The Voice of Experience, A Conversation With C Hope Clark, FundsforWriters Editor
C.
Hope Clark is a writer and editor of the ezine FundsforWriters and has been on the Writer's Digest List of Best Websites for Writers for 10 consecutive years.
Here are key ideas from the interview:
C.
Hope Clark: I write nonfiction for others and fiction for me.
I hope one day to cross the bridge where each works for the other side.
I adore the outdoors.
When I lived three years in Phoenix, one of the first things I did upon returning to my beloved South was to hug a tree.
Seriously.
I'm married to a retired federal agent, and security/safety is huge in my house.
I have two sons, two stepsons, a grandson and granddaughter (Yea, tell me I look too young.
I love hearing that - that's just the photography, trust me.
You should see me in person.
The years have left their mark here and there.
) When I built my house, I told the contractor he had two main goals - place my writing room so it had the best view of the lake...
and build my husband's walk-in-safe exactly as he wanted.
I said safety was key already, didn't I? We live on the banks of Lake Murray in South Carolina.
Avil Beckford: What's a typical day like for you? C.
Hope Clark: Sleep until 9-10 AM.
I'm a night person.
Hubby fixes my breakfast.
A few chores, maybe emails for an hour or two (I receive 300-400 per day), then something outdoors, if possible, especially if the day is nice.
I have to get my daily dose of Vitamin D.
I at least feed and greet my chickens - one rooster, 14 hens and a couple of babies.
By 5-6 pm, I'm back at the computer working on FundsforWriters.
Break for dinner, maybe a mystery/cop show or two with hubby (I adore mysteries), then back to the computer - by then writing on the novel until 2 AM.
I love writing in the middle of the night, when no one is looking and I can think with the world silent, leaving me to my thoughts.
Avil Beckford: How do you motivate yourself and stay motivated? C.
Hope Clark: I don't get caught up in this "muse" business.
Neither do I believe in writer's block.
Motivation, to me, is nothing more than being consistent.
The more consistent and productive I am, the more motivated I get.
So on those days when I'm dragging, I continue to drag my behind to the computer and work.
The results are just as satisfying as when I'm positive and perky.
Frankly, once you write something to completion, you really can't tell what you wrote on a good day and what you wrote on a sluggish day.
So the point it to just show up.
Avil Beckford: If you had to start over from scratch, knowing what you know now, what would you do differently? C.
Hope Clark: Not marry my first husband? LOL.
Seriously.
I would take my efforts at writing more seriously.
It's probably normal for younger people to second guess their abilities, but I would have written more, sooner, and younger.
I would have traveled this writing road harder with more purpose, because only after you've traveled it long and hard do you improve.
It's not a skill set you're born with, regardless of what people think.
All the great writers spent their lives putting words on paper in quiet rooms for years before anyone knew their names.
And they took their writing seriously early in their lives.
Avil Beckford: Describe a major business or other challenge you had and how you resolved it.
C.
Hope Clark: I worked 25 years with a federal agency, ultimately reaching the rank of second in the state.
However, I had the challenge of being the only woman amongst my peers most of the time.
I hated the animosity, the vying for power.
While I was good at it, it took a toll on me.
So I created a three-year plan to get my finances in order and request an early retirement (dropping my income about sixty percent) so I could write for a living.
I'd already been writing part-time and earning a few dollars at it.
FundsforWriters was only a couple years old, but Writer's Digest had already recognized it in its 101 Best Websites for Writers.
That recognition was jaw-dropping to me and served as a tremendous catalyst.
With a family on board with my decision to leave the bureaucracy, I leaped into writing and FundsforWriters.
Even told the kids that I'd fund their college as long as I could, but if things got tight, they had to find ways to take up the slack.
I'm proud to say that FundsforWriters covered both sons' college tuition.
Avil Beckford: What lessons did you learn in the process? C.
Hope Clark: With a serious, well-thought out plan and mindset, you can stop the train wreck you're on and head in a different direction.
Avil Beckford: Describe one of your biggest failures.
What lessons did you learn, and how did it contribute to a greater success? C.
Hope Clark: Being a fairly competitive individual, in my old life (pre-writing) I dared to step too far in my efforts to make a name for myself.
I had to step-back (reassigned to another office) and analyze myself.
I sought to identify the mistakes while holding onto the standards I believed in.
A peer taught me this: Do the best you can at the job you are given and people will respect you - even in the midst of controversy.
Best advice I ever received.
I not only weathered that point in my life, but I also rose above it, achieving a promotion I never expected.
We have to be honest with ourselves in order to improve.
Avil Beckford: How did mentors influence your life? C.
Hope Clark: Mentors gave me self-esteem, made me study my own strengths and capitalize on them.
Avil Beckford: What's one core message you received from your mentors? C.
Hope Clark: Be true to yourself and respect others.
Stay hungry to improve in all aspects of your life.
Avil Beckford: How do you integrate your personal and professional life? C.
Hope Clark: Very wisely.
I know how to say no to those things that interfere.
I keep my life simple, but my professional life is a strong part of me.
It's the reason I left the nine-to-five, so I'm committed to it.
