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Publishing internship: Meandering along the writing path with happiness
July 11, 2018
I was quite chuffed when Blaise asked me to write this week’s blog. I’m three months into my six month internship here at Busybird Publishing. I find myself looking forward to Wednesdays, not only so I get to spend some time with Oscar, the dog, but because it’s a place where I am given freedom to learn and create under the guidance of the experienced and talented Busybird team.
So how did I get here? Well, a few years ago I turned forty – I know, right! I realised I’d reached the age that in my younger years, I had proclaimed with great conviction that I would retire. Ambitious or naïve, either way I was determined, so I worked hard and did my best but, spoiler alert – I’m not retired. Despite that, I believe the journey I am on now, is the next best thing. Whilst I enjoy discovering new technology and educating people in the IT corporate world where I have been for the past twenty years, and I have daily opportunities for business writing, I realised it was time to start a new adventure in the literary world.
My writing life started when I was young, but it was on that milestone birthday, I made a decision to seek it out and follow it. So, I started with a short course, blurted out a first draft (which I continue to write and rewrite), joined writing organisations and writers groups and through those connections started this internship. Three and a half years down the track, I feel I am still at the beginning, but I am happy to be walking this writing-life pathway experiencing new and exciting prospects – and I’m so glad I started.
I won’t lie, it’s not been easy and at times it can be hard to keep the motivation going. I continue to work four days a week and have a family to look after, whilst perusing this path. But, I truly believe we all carve out the time to do the things we love. Whether it be exercising, reading, cooking or walking the dog. I also know this busyness of working two jobs will not go on forever and one will begin to wind down whilst the other ramps up. When I struggle with motivation, I reach out to my writing community.
Recently, I volunteered to be part of the event team at the Emerging Writers Festival (EWF), a not-for-profit organisation whose focus is on writers, particularly new writers. Their artistic vision is: “We develop, nurture and promote Australia’s new writing talent, creating platforms for connecting writing communities and their audiences.” Under this umbrella they run two artistic programming streams: “to provide opportunities for emerging writers to develop professionally; and to support emerging writers to engage new and larger audiences.”
This year the EWF is in its 15th year. It was held in Melbourne and from 19-29 June 2018 it had over 70 events on offer, held from early morning to late in the evening at several locations including the State Library, The Wheeler Centre, Deakin Edge, a number of different bars and other great locations.
The EWF Program is vast, as are the speakers and topics covered. With Lunchtime Lit sessions, the Speakeasy, performances, one off-events and the National Writers Conference that runs over two days at the State Library there is something for everyone. Many festival events are free and some are provided at a cost, such as Master Classes and Writers Night School. I highly recommend taking the time to research the speakers and topics and ensure they are the right match for you to ensure you have the best experience.
As a volunteer, I was required to attend a mandatory information session at The Wheeler Centre that covers all the information needed to volunteer, what to do and how to do it. From there it’s all about enjoying the experience. So, I picked up my lanyard and EWF Team t-shirt and was allocated three shifts over the ten day festival. The EWF staff encourages volunteers to enjoy as many events as possible, and when rostered on, if an EWF staff member says it’s okay, volunteers are free to watch.
I was lucky enough to be rostered onto the Writers Night School: Romance Writing with Alli Sinclair, and have a EWF staff member give me the okay to watch. Although I write crime fiction, I was able to take away with some great writing tips and meet and share experiences with a highly motivated, energetic and successful author. Alli was able to provide great advice and reconfirm my belief in the importance of being part of a writing community and building relationships.
Volunteering is a great way to build experience and build relationships. I find if I’m not happy to volunteer, then I’m not on the right path and I definitely won’t be able to go the distance. This writing path is different to most other paths I’d travelled that often had signage and a path (or at least someone) to follow. Here, it’s totally up to me which path I take – I can even create my own.
So as I walk, I discover writing can sometimes be a solitary path, often on rough, unexplored terrain. But it can also be one filled with people and support – who knows where I will end up? But, isn’t that half the fun? It’ll be just like creating a character, I think I know what they’re going to do and where they’ll end up – but they always seem to surprise me, and show me a better and far more interesting journey.
