Hello from the Writing Attic!Yes, it’s been a minute. I have had the newsletter in an unofficial hiatus for the holidays because 1) the holidays are busy; 2) I’ve had a slew of freelancing to do (see below); and 3) I am in revisions for the book (again!!) So basically, this is a quick email to say that I hope you all have restful holidays, I hope you Nanowrimo’ed well if that was on your docket for November, and that I will resume this newsletter in its regular traditional fashion in January after I’ve managed to get some sleep. In the meantime, please give a gander to the freelance pieces that swept my October - December. There were some good ones! Plus some upcoming classes for spring. Writings!First, I stretched my journalism chops with this piece on the state of kidlit in Texas for Texas Highways. Texas Highways is a government-funded publication so I wasn’t allowed to utter the words banned books or censorship (no, the irony was not lost on me) but this is my attempt at showing why diverse children’s books matter in a state as vast and diverse as Texas. Second, I finally landed a home at Longreads for my essay, “The Sunset,” which looks at my time when I worked as a nurse aide in an elder care facility at age nineteen and the subsequent passings of my grandmothers. This piece received so many close-call personal rejections over the two years since I first drafted it. It even got accepted at another pub but I had to withdraw it because they wanted editing I wasn’t sure I wanted to provide (and the communication was lax already.) I actually submitted it to Longreads three (3) times before it finally got accepted. Third time really is the charm. I’ll definitely be featuring this one in an upcoming submission success story. Third, I landed ass backwards into a Don’t Write Alone column for Catapult on how to find the right literary agent for you. Working with Catapult was a wonderful experience and now I’m pleased to have a nifty little link that thoroughly covers all the advice I would give when someone asks me, “How do I get an agent?” Class is back in session!I will be offering a Business of Creative Writing series this spring with The Porch! Four classes total, all offered virtually via Zoom so you can join from anywhere. Pick the ones you need or take all four! Sign up before December 8 to receive 20% off with the code EARLYBIRD. Writing is a little bit of inspiration and a whole lot of work. In this class we'll talk about different ways to set a writing routine into place, how to stay accountable to your practice (even on the hardest days), and self-care tools to help you get back into the game after the inevitable setback. Setting goals, writing intentions, finding your creative hours (and creative friends!), and using writing sprints to your advantage are just a few of the topics we'll discuss. Rejection comes for us all. In this class, we'll put writing rejections into perspective by looking at some cold, hard numbers. There are thousands of potential homes for your work; we'll look at how to find the right ones. We'll read between the lines of rejections to know when to keep submitting, when to stop and revise, and when to know that an acceptance is right over the horizon (if you don't give up!) Is your brain brimming with ideas for essays, but you don’t know where to start when it comes to getting your work published? In this workshop, we'll discuss how to find publications that accept essay pitches, the ins and outs of polishing story ideas, how to craft a pitch email tailored to a specific publication, pitch etiquette, pitch management techniques, and what happens when your essay pitch is accepted. Come with a specific idea or two for an essay pitch to contribute to our discussion, or just come with a curious mind, ready to soak up info. What even is book publishing? Let's break it down. In this class, we'll talk the business of book publishing—how to identify your genre, the difference between commercial and upmarket, how to find comparative titles, marketplace trends and how to react to them, what an agent actually does and if you need one, and that all-important topic: money, money, money. Use code EARLYBIRD at checkout for 20% off through December 8!
|
