Welcome to week eight of the #WritersQuick5 series - where we learn about writing from fellow writers. One of the reasons I’m enjoying the writing platform Channillo.com is the connection you can make with fellow writers. I’ve found writers on the platform to be accessible and friendly and it’s been fun to exchange messages and get to know people and their work. One of the most prolific authors on the website is microfiction author Bill McStowe. Bill’s work has been featured in blink-ink and in the Microfiction Monday Magazine Print Anthology’s Best of 2015.
Let’s see what Bill has to say… Question #1 - Where do you write and why do you write there? I don’t have a designated writing space, so I write anywhere I can. I prefer notebooks for my early drafts so flat surfaces are important. My knee in the car, for example, counts as a flat surface. Question #2 - What is unique about writing for your particular genre? My weekly series “Uncharted” appears on Channillo. For about a year and a half now, I’ve been writing a story a week. The stories are written loosely in journal form by a hapless hero. The journal idea gives me freedom, so it’s a bit different. The stories stand alone, but with familiar characters and places. Question #3 - What are some of your grammar or punctuation pet peeves? I’d like to see a global gathering of grammarians hash out a universal rule on the punctuation in/outside the closing quotation mark thingamabob. Obviously, I would not be invited because I use words like “thingamabob.” In Australia, this would appear as “thingamabob”. Question #4 - At what point in your writing process do you start to bring other people in to review your work? These days, I’m not bringing too many people in to review my work. My concentration is the weekly series, so I have a quick turnaround. I spend a lot time reading aloud as a way of being my own critic. That said, I do miss writing groups. I’ve met some wonderful people over the years. Question #5 - What advice would you give to a new writer about the writing process? Avoid words like “thingamabob.” Thank you Bill for your answers. I agree with you on the quotation marks - and for the record, I love the word thingamabob. If you want to keep up with Bill, please check out his series Uncharted on Channillo.com. You can also visit his website and follow him on Twitter. *** If you would like to be featured as a writer in the #WritersQuick5 series, please just reach out and let me know. I’d love to promote your work as well! For updates on #WritersQuick5 and other info from me, please follow me on Twitter or check back with this blog for all the latest.
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Welcome to week seven of the #WritersQuick5 series - where we learn about writing from fellow writers. There are some people with innate gifts - ways of doing things or seeing things that can’t necessarily be taught or learned - that continue to bless the world with their talent. One of these people is my dear friend Alex, who has been sketching, drawing, creating basically since leaving the womb. There are many ways he has taken this to the next level, whether it be through bringing drawing to the stage through Live Action Cartoonists, to The Adventures of Captain Hare Borne and The Space Squadron, to his political satire, to his most ambitious and impressive endeavor - marrying his career as a doctor with his command of words and his love of drawing. Alex and his friend Gary Ashwal started Booster Shot Media, a creative firm that creates health education materials (comics, whiteboard drawing videos, animation) for - and with - the healthcare industry to produce results-focused content. Alex and Gary are perhaps best known for Iggy and the Inhalers, a Pokemon-style education program for kids with asthma. Iggy was the “Best in Show” award winner for the 2016 Health Information Awards and the 2015 winner in the multimedia category of the American Public Health Association’s annual Public Health Materials Contest. Alex and Gary also showcased Iggy as panelists at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con. As you can imagine, his particular brand and style of writing is unique and I’m so honored he’s agreed to share some insights with us. Let’s see what he has to say… Question #1: Where do you write and why do you write there? I usually write (and draw and sketch) in my basement art studio. It's a nice dedicated work space for my art supplies, drawing table, computer and digital drawing tablet. My wife recently got me a mobile drawing tablet so I can work anywhere, but I do like having a place where I can leave work out and just pick up where I left off. Question #2: What is unique about writing for your particular genre? Writing health education comics is very collaborative. Gary and I will write scripts for comics and videos together. We'll then create storyboards that we review with our clients (typically a group of researchers or clinicians). They may have certain technical details they want included or certain requirements needed for what we are creating to be used in a research study, so their feedback is very important. At the same time, we are also mindful that the intended audience still needs to be entertained and we never want to lose sight of the fact that what we create also needs to be fun and both narratively and visually engaging. Question #3: What are some of your grammar or punctuation pet peeves? I really don't have any. I'm sure this entire thing is full of errors. Also this spell check is telling me that "narratively" is not a word. Are we in agreeance that it is a word? Question 4: At what point in your writing process do you start to bring other people in to review your work? As I mentioned before, our work as Booster Shot Media is very iterative. We rely on feedback from the experts as well as the audience to make sure we are communicating (often complex) information effectively. On several projects, we conducted focus groups where we got feedback on storyboards before we created the video or comics. The focus group members never have any idea that the people conducting the focus group actually created the storyboards they are picking apart. The feedback can be pretty brutal at times- it teaches you to grow a pretty thick skin and not lose sight of the communication goals of the project. I recall one woman from a focus group looking at my sketches and saying to me (not realizing that I was the artist), "These drawings need a lot of work. Let's