Instititute of Children's Literature

Rx for Writers

Transcripts

"Writing, Working Full-time -- And When to Make the Break!" with Sharelle Moranville

Thursday, November 9, 2000

Moderator is Kristi Holl, author of 24 middle grade/teen novels and more than 100 articles for adults and children. Kristi is also the web editor for this site.

Sharelle is Sharelle Moranville, who's had many stories published in magazines, with "The Wreck of Monique's Antiques" reprinted in Best of the Children's Market. Her newest work, a chapter book called The Purple Ribbon, will be published in 2001 by Henry Holt.

Names color coded in blue are viewers who had questions.

Interviews are held 9-11 p.m. Atlantic/Canada, 8-10 p.m. Eastern, 7-9 Central, 6-8 Mountain, and 5-7 Pacific.

Moderator: Good evening, everyone! Welcome to tonight's interview with Sharelle Moranville on the subject of "Writing, Working Full-time -- And When to Make the Break!" I'm Kristi Holl, your moderator and the web editor for this site. Sharelle's fiction has been reprinted in Best of the Children's Market and her newest chapter book (The Purple Ribbon,) will be published in 2001 by Henry Holt. Sharelle's here tonight to share her insights into the challenge of juggling a "day job" while writing, and in the second half of the interview she'll discuss when to make the break to full-time freelancing. Welcome, Sharelle!

Sharelle: Hello. I'm so glad to be here. There is nothing I like better than talking about writing to writers.

Moderator: First of all, Sharelle, how did you get started writing?

Sharelle: I wrote two adult novels in college which were very bad, then I went on with my life and somehow came back to writing five years ago.

Moderator: In the beginning, were you always juggling a job and/or raising children with your writing?

Sharelle: In the beginning, I was trying to raise a very challenging child, but I did not have a full-time out-of-the-home job. That came a bit later.

Moderator: A viewer e-mailed me a question earlier, Sharelle, about your choice of publisher for your new book. DorothyF wondered how you happened to choose Henry Holt and how long you had to wait for a reply from them.

Sharelle: Simple. I have always felt that Holt published the most beautiful books out there, and I sent them a story with the statement in the cover letter that it was an EXCLUSIVE SUBMISSION. I almost immediately got a call from an editor saying thank you for making it an exclusive submission. I think it's because they're a very small publisher and they really prefer and appreciate exclusives.

Moderator: What an unusual story! I love it! Now, on to the topic for the first part of the evening: Sharelle, what are some of the challenges of trying to write and work full-time?

Sharelle: Finding time . . . Finding energy . . . Finding encouragement . . . I've found that when people in the workplace hear that I write stories about mice that talk, it damages my credibility as an I.T. Project Manager. So that is also a challenge. So is balancing what I love (writing) with what I need to do well and with credibility to put milk in the fridge.

Moderator: Practically speaking, giving specifics, how do you personally get the writing done? How do you motivate yourself to do it?

Sharelle: I am blessed, in that I never have to look for the motivation and can honestly say that I've never had a second of writer's block. However, putting in 15 hours a week, which is my goal of writing, can sometimes challenge my ingenuity with scheduling. If my schedule permits, I get up very early and write. And I do mean VERY. As in 4:30. But if I have to tuck my writing hours into a couple of fast ones in the afternoon, as I did today, that works too. I also splurged on a laptop last month because I frequently make a ten hour car trip to visit my family in Southern Illinois. My husband usually wants to drive, so it's a WONDERFUL time to write and I'm hoping the laptop pays off. Twelve hundred dollars is megabucks. I also hope I don't drop it!

SaraJ: Why do you think you've never had writer's block? Is there some secret to it?

Sharelle: Sara, I don't know. Why have some people never had a headache? Or the hiccups? I have lots of other problems, for sure. And all the really good writers I know DO have writer's block. One of the most delightful writers in my friend-circle describes herself as bleeding when she writes. So we are all different.

