Tag: Writing Fiction

Interviews

Interview with Anne Wilkins

Pauline Shen

In this post, we’ll be hearing from the delightful Anne Wilkins, contest-winning writer of science fiction and horror, based out of New Zealand. Anne shares her experience with writing contests, anthologies, and persisting past letters of decline. Anne also opens up on the personal side of balancing writing with life events, family, and career decisions.

Anne, you’ve got heaps of writing achievements! Multiple contest awards, several runner-up spots and honorable mentions, and an ever-growing list of publications. How long have you been writing and what made you decide to enter competitions?

Oh wow, that’s so kind of you to say because I still very much feel like a beginner. I was that kid that loved creative writing in school, from primary right through to high school, but by the time I got to university there was no time for it. All I ended up doing at university was essays, most of them very boring (Land Law — I’m looking at you). Then fast forward to a career where I was a family lawyer, and I was kind of writing stories, but true ones, in affidavit form.

When I had children, I think I finally had the time and the head space to write creatively again. Most of my beginning stories were written for my children, stories about cats, fairies, witches. I realised how much I missed that creative side of my life — the joy you get from coming up with an idea, and transforming it into a story for someone to read.

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Interviews

Interview with Galen Gower

Pauline Shen

In this post, we’re hearing from Galen Gower, writer and founder of Toad Shade Zine based in Memphis TN. Galen tells us about his creative process, shares his wisdom on incorporating feedback to develop as a creative writer, and gives us a sneak peek at an upcoming publishing venture.

Galen, you’ve started a Zine! What inspired you to launch the independent magazine, Toad Shade Zine? Tell us how it’s been going so far.

I literally decided I wanted to do a zine, bought the domain, blundered through making the website, and started sharing the submission call all in about three hours. I started out not telling anyone it was me doing it in case I really pet the rabbit with it, but it turned out pretty well.

I mentioned this in the second submission call, but the world really is full of things because people decide to do them and decide not to let fear or common sense stop them. I’ve never let not knowing what I’m doing stop me. Sometimes the results are disastrous, of course, but I’d rather go down swinging, you know?

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Candid Talks, Writing

Why Participate in Writing Contests?

Pauline Shen

You many have noticed that there are a lot of writing contests. You can find lists of upcoming ones in places like Dreamers Magazine or the Funds for Writers website. Some magazines, like Blank Spaces, run a regular quarterly write prompt contest. Many literary journals will simply run a contest for the purpose of fundraising and/or as a method to boost publicity for the volunteer judge(s). There are even third-parties, such as Writing Battle, that specialize in supporting emerging and established writers with very specific prompt-driven, time-limited tournaments.

Each one of these contests is unique in how it handles theme, prompts, judging, awarding “prizes,” and so forth. Entering your work in a writing contest can be beneficial. Depending on the individual contest, you can make great strides by getting involved. Here’s what I mean:

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Interviews

Interview with Seralynn Lewis

Pauline Shen

In this blog post, we have the pleasure of hearing from Seralynn Lewis, contemporary inspirational romance author, writer of sweet & clean romance, and self-publisher based out of North Carolina. Seralynn gives us a glimpse into the process of writing a series, finding and working with an editor, and navigating the world of self-publishing.

Seralynn, you have multiple books available on Amazon. What has been the most surprising thing about self-publishing?

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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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Interviews

Interview with Cheryl Kramarczyk

Pauline Shen

In this post, we’ll be hearing from Cheryl Kramarczyk, Chicago-based romance author, wife & homeschooler mom, and hospital lab tech. Cheryl outlines her motivation for writing romance, tells us how she got into self-publishing, and shares what it’s like to navigate the draft-to-published process.

Cheryl, what motivated you to begin writing romance stories? How did the happy ending become the go-to choice for all your stories?

Romance was a must from the start. My parents divorced when I was twelve and I longed for a happy ending—for my parents and for my sister and me.

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