Lotsa Work

So more enquiries have started come in, now that I've made it clear I'm open to taking on new projects. So far there's another web site project, in addition to the Shukumisa work ( corporate site this time) and a series of articles for an annual publication I wrote for last year.

Some time last night I started wondering, "what have I done?" Not that I'm afraid of hard work or anything:-) It's just that once you've sold an idea to someone, and they like it, then you have pull up your socks and work hard to deliver on the promise.

Calls for submissions

I also had an equiry by someone who is looking for Black freelance writers. My apologies to my good friends who are also writers here, but don't fit the demographic. They were very specific and I assume they want content AND to fulfill their Black Economic Empowerment obligations. The articles would be journo style, and the editor provides detailed briefs and contact details for sources, so if this is something you could do, email me and i'll pass your details on.

Meawhile, if you are a writer or visual artist, there's a call for submissions on Itch, an online publication where "artists working in any medium and writers expressing themselves in any form or genre." They publish non-fiction, narratives, poetry, visual art and news.

Check out submission guidelines on Itch

BizTech Africa is also still looking for news and views on the technology biz in Africa. Keep in mind that this is NOT a freelance opportunity. Rather, I'd like the companies involved in the business, and the PR professionals that support them, to pitch story ideas. Email me at damariasenne@gmail.com to send your story ideas.

On authors and reading

Yesterday I did an interview with an author I previously mentioned I discovered and like her work, and it went well, and I really liked her. She was fun, funny, very enthusiastic about what she does ( day job and the writing) and I learnt quite a bit from her on how I could handle my own fiction writing processes.

For example, she says she role-plays her characters with a writer friend ( i.e. she and the friend play characters in a book who are then thrown into a situation, and then both role players try to deal with the problem in line with the character's nature). Excellent way to learn more about characters we create, and to push the story forward when you can't think of a way forward in a story. Now all I have to do is write up the interview.

I've also been doing quite a bit of reading on sexual assault and violence against women in general, as part of my prep for the Shukumisa web site. I have to say sometimes it's really depressing - to realise the scope of violence in our society.

And we can all make a difference in small and big ways - and yeah, the Shukumisa web site readers will periodically be asked to take part in campaigns by sending in letter of support, or to offer comments, which will become part of my client's submissions to government ( parliament, government departments etc).

Anyhoo, you can chat about your reading preferences, or even initiate discussions on what you're reading, on READ SA's Facebook page.

And please feel free to visit OneLove and take a poll, take part in a discussion or to send us your story if you haven't done so yet (email it to me at the email above). Your views are very important to me and to the organisations I work for, which seek to improve our communities bit by bit.

I'm also looking for stories about volunteering/working to improve communities, to publish on the Kwanda web site. ( NOT a freelance opportunity either, but an opportunity to talk about causes you support.)