Learning to Put Yourself Out There

By: Margaret Huntley.

If you say that putting yourself out there doesn’t scare you at all, I’m sorry, but you’re lying. Whether you’re asking someone on a date, applying for a job, or submitting drafts to a journal, the possibility of rejection is always imminent and always terrifying. 

Unfortunately, putting yourself out there is a necessity for emerging writers. If you want to be published, you have to send your work to journals. This means you have to send your very intimate drafts out to complete strangers. These are the drafts you have slaved over for months, maybe even years. The drafts you have hated and then loved and then hated and then loved again. The drafts that if you find one more thing wrong with, you swear you’ll delete the whole thing altogether. 

The very thought of sending these drafts to someone who doesn’t know the work you’ve put into them is horrifying. This fear is amplified by the fact that this person’s job is to judge their value impartially. Yet, it’s a requirement of the career you’ve chosen. You’re not Emily Dickenson; you can’t just hoard your drafts until they’re discovered after your death. The modern writing world is competitive and always advancing so there is no time to waste waiting around. You have to submit to journals, contests, and publications as soon as possible. 

Well, if you weren’t scared before, you’re probably scared now. Sorry, I don’t mean to scare you. But as a struggling young writer, still in university, trying to get ahead, I’m scared too. So, I wanted to share what helps motivate me to put myself out there despite my fears. 

My advice is simple: do it. Life is all about doing things that scare you. Think about where you’d be if you never took off your training wheels, never jumped into the deep end, or never spoke to that person who is now your best friend. Submitting your work is just the same. You have to do it, and once you do, you’ll be glad that you did. 

While you’re submitting it, do it with the knowledge that you’ll likely get rejected more than a few times before it works out. It would be amazing if you could submit whatever and get published on your first try, but that is just not realistic. After all, you still wobbled on your bicycle before you could ride effortlessly. It might sound counter-intuitive but once you get over the initial hurdle of your first rejection, it gets easier. Once you’ve already put yourself out there, you may as well do it again. Eventually, with persistence and adaptability, you’ll get published and you’ll feel great about it because you know how hard you worked to accomplish it.

You’ll find that the best part of putting yourself out there isn’t actually the act of getting published, but it’s the satisfaction of not letting fear rule your life. 

No Writer is an Island: The Competitive Nature of Writing

By: Margaret Huntley

I don’t know about you, but I am an insanely competitive person. I blame it on my older brother. He’s two years my senior, which was just young enough to play games with me but still old enough to be better than me at them all. This, of course, annoyed me to no end. To this day, I am constantly grappling with a desire to be the best at whatever I do and when I am not, I hate it.  

Now, this would probably benefit me if I chose to pursue a career as an athlete. Instead, I chose to be a writer, whose merit is decided not on objective rules and regulations but the subjective, ever-changing opinions of the public. And I won’t lie, this stresses me out. A lot. 

River Street Writer Margaret Huntley.

When I received a second-place award for one of my pieces in high school, I felt like I wasn’t a good enough writer to make it. I thought that because my piece was second place, I was a second-place writer and that wasn’t good enough. More recently, when I was published in a magazine, I found myself critiquing the whole magazine to determine if I had the best article in there. 

But this is not healthy! 

I used to think that writers worked alone. I thought that it was just up to me and me alone to succeed, so if I didn’t do things right, I was a failure. But this is not how the writing industry works. Sure, JK Rowling wrote her own series, but she needed a publisher before she got off the streets. Even Shakespeare needed talented actors to bring his plays to life. 

I am grateful to be studying creative writing at university in such a team-oriented environment. It has taught me that all writers need inspiration, third party opinions, and colleagues to bring their works to completion. Even then, they rely on the public to consume and support their material. 

Once I understood this, my competitiveness started to diminish. I know the writing accomplishments in my future will not be my own. If I continue to pit myself against others, I will hurt my career more than I will help it. The more I help other writers with their craft, the more they will help me. Not only will they be more likely to return the favour, but by analyzing their craft, I can improve upon my own.  

