Author: ladyspiderwitch

Funding Your Writing

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Teamworks recently approved me for a mentorship to help in editing my novel. I am so happy.  An editor, Valerie Compton is available to edit my novel.  I was stressed out for two weeks because I couldn’t afford to pay her.

Then I contacted Teamworks. They are an organization that helps people gain more meaningful employment that supports their passion in life and helps them cope with their struggles in disabilities. I have a learning disability. Rather than let that defeat me, I found ways to turn it into an opportunity.

To qualify for the funding, Valerie Compton and Teamworks agreed to turn the editing job into a mentorship. This means that the process will  take longer, but I don’t care. I know the mentorship will be valuable and I will learn a lot in the process.

Anyone who faces my struggles can enjoy the same success as anyone else. You just need to know who to reach out to.

Sometimes knowing who that can be is a challenge in itself. I am fortunate because the resource was in plain sight. Teamworks funded my copyediting course. I graduated successfully from the course, which was a bonus when I applied for the mentorship. This fall, Valerie Compton will mentor me, editing and revising my novel to its very best. I can’t wait to work with her.

Other places offer funding, such as the Canada Council. It gives out grants to writers. Writing organizations are a great place to search for other sources of funding. The local libraries are a way to find information. Libraries are slowly opening to the public after the pandemic lockdown. 

If you wish to meet with an arts grants officer to discuss a proposal for funding, don’t let the social distancing and lockdown get you down. Zoom meetings and Skype are great alternatives to meeting in person. You don’t have to leave your house. Just log onto your laptop and you’re all set.

I have to keep in mind though that as I get this funding that helps me complete what would otherwise be financially impossible, is that they often expect an outcome. For example, when I graduated from the copyediting certification course. That was a positive outcome. Teamworks will want a measure of achievement from this first half of the mentorship. I am not sure yet what that will be, but to quote Indiana Jones, “I’ll think of something.”

Don’t let a disability, no matter what type, be a barrier to you seeking success in life. Turn an obstacle into an opportunity. Arts grants are now more inclusive of people who face those struggles. It opens doors for them instead of the door being closed to them. It is not easy, but not impossible. This is proof of the positive changes taking place in society today that benefit everyone.

Let’s hope that continues.

 

 

The Essentials of Editing

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I am currently studying a Copyediting online course offered by Writers Digest. The course is amazing so far. The course covers the basics of grammar, punctuation, and spelling. The importance of writing in the active rather than the passive voice is also included. The recommended reading books are The Chicago Manual of Style, the Associated Press Style book, and the Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary.

When we write, we may sometimes forget the basic rules of using nouns and verbs instead of adjectives and adverbs. The course has been invaluable in helping me improve my writing. The course also discusses how to work as a copyeditor and how to professionally edit copy. I encourage anyone who wants to greatly improve their writing to take this course or a course like it. You don’t have to study this course just to work as an editor.

I was always scared of the book The Chicago Manual of Style. But now that I must become familiar with the book to succeed in the course, I have learned it’s not so nightmare inducing. I have learned that there is way to more to writing and editing than I ever suspected. For example, the rules on using the serial comma is one I still struggle with. But for anyone who is serious about their writing, this just may be the ticket for you.

The course offers grammar exercises and we practice editing our own writing. We edit a written assignment first on paper with a red pencil then we edit online using track changes. This teaches us how editing is done. If we make mistakes, then we learn from them and build our knowledge.

I recommend a few other good books about editing. Grammatically correct: The Essential Guide to Spelling, Style, Usage, Grammar and Punctuation by Jane Stillman. This book discusses the essential points of spelling, grammar, punctuation, and word usage. There are also exercises for the reader to do at the end of each chapter. It’s a great reference book. It is not a dry read, the author makes it fun and enjoyable.

The final book about editing that I recommend is CopyEditing: A Practical Guide by Karen Judd. This book may be out of date but it is a real gem. This is more like a training guide.

Writers must demonstrate a mastery of the English language. We know we must get our submissions past the editor’s ‘gate’ to get it into the hands of readers. But with the above suggested sources, that will not seem like such a huge task. I encourage everyone to consider studying an online course offered by Writers Digest. Or at the very least, to brush up on spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Your writing will benefit from it.

Good luck!

Spooky Inspirations

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Here are ideas on how to create a spooky novel!

I recommend the following books such as On Writing by Stephen King, On Writing Horror- the collection of essays by the Horror Writers Association, and Writing the Paranormal Novel- Techniques and Exercises by Steven Harper. These books go into real detail about the paranormal. Within this genre, there is more freedom to create what you want whether that be a sparkly vampire, toothy werewolf, or chain rattling ghost.

After you read these books, highlight the advice, and incorporate the advice into your writing. For a good story about a ghoul of choice to be believed, it must be believable and written well. All stories benefit from good writing. Be consistent about the traits, superpowers, or awesome abilities your monster has. We all know vampires hate garlic and sleep in coffins, but maybe a coffin-shaped bookcase could be their nesting habit during the daytime.

Read widely in your chosen genre. That will let you know what has already been written by other authors.

Buy a new set of highlighters, pens, white out, a binder, paper, and a fresh bag of coffee. Do what it takes to make you commit to the writing for the long haul.

Clean your writing/ office space. Light some sage and clean the energy to allow for the creative energies to flow unimpeded. Light a candle or incense. Play music that inspires you as you create your ghoul or axe-wielding maniac. Create a special playlist and soundtrack. Know your monster! Make it consistent and believable.

