#A good chunk of other people I also correspond with *here* so this message would be a bit odd

[babacontainsmultitudes]

Oh, hi baba, found your tumblr while scrolling the jmart tag. - some jackass from the daddies patreon discord

Shit this could be so many people. Fuck- I'm so bad at guessing games oh gosh oh geez. Oh and hiiiiiiiiiii 👋 hehe hiiiiiiiii!

Hm I kinda miss the patreon discord I should hang out there more like I used to do...

[montagnarde1793]

Ribbons of Scarlet: A predictably terrible novel on the French Revolution (part 1)

Parts 2, 3, 4 and 5.

Q: Why is this post in English? Isn’t this blog usually in French?

 A: Yes, but I can’t bypass the chance, however small, that someone in the book’s target audience might see and benefit from what I’m about to say.

 Q: Why did you even read this book? Don’t you usually avoid bad French Revolution media?

 A: My aunt left the book with me when she came for my defense last November. I could already tell it would be pretty awful and might not have read it except that I needed something that didn’t require too much concentration at the height of the Covid haze and I — like most people who insisted on finishing their doctorate despite the abysmal academic job market — have a problem with the sunk cost fallacy, so once I got started I figured I might as well find out just how bad it got.

 Q: Don’t you have papers to grade?

 A: … Next question.

 Q: Aren’t you stepping out of your lane as an historian by reviewing historical fiction? You understand that it wasn’t intended for you, right?

 A: First of all, this is my blog, such as it is, and I do what I want. Even to the point of self-indulgence. Why else have a blog? Also, I did receive encouragement. XD;

 Second, while a lot of historians I respect consider that anything goes as long as it’s fiction and some even seem to think it’s beneath their dignity to acknowledge its existence, given the influence fiction has on people’s worldview I think they’re mistaken. Besides, this is the internet and no one here has any dignity to lose.

 Finally, this is not so much a review in the classic sense as a case study and a critical analysis of what went wrong here that a specialist is uniquely qualified to make, not because historians are the target audience, but because the target audience might get the impression that it’s not very good without being able to articulate why. To quote an old Lindsay Ellis video, “It’s not bad because it’s wrong, it’s bad because it sucks. But it sucks because it’s wrong.” Or, if you prefer, relying on lazy clichés and adopting or embellishing every lurid anecdote you come across is bound to come across as artificial, amateurish and unconvincing.

 This is especially offensive when you make grandiose claims about your novel’s feminist message and the “time and care” you supposedly put into your research.

 I also admit to having something of a morbid fascination with liberals creating reactionary media without realizing it, which this is also a textbook example of (if someone were to write a textbook on the subject, which they probably should).

 With that out of the way, what even is this book?

 The Basics

 It’s a collaboration between six historical novelists attempting to recount the French Revolution from the point of view of seven of its female participants. One of these novelists is in fact an historian herself, which is a little bit distressing, given that like her co-authors, she seems to consider people like G. Lenotre reliable sources. But then, she’s an Americanist and I’ve seen Americanists publish all kinds of laughable things about the French Revolution in actual serious works of non-fiction without getting called out because their work is only ever reviewed by other Americanists. So.

 Anyway, if you’re familiar with Marge Piercy’s (far superior, though not without its flaws) City of Darkness, City of Light, you might think, “ok, so it’s that with more women.” And you might think that that’s not so bad of an idea; Marge Piercy maybe didn’t go all the way with her feminist concept by making half the point of view characters men (though I’d argue that the way she frames how they view women was part of the point). It’s even conceivable that if Piercy had wanted to make all the protagonists women her publisher would have said no on the grounds of there not being a general audience for that. It was the 1990s, after all.

 Except the conceit this time is they’re all by different authors, we have some counterrevolutionaries in the mix, and instead of the POV chapters interweaving, each character gets her own chunk of the novel, generally about 70-80 pages worth, although there are a couple of notable exceptions. We’ll get to those.

 It’s accordingly divided as follows:

·      Part I. The Philosopher, by Stephanie Dray, from the point of view of salonnière, translator, miniaturist and wife of Condorcet, Sophie de Grouchy, “Spring 1786” to “Spring 1789”; Sophie de Grouchy also gets an epilogue, set in 1804

·      Part II. The Revolutionary, by Heather Webb, from the point of view of Reine Audu, Parisian fruit seller who participated in the march on Versailles and the storming of the Tuileries, 27 June-5 October 1789

·      Part III. The Princess, by Sophie Perinot, from the point of view of Louis XVI’s sister Élisabeth, May 1791-20 June 1792

