Kern Carter's Blog, page 122
April 19, 2021
Call for Submissions — Defining Your Voice As A Writer
The hard part about standing out as a writer is figuring out how to differentiate yourself. We all want to be heard. We all want our words to be significant and distinct.
As we think about what it means to share our thoughts and creations publicly, what are you doing to define your voice? How do you want to be known and remembered in reference to your writing? What steps are you taking to make sure that your voice is authentic?
For example, Kern Carter writes a lot about the creative struggle, particularly from the emotional perspective. Between those pieces and his pieces about what it’s like being an author, his voice has been both informative and inspirational.
Now it’s your turn. Send us pieces that define your voice or tell us what you’re doing to define who you are as a writer.
Same rules as always:If you’re already a writer for CRY, go ahead and submit.If you’re not a writer for CRY but would like to submit to this request, let us know and we’ll add you ASAP.Be as creative as you want in your submissions. As long as you stick to the topic, we’ll consider it.Just because you submit doesn’t mean we’ll post. If you haven’t heard back from us in three days, consider that a pass.The deadline to submit is Monday, April 26th, 2021.Please reach out if you have any questions at all. If you are new to Medium, here’s how you submit a draft to a publication.
Call for Submissions — Defining Your Voice As A Writer was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
April 18, 2021
April 16, 2021
April 15, 2021
April 14, 2021
April 13, 2021
How to Use Insecurity to Improve your Writing Productivity.
Photo by Steve Johnson on UnsplashErica Jon declared, “I went for years not finishing anything. Because, of course, when you finish something you can be judged.” She summed up the dilemma of insecure writers who want to earn a living.
Usually, insecurity conjures up very negative images of people. Unfortunately, folks who suffer from it have frail egos and need lots of reassurance. Treatment through excellent therapy is often successful, but it is risky for insecure people to become writers. Writing, I dare say, demands tough skin.
We expect professionals to exude confidence. Insecurity in a brain surgeon or criminal lawyer could be the end of their career. Insecure writers are different. Their insecurity is an occupational disorder. It attacks the best-seller author and the newbie. It can strike during any part of the writing process. Sometimes, when we feel bereft of words as in writer’s block, it is paralyzing. There is no cure for it, although success gives relief until the writer begins the next project.
Why are writers so much at risk?The answers are complex, but we have some pointers.Uncertainty- Most occupations have a rite of entry, like in medicine or law. A writer might have accessed a great education like Dr. Seuss, an Oxford graduate. In contrast, Laura Ingalls Wildergo, creator of the Little House on the Prairie, did not complete high school. Both wrote memorable books.Knowing that education, exceptional talent, or a combination of the two does not guarantee writing success can frustrate or derail those without self-belief.
Rejections- It helps new writers to remember famous authors have encountered rejection too. J. K. Rowling had at least twelve. One publisher advised her to join a writer’s group or take a writing course. Publishers rejected C. S. Lewis eight hundred times! How did he keep track of them all!Stephen King threw out the Carrie manuscript. His wife rescued it. She had more faith than the thirty publishers who rejected it before it became a best seller.
Scott Fitzgerald was told that he needed to get rid of his Gatsby character to have a decent book. Fortunately for entertainment, he ignored them.
In the digital age, they rejected Lisa Genova one hundred times before she decided to self-publish. Movie success followed.
Telemarketers experience the rejection of products owned by others, but writers write their stories. It is difficult to ignore rejection when it is your handiwork that is being discarded. Self-doubt is hard to avoid, yet we must accept it as a natural cost of the writing business.
All’s well that ends well, but it takes courage and persistence to push self-defeating thoughts away.Digital Age- The internet has created a smaller, faster world. It seems as if it is no longer enough to be a writer. You need your followers, your social media presence, the podcasts, and more technical skills than pounding a typewriter. They are many more writers striving to connect within the same market.
This competition is great for our customers but creates a more challenging writing climate.
How do we manage our insecurity?We can thrive by doing three simple things.1. Practice Writing
Writing like any type of art has its conventions, but complying with all the rules will not ensure success. Occasionally, one hears of a sensational new writer, but usually, success comes because of lots of practice. Medium stars like Kuegler and Denning advise frequent writing.
Gustave Flaubert declared, “I am irritated by my own writing. I am like a violinist whose ear is true, but whose fingers refuse to reproduce precisely the sound he hears within.”
We can identify with Flaubert, but despite our frustration and impatience, we still need to continue writing if we are to come close to perfection.
2. Publish Writing
Writing without publishing is like having a party without guests.
“Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but it’s the only way you can do anything really good.” — William Faulkner.