just say this guy ain't Walt Disney." Ouch. But, you learn to get over it. YOU HEAR THAT, CARLA?? I GOT OVER IT!! I KNOW I'M NOT WALT DISNEY, OKAY??! Question #5: What advice would you give to a new writer about the writing process? I think I have had my most creative and successful work when I didn't excessively plan or outline things out in the initial stages. So don't be to precious about your ideas, and just put ink to the page and write (or draw) and make something! Thank you Alex for these incredible answers. I love "don't be to precious about your ideas, and just put ink to the page and write (or draw) and make something!" Such great advice. Plus, I’m just glad you finally got to put Carla in her place. Please visit the Booster Shot Media website and follow Booster Shot on Twitter. Also check out the Iggy and the Inhalers website and don’t forget to check out their store where you can order Iggy Products. PS… A few weeks ago I featured filmmaker J.C. Reifenberg in a #WritersQuick5 and mentioned that he was in my prom group. Well, to up the ante - Alex WAS MY PROM DATE. BOOM! Represent 1999 GBN Prom, represent! *** If you would like to be featured as a writer in the #WritersQuick5 series, please just reach out and let me know. I’d love to promote your work as well! For updates on #WritersQuick5 and other info from me, please follow me on Twitter or check back with this blog for all the latest. Welcome to week six of the #WritersQuick5 series - where we learn about writing from follow writers.
One of my biggest pet peeves about the word ‘writer’ is that it’s almost always associated with being published. But, so many people write every day - and are paid for it - and that writing will never been formally seen outside an office or a specific workplace setting. Does that mean they aren’t writers? My answer: no. We are all writers. Writers come in all shapes and forms. In fact, I’ve found that being formally published doesn’t necessarily mean that there are more eyes on your work either. Many of my positions in the workplace have revolved around writing, and in particularly in the case of website content, some of my projects have been seen by thousands upon thousands of people. If each webpage hit was a book download, I’d be a millionaire. And so, when I started doing these #WriterQuick5 interviews, I made a commitment to myself that I would feature people that are published sure, but also people that write for a living in other ways too. Today I’m honored to bring you the answers of my dear friend Margaret Hahn. I was privileged enough to work with Margaret for several years, and now that we are both in new positions, one of my only regrets is that I do not get to interact with her every day. Margaret’s field is Technology Change Management with a focus on Internal Communications. She writes every day. Her work goes to hundreds, if not thousands of people. So, I wanted to get her perspective. What is corporate writing really like? Let’s see what she has to say… Question #1: Where do you write and why do you write there? This question has two answers. 1. I write mostly at my desk in the corporate office. I write here because it my assigned seat in my office. I am usually plugged into calming music on my phone so I am not lured by any distractions around me. 2. If I am not writing for my day job, I typically write in bed or at my dining room table. When I am writing for pleasure, like personal storytelling or food writing, I like to find a cozy and comfortable space. I like to be comfortable and have few distractions. Since I don't have a dedicated office at home (which is shared with my partner and his three kids) I like to find a cozy space that is a little more private and away from the hustle and bustle of the house. Question #2: What is unique about writing for your particular genre? My corporate writing is largely focused around communicating a change and is somewhat similar to sales or advertising. I often have to sell a change and hopefully people connect with what it happening, why, and understand how it impacts the day to day. Typically my writing has to do with encouraging a behavioral change, so I have to focus on the "WHY" for people; hopefully this helps create a connection to the change. My writing is often fraught with challenges because it must be engaging, but is often technical in nature. Also, it must embody the voice and values of the company. I must maintain a high level of professionalism and polish, but must have communications that grab the attention of people. Question #3: What are some of your grammar or punctuation pet peeves? I love the Oxford Comma. I love it. However, the style at my company is anti-oxford comma. I have to always remember to take out my extra commas to align with our style here. I also have a letter press print in my house that I love: "Dear Punctuation, I want you inside me. Love, Quotation Marks." It also bugs me when people put a period at the end of a statement attached to a bullet point. Question #4: At what point in your writing process do you start to bring other people in to review your work? I usually bring my work to people once I have gone through my first draft, stepped away, reread and revised as needed. I love getting feedback and having someone else take a peek at something I write; I'd hate to miss anything. Given my type of writing, I am rarely emotionally connected to it, so I welcome any and all feedback. I push back when I feel it is critical, but that rarely happens. Question #5: What advice would you give to a new writer about the writing process? I think focusing on the goal is super important. What are trying to say? Why are you saying it? What is the point? Can you outline or bullet out the points? Do you connect to the why? I sometimes lean heavily on outlines, whether it is in professional writing or in storytelling. I like to know where my goal posts are and aim for those points. Thank you to Margaret for giving a voice to all the writers out there that are affecting change every day. Your answers prove that there is a personal touch to all writing, even at the corporate level. We appreciate what you do! If you want to connect, you can find Margaret on LinkedIn or on Twitter. *** If you would like to be featured as a writer in the #WritersQuick5 series, please just reach out and let me know. I’d love to promote your work as well! For updates on #WritersQuick5 and other info from me, please follow me on Twitter or check back with this blog for all the latest.
