Getting Walden-ish…

Ever want to retreat to the woods to commune with nature and write in peace? The bustle and hustle of modern life not quite as charming amidst all the phone calls, computers, and honking car horns? But you need to make a living, so how do you remedy the needs of your soul and the needs of your pocketbook?

With spring approaching tomorrow I’ve begun preparing my garden in the backyard. It takes a lot of work, but I’ve found the digging in the dirt and listening to the sparrows to be quite refreshing. No matter how hectic my workday, I can retreat to my yard for the last hour of sunlight each afternoon and take in the things that really matter. Sunsets. Tree blossoms. Birdcalls. Green, growing things. Earthworms.

You may think me a bit odd for getting Thoreau or Walden-ish, but I find my little patch of earth in the back yard to be a liberating piece of heaven each afternoon. Perhaps a few of you have a Walden inside you that you’re waiting to discover this spring? How do you compromise between the demands of modern life and the call of your outdoor soul?

To MFA or Not To MFA?

At a writer’s conference I recently attended, an employee in the publishing industry confided in me that agents and publishers rarely sign new authors who don’t have an MFA. I was very much taken aback by such a statement, especially when he added that agents typically don’t take a writer seriously unless they have an MFA. Seriously?

I certainly have nothing against MFA programs, but after finishing my Masters in English along with concentrations in Creative Writing I felt I already had enough literary education. Not to mention, plenty of my favorite authors never had MFAs. I also talked to disillusioned friends coming out of MFA programs where they claimed it started to make every student’s writing sound the same regardless of who wrote a piece of fiction.

Since several of my fellow bloggers are published or will be someday soon, I was curious on your thoughts. Is this guy just spouting tripe or is there some truth to what he claims? What are your thoughts on the necessity of having an MFA and being a working author?

Spicing Up Your Writing Schedule

Training to be a writer is kind of like training for a triathlon. You need to spend hours every day writing, editing, reading, and then actually experiencing life to make sure you continue to be inspired. It’s easy to turn your favorite pastime into something that feels like work. So how do you get around this?

One thing I like to do is change up projects for a while and write something different. If you’re on your tenth rewrite of a novel, go try starting another manuscript you had in mind. Maybe just write a chapter or two. Or perhaps you’re tiring of a specific genre…try some short-stories in something you typically don’t write. It’s fun, inspiring, and risk-free!

So how do you spice up your writing schedule? What tricks keep you writing, but also fresh? How do you keep it fun?  

Insecure Writer’s Day

I’ve been getting lots of helpful feedback from both critique partners and professional editors I’ve met. I actually have found the feedback from my critique partners in the blog-o-sphere more helpful at times than some of the suggested changes from professional editors.  My dilemma stems from some of the suggestions I’ve received from professional editors who want to create some pretty sweeping changes to my storyline.

I want to make my story the best it can be, and have no qualms about changing it to make it better, which I’ve done many times and will continue to do. Nonetheless, I find myself doubting some of the suggestions from a few editors I’ve spoken with, mainly because the things they want to change take away something of the spirit of what makes my work unique. After all, if I can’t write the story I want, it takes away the purpose of me crafting it in the first place.

Ever get bogged down in seemingly endless rewrites? How do you decide which feedback to accept and which to ignore? When do you compromise on a point and when do you stick to your guns?

Happily Too Many Goals

Do you ever set yourself multiple goals for the month or year? Find reality catching up with your ambition? But decide to grin up and enjoy is anyways?

I set myself several goals, which have resulting in me staying up late every night writing. I vowed to write one short-story a week for an entire year, which I’m still doing. I’ve also set myself the goal of writing 1,000-2,000 words a day for the 40 days of Lent, and at the same time I’m editing/rewriting my manuscript. Needless to say, my wife is very patient with me.    

So what crazy writing projects do you have in the works? Ever enjoy just giving in to the madness that is writing despite your other commitments? Do you question anymore why you engage in such literary passions or do you just go with it?

CassaFire!

Bored with the same old thing? Want to read something to whet your appetite for adventure? Do you enjoy SciFi?

Then checkout the new release of CassaFire by Alex Cavanaugh! You can visit his site here to learn more. Alex is an awesome writer and blogger, not to mention a very patient person, as I keep forgetting to post on time for the many blogfests I’ve sign up for, but better late than never:)

So what are some of your favorite new releases on the bookshelves this season? Any must-reads you’ve just finished? Hopefully, CassaFire is one of them.

Rewrites…A Blessing or a Bane?

How many drafts do you typically create for your manuscripts? Are you a revision hound or do you prefer the inspiration of that first draft? How do you know when you’ve gotten it just right?

I’ve received some great reviews from readers and critique partners for my book The Long Defeat, but I’ve also gotten some really good feedback I want to incorporate into my story. So, I’m back at it again, doing substantial rewrites in order to make my manuscript even sharper. Once upon a time I might have frowned at so many revisions, but now I engage in my rewrites with enthusiasm, knowing that each time I re-craft my novel it makes my story that much better.

Revisions are certainly necessary, but how do you go about them? Do you completely rewrite a section or make more moderate edits throughout? In short, are rewrites a blessing or a chore for you?