Tweaker: Is it the fact that you get precious little time to write that keeps away Writers Block, perhaps?

Sharelle: Maybe, Tweaker. What a good insight. If I had enough time, I'd probably just stare at my monitor.

Breazenda: Is it best to set a time frame to write, and stick to that goal?

Sharelle: Breazenda, I would prefer to keep "office hours" which I did when I had a regular 8-5 job. But I don't have that anymore. I'm freelance teaching now, so I work from 8-12 at one campus, then 8-10:30 p.m. at another campus and do other little "freelancy" things, so I can't find a set time frame. If you can, I encourage you to do it. If you can't, just tuck your writing in at every opportunity. But don't let it always go to the bottom of the list.

Verada: Referring to your earlier answer about Holt: Do you need an agent to submit to Holt? When I sent for their guidelines, they just sent me a postcard saying they won't read unsolicited material.

Sharelle: Verada, I do not have an agent. My guess would be that if you research what editors are there and send your manuscript directly to that editor and say that it is an exclusive submission, that it will be read. I know other unagented writers who have sent manuscripts to them and the manuscripts have been read . . . maybe not purchased . . . but read.

Granny Janny: I'm a Senior Citizen and still working full-time. Am I too "mature" to think of a writing career now?

Sharelle: Well Granny Janny, you're talking to the grandmother of two and I plan to be writing until I die, so PLEASE don't think you're too "mature." What a wonderful time to begin writing.

Moderator: How much of a priority is your writing when holding down a job? Is it a first or second priority?

Sharelle: I guess I would say that it is an EQUAL priority. And the writing has to fight for its equality every step of the way. And I think that for writers who have not yet had many sales, they may find it hard to put their writing on an equal footing with "real" work. But ask yourself: a hundred years from now . . . You know the rest of the question.

jello: Would you say self-discipline and good time management skills are the backbone of a great writer?

Sharelle: Jello, that is exactly right. Every Sunday afternoon I sit down and make a schedule for the week, with all my commitments on it. Family, church, volunteer, grandbabies, teaching, cooking, centering prayer, going to the YMCA, writing . . . the whole nine yards. It gives me a sense of comfort knowing what lies ahead and proceeding with the week's work seems less daunting, but sometimes getting my writing done is like trying to back a Mack truck into a parking space with a half-inch to spare.

Moderator: Do you have quota goals for the week, aiming to write a set number of pages? Or is your l5 hours your quota? Is one better than another?

Sharelle: I use hours, but I have many writing friends who use pages. I think if a writer is working under deadline with an editor, then pages would be more appropriate, but for my own daily life, I measure more comfortably in hours.

Granny Janny: Not only am I undisciplined, I have a totally disorganized mind. How can I learn to commit totally?

Sharelle: Granny Janny, have you ever heard of creative chaos? Sometimes I wish I had less discipline and less organization because I think that those, too, can be wonderful traits for a writer to have. The total commitment, in my experience, will just come as it comes. Don't take my comments about discipline and schedules and such the least bit personally. As we are all different, so are our creations all different.

Verada: Do you always meet your goal?

Sharelle: The fifteen hours? Not always, but usually. I do hedge a bit in the following manner: If I am doing what I consider to be a "writing related activity" (WRA, we call them at our house) I count that in my fifteen hour quota. For instance, I'll count visiting with you tonight because it is very writing related.

Moderator: What do you do about interruptions? The phone alone can drive you nuts!

Sharelle: Not this kid! Voice mail was invented for me, I think. When I'm writing, the phone rings and the answering machine picks it up. I check my messages later. There are a few family and friends who know how to get hold of me in case of an emergency, but they almost never use it. I don't mind little interruptions. For example, I actually like to get up and go fold a load of clothes or give the dog a biscuit because I find that the physical movement frees up my mind for better writing.

