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You’ve no doubt heard the advice that a writer shouldn’t quit his day job—not only in the context of a perhaps-not-so-promising manuscript, but also because few writers today can support themselves solely on profits from their writing. But in our April issue , Jacob M. Appel, a doctor and prolific short-story writer, argues that a day job can actually provide you with rich material for your writing. And while many writers, particularly those with advanced writing degrees, find jobs
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Several years ago, shortly after I started working for the magazine, I was in the awkward position of waiting for a freelance writer to turn in her article. The deadline came and went. I sent her a polite e-mail asking that she resend her piece because I hadn’t received it. A couple of days passed. I sent her another e-mail. Then I called, and—you guessed it—had to leave a voice message, because she didn’t answer her phone. I called again and e-mailed again. One of the first
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When we came across an item in Publishers Weekly on an Emmy Award-winning motion picture cameraman and director becoming an award-winning suspense novelist, we thought this rather unusual fellow might bring a fresh eye (so to speak) to the magazine. So we invited Thomas Kaufman to write an article for The Writ er about his development as a writer, and some of the similarities between the challenges of filmmaking and fiction writing. (That’s Tom at left, at work with a familiar-looking lady
Posted to
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Ron Kovach
on
Wed, Mar 16 2011
Filed under: Thomas Kaufman, Drink the Tea, Private Eyes of America, Emmy Award, tiny details in fiction
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Beginning in the May issue of The Writer , we’re happy to add a new contributing editor to our masthead, Bharti Kirchner . The Seattle writer – that’s her at left -- is a familiar byline to our readers, having written many articles in recent years on various elements of fiction and other topics. She is also a familiar sight at writing conferences, where she often presents. (If you live in or around the state of Washington, you can check out her appearances at two upcoming conferences
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This week The Writer staff has been putting the magazine’s May issue to bed (i.e., proofing then sending the issue off to Production) and I’ve been polishing a talk I’ll be giving Saturday at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s ninth annual Spring Writers Festival . The conference runs Friday through Sunday. I’ll be on a morning panel discussion with agents and editors and then later try to distill some advice for beginning-to-intermediate freelance writers. The
Posted to
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Ron Kovach
on
Wed, Mar 2 2011
Filed under: John Koethe, Kurt Chandler, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee Magazine, Spring Writers Festival, Jeffrey Gingold, Jane Hamilton, Sheree Bykofsky
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One of the joys of reading is that there’s an unlimited supply of good books to discover. And who knows when or where you’ll stumble onto something new. A casual aside by my sister--during a wandering conversation about the recent PBS series Downton Abbey , Upstairs Downstairs (both old and new ), Poirot , Martha Grimes' latest Richard Jury novel , audio books, and a local mystery bookstore--steered me to Margery Allingham , author of a series of crime novels featuring the “aristocratic
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For some time now, we’ve been hearing from publishing professionals that writers need to be savvy social-media users, whether it’s through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or other venues. As one who is reluctant to dive in, I wondered just how working writers are using these tools on a day-to-day basis and what the benefits are. In the March issue of The Writer now out ("Special report: Social media"), you can read how six fiction and nonfiction writers I interviewed developed social
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E Abbe
on
Tue, Feb 22 2011
Filed under: Twitter, Facebook, blogging, social media, Jackie Mitchard
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The magic of bookstores is disappearing. Yesterday, Borders filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy and announced that it would be closing more than 200 stores. Although the bankruptcy and store closings have been on the horizon for some time, I’m surprised by the feelings of loss I’m experiencing. As a child, any place where I could be surrounded by books felt magical. It started with trips to the local library when I was a little girl. The library was the most wonderful place in my small town.
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This may not be a literary item, the usual purview of Writer blogs, but it does involve communication. Or non-communication, as the case may be. A scene from an Italian restaurant …. Valentine’s Day at Zarletti’s, a lovely place in downtown Milwaukee. A small, cozy joint, with warm dark-chocolate walls, great home-made pasta, good wine, friendly help. It’s about 6:30; the place is getting filled with couples. A good vibe all around. My wife and I are about halfway through
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Upcoming in The Writer ’s April issue, due out in early March, is an engaging, three-page interview by Luke Reynolds with David Wroblewski, author of the hit novel The Story of Edgar Sawtelle . After many years of crafting his debut novel, Wroblewski saw it become not only a New York Times bestseller but an Oprah Winfrey pick, which, of course, is the ultimate marketing boost for a novel. Luke asked the author just what it’s like to win Oprah’s imprimatur. Wroblewski’s answer
Posted to
Staff Blog
(Weblog)
by
Ron Kovach
on
Wed, Feb 9 2011
Filed under: Edgar Sawtelle, David Wroblewski, Luke Reynolds, Ann Cummins, Jennifer Reynolds, University of York, Oprah
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