·      Part IV. The Politician, by Kate Quinn, from the point of view of Manon Roland, wife of the Brissotin Minister of the Interior known for writing her husband’s speeches and for her own memoirs, August 1792-(Fall 1793 — no date is given, but it ends with her still in prison)

·      Part V. The Assassin, by E. Knight, which is split between the POV of Charlotte Corday, the eponymous assassin of Marat, and that of Pauline Léon, chocolate seller and leader of the Société des Républicaines révolutionnaires, 7 July-8 November 1793

·      Part VI. The Beauty, by Laura Kamoie, from the point of view of Émilie de Sainte-Amaranthe, a young aristocrat who ran a gambling den and who got mixed up in the “red shirt” affair and was executed in Prarial Year II, “March 1794”-“17 June 1794”

An *Interesting* Choice of Characters…

 Now, there are some obvious red flags in the line-up. I’m not sure, if you were to ask me to come up with a list of women of the French Revolution I would come up with one where 4/7 of the characters are nobles/royals — a highly underrepresented POV, as I’m sure you’re all aware — but fine. Sophie de Grouchy is an interesting perspective to include and Mme Élisabeth at least makes a change from Antoinette? And though the execution is among the worst (no pun intended) Charlotte Corday’s inclusion makes sense as she is famous for doing one of the only things a lay audience has unfortunately heard of in association with the Revolution.

 Reine Audu is actually an excellent choice, both pertinent and original. Credit where credit is due. Manon Roland and Pauline Léon are not bad choices either in theory, but given the overlap with Marge Piercy’s book, if you’re going to do a worse job, why bother? The inclusion of Sophie de Grouchy, while, again, not a bad choice, also kind of makes this comparison inevitable, as another of Piercy’s POV characters was Condorcet.

 But Émilie de Sainte-Amaranthe? I’m not saying you couldn’t write an historically grounded and plausible text from her point of view, but her inclusion was an early tip-off that this was going to be a book that makes lurid and probably apocryphal anecdotes its bread and butter.

 The absolute worst choice was to make Pauline Léon only exist — at best — as a foil to Charlotte Corday. (It turns out to be worse than that, actually. She’s less of a foil than a faire-valoir.)

Still, why does no one write a novel about Simone and Catherine Évrard (poor Simone is reduced to “Marat’s mistress” here, not just by Charlotte Corday, which is understandable, but also by Pauline Léon) or Louise Kéralio or the Fernig sisters or Nanine Vallain or Rosalie Jullien or Jeanne Odo or hell, why not one of the dozens of less famous women who voted on the constitution of 1793 or joined the army or petitioned the Convention or taught in the new public schools. Many of them aren’t as well-documented, but isn’t that what fiction is for?

Let’s try to be nice for a minute

There are things that work about this book and while the result is pretty bad, I think the authors’ intentions were good. Like, who could object to the dedication, in the abstract?

This novel is dedicated to the women who fight, to the women who stand on principle. It is an homage to the women who refuse to back down even in the face of repression, slander, and death. History is replete with you, even if we are not taught that, and the present moment is full of you—brave, determined, and laudable.

It’s how they go about trying to illustrate it that’s the problem, and we’ll get to that.

For now, let me reiterate that while I’m not a fan of the “all perspectives are equally valid” school of history or fiction — or its variant, “all *women*’s perspectives are equally valid” — and there are other characters I would have chosen first, it absolutely would have been possible to write something good with this cast of characters (minus making Charlotte Corday and Pauline Léon share a section).

The parts where the characters deal with their interpersonal relationships and grapple with misogyny are mostly fine — I say mostly, because as we’ll see, the political slant given to that misogyny is not without its problems. These are the parts that are obviously based on the authors’ personal experience and as such they ring true, if not always to an 18th century mentality, at least to that lived experience.

Finally, there are occasionally notes that are hit just fine from an historical perspective as well. The author of the section on Mme Élisabeth doesn’t shy away from making her a persistent advocate of violently repressing the Revolution. Manon Roland corresponds pretty well to the picture that emerges from her memoirs even if the author of her section does seem to agree with her that she was the voice of reason to the point of giving her “reasonable” opinions she didn’t actually hold.

I should also note that while the literary quality is not great, it’s not trying to be great literature and in any case, on that point at least, I’m not sure I could do better.

Ok, that’s enough being nice. Tune in next time for all the things that don’t work.

[quilloftheclouds]

11/11/11 Tag Game

I was actually tagged twice for this one, so it’s actually 22 instead of 11! Thanks to @marlettwrites​ and @inexorableblob​ for the tags, and apologies for the lateness of answering! I have quite the backlog of tag games. ^^’

Rules: Answer eleven questions, tag eleven people, and ask eleven questions!

