composing and tickling the ivories, he acquired a new skill of his own: cracking the editor’s whip, something he did (and still does) with rather too much pleasure than I (or he) would care to admit.
Us writers put up with so much, we really do.
* * *
Readers, any comments for further questions for Jack the Hack? He’ll be back next month with some more writing tips…
Jack Scott’s debut book, Perking the Pansies — Jack and Liam move to Turkey, is a bitter-sweet tragi-comedy that recalls the first year of a British gay couple in a Muslim country. For more information on this and Jack’s other titles, go to his author site.
STAY TUNED for tomorrow’s post, on NEW England…
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Images: from top, clockwise: Hand with pen / MorgueFile.com; Boats in King’s Lynn, Norfolk / MorgueFile.com; Jack Scott, used with his permission; Turkish boats / MorgueFile.com
The Displaced Nation 
I’ve noticed quite a lot of bloggers who are doing this. I have no personal intentions but I think it can be very successful for authors as you built a following who will naturally want to then read your book once published…well you hope.
It certainly worked for me but, believe me, I kept my fingers (and everything crossed) at the book launch 😉
Congratulations on this new ‘Jack the Hack’ gig here at The Displaced Nation. Having followed your blog for years and read (and enthusiastically reviewed) your book, I’ve enjoyed your evolution as a writer. Blog = book? Not exactly. Blog = evolving writing skills/talent to tackle the complexities of a book? A definite possibility. Too many will gloss over the telling list of results from your probationary education: ‘writing, process, content, plot, characterization, networking, promotion and engagement’. For those who pay attention and are willing to put in the time, effort and brain matter, blogging can be an enlightening introduction. Lead on!
Thank you. Let’s hope I don’t run out of things to say! As the old, time-worn saying goes – 99% perspiration, 1% inspiration (or something like that!)
Well done Jack, and lucky Displaced Nation for netting you.
Hush, you’re making me blush 🙂
Indeed we are lucky! 🙂
Really? You got bored in Bodrum? The way it reads, sounds like life was anything but 😉
Ah, it’s all in the telling! 🙂
Hmmm… Methinks that this should be a future question: how do you make the boring entertaining?!
It would make an interesting question!
Jack, just wanted to wish you all the best of luck with your new book! Just wondered if you ever though about trying to publish it traditionally? Either way, so exciting for you and for all of us who can now read it.
Thank you for your good wishes. In fact, my first book was published traditionally through a small niche publisher that specialises in expat books (Summertime Publishing). I didn’t approach the large mainstream publishers as most only accept submissions through literary agents and getting a manuscript beyond the in-tray of an agent’s PA is virtually impossible. I self-published my second and third books (a two volume best of blog series) because I wanted to know how the whole self-publishing enterprise worked. I’m going back to my publisher for the sequel of my first book. It would be fabulous if one of the big boys picked up my book. Alas, I am neither a celebrity nor a TV cook. 😦
Thanks for the backstory, Jack. Wanted to give you a little encouragement, though, that getting a manuscript (or self-published book, for that matter) beyond the in-tray isn’t always impossible. I got an expat memoir deal as a 1st-time book author after an editor at Putnam read something online that I had written and contacted me. I didn’t even sign with an agent until after I had an offer from Penguin/Putnam.
I know I’m crazy-lucky (more about my luck w/this whole thing is here: http://thegoodshufu.wordpress.com/category/book-deal/), but I know of others who have gotten deals after they self-published their books, too, from agents who find out about them through twitter, etc. Of course, that’s not the norm at all, but it does happen! And it looks like you are doing all the right things by getting your name out, building a community around you, etc.
Anyway, again, I’m wishing you the best of luck. I love your angle for your travel memoir. I have friends in Japan who are same-sex couples for whom it is so much harder to manage a cross-cultural relationship b/c they get no visa privileges for their partners, and that just seems so unfair.
All my best,
Tracy
Hi Tracey
Congratulations on your book deal. Amazing. I’m cabbage-like with envy ;-). But your tale has given me heart. Thank you and good luck.
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I can see you’re not bored anymore but busy, busy, busy. Contratulations, Jack.
Too bleedin’ busy!
Hi Jack : ) I greatly admired you making it happen and publishing your book, a huge well done 🙂 nice to make it to your blog too – I love the sense of connection with folks, sharing ideas and opinions – for folks like me who live abroad, having a dose of home thru some fantastic bloggers is awesome- please carry on writing : )
Thank you. This whole blogging lark is huge fun and I’m lucky to be able to indulge myself.
I am one who truly enjoyed your irreverent blog so just go now wherever it takes you: you have great style and also great turn of phrase, in other words you are really fun to read!
Thank you so much. It’s times like this that make me feel it’s all worth while.