GUEST POST: "Building a Writing Career with Freelancing" by Danica Davidson

My first official writing job was working for the local paper when I was in twelfth grade. For years I’d tried submitting my novels for publication, but the powers that be weren’t interested in young, unknown writers. Knowing I needed to make some money and hoping I could build a platform, I started sending short stories to literary magazines like the New Yorker. Cue the rejection slips. So I called up the local paper and they were willing to take a chance on me as a freelancer.

            I wrote about whatever they sent me to cover, which, in a rural community, was usually pretty low-key, like covering tractor pulls. I found a newspaper distributed around the state that was a little more artsy and reached out to them. They were in need of writers and saw I’d already done professional work. While freelancing for them, I asked if I could interview anime voice over actors, and they said yes.

            At this time I was working two other part-time jobs, trying to make ends meet. I took the anime voice actor interviews I did and sent them to Anime Insider, a glossy anime magazine. The head editor there liked my writing and I began freelancing for them as well.

            As the years went on, I freelanced more and more until it got to the point I could stop working my part-time jobs. The best luck I had was taking something I’d already written and sending it to another magazine (or website, or whatever) that wrote something similar. Most places never wrote back. A few did after I sent a couple polite reminder emails, asking if they’d gotten my previous email. My emails would be short, respectful and to the point; I would include a few sample articles and a link to the website I had created for myself.

Here's a sample email:

Dear Ms. [Name]

I'm a writer at MTV who has a special niche in writing about and reviewing graphic novels. In addition to MTV, I've written about this subject for CNN, Publishers Weekly, Booklist and other places. All told, I've sold more than a thousand articles to more than fifty publications. I was wondering if I could contribute any freelance articles or reviews on graphic novels to [Name].
You can see some samples of my published work here:

http://www.danicadavidson.com/Published_Articles.html

Thank you for your time, and please let me know if you have any questions.

Best,
Danica

            Writing about anime led to jobs covering manga at Graphic Novel Reporter, Booklist and Publishers Weekly. I tried to get into MTV for a few years because of my interest in writing YA books, and no one ever got back to me. Then I saw an MTV editor who covered comic books had mutual friends on Facebook. I sent him a polite message, not expecting to hear back . . . and was shocked when he wrote back and was willing to take a look at my stuff and give me a chance. MTV turned out to be the only place where I got hired on-staff as a writer.

            None of this stopped my freelancing. The more I freelanced, the more places were willing to give me a chance (though I want to stress that most places either didn’t respond or said they had their full roster of writers and to check back later). A PR person in comic books I met suggested I reach out to someone at the A.V. Club (The Onion) after reading my articles and gave me the contact information, though I still had to pitch on my own. A recommendation through a mutual acquaintance got me into CNN. However, recommendations only got me into a few places; most of the time, it was figuratively knocking on the door myself that did it.

            Writing all these articles helped pay my bills and build me a platform. All my work on manga ended up getting me to sign my first book contract for Manga Art for Beginners, a how-to-draw guide on manga-style drawing with more steps than your average how-to-draw book. 

            After that, I sold my first Minecrafter series (adventure novels for kids that take place as if Minecraft is real): Escape from the Overworld, Attack on the Overworld, The Rise of Herobrine, Down into the Nether, The Armies of Herobrine and Battle with the Wither. I wrote a Barbie graphic novel called Barbie: Puppy Party, and a Tales from the Crypt comic called “Picture Perfect.” Manga Art for Intermediates comes out next year, and my Minecrafter spinoff series (same main characters, different villains and adventures) starts coming out today with the book Adventure Against the Endermen. 

             Freelancing isn’t easy, but I kept at it because I knew what I wanted to do and I knew it wouldn’t be simple. I’ve sold thousands of articles, and this led me to where I am today as a writer.

Danica Davidson is a novelist and journalist. She's published thousands of articles at such places as MTV, The Onion, CNN, Publishers Weekly, the Los Angeles Times and Ms. Her work at MTV earned her a Webby honor with a small group of writers for Best Youth Writing. She is represented by the James Fitzgerald Agency.

