a.k.a writer

a.k.a writer

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With Thanksgiving in the United States just hours away, my attention has turned from word counts to baking. The holiday tends to kick off what’s known as my “baking season” and it’s my number one distraction from writing during November and December. This year, however, I have to balance the measuring ingredients with getting the words to the page: I have a goal of a full rough draft manuscript by December 31.

I can see myself meeting that goal and can’t wait for the day I can print out the full draft (sorry trees) to start the revisions. As a writer, here are the top three things I’m thankful for right now:

  1. time to write
  2. supportive friends and family
  3. access to writers

What do I mean by access to writers? Whether it’s connecting 140 characters at a time on Twitter or hearing an author speak about his or her writing via video, we can find inspiration from our favorite writers on a daily basis. One of my most treasured experiences from the last two years of Aspen Summer Words Writing Retreat has been hearing Nikky Finney read her poetry and share her stories. I could listen to her strong, powerful, tender voice all day long. In the video here, she reads “Left,” from her latest collection of poetry Head Off and Split.

What are you thankful for this year?

This thankful writer

November 23, 2011

I love these mini-lectures on storytelling from Ira Glass. Here he shares how to get through the period of “your work not being as good as your ambitions.” Bonus: he uses his early work as a specific example.

On taking a while for your writing

October 5, 2011 — 2 Comments

Your Paycheck: Words by Day or Night or Both?

September 29, 2010 — 3 Comments

coin towers. Image courtesy of stock.xchng®While reading GallyCat’s Worst Day-Jobs for Writers, I thought about my own early post-college gigs. None of them were writing related and I was miserable. It was shocking to go from college, where I was self-sufficient and responsible to a corporate job where I was someone’s assistant. It didn’t matter how smart I was if I couldn’t get a lunch request correct. I also wasn’t writing—not at work and not in my free time, so my self-worth seemed to get tied up in my day job.

One of the first freelance writers (a copywriter) I met in the mid-90s was my opposite in this regard. We’d taken such different paths since earning our degrees.

Madeline graduated from college and pursued her writing with fierce determination. Like me, she took temp gigs but she focused on entry-level job responsibilities that she knew she could do well—and quickly. Every extra moment she could squeeze out of her day, she’d spend it on her creative writing. She was not shy about telling supervisors of her long-term goals and found many of them to be supportive. One boss even told her that she could write on the job, just as long as she produced good work and did her job (like answering the phone when it rang).

Of course, I’ve lost touch with Madeline and I have no idea what she’s up to these days. I wish I could at least remember her last name as I’d love to know if she’s still copywriting and if she’s published anything.

Once I decided that pursuing writing professionally was important to me, it became necessary that my rent-paying work be based on my abilities with words. Landing my first “they are paying me to write” job was nearly a dream come true.

I’m not sure why it’s so important to me that the money I earn is from writing. Other writers seem just as happy doing something other than writing as their day job and funnel all of their creative energy into their personal projects. There are weeks where I can’t think about touching words again—not to blog, not to email and not to draft an essay—because I’ve already written so much copy. Then I wonder if I’d achieve my personal writing goals faster if I was a gardener (never mind my complete lack of training or skills).

Probably not. More than two years into freelance copywriting and I still have moments of “I can’t believe this is my life” happiness. Madeline told me she loved freelancing and preferred working from home to endless office gatherings to celebrate someone’s birthday/baby/anniversary with generic cake. At the time, I thought she was missing out; now I realize that she traded in the cake for the ability to manage her own schedule and pursue her own writing goals without apology. Now I’m glad I made that trade, too.

What about you? Do you work with words to pay rent? How have you chosen to balance a day-job with your writing? What kind of work did you pursue when you graduated from college? I’d love to hear your stories.

You Know You’re a Writer When, Again?

September 20, 2010 — 6 Comments

typewriter in profile. Image courtesy of stock.xchng®Did the voice in your head—the one that offers not ideas, but criticism—answer “when you’re published”? It’s easy to have that answer as your default, but it’s not required. Maybe by the end of this post, you’ll consider ditching that answer altogether.

My mother’s father was a writer and he published a novel. I still have a copy of it. Did the publishing of that book make him a writer? He’d probably tell you no. Instead he would share the story of how he self-published it in 1966 (the hardback novel retailed for $3.95) and then the publishing company he used when out of business. They shipped all the books back to him C.O.D.

He was a writer because he had to write. I don’t remember what day jobs he held, but I do remember some of the humorous prose he wrote about his wife and three daughters.

I do identify as a writer. It’s how I earn my rent money, it’s how I express myself and it’s my passion. I may have meandered for a while, trying on recruiting, management and a host of other identities, but I am a writer. It’s taken me a long time to get here. Okay, and confession: it’s still easy to doubt that sometimes when it comes to my personal projects.

