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06-24-2007 06:41 PM
In case anyone wonders, I'll be away from WB for 2-3 weeks while I handle some personal business away from home.
Take care, everyone,
keep writing!
-Jillian
In case anyone wonders, I'll be away from WB for 2-3 weeks while I handle some personal business away from home.
Take care, everyone,
keep writing!
-Jillian
03-20-2007 08:35 PM
Just wanted to say thanks to all the new members and longtime regulars who've taken the time to read and comment on the submissions in FICTION. Great job, guys!
My favorite quote of the day is from Tarakan, who critiqued my short story, 'Scissors.' He wrote:
*My Opinion* There is a dearth of this quality of fiction writing on WB..., the sort of writing that gently tugs you into it, lowers you to the floor and then kicks you in the teeth with the outcome!
This means a lot to a writer to hear that one is drawn into the story and that the 'payoff' worked like they'd intended. Many thanks, Tarakan
- Jillian
Just wanted to say thanks to all the new members and longtime regulars who've taken the time to read and comment on the submissions in FICTION. Great job, guys!
My favorite quote of the day is from Tarakan, who critiqued my short story, 'Scissors.' He wrote:
Quote: Originally Posted by tarakan 
*My Opinion* There is a dearth of this quality of fiction writing on WB..., the sort of writing that gently tugs you into it, lowers you to the floor and then kicks you in the teeth with the outcome!
This means a lot to a writer to hear that one is drawn into the story and that the 'payoff' worked like they'd intended. Many thanks, Tarakan
- Jillian
03-18-2007 05:10 PM
In recent days I've found a little extra time on my hands so I've taken on a few more projects. In addition to volunteering to put together the e-mag for Writer's Beat, I've been invited to join an editorial board for a local daily newspaper. This was in response to an office-wide email that came 'round after the paper's managing editor retired and a space came open. I was happy to join up and contribute an opinion or two. I came a little overly prepared last week - with an armload of newspapers marked up with yellow highlighter and post-its stuck on every other page for quick reference. The main thing I've noticed is a change in attitude toward me at work. Editors, reporters and other newsies once brushed past me in the hallway with barely a nod but now they actually stop and say hello to me.
I never have been intimidated by famous people or media types. I once sailed into an NBC affiliate office and boldly asked for a job doing weather (since I was a weather buff anyway). I was turned aside for that one, yet was offered a job in ad sales, which I promptly turned down. Before I walked out of the building, I met half the people in it, including six news anchors AND the current weather guy. A lot of people are intimidated by the media, reporters in particular. I wasn't. As far as I'm concerned, they're ordinary people just like me. Every day, I meet with editors, publishers and more. I've had drinks with them, lunched with them - something I'd never have dreamed of fifteen years ago. These are people who just happen to have high-profile jobs that's all. Of all of the personalities I've met, I like the hardcore news reporters best.
Reporters are very intuitive, introspective and thoughtful people, once you get to know them. Otherwise, they don't normally associate with average people on the street because they are constantly hit with unsolicited opinions on their writing, most of which are usually negative. I already know where they are coming from and once they start talking to me, they find out quickly that they can, in fact, really talk to me. What draws me to them is that they're paid writers - something I've wanted to be for a long, long time.
You see, about fifteen years ago, I was a homeless mother of two kids. I'd been evicted from my home after leaving my abusive husband of four years. When he left (or should I say, was carried off by sheriff's deputies), I had no money, no hope and no real life to speak of. Still, I had dreams and goals. One of them (which I'd had since the 4th grade) was to work in the newspaper business. I'd wanted to be a writer since I first learned my ABC's, but due to the fact that I was homeless and hadn't finished college, my chances of going into this line of work were close to zero. One thing I've learned over all these passing years is that if you really, really want something, set a goal and do whatever it takes to make it happen.
In 1996, I began designing ads out of my home for businesses in my area, which were eventually placed in the local newspaper. I was using a cheapo greeting card program to build my ads, but people seemed to like them. Little did I know, I was costing the newspaper hundreds of dollars a week in ad design fees when their clients came to me to have ads built instead. The paper was charging $300 or more per ad, while I was charging as little as $15 for them. That same newspaper decided three months later to hire me as a graphics designer, getting me on their payroll and at the same time, giving me a chance I wouldn't have had anywhere else, especially given the fact that I had no degree in design. In college, I majored in Political Science. I'd been accepted at several well-known universities, including one overseas. I was dirt-poor, though, and after my first year of going to school full time and working full time (at the same time), I had to drop out. It's a decision I've regretted ever since.