Mom of 3: With 3 small children, I have to write in 10 minute intervals, so I make an effort to write 3 times a day, while the kids are eating.

Sharelle: Wow, Mom of 3, I think that's wonderful and, actually, it's the modern way. Maybe the days of retreating to the office for four hours of quiet work are kind of anachronistic. I think you are to be commended for writing in those intervals, and I would guess you have some pretty interesting subject matter.

Moderator: How do you deal with people who don't have as much access to your life as they want because you're writing during your "off" hours?

Sharelle: You know, I do have one of those in my life and it's hard to maintain my boundaries without hurting her feelings. However, I've worked away at it for some time now and I think she's finally learning to "save up" things for me and she trusts me to get back to her to hear about these things when I'm through writing. I think people test. They want to make sure we REALLY mean it when we say (in a nice way) "Don't bother me. I'm writing."

SaraJ: What can you do specifically with people (like moms and spouses) who almost use emotional blackmail on you when you're not available to them all the time?

Sharelle: SaraJ, that goes right to the heart of the matter. Actually, I've sometimes wondered what I would do if I were being literally blackmailed and I guess my position is that I refuse to participate. I don't know exactly how to explain what I mean except to say that I won't go into that dynamic. But, gosh, it can be hard to stand clear. I wish I could tell you more.

Mom of 3: A suggestion for the 'emotional blackmail': next time you are confronted, use a tape recorder, then later you can transcribe it into a part of your next story!

AnneKelly: I have the opposite problem. I have someone in my life who is incredibly supportive. The only problem with this is, when I do have some down time, he wants to know why I'm not writing.

Sharelle: AnneKelly, do you feel a little cornered when that happens? Maybe a little defensive? Maybe a little inadequate? I'm smiling as I write that because there's someone in my life who does that to me too. So I'm really describing my own feelings. But it's kind of like the "blackmail" issue, ultimately. I just try not to participate on any fundamental level. I just smile serenely and keep on doing origami.

Granny Janny: I know what you mean. You won't play mind games with anyone. Neither will I.

Moderator: Sharelle, to find time, do you write during breaks at work or when you commute or other odd times?

Sharelle: Yes, I like writing in the car. In my old job, I had a laptop as part of my work and I always took it on road trips, which I find very boring, and writing made the time just fly by. Two hour trips then seem like minutes. And if I'm waiting for the oven to preheat, I may sit down and work on a bit of rewriting, tweak up a paragraph, perfect an image. Anytime is a good time to write.

Moderator: If you write AND work full-time AND have a family, do you have time for any other life?

Sharelle: I garden. I do crafts. I slipcover things. I do a bit of volunteer work with marginalized kids. But I have to say, everything feels very packed in like there's no room for ripping out seams and starting over.

Moderator: I am astounded at your organization!

Granny Janny: Sometimes, I'll take something I'm working on to work but even on breaks, I can't seem to concentrate, so I wind up working at home.

Sharelle: Granny Janny, when you can't concentrate don't beat up on yourself; just come back to it later.

SaraJ: What do you think about keeping writing income separate from your day job income?

Sharelle: Ha! That's like talking about keeping the fleas separate from the elephant herd. It works! I did resolve a long time ago that ten percent of my gross from writing projects would go to charitable causes, so as a practical matter, I do identify my writing income separately.

Verada: How do you respond to people who look at you like you're an oddball when you write at those "odd times"?

Sharelle: Verada, that's hard. I've heard many people talk about getting weird responses from people when the subject of writing comes up. I don't know. Maybe you can ignore the ones who give you funny looks? Again, find your own space, walk your own walk, is my advice.

Moderator: I'm probably mean, but I stare back at people, then scribble furiously in my notebook so they wonder what I just wrote about them! Sharelle, we're going to shift now to the second part of the interview on making the break to full-time freelancing. First, on a practical note, what kinds of things should writers consider before making the break?

