Jane Friedman's Blog: Jane Friedman, page 213

A Literary Father's Day Weekend (Part 1)

In honor of Father's Day, I'm sharing 2 wonderful videos that feature the children of writers, speaking about their dads. Here's the first featuring Stanley Elkin, John Gardner, and William Styron. Thanks for Open
Road Media for sharing!

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How to Create Free Video Tutorials

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This past week, I've been in a tech workshop for faculty at the University of Cincinnati.
(Yes, even I need to broaden and sharpen my skills!)




So I'll be sharing some of the more interesting tools and tricks I learned here at
NO RULES.



The first tool that I love is Jing.
Jing takes a picture or a video of what you see on your screen, e.g.:



Basic screen grabs—plus you can edit, annotate and mark up screen grabs



Record what you're doing on your screen (while narrating!)



For you're an instructor, speaker, or expert of any kind, you'll probably find Jing
invaluable for its teaching and demo applications.



Here's a quick example of a VERY basic tutorial I did for my writing students on signing
up for a Wordpress blog. (You
can also watch this on Jing by clicking here.)













Unable to display content. Adobe Flash is required.





What are a few possibilities for this tool?



Tutorials or demos

Narrate a series of images or photos (book trailer, anyone?)

Critiques

Whenever it's more effective to SHOW, rather than tell through words, consider Jing.
Or, sometimes it's easier to talk through a process (or a critique) rather than writing
it out.




Since Jing is free for basic funtionality, you have nothing to lose by experimenting!
(Below is a screen capture from the Nyan
Cat video that I've annotated.)





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Glimmer Train Monthly News

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Glimmer Train has just chosen the winning stories
for their April Family Matters competition.  This competition is held twice a
year and is open to all writers for stories about family.  The next Family Matters
competition will take place in October. Glimmer
Train's monthly submission calendar may be viewed here.

First place: Rebecca Podos [pictured above, photo by Holli Downs],
of Brookline, MA, wins $1200 for "The Fourth."  Her story will be published in
the Fall 2012 issue of Glimmer Train Stories.




Second place: Marjorie Celona, of Madison, NY, wins $500 for "Gladstone."
Her story will also be published in an upcoming issue of Glimmer Train Stories, increasing
her prize to $700.




Third place: Clark Knowles of Portsmouth, NH, wins $300 for "Each Other's
Business." His story will also be published in an upcoming issue of Glimmer Train
Stories, increasing his prize to $700.



A
PDF of the Top 25 winners can be found here.

Deadline soon approaching!


Fiction Open: June 30


Glimmer Train hosts this competition quarterly, and first place is $2000 plus publication
in the journal. It's open to all writers and there are no theme restrictions. The
word count generally ranges from 3,000–8,000, though up to 20,000 is fine. Click
here for complete guidelines.




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If you didn't know, Writer's Digest partnered with Glimmer Train to publish two compilation
volumes of the best stuff from their Writers
Ask newsletter.




Check them out: Volume
1 and Volume
2.



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The Necessity of Failure Plus How "Accidents" Happen

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Photo
credit: Mindful One




While reading Kevin Kelly's blog (which
focuses on technology + the future), I came across this wonderful quote for writers.

Lucky accidents seldom happen to writers who don't
work. You will find that you may rewrite and rewrite a poem and it never seems quite
right. Then a much better poem may come rather fast and you wonder why you bothered
with all that work on the earlier poem. Actually, the hard work you do on one poem
is put in on all poems. The hard work on the first poem is responsible for the sudden
ease of the second. If you just sit around waiting for the easy ones, nothing will
come. Get to work. (Richard Hugo, The Triggering Town)

So true. And it somewhat echoes what
I said at my keynote in Austin this past weekend: If you're not failing, you're
probably not shooting high enough.



Everyone fails. That's not the important part. What's important is what you do next.
Are you learning? Are you growing? Is your experience making you bigger—or is it shrinking
you down, making you small?



Particularly in a time of tremendous change in the industry, it is inevitable that
some—even many—of our efforts will fail. I hope it can contribute to your progress,
rather than stop it.

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[image error]Looking
for more words of wisdom about the writing life? I highly recommend Page
After Page by Heather Sellers.

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4 Steps to Useful Critiques: The Lerman Method

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Photo credit:
Deirdre Saoirse Moen




Today's guest post is by Wolf Pascoe. Wolf is a playwright, poet, and physician.
Visit his blog, Just Add Father.




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What do we really have to offer one another as writers?




Every so often, I read a blog post about how to listen to criticism. Recently there
was a good one on this blog: 4
Ways to Make the Most of a Critique Group. More rarely do I run across suggestions
for how to give feedback.




Let me clarify that.




Rarely do I run across suggestions for giving criticism that I find satisfying.




