"Some magazine was asking writers what they would have become if they hadn't become a writer, and I said that I would have been stabbed to death in the parking lot outside a bar in Florida at 24, or something like that. I really believe that, actually. I think writing saved my life." -- Russell Banks
What is it about writing that heals us? How does it not only fix our ailments, but make us think better? As a student who has worked across the fields of medicine, policy, youth programming, and not least of all, creative writing, I'm interested in the intersection point of these areas, and I hope I'm not forcing them together. Yet I can't help but notice the similarities in writers' experiences with writing, and patients with mood disorders who have improved health outcomes after writing. In Tal Ben-Shahar's Positive Psychology at Harvard College, which consistently attracts hundreds of students, he argues that the act of writing down our negative perceptions of reality will improve emotional well-being. He emphasizes that writing, not talking or thinking, will cause one to be more realistic and objective. A large part of the class is based on research papers that validate the theory, which is also the backbone for some of the most effective therapies out there. This writing that patients do is often done through some kind of psychological intervention, whether it is journaling, individual therapy, or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). CBT actually seems the most akin to writing to me, as the premise is that we will distort our perceptions of reality all the way until we actually write the event down. It is once we have the event on paper that we can stand back objectively and avoid magnifying the errors we've made, and learn to view reality head on. Writing sets us free, but how? The mechanism, or as epidemiologists would call it, the "black box," remains elusive. One revered writer said of her reasons, "I don't know why, and I hope I never find out."
So who cares? Why is academic thesis on a grub street blog? Along with nearly a dozen other dedicated writers, I help run Grub Street's Young Adult Writer's Program (YAWP), whose mission is to recruit high schoolers from all over Massachusetts, regardless of race, income, or ethnicity, to come together once a month and write and share work for 4 hours. Our alums have gone on to publish columns and short stories, while others go onto creative writing programs at Brandeis and Sarah Lawrence. Concurrent to this mission is to have our teachers come into schools and teach kids about the transformative power of creative writing. We wouldn't have used the term "transformative" if we didn't mean it. Recruiting students from nearly a hundred different high schools all over New England, I've seen kids from some tough neighborhoods come in and treat YAWP as though it were a sanctuary, and it kind of is. I know that the act of writing makes these kids feel better, but I can't run a randomized control trial to prove it. Hopefully, though, more evidence on the positive effects of writing will accumulate (what is the cost versus benefit of being more thoughtful about yourself?), more caregivers and community leaders will notice it, and hopefully we will see even more writers reach out to the ailing.
--William Rafelson
Friday, March 7, 2008
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Read, Enjoy, Love?
For months, I've been seeing people reading Eat, Pray, Love on the subway. Many people. Like one day--no exaggeration--there were four women in the same car as me, all reading this book. I like Elizabeth Gilbert (if you haven't read her short story collection, Pilgrims, I highly recommend it), so even though I'm not so into journeys of self-discovery, or memoirs of any stripe for that matter, I decided to give it a try.
Here's my general reaction: Huh.
I just can't quite see what all the fuss is about. It's fine. Gilbert is a great writer, so there are moments that are beautiful, funny, sad. But for the most part, I felt like it's just a book where someone kvetches about the things that are wrong in her life, and then kvetches about how hard it is to change her life and fix all the things that are wrong.
I probably should admit this, but I often find this to be true with memoirs, and that's why I don't read as many of them as the general populace. I don't mean this to just be a post that rags on Gilbert--instead, I put this out there to all of you, o readers of memoir: Lead me to a memoir that was so good it changed your life! Show me how good memoir can be!
And thanks.
In dread,
Whitney Scharer
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
The Grub Street Rag
March 4th, 2008
In this issue
--Helter-skelter Grub Gossip
--Orderly Grub Events
--Spreading the Love
"I wish our clever young poets would remember my homely definitions of prose and poetry: that is, prose = words in their best order; poetry = the best words in the best order."
~ Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Grub Street Gossip
Welcome to the latest installment of the Grub Street Rag, a newsletter of the Boston literary scene sent out every Monday (except when we are handing in a Mass Cultural Council grant application) from the meditation cave at Grub Street's world headquarters. As always, if you are receiving this e-mail in horror, please advance to the bottom of the page to unsubscribe yourself.
Mansion of Congratulations
We have so much great news to report, we've built a beautiful mansion to house it in! First up on our tour, in the expansive gourmet kitchen, is Grub Street Free Press managing editor Ron MacLean, whose short story “Last Seen, Hank’s Grille” will be reprinted this spring in Chautauqua magazine’s 20th anniversary issue. We also can't wait to read Ron's short story collection, Why the Long Face, out this August from Swank Books. Next up, in the East Wing, is longtime Grubbie (and great comic writer) Matthew Sandel, who won a contest you saw advertised right here in the Rag! Matthew's short story, "A Fistful of Goobers," won the Love & Dumpsters Writing Contest, which was a tie-in to an anthology of true stories, Things I've Learned from Women Who've Dumped Me, presented by Harvard Book Store. Read Matthew's prizewinner at http://harvard.com/events/thingsivelearned.html. Next, in the gazebo on the manion's grounds, Grub instructor Michelle Seaton just got word that her essay, "How To Work a Locker Room," first written for Ron MacLean's Structure of Short Fiction class last year, has been accepted by The Pinch. In the library and trophy room, we find Linda Mazurek, whose 10th article in the past 13 months just appeared in Heart of New Hampshire Magazine. Lounging in the parlor, Grub member Rose MacDowell has a hardcover novel due out from Random House/Bantam Dell on March 25th. Called Turning Tables, Rose wrote it with her identical twin, Heather, and you can read about it at www.turning-tables.com. Marea Beeman has a short story appearing this week in Meeting House, an on-line publication. In the 13th guest bedroom, we'll find Katherine Ozment, who has an essay in the March edition of Skirt! magazine. Annie Weatherwax has a story coming out in the Carolina Quarterly and in Quarterly West, and she says that "the story coming out in Quarterly West is being published in part because of the excellent feedback I got in a Grub Street class." In the ballroom, Nina MacLaughlin had a short-short accepted to Issue 12 of Quick Fiction. And last but never least, relaxing in the billiard room is Randy Susan Meyers, whose novel excerpt, "Mixed Prayers," was published in the Fog City Review. Congratulations to all!
Muse and the Marketplace 2008: filling fast!
You like it, you really really like it! We are surprised and pleased at how quickly our conference is filling up this year. Maybe it's the amazing author lineup, maybe it's the first-ever Agent Idol, or maybe it's the sure-to-be-inspiring keynote address by Jonathan Franzen. Whatever the reason, spots are filling fast, so if you're planning on attending we recommend registering sooner rather than later. This is especially true if you are interested in participating in the optional Manuscript Mart (which is already halfway sold out!)
