WWW-Warrior Women Wednesday Begins!
Warrior Wednesday is created to Spotlight courageous women that have overcome the odds like the warriors they are, and come out on top. You’ll hear lessons they’ve learned along the way. They’ll share their stories which can help others that may be going through the same. My hope is that others can learn and be inspired to do things they only dreamed about, or thought they couldn’t. YOU CAN !! You just have to believe !
* Today, and every 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month, I will showcase some Fearless, Independent, Out of the box thinkers as well as those with a Kind Heart and integrity that do for others selflessly. *
****Please share in Comments someone in your life, including yourself, that has a story that we can all benefit from ! ****
According to Forbes, almost 50% of the American workplace will work as freelancers and most will work in creative positions in 2020. In a world of change, companies are continuing to move away from permanent staff, to hiring temporary and freelance workers. This is why you will hear me shout out ” You must have a Plan B always ! ” It is career insurance in case your job quits you !!!
Today, 7/29/20, I will highlight a charming woman that I friended through social media and absolutely loved her photography and her writing ! Her name is Jen Downes, from Australia, and her interview is below:
Jen Downes Interview :
Jen-Tell me about yourself, your background, work and passions.
“You could say I was hijacked. I was about ten years old when the immigration process began, and a few months past my twelfth birthday when we arrived in Adelaide. The decision to leave the UK for Australia wasn’t mine to make, but everything that happened subsequently sprang from my parents’ vision of a new life in a new land. As a child, I’d wanted to be a scientist. The young adult wanted to be a writer (SF preferably). The truth is always different … we don’t find ourselves doing what we want to do, but what we need to do. I found myself becoming a care-giver, which is a very real and absolutely essential job (ask any frail, aged or disabled person who relies on such support crew), and I did this job till my Mom passed away three years ago … just in time for me to retire! It was much too late to wage a campaign to enter the workforce; the labor market is insanely tight in Australia, where jobs rightly go to younger people trying to build their lives from scratch. Being retired is not a bad thing; far from it. I have time to devote to lifelong passions such as writing and reading, photography and art. In fact, I’ve been as busy since retirement as I ever was before, perhaps more so.” Below is Jen’s beloved Mother and the link to her Memoriam she wrote for her.
What is your motivation for writing your short stories ?
“At the moment, pure escapism drives my writing, photography and art. If writing were to become a career, one would obviously be motivated by the paycheck, but this belongs to the future. I’ve sold several short stories and have completed three novels, but the journey from completing a novel to seeing the book, banking the royalties, is long and complex. First comes agency representation: a battle of a different sort, which can’t really be fought in the midst of a pandemic. Economists are forecasting a tremendous recession, even a depression, which can only make publishers cautious. This doesn’t bode well for aspiring writers, so we’ll take the process a step at a time, see how it works out. A worst-case scenario is where creativity is only ever a hobby. This is fine too. I enjoy it. Since I’m motivated by a desire for escapism rather than the desperate need for a paycheck, the act of writing is a goal in itself. Yes, I know how lucky I am. It’s regrettably true that unless you have the goods to become a runaway bestseller (unlikely!) there’s less money in writing than people assume. My heart goes out to aspiring writers who’re slogging away, hoping for wads of cash: barring miracles, the industry doesn’t work that way.”
How can we purchase them ? Links ?
