One of my favorite authors is Brandon Sanderson, and for many years he, along with Dan Wells, Howard Taylor, and Mary Robinette Kowal, have been hosting a podcast called Writing Excuses, all about writing. I recently started listening to it, and I'm hooked.
All the authors are knowledgeable about their craft, and about others. It's amazing to hear how often they can quote other authors, without any hesitation or indication that they're reading off of anything. They also use their own works quite often, including stories about their own mistakes and beginnings. It's great to hear, to bring them back down to human level from where we placed them as gods of the writing world.
They give great advice, often addressing listeners as new writers, as most listeners probably are, or if not, they understand the challenges of a new writer. The speakers sound natural and humorous, so it's easier to listen to than a lecture. Each podcast is also only fifteen minutes long, so they pack each episode full of advice and anecdotes, and concentrate exactly on what the subject is for the week. It's like a concentrated dose of a classroom lecture.
Their main piece of advice is always "keep writing". Like any authors, they know that the only way to get better is to always be writing. They say to scrap almost everything you first write, either because it'll only be practice, or you'll be too attached to it to make the changes that need to be made. Maybe what you scrap, whether it's a plot point, a character or a witty line, can be used later in the series, or even in another book.
So far, my favorite piece of advice has been about beginnings. They say to not worry too much about your beginning, not when your first write it. Because that beginning that you first write will probably either get deleted, or get moved so that it's not longer your beginning. In fact, the beginning could be the very last thing you write. As someone who has always struggled with how to start, this is great. Now I just need to learn how to end things.
Read it Before you Steal it!
This work by Afyvarra is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Showing posts with label Business of Writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Business of Writing. Show all posts
Saturday, 11 April 2015
Tuesday, 7 April 2015
Fan Expo!
I think I have a new addiction.
On Saturday, I went to Fan Expo with my boyfriend. It's my first nerd convention, or any convention, for that matter. I've wanted to go to one for years, but I never really had the friends who would go with me. This year I had more friends, though most of them are poor and couldn't afford to go...
We got there around noon, which is about an hour after it started. The place was packed! I knew it would be busy because it was a Saturday, but once we go into the main part of the convention, which is where all the merchants and signings were, it was almost impossible to move. I guess it didn't help that a lot of people were dressed up,some in very large and extravagant costumes that made it hard to get around, or so good that people kept stopping them to get photos. That being said, I definitely dressed up too. Nothing too extreme, since my textile skills are sorely lacking. I just put on my Link costume, complete with the shield my dad made me for Christmas, and the hat that my boyfriend just made me. The costume was better than ever, and still easy to wear. I even had a few people ask to take pictures with me! One was an adorable little boy dressed as the scarecrow from Wizard of Oz.
We did more than just wander around though. One reason why I canted to go to Fan Expo was for the panels. Most of them didn't interest me too much, like the Q&As with actors from shows I don't watch, or tutorials on drawing for graphic novels. Although I'm sure they were interesting, my drawing skills are at the level of an elementary school kid... We visited one panel on cosplaying (costume playing), which was pretty cool. I'm hoping to work on my textile skills a bit, and maybe make a more elaborate costume for next year. The other panel we went to was done by professional authors.
This one was amazing, because these weren't really well known and popular authors. I had never heard of any of them before. And that's the truth about being an author. So many writers see authors like Rowling and Martin and think that's what their life will be, but in the end it's more like this. Writing a few books, making a few bucks, and maybe talking about your craft to a room of fifty people once a year. Not to say that's a bad thing. It's still better than working a customer service job my whole life...
The authors all said a little blurb about their books, then talked a bit about their lives and how they got to where they are now. Most of them were fairly new, having published for the first time within the last few years. One of them had been writing for twenty five years though! They also ranged in genres, from horror/mystery, to post apocalyptic, to children's literature. One thing I realized while listening to them was that none of them really knew how to describe their books in one or two sentences. They all just kept going, revealing more than a few spoilers. Now I know they're trying to sell their books to readers, not publishers, but it just reminds me of myself,and my whole class, how none of us really feel comfortable talking about our work.
There was only time for a few questions, as the panel was shorter than the rest. Something that came up was planning. The veteran author said that there are two types of writers. Planners and Pantsers. Planners are obviously the ones that plan everything out before they write. Pantsers (which I am one of), write from the seat of their pants.They come up with their plot and everything as they write. Apparently Stephen King is a Pantser. It's more difficult, but can also produce some really good work, because it surprises the author and the reader. Of course, there is always the very high risk of discontinuity errors and mistakes, so Pantsers have to be constantly rereading their own work.
I also got a book signed by one of the authors, because he was giving our free copies of his first novel. I'm not sure if he'll actually earn money from that, but my boyfriend was interested in the book, so he might buy the rest of the series.
We stayed at the Expo until it closed at 7, which seemed way too early in my opinion. There was just so much more to see and explore. I wish I had splurged and bought the three day pass, or even a two day pass. But I guess I'll just have to look forward to next year.
On Saturday, I went to Fan Expo with my boyfriend. It's my first nerd convention, or any convention, for that matter. I've wanted to go to one for years, but I never really had the friends who would go with me. This year I had more friends, though most of them are poor and couldn't afford to go...