But working at home has allowed me to better weave the two so that they complement and rarely interfere with each other.
For instance, while my husband washes dishes and catches his second morning coffee, I'm typing this.
When he's done, we'll go outside and work on my latest chicken coop project.
It's a constant give and take, with respect for both.
Avil Beckford: What process do you use to generate great ideas? C.
Hope Clark: Sit in silence with paper and pen.
Introspection is the most basic step of invention and creativity.
Avil Beckford: How do you define success? C.
Hope Clark: Ah, I've given this answer many times.
Doing what you love and loving the results.
Avil Beckford: What are the steps you took to succeed in your field? C.
Hope Clark: First, choose an enjoyable field.
Second, do tons of research and never stop doing that research, because everyone's career changes.
Third, be consistent and reliable in your work product.
I kept envisioning others watching, waiting for me to produce for them, needing what I had to deliver.
When you feel you are helping others, filling their needs, you become a better worker, better person.
Avil Beckford: What advice do you have for someone just starting out in your field? C.
Hope Clark: Don't be so arrogant to think you should publish quickly.
While publishing is a form of recognition in my field, to do so too soon is to tarnish your image and disrespect the reader/your client.
In other professions, people attend years of school, intern, serve residencies, create many prototypes.
They work for years to become respected.
Writing is no different.
You will not be successful overnight.
Thinking you can is a slap in the face of others in the profession.
Study hard, write daily, read voraciously, then submit only when you feel great about the end product.
If you don't know if it's good, then it isn't.
Avil Beckford: Which one book had a profound impact on your life? What was it about this book that impacted you so deeply? C.
Hope Clark: Sorry - no one book.
I'm constantly amazed at new books, and my list changes and changes.
The closest I've ever come to gushing over a book might be Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy and The Help by Kathryn Stockett.
Pat Conroy writes about South Carolina, and I know those back roads and swamps.
He writes about tormented people and how they cope, not always in a light-hearted way.
Kathryn Stockett wrote about Jackson, Mississippi (near where I was born, where my mother's family is from) and about how black maids adapted to white women in their 30s, to include taking care of their children.
Very good.
I know this history, having family that comes from that era, under those conditions.
I guess these authors touched upon my own world.
Avil Beckford: If you had a personal genie and she gave you one wish, what would you wish for? Or, if I gave you a magic wand, what would you use it for? C.
Hope Clark: Longer life to experience more of the world.
Avil Beckford: Complete the following, I am happy when..
...
C.
Hope Clark: Those I love are happy.
Hope Clark is a writer and editor of the ezine FundsforWriters and has been on the Writer's Digest List of Best Websites for Writers for 10 consecutive years.
Here are key ideas from the interview:
- The more consistent and productive you are, the more motivated you get
- Rushing anything before it's ready is fool's folly
- With a serious well thought out plan and mindset, you can stop the train wreck you're on and head in a different direction
- Do the best you can at the job you are given and people will respect you
- Stay hungry, to improve all aspects of your life
C.
Hope Clark: I write nonfiction for others and fiction for me.
I hope one day to cross the bridge where each works for the other side.
I adore the outdoors.
When I lived three years in Phoenix, one of the first things I did upon returning to my beloved South was to hug a tree.
Seriously.
I'm married to a retired federal agent, and security/safety is huge in my house.
I have two sons, two stepsons, a grandson and granddaughter (Yea, tell me I look too young.
I love hearing that - that's just the photography, trust me.
You should see me in person.
The years have left their mark here and there.
) When I built my house, I told the contractor he had two main goals - place my writing room so it had the best view of the lake...
and build my husband's walk-in-safe exactly as he wanted.
I said safety was key already, didn't I? We live on the banks of Lake Murray in South Carolina.
Avil Beckford: What's a typical day like for you? C.
Hope Clark: Sleep until 9-10 AM.
I'm a night person.
Hubby fixes my breakfast.
A few chores, maybe emails for an hour or two (I receive 300-400 per day), then something outdoors, if possible, especially if the day is nice.
I have to get my daily dose of Vitamin D.
I at least feed and greet my chickens - one rooster, 14 hens and a couple of babies.
By 5-6 pm, I'm back at the computer working on FundsforWriters.
Break for dinner, maybe a mystery/cop show or two with hubby (I adore mysteries), then back to the computer - by then writing on the novel until 2 AM.
I love writing in the middle of the night, when no one is looking and I can think with the world silent, leaving me to my thoughts.
Avil Beckford: How do you motivate yourself and stay motivated? C.
Hope Clark: I don't get caught up in this "muse" business.
Neither do I believe in writer's block.
Motivation, to me, is nothing more than being consistent.
The more consistent and productive I am, the more motivated I get.
So on those days when I'm dragging, I continue to drag my behind to the computer and work.
The results are just as satisfying as when I'm positive and perky.
Frankly, once you write something to completion, you really can't tell what you wrote on a good day and what you wrote on a sluggish day.
So the point it to just show up.
Avil Beckford: If you had to start over from scratch, knowing what you know now, what would you do differently? C.
Hope Clark: Not marry my first husband? LOL.
Seriously.
I would take my efforts at writing more seriously.
