Friday Find: Time to Write

by Erika Dreifus on
4

Time to write. What a gift. But is it really so elusive?

This week, Sage Cohen (whose latest book is The Productive Writer) noted on The Path of Possibility:

The universal chorus of complaint from writers of all stripes seems to be: not enough time. The truth is, writers make time for writing. And everyone does it her own way. Your job is to find your way. Every Tuesday for the next six weeks I’ll be offering suggestions to help you investigate how your relationship with time is moving you forward or holding you back.

Check in and see what Sage suggested this week. And check back for additional ideas. (By the way, I’m delighted to announce that an interview with Sage will appear in the April issue of The Practicing Writer.)

Here’s to time to write, and to a great weekend. See you all back here on Monday.

Thursday’s Post-Publication Post: (More than) a Little Help from My Friends

by Erika Dreifus on
Disabled

Just after publishing last Thursday’s post, which featured John Kremer’s list of “30 Ways to Help a Book Author You Love,” I became the grateful recipient of still more support and encouragement for my own new story collection, Quiet Americans.

Examples:

  • A new acquaintance, following up on an email I’d sent, invited me a) to present a reading/discussion on her college’s campus and b) to participate on a conference panel. (More details about both of these events as they become available.)
  • A former colleague, having noticed Josh Lambert’s mention of Quiet Americans online, emailed to ask if I’d like him to query a contact about the possibility of a reading back in Cambridge. My answer: YES, PLEASE (AND THANK YOU!).
  • News trickled back to me about a reader who was apparently so caught up in Quiet Americans that, at the conclusion of her New-Jersey-to-New-York train ride, the conductor had to knock on her window from the Penn Station platform to remind her to leave the train. (She’d received the book from a family friend of ours, who had gifted copies to all the members of her Mah Jongg group!)
  • And, in a glorious gesture of generosity and friendship, four of my co-workers lured me into an office late one afternoon to surprise me with their four, just-arrived copies of Quiet Americans, which they promptly asked me to autograph. (They were not, by the way, the first co-workers to order the book and surprise me with an autograph request, but they were the first to do so en masse!)

What’s really kind of astonishing is that I doubt that any of these instances resulted from the people involved having read last week’s blog post. I’m just that blessed.

My Awesome Co-Workers (with Autographed Copies of Quiet Americans)

Wednesday Web Browser for Writers

by Erika Dreifus on
Disabled
  • Poet Kelli Russell Agodon provides this week’s writing prompt on Midge Raymond’s blog, and it’s a good one
  • Cathy Day interviews John Vanderslice on the nuts-and-bolts of teaching a novel-focused workshop (in two parts).
  • Another teaching-related item: writer Chloé Yelena Miller helps you figure out if you should teach online.
  • Melanie Bishop reminds us of an essential truth about short stories: Something happens.
  • In Sunday’s New York Times, “[Joyce Carol] Oates and [Meghan] O’Rourke discussed how they wrote about their own grief and why the literature of loss resonates with readers today.”
  • Philip Graham, on narrative structure.
  • Last, but by no means least: author Arnost Lustig passed away over the weekend. I am building a tribute page/post.

    • Quotation of the Week: Charles Baxter

    by Erika Dreifus on
    1

    A reviewer is entitled to any opinion at all, but he or she earns that opinion based on a description and a judicious citation of evidence.

    –Charles Baxter

    Taken from “Owl Criticism,” the title of Charles Baxter’s presentation for a panel on “The Good Review” at the latest conference of the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP), and published last week on Fiction Writers Review.

    Now, if we could only/also get everyone writing critiques in workshops to go along with this concept, we’d all be in a much more productive business.

    Monday Morning Markets/Jobs/Opportunities for Writers

    by Erika Dreifus on
    Disabled
  • First things first. Our March Practicing Writer newsletter is now available (went out to subscribers over the weekend). You’ll find numerous no-cost competitions and paying calls in it. Go take a look, if you haven’t already seen it.
  • Susan Bernofsky’s Translationista blog alerts us to fellowships to help beginning translators attend the annual conference of the American Literary Translators Association. No application fee indicated. Deadline: May 15, 2011.
  • Mark your calendars: Gulf Coast Writers Association (GCWA) will receive submissions for its next print anthology of short fiction and poetry between June 1, 2011, and September 1, 2011. “Stories must be set in Mississippi and clearly capture a Southern tone.” Will consider previously published work. Pays: “GCWA will pay $25.00 and one copy OR five free copies to contributors whose work is selected for one-time publication rights.”
  • The TEAK Fellowship (N.Y.) is looking for a Summer Institute Humanities Teacher. “The curriculum seeks to improve the students’ writing and critical reading skills, and build a strong foundation for high school Humanities courses in rigorous academic environments. A syllabus has been created based on the theme of ‘American Voices’ however there is flexibility to make some modifications.”
  • “The Department of English and Writing in the College of Arts and Letters at The University of Tampa seeks a creative, innovative individual with significant professional accomplishment to serve as the founding Director of a new low-residency MFA in Creative Writing. This is a 12-month administrative position with teaching responsibilities, to begin June 1, 2011.”
  • “Lander University, a public comprehensive university in the upstate region of South Carolina, seeks a qualified candidate for a tenure track, Assistant Professor in English….The successful candidate will have a terminal degree (MFA or PhD or equivalent) with a concentration in creative writing, and outstanding promise as a writer and teacher. Duties will include teaching composition, all levels of creative writing, as well as teaching other writing and composition classes.”
  • The University of Maryland seeks a Speechwriter/Communications Specialist, the University of New Mexico is looking for a Technical Writer, and the National League of Cities (D.C.) plans to hire a Writer/Editor.
  • And last, but definitely not least: You can still win a free copy of my short-story collection, Quiet Americans. One last giveaway (for now, at least) over on the Guide to Literary Agents blog.