Indholdsfortegnelse for January 2014 i The Writer

A NEW YEAR IS UPON US, and who knows what lies ahead? You can plan. You can speculate. But the future is unpredictable. That’s a bit like writing itself: You start a story, an essay, a poem, a script, and it’s anybody’s guess – including yours – as to where it will end up. As creative people, we live in that mystery. In fact, in the last 20-plus years of interviewing artistic thinkers – literary, performance and visual – I’ve made a point of asking what advice they have for people who want to be more creative in their lives. Each response was a version of this: Get comfortable with not knowing. While we can’t say exactly what tomorrow will bring, we can do lots to point our compasses toward…

Francisco Goldman Francisco Goldman is a novelist, journalist and nonfiction writer. Each of his five books has received major accolades. His debut novel The Long Night of White Chickens won the American Academy of Arts and Letters’ Sue Kaufman Prize and was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner. His second novel The Ordinary Seaman, was a finalist for the IMPAC-Dublin and the L.A. Times Book Prize. And his third, Say Her Name, based on his relationship with his wife Aura, who died at the age of 30 in a body-surfing accident, was excerpted in the New Yorker and won the Prix Femina Etranger. Goldman’s prose is lyrical and haunting. You can see this in one sentence from Say Her Name, in which he describes lying in bed with his wife, listening…

“Be resilient. Know that a rejection is not about you or your work. Develop thick skin, pick yourself up off the ground and keep submitting your stories, poems, articles and query letters. In the writing business, success is partly about talent, but mostly about perseverance.” —Ethan Gilsdorf, journalist and nonfiction writer “Do as Hemingway did – always stop writing for the day at a point where you know exactly where you’re going next and can’t wait to get there. Resist the temptation to finish a scene before you call it a day; it will do wonders for your ability to get going quickly and confidently the next time you sit down to write.” —Jenna Russell, journalist “Choose a writing day. I have a number of writer friends who only write…

Listen up Headphones give me headaches. Music isn’t the culprit; the sound of talking, not tunes, fills my ears and numbs my brain. Although I write books, blogs and articles, I spend most of my time producing documentaries. When your story’s vehicle is video, you have little choice but to record every conversation you can. A one-hour documentary usually involves 60 or more hours of taped images and sound. Lengthy interviews are common, and on-camera chats must first be transcribed before a script is written. I do have options. If the budget allows, I could hire someone – or use voice transcription software – to convert all that talking to text. If, instead, I log the interviews myself, I could selectively summarize and/or skip some sections altogether. But invariably, obsessively,…

Last spring, novelist Gish Jen published her first book of nonfiction, a fascinating book called Tiger Writing: Art, Culture, and the Interdependent Self. In it, Jen explores how the intersection of culture, of East and West, informs the stories she tells, indeed, how culture informs the stories all writers tell. Tiger Writing is about writing. Tiger Writing is about art. It is also about the assumptions that underlie the standards by which art is judged. In an interview soon after the book’s release, Jen said, “With globalization in full swing, it’s a good time to take stock of our ideas about art and what ideas about art are in other cultures.” It’s no secret the mainstream literary landscape – including lists of “must read” or “best books” about writing –…

AUTHOR MOLLY BIRNBAUM was not one of those people who knew she wanted to be a writer when she grew up. “I didn’t know that I wanted to write at all when I was in college,” says the curly-haired writer, who published her first book at age 28 and this spring, at 30, became the first managing editor of the new Modern Farmer magazine, a quarterly publication that focuses on issues of food production and the way we eat today, in places big and small, all over the world. Before she knew she wanted to write, Birnbaum discovered that she wanted to cook. She fell in love with food accidentally, while studying art history in Italy during a semester abroad from Brown University. “I took a cooking class in Italy.…

Book festivals are among the most appealing and exciting public gatherings for writers, readers and families. The Brooklyn Book Festival and the Boston Book Festival – both free – draw tens of thousands of attendees each year and are family friendly. We like to think of them as the playground for young readers and the next gen of writers. What happens at a book festival? Readings, panel discussions, book signings, writing workshops, concerts and a sense that all is well in the world of imagination. We asked photographers Juan Padron in Brooklyn and Jake Belcher in Boston to capture the spirit of children engaged with ideas, stories, writers and adventures at book festivals.…

