Work in Progress: Tips for a Colony Visit

I’m thinking ahead to my March visit to Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (VCCA) and decided to share my advice for people who might be attending a residency and don’t know what to expect. All this is subjective, of course—what works for me might not work for you; and I’m coming from a fiction writing perspective—and I must also admit that I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to drive to every residency I’ve been on, which means, “if in doubt, throw it in the car.” Airplanes are less forgiving.

1. Bring something specific to work on. It doesn’t mean that you have to work on this while you’re there, but just as there’s something both exhilarating and terrifying about the blank screen, so too at the colony. Having something ready to go will help ease you in to your work.

2. Bring several types of specific work: a new idea, something half-finished, something to revise. It’s hard to predict how this interesting new environment may inspire you, so have several options. Surprisingly, I’ve found that I prefer generating new, rough material at a colony, though revising is typically my favorite part of the process. Even so, at a certain point, I start to feel tapped out and need a switch—that’s when the revising starts. And I tend to bring far more than I could ever possibly accomplish, just to ensure that I have a choice of what to work on.

3. I like to have an achievable—though rigorous—goal in mind, though others may not feel this way. Often it’s a daily page goal, especially if I’m writing new stuff. I can think in terms of 10 pages per day whereas I can’t quite get on board with something more vague like “finish novel.”

4. Be open to going where the muse may take you, even if it takes you into post-lunch naps, even if you’re not working on anything you brought, and even if your achievable goal has been shot to hell. Be good to your creative self—you’re not at boot camp!

5. Research counts! Bring those books that relate to your project—even if only tangentially—and bring some books on writing and craft. Bring all the scraps of scribbled notes about your novel. I often start the residency by reading through all of those and pulling some aside to ponder.

6. In fact, bring a variety of books, too. There are usually a bunch of books around most colonies, and it’s probably fun to let serendipity take over and read something unexpected that you come across, but I’ve never done that. I typically bring some poetry, some meaty book/s I’ve been wanting to read, a short story writer I’d like to study, and some lighter books for reading at night. (No, I don’t read them all!)

7. Bring some copies of your own books/stories in case you’d like to trade work with another writer, or give/lend/sell a copy to people you meet. You might think about bringing something to read publicly, as most colonies offer those sorts of opportunities.

8. Bring a pillow and a blanket. There will never be enough pillows—or the right kind—and somewhere, even in summer, you will be cold. It’s helpful if you have the kind of garish pillowcase that the housekeeping folks will not mistake as the colony’s and take to wash with the bed linen.

9. Bring a big fluffy towel. I have to confess that I would find a way to squeeze this in even if I were flying. I just can’t stand a single, skimpy towel after a shower. (I believe Chekhov shared this same quirk.)

10. I like office supplies, so I must have several fun or pretty pads for scribbling ideas and my favorite pens. I bring some pictures and desk talismans (stretchy horses anyone?) for inspiration, comfort, and distraction.

11. Flash drives will mean you can obsessively back up your work every night in several places. I don’t bring a printer, and plan my work accordingly. Usually someone has a printer—or there’s access to one—that you could use in a pinch, but if you need a lot of printed pages regularly, you probably should bring your own printer.

12. I know there’s food—and there are grocery stores—but I still bring along some snacks (that I keep in plastic bins, just in case there might be bugs or worse hanging around). Once I get going in my mode, going to the grocery store feels disruptive to the flow of my days. By “food,” I also mean “wine,” and by “snacks,” I also mean “scotch.”

13. A power strip and a small desk lamp are also helpful. Probably they’ll be provided, and adequate, but I’ve used each of these items on a number of occasions.

14. I’m sure there are more great ideas out there. Let me know what should be added to this list.

Writing Rules, and Writing RULES!

I love lists, and I love lists of writing “rules.” Taken with a grain of salt—(as one of my teachers used to say, “The only rule in writing is to be interesting”)—such pithy advice can offer guidance, open your mind, and sometimes speak exactly to a problem of the moment.

Here’s a great two-piece article in which Elmore Leonard offers his ten rules for writing, followed by more writers riffing on that list, adding their suggestions.

Just a quick sample of the range of advice:

Roddy Doyle: “Do not place a photograph of your favorite author on your desk, especially if the author is one of the famous ones who committed suicide.”

Anne Enright: “Only bad writers think that their work is really good.”

Richard Ford: “Try to think of others’ good luck as encouragement to yourself.”

(Thanks to Perpetual Folly for the link. And if these types of proscriptive lists make you crabby, you’ll be interested in the discussion over at The Elegant Variation.)