Help stick stamps on postcards at your favorite non-profit
The Grub Street staff and interns are hard at work mailing out our Muse and the Marketplace postcards. If you'd like to stop by and help us this week, we would LOVE to have you, and will treat you to the Starbucks beverage of your choice as a small thank-you. Hours for the mailing are Wednesday - Friday, 10-6pm. Please email whitney@grubstreet.org to let us know when you'll be coming, and thanks!
Cheers,
Whitney, Sonya and Chris
Grub Events
In addition to our ongoing workshops, Grub Street offers numerous writing-related events around town. See our website for a long-term view of all we do. Ready to sign up? Call us at 617.695.0075 and we'll get you on the list.
*RESCHEDULED* ALL-DAY SEMINAR, Saturday, March 8th, 2008, 9AM – 4PM, Creative Problem Solving for Novels In Progress
Instructor: Crystal King
This workshop will help you learn how to use new and practical creativity exercises – unlike any of those usually taught in writing workshops – to expand and enhance your existing ideas for your novel. Limited to 15 Novelists In Progress--read more on our website.
$95/$85 members, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston.
BOOK SIGNING: Tuesday, March 11th, 6:30 pm, Born Before Plastic book signing
Come celebrate the release of the Memoir Project’s first anthology of true stories written by forty seniors from three of Boston’s most vibrant and enduring neighborhoods: the North End, South Boston, and Roxbury. These stories vividly bring to life the individual and collective experiences of a generation, as well as a city’s history. Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Christopher Castellani will introduce the program and the book. The evening will close with food, refreshments, and conversation among the seniors, their families and guests, readers, and anyone who wants to learn more about the book and speak with the authors.
Borders Books in Back Bay, 511 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.
BOOK PARTY: Thursday, March 13th, 2008, 7-9pm, Naming The World
Come celebrate the publication of Naming the World: And Other Exercises for the Fiction Writer, an exciting new anthology edited by acclaimed author (and Grub Street board member) Bret Anthony Johnston. The book features exercises by the country’s most eminent writers and is an irresistible interactive guide to the craft of narrative writing. At this event, we’ll hear some examples from some of our favorite local writers who’ve contributed to the book, and try some of the exercises on-the-spot. Followed by drinks and appetizers at a local bar and restaurant.
FREE, Porter Square Books.
SEMINAR: Monday, March 24th, 2008, Two For One: Writing Fiction and Non-fiction
Join author Lynne Griffin for a discussion of how to nurture the fiction and nonfiction writer in you. She’ll take you through the process of identifying genre elements of each, creating environments conducive to accurate research as well as offer tips for navigating the marketplace. Lynne is the author of Negotiation Generation: Take Back Your Parental Authority Without Punishment and her novel, Life Without Summer, will be published next year. Read more on our website.
$45/$40 members, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.
SEMINAR: Monday, March 24th, 2008, Tears of Laughter
In this seminar taught by Sonya Larson, we’ll explore the special function of humor in fiction, in its power both to rivet a reader and give unnerving and surprising edge to a story’s emotions. Learn how humor can strengthen voice, energize dialogue, drive a scene, and complexify a character. Read more on our website.
$45/$40 members, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.
SEMINAR: Monday, March 24th, 2008, Cortiscrawl: Writing With the Brain in Mind
In this class, we'll see how understanding a bit more about the brain can boost our own writing. We'll revisit staple topics like detail, description and character, learn how we can tap into the dreaming brain for inspiration, and even look at writer's block and hypergraphia (the compulsion to write) from this new vantage point. Read more on our website.
$45/$40 members, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.
SEMINAR: Monday, March 24th, 2008, The Art of the Scene
This seminar, taught by Amy Marcott, will focus on the elements of scene writing in fiction: pacing, choreography, dialogue, subtext, description, character and theme development, and more. We'll look at the techniques various authors use, then practice these with in-class writing exercises designed to inspire and elevate your own writing. Read more on our website.
$45/$40 members, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.
Be sure to check out our events calendar for a comprehensive view of upcoming events.
Spreading the Love
Grub Street wants to promote YOU!!! Please send events for consideration to whitney@grubstreet.org. Our apologies in advance if we cannot fit you in.
--READING: Tuesday, March 4th, 7pm, Scott Heim
Scott Heim reads from his riveting new novel, We Disappear. Check out the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8Xl3TKx7mw. Or, check out an article about the book in Time Out.
Brookline Booksmith, 247 Harvard Street, Brookline.
--EVENT/FUNDRAISER: Saturday, March 8th, 7-9pm, 826 Boston Announces Greater Boston Research Institute’s Product Testing Seminar
826 Boston invites all curious and non-litigious literati to register for the upcoming Product Testing Seminar at the Greater Boston Bigfoot Research Institute on Saturday, March 8, 2008, from 7-9 PM. Reservations are required ($50 per person) and can be made online only at www.826Boston.org. All participants will receive a first-run GBBRI t-shirt and the inimitable GBBRI Wilderness Survival Bundle. Wine and beer will be served. All proceeds from this memorable product testing seminar help support 826 Boston’s free writing and tutoring programs for local youth. Questions, call 617-442-5400 or email info@826Boston.org. Be you a Bigfoot believer or Sasquatch skeptic, be warned: be there.
3035 Washington Street, Egleston Square, Roxbury, MA 02119. See www.826Boston.org for detailed directions.
--CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: Howl Press (Deadline is March 27th)
Howl Press is looking for topical essays or short stories (800-900 words) that are stimulating and thought provoking. Our audience is 35+, in the top 10% of earners and includes politicians, entertainers and CEO’s. This is a very unique, captive audience. Recyclable material is accepted. Pay - $200 - $250. Contact Lisa at lrehfuss@hotmail.com. Please include your submission in the email instead of as an attachment.
--WRITERS' RETREAT, JUNE 22-27 2008, Wakefield New Hampshire Retreat
Private room in historic house, mornings for writing, afternoons for technique class--teachers published writers and university teachers--and MSS workshop. Catered community dinner in restored barn. $500 fee includes room and board and classes. 8-10 serious writers. Please submit statement of purpose and 15-20 pages of your work to elizbarrett@gmail.com or 3 Downing Court Exeter, NH 03833 prior to April 1. Rolling admissions.
Welcome to the end of the e-mail, where, like a giraffe with a crick in his neck, we offer you the chance to win a prize. On this day in history, a writer wrote a letter saying he had finished a new book. He considered the book an epilogue to everything he had ever written. Name the author, the title of the book, and who the letter was addressed to. E-mail your answers to Whitney. First correct answer wins a gift certificate to any local J.P. Licks.
Answer to last week's quiz: The Pulitzer Prize was established with a fortune derived from yellow journalism. Winner: Jon Woodward.
