Topica Email List Directory

Welcome Guest!

Grist 4 the Muse

	Previous Message	All Messages	Next Message

Grist for the Muse #31 -- June 2006 --	mich-@flashwriting.com
	Jun 17, 2006 07:06 PDT

------=_NextPart_001_000B_01C691F7.CFB84EF0
Content-Type: text/plain;
charset="us-ascii"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit



Issue # 31 June 2006

In this issue:

* Musings
* Fabulous Fiction Jumpstart Jars are now AVAILABLE
* Writing Jumpstarts
* Shameless Self Promotion
* Muse Reviews- The Faith of a Writer by Joyce Carol Oates

"I write a little every day, without hope and without despair."

-- Isak Dinesen

Musings

Forgiveness

No, you didn't just not get a copy of Grist last month because of some
e-mail computer glitch or because some hacker got into your personal email
and snatched it out, it was because I didn't get it together and diligently
think about, write up, and send one out last month. Things were just too
crazy and frankly I just wasn't all that into it.

Every once in a while all writers hit a wall. They just stop writing. Get
swept up into the chaff of daily living. cleaning out the garage, taking the
dog to the vet, attending music recitals, and 5th grade graduations, and
re-organizing their desks. Sometimes the most complicated piece you can
write is a to-do list of things that have to get done in your life before
you lose your mind. And that is OK. Feeling guilty about it is not.

And I am great at making myself feel guilty and questioning myself about my
every thought and action. Is reading the latest Superman graphic novel
really the best use of your leisure time? Do your books really need to be
alphabetized right now? Catching up on a season's worth of Desperate
Housewives stored up on TiVo? And then there are the "ought to's." I ought
to be cutting some firewood for the winter now so it has time to dry out
over the summer. I ought to get started on that next book. I ought to teach
Ben how to shoot a basketball properly (and I'm not even sure how to shoot a
basketball "properly" myself). I ought to get that marketing plan together
so I can figure out how to get more assignments and sell some JumpStart
Jars. I ought to update the website. This update is long overdue. And the
list goes on and on. And I feel bad about it. I feel bad about the promises
that I break to myself and others (although I break promises to myself far
more than I break promises to others) and I have a hard time letting the bad
feelings go.

But I think that Dinesen's quote above captures the essence of the attitude
you must have when you've fallen off of the writing bandwagon and having a
hard time getting started again. Just write a couple of pages. if you can't
manage a couple of pages, try a couple of paragraphs. Write them with no
lofty expectations, just write. There are going to be days like these.
Writing is always a love/hate relationship during the best of times. and on
the worst days. well, let's not talk about those days. There are reasons
that many writers are self-destructive alcoholics. Sometimes the best thing
you can do for yourself is to write. just a little. It doesn't have to be
good. It doesn't have to be unique or special. But if you do it, you will
feel better. Trust me. The guilt and self-loathing begin to fade after a
couple of sentences, and when you get a couple of pages done. you start to
remember why you started writing in the first place.

No promises. But I hope to get the July issue out before July gets here.
Until then, keep writing.

--Michael

Fabulous Fiction Jumpstart Jar is Now Available!

It is done at last and you can get a discount off of the $14.95 retail price
and buy one today for only $12.00 (plus local sales tax and shipping where
applicable). Each kit has hundreds of unique Characters and Problems that
can be combined for thousands of possible story combinations. Add in some
unique Complications, Settings, Secrets and Styles to increase the number of
these story possibilities into the millions! Having trouble getting
started? No problem. Use one of the provided Provocative Phrases and off you
go! To order, simply send an email to ord-@jumpstartjar.com.

Writing Jumpstarts (courtesy of JumpStart Jar)

Quick Topics

. Bones up

. Sleep well

. Do unto

. Hourglass

. Popularity

. Self-pitying

. Root

. Lady-killer

. Weekend

. Versatile

. Big break

. Fights back

Story Starters

. That's my point.

. Why are you special?

. Have you confided in.

. I'd rather talk when.

. I'm a lot of fun.

. I read something somewhere.

Shameless Self Promotion

Barnes & Noble at Easton Town Center- Fiction Writer's Group

The Fiction Writers Group is a facilitated writing group that meets at
Barnes & Noble at Easton Town Center on the SECOND Thursday of each month at
7:00pm and is hosted by writer and teacher Michael Wilson. This event is
free of charge!

The next meeting is on July 13th.

