The Creative Writer's Survival Guide: Advice from an Unrepentant Novelist PDF
Preview The Creative Writer's Survival Guide: Advice from an Unrepentant Novelist
The Creative Writer’s Survival Guide The Creative Writer’s Survival Guide Advice from an Unrepentant Novelist John McNally university of iowa press, iowa city University of Iowa Press, Iowa City 52242 Copyright © 2010 by John McNally www.uiowapress.org Printed in the United States of America Design by Richard Hendel No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher. All reasonable steps have been taken to contact copyright holders of material used in this book. The publisher would be pleased to make suitable arrangements with any whom it has not been possible to reach. The University of Iowa Press is a member of Green Press Initiative and is committed to preserving natural resources. Printed on acid- free paper Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data McNally, John, 1965– The creative writer’s survival guide: advice from an unrepentant novelist / by John McNally. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. isbn-13: 978-1-58729-920-9 (pbk.) isbn-10: 1-58729-920-8 (pbk.) isbn-13: 978-1-58729-949-0 (ebook) isbn-10: 1-58729-949-6 (ebook) 1. Authorship—Handbooks, manuals, etc. 2. Creative writing—Handbooks, manuals, etc. 3. Authorship— Marketing—Handbooks, manuals, etc. I. Title. pn147.m478 2010 808′.02—dc22 2010006337 This one’s for Amy. If I have anything to say to young writers, it’s stop thinking of writing as art. Think of it as work. If you’re an artist, whatever you do is going to be art. If you’re not an artist, at least you can do a good day’s work. — Paddy Chayefsky, Academy Award–winning screenwriter, from an interview in American Film Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Writer’s Wonderland—Or: A Warning xi PART ONE: The Decision to Become a Writer This Writer’s Beginnings 3 Knowing Why 7 What Have You Ever Done That’s Worth Writing About? 10 Perseverance 13 Do You Have What It Takes? 17 My Own Illogical Journey 19 PART TwO: Education and the Writer Learn Your Craft 25 Can Writing Be Taught? 28 Going It Alone 31 Creative Writing Degrees: What Are They? 32 The MFA Controversy 46 Choosing the Right Graduate Program 53 The Graduate School Application Process 55 Student Loans 65 Feedback in the Workshop: Giving It and Taking It 67 Learn Punctuation and Grammar 71 How Much Should You Bother Your Teacher after You’re No Longer in Class? 73 The Professional Student 75 PART ThREE: Getting Published The Secret to Getting Published 79 Publishing in Magazines 80 Why Publish in Magazines? 84 The Cover Letter 86 Simultaneous Submissions 90 The Slush Pile 92 Publishing a Book: The Pros and Cons of Print- on- Demand, Vanity Presses, Small Presses, University Presses, and Commercial Presses 94 Agents 106 The Query Letter 117 Rejection: Putting It in Perspective 121 Conferences and Book Festivals 126 Your Critics, and How to Deal with Them 128 The Sales Figure Myth 132 The Necessity of Failure 135 Thinking outside Your Genre 137 The Future of Publishing 139 PART fOuR: Publicity Websites 145 Building a Mailing List 150 Social Networking—Or: Where Did Those Last Five Hours Go? 152 The Blog 154 Networking 158 Getting to Know Booksellers 160 Conferences 163 Book Festivals 166 Bookstore Signings, University Lectures, and Other Humbling Experiences 168 Libraries 172 Finding the Odd Venue to Promote Your Book 174 Buying Copies of Your Own Book 176 Gimmicks 178 Blurbs 180 Writing Book Reviews, Op- Eds, and Other Miscellanea to Promote Your Own Book 182 Selling Serial Rights 184 Alumni Magazines 185 Hiring an Independent Publicist 186 PART fivE: Employment for Writers Jobs for Writers 195 Publishing Jobs 199 Landing a Teaching Position 201 Seven Types of MLA Interview Committees 210 The Effects of Academia on Your Writing 214 PART six: The Writer’s Life Making Writing a Habit 219 Talking about Writing Isn’t Writing 226 Reading with Humility 228 The Writer’s Vices 231 Money and the Writer 233 Dating (or Marrying) a Writer 235 Writing as a Competitive Sport 236 Manners 237 On Being Humble 240 Dealing with Fame 241 You’ve Published a Book—Now What? 242 Notes 245 Ten Rules to Keep near You 247 My Five Favorite Movies about Writers 249 Recommended Reading 251 Bibliography 257 Acknowledgments 261 Index 263
Description:The list of books you might like
