Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
An old friend of mine (40+ years ago) pasted his rejection letters to his bathroom walls. His bathroom walls were nearly covered when he skipped town without saying good-bye to anyone. Maybe he just needed to start afresh in a new bathroom. I didn't see him again for nearly 10 years and haven't seen him since then.
On the flip side, my agent says that he hates going to writer's conferences because he feels like a hunted animal. He said that he once had given a talk and, afterwards, went to the bathroom to do his business. So he had just sat down in the stall, when he hears the bathroom door open and, under the bottom of the stall door, he sees a pair of high heel shoes walk up. The woman in question leaned down and slid her manuscript to him, and walked out of the bathroom without a word. He threw it away in the bathroom wastebasket but, for a fleeting moment--given where he was and what he was doing--he felt like doing something much more coarse with the thing.
His insight? It's a numbers game. Because taste in writing is so subjective, you just have to query dozens of agents until you find one with whom your particular approach resonates.
On the flip side, my agent says that he hates going to writer's conferences because he feels like a hunted animal. He said that he once had given a talk and, afterwards, went to the bathroom to do his business. So he had just sat down in the stall, when he hears the bathroom door open and, under the bottom of the stall door, he sees a pair of high heel shoes walk up. The woman in question leaned down and slid her manuscript to him, and walked out of the bathroom without a word. He threw it away in the bathroom wastebasket but, for a fleeting moment--given where he was and what he was doing--he felt like doing something much more coarse with the thing.
His insight? It's a numbers game. Because taste in writing is so subjective, you just have to query dozens of agents until you find one with whom your particular approach resonates.
LOL. That's why agents slip out the back door. It's just as bad for writers. My gardener slipped a manuscript called "The Landscaper's Survival Guide" in my mailbox, along with my bill. I guess I'm supposed to read and critique his manuscript for free, yet pay him for his services.
Slip it BACK, with a bill for "critique and editing services" at LEAST as large as his bill!
I was soooo tempted. But I just used the old Hollywood standby and said I couldn't read it for legal reasons. If I had a dime for every time someone told me that-- well, a dime doesn't go very far, so I still wouldn't be rich.
Location: Monterey Bay, California -- watching the sea lions, whales and otters! :D
1,918 posts, read 6,785,113 times
Reputation: 2708
cpg35223, because you obviously have a lot of knowledge about the writing business, I wonder if you might suggest the kinds of workshops and by whom (the type of writer) that one might select.
I work a regular full-time job, and I've been paid for published articles, however, I don't consider myself a "professional" writer. Now that retirement is approaching, I do want to indulge myself a bit more in writing....but, the dilemma is, how does one know which workshops/writers are actually worthwhile?
Just for fun, I took a class by a local journalist/prose writer. I needed something to do, and it was cheap and available. I thought that I might meet more people interested in writing, learn more techniques, and find a different approach.
Unfortunately, the instructor (the journalist) was a horrible teacher and critic. There were only about five people in this class, and most of the writing was probably on a 9th or 10th grade level, and these were all older adults. The good thing that came out of it was the discipline of just writing something each week.
I realize that writing well can be very difficult. I do okay, but there are more things I'd like to learn. I've taken college writing courses, and received a few tips. One class, though, I had to take to complete an undergraduate degree in Communications -- a class I had thoroughly forgotten about -- and because I kept dropping in and out of college for various reasons, I was an older student by the time I took the class. It was just an elementary Communications writing course, and the teacher was my age. We were obviously from similar generations, and the rest of the students were quite young. Our assignment was to write on a particular topic, or style each time, and then we had to photocopy our work for each of the students in the class.
Because I'm from a generation that was forced (thankfully) to learn English as a language more correctly than many students seem to receive now, it was amazing to see the writing samples! Both the teacher and myself would hear someone reading their work, and we had the printed text in front of us. We could not help but catch each other's eyes and we'd both be giggling and sometimes just plain guffawing so hard that our bodies shook. I know that was really rude, however, it was also so amazingly horrible listening to these stories that they actually became funny.
My point is where does one go for excellent critiquing in a constructive way? I am sure I could learn more. Taking that journalist's class, though, made me very discouraged, as she would always try to compliment some of the most boring and awful work -- so there was no gauge.
If one has already been published and paid for their work and it has been in front of a wider audience, then at least that is some acknowledgement that your writing skills are at least okay. One time I wrote a letter to the editor of a large city newspaper, and they contacted me and asked me to turn it into an article, which they published and paid me for -- I thought that was nice, as it started off as just the letter to the editor. I just don't want to be in one of those conferences like you described (I could easily visualize what you were saying).
I also want to experiment with different styles, although (you can't tell here) but, generally, I'm pretty concise in my writing. I am the formal official editor at my job, although I don't consider that getting paid for writing, either.
I think I could be good at technical writing because I can be very concise, although as others have said, I think one needs a degree in that area, such as Engineering or IT (or not??). My degrees are in Communications and a Master's of Social Work.
My esoteric side enjoys going through Natalie Goldberg's "Writing Down the Bones" book. I have always enjoyed her outside the box thoughts on writing.
Who knows, by the time I retire in a few years, I may have either lost my mind or be dead -- it may be moot by then! However, I have to consider that I may still be around, so in addition to teaching art on the side, I thought I'd get back into writing for extra money.
Any suggestions? Thanks. I really enjoy your posts and information!
Last edited by Green Irish Eyes; 07-25-2009 at 11:00 PM..
Wisteria, the conference I suggest above all is the Southern California Writers Workshop, a high-energy three-day workshop that is a nice synthesis of practical lectures, and serious critique sessions. At the same time, if you have something you believe is finished (Three drafts at a minimum), then you can get agents to review your work.
"... nice synthesis of practical lectures, and serious critique sessions. At the same time, if you have something you believe is finished (Three drafts at a minimum), then you can get agents to review your work."
I can see that these are two different things - the critique sessions and the agents reviewing work. Are they actually open to reviewing finished work? I can't imagine that they'd actually take your work home with them to review....or would they? I'm imagining that someone would take the "finished" product and start reading it at the conference, deciding after the first few pages if it's worth it to take with them, or to even consider it as something marketable. I'm just putting myself in their shoes -- it's a business, it's time-consuming, and probably the first chapter or even first few pages would give a good idea if the product is worthwhile. Is that correct?
The critique sessions (I haven't read through the whole site, but it looks like what you are describing), does that include previously written work, or is it on-the-spot writing -- spontaneous?
I'm just trying to get a feel for it to be prepared. I'm sure it would be fun to go, anyway, I'm just trying to get an idea of the more intricate parts (like agents reading your work!).
I've had people contact me about some on-line writing I've done and offering to assist me to put it into book form because they think it is "timely," but I think those are solicitors looking for work -- it's hard for me to take that phishing seriously. (I could do it myself, so I think they phish the internet...just a guess.) I want "real" people.
It's interesting having an insider's view of this world. It's fun to have you here to give a bird's-eye view! You're kind of like the "Google Earth of Writing!" Thanks!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
However, I have to consider that I may still be around, so in addition to teaching art on the side, I thought I'd get back into writing for extra money. 
