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Friday Finds for Writers

by Erika Dreifus on
2

For the weekend: some writing-related reflections, news, and resources to enjoy.

  • One of the highlights of my college education was a creative nonfiction workshop taught by Verlyn Klinkenborg. You can get a sense of Verlyn-as-teacher in this lovely new essay, ““Where Do Sentences Come From?”.
  • Next: Are you ever discouraged by conference/fellowship/residency applications that require letters of recommendation? Cathy Day shares some solid advice.
  • This week brought my latest “First Looks” column for Fiction Writers Review. Go take a peek at the two forthcoming debut novels I’ve spotlighted this month.
  • John Warner reflects on his new “visiting instructor” title (complete with full-time status, benefits, and other pleasures).
  • Those of us interested in freelancing have likely heard about the service known as HARO (Help a Reporter Out). But do we understand how it works?

    • Have a great weekend. See you back here on Monday.

    Friday Finds for Writers

    by Erika Dreifus on
    6

    For the weekend: some writing-related reflections, news, and resources to enjoy.

  • First up: An assortment of authors’ book-promotion tips. I’m most intrigued by C. Hope Clark’s endorsement of the Square Card Reader, pictured to the left. (You may have seen Square elsewhere in the news this week, too.)
  • Next: “Got an MFA? Teach high school,” advises Nick Ripatrazone.
  • The Kenyon Review interviews George Singleton, on being told to “stick to fiction” in a poetry workshop, and other literary matters.
  • Sam Tanenhaus, who edits The New York Times Book Review, describes a typical workday and exemplary criticism.
  • Roxane Gay presents writers of color.
  • And in case you’ve missed the mentions elsewhere: I’m coming to Boston! And if this seminar on writing conferences, contests, and residencies appeals to you, please join us!

    • Have a great weekend. See you back here on Monday.

    Friday Finds for Writers

    by Erika Dreifus on
    2

    For the weekend: some writing-related reflections, news, and resources to enjoy.

  • First up: Rachel Unkefer, whose many roles include leading Charlottesville’s WriterHouse, explains why she’s adding yet another facet to her identity: poet. There’s much here that resonates as I remember the path that led me to four online poetry workshops. For instance: “Recently there have been a few nagging ideas, though, that I haven’t known what to do with. They weren’t enough to base a short story on, even flash fiction. They could have been musings in the head of a character in a novel, but they had too much weight for me to relegate them to such a minor role. And they wouldn’t go away. Looking out my window or walking in my neighborhood triggered them. Maybe these are poems, I thought, but I don’t know how to write poems.” And so a new field of study–and writerly practice–is born.
  • In praise of the semicolon.
  • Hey, book reviewers! Looking for some fall titles to review? The Millions offers quite a preview.
  • Did you miss The International Conference of the Short Story, which recently convened in Little Rock, Ark.? Me, too. Luckily, Creating Van Gogh has a conference recap.
  • Finally, author Kyle Minor has made available an online “Sketchbook: Selections from my Writer’s Notebook, 2010-2012 (45,000 Words of Interview Excerpts, Links, Quotations, Mini-Essays, and Thoughts about the Craft and Art of Making Literature).”

    • Have a great weekend, all. See you back here on Monday!

    Friday Finds for Writers

    by Erika Dreifus on
    4

    Time to send you off for the weekend with some resources and ideas–and maybe some entertainment.

  • First, from BookBaby.com: “If you’re an independent author or small publisher, attending [literary festivals or conferences] can open up some great new opportunities, but they’re also expensive, especially if you’re traveling. You want to make sure you plan ahead, set clear goals, and get the most out of the experience.” To that end, here are some helpful hints.
  • I need to spend some quality time–soon–with Carol Tice’s guide to fixing your writer website.
  • Sometimes, I get a little annoyed by all of those tweets, posts, and articles by “mama writers” about how hard it is for them to get any writing done–even when their partners are the family breadwinners/insurance providers, their children are in school and healthy/without special needs, and they have child-care assistance to boot. (You’ll notice that I don’t link to those kinds of items very often!) What a refreshing change it is to find Writer Abroad’s reflections on “5 Reasons Having a Baby Can Make You a More Productive Writer.” Thank you, Chantal!
  • Big list of (classic) literary spoilers.
  • OK, so I wasn’t exactly prepared. But it appears that Wednesday (June 20) was International Short Story Day! Celebrate belatedly by enjoying this downloadable new short-story anthology, courtesy of HarperPerennial. (h/t @GrubWriters)
  • I’m a Brooklyn gal by birth (and I spent my first nine years there), so I’m naturally drawn to this new literary map of the borough. (If any of you can think of a literary reference for Sheepshead Bay, where I spent ages 3-9, I’d be most grateful. My other B’klyn nabes–mainly Brighton Beach/Manhattan Beach–have some claims to fame, but poor Sheepshead Bay–with the eponymous bay pictured below–is apparently a literary desert!)

    • Have a great weekend, everyone. See you back here on Monday!

    Thursday’s Work-in-Progress

    by Erika Dreifus on
    7

    Confession time: I am feeling rather s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d these days. In addition to my day job responsibilities and other ongoing commitments, I have a number of deadlines of various sorts clustered around April 15 and May 1. And since I never leave anything to the very last minute, I’m already feeling “behind.”

    To save my sanity, I’ve already removed a couple of items (fellowship/residency applications) from my to-do list. (They were “optional,” in that no one was waiting for me to get them done.)

    And fortunately, I’ve also managed to meet some of my upcoming deadlines/obligations. So I have crossed off those items from the list, too.

    And, in breaking news: I’ve been saying “no” to other requests a lot more often lately. That’s starting to get a little bit easier.

    But here’s (some of) what remains to accomplish in the next few weeks:

  • April 15: presentation for a local congregation (focusing on Quiet Americans)
  • April 23: classroom visit (focusing on Quiet Americans)
  • weekend of April 28: May issue of The Practicing Writer due out
  • May 1: article due for The Writer
  • May 1: next column due for Fiction Writers Review
  • May 1: AWP panel proposal due

    • I know that it will all get done. Somehow. Bit by bit.

    Right?