Klurisa Hastings
Publishing Intern
Writing Resources
June 28, 2018
Lots of writers don’t realise there’s a whole world of resources out there that can provide information, guidance, and opportunities.
For example, every state has a writer’s centre, and some might have writers centres in more remote regions.
Writers centres will usually send out a regular hardcopy magazine containing lots of invaluable information (such as articles from authors, publishers, agents, etc.), workshops, and submission opportunties. They’ll also have an e-newsletter that spruik their workshops and submissions opportunities. Membership is inexpensive,with discounts for seniors and students. Some – such as Writers Victoria and the Queensland Writers Centre – don’t require membership to sign up for their e-newsletter.
| Australian Writers Centre | NSW | https://www.writerscentre.com.au |
| New South Wales Writers’ Centre | NSW | http://www.nswwc.org.au |
| Writers Victoria | VIC | https://writersvictoria.org.au |
| Writing WA | WA | https://www.writingwa.org |
| Katharine Susannah Prichard Writers’ Centre | WA | http://www.kspwriterscentre.com |
| The Literature Centre | WA | http://www.thelitcentre.org.au |
| Peter Cowan Writers Centre | WA | http://pcwc.org.au |
| Rockingham Writers Centre (Component of FoRAC) | WA | https://rockinghamwriterscentre.org.au/ |
| Fellowship of Australian Writers Vic | VIC | http://www.fawvic.com.au |
| Queensland Writers Centre | QLD | https://qldwriters.org.au |
| Writers SA | SA | https://writerssa.org.au |
| The Tasmanian Writers Centre | TAS | https://www.taswriters.org |
| Northern Territory Writers’ Centre | NT | https://www.ntwriters.com.au |
| ACT Writers Centre | ACT | https://www.actwriters.org.au |
| Booranga Writers Centre | Wagga Wagga | https://arts-ed.csu.edu.au/booranga |
| Hunter Writers Centre | NSW | https://www.hunterwriterscentre.org/ |
Writers centres are fantastic regardless of where you are in your writing life – just starting out, or experienced with books published. It’s worth subscribing to those free e-newsletters to remain aware of submission opportunities. They inform you of what’s out there, and also give you deadlines to aim for.
For the more experienced authors, there’s …
| ASA (Australian Society of Authors) | NSW | https://www.asauthors.org |
Again, there’s a hardcopy magazine and e-newsletters that are sent out. They have brilliant (downloadable pdf) articles available to members relating to writing and publishing. They also have a contract evaluation service that’s open to everybody for a fee, but discounted for members.
If screenwriting is your thing, then look no further than …
| AWG (Australian Writers’ Guild) | https://awg.com.au/ |
There’s two different membership rates – for screenwriters who are just starting out (associates) or screenwriters working in the industry. They offer the same sort of services as the ASA, and you can consult both on legal issues.
Then there’s …
| Australian Publishers Association | NSW | https://www.publishers.asn.au |
| SPN (Small Press Network) | http://smallpressnetwork.com.au |
… which should be self-explanatory, with the Small Press Network covering smaller publishers.
And, finally …
| Australian Copyright Council | https://www.copyright.org.au/ |
… if you have any questions relating to copyright, then drop the ACC a line.
This is by no means a comprehensive list, but should give you an idea of the landscape.
There are worlds out there dedicated to writing. Make sure you touch base with them.
Quoting Others Doesn’t Always Make You Look Smart
June 21, 2018
There is a tendency for authors of self-help books to quote others. These quotes are usually (1) from a recognised author who has penned books of a similar or related subject to the one this author is currently writing and/or (2) ‘feel good’ phrases.
I assume the reason for the former is to give one’s own book some backing from a ‘recognised authority’ and I assume the reason for the latter is to ‘inspire’ the reader. A reason which may drive both the aforementioned is that the author wants to show off how well-read they are.
One of the fundamental rules to writing is to include only what is necessary. So, what are the criteria for evaluating the necessity of any given quote?
Relevance of the Quote: General vs Particular
First, I would like to make the distinction between the nature of the quote itself and how it is relevant to your book. A quote can in itself be a vague generality or it can be very particular. In either case, it can be generally relevant to your text or it can be particularly relevant to your text.
