Innehållsförteckning för August 2021 från The Writer

My favorite place to write at home is a quiet reading nook with large, sunny windows overlooking the yard. The section it faces is fenced, so even though the rest of summertime Alaska is bursting with new life, this tiny corner of the state remains peaceful, a small respite from the lynx, moose, foxes, and coyotes that roam the neighborhood. Which is why it was so startling to see a bear amble across my patio one day. And even more startling to see a large cub follow her. I dropped my laptop and swore. Not only did I now have a bear problem, but I also had a mama bear problem. I don’t know why I was surprised. Our house has a history. The previous owner had returned home from…

OUT NOW Becoming a Writer, Staying a Writer: The Artistry, Joy, and Career of Storytelling by J. Michael Straczynski J. Michael Straczynski has written in just about every genre imaginable: Fiction, autobiography, radio, movies, TV shows, comics, and more. In his latest book, Straczynski shares what he’s learned over his long and multifaceted career, dedicating the first half of the book (“Becoming a Writer”) to beginners and the second half (“Staying a Writer”) to “writers who have achieved some level of success and are eager to get to the next level, refresh their writing skills, or reinvent themselves in order to keep their careers vital and relevant,” writes Straczynski in the intro. Craft in the Real World: Rethinking Fiction Writing and Workshopping by Matthew Salesses This national bestseller asks readers…

If we were talking one-on-one after a workshop or over coffee, this is the advice I would give you, the one thing you can do right now that will change your writing and your life: Don’t be afraid to be bad. I’ve seen it happen to some of the best writers I know. I’ve watched that fear freeze their progress. They overthink. They listen to negative messages from the past. And they fail over and over only because they never truly start. Being bad isn’t failure. The only way you fail is by stopping. No one can judge a blank page, but no one will be entertained, inspired, or changed by it, either. Craft makes you stronger, so by all means, learn all you can, but don’t be fenced in…

Writing conferences, retreats, and festivals are some of the best places to hone your craft and learn from some of the top names in the field, but they also offer the unique opportunity to meet fellow writers. In what can often be a solitary career, it’s important for you to network and get feedback on your writing. Here are three perks you should take advantage of at any conference: The following conferences, retreats, and festivals are a small sampling of what the industry has to offer. You’ll find more market listings at writermag.com. Also, with the COVID-19 pandemic, some conferences have been postponed or moved online. The information here was current when we went to press. Be sure to check organizations’ websites for the very latest updates. Information in this…

Finding ideas for pitches can often be one of the hardest parts of the writing process. How do you find cool, unexpected stories in the world? How do you find a new angle on a story that seems tired? Do you have to read lots of new scientific studies or spend hours listening to police scanners? While there are lots of ways to find pitches, for me, the best pitches tend to be the unexpected, and often the weirdest, ones. I thought of one of the weirdest pitches was when an editor tried to pay me. I had just finished writing a reported piece on Iran-Contra trading cards (a story I’ll talk about later on), and my editor had sent me a payment through PayPal. But the fast cash service…

In 2019, the digital literary magazine The Offing received a prestigious Whiting Literary Magazine Prize in recognition of the support it offers writers, as well as the connections it provides readers and the literary community. “It means a lot,” says editor-in-chief Mimi Wong. “We’re out there trying things out, trying to do something a little bit different, and it’s really nice to get that sort of affirmation that what we’re doing is on the right track.” The publication’s website invites submissions from “Black and Indigenous people and people of color; trans people, cis women, agender, gender non-conforming, genderqueer, two-spirit and non-binary people; intersex people; LGBQA (lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, asexual/aromantic) people; people with disabilities; and especially people living at the intersections of these identities.” Tone, editorial content A diverse group…

What is the best way to go about writing a synopsis, and how long should it be? I’ve heard one page (single-spaced) is the norm today, but how do you go about condensing 300 or so manuscript pages into one page that still makes sense to someone who does not know the story? Oh, and do I still need to CAPITALIZE the first mention of the two or three or so main characters? Are those the only names I can mention? —MY NOVEL WON’T FIT IN THIS SUITCASE Dear Suitcase, When in doubt, read the directions. Most agents and editorial houses will have a guideline for how many pages they want your synopsis to be. I’ve seen them ask for one page single-spaced to a whopping five pages single-spaced, although…

“I’m a book sniffer. I never met a book that I didn’t open up and stick my face into.”—Robert Olen Butler My first book, From Hang Time to Prime Time: Business, Entertainment, and the Birth of the Modern-day NBA, took 16 months to report and write. In reality, the book was born almost 15 years ago. On November 15, 2006, I left my editing job and officially became a bookseller at the Borders in East Brunswick, New Jersey. Before my trade magazine editing career began in March 2003, I had worked at Borders for six months. Then, it served as a helpful stop-gap. The second time it changed my life. When I wasn’t ringing up The Secret and swerving around kids parked in the Manga section, I wrote what I…

You’re wandering through a foggy day in a familiar city, drifting the way we do when we’re not worrying about time, place, or consequences. That’s how I feel when I write the first draft of an essay, and if that’s where you are now, good. You’re right where you need to be. A personal essay can range all the way from formal to creative nonfiction, and it usually involves a character arc (yours). What doesn’t change is the importance of an emotional center. In a formal essay, it’s clear because you have a thesis statement. When you move into less-structured forms, you’re really almost dreaming the first draft, moving back and forth through time, maybe adding dialogue. Then, sooner or later, you have to step out of that dream. Revising…