Category / Writing

by Michael

Urgency of Accomplishment

This is from Stanley Fish’s How To Write A Sentence.

Mortality is the condition of being able to die, regarded by many as a curse, but more properly appreciated as a gift, the gift of design and choice, of gain and loss, of hope and desperation, of failure and redemption, all modes of being that are available only to creatures who, like sentences (and novels), have a beginning, a middle, and an end.  It is the inevitability and shadow of death that provides life with a narrative arc, and provides moments in that narrative with a meaning; for the meaning of a moment–its distinctiveness–is a function of the place prepared for it by a past and the place waiting for it in a future that has (again, like a sentence) a terminal point… Without the specter and period of death, there would be no urgency of accomplishment, no expectations to be realized or disappointed, no anxieties to be allayed.  Each moment would bear an equal weight or equal weightlessness…

by Michael

Read Fiction, Develop Empathy

A study by a Washington and Lee University psychology professor has demonstrated that reading a short work of fiction can lead readers to empathize with the work’s characters, to detect subtle emotional expressions more effectively and to engage in pro-social behavior.

Dan Johnson, assistant professor of psychology at Washington and Lee, published the results of his study in the November 2011 edition of the journal “Personality and Individual Differences.”

With the help of three W&L students — senior psychology majors Lauren Borden (Lake Leelanau, Mich.) and Grace Cushman (Wilton, Conn.) and sophomore Madison McCune (Nacogdoches, Texas) — Johnson had 200 subjects read a five-page fictional short story written specifically for the experiment, designed to elicit compassionate feelings for the characters and model pro-social behavior. The subjects then participated in exercises to measure the impact of the reading.

Based on the results of the post-reading exercises, Johnson concluded that the more immersed the readers were in the story, the more empathy they felt for the characters. In addition, he found that the heightened empathy led to an enhanced ability to perceive subtle emotional expressions such as fear or happiness. Individuals who experienced higher levels of empathy were also nearly twice as likely to engage in pro-social, or helpful, behavior as individuals experiencing low levels of empathy.

“An interesting component is that it really seemed to be a lot about the imagery and visualizing the face of the main character and the events they experienced,” said Johnson. “Those who experienced more inherent imagery were more likely to develop empathy for the characters and be more helpful.”

To finish reading Sarah Tschiggfrie’s article, click here.

by Michael

Possibilities of Fiction

Robert Alford’s article at Pop Matters is a conversation with Jennifer Egan.  He asks several questions that are worth asking and gets responses worth reading.  Here’s one question, about the form of fiction, to whet your interest in the interview:

You use a variety of narrative perspectives, shifting tenses, styles and even a power point presentation to present the stories in A Visit from the Goon Squad. Is the book in some way a comment on the aesthetic form of fiction itself and all of the various things that it can accomplish?

I didn’t think of it that way. The way I imagined it was just — if I’m writing this in parts, why not get the maximum advantage from that that I can? In other words, why not create a much bigger range of experience than I could possibly get away with in a more centrally oriented novel? Maybe I’m saying the same thing in a different way though, because in some ways it is a celebration of all these possibilities, and I do feel that way about fiction. One of the things that’s so great about it is its flexibility. That’s why I sometimes do feel impatient with the question of whether it’s a novel or a story collection. I feel like, who cares about those names? Aren’t they only there to serve us, and if they’re not doing that job, then let’s put them to the side for a moment. I do feel energized by the many things that fiction can do and has done from the very beginning. If you look at the early novels, they’re these really exciting, elastic grab bags of possibilities.

To finish reading Robert’s article, click here.

by Michael

Writing, Revision, and Sufficient Surgery

I saw a post by Kelly Kleiman at wbez and had a few connections to writing and revising.  The post is about theater, but I think you’ll see how it applies to writing as well.  Here are a few quotes–consider them writing prompts–without context but easily applicable even standing apart from Kelly’s paragraphs:

The plays often seem unfinished, like sketches rather than full-fledged pieces.

The betrayals and counter-betrayals come so rapidly, and to such an abrupt end, that I was left wondering what actually happened and why.   It’s fine to take a scalpel to one’s work, but simple amputation is rarely sufficient surgery.

Even Conor McPherson, perhaps the premiere English-language playwright of this generation, falls into the trap of declaring a play finished when it’s merely through its second draft.

Again: This may be the inevitable consequence of contemporary theater economics, a system which also frequently dictates the choice of two- or three-character plays rather than the crowds required by Miller or Shakespeare. But let’s try to figure out a way for playwrights to incubate their works a bit longer.

To read Kelly’s post, click here.  Happy writing.  Happier revision.

by Michael

Christian Fiction

Melanie C. Duncan provides a good summary of Christian fiction, describing why the overall genre is growing, and though I don’t write for the genre, her article is helpful if you’re interested in the area.  The full review is over at Library Journal.

Christian Fiction: A Born-Again Genre

With its focus on biblical values and traditionally low emphasis on profanity, sex, or violence, Christian fiction (CF) has long been popular with a certain readership, mostly white, female, and coming from an evangelical Protestant background. “I’m not sure I’d describe all of our readers as white women of child-bearing years or [suffering from] empty-nest syndrome,” says Harvest House publicist Aaron Dillon. “But our core demographic does seem to be middle-aged mothers, primarily white. We also have a large contingent of readers who homeschool their children.”

