The other day, I wondered how I factored in among funding entities - Aspiring, Emerging, or Established Writer?
I asked myself this since I began to apply for fellowships the year before I started graduate school.
After some hopefuls, and even a *maybe* that dragged on six days after deadline, I decided in 2018 to make it my last time hunting down fellowships. I also spoke with two professor friends at work about my decision.
Now, don't get me wrong, applying for a fellowship is an adventure! Some organizations require you to be in mid-project. Others want recommendation letters from professors, to professionals in other fields, etc. And some want you to send in a CV (curriculum vitae) rather than a *simple* resume.
These fellowship applications were hard to track down. Some were worded as "grants" or moreso "scholarships", yet when reading the requirements, and in the case of needing to take a month, more than a month, even a year from one's life, there were also stipulations to consider.
If awarded, would the stipend(s) be enough to cover one's living expenses for the duration of the period?
When reading other fellows' experiences, peace of mind and well-being also needed consideration. There was also the question about one's "eligibility" to apply for WHICH fellowships and WHEN. One of those constant questions was if I was 'Aspiring/Early'? Was I 'Emerging', 'Midcareer', or 'Established'?
When reading other fellows' experiences, peace of mind and well-being also needed consideration. There was also the question about one's "eligibility" to apply for WHICH fellowships and WHEN. One of those constant questions was if I was 'Aspiring/Early'? Was I 'Emerging', 'Midcareer', or 'Established'?
Though I started to take freelance writing seriously in 1996, I credit 1999-2000 as not only the year I published my first story in a fanzine, but with the beginning of a writing 'career'.
And therein lies the rub: the question about where one was in the spectrum of things. Shortly after my podcast interview with an overseas station, the questions I was asked and I later asked myself were a bit troubling.
Was what I've been doing since I was in my late teens to early 20s considered a 'Writing Career'?
Was what I've been doing since I was in my late teens to early 20s considered a 'Writing Career'?
Out of frustration, I vented in a tweet with gif attached about WHAT and WHO I was as an author. Other writing colleagues and fellow authors came to my rescue, believing I was in an existential crisis, but that wasn't the case. I KNEW I was a Writer, both lowercase and in CAPS. I knew I was an Author, both lowercase, CAPS, and what the writing community at large agreed on.
My issue was IF I had a career, if I was considered established in certain genres while still being at the emerging stage in other genres?
I needed answers, so, like everybody else, turned to researching online.
Mind you, I had already done so to some degree in order to understand the fellowship applications better, to parse their industry jargon, and for the most part, I did get some nibbles: an encouraging letter from a grant genre-fiction director about one of the panel judges looking forward to more stories from me, to a nail-biting six-day-past-the-deadline wait when it later seemed I lost out to a professional translator, an international gallery artist, and a PhD candidate.
Mind you, I had already done so to some degree in order to understand the fellowship applications better, to parse their industry jargon, and for the most part, I did get some nibbles: an encouraging letter from a grant genre-fiction director about one of the panel judges looking forward to more stories from me, to a nail-biting six-day-past-the-deadline wait when it later seemed I lost out to a professional translator, an international gallery artist, and a PhD candidate.
Not bad, my mother and big sister told me and so did work colleagues.
Still, though I'm done with fellowships for the time being, I still wanted to consider my status. So here are some links for consideration:
November 29, 2015 - By: Sarah Vincent[This link seemed one of the better and more comforting explanations, hence, it is at the top]
[I use Hope Clark's Funds for Writers often which is also a free e-newsletter. Lots and lots of good info! I counted about 149 grants, residencies, fellowships, and other funding opportunities on this page alone!]
[The Authors Guild is one of the oldest and most influential writing guilds I know about. Here, this is more an explanation for who is emerging so that the writer can still be provided membership with access to resources as an established member]
May 21, 2019 [I happily blame ProFellow for getting me more into the fellowship rabbit hole! They are like Submittable, but listing regional, national, and international fellowship opportunities. With just a simple click to a free account, the world of multiple disciplines and their fellowships are open to you. If you ever need to take applying for fellowship opportunities seriously, sign up with them!]
And there you have it, folks. Sorry I was a bit long-winded but I needed to get this off my chest. In the meantime, summer is coming up. Stay hydrated, try using the shade and skin protections more often, and thanks for stopping by, dear readers, to Pretty in Print!
