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Thursday’s Work-in-Progress: How to Tell a True War Story

by Erika Dreifus on
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As many of you know, the big reveal has happened: The commissioned story that I’ve mentioned several times on the blog over the past few months is out in the world, and I’ve been shouting the news from the virtual mountaintops. The story is titled “Fidelis,” and I am so proud to say that it is part of this year’s Hanukkah Lights broadcast on National Public Radio. (Local air dates and times vary, but my story–as well as the others featured this year–can be accessed at the link I’ve given you.)

Of course, my first “thank-you” must go to the series producer, who contacted me during the summer with the stunning invitation to write something for the broadcast. When he cited something that he particularly appreciated about Quiet Americans–about the way he perceived the stories making the past resonant in the present–I knew that I was going to write a piece of historical fiction. He was a pleasure to work with. And his one revision request improved the story immeasurably.

Beyond that, and the word count, the only “limitation” was that the story had to “pertain to the Hanukkah season.” When I realized that this December would mark the 70th anniversary of Pearl Harbor (remember, I’m an historian by training), I knew that I was one step closer to finding a story to tell.

I owe a great deal of thanks to Rabbi Lisa S. Greene, who helped guide me to extremely useful background resources on Hanukkah. And I am immeasurably grateful to three readers of early drafts for their constructive critiques: B.J. Epstein, Natalie Wexler, and my mom!

Most important–and hopefully without giving too much away–I’m grateful to the military veterans–including chaplains–who have given us all so much.

Please go listen to the story. And then come back here to find out which books and other resources helped me write it. (more…)

The Wednesday Web Browser for Writers

by Erika Dreifus on
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  • Faye Rapoport DesPres recently published such a good post on rejection on her blog that she inspired me to go back and dig up a short essay of mine on the same subject.
  • On the Fiction Writers Review blog, Celeste Ng reflects on naming practices in fiction–and provides some links to online name generators you may want to try.
  • I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how I have sometimes managed to turns peeves and annoyances into fee-garnering writing (for one example, see this essay). So naturally, Midge Raymond’s latest writing prompt caught my eye.
  • Kelly James-Enger suggests “5 Things for Freelancers to Do Before Year’s End.”
  • Feeling a bit crunched? Worried that you aren’t writing during this holiday season? Lori Ann Bloomfield shares tips for making sure you don’t neglect your writing practice.
  • If you haven’t heard about the latest Facebook changes, Robert Lee Brewer will help you get oriented.
  • It has been quite a long time since I’ve shared a New York Times “After Deadline” post (on grammar, usage, and style). Here’s an example of what you’ve been missing.
  • From David Abrams: A gorgeous look at the year in book covers.

    • Please tune in tomorrow, when I’ll share the story behind my first commissioned short story, “Fidelis,” which is currently airing on NPR.

    The Wednesday Web Browser for Writers

    by Erika Dreifus on
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  • I was honored to be asked to contribute a title to Literary Commentary’s “Not Another Best-of-the-Year List.”
  • Being a writer requires a more varied professional background than you might think. Check out Robert Lee Brewer’s list of “8 Jobs of Modern Writers.”
  • Travel-writing tips from Necee Regis.
  • Some notes from a visit to “The Snowy Day and the Art of Ezra Jack Keats.”
  • From Carol Tice: “113 Things You Can Do to Grow Your Freelance Writing Income–Now.”
  • Next month’s Practicing Writer newsletter will feature an interview with my friend, author Natalie Wexler. Meantime, read about some of Natalie’s latest publishing experiences (including some reflections on a certain online bookseller) right here.

