Tag Archives: writing

May 20, 2013 · 3:25 PM

Acid Free Roundup

I’ve been pulled in a few too many directions as of late but I thought I would lay out what’s been happening recently and some of my to-do’s.

  1. New poem up at Translations of Dead German Poets.
  2. NO MORE BOOK REVIEWS! I swear this time. They take up too much of my free brain space. No more (well, at least not in the foreseeable future). A published book review really takes a lot of time. You have an initial draft, edits/back and forth with an editor, and also the time it took to read the book. My desire for my own writing and book choices certainly outranks that of publishing a measly review. Only books I have chosen for myself so be prepared for more write-ups for fiction coming soon. 
  3. Playing catch up on my favorite blogs. I’ve been a bit quiet lately. I’m not a big fan of the way that WordPress organizes the blogs I follow; plus I am sometimes negligent in pressing the ‘Follow’ button. I’ve always used Google Reader but now with its demise, I must find something new to organize everything. Suggestions greatly appreciated.
  4. Things I’m happy with: Writing! Yes, I’ve finally gotten some more words down on the page for a book I’m writing. This plot is a bit twisty, so may I share my new favorite virtual corkboard that helps me stay organized and it’s free? Definitely recommended. www.stixy.com/
  5. Even with all of this mind-stretching-in-different-directions, I still try to put up a few interesting writerly, bookish things on the ole Twitter feed even if I can’t get to the blog. www.twitter.com/AcidFreePulp

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March 24, 2013 · 12:00 PM

We Shall Not Compromise!

I suppose this can be considered a sister to yesterday’s post (I Will Not Pay You To Read My Story). Since the end of December, I have been in a back and forth with a quarterly literary journal. They asked for a story which I happily offered and publication was agreed upon. I hadn’t heard much back but my contact at the journal was looking into it and he was nothing but helpful. He finally heard back from the editors above him and two or three (the number escapes me at the moment) sent some comments and suggestions back. I agreed with some and vetoed others and I sent a second draft back. It wasn’t any heavy lifting and they had made a couple of good points. We were still waiting back for the last editor’s comments.

Let me sidetrack for a moment and say: I am skeptical of journal editors who engage in far too much editing. By that I mean, in regards to literary magazines and journals there should only be light editing when necessary. Editors should be supportive and want to work with you and publish your work in its finest form. Everyone should shine. 

Now, back to our story. My helpful and attentive contact was trying to hear back from the final editor but he was having trouble contacting her. As a reminder, I was asked in December and now it is March. I had not concerned myself too much because I knew it would get done. The editors seemed placated. The other day, I finally received the hold-out’s edits. I started to look through them. She immediately wanted to re-title it with far worse titles (this is always a red flag!!).  Her line edits were terrible and then I realized she clearly had never read the revised addition and was commenting on an old draft. I stopped reading.

With the exception of my contact, this gaggle of editors was a complete horror show! They were completely unprofessional and their comments, quite frankly, were rubbish (which is unfortunate because this is a well-regarded journal). I suppose my point is, it doesn’t matter how far you are along with your writing and/or publishing career, you should not have to compromise what you think is right or you are comfortable with. You should not have to change your story or poem or essay to accommodate a group of unprofessional knuckleheads. Send your writing some place else where they aren’t running a dog and pony show. I have had plenty of wonderful experiences with editors who offer constructive feedback and edits. Remember, it’s never a good sign if they are hard to reach, unprofessional, trying to chop up your story, etc. YOU CAN ALWAYS TAKE A SUBMISSION BACK!

I have grappled with the idea of posting my email to them. I will not name names out of decorum even though I would never again recommend this publication to a single friend of mine. I hope by including this email, it can remind others in similar predicaments that they don’t have to stand for crummy editors but do remember that you should not burn bridges. Don’t roll over but do let them know what is problematic. Take back your story immediately and send it some place else.

Okay, look, I’m annoyed but please keep in mind that my annoyance is not with you at all. I already sent back edits which this person clearly did not read. I am disregarding all of her edits including wanting to change the title. The title shall not be changed. She can refer to the draft I last sent you if she would like to notate that. I don’t mind doing a little bit of house cleaning (some of which I definitely agreed with in that previous round; they made good points which I had already been thinking of). I have never worked with a journal/magazine/publisher that demanded so many edits from a short story (and an extremely short story to boot). So with that said, they can take it as is with what I sent the other time or pass. I haven’t had this much rigmarole with editors before…I don’t have time for unprofessionalism.

p.s. and they should know better than to ask a writer to change a title unless it’s a story about getting my period and I’ve titled it “Crimson Tide.” 

