J. Kent Messum's Blog, page 6

A confession

Whenever I pick up a fiction novel and discover that the author has made his lead character a beleaguered cop, a conflicted private investigator, or a writer... I'm very tempted to just close the book and walk away. When it comes to characters such as these, flogging a dead horse might be putting it a bit mildly.

Fear is a Motivator

There are no guarantees in life, that much is certain. If you're lucky, you'll find one or two things that you're in love with doing. Trying to make those loves your career is another challenge entirely. Pursuing your passion can be as frightening as it is enthralling. My advice is to use that fear to your advantage.

Check out this piece I did not too long ago for the National Post called 'Fear is a Motivator'

http://arts.nationalpost.com/2013/08/...

What Will People Think?

All too often we second guess our writing. This is healthy for the most part, but when it comes to worrying over what others may think in regards to the content of our writing... that's where things get a little grey, particularly when you're dealing with uncomfortable or upsetting subject matter.

Don't concern yourself with whether or not readers will think you are 'fucked up' or 'reprehensible'. Most of the best fiction is in deep left field, and a lot of it comes from the darkest of places.

Here's a link to another article I wrote recently for the National Post that may be more insightful...

http://arts.nationalpost.com/2013/08/...

Lifelong Pursuit

These days I'm often asked if I have any advice for aspiring writers. I have plenty, but I think the most important piece of advice is to approach and treat writing as a lifelong pursuit. Writing is a craft, and a lot of time and effort must be put into honing your skills.

Below is a link to an article I wrote recently for the the National Post about my mentor, Peter Sellers, and how his teachings helped make me the writer I am today, and the improved writer I hope to be tomorrow...

http://arts.nationalpost.com/2013/08/...

How I Got My Agent

A lot of people these days ask me how I came to have BAIT published by Penguin Books. If you happen to be interested, a good starting point is the story of how I got signed to my Literary Agency. It can be found in this piece I wrote recently for Writer's Digest...

http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-b...