http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2013/05/03/advice-on-writing/
www.sonyahuber.com
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Literary and Artistic Tumblrs
http://www.themillions.com/2013/04/tumblr-index-your-guide-to-artistic-and-literary-tumblrs-part-iii.html
* * * * * * * * * *
Sonya Huber
* * * * * * * * * *
Sonya Huber
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Post-MFA Advice from Lee Martin
Lee Martin, author of Such a Life and many other fantastic works of fiction and nonfiction, adds valuable perspective on the reality of life after an MFA program in his two-part post. In the second, "Post MFA Advice Part Two," he writes,
"It can be a shock to find yourself away from the setting that meant so much to you, that workshop room where people paid such close attention to your work, those professors’ offices where your mentors did their very best to help your talents develop. It’s doubly hard if your life hands you some sadness to deal with at the same time you doubt your abilities. The MFA is not always a golden ticket. That’s for sure.
Here’s something I’ll confess: that feeling of self-doubt has never completely disappeared for me. I still have times when I wonder whether I’m good enough; I imagine other writers feel the same way. The one thing I know for sure (and I think everyone who so kindly responded to my call for their post-MFA stories would agree) is that writing is a necessity for me, and it always was even in those days when I wasn’t publishing and was seriously thinking about giving it all up. The only problem was I couldn’t. I couldn’t stop thinking of story ideas, couldn’t stop shaping sentences until they pleased me, couldn’t stop “writing” even when I wasn’t."
Martin surveyed his Ohio State University MFA graduates and posted a selection of their responses about life after the MFA. Helpful reading and sound advice!
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Be Porous, Be Available
http://billanddavescocktailhour.com/bad-advice-wednesday-be-porous-be-available/
* * * * * * * * * *
Sonya Huber
* * * * * * * * * *
Sonya Huber
Monday, October 08, 2012
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Friday, September 14, 2012
Friday, August 31, 2012
Fwd: Nominalizations Are Zombie Nouns - NYTimes.com
Date: Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Subject: Nominalizations Are Zombie Nouns
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/23/zombie-nouns/
--
* * * * * * * * * *
Sonya Huber
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Friday, August 10, 2012
Everything is Fiction
THE NEW YORKER
AUGUST 8, 2012
EVERYTHING IS FICTION
I don't know how to write. Which is unfortunate, as I do it for a living. Mind you, I don't know how to live either.
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2012/08/everything-is-fiction.html#ixzz23Alhu5yT
Thursday, May 03, 2012
John Updike's Six Rules for Constructive Criticism - Atlantic Mobile
1. Try to understand what the author wished to do, and do not blame him for not achieving what he did not attempt.
2. Give him enough direct quotation—at least one extended passage—of the book's prose so the review's reader can form his own impression, can get his own taste.
3. Confirm your description of the book with quotation from the book, if only phrase-long, rather than proceeding by fuzzy precis.
4. Go easy on plot summary, and do not give away the ending. (How astounded and indignant was I, when innocent, to find reviewers blabbing, and with the sublime inaccuracy of drunken lords reporting on a peasants' revolt, all the turns of my suspenseful and surpriseful narrative! Most ironically, the only readers who approach a book as the author intends, unpolluted by pre-knowledge of the plot, are the detested reviewers themselves. And then, years later, the blessed fool who picks the volume at random from a library shelf.)
5. If the book is judged deficient, cite a successful example along the same lines, from the author's ouevre or elsewhere. Try to understand the failure. Sure it's his and not yours?
To these concrete five might be added a vaguer sixth, having to do with maintaining a chemical purity in the reaction between product and appraiser. Do not accept for review a book you are predisposed to dislike, or committed by friendship to like. Do not imagine yourself a caretaker of any tradition, an enforcer of any party standards, a warrior in an idealogical battle, a corrections officer of any kind. Never, never (John Aldridge, Norman Podhoretz) try to put the author 'in his place,' making him a pawn in a contest with other reviewers. Review the book, not the reputation. Submit to whatever spell, weak or strong, is being cast. Better to praise and share than blame and ban. The communion between reviewer and his public is based upon the presumption of certain possible joys in reading, and all our discriminations should curve toward that end.
Friday, February 24, 2012
An Easy Introduction to Nonfiction
BookRiot's "An Easy Introduction to Nonfiction" is all about the essay. bookriot.com/2012/02/09/an-… |
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Procrastination & Productivity
There are as many ways to avoid "writer's block" as there are complaints about it. Anne Lamott's book Bird by Bird: Some Notes on Writing and Life talks a lot about this issue. I'll go even farther: I don't believe in writer's block as a catch-all excuse. I think writers can learn to understand the complex mix of personality, neurology, scheduling, motivation, and other factors that make the best writing schedule for each person's life. Lamott also talks a lot about how you can learn to write by writing, that it's not the "inspiration" that counts, it's writing; the page is the place you learn to be inspired.
Do you have not enough time? That might actually be a good thing for your writing. Check out this Nov. 2011 Wired article, "Need to Create? Get a Constraint."
