He pitched big and this happened
Pushing yourself in writing pays off
Hi writing family! It’s Kelly Eden from Medium.
Here in New Zealand we’ve had over 100 days COVID-19 free but this week, sadly, it’s back. It was so nice to be more relaxed but I’ve also noticed a change.
People aren’t scared like last time and there’s a definite feeling of teamwork. We’re being kinder, gentler, more considerate of each other and more concerned for our vulnerable people.
Today I went to the hospital for a check up. Standing in line and sitting in the waiting room, strangers started up conversations. There was a lovely feeling of togetherness.
I remember this same thing happening after the Christchurch earthquakes. People become more grateful for each other. It gives me hope about the world.
I feel like that about our writing community. I’m so grateful to have connection with other writers now. I spent over a decade without it. My writing-based contact involved me and my editors and that was it.
So thank you for joining me here and adding in your contributions and comments. I value every single one!
As a thank you, I’ll keep sending as much value back to you as I can through this newsletter!
A few weeks ago, I gave you a preview of Christie Tate’s interview with me and promised the full version was coming. It’s now live so if you want to read her full interview, I’ve popped the link down the bottom of this email.
One more for you
I managed to line up yet another Modern Love writer interview last week. Here’s a preview of my chat with Jimmy Harney:
Your piece very honestly talks about your personal journey to being yourself. New writers often struggle with the issue of how vulnerable to be in their writing — personal essays can feel like oversharing. Do you have any advice for personal essay writers?
Good question. I know a lot of writers will say “don’t use writing as therapy.” But I do.
I just write a lot — almost a stream of consciousness — and then analyze, try to gain some insight from what I wrote, and edit the hell out of it.
It’s not oversharing if it’s true to yourself and well written. People will gravitate towards it if it’s authentic.
One of the biggest struggles for new writers is getting comfortable pitching their work. What’s your approach to pitching editors?
I do PR for a living, so I’m used to rejection and sending out pitch after pitch. And vice versa, I am pitched a lot for my clients and have to pass on opportunities on their behalf. I think you have to take any sensitivity out of that part. It’s nothing personal.
If you’ve received good feedback before, just remind yourself that you have a talent and if you keep sharing it with people, eventually it will resonate with someone.
But don’t feel entitled to any specific goal or opportunity. No one owes you anything. You just owe it to yourself to keep trying.
Get Feedback on Your Writing
The new Creative Nonfiction Writing School is unlike other courses — you decide how long you want to study for! You can sign up for 4 weeks ($20 per month) and get:
A lesson sent every Monday.
Weekly curated Creative Non-Fiction readings and featured publisher to sell your work.
Individual feedback on 250 words of your writing. (Also an option for 1000 words)
If you enjoy it and want to do more, that’s up to you.
When I was researching writing schools I found most were well out of my price range or time commitments, and the cheaper ones had no feedback. As an ex-teacher I know that feedback is the most useful tool for improvement and learning.
If you’re ready to level up your creative nonfiction, come join me!
What students are saying so far: “Thank you for creating this course. I've already found it incredibly useful.”