 

**Just as a disclaimer, I personally know my contact, so the post script–meant in all seriousness to this particular gaggle of editors–might only be appropriate because of my aforementioned friendship with the contact.**

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March 23, 2013 · 11:54 AM

I Will Not Pay You To Read My Story

I am extremely adamant about not submitting my writing to any publication that requires a reader’s fee. 1) There are plenty of wonderful journals, magazines, and anthologies that accept submissions sans money and 2) I should not be paying anyone to read my writing. Like many others in the arts and humanities fields, writers are grossly underpaid or not paid at all (which is more frequently the case). As a publisher, it’s your choice to run a publication which means it’s your responsibility to find funding (whether it’s through grants, patrons, or your own stockpile of basement cash). Paying for a finished journal itself is, of course, acceptable, but I think the concept of a reader’s fee is a crying shame.

I recently decided to conduct a little experiment. I submitted a story of mine to an anthology that required a fee. You paid it separately via PayPal so you are able to email them first and pay later. I did only the former and purposefully neglected the latter. I was informed twice about my lack of payment. I received the final email today: “Just a reminder: We’ve received your story but not your fee. If we don’t get it in the next week or so (before the deadline), we won’t be able to accept your submission.”

Which leads me to my subconscious dismissal of publications that only publish work by writers that have paid to have their writing appear there. It wasn’t until recently that what used to be subconscious had surfaced to the front of my mind. As a reader, I avoid such publications. Why do I want to read writing that someone paid to have placed? It could be entirely well-deserved of publication but the nasty business of reader’s fee has blemished it all for me. When a journal, magazine, or anthology puts out a call for submissions, it should be just that. “Hey! We’re looking for some great writing. Send it our way.” It should not be a palm greasing monetary transaction that excludes those who cannot afford to send cash-in-hand to every lame publication out there.

It is a real disappointment that writers in general are always being asked to work for free (although, there are moments when it could be acceptable–for example, certain non-profits). I think, in a way, it is even more of a travesty to make them pay for their own work as well as narrowing the pool of submitted work to choose from. Just remember, there are plenty of wonderful publishers who are looking for exciting, new writing and don’t charge you to submit. Now, paying writers for their work–that’s a whole other story.

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February 11, 2013 · 10:59 AM

Tools for the Writer

After last week’s post about free podcasts, I started to search around (read: procrastinate) about other technological helpers made for the writer. Now, I haven’t tried any of these yet, but when I have the time, I certainly will. If you use any, please leave a comment with your opinion and experiences. Hopefully, some of these can be useful tools for the writer who needs help organizing or becoming motivated or just is always on the fly that they need a swift place to record their writing. Also, there might be more exceptional programs, but because I fall under the category of “poor writer of no importance,” the programs & podcast I am sharing today are all FREE. Click on the images to access more information. Enjoy!

David Morley, Director of the Warwick Writing Programme, leads you through a series of creative writing challenges designed to help you develop your creativity and talent as a writer and reader.

 

A Novel Idea Use its simple interface to create your characters, locations, scenes, and novels and then link them together to create your story’s plot. Use the Idea feature to quickly jot down your creative sparks and link them to your story elements. Arrange your scenes by dragging and dropping them into place. Add scene goals and objectives for each character.

 

MoleskineThe look and feel are classic Moleskine; the digital capabilities are inspiring. Enjoy all the things you usually do with your Moleskine journals, and send your creations out into the world, page after page.

 

 

WerdsmithWerdsmith turns your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch into a portable writing studio, so you can write any time, any place.

 

 

Pocket WritersGot a great idea for a story? Then why not write it. Pocket Writers has a simple three-step publishing system. Give us a title, write your story, publish. It really is that easy. You can save your stories as drafts and come back to work on them later.

 

 

Daily DiaryDaily Diary will make it easy for you to start writing your personal dairy. It has a beautiful interface that will make dairy writing more fun and enjoyable. Daily Diary is safe and efficient. Daily Diary is password protected so that it will be private for you.

