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Wednesday’s Work-in-Progress: Three Down, One to Go

by Erika Dreifus on
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19_(25)_Pct_153_E67_jeh
The eponymous station house.

A few months ago, I wrote here about a series of linked essays that I’d been working on. Each essay in the sequence treats an element of an assault that took place in early 2009. The opening piece, “Sunday in the City,” was published in carte blanche last fall. In March, another essay appeared in Brevity.

Last week, “At the Station House,” which I see as closing out the sequence (at least for now), was published in the Summer 2013 issue of Contrary. This means that just one essay remains unpublished. Although it will be the fourth one in the sequence to meet readers, I think of it as “essay #2,” because chronologically (in terms of its own setting in time and place), it belongs between the carte blanche and Brevity pieces.

I can’t tell you the title of that last-to-be-published essay, because when I reviewed the proof for it a few weeks ago, I saw that the editor had written “TK” in the headline slot. We’ll see what happens there, and I’ll be sure to keep you posted.

Meantime, it’s a little strange to be nearing the end of my writing and publishing journey with this sequence. (There is one more idea that I’m playing with, for a possible fifth essay, but I haven’t managed to do anything with it yet–not even the beginnings of a draft–so I just may have reached the end of this particular road.)

I’m immensely grateful to all of the editors who have given these essays such wonderful homes, and to all of the readers who have responded to the writings so warmly. I never saw myself as much of a memoirist, but these deeply personal essays took my writing practice in a different direction, and it’s gratifying to have the opportunity to share them.

Wednesday’s Work-in-Progress: The Waiting Game (Redux)

by Erika Dreifus on
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waiting_roomAs I noted in a blog post last summer, in some ways, I’ve been drawn to a life–the writing-and-publishing life–for which I am temperamentally unsuited. And that’s because two of the things I have always found most challenging are these: rejection and waiting.

In an essay, I’ve explained how rejection has become much easier with time and experience. But as I mentioned in that post last summer, the patience project is still something more of a work-in-progress. It’s not merely a matter of waiting for the acceptance/rejection decisions. I’m also filled with anticipation (and, sometimes, anxiety) when I know that a new piece has found a home and–yes, after another wait–will be meeting readers. I’m aware that this is what my dad calls a “high-quality problem.” But that doesn’t necessarily make the waiting easier! Plus, in many cases, even while waiting for publication, I know that yet another wait lies ahead: a wait for the paycheck (which I’ll admit makes me appreciate the steady salary of my day job all the more).

Right now, I’m waiting for three accepted essays to be published and paid for (two memoir pieces, one op-ed). There’s also a book review waiting to make its appearance (part of the delay in this instance is due to a publisher delay in releasing the book in question). It’s possible that all four of these pieces will be out within the next month. But I’m not holding my breath!

Wednesday’s Work-in-Progress: My Summer Teaching Gig

by Erika Dreifus on
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Whidbey Island scenery (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)
As I mentioned briefly in the most recent issue of The Practicing Writer, I have some exciting news to share: August will find me traveling across the country to serve as a visiting faculty member in the Whidbey Writers Workshop MFA program.

Here’s a one-word summary of my feelings about this: thrilled.

I’ve followed the progress of the Whidbey program (housed within the Northwest Institute of Literary Arts) from its inception. Now, I have the privilege of being part of it.

The August residency schedule was posted online last week, and I’m thoroughly impressed by the offerings. (In the “it’s a small world” department, I’ve also noted that one of my fellow faculty members is an accomplished writer whom I met during the summer of 1988–when I was a college-age resident advisor in the academic enrichment program that she was attending as a middle-schooler.)

In case you don’t have time to delve into the online schedule, here’s a brief description of what I’ll be teaching. First, I’ll be leading a two-session sequence on “Writing What We Know: Writing About Writing.” The course material will be modified from a single half-day session that I’ve offered elsewhere in the past. Its purpose is to familiarize participants with some freelancing basics and point out opportunities for writers to write about something that they know and love: writing. The possibilities are considerable: book reviews, author profiles, literary travel articles, and so forth. I’m able to share some of my own background/experience writing these kinds of pieces (and getting paid for them), and I’ll suggest possible paths for the participants to pursue themselves.

Then, I’ll be offering two single-session classes, both geared to fiction writers. The first one is titled “Putting Your Characters to Work,” and it builds on my longtime interest and previous teaching experience in enhancing character development by delving into fictional work lives. The second one will examine “Structuring Short Story Collections.” There, the course material is somewhat newer, and I expect to spend quite a bit of time in the next weeks preparing it for presentation (suggestions welcome!).

I’m immensely grateful for this opportunity. Any Whidbey folks reading this now who might want to say an early hello?