Creative Writing Corner

Sites That Inspired Me This Year

Since it's the end of the year, and the time of year for best-of lists, I'd like to tell you about a few sites that I read regularly and that I always find inspiring. They're not all writing-related, but they all give me unexpected insights into different lives and different worlds, which is really what helps me get story ideas.

The New York Times Lens Blog

I love visiting this blog for the stunning photography and the human stories in each photograph. I love getting a visual impression of the terrible and beautiful things happening around the globe every day, as well as the crystal-clear details of ordinary life that are similar the world around.

Freelance Writing Gigs

If you want to blog or write for money, there's no better place on the web to go than Freelance Writing Gigs. This site has daily leads of all kinds, as well as advice on breaking into the business and transitioning to a work-at-home lifestyle.

Men with Pens

Men with Pens is another excellent freelance writing resource website. Its authors give great advice not only on writing clean copy and getting gigs, but also on web design and working on your web presence.

The Books of My Numberless Dreams

I like popping in on this site because it always has a good book review or a thoughtful commentary on an author to read. While I talk a lot about the tricks of writing here at the Corner, you can also improve your writing by studying the successes of the greats.

Harlanguage

This one is a personal fave because the writer of this blog is a friend of mine, going all the way back to high school. She is a hilarious writer who often has thoughts up on her blog that make me say to myself, "My gosh - that's exactly how I feel."

PostSecret

Like the rest of the world, I regularly visit PostSecret's page. It's a bit of a guilty pleasure, looking at other's secrets, but I'm frequently impressed by the artistry and pathos with which people spill their inner lives on the cards.

Teacher's Diary

Another close friend of mine, this young teacher is writing about her experience as a first-year high school teacher in a struggling city high school. She encounters many challenges and connects emotionally to a lot of the students -- and all of it is fascinating to read out. Don't miss her take on the teaching life.

The New Yorker Book Bench

The New Yorker's excellent literary blog can't be missed by anyone who claims he's up on the literary world. This blog features daily thoughts about new and upcoming books, photos of books and libraries as art, and funny takes on the stranger books being sold these days.

The NY Times' Motherlode Blog

I'm not a mother, and I don't intend to be one for quite some time, but nevertheless I find myself fascinated by the Motherlode blog. It has thoughts about all of the issues modern mothers face while sailing the fraught waters of 21st-century parenthood. If you're writing a story about a modern mother, you should check out the comments and posts on this blog to see what mothers are talking about.

Write for Your Life

In addition to having an adorable site design, Write for Your Life is a fantastic blog that gives thorough and in-depth advice about the writing life. Much like this blog, it has thoughts on the micro side of technique, as well as advice about publishing, agents, and more. Don't miss this stylish and informative site.

Mailbag: NaNoWriMo and Realism

I tried being a bit bold this past week and wrote two posts that I thought might stimulate some discussion here at the Corner: Why I Said No to NaNoWriMo, and How Much Realism is Too Much? I'm excited by all the thoughtful comments people have posted here, and I'd like to respond to those of you who disagreed or brought up new points.

Beginning with NaNoWriMo, I was glad to see that several commenters agreed with me that the project is ultimately unhelpful for creativity or improving one's writing. Others did disagree, though. Ben had a lot to say in its defense:

"I think you're missing the point of NaNoWriMo. The idea isn't to make you a "better" writer - it's to force you to write. Not be creative. Not to be clever. Not to be good...NaNoWriMo's sole goal, in my opinion, is to get novice writers past that single hurdle...To successfully sell a novel, at the very, very least - you need a novel to sell."

That's a worthy point, Ben. And here at Creative Writing Corner, I often talk about the value of a free-writing exercise just to get words down on the page and force yourself to overcome paralysis. While that can be useful to get you started, though, I don't think a thirty-day project of just this kind of free-writing is ultimately that helpful.

Des also thinks NaNoWriMo provides a great amount of momentum for writing:

"For me, NaNo is the kick in the pants I need to get that story down on paper. I don't have to know every detail or plot point; sometimes my intuition will kick in and what's most exhilarating is when I can feel the story coming together. And if I've gone through the entire plot arc, then I have a whole manuscript to edit in December."