    • Monday Markets/Jobs/Opportunities for Writers

    by Erika Dreifus on
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  • From The Glen Workshops: “We’re thankful for another generous grant from the Davis Foundation that will enable us to continue to increase our scholarship opportunities in 2012. Full and partial scholarships are available for both Glen West and Glen East, to be awarded based on both need and quality of work. You may apply to any class, even if it’s closed for registration. However, if you wish to guarantee a spot in a workshop, even if you do not win a scholarship, you must register for an available workshop and pay the $150 deposit. All writers, visual artists, and songwriters are invited to apply! **No scholarships are available for seminar classes.” Deadlines are January 15 for Glen East and March 15 for Glen West.
  • This list of nonfiction competitions is worth a look, especially for UK & Commonwealth writers.
  • “During the month of January, Matter Press will be open for submissions of a prose collection (prose poetry, fiction, and/or creative nonfiction). During the submission period, please use Submishmash to submit your 25–40 page manuscript, each piece under 600 words to us. Individual pieces in your manuscript may have appeared in journals, both in print and online, as long as the entire collection itself is unpublished.” There is no reading fee. “Matter Press will have a one-time only print run of 300 copies of the winning chapbook. The author will receive $500 and 25 copies.” (via CRWROPPS-B)
  • “Grub Street [Boston] seeks a part-time, temporary Communications Assistant to assist in planning our annual literary conference, The Muse and the Marketplace, in May of 2012. The Communication Assistant will work closely with the Muse team, helping to post and organize information on the website, generate email communications, and create and organize conference materials. The ideal candidate will have superb web, office, and design skills, with strong experience with HTML, Microsoft mail merge, and online databases. A passion for creative writing and a sense of humor are also appreciated! The Conference Communications Assistant will work approximately 10 hours/week for 15 weeks total, broken down as follows: December: 1 week January: 4 weeks February: 4 weeks March: 4 weeks April: 4 weeks Start date is flexible, but we’d like the position to start as soon as possible.” Apply by noon on Wednesday, December 14.
  • From Western Washington University: “The Department of English invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Creative Writing position beginning September 2012. M.F.A. or Ph.D. in Creative Writing, Screenwriting, English, Film Studies, or related field required by August 2012.”
  • “The University of South Dakota invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor of English with specialization in fiction writing. Expertise in a second genre is highly desirable. Expertise in Native American literature is desirable but not required.
  • “The English Department at St. Lawrence University [N.Y.] invites applications for a one-year, full-time position in fiction writing beginning Fall 2012. The successful candidate will teach both levels of our introductory and advanced fiction writing courses, and will also be expected to offer a section of the department’s research methods/theory course.”
  • “Hofstra University [N.Y.] seeks a writer of literary nonfiction for an anticipated tenure-track assistant professor of English. Interest in disability studies, a second genre, or a second area of concentration is desirable. Strong record of publication and teaching required.”
  • From the University of Central Oklahoma: “The Department of English invites applications for a one-year, full-time, non-tenure-track appointment as Writer in Residence for the 2012-13 academic year. We are seeking an individual with a strong publication record in poetry and creative nonfiction who has demonstrated excellence in teaching at the college level.”
  • The University of Iowa seeks a Writer/Editor, Cardinal Stritch University (Milwaukee) is looking for an Interactive Media Writer/Editor, the ASPCA (New York) invites applications for a position as Manager, Media & Communications.

    • Thursday’s Work-in-Progress: Four Fun Facts About My Year in Jewish Books

    by Erika Dreifus on
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    Earlier this week, I wrote about “My Year in Jewish Books” on my “other” blog (which is called “My Machberet” and features news and notes on matters of specifically Jewish literary and cultural interest). But as a practicing writer who knows how significant reading is to the vigor of her writing practice–not to mention as a practicing writer who frequently writes reviews of Jewish-themed books as part of that practice–I’m going to devote this “Work-in-Progress” post on Practicing Writing to some observations based on my analysis of that list of 18 titles.

    1) I’m doing OK–could be better, but could also be much worse–when it comes to reading books in translation. We all know about that unpleasant “three percent” figure, right? Well, four of the 18 titles on my list–that makes about 22 percent–were books in translation. I don’t think that the relatively healthy connection between Jewish literature and literature in translation is incidental. I do think that when you belong to a diaspora culture, and you’re drawn to certain books accordingly, you’re going to be reading books that were written originally in different languages.

    2) I purchased way more books than I thought I had. I live in a New York City apartment, and I receive a lot of free books as review copies. I’m also a regular visitor to the public library. I had begun to believe that I was not, in fact, as conscientious a book-buyer as I should be. I am frankly a bit surprised by the fact that I purchased so many of the titles on this list (basically half of them). Maybe the fact that several were Kindle purchases–and therefore not visible in my office or on my nightstand–has something to do with my surprise here. Keep in mind, again, that these are by no means all the books I bought this year. They’re only all the books on Jewish themes that I bought for myself. That leaves out all the books that I purchased as gifts, and all the books that I didn’t necessary consider to be “Jewish.”

    3) Unsurprisingly, I am still reading quite a lot about the Holocaust. More than half of the books on this list deal with the Holocaust and/or its after-effects in some way. I should have more to say about this–especially given that I’m still thinking about Daphne Merkin’s recent reflections on Holocaust-related films. But for the moment, I’ll just let the fact sit there.

    4) Without additional analysis, I can’t really know the extent to which all of my “Jewish” reading reflects my habits more generally. But here is how the genre distribution works out here: Novels on this list: 10 (56 percent); Memoirs/memoiristic essays: 2 (11 percent). Other nonfiction: 2 (11 percent). Poetry collections: 2 (11 percent). Graphic novels/books for young readers: 1 (5.5 percent). Short-story collections on this list: 1 (5.5 percent–appalling, but I suspect that here, at least, the stats would be better for the “non-Jewish” reading list. I read at least six other collections this year.)

    Have I inspired any of you to review your own reading for the year? If you’re inclined to write up any similar post(s) for yourself, please be sure to share the link(s) in comments. I’d love to come by and read what you have to say.