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Creative Writing BlogIf you'd like to, follow me on Twitter. This is also where I post time sensitive announcements that I don't want to turn into permanent web pages because the information or opportunity is likely to change soon. If you have an RSS reader, be sure to subscribe to the RSS feed at the bottom of the left column for automatic updates whenever I add something new. Return from the Creative Writing Blog to the Home page Aug 29, 2010, How a Strong Story Premise Sets You up for SuccessA story premise focuses your writing. To excite the interest of an agent, it is imperative that the agent knows immediately what your novel is Permalink -- click for full blog post "How a Strong Story Premise Sets You up for Success" Aug 28, 2010, Creative Writing ContestsCreative Writing Contests with big cash prizes Permalink -- click for full blog post "Creative Writing Contests" Aug 27, 2010, Brian Brett Talking Dirt on Trauma FarmBrian Brett gave us a great video interview at his home on Trauma Farm, Salt Spring Island, BC, about his memoir of the same name. The book is a fascinating and unusual walk through rural life on the farm of a brilliant and prolific author. Through many challenges his forbearance, talent, and great sense of humour shine through on every page. Set over the course of one day, but encompassing an entire life, this beautifully executed book that provides a good example of innovative structure and exquisite story telling. AWARDS Winner of the 2009 Writers' Trust of Canada Non-Fiction PrizeLong-listed for the BC Award for Canadian Non-FictionWinner of the BC Booksellers' Choice AwardNominated for the Hubert Evans Non-Fiction PrizeNominated for the Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Book PrizeWinner of a ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Award - NatureNominated for the William Saroyan International Prize for WritingWinner of the IPPY Awards - Bronze Medal in the Environment category Excerpt from FOWL PLAY I pass the koi pond and the back house gate; then the swing-gate of the chicken run which we generally leave open for the dogs to patrol at night, and then I unlatch and drop the ramp to the coop itself. I love the thump of the hinged door, with its little wooden steps, when it hits the ground, and the desperate rush of the chickens into the sun, cackling excitement and joy. Every day the chickens know delight. I wish I were as good as that. As the birds rush towards the sun a ruthless cock leaps onto the nearest hen, and she crouches dutifully, wings spread and trembling. The hens that escape the sex-mad, morning roosters sometimes won’t stop for a hundred feet. I don’t blame them. I open the side door, and check the feed, and the water. When I am raising layers I also carry the little woven collecting basket in the crook of my arm, besides balancing my tea mug. Small farming can involve a lot of dexterity. There it lies in a nest of straw. Magic. As fresh as it’s going to get . . . one of history’s great cultural icons. . . . “Whiter than an egg...” Sappho said some 26 centuries ago. This phrase . . . is all that remains of a poem written by a long dead woman with a fondness for young girls. . . . When I first encountered Sappho I was shocked by its evocative simplicity, and the shock has remained with me for forty years. An egg can hardly be called white, but it’s a phrase that means more than it means; it can also describe, a cooked and peeled egg, as firm and white as a young Greek woman’s thigh. It evokes purity, the qualities of whiteness, the mythology of eggs. . . . Pablo Neruda once talked of encountering eggs in the jungle that shone like a shotgun barrel. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyv5kN6LfUw Aug 22, 2010, James Patterson on his Writing SuccessAccording to Forbes Magazine, James Patterson, with $70 million in sales last year, is the world's highest earning author for the period June 1, 2009 to June 1, 2010. Huge book advances to Patterson are no gamble for publishers, as his foreign sales, alone, rake in over $10 million a year. Patterson's latest $100 million publishing deal has him promising 17 new novels by the end of 2012. Listen to him discuss his writing, his success, and his writing process in this interview. Aug 16, 2010, Carla IacovettiTo write well, one must utterly abandon oneself to it. You cannot keep secrets or hold anything back. You must spill your heart out on paper Permalink -- click for full blog post "Carla Iacovetti" Aug 16, 2010, 31st August 2010, Free Phrase Writing Competition $200 (AUD)* The competition is open to all writers for free. * Participants should write in the two main languages of Diasporic, Greek or English. * It is a competition Permalink -- click for full blog post "31st August 2010, Free Phrase Writing Competition $200 (AUD)" Aug 16, 2010, SnowbirdsMove a little closer. There's too much light. Evelyn shifts in the plastic bucket seat and flicks her wrist like a bird with a broken wing. That's better. Permalink -- click for full blog post "Snowbirds" Aug 10, 2010, First Kindle Book Picked up by a Major Publisher
This is an inspiring story I came across today. If ever you feel like giving up because your writing career is going nowhere, think instead of Boyd Morrison.
