Most writers do not sell the first book they write.
–Lois Winston, (Ashley Grayson Literary Agency)
Source: @JaneFriedman, tweeting from #MWW11 (Midwest Writers Workshop)
Sadly true words, at least in my experience.
Shabbat shalom!
I never knew John Gardner, yet I’m certain he would have hated the story I submitted to my first fiction workshop. In The Art of Fiction, Gardner denounced the tendency to transcribe personal memory onto the page; he understood it was precisely that practice that many people, especially beginning writers, equated with the famous dictum to “write what you know.” I had fallen into that trap myself. That first workshop submission proved it. I had not yet read Gardner. I did not appreciate that “Nothing can be more limiting to the imagination, nothing is quicker to turn on the psyche’s censoring devices and distortion systems, than trying to write truthfully and interestingly about own’s own home town, one’s Episcopalian mother, one’s crippled younger sister.”
So I wrote about my own home town.
So begins “Pushing the Limits of ‘Writing What You Know,'” an essay that I wrote many years ago. Published originally in The Willamette Writer, it’s now available on ErikaDreifus.com, and I invite you to read the rest online.
Enjoy the weekend, and see you back here on Monday!
Last week, I wrote about this odd phase post-publication in which the promotional work is quieting down, but the new work–the future, in other words–is still only on “simmer.” I’ll stay with that theme for now, because I do have a few things to share (and a favor to ask).
To share: Progress on the summer to-do list front. I have managed to complete a residency application (and both of my wonderful recommenders have submitted their letters, too). I have finished a short story and begun sending it out. And I’m happy to report that Quiet Americans is now available for all of you who prefer to read on the Nook!
I’ve also been tweaking something I’ll go ahead and call an essay. And here’s where I’d love your help.
The piece I’m working on is not a conventional essay. In some ways, it resembles a blog post. Think “5 Reasons I’ll [Do Something Social-Media Related].”
And frankly, it’s not all that “nice.” It’s more like a rant. Which brings up a whole slew of other issues. Such as: Do I want to risk alienating and/or offending people?
But for the moment, I’d like you to focus on this salient fact: The piece runs 500 words. So it’s too long to qualify as an official “rant” submission for Mslexia, which was the first place I thought to send it.
Can you think of other venues (preferably paying ones) that might be interested in something like this? I know, I’m supposed to be a semi-expert on this sort of thing, but for day job-related and other reasons, my brain is already working overtime right now. So I’d love to hear your suggestions. Thanks in advance!