Are you a "bad writer," or are you just lazy? :) Why telling yourself you're not good at something is a self-fulfilling prophecy. "I Suck at Photoshop; Except I Don't, and You Don't Suck at That Thing You're Bad at Either" at Lifehacker by Adam Pash, Nov. 2, 2011.
A great blog post at Student of Change about the "organized artist," featuring a video about comedian Joan Rivers' file cabinet for jokes. The post quotes Twyla Tharp's book The Creative Habit: "No matter what form it takes, a good organizational system supports you to do your best work by allowing you to put your brain power where you want and need it to be. For some people that system will be a cardboard box of ideas, and for others a card catalog of naughty jokes."
Below are some interesting readings on the subject. None of these are 100% perfect. The important thing is that each author has thought about and studied what processes and schedules work for them. What works for you?
Do you have not enough time? That might actually be a good thing for your writing. Check out this Nov. 2011 Wired article, "Need to Create? Get a Constraint."
Are you a "bad writer," or are you just lazy? :) Why telling yourself you're not good at something is a self-fulfilling prophecy. "I Suck at Photoshop; Except I Don't, and You Don't Suck at That Thing You're Bad at Either" at Lifehacker by Adam Pash, Nov. 2, 2011.
A great blog post at Student of Change about the "organized artist," featuring a video about comedian Joan Rivers' file cabinet for jokes. The post quotes Twyla Tharp's book The Creative Habit: "No matter what form it takes, a good organizational system supports you to do your best work by allowing you to put your brain power where you want and need it to be. For some people that system will be a cardboard box of ideas, and for others a card catalog of naughty jokes."
Below are some interesting readings on the subject. None of these are 100% perfect. The important thing is that each author has thought about and studied what processes and schedules work for them. What works for you?
- 30-Day Writing Regimens by Southeast Review
- "4 Tips to Increase Writing Productivity" by Nancy Whichard
- "7 Ways for Extroverts to Improve their Writing Productivity" by Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen in Quips and Tips for Successful Writers
- 750 Words: An online place to sign in and dump 750 words a day to get started.
- "Accept Defeat: The Neuroscience of Screwing Up" by Jonah Lehrer in Wired Magazine
- "Are You Satisfied with Your Writing Productivity?" in Women in Wetlands blog
- "Behavior Toolkit" and "Behavior Target Sample" in Behavior + Works: Learning, with the help of parrots, how rewards help in training yourself for new behavior
- "Battle of the Writing Productivity Methods: Word Count Versus Timed" by Jennifer Blanchard in Procrastinating Writers, also the authors of the Butt-in-Chair workbook and newsletter
- "Creative Writing Prompts"
- "Bloom's Taxonomy: A New Look at an Old Standby " in Designing Effective Projects, Thinking Skills Frameworks
- "Concentration: 22 Ways to Stay Focused on Writing" in Bad Language Blog, on September 7, 2009
- "Create a Morning Writing Ritual" by Leo Babauta in Freelance Switch
- " 'Creative Writing'--a Caution" in "Letters at 3 AM column from Michael Ventura in the Austin Chronicle, about what it really means to be a writer
- "Daily Writing Prompt" by LitDrift Blog
- "Handbook for Life: 52 Tips for Happiness and Productivity" in zenhabits
- "How Do I Write?"--an online photo essay from OxMag by Sonya Huber about writing process
- Mind42: a free web app for mapping your ideas
- "The Monster Collection of Moleskin Tips, Tricks, and Hacks" is a great list of ideas for writing routines and notebooks by Skellie at Freelance Switch
- "My Type 2 Procrastination" by David Seah. Understand what kind of procrastinator you are.
- Notebook Stories: A blog about notebooks!
- Evernote: A free and powerful web app for collecting notes in many forms for brainstorming
- "Productivity Tips According to Jerry Seinfeld," by Jay MacInnis in The Writing Toolbox
- "The Whys of Productivity: Writing Things Down" describes why you need a notebook and why that great idea doesn't need any more time "brewing" in your head.
- "Time, Attention, and Creative Work" in 43 Folders by Merlin Mann
- "Writing and Productivity: The Power of Situation" in Silverknife by Mark Hewitt
- "Writing in the Age of Distraction" by Cory Doctorow from Locus Magazine
- "Writing Productivity: Using an Idea Log," in PoeWar Writing Career Center by John Hewitt
- "Writing Productivity Problems," a wonderful checklist from Stanford Writing Center to help you diagnose what's going on with your writing process. Here's the same awesomeness as a PDF download: "Writing Productivity Problems"
- "Writing Prompts" at Writer's Digest
Friday, November 16, 2007
Penguin Group Internships
Penguin Group (USA) offers paid internship opportunities in various business areas such as contracts, editorial, graphic design, managing editorial, marketing, production, publicity, sales, subsidiary rights, and operations. In its January 2006 issue, Seventeen Magazine recognized Penguin as one of the 17 best internships in the country!
The internship program consists of three 10-week long sessions. During the spring and fall, interns work 14 hours per week. During the summer, interns work 28 hours per week.
