Today it's my pleasure to welcome guest C. Hope Clark. She heads "Funds For Writers," a newsletter of inspiration as well as opportunity. Funds for Writers began in March 2000 after a women's writing group in Georgia opened Hope's eyes to the fact that it's hard to write when you can't afford ink for the printer or postage for the manuscripts. As a guest speaker, she initially planned a topic on the writer's need for the Internet. That subject quickly eroded to finding funds for all aspects of writing. Since her day job involved financial management and government grants, she offered a few words of advice. Boy! Did that ever blow into a bigger deal than she imagined!
Now she heads http://www.fundsforwriters.com/, which received the designation of 101 Best Web Sites for Writers by Writer's Digest Magazine - for 2001 through 2008. All because she likes writers to feel good about themselves and have as many tools at their fingers as possible. Readers say they sign up more for the editorials than anything else. She says she just has fun writing them.
You can find out about her newsletters at her links below. Hope and her husband live in Chapin, South Carolina. She graduated from Clemson University with honors and a degree in Plant Science/Agrinomy. Her honors and awards are far too many to list here. In spite of her prestigous background, she says she gets up in the morning to write, garden and be a decent person.
By day she manages FundsforWriters.com - 37,000+ readers.
By night she pens mysteries in her series. She just landed a contract for her Caroline Slade mystery series with Bell Bridge Publishing. Hope says she's combined her education and history with agriculture, and her experience in federal investigations, with her husband's career as a federal agent. Agriculture now has more flavor than beans and corn. It has crime, intrigue and a splash of Southern humor amidst the mystery.
"I enjoy these stories so much sometimes I can't tell the difference between my past and the antics of Carolina Slade."
Wow, Hope, that series sounds terrific. I can't wait to read the mysteries as soon as they're published, can you? Now, here's Hope's guest post:
FINDING YOUR STRENGTH
"Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid." ~Einstein
When my children were small, I used to remind them not to make fun of people who didn't excel. I'd cup my hands and say that everyone had the same amount of talent. It was just that some people spread theirs across lots of areas, and others concentrated theirs in one or two. For instance, someone who performed well in math might not be able to write an essay or draw a picture.
Because one writer creates great thriller novels doesn't mean he can write poetry. Pat Conroy, one of my favorite authors of all times, reads poetry each day before he writes. But he doesn't write it. He just wants the beautiful word flow of great poets to enter his mind before he tries to formulate his prose. I now understand why he writes such marvelous sentences.
I cannot tell a joke. I have terrible balance. I can't sing (though I try). I sketch with some mediocrity. Same goes for my cooking. And about the time I think I'm doing well at gardening or chicken raising, someone puts me to shame.
THE POINT IS TO FIND WHERE YOU DO WELL AND ENJOY THE TASK.
If you judge me on how well I dance ballet, I come across clumsy, klutzy and inept. Put me in a room of ballerinas, and I'm the ugly duckling. Never let me try anything but dancing, and I think I'm the biggest dunce that ever lived.
As a personnel director, I attempted to guide managers to place employees according to strengths. I tried to make them realize that just because you had five clerks at the same pay rank, didn't mean that they were equally strong in all areas. One might be a better receptionist, another a typist, another a multi-media expert, another an expert organizer.
My suggestion? FIND YOUR NICHE, then judge not lest ye be judged. Focus on finding your talent, then work incessantly at perfecting that talent.
Hope
THE BLOG - http://hopeclark.blogspot.com/
TWITTER - http://twitter.com/hopeclark
FACEBOOK - http://www.facebook.com/chopeclark
FUNDS FOR WRITERS http://www.fundsforwriters.com/
Thanks for stopping by, Hope. Please let us know when your Carolina Slade mysteries are for available!
 |
| C. Hope Clark and her blind dog Dixie |
Now she heads http://www.fundsforwriters.com/, which received the designation of 101 Best Web Sites for Writers by Writer's Digest Magazine - for 2001 through 2008. All because she likes writers to feel good about themselves and have as many tools at their fingers as possible. Readers say they sign up more for the editorials than anything else. She says she just has fun writing them.
You can find out about her newsletters at her links below. Hope and her husband live in Chapin, South Carolina. She graduated from Clemson University with honors and a degree in Plant Science/Agrinomy. Her honors and awards are far too many to list here. In spite of her prestigous background, she says she gets up in the morning to write, garden and be a decent person.
By day she manages FundsforWriters.com - 37,000+ readers.
By night she pens mysteries in her series. She just landed a contract for her Caroline Slade mystery series with Bell Bridge Publishing. Hope says she's combined her education and history with agriculture, and her experience in federal investigations, with her husband's career as a federal agent. Agriculture now has more flavor than beans and corn. It has crime, intrigue and a splash of Southern humor amidst the mystery.
"I enjoy these stories so much sometimes I can't tell the difference between my past and the antics of Carolina Slade."
Wow, Hope, that series sounds terrific. I can't wait to read the mysteries as soon as they're published, can you? Now, here's Hope's guest post:
FINDING YOUR STRENGTH
"Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid." ~Einstein
When my children were small, I used to remind them not to make fun of people who didn't excel. I'd cup my hands and say that everyone had the same amount of talent. It was just that some people spread theirs across lots of areas, and others concentrated theirs in one or two. For instance, someone who performed well in math might not be able to write an essay or draw a picture.
Because one writer creates great thriller novels doesn't mean he can write poetry. Pat Conroy, one of my favorite authors of all times, reads poetry each day before he writes. But he doesn't write it. He just wants the beautiful word flow of great poets to enter his mind before he tries to formulate his prose. I now understand why he writes such marvelous sentences.
 |
| Hope and her friend Sherlock |
I cannot tell a joke. I have terrible balance. I can't sing (though I try). I sketch with some mediocrity. Same goes for my cooking. And about the time I think I'm doing well at gardening or chicken raising, someone puts me to shame.
THE POINT IS TO FIND WHERE YOU DO WELL AND ENJOY THE TASK.
If you judge me on how well I dance ballet, I come across clumsy, klutzy and inept. Put me in a room of ballerinas, and I'm the ugly duckling. Never let me try anything but dancing, and I think I'm the biggest dunce that ever lived.
 |
| Hope on her home's porch |
As a personnel director, I attempted to guide managers to place employees according to strengths. I tried to make them realize that just because you had five clerks at the same pay rank, didn't mean that they were equally strong in all areas. One might be a better receptionist, another a typist, another a multi-media expert, another an expert organizer.
My suggestion? FIND YOUR NICHE, then judge not lest ye be judged. Focus on finding your talent, then work incessantly at perfecting that talent.
Hope
THE BLOG - http://hopeclark.blogspot.com/
TWITTER - http://twitter.com/hopeclark
FACEBOOK - http://www.facebook.com/chopeclark
FUNDS FOR WRITERS http://www.fundsforwriters.com/
Thanks for stopping by, Hope. Please let us know when your Carolina Slade mysteries are for available!
1 comment:
Hope, thanks for being my guest today and sharing your expertise. We all need a little inspiration and encouragement.
Post a Comment