1. What book has most inspired you to write? (could also be a tv show, podcast, song, whatever!)

Oooooffff, I need to get back into reading real books. Honestly? I know The Edge Chronicles by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell was one of the inspirations from my childhood, but there are likely so many more that I’m not remembering.

2. What do you like to listen to while you write?

The range of genres of music I listen to is astounding and often completely random! If not, the music typically matches the atmosphere or mood of the scene I would currently be writing.

3. Favorite genre to read and/or write?

I love me some good ole fantasy. Right now I’m writing a historical fantasy, which is something I never thought I would do, but it’s been a whole lotta fun! I also really like writing and reading sci-fi! (I may or may not have another wip idea in the works that’s sci-fi HELP)

4. What are five aesthetic things for your WIP? (sounds, smells, feelings, colors, whatever floats your boat)

can I answer “the ocean” here or is that not allowed?

The smell of the sea, the smoothness of fish scales, the prickling of static electricity, the salty tang of blood, and creaking timbers of a storm tossed ship.

5. How did you come up with the idea for your WIP?

One Siren’s Soul was originally just a pirate au I shoved a bunch of previously created original characters into. And then the characters started changing to match the story and an actual plot started forming and it got out of hand. -u-

6. What initially inspired the creation of your MC(s)?

Ah. This is. Um. I’m a nerd. They’re all originally gemsonas. Steven Universe. Whoops. (Any guesses as to what their gemstones originally were? Celestine doesn’t count.) I basically was inspired by the metaphysical meanings attributed to each individual stone when creating their personalities and designs. Just to be clear, though, their characters have shifted dramatically from what they used to be.

7. Do any of your characters have pets? If so, what are they?

None of the characters have a pet at the start of the novel, but that ain’t gonna stay that way.

8. Are there any tropes that you absolutely despise?

Hmmm. Hm. I don’t really have any specific ones, but often negative stereotypes based solely on culture are big tropes I tend to really dislike. Sure, the people you’re depicting definitely do exist, but is it really necessary to portray a culture as being the exact same negative traits so many times? The detrimental effects of this are terrible, but that’s a rant for another day.

9. What are the main themes of your WIP?

... I’m never really the best with these. ^^’ Let’s see... I mean, there’s your classic enemies to lovers, tons of betterment of self stuff and adapting to and understanding one’s own flaws, lotta communication themes, family, change vs. tradition, a big chunk of power and corruption... Yeah. I guess. I need to get better at this.

10. What motivates your antagonist (or if it’s man vs nature, how did your protag get stuck in their sticky sitch)?

NyehehheehHEHEHEHEHHHEEEE oohhhhh isn’t this such an interesting, spoiler inducing question. First off, who exactly is my antagonist? Captain Io? Rose? Dione? The Scientist? Clearly it’s Colin. Has to be.

So what motivates this so-called antagonist? He wishes he could make friends with everyone and obviously it’s because Celestine refuses to be friends with anyone.

(Okay but jokes aside this is a major discovery in the book, so I can’t quite reveal that yet. ^^’)

Context-less spoilers: Someone’s really not impressed with their sibling, and someone else wants someone because they’re a meanie jerk.

11. If your MC were to buy ice cream, what flavor would they get? (I had to finish it off with a fun one)

This is a cute question! If any of my MCs actually knew what ice cream was: Celestine would get the sweetest thing offered, like cotton candy or bubblegum, because she’s a gigantic sweet tooth; Colin likes your classic puppy paws; Dione is boring and would get something like French vanilla or strawberry; and Phoenix loves chocolate way too much.

Round two!

1. Would you rather adapt your WIP to TV/streaming or Film/Movie?

In personal experience, I’ve typically preferred movie adaptations to TV series ones. Plus, the story is very dependent on specific plot points that need to follow very closely consecutively, and I feel splitting that up into individual episodes would really chop up the flow.

2. Who would Sean Bean play in your WIP?

Uuuhhhhhhhhhh I have no clue mate. The closest character appearance wise to him would be George?

3. What in the real world besides books/media has inspired your WIP?

The ocean. I am a maritimer from birth and shall always be! Also my family took a two week road trip across Newfoundland one Summer and it was so fun and so pretty and I loved it so much I put the setting of One Siren’s Soul there. So yeah!

4. What authors do you avoid?

To be completely honest, I haven’t been reading much lately! But I’m sorry, I never did really like Veronica Roth’s Divergent. So... maybe her?

5. If you had to hide a secret message in your WIP, how would you hide it?

Heh. Who’s to say there isn’t? In the chapter titles and how they correspond to the text? NYEEHEHHE

6. Would you rather have an OC of yours make you breakfast in bed or do your laundry?

... Breakfast in bed. Slight spoiler: Phoenix is an utterly amazing cook.

