• WomELLE
  • Contact Us
  • Writers
  • Write For Us
  • Submit Article
No Result
View All Result

No products in the cart.

  • Login
WomLEAD Magazine
Podcast
SUBSCRIBE
  • Home
  • Magazine
  • Business
  • HER Story
  • Founders & CEOs
  • Leadership
  • Mentoring
  • Women
  • Wellness
  • Home
  • Magazine
  • Business
  • HER Story
  • Founders & CEOs
  • Leadership
  • Mentoring
  • Women
  • Wellness
No Result
View All Result
WomLEAD Magazine
No Result
View All Result
Home Female Founders
Interview with Sylvia McNicoll

Interview with Sylvia McNicoll

Naghilia Desravines by Naghilia Desravines
March 2, 2020
in HER Story
Reading Time: 3 mins read

Sylvia McNicoll is an award-winning children’s writer with more than 30 books to her credit. She is a highly driven author, teacher, and mother of three and yet manages to juggle several roles efficiently. What is it that makes her so successful? Is it just an abundance of luck or something more? I sought Sylvia out to unravel the secrets of her outstanding success and how she makes it all work. Take a look:

1 You didn’t think you would be a writer in childhood. So, what changed for you and made you take up writing as a profession?

Well, I am from Canada, and though we didn’t have our publishing initially, we grew our publishing industry. I write for children, and that was a new sphere in the 70’s, and I came on to the scene in the late 80’s. Also, becoming a mother changed things for me. I knew I liked writing and I went on to take a course on children’s writing. The teacher of that course was a young adult writer, and I read all his books and loved them! His name was Paul Kropp, and it helped to have a teacher championing me. I wrote my first novel ‘Blueberries and whipped cream as a project and then I went on to find a publisher for it. The book was based on the painful experience of the death of my friend’s mother in school, and it sold very well. I also sold the movie rights for it though it never came to fruition. 

2 Sylvia, you are a mother with children, and a successful author, too. So how do you manage all these responsibilities?

My husband is a full-time professional, and we support each other. Other than my writing for children, I also wrote articles for various magazines, edited for a magazine, public speaking, and school visits. And I managed all of that with household chores and looking after my children. As a children’s author, I can write in chunks when I have time, unlike adult book writers, so that helped as well. I work in airplanes, cars, and trains (particularly the GO train that is slower) as well to make use of the time that is available, without waiting for the ‘perfect’ moment to write.

3 So what about the business end of being an author, how do you handle that?

I’m a major in English but a minor in economics as well. So I do understand the business aspect to some extent, but I have an agent as well to look over the business end. But getting an agent is not enough, I understand about contracts, and I read through my contracts however tedious it is. The contract is worded very carefully and if there is a problem with the contract the writer won’t have the money to fight so that’s where having an agent is helpful who will go to a courtroom and make sure the writer gets the rights back.

4 When I started womELLE, I felt that there is only a small percentage of women helping other women instead of thinking of them as competition. What are your thoughts on that?

Yes, Naghilia, I see that there are more men on the bestselling and nomination list and the sad thing is that the librarians who choose people for the nomination list are women. So it is the women doing this to other women. Women also listen to men more, give them more focus and let them headline events. 

ADVERTISEMENT

Talking and sharing thoughts with Sylvia made me realize that women don’t support each other much. We let emotions take over their feelings for other women. We need to help each other if another woman is more successful. We need to stop burying ourselves. Sylvia and I agreed that there is a strong need for gender balance in the writing profession as well as others. Women also tend to apologize for a lot more than men. My grandfather taught me to stop saying ‘sorry’ when I was not doing anything to be sorry about. It’s the nature of women to apologize for or provide extended explanations, and that needs to end. It was truly wonderful to view an author’s business perspective and her standpoint on a woman’s role in the profession, especially from one as accomplished as Sylvia McNicoll!

Tags: #influencerauthorinterviews
Share192Tweet120Share34
Naghilia Desravines

Naghilia Desravines

Naghilia is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of WomLEAD. WomLEAD is a print and digital leadership Magazine that made its debut in 2017. We are the first magazine to celebrate women who have gone above and beyond the call of duty in their professional endeavors and have been recognized as “Women Leaders ”. So, with women in mind, Naghilia brings you the best of education trends.

Related Posts

Smashing the Stereotype with the Real Trailblazers
HER Story

Smashing the Stereotype with the Real Trailblazers

June 21, 2022
Sharon McKinney, Frances Pitt, Jackie Patterson Giving Back to Society Through Service
HER Story

The Story of Sharon McKinney, Frances Pitt, Jackie Patterson

June 14, 2022
Rosalind Brewer: Leading Businesses and Building Empires
HER Story

Rosalind Brewer: Leading Businesses and Building Empires

May 13, 2022
Next Post
15 Tips - How to Celebrate International Women's Day

15 Tips - How to Celebrate International Women's Day

Brewing Success: How Kiran Mazumdar Shaw Became a Biotechnology Billionaire

Brewing Success

How Leaders Kill the Growth in their Own Companies

How Leaders Kill the Growth in their Own Companies

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

WomLEAD Magazine

A print and digital magazine for businesswomen focusing on leadership, business, and entrepreneurship that made its debut in 2017 has WomELLE Magazine.

Follow us on social media:

Recent News

  • How Does Lack of Recognition in the Workplace Affect Employees?
  • 10 Best Foods that Increase Metabolism
  • Dr. Emily Reilly and Dr. Devon Turnbull: Helping Seniors Grow Older at Home 

Category

  • Business
  • Female Founders
  • Founders & CEOs
  • HER Story
  • Leadership
  • Mentoring For Women
  • Wellness
  • Women Today

Recent News

How Does Lack of Recognition in the Workplace Affect Employees

How Does Lack of Recognition in the Workplace Affect Employees?

January 30, 2023
10 Best Foods that Increase Metabolism

10 Best Foods that Increase Metabolism

January 30, 2023
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions

© 2023 WomLEAD Magazine from WomELLE, Corp.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Magazine
  • Podcast
  • Business
  • Founders & CEOs
  • HER Story
  • Leadership
  • Mentoring
  • Wellness
  • Women Today

© 2023 WomLEAD Magazine from WomELLE, Corp.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?