Allegiance to language Emari DiGiorgio first attended the Winter Poetry and Prose Getaway at age 18. She was nervous – and eager to break into the writing world. She hasn’t missed a year since. Now 33 and a writing teacher, DiGiorgio appreciates the importance of writing communities. “The community is what made me believe that I could be a writer,” she says. “Writers need an opportunity to work with each other and share ideas, and we want to create a safe place for it.” When she teaches, DiGiorgio emphasizes the importance of identity through critical reading and honest feedback. With equal measures of encouragement and constructive criticism, DiGiorgio helps her students progress. She recalls one student she has worked with for several years. “There was always constructive feedback, but it…

Gaiutra Bahadur Gaiutra Bahadur’s greatgrandmother arrived in Guyana as an indentured laborer, “pregnant and alone.” As Bahadur, a journalist, set out to discover the lost story of her ancestry, she realized this narrative was not unique; it was “emblematic.” After two years of travel, research and “chasing footnotes,” Bahadur wrote Coolie Woman: The Odyssey of Indenture, a book that examines the lives of Indian laborers or “coolies” at the turn of the 20th century. With a poignant narrative that is part biography, part history and part memoir, Bahadur gives voice to the voiceless. Origins of Coolie Woman: Initially for me this was about identity. As someone who came to the United States as a child, I had questions about where I belonged. As the book evolved, it became more of…

I write to figure life out and consider a work finished when I can say, “That’s it! I got it right on the page.” After publication, I find out new things – from readers. What they tell me about what I wrote keeps enlarging what getting it “right on the page” means. Take the woman who asked me to sign a book at my first reading from Thoughts from a Queen-Sized Bed, about life in a long marriage. “I so identified with your arguments about how much to leave the window open in February – two inches or less,” she said in a lilting voice. I assumed she was a New Jersey wife like me until, with more lilt, she said: “Make it out to Sister Irene.” She was a…

A friend drops a manuscript into your lap and asks for feedback. For many, this is an awkward moment, one that puts you – the reader – in a danger zone. What if you don’t like the writing? Do you engage in rank boosterism? Do you decline the task: “I’m just too busy right now to take on more reading.” Or do you dive in, determined to provide constructive criticism? It’s likely we’ve all done a little of each approach, but the last one – constructive criticism – is the bedrock of peer editing in classrooms. To help you focus on the right elements of a manuscript, essay or story you read for a friend – at least one you want to keep as a friend – consider the following…

Library candles After a long day at the desk, unwind with a literarythemed candle inspired by seven renowned writers. Enjoy Oscar Wilde’s blend of cedarwood, thyme and basil; Emily Dickinson’s sweet lavender and cassis; or Mark Twain’s smooth aroma of tobacco flower and vanilla. Also come in travel size or as a fragrance diffusor. Start at $8 each. paddywax.com Bookend vase A bookcase becomes a garden of stories with terracotta bookends. Filled with fresh-cut flowers or favorite indoor plants, the bookends bring a touch of the outdoors to the office. Available in yellow and orange or white and teal. Starts at $20 each. elizabethsembellishments.com Book dishes Flaunt your literary prowess with book-shaped china. The elegant design comes in a variety of plate, saucer and platter sizes, perfect for hosting a…

AN ESSAY ON THE WRITING LIFE What’s in a name? Many writers use a pseudonym or pen name. Many others don’t. Some use a dedicated name for a specific genre. To come up with the right name for publication requires careful thought, but not so much that it delays getting started. The worst that can happen is you’re stuck with your first choice on whatever has already been published. And if it’s a best-seller, you’re pretty much stuck period. Let’s start at the heart of the matter: Imagine you’re at a bookstore. You pick up a book of short stories, and your work is included in it. You look at the table of contents; there’s your story title. Next to your story title is your real name. How do you…

GRAPHIC NOVELIST LUCY KNISLEY has food in her blood. Her latest work, Relish, tells the story of an upbringing immersed in the food industry and how that shaped her personal and professional life. Knisley’s childhood was spent dashing in and out of kitchens, tasting fresh morels, tomatillos, shiokara (fermented squid guts) and briny oysters. Her mother was a caterer and her father a foodie, so Knisley was born into a deep appreciation and fascination for food. The 28-year-old said she has always been drawn to multiple artistic pursuits – visual arts, sewing and, of course, writing. After college, she funneled her passions into several graphic novels that have garnered attention. Her first book, French Milk, which Slate called “keenly observed,” documents her experience living and eating with her mother in…

