I don’t know how they found the place so quickly; it was as if they’d been in the market for asylums all their lives, and choosing the one to ship me off to was something they seemed overly prepared for.
That was how my month began. With a girl being sent off to a mental institution for all the wrong reasons and a set of other characters I didn’t know so well. I know I’ve talked up how much more prepared I was this year, but the truth is that every creative endeavor involves some preparation and a whole lot of seat-of-your-pantsness that can later be tamed down into something that really works. Half the fun is finding out who your characters are, and if they’re actually going to do what you want them to. I’ll have to try to tame this monster later, though. Right now, I’m kind of feeling at a loss for words (in a good way, of course!). Being able to track friends’ progress and see other people posting about NaNoWriMo throughout the month is a great thing because you realize that there is a whole, unseen community of writers out there. (Yes, writers. Not aspiring writers. They’re writing. Give them credit.) To me, it’s awesome to know how many of them have given themselves over to a month of creativity that has no reward other than the fact that they can say that they’ve made it. My best day, I wrote 4,161 words. My worst? 314. (This is not counting the days I didn’t even write. Shame on me.) Some days are just bad for writing. Some are awesome. Most of us will never get published and might not even want to be, but we’ve written. No matter the final outcome, it’s gratifying just to finish something you set out to do. If you won this year, congratulations! We’ve survived, and have something to show for it! If you didn’t, who cares? You tried it, right? No one made a hard and fast rule about November being the only month for novels. I mean, December is looking pretty good . . .
Come See our New Website
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Hayden's Ferry Review Proudly Announces Pushcart Prize Nominees!
Selecting only six nominations for this year's Pushcart Prize was tough cookies. All contributing writers and poets for issue #46 were beyond amazing, and we salute you.
But a Review's gotta do what a Review's gotta do.
Congratulations to our six Pushcart Prize nominees:
-Clare Beams, "We Show What We Have Learned"
-Sean Bishop, "Psalm of the Apple, Psalm of the Mud"
-Halina Duraj, "The Company She Keeps"
-Stephanie Marker, "The Game"
-Avrom Sutzkever, translated by Miri Koral, "(A Little Flower)"
Casey Thayer, "More From the Plowman's Wife"
Celebrate, cheer and keep writing.
But a Review's gotta do what a Review's gotta do.
Congratulations to our six Pushcart Prize nominees:
-Clare Beams, "We Show What We Have Learned"
-Sean Bishop, "Psalm of the Apple, Psalm of the Mud"
-Halina Duraj, "The Company She Keeps"
-Stephanie Marker, "The Game"
-Avrom Sutzkever, translated by Miri Koral, "(A Little Flower)"
Casey Thayer, "More From the Plowman's Wife"
Celebrate, cheer and keep writing.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
NaNoWriMo Countdown: 10, 9, 8, 7 . . . 7 . . . 7 . . .
One week left. If you haven’t hit the golden mark yet, refrain from searching #nanowrimo on Twitter. Who are these people, killing it left and right? Everyone is saying, “54,000. It’s been real, NaNoWriMo,” and “Woooo! Just submitted my NaNo!”
I’m still 2 days behind. After a day when I hit over 4,000 words for my daily count, I’m checking the bottom of my Mac to see if there’s a hole all these words are falling out of. I mean, come on. 4,000 in one day and I’m still behind? Ugh. As with all things difficult or demanding, I’ve obviously been learning as I go. I know I did this last year, but I feel like that was, comparatively, a brainless slide down the mountains on a flimsy piece of cardboard.
I’m trying to make something good this year, which means I’m actually thinking about what’s working for me and the story, and what’s not. What’s working, it turns out, is that I’ve mentally committed not just to finishing on time, but to finishing on time with something that doesn’t completely suck. (Well, we know it’s going to suck. There’s just less suck than there might have been if I really hadn’t given a flip what the words were saying.*) What else is working for me is that I’m paying attention to my characters. When they’re getting bored, that means I’m getting bored. When I realize that, it’s so nice to move on from that scene. I don’t even wrap it up nicely anymore. I just shut it down and get on to the next interesting bit because I figure, if I’m going to revise and rewrite this later, I’ll get the bricks down now, and add the mortar later. (Someone give me more cereal. It makes the metaphors stop.)
The thing that is not working for me is basically what I talked about last week. I’ve overestimated my ability to spontaneously construct a complex, multiplot story. Which is, you know, totally forgivable, considering that . . . ummmm no, sorry. No good excuse for that. But however much that fact might suck right now, this is actually great news. Now, when I start my next project, I know that I need some sort of system–color-coded sticky notes!–to construct and keep track of my plot. Also, all that ‘research’ I did to prep? Not real. Reading a few articles on the Black Forest, Mayan hallucination practices, and traditional muses doesn’t cut it, sweet cheeks. Next time, there had better be pages of good stuff to pull from.
It’s taken me two tries at NaNoWriMo to realize those things fully. Which means progress, even if it’s the sluggish, lurching up from the primordial goo, first steps with your fins sort of progress. Tonight’s goal is to hit at least 3,000 words, and by next Tuesday, I promise you, this thing will have its pants kicked in and I’ll be down at Rula, if you need me.
*For more info on why it’s good to allow yourself to suck, I suggest you go here: Dare to Suck. Also: More Serious Research.
I’m still 2 days behind. After a day when I hit over 4,000 words for my daily count, I’m checking the bottom of my Mac to see if there’s a hole all these words are falling out of. I mean, come on. 4,000 in one day and I’m still behind? Ugh. As with all things difficult or demanding, I’ve obviously been learning as I go. I know I did this last year, but I feel like that was, comparatively, a brainless slide down the mountains on a flimsy piece of cardboard.
I’m trying to make something good this year, which means I’m actually thinking about what’s working for me and the story, and what’s not. What’s working, it turns out, is that I’ve mentally committed not just to finishing on time, but to finishing on time with something that doesn’t completely suck. (Well, we know it’s going to suck. There’s just less suck than there might have been if I really hadn’t given a flip what the words were saying.*) What else is working for me is that I’m paying attention to my characters. When they’re getting bored, that means I’m getting bored. When I realize that, it’s so nice to move on from that scene. I don’t even wrap it up nicely anymore. I just shut it down and get on to the next interesting bit because I figure, if I’m going to revise and rewrite this later, I’ll get the bricks down now, and add the mortar later. (Someone give me more cereal. It makes the metaphors stop.)
