I went to a Writing Panel for publishing at my school Georgia Southern University. It was tons of fun and full of laughs and insight. It was set up but my new group called the Georgia Southern Writers Guild. It had speakers like professors ranging from Jared Sexton a writing and linguistics professor to, English department chair head David Dudley and many other professors. Here are some notes I got.
Enjoy, comment, and remember: never stop writing!
Writer Panel GSU:
1.
Keep at it! Try your best from day one.
2.
Once you get published, it only gets easier.
a.
People will start to help you once you prove
yourself
b.
Markets will look for you and for your work.
3.
Don’t worry, you won’t die like Kafka, alone in
an alley way.
a.
Just keep trying, it will be hard and only a
little percent will get hired.
4.
You cannot do it for the pay, you probably won’t
make much.
a.
Do it for other reasons.
b.
Write something you want to put you name on.
5.
You can always write erotica. ;)
6.
Academic writing rocks, but there are other
forms.
7.
Form rejection does happen, and you will get bad
reviews; the writing world is a wheel that can crush you.
a.
Get a thick skin and embrace what you do. Know
that you’re better and that you tried your best. Feel good about yourself.
b.
Just accept you will have critics.
c.
Expect that it will happen.
d.
Don’t take it personally, let it go.
8.
Writers block happens.
a.
It can come from pressure on yourself.
b.
Don’t say you have writers block, it’s a curse.
c.
Try not to procrastinate.
d.
If you can use a template.
e.
You can stop at a good point in your writing. So
when you get back you have a lot to write about.
f.
READ!
9.
Write constantly!
a.
Get that “shitty” first draft down.
10.
Some days as a writer are hard.
a.
It’s work. It’s warfare.
b.
Other critics are bad, but sometimes you’re your
worst critic.
11.
How to carve out time for your writing:
a.
You have too. Make it a priority.
b.
Find the best time of writing for you and make
it happen.
c.
Have your priories straight. Love, work,
writing, family, friends, etc.
d.
Graduate school will give you time to write.
e.
Realize your wasted time and use it, compromise.
12.
Be mindful that you can be hypersensitive as a
writer.
13.
It’s not bad to repeat words. Just don’t trip up
with your writing.
a.
Some words are “Suspicious” words. Used to try
to make you sound smarter that readers will notice more.
14.
Write what you want to write than find the
appropriate place.
a.
It’s okay to trust your editor. They know what
they’re doing, usually.
b.
“Don’t bend over for them and ask them to make
it rough and make you like it. Be humble and welcoming to edits and make you
like it.”
c.
Know your boundaries.
15.
Try not to edit on your first draft. Just write.
a.
Turn off your monitor when you write. Ignore it.
b.
Use pen and paper.
c.
Have a “Write” mode and “Edit” mode.
16.
You will have to rewrite a lot.
17.
“You will regret your life no matter what you do
so do what you love.”
18.
“Write what you care about from your first
publication to your last.”