“Root and Branch” in the DIM SHORES anthology–https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fdimshores.bigcartel.com%2Fproduct%2Fdim-shores-presents-volume-1-anthology-2nd-edition%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR0cEXzNdiRqza6JPmj4K3gfLa-i2JgbHXcjlP65WvXvCFqVjGwZyJHSzqg&h=AT29muk_l_bU-xNE-X_imfEgpR_4qjlc7OM05HesD9Df8VqCXBQ-8siMSfrpJze3k7XFi8d6AkpzEQmvk_bU02Vmzj3LnyR6dd-FfTUdQly0fcDw_wWtbwycLj64PSVOrVVSk9Vc
“Petshop Dragons” in HOARDS OF THE GREAT FIRE WYRMS: A DRAGON ANTHOLOGY–https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.specul8.com.au%2Fproduct%2Fhoards-of-the-great-fire-wyrms-a-dragon-anthology%2F22%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR01oxY7ezlQTaPrdFA0qWDcLDdgGHfJf7bkLNjsLEURAGyikaFr9kcn2GY&h=AT29muk_l_bU-xNE-X_imfEgpR_4qjlc7OM05HesD9Df8VqCXBQ-8siMSfrpJze3k7XFi8d6AkpzEQmvk_bU02Vmzj3LnyR6dd-FfTUdQly0fcDw_wWtbwycLj64PSVOrVVSk9Vc
“Father O’Neill’s Confession” in the TERRA, TARA, TERROR! Anthology Publishers current editions page=
Buy it from Amazon:
“Pearls That Were His Eyes” in SHORELINE OF INFINITY #11
“Pearls That Were His Eyes” is reprinted in one of the LOCKDOWN SCI-FI anthologies, as a free ebook. I owe it to the original publisher to include the link to the more legitimate edition.
What do you do when you are discouraged or your ideas are rejected ?
“Soldier on! In fact, I’m lucky in that I have the experience of my brother, a PhD archaeologist and professional, writer to draw on. Three things, I know as fact. Even the best stories can be rejected several times before they’re published; but it’s the very odd story that won’t eventually find a home, even if placement takes years; and an oft-rejected story can ultimately be published at professional royalty rates and go on to be at least long-listed for awards. Publishers have a kind of platitude they offer with rejections, but in fact, it’s absolutely true: there are as many opinions as there are editors, and one shouldn’t be too discouraged by rejection. Yes, it’s disappointing when you don’t find a berth, but this is the nature of the industry. One door closes, another opens. Cast your net further; there are no guarantees, but you can do better with an acceptance on the tenth submission than you’d have done on the first one.”
Any words of wisdom for someone starting out in your field ?
“Before you start to bang your head on the wall which fortifies the publishing industry against the tsunami of fresh new writers, all trying to break in … be the best writer you can possibly be. Learn your craft. Learn it properly. Write well. If you know, beyond any possible doubt, that your work is impeccable at a technical level, and if your stories are written from the heart, you can afford to shrug off rejections. Remember that an individual agent or editor is looking to fill her list with material she knows her readers want to buy … this agent or editor knows her clientele intimately, while you, on the outside, are merely guessing. When you’re confident that your work is impeccable, written from the heart, rejection is simply about being informed your work is a poor fit for a specific agent’s or editor’s sitting readership. After honing your craft, your job is to match your work with the right marketplace, and trust your agent or editor to know what their readers will pay for. To a great extent, you must divorce yourself from the emotionalism that drives writing, though this might sound counterintuitive. Passion should be poured into creativity, but the moment you begin to market your work, you can’t afford to be “married to it.” Editors might ask you to tear it to pieces, which you can’t, if you’re in love with every word. How badly to do want those royalties, and a professional credit? Answer these questions truthfully before trying to walk the professional path. (If it turns out you don’t want to walk this way, there are options. Self-publishing is expensive and fraught with risk, but at the end of the day, you’ll be in control of everything.)”
Is your life better because you followed your passions ? Out of 9-5
“Life has certainly been different because I indulged my creativity. Without the sheer escapism of writing, photography and art and, I’d have been a lifelong reader and film aficionado, probably bombarding Amazon and Goodreads with reviews of other people’s work. I don’t suppose I’d have been bored as a consumer, but stories have been spinning off the loom of my imagination since I was a child. I wrote my first short story (about rabbits!) and poems when I was five or so, and never saw a reason to stop. I think my life has been a lot more interesting through the means of writing, art and photography, which has surely made it “better,” as clearly distinct from lucrative, LOL. With a good agent next year, this part might change!”
Jen Downes Photography & Art
I hope you enjoyed the First of several of these posts ! Here is where I need your help !!
My mission is to continue to highlight women on these Wednesdays – 2nd and 4th of each month. Please Comment below with your name and email and share, or subscribe and send a me a message. Tell me who you believe we should support and showcase, including yourself, if you have a story to tell ! I will reach out and we will begin !
Don’t hesitate to share with friends that could use the inspiration !
You are more powerful than you realize, and your stories matter !
