Workshop Wednesday (004): Don’t Take the Good for Granted
“Every summer Lin Kong returned to Goose Village to divorce his wife, Shuyu.”
Waiting by Ha Jin
So what exactly is Workshop Wednesday? Well, it’s going to be an ongoing discussion of ways to read and critique (and hopefully improve) writing. Basically, I’m going to be drawing on my experiences in writing workshops through undergraduate and graduate studies and sharing them with you all. These posts are for everyone, whether you’re wondering how you can give good feedback to a writer friend, or whether you’re a writer yourself and want to find new ways to look at your writing. Hopefully these discussions will be helpful. And hopefully seeing a compelling first line in each post will inspire you to write your own, or to read the rest of that story!
Welcome back to Workshop Wednesday! I know it’s been a while, but hopefully I’ll be able to make up for it now that I’m officially on Winter Break. 
All right, last week I started talking about the actual process of giving feedback. I know it was pretty condensed, but I’m definitely going to be delving further into all of my tips, and many more I did not list. This week, though, I’d like to focus one overlooked but very important related point: Constructive criticism will always help a writer, but don’t forget to let the writer know what is actually working in the piece.
Not only is hearing positive feedback important for preserving the writer’s sense of self-worth (we’re a sensitive people), but it helps the writer to figure out his or her strengths. It is through these strengths that a writer can try to solve some of the problems that the critic is pointing out. For instance, I noticed a trend among a few of my fellow writers in their ability to give vivid, specific physical descriptions, but then this specificity of detail does not show up in portraying characters’ emotions. I will often write in my comments that these writers should use their strengths to their advantage and use this eye for detail to address other aspects of the story.
Sometimes good feedback simply helps a writer to know what to preserve in edits and revisions, or to know what they’re doing right in their writing. If a writer knows that she does a good job of portraying a certain character as a full-fledged, well-rounded human being, then she might be inspired to give this character more page space as a way of keeping her audience compelled to read.
Of course, even things you like may need to be cut from a manuscript. This may be hard to tell a writer, but if a narrative description is bogging down the story, don’t be afraid to give your writer the positive feedback, then advise her to make the good part even more concise.
Conversely, if you enjoy a particular passage examining the protagonist’s emotions, but it’s only two lines long, encourage your writer to write more. Don’t feel restricted by what’s on the page. Imagine what your writer can do if she pushes her narrative eye just a little deeper under the surface. Don’t be afraid of encouraging overwriting–there’s always the possibility of cutting later.
And that’s a brief discussion of positive feedback. Don’t forget to point out positives! Actually, if you’re like me when I was just entering the world of workshops, positives will probably be the bulk of your critique. Don’t let this discourage you! It took me years, literally, to learn how to give helpful critiques. And I’m still not as good at it as some of my illustrious classmates. 
Hope this helps!
Graduate School Post: Solidarity
Hey all!
Thought it was time for some actual content! LOL. Don’t worry, no more giveaways… this week.
I’m writing because I promised in my blog description that I’d post about graduate school, and you know what? I don’t think I’ve done that yet. Not a dedicated post, anyway. I’ve been inspired recently to sit down and write about this wonderful thing called solidarity. Why? Because I think it’s awesome.
Last year I had a class team-taught by the illustrious Susan Straight and the hilarious Chuck Evered. Susan gave us a lot of different blurbs of advice during the course of the ten weeks, but one particular adage to live by was this: “Find your Holly.” By “Holly” she meant someone who you have a good writing relationship with, who reads your writing and gives you feedback on it, and for whom you do the same. I actually had a couple of Hollys before I started grad school, but by a slow process, I’ve found not only lifelong grad school friends, but also a grad school Holly.
Yes! I am in a Creative Writing MFA program and there is another student who writes and reads YA fantasy! You have no idea how lucky we are to have found each other. This wouldn’t happen at every MFA program, let me tell you.
My Holly and I have only just begun working together, but I think it’s going to be a very good partnership of reading and commenting on each others’ work. We already get along pretty well, and my new Holly has helped me immensely. I cannot even tell you guys how much she’s helped me. I would be in dire straights if it were not for her. I only hope I can be as helpful in return.