A series of lunch events are planned for summer interns. Brown Bag lunches give interns the opportunity to learn about different departments, and group lunches are designed to allow interns to network with each other as well as employees across the company.
Semester Application Deadline
Spring 1/15
Summer 2/28
Fall 8/15
If you would like to apply for an internship, click here or mail your resume and cover letter to:
Penguin Group (USA)
Human Resources Department
Attn: Internship Coordinator
375 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10014
Please indicate the semester and business area(s) you are applying for in your cover letter.
The internship program consists of three 10-week long sessions. During the spring and fall, interns work 14 hours per week. During the summer, interns work 28 hours per week.
A series of lunch events are planned for summer interns. Brown Bag lunches give interns the opportunity to learn about different departments, and group lunches are designed to allow interns to network with each other as well as employees across the company.
Semester Application Deadline
Spring 1/15
Summer 2/28
Fall 8/15
If you would like to apply for an internship, click here or mail your resume and cover letter to:
Penguin Group (USA)
Human Resources Department
Attn: Internship Coordinator
375 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10014
Please indicate the semester and business area(s) you are applying for in your cover letter.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Albion Review
The Albion Review accepts quality undergraduate submissions from around the country. Deadline is October 20, 2007, so submit quickly!
www.albion.edu/review
www.albion.edu/review
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
North Central Review call for submissions
Guidelines for Submission, Updated 7.30.07
http://blogs.noctrl.edu/review/submission/>http://blogs.noctrl.edu/review/submission/
The staff of the North Central Review invites you to submit to the
national, undergraduate literary journal published by North Central College in Naperville, Illinois. The North Central Review considers all literary genres, including short fiction, poetry, drama, creative nonfiction, and mixed-genre pieces, for two issues annually.
Submissions can be made by email or by postal mail. To submit, please
send your submission(s) as a Word attachment to nccreview@noctrl.edu. Complete contact information should be included in the body of the email and in the
Word document.
Or, you can send a typed copy of your submission(s), along with complete contact
information and a SASE, to us at:
North Central Review, CM #235
North Central College
30 N. Brainard Street
Naperville, IL 60540
Each student MUST include proof of undergraduate status (.edu email address or
photocopied student ID without number) and ALL contact information
(name, postal and email addresses, and phone number) on any submission. Please submit
no more than 5 poems and 2 pieces of prose per issue. Prose should not exceed 5,000
words in length; please indicate word length on any prose submission. Submissions sent through postal mail will be recycled unless specified otherwise by the author.
The submission deadlines for the Fall and Spring issues are October
15 and February 15, respectively.
Other comments regarding submissions to the NC Review:
- Please be sure to include adequate postage on your return
envelopes; postage rates have changed recently, and your old stamps may not be enough to cover costs.
- Again, remember to include ALL contact information, particularly
email address. Due to production restraints, submissions that do not include all of these requirements will be returned to sender and will not be reviewed by the NC Review staff until such information has been received.
- The staff reads submissions from September to May. You may send
submissions at any time throughout the year, but your queries and comments may not be addressed immediately due to the schedule of the publication.
If you have any more questions, please contact us at nccreview(at)noctrl.edu
(replace (at) with @).
http://blogs.noctrl.edu/review/submission/>http://blogs.noctrl.edu/review/submission/
The staff of the North Central Review invites you to submit to the
national, undergraduate literary journal published by North Central College in Naperville, Illinois. The North Central Review considers all literary genres, including short fiction, poetry, drama, creative nonfiction, and mixed-genre pieces, for two issues annually.
Submissions can be made by email or by postal mail. To submit, please
send your submission(s) as a Word attachment to nccreview@noctrl.edu. Complete contact information should be included in the body of the email and in the
Word document.
Or, you can send a typed copy of your submission(s), along with complete contact
information and a SASE, to us at:
North Central Review, CM #235
North Central College
30 N. Brainard Street
Naperville, IL 60540
Each student MUST include proof of undergraduate status (.edu email address or
photocopied student ID without number) and ALL contact information
(name, postal and email addresses, and phone number) on any submission. Please submit
no more than 5 poems and 2 pieces of prose per issue. Prose should not exceed 5,000
words in length; please indicate word length on any prose submission. Submissions sent through postal mail will be recycled unless specified otherwise by the author.
The submission deadlines for the Fall and Spring issues are October
15 and February 15, respectively.
Other comments regarding submissions to the NC Review:
- Please be sure to include adequate postage on your return
envelopes; postage rates have changed recently, and your old stamps may not be enough to cover costs.
- Again, remember to include ALL contact information, particularly
email address. Due to production restraints, submissions that do not include all of these requirements will be returned to sender and will not be reviewed by the NC Review staff until such information has been received.
- The staff reads submissions from September to May. You may send
submissions at any time throughout the year, but your queries and comments may not be addressed immediately due to the schedule of the publication.
If you have any more questions, please contact us at nccreview(at)noctrl.edu
(replace (at) with @).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)