Welcome to week five of the #WritersQuick5 series - where we learn about writing from fellow writers.
This week I’m thrilled to feature filmmaker J.C. Reifenberg. I’ve known J.C. for a long time, so long in fact I don’t even remember when we met. I will spare you the photos from our high school prom group, but suffice it to say, I have long thought the world a better place for J.C. being in it. Our day-to-day paths do not cross often, but I have watched J.C.’s projects with a great sense of hometown pride, especially his epic short film, Hughes the Force (Spoiler Alert: he talks more about his film below in Question #5). When The Force Awakens came out, J.C. also created the amazing short called Summer ‘78 which I have watched too many times to count. It’s hard to describe the short without spoiling the ending, so I’ll just quote the synopsis, “Watch as a young boy during the late 70's plays with his favorite Star Wars toys and learns how his simple, but elaborate, front yard adventures inspire his future.” These are just two J.C’s incredible projects. I could list many more. For example, he has also had characters from his feature screenplays licensed and used in the movie Yoga Hosers. How cool is that? Okay, I’m officially gushing now, so let’s just see what he has to say… Question #1: Where do you write and why do you write there? I think mostly I write in my office. The office is decked out with toys, action figures, artwork, and memories. Everything has a story or memory attached, it's all stuff that inspires me or inspired me at some point in the past. Sometimes though if inspiration strikes I've written on the notepad on my phone on airplanes, in bed, even at a red light while driving. Question #2: What is unique about writing for your particular genre? Writing screenplays is different than most types of writing because you can't write what you can't see. Meaning, you can't say a character 'feels' a certain way, because you can't film what is in a person's head. It's a fun challenge because you need to create situations for your characters to demonstrate what they are feeling. The audience learns about the characters only through the choices that you have them make, there is no voice of God that can convey the emotion and situation you're trying to get across like in a novel - unless you use a voice over, which I consider cheating. You're also not supposed to call out camera shots unless they are completely essential to the story. If you see a scene as one long camera shot sweeping across a room, you need to style the way you write using punctuation, formatting and language to make the reader infer the shot you see without blatantly saying it. A great example is the opening shot in Back to the Future. The camera pans across a room of clocks, uneaten dog food, uranium canisters, and a TV report. But you can't really write "The camera floats through the room." A screenwriter needs to use language such that when the director or cinematographer reads it, they see it as a camera that floats through the room. Basically I feel that a lot of the art to screenwriting is being able to make the reader or audience understand your intent and characters, without ever actually blatantly saying what you're trying to achieve. Question #3: What are some of your grammar or punctuation pet peeves? To, Two, Too. Your, You're. We're, Were, Where, Wear. Question #4: At what point in your writing process do you start to bring other people in to review your work? Most times I'll actually work with a co-writer. But if I'm going solo, I'll bring people in almost from the get go. I'll pitch my idea around to people. Talk to them about the characters, plot line, themes that I'm trying to hit on. A lot of times they have some great ideas that I can incorporate into my outline before I even really start typing. Screenplays are typically around 90-120 pages. If I'm struggling I'll start showing people stuff after the first 30 pages to start a discussion about what parts they liked and didn't like, and where they think it would be fun to take the story, then I'll go back to the drawing board, do another 30 pages and show it off again at page 60. But, if i'm really cruising, (usually on a short film) I'll write the whole thing and then show it off at the end. Question #5: What advice would you give to a new writer about the writing process? I actually don't love writing. I love storytelling, but the most cost effective way to tell a story is with writing. It's way cheaper than a movie, video game, TV show, play, etc. There are no limits to what you can write, no boundaries, but I think that's also the challenge, limitless freedom, where do you start? My advice to that is what they always say, pick something from your experience that is special to you. The first kinda real thing I ever wrote was called Hughes The Force. It’s a comedy that mashes up Weird Science and Star Wars. I've loved Star Wars my whole life and know