The thing that is not working for me is basically what I talked about last week. I’ve overestimated my ability to spontaneously construct a complex, multiplot story. Which is, you know, totally forgivable, considering that . . . ummmm no, sorry. No good excuse for that. But however much that fact might suck right now, this is actually great news. Now, when I start my next project, I know that I need some sort of system–color-coded sticky notes!–to construct and keep track of my plot. Also, all that ‘research’ I did to prep? Not real. Reading a few articles on the Black Forest, Mayan hallucination practices, and traditional muses doesn’t cut it, sweet cheeks. Next time, there had better be pages of good stuff to pull from.
It’s taken me two tries at NaNoWriMo to realize those things fully. Which means progress, even if it’s the sluggish, lurching up from the primordial goo, first steps with your fins sort of progress. Tonight’s goal is to hit at least 3,000 words, and by next Tuesday, I promise you, this thing will have its pants kicked in and I’ll be down at Rula, if you need me.
*For more info on why it’s good to allow yourself to suck, I suggest you go here: Dare to Suck. Also: More Serious Research.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Bartleby, The Flight Attendant by B.J. Hollars
Hayden's Ferry Review continues its series of best (most interesting, most unusual, most helpful!) practices of creative writing teachers - after a very long break - below. Maybe some of you remember the article in The New Yorker titled "Show or Tell: Should Creative Writing Be Taught?" There is still the idea among some that creative writing is an ephemeral thing that cannot be explained. Or worse, that great writers are simply born, not improved through study and practice. Literally, it's time to get the word out about what we do and how well we do it. Good for writers, good for teachers. Our second piece is below. We hope you enjoy it.
*
When teaching "Bartleby, The Scrivener," I usually open with the prototypical, "So, did you enjoy reading it?" to which the smart aleck of the room boldly proclaims, "Well, I would have preferred not to."
This response is greeted with guffaws, a high-five, maybe a couple of eye rolls. I've found this droll humor to be a near constant in the Bartleby classroom, at least since I was that smart aleck student—the original architect of the snotty response.
But having slipped to the other side now—making the successful transition from smart aleck student to smart aleck instructor—I'm now forced to explain to students why they should actually prefer the story, instead. How "preferring not to" read "Bartley" is more than simply an aesthetic choice, but is, perhaps, a misreading of the work itself.
"Well, if you hated it so much, then why did you read it?" I ask my class, to which I receive a resounding, "Because you made us!"
"I did?" I inquire, quite impressed with my super powers. "Well, how exactly did I manage that?"
"Because that's what the syllabus says!"
Now it's my turn to roll eyes.
"Surely there were other readings you've passed up," I remind, "and those were on the syllabus, too."
"Well, we just kept waiting for something to happen," one student rebuts. "But nothing ever did."
We turn then to other writers who many students believe share Melville's "nothing ever happened" approach. We look first to Thoreau ("Our life is frittered away by detail,") and then on to Emerson ("imitation is suicide").
Then I ask: "But is the scrivener not the most detail-oriented imitator of them all? An entire job devoted solely to copying documents letter for letter?"
This, of course, spurs philosophical discussion related to imitation (as well as the return of the smart aleck: "But aren't copy machines even better for that?"). Yet when we move beyond the creation v. imitation debate, we're left wondering if Bartleby's heroics are made clearer when read with Thoreau and Emerson in mind.
"Bartleby preferred not to do something and then he backed that up with action," I explain. "How many of you bothered to back up your preference not to read with action?"
My students begrudgingly admit that they hadn't; that instead, they just read the thing cover to cover.
Each class, I ask my students to write brief 250-word responses to the reading—my way of getting students writing, but also, ensuring that they've understood basic concepts. The students aren't terribly fond at what they view as "busy work," and as I read over the responses, I was disappointed to find that not a single student took advantage of the story's theme, wrote simply, "I prefer not to" in place of their response. Instead, they all followed directions with Boy Scout precision—struggling through interpretive possibilities, noting symbolism, grappling with questions related to Bartleby's sanity. Yet not one of the seventy students took Bartleby to heart, testing his theory of passive refusal by refusing to take part in my mind-numbing exercise.
"You know, maybe there's some slight heroism in bucking etiquette," I suggest, skimming the responses.
This is met with blank stares, so I give an example— the now infamous flight attendant who, after pouring one too many ginger ales to one too many high-strung travelers, went on a tirade, shrieking expletives throughout the cabin, helping himself to the mini bar, along with his grand finale—a slide down the emergency chute to safety.
"But more important than the flight attendant's action was our reaction to it," I continue, noting how Steven Slate's break in protocol caused the world to stand still. How, for 48-hours every media outlet in the country went bonkers over his brazen behavior. And how this absurd media coverage was proof that we, as a society, demand that protocol be strictly enforced every second of every day; that we have no tolerance for improvisation, no patience for a break in the routine. Eventually, the students come around to this interpretation, beginning to understand—as one student put it—just "what a badass Bartleby is."
I conclude by trying to explain how Bartleby's "bad-assedness" can serve as a reflection of our own submission in the modern world.
"How many of you ever had to endure a seemingly worthless assignment for class?" I ask.
A thousand hands shoot up, most of them pointing at me.
"Okay, and how many of you ever had to endure a job that you felt wasn't worth your while?"
Another flurry of hands reach for the ceiling.
We indulge ourselves in a few moment of group therapy, recounting all the hot dogs we've served, all the papers we've shredded, all the dead fish we've scooped from the tanks. Then, we make a pact never to reduce ourselves like that again, agreeing that no mind deserves that kind of numbing.
Here's a simple test to prove if Bartleby's message is understood.
The next time you assign a "boring" piece of literature, just wait for the students' reactions. If Bartleby's message sticks, then you'll be faced with an entire classroom of indignant students with their books closed, all of whom will proudly inform you that they simply "preferred not to" read, and this time, as Bartleby had, they were willing to back it up.
*
When teaching "Bartleby, The Scrivener," I usually open with the prototypical, "So, did you enjoy reading it?" to which the smart aleck of the room boldly proclaims, "Well, I would have preferred not to."