Sharelle: Ask yourself if you can survive financially. Some experts say you should have savings enough for six months. Some say a year. Some say two years. But it would be painful to quit a day job, then not generate enough income from writing and be unable to return to a good day job. So consider that carefully. If you have a financially supportive significant other, you might look at making the break in terms of "How much income do I have to put in the family coffers every year?" Maybe it does not need to equal your old salary. Perhaps you can live less expensively. Or save less. But, for sure, you obviously need to consider health insurance. If you are giving up health insurance benefits for your family when you quit your day job, and you can't just shift to the policy of your significant other, then that's a big issue. But, if you're faced with that issue, I'm told that there are places where you can buy individual, self-employed policies. Other than finances: Ask yourself if you can handle it psychologically. It's very different at home, without structure, without status, without a clear identity. The wide open spaces can be kind of scary.

Moderator: Can writers get cheaper self-employed health insurance somewhere?

Sharelle: So I'm told. I have not had personal experience, but I know writers who have health insurance through the Writers' Guild.

jello: SCBWI also offers health insurance to writers--published or not--at group rates.

Darla: Sharelle, I am physically disabled due to an injury I sustained at work, while working as a nurse. I have been writing for a year, faithfully, and now that I am thinking about submissions, I am concerned. I need my medical insurance from Medicare, and am wondering if once my writing starts to become accepted that my insurance will be in jeopardy. My question is, when is it safe enough to let go of a current job or in my case, disability benefits? Should I wait?

Sharelle: Darla, I don't know how many sales you have had. But in my experience, the income from writing is very, very modest. I don't know what kind of income ceiling you have. But I will tell you that in the five years I have been writing, I have averaged $437.50 per year. So for most of us, that would not be a concern. Good luck with your writing. I hope it's an engaging, stimulating thing to do as you deal with your disability.

Gayle Paben: I took a year off teaching to try writing, and the problem I see is everyone thinks I am not working so I am available for the little things that come up.

Sharelle: So true, Gayle, so true. Pick up the kids from school. Drop off the cleaning. Bake pies for the bazaar, make a centerpiece for the Halloween party, yada, yada, yada. How do we say, nicely, "I'm busy"? What I have found that works most of the time is to speak in terms of "appointments" and "a commitment that day" and "busy all that week." If you keep it fairly neutral and firm, people eventually get the picture. But in the final analysis, we owe it to ourselves to just say NO.

AnneKelly: I'm learning that it's different. I stopped working at my job at the beginning of September. My biggest challenge is how to schedule my time between my daughter, the extra work I've taken on at home, and writing. So far, I really love it and don't miss working outside the home.

Sharelle: AnneKelly, sounds like you have a nice life right now. That's sort of where I am. I work just as much for half the money, but somehow life is better. And, you know, if you haven't burned any bridges professionally, you can go back. I went back to the corporate world after fifteen years out of it to raise our daughter.

Gayle Paben: So how do you get people to take you seriously if you haven't published anything yet? Or if you're not making "big bucks" yet?

Sharelle: Gayle, let's define "people." There are "people" who don't really know you, who don't know your talent and discipline and commitment. And those people aren't going to take you seriously until you become John Grisham incarnate. Then there are "people" who do know you: who know how professional you are about your writing, and how much energy you give it, and how hard you practice your craft day after day after day. Those people are more likely to take you seriously. If they don't, maybe they aren't healthy people to keep in your life if writing is a big part of it.

Moderator: How do you know if you have the personality to be your own boss? What traits are required?

Sharelle: Number one is self-discipline. Following close behind is the ability to stay centered and focused when the normal structure of corporation/school/whatever and supervisors and managers isn't there anymore. And, actually, I think you also have to like solitude. But, on the flip side, being your own boss also means getting out there in the world and spending time with other writers. You also have to promote yourself. Personally, I find that last job far and away the hardest. Give me my nice quite cave. And give me a really great agent!!! I wish.

amy schade: I am a social person who is just beginning to write. How do I deal with the isolation, of just me and my computer?