We got there around noon, which is about an hour after it started. The place was packed! I knew it would be busy because it was a Saturday, but once we go into the main part of the convention, which is where all the merchants and signings were, it was almost impossible to move. I guess it didn't help that a lot of people were dressed up,some in very large and extravagant costumes that made it hard to get around, or so good that people kept stopping them to get photos. That being said, I definitely dressed up too. Nothing too extreme, since my textile skills are sorely lacking. I just put on my Link costume, complete with the shield my dad made me for Christmas, and the hat that my boyfriend just made me. The costume was better than ever, and still easy to wear. I even had a few people ask to take pictures with me! One was an adorable little boy dressed as the scarecrow from Wizard of Oz.
We did more than just wander around though. One reason why I canted to go to Fan Expo was for the panels. Most of them didn't interest me too much, like the Q&As with actors from shows I don't watch, or tutorials on drawing for graphic novels. Although I'm sure they were interesting, my drawing skills are at the level of an elementary school kid... We visited one panel on cosplaying (costume playing), which was pretty cool. I'm hoping to work on my textile skills a bit, and maybe make a more elaborate costume for next year. The other panel we went to was done by professional authors.
This one was amazing, because these weren't really well known and popular authors. I had never heard of any of them before. And that's the truth about being an author. So many writers see authors like Rowling and Martin and think that's what their life will be, but in the end it's more like this. Writing a few books, making a few bucks, and maybe talking about your craft to a room of fifty people once a year. Not to say that's a bad thing. It's still better than working a customer service job my whole life...
The authors all said a little blurb about their books, then talked a bit about their lives and how they got to where they are now. Most of them were fairly new, having published for the first time within the last few years. One of them had been writing for twenty five years though! They also ranged in genres, from horror/mystery, to post apocalyptic, to children's literature. One thing I realized while listening to them was that none of them really knew how to describe their books in one or two sentences. They all just kept going, revealing more than a few spoilers. Now I know they're trying to sell their books to readers, not publishers, but it just reminds me of myself,and my whole class, how none of us really feel comfortable talking about our work.
There was only time for a few questions, as the panel was shorter than the rest. Something that came up was planning. The veteran author said that there are two types of writers. Planners and Pantsers. Planners are obviously the ones that plan everything out before they write. Pantsers (which I am one of), write from the seat of their pants.They come up with their plot and everything as they write. Apparently Stephen King is a Pantser. It's more difficult, but can also produce some really good work, because it surprises the author and the reader. Of course, there is always the very high risk of discontinuity errors and mistakes, so Pantsers have to be constantly rereading their own work.
I also got a book signed by one of the authors, because he was giving our free copies of his first novel. I'm not sure if he'll actually earn money from that, but my boyfriend was interested in the book, so he might buy the rest of the series.
We stayed at the Expo until it closed at 7, which seemed way too early in my opinion. There was just so much more to see and explore. I wish I had splurged and bought the three day pass, or even a two day pass. But I guess I'll just have to look forward to next year.
Thursday, 2 April 2015
Business of Writing: The End (Almost)
It's getting to the end of the semester, and I'm supposed to be looking back at what I've learned, and how I've changed. A think a list is the simplest way to answer this.
1) Don't procrastinate. You do NOT have time to finish off a list of fifty things in the last three weeks of class, even if you do have things planned out.
2) Learn to do taxes. You won't have your mom or dad around forever to do them for you.
3) Learn what and how to write things off.
4) Homework is more important than Youtube, or Reddit, or Facebook...
5) Perhaps this blog is more important than you think. Maybe, just maybe, people are actually reading this...
6) Approach people, because they will not approach you. People don't bite... most of the time.
7) Don't compare yourself to your favorite author. You'll only feel bad afterward. Sure, aim to be as good as they are, but never compare.
8) Your CV will never get better until you stop moping about it and actually do something about it. Not all, if any, magazines will care about your current CV, so don't think it reflects your skill, or how they will view your work.
9) If you write something, it means something to you. Even if it's a fantasy piece that has absolutely nothing to do with this world, it still means something to you. Make sure people know that.
10) Even if it's just to bring joy and happiness to people, your work means something. (Note: I hate and struggle against the idea that speculative fiction is not real literature, or not real writing. Just because it doesn't always hold a message, or relate to real life situations, doesn't mean that it's not worth reading and writing, nor is it the easy form of writing.)
11) Learn to talk! If you can't speak up in a class of ten peers, how will you speak in front of an audience of strangers?
1) Don't procrastinate. You do NOT have time to finish off a list of fifty things in the last three weeks of class, even if you do have things planned out.
2) Learn to do taxes. You won't have your mom or dad around forever to do them for you.
3) Learn what and how to write things off.
4) Homework is more important than Youtube, or Reddit, or Facebook...
5) Perhaps this blog is more important than you think. Maybe, just maybe, people are actually reading this...
6) Approach people, because they will not approach you. People don't bite... most of the time.
7) Don't compare yourself to your favorite author. You'll only feel bad afterward. Sure, aim to be as good as they are, but never compare.
8) Your CV will never get better until you stop moping about it and actually do something about it. Not all, if any, magazines will care about your current CV, so don't think it reflects your skill, or how they will view your work.
9) If you write something, it means something to you. Even if it's a fantasy piece that has absolutely nothing to do with this world, it still means something to you. Make sure people know that.
