Meet Trailblazer Colette Bennett

Today we’d like to introduce you to Colette Bennett.

Colette, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was nine years old, but I had no idea how to make it happen. College wasn’t financially possible for me, so I didn’t begin to pursue my dream until I was almost 30. I assumed without a formal education I wouldn’t be taken seriously as a writer.

In 2007, a passion for reading video game blogs led me to email the editors of my favorite publications asking if I could write for them. I kept my own blog on the topic and shared it with them, hoping one would take the time to read it. One day, I got a response and an assignment, which would earn me $200. I was ecstatic. I was getting paid to write for the first time in my life!

The experience encouraged me to continue to ask for work. As I did so, I continued to write for bigger outlets: first, other video game sites like Kotaku, Joystiq, and Gamasutra, then non-video game sites like Engadget and COLOURlovers. When a friend at CNN told me she was a fan of my work, I freelanced for them at first–and a few years later, I moved to Atlanta to work there full-time.

While I enjoyed what I was doing, I felt compelled to write a sci-fi novel for young adults. As I worked on it in my spare time, I also realized I deeply enjoyed editing–and that I could help other writers grow by sharing what I had learned. I started to take on freelance editing jobs for website copy, short stories, and eventually novels.

My fiction was published in print for the first time in 2017 by UK publisher Corona Books, and I have a second story coming out with them in October 2019. I also signed my first book deal in June with Rebellion Publishing for a full-length young adult novel, which should be out in late 2020. My poetry will also be published for the first time this year in an offshoot of literary journal Rhythm & Bones called Dark Marrow.

I’ve learned two key lessons from my writing journey: to ask for what I want, and to always continue to try, even if the steps I take are small. If I had believed that my lack of education would hold me back from becoming the writer I had always wanted to be, I may not have achieved any of these things. But writing has always been one of my greatest joys, and since I couldn’t imagine a life without it, I chose to imagine a life with it–and it’s yielded magic.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No road truly worth traveling is a smooth one. Like any writer, I have faced many rejections, been told my work is below average, failed where I hoped to succeed. But the far greater struggle was inside my head: what I told myself about those experiences, and how I allowed them to define my worth. It took a while, but I eventually learned to talk to myself differently. I am a recovering perfectionist! By learning to be kinder to myself every day, my writing flows more naturally and confidence feels like second nature.

For young writers trying to find their footing, I do have a few words of advice.

Write as much as you can, in any form you can: blogging, journaling, interview, short story, long story, novel, biography–anything that strikes your fancy. Don’t worry about making it perfect. Just get it out. Also, don’t beat yourself up about that old writing adage to “write every day.” We’ve all got lives; for some, that isn’t possible. Write when you can, as much as you can.

If you can help it, don’t get too attached to your work. Get it out, make edits if you need, try your hand at submitting it if you like. But if you’re too attached, editing becomes hard (which is why some beloved writing advice goes “Kill your darlings.”). Do your best, do what you want with it, and keep moving.

Enter competitions and contests. There are hundreds of them going on at any given time, and many of them have no entry fees. Authors Publish is a great resource to find them, as is Writer’s Digest. Don’t worry if your work is good enough or not. Submit anyway.

Find a community of writers that encourages you to grow. Mine is a Facebook group where we beta each other’s work, share contests and accolades. Your community should encourage, support, and inspire you. If it doesn’t do all three, find a new community. Finding your way to creative fruition is a rough road to travel, and you’ll need the support.

Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
In the 12 years I’ve worked as a writer, I’ve discovered I have a passion for fiction, which is my current focus. I love to write both fiction and non-fiction, and favorite format of the moment is short stories 2000 words or less. In fiction, my favorite topics are sci-fi, horror, and young adult themes, but I do have a soft spot for fairy tales as well. In non-fiction, I enjoy resonant topics such as childhood, the female experience, and finding one’s true voice.

I’ve also been editing for six years and can improve and polish words on everything from a website to a full-length manuscript. I’ve edited two novels, a dozen short stories, and websites. I’m also SEO savvy thanks to my job as an editor at The Daily Dot, so your content will be well-written AND optimized for the web!

Whether I am writing or editing, I am proud of my focus on helping writers to grow. As an editor, I teach my clients what I am doing to change their text or story and why so they can benefit. I do the same with the writers I manage at The Daily Dot. I don’t just want to fix your work, I want to teach you how to improve it in the same way formative editors in my past taught me. Writers thrive from support and objective feedback–and thanks to my own experiences, I can provide both.

Finding a mentor and building a network are often cited in studies as a major factor impacting one’s success. Do you have any advice or lessons to share regarding finding a mentor or networking in general?
As I mentioned before, a writing group is a must-have for support and feedback–mine is invaluable to me (shout out to Scribes United!). The Association of Writers and Writing Programs also offers a nifty service called Writer to Writer that may help you find someone. If you’re the brave type, you might also try attending a writing convention. I go to the Atlanta Writers Convention every year, as well as the AWP convention (also hosted by the Association of Writers and Writing Programs). Conventions offer a massive amount of panels on everything from novel crafting to poetry, and for a flat entry fee, you can go to any of them (or all, if your energy is limitless).

Contact Info:

• Website: https://colettebennett.journoportfolio.com/
• Email: colette.bennett@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colettebennett/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/colettelouisebennett

Image Credit:
Personal photo: Photographer is Nikki Rau-Baker

Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.