What's the Writer's Life All About?

[JillStar]

The Writer's Life is a very useful section of Wordtrip.

This is the place for members to discuss the writing process or ask questions... discuss techniques for fixing your prose, livening up your dialogue, or awakening your muse.

Also share in writing victories, be they publication or contest winnings.

Questions, comments, deep thoughts... if it's about WRITING... we want to hear it!!

[snowbird]

I need comments about the Institute of Children's Literature and the course they offer, their guarantee that you'll have a manuscript ready for publishing, etc. Anyone taken the course? What's your opinion?

[JillStar]

I sent in a little ditty to them once and they sent a letter back stating they wanted to "take me on"... then I looked at the cost and declined. I received several letters over the course of a year... each one with the cost of tuition less than the last letter.

I can't tell you not to take it because they very well may have good classes (by mail, if I recall correctly)... I just never had the money to do it and then they stopped mailing things to me.

[dee]

I did take their course on writing for children and teenagers a few year ago. I would highly recommend it. It gave me the discipline I needed to stay on track because I actually had assignments due. Once I sent the assignements to the instructor, she would send them back with a letter of very detailed constructive criticism and suggestions on improving. She would also point out my strongpoints, which I was glad to hear because I didn't realize at that time I had any strong points. The course gives you lots of material that you can keep and use for future reference. They also have sections dedicated to teaching you how to market your work, write a query letter, and choose your market, etc. I had several short stories ready to submit to different magazines by the time I was finished with the course. It was a great experience for me and when it was over, I actually missed the correspondence with my instructor.

[Daniel]

Hi. I am posting this here becasue I am not sure where to do it. It's just a question: whenever you relate to a personal experience in a story, what do you do to be as objective as possible?

[fiona]

Act as if you were a character. It helps to think that many people can relate to your story because of their own experience.

[dee]

[quote="Daniel"]Hi. I am posting this here becasue I am not sure where to do it. It's just a question: whenever you relate to a personal experience in a story, what do you do to be as objective as possible?[/quote]

When it's fiction, I don't always try to make it objective. It is what it is and I draw from that. Characters are created sometimes by people we have known (or a combination of them). Sometimes the theme is related to a personal experience, but I don't make it verbatim what someone has done or said. Mainly, I'd say I take a strand of a person or a situation, change it and turn it into it's own new person or situation.


I guess it depends on what you're writing.

[mae]

Mlou tells me that I should post my book on the "promos" here to let everyone know it's out. Is this the "promos"? Just in case it is, the book is entitled,

Celtic Queen, an Epic Poem by Cynthia M. Bateman (that's me!) It's available through Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble.com and Tate Publishing.com in both print and audio formats.

mae

[JillStar]

Hi Mae...

Why don't you start your own thread. It will stand out more and if you're title says something about being published and out in bookstores... it will definitely stand out!!!

Oh... and yes, this is the area on WT to post it.

Congratulations, by the way!!

[*Elle*]

mae, Congratulations!!

[Mlou]

Actually, the place is "For Sale/Promos". Find it under "All Forums".

[JillStar]

That's true... I've seen posts of this type in both places.

[timberline]

Don't know where I discovered CommuterLit, an online story-a-day magazine run out of Toronto, but I've published five stories there since last summer. They have a high 63% acceptance rate, and a feed to your in-box. This makes it "low hanging fruit" to pick. But newbies might take a look at it. More at http://commuterlit.com/.

[JillStar]

Thanks Timber!! I'll have to take a look.

[dee]

Thanks for that info, TImber