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Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Poetic Language

On WriterL, someone asked about when and how to get poetic language in your literary nonfiction. I groaned. The question conjures up all the bad poems written by current teens using Shakepearean language because they think that's what's meant by "poetic."

Poetic language should not be regarded as all lyric loveliness lain over a topic like flowers strewn over a coffin.

An immediate response came from someone who said that word choice is organic to a piece and can't be lacquered on at the end. I agree, but there's more to it than that. The language needs to fit the tone the writer decides on. In a poem you can achieve a certain effect by writing in a tone that is disparate from the topic--e.g., a playful narrator discussing death, or a dirge describing childlike antics--but for a long article or book, it's hard to imagine a writer pulling off this tactic. While much of that language happens when the work is going together, writers can--and should--go back to polish.

Just as narrative nonfiction borrows fiction's tools, it also should make use of poetry's devices, such as alliteration, assonance, allusion, meter, and internal rhyme. Start with a book called
Sound and Sense. It's a standard poetry textbook, and there's a reason it's still being recommended even though my copy dates from a college poetry class.

Read prose poetry. Read
Brevity; the pieces in this online journal of creative nonfiction are 750 words, max, and often read like prose poems. Read the poetic CNF works you'd like to emulate. Steeping yourself in all this language will help a little poetry seep onto your own pages.

Analyze the writing you find poetic. Poke around and underline and read out loud until you can identify what makes it poetic to you.

Write out poetic passages in longhand. Doing so puts those strong verbs, specific nouns, and grace notes into your brain in a way that sticks. Remember how Richard Dreyfus's character knows more about the mountain than anyone else in
Close Encounters of the Third Kind? It's because he made a model of it. What you learn with as many senses as possible hangs with you.

One thing that poetry has is
freshness. The words that are chosen, the way they're arranged, the mood evoked--in good poetry, there's a freshness that the reader appreciates. The words you use in a narrative don't have to be "pretty," and they shouldn't be obtrusive, but they can make your reader go, "Aaaah, nicely put."

category: craft

Let Me Make It Easy

I have a bookmark folder for the blogs I like. I hardly ever use it, although I really like those places. When it comes to not having enough time in the day, I'm right there with everyone else. So I like blogs that notify me by e-mail when there's something new to read.

Now you can be pinged when there's something new on this site. Plug your e-mail address into the box on the right, and you'll get a note when there's a new dollop of interesting info connected to narrative nonfiction. Easier than pie.

category: resources

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Musings on Starting

I want to profile a woman who does custom-made wedding dresses. I've gotten the first two sentences down (May 24 entry), but am having misgivings.

category: scribblings

Need a Nudge?

I love, love, love writing prompts. I never have problems writing for five or 10 minutes on any random topic tossed out by teacher or book. Starting a make-believe project is the easiest thing in the world.

I also happen to think they're useful. They get your brain in gear, just like warm-ups and stretches before you go for a physical workout. And if you can't do any other writing besides a quick exercise, it keeps your brain idling along in the right lane so that you don't have a cold start the next day, or whenever you get a chunk o' time to compose. (Are automobile metaphors worse than sports metaphors?)

One more thing: Nothing is riding on whatever you end up with: no editor will see it, your paycheck isn't connected to it, you're not going to get graded on it. This alone lets you practice writing without inhibition, and this fearlessness can serve you well in the rest of your writing.

I spent a little time poking around the Web for writing prompts appropriate for narrative nonfiction. I found a boatload of places that have prompts for school kids. Some of them are good for anyone. I loved clicking on options at Writing Fix. Others are aimed at people writing memoir. Use what's right for you.

So, here's what I found. (Look, a sweat-free way to exercise!)

http://www.creativewritingprompts.com/
http://jc-schools.net/write/create.htm
http://www.writingfix.com/leftbrain/randomlistgenerator.htm
http://www.canteach.ca/elementary/prompts.html
http://www.creativity-portal.com/howto/writing/writing.prompts.html
http://www.memoirwriters.com/
http://www.omnicron.com/~fluzby/sister-share/journal.htm
http://teachers.net/lessons/posts/1492.html
http://www.cmmayo.com/d5mwe.html

category: craft

Singing Out of the Same Songbook?

