Paul Theroux's Advice to Writers

Faulkner's Legendary Nobel Prize Speech - A Must-Read for ALL Writers

William Faulkner's speech at the Nobel Banquet at the City Hall in Stockholm, December 10, 1950:

I feel that this award was not made to me as a man, but to my work - a life's work in the agony and sweat of the human spirit, not for glory and least of all for profit, but to create out of the materials of the human spirit something which did not exist before. So this award is only mine in trust. It will not be difficult to find a dedication for the money part of it commensurate with the purpose and significance of its origin. But I would like to do the same with the acclaim too, by using this moment as a pinnacle from which I might be listened to by the young men and women already dedicated to the same anguish and travail, among whom is already that one who will some day stand here where I am standing.

Our tragedy today is a general and universal physical fear so long sustained by now that we can even bear it. There are no longer problems of the spirit. There is only the question: When will I be blown up? Because of this, the young man or woman writing today has forgotten the problems of the human heart in conflict with itself which alone can make good writing because only that is worth writing about, worth the agony and the sweat.

He must learn them again. He must teach himself that the basest of all things is to be afraid; and, teaching himself that, forget it forever, leaving no room in his workshop for anything but the old verities and truths of the heart, the old universal truths lacking which any story is ephemeral and doomed - love and honor and pity and pride and compassion and sacrifice. Until he does so, he labors under a curse. He writes not of love but of lust, of defeats in which nobody loses anything of value, of victories without hope and, worst of all, without pity or compassion. His griefs grieve on no universal bones, leaving no scars. He writes not of the heart but of the glands.

Until he relearns these things, he will write as though he stood among and watched the end of man. I decline to accept the end of man. It is easy enough to say that man is immortal simply because he will endure: that when the last dingdong of doom has clanged and faded from the last worthless rock hanging tideless in the last red and dying evening, that even then there will still be one more sound: that of his puny inexhaustible voice, still talking. I refuse to accept this. I believe that man will not merely endure: he will prevail. He is immortal, not because he alone among creatures has an inexhaustible voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion and sacrifice and endurance. The poet's, the writer's, duty is to write about these things. It is his privilege to help man endure by lifting his heart, by reminding him of the courage and honor and hope and pride and compassion and pity and sacrifice which have been the glory of his past. The poet's voice need not merely be the record of man, it can be one of the props, the pillars to help him endure and prevail.

Harlan Ellison's classic Pay the Writer!

Writing Quotes of the Day

“The best way is always to stop when you are going good. If you do that, you’ll never be stuck. And don’t think or worry about it until you start to write again the next day. That way your subconscious will be working on it all the time, but if you worry about it, your brain will get tired before you start again. But work every day. No matter what has happened the day or night before, get up and bite on the nail.”

— Ernest Hemingway

“Writer's have two main problems. One is writer's block, when words won't come at all, and the other's logorrhea, when words come so fast that they hardly get to the wastebasket in time.”

— Cecilia Bartholomew

“When I don't write, I feel my world shrink. I lose my fire, my color.”

— Anais Nin

“Writing is like prostitution. First you do it for love, and then for a few close friends, and then for money.”

— Moliere

“This manuscript of yours that has just come back from another editor is a precious package. Don't consider it rejected. Consider that you've addressed it 'to the editor who can appreciate my work' and it has simply come back stamped 'not at this address.' Just keep looking for the right address.”

— Barbara Kingsolver

Guest Blog: Murder Your Darlings (Write for Your Reader)

Murder Your Darlings (Write for Your Reader)
By Rob Parnell

"Murder your darlings" was a phrase coined by F. Scott Fitzgerald. He was referring to what you might call your "best bits." He believed that these are the very "bits" you should always edit out of your work.

As Elmore Leonard once said, "If I come across anything in my work that smacks of ‘good writing,’ I immediately strike it out."

The theory is that writing you’re particularly proud of is probably self-indulgent and will stand out.

You might think this is good. Wrong.

You will most likely break the "fictive dream." (This is the state of consciousness reached by readers who are absorbed by a writer). And breaking your reader out of this fictive dream is a heinous sin!

Editing out "the best bits" is the hardest thing a novice writer has to do – after all, isn’t it counterproductive to write good things down only to cut them out?

