June Keir

Writing, I've found, is largely about opportunity; to have the time, the place, the skills and the inspiration to get the job done.

Sometimes opportunity knocks and sometimes you have to make it happen. Some of us have the time to write. We don't have other work commitments so we can sit down to write whenever the muse wafts in. Those of us who have other jobs have to find the opportunity to squeeze in some writing time between doing other things. Some writers are fortunate enough to have an office or other work space to which they can retreat. Others have to find a spot where they won't be disturbed so that they can concentrate and hopefully find the inspiration necessary to get the ideas and then the words flowing. 

But the writing life for most of us isn't just about time, place, skills and inspiration. For some writers who are happy just to write and not to be published perhaps it is. For those of us who are after the buzz and the monetary rewards of publication opportunity takes on a more important role. Certainly, opportunities can make their own way to our doorsteps. A colleague will send that helpful email telling us about a publisher who is looking for submissions.

For me a great opportunity came when a friend sent me an advertisement from a major newspaper for a publisher looking for children's stories. I had my first four books published as a result of being sent that advertisement. And I still remember dancing down the steps of our little country post office   with the parcel containing my very first author copies of my books. I also remember the odd looks I got from passers-by. Did I care? Not a bit! 

I believe that most of us have to make our own opportunities. We have to make things happen. We have to be on the lookout for every possibility to get our writing published or to find work in proofreading, editing or whatever else we are interested in. This involves some work and sometimes some cheek. It means we have to go looking for work. Yes we can, if we're skilled enough and perhaps lucky enough to write really good fiction, be published again and again. However, there are many of us for whom this isn't a reality. So we need to find other writing niches. It's not so difficult either. 

The first of the opportunities I created for myself involved a bit of cheek, but when I realized this I asked myself what I had to lose by trying it.  I am a really nervous public speaker. My friends would roll about laughing of they read this. You can't shut me up when I'm with friends, but speaking in front of an audience is another thing. So I bought an e-book on public speaking. The information in this e-book was very helpful, but the grammar etc was woeful. So I proofread the first chapter and sent the suggested corrections via email as a freebie, to the author along with an offer to proofread the rest of his e-book. There was a risk of course that the author would use my proofread and I'd never hear from him again. I figured it was worth taking that risk. And the gamble paid off. The author asked me to proofread that e-book and his next one and he paid me what I asked. Trying to create more opportunities, I asked him to recommend my services to other authors but nothing came of that. But at least the first bit of cheek paid off. 

Some days ago I was searching for something on the net and found just what I was looking for. The information was excellent and although it was education-related the grammar and spelling were pretty poor. So again I proofread a page and emailed it back saying how helpful I thought the information was, but that I felt it would be even better after a thorough proofread. I didn't hear anything back. Oh well, you win some and you lose some. It was worth a try.

Yesterday I read another excellent e-book. This one has been edited by someone who is supposed to be a top notch editor, but the grammar is less than perfect, there are repeated words and spelling mistakes. Now, do I have the courage to contact the author and offer my services as a proofreader for this one? I'd have to be very, very tactful in my approach of course. Yes, I think I'll give it a go. After all what have I got to lose? 

My latest opportunity creator was to join an on-line freelance work site. That has been a stiff learning curve. Fortunately a writing colleague had been there before me and was able to guide me through some of the more difficult part of registering etc. I'm one of those people who panics when they have to fill in a form. After a frustrating start I now have my first job. It took time, a small amount of money and patience but it has paid off. Once this job is complete and the employer endorses me as a freelancer who delivers I shouldn't have to wait too long for the next job. I've defined a very narrow line of work for which I'll bid so I don't waste my time on irrelevant applications. 

So I don't plan to ever sit around waiting for writer's block to clear so I can write that best seller. Sure I'll keep writing fiction. That's my dream. In between bursts of creative writing I'll create as many other writing and earning opportunities as I can. You can do it too. All it takes is some initiative - and perhaps a bit of cheek. 

Copyright June Keir 2009