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litotes – Merriam-Webster Unabridged




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However great a man’s natural talent may be, the act of writing cannot be learned all at once.

Jean Jacques Rousseau

A popular question in the writing world from amateur and professional writers is “should I get an MFA in writing?”

There are programs galore offering this terminal degree; many are unaccredited money-makers that should be approached with extreme caution. There are also some famous ones that would jump-start anyone’s writing career.

The best advice I’ve gotten about this is to ask yourself these questions: Am I interested in teaching writing at the college level? Does my project need 2 years of dedicated attention to succeed? Have I tried other ways to learn about writing and to find a writing community and professional contacts and have had no success?

An MFA anywhere costs money. The general rule about getting any post-high-school degree is “Do I need it for my chosen career?” Higher education is a financial decision. If an MFA will help you make more money (relatively quickly) and the boost in income will make the loan payments more than manageable, do it. But there are many roads into Writing Town. An MFA is no guarantee that the degree will get you driving down Successful Street.

I personally would love to attend writing classes and get the help with my novel. Financially, though, it would be a poor decision for me. Also, I live in a big city and there are more than enough MFA’s looking for teaching work (for which most get paid a pittance). An M.Ed. in Educational Psychology and a B.S. in Psychology from major universities, both of which I attained years ago, will have to be sufficient for me. The financial debt (even if I had the time away from mommyhood) wouldn’t be justified.

It takes more work and self-discipline, but I am finding a writing community, and writing (slowly) in a bubble until I get my novel finished and published. I’ve heard around Writing Town (of which I am on the outskirts) that a writer needs to write her first novel on her own, but after that, resources open up. It’s the “foot in the door” conundrum. I joined a writer’s group a few years ago from which I gained contacts, and I attend local writers’ events and conferences. I read a lot about the art of writing, and try to practice that art everyday. Next I will try to start a book club for writers.

There are many roads into Writing Town. How will you get there? Some jump-start an MFA-mobile and (with luck) zoom in. Most of us just have to walk.

Unbeknownst to many readers, writers can spend an inordinate amount of time devising names for characters and places. Some writers buy baby name books, some use friends’ names, some randomly open the phone book twice, once for the first name, once again to find a last name.

Merriam-Webster.com offers a subscription service that I use daily for general word meanings, but it’s invaluable for name research. Merriam-Webster.com offers brief history descriptions for each word, and there are some jewels in the actual etymology; Latin or Greek or even Sanskrit roots of modern words make great names for people and places. Encyclopedias and wikis can also help in the search. BehindTheName .com is a site I use as a reference to look up general meanings of first names and surnames after I have imagined a list of possible character names. I’ve also turned to psycholinguistic texts and, of all things, astrology.

A common piece of advice for writers is to make sure that all of the characters’ names each have a different first letter; this helps the reader avoid confusing the characters. When constructing names, I like to concentrate not only on hidden meanings, but also on their sound, their phonemes and general flow. My poetry instincts drive me to find a cast of character names that work nicely together when read on paper and read aloud.

Another consideration is the character’s general personality and the character’s plot arc in the story. A character who is abrupt and grumpy and is going to stay that way shouldn’t be named “Dulcie” (meaning sweet) unless a writer is attempting irony. A union worker shouldn’t be named “Striker” unless you want your readers to chuckle at you; even if Striker does go on strike at one point, it’s just too corny; such obvious naming mechanics should be saved for parables or nursery rhymes.

Luckily, most readers give your writing the benefit of the doubt, and are generous with the space they give to suspend their disbelief. Readers want to sink into your story. Most character names won’t disrupt their absorption of your storytelling, but adding that little bit of effort to find the perfect monikers will give your writing a bit more depth and layers for the curious reader to explore. And that, my friends, will keep them coming back for more.

-PC

As always, I invite comments and questions.

Poets find inspiration and readers through blogging

Kay Day

During
political upheavals, media often mention the influence of writers who
blog. But poets are also tapping into this technology to find new
markets, dialogue with readers, and get the word out about their books.

Weblogs, popularly called “blogs”, often feature commentary
that reads like a diary or personal journal. Many who keep an online
diary can be personal to the point of embarrassing the reader. A blog
can be confession’s best friend. According to the Online News
Association, as of July 31, 2006, there were 50 million blogs.

Poets
and other writers are discovering that the technology can produce the
same results as a Web site. It’s relatively easy to set up a blog,
adding not only text but also photographs and even audio or video
files. Basic registration information is required. Some sites offer
free blogs.

Poets often muse about Po-Biz, as those who work
at the world of verse call the industry. The blog can be a platform for
praising a favorite poet, theorizing about crafting, and discussing
books. A poet can post news about events and readings. It’s easy to
dialogue with readers because most blogs have a “comments” link where
visitors can talk back to the writer.

Steve Mueske owns the
journal Three Candles and a small press by the same name. His blog
Never Been Good with Fractions combines news of his own readings and
happenings with a variety of general information.

“I blog
mostly,” he says, “for the sense of community with other poets. A lot
of us write in relative solitude. It’s nice to know there is a
community of like-minded spirits out there.”

Mueske says he
tries to keep the subject matter “fairly light.” He says if he wants to
talk about poetics or craft, he sends a personal message.

For
Sheryl Luna, her blog Chicana Poetics is all about process. “I wanted
to write more,” she explains. “I had been blocked for some time.” She
gained a “pleasant surprise” when she found people were reading.

Suzanne Frischkorn blogs her way to a connection with other poetry readers and writers through Litwindowpane.

For
Rachel Dacus, the experience gives her a forum for thoughts on poetry,
the state of poetry publishing and other topics. Her blog Rocket Kids
often inspires readers to comment. Dacus notes, “Some interesting
comments and discussions have been initiated because of topics I’ve
posted–conversations I wouldn’t have had otherwise.”

Kristy
Bowen posts writing at her blog Random Mellifluousness and Literary
Exhibitionism, calling it “part personal journal, part newsletter, part
slam book, part soapbox.” She says she’s big on documentation–“the
latent librarian in me.” She says it started out more diary-like, “just
goofing around.” But she moved more toward posting occasional drafts of
work.

All the poets say they’ve met interesting people,
sometimes in person, through their sites. Bowen says one of her MFA
instructors told her creative-writing programs “sort of took the place
of caf