10) Even if it's just to bring joy and happiness to people, your work means something. (Note: I hate and struggle against the idea that speculative fiction is not real literature, or not real writing. Just because it doesn't always hold a message, or relate to real life situations, doesn't mean that it's not worth reading and writing, nor is it the easy form of writing.)
11) Learn to talk! If you can't speak up in a class of ten peers, how will you speak in front of an audience of strangers?
Thursday, 26 March 2015
Lots and lots of words
I've been getting behind on my Business of Writing updates, so I'm going to try and catch up now.
I mentioned earlier about a conference I went to, and I should elaborate on that. It was a literary conference, comprised of multiple panels. Unfortunately, I missed the first one, because it was located a fair distance away, and my friend was driving me, so I didn't want to ask her to wake up super early to get me out there. The first panel that I was present for was rather dry. Everyone was reading essays, or papers, or sections from books. They were all accounts of epistolary stories, or histories. The subjects were rather interesting, but I have to admit that I zoned out quite a bit during the second one, and can barely remember what it was about. The third one from that panel was the most interesting, because it was about a certain sweater that is made by a First Nation group, and how it was incorrectly recreated without permission from the group, for the Olympics.
It was a good presentation to end that panel on, because after lunch, the next panel was by three First Nations presenters. And they were all so interesting, because they were talking to the audience, not reading off a piece of paper. They were telling personal stories, not research. There was even some singing and rapping. It was by far the most interesting panel that I was able to attend that day.
Of course, that's not saying much, considering I had to leave after that one. My friend had to be home by 4:30, and it was an hour drive back to her house, so we left at 3. I heard the next panel had to do with food, so I really regret not staying for that one, but there wasn't much I could do.
After that, we started learning about grants and CVs (Curriculum vites? I can't spell it). The grants weren't too challenging, we just had to go into more detail about our porject. And not just the plot synopsis, but details that we probably never really thought about until now, at least for me. The point of a grant is to convince a council to give you money to work on a project. We were told to talk about why we're writing out project, why it's important to ourselves and the community. Why people have to read it, and why it has to be written. Unfortunately, as a speculative fiction writer, I write for fun. Although I try to include deeper meaning into my work, it's generally for fun. I like to write what I like to read, and what I read is fantasy, dragons, magic, knights, kings, queens, grand wars and the fall of kingdoms. Now this really isn't important. It's not a tragic history of my life, and how I became the person I am today through great struggle and overcoming challenges.
So although I found writing about my project was fairly easy, I don't feel like it'll be earning me grant money any time soon... or ever.
It's the CV that got me, and I'm pretty sure most other people, worried and rather self conscious. A CV is basically a writing resume. It includes all schooling, publications, awards and interests. Just to get mine to a full page, I had to include a suspicious amount of line breaks and some small things that otherwise would not be on a regular CV, such as magazines I've submitted to (but not been accepted in). I thought my two little publications in my old colleges anthology were pretty good... Until I looked at some other CVs just from my class. I really need to get my butt in gear and get more actual publications.
Today we had a presentation on reviews. This was particularly interesting to me, since I have actually done several reviews on this blog. None of them have been for money, or even for the public, so I never considered them to really matter. I was doing them for whoever might stumble upon them, or maybe for any google searches. In fact, if I look at my traffic sources, I have a few people that found this blog because of a review I did on "A Murderous Procession". It's been a while since I've done a review, but I have read several books since my last one, so I should get back to them. Maybe I'll do one on Tuesday.
And now what I have planned for the next few weeks. I mentioned Fan Expo a few posts ago. I am definitely going to this. Just for one day, since ticket prices start getting expensive for more than one day, and my poor boyfriend can't afford much. And since I don't have much time to go out and do things, what with school and work, I'm hoping to get a lot of points for my List through online research and sharing. I've found a great resource through Reddit, which has a lot of publishes authors and editors, who constantly posts links to other websites that help to improve writing, or help to get published. It also constantly has AMAs (Ask Me Anything), with writers, editors, publishers and so on. While doing my research on Brandon Sanderson, I realized these are far more than just questions on the author's books or home life, but also on their jobs, and how they deal with the problems that all writers, or editors or publishers, face.
So that was a big update, sorry. I feel like I owed it, after all the other days I've missed. I'll try to update more on schedule from now on!
I mentioned earlier about a conference I went to, and I should elaborate on that. It was a literary conference, comprised of multiple panels. Unfortunately, I missed the first one, because it was located a fair distance away, and my friend was driving me, so I didn't want to ask her to wake up super early to get me out there. The first panel that I was present for was rather dry. Everyone was reading essays, or papers, or sections from books. They were all accounts of epistolary stories, or histories. The subjects were rather interesting, but I have to admit that I zoned out quite a bit during the second one, and can barely remember what it was about. The third one from that panel was the most interesting, because it was about a certain sweater that is made by a First Nation group, and how it was incorrectly recreated without permission from the group, for the Olympics.
It was a good presentation to end that panel on, because after lunch, the next panel was by three First Nations presenters. And they were all so interesting, because they were talking to the audience, not reading off a piece of paper. They were telling personal stories, not research. There was even some singing and rapping. It was by far the most interesting panel that I was able to attend that day.
Of course, that's not saying much, considering I had to leave after that one. My friend had to be home by 4:30, and it was an hour drive back to her house, so we left at 3. I heard the next panel had to do with food, so I really regret not staying for that one, but there wasn't much I could do.
