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Age 30 Has Arrived: Plans for My Writing Career & 30’s Milestones of Fellow Writers

Posted on December 15, 2014 Written by Pinar Tarhan

Oh my God! Honestly, I can’t believe it. Is it just me, or does time fly faster when you’re enjoying your life? Ever since I quit my full-time job to start writing (I was about 25), time seems to fly faster, despite certain bad situations and obstacles life loves throwing our way.

For instance, I’m writing this post with my two splints on since my nerve entrapment acted up again. But hey, I knew this was a possibility, and I’m taking my own advice whenever I can.

But worry not, this is not a “Crap, I’m getting old(er)!” post. I’m still young, and I believe 30s are the new 20s (40s are the news 30s, 50s are the new 40s…you know how it goes). We are, generally speaking, taking better care of ourselves. We know we don’t have to follow the crowd. We don’t set goals because society expects us to.

Am I, professionally, exactly where I want to be? No, not entirely. Am I taking some necessary steps to make certain goals and dreams a necessity? Abso-fucking-lutely. (Yeah, I’m not the one to swear much, but hey, I’ve just 30, folks! Give me some leeway;))

So what are those goals?

Find an agent/publisher for my fun contemporary romance novel.
Find a manager and/or a producer/studio for my TV pilot and feature screenplay.
Get published in more of my favorite publications.
Increase my writing income.
Write more in the areas that I love.
Interact more with other writers.

So that’s me: hoping to be a better, healthier, more social and more proficient writer. How about you? Have you ever had or set age-related milestones?

Below I’m quoting some of my dear writer friends on what it was like to turn 30 for them and their work:

Will Hiles:

“My first professional story sales happened at 30. Which opened the door to writing for a living.”

The story is called The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter. It’s in the horror (vampire) genre, and was published in a magazine called Dead of Night.

I know Will through the Facebook group FWG (Fiction Writers’ Group), and he was one of the first writers to offer me his “30” quote. You can read a lot of his short work on his Facebook author page.

Yvette Carol:

“You and I are approaching milestones at the same time. I’m staring down the big 5-0 like a deer in headlights as we speak. Eeks! I clearly remember that when I turned 30, I decided not to celebrate it as I resisted the idea of ‘getting old’ with such ferocity. And I have to admit, I regretted that decision. Make sure you celebrate the heck out of the moment. Suffice to say, I partied like it was 1999 when I turned 40, and there are big plans afoot for this one. I’ve gained appreciation for aging as I’ve gone along, and I’m not scared to enter my 50’s.

As to where I was professionally & personally at 30, I was recently divorced and had escaped from the city to the country. I was spending many laborious hours in between work shifts painting the illustrations for my children’s books. At that point, I was still determined to write & illustrate my own books. However, as my landlord said, ‘Painting sucks time into it like a black hole.’ And he was so right. I must have spent at least a dozen years of my life illustrating my picture books. It would be another ten years before I’d finally decide to focus on my writing. Although I had many nibbles from publishers along the way, my wonderfully-illustrated picture books still sit in a box under my desk, untouched. I had to learn to let them go. I had to discover a new flexibility as I went along, in order to find what I should be writing. Perhaps those early books will be published when I’m in my dotage, if not, that’s okay as well. It’s all grist for the mill.”

Yvette is a children’s writer and she shares her wise and lovely musings on writing (and her life) on her blog. Yvette and I (virtually) met through the blog of author P.J. Reece, and maintained a friendship based on mutual support and our Zodiac-sign sisterhood. It’s a shame she lives in New Zealand. You can follow her tweets @yvettecarol1.

Glenn Hefley:

“Do you know how long ago that was? I can’t remember what I had for breakfast yesterday. I do remember feeling like it was finally going to start. I don’t recall very clearly what ‘IT” was, but it was there — but I also remember when I was 10, thinking that quicksand was going to be a much bigger issue in life than it has turned out to be. Didn’t seem to matter what TV show you watched back then, there was quicksand ready to gobble someone up. Have you ever seen quicksand? Neither have I. Not once. Very disappointing.