Look at it this way…

When you start out, every word you write is precious. The words are torn from you. You wrestle with them, forcing them to express what you’re trying to say.

When you’re done, you may have only a paragraph or a few pages – but to you the writing shines with inner radiance and significance.

That’s why criticism cuts to the core. You can’t stand the idea of changing a single word in case the sense you’re trying to convey gets lost or distorted.

Worse still, you have moments of doubt when you think you’re a bad writer - criticism will do this every time. Sometimes you might go for months, blocked and worrying over your words and your ability.

There is only one cure for this – to write more; to get words out of your head and on to the page. When you do that, you’re ahead, no matter how bad you think you are.

After all, words are just the tools – a collection of words is not the end result, it is only the medium through which you work. In the same way that a builder uses bricks and wood to build a house – the end result is not about the materials, it’s about creating a place to live.

As you progress in your writing career, you become less touchy about your words. You have to. Editors hack them around without mercy. Agents get you to rewrite great swathes of text they don’t like. Publishers cut out whole sections as irrelevant.

All this hurts – a lot.

But after a while, you realize you’re being helped. That it’s not the words that matter so much as what you’re trying to communicate.

Once you accept that none of the words actually matter, and have the courage to "murder your darlings," you have the makings of the correct professional attitude to ensure your writing career.

This is a tough lesson to learn.

But, as always, the trick is…to keep on writing!

Rob Parnell is a prolific writer who’s published novels, short stories, and articles in the U.S., U.K., and Australia, and a teacher who’s conducted writing workshops, critique groups, and seminars.

Please visit Mr. Parnell’s Web site at:

http://easywaytowrite.com

Writing—QED

Writing—QED
By Rob Parnell

Good fiction is about forward thrust.

It's your job to propel the reader through your story without having them feel they are wading through your writing. In fact, your ultimate aim is somehow make the reader feel they're not actually reading at all.

It's what my friend Kenyon calls transparency—the idea that there is nothing between your reader's mind and your story - nothing as ugly as the text getting in the way!

Q.E.D. is a little acronym you might want to use to help you remember what you need to create compelling fiction on every page of your stories. Q.E.D. stands for:

Question

Empathy

Drama

Questions encourage people to look for answers. When readers read fiction they are asking themselves a series of questions about your characters and about your story.

Only when you satisfy your reader by feeding questions and later on providing answers will the reader feel entertained.

At the beginning of a new sheet of paper, ask yourself, What question am I going to place in the reader’s mind on this page?

You must have one - it's what makes the reader keep reading.
Without constantly stoking curiosity, a reader will simply get bored and not read on.

Empathy is crucial too. We looked at this. Not only is it important that you create empathy for your characters early on, you will also need to keep reinforcing it as you go.

Hopefully the actions that your characters make will take care of some of this. But you should be aware that if you feel your characters slipping away from you, it's probably because you're not keeping them human enough to be compelling.

A reader's total empathy with a character can be powerful. It is the hallmark of all good fiction writers. To create a hero that is credible and popular is the goal of most leading authors. Because once you've done that, you can take your readers almost anywhere with them.

When it's done well, the reader is totally in the your thrall and will trust you to take him further, on the adventure that is your novel, or series of novels.

Use it consciously. Readers rarely spot that you're doing it deliberately. They only know what they like and that is, for the time they are reading, they like being your lead character.

Lastly, D is for Drama again. It's important that you create drama, conflict and tension at least once on every page. It's the way of modern fiction.

People want to be entertained. But they've seen it all before. On
TV and at the movies. Try to think of new ways of being dramatic.

Don't get bogged down with description. You don't need long explanations or descriptions of things they are familiar with. It’s just not necessary.

Readers want to be thrown into the thick of things immediately.
There are a hundred ways to do that but most of them involve action, conflict and drama. If you find yourself wandering from the point and nothing in particular is happening, cut back to where the last piece of conflict was, delete all the verbiage and static writing and move off again—this time at high speed!

Imagine you're a soap opera writer where every scene counts, and every exchange is emotionally charged. Try not to sink into melodrama - but be aware that you're writing primarily to entertain.

At the beginning and ending of every new page ask yourself:

Q.E.D? Have I fulfilled the three requirements of compelling fiction?