For example, Bob Smith said, ‘Sometimes, monkeys are evil.’ It’s a vague statement but if you want to dispute this view of Smith’s in your book, then it’s a particular which you need to quote.
If, on the other hand, you’re writing a book about monkeys and you want to make the point that monkeys are sometimes evil, then state it yourself. Why bother quoting Smith? He has not provided any statistical data so there’s nothing concrete to support your view. It’s a vague statement which is of mere general relevance to your book, one which you are capable of making yourself.
A quote, especially a vague one, which is of mere general relevance to your text is filler at best. At worst, it’s tacky and distracts your reader. If there is a point to be made, then make it in your own words. After all, what’s the point of reading your book if you keep on quoting others? The reader may as well read the author(s) you’re quoting.
There are also potential legal issues with quotations even when properly referenced. This depends on the extent and how the quotations are used but, to put it simply, avoid them unless necessary.
I am not denying that there can be a balance between being able to put your views in your own words and quoting someone of authority to support your arguments but this point is more applicable to academic and/or analytical texts.
Accuracy and Context Matters
Be careful who and what you quote. This is more than about accuracy. Do you know what the quote truly means? Do you know what the author intended?
To be fair, most of us are not mind-readers and we have not met or are likely to meet the ones we are quoting. If they are still alive, then one can ask for clarification but there’s no guarantee of getting an answer. This makes it all the more important to put in the effort to know who and what you are quoting.
Do you even know which book the quote comes from? Have you read it? Do you know the circumstances in which the author wrote or said what you’re quoting? As a personal rule, I don’t quote someone unless I have read the entire text in which I found the quote because that’s the minimum work I have to do to understand the broader context.
Let me give a crude example: I can use the Holy Bible to support atheism.
- There is no God.
– Psalm 13:1 (Douay Rheims)
I haven’t changed any words, I just omitted some. The first verse of Psalm 13 is below. Notice how differently it reads when one includes the rest of the verse. And one’s interpretation will change again when one reads the entire Psalm.
- Unto the end, a psalm for David.
The fool hath said in his heart: There is no God,
They are corrupt, and are become abominable in their ways:
there is none that doth good, no not one.
– Psalm 13:1 (Douay Rheims)
Even if you think you understand the quote and its context, research the author. To include something ‘inspirational’ by a poet may seem nice for your self-help book … until one discovers that the poet committed suicide in their early 30s. That level of incongruence between the quote and its author will hardly inspire.
Quoting to look well-read and smart usually has the opposite effect. So please don’t unless necessary and, if you do, there is no substitute for the hard work that is called ‘studying’.
Referencing
There are various conventions for referencing. If an author does not have a preference, then the editor will adopt one that is best for your book. In any case, it is the editor’s job to check your references and ensure their consistency.
Nevertheless, it is not the editor’s job to do the referencing for you. As already mentioned, know who and what you’re quoting. Please make sure the quote is accurate. Check and provide the name(s) attributed to the quote and the name of the book or text in which the quote is found.
Setting aside any potential legal issues, proper referencing is just the honest and professional thing to do.
Joey To
Writer / Editor
YOU Be YOU
May 25, 2018
You sit down to write, your hands hovering over your keyboard. The day’s events tumble around in your head – issues and responsibilities that demand attention. A small voice tries to push its way through. You close your eyes to try hear it, to try grab it, and ride it through the maelstrom.
There it is: the line.
You open your eyes and begin to type. The narrative grows louder, silencing the fracas. Words race across the screen. The page fills. If you had to stop to question where this was coming from, if you tried to slow it down so you could watch the process in action, it would surely unravel and splatter into a mess from which all your conscious chatter would resound.
But now it’s just you and the writing, you and the writing, you and the writing, until the process becomes meditative. Nothing else exists now. The people around you grow disembodied. The world around you dissipates. The demands of your life are no more. You are a solitary focus that has but one purpose: because YOU, and ONLY YOU, can deliver this message – be it a story, a poem, nonfiction, or whatever it is you’re working on.
