The Year 2018 - Failures
and Fireworks!
As the end of the year
draws near, many of us are inclined to take stock and I, too, see it as a good
opportunity to look at my various lists I have made at the beginning of January
to map out my year.
I want to share my to-do
list with you here and how much (or little - you be the judge) I have managed
to 'tick off'.
2018 was to be my year of committing to my writerly goals:
1. Get my MG novel signed for publication
(Spoiler alert: I didn't get to tick off all items on my list!)
So, let's start with the
news and get to the...
Failures...are only temporary
Ok, so I have failed to
achieve these goals (below) and what does that all mean?
1. Get my MG novel signed for publication
You probably have guessed the first one: at mid December, my MS is
not even ready to go out to an agent, let alone to a publisher. I thought after
an estimated forty plus redrafts, edits over the past 18 years or so you'd
think I'd feel confident to let it go out - but no! Feel free to laugh (I won't
hear it anyway and it might make you feel good!).
So, it's a resounding NO.
2. Finish, finish, finish those MG and YA EDITS!
Sort of. I have sent off the MG manuscript to a friend for the
final ripping apart before I ruin Christmas with endless edits! (cry if you
like, but you shouldn't as I won't).
My YA, I have decided needs a complete redraft. So that's a big
one.
That's a NO (for now).
3. Find and Agent
Well, its kind of tied up with the above failures, so I put it on
the 2019 list:-)
That's another NO.
So that's my failures wrapped up - not that bad, less than a third
of the goals I set I haven't met.
Anyway, 'failure' is such a strong word, usually fraught with
negative notions, but most of all it sounds absolute and unshakeably set in
stone. I prefer the German translation - VersΓ€umnis, which
implies more of an omission/loss of time kind of explanation as to why I didn't
achieve those goals. So maybe it came down timing?
I don't think we should fear failure. And because I feel
like it and because I can, thanks to the internet, here are a couple of quotes:
“It's
failure that gives you the proper perspective on success.” - Ellen
DeGeneres
and of course this old one:
“I have
not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.” - Thomas A.
Edison
And who says 2019 isn't big enough to
accommodate three more goals?
Fireworks
In 2018, I have been able to make some liberating changes: I'm
taking a sabbatical after I quit my job, am making more time for family,
friends -- and am writing, so it's been pretty amazing.
In the end, I keep finding fabulous things that have pushed me
through like meditation, family, friends, music, making and admiring art, reading, writing, baking, cooking ...
Which is also why I make time for writing workshops every year.
4. Attending workshops - Why Workshops Works
Have you ever met with a
successful writer who hasn't given you the advice to write as much as possible,
and to do whatever it takes to hone your writing skills? One of the ways to do
that, as almost everyone will point out to you is to attend creative writing
workshops.
I have facilitated
workshops on the things I know well over the past seven years, which is why I know the
benefits they bring. And since I love learning in all forms
and shapes - honing my skills in writing knows no boundaries - and workshops are a great space to learn from and with peers.
I attend a minimum of three workshops a year.
As a
writer and reader, I try to be open and not to discriminate (although I DO judge
a book by its cover but that's another story!) and so I try my hand at all
sorts of genres and forms.
Last year and the year before, I even participated
in poetry workshop although I never - even by a long shot - consider myself a
poet (since then though I have got third place in a competition and a poem of
mine has been published! As this clearly shows, it pays to break the mould of
self-perception!
This year, I covered
romance, how to get an agent, writing for the primary school education
market workshop and and an empathy writing workshop and learned very
distinct, but equally useful things in each of them.
Romance Writing Workshop - with Catherine Evans
Where: SouthCoast Writers Centre and Shellharbour City Library
Catherine is a funny and
engaging workshop facilitator, who is a fountain of knowledge - I never knew
there were so many types and sub genre to the Romance category!
The rules and regulation
of this quite strictly demarcated genre are intimidating and fascinating at the
same time. Catherine writes also erotic fiction.
My reading in that area
doesn't currently go beyond Nicholas Sparks' literary Romance but it was
interesting to see that certain romance book publisher demand that the love
interested parties must meet within the first couple of pages and have a
kiss - what was it? No later than page 4?
"Readers pay for a
promise of romance. Get to the first kiss early on."
The
big shock for me was that many romance genres like Mills &Boone don't have
backstories! My characters are usually so bogged down with back stories in the
first drafts that culling it down the the main ones is hard enough. I cannot
imagine writing characters without their own context. Who knows? There might be
fantastic backstories which aren't in the published version, only in the head
(and pc) of the author?
I think there is a lot
to be learned from romance writing. For one, writing intimate
scenes and situations with great attention to graphic detail about is certainly a good way to get over one's own inhibitions. Physical intimacy is not easy for everyone to depict and this genre and its
sub genres are probably the only ones that can offer training with authority.
More on Catherine Evans
here
How to Get an Agent Workshop - with Mary Cunnane
Where? South Coast
Writers Centre and Wollongong Central Library
It's not often that we get the opportunity to learn from the
best:
Mary has worked in the publishing hub of New York for many
years and in Australia, and who was a founding member of the Australian
Literary Agents' Association and its vice-president from 2008-2011.