After that, we started learning about grants and CVs (Curriculum vites? I can't spell it). The grants weren't too challenging, we just had to go into more detail about our porject. And not just the plot synopsis, but details that we probably never really thought about until now, at least for me. The point of a grant is to convince a council to give you money to work on a project. We were told to talk about why we're writing out project, why it's important to ourselves and the community. Why people have to read it, and why it has to be written. Unfortunately, as a speculative fiction writer, I write for fun. Although I try to include deeper meaning into my work, it's generally for fun. I like to write what I like to read, and what I read is fantasy, dragons, magic, knights, kings, queens, grand wars and the fall of kingdoms. Now this really isn't important. It's not a tragic history of my life, and how I became the person I am today through great struggle and overcoming challenges.
So although I found writing about my project was fairly easy, I don't feel like it'll be earning me grant money any time soon... or ever.
It's the CV that got me, and I'm pretty sure most other people, worried and rather self conscious. A CV is basically a writing resume. It includes all schooling, publications, awards and interests. Just to get mine to a full page, I had to include a suspicious amount of line breaks and some small things that otherwise would not be on a regular CV, such as magazines I've submitted to (but not been accepted in). I thought my two little publications in my old colleges anthology were pretty good... Until I looked at some other CVs just from my class. I really need to get my butt in gear and get more actual publications.
Today we had a presentation on reviews. This was particularly interesting to me, since I have actually done several reviews on this blog. None of them have been for money, or even for the public, so I never considered them to really matter. I was doing them for whoever might stumble upon them, or maybe for any google searches. In fact, if I look at my traffic sources, I have a few people that found this blog because of a review I did on "A Murderous Procession". It's been a while since I've done a review, but I have read several books since my last one, so I should get back to them. Maybe I'll do one on Tuesday.
And now what I have planned for the next few weeks. I mentioned Fan Expo a few posts ago. I am definitely going to this. Just for one day, since ticket prices start getting expensive for more than one day, and my poor boyfriend can't afford much. And since I don't have much time to go out and do things, what with school and work, I'm hoping to get a lot of points for my List through online research and sharing. I've found a great resource through Reddit, which has a lot of publishes authors and editors, who constantly posts links to other websites that help to improve writing, or help to get published. It also constantly has AMAs (Ask Me Anything), with writers, editors, publishers and so on. While doing my research on Brandon Sanderson, I realized these are far more than just questions on the author's books or home life, but also on their jobs, and how they deal with the problems that all writers, or editors or publishers, face.
So that was a big update, sorry. I feel like I owed it, after all the other days I've missed. I'll try to update more on schedule from now on!
Tuesday, 10 March 2015
Lots of School
And another week without an update. Sorry guys! But nothing too much to report anyway.
I've been working on that list of tasks for my Business of Writing class. I got a few points from attending a conference, which I have to thank my wonderful friend for driving me to (I really need to get my N...). After I went to the museum that my mom is the curator of, and used it as an opportunity to fill in the 'go to an archive' task. Technically I have to go for research purposes, but I helped my mom do some archiving on clothing, so I learned a few things there... such as what a cotton apron looks like, and how to spell the work crochet. (Which I now just proceeded to spell incorrectly... Thank spell check!) I talked to my professor today, and he gave me some more suggestions, such as researching more authors, magazines and publishers. I'll do the best I can with my internet connection.
What I'm most excited about it Fan Expo. I was told that'll be worth about three points if I go all day, which I definitely plan on doing. I really want to check out the indie press corner, and the sci-fi/fantasy author, whoever that may be.
And on another subject, I got an A on my midterm portfolio for poetry! I thought I was going to get a B, maximum. I really don't have too much confidence in my poetry, but it seems to be better than I thought. I was even told to tweak a few poems, and submit them. I think I'll do that, and gain a few more points for my list.
And finally, I've decided that I will take one course this summer. I really want it just to get my U-pass, but I also don't want to be taking a fourth year English course while also taking multiple other classes. The course I'm planning on taking is only once a week, and at a decent time, so I figured I'll get it over with. The information on it is very vague, so I'm hoping I luck out and like the subject. It's based all on what the professor chooses to teach. The last time I had a course like this, I really didn't enjoy the readings, partly because they all seemed to centre around males... But my professor this time is a female, so hopefully it'll be different. It'll also be my second to last English course! Yay! And the final one I have to take is actually a second year course. It's required, and I wanted to take it this semester, but because my grades for the prerequisite had not been submitted yet, it said I had not finished it. And unfortunately that class isn't offered in the summer...
I've been working on that list of tasks for my Business of Writing class. I got a few points from attending a conference, which I have to thank my wonderful friend for driving me to (I really need to get my N...). After I went to the museum that my mom is the curator of, and used it as an opportunity to fill in the 'go to an archive' task. Technically I have to go for research purposes, but I helped my mom do some archiving on clothing, so I learned a few things there... such as what a cotton apron looks like, and how to spell the work crochet. (Which I now just proceeded to spell incorrectly... Thank spell check!) I talked to my professor today, and he gave me some more suggestions, such as researching more authors, magazines and publishers. I'll do the best I can with my internet connection.
What I'm most excited about it Fan Expo. I was told that'll be worth about three points if I go all day, which I definitely plan on doing. I really want to check out the indie press corner, and the sci-fi/fantasy author, whoever that may be.