Speaking at the Writers' Ink Writers Group meeting on June 25th, 2006

I'll be talking about Flash Fiction at their group meeting at 5pm at the
Tivoli Apartments, 410 Thurber Drive West, Building 4, apartment 6.

For more details about the Writers' Ink writers group or to join, go to
<http://www.writersinkcreativity.com/> www.writersinkcreativity.com or send
email to Norah Holt at <mailto:inkcrea-@hotmail.com>
inkcrea-@hotmail.com

Columbus Writers Conference

I'll be presenting at the Columbus Writers Conference Again this Year! Here
the details about my presentations:

FLASH FICTION FOCUS

What do flash fiction publishers want to see in stories submitted to them?
Join local writer Michael Wilson, the author of Flash Writing: How to Write,
Revise and Publish Stories Less Than 1,000 Word Long, to learn about the
common problems with rejected flash fiction stories and how to avoid them.
Also learn how flash fiction writing techniques can be used in longer
fiction writing projects.

WRITER BEWARE! (SELF-DEFENSE FOR WRITERS)

Writers must be smart consumers for writing-related goods and services.
Learn the differences between self-publishing, print-on-demand (POD) and
vanity presses, and what to expect from book doctors, agents, and writing
contests. This session also features information about basic publication
rights and how to handle common problems with publishing contracts.

Here are the details about the overall conference:

The Columbus Writers Conference, scheduled for Friday, August 25, and
Saturday, August 26, 2006, at the Fawcett Conference Center, 240 Olentangy
River Road, Columbus, offers a wide variety of writing topics presented by
writers, editors, and literary agents. Keynote speaker is Ted Kooser, United
States Poet Laureate 2004-2006.

The conference features one-to-one consultations with literary agents and
editors; a literary agent panel; an editor panel; and for writers of mystery
and other genres, a panel of experts in the fields of criminal investigation
and forensic science. Also featured are open mikes for fiction, nonfiction,
and poetry.

This fourteenth annual event presents more than 40 sessions on fiction and
nonfiction topics, including the novel; nonfiction book; short story;
writing for children, tweens, and teens; memoir; poetry; biography; finding
and working with a literary agent; author/editor relationship; query letter;
nonfiction book proposal; book promotion; pitching the novel; copyright and
contracts; publicity; and freelance writing.

The Columbus Writers Conference draws attendees from throughout Ohio and the
United States.
Early bird registration must be postmarked July 31. For more information or
to receive a brochure, e-mail conference director Angela Palazzolo at
<mailto:Angel-@aol.com> Angel-@aol.com; or call 614-451-3075; or
write The Columbus Writers Conference, P.O. Box 20548, Columbus, OH 43220.
Details are also available at <http://www.creativevista.com/>
www.creativevista.com.

Muse Reviews

The Faith of a Writer: Life, Craft, Art by Joyce Carol Oates; HarperCollins;
Trade Paper; 158 pages; ISBN: 0060817089

My favorite type of writing book is the literary memoir. Books such as
Stephen King's On Writing, not only give you some good advice, but give you
some insight into the writing process, as well as the writer's own quirks
and habits. I figured when picking up this book by Joyce Carol Oates, she
would have given us a glimpse at what makes her such a prolific author, tell
us how she can maintain she blistering productivity, but the book is
disappointing because it doesn't. In fact, it provides little insight into
Oates as an author, instead she chooses to delve within the lives of other
authors such as Virginia Woolf, Tolstoy, Hemingway, and Faulkner. She
explores the writing craft through the lens of their works and habits, much
like an academic paper.

The book is alive in the first couple of essays, "District School #7,
Niagara County, New York," "First Loves" and "Running and Writing" where
she freely shares her experiences with reading, words and writing and how
they fit into her life, but shortly thereafter she seems to slip into her
role as a professor at Princeton University and discuss topics such as
failure, inspiration, reading as a writer, and self-criticism not through
her writing, but through the work of other authors. This is not entirely
uninteresting, but I picked up the book to see how Joyce Carol Oates herself
worked through these issues, and was disappointed that she left herself
completely out of these discussions. Despite this it does have some good
info, but not so much info that you couldn't borrow the book, jot down a few
notes on the things that interest you and return it.

