How to write a great literary CV
A little while ago I told you how to bag a creative job. Now you can find out how to perfect your literary CV… it’s not just about making a list, you know!
Categorise.
Being by writing down all your literary achievements, and then split them up into accessible categories. This could mean dividing up print and online publications, or keeping your various projects split up into chronological units like months or years.
Prioritise.
List your major achievements first - or, if you want to stick with chronological order, make sure they stand out somehow. Don’t be ashamed to highlight your strengths.
Elaborate.
If you feel the need to provide more than the bare essentials, do. Want to point out that a certain magazine publication was your first ever paid gig, or that that reading you did led to an online poetry feature? These things are important to you… they may also be important to your future employer, publisher or collaborator!
Include everything.
Even if you don’t think certain things are a big deal, your stint for the school newspaper deserves to be in there - even if it only gets a brief mention. Including everything is a good way of showing the reader of the CV how your writing has grown over the years… and if you feel really silly about it you can always create an “other” section at the end, for your less glowing - but still important! - accolades.
Provide references.
Creative references can be tricky to find, but a former English teacher will definitely do if you genuinely can’t find anyone else. You don’t necessarily have to be a personal friend of Simon Armitage… anyone who can comment on your poems and talk up your creativity is fine!
Update.
Each time you finish a project or get a poem published, add it to your CV - this means you’re always up to date, and won’t forget anything.
Circulate wisely.
A literary CV is a useful thing to have, and you’re often required to send one when applying for creative grants or when enrolling on creative courses. However, you don’t need to send it out with general submissions of poetry. It’s best to only ever send your CV out if it’s requested - when you’re submitting, it’s much better to write a quick bio summing up the important bits.
Also to read:
How to bag a creative job
Writing a bio: your life in 3-4 lines!
Do I need a creative writing qualification?
Useful advice from writers and editors
Got a burning question for me? Email claire@onenightstanzas.com — I’m always happy to hear from you!
Tags: advice for young writers, how to write a great literary cv, publishing, resources for young writers, young poets