Keep a routine when you sit down to work on your story.

Reach into the deepest darkest part of your imagination. Free write a scene of confrontation between your protagonist and your monster. Or the monster is the protagonist? These days your demon or ghoul needs to be ORIGINAL. Everything in the paranormal novel has been done … or has it? That part is up to you. It must be original. If you are seeking more inspiration, read the paper. Clip and keep newspaper articles.
For example, I published a short story about pumpkins that can eat people. The vines can extend themselves and the pumpkins were toothy and bloodthirsty. Talk about a real twist on our favorite squashes!

But by allowing yourself to imagine, you may invent something that no one has done before. That is a huge advantage in the field of writing and publishing. Being original and true to your monster is extremely important. The world wants to read a story that has never been written before. They do not want thirty knockoffs of It or The Babaduk.

I hope you have enjoyed reading this. It might spark an idea or two and you would then be on your way to writing a gothic novel like Northanger Abbey or something like the Pit and the Pendulum by Poe.

Good Luck!

Nip the Naysayers

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It is hard enough being a writer, sending your writing out only to receive rejection letters. But what about those around you who are critical of your passion for a career that pays little, but calls to your soul? I get criticism too. Often people tell me they see it as a hobby. It is not a hobby to me. It is my life. They don’t see it that way no matter what I tell them. I want to share some tips on how to ignore them, keep writing, and maintain your sanity.

A rejection letter is harsh. When your aunt or employment counselor chides you for not becoming a lawyer or an executive, it’s even harder. They make you grind your teeth at night and develop headaches because you feel like quitting writing just so they would be quiet. Well, take heart.

Writing, like the arts, doesn’t get much love from those who don’t see it the way we would like them too. From their perspective, it’s a dalliance, a hobby–or worse–a waste of time. To those of us who are serious, getting published in magazines or books is life or death. We love seeing our byline in a publication and are bit by the itch to get the next byline or the next publishing contract. We perfect our query letters and synopses to the best of our ability.

If you do sense you are under attack, perhaps telling people you are busy writing and closing the door to your writing studio will do the trick. Be assertive, but not overly upset and they should get the hint. We can’t change them. It is a sad fact of life, but we can change the way we respond to them. It’s not fair, but life is not fair.

Another great way to get naysayers off your back? I can think of two. One, you put honest effort in… and you are, right? Two, they see you succeeding at it. Then they will look forward to seeing your next published book or that article in the magazine you were dreaming of seeing yourself published in.

Never take the chiding or ridicule seriously. Maybe they are secretly jealous of you, seeing you reading your draft of your writing project, looking like you are not spending your time more responsibly and wishing they had the time to do what you are doing. It’s them, not you. Treat this the way you would if you got a rejection letter. File it away and keep writing. Keep writing because you are not writing for them; you are writing for you, the editors, your readers.

That’s what matters. Own it and be responsible for it. Getting angry is giving them another reason to harass you for not following your heart and work instead on an oil rig- -anything that makes “actual money!” See it from their perspective. If you follow all these suggestions, you may persuade them to see yours. They may even offer help or suggestions.

Good luck!

 

The Power of Persistence

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Ask anyone who knows me, and they will all agree about a quality I am famous for: my persistence. Any writer worth his or her salt should be persistent. I want to talk about persistence in this post.

It takes a lot of guts to be a writer and send your writing into the world. But when you do, you risk receiving rejections. Yes, the dreaded rejection slip that comes in the mailbox or via email makes a writer’s heart sink deeper than the Titanic. It takes a lot to escape the downward spiral of depression post rejection.

But in order to succeed, you must overcome the fear of rejection and learn how to conquer it to get an acceptance letter. I have more than a few rejection letters of my own. I have not wallpapered my walls with them, but I do receive them. I just file them away and I keep sending writing out. I have a tough thick skin too. Rejection letters are no fun. They make you feel like your efforts were unappreciated, like the quality of your writing was poor but that is not true.

Some writer bitterly commented to me once about the x number of rejection letters he got compared to me. Ah but I keep trying. I am like that bad coin or song that plays over and over in your head. I don’t quite go away.

I got good advice from a friend and very published author: He told me I was looking at it all wrong. I would like to share his advice with you. Editors need a story to fit in a slot in a publication. They need x number of stories to fill a book. So next time you are rejected, and maybe if you are lucky, the rejection letters get more personal, file it away and keep trying. Never take it personally.

Also, trust in yourself. You are the master of your words, the creator of fantastical worlds never seen before. Trust that you can not only survive rejection but that you will eventually gain that coveted acceptance letter. You are the master of your fate. I keep a record of everywhere I send my writing, every anthology, every magazine. Once you have a long list of places you send your writing to, you can reflect on all the times you tried. That alone is something to celebrate. It is better, much better than giving up.

I hope that soothes the sting. That is a great way to perceive rejection. Another tip to keep in mind is to keep the rejection letters that were encouraging you to submit again. Keep a tally of those letters from editors. Maybe your next story or article is good enough to fill a slot in a publication. You will never know until you try.

I waited a year for an editor to decide if he/ she wanted to publish my story. I withdrew it when they didn’t reply by a certain date. I sent it out again to HellBound Books, who are publishing it this spring. See? If I had given up in utter despondence, I would have missed out on that opportunity.

Be brave enough to persist. Always strive to improve the quality of your writing. Nothing is more powerful than persistence. Persistence is an admirable quality in a person. I hope you all found this post about persistence helpful.