However, Christina Boys, editor for Hachette Book Group’s FaithWords and Center Street imprints, believes the CF audience to be much more diverse than the conservative stereotype held by the secular mainstream. “The core readers are said to be women in their 40s who like novels set in the United States. But there are CF readers who do not fit into this demographic, and there are women in their 40s who like to read about a variety of characters and circumstances different from their own.”

Preaching to the converted?

Often referred to as evangelical fiction to distinguish it from secular fiction, CF is still erroneously pigeonholed by some critics as simplistic storytelling or “gentle reads” that can’t compete with mainstream novels for complexity of plot and character development. Bethany House’s 1979 ground-breaking publication of Janette Oke’s Love Comes Softly, which combined an evangelical worldview with a historical romance, filled a niche long ignored by mainstream publishers, and is credited with pioneering modern inspirational fiction. However, the CF publishing industry could not have continued to thrive as it does today by offering a steady diet of bland novels under the guise of religious fiction.

Nor could the genre have expanded if it had followed a strictly fundamentalist path. While its early years were described in John Mort’s Christian Fiction: A Guide to the Genre (2002) as having “preached to the converted” and industry organizations like the Christian Booksellers Association (CBA) and the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) continue to prescribe guidelines for authors and publishers, today’s target CF audience has become more sophisticated and demographically diverse. There are more male and younger readers joining the fold and a steadily growing African American market.

A faith-based perspective remains at the core of evangelical fiction, but today’s fans are reading these books not just because of the Christian focus. They also love this genre because it quenches their inner thirst for knowledge, spiritual guidance, and, yes, entertainment.

To finish reading Melanie Duncan’s article, click here.

by Michael

The 11 Commandments For Writers

I found this list of Henry Miller’s Commandments compiled here by Gretchen Rubin, and I think they’re worth considering, keeping, struggling with.  Do you follow these in your writing?  Do you break any?  Would you change any or add something?

1. Work on one thing at a time until finished.

2. Start no more new books, add no more new material to “Black Spring.”

3. Don’t be nervous. Work calmly, joyously, recklessly on whatever is in hand.

4. Work according to Program and not according to mood. Stop at the appointed time!

5. When you can’t create you can work.

6. Cement a little every day, rather than add new fertilizers.

7. Keep human! See people, go places, drink if you feel like it.

8. Don’t be a draught-horse! Work with pleasure only.

9. Discard the Program when you feel like it–but go back to it the next day. Concentrate. Narrow down. Exclude.

10. Forget the books you want to write. Think only of the book you arewriting.

11. Write first and always. Painting, music, friends, cinema, all these come afterwards.

by Michael

No Time To Write?

The following post comes from Kate, the 4AM writer at limebird, and she explains why she writes that early.

Brace yourselves. I’m about to jump onto my soapbox here.

I’m friends with a writer who dared to compare her busy life to mine. She recently went on a tear about how it’s obvious I am not as busy as she is because I write daily.

She made things worse for herself by saying that she doesn’t have time to write because she has a job. I was about to remind her that I have kids (as well as freelance jobs), she interrupted me and said, “but kids don’t require attention all the time, unlike my job.” Plus, she added…”You blog! You tweet! You’re on FB and LinkedIn!”

I decided arguing with such inflammatory comments wasn’t worth it. (So I’ll blog about it instead! Haha.)

The fact is, a busy life is relative. We are as busy as we think we are. No one is busier than anyone else, and to wallow in self-pity over how busy you are is only wasting more of the time you say you don’t have.

Now, granted, I don’t know every single person’s situation, so I might be stirring up a hornet’s nest by continuing with this.

Oh well. I’m stirring anyway.

I recently posted on my personal blog about my friend, Kady. (Kady is embarking on a personal challenge of NaNoWriMo next month. She is the perfect example of no such thing as no time to write.)

Finding time to write first takes dedication. You have to want to write. You have to want to write more than anything else.  More than anything else.

Click here to finish reading Kate’s post.

by Michael

Questions on Forgiveness

I saw Nissi’s post at Plantain Periodicals the other week, where she raised questions about forgiveness after reading TD Jakes’s novel.  After reading the  book, she says one the central questions it raised was, how do we know that the change we see is forever and genuine?

However I do know in my own small way how it feels to strongly dislike someone who has massively hurt and offended me. Although I have managed to forgive (in most cases – praying that in 2012 I will see the full closure of all), I have doubted their claims that they have changed. Several times I have believed that they have not changed…and have been proved right. However I do not see it as a score board – I am right vs you are wrong: No. Instead I am now questioning if my presumptions have contributed to their seeming inability to be able to change?

How would you answer that?  Have you ever doubted whether you’ve forgiven a person?  No need to comment–I know you won’t anyway!  Read Nissi’s post, if you’re interested, by clicking here.

by Michael

A writing prompt from a seasoned and always humorous agent about a query she received.

betsylerner's avatarBetsy Lerner

Got another query letter from prison today. It comes stamped on the back with a notice about what to do if you are receiving unwanted correspondence from an inmate. This particular prisoner quoted some of the best bits in The Forest For The Trees to impress upon me why I might like his work. Many writers have done this, but when it comes from the incarcerated it is unbelievably touching and a little scary. The letter was also hand written in the neatest imaginable block letters. Maybe I’ve seen Dead Man Walking too many times, but it amazes me to think that my book has found its way into a prison and a person there who wants or needs to write connected with it. I once read that a prisoner who was denied pencil and paper wrote sentences on the roof of his mouth with his tongue.

Did everybody write…

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