7. Do you learn better from experience or instruction?

I really do appreciate instruction but for me it’s typically experience! Either that or learning by example. By example is often the best way for me.

8. What is the grossest thing you have ever seen/smelled/tasted/touch/heard about?

Ever taste dandelion blood? I was a dumb child.

9. Wallpaper or paint?

My mate, wallpaper is so pretty if you’re going for the fancy older house aesthetic, but it’s super expensive and inefficient. You can do just as well with paint and pictures/furniture pieces.

10. What would the Devil try to tempt you with? Money? Power? Love? Boots?

More hats for my collection.

11. If you attended your own funeral, what would offend you most, People not showing up, or people faking emotions, or something else?

I think it would be people only being there to take advantage of others somehow? Like... money or... yeah I got nothing. I would prefer a celebration of life to a funeral, though.

What a last question for that one! XD Here’s my own eleven questions for some other people!

1. What flowers would be used in a flower crown for your MCs?

2. What kind of scenes are your favourite to write?

3. What three words would you use to describe your wip(s)?

4. Which of your OCs is most similar to you? Least similar?

5. Are you a plant or animal person? What’s either your favourite plant or animal?

6. What would be your favourite classic AU for your wip(s)?

7. If you had to choose one song to be your own theme song, what would it be?

8. What was your very first wip?

9. Who is the most patient of your OCs? The least?

10. What would be the pet each of your MCs would get if they had the option to get anything?

11. How would you describe your writing style?

Taggin’ taggin’ time (I’m a rebel and won’t tag 11 ‘cause I don’t know that many people yet ^^’):  @imaghostwriter​ @alinakerrin @bookish-actor @scottishhellhound 

Have fun if you want to do it!

[sparkledeerfr]

Dear Director pt 2

[Pt One here]

Lady was angry, and yes some of that anger was directed at herself, but a good chunk of it was at how stuck she felt.

She knew the Director was lying- whether it was to protect herself or another didn’t matter at the moment- the point was others could be in danger and Lady did not know how to find the truth. She could roll up to Lightning territory herself, but likely the Director would see her coming a mile off. Lady had destroyed her last corporation and laboratory in a fit of altruism, after all. It wouldn’t happen a second time. That meant Lady would need help, but from where?

(read more link)

Of course there were plenty of people she could ask and no doubt they would help, but that would mean revealing her past, what she had done. She did not mind that so much if it got the job done, but the problem was being certain that the job would be done correctly. Viltri could certainly lawyer the place to oblivion, but Lightning types were nothing if not masters of corporations and shell games. The first official paperwork sent their way and the shredders would get to running and the answer would be buried under another five aliases. This wasn’t a job for Daud, or Adeline (if they could even find the time)...but who else was there?

Lady ran names through her head as she paced, trying to think of someone. If only Max hadn’t left! That was exactly the type of person she needed- a spy. But of course they no longer had a spy unless you counted Vice and Hox policing the underground, and they would be about as useful as taking a hammer to the situation, which honestly she almost felt like doing.

Finally her mental deck went to the cards of the Casino Quarter- entirely useless of course aside from a gift here or there. There was no way she could call on any of them for help unless it was something that directly affected them or the safety of the cities. The lesser members...Bells, Lysander, Vaughn...nope. Though Vaughn could probably track their expenses like a champ and follow the financial trail if she got him the information. Snow? No way. Jesse?

Jesse. Now that was a thought.

----

Jesse’s natural curiosity got the better of her when the invitation to meet Lady for a ‘special side job’ was put forth. The ridgeback was nothing if not ruggedly dependable and lawful, so the thought that Lady could use her for something was deliciously tempting.

They met at Prizma’s, which was of course the place anyone of importance did their underhanded work and/or drinking and/or socializing. It was a sort of holy ground for all factions- everyone knew you didn’t start crap there, not unless you wanted to get a whole heap of it back on you. Jesse spun a coin on the table as the ridgeback sat down at her booth and Prizma herself came over to take their order. The way Priz eyed them told Jesse that even she found this unusual, though not quite enough so for the midnight ridgeback to care. Priz made a lot of money off of not caring and keeping her mouth shut, after all.

But Lady surprised Jesse again by ordering three martinis, the first of which she downed like a shot. It was empty before it hit the table.

“That bad?” Jesse asked, spinning a coin and taking a sip of water with lime.

“Want one?” Lady asked.

“I like to keep my head clear when considering a job,” Jesse replied. “Now what matter of job can’t you complete on your own? I shudder to think.”

“I’d like to give you a bit of background so that you understand why this needs to be done, but it's something quite personal and something that I’ve never told another dragon, not even those in my old clan. If I tell you this, it can never leave this table. Can you agree to this?”