 

Flash Fiction PrompterFlash Fiction Prompter is an easy-to-use and simple writing prompter that provides a instant starting point for your Flash Fiction (or other short literary forms) by giving you a random character, setting, and plot, which are the basic ingredients for any story.

 

Chain-StoryCreate. Collaborate. Compete.Did you ever play that writing game at school? You know the one – you write something, pass it on to someone else who continues the story, who then passes it on to another person who gets to see what the previous person wrote, but not what you wrote… and so on. This app is that, but with no paper required. You don’t even have to be in the same country, let alone the same room!

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February 6, 2013 · 12:54 PM

Free Podcasts from the Writers Guild of America, East

Through iTunes, the Writers Guild of America, East has made available many free podcasts.

Here’s Boardwalk Empire showrunner Terence Winter discussing the merits of premium cable with Denis Leary,co-creator and star of Rescue Me. There’s Tony Award–winning playwright John Guare explaining the challenges and rewards of adapting work from stage to screen. From 90-second clips to hour-long panel discussions,WGAE’s iTunes U site provides entertaining and educational media for any artist, writer or aficionado.

While perusing through their listings, I noticed podcasts discussing such topics as Writing NY: How the Big Apple Inspires and Informs the Movies, Reflections on Adaptation, and many other components of writing. Although, these podcast have more to do with television & film writing, I thought this could be quite interesting. They offer podcasts on mistakes to avoid, marketing yourself, and chat with successful playwrights and screenwriters.

Also while clicking around in iTunes, I came across some other free podcasts that might be of some interest,

  • Film Forum, not solely writing but can offer some interesting discussions from filmmakers
  • University of Warwick, hear writers read their own work along with discussions and notes

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December 5, 2012 · 2:29 PM

2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award

14 January is the opening day for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. An English-language, international contest, the categories include general Fiction, Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror and Young Adult Fiction. The grand prize winner receives a $50,000 advance plus publication and four first prize winners will receive an advance of $15,000 plus publication. All of the details and rules are up, including the pitches from past years’ winners. So let’s get cracking. You can find more details and rules on their website. 

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July 26, 2012 · 10:59 AM

those places that inspire us

This week, I finished up with a project that was 3 years in the making. Now that my brain has started to temporarily rebuild itself (part of the process is drinking wine, listening to Hall & Oates loudly on the car radio, and watching reruns of Seinfeld), I’ve been thinking of some of the places I would go to work on this aforementioned project. Also, a few days ago subtlekate wrote a post about writing haunts, “[t]hose magical cafe’s and hotels that have hosted the best can inspire us to keep going.”

One of my faves is The Hungarian Pastry Shop. Okay, so this place can be packed and the coffee is sub par, but if you go in the morning or during other “off” hours and just stick to the made in-house pastries and lattes, you’re set. Also, the outdoor seating is perfect for people watching. I am always especially productive here when I’m dealing with jet-lag. Up before everyone else, I hit up the laundromat right when it opens and then take my notebook and make my way to the Hungarian, where you’re joined with the two or three others with sleep woes.

Last year, Untapped New York ran the article, “The Hungarian Pastry Shop, a literary outpost.” Michelle Young writes,

When author and professor David Grahame Shane (of Recombinant Urbanism) asked me to meet at the Hungarian Pastry Shop on 111th and Amsterdam, I knew it was going to be a great place. You see, Shane’s speciality is on heterotopias–those places within cities that trigger creativity and spur urban evolution. In fact, he says they function as cities in miniature and that’s kind of what the Hungarian Pastry Shop is like…The shop puts the book jackets of its patrons on the walls…It’s also where a scene in Woody Allen’s Husbands and Wives was filmed.

Some photos that writer took:

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March 8, 2012 · 3:39 PM

The Writer as a Poetry Student

I was recently asked if I write poetry. Normally, I answer no to this question and just avoid the embarrassment all together but this time I went digging through my external hard drive. I only remember writing a few poems in college around the ages of 19 and 20 but somehow, I had buried the memory of the other poems deep down inside my mind.

Well! Let me tell you. This is not the case. I found my “portfolio” of about sixteen poems from that time period. I had a good laugh. How much my writing has changed but also, I don’t know if I am still up to the task of penning a poem. Here are a couple of samples from my younger days.

The Hounds

Those ill-fated hounds;
Butchered, mangled, and bashed
by their master
Actaeon

He swallowed their lively flesh;
Rabid, bloodied at the mouth

Howling for chaste Artemis
To save them; she merely watches—
A bystander resting with her stags

The last whelp could be heard
But not saved

The Alligator

The blade is smooth and ideal
as it snuggles in his back pocket

waiting for the moment when it will
pounce willingly onto its next victim

slashing it coolly: throat, belly, etc.

Kicking the cracked limestone across
his path, his step leading into a hasty trot

and then he comes to it, left hand
shaking as he reaches for his smooth

blade snuggled in his back pocket and
then he guts it

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February 27, 2012 · 12:30 PM

Limitless

This weekend, I watched Limitless. This film is based on the novel, The Dark Fields, by Alan Glynn. I haven’t read the book but what attracted me to the film was the premise:

Unshaven and unfocused, living in a grungy Chinatown walkup [sic] and frequenting the last bar in Manhattan…Eddie is stuck on Page 1 of a long-overdue novel.

The whole time I was watching this, I kept thinking that this must be Flowers for Algernon had it been written by Philip K. Dick. A poor and lowly NYC writer with no motivation or inspiration to write is given the opportunity to take an illicit pill to open up his mind and clear his way of thinking. In four days, he has his novel.

When the film came out, a writerly friend of my mine was appearing in one of those short TV spots that they air in the back of cabs. He was being interviewed about this film (which he hadn’t seen) and was asked if he would ever take an imagination-boosting pill if it existed. His response was no–probably because he is one of those people that actually likes being a suffering artist.

Granted, the movie didn’t live up to the expectations I had (there are many plot holes and plot points that are completely abandoned and forgotten) but still enjoyable. It was fantastic to see Bradley Cooper’s change throughout from struggling writer to high-powered financial phenom.

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February 1, 2012 · 3:05 PM

Fiction & Morality

Yesterday, electrizer emailed me an article from Salon.com titled, Stories Don’t Need Morals or Messages. It brought up memories of past discussions I’ve had with other writers and a couple of experiences to boot.

My first semester of grad school, I had a professor who I still greatly admire and he helped so much with my writing and editing process but I was rubbed the wrong way when he told a fellow peer that her [terrific] story had no morality. 1) What does that even mean?? and 2) what exactly is morality in writing? It seems like an abstract concept. This was also coming from a man who writes explicitly about sex and mental disease. Really? Should that be the biggest critique of someone’s work? What about their craft and technique and story telling? I remember discussing this briefly with my friend afterward and she was also perplexed by this comment. Ultimately, she just ignored it.

For a year, I worked as supervisor in a government office that’s task was to research the reading abilities of students in that state and to also create standardized tests to evaluate their abilities and where they needed improvement. It was so flawed and there were only certain answers that were accepted even after our [adult] beta-testers would give answers that we all thought could be correct. However, if I remember correctly the passages weren’t “morality” oriented.

To travel even further back in to the future, I remember I received a choose your own adventure book  as a youth. It was about horses and I was really into it. Yet, halfway through I soon started to relize that the book wanted to teach me lessons with a touch of Christianity thrown in for good measure. If I started to take the path of having too much fun it would never let me go all the way to the end without consulting a clergyman and praying over it. What?! I don’t remember who gave me the book and they probably didn’t mean to gift me a bizarre choose your own adventure but nowhere on the cover was it mentioned that this was a “moral” book.

The subtitle of the Salon article is: A “stupid” test shows that the Puritan ethic lives on. Why do we insist on learning lessons from the books we read? The writing goes on to say,

In adults, the old Puritan attitude leads us to treat fiction as the delivery mechanism for instructional or inspirational messages. Whenever a novel’s merits are described in terms of the “life lessons” that it “teaches,” you can detect that old uneasiness over the “sporting lie” being appeased.

She makes good points but my critique of her article is that it gets slightly muddled and she never really gives clear examples to support her argument. Which is a shame because I’ve always hated the notion that writers have certain responsibilities when writing or that readers need to have their personal expectations met.

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