Indholdsfortegnelse for December 2018 i The Writer

The Writer has the distinction of being the oldest continuously published magazine for writers in the U.S.; in fact, we’re one of the oldest continuously published magazines in America, period. And we’ve seen quite a few changes since founders William H. Hills and Robert Luce banded together in 1887 to launch their “monthly magazine to interest and help all literary workers.” For starters, a one-year subscription cost just one dollar back in the 1880s, though, granted, each issue was only about 18 pages long. Over the years, we gradually added more pages, more color, and more female contributors, although it’s worth noting our first female editor-in-chief, Margaret Gordon, took the helm in 1920. This month brings a few more changes to the title: We’re proud to unveil a brand-new look…

IT seems the holy grail of essay writing about love is The New York Times’ “Modern Love” column. The popular weekly feature that began in 2004 has also become a mainstay in contemporary culture. In the season six debut of the HBO series Girls, Hannah, the main character and writer played by Lena Dunham, publishes an essay in the column. In real life, the question, “Where can I read Hannah’s ‘Modern Love’ essay?” burned up internet boards like Reddit and fueled cultural critiques on Flavorwire. “Modern Love’s” growing franchise now includes live reading events, anthologies, and podcasts narrated by “notable personalities.” But the column read by many is written by few. In a 2011 Forbes article, author and “Modern Love reject” Kiri Blakeley wrote, “At any rate, like most of…

Some fiction authors do little or no initial planning in advance of writing; they depend instead on their imagination, writing their way “into” a story or novel, discovering – without conscious deliberation – their characters, their plot, their whole fictional world. For them, drafting a story or novel is much like automatic writing. They say they begin, basically, with nothing. But do they? “I don’t think it’s possible to begin with nothing in mind,” says Stephanie Dickinson, author of Flashlight Girls Run and The Emily Fables. “While we might face a blank screen or a blank page, our brains never are blank. We’re steeped in memory implants, interests, likes, dislikes, what we read, and our cultural moment.” “I don’t believe for a single moment that any writer sits down beginning…

Open a copy of the 47-year-old Canadian literary magazine EVENT, and you’ll find poetry and prose by well-known authors alongside debuts by emerging writers. EVENT editors are passionate about discovering and showcasing new literary talent. They look for exciting fiction, honest and lyrical poetry, and compelling real-life narratives, as well as book reviews. Last year, noting an increasing interest in genre writing, EVENT editors launched the “Let Down Your Hair Speculative Writing Contest” that challenged writers to think beyond the boundaries of realistic fiction and poetry in 1,800 words or fewer. Poet Amber Dawn, who judged the contest, notes that the short word count leaves no room for complicated world-building, and “the emphasis has to be on highly imaginative, voice-driven moments.” The winning pieces appear in the fall 2018 issue…

Grandma Sullivan told me when I was 8 years old that I couldn’t sing: “Peanut, you can’t carry a tune.” It was my brother’s 10th birthday, and she’d made his favorite angel food cake with the powdered cocoa frosting, the lightest chocolate frosting ever, whipped high with the prettiest peaks. Grandma didn’t whisper or make a big deal; she simply leaned over and told me from that point forward to just mouth the words to “Happy Birthday.” She wanted to save me some future embarrassment. I looked around the table. Everyone was still singing. I wanted to sing too. But even though I was a little girl, I figured why start crying and ruin it for everyone. Maybe Grandma was right: Just pretend to sing. I turned 50 this year.…

We’re all aware of the wellness trend toward clean eating. Gwyneth Paltrow has even promoted the benefits of clean sleeping. But long before these fads came into vogue, there existed a literary virtue known as clean copy. As both a writer and an editor, I’ve been in a position to see each side of the clean-copy coin. As a freelance writer, I have reaped the benefits of being a contributor who produces error-free prose, including a string of new placements and continuing assignments. On the other hand, I’ve personally experienced the editorial frustrations of struggling with raw copy from writers who apparently hadn’t bothered to look at what the magazine publishes – or even to have proofread their own work. Not only is this time consuming for the copy editor…

I’ve been a freelance writer for over two decades now, and I’ll just come out and admit it: I’ve made nearly every mistake possible. I might have a Ph.D. in English from Florida State, but I’ve got another well-earned Ph.D. from the University of Hard Knocks, too. And I’d like to share some of that hard-won wisdom with you – along with some tips from a pair of writing pals – so you can find success without hitting every pothole in the road of freelance writing like I did. PITFALL 1: KNOW YOUR RATE A Fortune 500 CEO got my number from Lord-knows-who and called me up. I was 25 and dead-broke and counting my lucky stars that this happened. “Yes,” I told him as dollar signs flashed in my…

HARIT DESCENDED THE RUBBER-COATED STAIRS of the bus and tripped as he jumped to the sidewalk below. He turned around to see if anyone had noticed, but the bus was already pulling away, leaving a dispersing cloud of smoke and people. It was a short walk from the bus stop to his house, but within ten paces he began to sweat. The heat seemed so hot here because the surroundings didn’t look as if they could stand it any more than the residents. The thick roofs (many-shingled and arched), the roads (bracketed in deep curbs), and the trees (branches bursting and then shivering in leaves) were all suited to a cold landscape. Harit had seen this theory proven during his first winter in Cleveland, when snow piled on top of…

Ayobami Adebayo’s debut novel, Stay With Me, was shortlisted for the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction and received widespread praise, including from literary critic Michiko Kakutani in the New York Times, who called it a “stunning debut novel” that “has a remarkable emotional resonance and depth of field.” Ayobami was born in Lagos, Nigeria, a place that also serves as the setting of her novel, which follows a newlywed couple struggling with infertility. The novel has been published in numerous countries and translated into German, Swedish, Italian, Polish, Turkish, and Hebrew. WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU’VE LEARNED ABOUT WRITING? Writing is rewriting, and there’s nothing wrong with going through several drafts before having a satisfactory version. In fact, although it can be tedious, rewriting could also be illuminating,…

NEW ENGLAND BAY PATH UNIVERSITY Bay Path's no-residency MFA in Creative Nonfiction Writing is designed to help aspiring writers turn their personal story into publishable prose. Created for all stages of writing, the program allows students to study online with faculty mentors. We offer multiple start dates per year. Degree type: Online-only MFA in creative nonfiction writing. Concentrations: Nonfiction, publishing, teaching creative writing. Contact: Bay Path University, 588 Longmeadow Street, Longmeadow, MA 01106. Jennifer Palma, associate director of graduate admissions, 413-565-1181. https://www.baypath.edu/academics/graduate-programs/creative-nonfiction-mfa/ BOSTON UNIVERSITY Degree type: MFA in creative writing. MFA in playwriting also available. Concentrations: Fiction and poetry. Contact: Creative Writing Program, 236 Bay State Rd., Boston, MA 02215. 617-353-2510. crwr@bu.edu bu.edu/creativewriting BROWN UNIVERSITY Degree type: MFA in literary arts. Concentrations: Fiction, poetry, digital language arts, and mixed media.…