Forward email
This email was sent to whitney@grubstreet.org, by whitney@grubstreet.org
Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy.
Email Marketing by
Grub Street, Inc. | 160 Boylston Street | Boston | MA | 02116
In this issue
--Helter-skelter Grub Gossip
--Orderly Grub Events
--Spreading the Love
"I wish our clever young poets would remember my homely definitions of prose and poetry: that is, prose = words in their best order; poetry = the best words in the best order."
~ Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Grub Street Gossip
Welcome to the latest installment of the Grub Street Rag, a newsletter of the Boston literary scene sent out every Monday (except when we are handing in a Mass Cultural Council grant application) from the meditation cave at Grub Street's world headquarters. As always, if you are receiving this e-mail in horror, please advance to the bottom of the page to unsubscribe yourself.
Mansion of Congratulations
We have so much great news to report, we've built a beautiful mansion to house it in! First up on our tour, in the expansive gourmet kitchen, is Grub Street Free Press managing editor Ron MacLean, whose short story “Last Seen, Hank’s Grille” will be reprinted this spring in Chautauqua magazine’s 20th anniversary issue. We also can't wait to read Ron's short story collection, Why the Long Face, out this August from Swank Books. Next up, in the East Wing, is longtime Grubbie (and great comic writer) Matthew Sandel, who won a contest you saw advertised right here in the Rag! Matthew's short story, "A Fistful of Goobers," won the Love & Dumpsters Writing Contest, which was a tie-in to an anthology of true stories, Things I've Learned from Women Who've Dumped Me, presented by Harvard Book Store. Read Matthew's prizewinner at http://harvard.com/events/thingsivelearned.html. Next, in the gazebo on the manion's grounds, Grub instructor Michelle Seaton just got word that her essay, "How To Work a Locker Room," first written for Ron MacLean's Structure of Short Fiction class last year, has been accepted by The Pinch. In the library and trophy room, we find Linda Mazurek, whose 10th article in the past 13 months just appeared in Heart of New Hampshire Magazine. Lounging in the parlor, Grub member Rose MacDowell has a hardcover novel due out from Random House/Bantam Dell on March 25th. Called Turning Tables, Rose wrote it with her identical twin, Heather, and you can read about it at www.turning-tables.com. Marea Beeman has a short story appearing this week in Meeting House, an on-line publication. In the 13th guest bedroom, we'll find Katherine Ozment, who has an essay in the March edition of Skirt! magazine. Annie Weatherwax has a story coming out in the Carolina Quarterly and in Quarterly West, and she says that "the story coming out in Quarterly West is being published in part because of the excellent feedback I got in a Grub Street class." In the ballroom, Nina MacLaughlin had a short-short accepted to Issue 12 of Quick Fiction. And last but never least, relaxing in the billiard room is Randy Susan Meyers, whose novel excerpt, "Mixed Prayers," was published in the Fog City Review. Congratulations to all!
Muse and the Marketplace 2008: filling fast!
You like it, you really really like it! We are surprised and pleased at how quickly our conference is filling up this year. Maybe it's the amazing author lineup, maybe it's the first-ever Agent Idol, or maybe it's the sure-to-be-inspiring keynote address by Jonathan Franzen. Whatever the reason, spots are filling fast, so if you're planning on attending we recommend registering sooner rather than later. This is especially true if you are interested in participating in the optional Manuscript Mart (which is already halfway sold out!)
Help stick stamps on postcards at your favorite non-profit
The Grub Street staff and interns are hard at work mailing out our Muse and the Marketplace postcards. If you'd like to stop by and help us this week, we would LOVE to have you, and will treat you to the Starbucks beverage of your choice as a small thank-you. Hours for the mailing are Wednesday - Friday, 10-6pm. Please email whitney@grubstreet.org to let us know when you'll be coming, and thanks!
Cheers,
Whitney, Sonya and Chris
Grub Events
In addition to our ongoing workshops, Grub Street offers numerous writing-related events around town. See our website for a long-term view of all we do. Ready to sign up? Call us at 617.695.0075 and we'll get you on the list.
*RESCHEDULED* ALL-DAY SEMINAR, Saturday, March 8th, 2008, 9AM – 4PM, Creative Problem Solving for Novels In Progress
Instructor: Crystal King
This workshop will help you learn how to use new and practical creativity exercises – unlike any of those usually taught in writing workshops – to expand and enhance your existing ideas for your novel. Limited to 15 Novelists In Progress--read more on our website.
$95/$85 members, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston.
BOOK SIGNING: Tuesday, March 11th, 6:30 pm, Born Before Plastic book signing
Come celebrate the release of the Memoir Project’s first anthology of true stories written by forty seniors from three of Boston’s most vibrant and enduring neighborhoods: the North End, South Boston, and Roxbury. These stories vividly bring to life the individual and collective experiences of a generation, as well as a city’s history. Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Christopher Castellani will introduce the program and the book. The evening will close with food, refreshments, and conversation among the seniors, their families and guests, readers, and anyone who wants to learn more about the book and speak with the authors.
Borders Books in Back Bay, 511 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.
BOOK PARTY: Thursday, March 13th, 2008, 7-9pm, Naming The World
Come celebrate the publication of Naming the World: And Other Exercises for the Fiction Writer, an exciting new anthology edited by acclaimed author (and Grub Street board member) Bret Anthony Johnston. The book features exercises by the country’s most eminent writers and is an irresistible interactive guide to the craft of narrative writing. At this event, we’ll hear some examples from some of our favorite local writers who’ve contributed to the book, and try some of the exercises on-the-spot. Followed by drinks and appetizers at a local bar and restaurant.
FREE, Porter Square Books.
SEMINAR: Monday, March 24th, 2008, Two For One: Writing Fiction and Non-fiction
Join author Lynne Griffin for a discussion of how to nurture the fiction and nonfiction writer in you. She’ll take you through the process of identifying genre elements of each, creating environments conducive to accurate research as well as offer tips for navigating the marketplace. Lynne is the author of Negotiation Generation: Take Back Your Parental Authority Without Punishment and her novel, Life Without Summer, will be published next year. Read more on our website.
$45/$40 members, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.
SEMINAR: Monday, March 24th, 2008, Tears of Laughter
In this seminar taught by Sonya Larson, we’ll explore the special function of humor in fiction, in its power both to rivet a reader and give unnerving and surprising edge to a story’s emotions. Learn how humor can strengthen voice, energize dialogue, drive a scene, and complexify a character. Read more on our website.
$45/$40 members, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.
SEMINAR: Monday, March 24th, 2008, Cortiscrawl: Writing With the Brain in Mind
In this class, we'll see how understanding a bit more about the brain can boost our own writing. We'll revisit staple topics like detail, description and character, learn how we can tap into the dreaming brain for inspiration, and even look at writer's block and hypergraphia (the compulsion to write) from this new vantage point. Read more on our website.