Now I’m coming up on fifty and thinking that it really has started. Finally. I’m at a point were the skills I always wanted to have are at my fingertips. And, I have a worthy direction to hurl my best spears and extend my deepest empathy.

We are such marvelous creatures. Humans, yes, but writers in particular. After all of these centuries, all the changes and the advances — we’re still the only wizards this world has ever had. We are the storytellers. We are the ones who use the words of power to shatter gloom, raise the moon and blind the sun if necessary. We create gods of every sort, one for every taste of the imagination, and every guilty need. With our gods we bend men’s backs and wither women’ s hands. Then we give them absolution. We show them, even after they have tried to find love, and have been beaten and scarred over and over again, that it is still worth the effort.

What will you create this year? It’s got me on the edge of my seat. I feel the coil of emotions ready to strike, and the dance of encounters which will alter perceptions and occasionally smack someone with salmon.

Hell. Quicksand probably wasn’t all that cool anyway. Go ahead and jump. I promise you will love the view.”

Glenn Hefley is a great writer, blogger and (the occasional) editor. He doesn’t shy away from controversial topics or speaking his mind. He was kind enough to give me great support and tips about the first three chapters of my novel and my writing in general. You can follow Glenn on Twitter @glennhefley, or read his blog.

Martin Tracey:

“At 30 I was writing songs as opposed to books/novels. I wrote a song called Saturn Rising and it won a BBC radio competition which resulted in the band supporting the Fine Young Cannibals in Birmingham. I also wrote a song called Raging Bull, it was a football song about a Wolves player called Steve Bull and it ended up on Old Gold Anthems – the songs of Wolverhampton Wanderers FC I also wrote a song called Horror Story, this laid the foundations I guess for my debut novel Beneath The Floodlights which is about soccer and vampires! I know I have a very active imagination. ”

Martin is a blogger and a novelist who loves music, vampires and football (I couldn’t agree more with the first two!). You can check out Martin’s active imagination and posts on his blog, and follow him on Twitter at @MartinTracey1

Go ahead and share your milestones in the comments. 🙂

Review for The Freelance Writer’s Guide to Making $1000 Extra This Month by Mridu Khullar Relph

Posted on November 7, 2014 Written by Pinar Tarhan

Image via theinternationalfreelancer.com.

About Mridu Khullar Relph

Mridu is an international writer and reporter who has been published in The New York Times, TIME, ABC News, CNN, Elle, Vogue, Glamour, Marie Claire and Cosmo among others.

In addition to her writer website, she runs the site The International Freelancer where you can read articles about all aspects of being a freelance writer regardless of your location.

About the Book

Her 14-chapter, 66-page book The Freelance Writer’s Guide to Making $1000 Extra This Month is a practical and fun guide to help you make 1,000 more every week from your writing.

And while the book can be used by writers from all points in their career, writers with at least some experience will get the most from it as she states so herself: “The book doesn’t tell you how to start your career or how to make a living from writing, but rather increase your monthly cash flow by a thousand bucks.”

Mridu was kind enough to offer me a review copy.

What I liked Best About the Book

– Every chapter includes her personal experiences; so it’s never just in theory.

– It has specific suggestions, links, tips and even templates you can take advantage of right now.

– Even though some chapters include information you think you know, she has suggestions you either haven’t thought of, or neglect to consider on a regular basis.

– She has a really fun style; you’ll never get bored. And she hasn’t wasted a word.

– There’s a link to an even richer well of resources.

Chapter by Chapter Breakdown

CH: 1 Ask for more is about how you can negotiate better, and she talks about more than just asking for more money.

CH: 2 Do an LOI Blast tells you what LOIs are, when you should send them, and how and why they help you and your career. There’s even a sample LOI, and she also talks about what to include/what to avoid, and when pitching ideas instead might be a better idea.

CH: 3 Focus on the Web is about what kind of publications there are, why you should focus on the web, and how she gets through her web work productively.

CH: 4 Look In Your Inbox guides you on reworking your rejected pieces, how to handle the process and what to pay attention to.