In his video trailers Morrison looks young--late twenties, early thirties. He also looks very pleased.
He has a Ph.D. in industrial engineering, and he wrote his first novel more than a dozen years ago. When he completed the novel and shopped around for an agent, five agents rejected him. So he shelved the book for nine years, and then tried again. It took him three years, but he finally found an agent, only to have 25 publishers refuse his book. So, in March of 2009, he published The Ark himself, on Kindle, along with two other unpublished novels he had written. Within three months, according to NewsWeek, he was selling 4000 copies a month--enough to pay his mortgage and household bills.
Soon some of the publishers that had already rejected the novel were courting him. He sold the novel to Simon & Schuster. In May 2010 The Ark: A Novel was released in hardcover.
His second novel, Noahs Ark Quest Watch the trailer HERE. So keep writing, and have a great Week! --Pearl Luke Aug 7, 2010, World, domestic or electronic rights?World, domestic or electronic rights to the Sales Course book that I am writing. Which one is the best to choose as an American citizen writing my book Permalink -- click for full blog post "World, domestic or electronic rights? " Aug 7, 2010, Ebook publisher neededDo you know of anyone who will help me with a Sales Course Book, as this is the first book that I have written. ANSWER: If the book is already written, Permalink -- click for full blog post "Ebook publisher needed" Aug 7, 2010, OCTOBER 15, 2010 - SEVEN Fund Essay Competition: Faith-Based Enterprise Solutions to Poverty$5000 prize. The SEVEN Fund (SEVEN) is pleased to announce its 2010-11 Essay Competition in partnership with the Washington DC-based Center For Interfaith Jul 19, 2010, Amazon Cuts a Kindle Deal with AuthorsIn an attempt to attract the self-published writer, and those published writers still holding their own digital rights, Amazon is offering authors 70% of the profit on each ebook published with Kindle. What is perhaps even more interesting to authors is how Amazon will provide authors with the ability to sell their ebooks directly from their own website. Jul 11, 2010, The Ham Sandwich TheoremOn Saturday night Angie gives Matt her list of demands. Impossible, arbitrary, nonsensical demands. But Matt's reaction comes unexpected. He flips open Permalink -- click for full blog post "The Ham Sandwich Theorem" Jul 9, 2010, Agent in UK or USA?QUESTION I'm writing my first novel. It features an American boy who has to leave and go live with his mother and step-father in England. Should I ptch Permalink -- click for full blog post "Agent in UK or USA?" Jul 2, 2010, Dialogue tagsQUESTION: Thanks so much for all the information on your website! You mentioned that we should try to use as few dialogue tags as possible, but when I Permalink -- click for full blog post "Dialogue tags" Jul 1, 2010, JULY 18TH 2010 100 Words OR Fewer Writing ContestSHORT FICTION CONTEST $500 First Prize 100 Words or fewer: http://www.100wordsorfewerwritingcontest.com Permalink -- click for full blog post "JULY 18TH 2010 100 Words OR Fewer Writing Contest" Jul 1, 2010, OCTOBER 25, 2010 Funniest pregnancy story wins Free Cord Blood banking or $1000 cash!Send us your funniest pregnancy story! In 200 words or less tell us about a funny story that happened to a pregnant you, friend, or loved one for the Jun 27, 2010, Creative Writing JobsCreative Writing Jobs for Canadians. The links here will take you to real, paying jobs, not bogus work offers. Permalink -- click for full blog post "Creative Writing Jobs" Jun 26, 2010, Madame Zee is Whitewashed- Why?QUESTION I have thoroughly enjoyed reading Madame Zee. Congratulations on writing a highly entertaining and informative novel. I plan on presenting your Permalink -- click for full blog post "Madame Zee is Whitewashed- Why?" Jun 26, 2010, want to write my storyQUESTION I was sent to a wilderness program in Utah at age 15 and 16 called Challenger Foundation. This was 20 years ago..kids ended up dying out there..it Permalink -- click for full blog post "want to write my