If you wish to succeed in life, make perseverance your bosom friend, experience your wise counselor, caution your elder brother, and hope your guardian genius. - Joseph Addison (1672-1719)

Many receive advice. Few profit by it. -Publilius Syrus

I get asked for advice on the subject of writing and the career of writing from e-mails to appearances. I figure that twenty years as a writer in many different forms does give me a better perspective of this career I call a job. As you grow older, (at the end of this month I will turn 46 - birthday wishes, cards and of course gifts are always welcome!) you perceive yourself becoming sagely and wise. So I thought I'd pass on my old age, smart ass, street wise wisdom that I have given writers in workshops, from their questions over the years. These are the actual answers to these questions.

This also doesn't mean stop asking great questions-Knowledge is POWER! And I figure I can still answer them.

How do you find time to write in a busy life?

Lets start with a simple premise . . . Most of you work a nine to five-job, five days a week with an hour for lunch. Does that sound about right?

If you work full time, your writing career is usually crammed into the weekend time. It's mixed in with errands (like paying bills, bank runs, laundry, shopping, etc.) And if you are married, the dreaded Honey-Do list.  Does that sound right? I see the guy in the back row nodding, so I must be on the right track!

You have a lunch break at work. Say one hour, say fifty weeks a year (allowing for two weeks vacation) five days a week, Sound right so far?

Can you write a page a day during that lunch hour? Anyone can write a page in about an hour. (I didn't say it had to be perfect.) One page a day at the end of the a year is a body of 250 pages of work. This amount of work can be considered a good novella or a few short stories or a short novel at best - but it's a start!

Second suggestion, Lets stay with the idea you work a forty hour a week job. Forgo the bar or TV watching time (tape the show and watch it after your book is completed) and set an hour daily. Same output and you found your writing time. An hour isn't much but amazing what you can do in an hour's time.

Do I need to go to writer's workshops?

You don't NEED to go to writers' workshops, Continuing education courses, Writer retreats, or even Writer groups in your area.... Note: I said the word need.  You don't NEED to do these.

One of the reasons you DO these workshops and other venues (other than broadening your horizons), is they are great places to network with your fellow writers. I myself have met some great friends and writers (like Melody Ravert, Antoine & Jeanne Evans, Tina Good, John Marshall, Penny Carpenter, Kim Murphy-Smith). These people are lifelines in helping me to be a better writer. And we do talk, so they are fountains of knowledge.

Second, The diverse ideas you can explore or be exposed to at these venues is amazing. Do remember with various ideas come unlimited prospects and better opportunities to be published. For example, when I did a few theater workshops  I discovered a knack for play writing. Since then, I have penned 17 plays.  Seven have been produced.

Third, at these events, you can hear about magazines, anthologies, and other job chances you may never know are out there. You might have hands-on chats with other writers, critics, editors and publishers.  Sometimes they may view your work (DON'T ALWAYS COUNT ON IT!). It may not always lead into a new job. However, one never does know.

Two cute stories regarding that third point I need to relate to you:

I did a workshop at the Science Fiction Convention Balticon in Baltimore , MD. I was on a break and sat in a public area reading a book. A gentleman came up to me with a manuscript of 300 pages. He said "Mr. Pomerantz, you have a few minutes?" I said yes and he handed me the manuscript. "Can you read this? " I agreed. He said "Great!" I started to put this manuscript in my knapsack. He replied "Can you read this NOW! It's my only copy!" I replied "I took Evelyn Wood's speed reading, but I ain't that fast!"
****

I headed the writer's workshop at the SF convention Rising Star in Salem, VA in October 1994. Jeanne Evans drove down with me to the convention to share expenses.  By the way, Jeanne is a great screen writer.  I just hope one day when she wins the Oscar, she remembers me in her speech.

The lovely queen of the B-rated screen, Brinke Stevens was also a guest at the convention. During the time I was at the convention, a magazine called Draculina (issue #19, Winter 1994) had just been come out with an interview I had done with Brinke.

Jeanne wanted to do both Brinke's screen writing workshop and my writer's workshop, however the convention booked my workshop at nine a.m. and Brinke's at ten a.m. By luck or fate, Brinke's luggage was lost and she had NOTHING to read. Jeanne came to the rescue and gave Brinke one of her extra copies of a Babylon 5 script she'd written.

 In the morning, Brinke told Jeanne that it was a great script, she didn't need to take the workshop. Jeanne beamed all day and throughout the weekend.

Where is the best market to send my stuff?

I did a writer and editor's panel at NovaCon Science Fiction convention a few years ago with David McDonnell, at that time the editor of Starlog Magazine. He related many stories about editing Starlog.

Someone asked the panel a question of markets and marketplaces.  David replied, "The first rule you should learn when sending anything out is spell the editor's name correctly. My name is spelled like McDonnell-Douglas, not like that hamburger place (McDonald). Those that are sent misspelled are dispatched to the circular file."

"The second rule," He continued, "is to learn the markets you are sending to. If You do not know what they write, don't send it blindly. For example, Starlog does not do any fiction, just articles on media related topics. So do not do what some do, they see the word STARLOG and think they can send fiction and be published. These too are dispatched to the circular file."

"The third and final rule is research what's out there. If you write Science Fiction, see what magazines are publishing fiction stories. That way you will be more likely to see your work printed."

I can't say it any better.

What should I write? A short story or a novel?

The short and sweet answer is. What do you want to write?

If you write in a short story format, it is a quick idea or ideas with a punch line to catch the reader's attention. I can't give you a special word or page count for a short story - BUT if you can do it in 2000 words or 20,000 words . . . Do it!

A novel is many short narrative hooks over 150,000 and more words, usually a complex plot with subplots

When you sit at that computer and you write, let the words flow - what comes out, comes out!

Well I am full of it, ADVICE I MEAN! And if you care to ask those pressing writer questions, I will give a stab at answering them. Please drop me a line at audioworld@yahoo.com with the word WRITER in the subject line

One thing more before I go.  If you can see your way, give a check to American Red Cross for Tsunami relief at 1-800-HELP-NOW or any other relief organization. I know money is tight everywhere. In watching the news, as most of you have, my heart goes to these people a world away.  And to quote Hugh Grant, "I've written a check and I'm famously stingy."

So 'til next time, REACH FOR THE STARS.

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About the Writer:

Bennet Pomerantz is a media review columnist in 175 newspapers with his weekly column AUDIOWORLD. His fiction and reviews have appeared in the pages of Affaire De Coeur, Gateways, Mystery Scene, Power Star, The Hot Corner, Washington Entertainment Magazine, and many others. He is also known for his review appearances on the MCN Forum. View his web site at Audioworld.