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Friday Find: Ten Tips for a Writing Life

by Erika Dreifus on
5

If you’re a regular reader of Practicing Writing, you know that I frequently cite/link to author Midge Raymond and/or her blog. I’m delighted to be able to share with you today Midge’s guest post on “Ten Tips for a Writing Life.”

Midge is the author of Forgetting English, an extraordinary collection that I reviewed for Fiction Writers Review when it was first published. Happily, Forgetting English has just been re-released–in an expanded edition–and there’s still just a bit of time left to enter a Goodreads giveaway (it ends today!) for a chance to win a copy.

Enjoy the post, and the weekend, and I’ll see you all back here on Monday.

Take it away, Midge!

I love lists. I wouldn’t get a single thing done without them. (If I forget to take a list to the store, for example, I have to return home for it, or I just wander the aisles wondering what I need.)

Lists are helpful in terms of getting things done—but I also find that they’re helpful in remembering how to best get things done. That is, I often have to remind myself of how important certain habits are for living a writer’s life. So I’ve come up with a “top ten” list, which I hope will be useful to all writers who are, like most of us, juggling such things as day jobs and families while still trying to get all that writing done. (more…)

The Wednesday Web Browser for Writers

by Erika Dreifus on
5
  • Love Bradford Morrow’s tribute to one of my favorite books, Willa Cather’s My Ántonia.
  • Still more words of freelancing wisdom from Kelly James-Enger.
  • Tomorrow is Poem in Your Pocket Day!
  • Have you heard that Amazon is now selling a “Kindle with sponsored offers”? This version of the device is priced $25 lower than the next-cheapest version. Readers will get ads and, as the title suggests, sponsored offers. I’m not sure that the $25 discount is worth it. What do you think?
  • Intriguing list of fiction titles under review at The Complete Review that feature “real people.”
  • The Renegade Writer interviews Julie Fast, author of Get It Done When You’re Depressed.

    • The Wednesday Web Browser

    by Erika Dreifus on
    Disabled
  • As you probably know, we’re now in National Poetry Month. I haven’t been doing a very good job keeping you totally up-to-date, but I’ll hope to remedy my shortcomings somewhat by pointing you to Kelli Russell Agodon’s Big Poetry Giveaway; a special series of poetry-book discussions; celebratory ideas from Sage Cohen, author of Writing the Life Poetic; and plenty of poetry from The Forward‘s “Arty Semite” blog.
  • And speaking of poetry, here’s a lovely (and short) video that Diane Lockward has put together to acknowledge all of the poets who took place in the recent Girl Talk reading in West Caldwell, N.J. (Yes, yours truly is included.) Thanks, Diane!
  • Any time Rebecca Makkai has a new story out, it’s a noteworthy event. Her latest, serialized this week on Five Chapters, is titled “The Disappearance of Miranda Željko.
  • Big congrats to Kelley Coyner, who has just landed a gig writing about nonfiction for The Writer’s Center’s First Person Plural blog. Take a look at the inaugural post–Kelley wants to hear from commenters! (And I’m personally grateful to Kelley for letting me know that a tip on this blog led her to this opportunity.)
  • And while we’re on nonfiction, do read “Notes for an Essay on Race and Class in a Uni Town,” by our friend, “Oronte Churm.”

    • The Wednesday Web Browser for Writers

    by Erika Dreifus on
    Disabled
  • If you review translated books, you’ll be interested in these thoughts from prominent literary translators. (via the German Book Office)
  • Speaking of reviewing, get to know critic Ron Charles, aka “the Totally Hip Video Book Reviewer.”
  • Check out this sneak preview of Silver Sparrow, the next novel by Tayari Jones.
  • While we’re talking fiction: Jacob Appel suggests “10 Ways to Start Your Story Better.”
  • Yet another set of excellent tips for freelancers from Kelly James-Enger.
  • Another week, another worthwhile writing prompt from Midge Raymond.
  • Photos (by Anthony Buccino) of the women poets who took part in last Saturday’s “Girl Talk” poetry reading in West Caldwell, N.J. (yours truly included). Many thanks again to Diane Lockward for organizing the event.
  • Want to see something else that’s pretty cool? My fellow Last Light Studio author, Jane Roper, has just launched the website for her novel, Eden Lake. (Kind of makes you realize what a summer hit it’s going to be, doesn’t it?)

    • The Wednesday Web Browser for Writers

    by Erika Dreifus on
    Disabled
  • Kelli Russell Agodon is coordinating another Big Poetry Giveaway!
  • Warning: This post is likely to make you want to move to Indiana and sign up right away for Cathy Day’s Advanced Fiction Writing course for fall 2011.
  • Also on the subject of the teaching of writing: Andy Selsberg’s “Teaching to the Text Message” in Sunday’s New York Times offers suggestions for teaching “shorter”: “I don’t expect all my graduates to go on to Twitter-based careers, but learning how to write concisely, to express one key detail succinctly and eloquently, is an incredibly useful skill, and more in time with most students’ daily chatter, as well as the world’s conversation.”
  • Curious about Goodreads? Canadian mag Quill & Quire recently interviewed Patrick Brown, the site’s community manager.
  • Coming soon: a free workshop here in NYC for would-be literary translators. Susan Bernofsky is the workshop leader. (If it weren’t taking place during a very busy week for me, I’d apply to participate.)