The ATA Chronicle - March/April 2023 - 28

The best part of participating
in a writing program is making
connections with people with
similar aspirations.
Beth also offers private
coaching for amateur writers
who work on their first
book publication. She holds
summer camps for writers to
practice and connect. Some
writers sell the rights of their
works (such as a novel) to
filmmakers (another way to
" hit it big " ).
For an amateur writer, you
just need to put aside the idea
of financial success and focus
on constantly practicing the
craft. For that, you have to be
willing to invest some money
and a lot of time!
It's about Discipline
and Practice
So, how do I do throughout
these courses of learning?
One thing is certain: I'm still
far from the seasoned writer
I dream about. All I can do
is keep writing. Inspiration
doesn't always come like a
gushing mountain spring.
I often feel stuck in the
sand rather than swimming
smoothly in the ocean. As
every instructor will tell
you: writing is a messy
process. No one, including
established writers, creates
a masterpiece every time
they put words to paper.
Each of my instructors has
shared this piece of advice:
" Inspiration knocks on my
door every morning. " This
means you have to have
certain disciplines to keep
practicing your craft. Just
like a good sportsman, train
every day, no matter how
frustrated you are and want
to quit. This is the biggest
lesson I've learned through
my writing program.
Am I a role model for all
such ideals? Short answer:
No! There's always the
challenge of conflicting
priorities: my paid work
versus my love of writing;
my family duties versus my
literary aspiration. All want
immediate attention and my
time. More often than not,
by the time I've handled all
the rush requests I'm already
exhausted. To have a little
bit more " me-time, " staying
up late has long become part
of my routine. And the next
morning, sleep-deprived, I
start the cycle all over again.
Then there's also the
question of loneliness. Not
that there's no one around
you, but you're destined on
a lonely road in pursuing a
writing career. Serious writing
is nothing like fast-paced
social media postings, which
you update very frequently
to maintain your followers'
attention so you're not out
of the game. A serious writer
must endure long periods
of working alone with little
results in sight. Sometimes
you even start to doubt your
choices. You just have to
forget about money, fame,
and " making it. "
28 The ATA Chronicle | March/April 2023
No Matter What...
Just Keep Going
Why am I still doing this? It
all comes back to the burning
urge to tell my story. I know
I'm not a successful writer
yet, and nobody is paying me
to do anything I'm trying to
pursue. To be more selfdisciplined,
I try several
things to " obligate myself " :
y I take, and pay for, courses
such as the creative
writing program at the
University of Toronto's
School of Continuing
Studies. This pushes me
to attend classes, do my
homework, and participate
in meaningful discussions.
y I join related associations
and pay dues. For example,
I've joined the Creative
Nonfiction Collective, an
association of writers of
this genre in Canada. It
provides connections,
resources, seminars,
an annual conference,
and even an annual
writing competition. My
membership pushes me to
write, even it's just to meet
a submission deadline.
y I've joined a writing group
formed after Beth Kaplan's
" Life Writing " course. We
meet monthly and submit
pieces for peer critiques.
y I also take volunteer
writing/editing jobs, such
as serving as the editorin-chief
of ATA's Chinese
Language Division's Yifeng
Blog, which publishes
monthly contributions by
division members.
y Last but not least,
whenever I can, I try to
reverse my daily time
allocation. I use the
morning, even part of
the early afternoon-I've
found these are my prime
time slots-for writing.
Then I use the evening,
after my child goes to
bed, for paid translation
work. My translation
assignments usually
come with standardized
parameters, which I can do
without draining my mind
too much.
These are not my " tips "
for aspiring writers. They're
just my own ways to keep
going. How about social
media? Yes, I've also joined
the trend and created my
own websites and blogs as
another way to push myself
to keep writing. Maybe one
post a week, or even once a
month. I just keep in mind
that inspiration knocks on
my door every morning.
Fang Sheng, CT has been a language
professional for nearly 30 years and freelancing
for over 17. Having worked as both a translator/
interpreter and editor/proofreader, as well as
a project manager for a language services
provider, he specializes in the financial services, economics,
and marketing/creative industries. He is an ATA-certified
English<>Chinese translator. He has guest lectured at the
Master of Conference Interpreting Program at Glendon
College, York University, Tianjin Foreign Studies University,
and online learning platforms such as CCTalk. He is the editorin-chief
of ATA's Chinese Language Division's Yifeng Blog.
shengf@hotmail.com
www.atanet.org
https://www.ata-divisions.org/CLD/yifeng-blog/ https://www.ata-divisions.org/CLD/yifeng-blog/ https://creativenonfictioncollective.ca/ https://creativenonfictioncollective.ca/ https://www.ata-divisions.org/CLD/yifeng-blog/ http://www.atanet.org
The ATA Chronicle - March/April 2023

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