As an unpublished writer myself, I have been doing research and collecting resources through social media to gain knowledge on the publishing industry, agents, and what it takes to get published. Here are a few things I have learned:

1. Put your butt in the chair. You have to actually write something to be published.
2. Don’t worry about agents, marketing, or publishing. There will be a time for these things once you actually have a manuscript.
3. Go to as many writing conferences as possible. You will learn from both the events and classes *and* from the fabulous people you meet there.
4. Twitter is amazing. It is not a website that shows status updates. It is a wealth of information from a community of supportive, wonderful people.
5. Just write. The more you write, the better you will get.

Social media is an avenue for research and knowledge that will connect you to the world as a writer. Every writer should be on Twitter and Facebook, have a blog, join LinkedIn, and an RSS feed list via Google Reader (or another similar tool). Here are some good places to start:

continue reading "Social Media for Unpublished Writers"

I just finished reading a great article by Tina Fey in the March 14, 2011 issue of The New Yorker called “Lessons from Late Night” about the lessons she learned from Lorne Michaels on producing and the right managerial style. The article also presents some refreshing and unexpected advice on writing.

The article begins with Fey reminiscing about her initial interview with Michaels and how she thought she bombed because she finished one of his sentences, then goes on to describe her experiences on Saturday Night Live and the lessons she learned while working with Michaels. The article is entertaining with positively delightful anecdotes, such as Michaels getting upset when a director cut to a door a moment before the actor entered because they “lost the audience.” Fey also amuses the reader with a story about the men at SNL peeing in various cups and/or jars and leaving them laying around their offices for unknowing visitors to discover.

This enjoyable piece contained both great management advice and great writing advice. Her management advice included tidbits such as “Don’t make any big decisions right after the season ends (Most people ignore this advice)” and “Don’t hire anyone you wouldn’t want to run into in the hallway at 3 a.m.” One of my favorites was “Never tell a crazy person he or she is crazy.”

Besides the charming and helpful management advice, she also bestows some excellent writing advice:

You have to try your hardest to be at the top of your game and improve every joke until the last possible second, but then you have to let it go. You can’t be that kid standing at the top of the waterslide, overthinking it. You have to go down the chute. […]  You have to let people see what you wrote. It will never be perfect, but perfect is overrated. […] Yes, you’re going to write some sketches that you love and are proud of forever – your golden nuggets. But you’re also going to write some real shit nuggets. You can’t worry about it. As long as you know the difference, you can go back to panning for gold on Monday.

Fey is honest, charming, and funny as always, and she entertains and educates simultaneously with ease.

You can find the full article online here.

Tina Fey, Personal History, “Lessons from Late Night,” The New Yorker, March 14, 2011, p. 22

In lieu of a Friday Flash story this week, I would like to celebrate National Poetry Month! My Cheshire smile is bright today, and Wonderland is all a flurry with preparations for parties to celebrate poetry!

The Academy of American Poets started National Poetry Month in 1996 to increase visibility for poetry, encourage increased publication and sales of poetry books, and increase philanthropic donations for poets and poetry. Here are a few things you can do to join us to celebrate!

Poem in Your Pocket Day: Carry a poem in your pocket on April 14. All of us in Wonderland will have them! Share them with your friends!

Guest Poets on Twitter: Throughout each day in April, a guest poet will have 24 hours to post their insights and thoughts on the Twitter feed for the Academy of American Poets. Guest tweeters include: 4/9 – Jennifer L. Knox, 4/10 – Randall Mann, and 4/11 – CAConrad. Check out the full list here.

Also, be sure to follow the Twitter feed to see all of the guest poets: http://twitter.com/poetsorg

Poem-A-Day: Sign up on Poetry.org for a daily dose of new poems! http://www.poets.org/poemADay.php

Get a Free Poster: Hurry, before they run out! This year, the poster features my favorite poet, Elizabeth Bishop! http://www.poets.org/posterRequest.php

Subscribe to Poets.org: Subscribe to the RSS feed or the daily newsletter for poets.org. It’s free!

Donate to the Academy of American Poets: Send a donation to support poets and poetry.

Here is a link to 30 more ways you can celebrate National Poetry Month with us!

Here is the official link to Poetry.org’s National Poetry Month page.

Check back throughout the month for Poet Spotlights!

One of the reasons I decided to start this blog is to chronicle my adventures through Wonderland, specifically in writing my first novel and becoming healthy and just a happier person in general. I used to be a very happy child, and through the years, I just found myself getting less and less happy. Does this happen to everyone? I started feeling like I had lost a lot of myself and that my dreams were slowly slipping away into the dark abyss of “real life.” I know that everyone says “real life” gets in the way sometimes, but if you let it STAY in the way, it will just become a giant brick wall that you feel you can’t scale, and you’ll be stuck behind it for the rest of your life. So, instead of standing there and staring at the brick wall, I’ve decided to begin climbing it.

continue reading "Entering Wonderland – Scaling the Brick Wall"