There is a balance to be struck between doing our best work and being a perfectionist. We have to find it and take the chance to submit the work. It takes courage to allow ourselves to be judged. We feel exposed, so vulnerable.
Resilience helps us to try again after another rejection. We tell ourselves that rejection is an occupational hazard but really want to avoid it. This year, I hope to get one hundred rejections because it would mean that I have written many more stories than I wrote last year. I hate the ones I’ve already received.
Sylvia Plath developed a love for her rejection slips because they showed how much she tried. It could have been bravado, for, in 1962, the New Yorker having rejected her work sarcastically wondered if they were being dense in their rejection of her. She was “dense” enough to ignore their message and kept submitting. She did not know that her poems would win a Pulitzer Prize posthumously.
3. Finally, let’s Get Peer Support
We all need our tribe. If you cannot find a local group, many courses like Writing Practice or Medium Mastery have Facebook groups. During my search, I found a website of special interest. They built it specifically for a special group of writers. I joined them at https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/publications.html. Here is its home page:
Website for insecurewriterssupportgroupTheir mission statement is very transparent
We are a home for writers in all stages; from unpublished to bestsellers. Our goal is to offer assistance and guidance. We want to help writers overcome their insecurities, and by offering encouragement we are creating a community of support.
In any group, there will be competition and comradeship. Generous colleagues motivate us with their advice, criticism, and support. It is worth investing time to find a writing group that is a good fit.
Let us normalize our writing insecurity. Breathe deeply and think of the influential writers who’ve made the same journey.
How to Use Insecurity to Improve your Writing Productivity. was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
April 12, 2021
Call for Submissions — Creating for Public vs Creating for Yourself
“There can be a kind of freedom, when the reward is itself the work.” Poet, Nikki Giovanni
Writers and other creatives are always expected to share/perform and open themselves up to the world. It’s what we do. But I’ve learned in my career as a writer that there is something sacred about creating just to create.
When you create something you know no one will see, when it’s for your eyes and your eyes only, there’s a freedom in that. It’s almost like self-care for your soul.
So for this week’s prompt, we’d like you to talk about what you create that no one else gets to see. Is it a journal? Do you paint? Do you zone out on colouring books?
Also, why do you create these things that no one will see? We want to know your motivation for keeping these creations to yourself.
Same rules as always:If you’re already a writer for CRY, go ahead and submit.If you’re not a writer for CRY but would like to submit to this request, let us know and we’ll add you ASAP.Be as creative as you want in your submissions. As long as you stick to the topic, we’ll consider it.Just because you submit doesn’t mean we’ll post. If you haven’t heard back from us in three days, consider that a pass.The deadline to submit is Monday, April 19th, 2021.Please reach out if you have any questions at all. If you are new to Medium, here’s how you submit a draft to a publication.
Call for Submissions — Creating for Public vs Creating for Yourself was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
April 10, 2021
April 9, 2021
Opportunities for Writers — And Other Literary News
In the literary world this week, HarperCollins is acquiring HMH, Mike Pence is getting a $4 mill book deal, and Younger returns for its final season.
That’s a lot to take in. Let’s start with Younger. It’s a series on Amazon that fictionalizes the publishing industry. It’s light, funny, but also gives some basic insight into the literary world. This will be seven seasons of Younger, so it’s obviously been a hit.
Speaking of hits, Simon and Schuster is hoping that former Vice President, Mike Pence, will produce a hit book. They’ve given him four million reasons to do so, but we’ll see what the American appetite for a conservative perspective will be.
Opportunities for WritersQuery Letter Bootcamp with Literary Agent Kimberly CameronAccording to Writers Digest, “you will gain access to a special 60-minute online tutorial presented by literary agents Kimberley Cameron and Elizabeth Kracht. This tutorial will provide nuts & bolts advice on how to help you streamline your submission materials — including the query letter, novel synopsis, nonfiction book proposal, and first pages.”
The Masters Review Flash Fiction ContestDeadline to enter is May 30. Here’s what Masters has to say: “We are proud to offer a contest dedicated solely to flash. The winning writer will be awarded $3000 and publication in The Masters Review. Second and third place will be awarded $300 and $200, respectively, as well as publication in The Masters Review. So here it is: a home for your very best small fiction.”
Banff International Literary Translation CentreDeadline to apply is April 28. “The Banff International Literary Translation Centre (BILTC) offers student and emerging literary translators two weeks of mentorship on a current project. Working in a trilingual environment, participants will have the opportunity to work with a faculty of accomplished translators, as well as consult peers; resulting in a mutually beneficial learning experience. Translation projects between French, English and Spanish are welcome.”
CRY will keep you posted every Friday with news and opportunities for writers. Follow us on IG @cry_magazine.
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Opportunities for Writers — And Other Literary News was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