If the answer is yes then you're probably on the way to becoming the next bestseller writer!

Guest blogger Rob Parnell is a prolific writer who’s published novels, short stories, and articles in the U.S., U.K., and Australia, and a teacher who’s conducted writing workshops, critique groups, and seminars.

Please visit Mr. Parnell’s Web site at:

http://easywaytowrite.com

Writing Prompts of the Day

Write about your dream job.

Write about your ideal vacation spot.

Write about your most memorable birthday.

Write about a person you’d love to confront and what you’d say.

Write about your all-time favorite book.

Becoming a Fiction Writer: A 10 Step Guide

Becoming a Fiction Writer: A 10 Step Guide
By Rob Parnell

The urge to write fiction seems God given for some, a learned skill for others.

One thing is certain—it requires practice and a particular mindset. But, if you’re a beginner, where do you start?

The following 10 tips will help kick-start your writing habit, whether you’re a complete novice, or perhaps a pro who has lost his or her way!

1. Step Away From the Car, Sir.

Slightly detach yourself from your surroundings. Stop participating and begin observing. In social situations, watch people, see how they act and—more importantly—interact.

Don’t pass judgment. Take it all in—and draw on it later when you write.

2. Look Harder, Homer

Stop and look around you. Consciously notice the buildings, what’s underfoot, overhead, and what’s right in front of you.

At home, look at something you take for granted. An iron, for instance. Find yours and study it.

3. Write Thinking Will Be Rewarded.

A simple technique. Your mother is making tea and you are chatting to her. Take a mental step back and describe the scene.

Similarly, when you’re outside, describe your environment as though you were writing it down.

4. What Reasons Do You Need?

Don’t wait for inspiration—just write!

Force yourself to write anything at all. A shopping list. An overheard conversation. Describe your bedroom.

It doesn’t matter how personal it is, or how trivial, just get it down!

5. Wakey Wakey!

Set your alarm clock for an hour earlier than normal.

When the alarm goes off, get up. Don’t dress, bathe or eat. Don’t even make coffee. Just stagger to your writing space and write the first thing that comes into your head for five minutes.

6. Oh, God—Not That!

Think of the most awful and embarrassing thing you’ve ever done - the more cringe-worthy the better. Now write about it. All of it, in all its gory, horrible detail.

Then hide it away for a year or so before you read it again!

7. Like Your Style, Baby.

Don’t limit yourself. Write poems, songs, dialogue, fact, fiction, even practice writing advertising copy or horoscopes.

Your expertise improves in all areas – an improvement in one area can reap benefits in another.

8. The Sincerest Form of Flattery

Take out a classic book from your bookcase. Copy out a paragraph. Think about the words as you write them. Don’t get intimidated!

9. Wanna See My Invention?

When you’re not writing, string together stories in your mind. Think of plots, characters, settings, dénouements.

Ask yourself what you should do next to improve your writing.

Develop this technique into a habit.

10. It’s a Goal!

When you start writing regularly, set yourself small goals. Anything from 200 words a day, or just a commitment to writing in your diary.

Later extend to finishing a short story, or an article or a poem. Perhaps one in a week.

The trick is to set goals you can achieve easily.

That way you’ll get the writing habit - and you won’t forget to enjoy it.

Rob Parnell is a prolific writer who’s published novels, short stories, and articles in the U.S., U.K., and Australia, and a teacher who’s conducted writing workshops, critique groups, and seminars.

Please visit Mr. Parnell’s Web site at:

http://easywaytowrite.com/

Writing Promptly

Write about…

The character traits of which you’re most and least proud.

Your fantasy adventure.

What you’d like your last meal to be.

Your favorite hobby.

Your favorite line in a book or poem or song.

Your feelings on the war in Iraq.

The news coverage on TV, radio, and in newspapers.

Your dream job.

The worst mistake you’ve ever made.

The last time you laughed uncontrollably.

Blog Kudos: Made Top 30 List!

