Grants for Writers in Canada - Top 5 Websites

As you may know from a previous post, I quit my lucrative social work career to concentrate on writing. I can say unequivocally that I have never regretted my decision.That being said, the loss of a steady income does create challenges as I outlined in a previous post, Buddy, Can you spare a dime? http://dumpygrace.blogspot.ca/2012/04/for-those-of-you-who-have-read-my-older.html

Luckily, my son, Andrew has also embarked on an artistic life and is currently taking a sound engineering course in Vancouver, BC.  He told me the other day that he learned that the Canadian government has a number of grants available for artists, including writers. He suggested I take a look online to see what kind of support might be out there for struggling writers.
 

I'm sure there are many other assistance programs but here is my list of the Top 5 websites for the more lucrative creative writing grants offered in Canada.

1) The Canada Council for the Arts http://www.canadacouncil.ca/grants/writing/ri127227329682968750.htm offers a creative writing grant that gives Canadian authors (emerging, mid-career and established) time to write new literary works, including novels, short stories, poetry, children’s and young adults’ literature, graphic novels, exploratory writing and literary non-fiction. Check out the site for the general criteria. English language applicants must apply by October 1. French language deadline is April 1. 

2) The Personal Grants in Ontario website http://grants.ca/personal-grants/writing-grants/ has a wealth of information about provincial and national writing grants including Works in Progress Grant offered in Ontario that offers up to $12,000 to professional writers to assist in the completion of a book length project of literary merit. In British Columbia, assistance is available for Project Assistance and Touring Initiatives.

3) Check out the proofpositive.com website http://www.proofpositive.com/grants/canadian-writers-grants.htm for an even more comprehensive lists of public and private support for Canadian writers. This list includes grants offered by most of the provinces as well as links to other grant websites. It also offers links to grant-writing assistance websites.

4) The Writer's Union of Canada http://www.writersunion.ca/ww_twucpublications.asp offers a Writer's Guide to Grants. You have to pay for the guide and I'm not sure how current it is but it may worth checking out. 

5) The Writer's Trust of Canada http://www.writerstrust.com/Programs.aspx was originally created by five notable Canadian authors — Margaret Atwood, the late Pierre Berton, Graeme Gibson, the late Margaret Laurence, and David Young — to encourage a flourishing writing community in this country.
From their website I learned that  Canadian writers receive more financial support from the Writers’ Trust of Canada than any other non-governmental organization or foundation in the country. Annually, the organization provides almost half a million dollars directly to a group of approximately 100 writers.

Five program streams support Canadian writers:

• Canada’s largest privately-funded collection of literary awards
• A one-of-a-kind grant for creators facing unforeseen financial need
• Canada’s most significant writers’ retreat
• A scholarship program open to emerging writers
• An annual lecture series that details the development of the national writing 

So - as you wait for your fabulous book, short story, magazine article, play or screenplay to hit the big time - check out these sites. They might just help keep the wolf from the door.

I'm in the money!

And life is sunny! 

Tips for Writing Suspense

I have written the first thriller in what I hope evolves into a series that stands the test of time. As I approach the climactic finish line of the second book I find myself in the unenviable position of trying to create a nail-biting roller coaster ride that does not end in a calamitous train wreck.

To that end I once again took some time to review the techniques I use to create suspense. I know there are many books and even more websites that will give you comprehensive writing advice but these are the elements that I try to keep front and center in my mind as I write a first draft.

1) Read a ton of suspense and thriller books. There is nothing like the power of osmosis to help you gain a feel for what makes a suspense filled scene. I have read hundreds if not thousands of suspense novels since I first learned how to read - starting with the incomparable Nancy Drew. The lessons I've learned have proved invaluable.

2) Make sure your protagonist is strong enough to carry the book without being a cliche. Try to stay away from square jawed hero cops with hearts of gold who can kick ass with the best of them, disarm a nuclear device without breaking a sweat and have gorgeous women hanging off them in droves. *yawn...boring!*  A truly interesting protagonist will be a complex person with a mix of flaws, foibles and strengths.

3) Take that flawed character and thrown him or her into a brand new situation then sit back and see what happens. That initial challenge MUST be thrilling enough that readers simply have to know what happens.

4) Don't use a cliff-hanger at the end of every chapter. A couple of times is okay but if you over-do this technique the reader gets bored if not down right irritated.

5) Throughout the book mention little things that the reader thinks might come back to haunt the protagonist later in the book. For example, the letter that slips down behind the dresser, the loaded gun in the closet, the laundry chute just big enough for a small girl. Nothing keeps the tension ratcheted up like the thought that the poor little toddler might be thrown down the chute into the dank basement where a nest of giant spiders wait patiently, fangs dripping with poison.

