Tag: Advice for Writers

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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Interviews

Interview with Chris Sadhill

Pauline Shen

In this post, we’ll be learning about Chris Sadhill, freelance writer, poet, and filmmaker. He tells us about his journey from filmmaking to prose writing and offers important guidance for fellow writers. Chris shares his thoughts on creative drive, authenticity, and promotion strategies.

Chris, after being immersed in the world of visual storytelling, what motivated you to begin writing prose?

Being an indie filmmaker meant I had to be a jack of all trades, especially when I had a small crew, which was often. I was involved in everything. I set up the lighting, tested camera shots, coached onscreen talent about the day’s scenes, occasionally I’d choreograph a fight, and there was always production paperwork, scheduling conflicts, and other aspects that required managing and organization. When I finally announced it was a wrap, the film was only halfway done and I moved into the post-production phase which involved sound design, editing, color grading, and music scoring to finalize the film. Making a film is not pointing and shooting a camera as some may think. It’s a collaboration between many creatives over an extended amount of time. It’s controlled chaos at best, and it’s not for the faint of heart.    

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Interviews

Interview with Garrett Souliere

Pauline Shen

In this post, we’ll be hearing from Garrett Souliere, Editor/Founder of Quibble Literary Journal. Garrett tells us the story behind Quibble’s founding, describes how the journal has and continues to evolve, and shares inspiring words that every budding writer should know.

When you first founded Quibble, what was the main driving factor that motivated you to launch this independent magazine? 

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Interviews

Interview with Nancy Kay Clark

Pauline Shen

In this post, we’ll be learning more about Nancy Kay Clark, Toronto-based Writer & Editor, and Editor-in-Chief of CommuterLit.com. Nancy tells us about the beginnings of CommuterLit, gives poignant advice to new writers, and shares resources for writers such as the CommuterLit Writing Circle.

Nancy, you have a lot of editing experience. Can you share your number one tip for budding writers looking to get published?

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