It's probably normal for younger people to second guess their abilities, but I would have written more, sooner, and younger.
I would have traveled this writing road harder with more purpose, because only after you've traveled it long and hard do you improve.
It's not a skill set you're born with, regardless of what people think.
All the great writers spent their lives putting words on paper in quiet rooms for years before anyone knew their names.
And they took their writing seriously early in their lives.
Avil Beckford: Describe a major business or other challenge you had and how you resolved it.
C.
Hope Clark: I worked 25 years with a federal agency, ultimately reaching the rank of second in the state.
However, I had the challenge of being the only woman amongst my peers most of the time.
I hated the animosity, the vying for power.
While I was good at it, it took a toll on me.
So I created a three-year plan to get my finances in order and request an early retirement (dropping my income about sixty percent) so I could write for a living.
I'd already been writing part-time and earning a few dollars at it.
FundsforWriters was only a couple years old, but Writer's Digest had already recognized it in its 101 Best Websites for Writers.
That recognition was jaw-dropping to me and served as a tremendous catalyst.
With a family on board with my decision to leave the bureaucracy, I leaped into writing and FundsforWriters.
Even told the kids that I'd fund their college as long as I could, but if things got tight, they had to find ways to take up the slack.
I'm proud to say that FundsforWriters covered both sons' college tuition.
Avil Beckford: What lessons did you learn in the process? C.
Hope Clark: With a serious, well-thought out plan and mindset, you can stop the train wreck you're on and head in a different direction.
Avil Beckford: Describe one of your biggest failures.
What lessons did you learn, and how did it contribute to a greater success? C.
Hope Clark: Being a fairly competitive individual, in my old life (pre-writing) I dared to step too far in my efforts to make a name for myself.
I had to step-back (reassigned to another office) and analyze myself.
I sought to identify the mistakes while holding onto the standards I believed in.
A peer taught me this: Do the best you can at the job you are given and people will respect you - even in the midst of controversy.
Best advice I ever received.
I not only weathered that point in my life, but I also rose above it, achieving a promotion I never expected.
We have to be honest with ourselves in order to improve.
Avil Beckford: How did mentors influence your life? C.
Hope Clark: Mentors gave me self-esteem, made me study my own strengths and capitalize on them.
Avil Beckford: What's one core message you received from your mentors? C.
Hope Clark: Be true to yourself and respect others.
Stay hungry to improve in all aspects of your life.
Avil Beckford: How do you integrate your personal and professional life? C.
Hope Clark: Very wisely.
I know how to say no to those things that interfere.
I keep my life simple, but my professional life is a strong part of me.
It's the reason I left the nine-to-five, so I'm committed to it.
But working at home has allowed me to better weave the two so that they complement and rarely interfere with each other.
For instance, while my husband washes dishes and catches his second morning coffee, I'm typing this.
When he's done, we'll go outside and work on my latest chicken coop project.
It's a constant give and take, with respect for both.
Avil Beckford: What process do you use to generate great ideas? C.
Hope Clark: Sit in silence with paper and pen.
Introspection is the most basic step of invention and creativity.
Avil Beckford: How do you define success? C.
Hope Clark: Ah, I've given this answer many times.
Doing what you love and loving the results.
Avil Beckford: What are the steps you took to succeed in your field? C.
Hope Clark: First, choose an enjoyable field.
Second, do tons of research and never stop doing that research, because everyone's career changes.
Third, be consistent and reliable in your work product.
I kept envisioning others watching, waiting for me to produce for them, needing what I had to deliver.
When you feel you are helping others, filling their needs, you become a better worker, better person.
Avil Beckford: What advice do you have for someone just starting out in your field? C.
Hope Clark: Don't be so arrogant to think you should publish quickly.
While publishing is a form of recognition in my field, to do so too soon is to tarnish your image and disrespect the reader/your client.
In other professions, people attend years of school, intern, serve residencies, create many prototypes.
They work for years to become respected.
Writing is no different.
You will not be successful overnight.
Thinking you can is a slap in the face of others in the profession.
Study hard, write daily, read voraciously, then submit only when you feel great about the end product.
If you don't know if it's good, then it isn't.
Avil Beckford: Which one book had a profound impact on your life? What was it about this book that impacted you so deeply? C.
Hope Clark: Sorry - no one book.
I'm constantly amazed at new books, and my list changes and changes.
The closest I've ever come to gushing over a book might be Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy and The Help by Kathryn Stockett.
Pat Conroy writes about South Carolina, and I know those back roads and swamps.
He writes about tormented people and how they cope, not always in a light-hearted way.
Kathryn Stockett wrote about Jackson, Mississippi (near where I was born, where my mother's family is from) and about how black maids adapted to white women in their 30s, to include taking care of their children.
Very good.
I know this history, having family that comes from that era, under those conditions.
I guess these authors touched upon my own world.
Avil Beckford: If you had a personal genie and she gave you one wish, what would you wish for? Or, if I gave you a magic wand, what would you use it for? C.
Hope Clark: Longer life to experience more of the world.
Avil Beckford: Complete the following, I am happy when..
...
C.
Hope Clark: Those I love are happy.
Source...