“Personal is one thing,” Jesse said, eyeing the ridgeback before looking down to spin her coin again. “But never ever I can’t promise, I’m afraid. Things have a way of coming back that might pose a danger to someone else, but I can promise that I’m good at keeping my mouth shut unless that danger shows up.”

“A reasonable distinction,” Lady said, sitting back to think as she sipped on her second martini. “Basically I was involved with some genetic manipulation and child rearing programs designed to create a sound individual. For my end I merely helped design the genetic code and lent my expertise in robotics. I had no idea the program was actually loaned eggs from families and experimented on them.”

“Genetically sound individuals?”

“I thought it a fanciful pursuit- could we design a dragon that could, for example, withstand Plague territory without being Plague born? Could a dragon that could do that also see in Shadow territory, or withstand the magical arcs of Arcane? To me it really seemed like research into the limits of dragon kind, until I found out that some were serious about it.”

“And they experimented on eggs? Children.”

“Oh yes. Once I found this out I was of course furious,” Lady said, her eyes somewhat glazed as she sipped more of her drink. “I raised a stink and got the program entirely shut down, but it was too late. Some children were already changed by what we- what I- had done. They were still being taught and overseen by the program.”

“And they...lived?”

“Some,” Lady said, looking even further away as though thinking. “You know West?”

“Yes of course,” Jesse said, at first wondering where this was going and then it dawned on her. “Oh. Oh dear does he know?”

“I think he just believes that he was in a very high end school,” Lady replied. “I don’t think he even knows what he can do. And of course the real problem is Eights.”

“How is this more of a problem?”

“Eights is not identified in any paperwork. I know there was another dragon going further with the research without supervision. I’d heard her refer to ‘mistakes’, and when the program was shut down I made sure she could never work legitimately again, but still. I don’t know what happened to her ‘mistakes’. I had thought she was just referring to defunct lines of genetic code, but now I can’t be sure. West and Eights have too many similarities. I have to be positive that she’s not harming others, that this isn’t still going on.”

“And you would like me to check this out?”

“Yes,” Lady said, looking down to the smaller skydancer. “They’ll see me coming a mile off, as I was the one to destroy the program last time. I need you to find out what’s going on, please.”

Jesse sat back and considered, though her mind privately was already made up. “I’ll need all the information you have, of course.”

“I can’t pay as much as Swank.”

“My dear if what you say is true, I will do this job for free. And if I find anything like you describe I will burn everything to the ground.”

“This is precisely that outcome I would like.”

----

The Lightning corp knew how to hide things, but they were not prepared for Jesse. Of course few are.

She was prepared to wait, prepared to look in the small corners, to smile at the terrible in order to get the job done. After all she had done it before.

Swank sent her messages wondering where she was, but Jesse was determined and only sent a message that she would be back later. Lady was not one to lie, and Jesse despite herself would do whatever she could to save an innocent that needed it. She would find Lady’s mysterious doctor and determine what had happened at all costs. And if Lady had lied, well...

At all costs of course turned out to be compliments and and a bit of snooping. Jesse went to Iman first and determined that the Director was nervous but prepared to cover for the mysterious other doctor that Jesse only knew as Maria. It was not the kind of nervousness Jesse knew as covering for a friend- the kind of anger underlying ‘please don’t test this’. This was covering one’s own butt because once long ago you did so for another that did not deserve it. She found the trail easily enough. Posing as a skittish but willing intern seemed almost like cheating once she had uncovered how to unseal documents thanks to Lady.

The deepest of Maria’s trail ended at an abandoned underground facility that had been sealed tight, littered with traps and plastered with warnings- but all that to Jesse just meant she was in the right place. The first level was rather boring to her, no information and nothing but outdated equipment left to rot and gather dust. A few yellowed notes and printouts of no interest.

But the basement...the basement was filled with giant vials, each large enough for a skydancer to grow in. She found preserved bodies of everything from hatchlings to grown adults, each with a decayed corresponding note telling why they had failed and why they were preserved here. Each had a number and no name.

But one she had found was empty- number 88. Vaulted because they were determined to be too weak and small to survive. It was broken open. Someone long before her had seen that 88 was alive and saved them. A mystery to be sure, but not one that she was concerned with right now.

Jesse’s hand clenched involuntarily as she read the notes on the other preserved dragons. How many others had been alive that Maria had decided to preserve? How many others had she decided to end because they did not meet her expectations? How many had lived and what did she do with them?

Jesse checked each of the giant vials, smashed them open and buried the bodies in rubble because they at least deserved this, what she could give them. Someone would care that they had died. Some bare part of her hoped that one would be like 88, but none were. Each were pale and lifeless despite their dark coloration. She set fire to what was left.