When I checked Technorati for blogs for narrative nonfiction, some of the ones pulled up were just mentions by college students in creative nonfiction classes (rather than blogs devoted to the subject). I was surprised -- I'm in the dark about how many CNF classes are being taught at campuses -- and I wonder if some colleges have retitled their "magazine feature" writing classes as creative nonfiction to go with the (trendy writing) flow.

On one hand, it's good that kids out there are getting a clue about what narrative nonfiction is. On the other hand, are their teachers giving them the same guidelines that my profs told me? Whereas all English teachers agree on what is a noun, do all CNF teachers agree about reported memoir, treatment of dialogue, composite character (just say no!), and so forth? It's impossible to tell.

Years ago on WriterL there was a discussion about putting forth a code for literary journalists to sign, declaring their intent to keep truth uppermost in their nonfiction writing and I don't remember what all else. Nothing came of it. People on the list agreed that some raised awareness of what "narrative nonfiction" is would be a good thing. But the journalists who would agree with the code wouldn't need to sign it, and the people who spurned the idea of a code or what was listed in it wouldn't heed it anyway.

category: resources

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

And the Winners Are...

A link to the Rolling Stone's story The Man Who Sold the War, which won a National Magazine Award for reporting.

Want to see who else won an Ellie this year? These are the places you want to be publishing. Yeah, me too.

category: reading, markets

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Sampling a Series

The Atlanta Counstitution Journal is running a 22-part series on two hospitals dealing with Katrina. Twenty-two parts sounds like a lot, but see for yourself. The icon on the ACJ home page is right at the top of the skinny middle column (which I nearly didn't find for all the stuff on that page!), but the first installment is here: Through Hell and High Water.

category: reading

Sunday, May 14, 2006

And the Ending Was Good

Two opinions existed about endings among the faculty I worked with at Goucher.

One, Lee Gutkind's position: Whatever.

Two, exemplified by Jeanne Marie Laskas: Make that last note resonate.

I go with Jeanne Marie's take. It's the last thing a reader takes away.

category: craft

The Element of Story

I was reading a magazine called Create, which is targeted to graphic artists and marketing people. There's an interview with Dan Pink who emphasizes creative thinking in a book called A Whole New Mind. He wrote Free Agent Nation, about the rising numbers of consultants/freelancers/people with home-based business. I've read neither book, but I have heard this guy talk. He is a great speaker, very funny.

So, anyway, the interviewer asked, "When you're working on a client's project for a commercial or an ad, how important is the element of Story?" Dan Pink's answer:
In the world of ubiquitous facts that don't have much value, what matters most is context. They [sic] translate that to a brochure, a TV commercial. Human beings are wired to hear "Story." When anybody goes home at the end of the day, they say, "How was your day?" You don't answer that with a five-slide PowerPoint presentation. You have a story with a beginning, middle, and end.

category: craft

Friday, May 12, 2006

To Analyze an Essay

One of the most valuable lessons Lauren Slater taught at Goucher was how to analyze a piece of writing.
  • Read the story at least twice. The first is to see how things end; otherwise, you get too distracted to analyze the piece.
  • Identify each scene. (You can have an essay without scenes, but you can't have creative nonfiction without scenes. Just as verbs are the strength in sentences, scenes are the strength in narrative nonfiction.)
  • Identify the plot line--what literally happens in the story. The piece starts here, then something *happens,* then something else *happens,* and so forth.
  • Figure out what is being conveyed in each scene that isn't being explicitly said.
  • Decide how it is conveyed--by what happens? descriptions? dialogue? use of language?
-------------------

I wrote the beginning of an essay: Lie Down Until It Passes. Sometimes the first draft is like the first draft of a poem--you go through and circle the phrases or ideas you like in it, save those, and trash the rest. What is this essay really about? Dealing with my daughter's annoying persistence? Mother's guilt? How sometimes it's easer to like the dog? Exhaustion? I don't know yet. That's why it's good to have someone to bounce your writing off of. If you're lucky, you've got an editor to discuss it with. If you're lucky, you have friends who can read it and give honest (preferably kindly worded) opinions.

