Hey Iowa kids:

Don't forget to bring copies of any writing you've done recently, okay? I really want to see what you guys have been up to. We should find a coffeeshop and sit around marking up each other's stories with red pen, for old times sake. :p

I'm so proud of myself. I finally have a solid first draft on the story I've been wrestling with for months. (Isn't it awful that it takes me THAT LONG to just figure out what the hell wants to happen?) I'm revising for structure right now, mainly--trying to get all the good stuff to happen in the right places--but it's just such a relief to ( Read more... )

Hey Iowa kids ( Read more... )

Anybody participating in National Novel Writing Month (I'm looking at you, Iowa kids)? It could be just the push I need...

Last night I sat down and decided to just write and ended up with this.

( Fairly long: in Word, about two pages double-spaced. Don't feel obliged to read it, but I thought it might interest some people, specifically Iowa people. )

We workshopped my new story today and Paula seemed really impressed. After class she told me that I write more grown-up stories than anyone else in the workshop (it was definitely a compliment). During discussion, the class was split into two camps over something I'd left unclear, and it was pretty interesting to see how the older, more ( Read more... )

I have the best story from lunch today: I was sitting with three other young writers in The Tobacco Bowl, smoking cloves (yes, I'm pretentious) and drinking the best peppermint tea in the world, and we were talking about Raymond Carver. This one guy, Danny, said "Raymond Carver's a dick. I bet if you got pregnant he'd never call you," referring ( Read more... )

I'm at the Iowa Young Writers' Studio right now. I realized I forgot to announce that. I've been spending all my time off in downtown Iowa City, which is a very badass place to be. There are many cool bookstores and coffeeshops. I'm meeting some people in twenty minutes to go wandering, and I think I'll go to The Tobacco Bowl (cigarette ( Read more... )

I was right: there WAS a story in Corbin's farm and abandoned coal mine. I am about six pages into said story, and it's going great. High five for me!