by jennifer | Jun 28, 2013 | Writing Life
Remember when I wrote that I was going to miss my characters, Dottie and Rose? That I wasn’t ready to leave their world? Well, it turns out I really wasn’t ready. Because after much back and forth with my wonderful agent, I’ve decided to completely...
by jennifer | May 12, 2013 | Writing Life
Everything needs a month and, apparently, short stories are no exception. May is Short Story Month. Who knew? Fitting as I just received my issue of Sierra Nevada Review with my short story in it. So maybe this month is all about me? For many, many years, all I wrote...
by jennifer | Apr 12, 2013 | Writing Life
I’ve gotten a tremendous amount of mileage from one of my essays, “The Codeine of Jordan.” First it was published in the Bellevue Literary Review (BLR). From that, I received the attention of an agent, although I was happily able to decline his...
by jennifer | Mar 19, 2013 | Writing Life
Ah, the slush pile. That big dreaded stack of manuscripts given to the lowest person on the totem pole to read and judge. Although I assume I’m dating myself here, as I would think that slush is now an in-box full of manuscripts rather than actual paper to be...
by jennifer | Mar 18, 2013 | Writing Life
No doubt that revising is one of the more challenging aspects of writing. When writing the original draft, I allow myself to just write. I don’t edit as a I go unless I need to change a major plot point, and I don’t worry about gaps and weak spots. Just...
by jennifer | Mar 12, 2013 | Writing Life
Mark Straub writes a dead-on piece about the life of a writer, and how you too can embrace that lifestyle, in his piece “How to Work Like a Writer.” I believe I’ve uttered similar words to my family: “I’m sorry I forgot your birthday, but I’ve been...
