Quotation of the Week: Jack London
“You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.”
— Jack London
Source: Nebraska Center for Writers
Friday Find: A Writing Exercise from Midge Raymond
Each issue of Midge Raymond’s e-newsletter for writers includes a writing exercise, and I really love the one she sent out this month. Essentially, she suggests that you write a review of your current project, whatever the genre:
“Take a step back from the work and try to see it objectively. Write the review as if the piece is already published, and be honest in terms of what works and what doesn’t (adopt the style of your favorite book reviewer if this helps you get some distance). Be specific — cite examples, quote from the work itself — and then put it away. Wait a week, then take out the review and look it over. Pay attention to what it tells you about your project: first, where you are, and second, where you’d like to be.”
I’m going to give it a try. How about you?
Meantime, enjoy the weekend. See you back here on Monday!
Quotation(s) of the Week: John Ashbery
Thanks to Sage Cohen, I have very recently discovered the Read Write Poem site. And thanks to that site, I have found not one, but SEVEN quotations from poet John Ashbery.
That’s because the last time I looked, Read Write Poem was polling visitors to see “Which John Ashbery quote applies to you?” Here are the choices:
“My own autobiography has never interested me that much. Whenever I try to think about it, I seem to draw a complete blank.”
“There wasn’t enough space to paint but there was room to write, which is one of the advantages of being a writer.”
“I mention this because getting published is very much a result of chance and connections and all kinds of factors that, in my case, didn’t have anything to do with poetry.”
“So I wrote for myself, not in a narcissistic way, but because I felt I was doomed to be my chief reader.”
“I didn’t think there were going to be any readers therefore I wasn’t trying to annoy them.”
“I am aware of the pejorative associations of the word ‘escapist,’ but I insist that we need all the escapism we can get and even that isn’t going to be enough.”
“In fact, I rarely discuss my poetry. I find it distasteful. I’d rather not know much about it myself.”
Think about which quotation you might choose, and then head over to the site to see the poll’s results, if you’re curious!
J Journal Giveaway
Remember when I told you about J Journal: New Writing on Justice? If you don’t remember, click back to that post. I’ll wait.
So, the editors of this quality print journal have added me to its editorial advisory board. And they’ve nominated my story, “For Services Rendered,” for a Pushcart Prize. I am honored and grateful.
But enough about me! The purpose of this post is to let you know that J Journal will be giving away three copies of its fall 2009 issue. What do you need to do to become eligible for this giveaway? Simple–become a fan of J Journal on Facebook. The three winners will be selected randomly from the fan base as of February 15, 2010 (which also happens to be the deadline for submissions for the spring 2010 issue).
P.S. Selections from the fall 2009 issue may be read online. Visit J Journal‘s main site and click “current issue.”
Friday Find: Live Chat on "How to Write a Book" with Roy Peter Clark
“When I was 30 years old,” writes Roy Peter Clark, “I wrote a column that revealed my goal in life was to write one good book. The problem: I didn’t know how.”
Today, he says, “I can stand in front of a stack of 15 books that carry my name as author or editor. I’ve learned a few tricks along the way, and now I’m eager to share those secret strategies with you in a live chat Friday, January 8 at 1 p.m. ET.”
As many of you know, Clark, who is Senior Scholar at The Poynter Institute, “has taught writing at every level–to school children and Pulitzer Prize-winning authors–for more than 30 years, and has spoken about the writer’s craft on The Oprah Winfrey Show, NPR and Today; at conferences from Singapore to Brazil; and at news organizations from The New York Times to the Sowetan in South Africa. He is the author of ‘Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer,’ the book and the blog.”
I’m sorry for the late notice on this, and I should probably add that I suspect this chat is likely to be nonfiction-intensive. (Twitterers, take note: There may still be time for you to submit a question ahead of the chat.)
Have a great weekend–see you back here on Monday.