6) Throw in the odd red herring just to keep things interesting for the reader. For example, mention in passing that a person of interest wanted in the crime went to university at the University of Arizona then make one of the victims a former resident of Arizona. In the end this connection amounts to nothing but it serves to get the reader rushing down the wrong path.

7) Ensure the action flows up and down in intensity. I once read a book where every scene was mind bending action full of nail-biting tension. I never had a chance to catch my breath. I didn't finish the book.

8) Reading about a bunch of cardboard cutouts no matter how suspenseful the plot leaves me flat. Make sure to spend as least as much time on character development as you do on plot.

9) As the novel approaches the climax I make use of a shorter scene structure. Each scene must tell a story, with a beginning, a middle and an end but as the final disaster looms I make these little scenes short and choppy, like a terrified child unable to catch her breath as the spiders attack.

If you follow these suggestions, the reader will be swept away by your story, aware only of the sound of the pages turning faster and faster and faster....

Buddy can you spare a dime?

For those of you who have read my older posts you know that I received some invaluable assistance from Don Oravec, executive director of the Writer's Trust of Canada.  http://www.writerstrust.com/ In addition to a lot of great info about the publishing industry he filled me in on some of the realities of the writer's life, including the financial struggles.

Indeed, chronic lack of funding is why the Writer's Trust was originally founded by several iconic Canadian writers - to provide financial assistance to struggling writers. Don made it very clear that no one should pursue writing as a full time career if they are unable to pay the bills in some other way.

My agent, Anne McDermid, said much the same thing. She gave me the lowdown on how little income a published book actually brings into the author and that with the advent of e-publishing the returns are even worse. She passed on some rough figures with the caveat that every single case is different and you never know what might happen. But, in general - a decent selling book in Canada, one that might even have appeared on a few award lists, could bring the author no more than $7,000 to $20,000.

She said that unless the book is a runaway best seller in Canada (a very rare occurrence) those are the kind of numbers to expect. She did say that if the book is picked up by an American publisher and has a decent run in the U.S. those numbers will be much better. However, the chances of that happening are also very slim.

From older posts you might also be aware that I left a well paying career to pursue this writing dream. I am lucky to have a working spouse who covers the bills but our lifestyle has changed. With three adult children requiring money from time to time things can get pretty tight.

What to do?  What to do?

Along with about a billion other people on the planet I am learning the art of blogging with the hope that eventually, I might earn a little supplemental income. Just enough to keep my stomach securely down in my abdominal cavity and not up in my throat whenever I open my online bank account.

Dumpy Grace is proving to be an excellent learning ground. With sites like Problogger http://www.problogger.net/  and Robert Brewer's My Name is Not Bob http://robertleebrewer.blogspot.ca/ I am picking up new skills and ideas on how to grow and promote a blog.

Will I be one of the lucky ones that launches a lucrative blog? I have no idea. Meanwhile, I continue to learn all sorts of techy things I never thought I'd manage, I'm connecting with other writers and living life on the edge.

What could be better?

I dunno? Perhaps a lottery win?

How to Handle the Pressure of Social Media

Day 12 of Robert Lee Brewer's Platform Challenge and  the social media pressure just keeps on building.

Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, StumbleUpon, URL shortening, Linking websites...well, you get the idea.

As I mentioned in my last post, The Perils of Social Media, the time spent can be overwhelming although I'll admit I'm learning useful skills.

Check this out! This is the URL for the post I just mentioned:   

 http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3452135858490893237#editor/target=post;postID=3976601648716689391

I learned how to shorten it using bit.ly.   The URL now looks like this:

 http://bit.ly/IMUurO

As cool as that is I found that keeping up with the techno Jones' was putting a crimp in my novel writing style.

For me, it is important to stick to Elizabeth George's strict rule. Get cracking first thing in the morning and don't come up for air until you've completed your word count for that day. If that takes two hours - great. If it takes six hours - then so be it.

In school I always felt less guilty if I got my work done before I made time for friends and I guess this is the same thing.

The less guilt the better strategy works for me.  Only when I complete my word count  can I can dig into the platform challenge, check my FB, peek in on Twitter, etc.

If my solution seems too 'goody two shoes' for you check out the links below. Three totally different sites giving three totally different takes on how to manage social media time.

http://bit.ly/HBrwwL  The Three T's of Social Time Management by Robert Larson

http://bit.ly/HP8vlb 18 minutes a day to Social Time Management by Lisa Buyer

http://bit.ly/HDZVft   Robert Lee Brewer's Time Management Ideas.