Jesse clenched her jaw and determined the she had a new purpose. This would happen to no one else. They would know what a dragon declared to be inferior at a young age could do. 

---

Maria was found dead three days later, and the inn keepers were she had stayed were disturbed. She had always seemed so kind, but the way she had died….they alerted the authorities and slept with a light on at night.

---

Director Iman was on edge. She was first alerted when Lady had written her, knowing that the ridgeback was as tenacious as the Stormcatcher himself, and was prepared to out Doctor Maria should it be necessary to save her own career. Iman had set up the necessary paperwork trail and had run through a few lies in her head to smooth things over should things come to that.

Director Iman was prepared for Lady- a lawful member of society who chose mercy above all else.

She was not prepared for Jesse, the intern who smiled nervously and wore large nerdy glasses and dutifully did all of her paperwork. When she heard about Maria, Iman only grew more anxious but she was glad for her reliable and supportive colleagues, including this intern who smiled and asked if she’d like these copies stapled. Security around here was tight, and honestly Maria being gone was perhaps a blessing in disguise.

Director Iman died on her office chair after Jesse had determined nothing else of her old corporation was left aside from Lady and the few project dragons.

After all Jesse had thoroughly checked.

---

“The job’s completed,” Jesse said, passing the paper that was on 88’s vial to Lady. “They were the only one left alive I’m afraid, but I don’t know who saved them. I may be looking at that on my own time.”

“Perhaps another doctor grew a conscience,” Lady said, eyeing the note carefully (Jesse turned her head at this, knowing there was no other living doctors, because she would have found them and asked them). “This sounds so….detached. I’m glad they at least survived. Thank you, Jesse.”

Lady was disturbed for a moment at the way Jesse was looking her over. “You will let me know if anything like this happens again?” Jesse asked, her voice level as she sat with her chin resting on her hands.

“Yes of course. Thank you again, knowing what they are really helps….but what happened to Doctor Maria?”

“It was a burn to the ground kind of scenario I’m afraid,” Jesse said, her red eyes burning into Lady’s bright blue ones. “And you I like, but if this thing of you deciding to help others changes and turns into what I saw, you know what happens my darling.”

“I would be glad for the correction.”

[wikitopx]

There are Tips and Advice for Writing a Great Cover Letter. This post will have you solve the problem. Read the following.

Updated March 13, 2020

When most people think about applying for jobs, they believe that writing their resume will be the most challenging part of the process. Your resume is, of course, extremely important, but it is the cover letter that accompanies it that makes the critical first impression on a hiring manager that will get you noticed. As such, it needs to be much more than a rushed, generic afterthought.

Every cover letter you write should be customized for the specific job you are seeking. It must be clearly written and concise, as well as free from any typos, grammatical errors, or misspelled names. Remember, most hiring managers will read your cover letter before they look at your resume. It's a golden opportunity for you, with a self-marketing document, to show why you are a great candidate for a job.

Here are tips and suggestions that will help your cover letter stand out from the crowd and get you one step closer to a job offer.

1. Send a Cover Letter Each Time

Your cover letter may make the difference between obtaining a job interview and having your resume ignored. It is your first opportunity to create a relationship with the person who is doing the hiring, and not including a resume could even cost you an interview.

Even if an employer doesn't request a cover letter, it can be helpful to send one. It shows you've put extra effort into your application.

2. Personalize Your Letter

If you can, address your cover letter to the individual who is doing the hiring. If necessary, conduct some online research to find out who the hiring manager is. Search LinkedIn or find the “Contact” or “About Us” section of the employer’s website. It’s also fine to call the company directly to ask the name of the person to whom you should address your letter. This is not being pushy. The hiring manager will respect you for taking the initiative.

3. Don't Rehash Your Resume

Your cover letter should complement, not duplicate, your resume. It should expand upon your resume, highlight your skills and experience, and explain how these relate to the job you're applying for.

The other advantage that a cover letter has over a resume is that, as a narrative, it allows you more of a chance to use your personal “tone” to build rapport with a hiring manager – to show, in your own words, your thinking process and goals in asking for his or her consideration.

Think of your cover letter, first and foremost, as a “sales pitch.” Its primary goal is to explain why you are a candidate who deserves a personal interview.

4. Target Your Cover Letter

Take a good look at the job posting and make a list of the criteria the employer is looking for. Then, list the skills and experience you have that correlate to what the employer is seeking. Focus on incorporating these qualifications into your cover letter. This is not cheating or “copying.” It's simply being smart enough to target your skills to the job. Be sure to directly address, in your letter, how your skills match the job requirements established by the employer.