it back and forth. I also literally grew up in the same town the John Hughes based all his movies around. I knew both genres and subjects inside and out. I loved Star Wars and lived the John Hughes movies. Find something you've experienced and something you love. Write about those things. Also, I think the hardest part about writing is the self-discipline to do it. Sit down, write, even if it’s terrible just write. You don't get better at writing by thinking about writing. You only get better by writing, reading, sharing, re-writing. Another thing, don't quit. The only way you can fail is by quitting. Thank you to J.C. for these thoughtful answers! Makes me love you even more! My favorite line has to be the last one, “The only way you can fail is by quitting.” SO TRUE. To learn more about J.C., visit his IMDB page or follow him on Twitter @Reifenberg. Thanks again J.C. - it means the world to me that we are still supporting each other after all these years. ** If you would like to be featured as a writer in the #WritersQuick5 series, please just reach out and let me know. I’d love to promote your work as well! For updates on #WritersQuick5 and other info from me, please follow me on Twitter or check back with this blog for all the latest. Welcome to week four of the #WritersQuick5 series - where we learn about writing from fellow writers. This week it is a privilege to feature our Q&A with science fiction author C.C. Ekeke, whose Star Brigade series continues to receive top reviews across Amazon and Goodreads. C.C.’s style combines military, science fiction and space opera fiction for unique and thrilling adventures. He has released three books in his Star Brigade space opera series as well as a novella and short story collection set in the same universe. He is currently working on book four of the series. Let’s see what he has to say… Question #1: Where do you write and why do you write there? I write at home because I would get too distracted people watching if I did it elsewhere. Question #2: What is unique about writing for your particular genre? One of the great aspects of writing sci-fi is the world building. You want to make sure your genre hits many of the well worn tropes that people enjoy but also introduce them to completely new worlds and aliens. Plus, its making your characters, no matter how alien, relatable. Question #3: What are some of your grammar or punctuation pet peeves? When someone only uses 'she said' 'he said' but doesn't convey a character's emotion outside of that. Question #4: At what point in your writing process do you start to bring other people in to review your work? I bring editors or beta readers in only after I have finished my first draft and given it my own editing pass. Question #5: What advice would you give to a new writer about the writing process? 1.) Write everyday so it becomes habitual. Even if you only get a few hundred words down, it’s something. 2.) Make sure your story structure is solid before writing a word of your novel. You can start writing without an outline but not without a sound and airtight story structure in place. 3.) Whatever genre you choose to write, make sure your story is something you would want to read. 4.) Your book should get at least 1-2 passes from professional editors (not your parents or best friend mind you) before release. Typos and spelling errors can be a surefire way to tank a book's sales. No matter how good of a sell-editor you are, you will miss more errors than you realize. 5.) Make sure your cover art looks professional and hits all the right notes in your chosen genre. Check out the cover art for bestsellers in your genre on Amazon as well as the artists who did the work. 6.) Connect with other authors in your chosen genre and learn as much as you can. Networking with other writers who have the same goals or are in the place you want to be is a great motivator. 7.) Read not only books in your chosen genre, but also books that are not in your chosen genre. See why certain books are bestsellers as well as what inspiration you can draw from outside what you write. Thank you to C.C. for these amazing answers, particularly the advice to new writers - words we should all live by. To keep in touch with C.C. please subscribe for announcements or contact him via his website & social media platforms. And please be sure to check out all of his latest work - easily purchased on Amazon, Nook, iBooks, Kobo, Google Play and Smashwords. Thanks again C.C. - as a fellow science fiction writer, I am thrilled to have your work featured this week! ** If you would like to be featured as a writer in the #WritersQuick5 series, please just reach out and let me know. I’d love to promote your work as well! For updates on #WritersQuick5 and other info from me, please follow me on Twitter or check back with this blog for all the latest. Welcome to week three of the series #WritersQuick5 - where we learn about writing from fellow writers.
