Making a Literary Life Friday: Raising the Bar

A few months back, we in our writers group agreed to raise the expectations we set for each other. Having established trust, we knew we were in a place where honest and very comprehensive feedback would push us to the next level. This decision has movitated each of us to double check our prose, re-think a character's motivation. In short, raise the bar for our own writing.

Lisa

Passages from favorite writers...I couldn't live without them. Reading a polished paragraph from Michael Lowenthal's Charity Girl, or a few words from Jerry Spinelli's Star Girl, is what I need to jumpstart my writing. I need that prose switch to be turned from idle to on.

Amy

This Friday, Amy won't be posting herself, but she reminds us about the Debs party at Grub Street Writers this evening (see below).

Hannah

That one can not only deplete but misplace one's precious jar of energy made total sense to me this week. (Thank you, Lynne!) I noticed yesterday that not only have I been running on fumes of frantic energy, but everyone around me seems to be as well. Somehow that was what I needed to pull back. First things first. Smile at the children. Prepare a good dinner. Curl up in the wide leather chair with one of the many Roald Dahl books that seem to be magnetically attracted to my coffee table from two school libraries and the town library as well. Remember Matilda? Work on the fiction even if it's only for a half hour before Everything Else begins, and sneak in another half hour here, another hour there. I have not slowed, but that mysterious energy source seems more substantial as I repeat these steps. And you?

Lynne
I raised the bar on revisions to my novel, and even I'm impressed. My characters had sooooo much more to say. My tip of the week is not to close off conversations with them too early in the process. The richness in my story was found when I waited and listened patiently.

Literary Events:
If traffic isn't an issue, then mark your calendars because the Debs are coming to Boston! Friday, June 8th at Grub Street world headquarters we'll toast Jennifer McMahon, Tish Cohen, and Patry Francis while they read from their debut novels. This event will also feature a fun contest: each author will pick one name from a hat, and the winner will receive a free consultation with the author on their query letter and first manuscript page. RSVP: 617.695.0075 or sonya@grubstreet.org.