Holmesglen TAFE
Industry Overview
Writing the Review – Week Ten Journal
Director: Victorian Writers’ Centre – Joel Becker
Very few people make their living solely from writing and publishing their works.
Victorian Writers’ Centre (VWC) – mission statement objective is to nurture diverse writing culture in Victoria (VWC).
Membership based on non for profit organisation. Staff consists of two full-time people ie, Joel Becker and someone else.
Evan was given a Show Bag from the VWC. Joel Becker gave this to Evan. VWC reads websites to assess what is happening in Writing Industry. Scholarships and Competitions available from VWC. VWC wants to be responsive to current issues therefore instead of giving feedback to its members just once a year feedback is given every three months ie, more accurate up to date information more often.
Plenty of employment opportunities in Writing Industry for Evan!
Evan can do courses and workshops through VWC. $75.00 per Workshop.
Manuscript Assessment of Evan’s work is available in areas of Short Story, Poetry, Novel, and General Non-Fiction. Gets book closer to a stage where a publisher will publish Evan’s book.
Sheila Hollingworth – Cartoonist
Freelance Writer – majored in Corporate Writing in her Career
Sheila loves words – considers herself a wordsmith – can write with different words to make money – You do not become a writer overnight.
Do not apologise for being a student – get some stories published – write a Short Story.
Main thing – ignore depressing statistics that average Australian Writer earns $6000 a year.
Think about what is your approach. Do not worry if your Corporate Writing does not have your name on it. Do not sound like a novice Evan!
$45.00 - $60.00 or $100 per hour Evan will earn to write jingles for Greeting Cards.
You have to act and be professional. If you are reliable and easy to get along with you will be professional and do not act like a novice. It is important to celebrate your successes.
You need to keep a record of things – when you write something, Editors, clients and money paid to them. Keep on sending out your work Evan. Promote yourself and consider yourself a Non-Fiction Writer.
Your skills Evan are transferable. Editing, Proof reading are writing skills. Try to win competitions Evan to put this on your Resume.
Articles printed in Newspapers, books or articles published. Win competitions which are free to enter.
Personal Taste – Be a good published writer. It is about perseverance, effort and talent which are important.
Take risks and be bold. Say to yourself Evan – I will take the plunge or take a risk.
Look at Book Proposals.
Recognise that your words are a product and people can mix with your words. Recognise Evan that you are selling your words for money.
Hazel Edwards
Hazel writes Non-Fiction for adults and fiction for Children. Hazel wrote works when she was in Antarctica. She taught in a Secondary School with many migrants. Hazel wrote a Short Story on a girl in the school.
This is Literary Terrorism – ie, you draw things from real life.
Write about incidents that occur rather than about specific people. Write about a story that is compassionate. Use the situation about cultural differences.
Write about an incident or something that has occurred and be compassionate. People will not necessarily interpret your article or story the same way that you do Evan.
Some important notes on writing.
”Your writing voice is not a matter of style.”
One of the most mysterious of writings immaterial properties is what people call its “voice”. Many editors think that a voice is what makes writing great. Most writers do, too.
Prose can show many virtues, including originality, without having a voice. It may be packed solid with intellectual nutrients; upon its import, much may seem to depend.
There are probably all kinds of literary sins that prevent a piece of writing from having a voice, but there seems to be no guaranteed techniques for creating one, therefore showing the voice’s importance.