She is the author of the Overworld Adventures book series for Minecrafters, with the books Escape from the Overworld, Attack on the Overworld, The Rise of Herobrine, Down into the Nether, a The Armies of Herobrine and the newly released Battle with the Wither. She is also the author of Manga Art for Beginners and  Barbie: Puppy Party. 

Click here to read her post "Turning a Video Game into a Book Series (with Adventure and Meaning)"

Click here to see her face the 7 Questions.

Please check out her website, her Amazon page, or follow her on Twitter @DanicaDavidson.

After discovering a portal to Earth and battling the evil Herobrine and his army of vicious mobs, Steve and his friends are known throughout the Overworld as heroes. Stevie’s enjoying the attention—that is, until he tries to show off and instead falls down a mineshaft. At the bottom of the mineshaft, Stevie finds an Ender crystal with mysterious powers.

Soon the Overworld is in danger once again, this time from vicious Endermen! Mayor Alexandra summons Stevie, Alex, Maison, Yancy, and Destiny to try and stop the attacks. When the friends investigate, they quickly realize that the Endermen are looking for something. Could it be Stevie’s Ender crystal?

Soon the group of friends—now an Overworld task force—are caught up in a battle larger than any they could have imagined. Can they protect the world of Minecraft from Endermen—and the larger threat of the crystal?


Fans of Minecraft will race to the end of this first installment in the Unofficial Overworld Heroes Adventure series by Danica Davidson!

danicadavidson.com

7 Questions For: Author Danica Davidson

Danica Davidson is the author of the Overworld Adventures book series for Minecrafters, with the books Escape from the Overworld, Attack on the Overworld, The Rise of Herobrine, Down into the Nether, a The Armies of Herobrine and the newly released Battle with the Wither. She is also the author of Manga Art for Beginners and  Barbie: Puppy Party. 

Please check out her website, her Amazon page, or follow her on Twitter @DanicaDavidson.

Click here to read her post "Turning a Video Game into a Book Series (with Adventure and Meaning)"

And now Danica Davidson faces the 7 Questions:


Question Seven: What are your top three favorite books?

The Iliad, the Odyssey and Ovid’s Metamorphoses. 

Question Six: How much time do you spend each week writing? Reading?

As much as I can (and it still somehow feels like never enough). With my Minecrafter novels, I’ve gotten into the habit of getting the first draft completely done in a week, give or take a day. That’s a lot of writing! But my deadlines have usually given me about six weeks to write the book, so I’ve had to move fast. Then I take a little break from it before I go back and revise. 

Question Five: What was the path that led you to publication?

I started seriously submitting my work to agents and editors when I was in middle school. I was writing novels at the time and all I’ve ever wanted to be was a professional author. Everyone tells you to be ready for rejections, but I never expected the sheer number of them on my way to selling my first book. When I was in my senior year of high school, I was in a situation where it was important I start making my own income, so I went to the local newspaper and asked for a job. I started out as a freelancer, covering dramatic, stop-the-press events like the local tractor pull (okay, it wasn’t dramatic).

I’d send my published articles to other places, trying to get in. I started writing for an anime magazine (I’m a big fan of anime and animation), and that helped open more doors. Eventually I was writing articles for MTV, CNN, The Onion, Publishers Weekly, Booklist and other publications. All the while I was still trying to sell my books and was stacking up rejection letters. More than a decade after I started submitting, I got an agent who was impressed with my writing and all my publications and wanted to represent me. Some months later, I’d sold my first book, Manga Art for Beginners.  

Question Four: Do you believe writers are born, taught or both? Which was true for you?

For me, it just came naturally, though I think we all need “teaching.” Since I was little, I made up stories. I used to dictate stories to my parents when I was three. I wrote my first chapter book when I was seven. I just wrote.

But it’s also important to learn how to edit, how to portray characters, etc. Some of that can be done from studying how other writers handle it. It also helps to find an editor who’s willing to look over what you have, because writers tend to be too close to their work, especially at the beginning. 

Question Three: What is your favorite thing about writing? What is your least favorite thing?

