Sunday, October 18, 2009

Writer's Luck


I wrote on the MiG blog about how to make your writing presentation go smoothly. Check it out!

You see, yesterday, I presented at our Korea chapter's SCBWI meeting on using technology to help you network and promote yourself as a writer. We had such a great time sharing ideas.

But the most important thing I emphasized to the group is my old saying I like to tell my students:

Luck= preparation + opportunity.

In writer language, it means: go and write the most amazing, fantastic novel and then when you see an agent post on twitter or a blog that they are excepting submissions in the very genre that you write, you're ready to seize that opportunity.

So call luck, call it good fortune, call it whatever you like. But I like to call it Prepared for the Opportunity.

So if you had Writer's Luck, what would be your One Wish?

By the way, I thought the book above Just One Wish by Janette Rallison was fitting for this post. Excellent and halarious story dealing with tough issues. Recommended.

16 comments:

Unknown said...

Love that analogy!

Hmmm...my one writer's wish? That the right agent helps me find the right publisher at the right time.

MG Higgins said...

Ditto what Beth said. For me, I'd add action to that formula, because it's one thing to see an opportunity, it's another to seize it.

Kimbra Kasch said...

I love technology! It's not even a chore for me to get on-line and out there. But I just started a new job so lately it's taken a little more energy.

Shelli (srjohannes) said...

glad it went well!

Rena Jones said...

Thanks for the link. Sounds like your presentation went well.

Stephanie Faris said...

Just to get that chance. The one chance to make my writing shine. But I want to make sure I"m as ready as possible for when that time does come.

Kelly Polark said...

I agree. When I was growing up, my dad always said I had a horseshoe up my butt, because things seemed to work out for me :). But I know (and he knows) I just made good choices and worked hard! (and sometimes good timing or good contacts etc.) I do wish that this hard work and the shiny horseshoe brings me a publishing contract one day!

PJ Hoover said...

Fun topic! I've thought about presenting on something similar.
You are so right about luck. We have to keep at things and be ready in order to be lucky!

PJ Hoover said...

Oh yeah, my wish. Book deal.

Nandini said...

You're so right. My one wish? That I find not any just editor or agent but the perfect editor/agent who really *gets* my work. It takes (writer's) luck!

Brenda said...

"So call luck, call it good fortune, call it whatever you like. But I like to call it Prepared for the Opportunity."

I love this!

C.R. Evers said...

Wow! One wish. That's hard. It would have to be either between finding a great agent or having a talented author offer to mentor me.

~sigh~

Stephanie Faris said...

There's an award for you on my blog today:

http://stephie5741.blogspot.com/2009/10/and-award-goes-toyou.html

Christina Farley said...

These are great wishes guys!

Stephanie- thanks! I'll head over and visit.

I can't decide my one wish. Too hard to choose just one isn't it!

Sharon K. Mayhew said...

One writer's wish...A contract in the mail instead of rejection letters. No matter how nice or personal the letter is, it's still a rejection.

Danette Haworth said...

Christina,
Great post on presentations. I'm also over-equipped in case of technology failure. I have my slide show on a thumb disk, my slide show with autoplayer on disk, hard copies of my slides, my text in big letters as prose, samples of stuff I talk about to hold up, etc.

The computer went down at my last presentation, and I was so glad to have my slides on hard copy--they were like little cue cards.