The Voice

Good morning one and all!

I got a great response back from my query writing teacher. Apparently I have passed her query writing course with flying colours and can now put together enticing queries for magazine editors on my own.

For any of you that don't know, to get published in a magazine you have to send them a query that outlines your idea and how you would construct your article.

The query has to be concise and packed with information or the editor won't even bother reading it all. (Magazine editors are insanely busy!)

So basically, to even get your foot in the door the editors have got to like your query. And not only that. Your query has to stand up to scrutiny from all the editorial staff of the magazine before it gets chosen. Since I have never been published before in a glossy my query likely has to be even better. Being unknown means you've really got to prove yourself.

I find the whole process kinda thrilling really. I love challenges. Always have!

If I decide to tackle something, the harder it is the better. It's as if all my resolve grows and I find out I had more in me than I ever imagined. I love that!

So, now that I've mastered query writing it is only a matter of time before a magazine gives me a chance. Now that's really, really exciting.

Have a great day everyone and a demain!

Open Forum

I can't believe it's Friday already! How wonderful is that?!

I'm taking my son out for breakfast this morning--a ritual that we both really enjoy.

I have a thing for breakfast and apparently my son does too (it was his suggestion to go this morning).

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

See you on Monday.

The Journey

Good morning one and all, it's journey day once again.

Do you ever underestimate your abilities as a writer?

I wonder how many writers do this? I definitely do.

Sometimes I almost have to get smacked upside the head before I wake up.

I read a comment by a successful short story writer named Kris Babe in Poets & Writers Magazine (who was supporting himself and his family through his writing income) and he said he didn't think he was better than a lot of the other writers he'd met, just more persistent. He said he just kept sending out his stories until they were published and that he'd met more talented writers that gave up way too soon.

I found his comments interesting because having guts and being resilient and determined make a lot of difference to how people approach and succeed in this world.

It is a myth that great writers are 'discovered' almost instantly.

It is also a myth that writing is an elitist profession only done well by a small group of special people.

Writing is hard work, but it's work like any other kind of work.

Margaret Atwood, J. K. Rowling and many others have been rejected by publishers on countless occasions. We all have to start somewhere--yes, at the beginning.

I think that one of the mistakes I make is comparing my writing skills to other people rather than to myself. It's been several years now that I have been writing freelance and I should compare my writing now to what I was producing 7 years ago and realize how much more I know now.

Every writer has their own experience and background and likes and dislikes that they bring into their career.

Writers, in other words, each have their own universe. My writing universe won't be like anyone else's, nor should it be. But is it growing, progressing and am I getting more confident and stronger with every project I complete?

Those are the important questions. If the answer is yes, then I should throw caution to the wind and go for it. If the answer is no, I should take some courses and retrain myself to gain whatever confidence I'm lacking.

I'm happy to say the answer is yes.

So my journey now begins with a plan--just do it!

The Mechanics

Good morning one and all. It's mechanics day.

Between and among--when do we use them and why?

Between is used to connect two persons, objects or ideas: There is little difference between the two of them. She couldn't tell the difference between either of them.

Among, on the other hand, is used to connect several entities: There is little difference among all five candidates. He shared the reward among his friends.

However, where several things are considered individually between might be the better choice: He divided the reward equally between the five of us.

It's also worth remembering that when describing a choice, between is followed by and, not or: It's a matter of choosing between Jane and Matthew (not Jane or Matthew).

I hope you enjoyed another day of Grammar Girl and her quick and dirty tips.

A demain.

The Writer's Weekly

Happy Canada Day to you all!

I didn't get a paper today so I don't really have an idea for my writers in the media blog.

I still can't quite work up the habit to look at newspapers online so I will leave my media blog until next week.

Reconnecting with old friends is a really wonderful experience. I found a high school friend on Facebook and she seems so much like she was at 17. She is my age now of course with a daughter and all that, but her essence is the same and it's really wonderful to know about her life again.

Reconnecting with her has brought me back to myself somehow.

Relationships are so important to our lives, but North American culture focuses on quick and fast and convenient in just about everything. Food, money, sex--it's all about more, more, more.

There is nothing genuine in that however. In fact, that is in direct contrast to how most people live their lives. Maybe that's why, when we are lonely, we buy into that idea. But it is just that--an idea.

There is nothing even vaguely fulfilling about living a fast-paced life and treating everything, including people, as disposable. That is a recipe for disaster!

I think a lot of people find it overwhelming how important people are to their lives. It's also very hard to come to terms with the fact that we make our own realities so we should really spend a lot of time looking after ourselves.

A fast-paced life implies that other people should look after you, but that it's an 'in and out' kinda deal. Never stay too long in one place, no emotions, just satisfy your desire--whatever that may be--and run. Ooohhh...that gives me the creeps just thinking about it.

That's the way you hold people at arm's length and self-protect to the max.

I think reconnecting with my school friend made me realize that I was very alive when I knew her. I was 17 and the world didn't scare me and I just lived and really cared about the people in my life.

It is so great to feel that way about life again and it was no accident that I found her now. That's where I am and exactly where I want to be.