Will Weaver's Blog, page 3
December 30, 2017
No Leg To Stand On
As our American political system devolves toward a toothless, useless institution that pleases no one, American publishing may not be far behind. The New York Times recently spoke to the matter of publishing houses employing “sensitivity readers.” This extra layer of editorial scrutiny aims to spot potentially offending language, allusions, metaphors, et al–anything that might […]
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Without A Leg To Stand On
As our American political system devolves toward a toothless, useless institution that pleases no one, American publishing may not be far behind. The New York Times recently spoke to the matter of publishing houses employing “sensitivity readers.” This extra layer of editorial scrutiny aims to spot potentially offending language, allusions, metaphors, et al–anything that might […]
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October 12, 2017
Everybody Wants You: Tips on Public Speaking
So you’ve forked some lighting. Published a book. Written a script that got produced. Had a short story adapted as Sweet Land the Musical (shameless plug here). You did something that some group (teachers, librarians, historians, art reviewers, journalists) loves, and so they invite you to come talk to them. Ideally this happens incrementally. You […]
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August 24, 2017
Reading Makes the Man
How do angry young men become that way? What has gone wrong in their lives? One answer might be reading–or lack of it. The big American publishing houses have thrown in the towel on books for young men. Why? Because books for teen boys don’t sell. Boys don’t buy books. Boys don’t go to mall […]
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Lost Boys-to-Men
How do angry men become that way? What has gone wrong in their lives? One answer might be reading–or lack of it. Reading has a civilizing effect of bringing us into, not away from, civil society. Unfortunately, the big American publishing houses have thrown in the towel on books for boys. Why? Because books for […]
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May 23, 2017
The Deep Conspiracy Against Your Novel
It’s time to admit what you know in your bones: there’s a deep conspiracy against you finishing your novel. The conspiracy is all-encompassing. It’s like gravity, invisible but with the same confining effects. You can feel its weight, feel its drag, and it comes from all directions. A sick pet. A car that needs an […]
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May 7, 2017
Is There Anybody Out There?
Authors always wonder if we’re making connection. Here’s a sweet letter from a reader: “Hi! A couple months ago I came across your short fiction story “Dispersal” inside a collection of short fiction from the Midwest. I absolute loved the feelings i got from “Dispersal”. I had a question for you. I’m writing a paper […]
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April 24, 2017
Is There a Next Generation of Readers?
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) recently published a study on reading. It confirms what most teachers and librarians already know. Kids read less and less. The stats show a particularly alarming drop among teenagers. They spend more time on the internet and less time with the printed word (duh). Dana Gioia, the NEA […]
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April 16, 2017
Make Me Hungry: Writing Good Description
When it comes to writing description the first question is simple: Is there enough? Too much? The goal is have just enough crisp, clear description in order to set the scene in the reader’s head–so they can “see it.” Ah, but you’re not done. Yes we need to see, but we also need to hear, […]
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April 7, 2017
Edgar Allan Poe Was Not Crazy
If you don’t have time to read novels, why not short stories? The really good kind. Fiction, as Poe advised, “that can be read in one sitting.” That was his definition of the short story form. And it’s a still a good one. A great place to find good short stories in is the yearly […]
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