Category: writing
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Writerly resolutions: August status
My writing progress this month has been, to be honest, pretty miserable. A week on vacation with my kids plus a week of being sick have led to almost no progress. That said, I did finish a workshoppable draft of a new story plus of a chapter of the novel that’s been in progress most…
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A visit with my younger self: 20 September 1998
I still had some plans for my epic poem about the selection of the mayor of Chicago at this point, apparently: For “the king is dead”: white selects its kingly candidate with a poker game (seven card stud, no doubt). [illegible] Theͯ déck iͯs cút, men círcleͯ aͯroúnd.Fiͯftý-twͯo cárds [illegible] foͯr thé choͯice óf a…
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A visit with my younger self: 13 September 1988
Take one young would-be writer, full of himself, who has never undergone any sort of creative writing instruction to speak of, let alone workshop with a professor who not only allows abuse in the workshop, but perpetrates some of it himself and you get some seriously hurt feelings. Well, I’ve undergone the first real criticism of…
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A visit with my younger self: 7 September 1988
The fall of 1988, I enrolled in the only creative writing class I ever took until I started grad school. The class, under the direction of Robert Mezey, focused on writing metric verse. This entry is apparently one of my attempts. The waxen complexion gazes from its berth— A former | person, | bathed |…
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Writerly resolutions: July status
This was a moderately productive month writing-wise. I got fair work done on the novel, finishing the rewrite and revision work on the newly inserted chapter two, along with rewriting chapter six and now I’m doing post-workshop revisions on chapter five. Chapter two, a flashback chapter, felt like something that could stand on its own…
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Writerly resolutions: June status
I’ve always believed that good news never comes in self-addressed stamped envelopes. This month, I discovered this was not necessarily true as an SASE I picked up from my P.O. Box turned out to have not only an acceptance inside, but a check as well. I have a poem coming out later this year. Progress…
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A visit with my younger self: 13 July 1988
At this point, I was past the halfway point of summer and looking at my failure to accomplish the goals I’d set out for myself for the summer. I really need to induce more discipline in my life. I know [sic] have six weeks to learn 15 weeks of Algebra. First chapter of BusSongs. Young…
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A visit with my younger self: 3 July 1988
My next journal entry showed some ambitious plans: Outline for “Lilith” (epic poem in blank verse) Book I—Lilith’s arrival at the Red Sea. She meets the demons (souls without bodies). She acquaints them with her history and becomes mistress to them all. Book II—Adam’s realization that Lilith shall not return voluntarily. He tells his story…
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A visit with my younger self: 1 July 1988
Another entry which is nothing more than a story idea: Another story idea—A professional young woman (say about 30) meets a young college student (about 20). Becomes “involved.” Explore problems of such a relationship. Perhaps we will give the woman a roommate as a foil. This seems barely baked as ideas go. I never did…