This week I’ve been introducing the writing process to my college writing students through a multi-draft assignment based on NPR’s “This I Believe” project. In class on Wednesday, I had them begin a quick 250-word “credo” to get the ball rolling on the series of drafts, and, like a good teacher, I sat down andContinue reading “A Writer’s Notebook: “This I Believe””
Tag Archives: writing
“Dear student”: one professor’s view of evaluation (and why I agree)
In a recent piece in Forbes (why Forbes? why not Chronicle of Higher Ed or InsideHigherEd.com, both of which the author cites after his essay) on why professors “Don’t Lie Awake At Night Thinking of Ways to Ruin Your Life,” economics professor Art Carden opens with a quote from I Corinthians: “When I was aContinue reading ““Dear student”: one professor’s view of evaluation (and why I agree)”
A Writer’s Notebook: observations from an old notebook (Retro #2)
I’ve been busy this week. I just began my winter term teaching college writing, I’ve started finalizing the layout and the cover design for the February issue of Jersey Devil Press, and I’m working on a major redesign of this website. (Stay tuned for more news on that front!) So, I’m breaking out the oldContinue reading “A Writer’s Notebook: observations from an old notebook (Retro #2)”
A Writer’s Notebook: a slew of writing prompts
This week I’m working on several things at once, and all the writing I’m doing is destined (I hope) for other publications. But true to the Notebook, all the work also is written from prompts. So I thought I’d share links to the places whose prompts I’m working with. In Between Altered States: Open-ended prompts for veryContinue reading “A Writer’s Notebook: a slew of writing prompts”
A Writer’s Notebook: newspaper/object story
This is the beginning of something, but where it goes, I don’t yet know: When I was in college I bought pot from a guy who kept turtles in a kiddie pool on his sun porch. I forget how many altogether, but he had at least a dozen in there. All kinds, too — aContinue reading “A Writer’s Notebook: newspaper/object story”
Speaking truth to agents
So, a few days ago over at one of my favorite blogs, Literary Rejections on Display, there was a hell of a conversation going about literary agents and how we writers should approach them. Not in the “please publish my novel” way, pitching your work and begging for acceptance; we’re talking about talking back toContinue reading “Speaking truth to agents”
A Writer’s Notebook: photo poem
It’s a photo exercise, but unlike previous versions, this one is a poem. And I have a reason for doing it. But, as usual, first the photo (this time an animated gif!): We stood in the street and watched the roof burn. The ridgepole a perfect line of flames, reaching like children for candy atContinue reading “A Writer’s Notebook: photo poem”
A Writer’s Notebook: poem from an old notebook (Retro #1)
I’m in a strange place this week. Recuperating from NaNoWriMo, wrapping up a fall term of teaching and grading final exams, and warming up my design skills for my first run as Jersey Devil Press‘s new production editor. So this week, I’m digging into my huge stack of physical pen-and-paper notebooks and posting an oldContinue reading “A Writer’s Notebook: poem from an old notebook (Retro #1)”
Big news for teen authors!
Today, One Story magazine, one of the finest, most respected voices in literary publishing, announced that they are launching an offshoot just for teen authors, One Teen Story. I’ve been a huge fan of One Story since I first met publisher Hannah Tinti at an AWP conference some six years ago. And I’ve been aContinue reading “Big news for teen authors!”
A Writer’s Notebook: NaNoWriMo 2011, the recap
So, it’s finished. A final total of 51,557 words, most of them bad, most of them destined for the trash bin. But that’s what NaNoWriMo is all about: pounding out words no matter how bad they are, without attachment to what you write because you’re more likely than not to cut it all anyway. What’s interestingContinue reading “A Writer’s Notebook: NaNoWriMo 2011, the recap”
Samuel Snoek-Brown 