Yes, it's important to work from a clean copy, to be considerate, to be specific.




But is that it? Where's the meat of it? Where's the method?




For the past ten years, I've been a member of a group of playwrights that meets once
a month to support one another's work. We have a specific way of criticizing our plays
that has kept us on track. The method was developed by the MacArthur winning choreographer
Liz Lerman to work with dancers. Lerman calls it Critical Response Process. The technique
works for any sort of art, any writing. In our group, we call it the Lerman Method.




The process has four steps.




Statement of meaning by the group

Questions by the writer for the group

Questions by the group for the writer

Opinions

I use the word group here, but the method works just as well one-on-one. It works
in person or in correspondence. It works with any written form or genre. Also, the
order is important. Often, the sessions are so rich that we don't have time to get
to the opinions. It's just as well. Opinions are the least helpful.



Let's take it from the top.




Step 1: Statement of meaning


There's nothing fancy about a statement of meaning. You just say what you found meaningful,
evocative, startling, or exciting in the work. It's not a general statement, it's
specific. It's where or how the work "got" you, where you entered the world and it
became real to you. Here's some examples:

"I loved that she threw up on him. I split my sides laughing."



"John is so creepy he made my skin crawl. When he said .…"




"I got turned on when they had sex. You told me everything I needed to know, and left
the rest to my imagination."




"I loved how the poetry of your description created a sense of longing in me, yet
didn't slow me down."

Statements of meaning are helpful for writers at any stage of development.
They're positive. How can they help but be? You're talking about what grabbed you.




Beginning with positives has nothing to do with politeness or with sugarcoating bad
news. Rather, it's important because writers are often unconscious of what they're
doing well. Focused on the problems, they discount what comes easy. And that's a mistake,
because what a writer does well is what she builds on.




This is so important I'll say it again: What a writer does well is what she builds
on.




I went to a film once and cried. I thought it was a great film. Afterward, I read
a critical review and learned all the things that the filmmaker had done wrong. I
felt tricked. I realized the film probably wasn't great. I began to talk it down.




One of the other playwrights in my group happened to ask me about the film. I told
her the whole story. She said: "You know, the important thing about the film for you
was where you cried. You had a real response to it. It was important and genuine to
you. The rest is just other people's ideas."




I've never forgotten that.




Whether giving feedback or in my own writing, I've found that the greatest thing I
have to offer is my genuine response. The rest is mostly other people's ideas.




Writing classes are often long on other people's ideas, short on responses. Here's
Charles Bukowski, who left a marvelous clue about authentic responses for developing
writers:

...There was something to be learned about writing
from watching boxing matches or going to the racetrack. The message wasn't clear.
It was wordless, like a house burning, or an earthquake or a flood, or a woman getting
out of a car, showing her legs. I didn't know what other writers needed; I didn't
care, I couldn't read them anyway. I was locked into my own habits, my own prejudices.
It wasn't bad being dumb IF the ignorance was all your own.

Step 2: Questions from the writer


The writer asks, the group responds. This begins a dialogue that supports the writer
in solving problems on her own.

"Did you believe he'd actually kill her?"




"Was there enough description during the murder?"

Everyone gets to say "Yes" or "No." No tinkering here, because that wasn't
part of the question. No "Maybe he should just choke her a while and then go kill
his mother."




Just answer the question.




Step 3. Questions from the group members


The group asks, the writer answers. Sometimes what is perfectly obvious to the writer
isn't to anyone else. Now the writer gets to hear where he's left the reader in the
lurch.

"So, what happened to that guy in the black coat from Chapter One?"



"How did the weapon work again?"





"That thing about Brazil—was it a dream or real?"

Are you allowed to ask questions that may have embedded opinions, such
as involving awkward exposition? Yes, if it's a real question. It helps the writer
to see the process of the reader's confusion.

"I know Laura would remember an abortion she had ten years ago in Mexico
when she got pneumonia and almost died, so what's going on when John says to her,
'You know that abortion we had ten years ago in Mexico when you got pneumonia and
almost died?'"

Inquiring minds want to know.



Oh, I almost forgot.




Step 4: Opinions


Gosh, I've already spilled so much ink on 1-3. Well, what's to say about opinions?




Oops. Out of time. Got to run.


 

--



You can read more about Liz Lerman and the Critical Response Process on her website: Liz
Lerman Dance Exchange






[image error]Wolf
Pascoe is a playwright, poet, and physician. You can read his essay (the first half
of it, anyway) about what open drop ether was like in The
Sun Magazine: Going Under. If you enjoyed this article, he'd take it very kindly
if you'd pay a visit to his creative nonfiction blog, Just
Add Father. He believes there are interesting ways to write about fathers and
sons that do not involve charming videos, recommended products, or opinions about
child rearing.