"An agent helps the author to make a decision what rights to sell when signing a contract."
She lives on the South Coast and came to Wollongong to
run a workshop on writing an overview/precis, what sample chapters to include,
how to self promote and market, and some really helpful tips for writing a
query letter.
Needless to say, the room was packed!
Find more info on Mary
Cunnane here.
The Things We Don't Talk About: Writing Empathy - with
Helena Fox
Where? South Coast
Writers Centre/University of Wollongong Campus
Helena was s a
wonderfully kind, sensitive and generous workshop leader, who provided a safe
space to explore trauma and pain.
Her gentle, yet clear
directions have made the mostly exercise based workshop an exploration of self
and others in the group and in life.
The questions we
explored in each exercise will be useful for any future writing. Especially the
tips on getting started, on how to make those words roll out in a constant
stream, be that as word-vomit (Thanks, Chloe!) or as a stream of consciousness,
I will revisit my notes in the future, for sure!
"What do I want
people to know and understand?"
We had food, we had fun, we had tears and produced pages upon pages of writing, most of which we shared! To practice writing from someone else's perspective
is a great way to develop a character, be that a protagonist or an antagonist
of any story, in fiction or non-fiction!
More on Helena Fox here
Writing For the Primary School Education Market - with Louise Park
Where? Writing NSW,
Sydney
Louise Park is a funny
and very generous presenter and has shown great insights into what Education
publishing offers.
Louise is such an expert
in the field and demonstrated how this is one of the best training grounds for
emerging writers. But goodness me - if I thought Romance writing was
complicated in its formulas and rules than Louise got me thinking again.
For example, a picture
book comes in the guise of phonic text books, text books for different reading
abilities and ages, and they are instrumental in process-learning.
Here we learned that
good counting skills are essential for this type of writing to
"...control the
reading environment by using high frequency words!"
But it's worth hanging
in there, despite all the formula, templates and strict rules:
"Many well-known
children’s authors began their careers writing for the education market and
continue to do so alongside successful trade careers."
More on Louise Park here
5. Write more shorts and SUBMIT to competitions
I only managed a couple, but I won one of them
and the second is due by the end of the year. So I'm happy and less annoyed
with me that I - again - have missed a bunch of really good ones again this
year!
But I won't sit on my laurels, promise!
6. Get a Mentor
Although writing has been pivotal throughout my
professional life, as a journalist, curator and tertiary educator and
researcher, I'm still emerging as a fiction writer.
We all have mentors throughout life. These might
be a teacher, a grand parent, a parent, a friend or colleagues.I'm especially
fortunate to have writer friends who have taken me under their wings and whom I
consider my mentors as I do look up to them all. Mentoring is an important part
of growing as a writer, by learning from the ones who have walked the path
before and who are generous and kind enough to share their experiences.
But one can only ask so much time of someone, no
matter how kindhearted and generous they are - time is a writer's most precious
commodity after all - and there is a fine line.
There are some mentorship programs out there. If
you have been toying with the idea of getting a mentor read these five reasons
by The Write Life or find one here The Australian Writers
Mentoring Program and at Writing NSW.
I personally would like to get specific writers
to mentor me and so my plan is to find funding for it.
It would be great to have a formal mentorship
with a writer. I'm working on that and see what's available to make that
happen. I will report if there are any developments in 2019!
7. Create my own
WRITERS PLATFORM: blog/twitter/ instagram
Yes! I did it! Finally, I found the Pen name
that fits me and has a story, too.
- Blog -
well you are reading it:-) - http://freddyiryss.blogspot.com/
- Twitter - @FreddyIryss
I don't like Facebook so I will keep off it
until I change my mind which might be - not in a long time!
8. Attend LITERARY FESTIVALS
As the end of the year draws near, many of us are inclined to take stock and I, too, see it as a good opportunity to look at my various lists I have made at the beginning of January to map out my year.
2018 was to be my year of committing to my writerly goals:
(Spoiler alert: I didn't get to tick off all items on my list!)
Ok, so I have failed to achieve these goals (below) and what does that all mean?
4. Attending workshops - Why Workshops Works
Have you ever met with a
successful writer who hasn't given you the advice to write as much as possible,
and to do whatever it takes to hone your writing skills? One of the ways to do
that, as almost everyone will point out to you is to attend creative writing
workshops.Last year and the year before, I even participated in poetry workshop although I never - even by a long shot - consider myself a poet (since then though I have got third place in a competition and a poem of mine has been published! As this clearly shows, it pays to break the mould of self-perception!
Romance Writing Workshop - with Catherine Evans
Where: SouthCoast Writers Centre and Shellharbour City Library
The rules and regulation
of this quite strictly demarcated genre are intimidating and fascinating at the
same time. Catherine writes also erotic fiction. 
It's not often that we get the opportunity to learn from the
best: "An agent helps the author to make a decision what rights to sell when signing a contract."