We made Top 30 list!
http://www.onlinecollegesanduniversities.com/2010/01/29/30-finest-creative-writing-blogs-of-2009/

Top 5 Writing Apps for 2010

Series Fiction: A Love Story

Series Fiction: A Love Story
By Christine Taylor

I started a new series today. There I was, minding my own business, when I got invited to a writing party. Sure, I thought. I'll attend, have fun, flirt with some new fiction. Maybe even sci-fi. It's just one short story. I don't need to take any of this further. So I wrote 304 words. Then I glanced across the sea of letters, and saw it.

Potential.

Blam. It hit me. This one's for keeps.

At first I was excited—I couldn't wait to start. Let's do it now, let's do a series! Forget the preparation for a big novel, we'll just do stories. Later we can renew the vows with an anthology.

But I knew that feeling. I'd been in love with a story before, only to have the ardor fade after a few weeks or months. I looked at the draft notes on my page and wondered: Can I do this? Can I stay with this series...for as long as its ideas live?

Romancing the words

It's easy to fall in love for one story. Especially a short story. You don't have time to run into a lot of trouble. Everything's new and fresh and scintillating. It could go anywhere—become anything! You linger over every character interaction with boldness and daring, pushing yourself beyond your safe space, your reserve, because you're caught up in wild abandon. No one will judge your whole life from one story. You're free to try something new, spread your wings.

But a series is different. It's a commitment, like a life-long relationship. It means going beyond the enchantment and excitement of newness. It's saying you'll stick around when the fresh, new ideas become familiar and predictable. You'll sit down with it every day, even when it gets cranky and argumentative. Even when you get cranky and argumentative. You won't turn your back on it when attractive adjectives are washed away and the blemished structure is revealed.

You'll stay, for better or worse.

True love conquers all

As time goes on, you'll work at the relationship. You'll grow to love the familiar, and challenge yourself to invent ways to spark new excitement. You'll take it to new locations, and revisit the places you first fell in love. You'll get to the point where you can't wait to see it in the morning, can't wait to discover what it will surprise you with that day. You'll run with it, year after year, growing in harmony. You'll start to fear the possibility that the run will end; then you'll chase the fear away and exult in every moment you get to spend together. Because this word, this setting, this moment, will never come again.

It's a commitment...and a joy. It makes you better. Makes you grow.

So you'll be ready when the next commitment comes.

"Honey, we're expecting a spin-off!"

Christine Taylor (aka mousewords) is a California writer, artist, and social media consultant. She and her sister Stacy survived carbon monoxide poisoning, an experience which inspired them to create the "Barrister Mystery" series of novels, short stories, and spin-offs. Christine Twitters at http://twitter.com/mousewords Click here and blogs at http://mousewords.net Click here, where she rarely writes about herself in the third person.

Gore Vidal: Profile of a Writer

The Joy of NaNoWriMo: Or Crystal Meth for Writers

The Joy of NaNoWriMo: Or Crystal Meth for Writers
By Cat Connor
Guest Blogger

For the last three years, I have taken part in National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo. The first year wasn’t a success for me, but it set me up. I had a taste. I knew what was possible and I liked it.

The second year, I discovered I was already signed up to do NaNoWriMo. No conscious choice needed. I knew I wasn’t prepared to have a string of failures under my belt. I had to do it. (And I was already using familiar terms to explain what I was doing. “I’m doing Nano, you?”)

The joy of pounding the keyboard got me over the dreadful frustrating slowness of the NaNoWriMo site. I ignored everyone and everything around me. I told my kids I was busy and wouldn’t be available for anything all month. And unless there was copious blood and or unconsciousness involved the little ones (and grown ones) were to leave me alone. I got so organized I surprised myself. I utilized the crock-pot to the fullest. I did everything required of me, quickly and efficiently, and it was on with the writing.

I did it. I wrote my first kiwi novel. A fun spy/thriller type novel that totally kicks ass. And one day when I get time, I will polish the hell out of it and send it out into the big wide world.

Last year – reeling from a string of rejections and disgruntled with the whole publishing industry I did Nano again. Same deal – I was already signed up (and I will not have a failure next to my name!) this time however I wanted to write the fourth book in a series. (Turns out it’s the 5th book, but never mind)

I did it and then some. I passed the 50,000-required words; I think the word count was around 80,000. The novel is tremendous (And sitting here waiting for polishing.) The difference in word count came from using established characters that I knew very well indeed. I still had no clue about plot. This didn’t matter, because frankly I never do when I start a story. It just happens. It was much easier writing with familiar characters.