story" Jun 23, 2010, DECEMBER 31st, 2010 Canadian Tales Of The Fantastic Short Story CompetitionWriters of short fiction are encouraged to enter the 2010 Canadian Tales of the Fantastic Short Story Competition. To be considered, a story must have Jun 23, 2010, Write about WritingDo you need links? If you write about writing, in particular about creative writing, we will provide a link back to your site or blog. Permalink -- click for full blog post "Write about Writing" Jun 19, 2010, What makes good quality writing good?QUESTION Many people love Danielle Steele, but others thumb their nose and consider it lower quality writing. What is the difference between literary Permalink -- click for full blog post "What makes good quality writing good? " Jun 11, 2010, Write Mind MoviesCreate mind movies as you write to show how your main character or characters begin life in your novel as different people than those they will become by t Permalink -- click for full blog post "Write Mind Movies" Jun 10, 2010, John Irving on writing endingsJohn Irving on writing endings, and why he always has the end in site before he begins writing a novel. In this short but interesting video, he also says why he does not see himself as either an intellectual, or an artist. And a longer interview (15 minutes) with John Irving HERE with more about endings and the writing process in general. In particular he talks about inspiring fear in readers--the concern for a character that keeps readers reading and wanting to know what will happen to the character, as if the character were a real person. Jun 8, 2010, Slice of lifeA few months ago I sent you a story. While you offered some very encouraging comments, which I certainly appreciated, you nevertheless rejected the story Permalink -- click for full blog post "Slice of life" Jun 8, 2010, Creative Writing ProcessThe creative writing process is personal. Real writers write, and they don't give up until they succeed. Permalink -- click for full blog post "Creative Writing Process" Jun 8, 2010, Christina KatzPearl Luke interviews Christina Katz on how to get known before the book deal Permalink -- click for full blog post "Christina Katz" Jun 6, 2010, The New Yorker Lists 20 Writers Under 40 to WatchThere are 10 women and 10 men, satirists and modernists, from Miami and Ethiopia and Peru and Chicago. And none of them were born before 1970. The New Yorker has chosen its 20 Under 40 list of fiction writers worth watching, a group assembled by the editors in a lengthy, secretive process that has provoked considerable anxiety among young literary types. The list will be published in the double fiction issue of The New Yorker that arrives on newsstands Monday. All of the writers were told two weeks ago that they had made the cut. Jun 5, 2010, Order of Scenes and SequelsShould I write a sequel at the end of the current scene or use it to start the next scene? ANSWER If you're just beginning, it's best to get into the Permalink -- click for full blog post "Order of Scenes and Sequels" Jun 4, 2010, We All Want to Be J. K. RowlingMy wife has to work. The baby gets colds and needs the insurance for that pink sludge that must be refrigerated and discarded after ten days, so we need Permalink -- click for full blog post "We All Want to Be J. K. Rowling" Jun 3, 2010, Free Audiobook
Free Audiobook Offer: For anyone serious about writing fiction,
Permalink -- click for full blog post "Free Audiobook"
Book reviewers known for their deadly barbs are not loved by authors, even when those barbs are amusing. But vowing to kill a reviewer for his or her opinion of a book? Apparently Salmon Rushdie isn't the only one who needs to fear for his life because of words on the page.
This article from the Telegraph takes a look at the often amusing feuds between authors and the book reviewers who trash their efforts.
Book signings are in general a colossal waste of time. When my first book, Burning Ground, came out, I took on a lot of the promotion myself and approached bookstores for signings. They would have greeted me with more enthusiasm had I been carrying a box of argyle socks for sale.
