Category: Nonfiction

Read Pauline Shen’s nonfiction articles, essays, and anecdotes.

Nonfiction, Writing

Selecting Character Names

Pauline Shen
Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com

How do you select character names? If you’ve ever wondered this, consider first why you’re asking. It’s not like you have zero ideas of names to choose. Do you have a name in mind that you aren’t confident slapping down on the page? Maybe it’s the name of your childhood friend or a departed relative. Did you think about using a name you heard at school or work and thought it was rather unique but years later you’re unsure if it’s usable? The problem boils down to whether it’s a good fit.

The fit has to do with your character, the plot, and your intended audience. There’s a lot riding on a name, so it’s not just an arbitrary decision. You’re placing a label on a fictional being who represents an archetype, role-model, or possibly a new icon (i.e. Harry _ _ _ _ _ _ ). Which reminds me, you may only need a first name. Depending on your genre and plot, however, you may need to select surnames. And if you’re going for realism, this can be a huge conundrum.

So now that we’ve gotten closer to defining the problem, do I have an answer? Well, not exactly. I have some guidelines that I follow and I’ll offer some anecdotes along the way.

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Candid Talks, Nonfiction

Three Cures for a Book Hangover

Pauline Shen

If you’re a reader, then you might have experienced this situation. You’re so entranced by a book’s plot or characters that it draws you in and touches the very depths of your being. You never want this adventure to end, but eventually you finish the final page and close the book with a tear in your eye. “Alas, no other book will live up to this one!” You’ve just developed a book hangover. It’s real.

The thing is, you’ll have to get over it eventually. But it’s such a conundrum. What to read next? How to move forward in the world, le sigh. There’s a plethora of advice out there about book hangovers, and most of it isn’t all that helpful. “Select another book and start reading it.” Duh! But how? So in this post, I’m sharing my top three go-to options to cure a book hangover. Hope it helps.

Here’s my Big Three:

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Candid Talks, Nonfiction, Writing

Backing-up Your Writing

Pauline Shen

Sharing your drafts within a writer’s circle, workshop, or class can be extremely helpful to the evolution of your individual writing project as well as your development as a writer. Getting into the practice of allowing others to read your writing, receiving feedback on projects, and integrating criticisms into your revision process can make for huge progress. I’ve seen writers, however, express concern that whenever a piece of writing gets shared with a group, there’s a chance that someone may be dishonest. What I mean is that there’s a consistent fear among creatives that someone may attempt to steal work.

And I get it—you struggle to finish a draft only to keep it to yourself for the realistic dread that someone out there might be ready to nab it and plagiarize. In one peer-judged writing contest, the organizer tried to alleviate this concern by coding the webpage so that text could not be highlighted (and therefore no copy function could be used). A good attempt, but there are still other possibilities left open and every participant was well aware of that fact.

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Candid Talks, Nonfiction

Cleaning Eyewear – How to

Pauline Shen
Photo by Sam Lion on Pexels.com

When I first developed mild myopia at 19, my optometrist commented that I study too much. He explained that having my eyes flexed to focus on text for prolonged periods of time had hardened my lenses to the point that they lost the ability to perform for distance. I’m not certain if this is true. But it was the beginning of my wearing glasses. And a consistent pain that continues to this day is keeping them clean.

Whether you wear glasses “just for driving,” or, “to think straight,” or (my favourite) “because contacts are icky,” at some point you’ve struggled with specks, streaks, and smudges. You’re supposed to be able to see out of those lenses, so it’s imperative to keep them clean. But how? It’s a constant battle. I’m no expert but I do wear glasses for most of the day. What’s more, I have oily skin. In this post I’ll share with you my top three go-to methods for reducing the frustration and keeping those glasses spotless.

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Candid Talks, Nonfiction, Writing

Purrfect Prose

Pauline Shen

When I began submitting entries for writing contests and felt the sting of rejection, I realised that I needed help with the proofing process of writing. This was an imperative part of the writing-for-publication journey. What it meant was that I had to get more practice—not of writing, but of getting used to someone other than me reading my precious brainchildren. Reading my own work does not necessarily catch incoherencies.

Photo by Monica Silvestre on Pexels.com

As tough as it may be to receive criticism of my work, I learned that it was the surest way toward improvement. After all, writing for publication means that I’m not just doing this for myself. The goal is to reach others. So, my work should be the best and most presentable version—not just what I deem to be good enough.

