Self Assignment

The report of my death was an exaggeration.

Mark Vanderpool — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 06:29:27 -0400

As Mark Twain wrote in a note to the London correspondent of the New York Journal, dated June 1, 1897:

"The report of my death was an exaggeration."

This gets misquoted all the time.

Here's a common variation found in various and sundry places all over cyberland:

"The rumors of my death are greatly exaggerated."

What the hell is minimalism?

miraculousmeaningless — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 10:21:28 -0400

Editor's Note: This is a sample thread from the recent Craig Clevenger intensive. It's on the theoretical side, and doesn't showcase any private submissions of students' creative writing or other sensitive materials. Rather, it's a good small sampler of the level of talk that goes on in our advanced writing classes. Enjoy. Mark Vanderpool

There seem to be multiple definitions floating around!

When I think minimalism, I think first of Ezra Pound, who says: "Use no superfluous word, no adjective which does not reveal something." (He's talking about writing poetry but I still feel it's pertinent)

Chuck Palahniuk talk's about how what Tom Spanbauer teaches is 'minimalism', and even suggested at one point that they'd be writing a book about it together. In Chuck's case, I imagine minimalism is characterized by cramming as much power into your words as possible while using the minimum amount of words; similar sort of thing.

In the senses above, I think of minimalism as a set of techniques that improve efficiency of one's writing. Cain and Camus come to mind. Efficient, powerful, evocative storytelling.

Under Reconstruction

vigorous puppy — Mon, 26 Jan 2004 19:25:39 -0500

What the hell is with all the spam that keeps cropping up in here? Somebody should get a better hobby.

What is a Mystery Short Story? And How Do You Write One?

JKabol — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 10:16:57 -0500

Mississippi writer John Floyd (jfloyd "at" teclink.net) has sold more than 500 short stories and fillers to 100+ publications, including Strand Magazine, Grit, Woman's World, Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, and Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. His stories have been nominated for both the Pushcart Prize and the Derringer Award.

in other words, a writer whose advice should be heeded.

http://www.writing-world.com/mystery/floyd.shtml

What is a Mystery Short Story?
(And How Do You Write One?)

John Floyd's thoughts:

I'll begin by answering part of that question:

I think of a short story as a piece of fiction less than around 20,000 words in length (usually between 2,000 and 5,000 words). It often focuses on one event, one problem, and one character or a small set of characters.

ten common writing mistakes ... avoid at all costs

JKabol — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 09:55:52 -0500

(an anonymous thank you goes out to that very cool stranger, oxling)

megatokyo is a website not too dissimilar from the cult. in otherwords, it's badass.

the site is an online web comic/manga art and story driven site. i spent some time there a few years ago, reading on writing for perspective, and came across a thread by a veteran member there named oxling that proved well worth the mindful ingestion. titled Ten Common Writing Mistakes to Avoid at All Costs

that particular thread is located here:
http://forums.megatokyo.com/index.php?showtopic=1678118

i think that it is important to read them, to see what you agree with..

Literary Review Quick Tips.. (the rebirth)

JKabol — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 09:27:41 -0500

Literary Review Quick Tips..

it delights me to see new members asking questions about the best advice threads
unfortunately, between the move (the board switch from VB) and some hacker messing with some of the vital threads here, so many of our best advice threads are down for the count. but we’ll work a summation thread.

new members and a new workshop
time to refresh some ideas about the art of critiquing
and how to craft a helpful review

The Resource Page: The Writer's Resource

JKabol — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 08:30:43 -0500

The Cult's Resource Page can't get enough attention

http://chuckpalahniuk.net/workshop/resource

this page has been here for a few years now, but was updated (and rewritten) this year for the new site. it is the perfect haven for the novice writer because it provides tips and generates knowledge via articles and essays that can be easily navigated anytime. also, easy to find lists of places that accept submissions, and how to find agents and links to writing competitions et cetera. many writers from here put a lot of time and energy into crafting this page. like the homies e-j, and the big dog mark. a whole lotta research and time and what came out is this beautiful polished cornerstone cleaved directly from the too-widely spread branchings of the interweb.

The Greatest Mystery: Making a Best Seller

JKabol — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 07:52:41 -0500

this article is killer and deserves refreshing

for those of us who experience curiosity when pondering publishing
and the financial in and outs of the publishing world
this will satiate some of that brooding curiosity
well worth taking the time to read thoroughly

The Greatest Mystery: Making a Best Seller

WHEN Shana Kelly, a literary agent at the William Morris Agency, submitted Curtis Sittenfeld’s first novel, “Cipher,” to book publishers in 2003, she had high expectations. She contacted nearly two dozen high-ranking editors at major publishers, expecting every one to make offers for her client’s coming-of-age story set at a boarding school.

14 common writing mistakes in fiction manuscripts

JKabol — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 06:36:39 -0500

14 common writing mistakes in fiction manuscripts

found this in the backlog of very old threads
instead of upping a thread from march of oh-four with comments from so many people who aren’t here anymore at all, I decided to create a new one for new members here

this is the start of what I affectionately refer to as the writing theory threads

this list of 14 most common mistakes by jerry gross is definitely a list to read and hopefully we’ll get around to examining what we agree with and what we outright don’t like. All for perspective.

For those of us who have been putting off writing, let this start your writing brain back to writerly thinking and lets discuss..

14 Most Common Mistakes I See in Fiction Manuscripts -- And What to Do About Them
by Jerry Gross © 1996 Editor of EDITORS ON EDITING

Any of you old-timers from the ChuckShop up for a bout of word count diarrhea via NaNoWriMo?

kasey_carpenter — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 03:36:42 -0400

Hey, voice from beyond the grave here, I have been spewing words on paper ala Jackson Pollock these days, and have finished what I started a year ago in Craig's first Intensive, (Object of Hostility, for those with long memories or access to the locked forum(s)) and I'm in the "editing" phase (think Saw) of that little pool of primordial fiction...

So to occupy the other twelve minutes left in my day, I, Kasey Carpenter, of unsound mind and a BAC of at least .06, have signed up with this Boston Marathon of a writing gag known as NaNoWriMo. I will forgo the tedious explanation, as 1) you already are aware, and/or 2) Google works much, much faster than I at this ungodly yet familiar hour.