Are you a writer? Does claiming that intimidate you? Are you asking, “How do I know if I’m a writer?”

Well, I have something that helped me—maybe it will do the same for you. During one of the Aspen Summer Words Literary Festival sessions, “The Long and the Short of It” with Elizabeth McCracken and Robert Bausch, an audience member asked, “What was the path that brought you to the moment of ‘I am a writer’?”

McCracken said that she did have that moment. On the first day of her MFA program, one of her instructors said to the class, “You’re all writers.” She said he made that statement because he “wanted to dismiss from us the really boring, binary question ‘Am I a writer or not?’” In paraphrasing her instructor, she said you don’t work if you’re struggling with that yes-or-no and that there are all sorts of interesting, complex questions about writing, the writing life and writing responsibility. The question of am I a writer or not is “a boring one.”

“If you have any interest in writing,” she said. “Answer the question yes, so you can move on to all the more interesting questions.”

Bausch summed it up with even fewer words. “A writer writes. As long as you’re writing, you’re a writer.”

So, my fellow writers, what are you writing on these days?

Dear Young Writers, Thanks for the Inspiration

July 14, 2010

Arriving with the refraction 2. Stock photo by mmagallan via stock.xchng®One of my favorite discoveries at Aspen Summer Words (ASW) was the workshop offered to young writers ages 14-18. I had the privilege of meeting one of the participants (I’ll call her Ms. M) at breakfast the first morning and she—along with several of my fellow workshop attendees as well as a smattering of poets and novelists—became a regular part of my mornings.

Ms. M is 15 and had just completed a novel she started when she was around 12, maybe 13. She claimed to have no social life and so she wrote all the time. Intelligent and motivated, she spoke about how much her writing has grown and, yes, improved over the years. She loved the program and clearly took it very seriously. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see her the last morning, but I had wanted to ask her what she learned, what she was working on next.

Rumor had it that one of Ms. M’s fellow young writers sold a novel during a consultation with an agent at ASW. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Ms. M sells hers.

When I was Ms. M’s age, I didn’t have much of a social life and I wrote. But I kept my scribbles and handwritten scenes hidden. It would have never occurred to me that I could spend my summer learning about the craft of writing from published authors. (Of course, it was Texas, and anything outside of sports was hard to find.) My writing pursuits in journalism were supported and encouraged. It just never occurred to my family or me that writing could lead to rent-paying work.

Although I didn’t know my maternal grandfather very well, I knew he wrote and I even performed one of his prose pieces in a speech competition. Just recently, I re-read a letter he wrote me when I was 18, sharing his writing advice. He referred to himself as an “unsuccessful, frustrated writer” and then suggested, “If you stay away from creative writing you will probably live a much less complex life. Maybe not as interesting…but certainly less tormenting.”

Of course, creative writing is what I’ve grown to love most. I couldn’t have told you that at 15, or 18 or even 25. So, when I got a message from a young writer earlier this week, I was honored that she invited me to check out her new blog, her first blog, where’s she posting her creative work. You inspire me—and, yes, that means you, Lauren.

And to those posting their prose and poetry at The Young Writer Revolt, keep it up. It amazes me that you’re so determined, focused and active with your writing. It took me until I was 30. Don’t let school or graduation or the pressure of bills and rent keep you from writing. Every time I read your work, I’ll remind myself of that very advice.

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Be My Guest: Write Your Post Here

May 24, 2010 — 1 Comment

Badge. Guest post for a.k.a writer blog. Original image courtesy of stock.xchng®While I’m focusing on a writing project in mid-June, I’d like to open this blog to you. Posts penned by guest writers will run June 18 – 28. Previous guest bloggers have included Susan Johnston of The Urban Muse and Liz Sheffield of Motherlogue, among others. Last month, I wrote a guest post for Lisa Romeo and had a wonderful experience, plus I had a chance to connect with a fellow blogger.

Why be a guest blogger?

  • You want an easy way to get your writing, opinions and/or tips in front of new people.
  • You’re curious about blogging and want to try it before starting your own.
  • You’re not interested in having a blog of your own, but you have something you want to share.
  • You’ve been commenting here for a while and want to share more with your fellow readers.
  • You see another side to a post I’ve previously published and you would like to provide a counter point.

Guidelines

  • Topic: Your post should tie to some aspect of writing and/or being an entrepreneur. Share a story or your favorite tips. Check out my Popular Posts for more topic ideas. If you’ve got a post in mind, but you’re not sure if it’s a fit, send me an email.
  • Length: 250 to 500 words. If you need more than 500 words, we can turn it into a two-part piece.
  • Bio: Tell readers about you in two or three sentences. Got a blog or website of your own? Include the link in your bio.
  • Comments: If you decide to do a guest post, be sure to watch—and respond to—the comments readers leave.

Interested?

