Kern Carter's Blog, page 151
April 28, 2020
Are publishers still accepting manuscripts right now?
This is a question I know so many authors looking to get published are asking themselves. The answer is yes. I’ve spoken to or read about publishers who are still accepting manuscripts and signing authors. I’ve also perused a number of publisher’s sites and if they accepted unsolicited manuscripts previously, the overwhelming majority of them are still accepting unsolicited manuscripts.
Yes, some publishers are in precarious positions, but everyone agrees that eventually, we’ll be on the other side of this pandemic. And publishers are looking at how they can be prepared once this is over.
CRY
Have you read my novel BEAUTY SCARS ? It’s about two teenagers named Treasure and Justin only see each other through their dreams. When fate finally brings them together in real life, their love flourishes, but not without discoveries that threaten to tear them apart.
Are publishers still accepting manuscripts right now? was originally published in C.R.Y on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
April 27, 2020
Enrol in these creative writing courses for free
I can’t stress to you how important taking creative writing classes has been to my growth as a writer. I’ve specifically taken novel-writing courses, but it’s the process of having someone provide deep critique of my work that has been invaluable in sharpening my skills and widening my perspective on what’s possible as a writer.
With that said, there are several institutions offering free creative writing courses. Some of the classes include:
Write Your First NovelMemoir and Personal EssayWrite A Feature Length Screenplay for Film or TelevisionCheck out the full list of free online creative writing classes being offered.
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Enrol in these creative writing courses for free was originally published in C.R.Y on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
April 24, 2020
Indie musician Yung Cudii discusses how he builds his fan base
Cudii describes the different ways he brings attention to his music.
Image provided by Yung CudiiThe hardest thing to do in any art is to be heard. Getting people to pay attention is no easy task, but indie artist Yung Cudii finds ways to attract listeners to his music. CRY spoke to him about some of his strategies.
CRY: How do you think about releasing music? We interviewed an artist named Rosie Monday. She said she did this thing where she released a song every single Monday. How do you think about releasing music, though?
YUNG CUDIIMe and my manager spoke about that. How I do it is if I’m releasing a song for next Friday, I’ll build up the hype for it. I’ll do an Instagram post saying 500 comments and I’ll drop the song next Friday. I’ve promoted through different Instagram accounts like Straight Heat, Rap central and many more. To me, if I’m releasing a song that I put my all into, I want to see it do the number it’s deserves you know.
CRY: You started off by yourself but you mentioned that you have a manager. How important is it to have a manager and a team?
YUNG CUDIISo three years into my career I had no manager. I never thought of myself needing a manager. Music to me was just releasing music and waiting for the best thing to happen, and during that time, nothing was happening. I was just staying the same because no one was there to push me. No one was there to guide me. But last year when I finished high school…we dropped the album, it ended up being on the charts and that’s when I realized that you actually need a manager because as an artist, you can only do so much.
CRY: You have a really engaged following on Instagram. What’s your approach to social media? Why do you think your audience is so engaged?
YUNG CUDIII find that a lot of artists aren’t getting the right exposure because of the way they promote themselves. Personally to me Instagram is a huge tool to this music industry. For my fans to stay engaged I usually go on live stream a lot, post snippets [and stuff like that]. Overall just staying active. But one of the best ways to network yourself on Instagram is to simply pay a big account to post your content on their page. This is an easy way to get exposure in different parts of the world.
CRY: Do you do anything outside of social media to get your art and to get your audience engaged?
YUNG CUDIIBefore this Corona thing, I was performing at parties and doing shows. How I look at it is, say a promoter booked me to open for a bigger artist. With all the promotion that I’ll put into it I would say at least half the people that are going are my fans. So that means I’m left with the other half of the show not knowing who I am. But usually by the end of my performance, all those people who haven’t listened to my music now start listening and eventually become a fan
CRY: Why music?
YUNG CUDIII remember watching the MTV awards with my brother as a kid and seeing Soulja Boy and Chris Brown accomplish their dreams at a young age. After that I felt inspired. I remember telling myself that If they can do it I can too. shortly after that I began freestyling and writing music.
CRY
Follow Yung Cudii on his Instagram or listen to his music on Spotify.
Indie musician Yung Cudii discusses how he builds his fan base was originally published in C.R.Y on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
April 23, 2020
Illustrator Holly Jolley describes her unique approach to working with clients
Chilean based Illustrator Holley Jolley keeps it real about her freelance career.
April 22, 2020
This is what you did with your FEARS
We love doing topic prompts for our publication, and you guys always come through with the most creative, emotionally-driven stories. One of my favourite prompts was reading about you overcoming your fears. If you missed those stories, here they are:
I Am Saving My Tears For Something Else — Tre Loadholt
Use Fear to Drive You, Not Contain You — Lindsay Janice
Letting the Light In — David Goodwin
My Near Death Experience Changed the Way I Face My Fears — Evangeline Hemrick
I Was Given Two Years to Live — Heather Lee Dyer
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Thanks for continuing to support the stories coming out of CRY. We have a special community and we’re going to continue building it right. Don’t be shy to share some of the content. We can all CRY together.
Remember to follow us on Instagram @wecrydeep
This is what you did with your FEARS was originally published in C.R.Y on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
April 21, 2020
Songwriter Sessions — The Beamish Brothers discuss the process of pitching music
Two accomplished songwriters talk about making a living in music and their creative process for writing songs for other artists.
Songwriter Sessions — The Beamish Brothers
Two accomplished songwriters talk about making a living in music and their creative process for writing songs for other artists.
April 14, 2020
Not Good Enough
How many times have you heard this? Thought this? As a writer, I hear it all the time. Sometimes it’s subtle: “change this, delete that.” Sometimes it’s more aggressive: “I don’t believe in this enough to get behind it,” or “this just doesn’t work for me,” or “your work isn’t a priority.”
As a creative, my instinct is to take this rejection personally. When they say some version of “NOT GOOD ENOUGH,” what I really hear is “I’M NOT GOOD ENOUGH.” Doesn’t matter how many times I tell myself it’s not personal, that’s always how it feels.
But then I flip and let it motivate me. “Oh you didn’t like that book, wait till you read the next one. You didn’t connect with that blog post? Wait till you read the next one.” While this way of thinking has kept me determined, it’s also been dangerous. It’s an acknowledgement that what others think is important to how I view my own work. And if I’m honest with myself (and if you’re a creative, you should be honest with yourself, too), what other people think is important. I’m not writing for myself, I’m writing for an audience. I’m writing to be heard, to make people feel emotionally connected in some way. If I don’t accomplish that, it affects me.
That said, I’ve learned to set my own standards. Before I share anything, I want to love it. And even if others don’t, I’ll still love it. Yes, I’ll be disappointed, but I won’t let that disappointment change how I feel about what I’ve created. There are too many other factors involved in getting attention to the things I create. I won’t let those factors disrupt my creativity.
How do you deal with the feeling of not being good enough?
CRY
MORE FROM CRYHave you read my novella Thoughts of a Fractured Soul? If you haven’t, here’s a short description:
Corey is reflecting on his life as a teenager who has just had his first child. He relives his story through a series of fragmented memories, pieces of sporadic thought capturing moments of his life as he tries to care for his family. But Corey is failing, and as he continues to struggle he realizes how easily the world can fracture his ambitions and force him to settle for a life of mediocrity. Thoughts of a Fractured Soul pushes the reader to piece together these fragments themselves, and decide on what part of Corey’s conflicting tale can be trusted.
Get a copy today.
Not Good Enough was originally published in C.R.Y on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
3 Moments That Defined My Writing
Writing is our fight against the implied silence of oppression and trauma.