I've set up this scene, but what's here that poses a question worth reading the rest of the essay to find the answer? The "Big So-What."

category: craft

'Narrative Digest' Launched

One of the grand poobahs in the journalism world, the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University, has launched the Nieman Narrative Digest. Gather round, you lonely practitioners, and take heart. Check it out here.

It is intended to be a resource devoted to the advancement of narrative journalism, says Mark Kramer (he's the guy who started a narrative nonfiction conference in Boston that attracts impressive speakers every year, which got taken over by Nieman and is still great but is no longer such a bargain). Nieman Narrative Digest comments on and links to hundreds of pieces of narrative journalism in a searchable archive. Don't you just love searchable archives?

category: reading, resources

Thursday, May 11, 2006

Tidbits from Writer's Digest

The June Writer's Digest arrived yesterday. I flipped through it while eating celery sticks and four caramel chocolate brownies. (As long as I've been reporting, you'd think I wouldn't stress out about starting calls for a story.)

So through my procrastinating, I can recommend a few things in the magazine.

1) A piece on avoiding shady agents (the usual stuff--if you've read one article on this topic, you'll already know this stuff)
2) Interview with Po Bronson, a guy who did 700 interviews for his last book.
3) A brief explanation of how book auctions work.
4) Six tips on dealing with national magazines.
5) How to ask your magazine editor for more money.
6) A primer for those who don't have clips and want to start writing freelance articles

The Writer's Digest Web site has a piece on journalistic ethics, too.

category: reading, markets

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Pick the Best Form for the Story

Roy Peter Clark of the Poynter Institute (have I told you to avail yourself of the resources at the Poytner site?) has this piece on the pointlessness of arguing this form of writing versus that form (inverted pyramid vs. narrative).

I think the Poynter Institute people pretty much walk on water.

category: craft


WriterL

If you want to rub cybershoulders -- and talk shop -- with really great literary journalists, pay $30 for an annual subscription to an e-mail list called WriterL. It's run by the Pulitzer winner Jon Franklin and his wife, Lynn, who is also a writer.

Lynn organizes e-mails into one post a day, so you won't be overwhelmed with (more!) e-mail. Among the Pulitzer winners on the list are Walt Harrington, Tom French, and Tom Hallman. On the list are lots of newspaper people, but also there are book authors, essayists, editors, and freelancers who do a little of everything.

Check out a sample of the postings on the WriterL home page (note: the fee schedule wasn't up-to-date when I checked it just now). In checking the page I see that one of my posts is quoted briefly. And, in case you're wondering, I don't transcribe every interview.

category: resources






Saturday, May 06, 2006

Notable in New P&W

In the May/June Poets & Writers magazine, a lit mag editor tells how he decides what to reject. A piece bemoans the mix of truth and fiction in novels and memoirs. And, as always, there are contests and calls for submissions in the back of the book (what people in the magazine business call the back part of the magazine). You can also find contests & calls for ms. online at http://www.pw.org/.

categories: markets, reading


Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Freelancing Opportunities

Copied lock, stock, and barrel from a section of Worldwide Freelance, an e-mail newsletter.

AARP THE MAGAZINE, USA
http://www.aarpmagazine.org
Editorial Submissions, AARP The Magazine, AARP, 601 E St. NW, Washington, DC 20049, USA.
Email: member@aarp.org
AARP, formerly known as "American Association of Retired Persons" is a nonprofit membership organization of persons 50 and older dedicated to addressing their needs and interests. Magazine features and departments cover: Finance, Health, Food, Travel, Consumerism, General interest, Profiles. Submissions: send a query letter for specific features and departments: one page in length and accompanied by recent writing samples. Discourages unsolicited manuscripts. Pay: minimum rate of $1.00 per contracted word, upon acceptance. Kill fee of 25%. Guidelines


