A recent combination of computer problems and writerly procrastination resulted in my focusing my attention on a long-overdue project: cleaning out the spare bedroom that had become a de facto storage locker. I girded my loins and made a run at the two plastic storage bins containing my 'writing' files. These are neatly labeled folders containing printouts and magazine clippings on a variety of writing topics that I once considered potentially useful for future writing endeavors. I sat down with a pile of folders and started going through them bit by bit, the old Keep Or Toss game in full bloom. It quickly turned into a game of WTF???
Ninety seconds in, I felt like I had entered a time machine and was back in the pre-Internet, pre-cell phone era when a personal computer cost $10,000 and took up more desktop space than a microwave oven. Thank goodness for bookmarks, Evernote, Diigolet, Scoop.it, etc. I mean, who clips newspaper or magazine articles anymore? (for you youngsters out there, I am using the verb 'clip' here in a historical sense: physically cutting out paper articles with scissors). The articles I had clipped were yellowing. Some were missing pages. Most were stained (probably tea). The most amusing moment: discovering an article called "How to Write a Poem" by Lawrence Jay Dessner. It was printed on fanfold paper via dot matrix printer. I am tempted to keep it for historical value as the paper, the printer, and my interest in writing poetry are all nearing extinction.
The Keep Or Toss game was astonishingly simple for some topics. Anything on finding an agent, cover letters, query letters, etc. went directly into the circular file. With the evolution of the self-publishing industry, who cares about that stuff anymore? Not me!
Jef
fery Zbar's article on marketing (written in 2000) encouraged writers to maintain their Rolodex, whether the original or the newfangled 'contact management software'. Other suggestions included top quality stationery for sending invoices, cover letters, query letters, etc. He also suggested we be aware of the least expensive times to make phone calls (it used to be Friday).
One article by J. A. Konrath dated 2007 mentioned MySpace in the same breath as YouTube and Wikipedia as the up-and-coming web presence. No mention of Facebook or Twitter. Another marketing article emphasized the '100-mile circle' as key for making grass-roots marketing efforts. That sounds laughably provincial, doesn't it? 1000 contacts on Facebook or Twitter, maybe. 100 miles? I've driven farther than that to get shoes on sale.
I was doubly amused to see how many resources I kept on such a wide variety of writing genres. It was obvious I had not quite settled on one yet. So the articles on children's picture books and the aforementioned poetry got the heave-ho. A woman's gotta know her limitations.
On the flip side, some things are eerily unchanged more than ten years on, like the article on having a good 'elevator speech' to pitch your story. Ditto on
- an article on clips, although they are delivered electronically rather than on 24 lb. bond paper via US Mail. Youngsters, this definition of 'clips' refers to samples of your work.
- Robert Bly's article on setting financial goals for freelancing is still sensibly on target.
- Writer's Digest's '5 Hot Markets' in 2000: Baby Boomers, health, entertainment and travel, money and retirement, family matters, and essays and humor. No mention of vampires or zombies, however.
- The article on 'marketing savvy' by Marcia Yudkin is sound in theory, but is fatally handicapped by the omission of the role of social networking, which of course did not exist when she wrote this in 2002.
- John Borchardt's article on making a good first impression (in person, at a writing conference) still works for the purists who still insist on making first impressions in person.
I only made a small dent in the writing file archive. But this first session has made me eternally thankful. I am thankful for cell phones, so I don't have to research when is the cheapest time to make calls (or ever call anyone again as long as I live, thanks to texts and email). I'm thrilled I no longer have to fret over agents and publishers and query letters. I'm thankful I no longer have to physically clip articles and store them away in desiccated file folders, never to be seen again - I can ignore my electronic bookmarks just as easily. I am ever so glad for the Internet, even though it sometimes tempts me away from writing priorities. All I have to do now, is write.
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