It’s no big secret that some of the greatest writers throughout history have also been some of the greatest imbibers of spirits (read: drunks) — and while I’m not here to suggest that talent lies at the bottom of a bottle, the fact remains: Sometimes writers just gotsta grab a drink. They’re full of angst and feeling and, well, apparently liquor, and every now and then that mixture necessitates a break with a firmly-grasped tumbler in a dimly-lit bar. Read the rest of this entry »
Posts Tagged ‘writing’
Get off your D.U.F.F. and write
In Writing on April 11, 2012 at 2:28 pmThere I was, sitting in my off-campus house, when I noticed — for the 324th time since becoming a Davidson College student — the arrival of a friendly email from the editor of the student magazine, Libertas. I gave the email a quick scan, having learned what to expect by then (a general plea for article ideas, writers, or just warm bodies to fill out the editorial meeting), and then moved to do what I always did when receiving a Libertas email: delete it before I felt guilty. I was a senior, and had been on the Libertas mailing list since the freshman year activity fair, and yet I’d never even shown up to a meeting, much less actually contributed a piece. But I wasn’t quick enough this time, and before I could delete the damn thing, one of the editor’s postscripts gave me pause (yes, pause):
Short Story Contests: May (2012)
In Writing on April 10, 2012 at 3:40 pmA great way to keep yourself writing, get some feedback and (we can dream, right?) earn publication and cash rewards is to enter contests. So for quick reference I’ve collected a few short story contests in one place with deadlines coming up next month.
Check them out — click the links for full submission guidelines — and good luck!
Books about books: Required reading for writers
In Writing on April 9, 2012 at 3:06 pmEvery serious writer — even if they plan on breaking every rule it contains — should have a copy of Strunk and White’s Elements of Style, but what else should be sitting on your shelf next to the dictionary, thesaurus, rhyming dictionary and … rhyming thesaurus? Read the rest of this entry »
Transmogrified: ‘My Humps’
In Fiction, Writing on April 6, 2012 at 2:26 pmLet’s start with a definition (for readers of yesterday’s post, not usually the best way to start):
Transmogrify
verb (transitive)
To change in appearance or form, especially strangely or grotesquely; transform
For writing students (or maybe only to students of a certain Professor Randy Nelson at Davidson College) a transmogrification is also a writing exercise where you take a piece of writing, maybe a poem or a newspaper clipping or some song lyrics, and rewrite it in a completely different and unexpected form.
Starting from the beginning
In Writing on April 5, 2012 at 2:15 pmTwo weeks from today I’ll be reading the first chapter of my novel, Alberija, at an event at the Brookline Public Library (event details here). In trying to decide what to read from the book, and ultimately deciding to start from the beginning, I got thinking about some of my favorite opening lines and what makes them so good. Read the rest of this entry »
New Voices in YA and Children’s Lit
In Events on April 5, 2012 at 9:08 amComing up I’ll be reading a bit from my first (and only) YA novel, Alberija.
When: April 19 @ 6:30 p.m.
Where: The Brookline Public Library, downstairs in the teen room.
Who: Me, obviously, along with Beth Brenner, Mike Dwyer and Annie McGough
So if you’re in the Boston area (or even if you just want to be) come on by, have some snacks, and maybe even stick around for the reading if you feel up to it.
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