It’s all looking rather straightforward. Hell all you have to do is 50,000 words in 30 days. Easily achievable. (Yet I failed the first time but we don’t have to dwell on that.) It works out to fewer than 2,000 words a day. Then, I discovered that people actually planned for Nano! The whole thought of planning felt like cheating (and I struggled with being able to use established characters, because that felt like cheating too). Yet it’s apparently not. I didn’t plan for my first two attempts. I just sat down and wrote, no freaking clue about the characters that would show up, plot, none of it. I winged it from beginning to end. And it was fun but it wasn’t as easy as the third year.

This year, I thought I’d flag NaNoWriMo itself and do a 50k challenge at Backspace (a writers site I belong to) instead, that way I can write the 50k I want to write to finish a novel I’m working on. Then, I went over to the Nano site and found myself already signed up. (This is getting to be a habit)

I have to do it. I just have to.

Time could be an issue. In all seriousness, this November may drive my family to the edge without adding Nanowrimo to the mix, and I suspect that all it will take is the whisper of Nano to make them throw themselves from the cliff.

Things have changed dramatically since November 2008 when I was an aspiring novelist collecting rejections. This year I have a publisher. My first novel is out and my second due for release on Nov 10th. (This means interviews, guest blogs, a release party, and all the other fun stuff that goes with a new release.) Then there is the little fact, that I’ll be away and be starting Nanowrimo two days late. Our youngest is now at afternoon kindergarten and that means 10 hours a week disappear into the great abyss. Plus, pre-Christmas craziness. Birthdays. School commitments.

Doing NaNoWriMo for the first time is probably not insane, let’s face it – you don’t really know what it’s like until you’ve tried it. But there really is no excuse for the torturing of families beyond that once. That being said, I don’t know anyone who has only done it once. That’s the hook, you do it once just to see - but it’s insidious, it gets in, before you know it, thirty days are gone in a haze of word counts and challenges.

It’s like a drug.

It’s crystal meth for writers. (But even cheaper and easier to obtain.)

I’m sitting here dreading every second yet knowing I have to do it. The sad thing is I’ll love it while I’m doing it – while in the clutches of the frenzied writing watching that word count go steadily higher. Resenting every interruption, neglecting everyone except my characters. Living on adrenaline and coffee. Unable to sleep unless I’ve written at least 2,000 words a day, but not being happy until I achieve more.

It’s a drug.

I’m an addict. Hello, my name is Cat Connor and Nano is my drug of choice.

I fully expect to find NaNoWriMo on the DEA drug information list in the next few years, the effects are far reaching and it’s most definitely open for abuse. It’s worldwide and they’re already pushing it to kids.

Roll on November; I can’t wait to start my fourth Nano experience! I may be away from the keyboard for the first few days…but I’ll be writing longhand so I don’t get behind in word count.

So anyone else doing Nano?

You know you want to.

Cat Connor is a crime thriller writer. Catch her blog at:

http://catconnor.blogspot.com/
Click here

Or on Twitter:

http://twitter.com/catconnor
Click here

Guest Blog: The NaNoWriMo Journey

The NaNowriMo Journey
By Scott R. Davis
www.scottrdavis.blogspot.com
Click here

A couple of years ago, I read some poetry for one of the arts organizations and signed up for their newsletter for the national writing competition, NaNoWriMo. It is a fascinating experience that I thoroughly enjoyed participating in. Previous to ...this, one of my best college friends challenged me to write about my life story. I have been involved in a memoir workshop also.

When I started out on my journey towards the 50 thousand words in November 1 2007, I had no idea of how hard it would actually become. I tried to figure out how many words I typed on a given day and tried entering it onto one of the word count screens. Later I learned that the robots which feverishly count the word totals of the novellas did not actually report to the job until the 25th of the month. The robots were still being trained and I lost the chance to type an extra 500 words on those days.

What I got out of the experience was reading and hearing of the accomplishments and pitfalls of other local writers. I never joined the write-a-thons but read of what they did and was encouraged by that. When I take on a challenge, I hate to lose and become a failure. Like the time that I was determined as a teenager on an island in Maine when I went on a round trip journey to get to a local book sale at the library to find out it was finished. I picked through the few remaining books and then set out on the 3 mile return. Exhausted yet satisfied of taking on that challenge.