She lives on the South Coast and came to Wollongong to run a workshop on writing an overview/precis, what sample chapters to include, how to self promote and market, and some really helpful tips for writing a query letter.
Needless to say, the room was packed!
Find more info on Mary Cunnane here.
8. Attend LITERARY FESTIVALS
 |
| Sydney Writers festival |
Up until recently, organising events at literary
festivals was part of my job and so I have been involved on that end for over
seven years.
I have been in conversation with guests of the Wollongong Writers' Festival and the Sydney
Writers' Festival over the past seven years and had the luck to meet Peter Garrett, Ron Pretty, Sarah Nicholson, Tony Birch, Bruce Pascoe, Jim Everett, Catherine McKinnon, Alison Tait, Jeff Apter to
name but a few.
 |
| SWF LIve&Local Wollongong |
This year, I have been to the launch of the
Sydney Writers' festival where I have been most inspired by AndrΓ© Aciman's keynote and the launch of the
Wollongong Writers Festival. I have also attended the Kids & YA Festival at
Writing NSW.
It was my first Kids & YA Festival and I enjoyed every minute of it.
There was a good mix of panels on business of
writing, fantastical worlds and writing with passion, humour, images and
wrapped up with a pitching session - which was amazing!
 |
| Kids&YA Festival |
Not only was it great to see how people 'pitch
their work' but also how they cram in all the info into 60 seconds!
 |
| Wollongong Writers Festival |
This year, however, I was involved on the other
side of the microphone for the first time.
I had the chance to run a
grant writing workshop at the Wollongong Writers' festival and present my eco
tale with Q&A alongside my fellow writers, responding to artwork at
the Wollongong Art Gallery, which was so much fun!
"For someone who did not know anything about the process, I learned a great deal and would recommend it to anyone considering applying for a grant." (Participant)
Festivals are great for learning, meeting other
writers, connecting with new people, get inspired and grow your networks.
I caught up with the amazing Kirli Saunders,
Alan Baxter, Catherine McKinnon, Luke Johnson, Su Barnett, Christine Howe,
Joshua Lobb, Tess Barber, Sandy Fussell, Chloe Higgins, Haley Scrivener, Tim
Heffernan, Helena Fox.
I also met a bunch of new and inspiring writers
and illustrators like the multi-talented and cultural visionary, Matt
Ottley.
Every festival had such literary variety and
shone light at new horizons.
9. Write, write,
WRITE!
Well,
I'm trying to stick to a writing routine and write at least 500 words of
something each day. This blog and even Twitter and Instagram posts
count towards that goal when I'm desperate!
My current writing projects are: 1) a MG novel
(stage: final editing), 2) a YA novel (stage: 7th revision - probably a major
redraft coming up early 2019), 3) picture book (stage: complete) 4) eco tale #1
(complete) 5) eco tale #2 (stage: first draft)
I'm not going anywhere without my notebook anymore. (I have
accumulated so many over the years, I decided I had to start using them.) I
fill them with the usual: writerly observations, thoughts, poetic lines that
come to me between aisle 2 and 5 in the supermarket, but also drafts, mind maps
and story boards.
And pictures. Pretty pictures. I mostly doodle and sometimes
draw.
10. Read, read and
READ!
I have bought so many books this year, I lost
count (lucky I took pictures of some at least!).
Because reading (and new glasses) were big on my
list this year, I stocked up at every occasion: at writers' festivals (which
are great because often you get the author to sign), book fairs and while out
shopping for socks and milk.
I think, apart from a selfish need to fill my
house with books, it is important to buy books and support the sector and
encourage authors to keep on doing at what they are good at - writing.
I must have bought close to 50 books this year!
Good to know:
There is scientific proof that it is good to surround yourself with books (if you ever need to justify your spending spree), here is what Emily Petsko writes in Study Confirms Growing Up in a Home Filled With Books Is Good for You:
There is scientific proof that it is good to surround yourself with books (if you ever need to justify your spending spree), here is what Emily Petsko writes in Study Confirms Growing Up in a Home Filled With Books Is Good for You:
"People who buy more books than they can possibly read can now use science to justify their spending sprees."
Or at least I will read up to page 50 from now on. If I can't get
into the story by then, as a friend assures me,
"It's fine to put the book aside - or give it away!"
after I told her that the book I was reading at the time didn't
interest me and that I wanted to like the book so I kept reading, while I was
pining to start another one in my ever growing book pile!
Apparently, according to Michelle Debczak, there is a Japanese word for when you buy books and never read them.
"in English, stockpiling books without ever reading them might be called being a literary pack rat. People in Japan have a much nicer term for the habit: tsundoku."
I love the fact that there is a word for this type of habit, but I call them 'bedside table(s)' (less philosophical, more
practical). So even if I don't read them for years, they fulfil a purpose. But of course, I have all intention to read all of my books. Eventually.
So, while my pile of books to read next to my bed is growing fast,
I find other ways to justify coming home with more!
And so there are books I buy for gifts! So much fun:-) There are
still a few days left...
... and this is my gift collection so far for family and friends this holiday, 2018!
What are you giving this year?