Rating: ** (Borrow It from the Library)

About Ratings: ***** -- Well Worth it at Full Retail Price; **** - Buy on
Sale/Discounted; *** - Buy Used; ** - Borrow It from the Library; * -
Waste of a Good Tree

TO SUBSCRIBE: If someone you know would like to check out Grist for the Muse
have and possibly subscribe to it, go to the web at this URL:
<http://www.topica.com/lists/Grist_for_the_Muse>
http://www.topica.com/lists/Grist_for_the_Muse or SUBSCRIBE via email by
sending a BLANK email to: Grist_for_the_-@topica.com

OR - If you do not want to join Topica, send an email to
gri-@flashwriting.com with the word SUBSCRIBE in the header. Make sure
that I am added to your address book or your "safe" list.

SUGGESTIONS or COMMENTS: Please feel free to e-mail me with ideas,
suggestions, questions, or smart alecky remarks. I love to get feedback, and
I do give all comments serious consideration. Send them to
gri-@flashwriting.com

TO UNSUBSCRIBE: Please click here:
http://topica.com/help/unsub.html.bWt3aWxz
<http://65.54.172.250/cgi-bin/linkrd?_lang=EN&lah=5dee8d5aaa6a8c1d5b970b7169
a803ec&lat=1076887042&hm___action=http%3a%2f%2ftopica%2ecom%2fu%2f%3fa2jb2H%
2ebm2Kjt%2ebWt3aWxz> or send a BLANK email to: Grist
_for_the_Muse-@topica.com
<mailto:Grist_for_the_M-@topica.com>

SUBMISSIONS: Do you have an event you want to promote? Do you want to see
yourself in print? Send me a short article or writing exercise ideas. I
can't pay you anything yet, but maybe someday soon. Please send an e-mail
with date, time, place, cost and contact information to
gri-@flashwriting.com with SUBMISSION in the subject line. Editor
reserves the right to revise submissions.

ABOUT THE PUBLISHER: Michael Wilson has been teaching creative writing
classes and facilitating writer's groups for almost a decade and was an
award-winning Contributing Editor for The Writer's Block at Suite101.com. He
has a BA (with Honors) in English from Ohio University, and has been a
featured guest speaker at the Thurber House, the Maumee Valley Writer's
Conference and the Columbus Writer's Conference. He is also the publisher
and editor of Grist for the Muse a free monthly creative writing
e-newsletter. His first book: Flash Writing: How to Write, Revise and
Publish Stories Less Than 1000 Words Long, was published in October 2004.
You can get additional information about him at www.flashwriting.com
<http://www.flashwriting.com/> .

Copyright 2006 Michael L. Wilson. All rights reserved.

------=_NextPart_001_000B_01C691F7.CFB84EF0
Content-Type: text/html;
charset="us-ascii"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1555" name=GENERATOR></HEAD>
<BODY>
<DIV>

<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"
/><o:p></o:p>
<IMG height=213 hspace=12
src="cid:010150914@17062006-0C50" width=378 align=left
v:shapes="_x0000_s1026">Issue #
31 June
2006<o:p></o:p>
In this
issue:<o:p></o:p>
<UL style="MARGIN-TOP: 0in" type=disc>
<LI class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 4pt 151.5pt 0pt 0in; COLOR: black; tab-stops: list .5in; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1">Musings<o:p></o:p></LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 4pt 151.5pt 0pt 0in; COLOR: black; tab-stops: list .5in; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1">Fabulous Fiction Jumpstart Jars
are now AVAILABLE<o:p></o:p></LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 4pt 151.5pt 0pt 0in; COLOR: black; tab-stops: list .5in; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1">Writing
Jumpstarts<o:p></o:p></LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 4pt 151.5pt 0pt 0in; COLOR: black; tab-stops: list .5in; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1">Shameless Self
Promotion<o:p></o:p></LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 4pt 151.5pt 0pt 0in; COLOR: black; tab-stops: list .5in; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1">Muse Reviews— The Faith of a Writer by Joyce Carol
Oates<o:p></o:p></LI></UL>
“I write a
little every day, without hope and without despair.”<o:p></o:p>
-- Isak
Dinesen
<DIV
style="BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-BOTTOM: 1pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN-RIGHT: 151.5pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt solid; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-element: para-border-div">
Musings<o:p></o:p></DIV>
 