That is what a lot of my writing is and the NaNoWriMo challenge is an encouraging venture to put oneself on. The greatest benefit is that it is a motivation to write and share ones heart on the screen and not be afraid of what someone will say about us. A chance to bear some deep secrets through poetry and a chance to later share those thoughts with our loved ones.

The work makes a great Christmas present which I presented to my parents in December 2007.

Let the challenge begin for everyone on November 1, 2009 at 12:00 am. through November 30th at 11:59 p.m. Join me and many other thousands at www.nanowrimo.org Click here for the thrill of a lifetime!!!!!!

Calvin Trillin: What sparks his creativity?

What a Freelance Writer Is

What a Freelance Writer Is
By Michael P. Geffner

A freelance writer is...

part thinker.

part idea catcher.

part hustler.

part email/letter sender.

part sit-around-and-wait-er

part negotiator.

part whore.

part researcher.

part paranoid.

part genius.

part fact checker.

part sell-promoter.

part worrier.

part interviewer.

part muller.

part bill collector.

And, if we're very, very lucky, part serious writer.

Following the Rules of Creating Fiction: But How Far?

Following the Rules of Creating Fiction: But How Far?
By Hugh Rosen

The question arises periodically as to whether there are any rules to follow in writing creative fiction. Indeed, there are! Yet that leaves us with the quandary over to what extent they should be followed. Are they absolutely rigid, leaving no latitude for departing from them; or can the author simply deviate from them at her whim? This article is an attempt to grapple with that issue.

It is helpful to keep in mind that previous fiction writers who have endured the test of time had no set of rules to follow. One has only to think of such great novelists as Cervantes, Dickens, Henry James, Flaubert, Dostoevsky, Jane Austen, and Virginia Woolf, to name but a few. In fact, writing styles have evolved up to contemporary times, yet many of the rules are derived from reading great novels of the past. Today, rules are manifest on commentaries in domains such as punctuation, grammar, conflict, tension, dialogue, plot, characters, setting, description, and so forth.

A good piece of advice that is often advanced is that the author is free to break the rules, but she must first know them and have a compelling rationale for breaking them. Sometimes the rationale is based on reason, intuition, or merely the feeling that "It seems to work better this way." Rules, after all, are not prison bars intended to constrain the novelist or short story writer within a confined space. Nevertheless, it is worth noting parenthetically, that we find multiple bursts of creativity and genius within the rigid form of Shakespeare's sonnets.

In general, the codification of rules by committees and even those to be found in the by-laws of institutions are often written with a degree of ambiguity and absence of specificity in order to allow for the possibility of interpretation to meet the demands of situation and context. Granted that this is not always the case, nor would it be desirable at all times, but it does occur in order to impart flexibility of application where and when it might be called for. Rules should be regarded as guidelines rather than obstructions. The very notion that rules are considered as constraints or obstructions is antithetical to creativity and innovation.

Ray Bradbury has suggested that, "Life is trying things to see if they work." He may as well have said the same thing about creative writing and I wouldn't be surprised if he had that in mind. Andre Gide has said, "One doesn't discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time." If we think of the shore as the boundaries set by rules, then we find encouragement in these words to break the rules when the occasion calls for it.

One rule that is frequently invoked by writers about writing is to minimize the use of flashbacks. Imparting flashbacks to one's writing may disrupt the flow of the story's development, particularly if they are frequent and long. Yet what if multiple flashbacks are artfully interwoven within the plot's forward movement so that they actually advance the plot or illuminate the depth to some of the major characters, or both? I would submit that if the author so adjudicates, then it is permissible to break that rule. The flashbacks then become an integral and organic part of the story, rather than a distraction. Admittedly, pulling this off requires skill and talent, but without the confidence to venture in this direction, the author will limit her creative development over time. As Jimmy Johnson asks, "Do you want to be safe and good or do you want to take a chance and be great?"

