Holly Grande: Short and Sweet

The past few weeks have given me a new sense of clarity in terms of the career I want to have. This afternoon, I started the process of becoming a sole proprietorship, which means I will be able to offer freelance services while I continue to look for a position with a public relations firm. A license also means that should I decide to devote myself entirely to freelancing, I can do that, too.

When I was a kid, I wrote short stories about trees and tornadoes and mice and ballerinas. I imagined one day I would be a famous author like Eric Carle, and I practiced thinking up novels in the bathtub. I continued to write in high school and college for student-run newspapers, and my passion for words is what led me to public relations.

I love the way a good writer can craft language. It’s exciting to write articles and press releases and e-mails targeted to bloggers—choosing just the right words can lead to a feature article or an interview with an up-and-coming celebrity.

Centuries ago, philosophers argued about the power of words. A good speaker can sway minds, and a great one can incite change. Be it Aristotle or Eddie Bernays, when someone uses language to change minds or share ideas, they have power over people.

Writing a press release is not difficult. Typing up original Web content can take minutes, as does customizing an e-mail. It’s easy to get the words down, but what I want to do is write great press releases and articles that help clients reach new audiences and motivate change.

Finding a job in this economy is going to be difficult. I have no doubt that I will see many more polite rejections before I find the position right for me. But I am sure now that I want to continue to write and blog and maybe change the world.

Posted by Holly at 6:48 PM 0 comments  

Labels: career, communication, writing

For almost eight years I volunteered at an online, by-teens-for-teens magazine called Kiwibox.com. At the time of my resignation, I was a Senior Editor of the eXpressions, Life and Dating sections. This week, KB celebrated its 10th anniversary, and site co-creator Mike asked me to write a guest post. A portion of my article follows--you can read the full post at Kiwibox.com.

When Mike asked me to write up my favorite Kiwibox memories, I thought it would be an easy task, but I'm having a tough time. I guess I never really thought about how much Kiwibox has affected me--it's a Web site, after all. But if my life were a great big tapestry, I think there would be a bright green thread starting somewhere in the middle, weaving in and out of college applications, internships, novels and my career now. Ten years is nearly half my life, and it is staggering to think that this Web site has been a part of it for so long.

I remember when I first discovered Kiwibox while looking for news about the Backstreet Boys. I was ecstatic to find this website that wasn't just for teens, the articles were written by teens, too. I was hooked on the deliciously scandalous KiwiSoap, and I spent hours refreshing the journals to try and score the elusive karma beads. Soon, I became a regular on the Young Authors message board, and within weeks I had submitted my application to become a full-fledged reporter.

Read the rest here.

Posted by Holly at 1:42 PM 0 comments  

Labels: cute websites, writing

I have been doing a lot of reading lately. Between the continued job hunt and working at the restaurant, my free time has been rather sporadic. Picking up a book for a few minutes a day gives me a chance to wind down and relax.

I wrote about my massive to-read list late last year, and I have since made a nice dent in it, but I have also picked up a few titles that are less likely to appear on anyone’s list of greatest novels. I hope to one day publish the novels swirling around in my head, and to help me get there, I like to read kid lit and young adult novels to sort of see-how-the-authors-did-it and learn from their work.

The book covers are also quite entertaining.

Most recently, I picked up Running out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix. I found it in the for-sale shelves at my local library, and for a quarter, it was a total steal. The novel centers around 14-year-old Jessie, a young women living with her family on the frontier in 1840. Jessie’s world is shattered when she discovers her pioneer village isn’t a village at all, but a scientific experiment, and the year is actually 1996.

Sounds familiar, right? It took me a quick Google search to discover that the book was not, in fact, the basis for M. Night Shyamalan’s film The Village. (In fact, Simon and Schuster explored the possibility of a lawsuit against the Shyamalan and Disney.)

The really interesting thing about Running Out of Time, however, wasn’t its twist ending or the scandal surrounding its similarities with the 2004 film. Rather, while reading it, I felt like I was 10 again, hiding away in my room to read the Secret Window or Bell Prater’s Boy. I was excited to turn the next page! Perhaps it was in part because the book took place in the 90s, when I was in elementary school, but it read how I remembered books being when I was a kid, where I thought it was entirely possible that a brother and sister team could unearth a treasure, or Nancy Drew could solve the mystery before her dad returned from his trip.

A lot of kid lit and YA novels, I have a hard time reading as an adult, even if I know I loved them as a kid. While I can pick up Harry Potter any day to read and enjoy as an adult, I am just not interested in the Babysitter’s Club books I loved in fourth grade. I was surprised when I enjoyed Haddix’s novel, and I think I’ll even send it to my little brother to read--if he can get past the 90s references and lack of cell phones :).

I think the key is that Haddix didn’t write a book she thought 12-year-olds would like, she wrote a book that takes place in a world entirely in the perspective of a kid, and this gives the book something of a timeless quality.

That’s what I would like to do one day. I want my books to entertain teens and tweens, but I think I want their parents to like them too, or at least for their cranky, post-grad sisters.

I’ll let you know what the little brother thinks of the book.

Posted by Holly at 2:48 PM 3 comments  

Labels: books, recommended reading, writing

Laura's Livejournal
Lori's Livejournal
Margie's Livejournal

Posted by Holly at 9:56 PM 0 comments  

Labels: career, video, vlogging, writing

Jennifer Lynn Barnes is one of the coolest authors on my blogroll. She writes YA books, including the popular series The Squad and the teen supernatural novels beginning with Golden. Recently, she began writing advice for young writers, too. The first two entries can be found here and here. I know that there are a few aspiring authors who read my entries, and I encourage you to go check out her blog.

Similarly, Sherwood Smith has a great discussion about first-reading experiences over at her blog, and Hula Bunny posted an interesting discussion at her blog. She asks, "If there were such a thing as "So You Think You Can Write", what genres should be included, and how do you characterize that genre?" Link found by way of Susan Taylor Brown.

Finally, another one of my favorite young authors and fellow bloggers, Jackson Pearce, has posted new vlog for aspiring authors. She has fantastic advice about critique partners. Check it out below:

Posted by Holly at 8:52 PM 1 comments  

Labels: advice, writing