So there’s one example of solidarity. Another example would be my nonfiction friend who has given me great comments on a piece of writing I am hoping to get published. He doesn’t have to give helpful comments, but he does. Why? Because he is coming from the same place of wanting to get published, and needing that extra eye to help with that goal.
So this solidarity thing… I think is pretty important. If you’re in any sort of cohort, whether it be graduate school or undergrad, or even have friends who are interested in the same activities as you–it pays to get to know and be active with the people around you. You never know what kind of friendships might bloom, or what kind of opportunities might come up just because you know a person who knows a person, or at least has talked to a person who can make things happen.
I think this is especially relevant in creative industries. You never know when someone who knows your writing will meet up with someone else who is looking for just that kind of story. Unsolicited recommendations are huge. I won’t say much, but there is someone in our cohort who already has an agent. All because another writer took an interest in her story.
And I’m not going to ignore my library peeps. Let me say, I’ve had a lot of opportunities opened to me because I’m so tight with my coworkers.
Bottom line: It can never hurt to be active in the community you want to join.
Go solidarity!
Beg, Borrow, and Steal (014)
Hi everyone, welcome to this week’s Beg, Borrow, & Steal!
These posts are my take on the In My Mailbox meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren. Just a way to showcase the books in my life, because not all of them will be reviewed. 
This week’s batch is small, but I’m VERY excited about it. Let’s see why…
Begged
Books I absolutely had to buy.
Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor
SIGNED!
Went to a reading event tonight where Laini was so gracious to sign two copies!
That’s right, I’m saving one for you guys! Thanks Barnes & Noble in HB for hosting!
I read a few chapters while I was waiting for the reading to start, and this book is so good!
Really, really happy I found out about it at the last minute via Twitter and managed to go!
Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor
When I saw that this was a National Book Award Finalist, I had to have it.
Added bonus when I was going to get books signed anyway!
Can’t wait to dig into this one!
Borrowed
Book borrowed from the library.
Help for Writers by Roy Peter Clark
My coworker saw this book and gave it to me for perusal.
It’s a great aid for helping writers get their lives together so they can focus on writing.
Steals
Free swag from an event.
The Barnes and Noble people at tonight’s Laini Taylor reading were handing out masks…
So I grabbed one! I love how it matches the cover, and it’s pretty good quality.
They gave me the tattoos when I went to get the book signed.
I love literary swag!
Well, that’s it for this week!
Thanks for stopping by!
Feel free to stick around to enter my Spooktacular Giveaway
and my 200 Subscriber Giveaway,
and read my review of Bridger by Megan Curd and enter to win an ebook copy.
And be on the lookout for yet one more Halloween giveaway!
Writing Post: Love Notes
Does anyone else love taking notes? I totally love taking notes. Even though it can be difficult and sometimes I resist, taking notes can sometimes make a project that much easier.
I think I’ve touched on this previously. I love to take notes when I get random inspirations. If I am in a situation where I can’t take notes, I do my best to keep the inspiration–be it a scene or a line of questioning–alive at least in my head. That can be hard at times, but I think I’ve had enough practice over the years to put me at a point where my brain takes notes for me. Sometimes I can recall scenes I imagined and then I’m able to add onto them throughout the time that I am out and about so that when I finally am able to sit down at the computer, I simply need to type in everything I know about the scene.
Whether you have the same ability or not, or even if you’re gifted and never have to take notes period, I still advocate taking notes. Over time the ability to recall inspirations fades, at least for me. And if I have to take a break from a project, it helps so much to have my ideas written out so I can go back to the project with goals and thoughts I’ve already laid out. The visual element helps a lot, I find. Sort of the way scene cards are helpful for screenwriters.
Sometimes I take notes of facts or exact lines. If one is a writer, one knows there a million ways to say one thing, and that each of those million ways has its own unique beauty and meaning. Getting the words right from a line of dialogue, for example, may be crucial. I recall once when I was on the bus and I overheard a man say, “Just because I’m small don’t mean I’m weak!” Beautiful line that I hope to use someday. I could remember it as “Just because I’m small doesn’t mean I’m weak.” But the urgency of the second rendition is diminished. Some of the character is gone.
