11.15.09
92_TxtFile: A Word of Praise
_It’s time that we honored one of the greatest enablers of higher education through reading: the college bookstore. That’s right. Do you remember when you were in grade school or high school and they gave you those long lists of books to choose from to read? We remember, and we also remember wondering where we could find such a collection.
_It turns out that the best place to find a comprehensive collection of all that is deemed classic by the Academy is none other than your college bookstore. That’s right, walk in, pretend that you are an English Literature major and grab all that you can from the shelves. Or, even better, log on to your old college account, look up some reading lists and order them all online, thus getting a student discount if you order at the beginning of the semester.
_The fact of the matter is, the classics are the classics for a reason. We read books that we hate in high school to understand how truly good they are in college, and that process continues throughout our educations. Sometimes it takes us a bit to realize that we still read Hawthorne or Shakespeare for a reason: they still have something to add to our understanding of the world.
_So, instead of trolling around the internet for the Next Best Thing all day – which we completely condone, don’t get us wrong – make sure to head to your local college bookstore for a Complete Works of Oscar Wilde or a collection of Gerard Manly Hopkins’ poetry and letters. You never know when you’ll need to bring it up at a party.
- Kid
11.08.09
90_TxtFile: Subject Matter
_First, a big thank you to The Sexretary for sharing her first Creative Non-Fiction assignment, the one I liked so much. Also, an equally big thank you to her for not telling the Halloween story. That’s for another day.
_But the title of her post made us think about our subject matter. The lady that teaches the Advanced Fiction Seminar that The Sexretary and I are taking keeps telling me that there’s too much drinking in my writing. I suppose this might be true, but I also suppose that if I played bridge every night, that’s what I would write about.
_But it’s a fair point. Sometimes it’s hard to realize the line between where we dictate the subject matter and where it dictates us. There does come a time when we, as writers, start doing things simply to have something to write about. And that’s bad. So this week we’re here to remind you all that subject matter is simply something you write about, not something that rules your life. If that’s the case, you need to reevaluate your life as a writer.
- Kid
11.05.09
89_Apparently, I’ve Always Liked to Write About Alcohol, Sex and Drugs
I know, I know. I’m a day late (and more than a few dollars short, after the celebrating that went on this past weekend). But I’m here and have for you something both exciting and embarrassing:
My story from Creative Non-Fiction.
The story that brought me to meet Kid.
The story that moved Kid so much that he was compelled by some unknown emotional force to ask me to write for The Digital Scene.
The story that led to Halloween 2008, when we… well, never mind.
Bottom line, this story led to a lot of interesting, embarrassing, awkward, hysterical, and insert-your-adjective-here. It’s kind of the story that got me started. So here it is. I like to think that I’ve grown as a writer and that my pieces don’t sound nearly as juvenile and sophomoric as this, so don’t be too hasty to judge. Actually, do judge. In fact, send us your story – the story that got you started… that way we can judge you too and we’ll all be even and feel better about ourselves. Ahh.
[Author's note: being that I was not yet acquainted with Kid and lacked his literary wisdom and ingenuity (oooh I bet he's loving this...), I came up empty for a title]
If she was a color in the 64-count deluxe Crayola Crayon box, she would be Cornflower blue. A Paul Newman blue. That kind of sky blue that is so unreal, it makes you think you’re looking through a pair of tinted sunglasses. Blue. She looks blue and feels blue.
In her bottom desk drawer, hidden under the old history notebooks and math folders and long forgotten college applications was her version of a Bucket List. At the top of the paper, in her careful cursive, was printed in blue ink “To Do Before I Die.” The rest of the page was empty.
—–
If she was another color in the 64-count deluxe Crayola Crayon box, she would be Unmellow yellow. A sunshiney yellow. The kind of yellow that is almost obnoxious in its bright fluorescent hue. Yellow. She looks yellow and feels yellow.
Her long straight hair used to be yellow, that unmellow yellow. Yellow hair that didn’t stay yellow for long. She’s fueled by a fear of remaining the same, of staying one way for too long, and the manic need for change was what pulsed through her veins as she tried to become someone else under a coat of Easy Dark Brown # 4, haphazardly drowning the blonde and coloring in a new picture of herself.
