Posts filed under 'Tips'
Poppy Z Brite chronicles the spectacular and fucked-up crash-and-burn of writer Kevin W. Reardon, a.k.a. Cole A. Adams.
When writer/editor Steve Berman criticized one of Reardon’s story in an anthology review, Reardon responded by leaving “anonymous” comments on Berman’s LiveJournal blog very seriously urging hm to commit suicide. But this is the Web, and it’s amazingly simply to discover who is behind the comments on your blog — Reardon was unmasked, and has apparently moved on to making death threats.
This sort of thing gets around. If an editor hasn’t already heard about this, he or she soon will. Reardon’s career as a paid writer of horror fiction is, in all likelihood, finished.
As Elizabeth Bear says, “Dear aspiring writers: don’t do that.”
January 19th, 2009
Christa Terry is the writer and editor of the bridal blog Manolo For The Brides. Her book iDo: Planning Your Wedding with Nothing But ‘Net is coming out on June 10.
- Our first long-distance show using Skype!
- Do gender stereotypes hold true — are men afraid of wedding talk?
- What happens when a bridal blogger plans her own wedding.
- Eating mints before eight o’clock can doom a marriage.
- Don’t be too quick to flee that internship for a paying job.
- Auditioning for a job in the newspaper business, and the perils of getting the job you want.
- Journalist by day, New Age freelancer by night.
- Using Craigslist to find freelance work.
- Good or bad, put it all on your resume!
Christa’s book:
iDo: Planning Your Wedding with Nothing But ‘Net
Christa’s blogs:
http://www.manolobrides.com
http://www.manolohome.com
Christa recommends:
The Everything Guide To Writing A Book Proposal
Music by Morgansorange
May 25th, 2008
Author John Scalzi offers some profoundly useful guidance to writers about money, correctly diagnosing most of us having as much financial sense “as chimps on crack.”
It’s a long essay, and I recommend you absorb every word of it. Here are his top points:
1. You’re a writer. Prepared to be broke.
2. Don’t quit your day job.
3. Marry (or otherwise shack up with) someone sensible with money, who has a real job.
4. Your income is half of what you think it is.
5. Pay off your credit cards NOW and then use them like cash later.
6. Don’t have the cash for it? You can’t have it.
7. When you do buy something, buy the best you can afford — and then run it into the ground.
8. Unless you have a truly compelling reason to be there, get the hell out of New York/LA/San Francisco.
9. Know the entire writing market and place value on your own work.
10. Writing is a business. Act like it.
Hilariously, in my marriage I’m the one with the real job. My wife is a full time self-employed artist. I’m a writer, but a salaried one.
February 13th, 2008
Wade continues his poolside conversation with freelance writer Joyce Gorsuch in Las Vegas. Joyce discusses returning to America, breaking into the local magazine market, how she finds work, and her advice to young writers. Also: Wade copies his wife’s Art History class notes from 1989 for a writing assignment. Don’t tell the professor or he’ll be totally busted!
Writing For Pay Ep. 007 - Joyce Gorsuch Pt. 2 [19:31m]:
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December 22nd, 2007
In a recent LiveJournal post, author Sean Williams says that he finds it difficult to give advice to aspiring writers for a number of reasons. One of the main ones is that in this game, there aren’t any rules.
I ask all of my guests for that sort of advice, but it’s not because I’m expecting THE answer from them–and you shouldn’t either. Jaq, Wolfgang, and (soon!) Zia all take different approaches to their careers, so the tips that they offer will be different. You might try one piece of advice, find that it’s not working in your situation, and try another.
Sean’s own advice is succinct:
- Read a lot.
- Write a lot.
- Write what you love but be aware of the market.
- Define your version of success and take concrete steps towards achieving it.
- Be professional at all stages of your career.
- Listen to everyone.
- Be visible.
- Challenge yourself, always.
- Never believe you’ve figured it out, because everything changes.
- Work hard.
Take out the references to writing and that’s pretty good advice in general.
I can only add, and I cannot make this point strongly enough: Do not covet your neighbor’s ox.
September 11th, 2007
WFP comes out of the gate strong with guest Jaq Greenspon, an old friend and a versatile freelance writer.
- 0:30 - Intro: An explanation and mission statement
- 4:00 - Jaq Greenspon graciously consents to an interview.
- 5:14 - Additional reporting by!
- 6:30 - Jaq almost breaks the “not getting laid” rule by talking about his red carpet interviewing gig.
- 7:22 - Not all magicians are men, but they’re pretty much all geeks.
- 8:00 - Adventures in writing for the tabloids. Wade recognizes none of these celebrities.
- 8:32 - OMG IMDB.
- 9:00 - How Jaq got started as a writer.
- 10:33 - How do you get work?
- 15:07 - Using your interests to break into particular industries.
- 17:13 -Asked which projects he likes best, Jaq almost breaks the “not getting laid” rule AGAIN. He saves himself with a Paddy Chayefsky reference.
- 18:09 - Projects Jaq likes least. It turns out that he does not enjoy being belittled by famous actresses.
- 20:27 - Advice to budding professional writers.
- 23:20 - Favorite and least favorite words and phrases. Yngwie Malmsteen’s dramatic return to the spotlight.
Jaq’s Web site: www.jaqgreenspon.com
Jaq’s published books:
Music by Morgansorange
July 29th, 2007