I used to take notes on the back of my hand. There were some days when even my wrist would bear some of the burden, but I transitioned to my college notebooks (professors give the best random, fun facts) and now I use the computer more often than not. Hand oil is hard on pens!
So that’s my bit of writing thoughts today. Notes are important and I love them. I think all writers should have a system set up for taking notes. The system can be as complicated as always having a notebook and a pen. I use the back of my planner and a pen. To each his own.
Toaster Tuesday (003)
Baaaaarely squeaking in on Tuesday here, but I made it! You can’t say I didn’t, haha! Okay, so this here is Toaster Tuesday if you’re new to the blog…
Toaster Tuesday is a series of posts about e-readers, specifically my experiences as a new Nook owner. The concept was partially inspired by a show called Battlestar Galactica. Basically the antagonists in the story are the Cylons, who are robots. The humans like to call them Toasters. I figured since there is a dichotomy between organic and electronic in the book world as well, I’d play with the idea and (affectionately) refer to my Nook as a Toaster. (Her real name is Ariadne, though, thank you very much.)
That’s me hanging with Edgar Allan Poe in Barnes & Noble. Ariadne’s mother ship!
Okay, last week I let Mr. Brick and Miss Mortar win the argument. But this week I’m going to talk about a reason why my Nook and other e-readers are made of win.
So, you’re (or, more likely I am) sitting waiting for a doctor’s appointment, or you’re out hanging at your favorite library, or maybe just chowing down at In-n-Out or wherever. (Mm… In-n-Out…) And you have your Nook with you. Well, what if you’re not in the mood to read the historical suspense thriller you were reading last night? Or what if you really want to check out that other book you bought on a whim because it was only 99 hot cents? (Okay, we’re really just talking about me now, aren’t we?)
No problemo! It’s right there on your Nook, waiting to be read! All of the ebooks you’ve purchased and downloaded to your device are available for your perusal as long as your battery’s charged. If you’ve already downloaded it, no wi-fi connection necessary!
Or maybe you’re writer like I am. Ever wanted to be able to carry your works-in-progress with you without having to deal with shuffling pages, the threat of paper cuts, or somehow losing that goldmine of ideas? Well, just convert your files to the correct format and you can read your own work on the device just as if it were any other ebook. You can even still highlight passages and make bookmarks and leave comments attached to the file on the device!
Total truth: I do have my own work stored on my ereader. For just one of my personal files, that’s over 200 pages of my writing in a nice, compact package in case I need a refresher on what I wrote previously. Heck, I even have my friend’s work stored on my ereader because my life has been so hectic these days, I want to be able to pull it up when I find a few seconds to spare.
It’s really easy to arrange, too. The Nook does read PDF files, but I find using the cool program called calibre helps with formatting a Nook-compatible epub file so that the text doesn’t get all wonky when I try to change font sizes. I even chose my own cover images for my works, because I am dorky like that. 
So that’s another reason I fell and fell hard for the Nook. It’s just so.. convenient. It will never take the place of a physical book in my hands, but it’s pretty darn handy, gotta say.
Writing Post: Timing (Can Be Everything)
All right, short writing post tonight about the nature of timing. This one’s really quick and simple, so there won’t be as much ruminating as usual.
Telling a linear story is great. Stories are quite often told linearly, but there of course are many exceptions. Linear plotting makes events easy to follow, which is nice. But here’s one piece of advice from Ron Carlson, who is an amazing writing teacher. Say you’re writing a short story with events numbering 1, 2, and 3, which happen in the world in that order. That’s fine for your own knowledge. But in the work itself, one may make the story more interesting if one tweaks the order so that 2 comes first, then 1, then 3. For even more fun times, one could mix it up even more.