—-
If she was yet another color in the 64-count deluxe Crayola Crayon box, she would be Wild Strawberry pink. A pretty pink. The kind of pink that reminds you of a lipstick stained mouth. Pink. She looks pink and feels pink.
Ironically, she’s allergic to strawberries. But it’s not like she can escape them, what with the strawberry birthmark staining her back in a pink blossom. It is something to be loathed and loved and forgotten and reminded of. It will always be there, but like other parts of her person, she can sometimes manage to forget it’s there, marring her skin.
—–
10.18.09
85_TxtFile: Writers, the New Rockstars
_It’s a dream of all serious writers to be, in some ways, famous. It’s a nice level of fame, because people tend to know your name, but not your face, so you can still go out to your favorite restaurants without being swamped. Still, there’s a hankering in a lot of us to attain the same level of panties-being-thrown-on-stage fame as rockstars.
_So when my brother, Lee Future of Literature Is Not Deadheaded out to the Left Coast for San Fransisco’s Lit Quake, I did not know that I would end up as an accomplice to the idea that writers can be as cool as rockstars.
_It started around 2:30 in the morning when Lee called me. I was still awake, even though I had to work at 7:15 AM, and I was very confused as to why my brother was on the other end. It turns out that he was out in a bar in San Francisco getting drunk with none other than Craig Cleveneger, author of The Contortionist’s Handbook and Dermaphoria. I was instantly jealous. Which is why I probably hung up on my brother, but honestly, I wanted to be out at cool bars in sunny San Fransisco drinking with my favorite underground(ish) authors. How rockstar is that? And I know they’re weren’t sitting around some stuffy parlor talking droll about literature. Why? Because Lee told me the next day (when I attempted to call him while he was destroyed hungover to make up for calling me at 2:30 in the morning) that they were talking about kittens and bacon.
_Yes, Craig Clevenger loves kittens. He also loves bacon. At some point during the night that he and my brother got drunk together, and after an undisclosed amount of alcohol, he was reported saying that the best thing in the world would be a bacon-wrapped kitten. Not necessarily to eat, but just to have.
_So, if any of you out there are going to do as I’m doing and start hording facts about Craig Clevenger the same way that teenage girls horde facts about the Jonas brothers, start with these two intense loves of his:
_ _ Kittens
_ _ Bacon
And work from there.
- Kid
10.04.09
79_TxtFile: In Memorium: Philip K. Dick
_This week on TxtFile, having just finished his book Time Out of Joint, we’d like to call attention to one of our favorite authors: Philip K. Dick. Although he died almost thirty years ago, he remains one of our favorites for a few reasons.
_First, he was able to turn the genre of science fiction into something more than mediocre-at-best genre fiction. He took science fiction ideas and turned them into studies of religion, philosophy and the human condition. He was not content to use science fiction to escape, but used it to explain.
_Second, and we love him for this, there is no telling what will happen when you pick up his books. You can start off reading a book of his about a clear-cut situation and by the end you’re traveling across planets in search of greater truth and religious insight. There are some authors that after the first chapter or two, you know exactly where the book is headed. That is not so with P.K.D.
_For those two major reasons, his control over his subject matter and his ability to twist a premise into something you could never have imagined makes him one of our favorite authors of all time. So read up, because he was prolific, and enjoy.
- Kid
09.27.09
76_TxtFile: Baltimore Book Festival
_This weekend was the Baltimore Book Festival. Because of busy work schedules, we didn’t get to see it. Did you? We hope so, because we want some videos or at least reviews of what happened.
_You can find the lowdown at the Baltimore Book Festival website, but we don’t know if that website will provide us with the booky indulgence that we are longing for. If any of you have stories or reports about the Baltimore Book Fest, please send them to us so we can mooch off of you.
- Kid
09.20.09
73_TxtFile: Technicalities
_Sundays are TxtFile days, when we give you your weekly dose of Literary Love.
