Writing Courses from Janice Marriott
Congratulations
So many of you have been busy writing recently, and many of you have also been publishing as well.
This illustration, which tells a story right there, on the cover, is from Celia Seagull and the Plastic Sea by Nicole Miller, beautifully illustrated by Lily Uivel, and produced by Mary Egan Publishing.
Julie Do’s book: My Sweet Memories – Diary of a Little Vietnamese Girl in France is about to be printed and is open for pre-orders on her website: https://www.juliesdiary.com/
With a clear title like that a potential reader will know exactly what this charming book is about. “It is a big achievement for me after many years of hard work and patience!” says Julie.
The dog who tried to talk by Stephen Connellan
“I finally got round to restructuring my book and providing the illustrations following your excellent advice . The book is now available via Amazon as a paperback and ebook.”
The Amazon link is as follows:
https://www.amazon.com/dog-who-tried-talk/dp/B093BC3Q8B
Stephen’s Publishing Experience
– for anyone else who might want to upload their books:
“I have used freely available self-publishing software many times – currently via Kindle Direct Publishing. After creating your KDP account and entering the ‘bookshelf’ you may choose paperback, hardback and/or eBook formats. There will be several options for book dimensions (templates can be downloaded), matt, gloss, colour/black on white or cream. Having provided essentials e.g. book title, author(s), edition number you can enter the important book description which will appear on Amazon. Enter key search words which will help potential buyers home in on your book. Produce your full manuscript file (PDF is preferred but Word is possible) using theappropriate provided template, with or without illustrations. This is your ‘interior file’. Before uploading make sure the manuscript is saved and you have formatted the headers (title/author) and footers (page numbers). Separately work on the front and back book cover and useful templates are provided if you don’t want to customise your cover. This is uploaded separately from the ‘interior’. When completed you will be asked to click ‘Launch Previewer’. The software then checks if upload successful and there are no errors with margins, trim, image quality etc. This short description will need supplementing by visiting: https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G200634280
Thanks, Stephen, for this useful advice.
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Another client’s Publishing Experiences
“It certainly resonated with me (from August’s Newsletter) the person who said self publishing is like, The Little Red Hen. I gave a talk at Tauranga Writers group a couple months ago about self
publishing. The title I gave my talk was, ‘Self Publishing – One-man Band’. I had a picture of one of those guys with cymbals strapped to the inside of their knees, a guitar slung over one shoulder, a
harmonica attached to a mental head piece, a peddle drum connected to the right foot, maracas tied to his upper left arm, a ukulele slung over the other shoulder … you get the drift :)”
Apology
“The lovely poem you used in your August newsletter was written by Dunedinite Peter Olds, not
Paul.”
Thank you, Ruth Arnison, for pointing out this mistake.
Remember that writing is a communication.
Who are you writing for?
Need to work on your spelling?
This is how we do it at home. We throw away the Scrabble rules and just make crosswords on the board, trying to score the most points and getting down to the triple word scores first. It’s great fun.
This game had a military history theme so we had to learn to spell such words as Victorious, Messerschmidt, Bismarck as well as more usual ones! So it wasn’t just Tane learning in lockdown; it was me as well.
Apart from Lockdown learning – I love doing crosswords. They can concentrate the mind wonderfully. You can arrange to do one via Zoom with a friend, or make it a competition between several friends. First one to finish wins that day’s prize. (This can all be done on line.) It is a great way to extend your vocabulary.
Save the Date
There aren’t many of these this month. We are Covid-shy in Auckland and no one is keen to commit to organising a gathering. However …
Storylines Auckland Event (fingers crossed…)
14 November is when Storylines celebrates the best books published between 1 January 2020
and 31 July 2021, with the presentation of the Storylines Notable Book awards in five categories:
Te Reo Māori, Picture Book, Junior Fiction, Young Adult Fiction, and Non-fiction.
Details on Storyline’s. website.
Questions from this month
“Hi Janice
I find myself hesitating I think mostly due to feelings of self doubt that I could actually produce anything decent! Perhaps I just need to let go of expectation and be prepared to enjoy the journey. Any enlightening words to offer?”
My reply:
“You call it self doubt but another way of looking at it is the crippling effect of your desire for perfection.
No writer ever starts out being perfect. Creativity, self expression, involves starting small. One step at a time. In fact this is how all great achievements start out.
So I’d recommend that you just smile, laugh out loud, try to enjoy being a little bit careless. Try this approach for a week. See if it frees you up a little. See, most importantly if you enjoy writing in this way. I do hope you do.
It is always the people who are terrified to put their toes in the water who never learn to swim.