This advice doesn’t mean that story must be a bunch of mixed up events. Many stories employ this method while still telling a linear story. Consider this an extension of the writing advice to start “in medias res” or in the middle of the action. The action would be event #2, where things are happening, and #1 will come up later to illuminate the world and the characters. Maybe as flashbacks or in dialogue, or what have you.
To study this concept, consider any number of books. There’s the classic, The Iliad by Homer. The first line tells us that Achilles is angry, at a pivotal point in the Trojan war. We don’t see the Greeks rallying together and sailing to Troy, which linearly would be event #1. The story is better for it.
Another example is Beloved by Toni Morrison, which is an amazing feat of plotting and timing. The opening chapter starts at an important point in the main characters’ story, with an arrival, and later there are many flashbacks that tell us the complicated, heart-breaking past that surround and will affect this arrival. Misfit by Jon Skovron starts in a “present” and brings up the past in alternating chapters, which I loved.
So that is the advice I pass on tonight. It doesn’t have to be a huge shift to start further in the story–you can always provide the same information later if it is that important–and not all stories will work with it. But it might help get a reader’s attention, at the very least.
Flashback Review: The Alienist by Caleb Carr
Well, I’m sure we’re all tired of seeing giveaway posts… (Are… are those crickets I hear?) I’ve decided to start a new feature on the blog, which you can see is called “Flashback Review.” Basically, I’m going to give brief reviews of (more memorable) books I read before I started the blog. These reviews are going to be different because the books aren’t as fresh in my memory (we’re talking from last year to as long as a decade ago… maybe even further back). I’ve decided to do this because there are a lot of books out there just waiting to be read, and I think they deserve hype once in a while, too. Consider these glorified book recommendations, of a sort. I’ll do my best to recall the reading experience, but you’ll have to bear with me.
First up is a favorite book. Not just because I plowed through all 600 pages (I had the mass market paperback) in one weekend, but because it really helped shape me as a writer. Here goes…
The Alienist by Caleb Carr
Blurb from Goodreads:
The year is 1896, the place, New York City. On a cold March night New York Times reporter John Schuyler Moore is summoned to the East River by his friend and former Harvard classmate Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, a psychologist, or “alienist.” On the unfinished Williamsburg Bridge, they view the horribly mutilated body of an adolescent boy, a prostitute from one of Manhattan’s infamous brothels.
The newly appointed police commissioner, Theodore Roosevelt, in a highly unorthodox move, enlists the two men in the murder investigation, counting on the reserved Kreizler’s intellect and Moore’s knowledge of New York’s vast criminal underworld. They are joined by Sara Howard, a brave and determined woman who works as a secretary in the police department. Laboring in secret (for alienists, and the emerging discipline of psychology, are viewed by the public with skepticism at best), the unlikely team embarks on what is a revolutionary effort in criminology– amassing a psychological profile of the man they’re looking for based on the details of his crimes. Their dangerous quest takes them into the tortured past and twisted mind of a murderer who has killed before, and will kill again before the hunt is over.
Fast-paced and gripping, infused with a historian’s exactitude, The Alienist conjures up the Gilded Age and its untarnished underside: verminous tenements and opulent mansions, corrupt cops and flamboyant gangsters, shining opera houses and seamy gin mills. Here is a New York during an age when questioning society’s belief that all killers are born, not made, could have unexpected and mortal consequences.
My thoughts:
Okay now I’m kind of embarrassed because my thoughts are gonna be waaaay shorter…
I think I own two copies of this book. One is the mass market paperback I bought when I was in high school, on a friend’s recommendation. The other is a hardcover I bought years later at a library’s used book sale because I wanted a “nice” version of the book. I don’t usually go around buying two versions of a book, so that’s one sign that it’s pretty darn good.
This book is one of The Books for me. I loved it from the moment I finished the first chapter. John Schuyler Moore’s voice as a narrator is so strong and distinct and alive that this was actually the first time I really, truly noticed Voice in writing. It was by emulating this voice that I learned how to create characters from the mere detail of what a character sounds like. (It’s probably thanks to this book that most of my stories and novels are in first person.) Not only is this good writing, but the voice is totally appropriate for the story it tells. The lush worldbuilding, especially of the seamy underbelly of New York, really put me at a time when yes, people talked like that and people probably did those things.