Forgiveness<o:p></o:p>
No,
you didn’t just not get a copy of Grist last month because of some e-mail
computer glitch or because some hacker got into your personal email and snatched
it out, it was because I didn’t get it together and diligently think about,
write up, and send one out last month.
Things were just too crazy and frankly I just wasn’t all that into
it.
Every once in a while all writers hit a wall. They just stop writing. Get
swept up into the chaff of daily living… cleaning out the garage, taking the dog
to the vet, attending music recitals, and 5th grade graduations, and
re-organizing their desks.
Sometimes the most complicated piece you can write is a to-do list of
things that have to get done in your life before you lose your mind. And that is OK. Feeling guilty about it is
not.
And
I am great at making myself feel guilty and questioning myself about my every
thought and action. Is reading the latest Superman graphic novel really the best
use of your leisure time? Do your books really need to be alphabetized right
now? Catching up on a season’s
worth of Desperate Housewives stored
up on TiVo? And then there are the “ought to’s.” I ought to be cutting some
firewood for the winter now so it has time to dry out over the summer. I ought
to get started on that next book. I ought to teach Ben how to shoot a basketball
properly (and I’m not even sure how to shoot a basketball “properly” myself). I
ought to get that marketing plan together so I can figure out how to get more
assignments and sell some JumpStart
Jars. I ought to update the website. This update is long overdue. And the
list goes on and on. And I feel bad about it. I feel bad about the promises that
I break to myself and others (although I break promises to myself far more than
I break promises to others) and I have a hard time letting the bad feelings
go.
But
I think that Dinesen’s quote above captures the essence of the attitude you must
have when you’ve fallen off of the writing bandwagon and having a hard time
getting started again. Just write a
couple of pages… if you can’t manage a couple of pages, try a couple of
paragraphs. Write them with no lofty expectations, just write. There are going to be days like these.
Writing is always a love/hate relationship during the best of times… and on the
worst days… well, let’s not talk about those days. There are reasons that many writers are
self-destructive alcoholics…
Sometimes the best thing you can do for yourself is to write… just a
little. It doesn’t have to be good.
It doesn’t have to be unique or special. But if you do it, you will feel
better. Trust me. The guilt and
self-loathing begin to fade after a couple of sentences, and when you get a
couple of pages done… you start to remember why you started writing in the first
place.
No
promises. But I hope to get the July issue out before July gets here. Until
then, keep writing.
--Michael
Fabulous Fiction Jumpstart Jar is Now
Available!
It
is done at last and you can get a discount off of the $14.95 retail price and
buy one today for only $12.00 (plus local sales tax and shipping where
applicable). Each kit has hundreds of unique Characters and Problems that can be combined for
thousands of possible story combinations.
Add in some unique Complications, Settings, Secrets and Styles to increase the number of
these story possibilities into the millions! Having trouble getting started? No
problem. Use one of the provided Provocative Phrases and off you go!
To order, simply send an email to ord-@jumpstartjar.com.
<DIV
style="BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-BOTTOM: 1pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN-RIGHT: 151.5pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt solid; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-element: para-border-div">
Writing Jumpstarts (courtesy of JumpStart
Jar)<o:p></o:p></DIV>
 