I definitely need to do this more often. This part also reminded me to pitch more regularly.

CH: 5 Send Out Those Reprints is about how (and where) to resell the same piece, and even end up writing original pieces for that publication.

CH: 6 Reslant Your Old Stories includes ideas for how you can reslant your stories, and she has 30 suggestions.

CH: 7 Go international is about selling your work worldwide, regardless of where you live. The books mentions numerous advantages you might not have thought (I write internationally and hadn’t thought of some of them!).

CH: 8 Take From One, Give to the Other is about repurposing: finding another angle in the same story and selling it to a different type of magazine. Once again, Mridu has featured great real life examples.

Ch: 9 Reach out to People is about using your old contacts, and the chapter offers practical ways of reconnecting and more.

CH: 10 Ask for referrals reveals how and when to go about it.

CH: 11 Tap Your Sources is about utilizing forgotten ideas.

CH: 12 Add Value to Your Stories tells you about how audio, video and images enhance your stories

CH 13: Experiment with grants and new media takes a closer look at fellowships, grants, apps, and more.

CH 14: Get Social on Social Media is about making the most of the social media for your writing career.

How to Make the Most of the Book

Everyone has her own method of studying, but I definitely recommend printing out, taking notes and keeping it close as a reference. It won’t hurt to return to the most essential chapters (according to your needs), especially during your planning stages.

The book is available on Amazon at $3.99.

So What About Professional Novel Editing Services?

Posted on October 19, 2014 Written by Pinar Tarhan

I’ve previously covered various screenplay coverage services on the blog, and I’ll keep updating you on the results. But what about novels? Should we try to get our novels reviewed by professional readers? When should we do it, and how much does it cost?

I have a beta reader who has been immensely helpful with the first three chapters of my novel, both with language and story. A couple of other friends have read and enjoyed the manuscript overall, though I’m not going to claim they were incredibly objective, I’m confident they did have a good time: I know their tastes, and they have read and commented on my stories before. So it was a safe bet.

So far, I haven’t been able to hook an agent, at least not with the first few pages of my story. Now that some of those pages took some rewriting thanks to my beta reader, I’m ready to send more queries and see if I get any requests.

I’ll also probably send the manuscript to Coverage Ink (included in the list below) for an overall review. They reviewed my pilot script before, and I found their comments very helpful, and to the point. And if they made 20 points, I probably only disagreed with (or wasn’t sure about) 2 of them, which means they got what I wanted to do with my story.

That’s one of the most important aspects of coverage for me: for the reader to be as objective as possible, comment on the marketability of the story and suggest ways on how to make the story catchier and irresistible, without changing its heart. I tried Coverage Ink after hearing about them via Stephanie Palmer’s Good in a Room blog. I’ll also resubmit the pilot after completing my editing.

They also offer proofreading services, and if you can afford it, I strongly recommend getting your story proofed as well as critiqued by people you trust.

So without further ado, below are some of the services you might consider starting your research with:

*(Please note that with the exception of Sigrid’s e-book, I haven’t used affiliate links in this article.)

– Writers & Artists:

Their services come in several stages, so you can send in anything from your first draft to final. Full manuscript review ranges from £680 – £1020. They also offer other packages, so do check out their site for more information.

– Sigrid Macdonald:

Sigrid is the author of Be Your Own Editor. I own this e-book and I’ve found it tremendously helpful. While it wouldn’t substitute for Sigrid reading every page herself, it’s a great alternative when you can’t afford editing services.

– Coverage Ink:

Coverage Ink offers different levels of coverage, so be sure to check your options out. You might also want to get a quote for your novel by submitting the first 5 pages.

– Writer’s Digest:

Writer’s Digest Shop offers manuscript critique for your novels. It’s currently 3 dollars per page.

Please keep in mind that this is not meant to be a comprehensive list, just a starting point for your research.

If you have tried editing services, please share your experiences in the comments.

Happy Editing!