I'm glad to hear that NaNoWriMo gives you that kick in the pants! When I did participate, I, too, felt excited about writing and getting more done than I usually did. At the end of it, though, I didn't really have a manuscript I was interested in editing; I just had something that wasn't up to par. Maybe I'm not getting the most out of it and others are inspired enough to turn out some quality work. If that's so, more power to you!

So all up, if NaNoWriMo works for you, then by all means go for it. I'd just urge you to look closely at the work you end up producing and ask yourself if you could have done better if you gave yourself a slightly more manageable goal. As I wrote then, I say NaShoStoMo should get underway (being my suggested version, National Short Story Month)! I'll finish with the succinct words of Marilyn M.:

"I very much agree with your reasons. It is often an excuse to churn out crap for the sake of a number."

Thanks, all! After the jump, I'll respond to the spirited conversation going on about realism.

Mailbag: Short Stories vs. Novels

I'm happy to see a flood of comments and activity around the Corner these days! Thanks to a little help from Yahoo and other sources, a bunch of folks are seeing Creative Writing Corner for the first time. I welcome comments and I'm pledging to do a better job responding to them, beginning with a regular Mailbag series. So let's get started with a post that got a healthy reception, Why Short Stories Aren't Novels.

Several commenters agreed that there is something different about the process of writing short stories versus novels, and they argued that it had something to do with time. As Tracy Jones wrote,

"Time is usually always in the essence and being able to write or even read something takes time to get around to."

Thanks, Tracy! It's true that it takes time to get used to either format. I'd also say time is of the essence especially with short stories, which need a stronger sense of urgency and anxiety in order to keep people turning the pages.

Steven brings up an interesting point about whether people are more likely to finish a story or book:

"I'm more likely to read a short story from end-to-end rather than a trashy novel precisely because it's a significant waste of time, whereas the short fiction is a minor waste of time."

It's true that a story is less of an investment of time. But once you've gotten someone reading a little, I would argue that a novel is actually more likely to be finished. Once you've made that bigger investment, you're more likely to keep going and get that payoff you've read for. A story, which has less of a time investment, can be dropped more easily because you're not going to feel like you've wasted a huge amount of time if you don't finish.

For those of you thinking about novels, Naomi points out that short stories can get you inspired for a larger work:

"...a short story will get you into the feel and the complexities of writing longer prose. A novel takes a lot of time and consideration...Eleqently-put, writing short stories and poetry gets you inspired and ready to put pen to paper and begin that novel you have hoped to create for five years."

You could see short stories as early fodder for your novel, or as I've written in this post, there's nothing wrong with perfecting the art of the story as a short-form work of art. And I'm glad to see DeidraK agrees with me and is interested in working on stories:

"I've recently concluded that I am not interested in writing a novel, a collection of short stories yes, a novel no. The novel assumes the reader has time and will stick it out. Well, for me as the writer, I can't stick it out as my attention span isn't long enough to write a full novel in a reasonable amount of time (less than a decade)."

I agree that right now, I don't feel quite ready for a novel, and I'm proud to be working on short stories. Thank you to all the commenters. In the next mailbag post, I'll respond to comments about Why I Said No to NaNoWriMo.

Buzz: Lit Drift

Lit Drift is a new site that's dedicated to fiction writing in all of its modern manifestations. The site has a very cool vibe and I urge to check it out. Here's a note from the founders:

Lit Drift is abrand-spanking new blog, resource, and community dedicated to the art & craft of fiction in the 21st century. Besides editorial content, we've got daily creative prompts, daily short stories, and a weekly FREE book giveaway called Free Book Friday.

So head on over to the site and tell them Creative Writing Corner sent you!

Great Podcasts for Writers

In today's hectic technological age, it can be difficult to find time to read all the things we want to. With a fat novel on your nightstand and the latest issue of The New Yorker on your coffee table, who has time to read more short stories? The way I keep my writerly mind churning even when riding the bus or cooking dinner is by listening to writerly podcasts. Here are a few I listen to and love.

