So Much to Write, So Little Time: Part III
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This installment of my ingenious blog series deals less with the question of how to make writing time and more with the issue of how to make the most of the writing time you have.
If you’re anything like the rest of us, a.k.a. human, you’ll sometimes have trouble getting into the writing mode. Unfortunately, our respective muses are not always as available as we’d like them to be. They taunt, chuckle and call us names—slacker, poser, no-talent *#!-clown—that is, if they bother to show up at all.
Friday’s Links
— I must lead with Ron Charles’s latest video book review. This guy is just all sorts of fun. Of course, he’s given me the urge to film one of these myself … which is just no good for anybody.
— In the coolest move of the week, The Paris Review has made all of its interviews available online. WBN’s library contains the colorful four-volume set, for those members who prefer to read hard copies—but the website includes all of the interviews that weren’t selected for the books. Highly recommended.
— For any past workshoppers who enjoyed our Mary Gaitskill readings, her very first short story has become available online.
— And speaking of firsts, NPR has a piece on a couple of writers who toiled for years before publishing their first novels. “The writing process is not for the faint of heart,” the article begins. But all of us WBNers already know that, don’t we? read more
Friday's Links
— I must lead with Ron Charles’s latest video book review. This guy is just all sorts of fun. Of course, he’s given me the urge to film one of these myself … which is just no good for anybody.
— In the coolest move of the week, The Paris Review has made all of its interviews available online. WBN’s library contains the colorful four-volume set, for those members who prefer to read hard copies—but the website includes all of the interviews that weren’t selected for the books. Highly recommended.
— For any past workshoppers who enjoyed our Mary Gaitskill readings, her very first short story has become available online.
— And speaking of firsts, NPR has a piece on a couple of writers who toiled for years before publishing their first novels. “The writing process is not for the faint of heart,” the article begins. But all of us WBNers already know that, don’t we? read more
So Much to Write, So Little Time: Part II
“I just don’t have time to write.” I hear this excuse often in my line of work. Not to be unnecessarily harsh, folks, but that’s what it is: an excuse. The sooner you accept this fact, the closer you’ll be to accomplishing your writerly goals.
Last week we discussed The Block Method, a system by which you, the writer, set aside a certain amount of time every day to block out the world and get down to business. Next up on our list of effective time management strategies for the over-committed writer is The Scribble Method.
Friday’s Links
Every Friday morning on this blog I’ll be posting some links from the literary blogosphere, and probably some fun stuff from outside of it. Feel free to drop me a line if you want more of something (or less of something).
– Over at Slate, Meghan O’Rourke chimes in on the Franzenfreude debacle. At Fringe, one of my esteemed co-editors gives us her take. Make sure to read to the comments section, where I posted a sneak preview of my interview with Heidi Durrow, author of The Girl Who Fell From the Sky.
– Speaking of Franzen, rumor has it that Oprah will later today make his new novel Freedom her next book club selection (despite their 2001 kerfuffle), but Jacket Copy tells us to hold our dang horses.
– If you have a dynamite piece and a spare $20, check out Writer’s Digest short story contest. And if you win, make sure to mention us by name. Or just split the kitty with us. Either way …
Friday's Links
Every Friday morning on this blog I’ll be posting some links from the literary blogosphere, and probably some fun stuff from outside of it. Feel free to drop me a line if you want more of something (or less of something).
– Over at Slate, Meghan O’Rourke chimes in on the Franzenfreude debacle. At Fringe, one of my esteemed co-editors gives us her take. Make sure to read to the comments section, where I posted a sneak preview of my interview with Heidi Durrow, author of The Girl Who Fell From the Sky.
– Speaking of Franzen, rumor has it that Oprah will later today make his new novel Freedom her next book club selection (despite their 2001 kerfuffle), but Jacket Copy tells us to hold our dang horses.
– If you have a dynamite piece and a spare $20, check out Writer’s Digest short story contest. And if you win, make sure to mention us by name. Or just split the kitty with us. Either way …
So Much to Write, So Little Time: Part I
No one said life was easy. You’ve got bills to pay and mouths to feed, zzz’s to catch and errands to run, places to go and people to meet. Chances are most people you know are busy 99% of the time, but there’s one huge difference between those folks and you: you’re a writer.
When it comes to time management, writers have it tougher than most. We’ve got those same pedestrian responsibilities—do the food shopping, clean the house, pick up the kids from school–but with the added demand of carving out writing time from our over-burdened schedules. So, what’s a busy guy or gal to do?
New Fringe Fiction
As many of you know, I’m the Fiction Editor for Fringe Magazine. This morning we published a new short story, “The Face Phantom” by K. R. Sands. You can check it out here.
Two weeks from today Fringe will publish my interview with Steve Almond, whose latest title is Rock and Roll Will Save Your Life. I’ll post a link to that when it runs. Almond is nothing if not entertaining.
WBN’s new website will soon be up and running. Drop by sometime and see what we’re serving up on our delicious menu.
News & Notes
It’s been a long, hot summer on the Treasure Coast and in Austin, Texas, but our collective siesta is nearing its end. WriteByNight has an exciting Fall schedule lined up, and we’re going to begin posting regular updates on this blog, as well as weekly columns about the writing process. So bookmark us, RSS us … whatever you need to do to follow WBN.
We’ve moved our headquarters from Martin County to Austin, Texas, but have no fear, Treasure Coasters — we have a full lineup of workshops in Stuart and Vero, and you’ll be in good hands. And we’re only a phone call or email (or blog post comment) away!
And to all you word-loving Austinites, check out our main site soon for information on workshops, or give us a call and we’ll design one for you.
You can now follow WBN on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Who wouldn’t want WBN as a friend?
More to come, folks. Until then, write better, right now.
News & Notes
It’s been a long, hot summer on the Treasure Coast and in Austin, Texas, but our collective siesta is nearing its end. WriteByNight has an exciting Fall schedule lined up, and we’re going to begin posting regular updates on this blog, as well as weekly columns about the writing process. So bookmark us, RSS us … whatever you need to do to follow WBN.
We’ve moved our headquarters from Martin County to Austin, Texas, but have no fear, Treasure Coasters — we have a full lineup of workshops in Stuart and Vero, and you’ll be in good hands. And we’re only a phone call or email (or blog post comment) away!
And to all you word-loving Austinites, check out our main site soon for information on workshops, or give us a call and we’ll design one for you.
You can now follow WBN on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Who wouldn’t want WBN as a friend?
More to come, folks. Until then, write better, right now.
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