The reality is that we are all in this together. We are all working hard to get our names out there and we all have unique writing that appeals to different sections of the public. By working together, we are able to put more quality writing out into circulation, and that is a win for everyone.  

So, if you’re competitive like me, next time someone gets published in your place, learn from the experience and use it to become a team player. But the next time you lose Mario Kart to your brother, feel free to throw the remote.  

Learn more about Margaret and other River Street writers here.

Don't Give Yourself Away, Make 'Em Pay

For any writer who has ever felt almost mortally wounded when asked to offer up services for nothing - or close to nothing - you may see some of your sentiments echoed in my reply to a company that approached me about writing content for their website. 

If I am behaving like a diva, I blame the industry. I thank goodness for my top-notch clients; they know that a job well done isn't done for free. This isn't to say I've never done anything for free. On the contrary, I have done readings and work for causes I am passionate about without expecting a thing in return, but for the most part, that's not business. That's not writing for companies or organizations. That's writing I do for myself.

Without further adieu, my reply...

Hey Mr. X,

I hope you can understand if I decline your offer. You see, I feel it is sort of like asking Meryl Streep to audition for a Sharknado sequel. I'm not saying she wouldn't agree to do the movie - I wouldn't dare to speak for Meryl - but asking an actor of her considerable merits to audition for a film her repertoire shows she is clearly capable of handling is just poor form.

I have been in this insanely volatile and fickle industry - and surviving in it - for 11 years. In this time I've worked with global brands and multi-million dollar companies while also completing a graduate degree in Creative Writing and being published in genres ranging from non-fiction to fiction to poetry. I assume this is why you have contacted me: you've seen what I can do.

I've made a living out of writing, both as an artist and as a professional. I know you may not know this, but that's saying a lot considering a great many writers are forced to have part-time or day jobs. 

I get disheartened just thinking about that. So many talented writers are being forced to secure other types of work because people don't see the value in our time - in what we do and how hard it is despite the fact we make it look easy. It's understandable that a hefty sum of aspiring wordsmiths who want to write for a living fizzle out after a year or two - tops. 

It sucks, and we're often pitted against far less adept writers who are quite happy to work for exposure or meager compensation. 

Good for them, I guess, but I'm not one of these sorts. 

I suspect your requests were not unreasonable to some and that you will have no issue finding willing contributors, but when a professional of my  experience is made to feel like I have to wriggle my way out of relative obscurity, I'm - quite frankly - offended, which probably makes me a bigger diva than Meryl any day. Perhaps I'm more like Mariah Carey.

I'm OK with that. There's only one Meryl, there's only one Mariah and there's only one me, and we all deal with our business in our own way. You either take me or leave me. No middle ground.

I wish you luck in your search for writers.

Best,
Hollay

Q&A with Shoilee Khan

Q: What's your advice to writers with day jobs?

A: 1. Accept that the reality of your writing time will not live up to the image you've created. I've tried to balance my teaching and my writing by setting aside specific days in the week as sole writing days - no teaching, no appointments, no errands, just writing. I envision waking up, making breakfast, taking a walk in the wilderness, making a hot cup of tea, and settling into a day of writing with soft slants of sun stretching across my desk. This has happened one or two times. It could happen again. It's lovely and fulfilling when it does happen. But, on all the days that it does not happen - the days where I wake up too late, the days I sit at my desk for three hours and realize that I've eaten two sandwiches and written one paragraph, the days that the urgency to check my student emails, or mark student papers intrudes again and again and again, the days I find the evening burning out my day, my writing quota unsatisfied -- on these days, it's imperative to remember that the vision need not be reality for the writing, some writing, any writing, to get done. 