Some people who get satisfaction from writing/ swimming started with a big plunge into deep water. Most of us start by inching out slowly, wincing a little, shrieking when a great wave rolls over us and temporarily knocks us over, but we get. up and wade further in.
The GWN course s start slowly, with confidence building and idea development. There is nothing to fear. I’ve been there – standing shivering on the beach – and I know what that feels like. I also know how wonderful it is to sometimes write something you really wanted to write and are proud of.
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And another question, about agents, of which there are very few in New Zealand. “You mentioned the most recent agency and hence the freshest is High Spot Literary. Would it be better going through a fresher and recent agency?”
I replied:
“For children’s work I’d stick to the reliable and experienced Frances Plumpton.”
“Is there more advantage in looking for an international agent? Do they have more coverage than the NZ ones?”
Yes, they do if you want to publish internationally. Most New Zealand writers start with a local publisher before their book is taken up by an international agency.
And a happy and motivated client:
“Module 5 is packed with useful information. I followed your advice and opened a website (under construction), joined as a member of the New Zealand Society of Authors, joined NZ Indie authors page on FB, and Children’s illustrators page on Facebook.”
Excellent!
Vocabulary
Lucubrate – a word for all those students trying to study during lockdown:
It means: To work, write, study laboriously, especially at night.
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Always edit your work.
Don’t depend on your word processor or an app to do it for you.
Here are two more true-life warnings about what over-enthusiastic predictive texting can do.
E.G One: In Lockdown 4 my daughter in law has been doing my supermarket shopping.
She texted me: “Your shopping list?”
I replied by texting: “cleaner, Chux cloths”
(I am selling my house and constantly cleaning it in Lockdown.)
What Mia received from my text was tis for my shopping wish list: “ cleaner chic clothes.”
E.G Two:
The second example, from yesterday’s emails:
I typed an email to a client apologising for my belated response to her.I typed “sorry for my elated response” which I think would have confused her greatly had I not noticed it and corrected it in time by adding the ‘b’.
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And a bouquet to a client who sent me the best similes ever in answer to an exercise:
“His face was as confused as a teenage driver navigating a roundabout for the first time.”
“After the run, she panted like a dog that spent her morning keeping the neighbourhood safe from postmen.”
Those are so fresh, so true.
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Overheard
Remember that writers need big ears.
I overheard this said by a child
We were at the beach.
“Ouch! I’m being battered by the waves!” shouted the woman.
“You’re o.k. Nana. You’re already an old battered fish. You’ll be o.k.”
We welcome any contributions to the “Overheard” section of the newsletter – or any other section,
of course.
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This month’s poem
The Joy of Writing By Wislawa Szymborska
Why does this written doe bound through these written woods?
For a drink of written water from a spring
whose surface will xerox her soft muzzle?
Why does she lift her head; does she hear something?
Perched on four slim legs borrowed from the truth,
she pricks up her ears beneath my fingertips.
Silence—this word also rustles across the page
and parts the boughs
that have sprouted from the word “woods.
Lying in wait, set to pounce on the blank page,
are letters up to no good,
clutches of clauses so subordinate
they’ll never let her get away.
Each drop of ink contains a fair supply
of hunters, equipped with squinting eyes behind their sights,
prepared to swarm the sloping pen at any moment,
surround the doe, and slowly aim their guns.
behind their sights,
They forget that what’s here isn’t life.
Other laws, black on white, obtain.
The twinkling of an eye will take as long as I say,
and will, if I wish, divide into tiny eternities,
full of bullets stopped in midflight.
Not a thing will ever happen unless I say so.
Without my blessing, not a leaf will fall,
not a blade of grass will bend beneath that little hoof’s full stop.
Is there then a world
where I rule absolutely on fate?
A time I bind with chains of signs?
An existence become endless at my bidding?
The joy of writing.
The power of preserving.
Revenge of a mortal hand.
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I am writing a new gardening column , featuring indoor pot plants, for Weekend Gardener for 2020. I thought I’d add some personal touches to it. If any of you have stories to tell about a house plant that helped you get through lockdown, or a favourite pot plant, or maybe one that’s been in the family for a long time, or one that came to a sad end, I’d love to hear about it. Send me an email and I could phone you to chat about it or send me a few lines about your plant.
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And speaking about plants –
This newsletter is the last I shall write here, surrounded by my lovely garden. I am moving, still in
Mt Eden, but a move is a move. The next month will be chaotic but I promise the October
newsletter will arrive on time.
Here is our farewell photo.
Tutor
Writer
Columnist
Script Assessor
www.gowritenow.nz
janice@gowritenow.nz
www.janicemarriott.com
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