Well, two blogs. I skim Lee Goldberg’s A Writer’s Life, a highly quotidian walk with Lee through his writing adventures, and very much sans petard. It’s comforting to be reminded that most writers deal with ennui, lack of direction, frustration, and severe work avoidance–and still love what they do. Sounds like most work, doesn’t it?
So today Lee linked to his brother Tod’s post about writers’ conferences. I can’t quote the best parts because I try to keep this blog PG-13 (but slip me a Rusty Nail at the conference bar late of an evening and let me turn the air blue as a mountain lake). Still, Tod confirms something I’ve been told: stop going to conferences (thankfully, I never started), and write.
I do plan to go to some writers’ conferences, sometime, somewhere, somehow, but will follow Tod’s advice to “only go to conferences where someone is teaching you something.” Still, to stay focused on my education, I’m not even submitting very much this summer, just enough to get used to being routinely rejected by top-drawer journals so when I do get a piece published somewhere it will feel fruit-juicy good.
I even had concerns about what I’m doing this summer, which is using a lot of historical content in new and revised essays. I worried that it was a distraction from My Craft. But I realized that I will always use research in most of my essays, and because I will, I had better learn how to do it right, and not give readers serious MEGO (Mine Eyes Glaze Over) with extensive block historical passages that only a dweeb for that historical period could love. (Or, to twist the classic writing advice, for God’s sake, don’t unpack it!)
Anyway, this was a good week to hear that missing so many reruns and letting Sandy watch Children of Heaven all by herself is exactly what I should be doing on behalf of My Craft. That, plus I learned a new adjective. Life is good.
Posted on this day, other years:
- Getting Things Done - 2007
- Social Software Showcase at ALA Annual - 2007
- Draft memorial resolution for John Iliff - 2006
- Banned Books Week Podcasts - 2006
- Michael Stephens on Blogging - 2004
- Wireless at ALA - 2004
- Cuban Prisoner Released - 2004
3 responses so far ↓
1 Jason // Jun 9, 2005 at 4:31 pm
you know, kgs, I knew I liked you for some reason. A rusty nail, huh? Personally, I prefer the scotch straight, but that’s a great second option for non-single malts. No ALA this year for me, but I’ll buy you a round next year.
2 Dinah Phillips // Jun 10, 2005 at 9:33 am
What’s your new adjective?
3 kgs // Jun 10, 2005 at 12:19 pm
Actually, it’s more of a noun, though I was thinking of it as an adjective as in f—tard vendor (er, not YOU of course!) or f—tard SUV driver in the parking spot clearly marked COMPACT CAR…
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