This response is greeted with guffaws, a high-five, maybe a couple of eye rolls. I've found this droll humor to be a near constant in the Bartleby classroom, at least since I was that smart aleck student—the original architect of the snotty response.
But having slipped to the other side now—making the successful transition from smart aleck student to smart aleck instructor—I'm now forced to explain to students why they should actually prefer the story, instead. How "preferring not to" read "Bartley" is more than simply an aesthetic choice, but is, perhaps, a misreading of the work itself.
"Well, if you hated it so much, then why did you read it?" I ask my class, to which I receive a resounding, "Because you made us!"
"I did?" I inquire, quite impressed with my super powers. "Well, how exactly did I manage that?"
"Because that's what the syllabus says!"
Now it's my turn to roll eyes.
"Surely there were other readings you've passed up," I remind, "and those were on the syllabus, too."
"Well, we just kept waiting for something to happen," one student rebuts. "But nothing ever did."
We turn then to other writers who many students believe share Melville's "nothing ever happened" approach. We look first to Thoreau ("Our life is frittered away by detail,") and then on to Emerson ("imitation is suicide").
Then I ask: "But is the scrivener not the most detail-oriented imitator of them all? An entire job devoted solely to copying documents letter for letter?"
This, of course, spurs philosophical discussion related to imitation (as well as the return of the smart aleck: "But aren't copy machines even better for that?"). Yet when we move beyond the creation v. imitation debate, we're left wondering if Bartleby's heroics are made clearer when read with Thoreau and Emerson in mind.
"Bartleby preferred not to do something and then he backed that up with action," I explain. "How many of you bothered to back up your preference not to read with action?"
My students begrudgingly admit that they hadn't; that instead, they just read the thing cover to cover.
Each class, I ask my students to write brief 250-word responses to the reading—my way of getting students writing, but also, ensuring that they've understood basic concepts. The students aren't terribly fond at what they view as "busy work," and as I read over the responses, I was disappointed to find that not a single student took advantage of the story's theme, wrote simply, "I prefer not to" in place of their response. Instead, they all followed directions with Boy Scout precision—struggling through interpretive possibilities, noting symbolism, grappling with questions related to Bartleby's sanity. Yet not one of the seventy students took Bartleby to heart, testing his theory of passive refusal by refusing to take part in my mind-numbing exercise.
"You know, maybe there's some slight heroism in bucking etiquette," I suggest, skimming the responses.
This is met with blank stares, so I give an example— the now infamous flight attendant who, after pouring one too many ginger ales to one too many high-strung travelers, went on a tirade, shrieking expletives throughout the cabin, helping himself to the mini bar, along with his grand finale—a slide down the emergency chute to safety.
"But more important than the flight attendant's action was our reaction to it," I continue, noting how Steven Slate's break in protocol caused the world to stand still. How, for 48-hours every media outlet in the country went bonkers over his brazen behavior. And how this absurd media coverage was proof that we, as a society, demand that protocol be strictly enforced every second of every day; that we have no tolerance for improvisation, no patience for a break in the routine. Eventually, the students come around to this interpretation, beginning to understand—as one student put it—just "what a badass Bartleby is."
I conclude by trying to explain how Bartleby's "bad-assedness" can serve as a reflection of our own submission in the modern world.
"How many of you ever had to endure a seemingly worthless assignment for class?" I ask.
A thousand hands shoot up, most of them pointing at me.
"Okay, and how many of you ever had to endure a job that you felt wasn't worth your while?"
Another flurry of hands reach for the ceiling.
We indulge ourselves in a few moment of group therapy, recounting all the hot dogs we've served, all the papers we've shredded, all the dead fish we've scooped from the tanks. Then, we make a pact never to reduce ourselves like that again, agreeing that no mind deserves that kind of numbing.
Here's a simple test to prove if Bartleby's message is understood.
The next time you assign a "boring" piece of literature, just wait for the students' reactions. If Bartleby's message sticks, then you'll be faced with an entire classroom of indignant students with their books closed, all of whom will proudly inform you that they simply "preferred not to" read, and this time, as Bartleby had, they were willing to back it up.
Friday, November 19, 2010
News Around the Net
An all-cat version of Hamlet. Did you see those lines for the midnight showing of Harry Potter? Well, this is an all-cat version of Hamlet! Double that line!
Other than cats staging Hamlet, another surprise Jaimy Gordon, a teacher at Western Michigan University, is the National Book Award winner for fiction.
A graphic novel version of Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist is being released. Just in time for the holidays! As if 40 million copies weren't enough already.
Barack Obama is also a children's book writer.
MIT gets rid of their only poetry workshop, decides to keep course on Twitter theory. State of poetry in culture, anyone? Discuss.
Lorin Stein on short stories and poetry not making sense and the trouble finding a young audience for The Paris Review. The more I read about Stein, the more I like him.
Other than cats staging Hamlet, another surprise Jaimy Gordon, a teacher at Western Michigan University, is the National Book Award winner for fiction.
A graphic novel version of Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist is being released. Just in time for the holidays! As if 40 million copies weren't enough already.
Barack Obama is also a children's book writer.
MIT gets rid of their only poetry workshop, decides to keep course on Twitter theory. State of poetry in culture, anyone? Discuss.
Lorin Stein on short stories and poetry not making sense and the trouble finding a young audience for The Paris Review. The more I read about Stein, the more I like him.
Call for Submissions: Press 53 Open Awards 2011
Press 53, a small, independent publisher based out of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, is currently accepting submissions for the Open Awards 2011. The Open Awards provide an opportunity for 16 writers to have their works published in a wide array of genres, including poetry, short fiction, flash fiction, novellas and creative nonfiction. Winners will be selected Friday, July 1, 2011 and receive publication in the Press 53 Open Awards Anthology in October 2011 along with some pretty awesome personalized, etched-glass awards for First Prize winners.
Reading fee is between $15-$25 and all submissions must be postmarked no later than March 31, 2011. Judges in this year's contest include Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda, Sherrie Flick, Stefanie Freele, Chris Offutt, Bill Roorbach and Josh Weil.
To learn more about Press 53 Open Awards 2011, including submission guidelines and how to enter, click here. And check out this year's (2010) winners, who were announced last month at Press 53's five-year anniversary party, here!