New Yorker: Fiction (iTunes link)

The New Yorker is filled with hundreds upon hundreds of classic and earth-shattering stories, but we rarely have the time to go poring through the archives. This terrific podcast, led by fiction editor Deborah Treisman brings a distinguished author each month to the studio to deliver a stunning reading of a story. The interesting twist, however, is that the author chooses a favorite story not by him or her from the archives. There has been Joyce Carol Oates reading Eudora Welty, Tobias Wolff reading Denis Johnson, Jeffrey Eugenides reading Harold Brodkey, and many more. The reading is always followed by a discussion about why the author chose this story and some commentary on the writing and the life of the author of the story. It's always informative and fascinating, and you'll get access to some forgotten or famous classics.

PRI: Selected Shorts (iTunes link)

Another way to get your fiction fix in listening form is to tune in to Public Radio International. Their weekly podcast, usually a taping of a live performance in New York, brings great actors and performers together to read classic short stories in the aim of keeping the form alive. I've already heard an Updike I had never read before and a haunting holocaust tale. The use of actors keeps the reading crackling.

After the jump: more podcasts for the writer in you.

Buzz: Exciting Doings at Teacher's Diary

Last week I let you know about a great new blog being written by a friend of mine, Teacher's Diary. It's an exciting look at the life of a teacher who's just starting out in an extremely tough school, where just about every student is struggling with poverty, absent parents, learning English as a second language, and a host of other challenges.

Today I urge to check out the site again. There's a new post up about the first fight of the school year. It's interesting to read about how these conflicts get started and what teachers must do to try to diffuse them. Check out Teacher's Diary today!

Buzz: Stimulating Conversation

This week's buzz is all about marketing your book and making sure it finds the right audience. If you've finished a book project are serious about getting some exposure for it, then take a look and consider visiting Stimulating Conversation:

We are confident that authors and their books are not being marketing to the fullest extent they deserve. We have set out to redefine author marketing. The "old ways" of marketing were to reach out to the same 30 to 50 media outlets, with the cookie cutter approach, costing obscene amounts of money. Authors had little control of the promotion and the message. With the publishing and media industries changing, the marketing strategy must change as well. We are here to usher in a new way to effectively market authors and their books. Cost effective, targeted conversations about your book with a forward thinking, cohesive message to an author's captive audience. That is our vision.

Great New Site: Teacher's Diary

Today I'm excited to tell you about the launching of a new blog that I think a lot of my readers will find very interesting: Teacher's Diary. A friend of mine is working as a New York Teaching Fellow, teaching high school science in one of the many underprivileged and struggling schools of Brooklyn and Queens. She's writing anonymously with the alias of "Socrates", and writing regular updates about the challenge of starting out as a teacher and fostering creative and critical thinking in her students.

Teacher's Diary has some great thoughts on the teaching process, like this recent post on my friend's discovery about the surprising rate of illiteracy in her students, and some helpful resources for literacy planning:
Literacy in the Science Classroom: Ideas to Make it Work
She has a lot of thoughts about why she wants to teach and what she's trying to do to improve the lives of her students, as well as details about the little things she does to prepare her lessons, organize her classroom, and keep students in line. I'm so pleased to pass on the word about my friend's site, and be sure to check out Teacher's Diary today!

Buzz: The Pedestrian

I've just heard about a new literary magazine on the horizon and it sounds like it has some exciting publishing opportunities for writers. Check out The Pedestrian today. I've visited and have been impressed by the style and substance of this site.

"Welcome to The Pedestrian, a new quarterly journal that seeks to recover the enchantment of ordinary life. These days it is easy to find coverage of big events, big ideas and bigger-than-life people. But as for life's unassuming features and the people we daily interact with, they fail to inspire a comparable degree of sustained reflection. For this reason The Pedestrian was founded, so that the people and things that are familiar to us -- or have become too familiar -- might be allowed to enchant."

From the Archives

It's time for your weekly tour through the archives. Take a look at five posts from roughly one year ago:

Working and Reworking a Story Stories Are Everywhere: Peoplewatching Adult Themes Mediocrity is Everywhere! Do Something Special on the First Page