I feel like I just made it through a Rite of Passage this last weekend. It happened when I attended the first ever “When Words Collide” conference for Writers and Readers here in Calgary. I wasn’t sure what to expect because it was the same weekend as a conference I attended last year that was less than stellar. I considered not going until I saw the guest list. People like Robert J. Sawyer and Jack Whyte were VIP guests AND my editor, Robert Runte was also going to be there. That pushed me most of the way in my decision. What sealed the deal was when I agreed to sit a couple SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) panels. […]
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The Quest for Publishing Credits
I have heard (and read) for as long as I’ve been paying attention that publishing credits are important, especially for the fledgling writer. Now this might sound like a catch-22. You know the one: we can’t hire you for the job because you don’t have enough experience, but you can’t get experience without the job? Yes, it most certainly feels like that to me too. But why do editors and publishers and agents care if you have any publishing credits? Essentially (and this is based on what I have been told by editors, and publishers) publishing credits mean that someone has read your stuff and has considered it to be of a high enough quality to print. Before you say, […]
Read moreThe Value of Community
The craft of writing can be a solitary one, but it doesn’t have to be. The Internet provides a means to always be connected to friends, family and colleagues. It can also be an enormous time-sink but that is a conversation for another time. I want to talk about the availability of community, both writing and otherwise through the Internet and daily life. Is community really important? I know of writers who prefer to be alone and separated from their writing peers at work and in everyday life and I respect that. I also think those people are missing out on something; the ability to talk the craft and exchange ideas. “What kind of ideas?” you may ask. Well, speaking […]
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