Sep 3Liked by Benjamin Davis, steve chang, Shelby Stretton
Steve, this is a great opening to the course. Really appreciated the insights and perspectives from debut author Tolani Akinola on a wide range of areas, and like the way you are presenting and breaking down this valuable information — thank you!
Thanks for reading, Jeffrey! Hoping to touch on 'success' from other career angles and philosophies in our upcoming chats as well. And Shelby Stretton and the Forever Workshop art squad are the masterminds behind the presentation here *gold star*
Sep 3Liked by Benjamin Davis, steve chang, Karina Kupp, Shelby Stretton
Damn, Steve, I was going to take this month off, because the topic isn't quite where I am in my writing life. But I couldn't put it down, and Tolani was so practically, wonderfully human about the entire process. Really great lesson. Thank you!
I can see how it might be nice for IRL writing Community but as for Career? I don't get it. Unless editors are in the streets handing out book deals like Jesus pamphlets... (are they?) I'm a California slacker so I might be missing some info. Love that you got something out of the NY experience though!
So happy to hear that Jeanne! Thank you for reading and I hope you'll take a peek at the other interviews in this 'workshop' too---for different points of view :)
Don't make me get back on twitter, Steve!! Congrats to Tolani--I appreciate the detail and honesty she offers while sharing her path to publication. This nugget is especially encouraging:
"And she won, becoming one of five Fellows out of 800 or so applicants, demonstrating how some contests and opportunities want perfectly polished work while others—especially those aiming to boost emerging writers—want promising work."
A nice reminder not to self-reject before we've reached "perfection" (lol).
Twitter would suck less if you were around more and also: that's a great takeaway. Let's all stop self-rejecting! Often, we're our own worst readers and harshest critics. And what we think is 'imperfect' work might be exactly what someone is looking for.
If you have a novel draft to share soon I know people* would love to read it
(*it's me. I'm people. But also: agents. And other writers in this workshop perhaps...?)
You are so kind and encouraging it's like out of this world, Steve. I hit 50k words in my draft yesterday and am feeling great!! Exchanging pages with a friend who is also drafting has really helped keep momentum up so yes, would also majorly endorse draft-sharing to/with other writers in this workshop!!
& re: perfection, I'm with you...and I think "perfect" work can sometimes translate to "risk-free," which is boring!
I just clicked on the links and Reese's LitUp isn't currently taking applications and the dates for the contest are from 2023. This is outdated information.
Hi Amy: Tolani was a Fellow for their 2nd cycle and as with many other opportunities, subs for LitUp don't stay open year-round. It's helpful to keep an eye out for when they open again. Until then, hopefuls can read up on the latest LitUp FAQs here: https://reesesbookclub.com/faq
Newly released film styled audios,, digital albums,, and more with inclusion of contributions uploaded work https://m.youtube.com/@teatevinponder7130/videos
Really enjoyed this! Thank you!
Appreciate you in our community! And thank you for reading
Steve, this is a great opening to the course. Really appreciated the insights and perspectives from debut author Tolani Akinola on a wide range of areas, and like the way you are presenting and breaking down this valuable information — thank you!
Thanks for reading, Jeffrey! Hoping to touch on 'success' from other career angles and philosophies in our upcoming chats as well. And Shelby Stretton and the Forever Workshop art squad are the masterminds behind the presentation here *gold star*
Damn, Steve, I was going to take this month off, because the topic isn't quite where I am in my writing life. But I couldn't put it down, and Tolani was so practically, wonderfully human about the entire process. Really great lesson. Thank you!
She's so chill and fun to talk to. You guys should connect!
And thank you for reading :) Hope the other chats we have coming are enjoyable in their own ways too
Recovering MFA (in New York) here and yup....the New York experience was somewhat worth the debt. What I got out of it as a writer? Not so much.
I can see how it might be nice for IRL writing Community but as for Career? I don't get it. Unless editors are in the streets handing out book deals like Jesus pamphlets... (are they?) I'm a California slacker so I might be missing some info. Love that you got something out of the NY experience though!
Thank you for this detailed post. Read every word of it!
Thanks for reading and being a part of our community! More good stuff is on the way to our inboxes sooon
Lots of helpful stuff in here ... thank you, Tolani and Steve - both of you!
So happy to hear that Jeanne! Thank you for reading and I hope you'll take a peek at the other interviews in this 'workshop' too---for different points of view :)
Don't make me get back on twitter, Steve!! Congrats to Tolani--I appreciate the detail and honesty she offers while sharing her path to publication. This nugget is especially encouraging:
"And she won, becoming one of five Fellows out of 800 or so applicants, demonstrating how some contests and opportunities want perfectly polished work while others—especially those aiming to boost emerging writers—want promising work."
A nice reminder not to self-reject before we've reached "perfection" (lol).
Twitter would suck less if you were around more and also: that's a great takeaway. Let's all stop self-rejecting! Often, we're our own worst readers and harshest critics. And what we think is 'imperfect' work might be exactly what someone is looking for.
If you have a novel draft to share soon I know people* would love to read it
(*it's me. I'm people. But also: agents. And other writers in this workshop perhaps...?)
You are so kind and encouraging it's like out of this world, Steve. I hit 50k words in my draft yesterday and am feeling great!! Exchanging pages with a friend who is also drafting has really helped keep momentum up so yes, would also majorly endorse draft-sharing to/with other writers in this workshop!!
& re: perfection, I'm with you...and I think "perfect" work can sometimes translate to "risk-free," which is boring!
*yelling* hey Workshop does anybody here wanna trade WIP pages? possibly with Lindsey and her beautiful, risky work (if she has the bandwidth for it)?
This is wonderful!
Yay 🙌 Glad you found something to enjoy here!
I just clicked on the links and Reese's LitUp isn't currently taking applications and the dates for the contest are from 2023. This is outdated information.
Hi Amy: Tolani was a Fellow for their 2nd cycle and as with many other opportunities, subs for LitUp don't stay open year-round. It's helpful to keep an eye out for when they open again. Until then, hopefuls can read up on the latest LitUp FAQs here: https://reesesbookclub.com/faq