Holly Walrath's Blog, page 32

NaPoWriMo Day 25

Almost done! Although it's not been what I intended, I've enjoyed this years NaPoWriMo. It's nice to dedicate myself to something, even though I usually write every day anyway.

NaPoWriMo Day 23 & 24

Two poems for the undead, for you, as NaPoWriMo draws near to its end.

NaPoWriMo Day 21 & 22

Two poems today because I missed yesterday with my traveling. Sometimes it's important to take a day off.

NaPoWriMo Day 20

Day 20. This one was hard and angry and I had to wake up really early to find it but find it I did. It's comforting to fight for yourself in that way.

Come Say Hi at Comicpalooza!

I'll be attending Comicpalooza this year as a guest of the literary track. Here's a list of the panels, workshops, and Q + A's on which I'll be presenting. I'm particularly excited to get to chat with Lev Grossman, author of the Magicians trilogy. 

Also, a little plug for my world-building workshop: There are still seats! If you attend Comicpalooza you can attend this workshop for free. I've been cooking up some fun anti-worldbuilding ideas to help you think about this from a new angle in your writing. See you there! ​Friday, May 12th

​2:30 - 4:00pm – Creative Community – Finding Your Tribe
They say it’s lonely at the top – but it’s pretty solitary down at the bottom too. Wherever you are in your creative career, the war against isolation, anxiety and self-doubt is never-ending. The good news is, you don’t have to go it alone. Let’s talk about joining, creating and/or maintaining a creative support system that will help you go the distance.
 
4:00 – 5:00pm – Speculative Poetry Death Match
Join us for an entertaining and interactive panel on science fiction, fantasy, and horror poetry. Learn a little about speculative poetry, hear poets read some of their works, and then participate in a lyrical death-match, in which you, the audience, decide which poet walks away with a tinfoil crown and bragging rights. Saturday, May 13th
​11:30 - 1:00pm – Worldbuilding Workshop
Drawing from popular television, movies and books, this workshop explores how to create in-depth worlds in your novels and short fiction. Feel free to bring a piece you are working on, or start something new using exercises from the workshop (Saturday, 11:30 am).  Sign up and submit your work by emailing literature@comicpalooza.com
 
1:00 – 2:00pm – Boredom-Proofing Your Story
If too little is happening, your readers get bored. If too much is going on, they'll be confused. The art of crafting an irresistible page-turner lies in skillfully walking that narrow line - and we're going to talk about how to do exactly that.
 
4:00 - 5:00pm – Lev Grossman Q & A
Lev Grossman is the author of five novels including the #1 New York Times bestselling Magicians trilogy, which has been published in 25 countries and is now an hour-long drama on the Syfy channel. The Magicians books have been praised by, among others, George R.R. Martin, Audrey Niffenegger, William Gibson, Kelly Link, John Green and Joe Hill. Grossman spent 15 years as a staff writer at Time magazine, where he served as the book critic and lead technology writer and wrote more than 20 cover stories. He has also written essays on culture and technology for Salon, Slate, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Wired, Lingua Franca, the Week, the Village Voice and the Believer, among many others. He lives in Brooklyn, NY with his wife and three children. Sunday, May 14th
4:00-5:00pm – Wordsmith for Hire: All About Freelance Writing
Tired of writing as a hobby? Ready to turn your keyboard into a moneymaker? You can – but it’s not as easy as hanging out a “for hire” sign. In this panel, we’ll examine the different types of freelance writing, where and how to find work, and what you need to know to make yourself attractive to potential clients.

NaPoWriMo Day 19

i had this notion that I was going to work on a specific project this year but I have all these random prose poems that want to come out so I guess that's what's happening.

NaPoWriMo Day 18

Day 18! Wrote this poem about a reluctant witch. A busy week ahead - but I'm hoping I can keep it up. There may need to be coffee. And tea.

NaPoWriMo Day 17

Day 17! I've definitely hit my groove. This week is going to be busy and long though, so I'm anxious to see if I can keep up. *technically* I've written enough poems to skip a day, but it feels strange not getting this time with my writing each day. This is what creating a practice feels like and it's nice to have a wellspring to return to.

NaPoWriMo Day 16

Two poems today, although I can't tell if I'll keep the second. This one turned out alright though. It's a dreamy warm Easter Day and it's hard to concentrate when everything is calling you to the outside.

NaPoWriMo Day 15

ove made it to NaPoWriMo Day 15 - midway! It's been a productive month so far, and I've miraculously been pretty disciplined. I'm still writing a bunch of response poems. Today's prompt was "Fireless Rivetted Babylon". Don't ask me how I got this out of that.