Writing Tools and Information
Happy Corporate Sponsored Synthetic Romance for Profit Day. Believe me…I'm not anti-love, but I am against the systematic pimping of love to spike revenues for no truly logical reason during mid-February.
On this Valentine’s Day, here are some keen observations on how we write about love, from Daniel Jones, who edits the “Modern Love” column for The New York Times. Enjoy.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/08/style/how-we-write-about-love.html?_r=1
"Talent is a wonderful thing, but it won't carry a quitter." - Stephen King, from Duma Key
I’m not one to normally quote Stephen King, but he’s spot on with this statement – both in writing and everyday life.
Think about how many people you’ve known with immense talent or a knack for success. Then think about how many of those folks sustained that success. Proves one thing – there’s just no substitute for hard work.
…here are some insightful action items listed for you in Sara Eckel's well-written post (link below). Read, bookmark, internalize, then make them happen.
"What I Learned from My Relentless Year of Book Promotion"
http://saraeckel.com/uncategorized/what-i-learned-from-my-year-of-relentless-book-promotion
I present to other aspiring fiction authors this revealing article from Nina Badzin: “Your Cover Letter Does Not Matter, and Other Insights from a Contest Judge.”
Read it with an open mind and you’ll get something out of this piece. The keen thoughts Ms. Badzin has on carefully using the f-bomb in flash fiction is well worth the read.
Bloggers get a plate as Jane Friedman provides some food for thought: “10 Resolutions for a Saner Internet—and Life.”
This piece vividly describes the balance many people seek between the lure of the internet and the pull of our creative endeavors. It is easy to struggle with determining how much time and energy to dedicate to social media, blogs, web surfing, et al. Maybe this article could provide a kickstart for finding your own personal blueprint to an equilibrium between the net and the real world.
Passed along to me by several other writer friends – here’s a wonderfully revealing and thought provoking piece by Curtis Sittenfeld on “24 Things No One Tells You About Book Publishing.”
For those who need a sharp kick to the seat of their pants to write, I present a motherlode of golden prompts to re-up your creative juices.
The list found at the links below touches on categories ranging from sports to travel, education, gender roles, video games, fashion, family, pop culture, social media and more. May you find the right prompt amongst these to spark you towards your next great story or essay.
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/11/13/500-prompts-for-narrative-and-personal-writing/?_r=2
“In fact, it feels strangely simple: I have used up my material, the stuff from which I craft stories. I don’t have anything now. Maybe I will have more soon. Or not soon. Or not.” - from Robin Black’s resonant essay “On Being Empty: When a Writer Isn’t Writing.”
Sometimes you run into an article that describes something you’ve been going through eloquently. See the link below.
Ms. Black’s essay loosely describes some of my writing-related struggles over the past two years. I believe all writers/artists/singers/etc. struggle with these feelings at some point. It is a good read for all you creative types out there. Her words give me some hope of getting over the hump with my writing.
http://beyondthemargins.com/2014/12/on-being-empty-when-a-writer-isnt-writing/
Maybe reading more is one of your new year’s resolutions.
If so, you should check out the link to Book Riot below. Liberty Hardy's "A Great Big Guide To 2014's Must-Read Books from Indie Presses" could jumpstart your personal 2015 reading list with some hidden gems.
Secondhand spark: from a writing standpoint, the article also links to some impressive indie presses, some of which may be open to manuscript submissions.
http://bookriot.com/2014/12/05/large-guide-2014s-must-read-books-indie-presses/
I found this informational post over on the blog of Diane Lockward. It sounds like she has been on both sides of the poetry contest game - she has entered many and served as a judge for one. Out of her experience, she shares several useful recommendations for contest entrants. Click the link below to check out this resource.
http://dianelockward.blogspot.com/2010/07/some-thoughts-about-poetry-book.html
So read a poem. Or a book of poems. Or write a poem. Or go to a reading. Celebrate poetry however you desire.
Established in the U.S. by the Academy of American Poets 14 years ago, National Poetry Month is now celebrated each April. Check out the lnk below for details on this year's programs, events, and resources.
http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/41
In these posts on the Emerging Writers Network blog, authors share their good and bad experiences with editors (the comments I read were mostly positive) and what they learned from them. I found this to be a good read; click the link below to check it out.
http://emergingwriters.typepad.com/emerging_writers_network/experience-with-editors/
That’s how long it took me to go from inspiration to submission when I saw this call for hint fiction earlier today.