They impatiently listened until they learned that I had not self published, and actually had HarperCollins behind me, at which point they showed genuine interest. And why not? I planned to sit there and try to flog books at no cost to them. In this way, I managed to set up several book signings. Yippee!
On the appointed day, there I sat, all welcoming smiles for 30 to 60 minutes as strangers walked past, careful to avoid eye contact. The poor sales clerks offered me water and looked both pained and amused.
I wish I had thought to make a video like the one here by Parnell Hall. It pretty much sums up the experience. Enjoy! (And forget about book signings as a promotional tool.)
Having a writing platform means that you have an audience, and that you have some vehicle in place to reach that
audience when you have books to sell. This platform is as important to those not yet published as it is to established writers.
Permalink -- click for full blog post "Why a Writing Platform is a Must: 12 Ways to Build Yours"
Should I have only one antagonist, or can I have multiple antagonists? ANSWER In general, a story needs one protagonist and one antagonist. However an
Permalink -- click for full blog post "Antagonist"
Having taught creative writing since 1983, I find students respond to colourful/atmospheric photos cut out of mags such as cottages, lakes, castles, swimming
Permalink -- click for full blog post "Pile of Pics"
One comment I hear a lot is that I should be using descriptive writing more than I am. But don't most people skip over description? I often do. ANSWER
Permalink -- click for full blog post "Descriptive writing"
Ten Book Writing Tips for Career Writers
Permalink -- click for full blog post "Ten Book Writing Tips for Career Writers"
Successful writing is permeated with an adversarial spirit demonstrated in suspicion, opposition, confrontation, and refusal
Permalink -- click for full blog post "Sol Stein"
It’s been two years, but not a week goes by that I don't think of Joan. I can see the yard from my kitchen window, often as it used to be—a Monet landscape
Permalink -- click for full blog post "Joan's Garden"
The blue bucket dangles from the little girl’s hand and scrapes the ground every time she relaxes her sore arm to stretch it. She has been carrying the
Permalink -- click for full blog post "Mia"
The house had lain vacant since spring and the two lollipop trees on the patio were sucked dry by the summer wind. Lollipop trees. That's what Jeremy would
Permalink -- click for full blog post "Resilience"
I'm working on my first novel and it's around 175 pages already and has a few main characters. I enjoy a complicated plot but I have so much going on
Permalink -- click for full blog post "Trouble finding the premise of my half written book"
As I write, more of my story is revealed. How do I pick a direction or explore a new direction without getting lost? Also, I'm having trouble keeping
Permalink -- click for full blog post "How to organize aaaaall those pages!"
Listen to audio interviews with Canadian Authors on The Next Chapter, hosted by Shelagh Rogers. Each show is approximately 50 minutes and may be downloaded as a podcast. Show airs live on CBC One Mondays at 1 pm EST and Saturdays at 4 pm.
Recent interviews include David Gilmour, Yann Martel, Joan Clark and more.
Pulitzer Prize winning author Paul Harding saw his novel rejected many times before he finally published with a small press for a $1000 advance. When he won the Pulitzer Prize last week he told Motoko Rich that his book was too slow and contemplative for most agents and publishers.
This is a heartwarming story that will give hope to many rejected novelists. It is a story about beating the odds. It also brings home the point that unless one wants to be that newsworthy exception, it's important to give publishers what they want.
I was recently directed to this page at The New Yorker. It shows one of Raymond Carver's famous stories - and the changes made by his editor. If someone
Permalink -- click for full blog post "Do literary magazines edit submissions?"
Writer's block, What causes it and how to overcome it, with a list of famous author's who suffered from it and films about it
Permalink -- click for full blog post "Writer's Block" |
Nominee 2008 IMPAC Dublin International Literary Award Praise for Madame Zee Precise and elegant, with a measured tone that beautifully balances the often bizarre subject matter. ~ Montreal Gazette
Winner 2001 Commonwealth Prize for best first book Canada/Carribbean region Praise for Burning Ground ... lyrical, sensual and erotic, written with a confidence often lacking in first books. ~ Toronto Star
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, is due for release next week.