This week I am absolutely thrilled to bring you a Q&A with author Martha Carr, whose Wallis Jones thriller/conspiracy series is rapidly climbing the ranks on Amazon. Her fourth installment The Circle Rises drops today! The Circle Rises is the fourth book in a six part series. The entire series is/will be available on Amazon and in KDP. The Wallis Jones book series is just the latest chapter in Martha's long writing career. She's written a weekly, nationally-syndicated column on world affairs and life that has run on such political hotspots as The Moderate Voice and Politicus. She's also been published in The Washington Post, The New York Time, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal and Newsweek. She infuses her latest book series with her own behind-the-scenes political insights, bringing her life-long love of politics and literary thrillers together. Let's see what she has to say. Question #1: Where do you write and why do you write there? I write in my office at the front of the house where the sun shines in. It's quiet and there's space to leave out a lot of notes about plot points for a twisty, turny conspiracy like Wallis Jones. Question #2: What is unique about writing for your particular genre? Conspiracy thrillers are giant puzzles that should make your heart race and feel like a really good roller coaster ride but with some twists you just don't see coming. Question #3: What are some of your grammar or punctuation pet peeves? I can't say that I have any - in other books I love to read I want the sentence structure overall to be smooth so that I notice the story and not the individual words. Question #4: At what point in your writing process do you start to bring other people in to review your work? I've been writing for a long time so I wait till the end of the first draft and turn it over to an editor. Question #5: What advice would you give to a new writer about the writing process? Just keep going is the best advice I was ever given. It's a journey that gets better and better. And find your own tribe of writers who can share marketing, writing and other type of info as well as cheering each other on for every single morsel of success. It makes everything that much sweeter. Thank you to Martha for these lovely and insightful answers. To keep in touch with Martha, please sign-up for her newsletter. Her newsletter will bring you giveaways, information about new books, and great updates. She's also working on a new short story app, so stay tuned. After you read her Wallis Jones books, please leave reviews on Goodreads and Amazon, or send her a note directly. She loves hearing from her readers! If you would like to be featured as a writer in the #WritersQuick5 series, please just reach out and let me know. I'd love to promote your work as well. For updates on #WritersQuick5 and other info from me, please follow me on Twitter or check back in with this blog for all the latest. Thanks again to Martha... and remember to follow Martha Carr on Twitter too! Welcome to week two of the new series #WritersQuick5 - where we learn about writing from fellow writers. This week we're going to hear from Amanda Hollis-Brusky, Associate Professor of Politics at Pomona College. Amanda and I first met back in 1999 as fellow cohorts in the Core Curriculum program at Boston University. I knew from the day I met her that she was significantly smarter than me, but that has become more apparent as the years have gone on, particularly once I picked up her book Ideas With Consequences: The Federalist Society and the Conservative Counterrevolution. 'Ideas' was recently awarded the 2016 C. Herman Pritchett Award by the American Political Science Association's Law and Courts division for the best book on law and courts published the year before. Amanda shares answers with us on what it's like to write in an academic environment. Let's see what she has to say... Question #1: Where do you write and why do you write there? I write on campus - mostly in my office but in the library or other spaces on campus from time to time. A group of faculty get together for "write-ins" about once a month in the history department library. I write on campus because I like to keep "work hours" separate from "home/family" time and physically going to work puts me in that mindset. Engaging in academic writing from home is quite challenging for me - too many distractions (laundry, house projects, neighbors walking by, etc). That being said, I have written opinion pieces and talks/public lectures at home with relative ease. I consider these "bonus" pieces that I write on my own time so the work-home dichotomy is not fully compromised. Question #2: What is unique about writing for your particular genre? Academic writing speaks to an audience of similarly trained and educated academics. There is a jargon, a shared literature and norms that one is expected to follow. It is argumentative, evidence-based, and cannot make claims that are not specifically supported by the evidence. It is also, for the most part, inaccessible to those outside one's field of study. The one exception to that, I think, is the academic book which meets the tough standards and expectations of an "academic" or scholarly work but is also more broadly accessible to the public. When I put my public intellectual hat on, however, the expectations are quite different - I am working to distill complex, scholarly ideas and concepts for public consumption. In my mind, this is more similar to teaching; to what I do for my students in the classroom. I like this kind of writing and, were it not for the "publish or perish" expectations of academia, I would do more of this kind of writing. Question #3: What are some of your grammar or punctuation pet peeves? First off, I love the Oxford comma - let's just get that out of the way. Misplaced apostrophes (the non-possessive plural mistake) and semi-colon abuse (my freshman who discover the