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Aspiring Authors
Jan. 28th, 2011 12:48 pmBack in the fall, I was invited to guest lecture with a local university writing class. That offer eventually morphed into 3 lecture spots with three different classes of students. Though after my first one, I noticed that some, if not all of the kids from that first class, snuck into the other two lectures.
Today was the 300 level course. For the first two 100 level courses, I talked about craft in general and had a really frank discussion about the use of language in modern fiction. Then we talked about writing for market and determining what kind of writer you are. I had a lot of fun with those two classes.
For the 300 level course, I prepared a mini-seminar on plot. I called it PLOT WORKS. lol. Regardless, on the plotting front I'm a little lazy with my hobby writing but I invest a huge amount of time into plotting and research for my professional projects. It's just what you do when you do it for a living--at least that's what I DO when I do it for a living. Every writer has their own process.
Anyways, I presented for the first hour of the class and then the second hour of the class was for Q&A and there was this big discussion about developing the writing process for young writers and if there comes a time when it's too late to change how you approach a project. I consider myself a somewhat fluid writer -- I am a plotter by nature but I can write by the seat of my pants.
They had a lot of great and intelligent questions to ask me and then I was grilled quite thoroughly by two of the professors in the English dept of the university (not the one that invited me). I think I made an enemy for life when I answered this question:
"When did you start considering yourself a professional writer?"
My response: "When I realized that there was very little I wouldn't write for money." She sputtered but I continued. "Because I began to understand at that point that being a writer was a calling but being a published author was a J.O.B. The difference between those two circumstances is absolutely huge."
I had a good time and the Dean of the English Department told me he had a great time listening to me obliterate people's expectations and crush the dreams of several hundred aspiring authors with REALITY. He was funny as hell. Pack Mule had a great time, too.
Today was the 300 level course. For the first two 100 level courses, I talked about craft in general and had a really frank discussion about the use of language in modern fiction. Then we talked about writing for market and determining what kind of writer you are. I had a lot of fun with those two classes.
For the 300 level course, I prepared a mini-seminar on plot. I called it PLOT WORKS. lol. Regardless, on the plotting front I'm a little lazy with my hobby writing but I invest a huge amount of time into plotting and research for my professional projects. It's just what you do when you do it for a living--at least that's what I DO when I do it for a living. Every writer has their own process.
Anyways, I presented for the first hour of the class and then the second hour of the class was for Q&A and there was this big discussion about developing the writing process for young writers and if there comes a time when it's too late to change how you approach a project. I consider myself a somewhat fluid writer -- I am a plotter by nature but I can write by the seat of my pants.
They had a lot of great and intelligent questions to ask me and then I was grilled quite thoroughly by two of the professors in the English dept of the university (not the one that invited me). I think I made an enemy for life when I answered this question:
"When did you start considering yourself a professional writer?"
My response: "When I realized that there was very little I wouldn't write for money." She sputtered but I continued. "Because I began to understand at that point that being a writer was a calling but being a published author was a J.O.B. The difference between those two circumstances is absolutely huge."
I had a good time and the Dean of the English Department told me he had a great time listening to me obliterate people's expectations and crush the dreams of several hundred aspiring authors with REALITY. He was funny as hell. Pack Mule had a great time, too.