The characters are really cool, too. For some reason, I remember the side characters more strongly than Dr. Kriezler, which is actually a testament to Carr’s characterization. Sara Howard is a cool cat in more ways than one. There’s Stevie, a badass street urchin under Kriezler’s wing, who actually gets to tell his own story in the sequel. And, of course, there’s good ol’ Teddy Roosevelt. Come on! Teddy Roosevelt is in this book! And I love every page he’s on, even if he’s not on many of them.
The story itself is pretty dark. Like, really dark. I was pretty immune to it because that’s the way I am, but for those with weak stomachs or delicate sensibilities, even if you love mysteries or historical books or really good writing… this may not be the book for you. It is about the dark psychology behind really gruesome murders, and Carr does not hold back on the gritty, gory details. Don’t worry too much about the actual psychology, though, I don’t remember getting bogged down in science. (It wasn’t too much of a science back then, so…) There are heartbreaking revelations and twists, too.
I don’t remember much about the weekend I sat down to read this book maybe ten years ago. I just remember that reading this book was pretty much all I did during those two days. (You all know how slow I am!) I was a totally different person when I finished it. I got a step closer to being a Writer after I closed the covers. I couldn’t ask for anything better from a book.
Holding back: there is power in restraint.
It’s been some time since I’ve written about writing (got distracted by giveaways and wanting to have and read ALL THE THINGS), so I thought I’d give it a (brief) go tonight. I’m just going with the flow of my thoughts here, so pardon me if the path of this post seems to be winding.
I wanted to start by talking a bit about my piece, “Stay.” I haven’t really written creative nonfiction since I first decided that I was a writer of some sort. I don’t know if I’ll ever write anymore CNF, though I have been encouraged to. This story was borne simply of inspiration. The day “Stay” happened, at that moment in the ending, I had an odd sensation of observing the event as if it was not happening to me. As I was going all meta on myself, I remember thinking that the climax of this little episode in my life felt very… narrative, for lack of a better word. (I think it may have been the irony of the exchange I had with my mom.) It wasn’t a life-changing revelation; it was simply a chapter of my life with my mother. So I sat down and pounded out my feelings into a word doc. And the first draft was done.
I edited “Stay” a bit, adding details here, and editing out unnecessary information there. One thing that has surprised me and my friends who’ve read it is that it’s so… short. If there’s one thing I have problems with, it’s writing short stories. Sure, I can stop at page 20, but to have only gone on for three pages? That was like a miracle. And the piece felt fine at three pages. I didn’t feel like I needed to pad it.
I guess the point I’d like to discuss is restraint. The things I had to keep from leaking out onto the story and ruining it were details that fleshed out my life with my mother. There is so much that didn’t make it into “Stay” that is part of the whole larger story, so many other stories behind the few sparse details I did give. But, this was about one day, one incident, and I had a theme to stick by. There was a point when I realized that even a five-word sentence was too much, that it painted a stroke in the picture of a color I did not want others to see. So I held back, and I am glad that I did. I can probably use that sentence to write another piece, if I so desire.
Fiction or not, I think it’s fine–no, I would even encourage–that everything be on the page in that rough or first draft. But there comes a time when one has to choose between what serves the mission of the story and what hinders it. It’s similar to what happens wth deleted scenes in movies. Sometimes there just isn’t room in the story that’s being told for everything to get in there. If one writes poetry, one must take into account in the editing process that the words serve several purposes, some of which include meaning, sound, and visual space. Even poems have the potential to evolve drastically over time.
Supporting the whole of any writing form should be a main priority. I think there should be as few instances of details or images or scenes calling attention to themselves going “ME! ME! ME!” as possible. I’m not saying that writing should be mundane or that it must be subtle–rather, I think the ability to hold back in the right places makes writing feel tight and purposeful and much more powerful when the punches do get thrown.
In a couple of workshops or critiques (I can’t remember clearly) last year there was discussed the notion that good writing involves some type of risk. I think narrative restraint is an exercise in the ability to channel one’s strength into one or a few focused risks rather than many.