_To start, we decided to introduce you to Literary Agent Nathan Bransford. Not only does he do a wonderful “This Week in Publishing Recap” (obviously a weekly segment), but he also has “You Tell Me” segments and other posts pertinent to the writing world and its inhabitants.
_For instance, a few weeks back he wrote an entire post on How a Book Gets Published. So we’re showcasing it for two reasons. First, if we’re going to start a weekly segment on everything you burgeoning writers need to know, knowing how to actually get published is probably a good start. Second, now that you’ve spent the past however many months pouring your heart out onto the pages and losing touch with reality all for the sake of producing the best piece of literature you can, it’s time you got down to brass tacks.
_So read and let Mr. Bransford guide you through the maze that is the technical side of the writing world. And we’ll see you next week.
_P.S. Big ups to Pimp My Novel for linking us to the London Guardian’s Speed Reading of Dan Brown’s newest pile of shit. Now I can be disappointed by Mr. Brown’s writing ability in less than half an hour.
- Kid
08.22.09
72_The Writing World: INTERN Rocks Our Questionnaire
_This week on the Writing World, we asked INTERN of The Intern Spills what she thought. Well, not only did she have thoughts for the questions we’d provided her, but she came up with some own questions of her own that she thought were more relevant. Pretty cool, huh?
_As always, feel free to agree/disagree with anything she says and if you guys feel like answering those new questions too, go for it.
Question 1: Who are you? What is your basic experience with writing, the writing world and the publishing world?
INTERN is a manic-depressive tuning fork who can read your thoughts. Just had to make that clear, before we went any further.
Before becoming an editorial intern at a publishing house, INTERN was engaged in the typical Aspiring Writer downward spiral of publishing in literary magazines, sitting on editorial boards for other literary magazines, and dreaming up increasingly baroque self-employment schemes to support her writing habit while avoiding getting a Real Job.
Question 2: Obviously all writers want to get published and make a few dollars, but what do you really hope to accomplish with your writing? Do you want to change the world, or just get the movie deal?
INTERN just wants to have fun.
Question 3: Writers are never solitary creatures, and the internet has (obviously) helped writers get in touch with one another. What are some of the trends that you’ve noticed among writers lately?
Blogging has totally changed the publishing industry. Now, if you want to target a certain literary agent, you really should read their blog. It’s not enough to just look up their listing. Also, there’s way more good advice and educational opportunities online than ever before—just look at Query Shark. That blog is better than any book on query letters you could buy at a store. Of course, more people learning how to write great query letters means that the bar has been raised—too bad for people who haven’t kept up their skillz. Read the rest of this entry »
07.29.09
69_The Writing World: Lee Future Weighs In
_Yes, I know it’s post #69. Get the jokes over with.
_Last time on our segment “The Writing World,” Dennis Cass of Dennis Cass Wants You To Be More Awesome gave us some insight into the state of the writing world. We value his opinions because, hey, he’s the man. And he knows his shit.
_Does Lee Future know his shit as well? Of course he does, that’s why we’re posting his answers too. So feel free to weigh in too. What do you think about all this? Do these guys have valid points? Will they change the writing world? Will Batman save the day again? Read on and find out!
_The same questionnaire as before, as filled out by Lee Future of Literature Is Not Dead:
Question 1: Who are you? What is your basic experience with writing, the writing world and the publishing world?
My name is Lee Future (aka Michael Lee Cook, for those who look down on pen names). I’ve a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Maryland at College Park. I’ve self published and published online and so far have had more luck selling freelance work than selling fiction.
My website here: www.LiteratureIsNotDead.com
Blatant self promotion: everywhereQuestion 2: Obviously all writers want to get published and make a few dollars, but what do you really hope to accomplish with your writing? Do you want to change the world, or just get the movie deal?
Writing is a stupid way to make a living. I think you only do it if you feel you have something to say, particularly fiction writing. Successful fiction is by far the most persuasive way to make an argument. There are quite a few ways I wish the world would change, and I believe that by telling a good story I can fool people into changing themselves. Read the rest of this entry »