And on another subject, I got an A on my midterm portfolio for poetry! I thought I was going to get a B, maximum. I really don't have too much confidence in my poetry, but it seems to be better than I thought. I was even told to tweak a few poems, and submit them. I think I'll do that, and gain a few more points for my list.
And finally, I've decided that I will take one course this summer. I really want it just to get my U-pass, but I also don't want to be taking a fourth year English course while also taking multiple other classes. The course I'm planning on taking is only once a week, and at a decent time, so I figured I'll get it over with. The information on it is very vague, so I'm hoping I luck out and like the subject. It's based all on what the professor chooses to teach. The last time I had a course like this, I really didn't enjoy the readings, partly because they all seemed to centre around males... But my professor this time is a female, so hopefully it'll be different. It'll also be my second to last English course! Yay! And the final one I have to take is actually a second year course. It's required, and I wanted to take it this semester, but because my grades for the prerequisite had not been submitted yet, it said I had not finished it. And unfortunately that class isn't offered in the summer...
Thursday, 26 February 2015
Sestinas...
Reading breaks are fabulous... I should really be doing more reading...
I actually only have three days off this reading break, because I was working on Monday, and I work Friday and Saturday... And I kind of wasted those three days off. I did do homework. I'm working on my poems, and all but one are coming along very well. I really hate sestinas. I really, really do. I just cannot get a nice flowing poem when I'm forced to reuse words. I cannot get a narrative without it sounding choppy and repetitive. And I'm having a lot of trouble just fitting imagery in, though the form isn't completely to blame for that.
And I still have an essay to write. I'm struggling over that even more. Poem has too much structure and form, but English doesn't have enough. The guidelines for the essay is to write an essay on a poem we've talked about. I know this is fairly normal for higher level courses, so be able to see a theme and write an essay around it. But we're not supposed to use outside sources, and I'm assuming it has to be on one poem, not a poet or a collection of poems. Ugh. Poetry. It'll be the death of me.
So I'll try and get at least the sestina done by Tuesday. What I have so far is already better than my previous one, but I know it's just going to crumble as I struggle to come up with new things to say... I never thought I would miss free verse so much.
I actually only have three days off this reading break, because I was working on Monday, and I work Friday and Saturday... And I kind of wasted those three days off. I did do homework. I'm working on my poems, and all but one are coming along very well. I really hate sestinas. I really, really do. I just cannot get a nice flowing poem when I'm forced to reuse words. I cannot get a narrative without it sounding choppy and repetitive. And I'm having a lot of trouble just fitting imagery in, though the form isn't completely to blame for that.
And I still have an essay to write. I'm struggling over that even more. Poem has too much structure and form, but English doesn't have enough. The guidelines for the essay is to write an essay on a poem we've talked about. I know this is fairly normal for higher level courses, so be able to see a theme and write an essay around it. But we're not supposed to use outside sources, and I'm assuming it has to be on one poem, not a poet or a collection of poems. Ugh. Poetry. It'll be the death of me.
So I'll try and get at least the sestina done by Tuesday. What I have so far is already better than my previous one, but I know it's just going to crumble as I struggle to come up with new things to say... I never thought I would miss free verse so much.
Tuesday, 24 February 2015
Time to be Productive!
It's reading break! And I actually have some reading to do... Well, writing, but close enough. I get three days off of work and school, in which time I have to write an essay and a poem, along with some editing and compiling. I guess it's a good thing that my school decide to have its reading week two weeks after almost every other school. All my friends are back in school right now, so I won't get as distracted.
On another note, I applied for a job at Chapters! It's a three month contract job, so I was kind of iffy about actually applying for it. If I got the job, I'm not sure when I would actually start. The application is open until April, so I assume after that is when the job would start. That would be perfect, because it would give me time to finish school, and for us to train a new person at work, since my co-worker is leaving. I'm not sure if I would actually leave Starbucks, but at least being out of school will allow me to work more than a couple days at each location. So wish me luck with that. I like to think that my updated resume is pretty good, now that I can say I've been an assistant manager somewhere.
I guess I should also get onto submitting some writing to magazines too. I saw a few from some class presentations that might accept my work, so I'll check them out.
On another note, I applied for a job at Chapters! It's a three month contract job, so I was kind of iffy about actually applying for it. If I got the job, I'm not sure when I would actually start. The application is open until April, so I assume after that is when the job would start. That would be perfect, because it would give me time to finish school, and for us to train a new person at work, since my co-worker is leaving. I'm not sure if I would actually leave Starbucks, but at least being out of school will allow me to work more than a couple days at each location. So wish me luck with that. I like to think that my updated resume is pretty good, now that I can say I've been an assistant manager somewhere.
I guess I should also get onto submitting some writing to magazines too. I saw a few from some class presentations that might accept my work, so I'll check them out.
Thursday, 12 February 2015
Internet...
Ugh, I might just have to smash my router. That way my parents might actually do something about it. So once again, I'm blaming my lack of posts on my internet. I swear! I tried to post on Tuesday, but my internet kept crashing. Let's see if I can actually get this post out tonight.
So it's a Thursday, so that means I had my Business of Writing class. Last week we actually got the day off to go off and do stuff. I accompanied my boyfriend to his school, because they have a massive library that I wanted to check out. I tried to find the periodical section... and failed. That place is massive. I did, however, find this interesting little display case that had the journals, notes and books of authors. I suppose they are probably authors that graduated from the school.