Reading fee is between $15-$25 and all submissions must be postmarked no later than March 31, 2011. Judges in this year's contest include Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda, Sherrie Flick, Stefanie Freele, Chris Offutt, Bill Roorbach and Josh Weil.
To learn more about Press 53 Open Awards 2011, including submission guidelines and how to enter, click here. And check out this year's (2010) winners, who were announced last month at Press 53's five-year anniversary party, here!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Congratulations to HFR Contributor Jocelyn Lee!
Congratulations to HFR Issue #47 contributor Jocelyn Lee for picking up representation from Institute for Artist Management, an awesome agency that already has a pretty amazing roster (David Maisel anyone?)
Some of Jocelyn's work will appear in the upcoming issue of HFR which should be coming to you very, VERY soon. Keep your eyes peeled.
Congrats Jocelyn!
Some of Jocelyn's work will appear in the upcoming issue of HFR which should be coming to you very, VERY soon. Keep your eyes peeled.
Congrats Jocelyn!
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Write a Story with Aimee Bender
HFR friend Electric Literature is doing something fun for their Outlet Blog: 100 lucky and talented writers will get to collaborate with Aimee Bender on a short story! Using a brand new, really awesome website called ThumbScribes.com, writers will be able to sign in and collaborate a line of up to 300 characters, with the first line being written by Ms. Aimee Bender herself.
Make sure you're in front of the computer and ready to go at 10am EST this Wednesday, November 17, so that you can take part in what will almost definitely be a good, fun time.
Click here to get started!
Make sure you're in front of the computer and ready to go at 10am EST this Wednesday, November 17, so that you can take part in what will almost definitely be a good, fun time.
Click here to get started!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
NaNoWriMo: The Middle
We’re officially over halfway through this thing now. Congratulations! According to my stats, I’m no longer looking at a December 30th finish date, so I’ll at least be able to enjoy Christmas! (Thanksgiving is looking grim. I should have bought that inflatable turkey I saw at the record store). I’m feeling better about my progress, but I keep thinking about all the pep talks that focus on getting you through the most tiring portion of your novel: The Middle. It’s such an energy-sucking swamp because this is the point before your second wind, when you’re coming off the high of starting this thing and getting down into the grit of it all, when you’ve got to WORK to get things where you want them. It’s tough, coming up with 25,000 words and knowing you’ve got another 25,000 to go. But this big, bad Middle business? I’m kind of enjoying it.
Now, this might be a result of not having thought things through, but it seems like I’m finally, really figuring things out in my story. Characters are starting to settle into their personalities, and interesting situations keep popping up–just two days ago, my protagonist was breaking into the asylum she lives in (right, maybe we’ll get to explaining that later) and crashed a poker game where she won extra meds and an apprenticeship with the groundskeeper. Now she’s free to blackmail everyone because they were drinking on the job at the mental institution. Yippee! The BAD news is that my story is rapidly approaching the main event, and I’m not sure how much more story I’ve got left to tell once that’s over. In short: the pacing is off.
After searching through the NaNoWriMo forums, I see that many people seem to have done some serious prep work in anticipation for their month-long writing marathon. They’ve got all sorts of stepping stones to hop around on in their stories due to the fact that they actually PLANNED their novels out, and no one seems to be concerned with pacing. Everyone’s talking about their writing software and their electronic storyboards, and I’m thinking . . . there’s something about storyboarding that intimidates me. It shouldn’t, though, because I probably need it for navigation purposes, and to get myself out of those dead-end scenes that come out of nowhere every so often. For me, The Middle lacks stepping stones, and is actually kind of a bog/quicksand trap with boggarts in it. Everything looks fine on the surface, but at the same time, it makes me wonder how many now-mummified bog ponies have gone before me. (Shhh. Ponies don’t write, we know. Just go with it.)
I don’t have the foggiest idea as to how to begin a storyboard. Wait, retract that. I have a foggy idea, but I’d like to think there’s more to this magical storyboarding than putting each event of your novel on separate pieces of paper and stringing them out like beads. Is there more than that? In my mind, a storyboard should have those events, but should also include details about the scene, what people are wearing and acting like, the weather–the kind of things you’d expect to see if you were writing a screenplay. Which brings up another question. If you’re writing a novel, are you supposed to write it as a screenplay first? Is that what this turns into? If I write a NaNo novel that way, can I also enter it in Script Frenzy? (I’m scared you might be raking at your cheeks now. Pull your hands away from your face and take a deep breath.) I love the apparent functionality of the storyboard, but when it comes down to it, it makes me think I’ll be writing a separate, more visual sort of story, which seems like it will get me off track more than anything. But it apparently is working for loads of people, many well-known authors included, so I will definitely have a try at it some time soon.
Regardless of how great (or awful) an idea storyboarding might have been, it’s a little late in the month for me to be changing tactics. I’m sticking with the mapless approach to tackling The Middle and plan on wandering through the rest of this year’s novel, directionless and scouting for stepping stones. With luck, I’ll see you on the other side.
Now, this might be a result of not having thought things through, but it seems like I’m finally, really figuring things out in my story. Characters are starting to settle into their personalities, and interesting situations keep popping up–just two days ago, my protagonist was breaking into the asylum she lives in (right, maybe we’ll get to explaining that later) and crashed a poker game where she won extra meds and an apprenticeship with the groundskeeper. Now she’s free to blackmail everyone because they were drinking on the job at the mental institution. Yippee! The BAD news is that my story is rapidly approaching the main event, and I’m not sure how much more story I’ve got left to tell once that’s over. In short: the pacing is off.
After searching through the NaNoWriMo forums, I see that many people seem to have done some serious prep work in anticipation for their month-long writing marathon. They’ve got all sorts of stepping stones to hop around on in their stories due to the fact that they actually PLANNED their novels out, and no one seems to be concerned with pacing. Everyone’s talking about their writing software and their electronic storyboards, and I’m thinking . . . there’s something about storyboarding that intimidates me. It shouldn’t, though, because I probably need it for navigation purposes, and to get myself out of those dead-end scenes that come out of nowhere every so often. For me, The Middle lacks stepping stones, and is actually kind of a bog/quicksand trap with boggarts in it. Everything looks fine on the surface, but at the same time, it makes me wonder how many now-mummified bog ponies have gone before me. (Shhh. Ponies don’t write, we know. Just go with it.)