semi-colon often become enamored with it and use it WAY too much) are my biggest grammatical pet peeves. Question #4: At what point in your writing process do you start to bring other people in to review your work? I have been co-authoring for a while. The nice thing about co-authorship is that there is a built-in peer review check. I send drafts of sections to my co-author, he reads and comments and sends them back and vice-versa. When I solo-author I usually send a draft to a trusted colleague or two before I send a piece out for peer-review. Question #5: What advice would you give to a new writer about the writing process? Make writing a daily habit, even if it is just for 20 minutes. Carve out a time when there are no other distractions. For me, this has been key. When I'm at my best (which, admittedly, has not been lately) I am writing for an hour every morning. Longer stretches can and may be possible on some days, of course. But making writing a habit is key to long-term productivity. Thank you to Amanda for these wonderful answers and for your insights on writing. Follow Amanda on Twitter and stay-tuned for her insights during this upcoming administration. And, once again, here's the link to where you can buy her incredible book: Ideas with Consequences. Stay tuned for the next #WritersQuick5. We're going to take a break next week for the holidays, but we'll be back the first week of January. If you'd like to be considered for our #WritersQuick5 series, please contact me and use #WritersQuick5 in the first line of your email. Thanks, and Happy Holidays! I am so excited to introduce a new element to this website and blog - the #WritersQuick5. Every week we are going to meet a new writer, ask them about their writing process, and what advice they have for fellow writers. Every writer will get the same five questions and they will all be archived here. We will explore all different types of writing, from books to comics to screenplays to lyrics to academic papers. Please continue to check in on this blog and on the new #WritersQuick5 homepage.
I'm SO EXCITED at the roster of writers we already have lined up and I couldn't be more thrilled at our first author up - MaryLou Driedger. I've known MaryLou for nearly a decade and I've admired her, her writing, and her passion for writing, since day one. MaryLou has been a weekly newspaper columnist for over thirty years. Her travels and time living abroad have provided her ample content for travel pieces and websites. She's written for periodicals, magazines, educational curriculum, and has been on staff for a religious meditation magazine for twenty years. She's also authored several institutional histories and the script and lyrics for a musical. If that wasn't enough, she publishes personal stories for her grandsons. I know her work from her amazing blog What's Next and from a book she wrote called Storylines: A History of the Hong Kong International Christian School. Let's see what MaryLou has to say: Question #1: Where do you write and why do you write there? I usually write at home at my kitchen counter for convenience sake, but my latest project is a middle grade novel and I find I get the most done on that away from home at a hip coffee shop called Forth one block from my condo. All the artistic young people there working and talking about their projects inspire me. Question #2: What is unique about writing for your particular genre? I have been writing lots of picture books. This is a different kind of writing than I have ever done before and I am finding it very difficult. Getting traditionally published in this field is almost impossible and it is hard not to get discouraged. One of the unique things about picture book writing is that your target audience is not only the children but also their parents who will be the ones buying and reading the book to their kids. You have to hook them in as well as their children. Question #3: What are some of your grammar or punctuation pet peeves? One thing that drives me crazy is the overuse of the word ‘that’. Most of the time when writers use ‘that’ it just isn’t necessary. I used to be a high school composition and journalism teacher and I always told my students to read over their pieces and try leaving out every ‘that’ they had included. Question #4: At what point in your writing process do you start to bring other people in to review your work? Right from the start! When I wanted to start writing for children one of the first things I did was find a children’s writing group to join. They have been so incredibly helpful. We listen to each other’s work in all stages and offer feedback and suggestions. Getting together with other writers is so important. I was recently a finalist in a contest for new children’s picture books. Besides reading the manuscript many times to my writing group I also asked a children’s author and a professor of children’s literature to read it and his advice was invaluable in creating a winning entry. Question #5: What advice would you give to a new writer about the writing process? Network. You need to know people in the industry to learn to be a better writer and to learn how the publishing game works. I am a member of a local writers’ association as well as a national one and their newsletters, meetings, and networking opportunities have been very helpful. I lived in Hong Kong for six years and was a member of the Hong Kong Women in Publishing group. I got my work published in their anthologies and learned so much from my fellow members and from the presenters at our meetings. Thank you to MaryLou for these wonderful answers and to you insights on writing. Follow MaryLou on twitter and read her blog, What's Next? Stay tuned to learn more from your fellow writers and if you'd like to be considered for our #WritersQuick5 series, please contact me and use #WritersQuick5 in the subject line. |
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