This week we talked about publication. It was... eye opening. We looked at journals to submit to though, and I feel a little more confident that I can actually get into some. My writing is mostly speculative fiction, so that really limits who will take my work. Most places like the down to earth, family friendly stuff. I like to write about the apocalypse, or other worlds. But that's not considered literature, so is rarely accepted into literary magazines. But that's okay, because I've become aware of the limited magazines that will accept them. I'll have to revise my stories and check up these magazines soon.
The prospect of getting paid to let someone have movie rights to my book is awesome though... I'm still going to keep dreaming.
So it's a Thursday, so that means I had my Business of Writing class. Last week we actually got the day off to go off and do stuff. I accompanied my boyfriend to his school, because they have a massive library that I wanted to check out. I tried to find the periodical section... and failed. That place is massive. I did, however, find this interesting little display case that had the journals, notes and books of authors. I suppose they are probably authors that graduated from the school.
This week we talked about publication. It was... eye opening. We looked at journals to submit to though, and I feel a little more confident that I can actually get into some. My writing is mostly speculative fiction, so that really limits who will take my work. Most places like the down to earth, family friendly stuff. I like to write about the apocalypse, or other worlds. But that's not considered literature, so is rarely accepted into literary magazines. But that's okay, because I've become aware of the limited magazines that will accept them. I'll have to revise my stories and check up these magazines soon.
The prospect of getting paid to let someone have movie rights to my book is awesome though... I'm still going to keep dreaming.
Thursday, 29 January 2015
Word Rampage
I came up with a brilliant new way so say rant! Word rampage is my new saying whenever I start to complain. So look forward to that in the future, if I remember it.
Lots going on at school today. The writer-in-residence, Sheri-D Wilson, was there from Tuesday to Thursday, and I managed to go to every single event. Pretty impressive, for me. I was just lucky that I was at school all those days.
First off was her doing a public reading. It took place in the library, and I feel kind of bad for anyone that was actually trying to study, because damn, she is loud. In a good way, of course. I don't think the reading would have been the same if she had an indoor voice, and especially not with a library voice. So at this reading I realized that I loved her poetry style, and not just because of how she read it. It was real, and understandable. It wasn't trying to be mysterious, or to tie the reader's minds in knots. It was what it was, and it was beautiful.
The next day I sacrificed sleep to be at school by ten. That doesn't sound very early, but bear in mind that it takes me about two hours to get to school, and I like another two hours before I leave. So I was up at six o'clock... But I was at school for the workshop she was holding, and I'm really glad I decided to go. I thought it would be about writing poetry, and some tips and hints. However, this was all on spoken word, and how to read your poems properly. I am horrible at reading in front of people. I've gotten better in the last few years, because for some reason my ego has inflated ten fold (I have no idea why...) I can read loud and project my voice, and I can strut up to the podium or front of the class as if I own the place, but I still talk to fast. At the workshop, Sheri-D taught us all when to pause, and when to give emphasis on words. So now I at least know how to read my poems. Actually reading them, in front of people, is something else entirely. It's like knowing exactly what you'll write for an essay, or knowing all the formulas on a math test, but then you go and write it, and everything has just drifted away.
Today I had a one-on-one with her, which is one of the scariest things I've ever done (somewhere between going into a haunted house, and my first day of college). However, I found it was more the wait until that point that scared me the most. Once I was in there and couldn't back out, I really relaxed. Well, ten minutes in I relaxed. I had read a poem yesterday that she really liked, and we went over it in detail today, picking at every line. I definitely think it's a poem I can make longer and work on. At the moment, it's composed of beautiful lines, but no story. When I was writing it, I didn't really think story, I just thought theme. Now though, I see that there is a bit of a story to it, and I really want to continue with it.
We did a few other poems, but none of them were as in-depth, though she did comment on how she liked them all.I definitely need to keep working on them all, especially on length, but I'm still very proud. I still don't believe that poetry is one of my strong points, but I guess by thinking that, I will only get better.
And finally after class today there was a talk on the writing craft. It was mostly anecdotes and a few tips about Spoken Word, but it was still great. It's a shame that she's not a professor at my school. It would have been great to have a whole class with her.
Lots going on at school today. The writer-in-residence, Sheri-D Wilson, was there from Tuesday to Thursday, and I managed to go to every single event. Pretty impressive, for me. I was just lucky that I was at school all those days.
First off was her doing a public reading. It took place in the library, and I feel kind of bad for anyone that was actually trying to study, because damn, she is loud. In a good way, of course. I don't think the reading would have been the same if she had an indoor voice, and especially not with a library voice. So at this reading I realized that I loved her poetry style, and not just because of how she read it. It was real, and understandable. It wasn't trying to be mysterious, or to tie the reader's minds in knots. It was what it was, and it was beautiful.
