Word Count 86: Big personal news, new competition for fiction writers
Plus maintaining/regaining your agency, developing characters' agency, Bluesky starter packs, and a big fluffy interloper.
Hi there,
As you may have seen if you follow me on Bluesky, or anywhere else, last week I took the difficult decision to close Ada Lovelace Day due to a lack of funding. Technically, I’m just ending the live event and year-round activities, ie the bit that made it a business. The day itself is out there in the world as a date that people can celebrate however they like, and I am encouraging people to continue doing so.
But ending the event means I’m out of a job.
I do, however, have a bunch of plans, because I always do.
Ebooks!!
I’m in the process of setting up an online shop so that I can start selling my ebooks again. I’ll put my old novellas up along with the two Ada Lovelace Day anthologies, and new stuff as it comes along.
I’m working on a vocabulary builder for Welsh learners, which is currently being edited by a professional translator to check that I’ve got my Welsh right. There’s very little non-fiction for intermediate Welsh learners like me, so I’m hoping that gets a bit of traction.
I find it hard to imagine that I’ll ever earn a living selling ebooks alone, though. I’d need to be selling two to three thousand of them every month to cover my basic costs, a goal which can only be described as optimistic.
Fieldwork
Next up is Fieldwork, my eco-sitcom podcast. I’ve spent the last few weeks doing a deeper dive into bat conservation in preparation for writing a new audio series pilot. Most writing teachers would say, “Go back to character when you get stuck!” but for me, it’s all about going back to the science because that’s where my inspiration comes from. So, once I’m a bit further down the road with the writing, I’ll start looking at ways to fund production.
Consulting
Finally, in order to earn something akin to a sensible income, I’m going back to consulting, something I used to do a lot of before I moved to the US. This time, though, I’m working with a couple of friends, which is making the entire process so much more fun.
Rocks, Pebbles, Sand
This all might sound very random, but it’s all part of my Rocks, Pebbles, Sand philosophy of income. When you’re a consultant, it’s easy to get caught up in only bidding for the big projects, the ones that will bring in thousands. But it’s impossible to make sure that those come in regularly, so things can get a bit feast-or-famine: When you’re working, you’re too busy to find new clients, and when you’re not working you’re broke and stressed.
So the idea is that you need to put some pebbles, smaller projects that are easier to deliver, in between the rocks to lend a bit of stability. And then you have to add in some sand, things like subscriptions or ebook sales, in between the pebbles. Eventually, you have a solid income.
We’ll see how it goes, but I’m more excited about what’s to come than disappointed at what is no more.
However, should you feel that you’d like to upgrade to paid, now would be a wonderful time to do it!
Opportunity: Oxford/42 New Writing Prize
The University of Oxford is collaborating with management and production company 42 on a new prize for novelists, playwrights and screenwriters.
We are looking for talented new voices in fiction and welcome experimental writing as well as work that would appeal to a broad audience, whether on the printed page, the stage, radio, television or the big screen.
The Oxford/42 New Writing Prize is open to anyone aged 18 or over living, working or studying in the UK at the closing date for submissions. The winner will receive £1500 along with professional representation by 42.
You’ll need to submit a synopsis of up to 300 words, an elevator pitch and a sample of your writing:
Novel – the first 10,000 to 15,000 words
Stage or radio play – a complete script of between 30 and 90 pages
Screenplays – a script of between 30 and 60 pages for episode one of a TV show or a complete feature-length film script of 90 pages.
The deadline is 20 April 2025.
Read and listen: Agency, for you and your characters
Last week, I wrote a long post about how easy it is to lose your sense of agency, and how to recover it, in the creative industries, looking at TV writing as an example. The same holds true, however, regardless of where in the industry you are and probably for lots of other industries as well.
In a lovely coincidence, John August and Craig Mazin talked about characters’ agency in their most recent Scriptnotes episode, E665 – What Can You Even Do?. They define agency as a character being able to “make choices that change the plot”. But there’s a bit more to it than that, because there have to be choices to be made, they must make them “with intentionality”, and it must be “plausible that their choices could have an impact on their situation”. The section starts at about 10:45 and is worth a listen.
Bluesky starter packs
Twitter-like social network Bluesky is growing rapidly, and if you’re missing the vibe from the early days of Twitter, Bluesky is definitely where it’s at. There are loads of writers and publishing people there, including some of my favourites:
Nick Harkaway — Karla’s Choice, Gnomon, Titanium Noir
Jane Friedman — The Hot Sheet, The Business of Being An Author
Joel Morris — Be Funny Or Die
Naomi Novik — Temeraire, The Scholomance
Julian Simpson — Lovecraft Investigations, Aldrich Kemp
Kate Barker — literary agent
James Henry — Pagans, Green Wing
Anne Charnock — Dreams Before the Start of Time
Victoria Strauss — Writer Beware
Lauren Beukes — Bridge, Shining Girls, Zoo City
There are also ‘starter packs’ — lists of recommended accounts that anyone can put together, such as this one from the Arthur C Clarke Award which brings together lots of past winners and shortlisted authors. You can search starter packs on the Bluesky Directory, or just keep an eye out for starter packs by your favourite people.
I’ve also put a few tips together in this thread for new users, which should act as a quick primer on how to get the best out of Bluesky.
So if you’ve been thinking about making the jump from Twitter, now is a great time to do it. And do say hello!
Obligatory cat picture
We had a bit of drama in the garden this weekend, as this beautiful creature, whom we’ve named Fluffbomb, decided to sit in our apple tree, perhaps with the idea that she (we don’t know that she’s a she, but she just looks like a she, and I hate calling animals ‘it’) could get a wee bit closer to the bird feeder.
Unfortunately, I did not know she was there when I let Copurrnicus out. Cue a standoff, as he sat at the bottom of the tree making it impossible for her to get down. Eventually, I managed to get him away for long enough that she could get down and exit the garden at speed.
I feel a little sad that she probably won’t come by our way again after that, because she really is quite magnificent.
That’s it for this week!
All the best,
Suw