$45/$40 members, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.
SEMINAR: Monday, March 24th, 2008, The Art of the Scene
This seminar, taught by Amy Marcott, will focus on the elements of scene writing in fiction: pacing, choreography, dialogue, subtext, description, character and theme development, and more. We'll look at the techniques various authors use, then practice these with in-class writing exercises designed to inspire and elevate your own writing. Read more on our website.
$45/$40 members, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.
Be sure to check out our events calendar for a comprehensive view of upcoming events.
Spreading the Love
Grub Street wants to promote YOU!!! Please send events for consideration to whitney@grubstreet.org. Our apologies in advance if we cannot fit you in.
--READING: Tuesday, March 4th, 7pm, Scott Heim
Scott Heim reads from his riveting new novel, We Disappear. Check out the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8Xl3TKx7mw. Or, check out an article about the book in Time Out.
Brookline Booksmith, 247 Harvard Street, Brookline.
--EVENT/FUNDRAISER: Saturday, March 8th, 7-9pm, 826 Boston Announces Greater Boston Research Institute’s Product Testing Seminar
826 Boston invites all curious and non-litigious literati to register for the upcoming Product Testing Seminar at the Greater Boston Bigfoot Research Institute on Saturday, March 8, 2008, from 7-9 PM. Reservations are required ($50 per person) and can be made online only at www.826Boston.org. All participants will receive a first-run GBBRI t-shirt and the inimitable GBBRI Wilderness Survival Bundle. Wine and beer will be served. All proceeds from this memorable product testing seminar help support 826 Boston’s free writing and tutoring programs for local youth. Questions, call 617-442-5400 or email info@826Boston.org. Be you a Bigfoot believer or Sasquatch skeptic, be warned: be there.
3035 Washington Street, Egleston Square, Roxbury, MA 02119. See www.826Boston.org for detailed directions.
--CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: Howl Press (Deadline is March 27th)
Howl Press is looking for topical essays or short stories (800-900 words) that are stimulating and thought provoking. Our audience is 35+, in the top 10% of earners and includes politicians, entertainers and CEO’s. This is a very unique, captive audience. Recyclable material is accepted. Pay - $200 - $250. Contact Lisa at lrehfuss@hotmail.com. Please include your submission in the email instead of as an attachment.
--WRITERS' RETREAT, JUNE 22-27 2008, Wakefield New Hampshire Retreat
Private room in historic house, mornings for writing, afternoons for technique class--teachers published writers and university teachers--and MSS workshop. Catered community dinner in restored barn. $500 fee includes room and board and classes. 8-10 serious writers. Please submit statement of purpose and 15-20 pages of your work to elizbarrett@gmail.com or 3 Downing Court Exeter, NH 03833 prior to April 1. Rolling admissions.
Welcome to the end of the e-mail, where, like a giraffe with a crick in his neck, we offer you the chance to win a prize. On this day in history, a writer wrote a letter saying he had finished a new book. He considered the book an epilogue to everything he had ever written. Name the author, the title of the book, and who the letter was addressed to. E-mail your answers to Whitney. First correct answer wins a gift certificate to any local J.P. Licks.
Answer to last week's quiz: The Pulitzer Prize was established with a fortune derived from yellow journalism. Winner: Jon Woodward.
Forward email
This email was sent to whitney@grubstreet.org, by whitney@grubstreet.org
Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy.
Email Marketing by
Grub Street, Inc. | 160 Boylston Street | Boston | MA | 02116
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Too many novelists in the office spoils the non-profit?
As you'll notice, our blog has taken a bit of a hiatus. Okay, more than a hiatus. A hibernation, if you will. Are the Grub Street staff fat and warm in their caves, sleeping their way through to spring? Hardly. We have a million excuses for not writing (my favorite is "we just take the blog TOO seriously"), but whatever the excuse, the fact remains that we're not writing on the good 'ole Penny Dreadful. And that's, well, dreadful.
So now, at the busiest time of our year, I am attempting to get the ball rolling again. This post, and possibly my future posts, are going to be a bit more chatty, a little less crafted. Because isn't that the point?
I haven't been writing blog posts, but I have been working on my first novel, as well as taking a Grub Street class called Novel in Progress. I'm proud to say that my novel is indeed in progress, though I find I'm writing at a frightfully slow pace. Slow as in 13 pages in 6 weeks. That's pretty slow. But I started the novel 6 weeks ago, and by that I mean I literally solidified the idea and started thinking in earnest about the characters, so my page count doesn't equal the amount of time I've spent thinking and scheming about the book.
I'm a deadline-driven gal, so my N.i.P. class is perfect for me: write 5 pages a week (okay, so being "driven" by deadlines doesn't mean you meet them), do some exercises, come to class and critique other people's work. No outside reading of others' manuscripts, which is fantastic because that's normally how I procrastinate away the hours I'm supposed to spend on my own book. Now that we're more than halfway done, I'm wondering what to do in that interim before the next term begins. I don't want to lose momentum, and I don't trust myself to set my own deadlines, sadly.
What I want is something I probably can't have: an incredibly dedicated writing group that only meets once a month and writes as slowly as I do. A group of insanely talented writers whose work I'm so impressed by I can't wait to read the next bit. That's what I want, but I've found that most writing groups meet too frequently for me--or the opposite: they just use the group as an excuse to drink wine and hang out. (Nothing wrong with that, but it's not going to help with the deadline problem). If anyone out there has any tips on making a writing group work for someone as simultaneously lazy and dedicated as me (is that even possible?), let me know.
One group that does a great, great job is The Writers' Group. If you haven't seen their much-more-updated-than-ours site, check it out. Or read about their successes on the Boston Globe site.
I hope everyone else is working hard on their creative writing, too! I'm proud that all three Grub staff members are all writing novels right now. I hope we keep it up.
Feeling good being dreadful,
Whitney
So now, at the busiest time of our year, I am attempting to get the ball rolling again. This post, and possibly my future posts, are going to be a bit more chatty, a little less crafted. Because isn't that the point?
I haven't been writing blog posts, but I have been working on my first novel, as well as taking a Grub Street class called Novel in Progress. I'm proud to say that my novel is indeed in progress, though I find I'm writing at a frightfully slow pace. Slow as in 13 pages in 6 weeks. That's pretty slow. But I started the novel 6 weeks ago, and by that I mean I literally solidified the idea and started thinking in earnest about the characters, so my page count doesn't equal the amount of time I've spent thinking and scheming about the book.
I'm a deadline-driven gal, so my N.i.P. class is perfect for me: write 5 pages a week (okay, so being "driven" by deadlines doesn't mean you meet them), do some exercises, come to class and critique other people's work. No outside reading of others' manuscripts, which is fantastic because that's normally how I procrastinate away the hours I'm supposed to spend on my own book. Now that we're more than halfway done, I'm wondering what to do in that interim before the next term begins. I don't want to lose momentum, and I don't trust myself to set my own deadlines, sadly.
