Year-End Blapup (Yes, I Made a Portmanteau Out of Blog and Wrapup)
Posted by David Duhr in 
2011 has been an excellent year for WriteByNight. See our recent year-end newsletter for some of the highlights, and for a taste of what 2012 has in store for us (before the 12/12/12 Armageddon.)
Among the more exciting moments was the launch of our new website back in April. Running the WBN blog since then has been a pleasure–but that’s mostly due to all of you, so I want to get out of the way here and dedicate a post to you wonderful writers and readers.
And what better way than to list the Top 10 comment-eliciting posts from 2011? The writers write ‘em, the readers respond to ‘em. Community. That’s what we’re all about here at WBN.
Enjoy this little look back, ladies and gents. And as always, if any of these posts inspire you to write something of your own for us, send it my way. read more
More Book Giveaways
‘Tis the season to be incredibly generous with literature, so over on our Facebook page we’ve been asking silly questions and giving away free books to those who provide the best answers.
– For a chance to win Chuck Klosterman’s The Visible Man, tell us what local institutions you would introduce your readers to, and why.
– To win Stephen Harrigan’s Remember Ben Clayton, complete the following sentence: “When I feel like a tortured artist, I …”
– For Justin Torres’s We the Animals, complete this silly sentence: “I deserve to win this book because …”
– To win a copy of the New Yorker‘s Summer Fiction issue, share with us your tips/tricks for handling multiple deadlines when you’re up against the wall.
And look for more giveaways before year’s end. Because that’s how we roll.
Holiday Shows to Boost Your Creativity
By Danielle White
Stressin’ out about the holidays? I know I am. My suggestion? I’m glad you asked. Quit wrestling with that slightly crooked tree. Put the cookie dough back in the refrigerator. Stop worrying about what you’re going to get your mother-in-law. And go see a live performance!
I recommend the theater not only as a brief getaway from that dreadful To-Do list, but also as a source of inspiration. read more
Dishwashing & Other Myths
Most myths hold some type of truth; it’s why they’re so believable, and their touches of unbelievable are what make them so memorable. Unfortunately some myths are more like old wives’ tales and tend to lead to nothing good. Allow me to take the wind out of a few common myths, and hopefully add some wind to your writing.
Myth: Maintenance, like doing the dishes, is more important than writing.
Fact: Writing is as important as doing chores, possibly even more. read more
A Modest Proposal to Write Better When You Think You’ve Written Your Best
Recently I was trying to think back to a story I wrote in high school that I was particularly proud of. High school is, after all, where I really began to develop more of a passion for writing. My mother, who is (of course) my biggest fan as a writer but whose forgetfulness is often as bad as my own, asked me, “Hey, remember that one story you wrote back in high school, that real funny one?” Ah, yes. That one.
Strangely enough, I’m pretty sure I know what she was talking about. For a class, we had to read Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal and then write our own satire emulating his style. For those of you who are unfamiliar, A Modest Proposal is basically a satirical look at poverty during the 1700’s in which Swift suggests poor people sell their children as food to make money. read more
Using Local History for Inspiration
Look familiar, Austin?
When I was a child, my family didn’t go on vacations (no money, no time). Since I read voraciously growing up, I got a lot of literary inspiration about places I still haven’t gone to yet. San Antonio, my hometown, isn’t a commonly used setting and I only encountered it in books maybe once or twice. I used to get annoyed that I wasn’t born someplace else–New York, London, Paris–you know, the locations authors use ad nauseum. I spent eighteen years in San Antonio, enough time to know it thoroughly, but I didn’t have transportation to go to all the “interesting” places. So, I dismissed using my hometown as literary inspiration because all I really knew were the suburbs and strip malls. And after being in that atmosphere for two decades, I scarcely noticed the details and oddities of my surroundings.
If I’d had the foresight, I would’ve dug deeper for local inspiration. Nowadays, I’m still broke and unable to travel to many of the literary hubs I know about vicariously. But I found a way to deal with it. So, what do you do when you’re strapped for cash, can’t travel, and want to see your hometown through new eyes? read more
Free Book Giveaways
Over the next few days we’ll be giving away a bunch of cool books on our Facebook page. Head on over, give us one of those “Like” thingies, and answer the questions to be eligible.
Our first title is Chuck Klosterman’s The Visible Man.
(See my review of the book at the Dallas Morning News.)
The first question (answer at this link):
In the novel, which is set in Austin, Klosterman’s two main characters pay a visit to BookPeople and Waterloo Records. In your own novel, what local institution(s) would you introduce readers to, and why? (You don’t have to live in or refer to Austin to be eligible.)
Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones, But Words Can Crush My Spirit
by Michelle Rubio
Embarrassment. Shame. Guilt. Fear. What brings us to feel this way? Words. Words offer a window into the depths of our hearts and minds. You can’t take words back even if you try. Bruises and broken bones heal but the damage inflicted by words can linger for a lifetime. In other words, physical wounds can heal but if you don’t deal with your emotional wounds, it can affect you forever. We are told to control our actions because actions can speak louder than words, but words provide us with the insight as to why certain actions happen.
Words have the power to inspire but can also be the seed in which doubt grows. But what gives them so much power?