Elizabeth Gilbert, famed for her 2006 memoir Eat, Pray, Love, is in the literary light again with a new novel The Signature of All Things. The book follows the life of Alma Whittaker, a passionate female botanist in 19th-century Philadelphia, as she navigates the natural world and her personal, emotional universe. To accurately capture the 19th-century worlds of Philadelphia, London, Amsterdam and Tahiti, not to mention explore Darwin’s theories of natural selection and evolution, Gilbert had to do a lot of research. Three straight years of it, including embarking on various adventures overseas. The ideas and facts she collected, organized and used are at the heart of this edited and condensed interview. What originally attracted you to the idea of writing about plants? I recently became a gardener, which is…

Too long. Didn’t read. According to a Digiday.com study, Huffington Post publishes 1,200 pieces of new editorial content per day. In addition, 28 blog editors curate 400 blog posts in that same day. Upstart Buzzfeed.com (of list and viral nostalgia fame) pumps out an average of 373 pieces of content per day. The online sports hub Bleacher Report produces about 800 articles in 24 hours. Welcome to the world of content farms and online publishing. Writers have two choices: Adapt or die. Increasingly, successful mainstream websites are prioritizing eyeballs and advertising dollars over creativity and quality journalism. The staggering output of the following three examples can be frustrating and discouraging for online writers, especially when you examine what they’re producing and how successful they are. Understanding that writing for the…

Sense of wonder Darlin’ Neal reads hundreds of manuscripts a year. As fiction editor of The Florida Review, she was compelled by one submission in particular – Renato Escudero’s short story “Barrio de mi Corazon.” “It’s a celebration of place,” she says. “He created this world in the barrio, with language and dialogue informed by Mexican culture, and it transported me there because it had been written and revised with so much love. You want to be carried into the world of the characters and into the magic.” This sense of wonder informs Florida Review. On Facebook, viewers can see a picture of eager editorial assistants learning to use a vintage letterpress to create a chapbook as part of the annual Jeanne Leiby Award in Fiction and Graphic Narrative (named…

Chill Ernest Hemingway believed the “quality of a piece could be judged by the quality of the material the author eliminated.” His theory of omission, also called “the iceberg theory,” emphasizes that the core of a good story lies beneath the surface, like the mass of an iceberg. Revise a story, poem or essay by taking a cue from Hemmy and play with subtlety. Use implications to suggest a deeper problem or mystery within the narrative. What explanations or elements can you remove while still maintaining the heart of the piece? Repeat the dream When Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous March on Washington speech, he shared his vision of equality through a technique called anaphora, repeating the phrase “I have a dream” at the beginning of his sentences.…

An imprint is a specialty publisher within a larger publishing house. Penguin Group, for example, has the Penguin line, which publishes books on a wide variety of topics, including literature, memoir, history, business, poetry, self-help and more. The Penguin Group also has nearly 40 imprints (at the time of this writing), each of which has its own niche. One imprint is Current, which publishes science books suitable for the general reader. Puffin Books publishes children’s paperbacks. Another imprint, Avery, publishes books on current health and wellness issues. The size of imprints can vary greatly. Puffin Books publishes about 225 books a year while Current publishes five to eight new titles a year. Some publishing houses have imprints that focus on genre. Harlequin Enterprises, a publishing house that focuses on romance…

Kate McKean @kate_mckean Phrases to cut from your query: "We’re a good fit because..." (Don’t TELL me this. SHOW me w/a good book.) #pubtip #querycut Literary agent at Howard Morhaim Literary Agency Jason Black @p2p_editor This may seem surprising, but shouldn’t be: story craft is its own--usually unsung--skill, and it’s *hard* to get right the first time. Freelance editor Jonny Geller @JonnyGeller Don’t write a book because you "could do better than another writer"- Write a book because nobody else could write your book. Joint CEO of Curtis Brown literary agency Heidi Pitlor @BAShortStories Second person seems to be making a comeback. Series editor of The Best American Short Stories Kristen Weber @kristenwEditor Just sent notes on a revision. I love when authors take my notes and run with them.…