Remember, a successful cover letter shows a potential employer how you'll benefit the company. Why you want the job and why it's a good fit for you are less important considerations for hiring managers. The lion’s share of the cover letter should focus on the employer’s needs rather than your own.

As a general rule, try not to use the personal pronoun “I” more than three or four times in your cover letter, and never begin a paragraph with “I.” This will help to ensure that your cover letter is focused on the employer.

5. Format Your Letter Properly

Your formatting will be slightly different if you're sending your letter through the mail, uploading it to an application portal, or sending it via email. Here's more information on how to format a cover letter.

All cover letters are structured into three basic sections:

In the first paragraph, you'll say why you're writing. Mention the specific job title and where you saw the posting.

In the middle section, you'll establish what makes you a good candidate, referencing relevant experience and skills.

Finally, in the third section of a cover letter, you'll thank the letter recipient for reading. You can also share details on how you'll follow up.

If you are sending a formal letter through the mail, use the same header (i.e., with your contact information) that you do at the top of the first page of your resume.

6. Write Simply and Clearly

Write a short, targeted letter by getting right to the point. No one has time for an epic novel, so keep your cover letter to one page. Also, make sure each paragraph has no more than three or four sentences. If you want, you can opt to use bullet points to break up chunks of text. Just make sure they do not duplicate the language of your resume.

Avoid clichés in your cover letter. While it is a formal piece of correspondence, it shouldn't sound stilted, stiff, or unnatural.

7. Highlight Your Top Qualifications

A great way to catch a hiring manager’s eye is to present your most desirable qualifications in a bulleted section in or right after the second paragraph of your cover letter. If possible, quantify impressive professional achievements with numbers, dollar amounts, or percentages, using boldface to make these figures “pop” on the page. Here’s an example:

A few examples of my qualifications include:

10 years’ experience producing YOY gains within the luxury automobile sales sector, achieving a 75% increase in sales from FY 20XX to FY 20XX.

Proven foresight in capitalizing upon rising internet marketing strategies to build a strong client base.

Superb customer service talents, consistently earning client satisfaction scores of more than 95%.

8. Incorporate Keyword Phrases

Like your resume, your cover letter may be scanned by a company’s automated applicant tracking system (ATS) if it is submitted digitally. These systems are programmed to pinpoint specific keyword phrases (or “buzzwords”); they then rank the applications received according to the placement and the number of times the keywords appear in the application.

If your cover letter and resume fail to use these keyword phrases, they may never reach the human eye of a hiring manager.

It’s important, then, to use relevant keyword phrases in your cover letter. Your best guide to which phrases to use is the listing that describes the job you are applying for. If a phrase appears high and/or frequently on the list of the company’s “Required” or “Preferred” qualifications, it’s a good idea to include it somewhere in your cover letter.

Just be sure not to overdo it with these "buzzwords." While including them can help rank your application higher, repeating them too often can read as robotic and possibly off-putting.

9. Keep Email Cover Letters Short

When you email a cover letter, make sure your letter is short. Include the copy in the body of the email message or upload it to the company website with your resume.

List your name and the position for which you're applying in the subject line of the email. Don't send a cover letter as an attachment unless the employer specifically requests it in that format.

Keep copies of all your cover letters so that you can track what you sent to whom and when. That way, if you get a request for an interview, you can look back at your cover letters to know what you already mentioned.

10. Spell Check and Proofread

Before you send the cover letter, ask someone to read it and review it for typos. It's difficult noticing mistakes in our own writing because we are so close to it. If you're alone and need to proofread your own work, you can try a few techniques to catch errors: change the font style, copy the text into another document, or read the document backward (from bottom to top).

Always double-check that you have spelled the company name, the job title and department, and your contact's name correctly. These are particularly embarrassing errors. Follow these proofreading tips for job seekers for additional assistance.

11. Review a Cover Letter Example

Cover Letter Sample

Annabel Jones 123 Central Street Lima, OH 45802 555-212-1234 annabeljones@email.com

November 7, 2019

George Greene Director, Human Resources ABC Charitable Trust 123 Country Club Road Lima, OH 45802

Dear Mr. Greene:

It was with much interest that I read your advertisement on LinkedIn for the Development Officer position that has opened with the ABC Charitable Trust. As an individual with 10 years’ experience in non-profit fundraising, I can offer you knowledge and expertise that will ensure the continuing success of your philanthropic programs.

In your job posting, you mentioned that you particularly seek a Development Officer well-versed in donor segmentation, multichannel fundraising, and grant writing. During my tenure first as a grant writer and then as a Development Officer with ABC College, it was my responsibility to build our donor pipeline both through these approaches and through strategic calls-to-action and the solicitation of legacy, principal, and recurring gifts.

