Latinidad® 3/13: 10th Anniversary - Writing Classes
Contents:
1. Saludos
2. Q&A: Liz Gonzalez
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To read past issues of Latinidad®, visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/marcelalandres/
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1. Saludos
In continuation of my celebration of Latinidad's tenth anniversary, I am culling the best advice and advisors from back issues to help you get published. Previously, I’ve discussed managing money and time. This month’s focus is honing your craft.
Writing books are no substitute for writing classes. Neither are one-day, one-weekend, or one-week long workshops. The ideal environment in which to hone your craft is a formal writing class that takes place over the course of an eight to twelve week semester. I highly recommend the online courses offered by UCLA Extension Writers’ Program. To learn more, read this month's Q&A with Liz Gonzalez, Instructor, UCLA Extension.
Helping Latinos get published,
Marcela Landres
2. Q&A
Liz Gonzalez teaches creative writing courses online through the UCLA
Extension Writers' Program. She teaches "Essential Beginnings: An
Introductory Creative Writing Workshop" and "Writer as Witness to Life."
For more information about the UCLA Extension Writers' Program, please
Q: When is a writer ready for classes (e.g. when they have an idea, or have
written some pages, or have a complete manuscript, etc.)?
A: Since there are a wide range of courses available to any level of writer, I
think that a person is ready for classes when he or she feels comfortable
to share his or her work with others and wants to improve his or her craft
in a class environment. For example, one of the courses I teach through
the Writers' Program is "Essential Beginnings: An Introductory Creative
Writing Workshop." My students in this class vary. Some have been writing
in the closet or have wanted to try their hand at writing, some want a
brush up on the basics, and some fall somewhere between. All want to ease
into creative writing and are ready to work with a group.
Q: What are the advantages of online classes vs. brick-and-mortar classes?
A: As one who has taken and taught on-land and online courses, one big
advantage of the online courses is convenience. Students can check in
anytime of the day or night, in their pajamas or frumpies, after the children
have gone to bed, during a break at work, or before starting the day. I also
like having time to reread the lectures and work in the workshop and digest
them before responding. For a beginner, I think the anonymity is a safe way
to get started. I also like that I get to work with people from around the
country and world. I have students stationed in the Middle East, and traveling
or living in Asia, Europe, and South Africa. The diversity of voices and
perspectives from around the world make the classes and work more
engaging than in a local classroom, even one in a city as diverse as Los
Angeles.
Q: Which attributes and/or credentials should writers seek in a teacher?
A: This is a difficult question to answer. Students could take a course with
their favorite writer and find that the writer isn't an engaged teacher. Word
of mouth isn't always available. And having a degree or a great deal of
publications doesn't necessarily make a good instructor. I suggest that
writers read the instructor's bio to see if there is a pull. One can always
get a feel for an instructor during the first week, reading the posts,
lectures, and assignments, and if the class doesn't seem right for the
student, s/he can drop in time to get a refund.
Q: Could you offer three tips on how writers can make the most of their
experience in class?
A: * Be open. If you come in with a specific set of expectations, beyond
what the course promises, you might miss what that person has to teach you.
* Print the lectures and handouts. Read them closely, and reread them.
* Make time in your schedule for the class and meet deadlines.
Q: On the other hand, what are the top three mistakes writers should
absolutely avoid?
A: My response to this question applies most to new writers.
* Dismissing the value of rewriting. I am a big advocate of "rewriting is
writing."
* Not taking the time to hone one's craft before sending work out for
publication. Many writers, including myself, regret having "shoddy"
work published. You can never take it back!
* Not reading. Somewhere someone said, "Beware of the writer who has
written more than he or she has read." It's too true.
Q: How has your own writing influenced your teaching? And how has
your teaching influenced your writing?
A: In addition to "Essential Beginnings," I also teach a course I designed,
"Writer as Witness to Life," which addresses what I learned on my own
about "writing creatively about events and experiences that are personal
and important without getting too self-absorbed, sentimental, preachy, or
narrow." All the lessons I use for both classes are craft lessons I wish had
been taught to me when I started writing. They also give beginning writers
a stronger foundation in the craft basics.