Quick Topics<o:p></o:p>
·
Bones up
·
Sleep well
·
Do unto
·
Hourglass
·
Popularity
·
Self-pitying
·
Root
·
Lady-killer
·
Weekend
·
Versatile
·
Big break
·
Fights back
Story
Starters<o:p></o:p>
·
That’s my point…
·
Why are you special?
·
Have you confided in… 
·
I’d rather talk when…
·
I’m a lot of fun…
·
I read something
somewhere…
<DIV
style="BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-BOTTOM: 1pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN-RIGHT: 151.5pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt solid; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-element: para-border-div">
Shameless
Self Promotion<o:p></o:p></DIV>
<H3 style="MARGIN: 12pt 151.5pt 3pt 0in">Barnes & Noble at Easton Town Center— Fiction Writer’s
Group<o:p></o:p></H3>
The Fiction Writers Group
is a facilitated writing group that meets at Barnes & Noble at
<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
/><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Easton</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Town</st1:PlaceType> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">Center</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> on the SECOND Thursday of each
month at 7:00pm and is hosted by writer and teacher Michael Wilson. This event
is free of charge!<o:p></o:p>
The next meeting is on July
13th.<o:p></o:p>
<H3 style="MARGIN: 12pt 151.5pt 3pt 0in">Speaking at the Writers’ Ink Writers Group meeting on June 25th,
2006</H3>
I’ll be talking about Flash
Fiction at their group meeting at 5pm at the Tivoli Apartments, <st1:Street
w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">410 Thurber Drive
West</st1:address></st1:Street>, Building 4, <st1:address w:st="on"><st1:Street
w:st="on">apartment</st1:Street>
6</st1:address>.<o:p></o:p>
For more details
about the Writers’ Ink writers group or to join, go to <A
href="http://www.writersinkcreativity.com/">www.writersinkcreativity.com</A> or send
email to Norah Holt at <A href="mailto:inkcrea-@hotmail.com">inkcrea-@hotmail.com</A>
<o:p></o:p>
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Columbus</st1:City></st1:place> Writers
Conference<o:p></o:p>
I’ll be presenting at the Columbus Writers Conference
Again this Year! Here the details about my
presentations:<o:p></o:p>
FLASH FICTION FOCUS
<o:p></o:p>
What do flash fiction
publishers want to see in stories submitted to them? Join local writer Michael
Wilson, the author of Flash Writing: How to Write, Revise and Publish Stories
Less Than 1,000 Word Long, to learn about the common problems with rejected
flash fiction stories and how to avoid them. Also learn how flash fiction
writing techniques can be used in longer fiction writing
projects.<o:p></o:p>
WRITER BEWARE! (SELF-DEFENSE FOR WRITERS)
<o:p></o:p>
Writers must be smart
consumers for writing-related goods and services. Learn the differences between
self-publishing, print-on-demand (POD) and vanity presses, and what to expect
from book doctors, agents, and writing contests. This session also features information
about basic publication rights and how to handle common problems with publishing
contracts.<o:p></o:p>
Here are the details about the overall
conference:<o:p></o:p>
The Columbus Writers Conference, scheduled for Friday, August 25,
and Saturday, August 26, 2006, at the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Fawcett</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Conference</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">Center</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>, <st1:address w:st="on"><st1:Street
w:st="on">240 Olentangy River Road</st1:Street>, <st1:City
w:st="on">Columbus</st1:City></st1:address>, offers a wide variety of writing
topics presented by writers, editors, and literary agents. Keynote speaker is
Ted Kooser, United States Poet Laureate 2004-2006.
The
conference features one-to-one consultations with literary agents and editors; a
literary agent panel; an editor panel; and for writers of mystery and other
genres, a panel of experts in the fields of criminal investigation and forensic
science. Also featured are open mikes for fiction, nonfiction, and
poetry.
This
fourteenth annual event presents more than 40 sessions on fiction and nonfiction
topics, including the novel; nonfiction book; short story; writing for children,
tweens, and teens; memoir; poetry; biography; finding and working with a
literary agent; author/editor relationship; query letter; nonfiction book
proposal; book promotion; pitching the novel; copyright and contracts;
publicity; and freelance writing.
The
Columbus Writers Conference draws attendees from throughout <st1:State
w:st="on">Ohio</st1:State> and the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Early bird
registration must be postmarked July 31. For more information or to receive a
brochure, e-mail conference director Angela Palazzolo at <A
href="mailto:Angel-@aol.com">Angel-@aol.com</A>; or call
614-451-3075; or write The Columbus Writers Conference, <st1:address
w:st="on"><st1:Street w:st="on">P.O. Box 20548</st1:Street>, <st1:City
w:st="on">Columbus</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st="on">OH</st1:State>
<st1:PostalCode w:st="on">43220</st1:PostalCode></st1:address>. Details are also
available at <A href="http://www.creativevista.com/">www.creativevista.com</A>. 
<DIV
style="BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-BOTTOM: 1pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN-RIGHT: 151.5pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt solid; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-element: para-border-div">
<SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; TEXT-TRANSFORM: uppercase; COLOR: #481800; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; LETTER-SPACING: 1.6pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">Muse
Reviews<o:p></o:p></DIV>
 