Had I stayed in college, I would have switched my major to Journalism and went straight to a newspaper from there. But, life had other plans. Two kids and two broken marriages later, I had yet another chance with a weekly paper in Arizona. I jumped on it and have been in the news biz ever since, doing everything from pre-press to ad design, newspaper composition to editing news copy when Editorial was shorthanded. I stayed and I learned on the job what I couldn't afford to learn in college. Then, in 1999, I decided it was time to write my first novel.
This was something else that I'd always dreamt of doing since time out of mind. I'd been going through some personal issues and to take my mind off of those, I sat down one night and began writing. I wrote every night for 6 months solid. 109,000 words later, I had 'Cold January Mourning,' a mystery novel. I edited it for another 6 months before submitting it for publication. It was rejected time and time again. I almost gave up on writing altogther until I found an online writer's critique group called 'Critical_Writing' on Yahoo.
There, I learned more about writing in two years than I ever could have picked up otherwise, college aside. After that group and I unceremoniously parted ways, I began two more novels and finished those. They were better than 'Cold January' but I still couldn't sell them. So, I began submitting short stories to contests and magazines. A couple won, most of them lost, but I still wrote - and wrote, and wrote. As of this year, I've written five complete novels and have 3 that are in various stages of completion. Despite the differences I may have had with the owner of the group 'Critical_Writing' (who is a gifted fantasy writer). I learned a great deal from him and have him to personally thank for anything I know about writing to this day. He was a harsh taskmaster who told me the truth when my writing was lousy and praised me when it was actually worth reading. All of this knowledge, gained literally for free, on a writer's critique group. I have never forgotten this and I pass along that knowledge whenever I give a critique on Writer's Beat. Honesty helps a writer to learn. Undeserved praise is known as 'cheerleading' and gives the writer false confidence that will be shattered as soon as a real publisher looks at his or her work. If you love to write, learn to take the slings and arrows, because they WILL come your way, I guarantee it.
I have a dream, and like working for a newspaper, I'm not giving up on it. Sooner or later, I will find my way into that exclusive club of published novelists that I've been dying to get into for over 8 years. Along the way, I want to help others with the same dream realize theirs as well. Maybe people will love me or hate me for it, but I'll not stop doing that, either. Even if I never walk the golden halls of publication, I'm confident that someone I know someday WILL. If I had any hand in that, I'd be grateful that at least I accomplished something.
In the meantime, I've taken on a few more things to do, but I will always keep my eyes on the prize. My goal now? To be able to quit my job at the newspaper and become a full-time writer - a paid writer. I've gotten payment for a few things along the way, but they're not quite what I was looking for. To see my face on the back of a book jacket in Barnes & Noble or Waldenbooks? That, my friend, will be when I can finally say, "I made it."
Until later,
Jillian
In recent days I've found a little extra time on my hands so I've taken on a few more projects. In addition to volunteering to put together the e-mag for Writer's Beat, I've been invited to join an editorial board for a local daily newspaper. This was in response to an office-wide email that came 'round after the paper's managing editor retired and a space came open. I was happy to join up and contribute an opinion or two. I came a little overly prepared last week - with an armload of newspapers marked up with yellow highlighter and post-its stuck on every other page for quick reference. The main thing I've noticed is a change in attitude toward me at work. Editors, reporters and other newsies once brushed past me in the hallway with barely a nod but now they actually stop and say hello to me.
I never have been intimidated by famous people or media types. I once sailed into an NBC affiliate office and boldly asked for a job doing weather (since I was a weather buff anyway). I was turned aside for that one, yet was offered a job in ad sales, which I promptly turned down. Before I walked out of the building, I met half the people in it, including six news anchors AND the current weather guy. A lot of people are intimidated by the media, reporters in particular. I wasn't. As far as I'm concerned, they're ordinary people just like me. Every day, I meet with editors, publishers and more. I've had drinks with them, lunched with them - something I'd never have dreamed of fifteen years ago. These are people who just happen to have high-profile jobs that's all. Of all of the personalities I've met, I like the hardcore news reporters best.
