The Complete Comedy Writer, by Dave Cohen
chortle.co.uk – Saturday December 29, 2018
Dave Cohen’s book about comedy writing doesn’t have any of the answers. But it does have a lot of questions – and that is probably more useful to an aspiring scribe trying to figure out what’s wrong with their script or in need of a bit of inspiration.
For anyone putting ‘become a sitcom writer’ on their list of new year resolutions, there are plenty of pointers here to focus the mind: from considering the underpinning meaning of what the show’s actually about to figuring out the personality flaws of the central character which means they won’t get what they think they want - let alone what they really want.
Happy Verbs
By G. Miki Hayden
Instructor at Writer's Digest University online and private writing coach
firstwriter.com – Thursday December 27, 2018
Well, I don’t think the verbs are actually happy. I only said that to attract your attention. But verbs do have moods. And I used the word “moods” to draw your attention, too. But it’s true that verbs have moods, though we also call them modes.
15 Books On Writing To Help You Get More Words Down In The New Year
bustle.com – Saturday December 22, 2018
If your New Year's resolution involves being a more productive writer, you're going to want to take notes. I've got 15 books to help you write more in the new year, and they're sure to help any kind of writer make good art in the next 12 months.
Writing more isn't one of the most common New Year's resolutions overall, but it does go hand-in-hand with reading more, which 18 percent of people wanted to do in 2018. Depending on your purposes for writing, your New Year's resolution might fit into the categories of "focus on self-care," "learn a new skill," "get a new job," or "take up a new hobby," which 13 to 24 percent of individuals wanted out of their 2018 vows.
The 15 books on the list below are an eclectic blend of writing reference guides, self-help titles, and creative journals, which means you'll have no trouble finding something that will help you write more in the new year. Regardless of the kind of support your writing habit needs, there's a book on this list that will help you fulfill your New Year's resolution in the coming months. So get reading — and more importantly, get writing.
Don’t fret, aspiring writers: You’re more qualified than you think
pe.com – Monday December 17, 2018
“How do I become a writer?” Authors hear it often. This question bubbles up in workshops and literary Q&A’s. Ironically, the folks asking are often already writing poems, essays, screenplays, or novels but somehow doubt that the work is “real” yet, pending the verdict of some external authority.
When I’m asked, the boring answer I give (similar if not identical to an answer offered by most writers I have known and read) is to read a lot and write a lot, then repeat the process over and over. This un-glamorous response either disappoints or quietly thrills. I watch the expression of the person if we are talking face-to-face. She may give a curious nod, as if to humor me. Often there is an insistent followup: “Well, sure,” one might go on, “but how do I publish my book/poetry collection/this article/this short story?”
Ah. That’s a different question. Strategies for getting published shift constantly in the evolving field of publication. But one cannot publish at all without writing first. So back to the first premise we go.
How to write your own auto-fiction book
harpersbazaar.com – Monday December 17, 2018
Everyone likes to think they've got a book in them (and, in many cases, that's notwhere it should stay), but the practical act of writing one is another story. Often, you might have had some experience which has made you want to put pen to paper, but perhaps you don't fancy a tell-all memoir that everyone you know will read. Enter auto-fiction, the not-so-new style of writing gaining serious traction in literary circles.
Paragraphing—Yes, You Heard Me
By G. Miki Hayden
Instructor at Writer's Digest University online and private writing coach
firstwriter.com – Wednesday December 12, 2018
I wouldn’t think paragraphing could be a mysterious business, but apparently so.
I wish I had an electronic rubber stamp that said, “Break your paragraphs”, because writers need to do exactly that. My students, in particular, need to do just that.
Robin Robertson: 'Writing poetry has very little to do with the intellect'
theguardian.com – Saturday December 8, 2018
Robin Robertson is an acclaimed poet who has won all three of the Forward poetry prizes. His latest work, The Long Take, a narrative poem, is set in the years immediately after the second world war. The story unfolds in New York, San Francisco and, most importantly, Los Angeles, and follows Walker, a traumatised D-day veteran from Nova Scotia, as he tries to piece his life together just as the American dream is beginning to fray at its edges. It was shortlisted for the Booker prize and, last month, won the Goldsmiths prize for fiction, awarded to works that “open up new possibilities for the novel form”. Robertson also works as an editor at Jonathan Cape, where he publishes, among many others, Michael Ondaatje, Alice Oswald and Adam Thorpe.
Writing Short Fiction, Then and Now
dagblog.com – Thursday December 6, 2018
I used to write short stories. Then, for many reasons, I stopped writing fiction. Today I had my first story published in more than twenty years. (It will be posted on the web in two weeks, and I will link to it then. If you can't wait, the issue's for sale here.) More stories may be along; we'll see. If it takes another twenty-one years, I'll have something to look forward to in 2039.
It's a little strange returning to an art form after two decades away. One of the things it means is that in my old stories, no one has e-mail. Most people didn't. Or cell phones. Any temptation to dredge up old pieces is held at bay by the fact that they've become historical fiction.
So what else has changed?
Nine things not to do if you want to write/paint/create
smh.com.au – Sunday December 2, 2018
A decade ago this week the Sydney Opera House architect Jorn Utzon died. I was on the other side of the world when this happened, living in San Francisco driving across the Golden Gate Bridge when his obituary was read out on the BBC World Service. Listening to this Dane’s extraordinary story about the building he dreamt up but never saw complete, I knew this most Sydney of stories would make a great book. By the next month I had pitched the idea to a publisher and spent the best part of the next decade wrestling to find the time to research and write it.
A lot happened in my personal life over those 10 years. But I also spent a lot of time procrastinating. So I dreamt up some tips, from my own hard-wrought experience about what NOT to do if you want to write a book, or indeed undertake any creative endeavour. If the fire burns in your belly for such an undertaking (which is a core ingredient to success) you might find them helpful.
Why I stopped writing
palatinate.org.uk – Wednesday November 28, 2018
What does it mean to write black?
It means that the style of writing, storyline, the whole plot, characters, the book should be based on the only supposedly important aspect of your life, which is your race. The outcome of this is that many upcoming black novelists find it hard to come forward with their own pieces. Unique writings which do not particularly sit well with what a black book is understood to be, and which eventually causes a lack of uniqueness in writing style and diversity in storylines and plots. Battling the preconceived conception of your non-existent novel is one of the many problems that black authors face in the literary industry.
‘It is true that black authors are expected to write what they know- and apparently, in our case, that is ghettos, slavery and racism. You want to write romance, crime, blockbusters or sci-fi? Sorry, people, that’s not your thing’- Dreda Say Mitchell.
Get the free newsletter | Submit a news item or article | Get Writers' News for your website