Probably the most repeated rules of all is, "Show, don't tell." Yet there are long passages of the works of Gabriel Garcia Marquez in which he "tells" rather than "shows." Despite his breaking of this rule, his stories have delighted readers around the world and are amongst the finest that literature has to offer. Even his masterful use of "magical realism," which defies all logic and reason, is so artfully incorporated into some of his work that the reader is completely willing to go along with it rather than to challenge or reject it. There is an applicable saying to be invoked here, "Don't be afraid to go out on a limb. That's where the fruit is." (This quote is attributed to H. Jackson Brown.)

The premise I am promoting here is not that one should irreverently disregard the well-established rules of creative fiction, but that when the author's judgment, coming from whatever source, urges breaking the rules, it is worth taking the risk, so that one's work may have the opportunity of achieving greatness and not be merely good by playing it safe. If the author fails in the attempt, then she should look for what may be learned by the failure so as to grow in the future. In the words of Mark Twain, "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do....Explore. Dream. Discover." What if Kafka hadn't risked having Gregor Samsa wake up one morning as a huge bug, as he did in the short story, "The Metamorphosis?"

Professor Emeritus Hugh Rosen, D.S.W., born and raised in Philadelphia, Pa., is the sole author of three academic books and has co-edited three others on cognitive development, moral reasoning, and psychotherapy, and has published a novel, Silent Battlefields.

Please feel free to visit his Web site at:

http://www.hughrosen.com
Click here

Spotlight Interview: John Capouya

John Capouya, Magazine/Newspaper Editor/Author/Writer/Professor

John Capouya comes from publishing royalty—the son of Emile Capouya, a renowned novelist, editor, publisher, poet, and translator. John began his career as a Senior Editor for the now-defunct Sport magazine. He then worked for two top daily newspapers in New York City, as the Features Editor for New York Newsday, and both the Deputy Editor and Lead Editor of the New York Times Sunday Styles section. Moving on to big-time national magazines, he was the Lifestyle Editor of Newsweek and the Deputy Editor of Smart Money.

He has written two books, Real Men Do Yoga and Gorgeous George, and is currently a professor of journalism and writing at the University of Tampa.

Here is my exclusive newsletter interview with Mr. Capouya:

Mike: How did you get your start in journalism?

Capouya: I graduated from the Columbia J-school in 1981 and then became an editorial assistant at Sport magazine. I was there for about four years and I worked my way up to a senior editor position. It was a great experience. There were a lot of talented people there, including David Granger, who is now the editor of Esquire, and David Bauer, who’s a top editor at Sports Illustrated.

After I left Sport as a staffer, I signed on to write a certain number of freelance stories a year for them. I did that for two-and-a-half years, mostly writing about pro basketball. I found freelancing enjoyable but a very tough go financially.

I had a chance to edit again, when a good friend of mine, John Atwood, was starting up a regional magazine called Long Island Monthly (which is defunct as well), and I stayed on the editing track for a long time after that.

Mike: What’s the difference between being a writer and being an editor?

Capouya: Earlier in my career, I found writing to be an agonizing, nerve-wracking process. I would stay up all night and rewrite endlessly and probably fruitlessly. With the editing, I got to use my intellect and it wasn't so much of a neurotic process.

Mike: What are the most common misconceptions that writers have about editors?

Capouya: Well, lately, I've felt that writers filing stories to me expected major intervention. That it wasn’t just inevitable but even a desirable part of the process—not only to me but the magazine for which I’m editing. As a result, I feel like I've been getting intentionally or consciously overlong drafts, or works in progress. The underlying assumption seems to be that I am going to do major work on it anyway, so crafting the story to the agreed-upon length isn’t really necessary. In my worst moments, it feels like the writers are saying: ‘Okay, here is what I gathered. You figure out what you want and how to make it into a story,’ which is emphatically not what I want to do.

To be fair, my experiences as a writer of late have shown me that, even if my editor doesn’t tear into my copy, his or her top editor, the editor in chief sometimes will, so writers expecting this are not necessarily wrong. I still think it’s incumbent on you to shape and finish a story to completion, to deliver a finished product to the extent that you can.

It's a tricky and at times uncomfortable position to be in, as a story editor, to encourage and guide a writer to revise and improve a draft, when it’s never certain that the top editor—or at times, editors—will agree with the guidance I've given. I don’t know what the answer is. I can only do what my experience and sense of what the top editor wants tell me what is needed and hope I am not steering the writer wrong.