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When Mom Was My Age (#34)

Caroline Gerardo & daughter Blaire Barbeau (2011)

"When Mom Was My Age" is an interview series between daughters and mothers. New interviews appear every Monday. If you would like to participate, contact Jane.

The following interview is with Caroline Gerardo (age 42), reflecting on her life at age 19, interviewed by daughter Blaire Barbeau (age 19).

Where did you live?

In June  1978, I had finished my first year of college. I lived in the dorms and for the summer I lived in London working as an intern for Index on Censorship.

What was a typical day was like?

I worked full time while I was in college. I went to school on scholarship and paid for all my expenses. During the school year, I was a lifeguard and worked transcribing cassette tapes for an English professor who was working on a book. Sometimes I did both these jobs at the same time. I still had excellent marks.

In London, I rented a flat with four other women. We lived above the landlord in one room. I spent my days reading and memorizing the poetry of writers banned in their home country, and compiled a set of poems for an anthology. I painted and took photographs, but most of these were lost in a fire we had in 2003. I learned to shoot a gun at a range. I ran every night in the streets.

What did you worry about most?

As an American who grew up in a suburb, I never worried about personal safety. But living in London I was aware of conflict between the Irish Republican Army and the British Army. My eyes were opened to a world that was more political, with violence visible. I never worried about my future, I just became aware of how fragile life can be.

What did you think the future held for you?

Everything I ever wanted. I was positive I could do anything, make anything, create everything I ever dreamed of, if I put my mind to it. This attitude is a driving force still in me today.

How do you look back on that age now?

My innocent eyes seemed to open every door for me. I was fearless.

From Blaire

I think Mom still has that quality of joy and desire to try new things.The interesting part of doing this interview is that she has a daily quality of teaching by example, and with Midwestern old fashioned sayings. I thought these were quotes of some famous intellectuals, but I learned many are just her own version of inspiration. When I started this interview, I expected she was going to talk about career and art. Most of all she spoke about keeping hope always in your heart.

5 Excellent Tips for Platform Building

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This past weekend, I had the honor of keynoting the Writers'
League of Texas Agents Conference in Austin.




During that weekend, I also had the opportunity to hear some wonderful advice from
other publishing experts. Here's some excellent online marketing advice I heard. All
are direct quotes unless in brackets.






1. On using (or figuring out) Twitter

Agent Susan Schulman:
At first I [wasn't] very good as a tweeter. I didn't have a voice. But I have since
developed my voice.




The agency made a huge leap by setting up TweetDeck [to
help filter tweets]. I follow my clients so I know where they are or what they're
doing. With fiction writers I can tell what their mood is [on Twitter], which is very
helpful, just in terms of monitoring the client and working with the person on their
career.




I have changed my business model to focus on digital rights development. So I'm going
to be tweeting in a very select area where I can make a contribution. I really want
to speak about the threat to intellectual rights and copyright, and little else. That's
a place where I can make a difference in the market.



Emily Griffin (Grand Central
editor) later said, when addressing the time considerations of using Twitter,
or any social media channel: "When you find your voice, you'll find the time."

2. On using social media for marketing and publicity

Marika Flatt (PR
By the Book): There are so many applications to Twitter in terms of book publicity—in
terms of getting our name out there and getting our clients' name out there as well.



We have several new media relationships because of Twitter. We might not be able to
get someone's attention via e-mail, but on Twitter we can get a response back right
away.



In publicity, it's all about relationships. It's not about e-mail blasting, it's ALL
about the relationship and how you can creatively deliver a story idea that's going
to work for that person. If you take the time to slow down, respond to that person,
think about how you might be able to help them now or down the road, you'll see it
paying off. I was skeptical at first, but I'm not any more.

Rusty
Shelton added: Twitter is a way for people to stay connected to you
over the long term. When you tweet at a conference like this, you're not just tweeting
to people in the room, but there are people around the country following the hashtag.
So when you're on Twitter, in many ways you're becoming a media outlet yourself. You
have certain people that trust you to provide info on YA or whatever it might be.
Don't take that lightly. Think about the power of social media in terms of the relationships
that it can really build for you.

3. On the (un)importance of a novelist's credentials
or platform

Griffin:
There are times people are concerned they don't have an MFA, fellowship, or prior
credits … It really depends on the read. It doesn't depend on platform. That said
… in terms of getting praise for the back jacket, it helps when you have contacts.
It can be helpful down the line, but in general it all depends on the read.



[That said, Emily recommends reading up on Lisa
Genova, a great success story for marketing fiction. She has a nonfiction platform
that ties into her novel. For the vast majority of fiction pitches, Emily doesn't
need to hear anything unless there's a real publicity hook.]