Reporters are very intuitive, introspective and thoughtful people, once you get to know them. Otherwise, they don't normally associate with average people on the street because they are constantly hit with unsolicited opinions on their writing, most of which are usually negative. I already know where they are coming from and once they start talking to me, they find out quickly that they can, in fact, really talk to me. What draws me to them is that they're paid writers - something I've wanted to be for a long, long time.
You see, about fifteen years ago, I was a homeless mother of two kids. I'd been evicted from my home after leaving my abusive husband of four years. When he left (or should I say, was carried off by sheriff's deputies), I had no money, no hope and no real life to speak of. Still, I had dreams and goals. One of them (which I'd had since the 4th grade) was to work in the newspaper business. I'd wanted to be a writer since I first learned my ABC's, but due to the fact that I was homeless and hadn't finished college, my chances of going into this line of work were close to zero. One thing I've learned over all these passing years is that if you really, really want something, set a goal and do whatever it takes to make it happen.
In 1996, I began designing ads out of my home for businesses in my area, which were eventually placed in the local newspaper. I was using a cheapo greeting card program to build my ads, but people seemed to like them. Little did I know, I was costing the newspaper hundreds of dollars a week in ad design fees when their clients came to me to have ads built instead. The paper was charging $300 or more per ad, while I was charging as little as $15 for them. That same newspaper decided three months later to hire me as a graphics designer, getting me on their payroll and at the same time, giving me a chance I wouldn't have had anywhere else, especially given the fact that I had no degree in design. In college, I majored in Political Science. I'd been accepted at several well-known universities, including one overseas. I was dirt-poor, though, and after my first year of going to school full time and working full time (at the same time), I had to drop out. It's a decision I've regretted ever since.
Had I stayed in college, I would have switched my major to Journalism and went straight to a newspaper from there. But, life had other plans. Two kids and two broken marriages later, I had yet another chance with a weekly paper in Arizona. I jumped on it and have been in the news biz ever since, doing everything from pre-press to ad design, newspaper composition to editing news copy when Editorial was shorthanded. I stayed and I learned on the job what I couldn't afford to learn in college. Then, in 1999, I decided it was time to write my first novel.
This was something else that I'd always dreamt of doing since time out of mind. I'd been going through some personal issues and to take my mind off of those, I sat down one night and began writing. I wrote every night for 6 months solid. 109,000 words later, I had 'Cold January Mourning,' a mystery novel. I edited it for another 6 months before submitting it for publication. It was rejected time and time again. I almost gave up on writing altogther until I found an online writer's critique group called 'Critical_Writing' on Yahoo.
There, I learned more about writing in two years than I ever could have picked up otherwise, college aside. After that group and I unceremoniously parted ways, I began two more novels and finished those. They were better than 'Cold January' but I still couldn't sell them. So, I began submitting short stories to contests and magazines. A couple won, most of them lost, but I still wrote - and wrote, and wrote. As of this year, I've written five complete novels and have 3 that are in various stages of completion. Despite the differences I may have had with the owner of the group 'Critical_Writing' (who is a gifted fantasy writer). I learned a great deal from him and have him to personally thank for anything I know about writing to this day. He was a harsh taskmaster who told me the truth when my writing was lousy and praised me when it was actually worth reading. All of this knowledge, gained literally for free, on a writer's critique group. I have never forgotten this and I pass along that knowledge whenever I give a critique on Writer's Beat. Honesty helps a writer to learn. Undeserved praise is known as 'cheerleading' and gives the writer false confidence that will be shattered as soon as a real publisher looks at his or her work. If you love to write, learn to take the slings and arrows, because they WILL come your way, I guarantee it.
I have a dream, and like working for a newspaper, I'm not giving up on it. Sooner or later, I will find my way into that exclusive club of published novelists that I've been dying to get into for over 8 years. Along the way, I want to help others with the same dream realize theirs as well. Maybe people will love me or hate me for it, but I'll not stop doing that, either. Even if I never walk the golden halls of publication, I'm confident that someone I know someday WILL. If I had any hand in that, I'd be grateful that at least I accomplished something.
In the meantime, I've taken on a few more things to do, but I will always keep my eyes on the prize. My goal now? To be able to quit my job at the newspaper and become a full-time writer - a paid writer. I've gotten payment for a few things along the way, but they're not quite what I was looking for. To see my face on the back of a book jacket in Barnes & Noble or Waldenbooks? That, my friend, will be when I can finally say, "I made it."
Until later,
Jillian
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