The next day I sacrificed sleep to be at school by ten. That doesn't sound very early, but bear in mind that it takes me about two hours to get to school, and I like another two hours before I leave. So I was up at six o'clock... But I was at school for the workshop she was holding, and I'm really glad I decided to go. I thought it would be about writing poetry, and some tips and hints. However, this was all on spoken word, and how to read your poems properly. I am horrible at reading in front of people. I've gotten better in the last few years, because for some reason my ego has inflated ten fold (I have no idea why...) I can read loud and project my voice, and I can strut up to the podium or front of the class as if I own the place, but I still talk to fast. At the workshop, Sheri-D taught us all when to pause, and when to give emphasis on words. So now I at least know how to read my poems. Actually reading them, in front of people, is something else entirely. It's like knowing exactly what you'll write for an essay, or knowing all the formulas on a math test, but then you go and write it, and everything has just drifted away.
Today I had a one-on-one with her, which is one of the scariest things I've ever done (somewhere between going into a haunted house, and my first day of college). However, I found it was more the wait until that point that scared me the most. Once I was in there and couldn't back out, I really relaxed. Well, ten minutes in I relaxed. I had read a poem yesterday that she really liked, and we went over it in detail today, picking at every line. I definitely think it's a poem I can make longer and work on. At the moment, it's composed of beautiful lines, but no story. When I was writing it, I didn't really think story, I just thought theme. Now though, I see that there is a bit of a story to it, and I really want to continue with it.
We did a few other poems, but none of them were as in-depth, though she did comment on how she liked them all.I definitely need to keep working on them all, especially on length, but I'm still very proud. I still don't believe that poetry is one of my strong points, but I guess by thinking that, I will only get better.
And finally after class today there was a talk on the writing craft. It was mostly anecdotes and a few tips about Spoken Word, but it was still great. It's a shame that she's not a professor at my school. It would have been great to have a whole class with her.
Tuesday, 27 January 2015
So Many Books
I'm finally getting onto the list of things I have to do for my Business of Writing class! I think I explained it earlier. I have to do fifty things to get full marks, and some things can be done multiple times to earn more points. So on Sunday I dragged my boyfriend downtown to visit bookstores!
We didn't get to all of them, because there were two groups fairly far apart, and near the end we were just too tired from walking. But we managed to visit three, and tried to find a forth but figured it had closed down. I bought some graphic novels too! I was trying to find a copy of the 1818 edition of Frankenstein for my Romantic Poetry class, but couldn't see any. I guess I'll have to visit Chapters soon.
And on that note, I'm still trying to get a job at Chapters. Or anywhere... My mom still thinks I should stay at Starbucks, if only because of my pay. Once I go anywhere else, I'll be back down to minimum wage. I think it's worth it.
I'm also pretty far behind on this list. I need to go back downtown to go to the library, and maybe visit some more bookstore. I really need to go to some readings or other events, but it seems like they all happen on Wednesdays. When I'm in school... I was expecting they would be happening on weekends, when people are actually free to go to them... But I'm still trying to get weekends off so I can do some of these tasks. But unless I deliberately change the schedule so that I'm not working on Saturday, then I'm still working. In fact, in a couple weeks I'll be working Friday to Monday. And I would try to do some things from home, but it seems that every time I try and actually be productive, my internet crashes.
So that's my rant of the day...
We didn't get to all of them, because there were two groups fairly far apart, and near the end we were just too tired from walking. But we managed to visit three, and tried to find a forth but figured it had closed down. I bought some graphic novels too! I was trying to find a copy of the 1818 edition of Frankenstein for my Romantic Poetry class, but couldn't see any. I guess I'll have to visit Chapters soon.
And on that note, I'm still trying to get a job at Chapters. Or anywhere... My mom still thinks I should stay at Starbucks, if only because of my pay. Once I go anywhere else, I'll be back down to minimum wage. I think it's worth it.
I'm also pretty far behind on this list. I need to go back downtown to go to the library, and maybe visit some more bookstore. I really need to go to some readings or other events, but it seems like they all happen on Wednesdays. When I'm in school... I was expecting they would be happening on weekends, when people are actually free to go to them... But I'm still trying to get weekends off so I can do some of these tasks. But unless I deliberately change the schedule so that I'm not working on Saturday, then I'm still working. In fact, in a couple weeks I'll be working Friday to Monday. And I would try to do some things from home, but it seems that every time I try and actually be productive, my internet crashes.
So that's my rant of the day...
Friday, 23 January 2015
Business of Writing
Alright, so this whole page thing didn't work out. Apparently Blogger is different from Wordpress... So, I'll just continue to keep posting my class updates as regular posts. Bear in mind, this post below was actually posted on Tuesday:
I'm going to start up something new! For one of my classes, Business of Writing, we need to keep some sort of learning journal. This can be on paper, online, a continuous Word document, pretty much any way we can think of that will actually convey our thoughts and what we are learning.
Since I'm already writing a blog, I figured this will be the easiest for me.
Well, as long as my internet decides to work long enough for me to actually get each of the posts up... We'll see how this works out.
But since my class is on Thursday, I will be more diligent about getting up a post on Thursdays. And Tuesday, of course. My current excuse is that my internet is utterly useless at this point. But I'll try not to complain.
So this page (as long as it works as a separate page), will contain posts (which should be different from pages...) that relate directly to my class. So if you're a regular reader that's not interested, I'm sorry, my interesting posts will be cut down to just Tuesdays... Or whenever I get them out.
If you are interested in reading more, I guess I should explain what you will be reading about. This class is meant to teach me how to earn money through writing. It'll show me how to submit work to publishers and magazines, how to protect my work, and how to get into the writing community. This latter one is what I will probably be focusing on a lot, since there is so much to say about it.