I don’t have the foggiest idea as to how to begin a storyboard. Wait, retract that. I have a foggy idea, but I’d like to think there’s more to this magical storyboarding than putting each event of your novel on separate pieces of paper and stringing them out like beads. Is there more than that? In my mind, a storyboard should have those events, but should also include details about the scene, what people are wearing and acting like, the weather–the kind of things you’d expect to see if you were writing a screenplay. Which brings up another question. If you’re writing a novel, are you supposed to write it as a screenplay first? Is that what this turns into? If I write a NaNo novel that way, can I also enter it in Script Frenzy? (I’m scared you might be raking at your cheeks now. Pull your hands away from your face and take a deep breath.) I love the apparent functionality of the storyboard, but when it comes down to it, it makes me think I’ll be writing a separate, more visual sort of story, which seems like it will get me off track more than anything. But it apparently is working for loads of people, many well-known authors included, so I will definitely have a try at it some time soon.
Regardless of how great (or awful) an idea storyboarding might have been, it’s a little late in the month for me to be changing tactics. I’m sticking with the mapless approach to tackling The Middle and plan on wandering through the rest of this year’s novel, directionless and scouting for stepping stones. With luck, I’ll see you on the other side.
Friday, November 12, 2010
News Around the Net
Do you want to donate some books to soldiers overseas? Why wouldn't you? You can go here or here. Or both.
First-time novelist Johanna Skibsrud won the Giller Prize and $50,000 cash, she had to deal with her stubborn independent publisher, who, literally, cannot print books fast enough to satisfy all the people who want to read the book. Poor, poor her. I once had the same problem. I feel for you.
Well, I guess this book is going to have to be taken off my reading list. It's a shame. It would have made great reading during my part-time job as a school bus driver. Curse censorship!
45,000 kids are writing their first novels during National Novel Writing Month. Hey, you stupid kids, Laura Miller thinks your pathetic attempt at writing is dumb and useless! Give it up!
Billy Collins meets the toddler who memorizes his poems and recites them on youtube and gains 300,000 more views than Collins reading the same poem. Then they get in a fist fight.
A museum in the UK needs your help to preserve three Charles Dickens original manuscripts.
First-time novelist Johanna Skibsrud won the Giller Prize and $50,000 cash, she had to deal with her stubborn independent publisher, who, literally, cannot print books fast enough to satisfy all the people who want to read the book. Poor, poor her. I once had the same problem. I feel for you.
Well, I guess this book is going to have to be taken off my reading list. It's a shame. It would have made great reading during my part-time job as a school bus driver. Curse censorship!
45,000 kids are writing their first novels during National Novel Writing Month. Hey, you stupid kids, Laura Miller thinks your pathetic attempt at writing is dumb and useless! Give it up!
Billy Collins meets the toddler who memorizes his poems and recites them on youtube and gains 300,000 more views than Collins reading the same poem. Then they get in a fist fight.
A museum in the UK needs your help to preserve three Charles Dickens original manuscripts.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Hayden's Ferry Review Authors
* This is a special look back at some of the more successful authors who have graced HFR with their wit and attention. Some of them are authors and some are poets who have gone onto national and even international acclaim. So we are inviting you to take a walk with us down memory lane...*
It was the spring of 1986 and Hayden’s Ferry Review’s premier issue was coming out. Poets like Norman Dubie and short story writers like Cary Grossman were in its first issue. There was something missing though: Hayden’s Ferry Review had all these newbies and up and comers but they needed a veteran of storytelling. They found him: Joseph Heller. Catch-22, his most famous work, is the story that gives us a greater understanding of the phrase "damned if you do and damned if you don’t." Jay Boyer and a group of students did the interview for Heller in March of 1984 at Arizona State University.
The setting was the day after his first reading of his novel God Knows. He had been sick for the four years before 1984 with Guillain-Barrré Syndrome (GBS). GBS is a neuro-degenerative disease that causes paralysis and a long recovery needed. At the time of the conversation he was mostly recovered. Some of the highlights of the interview were when he was asked if he enjoyed reading and he said “I enjoy reading less and less because when I’m working I’m too tired to read most of the time.” When asked how he describes his own writing, he says “Well, I don’t write realistic books. I write books out of the imagination. When I say 'realistic,' I don't use reality. I'm saying realism as a way of describing an approach, because certainly I try to deal with reality.” When reading the interview you can see Yossarian, the protagonist from Catch-22 in his answers. Yossarian and Heller's voices are very similar. It is like Deja Vu, in that they are eerily similar. They have similar connotations and a certain sort of sarcasm that is hard to explain. Unfortunately you cannot read the interview online but you can read it in Hayden’s Ferry Review Premier Issue Spring 1986. If you would like a copy of the premier issue you can email us hfr@asu.edu.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
NaNoWriMo Day 9: Hermits and Pavlov. And Writing.
Day 9: I am 6,988 words behind schedule.
In my defense, I was out of town for three days. And no one likes dealing with a laptop through airport security. And writing in a notebook is so much slower than typing. And I’ve gotten almost every achievement in Plants Versus Zombies! Aren’t you proud? Oh, come on. That kind of impresses you.
Alright, then. Here’s the deal: I left in the middle of Friday, notebook in tow. I made sure I had a pen I could tolerate, and spent half the flight scribbling away in what has become horrible handwriting (I’m talking illegible–What does that say? She held a gerbil to her ear . . . what?). I moved my main character into a new scene and gave her a sidekick to adventure with. There was some progress. But for the rest of the weekend the notebook stayed shut, and on the flight back I didn’t write, I slept. But whatever my progress, the fact is that it is now the 9th day, and I’m still writing. I haven’t mentally given up on this thing and I hope, if you’re writing, that you haven’t either.
Compared to last year’s slave-driving approach, this year I’ve been less intense in my writing schedule. Last year I committed fully to being a hermit. I went to work in the morning and in the afternoon I came home, changed into sweats, and sat down to write. I didn’t get up until I met the word count. I didn’t go grocery shopping if I was behind. In short, I was the creepy, greasy neighbor you hope you never run into. This year, though, I’m taking it a little easier and have started up some habits to keep me on track. The more I read of other writers and the more I write, the more I realize that writers are like baseball players–notorious for those weird superstitions that are supposed to bring down the Good Luck Chihuahuas and the Rainbows of Incredibly Awesome Feats.