I’ve decided to share here a tale of the first time I asked for a volunteer proofer to read my composition. It went like this:

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Candid Talks, Nonfiction, Writing

Writers: Don’t Make this Mistake! Avoiding copyright issues through original wording

Pauline Shen

I remember when my family purchased our first home computer. I spent my evenings getting on the web through dial-up. Back then I would wait for what seemed like eons for websites to load. I was logging-on to chat networks long before instant messaging was a thing. If a family member needed the telephone, it meant logging-off and using the computer without internet—an impossible proposition these days. An offline PC meant playing 3D Pinball while listening to music on my radio.

Photo by Christina Morillo on Pexels.com

The main reason my parents purchased the computer was to enrich my ability to complete homework and so I could learn about the looming technical age first hand. They knew jobs in the future would involve a computer. Pre-Y2K, this preparation meant learning how to touch-type on the keyboard. We didn’t have a fancy typing program. I simply looked for opportunities to practice. Like when you’re learning a language, it’s a good idea to seek out social situations to engage in speaking it.

Once my fingers got used to the keyboard layout, the next challenge was speed. How did I train this? While listening to tunes, I typed out the song lyrics as I heard them. It was fun! The result? I was one of few students in my secondary school who could type over 70 words per minute. My teachers used to say that it was possible to earn a few bucks on the side by typing essays and such. Great prospect—never happened.

Thanks to my parents’ foresight, in the 25 years since then I’ve placed my touch-typing skills toward a range of personal, academic, and professional endeavours. It’s a skill I use daily. Have I continued typing song lyrics? Well, no. Let’s hold on to that thought for a minute.

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Candid Talks, Nonfiction

Negotiating Photography for Headshots and Marketing – How to

Pauline Shen

Previously, I posted a two-part series giving tips for writers who want to look their best for a headshot. In Tips for a Successful Photography Session, I discussed how to prepare for your sitting, what to bring with you, and how to ensure that you photograph well. In this post, I’ll cover selecting and booking a photographer.

You can negotiate to get high-quality headshots without having to pay a hefty fee. It’s not about being cheap; it’s about navigating a thrifty choice. An emerging writer still needs to take care of the promotion and business side of things. Paying thousands for a studio photoshoot? Unthinkable! Let’s talk about it.

Selecting a Photographer

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Candid Talks, Nonfiction

Tips for a Successful Photography Session – PART TWO

Pauline Shen

I’ve worked with a variety of photographers and posed for a range of portraits through fine-art images. For a writer, it is important to have a headshot ready to send out with your published work. The higher-quality, the better. This usually means booking a photographer to take your picture. You’ll have to model for the camera. In this post, I am continuing to share tips that come from a culmination of my modeling experiences. If you missed the beginning, you can catch up here: Tips for a Successful Photography Session PART ONE.

Personal Care

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Candid Talks, Nonfiction

Tips for a Successful Photography Session – PART ONE

Pauline Shen

Although I do photography, I’ve also posed for the camera. So, this blog post is from the prospective of the person sitting for the session. If you’re a freelance writer, it is important to have a high-quality headshot at the very minimum when you begin getting your work published. Many literary journals ask for a headshot, and it is always a good idea to have a professional-looking one on the homepage of your website. As you progress, you’ll want to have eye-catching photos to use with your marketing materials in addition to a basic headshot. Having your picture taken involves more than just posing for the camera. Let’s talk about it.

I’ve worked with a variety of photographers over the past decades. As a model, I posed in-studio within Toronto’s fashion district. I’ve had photos taken while on stage for fitness competitions. And I’ve also worked with many up-and-coming photographers who focused on a range of aesthetics from portraits through fine-art. So the tips I’m sharing here come from a culmination of all these experiences. And, no, it’s not the obvious stuff like “comb your hair,” or, “smile for the camera.”

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Candid Talks, Nonfiction, Writing

On Time

Pauline Shen

The speech I delivered in eighth grade was all about time. It even included a line from the Alan Parsons song “Time.” I had gotten the idea from helping my teacher referee basketball games. It was my job to hold the stopwatch and call out, “Time!” at the end of each period. It was less pressure than being the score keeper, that’s for sure!

Photo by Digital Buggu on Pexels.com

That memory surfaced while brainstorming ideas for marking time in narrative. The objective is to move away from exact data measurements and dive deeper to reach the reader on an emotional level. This can apply to fiction, but can also be creatively incorporated into memoir. Sometimes using a numerical measurement just does not do enough to convey meaning. I mean, is it a story or a textbook? Yikes!

For example, “He started high school in 1997,” would be an accurate statement but falls flat. If the narrator marks the time with a scene, this same information could be told like:

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