Schulman: In every novel
I've represented that became a bestseller, no author had a platform. If there is absolutely
no platform, no credits, no degrees, if the story is well written, most agents have
an open, receptive attitude toward that message, toward that connection.



[However, Susan later emphasized that for nonfiction authors, marketing is paramount.
Publishers are looking at the platform before they're looking very closely at the
concept.]

4. On what a novelist can blog about (and
why)

Shelton: Think
about your blog as a relationship builder. You want to become a voice within your
genre. Could you do an interview every Wednesday with top 100 authors on Amazon in
your genre? This helps you build relationships with top novelists. You'll be amazed
what can come out of that.




Reviewing books in your genre is another thing you can do. Every author/agent/publicist
has a Google alert on every book they work on. If you write smart, interesting reviews
in a certain genre you are going to attract attention from the people you want to
build relationships with. …



Marika added, "Find your niche,
find where you want to be an influence."

5. Final best tip


I really loved this piece of encouragement from Rusty
Shelton, on your approach to social media or online engagement. So true!!

Don't start everywhere at once. Start with what
you truly enjoy. Pick 1 thing and try it for a little while, and if you're not really
enjoying it, look to something different. Otherwise, you won't find time (it'll feel
like work).

WLT runs a well-organized
show with top-notch programming. I highly recommend the event, and thank the board
and volunteers for being so welcoming and helpful the entire weekend!



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Listen Free: The Future of Authorship & Publishing

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Yesterday, I
was a guest on The Best People We Know Show with Deb Scott, on BlogTalkRadio.
It's already ranked #4 in popularity in the writing category.



Listen for free (for 45 minutes) as we discuss:



Current trends in the publishing industry

The first baby steps you should take to develop your platform

The importance of patience and persistence

How to determine when it's time to pursue self-publishing, and what it takes to succeed

Note: The show will start playing once
you click on this link, but it will be prefaced by an ad. So wait for the show
after the ad!



This weekend, I'm the keynote at the Writer's
League of Texas Agents & Editors Conference in Austin. If you'll be there,
I hope you'll say hello!



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Editing a Life

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Today's guest post is by Darrelyn Saloom, a monthly regular here at NO RULES. You
can read
more of her guest posts here, or follow
her on Twitter.




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An odd thing happened to me when I finished collaborating on a memoir. I spent four
years and two days (obsessively at times) writing, revising, and editing a manuscript.
As soon as I typed the last line, I pushed away from the keyboard and began to edit
my life.




The tiny farmhouse my husband and I raised three sons and lived in for fourteen years
became vacant. We had continued to harvest the land but rented the house. Now it sat
empty. We missed the old homestead and decided to renovate and turn it into a place
to gather with family and friends. 




I filled the house with a mishmash of beloved things: embroidered curtains, iron beds,
vintage quilts, new sheets, Franciscan plates, a farm table, rickety old chairs, tin
lamps, a painted desk, and a mahogany bookcase. Some items I ordered on eBay, but
mostly I scoured the back roads of Louisiana for antiques. 




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When the interior was nearly complete, I spent a night alone seeped in memories. My
husband stayed in what we now call "the big house" with the cat and the dog. I slept
in an iron captain's bed and awoke to thunder and a loud, drumming rain on the tin
roof.



I flung open the curtains and hopped back in bed. I called my husband and told him
I never wanted to leave, that I yearned to sell the 3,000-square-foot house in the
suburbs and move back to the 900-square-foot house on the farm. It didn't take him
long to agree. He missed slinging hay and raking out stalls.



I'm not sure what has come over me. I'm selling most of my things or giving them away.
I only use about one third of what is stuffed in my closets anyway. We are keeping
the photos, family mementos, the clothing we need, my husband's guitars and amplifiers,
our laptops and books.




As far as the rest of the stuff, I'm going to go through it the same way I did every
sentence of the manuscript—pluck out unnecessary items like words. Delete the things
that weigh down my life and keep me from turning the page. It seems editing a life
is not so different from editing a book. 

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Darrelyn is collaborating with Deirdre Gogarty on a memoir. Read
more about their project here.




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2 Free Opportunties to Hear Experts Speak

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Tomorrow (June 9) there are two FREE opportunities to get advice on writing and publishing.



At 11 a.m. ET, I'll
be chatting with Deb Scott on her show "The Best People We Know." You can listen
online for free, and ask questions live. Click
here for more info.




Then, at 2 p.m. ET, you
can listen to Dan Blank discuss the basics of author platform. He's one of the
best experts and teachers I know on the topic, so this is an excellent opportunity
to get golden information absolutely free. Click
here for details.




Last week, I offered an online 90-minute class covering 6 key components of an online
platform. The
recording is now available for sale at WritersDigestShop.com.

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