Tag: Pauline Shen

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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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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Candid Talks, Nonfiction, Writing

Five Effective Practices from the Commuter Workforce that I Use as a Freelancer – PART TWO

Pauline Shen

Freelance writing is a long game. You’ll need to treat each new project with the long-term outcome in mind. When you’re working for yourself, accountability falls on you to organize your work in a productive manner. I have adopted five practices from my experience in the commuter workforce that help me as a freelance writer. In PART ONE of this topic, we covered:

  • Meditative Mornings and Active Afternoons
  • Chunking Non-billable Items

In this post, I’ll discuss:

  • Get Your Team on Board
  • No-Work Zones
  • Keep at it
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Candid Talks, Nonfiction, Writing

Five Effective Practices from the Commuter Workforce that I Use as a Freelancer – PART ONE

Pauline Shen

In my prior collection of commuter jobs, I saw enough co-workers engaging in workplace shenanigans to know that dressing in business attire or a uniform isn’t quite enough to maintain professionalism. There are facets of human nature that always seep through no matter the front you put on. So why do so many work-from-home articles advise dressing-up just to sit in your own living room?

I have adopted five items from my personal experience in the commuter workforce that help me as a freelance writer. These five things keep my work running smoothly. And, no, it does not involve pulling on pantyhose or having to iron a blouse that no one will see. Let’s be practical.

Here’s my top five:

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Interviews

Interview with Max and Teona Bjork

Pauline Shen

In this post, we’ll be learning more about Max and Teona Bjork, the work they do in managing Writing Battle, and where this writing competition may be headed in the near future. Max Bjork is the Halifax-based creator of Writing Battle and runs it along with Teona Bjork who is a full-time mom and part-time Writing Battle administrator.

There were over 1200 stories in the recent Winter Flash Fiction Battle. What has been the most surprising thing about these tournaments so far?

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Story Reviews

A Piece of the Puzzle. Commentary on Mialise Carney’s “The Hydrangea Fairy”

Pauline Shen

In this first-person narrative, our nameless protagonist experiences an existential crisis personified in the form of a little fairy. This hydrangea fairy appears each night as our narrator is ready to fall asleep and begins nattering incessantly. This disrupts any chance of a full night’s sleep. The consequences are dire; our narrator is visibly wrecked and disheveled.

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Story Reviews

When Your Default Mode is Appeasement. Commentary on Elissa Matthews’s “A Good Man”

Pauline Shen

If you’ve gotta crack a few eggs to make an omelette, then what do you get if you spend your entire life side-stepping eggshells? In Elissa Matthews’s “A Good Man,” the narrator presents this very scenario. We see a man who is known for being, well… good.

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