My qualifications and credentials for this role include:

Acknowledged success increasing our college’s total endowment from $75K in 20XX to more than $1.75M today through major giving, annual giving, and planned giving initiatives.

Solid leadership expertise onboarding, training, and supervising a 7-member team of grant writers who garnered over $5 million for various departmental research programs last year.

Ownership for directing all phases of a capital campaign that raised $4.5M for the renovation of one of three college libraries.

The ABC Charitable Trust is renowned for its success in transforming the lives of its beneficiaries, and it would be both a joy and a privilege to support your fundraising initiatives. Thank you for your time and consideration of this application; I would be grateful for the opportunity to meet with you in person to discuss your mission and vision for the future in greater detail.

Sincerely,

Annabel Jones

12. More Cover Letter Examples

Review cover letter examples, both written and email, that are designed for a variety of job applications and employment inquiries.

I hope this post can be helpful to you. You will be solved the problem with Wikitopx.com. More ideas for you: Employment-Related Email Message Examples

From : https://wikitopx.com/job/tips-and-advice-for-writing-a-great-cover-letter-712975.html

[garynsmith]

Thank-you notes don’t write themselves: 5 tips to get ’em done

http://ift.tt/2yznHsM

Growing up, the best thing about birthdays was undoubtedly getting presents. And the worst thing was definitely having to write thank-you notes.

My mother, like all good Southern mamas, was a big believer in the handwritten thank-you, sent immediately. This applied not just to presents received, but also to favors, dinners or any other nicety.

I still struggle to be consistent in sending my thank-you notes (or “bread-and-butter notes” as they are sometimes charmingly called) and would love to get better at it.

Improving your thank-you note game is a worthwhile endeavor that can make you more memorable to your clients. Here are some tips to help you write better notes more consistently.

Keep track of the notes you need

Text yourself or send yourself a voice reminder when someone does something nice for you, meets you for coffee or spends time on a call with you.

Use this hack to remind yourself about people who could use a handwritten thank-you.

How agents dominate with multichannel content marketing

Win listings and overwhelm competition by mastering the art of social media, direct mail and email READ MORE

Schedule time for note writing

If you are a fan of time-blocking, this might be a way to keep yourself all caught up on your thank-you notes. Try blocking out 15 minutes a day for writing thank-you notes so that you ensure they’re always timely.

Keep your materials well-stocked

The best way to ensure you’ll send your note is by having notecards, stamps and other materials always on hand. Dedicate a desk drawer or a decorative box to the materials you need (as well as a favorite pen) so that you’ll be ready to write.

Make it fun

We sometimes dread writing thank-you notes because they feel so stiff and formal. Adding a little fun to your thank-you notes can make it a task you’ll look forward to and one that the recipient will certainly find memorable.

Look for stationery that’s colorful and fun, perhaps with a favorite cartoon character or other cute theme. Look for a different way to express yourself: write a poem or, if you’re artistic, draw a picture along with your message.

Love crafts? Create hand-stamped custom stationery to make your notes even more personal.

The more fun you have with the process, the more impact your note will have (and the more likely you are to write them).

Scale up

You may decide at some point to do a large set of notes — maybe upon opening a new office, moving to a new brokerage or once a year around the holidays.

Troy Palmquist, owner of The Address Real Estate in Oxnard, California, recently found himself with just such a task.

“We had an open house a few weeks ago at a new listing. I brought out an ice cream truck and gave out free ice cream to the neighborhood. I then followed up with personal thank-you notes to all of the neighbors who came out and talked with us that day — dozens of notes in all,” Palmquist said.

If you need to produce a large volume of notes, plan ahead and break the task up into manageable chunks so that you don’t find yourself spending hour upon hour trying to write them all at once.

If you just don’t have time in your day to handwrite your notes, you can outsource the writing to an administrative assistant or a virtual assistant. Freelancer platforms such as Upwork and Fiverr are also good resources for finding people to help you manage your correspondence.

Need to outsource the entire process? There are services such as Postable and Bond that can create personalized, custom notes for hundreds of clients, colleagues or others and stamp and mail them for you.

They’re not handwritten, but they are a remarkable facsimile, and they are sure to have more impact than a pre-printed letter or card.

Whether you’re thanking a colleague for coffee or a lead for a listing presentation, there’s nothing like a personal note to help people feel truly appreciated. Set yourself up for success with the right materials, time management and help, if needed.

Christy Murdock Edgar is a Realtor, freelance writer, coach and consultant with Writing Real Estate in Alexandria, Virginia. Follow Writing Real Estate on Facebook or Twitter. 

Email Christy Murdock Edgar

from InmanInman http://ift.tt/2gn5GTD via IFTTT