2. Stop comparing your productivity needs with the productivity practices of other writers. It's beneficial to know how other writers get their writing done, but understand that their practice may not be your practice. Some writers wake up two hours before work and write furiously until they have to leave for their jobs. Other writers write late into the night after their families have finally gone to sleep. Some steal parcels of time throughout the day. Some, like me, set aside specific days to write. You do not have to aspire to a single vision of productivity and feel that you are somehow failing if you cannot perform in the same way. If you are done by 7 pm, then so be it. Watch Netflix, eat an ice cream cone, and go to sleep. Wake up and write in the morning. If you are horrified by mornings, then write at a different time. Decide what will be tolerable for you, then make it work. If it doesn't work, then you try something else. In the midst of all that trying, some writing will happen, and eventually you'll find the regularity, or the right momentum for you. 

3. Realize that what once worked beautifully, may one day no longer suit you. At the beginning of the term, I set aside specific days to write. I was diligent about keeping work at work, prepping most of my lectures while I was on campus, and waking up on my writing days with only one goal: create. Then, the marking started trickling in. It was fine, I stayed on course. Then, all the marking poured in. I knew it would happen. I've been teaching for five years so this was no surprise. It's the inevitable drowning beneath student papers that strikes mid-October and is relentless until the end of term. But, my writing schedule had worked so well that I wanted to force the rest of my life to abide by it. I only grew more frustrated as the marking leaked into my weekends (first transgression), then into my evenings (second transgression), then finally, into my writing days (third and most horrifying transgression). I could say that marking was the problem (and maybe it is), but instead, I needed to accept that my set-up was not meeting my needs and I should readjust. This could mean sacrificing my writing days now to have a week of only-writing later. It could mean writing less on my designated days and accepting the presence of "non-writing" tasks on those days. Really, it would have to be whatever would yield the greatest potential for me to get any amount of writing done. 

4. Take time off. If having dedicated stretches of writing time is important to you and your work, and you are able (financially and otherwise), then plan to take time off as a working holiday. This could mean a few days, to a few weeks, to a leave of absence. Decide what you need and then see how you can go about making it happen. Some writers find a daily balance where the variety that a full, busy work day offers actually feeds their work. Others need long stretches of dedicated time to fully immerse and create. Some writers need both. If you can take some time off, try it - and do so, guilt-free. 

5. Abandon the guilt. Do not wallow in guilt after you shirk your writing commitment. If you are not practicing your craft the way you think you should, you can change your expectations, or you can change your practice. You should not try to flourish on guilt - it will prevent you from ever rising up again because it is meant to keep you down. Swallow exactly one spoonful of guilt if you must, let it be a quick shot of fuel, but then you burn it out, abandon it, and you begin again as many times as it takes. 

More about Shoilee...

Shoilee Khan currently teaches English in the School of Communication and Literary Studies at Sheridan College. She received her MA in English Literature from the University of Toronto and her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Guelph. Her fiction has appeared in a diverse collection of magazines and journals, including Adbusters, Room Magazine, The New Quarterly, and Other Voices. Her short story, "The Kidney Connection" was nominated for the 2011 Journey Prize in Fiction and a chapter from her novel in progress won the 2010 Other Voices Fiction Contest. Most recently, she was a participant in the 2015 Banff Writing Studio at the Banff Centre for the Arts. 

Q & A with Diane Schoemperlen

I've started a little series where I ask writers about the writing life.  Author and artist Diane Schoemperlen starts us off with some insight into the importance of routine.

Q: How important is it to you to set a scheduled time to write?

A: I am a wreck without my routine! It has developed over thirty years of writing and without it, I don’t think I could function. I am a morning person and every day (including weekends) I get up early and do some reading with my coffee. Then I must get right to work. If I don’t, I find I am exceptionally good at frittering the whole day away. I am at the computer by 9:00 a.m. at the latest. How long I actually work depends on the project. It can be anywhere from four to six hours at a stretch. On an ideal day the work period is then followed by a nap. But this doesn’t happen very often. Usually it is followed by errands, chores, and tending to the business of writing (as opposed to the actual writing.) I often work seven days a week. I only work in the evening under duress as that is my time to relax and recharge so I can do it all again tomorrow.

More about Diane...

