September Writing Challenge

It's September 1, which means a return to the monthly writing challenges. For this month, we have an exercise submitted by a reader named Orven. For the exercise, think of an episode from your own past and then rewrite it from a perspective other than your own. It can be in first person point of view or third, so long as it's not from your own.

So, for instance, if you took your ballet-loving daughter to see the Nutcracker for the first time last year, you might write about it from her perspective. Or use the last argument you had with a parent or sibling. By writing about a setting and situation you know intimately, the exercise should free your imagination up to focus on the challenges of character. It might be easier -- or harder -- than you think to write about a real person. The exercise may surprise you.

Email me descriptions of 600 words or less by September 30, following the challenge guidelines. Feel free to set up the scene with whatever information you want to include -- whether it's what role you actually played, or your experience of doing the exercise. If you want some initial feedback, consider posting your response in the forum first.

September Writing Challenge originally appeared on About.com Fiction Writing on Wednesday, September 1st, 2010 at 07:28:22.

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Mattress Writing Exercise

For today, we have an exercise provided by Alix Ohlin in an author interview she did for this site last year. The exercise, which involves a couple, focuses on finding the drama in everyday life. It also helps writers focus on dialogue, forcing them to communicate the central conflict indirectly.

And as always, if you like what you write, post your stories below or on the general submissions page.

Mattress Writing Exercise originally appeared on About.com Fiction Writing on Monday, August 30th, 2010 at 06:00:09.

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Take a Mini Writing Retreat

Back in June, I posted a challenge for this season to give yourself a mini writing retreat -- or artist date, as Julia Cameron might term it -- and then write about what happened. Before the summer slips away entirely, I wanted to post one last invitation to submit your mini writing retreat stories, and highlight some of the wonderful accounts that have come in so far.

Writer Cassandra Barclift gave me the idea for this exercise in March, with a note she left in response to a call for writing exercises. She wrote about how trips and memories can work together to inspire her, giving an example of an outing she'd taken: "Last fall, I took a walk through the local park near the lake. The walkway was brightly lit by sunshine when I began, and then clouds moved overhead and the day turned grey. I took a photo of the walkway, went home and uploaded it to my computer. Suddenly an old memory found its way to the surface and a poem was born."

For some other lovely examples, read about Laurence59's visit to Mount Grace Priory, Reneeann's trip to the Caines River in New Brunswick, or Barclift's own entry, about a trip to the Oregon coast. And then write about your own artist date -- or make a plan to take one soon.

Thanks to everyone who's submitted descriptions of their mini-retreat -- and to everyone who'll be doing so now!

Take a Mini Writing Retreat originally appeared on About.com Fiction Writing on Saturday, August 28th, 2010 at 06:00:22.

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Back to School Survival Guide

One of the writers for About.com's Career Channel, of which I am a part, put together a collection of back-to-school articles, including one from yours truly. Whether you're sending a child off to school next month, starting school yourself, or just thinking about applying to a program, there's something here for you. Click through the link above to scan the complete list.

Back to School Survival Guide originally appeared on About.com Fiction Writing on Wednesday, August 25th, 2010 at 16:42:35.

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A Day Without Modifiers

For today, we have an exercise to tighten up your prose. While overwriting is a common mistake of beginning writers, even old hands can fall into bad habits where adverbs and adjectives are concerned. This exercise, by forcing you to hold off on modifiers altogether, will challenge you to reconsider modifiers, and work harder for your verbs.

A Day Without Modifiers originally appeared on About.com Fiction Writing on Monday, August 23rd, 2010 at 06:43:10.

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Short Story Contracts

A conversation in the forum about royalties, film rights, and short stories got my attention this week, as it addresses some common concerns about author rights. As artists, we're all naturally concerned about protecting our creations. We want to publish, but we also don't want our work stolen.

Here's the question from the forum: "Can someone tell me how royalties work for short stories? And also, realizing that I am putting the cart 100 miles before the horse, if a short story was good enough to be made into a movie, who has the rights to the story, you or the publisher?"

We were lucky that a rights manager and creative writer, Lucy, was on hand to respond. She writes, "When I've published with journals, [the contract] has always been an extremely simple, straightforward, one-page form giving them first-publication rights only." Helpfully, she went on to explain first-publication rights:  "This means that I could publish the story again in another form: they publish it once and that's as far as their rights go. For your part, you're agreeing to let them do this, and in many instances, agreeing to give them credit for that first publication when you republish it in another form." To add to what Lucy said, there may also be a phrase along the lines of "All rights revert to you, the author, upon publication," which you want, and there could be some language giving them the right to post the story on their Web site, which is also good.

But the bottom line in all of this is that you will sign a contract to publish your story in a journal or magazine. Read the contract carefully and save a copy. As Lucy stated, this contract should be pretty straightforward: you should be able to understand it without a law degree. So as you read the agreement, evaluate the rights they're keeping, and the rights you're keeping. You have the power to negotiate each of these things: it's as simple as an email. In my own experience, however, I'm usually just thrilled that someone wants to publish my work. You want to post it on your Web site? Go right ahead. You might someday want to include it in an anthology? Yippee! I know for a fact the journals I'm publishing in aren't making a ton of money, and I'm happy to have my work out there, in any form, just as long as my name's clearly attached to it.

As for film rights, these should not be an issue with journals or magazines; I've never seen a contract that included them. And if they don't expressly claim a right in the contract, you retain it. If a film company ever wants to option your story, hire an entertainment lawyer or agent to handle the negotiations for you. And then go buy a really nice bottle of champagne.

Further comments or other questions? I know a lot of people out there have experience, and that more have questions -- so keep the discussion going below.

Short Story Contracts originally appeared on About.com Fiction Writing on Friday, August 20th, 2010 at 06:00:42.

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Back to School with Alan Ziegler

With back to school season here, last year's  interview with Alan Ziegler, author of The Writing Workshop Note Book (Soft Skull Press) came to mind. Ziegler is Director of Pedagogy and Teacher Training at Columbia University's creative writing program and a longtime creative writing instructor. Whether you're taking a creative writing workshop or teaching one, Ziegler's book is good to have on the shelf. See what he had to say about the writing workshop, and add your own advice in the comments section below.

Photograph © Erin Langston

Back to School with Alan Ziegler originally appeared on About.com Fiction Writing on Wednesday, August 18th, 2010 at 06:00:11.

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