We were given a list of stuff to do, and we have to finish at least fifty things. Some things can be done multiple times to earn points, while other things are worth multiple points. It's not as hard as it sounds. Some things are nearly impossible, such as getting a job at a bookstore (though I'm really working on it!), while others are very simple and rather enjoyable, such as going to a bookstore. I've already looked up independent bookstores in near by cities, and I just need a day to go out and visit them, preferably a day when I can go with someone (I don't want to get lost alone...)
I would have started this list a couple Sundays ago, and even had plans to go out and get it started. Unfortunately, my grandma passed away the Saturday before, so I wasn't quite in the mood to be gallivanting around the city between bookstores. This Sunday though! I am determined to get some tasks done!
I'm going to start up something new! For one of my classes, Business of Writing, we need to keep some sort of learning journal. This can be on paper, online, a continuous Word document, pretty much any way we can think of that will actually convey our thoughts and what we are learning.
Since I'm already writing a blog, I figured this will be the easiest for me.
Well, as long as my internet decides to work long enough for me to actually get each of the posts up... We'll see how this works out.
But since my class is on Thursday, I will be more diligent about getting up a post on Thursdays. And Tuesday, of course. My current excuse is that my internet is utterly useless at this point. But I'll try not to complain.
So this page (as long as it works as a separate page), will contain posts (which should be different from pages...) that relate directly to my class. So if you're a regular reader that's not interested, I'm sorry, my interesting posts will be cut down to just Tuesdays... Or whenever I get them out.
If you are interested in reading more, I guess I should explain what you will be reading about. This class is meant to teach me how to earn money through writing. It'll show me how to submit work to publishers and magazines, how to protect my work, and how to get into the writing community. This latter one is what I will probably be focusing on a lot, since there is so much to say about it.
We were given a list of stuff to do, and we have to finish at least fifty things. Some things can be done multiple times to earn points, while other things are worth multiple points. It's not as hard as it sounds. Some things are nearly impossible, such as getting a job at a bookstore (though I'm really working on it!), while others are very simple and rather enjoyable, such as going to a bookstore. I've already looked up independent bookstores in near by cities, and I just need a day to go out and visit them, preferably a day when I can go with someone (I don't want to get lost alone...)
I would have started this list a couple Sundays ago, and even had plans to go out and get it started. Unfortunately, my grandma passed away the Saturday before, so I wasn't quite in the mood to be gallivanting around the city between bookstores. This Sunday though! I am determined to get some tasks done!
Thursday, 22 January 2015
Taxes and Money
Regular Thursday update! See, I can do this.
So today in class we learned about taxes and write offs. And holy shit, I feel like a baby. Everyone is just nodding along with everything the prof says, asking the occasional wise question. And I'm just sitting here, thinking that I don't even know how to do my own taxes, or even how they work at all.
I'm twenty one. I live at home with my parents. My mom does all the taxes and stuff when it comes up. The most I know is that it's sometime around April, and I have to give her all the stuff to prove that I was in school. That itself sometimes proves difficult, because none of the administrators at school care about the students, or that they're struggling to figure out taxes. They're just like 'it's online. Go find it yourself'. (No joke, this happened. Except the person gave me a slip of paper that explained it all. But still!)
I guess I have a lot of learning to do in this category. I talked to my parents over dinner, and they were chatting about it a bit too, so I think I understand more. From what I understand, I can write off expenses made toward my career, or my progression toward my career. That would include my laptop that I bought earlier this year. However, since there are so few expenses that I could write off, at this time I wouldn't be doing much. I don't pay rent, or any utilities. My phone has nothing to do with writing, so I would be hard pressed to figure out how to write that off, and I'm already paying taxes for school... or is it writing off on school... Either way, my parents and I agree that there is no reason for me to get an accountant while I'm still in school, and not until I'm actually earning money from my writing. For now I'll compile my receipts and learn as I go, probably from my mom when she does taxes.
Wish me luck with that!
So today in class we learned about taxes and write offs. And holy shit, I feel like a baby. Everyone is just nodding along with everything the prof says, asking the occasional wise question. And I'm just sitting here, thinking that I don't even know how to do my own taxes, or even how they work at all.
I'm twenty one. I live at home with my parents. My mom does all the taxes and stuff when it comes up. The most I know is that it's sometime around April, and I have to give her all the stuff to prove that I was in school. That itself sometimes proves difficult, because none of the administrators at school care about the students, or that they're struggling to figure out taxes. They're just like 'it's online. Go find it yourself'. (No joke, this happened. Except the person gave me a slip of paper that explained it all. But still!)
I guess I have a lot of learning to do in this category. I talked to my parents over dinner, and they were chatting about it a bit too, so I think I understand more. From what I understand, I can write off expenses made toward my career, or my progression toward my career. That would include my laptop that I bought earlier this year. However, since there are so few expenses that I could write off, at this time I wouldn't be doing much. I don't pay rent, or any utilities. My phone has nothing to do with writing, so I would be hard pressed to figure out how to write that off, and I'm already paying taxes for school... or is it writing off on school... Either way, my parents and I agree that there is no reason for me to get an accountant while I'm still in school, and not until I'm actually earning money from my writing. For now I'll compile my receipts and learn as I go, probably from my mom when she does taxes.
Wish me luck with that!
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