Mike: What can you tell us about query letters?

Capouya: I’d say the most common, and maybe most annoying mistakes are writers not reading and/or not understanding the magazine, sending queries that either a) we’ve already done, b) our main competitors just did and which we therefore would not want to pursue, or c) perfectly good stories but that clearly don’t fit into the publication's mission.

E-mailing queries is probably the best approach right now. Although no matter how you send them, it can often take forever to be read.

My only advice about that waiting period: Don’t wait! That is, have other ideas out to other people. After a couple of weeks, go back to the editor you queried and ask if they had a chance to read it yet, can they tell you if there’s any interest, and if not you want to pitch it elsewhere.

Mike: What should the relationship between writer and editor be at best?

Capouya: The writer and editor should discuss the story fully beforehand what’s needed and how to get it, even some sources that might be approached or possible structures for the piece (especially for service pieces).

The writer should then take the ball and run with it, giving the occasional update and especially notifying the editor if the story is not going as planned. Once the writer files (on time and near the agreed-upon word count, of course), the editor’s role is ideally finding ways—such as structure, phrasing, point-making—that make an already good story a little better, and again, ideally, the writer sees and agrees that these suggestions will work.

Unlike some editors, I don’t want to engage in “hand-holding” or to be a source of emotional support for volatile or needy writers. My view is, this is a business, albeit one in which a lot of feelings and emotions come into play, since the creative process is by definition an intensely personal thing, and that this should be conducted in a cordial but essentially business-like fashion.

Mike: What’s the best way for a novice writer to approach an editor, get his/her attention?

Capouya: It helps to come recommended by someone I know, or simply to have an idea that will force me to take a chance on you because it’s such a good story.

Mike: What are editors looking for from writers?

Capouya: Ideas, dependability, agreeable as opposed to diva-ish vibe. And best of all, to surprise with the quality and originality of your work and insights and/or writing skills, surpassing the minimum acceptable level of the completed assignment.

Mike: How do print magazine editors view online clips and/or self-published book authors?

Capouya: Online clips, self-published books are fine, I think. How they’re viewed within the industry shouldn’t depend on the medium in which they were published but the quality of the writing. Good writing, no matter where it’s published, will get noticed.

Guest Blog - Juice Your Muse: 10 Creativity Starters

Juice Your Muse: 10 Creativity Starters
By Maria Schneider
http://editorunleashed.com/
Click here

Whenever I interview writers, I ask them how they motivate themselves to write. The one response that comes up over and over again is this: Allow yourself to start by writing crap. Utterly inane nonsense. Pure drivel that no one (not even your mother) would ever want to read.

You can call it free-writing or whatever you like, but the mere process of allowing yourself to warm up your writing muscle by 15 minutes or so of writing without purpose clears the way for real writing.

So let yourself sit down with a cheapo blank notebook, or an open doc on your laptop, and just let ‘er rip.

And if you’re really feeling stuck, here are 10 ideas:
• What’s the best thing that happened to you yesterday? What’s the worst thing? Write it out in a non-precious, raw, emotive way.

• What was the food you most detested growing up? Beets? Lima beans, perhaps? Describe the taste, the texture and the smell and why, precisely, you hated it so much.

• If you’re sitting in a cafe or some other public place, make up some amusing, over-the-top dialogue you imagine happening between a couple sitting at another table.

• Get funny: Go to Flickr Creative Commons and search for the keyword “funny.” Pick a photo and write about the scene you imagine taking place.

• Or get dreamy: Go to Flickr Creative Commons and search for the keyword “beach.” Put yourself in the scene and write as you imagine it.

• Deconstruct (or poke fun at) the lyrics of a nostalgic song on your iPod. (Suggestion: “Someone left the cake out in the rain.”)

• Write about the one item you’d most like to find at a garage sale and why you want it.

• What’s bugging you today? Are there errands you’re putting off? Woke up with a bit of a backache? Go ahead and rant it out.

• Write about how much you don’t want to write.

• Now write about how you’re going to write anyway.

The crucial thing to remember when you’re doing a warm-up free-write is to give yourself permission to be illogical, zany, carefree, sarcastic, whiny—whatever it is you’re feeling that day. Go on, get it out so you can get some real writing done.