My first best habit this time around is not original at all, and no one is a stranger to it: unplugging from the internet. I do this for real. I don’t have a wireless router, so I can just snap the cord out from my laptop, and it’s like magic. Instant focus. The second habit is a sort of Pavlovian thing that is sure to mess me up for holidays to come. I bought an enormous pumpkin caramel–butterscotch toffee–maple walnut candle (I’m not even kidding) and held off on firing it up until Nov. 1. And now, I only light it when it’s time to write, and as soon as I’m done, I blow it out. My hope is that this plays out with a subconscious link between pumpkin spice things and writing. “Pumpkin pie? No thanks, but I’ll have that pad of paper over there! Yeah, thanks!” Ding! It’s probably more like having a crusty, lucky rabbit’s foot, but I’m still hoping to sear writing as a daily event in my brain.
I’ve definitely got a lot of catch-up work ahead of me this week. I’m also going to be out of town next weekend, so if you’ve got any lucky habits (or foods–anyone have suggestions for a lucky snack? Lucky pizza bites?), I can use all the help I can get. Suggest away! My pumpkin spice candle and I will be here.
In my defense, I was out of town for three days. And no one likes dealing with a laptop through airport security. And writing in a notebook is so much slower than typing. And I’ve gotten almost every achievement in Plants Versus Zombies! Aren’t you proud? Oh, come on. That kind of impresses you.
Alright, then. Here’s the deal: I left in the middle of Friday, notebook in tow. I made sure I had a pen I could tolerate, and spent half the flight scribbling away in what has become horrible handwriting (I’m talking illegible–What does that say? She held a gerbil to her ear . . . what?). I moved my main character into a new scene and gave her a sidekick to adventure with. There was some progress. But for the rest of the weekend the notebook stayed shut, and on the flight back I didn’t write, I slept. But whatever my progress, the fact is that it is now the 9th day, and I’m still writing. I haven’t mentally given up on this thing and I hope, if you’re writing, that you haven’t either.
Compared to last year’s slave-driving approach, this year I’ve been less intense in my writing schedule. Last year I committed fully to being a hermit. I went to work in the morning and in the afternoon I came home, changed into sweats, and sat down to write. I didn’t get up until I met the word count. I didn’t go grocery shopping if I was behind. In short, I was the creepy, greasy neighbor you hope you never run into. This year, though, I’m taking it a little easier and have started up some habits to keep me on track. The more I read of other writers and the more I write, the more I realize that writers are like baseball players–notorious for those weird superstitions that are supposed to bring down the Good Luck Chihuahuas and the Rainbows of Incredibly Awesome Feats.
My first best habit this time around is not original at all, and no one is a stranger to it: unplugging from the internet. I do this for real. I don’t have a wireless router, so I can just snap the cord out from my laptop, and it’s like magic. Instant focus. The second habit is a sort of Pavlovian thing that is sure to mess me up for holidays to come. I bought an enormous pumpkin caramel–butterscotch toffee–maple walnut candle (I’m not even kidding) and held off on firing it up until Nov. 1. And now, I only light it when it’s time to write, and as soon as I’m done, I blow it out. My hope is that this plays out with a subconscious link between pumpkin spice things and writing. “Pumpkin pie? No thanks, but I’ll have that pad of paper over there! Yeah, thanks!” Ding! It’s probably more like having a crusty, lucky rabbit’s foot, but I’m still hoping to sear writing as a daily event in my brain.
I’ve definitely got a lot of catch-up work ahead of me this week. I’m also going to be out of town next weekend, so if you’ve got any lucky habits (or foods–anyone have suggestions for a lucky snack? Lucky pizza bites?), I can use all the help I can get. Suggest away! My pumpkin spice candle and I will be here.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Foreign Tongues: Faroese
HFR publishes contributors from all over the world, in languages and from places that some people (we're not pointing fingers) have never heard of. This recurring post Foreign Tongues will give you a little culture and a little history, a way to better understand the background behind some not-so-familiar peoples and languages.
Jørgen-Frantz Jacobsen was a Scandinavian writer. He is from one of the islands close to Iceland. I researched him because of the post I did on Iceland. He is not in Hayden's Ferry Review but his work has been around for a while now. He wrote a single novel titled Barbara: Roman before he died at the age of 37 (he was sick a lot). He is also one of only five writers born between 1900 and 1903 who represent literature from a country that had no recognized prior literary tradition. The country is the Faroe Islands and the language is Faroese. Jacobsen is internationally known although most of his notoriety came after his death. His novel Barbara:Roman was even made into a movie in 1997 nearly sixty years after his death. Barbara:Roman is a story about a minister who falls in love with a sexually promiscuous woman, marries her, and all the drama that is involved with marrying a promiscuous woman. I love it.
Faroese is a language spoken by about 73,000 people in the world. Most of the people who speak the language live in the Faroe Islands. It is an Indo-European language directly descended from the Old West Norse language, with Icelandic being its closest relative. Like many languages that are spoken by a minority people in the world, Faroese was abolished--by the Danes after the Reformation in 1536. The Danes banned its use in schools, churches, and official documents.
The Faroe Islands are wreathed in mystery; it is unknown when the Faroese people came to the islands. There is a great deal of speculation that some of the people came to the islands due to persecution from Norway and Denmark. Others speculate that they are of Celtic decent and moved due to proximity. According to scientific evidence that traced the Faroe Islanders' DNA, the Faroese are half Scandinavian and half Scots/Irish.
Friday, November 5, 2010
News Around the Net
On third thought, maybe we should participate in National Novel Writing Month!
Who said literature is dead?! Look at how dedicated this guy is to fiction!
Another possible future path for e-readers.
Really good essay from the Millions on teaching creative writing.
A study about this whole hip-hop thing. And no, it doesn't help you look more smooth with those complicated hand shakes, I looked.
So, we have Franzen, now where's that Great European Novel?
Who said literature is dead?! Look at how dedicated this guy is to fiction!
Another possible future path for e-readers.