Disregard the fact that hint fiction is the very definition of brief – it’s a story of 25 words or less that suggests a larger, more complex story. Considering the way I agonize over every word while editing, it’s remarkable that I cranked out two of these hint fiction pieces in less than 120 minutes.
This was a great writing exercise – even if neither piece I submitted is chosen for the hint fiction anthology, it felt good to challenge myself to do something a little outside of my comfort zone. If you are a writer (or even if you aren’t), consider taking on this challenge. Submissions are open until August 31, 2009.
Lit mag editors who give constructive criticism with their rejections do a great service to the writing community. I realize time constraints prohibit most from giving feedback aside from pre-written rejection slips or emails, but when a writer sees why his/her piece didn’t make the cut, it is enlightening.
For example, I recently received response back from an online journal that rejected several of my works. However, included were responses from the editorial staff that gave me insight into why my poems weren’t up to their standards. Some suggested changes that I think would damage the original creative vision of the poem. Others made suggestions of cutting out fluff that wasn’t needed – edits I agreed with and did right away. Instantly those pieces became stronger because of those comments.
Even if I disagree with an editor’s opinion, it’s enlightening to see how my writing is perceived. For example, one poem did contain a commonly used phrase, but I had employed some wordplay that I felt took that phrase away from its clichéd meaning. However, the editorial staff instantly stamped this phrase as hackneyed. Have I eliminated the line from my poem? Not yet – I still feel the wordplay is slick, and I’d have to come up with a line better than it before I just give up on it. But their comments have me thinking about it, revisiting its structure, trying to find a way to circumvent the cliché.
That’s where feedback helps – I wouldn’t be thinking about this line it wasn’t for the comments. Now I have a chance, whether today or a week from now, to take an idea from a brainstorming session and see if it “fits” in this poem to replace the (perceived) cliché. Their comments moved this poem from “finished” status in my mind and challenged me with the notion that it still may need work.
Does this happen for every piece that an editor may comment on? No, there are some comments that I’m admittedly just too pigheaded to accept. But the fact that the right criticism might spur a writer to refine a piece is priceless. It makes writers better at their craft and their next submission more polished, so editors can have a stronger pool of work to review and, in turn, create a superior publication/literary journal. It’s a win/win, in my view. There is only so much we can get out of peer reviews – it is the opinions of editors that really matter.
Editors, I know your time is precious. But when you do have the time, even if it is just for one poem or story, please let us know what didn’t work in our writing. We all want to get better to make your job easier and only submit pieces that are publishable. I appreciate the comments, even if I don’t always agree. I’m sure other writers do as well.
Received this in an email today, figured I would spread the word to those interested...
If Poetry Journal now has an online component to its print journal (www.ifpoetryjournal.blogspot.com).
It is seeking poems to publish, 2 or 3 a week, along with reviews of poetry collections and interviews with writers. To submit, please send 3-5 poems (in the e-mail no attachments) to the editor Don Illich at ifpoetryjournaleditor@gmail.com.
Please say in the e-mail this work is for the online journal. What we like: poetry influenced and inspired by writers such as Thomas Lux, Jennifer Knox, Tony Hoagland, Sandra Beasley, Dean Young, Frank O'Hara, Jeffrey McDaniel, Denise Duhammel, and Billy Collins. Obviously, no payment but the esteem of eyeballs everywhere.
Honestly, I know little about the state of New Hampshire and whether it rocks or not. What I do know is my poem Hello Songs was awarded first prize in the Poetry Society of New Hampshire’s August 2008 National Contest. From the contest rules I’ve deduced that this entitles me to a nice cash prize and the chance to have Hello Songs published in The Poet’s Touchstone, a quarterly magazine. That’s enough for me to repeat my original statement – New Hampshire rocks. Thanks to the contest coordinator Lynne Birdsall for this opportunity and also to judge Mark DeCarteret for deeming my work worthy of this award.
And I received news of another acceptance yesterday – my poem Truth will appear in the inaugural edition of the Ouroboros Review, a new journal of poetry and art. Ouroboros intends to publish an online review quarterly and will offer a print magazine twice a year. I’m excited for the chance to contribute to this new publication – thanks to editors Jo Hemmant and Christine Swint for the chance to contribute.
It looks like folks can still submit to the Ouroboros Review, and the editors seem friendly and gave a prompt response . Of course, this is a fledgling publication, so the editors will have plenty of time to become overly highbrow, stodgy, condescending, and unresponsive in the future (just kidding). If you are a poet or artist who is interested in this publication, you can check out their submission guidelines by clicking here.