Hm, this was not what I originally sat down to write. I like my metaphors, though. I hope this was helpful!
Workshop Wednesday (005): The Line
December 14, 2011 at 11:22 PM (Workshop Wednesday, Writing) (constructive comments, feedback, workshop, Workshop Wednesday, writing)
“He woke, and remembered dying.”
The Stone Canal by Ken MacLeod
So what exactly is Workshop Wednesday? Well, it’s going to be an ongoing discussion of ways to read and critique (and hopefully improve) writing. Basically, I’m going to be drawing on my experiences in writing workshops through undergraduate and graduate studies and sharing them with you all. These posts are for everyone, whether you’re wondering how you can give good feedback to a writer friend, or whether you’re a writer yourself and want to find new ways to look at your writing. Hopefully these discussions will be helpful. And hopefully seeing a compelling first line in each post will inspire you to write your own, or to read the rest of that story!
Hey everyone! This week I’d like to delve into one aspect of what makes a workshop helpful for a writer. Let’s say you’ve read, and made notes, and have constructive comments all planned out in your head. Maybe you’re worried about your comments being enough. I know I had tons of trouble for a long time coming up with enough substantial comments to not sound like an idiot in workshop. (Though I know now, finally, that you have to throw that fear out of the window. Because all comments matter.) But is there such a thing as saying too much?
Honestly, I can’t answer that question. It will depend on the writer how much feedback is helpful. I’m sure there are lots of writers out there who prefer to have a more condensed, concise list of revisions to be made. I’m sure there are just as many writers out there who want critiques that dig down to the very nuts and bolts of the writing. I, as usual, am somewhere in the middle. I prefer to take notes on everything that is said in workshop, then let my writing and the notes sit, and let the possible changes emerge as I have these comments simmering in the back of my mind. Usually I try to think of solutions that solve more than one problem at a time. (Good writing will do more than one thing at a time.) Then I look at my list, and see what changes I’m willing (and can) make, and go from there.
I will say, however, that personally I think there is a line that you have to maintain in giving a critique. I think I’ve touched on this in the past, but I’ll put it into focus: don’t write for your writer. I’m very fortunate that I have wonderful friends and fellow writers who respect my ideas and my writing, and never try to walk all over my work. I’m not saying that you will do this, but it is something to be conscious of going into the process. Giving a critique isn’t about how you personally would write a scene word for word. It’s about how you can make what’s on the page better. Sure, sometimes this means you have to scrap the page. Sometimes it means pushing your writer so that she looks deeper into the character in question, the setting in question, even the minor details in question. How can your writer do justice to the work she has already done?
For example, let’s say there’s a scene between a couple at a cafe on Valentine’s Day. They meet, they kiss, and they have coffee. Maybe they have a fight. Maybe you think the scene would be much more exciting if the characters shouted at each other more, or threw things at each other more because you think the fight isn’t angry enough. This could very well be a valid point–but are these the types of characters who would be that angry at this point in the story? Maybe their anger is meant to build more over time. Maybe they’re the kind of characters who are scary quiet when they’re pissed. Maybe this is a humor piece and there needs to be a light-hearted overtone. There are a lot of factors to consider when you give a criticism. Don’t think in terms of Fight Scene, think in terms of This Story in particular and how this fight scene matters. Remember when I said you should be able to back up your claim? You have to be able to find evidence in the story for your evaluations. The story will speak for itself, and for the writer, if you let it.
On the flip side, maybe the whole story isn’t angry enough for a couple who hate each other and are trapped with each other. Then this is a specific kind of story, isn’t it? Then it’s up to you to help the writer figure out if she wants this to be an understated story or if this a story that needs to be more out there and in the reader’s face. You have the vantage point, and can help so much by making these story-centric comments. All because you noticed that something felt off about that fight scene.
I hope this is helpful! Remember, thinking as a writer is good, but you must also be able to think like a reader if you’re participating in the revision process. Because the reader is who we’re all writing for.
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