Contact me by email [jesakalong (at) gmail.com] by Tuesday, June 1. Completed posts will be due to me by Monday, June 14.

 

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50/50 Post: The Best Writing Advice You’ve Received

May 12, 2010 — 8 Comments

Remington Typewriter. Image courtesy of stock.xchng® Since you had such memorable experiences to share regarding feedback you’ve received on your writing, I thought I’d turn the tables today. Let’s talk advice. It can be just what you need to hear. It can give you an idea to help you structure your writing or achieve a goal.

Of course, it can be completely off the mark and inappropriate. That’s not what I’m asking you to share today. What’s the writing advice that clicked for you? I’m asking you to share advice that’s helped you—and that you think your fellow writers will appreciate.

I’ll start with two items, one of which I heard recently.

  1. Put your butt in the chair and write. That essay, short story, novel, memoir is not going to get written unless you are writing. For a time, I tried carving out one day each week for writing. That was a bit unrealistic to maintain—and it was too easy to lose that day but not replace it. I’m now trying to write a certain number of words per day and email that total to a friend. This was working very well, until I overbooked myself with copywriting gigs. Still, that daily goal is there for me and I’ve already made good progress on a project because of it.
  2. Don’t let me see that chapter again. The point to this one is to keep writing. If you are hung up on perfecting one element, such as a chapter, you’ll never move on to the next. Sometimes you need to draft the whole so that you can identify the story you’re actually telling. I have a few shiny, polished chapters of a project…and a long gap where I wasn’t writing further because I was still tinkering with earlier chapters. Now I’m determined to get a full draft written so I can break out a box of red pencils and really revise.

Now it’s your turn! Like my other 50/50 posts, this is where you share your opinions and experiences. What’s the best writing advice you’ve received? Please share in the comments!

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Feedback on Your Writing: It’s Not All Created Equal

May 10, 2010 — 10 Comments

spices. Image courtesy of stock.xchng®I don’t know about you, but drafting can be hard for me. I struggle to turn off that inner editor and critic. Once I do have a draft in hand, I love the process of editing, revising, soliciting feedback and revising again. My approaches to copywriting and my own creative non-fiction writing are relatively similar, but for this post, I’m referring strictly to my writing, not writing for hire.

Feedback can be a writer’s best friend—and biggest obstacle. Thoughtful, detailed constructive criticism can push you to improve your writing and produce a piece that’s even stronger than you first imagined.

But not all feedback is created equal. How do you know when to take it or leave it? A workshop peer recently gave me the perfect example of criticism gone wrong. I loved how she handled it so much, I’m sharing it here. (FYI, the person who provided the off-the-mark edits was not in the workshop.) The reader didn’t give comments such as “this sentence is confusing” or “I’m not sure what you mean by this phrase.” Nope, the reader re-wrote took it upon herself to rewrite what she didn’t like.

For our workshop, my fellow writer used that “feedback” to re-write a section of her chapter. In contrast, she also gave us the original section, as she’d originally written it. The difference was incredible—so much so that most of the workshop participants were in stitches. By the end, we’d all lost our composure and were laughing uncontrollably.

We weren’t laughing at the person who had given the mis-directed feedback. We were guffawing because the re-written work sounded nothing like the author. Her voice had been obliterated.

So how can you make sure you’re getting feedback that’s going to help, not hinder you? There’s no guarantee, but these are a few tips that have worked for me over the years.

  • Set ground rules. Whether you trust a single reader or a larger group of people to critique your work, set a few rules so that everyone knows what to expect. Rules can include keeping the feedback focused on structure, characters and plot or agreeing that readers can ask questions but not re-write sentences or paragraphs. The point is to make sure everyone agrees up front.
  • Check your ego. This goes for writers and readers.
    • Readers: when you’re critiquing a piece, make sure that you’re focused on helping the writer. If you don’t like a sentence because that’s not how you would write it, is that really going to help the author? Voice and style are part of what makes each of us distinct.
    • Writers: receiving feedback can be hard. Sometimes it stings when something you poured yourself into isn’t received the way you thought it would be. If you struggle with a piece of criticism, set it aside for a few days. When you go back to it, you may find you now agree with it—or not. Either way, it’s your decision.
  • Trust your gut. The example I gave you earlier of the reader re-writing instead of offering constructive criticism was easy to laugh off. It won’t always be that easy. I was very lucky to have a classmate once who gave me amazing critical input. Some days I dreaded it and others I was eager to read his comments. It was my gut that knew he was right, even if I sometimes wished he wasn’t. On the flip side, if someone always tells you that you’re great and doesn’t ask any questions or provide meaningful notes, is that person really the best reviewer to have?

To quote literary agent Betsy Lerner, “I never care if a writer takes my notes so much as uses them.”

What about you? How do you managing giving and receiving feedback? Do you have tips that work for you and your feedback groups? Please share!

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