I stumbled upon this on the web and found all five of these essays to be amazing. I figured that some other African-American poets (and maybe poets of other races, too) may find these to be interesting reads, so I am sharing. Enjoy.
Brothers in Verse: Five Essays on Black Masculinity in American Poetry
http://pbq.drexel.edu/archives/issues/issue75/content/verse/index.html
To Make a Man - Camille Dungy
http://pbq.drexel.edu/archives/issues/issue75/content/verse/man.html
Meditation on a Black Male Poetic - Tyehimba Jess
http://pbq.drexel.edu/archives/issues/issue75/content/verse/meditation.html
Maybe You should be an Emcee: Black Poetry as Has-Been Protest - Adrian Matejka
http://pbq.drexel.edu/archives/issues/issue75/content/verse/emcee.html
A Way of No Way: Toward Constructing a Black Male Poetic - Gregory Pardlo
http://pbq.drexel.edu/archives/issues/issue75/content/verse/away.html
Masters and Master Works - Afaa M. Weaver
http://pbq.drexel.edu/archives/issues/issue75/content/verse/masters.html
If you are a poet who is actively submitting manuscripts to contests and/or open reading periods, take a few minutes and check out this very scary story about the actions of an (allegedly) unethical press and a debacle of a contest. I can definitely empathize with this writer's cautionary tale. It could almost make someone paranoid to send out their manuscript, if it wasn't for the urge to find success and to share an artistic vision with the world. An interesting read.
Some good info for US writers who choose to copyright their work...
As of July 1, 2008, the US Copyright Office has a new online registration system, electronic Copyright Office (eCO), which offers lower filing fees and quicker processing as compared with traditional paper applications.
Check it out (if you want) at:
http://www.copyright.gov/eco/index.html
Note: This was originally posted on 4/21/08 at the Scribes' Tribe Scribbings blog as part of an April poetry workshop.
I’ve learned to never throw any writing away – always recycle. Why? Because out of a bad poem may exist the plot of a decent short story; similarly, a strong descriptive paragraph in a scrapped fiction piece may be a poetic gem waiting to be unearthed.
Since I write both verse and prose, I often teeter on which one should be used to express an idea. One thing is clear: I fail miserably when I try to cram a 2000-word story into a twenty line poem, and I ruin plot development with ten-sentence paragraphs about the weather in the middle of a fiction piece.
Yet I cannot claim to control my muse, or tell it exactly what to create. Therefore, I continue writing and deal with this issue during editing. Often when I struggle with a poem, I may be trying to say too much within it. If I’m on the computer, this is when I “save as,” give the work an alternate title, delete all line breaks, put in standard punctuation, and then attempt to fill in the blanks that are naturally left vacant by poetry, but must be filled in to make prose. It doesn’t always work, but when it does it produces strong results.
One example is a micro-fiction piece that I wrote last year titled “Details of an Author’s Divorce,” published at an online magazine/blog called Six Sentences, where all the works are exactly (you guessed it) six sentences. This piece, which started out as a poem, developed into flash fiction. Its metamorphosis followed the aforementioned blueprint. The original version of “Details…” told the story of an author’s failed marriage through a free verse poem. It was an interesting concept, but the piece was clumsy and wordy. I put it aside, but then kept studying it periodically. It had too many vivid images for me to just discard it. So I deleted the line breaks, added transitions to give it a prose skeleton, and then started editing it as fiction instead of poetry. The first place where I submitted it promptly rejected it, which made me revise yet again – I discovered that I had edited a little too much out of the piece.
After some tinkering, “Details…” told the entire tale that was too lumbering to explain through poetry. I submitted it to Six Sentences and it was accepted; you can see the finished work at http://sixsentences.blogspot.com/2007/12/details-of-authors-divorce.html. What makes it work (at least to me) is the richness of the description that’s derived from its poetic roots, coupled with the fiction structure that tells the complete story without it being awkward.
This transformation can also be performed vice versa, from prose to poetry. I’ll sometimes spot a paragraph in a draft of a story that drones on about the landscape, only to realize I’ve abandoned the plot during that paragraph. Once I cut out some of that imagery, I’ll often save it for another project where that level of description is needed. It may be another story, or I might toss in some line breaks and see if this descriptive leftover can stand alone as a poem.
I wonder if this is something others may have done. It has definitely become a key component of my process and a contributor to my development as a writer.