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Friday Finds for Writers

by Erika Dreifus on
Disabled

Treasure ChestWriting-related resources, news, and reflections to read over the weekend.

  • “10 Rules of Submitting to Literary Magazines” – and Diane Lockward’s thoughts about one of them.
  • Tom Fields-Meyer’s “Letter to a Young Writer” may be enough to get me back to writing morning pages (or something like them).
  • “How Not to Pitch”: freelance advice from an Atlantic editor.
  • The latest in Prospect‘s interview series on the art of criticism: David Wolf interviews Ruth Franklin.
  • And on a bittersweet note: Paul Muldoon’s eulogy for Seamus Heaney.

    • Have a good weekend, everyone.

    Wednesday’s WIP: All Together Now, Or A Completed Essay Sequence

    by Erika Dreifus on
    4

    SU13_coverLast week brought the release of my essay “Lucky Day” in Proto magazine, which is published by Massachusetts General Hospital. The essay is part of the magazine’s “First Person” series, which “originates at the other end of the stethoscope, presenting essays and commentary from patients, consumers and other medical outsiders.”

    “Lucky Day” is the fourth essay to be published in what I call my “Sunday in the City” sequence. I’ve mentioned this sequence before. Now, and with thanks to all of the editors who have made this possible, I’d like to present the essays in chronological order–not chronological in terms of either their composition or their publication dates–but rather chronologically insofar as the reader encounters them in a linear way, moving directly forward through the events described:

  • “Sunday in the City,” carte blanche, Fall 2012
  • “Lucky Day,” Proto, Summer 2013
  • “Before Sunrise,” Brevity, March 2013
  • “At the Station House,” Contrary, Summer 2013

    • Yes, there’s one more essay idea that I’ve toyed with that might belong here. But for now, at any rate, I think that the series is complete. Perhaps you will agree.

    P.S. At long last, I’ve attempted to (re)organize my website’s nonfiction writing page. Thoughts or suggestions?

    Friday Finds for Writers

    by Erika Dreifus on
    Disabled

    Treasure ChestWriting-related resources, news, and reflections to read over the weekend.

  • A few submission questions–especially for nonfiction/essay writers–answered by Michelle Seaton.
  • Kelly James-Enger reveals “10 Reasons Why Your Pitch Got Rejected.” (Wish that I’d had this post to share with the students in my freelancing seminars last week.)
  • Robert Lee Brewer shares his experience securing blurbs for his new poetry collection.
  • “The men couldn’t fight back against being prisoners—but they could take on perceived abuse by a writer’s imagination.” So writes Carol Muske-Dukes in an extraordinary post on John Cheever’s visit to the Ossining Correctional Facility (“Sing Sing”).
  • One of my favorite reading series is Sunday Salon NYC. Even if I weren’t a past participant and didn’t have a piece in the latest issue of the complementary SalonZine, I’d point you to the online offerings that Nita Noveno and Sara Lippmann have assembled. Check out their introduction to the “Shaken” issue.

    • Have a great weekend, everyone!

    Wednesday’s Work-in-Progress: Updates Galore

    by Erika Dreifus on
    3

    A few bits of news to share this week:

  • Remember when I told you that I was about to submit a poetry chapbook manuscript to a contest for the very first time? Well, I’m overjoyed to share that the manuscript has reached quarterfinalist status! The news really made my day last Wednesday when it was announced. Obviously, I’m hoping that the manuscript makes it to the next (semifinalist) stage, too. But even if it doesn’t, I have gained such a sense of validation in the work. For that, I am so grateful.
  • Today I’m on my way to the Whidbey Writers Workshop MFA program‘s August residency, where I’ll be teaching seminars on freelancing, character development, and short-story collection structuring. I’m honored to have this opportunity and eager to get my first-ever glimpse of the U.S. Pacific Northwest.
  • And speaking of fiction/short stories, may I recommend that you short story writers consider pre-ordering the 2014 Novel and Short Story Writer’s Market? I won’t get any commission, but you will get to see my article on “Habits of Highly Successful Short Story Writers” within. More about that (and public thanks to my interviewees) when I’m able to get my hands on a final copy of the book, myself.

    • I’m not sure what my Internet situation will be like while I’m away at the residency, so I’m taking a brief hiatus from blogging until I get back. (Don’t worry–when I say “brief” I mean “brief”–you’ll see me back here on Monday morning!) Have a great several days, everyone.

    Some of the scenery I can look forward to! (photo from the Northwest Institute of Literary Arts Facebook page)
    Some of the scenery I can look forward to! (photo from the Northwest Institute of Literary Arts Facebook page)