BOOKS FOR WRITERS Act out Feeling stuck? Help is on the way. Procrastination saps the soul of creativity. That is the point that English illustrator-turned-author Lee Crutchley lightheartedly makes in The Art of Getting Started. January is the time of year when writers may stop to ponder what is keeping them from moving forward. For many beginning or even blocked veteran writers, it’s the inability to get started. Crutchley points out that having ideas is only the beginning of the artistic process. He, too, once felt that ideas alone were important: “I was deluding myself that the ideas I had were so great that turning them into real things would be the easy part,” he writes in the book’s introduction. “Turning ideas into real things is not the easy part.”…

BACK HOME WITH THE NEELYS Pat and Gina Neely The Food Network stars revamp classic Southern comfort food in their newest book, filled with mouthwatering dishes like crunchy fried okra and bourbon French toast. THE BLENDER GIRL Tess Masters With the help of a blender, Masters whips up delicious gluten-free and vegan appetizers, salads, soups and desserts. COOKING WITH AN ASIAN ACCENT Ying Chang Compestine Blending Eastern philosophies with Western efficiency, Compestine brings simple yet flavorful recipes to the table. DOMINIQUE ANSEL: THE SECRET RECIPES Dominique Ansel The pastry mastermind behind the “cronut” shares the magic of cooking with a selection of dessert recipes. EAT MORE DESSERT Jenny Keller You don’t need to tell us twice! The celebrity chef fills her book with easy, crowd-pleasing recipes like chocolatedipped sparkle cake…

EXPERIMENT WITH BRANDED MATERIAL, SELF-PUBLISHING AND INFORMATION DISTRIBUTION, AND FIND NEW PLATFORMS FOR YOUR WRITING. Niche and authority websites Branded Content iPhone and Android Infoproducts LAST YEAR, the Content Marketing Association reported that 20 percent of a user’s time online is spent on content-led websites. Thirty-seven percent of these consumers visit content marketing sites at least once a month. Good content – also known as “good writing” – rules the online world right now, and yet, many traditional journalists and writers struggle to make money. On the other hand, some bloggers report growing incomes and Internet marketers and copywriters who create branded content for businesses are flourishing. The opportunities seem endless: Eighty-six percent of business-to-consumer marketers and 91 percent of business-to-business marketers use content marketing, according to the Content Marketing…

Pump it up If you’re feeling discouraged and losing the passion to write, Eric Maisel may be able to help. The psychotherapist, who specializes in helping creatively blocked artists, has worked with MacArthur grant winners, Academy Award winners and best-selling authors. He has also written 20 books on the subjects of artists and anxiety and artists and addictions, and travels the world conducting “Deep Writing” workshops, including one this past summer at Canada’s Hollyhock Lifelong Learning Centre, where the poet Allen Ginsberg retreated to in the 1970s. Situated on Cortes Island (the locale of Alice Munro’s short story “Cortes Island”), Hollyhock has a reputation for its spiritual vibe, rustic cabins on a rugged oceanfront, garden-grown meals and top thinkers and lecturers. Maisel meets with participants every morning and afternoon for…

»AGENTS F N Y THE AARON M. PRIEST LITERARY AGENCY Seeks mainstream and literary fiction, thrillers and narrative nonfiction. Submit by email only. No attachments. Contact: The Aaron M. Priest Literary Agency, 708 3rd Ave., 23rd Floor, New York, NY 10017. 212-818-0344. See website for specific agent email addresses. aaronpriest.com F Y BLUE RIDGE LITERARY AGENCY Handles romances, mysteries, women’s fiction, historical, suspense, thrillers and other sub genres, plus YA and novellas. Submit a synopsis and the first three chapters by email. Contact: Dawn Dowdle, Blue Ridge Literary Agency. query@blueridgeagency.com blueridgeagency.com F N YTHE COOKE AGENCY Represents literary fiction, commercial fiction (science fiction, fantasy and romance), nonfiction (specifically narrative-driven works in the areas of popular culture, science, history, politics and natural history) and middle grade and YA books. Email query…