It’s summer.
That means everybody’s writing—or at least intends and/or pretends to be.
And it’s July, which means that everybody who graduated with a B.A., M.A., M.F.A., J.D. (most lawyers want to write and point to Grisham and Baldacci as indicators of their future success), M.D. (look at Oliver Saks! Look at all those brilliant surgeons who write about the body and spirit at the New Yorker!) and, of course, their Ph.D.’s (“I’m more of a creative writer than a scholar. Always have been, really, but I needed to ground myself. Once my novel/screenplay/second book of poems/collection of non-fiction/children’s book/YA series hits the lists, the so-called ‘academy’ can kiss my ___”) is sitting in front of the screen or with an open notebook on their lap, and urging the words to come.
(Me too. It’s not lost on me that I’m sitting in front of a screen. I’m not overlooking that part.)
But, since it is July, I’m being asked by a great many former students, crisp new degrees in hand, how they should begin their writing careers.
I’ve decided the best thing I can do is to suggest they watch this video.
If they’re still speaking to me after they see it, I tell them to send me their first 50 pages.
6 Responses to So You Want to Be a Writer?
whitelm - July 2, 2010 at 12:32 pm
A nice sentiment. But if we required our undergrads to share it–to follow it–so few of them would qualify to be writers that our CW courses wouldn’t make, and we’d all be out of jobs.
deanette - July 2, 2010 at 1:20 pm
whitelm: those might be the truest words ever written about teaching writing!
tendrecroppes - July 3, 2010 at 12:17 am
When I find it difficult to write, I allow myself to day-dream, to think of a story or scenario in my head in which I’m the star, doing something I’d always wanted to do. Then I take the story and swap myself out for distinct characters. In the end, you’ve at least got a rough draft of something down on paper.And, also, I have to say: I don’t know about the rest of you, but I find it so much easier to get the writing process started if I’m actually using pen and paper. There’s something about WRITING a story as opposed to TYPING one that really makes all of the difference.
jdsalinger - July 3, 2010 at 5:38 pm
There are plenty of “real” writers who have problems getting going. Yes, it is tiresome to hear about people who could write novels if they only had the time. But it’s equally tiresome to hear that you aren’t a writer unless it bursts out of you. Sometimes it doesn’t. And you know that damned well.
drfrig - July 7, 2010 at 4:45 pm
Uh, do you really subscribe to this, Dr. Barreca? How dare you refer students to such bullsh*t.Shame on you.
drfrig - July 7, 2010 at 4:51 pm
p.s. how could a professor of feminist theory recommend this video?