Innehållsförteckning för February 2020 från The Writer

Most interactions I have at writing conferences are a true joy: I meet so many writers each year who are incredibly generous in sharing their stories, hopes, fears, and goals. Many of these encounters turn into actual relationships, whether as followers on social media, colleagues who keep in touch, or contributors to the magazine. But every now and then, I meet someone who sees every conference encounter as a business transaction, as if every interaction pulses with an underlying notion of “what can you do for me?” And make no mistake: Writing is a business. But no one likes to be treated like a cash register, and no one feels much encouragement to work with a person who sees you that way. My best advice for anyone attending a writing…

“Let us love winter, for it is the spring of genius.”— Pietro Aretino 1. A BIBLIOPHILE’S BLANKET These Litographs blankets require a closer look: Each themed design contains the full text of an entire novel, including The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Walden, Little Women, The Little Prince, and Wuthering Heights (shown here). $70, litographs.com 2. BURN THAT BLOCK OK, so this candle probably won’t magically solve all your manuscript’s problems. But when something promises to smell “like regurgitated ideas and probably a vampire,” it’s definitely worth a shot. $20, whiskeyriversoap.com 3. SOAP ON A TROPE Take your love of literature into the bath with these book-shaped soaps, which feature scents inspired by famous works like The Great Gatsby, Pride and Prejudice, and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. $6, etsy.com 4. TOEING…

“Revision is one of the exquisite pleasures of writing.”—Bernard Malamud Malamud’s quote can certainly be true, especially when you see your novel coming together and feel the joy of accomplishment and creation (no matter how painful the effort). Yet revision can seem far from pleasurable when the plot remains unfocused, characters lack sufficient motivation, or the language refuses to sing. Revision can seem impossible when a novel is in shambles, with no clear hope of improvement in the near future. But if that’s the case for your own project, all is not lost. What you need is a solid approach. A novel is an art form, and like other art forms, it requires a method – one that helps you achieve a unified work worthy of public viewing. One thing…

“The best way for me to network at conferences is to be a speaker. Speaking is such an abstract experience that it’s devoid of much of the anxiety-producing social baggage of meeting people and having to engage one-on-one. It allows for a complete and immersive introduction of yourself and your take on the subject at hand, which frames subsequent conversations and provides a comfortable context within which to engage. Moreover, people who want to meet you will approach and introduce themselves, and you’re spared having to tell your story over and over.” —Daedalus Howell, author and filmmaker (daedalushowell.com) “Meetup groups [found on meetup.com] are usually smaller in size and less stressful for introverts. I go to the local writers Meetup group near me on a regular basis. This has enabled…

He was an angry man, and he was an ugly man, and he was tall, and he was pacing. Not much space for it in the new home, just a few rooms lined up in a row, underneath a series of slow-moving ceiling fans, an array of antique clocks ticking on one wall. He made it from one end of the apartment to the other in no time at all—his speed a failure as much as it was a success—then it was back to the beginning, flipping on his heel, grinding himself against the floor, the earth, this world. The pacing came after the cigar and the Scotch. Both had been unsatisfactory. The bottle of Scotch had been sitting too close to the window for months, and the afternoon sun…

You will have heard from many people that writers need to be on Twitter. I don’t disagree. I’ve been on it for 11 years. I’ve also been the voice behind the handles of everyone from co-working companies to lingerie retailers to literary magazines, and, of course, I write my personal feed. After all these years, I think I’ve finally figured out what makes Twitter work for me as a writer. And although I started using it with the idea of platform and personal brand, it’s ultimately not either of those things that makes Twitter the right medium for me. Back in early 2008, I was doing a lot of freelance writing that involved low-hanging fruit. It was stuff I was interested in and had expertise in already: writing about the…

The job description on my business card is long. It reads: Author, Artist, Photographer, Filmmaker, Curator, Public Speaker When I meet a new person at a party and they ask me what I do, I no longer say “a lot of stuff” with an uncomfortable grimace. I rattle off my list proudly. It took time and a lot of therapy to recognize that it’s okay to be who I am in a world that increasingly tells us to focus and specialize, to do and be one thing. It’s cliché but true: Life is short. Hear me on this. Do not listen to the advice that you must choose one passion. The truth is, you can be anything you want to be – and more. I’m going to share my journey…

Writing conferences are packed with panel discussions, keynote speeches, and workshops to help hone your writing. Here are some tips for making the most out of conference craft sessions. 1. Do your research. Before you sign up for a conference, explore the faculty lineup and daily schedule to see what sessions will be beneficial to your work. Note the workshops you’d like to attend, and find out what the protocol is for registering. And do so by the cutoff date. 2. Be prepared. If you are asked to bring a piece to workshop, make sure you have it. Likewise, pack all of the items you’ll need – notepad, pens, your tablet, a voice recorder – to ensure you and your work will continue to benefit from the workshop once you’re…

Oregon author and essayist Tom Titus knows that getting out into the world and interacting with people is beneficial to his writing career. But as an introvert, he finds it’s the last thing he wants to do. “It requires a lot of energy to be an introvert in an extroverted world,” Titus explains, describing the daunting crush of 15,000 people in hallways and in workshops during the AWP Conference in Portland last spring. Fortunately, he met a woman in the registration line who knew his writing from a nature anthology. She became his conference “buddy,” someone he could check in with periodically by text or in person to ground himself in the crowd. “She was a great conversationalist, anxious to ask me questions about myself, and I was happy to…

When author and editor Stephen Parrish moved to Germany from the U.S., he found it challenging to participate in the greater literary community. He decided to join in digitally, co-founding the online literary magazine The Lascaux Review. “The Lascaux cave paintings, although not writing per se, are the oldest extant samples of human communication. Artists told stories 15,000 years ago using iron oxide pigments and even signed their work with hand stencils,” he explains. “We carry on the storytelling tradition today and illustrate the journal generously with classical works of art.” Tone, editorial content Editors at Lascaux seek what they describe as accessible literature. “I think everybody knows what accessible means, but there’s a lot of disagreement about what literature is,” Parrish explains. “We’re looking for writing that venerates the…

It’s no surprise that before its publication in October, All This Could Be Yours by Jami Attenberg graced many “most anticipated” and “best books of fall” book lists. Her bestselling novels often do. Attenberg’s work has been published in 16 languages, optioned by film companies, received starred reviews from critics, and been nominated for literary prizes. Set in New Orleans, where Attenberg has lived for the past few years, her latest book is a modern family drama that centers on the Tuchman family as its powerful patriarch is on his deathbed. Through well-developed characters, shifting multiple perspectives, and sharp prose, Attenberg – dubbed the “poet laureate of difficult families” by Kirkus Reviews – fully immerses the reader into the Tuchmans’ world. And it certainly is an engrossing world, full of…