Category: Uncategorized

STARTING TO WRITE – Lesson 1: Preparing to write

I reblogged the intro for this and then didn’t do the work. But now I’m on Exercise 4 – and it’s GREAT. Heartily recommend.

tobylitt's avatartobylitt

Welcome to the Starting to Write Course. Thank you for at least taking a look at it.

The aim of this Course is to get you writing and reading with energy, to help you avoid some painful mistakes, and to show you how you can rapidly improve your short stories.

I always tell my students two things:

There are no short cuts.

but

There are no wasted hours. 

So, let’s begin.

What do you need to start writing?

Well, you’re looking at these words on some kind of phone or computer – and you could use that. But for lots of reasons, I believe it’s better to write with pen or pencil on A4/US Letter paper. At least for nothing drafts.

I’m calling them ‘nothing drafts’ rather than ‘first drafts’ because they’re not even as finished as first drafts. They are just something you write, when you begin a…

View original post 521 more words

DIY MFA Reading List

I read some of these before I found this list, and I’ve read more because of this list – and can confirm this is a VERY good list of craft books

Al Kratz's avatarAl Kratz

I like reading about writing. I like catching up on what I didn’t take in school back when I had the chance. Here are my favorites of my Do It Yourself MFA journey that I started in 2013:

Saunders puts his Russian writers lectures from Syracuse into book form. He says its from his love of the Russian writers, but I also believe there’s some of it being public domain offerings where he could put the full short stories into his book? Either way, I agree and disagree with some of the political criticism this book got, but looking at it purely for the joy of reading and crafting short stories, it is pure gold. 

Grandiose title, but an excellent compressed spin through all the major elements of fiction with good examples and…

View original post 582 more words