writing
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Conversations with Literary Ex-Cons: Neil White
Fifteen years after serving my time, I still think about prison and the ways in which it might have affected me.
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Drinking the Seagull
At the end of his first day on the raft, as the light dwindled to nothing and the chill of night settled around him, did he close his eyes and wish for sleep, wish for dreaming, wish to somehow be…
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Seeking Grace in Strange Places
I am not a religious person. I usually tell people, if they ask, that I’m a secular humanist, because religion plays no part in my life. And mostly, this is true. In my non-writing life, that is.
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“Produce more, consume less”
What if you had to earn your internet access by producing something? That’s the idea behind Blockr software, which allows you to set creative goals–like writing a certain number of words—and blocks you from going online until you’ve accomplished them.
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Another Reason to Know Your Grammar
Only a week ago, we blogged about the fluidity of the English language. However, for those of you currently seeking a job, take note: grammar is important. While some of you may scoff or shrug your shoulders, Kyle Wiens, writing…
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“Twitter For Authors”
The LA Times reports that Twitter has released a how-to-manual titled “Twitter for Authors.” The guide details six tips particularly geared towards writers, some of which include the not-so-helpful “Be Authentic, Be Yourself,” and “Above All, Have Fun.” Nowadays many…
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‘WRITE OR DIE’ AND OTHER SAGE WORDS OF ADVICE
The Guardian profiles a series of computer applications meant to motivate authors through the doldrums of writer’s block. ‘Write or Die’ (whose slightly menacing slogan is “putting the ‘Prod’ back in Productivity”) deletes your writing if you pause for more…
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Art as Witness
“I believe Nina Simone tried to build that gun because that night she realized what all other-ed bodies eventually realize: a gun was already at her head. She feared a song might not be enough. The fact that this gun…
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Writing for the Ear
“Language can still be an adventure if we remember that words can make a kind of melody. In novels, news stories, memoirs and even to-the-point memos, music is as important as meaning. In fact, music can drive home the meaning…
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Super Sad True Habits
The second installment of “Super Sad True Habits of Highly Effective Writers” features a number of our friends, including contributor Chloe Caldwell, and Adam Levin, whose novel The Instructions was a Rumpus Book Club selection. Here’s Nick Flynn on his…
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Memory Excavation
Guernica examines the intersections of science, emotion, and memory by way of an exchange between novelist Rivka Galchen and neuroscience professor David Linden, featured in the Rubin Museum’s Brainwave series. “As Linden explains in his book, ‘memory retrieval is an active…
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First Agent
At The Quivering Pen, Emily St. John Mandel remembers her first agent who, even in death, remains part of Mandel’s audience. “She comes back to me at odd moments. When there are small triumphs, I sometimes find myself thinking that…