July 26th, 2010%
During the Tin House Summer Writer’s Workshop with Charles D’Ambrosio, we discussed beginnings and endings:
- The story ends when all possibilities are eliminated.
- The story’s end is in the beginning.
Many of our stories didn’t start when we thought they did. One story began on page six. A few started somewhere on the first page. Another had the beginning sentence stranded somewhere on page three.
As writers, we want to pack the reader a lunch and drive them to school. We fuss over them and try to answer all their questions before they ask. Sometimes we forget what we were going to tell them because we get so interested in the details, clues, and characters.
We think they need to know what we want them to know, but they know something we don’t know–where our stories actually begin.
July 19th, 2010%
Tin House Summer Writer’s Workshop with Charles D’Ambrosio made me wish that everything I sent out prior to the workshop gets rejected. I don’t want to win contests or get anything published.
I want it all back because I know three new things:
- What I need to fix
- How I need to fix it
- What I’m doing well
Fixing it won’t be easy. I’ve got a lot to learn, test, edit, read, and re-write.
I’m also a little afraid of killing my short stories with craft. Some well-written stories die a slow death in the name of craft. Asphyxiated by the lack of characters, consecutive scenes erase each other like waves which can seem pleasant, but then you realize, nothing really happened because all the characters are dead or never existed.
As a result of this workshop, I understand my responsibilities to the reader so much better.
July 15th, 2010%
Upon acceptance to the Tin House Summer Writer’s Workshop, I had to do three things before the workshop started:
- Select a writer with whom I’d like to workshop.
They recommended Charles D’Ambrosio for me. I immediately read everything he wrote. This was a good decision.
- Select a piece to workshop.
Sounds simple. It isn’t. I ended up selecting my best work since I had taken it as far as I could go with my current resources and knowledge. This was a good decision.
- Read/edit pieces from my workshop group.
I decided that I wanted to meet them as people before I read their stuff. As a result, I lack context when they make suggestions to others; I’m missing opportunities to talk to them about their writing; and I’m up late reading/editing their piece versus hanging-out with writers and poets at the workshop. This was not a good decision.
The rules for the actual workshop may vary. Here are our rules:
- The writer doesn’t talk.
- Each workshop participant highlights key writing problems.
- We go clockwise around the room until all participants have spoken.
- All comments must be based on what is written on the page.
- Each participant gives the writer a hard copy of their edits and comments.
July 14th, 2010%
Throughout the Tin House Summer Writer’s Workshop, participants can sign-up for 8-10min slots to read their work. I asked Charles D’Ambrosio and several workshop participants for tips on how to prepare for my reading.
Recommended Preparation:
- Selection. Choose something that doesn’t have a lot of action or dialogue. Something written in 1st person with a strong voice will work well.
- Edit. Whether you’re reading excerpts from a longer piece or the first part of a short story, you’ll need to edit. Take out extraneous information. Streamline the selection by reading it aloud a few times to identify what becomes unnecessary.
- Practice. Few minds will follow a quickly read piece. Practice slowing down. Know when to pause.
- Prepare. What do you need to tell the audience before you read? How will you establish your presence and connect with your listeners?
With this preparation, I hope you will be able to avoid falling into the stereotypical cadence of a writer who reads their work as if they are editing it for print rather than reading to an audience.
July 13th, 2010%
Agents want to discover new voices and target publishers/publications who will buy it. Writers want agents to lock and load their best work. Where are the readers in all this?
In today’s Tin House Summer Writer’s Workshop panel, Sarah Burnes, Amy Williams, and Renee Zuckerbrot said they read a lot of query letters that aren’t uniquely targeted to them. They are business savvy readers who expect writers to know themselves and their work. The best way to prepare for this serious relationship is to develop relationships with other readers.
Readers are the only ones who can help me understand what I’ve written. Therefore, I want to get as many opinions as possible. Writing is the art of communication, not the art of intention. I don’t write for readers, but I become responsible for knowing how readers respond to my work if I want to get it published.
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