My favorite thing is the act of writing, especially when the words come as a rush and it feels as if you’re just taking dictation from your brain. Sometimes it’s harder to get the words to come, but when they do come in a rush, it’s the best.

My least favorite thing is more the business of publishing. For instance, getting an agent is agony and it took me years. Then you have to publicize your book, but a million other people also want to publicize their books, so everyone’s vying for attention. I just want to write and let the books sell themselves, but it usually doesn’t work that way. It’s very time-consuming and takes time away from actual writing, but it’s part of what you have to do to be a professional writer. 

Question Two: What one bit of wisdom would you impart to an aspiring writer? (feel free to include as many other bits of wisdom as you like)

My best advice for writing is “to write.” I hear from people all the time who say they want to be a writer, though they’ve never written anything down. It’s like they’re scared to put something on paper in case it isn’t perfect. No rough draft is perfect, but getting the words down is important. 

Question One: If you could have lunch with any writer, living or dead, who would it be? Why?

Anaïs Nin, a French-American writer I discovered in high school. She writes for adults, not kids, so she has a very different audience than the ones I have with my Minecrafter, manga and Barbie books. She kept a diary her whole life and parts of it have been published, and some of it is the most real, authentic writing I’ve ever read. She describes things I’ve felt but never heard described before. That’s what all writers want to do.

danicadavidson.com

GUEST POST: "Turning a Video Game into a Book Series (with Adventure and Meaning)" by Danica Davidson

            When I tell people I write fictional books about video games, they’re usually shocked. This shock then often turns into one of two things: either they find this idea suspicious the more they think about it, or they think it’s a great idea that can get kids reading on top of playing the video games they love. I’m really trying to go for the second response, because I write books full of cliffhangers (to keep you turning the pages) that also talk about real-world issues (like cyberbullying) to let kids know they’re not alone.

            In my Overworld Adventure series, the video game Minecraft is a real place. (If you have kids or know kids who are into Minecraft, it might as well be.) 11-year-old Stevie lives in the Minecraft world, but he feels as if he doesn’t belong because he isn’t as good at building or fighting monsters as his dad. Then one day Stevie finds a portal to Earth and befriends Maison, a bullied girl who’s starting at a new school and feeling insecure about herself. Their insecurities bring them together and make them friends, and the series follows their adventures as they go back and forth between the different worlds.

            Through the course of the series, they battle zombies, creepers, Herobrine . . . and have to deal with kid stuff. While the first book talks about in-your-face bullying, the following books get into the realm of cyberbullying after some cyberbullies hack into Maison’s computer and let themselves into the Minecraft game there. In other words, they let themselves into Stevie’s world, where they turn it into eternal night and unleash zombies.

            Middle grade readers are either just starting to go online or will soon be doing so, which makes me think this is a prime time to talk about things like cyberbullying and how to be nice online. But instead of turning it into a lecture (ugh) I’m able to weave it into a story. I hope this enables kids and adults they trust to be able to talk about real life cyberbullying, and how you can talk or have disagreements online without it having to turn mean. All this stems out of writing about video games.

            While this is about video games, writers can use other things kids already like and make new twists with them. For instance, I also have a manga how-to-draw book out called Manga Art for Beginners, because why not take a love of manga and channel it into your own creativity? (And it has ninjas in it, of course.) On top of that, I have a Barbie comic book coming out called Puppy Party, and in it you see Barbie and her sisters coming up with ideas to get all the local shelter dogs adopted. Can you use video games to tell stories about cyberbullying or a doll to talk about animal welfare, while  being entertaining? You sure can! 

Danica Davidson is the author of the Overworld Adventures book series for Minecrafters, with the books Escape from the Overworld, Attack on the Overworld, The Rise of Herobrine, Down into the Nether, and the soon-to-be-released (and available for pre-order) The Armies of Herobrine and Battle with the Wither. She is also the author of Manga Art for Beginners and the soon-to-be-released (and additionally available for pre-order) Barbie: Puppy Party. 

Please check out her website, her Amazon page, or follow her on Twitter @DanicaDavidson.

danicadavidson.com

The Greatest Idea for a Movie Ever

This kept me laughing hard this morning: