TL:DR: Here’s the syllabus. (Links are clickable and they’ll get you to the “readings”, tutorials, etc.) This last semester I got to teach a class fully focused on digital storytelling for the first time. I’d been adding units on digital stories and essays to my composition and creative writing classes for many years, but thisContinue reading “Digital Storytelling for Creative Writers”
Category Archives: the writing life
A Beginner’s Guide to Publishing
If you’re just here for the publishing handout and would prefer not to read my rambling lamentations about leaving teaching, here ya go! This summer will be the first summer since I turned 21 that I won’t be readying syllabi for my fall courses. The details are complex and, frankly, boring, but after a lot of thought, my partnerContinue reading “A Beginner’s Guide to Publishing”
Getting Motivated
Well, it’s February and if you’re anything like me, your New Year’s resolutions to write more, submit more, write on a schedule, finally finish that scene, that story, that book have all faded away like champagne bubbles. To help you get back to being productive, here are some websites dedicated to helping writers get motivated:Continue reading “Getting Motivated”
Getting to Know the Market
Re-posted from my monthly column at FFC. If you’re new to the submissions game, trying to find markets that might fit your work can seem like an impossible task. How do you learn your way around an arena as vast and varied as the world of literary magazines? Mostly, it just takes a lot ofContinue reading “Getting to Know the Market”
Do it.
Reposted from my monthly column at FFC. The other day on Facebook, my cousin posted a note about her first ever college writing class. The students were asked to bring in a piece of writing they admired and three of them brought in this poem by Charles Bukowski, called “so you want to be aContinue reading “Do it.”
Using Your Writing Skills IRL
Cross posted from my monthly column at FFC. I often joke with my partner (who, in addition to being a fabulous writer, has worked in the web doing user experience and strategy work) about how I have absolutely no skills that are marketable in the real world. Of course I know this isn’t really true;Continue reading “Using Your Writing Skills IRL”
My First Time
This month’s article at Flash Fiction Chronicles is about my first time being published. I’ve re-posted it here: Everyone remembers their first time. Maybe you’re young and naive, like I was. Maybe you’ve been working up to it so long that you already feel like a pro. But when the moment arrives, it’s always theContinue reading “My First Time”
The Bravest Person You’ve Ever Met
I’m working on my first novel. It’s a tough process filled with self-doubt and fear. I’ve also made the mistake of learning everything there is to know about how impossible it is to sell a first novel. Here’s a scary statistic, the average number of novels a writer produces before they sell one is four.Continue reading “The Bravest Person You’ve Ever Met”
Where to Send Your Experimental Writing
Last weekend, I facilitated a workshop all about experimental writing as part of Dzanc Books’ National Workshop Day. During the workshop, I talked a bit about publishing experimental writing and gave the participants a (very incomplete) list of venues that are particularly amenable to this kind of writing. Below is this list. Of course, whatContinue reading “Where to Send Your Experimental Writing”
What to Do With This Novella…
I’m currently writing a thousand things at once (it works for me; don’t judge) and, among them, I’m polishing up a novella-in-stories and getting ready to…what? It’s a tough sentence to finish for many reasons. First, I’m not even sure a novella-in-stories is a thing. (Anyone ever write one of these? What did you doContinue reading “What to Do With This Novella…”
Aubrey Hirsch 