Writing Workshop: The Art of the Sentence

By David Duhr on May 8, 2012 in News & Events      No comments

May
8

(Editor’s Note: We’ve extended the registration deadline for tonight’s seminar The Art of the Sentence to 6:00 p.m. We’re also making a special offer to those of you who follow us on Twitter: $15 off each session. Visit the Registration page to sign up, and Twitter followers, click on the drop-down menu to make your selection. See you all tonight! And now let’s hear from Joel Weinbrot on what you can expect from tonight’s offering. DD)

Writers have a complex and frequently vexed relationship to their sentences. The nature of this relationship was perhaps most famously expressed by William Faulkner, who advised writers to “kill your darlings,” by which he meant, “destroy the sentences you love only for their own sake.”  The command has the ring of madness and stands in direct opposition to another well-known piece of advice about love, which asks us to set the object of it free. Why does Faulkner believe we should hold a razor to the throats of the sentences we beget and adore, prepared and even eager to slash? read more

The Math of Writing

By Jacqui Bryant on May 3, 2012 in Writing Help      1 comment

May
3

The more I read, the more ideas I have. Movies and TV work to an extent, but books usually have more in them than a movie or TV show. It should be obvious: more incoming data equals more creativity. “Should” being the key word.

These past few weeks I’ve been in a bit of a lull. I went from no jobs to two jobs, decided to write six books before I turn 27, and still had two in-person volunteer commitments per week. Reading another book wouldn’t fit into the schedule I’d created for myself. My movie choices were less than inspiring (Hunger Games *coughtwicecough* and Mirror Mirror). All of the TV networks conspired to play reruns for the past several weeks (okay not all, but enough). No surprise that my creative endeavors have been petering out—I’d been feeding my creativity far less than she was used to, but expecting her to do the same amount of work. I suspect this could be some form of self-abuse, but I’m getting off track. read more

Sleepaholics

By Christopher Savage on May 1, 2012 in Writing Help      2 comments

May
1

Hey, writing this at 2 a.m. and still feeling a bit buzzed. I work a service job, so I often get off late into the evenings and morning. Then I have to ride my bike home, and boy is Austin still humid as hell even in the midnight hour. But then when I do get home, I have school work, or intern work, or work of several other varieties that involve watching television or reading or doing the endless internet mind blast of nothing for hours on end. It’s enough to make a writer go autobiographical. So, yes I’m writing this at 2 a.m., but I have to admit, I feel the buzz of still being up, of communicating with you guys and the moon and those wolves out there still howling while suburbia sleeps the good night. Some such stuff like that, really.

I do have to also admit: I love writing at the end of the day, when everything is done, calm, finished, over, blah-ed into blah-mission. read more

Color My Words

By Jacqui Bryant on April 26, 2012 in Best Of, Writing Help      16 comments

Apr
26

Here are some labels I never want associated with my name, or with my writing: minority, black, African-American. Not because I’m not happy to be those things, but because I’m so much more. When I write, I’m not telling black stories: I’m telling human stories. Labels lead to marginalization.

Recently I read the excellent essay “Literature and Democracy,” in which Pablo explores his concerns over labels, especially the ethnic kind. “Suddenly,” Medina writes, “the person’s worth as a writer is of secondary importance to the social labels we, as critics and readers, are able to tag on her.” Even though, as he says, “What matters about truly great literature is the totality of its human content.”

Lately I’ve been thinking about the color my words take on. In my vision, the characters I write often look similar to me, which I take as a reaction to the fact that in what I read, the majority of the characters do not look like me. read more

Q&A With Lüc Carl, Author of The Drunk Diet

By Laura Roberts on April 24, 2012 in Interviews & Videos, WBN Book Club      2 comments

Apr
24

Since the WriteByNight Book Club usually divides a book into three parts, but Lüc’s book was already divided up into parts one and two, we’re doing something a little different this week. I asked Lüc a few questions about life, the universe and everything, and he shot back a few answers. Here’s a little Q&A with the author of The Drunk Diet himself, Lüc Carl.

Q: Have you always had the umlaut in your name? Or is this your pen name, signifying true metal devotion?

A: I stole it from ZZ Top’s sixth record, Degüello, which is the first rock ‘n’ roll record I ever discovered. The story is in the book. (pg. 18-20)

read more

Losing Focus

By Guest Contributor on April 19, 2012 in Writing Help      2 comments

Apr
19

(Editor’s Note: Tonight at WriteByNight we’re hosting a Blackmail Party for WBN client Leah Kaminsky, who has to complete a draft of her novel by the end of the day or else shave her head in front of us all. We will also be unveiling a very cool new tool for writers seeking accountability for their writing projects. All are welcome to join us, 7:00 at WBN.

In the spirit of all this talk about deadlines and accountability, guest contributor Josh Squires offers some advice on sticking with the methodology that works for you and your creative projects. DD)

by Josh Squires

I’ve always been a goal-oriented individual. It’s important for me to figure out what I want and then come up with a plan for how to get there. That’s partly why I thought I would make my first deadline for submitting to a local horror anthology. Turns out, I failed to stick to the script.

Inspired, But Not Right Now

Everyone has that one activity or time of day or special cocktail that helps them focus their creativity. Mine is almost always when I’m in the shower or as I’m trying to fall asleep. This is when my brain is released of its worries and cares and meanders like a mountain stream through the very weird folds in my gray matter. Let me point out that neither of these times are conducive to getting ideas down on paper. read more

Edit Yourself

By Christopher Savage on April 18, 2012 in Writing Help      6 comments

Apr
18

Hey, guys. I recently attended my American Lit post-1865 class where we studied Jack Kerouac and his opinions on writing. Oddly enough, the student who did the research told us Mr. K wasn’t considered a great literary figure. He was relegated more towards the realm of inspiring (or insipid, take your pick) literature aimed at or appealing to late teens/early twenties wandering types. The presenter brought up the fact that at that age in a person’s life (and mostly male persons), they’re more likely to read On the Road and be affected by it. It seems the youth need their lost time, which I believe is true.

Anyway, getting back to Mr. K’s opinions on writing: he believed in a jazzy, improvisational style of writing that, once written, should not be revised or edited in any way. read more