Any Freelancers here willing to show the way?

by AK - Jeff 18 Replies latest jw experiences

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  compound complex

  Jeff:

  Further words of encouragement ...

  When my pc was down for several weeks a couple months ago, Cameo put up some information for me regarding Pearl Buck. Since you commented on that thread - thank you very much! - I wanted to repeat Pearl Buck's words on the consuming aspect of one's creative energy.

  There simply is no stopping it ... let it flow!

  The instinct which creates the arts is not the same as that which produces art. The creative instinct is, in its final analysis and in its simplest terms, an enormous extra vitality, a super-energy, born inexplicably in an individual, a vitality great beyond all the needs of his own living — an energy which no single life can consume.

  This energy consumes itself then in creating more life, in the form of music, painting, writing, or whatever is its most natural medium of expression. Nor can the individual keep himself from this process, because only by its full function is he relieved of the burden of this extra and peculiar energy — an energy at once physical and mental, so that all his senses are more alert and more profound than another man's, and all his brain more sensitive and quickened to that which his senses reveal to him in such abundance that actuality overflows into imagination. It is a process proceeding from within.

  It is the heightened activity of every cell of his being, which sweeps not only himself, but all human life about him, or in him, in his dreams, into the circle of its activity.
• 

  cry

  The only time I was compelled to write anything was when my beautiful dog of 13 years died last year. I was so heartbroken that the only way I could see around it was to write some poetry. It matters not that anyone else likes it, but I found it really cathartic. I am going to try the same thing around the break up of my marriage. I don't think kids are encoraged enough to experiment with writing - it's almost like it's someone else's job, but everyone has something to say, and saying it in their own way is to be encouraged.
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  RubaDub

  Ever think about submitting some articles directly to the Society ???

  Start with one of the smaller articles to be placed near the back of the WT/Awake. Something like, "Bio-Diesel; is it for Christians?" or a Young People Ask, "When the earth is filled with righeous people, will our testicles disappear?" Be creative.

  Then, make your argument. Near the end, quote several verses to support your point.

  Submit it to the Society. Then take a stab at a few Questions from Readers.

  Let us know how you make out.

  Rub a Dub
• 

  Farkel

  Try some Vogon Poetry. That's always fun.

  Farkel
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  ziddina

  What everybody else said... Also, being a fast typist helps... Be sure to write down/record ALL of your good ideas - I've had a few script/book/story plots pop into my head, had fun tweaking them, then was CERTAIN I'd remember them when I got around to writing them down, and POOOF! Gone... Review your ideas; be kind, sometimes a bad-sounding idea works out well... I usually rough-out a plot outline - btw, I refer to my writings as 'plots' because that's usually the starting point for a book, script, screenplay or story... Though sometimes a book/story starts out with an opening sentence, a scene occurring midway thru the book, and so on...

  Oh, and here's the acid test. Keep developing your idea/story. Do it REGULARLY - and this means MAKING time every day, every two days, or twice a week, to work steadily on your writing - and I mean picking out one, two, or maybe three ideas that are forming most rapidly or most thoroughly in your mind, and GET THEM FINISHED.

  This is my big problem. I come up with so many ideas that I often can't focus on ONE project, get it done, and move on to the next one... Focus on ONE or two projects, get them DONE - no second-guessing, btw, and have a friend read it - preferably one in the general demographics of your 'target' audience, i.e., sci-fi fan for science fiction, murder-mystery fan for mystery writers, and so on... Tell them to be brutally honest about the book/story, but remember that they aren't buying your writing, and a publisher might like it more/not like it at all, which brings me to the most important test...

  Now comes the ACID test!!! SEND IT OFF TO A REAL PUBLISHER! And then comes the even more difficult part - KEEP SENDING IT OUT while you work on the next one - DESPITE THE REJECTION SLIPS! Remember, Dr. Seuss received 23 rejection slips before he was accepted by one publisher, and since there are many more publishers - as well as authors - in the modern market, you may receive more rejection slips before you're published.

  Someone [don't remember who, unfortunately...] once said, "The most important thing about achieving success is to just show up..." paraphrased; in other words, to be consistent and believe in your talent enough to consistently keep putting it out there despite rejections.

  Now for the 'nuts-and-bolts' advice: Be sure to KEEP A COPY FOR YOURSELF, and DATE YOUR COPIES. Be sure to SEND YOUR SUBMISSION VIA dated, REGISTERED MAIL that requires A SIGNATURE, so you can prove you submitted it to said publisher in case of plagiarism - and yes, it does happen nowadays, too. Check out the possibility of getting a literary agent - and this would be an acid test, too - because you will probably have to 'court' the agent - show him/her that you have the talent AND THE RELIABILITY AND CONSISTENCY to keep producing. 'One-hit-wonders' aren't as profitable as hack writers that churn out lots of books; look at the success of Stephen King and the quality - lack thereof, in my opinion - of his works...

  My opinions... None of my stuff published yet... Zid
  
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  ziddina

  Whoops. Forgot to add - those of you who are using your experiences in the JW religion/cult as inspiration - very good source! I used to think I'd write a book about the cult itself until I came here and realized that my experiences weren't NEARLY as harsh, difficult, or brutal as those which most of you have had... Absolutely valid to draw on personal experiences to inform your writings - the most direct source of creativity and makes for the best reading, in my opinion. Zid
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  truthseeker

  Google Dean Wesley Smith - he's a professional writer who has lots of tips for the aspiring author. I believe he used to have a writing forum.
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  truthseeker

  I'm writing a book at the moment and my advice is similar to Ziddina's, focus on one project and see it through. Write a little bit each day. Write for your audience; they're the ones who will decide whether your book is worth reading.
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  betterdaze

  Some online venues for freelancers:
  
  Elance.com
  
  Guru.com
  
  ... and examiner.com specifically for writers. (I personally don't care for, or recommend Examiner, but just throwing it out there anyway.)
  
  mediabistro is a fabulous resource. True, it is rather NYC-centric and pricey for classes. The jobs offered are geared toward full-time pros. But they do offer online courses and a supportive environment that could help you get started, especially in the fine art of "pitching" stories to editors.
  
  At minimum, you can review the offerings there so as to map out what the current market is like, how you can fit in, and eventually grow your own niche.
  
  mediabistro Courses
  
  mediabistro Jobs

  The Watchtower Corporation did it's level best to keep us as mindless drones. Hats off to AK-Jeff and ALL here who seek to develop their unique creative gifts... and of course get paid for such, too!

  ~Sue