What I want is something I probably can't have: an incredibly dedicated writing group that only meets once a month and writes as slowly as I do. A group of insanely talented writers whose work I'm so impressed by I can't wait to read the next bit. That's what I want, but I've found that most writing groups meet too frequently for me--or the opposite: they just use the group as an excuse to drink wine and hang out. (Nothing wrong with that, but it's not going to help with the deadline problem). If anyone out there has any tips on making a writing group work for someone as simultaneously lazy and dedicated as me (is that even possible?), let me know.
One group that does a great, great job is The Writers' Group. If you haven't seen their much-more-updated-than-ours site, check it out. Or read about their successes on the Boston Globe site.
I hope everyone else is working hard on their creative writing, too! I'm proud that all three Grub staff members are all writing novels right now. I hope we keep it up.
Feeling good being dreadful,
Whitney
Friday, December 14, 2007
Scenes From a Notebook
Michelle Seaton is a nonfiction writer who currently teaches the "6 Weeks, 6 Essays" workshop at Grub Street.
Here are few paragraphs from the notebook I carry around with me, pretty much unedited. (Hey, it’s a blog. The hallmark of a blog is this: no editor.) Be patient. At the end is a writing prompt.
So, the other night I was putting out toothbrushes for the kids and listening to them giggle in the next room. Then I heard one of them say to the other one, "OK, now you smell my butt." I rounded the corner to find pretty much what you'd expect: both of them naked and bent over, one presenting and the other inhaling.
This is how I found myself standing in my own home, shouting "No Butt Sniffing" with great vehemence. My two children cocked their heads at me, bemused. Smiles twitched at the corners of their mouths. Mommy is so funny when the veins stick out in her neck. They are three and five and already they have the upper hand. "No butt sniffing." I said it again, like it might be less absurd, more serious the second time. "It's a rule."
That really is the bottom of the barrel, in parenting terms. Announcing that something's a rule. That's what I do all day; I make up rules. Don't pee on your sister. No fingers in the butt. Don't break that, don't throw that, don't touch that, don't lick that. (An admonition that is always, invariably followed by: STOP licking that.) Sometimes I hear a commotion in the next room and I start shouting KNOCK IT OFF and waving my arms in the air, even though I can't see what's going on. I run toward them yelling, NO, NO, NO, and secretly I'm steeling myself. How grossed out am I prepared to be right now? How much wine is left in the fridge? And then when I find them spitting down the necks of the dolls they've beheaded, and I yank the toys away, the kids are truly mystified. Sammie, who is three, rolls her eyes at me and says, "Oh, all wite," just like Elmer Fudd.
Yep, that's my job around here, bringing the party down.
YOUR PROMPT: Describe the last time you were really angry. (Even if you think you never get angry. Even if you think you’re at one with the universe.) Better if it’s extreme anger or frustration over something petty. I always give this prompt at the start of a memoir classes as a warm-up. People hate it. They give me that look. Yeah. That look. And then they start, and then I pretty much have to take the pen away from them, I mean yank it away, after fifteen minutes so we can start class. Anger has energy, fuel for work. It’s good to describe the event as a straight scene, and dive into the details. Better if you can morph it into something else. Play it for laughs. Make it sad or wry. Fiction types can distort it, make it happen to someone else.
~Michelle Seaton
Here are few paragraphs from the notebook I carry around with me, pretty much unedited. (Hey, it’s a blog. The hallmark of a blog is this: no editor.) Be patient. At the end is a writing prompt.
So, the other night I was putting out toothbrushes for the kids and listening to them giggle in the next room. Then I heard one of them say to the other one, "OK, now you smell my butt." I rounded the corner to find pretty much what you'd expect: both of them naked and bent over, one presenting and the other inhaling.
This is how I found myself standing in my own home, shouting "No Butt Sniffing" with great vehemence. My two children cocked their heads at me, bemused. Smiles twitched at the corners of their mouths. Mommy is so funny when the veins stick out in her neck. They are three and five and already they have the upper hand. "No butt sniffing." I said it again, like it might be less absurd, more serious the second time. "It's a rule."
That really is the bottom of the barrel, in parenting terms. Announcing that something's a rule. That's what I do all day; I make up rules. Don't pee on your sister. No fingers in the butt. Don't break that, don't throw that, don't touch that, don't lick that. (An admonition that is always, invariably followed by: STOP licking that.) Sometimes I hear a commotion in the next room and I start shouting KNOCK IT OFF and waving my arms in the air, even though I can't see what's going on. I run toward them yelling, NO, NO, NO, and secretly I'm steeling myself. How grossed out am I prepared to be right now? How much wine is left in the fridge? And then when I find them spitting down the necks of the dolls they've beheaded, and I yank the toys away, the kids are truly mystified. Sammie, who is three, rolls her eyes at me and says, "Oh, all wite," just like Elmer Fudd.
Yep, that's my job around here, bringing the party down.
YOUR PROMPT: Describe the last time you were really angry. (Even if you think you never get angry. Even if you think you’re at one with the universe.) Better if it’s extreme anger or frustration over something petty. I always give this prompt at the start of a memoir classes as a warm-up. People hate it. They give me that look. Yeah. That look. And then they start, and then I pretty much have to take the pen away from them, I mean yank it away, after fifteen minutes so we can start class. Anger has energy, fuel for work. It’s good to describe the event as a straight scene, and dive into the details. Better if you can morph it into something else. Play it for laughs. Make it sad or wry. Fiction types can distort it, make it happen to someone else.
~Michelle Seaton
Monday, November 19, 2007
Grub Street Rag, 11/19/07
*Heavenly Grub gossip
*Dastardly Grub events
*Donate to our YAWP program
"The test of any good fiction is that you should care something for the characters; the good to succeed, the bad to fail. The trouble with most fiction is that you want them all to land in hell, together, as quickly as possible."
--Mark Twain
Welcome to the Grub Street Rag, a newsletter of the Boston literary scene sent out every Monday from the back alley speakeasy at Grub Street's world headquarters. As always, if you are receiving this e-mail in horror, please advance to the bottom of the page to unsubscribe yourself.
Urgent! Help us Raise $5000 for YAWP by 12/31
YAWP, our writing program for teens, is an entirely FREE program for students age 13-18 that teaches them the craft of creative writing. If we can raise $5000 by the end of the year, a donor will match that with an additional $5000. Your dollars go twice as far, and every dollar counts. Click here to donate NOW.