Meaning. Without meaning, words would just be jumbled up letters. Meaning bridges the gap between sender and receiver. read more
Exploring the Artist’s Way
The other night I was talking with a friend in Portland who is considering a career change. He has been in Information Technology for 20 years, but feels the need to pursue his creative path–he just doesn’t know where that might lead, or how to uncover his passion. I mentioned my experience with The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron–as I have many times in conversations with people interested in creativity. I shared how working through that book–morning pages, artist’s dates, and the exercises throughout, had greatly expanded my concept of myself as a writer, and shed light on the limitations in thinking that had held me back.
When I bought a copy of The Artist’s Way in 1994, I took it home and put it on the bookshelf, where it sat for two years. I would sheepishly glance at it when I passed by. read more
In Defense of Visual Media
The saying “You are what you eat” can apply to your media diet too. Don’t get me wrong, I love B movies and cop procedurals, but storytelling at its finest they are not. However there are techniques and lessons you can take away from artsy foreign flicks and super cheesy rom-coms alike–if you can sit through them.
Sitting through a guilty pleasure and taking notes don’t automatically go together, but if you’re feeling particularly guilty, keeping a pen and paper around while watching 13 Going On 30 to note details and thoughts (good or bad) can fight the I-just-ate-a-dozen-donuts feeling after. I like to think of it as a detective game, discovering exactly what I find compelling and what is bad storytelling. It’s like Francine Prose’s idea of close reading, only with visual media. The one downside to this is that you may, on occasion, figure out how something will end. However it’s only bad if you see this as a curse and not a superpower. (Please remember that with great power comes great responsibility. And continually guessing aloud how TV shows and movies will end will not make you popular.) read more
Q&A With Cecily Sailer
Recently I got the chance to ask some questions of Cecily Sailer, Education Programs Manager for Badgerdog Literary Publishing in Austin. Badgerdog runs writing programming for youth and adults, and also publishes the literary magazine American Short Fiction.
Make sure to follow them on Twitter and Like them on Facebook.
Q. Tell me a bit about Badgerdog’s programs for youth and adults.
A. This is a large part of the work we do. Our overarching goal is to build literary communities here in Central Texas (and beyond). In both our youth and senior programs, we bring professional and practicing writers into classrooms and community spaces to lead creative writing workshops. read more
Too Lazy to Come Up With a Title
This is like, the symbol of my writing right now
Is there such a thing as a…slacker writer? Meaning, can you call yourself a writer (a real writer) if you find yourself more often than not twiddling your thumbs, feeling strapped for ideas, so you give in to your guilty little time wasters?
I suppose that’s unanswerable, but it’s something I’ve been grappling with ever since I realized I was a slacker. There are time-wasting booby traps all around that ensnare me many times when I sit down to write. My personal pitfalls, ladies and gentlemen: read more
Resolutions Shmesolutions
It’s almost a brand new year, which always means a brand new start.
Hello, New Year’s resolutions. Goodbye, productivity. Why? Because resolutions never work. They just don’t.
You know what does work? Other stuff that we’re going to tell you all about in a resolution-busting seminar hosted by the When I Grow Up Coach, Michelle Ward.
If you’re currently experiencing deja vu, rest assured, you’re not losing your mind. We blogged about this offering a few weeks back. We’re doing it again, not to mess with you—although we love to mess with you—but to let you know that there’s still time to get in on the interactive fun.
Running Over Resolution Roadblocks: How to Set, Start, & Complete Your Writing Projects in 2012 is now available as a recording, along with a 50-plus-page ebook, and the opportunity to ask questions via online form. Your (brilliant) questions will be answered by Michelle and me via MP3 next week. Act fast, ladies and gents. The Q&A forum closes at 5 p.m. Central on Monday, December 12th.
Free iPads!
You may have noticed that the WBN blog (as well as WBN itself, and WBN on Twitter, WBN on Facebook, etc.) has been pretty dark lately. The WBN powers-that-(W)be(N) were called out of town unexpectedly, but we’re back now and ready to limp sprint down the 2011 homestretch.
One problem with an eight-day hiatus is that I couldn’t do my standard begging/pleading for blog posts. So here it is. Ready?
(Are you sure you’re ready? Because here it comes.) read more
The Music of Editing
I once thought of editing as a formulaic process, like following a to-do list. A few years ago when I wrote mostly academic papers, I approached editing simplistically. Yet I’d agonize over whether I should’ve used a complex sentence or if I could’ve used a less sophisticated verb instead of something frou-frou. I was looking at editing logically instead of thinking of it musically. Yes, musically. That entails hearing your writing like a composer would a musical composition. Punctuation is the equivalent of rests and adverbs and adjectives are like articulations. It may be an old trope, comparing words to music, but that doesn’t diminish the truth of it.
Now that I’ve spent more time writing things other than literary criticism (and mostly free verse poetry), I’m more flexible with how I edit because I place more importance on “what sounds right” in different types of writing. It’s intuitive and less stressful. I still reference Elements of Style and On Writing Well occasionally, but I find that the best teachers are ultimately practice and reading a variety of literature. Learning how to edit is like learning a language in that immersion is an effective way to achieve fluency. I’ve also learned a few specific lessons that you can apply to all kinds of writing, and they’ve helped make editing a painless necessity. read more
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