The Perils of Social Media

I am participating in Robert Lee Brewer's April Platform Challenge.   http://robertleebrewer.blogspot.ca/2012/04/april-platform-challenge-day-7.html

It is really pretty cool. The object is to develop your own platform. (Ya - I didn't know what that was, either) The best way I can describe it is as a physical platform like a soap box, on which you stand loud and proud and declare yourself to the world.

Developing a platform means joining social media sites like Facebook and Twiiter and LinkedIn. It means sharing your writing through online media sites like blogs.

All that is well and good. After some technical glitches (what the heck is html code?)  I was able to figure out how to get myself out there using all these resources. So far, so good.

But, the next step is a LOT harder. It involves surfing the web, seeking out other writers, reading their blogs, Twitters, Facebooks, Linkendns, etc, etc., then making comments and sharing what you like on your own blog, Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, etc. 

On the plus side, I have hooked up via all these sites with some pretty awesome writers and that is amazing! No doubt about it - the networking and the sharing of ideas is helpful. It is exciting to know that there are other writers out there toiling away in the wilderness.

But, as Pinteresting as all this is, it is also nerve-wracking. On Twitter you are expected to compose short, pithy statements several times a day then send them out for all to read. And even though you are pretty sure no one is going to read your 'hilarious' observations, you worry that you sound stupid. (Actually, you KNOW you sound stupid)

And finding the time to keep up? Impossible!

The tweets just keep pecking and pecking and pecking. (I had to disable the new tweet alert on my phone. Whenever that little bell trilled I was starting to salivate and that just felt wrong.)

And, when I read one blog I just had to read more... and more... and more. They are so good - I learn so much from great writing.

And the pics? Aaaahhhhh....so many cute pussy cats and ponies and babies. You'd have to be a psychopath to resist.

What to do? 

What to do? 

Any thoughts??

Show Don't Tell - Too Much of a Good Thing?

I subscribe to the International Thriller Writer's webzine, The Big Thrill http://www.thebigthrill.org/

In the last issue there was an interview with Lee Child, whom, I was not surprised to discover is one of the world's most popular authors, with over 50 million books sold.

The most heartening thing he had to say was that his 'overnight success' was nothing but. He had several books published before one of them finally caught on. He spoke about the discouraging book tours where only two or three people might show up for a book signing and how important it is to persevere no matter what. (I also read a recent interview with Ann Tyler - who said the same thing. It took her ten years before her overnight success exploded)

Child also spoke about the rules of writing. He had some interesting things to say about the sacrosanct 'Show, don't tell' rule. He believes that writers waste far too many words 'showing' when they should just be telling the darn story. He thinks that an over-emphasis on pretty words dilutes the narrative.

I've been thinking about that a lot this week. I devote a lot of effort to ensuring that I show, don't tell. In fact, Anne McDermid told me that my capacity for subtlety is one of the things she appreciated about Blown Red. I think it gives the reader credit for some intelligence if the author does not lay all their cards on the table.

That being said - I agree that showing can go way too far. How many times are readers forced to skip through reams of poetic prose because in the ecstasy of all those beautiful words the author forgot about the story?

Still - it is a fine balance. Child says if a guy is tall and lean - just say so. And yet, isn't is far more interesting to show those attributes? For example,  'With a faded seersucker jacket clinging to his bony shoulders, the guy looked more like a coat rack than a cop.' Okay - maybe not that bad....but you get the point.

Today I will be working on a piece of dialogue - the reunion of Grace and Kim. There will be anticipation and hope and love and angst. The challenge will be to show all those emotions without beating the reader over the head with a flowery stick.

The things we must endure for art!

Falling Down on the Job

I've been remiss again in the writing department. Life has interfered. Nothing major - just the annual birthday extravaganza of my number one fan.

It's been a whirlwind celebration starting with the biggest surprise of all, the fact that I actually remembered his birthday at all this year.

Thank heavens we're on the same page when it comes to forced merrymaking. Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, New Year's Eve? Bleh!

It was two weeks in the past before either of us remembered our 25th wedding anniversary! In fact, I'm not 100% sure of the exact date. I know it was a chilly day in January....? 

Whatever....

I do, however, take any opportunity to bake a cake. On Monday, we had a pre-birthday tester cake, just to make sure I had the recipe just right. On Wednesday, I did it all again with extra icing. On Friday, we just had to make sure that a vanilla cake might not be better than chocolate. (It wasn't)

And then on his actual birthday, we had a huge, spicy pumpkin pie slathered with whipped cream.

Happy Birthday to a true rebel!