What I wish I had learned: anything, anything, about what it would be like to publish a first book. It was so difficult to find any information, outside of the people I was privileged to know from my time in NYC, what a fair deal looked like. I had no idea what the difference between types of royalties were, what the author questionnaire was supposed to be about, and how to talk about my writing without feeling like a complete sell-out.
I wish writing classes touched on how to be a good literary citizen. How to be generous, how to build community, social media etiquette (can I/should I share acceptances or rejections on twitter??), how to ask for help without being demanding... things like that
One of my first poetry teachers gave this advice: "Stick to your guns and choose who you listen to." I'd already done a few workshops by then, but this was really eye-opening--it meant I didn't have to take *everyone's* advice. I couldn't anyway, because a lot of it was conflicting--but still, as a young writer, I felt weird about ignoring anyone's feedback because it seemed potentially rude, and how should I know better?
I still feel this way sometimes, but I've internalized it more. It matters a lot to find a handful of readers that you trust, who can read your work carefully and help you make it better. Also, they may not be the ones whose writing you like the most--because critique and writing are different skills.
I wish I was taught POC writers & LGBTQ writers. Why wasn’t it until grad school that I learned about Audre Lorde? Claudia Rankine? Don Mee Choi? Eileen Myles? Why was Junot Diaz the only POC writer I was introduced to?
I wish I was taught that it is okay to follow my instincts after getting feedback. To accept feedback from peers and learn to sift through for my own solutions. Most importantly, to trust myself when white peers made frequent microagressions and faculty didn’t intervene.
And I wish I had something similar to T Kira Madden’s workshop structure–an open workshop with dialogue encouraged where the author always has space to respond, ask for clarity, or move the discussion to a new topic. To be part of a community. Not silenced. I realize this takes a lot of work for the facilitator to establish this though.
If I am ever in a writing class, I would like to learn close reading. Everywhere there is only craft talk, narrative arc, characters need to be in action and not be observers. Why don't we talk of close reading, enjoying the diction, the punctuation and how words sing on the page and how this practice of finding detail makes us observants of human beings in the way detectives are. All along the history writers learnt to write by reading. Why have we forgotten this and move past this and only talk of craft, as if we are only interested in writing, and not reading, writing, being a human being striving towards achieving awareness?
Hi Yanyi - one of the hardest things which took me a long time to learn (or accept): writing and publication are two completely separate things. Discovering joy in writing must always be the main. Publication is an extra, a bonus. Otherwise you’ll never find happiness in writing.
I wish I had learned about rejection and failure. At the beginning of each class, everyone would be invited to note their achievements (some would have published in journals or won awards) but the rejections, and persistence, was so rarely discussed.
I’ve been thinking about how traumatic or harmful autobiographical info in poems can reinforce the harm or trauma. Do you have thoughts on this situation and how to move through it?
I swish my first writing class had focused more on process and less on results. I think I needed someone to teach me the difference between process and results. I really believe process is all we have. Results are an illusion that I wish had been dispelled sooner.
As much as pessimism and cynicism can be useful in publishing, in writing, it's OK to dream. Let yourself imagine the future you want without making concessions to reality.
I wish I’d learned that no matter how great my writing might be, I would need to revise it again and again. And that taking my time and doing it thoroughly would save me time and rejection (there will be plenty of that in any case).
To be patient and to take better care of myself physically, emotionally and intellectually. To stand up for myself (especially against male "experts") and to delight in NOT knowing the answers.
I would like to learn about ways to turn a story idea into a narrative, as well as ways to better market and promote your writing. I do feel like oftentimes, I have sparks of ideas that I'll write and elaborate on, but sometimes have trouble connecting them together.
What I wish I had learned: anything, anything, about what it would be like to publish a first book. It was so difficult to find any information, outside of the people I was privileged to know from my time in NYC, what a fair deal looked like. I had no idea what the difference between types of royalties were, what the author questionnaire was supposed to be about, and how to talk about my writing without feeling like a complete sell-out.
I wish writing classes touched on how to be a good literary citizen. How to be generous, how to build community, social media etiquette (can I/should I share acceptances or rejections on twitter??), how to ask for help without being demanding... things like that
One of my first poetry teachers gave this advice: "Stick to your guns and choose who you listen to." I'd already done a few workshops by then, but this was really eye-opening--it meant I didn't have to take *everyone's* advice. I couldn't anyway, because a lot of it was conflicting--but still, as a young writer, I felt weird about ignoring anyone's feedback because it seemed potentially rude, and how should I know better?
I still feel this way sometimes, but I've internalized it more. It matters a lot to find a handful of readers that you trust, who can read your work carefully and help you make it better. Also, they may not be the ones whose writing you like the most--because critique and writing are different skills.
I also love this advice from Sofia Samatar: "Make your own mistakes! You're going to make mistakes. What you do is not going to be perfect. But make your own mistakes. Choose them. Don't let other people talk you into making theirs!" (All her answers in this Reddit AMA are great: https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/8lro18/hi_im_sofia_samatar_sf_and_fantasy_writer_ama/)
I wish I was taught POC writers & LGBTQ writers. Why wasn’t it until grad school that I learned about Audre Lorde? Claudia Rankine? Don Mee Choi? Eileen Myles? Why was Junot Diaz the only POC writer I was introduced to?
I wish I was taught that it is okay to follow my instincts after getting feedback. To accept feedback from peers and learn to sift through for my own solutions. Most importantly, to trust myself when white peers made frequent microagressions and faculty didn’t intervene.
And I wish I had something similar to T Kira Madden’s workshop structure–an open workshop with dialogue encouraged where the author always has space to respond, ask for clarity, or move the discussion to a new topic. To be part of a community. Not silenced. I realize this takes a lot of work for the facilitator to establish this though.
If I am ever in a writing class, I would like to learn close reading. Everywhere there is only craft talk, narrative arc, characters need to be in action and not be observers. Why don't we talk of close reading, enjoying the diction, the punctuation and how words sing on the page and how this practice of finding detail makes us observants of human beings in the way detectives are. All along the history writers learnt to write by reading. Why have we forgotten this and move past this and only talk of craft, as if we are only interested in writing, and not reading, writing, being a human being striving towards achieving awareness?
Hi Yanyi - one of the hardest things which took me a long time to learn (or accept): writing and publication are two completely separate things. Discovering joy in writing must always be the main. Publication is an extra, a bonus. Otherwise you’ll never find happiness in writing.
I wish I had learned about rejection and failure. At the beginning of each class, everyone would be invited to note their achievements (some would have published in journals or won awards) but the rejections, and persistence, was so rarely discussed.
I’ve been thinking about how traumatic or harmful autobiographical info in poems can reinforce the harm or trauma. Do you have thoughts on this situation and how to move through it?
To trust the story and characters, let them take me where they needed to go.
I swish my first writing class had focused more on process and less on results. I think I needed someone to teach me the difference between process and results. I really believe process is all we have. Results are an illusion that I wish had been dispelled sooner.
As much as pessimism and cynicism can be useful in publishing, in writing, it's OK to dream. Let yourself imagine the future you want without making concessions to reality.
I wish I’d learned that no matter how great my writing might be, I would need to revise it again and again. And that taking my time and doing it thoroughly would save me time and rejection (there will be plenty of that in any case).
To be patient and to take better care of myself physically, emotionally and intellectually. To stand up for myself (especially against male "experts") and to delight in NOT knowing the answers.
I would like to learn about ways to turn a story idea into a narrative, as well as ways to better market and promote your writing. I do feel like oftentimes, I have sparks of ideas that I'll write and elaborate on, but sometimes have trouble connecting them together.