The Young Adult Writers Program is dedicated to helping students age 13-18 with creative writing in and out of the classroom. Our program is based on the understanding that a love of writing is fostered through creative work, and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future academic success. Schools around the nation no longer have the resources to focus on creative work, and students with an interest in poetry or fiction have to look beyond their schools' curricula to find support in their creative endeavors.
Every dollar helps, so please, donate today. We look forward to building on the success of our teen programming and helping shape the creative voices of tomorrow.
Institution of Congratulations
Grubbie and children's book author Sarah Lamstein just published a new book called Letter on the Wind, a retelling of a Jewish folk tale. Read more about her and the book at http://www.sarahlamstein.com/letter.html. Former Grub instructors Jami Brandli and Brian Polak, who now live in Los Angeles, wrote to tell us they are finalists for the ABC Disney Writers Fellowship. If thy're picked, they get $50,000 each for 2008, a mentorship with a seasoned TV writer, and TV writing jobs. There were over 1,000 applicants this year and they're currently in the top twenty. After Thanksgiving, they go through the interview process: a short intro to ABC Disney, a cocktail mixer with the
other finalists, and then a panel interview. All of us in Boston have our fingers crossed--good luck! Congratulations to all of you Grubbies, and keep sending us your great news.
Grub-"sponsored" NaNoWriMo get together
Tonight, Monday, November 19th at 6:30pm, a crew of Grubbies who are also NaNoWriMo-ers are all getting together at Remington's bar, (124 Boylston Street), just a few doors down from Grub Street. They'll be talking novels, sipping beverages, and connecting with one another. If you've been slaving away during National Novel Writing Month, now is the time to come talk to some other brave souls who've been doing the same. See you there!
Cheers,
Whitney, Sonya, and Chris (from Pennsylvania)
In addition to our ongoing workshops, Grub Street offers numerous writing-related events around town. See our website for a long-term view of all we do. Here is a sample of what's on the horizon:
LUNCHTIME COURSE: Brown Bag Lunch Series
Tuesday, November 27th, 12:30–1:15PM
Do you work downtown and want to fit some writing into your day? Or do you have a schedule that gives you free afternoons instead of evenings? Bring your lunch and come on over to Grub Street for a Brown Bag Writing Workshop – a series recently profiled in the Boston Globe. For 45 minutes, you’ll meet fellow writers and get your creative juices flowing with some cool writing exercises. Led by the fabulous Sonya Larson. Best of all, you’ll leave lunch with some new ideas to ponder for the rest of your day, and beyond. Maximum of 15 students. To sign up, email sonya@grubstreet.org or call 617.695.0075.
FREE, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.
Writing For Radio
December 1-2nd, 2007, 9-4pm each day (includes an hour for lunch)
Instructor: Jennifer Mattson
*Sold out.
$195/ $170 for members, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.
The Story Details
December 1-2nd, 2007, 9-4pm each day (includes an hour for lunch)
Instructor: Rosie Sultan
Asked for advice on how to move stories and novels forward, Charles Baxter has said, "Don't orphan your details." Concrete, specific details work to give a story life, and they are often what make them stand out in the publishing world. In this workshop, we will look at short examples from Baxter, Chekhov, Flaubert, and Ishiguro and examine how these authors create lively details of sight, sense, taste, touch, action and thoughts as springboards to further their plots. Using Baxter's The Feast of Love, an excerpt from Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day and Flaubert's Madame Bovary, we will "borrow" their techniques as models to craft our own details of plot and character. By the end of the two days, we will hopefully have developed some tools to see our stories through to their best possible endings. A reprise of this summer’s highly-praised workshop!
$195/ $170 for members, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.
Finding Your Voice
December 1-2nd, 2007, 9-4pm each day (includes an hour for lunch)
Instructors: Jennifer Elmore and Becky Tuch
What makes your creative voice unique? Do your characters‚ voices embody the charisma and eccentricity of real life? Do your poems speak with authority? If you’re looking to jumpstart your fiction or poetry, or if either or both are feeling flat, join fiction writer Becky Tuch and poet Jennifer Elmore for a mixed-genre weekend workshop on the art of voice. Over the two days, we will explore our own creative voices - with particular attention to the details of diction. Come prepared to workshop current projects and participate in writing exercises. An expanded version of this summer’s popular one-night seminar!
$195/ $170 for members, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.
Grub Street wants to promote YOU!! Please send events for consideration to whitney@grubstreet.org. Our apologies if we can't fit you in.
--READING: Tuesday, November 27th, 7pm, How to Spell Chanukah: 18 Writers Celebrate 8 Nights of Lights
Steve Almond, Emily Franklin, Tova Mirvis, Josh Neumann, Mameve Medwed, and others are included in this collection of funny, poignant essays, and will be holding a reading and talk at Union Street. Sponsored by Heeb Magazine and Newtonville Books.
FREE, 107R Union Street, Newton Centre, MA.
--READING: Tuesday, November 27th, 7pm, The Writers' Room of Boston 2007 Annual Reading
Featuring the following authors: Mary Bonina - poetry, Eric Grunwald - fiction, Cynthia Staples - nonfiction, CD Collins - fiction, Katrin Schumann - fiction, Brian Kaufman - screenplay, Maureen Rogers - non-fiction, Tracy Geary - fiction.
FREE, The Poetry Center, Mildred F. Sawyer Library, Suffolk University, 73 Tremont Street, Boston.
--Writers’ Room Offers Fellowships for Free Workspace
The Writers’ Room of Boston, Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides affordable, quiet, and secure workspace in downtown Boston for area writers, is now accepting applications for three fellowships for 2008. The fellowships award use of the Writers’ Room at no cost for one year. The submission deadline for applications is November 30, 2007. Residencies will begin in early 2008. For an application, visit www.writersroomofboston.org. Further questions? Contact Administrator Eric Maxson at 617-523-0566 or info@writersroomofboston.org.
--OPEN MIC: Saturday, December 1st, 1:30 - 4pm, NaNoWriMo Open Mic and Celebration
Meeting House, a journal of New England fiction, is having a reading in celebration of National Novel Writing Month, and you should come! Saturday, December 1, from 1:30 to 4:00, we'll be at the Burren in Davis Square, Somerville. Come and share what you've written during November. You don't have to have completed the herculean task of writing a novel in 30 days, but let us know how far you got. If you didn't take part in NaNoWriMo but have something you want to share anyway, that's cool, too! Just email meetinghouse@newenglandfiction.com by Thursday, November 29th, and let us know you want in and what you plan on reading. And don't forget to check out www.newenglandfiction.com/meetinghouse each week for a new story by a New England writer.
FREE, The Burren, 247 Elm Street, Davis Square, Somerville.
