Building the CV, some Preliminaries

When building a CV, I think it's prudent first to figure out where you stand. Here's the list: 1) What do you want to achieve? 2) What have you done already? 3) What are your assets? 4) Are there current project that are CV worthy? And 5) Do you have a plan for building your CV that is focused, achievable and work worthy?

In my situation, I see these five steps as a general mode of working rather than a big mountain to climb. And really, when it comes down to the general mode of work, like just about everything else that you might do, it's probably best to make something a general way of working rather than just a long list of unrelated tasks.

Going down the list: 1) What do I want to achieve? Well, it's pretty much what I explained last week, I want to get back to being a productive writer who enjoys publication and invitations to work on projects.

This is my current CV. So, just seeing this, I know 2) What have you done already? However looking at this, it makes me think of possibilities that I may have overlooked had I just decided to burn the old CV and move on. I have met a great many people over the years and they're all still working and doing things. It doesn't hurt to propose projects or even propose working with old associates again.

Which leads to the next point: 3) What are your assets? There are the obvious things here. I still work at Umbrella Factory Magazine, I still have dealings with Rocket House Pictures, I still have one more novel coming from Ring of Fire Books, and I still contribute to two blogs: this one and The ILacqua Experiment. This says nothing of the few magazines I've contributed to in the past, nor Sophia Ballou which I still generally consider to be the most rewarding experience of my writer's career. I have a great deal going for me, and I suspect that anyone who is building a CV right now is no different from me. You just have to look into things a little to see how many avenues there are going already.

The next point: 4) Are there current project that are CV worthy? is really the meat of the matter. If there aren't any current projects that means that there need to be. Of course, if you are a short story writer, or a poet, I would think you have a great deal of work already completed. At this stage, it's a matter of figuring our how to get this work off of your desk, and onto somebody else's desk and furthermore to readers. Perhaps you have a novel and the same thing applies. I figured I'd write out a list of associations and services that I use or should use and this is what I came up with: AWP, CLMP, New Pages, Duotrope, Fiction Writer's Guild, IMdB, Issuu, Submittable, Createspace, Good Reads, Smashwords, Kindle Direct Publishing and the normal battery of social media outlets: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, youtube, etc. This is by no means an exhaustive list. It's just something to think about. I use some of these services and I belong to some of these organizations. I think to belong to all of them would take an overwhelming amount of time. Pick a few. If you are a short story writer, New Pages, Duotrope, Issuu and Submittable will probably be enough.

The last point: 5) Do you have a plan for building your CV that is focused, achievable and work worthy? is where the work begins. For me, I know that there are two items outstanding for me: first my novel Warehouses and Rusted Angels is in the works at Ring of Fire Books. I have done all I'm going to do with this project for now. When a release date happens, I will begin my portion of the marketing of the book. Likewise, a second novel, Sand and Asbestos will release sometime next year. Again, when the date gets set, that's when my work begins. But what about the meantime? For me, as an example, I have the opportunity to make another film this year. If I do nothing else this year for my CV, I have these three items, at least.

Next Time: Specific CV building points