Really good essay from the Millions on teaching creative writing.
A study about this whole hip-hop thing. And no, it doesn't help you look more smooth with those complicated hand shakes, I looked.
So, we have Franzen, now where's that Great European Novel?
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Foreign Tongues: Icelandic
HFR publishes contributors from all over the world, in languages and from places that some people (we're not pointing fingers) have never heard of. This recurring post Foreign Tongues will give you a little culture and a little history, a way to better understand the background behind some not-so-familiar peoples and languages.
When people think of Iceland they don’t think of the language or their poetry, they think of Vikings. They might also think of how Iceland was named: It was given the name Iceland by the Vikings so that no one would go there but would instead go to Greenland. It was a deceptive name because Iceland is warm with nice weather and Greenland is cold. Those tricky Vikings! Iceland has other things besides Vikings and that its great poetry and is its beautiful language, Icelandic. Johann Hjálmarsson is an internationally known poet who writes in Icelandic. Hjálmarsson was born in Iceland in 1939. When he was 17, working as a printer’s apprentice, he wrote his first book of poems. Critics were so impressed by his work that they encouraged him to study abroad. Hjálmarsson took their advice and studied abroad in Barcelona. There he learned the romance languages. He then proceeded to translate Federico Garcia Lorca into Icelandic. He become a literary and art reviewer for an Icelandic magazine, traveled the world for his work, and wrote poetry. His life is like a fairy tale from printer’s apprentice to world traveler. Some of his work can be found in issue #37 of HFR.
Icelandic, like English, has its roots in German. It is spoken by about 320,000 people in the world, most of whom reside in Iceland. Iceland used to be the westernmost country with speakers of Indo-European languages; then the Americas were “discovered.” The oldest texts written in Icelandic are poetry and laws, which were orally passed down and then written. Iceland’s most famous text is appropriately called the Icelandic Sagas, which is written in Old Icelandic. Old Icelandic and Icelandic are not very different; they are similar to Elizabethan English and present day English.
Icelanders are some of the most homogeneous of all European countries mostly due to their isolation. They are a mix of descendents from the British Isles and from Scandinavia. This is probably why their language has Germanic roots. They were ruled by the Norwegians, then the Danes, and finally got independence from the Danes in 1944. It is interesting that even while they were colonized by the Norwegians and the Danes they still managed to keep their language intact without very many changes. When they got their independence they made Icelandic their official language.
When people think of Iceland they don’t think of the language or their poetry, they think of Vikings. They might also think of how Iceland was named: It was given the name Iceland by the Vikings so that no one would go there but would instead go to Greenland. It was a deceptive name because Iceland is warm with nice weather and Greenland is cold. Those tricky Vikings! Iceland has other things besides Vikings and that its great poetry and is its beautiful language, Icelandic. Johann Hjálmarsson is an internationally known poet who writes in Icelandic. Hjálmarsson was born in Iceland in 1939. When he was 17, working as a printer’s apprentice, he wrote his first book of poems. Critics were so impressed by his work that they encouraged him to study abroad. Hjálmarsson took their advice and studied abroad in Barcelona. There he learned the romance languages. He then proceeded to translate Federico Garcia Lorca into Icelandic. He become a literary and art reviewer for an Icelandic magazine, traveled the world for his work, and wrote poetry. His life is like a fairy tale from printer’s apprentice to world traveler. Some of his work can be found in issue #37 of HFR.
Icelandic, like English, has its roots in German. It is spoken by about 320,000 people in the world, most of whom reside in Iceland. Iceland used to be the westernmost country with speakers of Indo-European languages; then the Americas were “discovered.” The oldest texts written in Icelandic are poetry and laws, which were orally passed down and then written. Iceland’s most famous text is appropriately called the Icelandic Sagas, which is written in Old Icelandic. Old Icelandic and Icelandic are not very different; they are similar to Elizabethan English and present day English.
Icelanders are some of the most homogeneous of all European countries mostly due to their isolation. They are a mix of descendents from the British Isles and from Scandinavia. This is probably why their language has Germanic roots. They were ruled by the Norwegians, then the Danes, and finally got independence from the Danes in 1944. It is interesting that even while they were colonized by the Norwegians and the Danes they still managed to keep their language intact without very many changes. When they got their independence they made Icelandic their official language.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Job Openings
South Dakota State University Assistant Professor: Tenure Track Position
The English Department at South Dakota State University is accepting applications for a full-time, tenure-track assistant professor of English to teach courses in Creative Writing, with an emphasis in Fiction. Minimum qualifications are a Ph.D. in English with Creative Dissertation in Fiction or MFA in English with Creative Thesis in Fiction, in hand by August 15, 2011, along with an established and successful record of publication. Experience or training in one or more of the following areas desired: Contemporary Literature; Screen- and/or Play-Writing; Ethnic Studies; or Juvenile Literature. Must demonstrate the following: effective written and oral communication skills; effective interpersonal skills; ability to teach introductory courses in Creative Writing and upper-level and graduate courses in Creative Writing (Fiction); experience coordinating writing conferences and assisting with student publications and contests; willingness to develop and teach distance education courses; interest in developing community outreach or Service Learning programs.Tenure-track assignment includes a 3-3 teaching load with expectations in scholarship, advising, and both departmental and university service. Application deadline is December 30th, 2010. For more information regarding this position, contact Dr. Christine Stewart-Nunez at 605-688-4065 or C.Stewart-Nunez@sdstate.edu. To apply, visit https://YourFuture.sdbor.edu, search by the position, and follow the electronic employment process.Two Half-Time Positions Available in Creative Writing at University of Delaware
Qualifications: MFA, or appropriate terminal degree, record of publication, and experience teaching creative writing. We are seeking a person to join our undergraduate English concentration in Creative Writing to teach creative writing courses and workshops at the introductory, intermediate, and advanced levels. The new faculty member will be part of a dynamic department, with opportunities to contribute to a successful program that is ready to expand and innovate. The successful candidate will teach 2 courses per semester in multi-genre and single-genre Creative Writing courses. The position starts September, 2011, and offers a competitive salary and partial benefits. For consideration, submit an application letter that provides evidence of high-quality teaching, c.v., and contact information for three references to Prof. Bernard Kaplan, Search Committee Chair, Department of English, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716-2537 by November 15, 2010. Application Information: Postal Address: Prof. Bernard Kaplan / Department of English/ University of Delaware / 413 Academy Street Office of Human Resources / Newark, DE 19716-0619 / Phone: 302-831-2171
