Thursday, February 01, 2007

Some sort of swell.

1. Woot on passing the 100th post this morning! Thanks for reading and making it such a challenge/joy to keep up with/look forward to each day. You guys give me discipline.

2. A friend has asked me to come talk to her high school class about the writing process and I'm THIS THRILLED to do so. She's my hero for trusting her students to be thoughtful enough to accept my young protagonists.

3. I got an Ontario Arts Council grant today! The Writers' Reserve rocks my world. It's a guaranteed read from publishers you, in all likelihood, see yourself sending your stuff to. You can apply to more than one publisher increasing your chances of essentially getting paid to write. (Wuh happened?!) This year, I widened the net to include children's and young adult publishers...and a YA publisher bit. I can't tell you how happy that makes me. Mostly because growing up I never saw myself in the stories I read. I adapted my experience to novels intended for adult audiences; and, in truth, I think I grew up a little faster than a kid should have to. Granted, I like who I am and I think I turned out just fine. (Ducky even.) But it doesn't erase the fact that my first exposure to culture and literacy didn't bear much resemblance to the world I was living in or wanted to create for myself. So, thank you to a publisher for sending a strong message of hope to a writer that her characters will find a home.

As far as that goes, you might hear from them occasionally. They feature heavily in the upcoming Maisonneuve. By way of formal introduction, they're named Alice and Gregg. Alice. Gregg. Say Hello to the nice folks.

Alice? Gregg?

My apologies. Apparently, they're perfecting an umpteenth method of spitting.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Rock on. I'm looking forward to the upcoming Maisonneuve.

What's this Writers' Reserve thing? Does it involve meeting other writers? I moved here in July and I've got lots of friends, but I left all my writerly friends back in Waterloo and I'm itching to find some local writers to connect with.

Heather said...

Congratulations!!! Sounds like this is your year!!!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations! You know, you often make my day.
Sabine

Julie Wilson said...

August, here's a link to the OAC page on the WR grant:

http://www.arts.on.ca/Page119.aspx

You submit a small sample of your work -- you have to have been published three times in magazine format or have a book out -- to participating publishers. They read the work, and if they like it, endorse you back to the council. What's unique about this grant is that your work doesn't sit in front of a volunteer board but the very people you'd likely submit your work to, the publishers.

The bestest thing ever, for the writer, is that you can make multiple submissions. It's not a ton of money, but if you get a nod from more than one publisher it adds up.

Even if you don't get a grant, you still get the privilege of a formal introduction to a publisher that says, Hey, I've been published 'X' number of times; I'm not going anywhere; and, I want to be on your radar so that when I send you my full ms you might remember me. (Each grant I've gotten has come with an invitation to submit the ms. It's no guarantee, but in an industry this small, it absolutely carries value.)

Julie Wilson said...

OBG, I really can't complain! I'm on a major Destiny kick this year, man. I swear, find your voice, and a good medium through which to scream it, and things seem to come together. Still, one day at a time, do the work, breathe and all that jazz. I think I'm still a bit cautious; but, I'm trying my darnedest to keep taking chances!

Thanks for the support! :D

Julie Wilson said...

Well, Sabine, you just made *my* day. I got up, faced the empty page, and then read your post. A nice shot of adrenaline to keep me going!

So, on that note, I'm back to face what will hopefully become a half full, not half empty, page. ;)

The Chapati Kid said...

Hey JKW,

Congratulations again! You so deserve this. You're a star.

K

Julie Wilson said...

Hey K! Thanks for the kind words. Today has been SUCH a hard day for writing. It bites donkey nads. I didn't come close to the word count I wanted, but I did turn a few nice phrases. I just keep telling myself that when I finally get to stand up and read in front of an audience it will be those words that make me smile. A whole novel will be an accomplishment, but a sentence or two, just the right ones, that's the joy of it!

(By the way, I never gave you a proper answer. I'd love to read some of your work. Perhaps when I have my submission complete?)

The Chapati Kid said...

Sounds good! I'll just email you instead of writing on this forum. Nothing like the turn of a phrase. Especially when it rolls out on the page unexpectedly, and you shine with pride in the knowledge that you CREATED it. I love snicker sentences, and even better when others get the joke!