Terrific Resources on How to (Re)Write Your Screenplay: Writing better scene descriptions, introducing characters & more

Posted on September 29, 2014 Written by Pinar Tarhan

After entering numerous contests, getting different professional feedback for the same script and editing according to what I’ve learned from studying other screenplays, screenplay writing resources and the notes from professionals, I’m a lot more confident in my editing and rewriting skills. That’s not to say I feel I’m done, far from it. But I know a lot more than when I started out.

Currently, I’m in the process of editing my screenplay for the BlueCat competition according to my reader’s notes, and I wanted to share which resources I’ve also perused for further help:

1) Not Screwing Up Characters

Bang2Write is the popular screenwriting blog run by screenwriter, blogger, script editor and teacher Lucy V Hay. She often provides funny, practical and blunt tips on how to improve your script and your screenwriting career.

I like a lot of her posts, but I chose this post in particular because you definitely wouldn’t want to disappoint your reader(s) in the characters department.

You’ve witnessed this in a lot of novels and movies, where characters keep doing out-of-character things so that the plot will move forward.

Well, consistency matters. But it is only one of your problems. You need to introduce your characters well, make their motivations count and more:

Top 5 Ways Writers Screw Up Their Characters

2) Introducing a Character

One of the ways writers screw up their characters is their introduction, as the linked article above points out. So it’s only appropriate to include the same writer’s tips on: How to Best Introduce a Character

3) Writing Good Scene Description

One of the aspects of screenwriting I struggle with is writing great scene

descriptions. I’m not saying I’m bad; I’ve some great moments. But I find it increasingly difficult to sustain those moments in every scene. Nagging questions fill my mind, such as:

“Have I written too much?”

“Maybe I haven’t said enough?”

And guess what? It’s exactly one of the things one reader mentioned in his comments: I have included too much in certain scenes, and not enough in several others. While I keep studying other screenplays and getting better hang of it, these two articles below definitely helped:

16 Steps to Better Scene Descriptions on Script Secrets

10 Ways to Revitalize Your Scene Decription on Bang2Write

Also, John August (Go, Big Fish) offers video tutorials on his YouTube channel:

Entering a Scene

Writing Better Screen Description

Writing Better Action

Don’t forget to check out John’s blog, which is one of the most influential screenwriting blogs, for more useful tips and information.

4) Formatting Properly

Obviously, you can’t ignore standard formatting expectations. You don’t want to be overlooked just because you failed to apply some basic rules.

I don’t have to worry about this because I already use Final Draft (aff. link below), a screenwriting software that readily formats everything; I just have to choose which element (action, scene, dialogue…etc.) I’m working on.

But if you don’t own such a software, do check out Lucy V Hay’s Screenplay Format: One Stop Shop. I also recommend Chuck Sambuchino’s Formatting and Submitting Your Manuscript (aff. link below), which includes formatting guidelines for whatever manuscript you might be working on, be it a short story, novel, screenplay or article.

5) Using Feedback Effectively

OK, so you got your feedback. How do you use it? Do you accept every suggested change? Well, the answer depends on what changes were offered, and how you feel about them.

You don’t have to accept every change. After all, this is your story. I pay very close attention to suggestions to make the script read better, and to suggestions on how to improve aspects like scene descriptions, action writing and dialogue. However I’m not suddenly going to change my protagonist dramatically because one reader thought he was unlikable or hard to relate to.

Even though your readers are industry professionals, they are still human, with their own tastes. At the end of the day, you have to be proud of your story. One piece of advice most screenwriting blogs agree on is that you need to tell the story you want to tell; and not the story you think the industry expects you to tell. Because then you won’t be able tell the story the way it’s meant to be told anyway.

So pay close attention, and don’t make the changes that make it an entirely different story – unless you are comfortable with that direction.

Oh, and I should mention, that one reader’s least favorite character can be another’s favorite. I’m not generalizing; this happened to with one of protagonists. So keep that in mind as well.

Without any further ado, I present Lucy’s tips:

5 Ways To Use Feedback Effectively

There you are: an epic collection of resources on how to make your next draft better. If you find this article useful, please spread the word. And don’t forget to share your own tips and favorite resources in the comments.