Dzanc Books Sponsors DC Workshop Hosted by Barrelhouse

From Dzanc Books:

“Dzanc Books, the award-winning publishing house, is pleased to announce our latest project: DZANC DAY. Dzanc's new effort to expand our mission and bring the creative world to a national audience, DZANC DAY, takes its cue from the popularity of our Dzanc Creative Writing Sessions. On March 20, 2010, Dzanc will run over 30 creative writing workshops in 25 cities across the country. These workshops will be held in cities from Portland, OR to Orlando, FL, from New Haven, CT to Los Angeles, CA and points between.

“All monies raised from DZANC DAY will go toward supporting Dzanc's charitable programs which, in part, bring creative writing programs to students who could not otherwise afford the opportunity. Fantastic authors from across the country have volunteered their time, experience, and expertise to run these individual workshops.”

Here’s what’s going on in Washington, DC:

March 20, 2010
Location: Wonderland Ballroom, 2nd Floor
Instructors: Dan Brady, Dave Housley, Mike Ingram, Reb Livingston, Laura Ellen Scott
Time: 01:00pm-05:00

Barrelhouse will host an afternoon of craft lectures, readings, and workshop opportunities in Washington, DC. Focusing on elements of poetry, prose, and the new forms emerging from their overlap, this event will give hands-on feedback and insightful instruction to established and aspiring writers, all with Barrelhouse's patented pop culture sensibility and sense of humor.

Participants include Barrelhouse editors Dan Brady, Dave Housley, and Mike Ingram, as well as flash fiction writer Laura Ellen Scott and poet and publisher Reb Livingston. Each participant will receive a free copy of Barrelhouse.

Registration information is here.

And you can go here to see a list of other cities where workshops will be held.

Mark Your Calendar: Laurie Strongin to Read on 3/7

Here’s your chance to meet Laurie Strongin, author of last week’s Guest in Progress piece*, when she reads from new book Saving Henry:

Politics & Prose
Sunday, March 7, 2010
5:00pm

Strongin’s powerful account of her son’s rare, usually fatal heart disease is a moving story of a family’s struggle to save a life and a strong argument for stem cell research. Strongin is the founder and executive director of the Hope for Henry foundation and a regular panelist on Clear Channel’s Sunday radio program "Women Talk."


Politics & Prose
5015 Connecticut Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20008
Directions to the store
202-364-1919 • 800-722-0790
books@politics-prose.com

*If you didn’t read Laurie’s piece about her struggles with the publishing industry, you should check it out! I found it very inspiring.

My Writer's Center Class: Beginnings

There are still some spaces available in the second of my two winter classes at The Writer’s Center:

March 4: The First Pages: What Makes a Good Beginning?
Most writers know that they have to “hook” their reader from the start of the story or novel, but how exactly do we do this? What, in other words, are the elements that make a great beginning to a story or novel? You’ll find out in this workshop, as we explore ways to strengthen your opening pages. Everyone is invited to bring 20 copies of the first page of one of their stories/novels/essays/memoirs for some hands-on advice. 1 session.

More info here: https://www.writer.org/workshops/details.asp?id=2012

Salinger in the CIA?

Thank goodness we have the impeccable authority of Parade magazine (you know, that goofy-but-charming Sunday newspaper supplement) and “Walter Scott’s Personality Parade” to tell us here that J.D. Salinger was NOT in the C.I.A.:

"Q. Wasn't J.D. Salinger secretly in the C.I.A.?--A. Harris, Omaha, Neb.

"A. While some conspiracy theorists have speculated about a sinister, government-related connection between the late reclusive author and John Lennon's killer, Mark David Chapman--who was obsessed with Salinger's Catcher in the Rye--the idea, like most conspiracy theories, is full of holes. Salinger, who as a World War II infantryman helped Army Intelligence interrogate German prisoners, left the military behind once the war was over."

WNBA Program Rescheduled

Because of snow (naturally), this WNBA (Women's National Book Association) event has been rescheduled, so you have another chance to attend. Wish I wasn't teaching that night; sounds like an excellent panel:

Book Reviews in a Changing World
TUESDAY FEB 23rd
6:30-9pm
Arrive 6:30-7pm for check-in and light refreshments
7 - 8:40pm panel
8:40 - 9pm hobnob & clean up

PANELISTS: Washington Post's Book World Editor RACHEL HARTIGAN SHEA, Deputy Editor RON CHARLES and Publisher's Rep GENE TAFT.

WHERE: Gallery 101, Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives, 17th & M St NW, Washington DC

METRO: Farragut East (Orange & Blue lines) & Farragut North (Red line); Street parking available after 6:30 pm.

COST: Free to WNBA members, non-members $10.00 at the door (cash or check).
RSVP to WNBAeventsDC@gmail.com

Please contact Lorraine Morgan Scott at PepPub@gmail.com with any questions.