ENTREPRENEUR MAGAZINE, USA http://www.entrepreneur.com
2445 McCabe Way, Irvine, CA 92614, USA.
Contact: Karen Axelton, Executive Editor.
Email: kaxelton@entrepreneur.com
Helping entrepreneurs thrive in today's fast-paced environment. Covers innovative methods and strategies for improving business operations. Also covers current issues and trends that affect entrepreneurial companies, as well as new business ideas and opportunities. "Can you elicit interesting quotes from people, and find sources who don't say the same old thing in the same old way? Can you write about business with authority and passion? Then you're the kind of writer we're looking for." Length: features: 1,800 words, plus sidebars, charts and boxes; Columns: 'Smarts' 300 - 600 words. Submissions: Send queries only, not manuscripts. Send by mail or email, with clips. If by mail, enclose SASE. No phone calls. Pay: high-paying market. 'Smarts' columns pays $1 per word. Pays upon acceptance. Response: 6-8 weeks minimum. Rights: first worldwide rights. Guidelines



THE GROWING EDGE, USA
http://www.growingedge.com P.O. Box 1027, Corvallis, OR USA 97339-1027, USA. Tel: (800) 888-6785 or (541) 757-8477. Fax: (541) 757-0028. Contact: Tom Weller, Editor. Email:
http://www.growingedge.com/staff/directory.php3?to=ed
Bimonthly magazine and web site providing the latest news & information for indoor & outdoor growers, including hobbyists, educators, researchers, and commercial growers. Actively seeking writers and photographers to cover hydroponics, aquaponics, greenhouse growing, and other related subject areas.
Submissions: query first by mail with samples, resume, and SASE. Pay: $0.20 per word. Rights: first world serial rights, first anthology rights, and nonexclusive electronic rights. Guidelines: http://www.growingedge.com/contributors_info.html


RAPID MAGAZINE, CANADA http://www.rapidmagazineinc.com
Editorial Department, Rapid magazine, Box 70
Palmer Rapids, ON K0J 2E0, Canada. Contact: Ian Merringer, Editor. Email: editor@rapidmag.com
Publishes four issues annually, in Feb (Spring), Apr (Early Summer), Jun (Summer) and Aug (Fall/Winter). Covers all aspects of whitewater paddlesports. This magazine has Canadian roots with a global scope and a growing international readership. Most of the editorial scheduling is done between August and October for the upcoming year, but we accept submissions at any time.
Length: features: 1,200-2,000 words.Submissions: query first by email. No phone queries. Pay: up to $0.20 per word. Response: will reply within 8 weeks if interested. Guidelines:
https://www.rapidmedia.com/files/Rapid-guide.pdf


You can also find markets in Free Markets Database:
ttp://www.worldwidefreelance.com/markdb.asp



category: markets

Web Help

Learn to go beyond Google. Start here with this column from Poynter, and while you're on the site, poke around. Well worth signing up for.

category: resources

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

Beginnings, Redux

Never start a story with the weather.
--Advice from a short story writing class

category: craft

Monday, May 01, 2006

In the Beginning

Abandon the inverted pyramid, O ye writers of narrative nonfiction. Structure the story to suit your purpose. But you still have to set the hook in the beginning.

(Remain calm. Sports metaphors will remain at a minimum in this blog.)

Setting the hook is not the same as baiting a hook, although you can be forgiven for confusing them. Baiting has to do with tempting. You disguise the hook with a yummy something-or-other so the fish will want to swallow it. Once the hook is baited, you put it in water.

When a fish is nibbling is when you set the hook. You pull tight the line hard and fast so the hook pierces the fish's tough mouth. If you set the hook well, the fish can't swim free until you unfasten it.

By the time the reader nibbles through the introduction, you have to set the hook so that the person is compelled to keep reading--whether it's an essay, feature, or book. Readers are busy, besieged by choices of things to read (books! e-mail! school news! back of cereal box! etc., etc.), and jaded.

How long your introduction is depends on the length of your piece. Sometimes the hook is set in the first sentence. Or you can be like John McPhee, who crafts a long introduction that can outline each book. Obviously, he's got more room to work with.

category: craft

Time Warp

How is it possible for each day to feel like forever--but the years to flash by?

category: scribblings