Seven-point-six billion people occupy this world, but you are unique. You could search the world and you would never find your double – even identical twins think differently. There was nobody like you before you were born, and there’ll never be anybody like you after you’re gone. YOU are YOU, and in everything you do you do it your own way. Even in jobs that require conformity, even in tasks that are routine, you bring your own influence to bear – you may not realise it, but you do, and that’s what makes you special.
Writing is your chance to be distinct. More than a chance, it is YOUR calling. You can be that single beautiful voice heard in the clamour. You can be the siren who lures in readers – not to their doom, but to their enrichment. It is your chance to impart that something only YOU can. It is your chance to touch somebody else, and give them something that they will forever carry with them, and which they may pass on to future generations. It is your chance to be immortal.
So what is paramount is that you are true to yourself. Forget that story you love so much, that you wish you wrote. Forget that author who you love. Carry these things with you. Learn from them. Let them become A PART OF you. But do not ever let them override you. Do not ever aspire to emulate them, or to regurgitate them. These are the voices of others. They are there to be heard in their purest, original form, rather than be recyclced.
Go deep, deep, deep down, down below consciousness, through the filters of your life, past those inhibitions that sometimes have you worrying what others will think about you because of what you’ve written, go into that VOICE that is YOURS, and embrace it, harness it, and bellow it unchecked into your writing.
Write what only YOU can write.
Be YOU.
Busybird’s Unsung Heroes
May 17, 2018
We’re tiny here at Busybird! Just five us, all working varying schedules.
Co-owners, husband and wife team Kev Howlett and Blaise van Hecke, might be called ‘over-timers’, instead of ‘full-timers’. They often work from Sunday to Saturday, and sometimes evenings. They’re constantly over-servicing to give our clients the best experience possible, be that self-publishing a book, running a workshop, hosting a function, or any of a number of things that Busybird do.
Les Zigomanis – who’s full-time, and is our chief editor and publications manager – had been our one employee, but now there’s also two part-timers: Megan Low, a very talented designer who brings a wealth of skill, imagination, and flair to every layout and cover she designs; and Shell Brave, our marketing coordinator, who’s warm, friendly, and always engaging.
There’s Oscar, too – Kev and Blaise’s Labrador. He’s a seeing-eye-dog puppy they fostered for fifteen months, who then went off for training, but unfortunately failed. Kev and Blaise happily welcomed him back into the fold, where he’s adopted the Busybird Studio – and everybody it contains – as his own. Oscar is renowned for charging the door, barking deeply while furiously wagging his tagging when couriers step in, and then running away from Eric, the six-month-old ginger tabby from next door who sometimes comes over.
They’re all the people (and animals) who you know at Busybird, and who are often thanked at events such as launches. They are the faces of Busybird, and the identities you interact with if you come to our studio, or come to any of our functions, such as Open Mic Night. They are the constants in the Busybird world.
But there’s also a host of people who you might not know exist at Busybird.
There’s a raft of editors we employ to perform any editing. Most of them are personally trained here at Busybird. Those who aren’t are still required to learn ‘the Busybird way’ through periodic workshops we run. That ‘way’ – outside of editing requirements – is to become a mentor for authors. That means being supportive, nurturing, and encouraging. We want our authors to have a positive experience. That doesn’t mean telling them whatever we think they need to hear, but being constructive, nurturing, and accessible, so that they enjoy the process and learn from it, and about publishing as a whole.
Then there’s our interns. We have a different intern for every day of the week. They come for one month’s probation just so they can see if this is something they want to pursue and whether it’s a good fit for them (although no intern has ever left within that month). And then it’s a further five months (so six months, overall).
In that time we issue them practical duties, overseeing their every move, and educating them where required. But it’s through practice that one improves. Duties include tasks such as editing, proofreading, writing, design, research, and administration. It can feel overwhelming at times, but we’re always there, looking over them. Recently, one former intern commented that she learned more in her six months at Busybird, than she did studying at a tertiary institution.
While this blog provides an insight into how Busybird operates, it’s also intended as a thank you to those unseen people who help Busybird to run as it does!
They are Busybird’s unsung heroes.
Thank you for everything you do!