--READING: Monday, December 3rd, 7-9pm, Four Stories Boston
This month is the fall season finale of Four Stories Boston, with the them: "The Bitter End: Stories of loss, endings, and final acts." Featuring: Jeremiah Healey, creator of the John Francis Cuddy private-investigator series and (under the pseudonym Terry Devane) and author of eighteen novels and over sixty short stories; Drew Johnson, author of stories from Harper's, the Virginia Quarterly Review, and StoryQuarterly; Julia Glass, author of the novels Three Junes, winner of the 2002 National Book Award, and The Whole World Over, as well as a forthcoming story collection; Joan Wickersham, writer of fiction from The Hudson Review, Story, Glimmer Train, Ploughshares, and The Best American Short Stories, and author of the novel The Paper Anniversary and the forthcoming memoir The Suicide Index. Plus tunes from guest DJ Michael-Borum!
Free, The Enormous Room, 567 Massachusetts Ave, Central Square.
Welcome to the end of the e-mail, where, like an ox at a sock hop, we offer you the chance to win a prize. In D.H. Lawrence's Sons and Lovers, which of the Morel children dies when Paul Morel is a young boy, and of what cause? Email your answer to Whitney. Winner receives a certificate for ice cream at J.P. Licks.
Answer to last week's quiz: Here's the Taste of Grub "beginnings" quote from author Bret Anthony Johnston: "When Augustus came out on the porch the blue pigs were eating a rattlesnake--not a very big one." The quote is from Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove. WINNER: William Rafelson.
© 2007 grub street, inc.
160 boylston st. / boston, ma 02116 / 617.695.0075
*Dastardly Grub events
*Donate to our YAWP program
"The test of any good fiction is that you should care something for the characters; the good to succeed, the bad to fail. The trouble with most fiction is that you want them all to land in hell, together, as quickly as possible."
--Mark Twain
Welcome to the Grub Street Rag, a newsletter of the Boston literary scene sent out every Monday from the back alley speakeasy at Grub Street's world headquarters. As always, if you are receiving this e-mail in horror, please advance to the bottom of the page to unsubscribe yourself.
Urgent! Help us Raise $5000 for YAWP by 12/31
YAWP, our writing program for teens, is an entirely FREE program for students age 13-18 that teaches them the craft of creative writing. If we can raise $5000 by the end of the year, a donor will match that with an additional $5000. Your dollars go twice as far, and every dollar counts. Click here to donate NOW.
The Young Adult Writers Program is dedicated to helping students age 13-18 with creative writing in and out of the classroom. Our program is based on the understanding that a love of writing is fostered through creative work, and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future academic success. Schools around the nation no longer have the resources to focus on creative work, and students with an interest in poetry or fiction have to look beyond their schools' curricula to find support in their creative endeavors.
Every dollar helps, so please, donate today. We look forward to building on the success of our teen programming and helping shape the creative voices of tomorrow.
Institution of Congratulations
Grubbie and children's book author Sarah Lamstein just published a new book called Letter on the Wind, a retelling of a Jewish folk tale. Read more about her and the book at http://www.sarahlamstein.com/letter.html. Former Grub instructors Jami Brandli and Brian Polak, who now live in Los Angeles, wrote to tell us they are finalists for the ABC Disney Writers Fellowship. If thy're picked, they get $50,000 each for 2008, a mentorship with a seasoned TV writer, and TV writing jobs. There were over 1,000 applicants this year and they're currently in the top twenty. After Thanksgiving, they go through the interview process: a short intro to ABC Disney, a cocktail mixer with the
other finalists, and then a panel interview. All of us in Boston have our fingers crossed--good luck! Congratulations to all of you Grubbies, and keep sending us your great news.
Grub-"sponsored" NaNoWriMo get together
Tonight, Monday, November 19th at 6:30pm, a crew of Grubbies who are also NaNoWriMo-ers are all getting together at Remington's bar, (124 Boylston Street), just a few doors down from Grub Street. They'll be talking novels, sipping beverages, and connecting with one another. If you've been slaving away during National Novel Writing Month, now is the time to come talk to some other brave souls who've been doing the same. See you there!
Cheers,
Whitney, Sonya, and Chris (from Pennsylvania)
In addition to our ongoing workshops, Grub Street offers numerous writing-related events around town. See our website for a long-term view of all we do. Here is a sample of what's on the horizon:
LUNCHTIME COURSE: Brown Bag Lunch Series
Tuesday, November 27th, 12:30–1:15PM
Do you work downtown and want to fit some writing into your day? Or do you have a schedule that gives you free afternoons instead of evenings? Bring your lunch and come on over to Grub Street for a Brown Bag Writing Workshop – a series recently profiled in the Boston Globe. For 45 minutes, you’ll meet fellow writers and get your creative juices flowing with some cool writing exercises. Led by the fabulous Sonya Larson. Best of all, you’ll leave lunch with some new ideas to ponder for the rest of your day, and beyond. Maximum of 15 students. To sign up, email sonya@grubstreet.org or call 617.695.0075.
FREE, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.
Writing For Radio
December 1-2nd, 2007, 9-4pm each day (includes an hour for lunch)
Instructor: Jennifer Mattson
*Sold out.
$195/ $170 for members, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.
The Story Details
December 1-2nd, 2007, 9-4pm each day (includes an hour for lunch)
Instructor: Rosie Sultan
Asked for advice on how to move stories and novels forward, Charles Baxter has said, "Don't orphan your details." Concrete, specific details work to give a story life, and they are often what make them stand out in the publishing world. In this workshop, we will look at short examples from Baxter, Chekhov, Flaubert, and Ishiguro and examine how these authors create lively details of sight, sense, taste, touch, action and thoughts as springboards to further their plots. Using Baxter's The Feast of Love, an excerpt from Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day and Flaubert's Madame Bovary, we will "borrow" their techniques as models to craft our own details of plot and character. By the end of the two days, we will hopefully have developed some tools to see our stories through to their best possible endings. A reprise of this summer’s highly-praised workshop!
$195/ $170 for members, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.
Finding Your Voice
December 1-2nd, 2007, 9-4pm each day (includes an hour for lunch)
Instructors: Jennifer Elmore and Becky Tuch
What makes your creative voice unique? Do your characters‚ voices embody the charisma and eccentricity of real life? Do your poems speak with authority? If you’re looking to jumpstart your fiction or poetry, or if either or both are feeling flat, join fiction writer Becky Tuch and poet Jennifer Elmore for a mixed-genre weekend workshop on the art of voice. Over the two days, we will explore our own creative voices - with particular attention to the details of diction. Come prepared to workshop current projects and participate in writing exercises. An expanded version of this summer’s popular one-night seminar!
$195/ $170 for members, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.
Grub Street wants to promote YOU!! Please send events for consideration to whitney@grubstreet.org. Our apologies if we can't fit you in.