Teaching creative writing keeps my craft chops sharp. It's a constant
reminder to practice a writing process and develop layer by layer. My
students' creative approaches to the writing assignments teach me too.
As poet and activist Raul Salinas would tell his workshop groups, I come to
learn as well.
3. Resources
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HOW EDITORS THINK
"I read How Editors Think in one sitting and was engaged from beginning to end. It is well written, highly informative, and humorous—I found myself laughing out-loud in a few spots! Thanks for sharing the secrets of the trade."—Mayra Lazara Dole, author of Down to the Bone
Inspired by my experience as a former Simon & Schuster editor, How Editors Think: The Real Reason They Rejected You reveals what it really takes to get published. For more information, visit E-book.
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UNPUBLISHED/SELF-PUBLISHED NOVEL PRIZE
Deadline: March 31
The Literary Blockbuster Challenge sponsored by Inkubate offers $5000 for an unpublished or self-published novel that combines elements of literary and mainstream fiction. For more information, visit http://www.inkubate.com/
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FANTASY/SCI-FI/HORROR WRITING WORKSHOP
Application Deadline: April 8
Class Dates: June 10-July 19
The Odyssey Writing Workshop combines advanced lectures, exercises, extensive writing, and in-depth feedback on student manuscripts in the genres of fantasy, science fiction, and horror. For more information, visit http://www.sff.net/odyssey/
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POEM PRIZE
Deadline: April 15
The Editors’ Prize Contest offers $1000 and publication in Spoon River Poetry Review for a poem. For more information, visit http://www.srpr.org/
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POETRY AT ROUND TOP FESTIVAL
Dates: April 26-28
Features workshops with poets Lorna Dee Cervantes, Joe Ahearn, and Tony Hoagland, among others. For more information, visit http://poetryatroundtop.org/
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GRUB STREET MUSE AND THE MARKETPLACE CONFERENCE
Registration Deadline: April 29
Dates: May 3-5
Features craft classes, panel discussions, and meetings with agents and editors. Participants include Justin Torres, Emma Straub, and Helena Maria Viramontes. For more information, visit http://www.grubstreet.org/
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BUSINESS FICTION CONTEST
Deadline: April 30
The Henry Hazlitt Contest for Business Fiction offers a prize of $500 and a $2000 advance for publication by Fiscal Press for a novel on the theme of business or entrepreneurship. For more information, visit http://fiscalpress.com/
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SHORT STORY AWARD
Deadline: April 30
The E.M. Koeppel Short Fiction Award offers $1,100 and publication on the Writecorner Press web site for a short story. For more information, visit http://www.writecorner.com/
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CREATIVE NONFICTION AWARD
Deadline: May 1
Zone 3 Press offers $1000 and publication for a work of creative nonfiction. For more information, visit http://www.apsu.edu/zone3/contests
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LATIN AMERICAN/SPANISH LITERATURE PRIZE
Deadline: May 1
The Katherine Singer Kovacs Prize sponsored by the Committee on Honors and Awards of the Modern Language Association offers a cash award for an outstanding book published in English or Spanish in the field of Latin American and Spanish literatures and cultures. For more information, visit http://www.mla.org/prizeinfo_kovacs
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$50,000 LITERARY PRIZE
Deadline: May 1
St. Francis College sponsors the biannual $50,000 Literary Prize to a mid-career author who has recently published their third to fifth work of fiction. Self-published books and English translations will be considered. For more information, visit http://www.sfc.edu/page.cfm?p=4045
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KNOWLEDGE IS POWER ONLY WHEN SHARED
Please forward Latinidad® widely.
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For more resources, visit Resources
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“In order to even begin to learn how to play his instrument, it takes the
guitarist weeks to build calluses on his fingertips; it takes the saxophonist
months to strengthen his lip so that he might play his instrument for only
a five-minute stretch; it can take the pianist years to develop dual hand
and multiple finger coordination. Why do writers assume they can just
‘write’ with no training whatsoever—and then expect, on their first
attempt, to be published internationally? What makes them think they're
so much inherently greater, need so much less training than any other artists?"
--Noah Lukeman
Latinidad® © 2003 by Marcela Landres
