- Just because you haven't done something doesn't mean you can't.
One of the most interesting things about George Lucas is that he more or less fell into film school after a near-fatal car crash in Modesto. It became a grounding moment, one that forced him to decide what he actually wanted to do with his life. He didn't want to inherit his father's stationery business, so he veered off and stumbled into filmmaking… where it turned out he had quite the knack for it.
(The same thing happened with me and writing, minus the near-death experience. Though it would've made for a cool origin story…)
- Embrace your weird.
Lucas wasn't your typical Hollywood creative. His eye and artistic style leaned toward avant-garde filmmaking — abstract, unconventional, not exactly built for blockbuster appeal (at least not at the time). He focused on mood, sound, imagery, and evoking feeling over spoon-feeding the story.
(I'm also quite unconventional with the size and pace of my fantasy novels.)
- Resourcefulness beats resources.
In his early days, he made films on shoestring budgets by borrowing equipment, asking his then-wife to edit his film, and cleverly making close-ups of static images come alive.
(In the beginning, Lady Laura proofed all of my manuscripts, and instead of hiring a website designer, I built mine out myself. Same thing with ads, and a long list of other stuff, so I could deploy funds elsewhere in the biz.)
- Control, control, control.
Lucas famously resisted Hollywood's grip. He didn't want their money if it meant taking their opinions, their edits, their interference. He wanted full creative control. And while that didn't always lead to immediate success — his early film THX 1138 flopped — it reinforced something important: he believed the failure came from compromise, not conviction.
(While I'll never say never, these are reasons why I have no appetite for traditional publishing. The idea of having a publisher tell me what I can and can't do gives me reflux.)
- Build your own path.
This is the one that hits closest to home for me.
Yes, I'm on retailers, but I've always leaned heavily on my own Storehouse, and will continue to do so until I wheeze out my last breath. Not because retailers force me to write a certain way (they don't), but because they've become noisy, unpredictable, and commoditised environments.
I also don't enjoy how they limit authors in what they can offer readers.
You ain't seeing any world art, special editions, or printable map bundle bonuses on Amazon.
It just isn't happening.
On my Storehouse, however?
I CAN, AND I DO.
In fact, I'm looking to add another cool bonus to my ebook and audiobook bundles in the coming weeks, which fans of The Divided Region will no doubt enjoy.
More details on that another time.
And, of course, those who have already bought the bundles will get them for free.
Such are the privileges when you come over to the dark side.
And if you're ready to cross that jagged line, then step on over here (if you dare):
https://djjwatsonstore.com/products/TDR-Bundle
DJJW