Sharelle: Amy, I embrace my computer. I love it, love it, love it. But, again, I think some of the best writers are very social critters. I heard Patricia Hermes speak at a conference once, and she talked about how you can't write if you don't live. She went ahead to give details of parts of her manuscripts that had come from actual social encounters. So the fact that you're a social person may be a great gift. For years, my characters just stood around and thought a lot. I'll bet yours talk.

AnneKelly: I agree with you about getting out there. It is easy to get closed off from others, especially professionally, when you work at home.

awadams: What is the easiest way to start a writers' group? I have sought one in my city but can't find one so I've thought about trying to start one myself, but I'm unsure how!

Sharelle: My personal preference is to just turn to writing friends when I really need a critique for a straight shot from the hip about whether or not an idea has any merit. But I do know that in my town, the local Borders and Barnes & Noble have writers' groups. But if you want to start one on your own, there are some books and articles out there on how to do it. I wish you well. I know many writers who are nurtured by their writing groups.

Moderator: How do you make the shift from having a weekly paycheck to being paid more sporadically?

Sharelle: Try not to have many monthly payments. Perhaps it won't be possible to eliminate all of them, like health insurance premiums, for example. But the less steady monthly out-go the better, because one thing you can count on with writing: the income will be sporadic. Also, I think you have to be willing to give up things. If you can afford Estee Lauder stuff this month, fine. But you may not be able to afford it next month. And that should probably feel okay. Also, savings come in handy. :)

Moderator: How do you find that new sense of direction when you quit your job, since you go from having outside directions (your boss) to needing inner direction?

Sharelle: I've got more inner direction than anybody has a right to. It's not that I exactly mind having a boss. And my last boss was a wonderful, kind, bright, caring person. But I miss the idea of a boss per se like I miss a headache.

Moderator: Job titles don't mean much once you quit your job. What has to take its place when you're a freelancer so that others take you seriously?

Sharelle: Oh, I just say "I'm a writer." :) And I feel very warm when I say it. What a wonderful thing to be . . . a writer!!! And if people don't know enough to take me seriously, too bad.

amy schade: But you have published works to back that up.

Sharelle: I know, Amy. That does make it easier. But I went to a wonderful conference once where a speaker talked on what gives us the right to say, "I'm a writer." Her position was that if you claim it as your craft, and you work hard to develop that craft and you conduct yourself professionally in that development, then you are as fully entitled to say, "I'm a writer," as Steven King is. Publication is simply an event which may never happen to some fabulous writers. But to be a writer goes beyond the issue of whether or not you ever sell a manuscript.

SaraJ: I don't care so much about my friends taking me seriously. What are some tips for getting editors to take us seriously?

Sharelle: In a word: professionalism. Show them, by the manuscripts that you send, that you've read and read and read. Because if you haven't, trust me, writing will be more difficult. Then tell a good story and hope and pray the editor likes it well enough to spend her precious hours helping you make it even better. I remember the first personal response I ever got from an editor. I had had about forty rejections at that point, all of which had been of the form letter, postcard variety and FINALLY some assistant editor scribbled "too slight" in pencil on the cover page of my manuscript. I practically kissed the ground because SOMEBODY OUT THERE had acknowledged my existence. But part of being professional is keeping on keeping on. I recently sent a manuscript to an editor at a big publishing house. She kept it five months, then wrote a rejection letter. But it was a real letter, with real comments on the strengths and weaknesses of the manuscript. So I wrote her a thank you note. And to my great surprise, I got a thank you to my thank you note. She said she didn't get a lot of thanks. So I think that's part of being professional too.

Moderator: How do you motivate yourself to get stuff done on the days you feel tired, blocked, sick etc. since if we don't work, we don't get paid?

Sharelle: True grit? :) I don't know. It goes back to just keeping on keeping on. I suppose some days Pavorati doesn't feel like doing scales either, but it's part of the job.