The Faith of a Writer: Life, Craft, Art by Joyce Carol Oates; HarperCollins; Trade Paper; 158
pages; ISBN: 0060817089<o:p></o:p>
My favorite type of writing
book is the literary memoir. Books such as Stephen King’s On Writing, not only give you some good
advice, but give you some insight into the writing process, as well as the
writer’s own quirks and habits. I
figured when picking up this book by Joyce Carol Oates, she would have given us
a glimpse at what makes her such a prolific author, tell us how she can maintain
she blistering productivity, but the book is disappointing because it doesn’t.
In fact, it provides little insight into Oates as an author, instead she chooses
to delve within the lives of other authors such as Virginia Woolf, Tolstoy,
Hemingway, and Faulkner. She explores the writing craft through the lens of
their works and habits, much like an academic paper. <o:p></o:p>
The book is alive in the
first couple of essays, “District School #7, Niagara County, New York,” “First
Loves” and “Running and Writing” where she freely shares her experiences
with reading, words and writing and how they fit into her life, but shortly
thereafter she seems to slip into her role as a professor at Princeton
University and discuss topics such as failure, inspiration, reading as a writer,
and self-criticism not through her writing, but through the work of other
authors. This is not entirely
uninteresting, but I picked up the book to see how Joyce Carol Oates herself
worked through these issues, and was disappointed that she left herself
completely out of these discussions. Despite this it does have some good info,
but not so much info that you couldn’t borrow the book, jot down a few notes on
the things that interest you and return it.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
Rating: ** (Borrow It from the
Library)<o:p></o:p>
About Ratings: ***** -- Well Worth it at Full Retail Price; **** — Buy on
Sale/Discounted; *** — Buy Used; ** —
Borrow It from the Library; * —
Waste of a Good Tree<o:p></o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
TO SUBSCRIBE: If someone you
know would like to check out Grist for the Muse have and possibly subscribe to
it, go to the web at this URL: <A name=OLE_LINK2></A><A
name=OLE_LINK1></A><A
href="http://www.topica.com/lists/Grist_for_the_Muse">http://www.topica.com/lists/Grist_for_the_Muse</A> or
SUBSCRIBE via email by sending a BLANK email to: <A
href="mailto:Grist_for_the_-@topica.com">Grist_for_the_-@topica.com</A>
OR – If you do not want to
join Topica, send an email to <A
href="mailto:gri-@flashwriting.com">gri-@flashwriting.com</A> with the word SUBSCRIBE in the header. Make sure that I am added to your
address book or your “safe” list. 
SUGGESTIONS or COMMENTS:
Please feel free to e-mail me with ideas, suggestions, questions, or smart
alecky remarks. I love to get feedback, and I do give all comments serious
consideration. Send them to <A
href="mailto:gri-@flashwriting.com">gri-@flashwriting.com</A> 
TO UNSUBSCRIBE: Please click here: <A
href="http://65.54.172.250/cgi-bin/linkrd?_lang=EN&;lah=5dee8d5aaa6a8c1d5b970b7169a803ec&lat=1076887042&hm___action=http%3a%2f%2ftopica%2ecom%2fu%2f%3fa2jb2H%2ebm2Kjt%2ebWt3aWxz"
target=_blank>http://topica.com/help/unsub.html.bWt3aWxz</A> or send
a BLANK email to: Grist <A
href="mailto:Grist_for_the_M-@topica.com">_for_the_Muse-@topica.com</A>
SUBMISSIONS: Do you have
an event you want to promote? Do you want to see yourself in print? Send me a
short article or writing exercise ideas. I can’t pay you anything yet, but maybe
someday soon. Please send an e-mail with date, time, place, cost and contact
information to 
<A
href="mailto:gri-@flashwriting.com">gri-@flashwriting.com</A> 
with SUBMISSION in the subject line.
Editor reserves the right to revise submissions.
ABOUT THE PUBLISHER: Michael
Wilson has been teaching creative writing classes and facilitating writer’s
groups for almost a decade and was an award-winning Contributing Editor for The
Writer’s Block at Suite101.com. He has a BA (with Honors) in English from
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Ohio</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">University</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>, and has been a
featured guest speaker at the Thurber House, the Maumee Valley Writer’s
Conference and the Columbus Writer’s Conference. He is also the publisher and
editor of Grist for the Muse a free monthly creative writing e-newsletter. His
first book: Flash Writing: How to Write,
Revise and Publish Stories Less Than 1000 Words Long, was published in
October 2004. You can get additional information about him at <A
href="http://www.flashwriting.com/">www.flashwriting.com</A>.
<o:p> </o:p>
Copyright
2006 Michael L. Wilson. All rights
reserved.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
<o:p> </o:p></DIV></BODY></HTML>

------=_NextPart_001_000B_01C691F7.CFB84EF0--


	Previous Message	All Messages	Next Message

Concerned about privacy? Topica is TrustE certified.
See our Privacy Policy.