Qualifications: MFA, or appropriate terminal degree, record of publication, and experience teaching creative writing. We are seeking a person to join our undergraduate English concentration in Creative Writing to teach creative writing courses and workshops at the introductory, intermediate, and advanced levels. The new faculty member will be part of a dynamic department, with opportunities to contribute to a successful program that is ready to expand and innovate. The successful candidate will teach 2 courses per semester in multi-genre and single-genre Creative Writing courses. The position starts September, 2011, and offers a competitive salary and partial benefits. For consideration, submit an application letter that provides evidence of high-quality teaching, c.v., and contact information for three references to Prof. Bernard Kaplan, Search Committee Chair, Department of English, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716-2537 by November 15, 2010. Application Information: Postal Address: Prof. Bernard Kaplan / Department of English/ University of Delaware / 413 Academy Street Office of Human Resources / Newark, DE 19716-0619 / Phone: 302-831-2171
Creative Writing Position at Rowan University
Description: One full-time tenure-track faculty member with expertise and 3 years college-level teaching experience in one or more of the following areas: fiction, creative nonfiction, children's stories, or introductory creative writing. Qualifications: M.A./M.F.A. required. Preference will be given to candidates with a strong record of prose publication, preferably at least one book, and preferably in more than one genre. Special consideration will be given to candidates with teaching experience on both the undergraduate and graduate levels, or in courses such as writing the novel, memoir or children's stories, or editing the literary journal. General Information: The department's atmosphere reflects the invigorating environment at Rowan University which is a vibrant, comprehensive state institution with a present enrollment of over 11,000 students. The university is located in a suburban, residential setting in southern New Jersey and is less than 20 miles from Philadelphia. All positions are contingent upon budget appropriations. Rowan University values diversity and is committed to equal opportunity in employment. Starting date is September 2011 and salary is competitive. Procedure: Candidates must submit a letter of application describing their qualifications and a current vita and arrange for three letters of recommendation to be sent to the address below by December 15, 2010. Chair, Creative Writing Search Committee / Rowan University / Hawthorn Hall / 201 Mullica Hill Rd. / Glassboro, NJ 08028
Paine College Seeks an Assistant Professor of English in Creative Writing
The successful candidate will have an earned MFA in Creating Writing. Those candidates with a PhD in Creative Writing, English or Rhetoric & Composition will be preferred. Eighteen hours of discipline specific course work will be required for serious consideration. Successful candidates will possess a broad knowledge of creative writing (fiction, poetry, playwriting, screeenwriting), exemplary teaching skills, and the ability to teach effectively in the Paine College Core Curriculum. This position hire will be expected to teach upper division courses in creative non-fiction, fiction and poetry as well as first and second year composition and other lower division courses in support of Paine College's Core Curriculum. There will also be an opportunity to develop new courses in creative writing. For all candidates, at least three years of teaching experience in creative writing and composition is required. The teaching load is 3-3. In addition to teaching responsibilities, the position requires attendance and scholarly involvement at faculty/department/division meetings, advisement of students in the major, grant writing, and community service. Interested individuals should submit a detailed letter of interest addressing all requirement points in the job announcement. Include an updated CV, unofficial transcripts, and three professional reference letters. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until position is filled. For full consideration, complete applications should be submitted by November 10, 2010. Application Information: Apply for this Position through My HigherEdJobs. Contact: Dr. Emily Williams, Chair, Division of Humanities / Paine College/ Phone: 706-821-8224 / Online App. Form. Email Address: rtucker@paine.edu.
The successful candidate will have an earned MFA in Creating Writing. Those candidates with a PhD in Creative Writing, English or Rhetoric & Composition will be preferred. Eighteen hours of discipline specific course work will be required for serious consideration. Successful candidates will possess a broad knowledge of creative writing (fiction, poetry, playwriting, screeenwriting), exemplary teaching skills, and the ability to teach effectively in the Paine College Core Curriculum. This position hire will be expected to teach upper division courses in creative non-fiction, fiction and poetry as well as first and second year composition and other lower division courses in support of Paine College's Core Curriculum. There will also be an opportunity to develop new courses in creative writing. For all candidates, at least three years of teaching experience in creative writing and composition is required. The teaching load is 3-3. In addition to teaching responsibilities, the position requires attendance and scholarly involvement at faculty/department/division meetings, advisement of students in the major, grant writing, and community service. Interested individuals should submit a detailed letter of interest addressing all requirement points in the job announcement. Include an updated CV, unofficial transcripts, and three professional reference letters. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until position is filled. For full consideration, complete applications should be submitted by November 10, 2010. Application Information: Apply for this Position through My HigherEdJobs. Contact: Dr. Emily Williams, Chair, Division of Humanities / Paine College/ Phone: 706-821-8224 / Online App. Form. Email Address: rtucker@paine.edu.
Website of the Week: Guide to Literary Agents
The Website of the Week is the Guide to Literary Agents blog. It gives new writers tips to make sure literary agents take their work seriously and notice them. The most recent post details what is acceptable in query letters to agents and what is not acceptable. Perhaps my favorite one pertains to making of e-mail queries look neat. "Colorful border, graphics or emoticons are not only unprofessional, but they're often caught by spam blockers," the tip reads. Moral of the story: Don't pretend your potential literary agent is your best friend forever and put a bunch of =) or =( or even =D emoticons, let alone pictures of your cat.
The site also has a post that trails a success story of an author using Twitter to follow literary agents. This is how she realized she was going to get an offer for representation. Who ever thought Twitter's 140 characters would be so vital to getting a literary agent? Maybe a Twitter account is the key to getting represented by an agent. Or maybe this is a freak occurrence. But I guess a Twitter account can't hurt. So after you are done reading this post, I suggest you make an account on Twitter. Or Facebook. Or Tumblr. It seems social media has moved into the realm of literary agents and publishing as well.
If you are an emerging writer, or even a veteran writer, the site is definitely worth a look. It sometimes has multiple posts per day, so there are always things to read.
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