Oh. Oh, the never ending sounds of screaming children. The neighbors let them scream from anywhere between 6 to 10 hours a day. It sounds like they are inside my house. I've tried to blast NIN in their general direction, but still it continues...
Some weeks are slower than others. Sometimes that is welcomed, at least when a few choice things are accomplished. When your highlight of the week involves making minestrone and getting new dressers you've taken it to new heights, or lows depending on your definition. I finally finished Season 3 of Burn Notice, so I guess that's something.
The best book I have read in a very long time is The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. He is my favorite author for so many reasons. He's accessible, charming, witty, humble and talented. I started reading him in high school, mostly because of his associations with one of my favorite musicians, Tori Amos. The first book I read was Neverwhere, followed shortly after by Stardust (which recently was made into a film). My obsession with fiction may have started with Anne Rice, but Neil made it real for me. I frequently read his blog and look to him for inspiration, being able to see successful artist grow and change is amazing but he takes the time to talk to his fans and gives very good advice. Although one bit of advice I'm sort of glad I didn't take is this. It's a brilliantly written email from writer who is teaching and advises not to get a degree in creative writing. Here is a small portion of the email she sent him (the link is above):
You can expect to learn a lot about craft in a creative writing program – how to develop characters, work on elements of narration, and, possibly, get some good feedback from other writers about your work. The dominant model for a writing program is the workshop where you distribute your story to everyone in your class, they read it, and come back the next week to critique it. Depending on the professor, this can be a valuable experience or it can be devastating. If you get class members who want to destroy any writer they see as competition for the title of “best in class,” the workshop can be quite destructive to a young writer who is just beginning to develop a sense of him or herself. Regardless of whether it’s a good workshop or not, you will be in a class with a lot of other writers who want to create ART and will scoff at anything that doesn’t have literary* aspirations.
Creative writing programs will not teach you how to be a published writer. Talking about the business aspects of writing seems to be taboo in most programs. You will not learn how to assess writers’ guidelines, find publications that are looking for what you write, find an agent or, in anyway, make money from your writing. Though most writers do not make a living by writing, creative writing programs don't see themselves as needing to teach job skills. (Diane Glazman)
*(Literary fiction as opposed to genre fiction. and YES people, including universities, are giant snobs about it )
Everything she says is absolutely true. However, if someone has not been a practicing writer it is a great way to learn skills quickly and techniques to enhance your writing. No doubt it has slowed my progress as a writer overall, frequently to a standstill, but in the long run I think it has helped me develop some sort of skin to take criticism. Before I took my short fiction classes I was too petrified to even let someone read my work not to mention pick it apart. Of course it hurts when someone attempts to destroy something that is meaningful to you, but it is easy to see someones motives to do so at such an early stage in developing a writing voice. It's not for everyone but the structure of most writing classes serves a purpose, though they should also provide classes on how to work in the industry rather than assuming everyone with an English degree wants to teach.
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