Diane Schoemperlen is the author of twelve books, including three novels, one non-fiction book, and several collections of short stories. In 1998 she won the Governor-General’s Award for Fiction for her collection of illustrated stories, FORMS OF DEVOTION. In 2008 she received the Marian Engel Award from The Writers’ Trust of Canada. In 2012 she was writer-in-residence at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. She is currently on the faculty of the Humber School of Writing Correspondence Program. Her most recent publication is BY THE BOOK: STORIES AND PICTURES, published by Biblioasis (Windsor, Ontario) in September 2014. She is currently working on a memoir to be published by HarperCollins Canada in April 2016. She lives in Kingston, Ontario. You can find her on Facebook and she has a website coming soon at www.dianeschoemperlen.com.

My Favourite Resources for Writers

Listen, no one is going to plant your butt in the chair and write for you, but these resources for writers can definitely help get the juices flowing. 

This list is by no means exhaustive. It does, however, reflect my personal favorites; they're where I go when I'm stuck, discouraged, or ready to hit the bottle hard at 2pm. 

The Top 5 Resources for Writers

1) Merriam-Webster.  I love words. I love what they reflect about the people using them, and I love learning about where they came from. This is why I love Merriam-Webster.com.  Not only is it an amazing online dictionary and thesaurus, but it has fun and informative games, quizzes and facts about vocabulary and language. (I subscribe to their Word of the Day, which delivers a new word to your inbox every day.)

Sure, I'm the kind of gal who would (and, OK, has) read the dictionary for fun, but MW offers more than just words. On many occasions it's rekindled my love for language and reminded me why I do what I do. 

2)  Writer's Digest. "Write Better, Get Published" - this is the tagline for Writer's Digest, and while I don't buy the implied guarantee, I do like their writing prompts - especially for my creative writing. 99.9% of the time, their prompts never make it into my published work, but it does get my head out of my own ass and offer a fresh start. 

They also have some pretty solid tips on how to make it as a freelancer. Just beware the hopeful novice writer: there are some pretty hard sells on this site - and outlandish claims. Example:

"Write a Breakout Novel in 2015"! Originally over $300, now only $49.98?! Well, cool my ink jets and colour me sold!

(If you want really good advice about getting published, read novelists Russell Smith's columns in the Globe and Mail. They give a hard, but compelling kick in the pants for any aspiring writer.)

3)  Walking Therapy. It's good to get out of your head. It's better to get out of the house or office. I find walking to get the mail, or to the shops for something for dinner or going to get my son from school will open my mind (and burn a few calories - much needed as a stress eater who works in very close proximity to a fridge).

4) Writer's Trust of Canada. From news on grants, and lectures, to intel on writer's retreats and scholarships, this is a great place to stop by, get informed and get inspired.

 5) Copy Blogger. Creative writers, put your scruples aside. We live in an age where content is King, and if you want to make it as a Writer (or even a 'writer'), at one point or another, you're probably going to have to sell yourself into a world of creative prostitution: you're doing something you technically love, but more often than not, it's loveless. 

You're just going through the motions - and this is OK. There's a pay off. Writing content for other people has made me a better writer. It's made me more diligent, more focused. It's trained me to sit down and write, write, write and edit, edit, edit until the job's done. No excuses. 

Sure, I take pride in my work (and God knows I learn a lot), but it certainly isn't something I'd write about without being hired to do so. 

I've found the emails and articles by Copy Blogger invariably beneficial as a content writer, and a as a capital 'W' writer. It forces me out of my comfort zone, and accepting the work gets me to explore topics I would never have delved into on my own. Like here. And here and here and here. 

Copy Blogger helps content writers find ways to engage their audiences across the board - and this is going to be an invaluable writing resource if you want to write for a living.

And there aren't many writers who get to make a living writing about what they want, all the time. All of us have to rent ourselves out now and then, which is not to be confused with selling out. 

You don't have to write about anything that's against your moral code, but you do have to write. Writers don't just hang out in coffee shops and bars, waxing poetic, they actually have to produce...you know...words. 

That's where these resources for writers come in. They'll help, Trust me. 

Have your own favourite resources for writers? Tell me about them in the comments below.