Moderator: Sharelle, I know that keeping your wits about you is critical whether you're balancing writing with a job or whether you've facing the unique stresses of being totally self-employed. You are one of the most peaceful people I've met in years! Can you share any secrets?

Sharelle: Yes, ma'am. Prayer and exercise. I do a form of Christian meditation called centering prayer. Twenty minutes twice a day. If my life is super frantic, instead of being tempted to skip it, I double it. Ditto with the exercise. YMCA 4 days a week for an hour. Sweat, pant, sweat.

Moderator: Wow!! How important has it been to you to lead a healthy lifestyle? Can you share your personal methods of staying healthy?

Sharelle: To each his own, of course, but I've found that I'm healthier as a vegetarian. And I'm also healthier if I stay away from negative, destructive people. The balance between body, mind, and soul is very important to me, and when I let the matters of the mind encroach on body and soul, I'm not healthy or happy.

Oma: Do you set specific hours every day [for everything from the writing to the exercise and prayer]? How do you divide your work day?

Sharelle: I do centering prayer for the first time when I get up in the morning, and I do it again before supper. I have set times I go to the Y. A fringe benefit of that is the Y friendships I have formed. Some of the most interesting women I've ever met, I've met in the shower room at the Y. Prayer and exercise are the two parts of my life that are fairly well set on my daily calendar. I'm less flexible about those than other parts of my life, like eating and sleeping. :)

amy schade: Why is reading the key to writing well? I own a bookstore, but that does not mean I can write.

Sharelle: Amy, it's a thing with me. I couldn't write if I hadn't read and read and read. It has to do with experiencing other writers' voices, with experiencing our culture, our traditions. I don't know how to explain it. But I must confess, I never watch TV and perhaps those same voices and cultural motifs can be got from good television.

amy schade: Do you have small children or a husband? What kinds of things do you juggle with writing?

Sharelle: I have a husband. I currently juggle adjunct teaching on two campuses (103 students in all) and just life: grandbabies, gardens, church, the usual.

TamR: What was the first thing you sold for publication? How often are you sending out work? What type of freelancing do you do?

Sharelle: TamR, the first thing I sold was a "boy meets girl/boy loses girl/boy gets girl back" story to a magazine. That was five years ago. You'd have thought I'd sold GONE WITH THE WIND the way my family carried on. I've sent out A LOT of work, much of it not very good. I think that's something a lot of creators (writers, painters, musicians) struggle with, accepting that much of our work is just practice. I'm sure I have over a hundred rejections. However, many of those go back to the days when I was focused exclusively on stories. Now I'm fairly exclusively focused on chapter books and novels. I try to get out two a year.

Granny Janny: I don't feel I know enough to publish yet. How do you know when you're ready?

Sharelle: Granny Janny, maybe you shouldn't judge. Maybe you should send it out. Let the editor judge. It could be something she is actively looking for. And the very worst thing that can happen is that you'll get one of those famous rejection slips. Then you will be in very good company!

Moderator: I hate to interrupt here--I know we could go on for HOURS on this subject. I want to thank Sharelle for her time tonight and the wisdom she's shared. We should all be able to stay more sane now, whether or not we're still juggling a day job with our writing. Thank you, Sharelle!

Sharelle: You're welcome. I enjoyed all your questions and comments. And I wish you well with your writing.

Moderator: We won't be meeting here in two weeks due to Thanksgiving, but I want to wish you all very blessed holidays and safe travel for your families. However, in four weeks on December 7 we'll be talking with Stephen Roos who worked at Harper & Row (now HarperCollins) for l3 years in publicity and promotion. Author of 25 middle-grade and young adult books, he knows publishing from BOTH sides of the desk and will speak on "Transforming Real Life into Commercial Fiction." You won't want to miss this interview! In the meantime, take care, everyone. And good night!

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