--READING: Tuesday, November 27th, 7pm, How to Spell Chanukah: 18 Writers Celebrate 8 Nights of Lights
Steve Almond, Emily Franklin, Tova Mirvis, Josh Neumann, Mameve Medwed, and others are included in this collection of funny, poignant essays, and will be holding a reading and talk at Union Street. Sponsored by Heeb Magazine and Newtonville Books.
FREE, 107R Union Street, Newton Centre, MA.
--READING: Tuesday, November 27th, 7pm, The Writers' Room of Boston 2007 Annual Reading
Featuring the following authors: Mary Bonina - poetry, Eric Grunwald - fiction, Cynthia Staples - nonfiction, CD Collins - fiction, Katrin Schumann - fiction, Brian Kaufman - screenplay, Maureen Rogers - non-fiction, Tracy Geary - fiction.
FREE, The Poetry Center, Mildred F. Sawyer Library, Suffolk University, 73 Tremont Street, Boston.
--Writers’ Room Offers Fellowships for Free Workspace
The Writers’ Room of Boston, Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides affordable, quiet, and secure workspace in downtown Boston for area writers, is now accepting applications for three fellowships for 2008. The fellowships award use of the Writers’ Room at no cost for one year. The submission deadline for applications is November 30, 2007. Residencies will begin in early 2008. For an application, visit www.writersroomofboston.org. Further questions? Contact Administrator Eric Maxson at 617-523-0566 or info@writersroomofboston.org.
--OPEN MIC: Saturday, December 1st, 1:30 - 4pm, NaNoWriMo Open Mic and Celebration
Meeting House, a journal of New England fiction, is having a reading in celebration of National Novel Writing Month, and you should come! Saturday, December 1, from 1:30 to 4:00, we'll be at the Burren in Davis Square, Somerville. Come and share what you've written during November. You don't have to have completed the herculean task of writing a novel in 30 days, but let us know how far you got. If you didn't take part in NaNoWriMo but have something you want to share anyway, that's cool, too! Just email meetinghouse@newenglandfiction.com by Thursday, November 29th, and let us know you want in and what you plan on reading. And don't forget to check out www.newenglandfiction.com/meetinghouse each week for a new story by a New England writer.
FREE, The Burren, 247 Elm Street, Davis Square, Somerville.
--READING: Monday, December 3rd, 7-9pm, Four Stories Boston
This month is the fall season finale of Four Stories Boston, with the them: "The Bitter End: Stories of loss, endings, and final acts." Featuring: Jeremiah Healey, creator of the John Francis Cuddy private-investigator series and (under the pseudonym Terry Devane) and author of eighteen novels and over sixty short stories; Drew Johnson, author of stories from Harper's, the Virginia Quarterly Review, and StoryQuarterly; Julia Glass, author of the novels Three Junes, winner of the 2002 National Book Award, and The Whole World Over, as well as a forthcoming story collection; Joan Wickersham, writer of fiction from The Hudson Review, Story, Glimmer Train, Ploughshares, and The Best American Short Stories, and author of the novel The Paper Anniversary and the forthcoming memoir The Suicide Index. Plus tunes from guest DJ Michael-Borum!
Free, The Enormous Room, 567 Massachusetts Ave, Central Square.
Welcome to the end of the e-mail, where, like an ox at a sock hop, we offer you the chance to win a prize. In D.H. Lawrence's Sons and Lovers, which of the Morel children dies when Paul Morel is a young boy, and of what cause? Email your answer to Whitney. Winner receives a certificate for ice cream at J.P. Licks.
Answer to last week's quiz: Here's the Taste of Grub "beginnings" quote from author Bret Anthony Johnston: "When Augustus came out on the porch the blue pigs were eating a rattlesnake--not a very big one." The quote is from Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove. WINNER: William Rafelson.
© 2007 grub street, inc.
160 boylston st. / boston, ma 02116 / 617.695.0075
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Any writing's good writing, right?
I have three best friends from high school--I may have mentioned them before in this blog, because they're the women I'm closest to in the world. Sadly, we all live in different cities, and only get to see each other one or two times a year. A few years ago, once we got too busy in our lives and careers to send around the "mass emails" we used to write every few days, the four of us started a rotating journal that we mail back and forth across the country. Like Fight Club, the journal has rules (except that we're allowed to talk about the journal, unlike FC). The journal can only be in the hands of one woman for three weeks. If we keep the journal longer than that, we have to buy a round of beers for the rest of the women.
Three weeks. Not hard. Anyone can write one journal entry in three weeks, especially if one styles herself a writer, right? Well, let's put it this way: at this point, two years into the journal, I am buying my friends a frat party's worth of beers.
I stepped outside myself and watched my behavior on this round, in the hopes of figuring out why I procrastinate on the journal. It's not for lack of interest--I LOVE reading the journal, I love writing in the journal, and I love popping it in the mail and picturing my friend Julie opening the package. Here's what I found out: Every time that I thought about writing in the journal, I would think, "Oh god, I haven't worked on my fiction. I should really do that before I write in the journal." But then I wouldn't actually work on my fiction, I would feel bad about not writing, and I wouldn't want to write in the journal because it would be an admission of defeat. And before I knew it, the three weeks were up and then I was depressed because that meant I hadn't done ANY writing of ANY kind for three whole weeks (or more).
So... yesterday, I got up early, trucked on down to Diesel Cafe and wrote in the journal. I wrote non-stop for an hour and a half and filled 9 pages. Gossipy, blathery stuff that no one but my friends would ever care about and I'll probably be embarrassed to read 6 months from now. And you know what? It felt great. It wasn't fiction, but maybe I'll try that tomorrow.
In dread,
Whitney Scharer
Three weeks. Not hard. Anyone can write one journal entry in three weeks, especially if one styles herself a writer, right? Well, let's put it this way: at this point, two years into the journal, I am buying my friends a frat party's worth of beers.
I stepped outside myself and watched my behavior on this round, in the hopes of figuring out why I procrastinate on the journal. It's not for lack of interest--I LOVE reading the journal, I love writing in the journal, and I love popping it in the mail and picturing my friend Julie opening the package. Here's what I found out: Every time that I thought about writing in the journal, I would think, "Oh god, I haven't worked on my fiction. I should really do that before I write in the journal." But then I wouldn't actually work on my fiction, I would feel bad about not writing, and I wouldn't want to write in the journal because it would be an admission of defeat. And before I knew it, the three weeks were up and then I was depressed because that meant I hadn't done ANY writing of ANY kind for three whole weeks (or more).
So... yesterday, I got up early, trucked on down to Diesel Cafe and wrote in the journal. I wrote non-stop for an hour and a half and filled 9 pages. Gossipy, blathery stuff that no one but my friends would ever care about and I'll probably be embarrassed to read 6 months from now. And you know what? It felt great. It wasn't fiction, but maybe I'll try that tomorrow.
In dread,
Whitney Scharer
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